Permit granted for Potomac Elite tournament

The Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge is official now. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently approved B.A.S.S.’s permit for the tournament to be held August 11-14, under the new Option 2.

A Maryland regulation released March 15 allows tournament competitors to weigh in five bass per day, 12 inches or longer, of which only one bass can be 15 inches or longer. The new rule had threatened to force cancellation of the Potomac event. “That would not have worked for the Bassmaster Elite Series,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin shortly after the rule was made public.

But after getting feedback from B.A.S.S. Nation members, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland, tournament officials and local hosts, the Maryland DNR issued an additional set of rules.

The new Option 2 allows tournaments to operate under a five-bass, 12-inch minimum size limit — and no maximum size — if the organizations observe a number of rules governing fish handling. Among them, organizers must recover and redistribute bass to approved locations using live release boats or other approved fish transport services, and they must conduct weigh-ins using procedures and equipment that maximize the survival of released bass. In addition, anglers must possess a free permit and comply with simple fish-care protocols.

Gilliland credited state officials for finding a solution to the impasse.

“Maryland DNR recognized that a problem with the bass population exists in the Potomac and wanted to act quickly to protect it from further decline. Their first proposals were met with a great deal of opposition from tournament organizations, including B.A.S.S.,” Gilliland said. “But to their credit, they have been willing to listen to angler concerns and have now presented new options that allow tournaments to be conducted if they follow what DNR calls ‘Best Management Practices’ for fish care.

“Complying with the criteria in Option 2 should not prove difficult for us. Most of these requirements were taken directly from the B.A.S.S. publication, Keeping Bass Alive, and are standard operating procedures at all B.A.S.S. tournaments.” 

Mandatory use of non-penetrating culling clips is part of the Maryland regulations. “B.A.S.S. already does all of the things DNR is recommending with the exception of prohibiting penetrating culling devices,” said Gilliland. “We have recommended non-penetrating culling clips for several years as part of our Keeping Bass Alive protocols. But unfortunately the adoption rate has been rather poor because the clips that were on the market several years back were not secure and anglers had bad experiences with them. That has changed, and there are now clips available that work very well.  

“This past summer we approached the Elite anglers with a proposal to transition toward making non-penetrating culling clips mandatory. The pros were well aware of the issues and agreed it was needed, but thought it was something we should phase in to allow anglers and the industry to adapt. The new Maryland requirements have sped up that process a bit. Our pro anglers will have an opportunity in August to try out the newer generation clips and come back to us with recommendations on how quickly we can incorporate this into the rules for all levels of B.A.S.S. tournament competition.”