What can I do?

Went out today to Roger Williams Park today and had another brutal day there. Only got 6 keepers, the biggest being about 2.5. All fish on a 3/8 jig, had get real real crazy with it, like putting it in little 6 inch holes inbetween logs or put it through brush to get the fish. Had the have the 30 pound braid to get them out too. But this lake which was one of the best in the state two or three years back is getting extemely tough in the past few months. Usually the bite is the best and to win a 5 fish tourney you need about 12-13 pounds, but this weekend it took four fish for just over five pounds, and thee where no limits with 29 guys fishing. I have noticed my fun fishing days go from 15 fish to 5 or 6 and instead of a two and a quarter average, the new average fish is about 14 inches.

The two main things I think are contributing to this downfall is the fact that the Park is spraying the weeds three times a year. They used to spray it once during the third week of May, no its two more times to kill the lily pads so the paddle boats can get through! Also the number of tournaments that are held here is getting out of hand. About 4 years ago there would be 4 or 5 tourney's a year. Now there about 2 or 3 tournaments there that wil have 25-35 boats, 4 or 5 club tourney's that will have about a dozen or so boats, and say another 7 or 8 tournaments for different things.

Now people have tried to talk to the Park people and they dont really want to hear it because they make money off the paddle boat deal and make $175 a permit for each tournament held there. So am I out of options or what? I absolutely love this place and it is killing me to see it go downhill like this. Any advice...

Find another lake.

is it going downhill because of the paddle boats or the large number of tournaments? i can see the paddle boat thing being a problem, but too many tourny's is being a little selfish IMO. would you prefer that the park only allow your club to fish there? if so, then i agree with cart---find another lake.

I understand where he is coming from though........and sometimes you have to act selfish to keep the fishing good in your neck of the woods.

trust me davis i feel  his pain. living in south florida, lake okeechobee is soo low that a lot of tournaments have been relocated to holiday park(which is where i do 80% of my fishing). for 6 straight months there was a tourny on both saturday and sunday at the park. there was a minimum of 50 boats each day. i know what he is feeling, which is why i found other places to fish. unfortunately for us anglers down here, it is only going to get worse.

About the too many tourneys, just imagine 35 boats on a pond that its only 83 acres. But I have recently found that on some lakes in Massachusetts, the DEP is limiting the number of boats in tournaments to 15 or fewer. So maybe there is hope.

And about being selfish, sorry if it sounds like it, but people are ruining the place.  Shortly after I posted that I went there and I counted over a dozen dead fish over 3 pounds, one was over 7, and 4 dead Canadain geese. We contacted the Park authority and DEM and they said they couldnt find anything but someone could have done something to the water in that section of the lake. I was not just complaining, I was asking for possible management proposals or something of that nature. Its an issue I would like to try to fix.

that is a tiny lake for that many boats. with that many dead fish, i would think the local mangement would remedy the problem by only allowing so many boats per tourny. i wasn't being disrespectful with my comments, just giving aother alternative. sorry if i offended you. check your pm

is it going downhill because of the paddle boats or the large number of tournaments? i can see the paddle boat thing being a problem, but too many tourny's is being a little selfish IMO. would you prefer that the park only allow your club to fish there? if so, then i agree with cart---find another lake.

It's not selfish.  35 boats, 25 times a season on 83 acres is too much.  He never suggested only HIS club fish there but the parks could put limits on the number of tourny's and number of boats.  First come, first serve.

Tin2win is one of the youth who get involved in making our fishing areas better here in RI.  Let's not cut down the kids that care, there are already too many that don't.

I got calls about the fish/geese kill and it made my heart sink.  Mike, I found out, is the one who informed the authorities.  I think what he is asking is if the stuff used to control the weeds is capable of doing this (perhaps it was used during a time of yr when the fish can't take it ,low D.O.,etc) or is it more likely that another force is at work here.  Only big fish were affected.  Elderly?  weaker?  And the geese,....no visible wounds,.....sounds like a poison.  

If we don't ask questions and demand investigations as anglers, we are not being ambassador's of the sport.  If there IS an issue, I don't want to see it showing up at the next lake over and so on.

Boca- He's not easy to offend,.....we've tried,lol.

I was fishing a lake about 10 minutes from the house in the early 90's that belonged to the St Louis County parks department, managed by the Mo. Dept of Conservation.  Great fishing.  Many downed trees in the water due to beavers.  Banks steep enough I had to wrap one arm around a tree just to cast with the other. I had a lot of that lake to myself most of the time.  I regularly caught 3 - 6lb bass out of that lake.  No boats allowed.  1/2 the lake wasn't fished by most because you had to slog through swamp and woods to get to it.

Then the subdivisions moved in and the beautiful people wanted better access to the entire lake.  The Conservation dept. caved in like they usually do in this state.  

Lake was lowered.

Sunken timber drug out.

Banks bulldozed and contoured.

Paved jogging trails with bridges in the swampy areas constructed.

The fishing there sucks now. I don't even waste my time.

Sometimes the powers to be, ie: $$$.  Could care less about fishing quality and are far more concerned about satisfying everyone involved who wants to use a body of water.  Including those generating income from said water.  Weed control is never a really good thing for any body of water unless it makes it completely unusable.  In this case they're clearing it so the recreational users can enjoy themselves.  Nothing wrong with that unless it ruins the fishing.  

I'd say you've got an issue with too many T's and a weed control policy that's really hurting the fishing.  If you're going to try and do something about it good luck.  I doubt though you'll be able to accomplish what you want, revenue dollars are involved.  That puts the screws to many initiatives.

Cart, that's a good point but the weed program is there to accommodate the paddle boats.  The paddle boats that rarely get rented.  I would bet $$ that the revenue from tourny's ($175-$250 x 35 a pop) is greater than that of the paddle boats.  Just a guess.

Buddy of mine also suggested a good idea. That they allow boats to travel at headway speed throughout the lake. This would take care of the lily pad and paddle boat issue because the lake is not that wide. By the boats traveling through it would make a large path through the pads for the paddle boats to go through.