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Finders Keepers

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Everything posted by Finders Keepers

  1. We will be at the Rochester Field & Stream this Saturday the 18th from 9-5 with our tournament boat in an open-style format to answer questions about rigging, electronics, running different spreads, copper vs. leadcore vs long lines vs wire vs downriggers and how to rig & run each, and anything else trolling related anyone has questions about. Many aspects of this type of an event is hands-on including lure making (taping up spoons, tying up flies, etc.), seeing/handling some of the newest gear from Okuma, Humminbird, Minn-Kota, Plano, and Frabill, and tying multiple types of lines together. With the boat, we can set-up any spread in front of the store and show anglers what it looks like and how to rig it all in person. Stop out and let's talk fishing!!
  2. On April 18th the Finders Keepers team will be at the Rochester Field & Stream with our tournament boat for an open-forum style, hands-on demonstration/seminar for anyone looking for tips on how to rig your boat, run multiple lines, set-up equipment, or any other questions you may have regarding trolling for trout & salmon. We will also have some of the latest gear from Okuma, Cannon, Humminbird, Minn-Kota, OceanLED, Savage Gear, Plano, MTX, Fish Hawk, and more! Stop on out and let's talk fishing! !
  3. Can't wait - always a good time!! Sent from my SCH-I545 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  4. The last Open IPA event is this weekend on Sodus! Registrations can be done online or in person at the Sodus Bay Bridge Sportshop.
  5. NYS Ice Pro-Am Team-Only event this Saunday on Sodus Bay. NYS Full IPA Event on Sodus Bay Feb. 21st & 22nd. NYS Winter Classic continually running on all NYS waterways until Feb. 22nd.
  6. We did practice C&R releasing pike, pickerel and a few walleye. Most anglers wanted to keep their fish, which we do allow. The largest fish in each category is typically kept in our livewells and displayed at the awards ceremony. With the brutally cold temps the 3 largest walleye did not fair well and all anglers took them after the awards ceremony. All others were released or kept by the anglers. All pike at this weekend's event on Sodus will be C&R.
  7. The Oneida Lake Team-Only Event this Sunday has been moved to Sodus Bay due to deteriorating ice conditions on Oneida Lake. Registration/check-in will be at the Sodus Pt. Firehall, shotgun start from Maiden lane on Sodus Pt., teams will be fishing for: 3 largest pike, 12 largest yellow perch. All pike will be C&R - there will be a weigh-in station located at Maiden Lane and tourney flags will be issued to all teams.
  8. NYS Ice Pro-Am Event on Chaumont Bay. Oneida Lake event is this weekend followed by the large Sodus Bay Event on the 21st and 22nd.
  9. The Oneida Lake Team-Only Event is this Sunday!! The team who can put the best plan into action is going to be heading home with a pile of cash and set of trophies!! Check out all the info at: http://www.nysiceproam.com/OneidaLake-TeamOnly.html
  10. 3 big events on the same waterway this weekend at Chaumont Bay!! Over $25,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded between the NYS Ice Pro-Am event and the local Lyme Fire Hall Tournament!! This is going to be a great weekend of ice fishing!! Register online for the Pro-Am event at: www.NYSiceproam.com
  11. Captains meeting will be held at the 3-Mile Bay Fire Hall. Our headquarters, check-in, registration, and awards ceremony will all be housed there as well. Make sure if register online or at Chaumont Hardware that you stop in to the fire hall to check-in (fill-out your liability form and acquire your weigh-in sheets) either Friday or Sat morning before the event starts. No anglers will be able to weigh-in fish without their weigh-in forms!
  12. We've had some questions about the event this coming weekend on Chaumont Bay: 1) Boundaries: the whole bay will be fair game. Just be cautious of known weak ice spots where currents exist, or if any pressure cracks/ridges develop. Anglers may only fish Chaumont Bay. 2) Open anglers cannot venture onto the ice until 6am. With the team event shotgun start at 5am, for safety reasons we hold the Open anglers off the ice until 6am. 3) Unless prior arrangements are made with me, all teams must be represented at the mandatory Captains meeting Friday evening from 7-8pm. 4) We will be having a seminar/demo session from 5-7pm on Friday at the 3-Mile Bay Fire Hall with at least 8 companies being represented (list to be announced soon). Anyone can attend - this is not part of the captains meeting, nor is it only for Pro-Am teams.
  13. The big Chaumont Full IPA event is this coming weekend!! With a hot currently going on there, lots of ice, and many anglers planning on attending, it's looking like this could be the largest event of the year for the Series!! With over $20,000 in prizes to offload, 3 tourneys going at the same time, and good weather in the forecast, it's going to be a banner weekend at Chaumont!!
