Did you know?
By Brent Davis, GRDA
Fishery Coordinator/Tournament Director
Did you know that approximately 602,000 hunters and anglers spend on average $2.8 million dollars a day in Oklahoma?
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation's 2007 report (www.nssf.org), fishermen spend on average $554 million dollars in our state annually compared to hunters who spend $492 million. Across the nation, Oklahoma ranks #29 for the money spent on fishing and #20 for hunting.
If all hunters and anglers living in Oklahoma voted in the 2004 presidential election, they would have equaled 63% of the entire vote. The total spending of sportsman in Oklahoma is over $1 billion dollars annually. With that statistic, Oklahoma ranks 28th out of the 50 states. I am sure that Grand Lake is responsible for a large portion of those dollars spent. Wonder how much?
GRDA has granted over 100 tournament permits on Grand Lake for the 2008 season, ranging from 10 to 600 boats per permit. The tournaments range from small "just for fun" tournaments to large Pro-Am tournaments. In fact, we have booked tournaments all the way from Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Colorado.
All tournaments are a huge boost to the economy around the lake, because fishermen spend money in the Grand Lake area via overnight hotel stays, food, gas, tackle, and other entertainment!
GRDA's Office of Ecosystems Management's goal is to effectively manage all tournaments on our lakes because it is our responsibility to take care of the resources. GRDA has initiated a program for tournament directors as well as the fishermen named "TEAM!" (Tournament Education on Angling Mortality). This program is designed to teach fisherman how to care for the fish when caught so they can be released back into the water alive and healthy. Additionally, we work with tournament directors so they properly care for the fish during weigh-in.
Since the implementation of the program, the number of fish kills due to fishing tournaments has significantly declined. Our goal is to continue that success rate! We appreciate the cooperation of all tournament directors and fisherman who take the extra step to protect our valuable fishery.
For more information contact Brent Davis at GRDA, P.O. Box 409, 226 W. Dwain Willis Ave., Vinita, OK 74301-0409 - Phone: 918-256-5545 x 4415 - Fax: 918-256-5289
(Ed. Note: Mr. Davis is a regular contributor to GrandFishingReport.com. Visit the site for more articles from Brent Davis and other Grand Lake area writers.)