Know the rules...

[cassidyta]

I figured I would pass this on for anyone who might be considering signing up for any type of tourney.
I work on a Marine Corps base which has a fish pond on the property. They have done some great clean up efforts to the pond and wanted to hold a little lunch time tourney to gain more interest in the pond. I mistakenly made an assumption that since they called it a tourney, I would be limited to artifical baits.
Well, I was the only of the 12 people not casting out shiners or live crawdads. This was only an hour and 15 minute event with everyone fishing from the shore. I managed to catch my 2 fish limit, but was not even close in the weight. I was lucky to catch these 2, while everyone else was culling within 30 minutes. I was not too upset because there was no buy in fee. First place got a trophy and a $25 visa gift card.

While this is the first bass event that I have ever fished that allowed for live bait, it did remind me that there are several variations to the rules from one event to another.

I figured I would pass on this lesson learned.

[WTL]

That happened with my Dad once. His company held a fishing tourney at the county lake.

What he didn't realize until he showed up was that live bait was allowed - and any game fish was allowed. So he went to work casting lures while the winner got paid on the basis of catching about 50 potato chip sized bream on crickets.

[JB]

I doubt you'll ever see live bait in the rules unless its a private deal like yours.
For bass that is...we have huge crappie tourneys at grand lake up at st marys and of course tubes, jigs, minnows are allowed. But all the bass tourneys I've ever heard of or been in its a given that its always artificial.... Walleye and other tourneys use live bait in this area too.

[WTL]

There are sometimes live bait tourneys for bass under wheeler and wilson dam. Drifting shad is real popular there.

I remember one november I watched as 5 boats launched in a live bait legal bass tourney at the dam, and I fished from shore. I later found out I had a bigger bag than all of them, from shore, on artificials. Hehe.

[cassidyta]

I think that it can be done in a full day tourney, but in something shorter, I would suspect that live bait would win out.

JB,
I agree that live bait is very much the exception, but deductions for under sized and slot-milits are fairly common. I was throwing it out as a friendly reminder.

[bassackwards]

in the small bass club im apart of in NC we can use live bate for bass because some of our members are older with problems so they can't hold a rod for long periods of time so they use bobers . but it does work out good for me because thay can't make long runs or go far in rough water.

[MallenManson]

Too bad they didn't have a 2nd category............artificial baits!

[Lilmoosecountry]

That's why i love the walleye tournaments. Live bait is allowed. But it does'nt mean you'll have the winning catch.

[Bender]

My buddy fished a tournament like that. He didn't know that live bait was allowed. He found out at the weigh-in and when he asked about it the people said "well, DUH, it's sponsored by a bait shop".

[aikenyounggun]

yeah sometimes people just like to change it up.... i think it would be cool to have a live bait tourney..... i guess in yor case Cass that it was just a small thing so noone with the exception of you have fished a lot of tourneys with artificials..... you will get em next time tho