  14. There are also kids activities including a trout pond, and Scott Brauer from Maki Plastic will be there with his demo tank and kids activities. In our seminars we will be covering some of the basics of ice fishing (like how to set up jigging rods and tip-ups), advanced techniques (like using Automatic Fishermen units), electronics on the ice, tactics for different times of the season, some of the latest ideas and gear around ice safety, and an in-depth look at the NYS Ice Pro-Am Tournament Series and NYS Winter Classic Tournament. At our booth we will be featuring some of the latest gear from Plano, Frabill, Aqua-Vu, Hydro Glow, and others that we are giving away at this year's events! We're looking forward to seeing many of you there!!
  15. Team-Only events are all cash. Full IPA events feature products with cash supplements.
  16. Online registration is now open for the 2-day Chaumont Bay Full IPA Event on Jan. 31st and Feb. 1st, along with the walleye dinner banquet on the 31st at 6pm. http://www.nysiceproam.com/FullIPARegistration-b.html Registration is required for the dinner and will be available until the 26th. After which anglers can still attend, but will have to order off of their general menu.
  17. Quick run-down of the Chaumont Bay Team-Only event Saturday: (34 Teams) 1st Place: E.T. with 82.48 pts. ($1380) 2nd Place: Au Grabbers with 68.85 pts. ($800) 3rd Place: Reel Time with 66.84 pts ($340) Lunker Pool: 1st Place: E.T. with a 13.63 lb Walleye ($230) 2nd Place: Gaff Lunkage with a 13.12 lb Walleye ($138) 3rd Place: Warren Bidwell with a 12.85 lb Pike ($92)
  18. Thank you for participating! We'll be posting the full results/stats early this week, including the current Triple Crown standings!
  19. Picked up the trophies today! See everyone at Chaumont Saturday morning!!
  20. We are very happy to announce that Field & Stream in Rochester is now an official weigh-in station for the Winter Classic! They will only be weighing -in fish and not taking registrations at this time.
  21. We are good to go for machines. Greg reported 6" of black ice over 30 fow tonight. However, we are urging anglers to exercise extreme caution if venturing to deep water (over 20 ft) especially with ATV's. Check ice often and when going out from the shotgun, use navigational equipment or follow those who do. I am very happy to add that we will have 3 fire departments at the ready as they practice ice rescue, along with an airboat to add to our safety net should anyone get into trouble during the event. I realize requiring the fish to be alive may seem out of the ordinary, however it was highly suggested by tournament anglers and directors alike to maintain confidence in angler integrity. We don't have an issue with cheating as we set our standards high and do our best to run a tight ship. If we find it isn't necessary (and with angler feedback support) we can adjust future events.
  22. Every evening after I process the new entries and have access to the website building program.
  23. For the Winter Classic they just need to be fresh, not alive. You're confusing the two events. For this IPA event, if a major fish is caught, I am suggesting the angler call me direct (all teams will have my cell number) and I can meet them at the launch to weigh it in for the Winter Classic and record it for the IPA. But we are not going to do that for every fish caught, only larger fish: pike over 10 lbs and walleye over 8lbs.
  24. I have spoken with several tourney directors and many anglers who fish events set-up just like this, where the fish do not have to be releasable, but must show signs of life at weigh-in. Everyone said there is no issue. I have kept fish over night in a dry bucket in the garage and they were still kicking once they thawed out the next morning when I went to fillet them up. The only way a fish will be dead is if left on the ice, or on the rare occassion that they inhale the hook and their mouth/gills get ripped up trying to recover it. My suggestion if they inhale the hook: cut the line and retrieve it after weigh-in. We are allowing the use of stringers to keep the larger fish in the water or if you have a large cooler, that worlks great too (we keep multiple large pike alive for 2 days straight for the main IPA events and they are as good as you just caught them at the awards ceremony). Change the water frequently in any container holding fish and the use of an aerator can help greatly. It's really not that hard to keep them alive. Yes, after weigh-in all anglers are allowed to keep their fish, or they can be given to me and I will gladly bring them home to fillet up!!
  25. Weigh-in starts at 2:30 with all teams needing to be in line by 4pm. We highly suggest the use of aeration units to help keep the fish alive - no dead fish or frozen fish can be weighed in. Try not to let the fish swallow the hook and be careful when de-hooking a fish to prevent blood loss. This rule is in place to help ensure the fish were caught on that day. I will be inspecting everyone's gear to help as well.
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