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I'm glad to finally see someone like the USAA taking a stand on conservation. The USAA is having their National Championship in Southport, NC with boundries from Cape Lookout down to Georgetown Jetties. These boundries are eliminating all the big breeders at Hatteras and the Not So Secret. This puts skill back into the picture and levels the playing field once again. We had a great time last year in Southport and the town was happy to see the fishermen come. A very friendly town with good fishing in either direction!
Bill I like you but I completely disagree with you. What happened to Hatteras? That was what we were told after last year's rescheduling to Southport. If the USAA wants to be taken seriously regarding conservation, don't sanction a tournament every weekend. Don't sanction every little event that has 25 boats enter. Give the damn fish a break. All it does is water down the really good events. The commercial guys will catch more fish in one hour than the tournament would in two days of tournament fishing will do off Hatteras. As I told George, USAA needs to do what it feels is best for it's membership but every boat I have mentioned this too has said they will not participate and I also will not. USAA got luck last year when the fish stayed down there much longer than normal. Given the location and boundries I will not fish it. You say it puts skill back in the picture but all boundries do is take skill out of the picture. Why don't we all get assigned the same boats, the same rods, the same reels, the same baits and it can be like an IROC race. No thanks. part of skill is knowing when to take chances to run 100 miles one way and only having one hour of fishing time. What kind of strategy is it to say, "we know the big fish are a little bit north of here, stay here and fish for the little ones". And that is for the National Championship?????????? I had not planned on publicly stating this case but since you have brought it up, I have given my feeling.
I respect your opinion but if the bite is on like it was in Biloxi, pretty much anybody could have caught a 50lber if they were in the area. Heck, I know two teams throwing spoonings catching 50lbers. I was referring to skill when you have to find big fish where they normally are not. Sure the USAA could go to Hatteras and/or Not So Secret but after you kill off the breeding stock, then what? This is just my view and everybody including yourself has their own opinion.
Kirk, I agree with you about all the little tournaments. I would rather see 1 tournament per month and have all the smaller tournaments combine their efforts into one big one. But that is not in the future as far as I can see. Two many hands involved in the pot. I would also like the tournaments to publishize if the tournament is for-profit or non-profit. When tournaments are making 30,000 in profit, I feel like I didn't get my fair share of the winnings, and there are several tournaments doing that!
The record was caught off Okracoke using ballyhoo.
FF, One thing I think is needed is a true small boat division. While SKA had the best intentions in developing the current 23 and under, it has become exactly the opposite of what was intended. The intent was to have a division where the guy with limited resources could compete. The solution I think is to have a single engine division.
Bill, There is no question that tournaments contribute to the pressure on kings but I think an organizations National Championship should be in a spot that offers the best fishing in the area and off NC in November that is not Southport. To try to wrap the decision to fish Southport and even exclude Hatteras to those who might take the risk and run there in the context of conservation is ridiculous. The same time of year, commercial boats are catching tons of the breeder fish off Hatteras. I really don't think the dent of the tournament boats will really make that big of a difference. I find the arguement particulary hard to shallow from the same organization that sponsors a KMT every weekend. While SKA is not perfect, I strongly agree with their deccision to limit events to try to concentrate prize money and participation.
USAA & King Mackerel Conservation 
