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Finders Keepers

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  1. Finders Keepers
    Great to have you!! We'll be getting an update on the ice there tomorrow, but from what I have heard, 6"+ of black ice. Stay tuned! We also have set up online registration to help streamline the check-in process: http://www.nysiceproam.com/OnlineProAmRegistration.html
  2. Finders Keepers
    For those teams fishing the event this weekend, please get to the launch after registering as early as possible to ensure you get checked in (gear checked) and staged prior to 5am. We will not be delaying the shotgun start for teams arriving too early to 5am to get checked and staged. Registration opens at 2am to ensure there is time to get everyone processed and ready for the 5am shotgun start.
  3. Finders Keepers
    Yeah, not only does it sound like we'll have over 40 teams, but the weather looks great!!
  4. Finders Keepers
    Our advertising campaign is right on schedule, but Mother Nature hasn't played nice with holding the ice season off so long this year. No worries! Ice is here and everything is rolling right along, including several new sponsors (including our open water season)!!
  5. Finders Keepers
    We've updated the website pages for the Chaumont Bay Team-Only event, including the timeline and maps. Doesn't look like ice will be a problem!!
  6. Finders Keepers
    Not yet, after this weekend we should be, although quite a few anglers are waiting until the following weekend when they go to Chaumont Bay for the first Ice Pro-Am event, or other tourneys later in the month since they won't be fishing until then. We'll see - just have to let word get out about the tournament... And if all the anglers that are waiting until there are lots anglers to register were to just register, we'd have a lot more in the event! Just the nature of starting a new event though...
  7. Finders Keepers
    That is the correct page. Refresh your page as your device is likely holding onto the original page view, and you should see the fish weighed in.
  8. Finders Keepers
    Check out the Outdoor Beat Show with Bill Hilts where we discussed and answered a ton questions regarding the NYS Winter Classic Tournament and the NYS Ice Pro-Am Series events: http://new.livestream.com/LCTV20/events/2964614
  9. Finders Keepers
    Check out our show with Bill Hilts on the Outdoor Beat when we discussed the Winter Classic and Ice Pro-Am events: http://new.livestream.com/LCTV20/events/2964614
  10. Finders Keepers
    Yes, to supplement, as in "add to" the prize checks if we have excess products to work with. The Checks are the main prize structure. In the IPA Series, the main prize structure is product based, supplemented with prize checks if we have excess funds to work with. Both prize structures are clearly indicated on our websites. Just like the Team-Only IPA events have all cash prizes. It's pretty simple really: If you want a chance at just cash, fish the Winter Classic and IPA Team-Only events. If you would like a chance to upgrade your gear to latest, best equipment with the possibility of cash too, fish the Full IPA events. If you just like fishing tournaments and don't care what's in the prize structure, fish them all!
  11. Finders Keepers
    All throughout the day, however we will not post any caught fish until we receive the submitted weigh-in information from the station the fish were brought in to. We try to do check/update every 1-2 hours.
  12. Finders Keepers
    Sure does! Read the prize structure of the tournaments you're going to fish, they are usually listed like ours...
  13. Finders Keepers
    The IPA Series is packed with product, this event is all cash, except for the door prizes. We were going to start with 5 places, but decided to drop to 3 to keep the values as high as possible. We'll drop it back to 5 when we get to 500 anglers. By the way, we aren't going anywhere any time soon. All the expense for this event is in the front end - there will be little cost to run this event next year (and the years following) and the network will remain in place.
  14. Finders Keepers
    To answer a few of the recent posts (I've been busy making sure the tournament kicked-off ok), we do have an updated leader board online, that is managed throughout the day to help reduce the number of fish being brought in to the stations across all species. Our made mode of advertising (to keep costs down) has been via word of mouth, online, and tackle shops. Since the ice season is just getting going, not too many anglers have been in the shops, so a majority of anglers haven't heard about the event yet. With a bunch of anglers (not mentioning any names) who won't enter until there are a ton of anglers, also prevents the tourney from becoming bigger, but whatever. Now that the ice season is going to set in, we should see a surge of registrations over the next couple weeks, followed by continued growth as more anglers fishing the events across the state visit the shops. The initial costs will hold the payouts lower up to 500 anglers, after which it ramps up. I don't think it will be an issue to get over 500 in the tourney. Even if not, you can look at it this way: those in the event will have a much better shot at the $2200+ in door prizes we have with an average value of $80 each, and we'll just be in the red for this year's event. As for my responsibility running the tournament, I am doing a lot more with our event than most other tournament directors I know, or have spoken with, across the country. Again, this event is 5 years in the making, it's not just an idea our committee woke up with one morning and threw it together. Believe me when I say we will take concerns and comments into consideration, but I will not jeopardize my family, main profession, or way of life by adjusting the tournament in an unrealistic way.
  15. Finders Keepers
    Check out the 2.57 lb crappie Dan Hargrave entered today!!
  16. Finders Keepers
    We have caught and released fish in pretty brutal conditions with no problems. Obviously the trick is not having them exposed to the cold for very long. Pike are a very hardy species (unlike musky from what I've heard). The idea of allotted days would be a logistical and tracking nightmare on our end. Promo videos showing the proper way(s) to C&R the fish is a good idea, but there are already a ton and from what we've seen, anglers who are concerned will do it properly, others will not regardless what we do to promote it.
  17. Finders Keepers
    Nice insights Panfisher, and I agree (as other have also mentioned) that balance in necessary. And you are right, some waterways can handle fishing pressure better than others due to the many variables that make up the waterway, and education should always be in every angler's arsenal. Our vision for the Winter Classic is to make it substantial enough to draw anglers from across the country, which will in turn draw-in big name sponsors (already underway), resulting in an increase in the NY economy where it needs it most - in and around many of the waterways where businesses struggle in the wintertime.
