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Finders Keepers

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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: NYSWC@yahoo.com 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!!
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
  6. Finders Keepers
    Good luck with that - with the abundance of pike I just don't see it happening. Musky, yes, pike, no.
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. Finders Keepers
    Agreed. Conesus lake has multiple pike tournaments every winter where all pike are kept, yet it remains one of the best pike lakes in the state. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  11. Finders Keepers
    We are looking at the possibility of a C&R aspect for next year, but at this point, without fully looking at the logistics, didn't seem feasible. Again we are open to suggestions. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  12. Finders Keepers
    You act add though I am new to this game. Why stop at just pike? Make it for every species! The DEC is aware of our events as are the local agencies where run or events, and our corporation files all necessary taxes. But thanks for checking! Sent from my SCH-I545 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  13. Finders Keepers
    As a tournament director I have to wonder how many anglers are in this season event, and how many muskies are caught on a daily basis, and how many waterways does this cover? Does it require a photo and is there photo analysis used? I'm not going to run a STATEWIDE event on hundreds (if not thousands) of waterways (where pike are prevalent unlike musky), involving $100,000's in prize monies, that has the chance of losing its integrity so a few pike can be released. Not to mention it is likely impossible to do any sound photo analysis on all the entries. A similar argument can also be made on the flip side where releasing the larger pike and keeping them in the waterways could be stunting the growth of the overall population. Please keep in mind, we are planning this event for future years, as it grows, where it will likely involve over 50,000 anglers, with first place prize checks of $25,000 or more and paying down 20 or more places. We've seen the temptation to cheat for prizes as little as $1,000, and it will only be that much greater when over a quarter of a million dollars is on the line! Nature of running large events! If it's not for you, that's fine, just don't enter.
  14. Finders Keepers
    It amazes me all the flack we get for starting something that can become great and generate some much needed revenue for many things here in NYS (fish stocking programs to name one), even the Ice Pro-Am events which are C&R events!! While the huge tournaments out west go on without protest, with 1,000's of anglers crammed onto small waterways, and yet their fishery remains strong. I guess their fish reproduce much better than ours... This event is based on the LOC derbies held on Lake Ontario - events that take many trout and salmon from the lake every year and yet the fishery remains strong. This event will take fish out of the waterways too, no doubt. But I strongly believe this event will have little to no impact on the fishery, just like all other events of this nature.
  15. Finders Keepers
    If you want to buy the photo analysis software and do the work of analyzing all the top placements, maybe that could be an option. With the ease of photo editing these days, a tourney of this magnitude would open Pandora's box for cheating. I've seen what smaller photo tourneys go through and there's no way it can be done with this event. I wish we could, but that's the reality of it. We have 55 anglers in at this point not counting in-person registrations at our weigh-ins. Now that the ice is forecast to set-up, we should see our numbers shoot up.
  16. Finders Keepers
    I wish there were a way to prevent it, but it's the nature of the beast and human nature at play. We're entertaining ideas on how to make a C&R category for next year's event, but the logistics are looking nightmarish so far.
  17. Finders Keepers
    Really? I haven't fished a tournament in my 30+ years of tourney fishing that has been won by a pike out of a private pond - I'll be amazed if someone can produce a 25+ lb pike out of their pond! And I'll be super jealous too!! Can't wait to see how it all turns out though!!
  18. Finders Keepers
    The NYS Winter Classic kicks off this Thursday - who's going to claim first place in the pike division and where will it come from? with so many great pike waterways in NYS, it's GAME ON for all pike anglers!! Remember, event with the slow start to the ice season, you can always fish the open water!! Good luck!! Check out all the details and watch the leaderboard at: www.NYSwinterclassic.com
  19. Finders Keepers
    For those of you who chase after the panfish during the winter months, here is your chance to fish a tournament with panfish, crappie, and yellow perch divisions. This is a statewide event where all waterways are fair game, including both open water and ice, and also includes large species of fish as well. Check out all the details at: www.NYSwinterclassic.com Tournament starts on January 1st!! Get registered today!!
  20. Finders Keepers
    January 3rd - Bass Pro Shops in Auburn. January 10 & 11 - Field & Stream in Henrietta. Stop in and let's talk about ice fishing!!
  21. Finders Keepers
    We'll have the full line of Aqua-Vu cameras at Bass Pro Shops in Auburn this Saturday, Jan. 3rd for their ice event. Stop on over and we can talk about all the units with you!
  22. Finders Keepers
    Just over 50 at this point. We're not going to put a count up until we get over 100 anglers. With the slow start to the ice season, everyone is in a wait and see mode. While a handful of anglers have seen our posts online, the masses will see our banners and billboards at the tackle shops once they start frequenting the shops when the ice gets going. Hopefully the cold this week is the start!
  23. Finders Keepers
    We use the Aqua-Vu Micro units that start at $300 - HD full color, infrared lighting (to see at night and in the dark as well as during the day), small enough to fit in your pocket, super durable, and can go all day on a single charge.
  24. Finders Keepers
    While we all wait for the ice to set-up, the Winter Classic Tournament will be kicking off next week!! Many anglers are planning to take to the open water to start the tourney!! Where will you be fishing? Make sure to register before 7am on the first day you wish to fish in the tournament!!
  25. Finders Keepers
    Tourney is kicking off next week!! Big question is: ice or open water fishing? Good to all anglers in our inaugural event!!
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