Changing fish tournaments would benefit everyone

If it wasn’t for tournament anglers, the general fishing public wouldn’t be as quick to learn effective new techniques.
Let’s face it, when your little boy or girl catches more fish, they usually have a better time. And if it wasn’t for the people and the companies who make these products and sponsor the tournament anglers, there wouldn’t be any tournaments.
We, the public, wouldn’t be learning from magazines like “In-Fisherman,” whose pages are graced with the ads of said product manufacturers.
But there is a catch. While fishing clubs, along with provincial and state fisheries departments, are all touting “keep the little ones and let the big ones go,” tournaments are just the opposite. Although most or all tournament anglers let their fish go after they are weighed, there’s a price to pay.
The mortality rate on fish kept alive in a live-well all day is much higher than that of fish caught and released quickly–especially if it’s a windy, hot day where the fish take a lot of pounding and it’s hard to keep the live-well cool.
Perhaps it’s time for the tournaments to evolve with the technology. I believe there’s a way to make tournaments more fish friendly, exciting, and yet still showcase the anglers’ skill.
I call it the Time Management Tournament. Here’s how it works:
Say each pound of fish caught is equal to 100 points. Say also that each minute of time not fished is worth two points. Say you lower your limit to four fish as opposed to five (for the tournament only). And let’s say it is an eight-hour tourney.
“Team” A fishes for four hours and brings in four fish (weighing five, four, three, and three pounds) for a total of 15 pounds. Their total points would be 15 pounds x 100 points=1,500 points. TNF (time not fished) four x 60 minutes x two points=480.
Their points total then would be 1,980.
“Team B” fishes for seven hours and also brings in four fish (4.5, 4.5, four, and three pounds) for a total of 16 pounds. Their total points would be 16 pounds x 100 points =1,600 points. TNF one x 60 minutes x two points =120 points.
Their point total then would be 1,720 points.
“Team A” was the winner because they used their time wisely. Mind you, they used all of their tools also–fast boat, GPS, depthfinder, etc.
When you make minutes, along with ounces, part of the equation, you add an exciting element. Naturally, the anglers who are winning tournaments today are going to be the same ones winning in a time-management tournament.
But the fish win, too, because an angler isn’t hooking and releasing an additional 40 fish to get an extra six ounces. And spectators would be inclined to hang out at the weigh-in for this non-stop excitement.
This also could be TV-friendly.
Perhaps the last day is a three-hour bonanza. You also could have special prizes and points for the first fish over four pounds or the first total weight over 10 pounds. You would have to plug in the numbers of whatever works for a particular body or water.
To sum things up, everyone is a winner–the fish, the spectators, and last but not least, the sponsors.