  18. Finders Keepers
    Definitely a great conversation we have going here, and I appreciate the info you guys are providing. It could be the anglers we have spoken to who fish Conesus over-exaggerated their catch of larger pike and have skewed our perception of that waterway. The Cranberry Tourney is C&R (not sure if it started that way) but overfishing the waterway has diminished the pike population as a whole there (large and small pike). What do you all think of this: a General Pike division within a limited slot (like 25"-35") plus a Trophy Pike division that is C&R for pike over 35" with stress/lie detector tests for the top 3 to ensure no foul play? As for the question about the photo analysis software, the national tournament (something Bounty I think) that started a few years ago uses the software to detect photoshop edits/adjustments as well as other photo-editing software marks in photos. I don't recall how much they said it was, but it was in the multiples of thousands. Plus, with a statewide event, we won't have the time to run such tests. It need to be streamlined and as simple as possible for us on our end. Managing 29 weigh-in stations is going to be challenging enough, not to mention everything else we do. I don't know how many larger pike out tournament will take out of the waterways that wouldn't have been taken otherwise. But this is a good year to get an idea, as most likely we won't have an overabundance of anglers (10,000+) - we are expecting to top out in the 2,000-5,000 range, despite the slow start likely due to the main mode of exposure this year being the tackle shops which have not been frequented yet with the lack of ice.
  19. Finders Keepers
    The 2015 NYS Winter Classic kicks off tomorrow with ice starting to set-up across the state! Here are a few pointers for the event: 1) Follow the leaderboard at: http://www.nyswinterclassic.com/2015-leader-board.html For those of you in the event, please bookmark the leaderboard site on your smart phones and check the board before keeping a fish to weigh-in. You will see a minimum weight for each species listed (roughly 25th place to account for a maximum payout and up to 5 disqualifications). This is the minimum weight for that species required for weigh-in based on the fish that have been entered already. If your fish is smaller than that minimum weight, there is no reason to bring the fish to weigh-in. However, if your fish is larger than that weight, it may be beneficial to bring it to a weigh-in. 2) Due to the initial lower numbers of anglers, we be paying out the top 3 in each category to keep the prize monies higher. Once we reach 500 registrants we will include the top 5, at 3,000 anglers the top 10, at 5,000 anglers the top 15, and 10,000 anglers the top 20. In addition to increasing the payout structure, at 2500 anglers we will add a $1,000 random draw, at 5,000 anglers we will add a $250 cash prize for the largest fish of a particular species each week plus the a free mount for the overall largest fish, at 10,000 anglers we will up the weekly prize to $500 and include free mounts for all 1st place finishers, and we continue to add additional prizes beyond 10,000 anglers. 3) Pay attention to weigh-in station hours of operation, which vary by location. We will be listing all those we have been informed of on the weigh-in station map for your convenience. If you catch a fish after hours, some stations may still weigh-in fish if you call them. ALL fish caught must be weighed-in on the day they are caught. 4) All fish must be fresh, no frozen fish will be weighed-in. If it's brutally cold, use a bucket or cooler with aeration. Do not use stringers as these will mark the jaw area of the fish and may draw skepticism to your catch resulting in a LD Test if it places in the top 3. 5) All top 3 placing fish in each category must be kept until bumped to 4th place or lower. All top 3 placing fish in each category on Feb. 22nd must be brought to the awards ceremony on Sodus Bay by the angler who caught it, or else be DQ'ed. These fish will be scanned, verified, and used for promotional pictures and may be necessary for free mounts. It is also highly suggested that any fish placing in the top 3 be photographed with and without flash for use if a mount is given. 6) Any pics taken on the ice, at the weigh-in stations, etc. can be sent to us at: [email protected] and we will post them on our website, FB, and/or other media. Any photos sent grant the NYS Ice Pro-Am Corporation full rights to use those photos for advertising and promoting purposes. 7) Spread word of the tournament and encourage any and all anglers to get in the event, as this will only drive the payouts higher. Anglers can register any day up to Feb. 22nd, but any fish caught prior to their entry in the tournament may not be used, and they must register by 7am for that day's fish to be eligible. Have fun, please exercise extreme caution if venturing out on the early ice, and stay safe this winter season. Good luck and tight lines!!
  20. Finders Keepers
    Thank you Panfisher! I think we have the same goals in mind: make this event big while at the same time preserving the fishery. Discussion is good and I think we can accomplish both as we move forward. It will take further discussions, research, and massaging the event structure, but progress will be made.
  21. Finders Keepers
    Interesting concept, I haven't heard of that before. Some would still argue though since the fish are still being kept. Good idea though and something we can put on the discussion table for next year!
  22. Finders Keepers
    Good luck with that - with the abundance of pike I just don't see it happening. Musky, yes, pike, no.
  23. Finders Keepers
    This event will cost just over $15k to set-up and run, provided nothing major comes up. The prize distribution/money allocation is approximately 75% payback, 10% back into the fishery or future youth events, and 15% profit to the corporation for the 1,000's of hours we put into running this event (percentages vary slightly to help make the book keeping easier and also take the costs into consideration). Again, I do appreciate the concern and it is taken on our end with high regard/priority. However, with several thousand dollars in advertising/printing/signage/banners/etc. and anglers already signed up, we are not going to change anything for this year. We will look into possible solutions for next year's event, and welcome all suggestions.
  24. Finders Keepers
    Good question, however there are already do many tournaments happening all over the state, many of which are not C&R, that those fish could be used for this tournament. Do you really think our event is going to take that many more fish than what is already being taken annually? I really don't think so. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  25. Finders Keepers
    Don't get me wrong, I'm all for C&R, except when it comes to tournaments - the integrity of the event must be kept. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
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