Fishtails

Someone had asked about participation numbers and growth in the Am division. I don't have the Oswego numbers, but Sodus has a website with all that info. It wasn't updated last year though so no numbers for 2018. Sodus Pro Am Entries 2014 - 27 Pro Teams and 18 Am Teams (45) 2015 - 27 Pro Teams and 19 Am Teams (46) 2016 - 25 Pro Teams and 25 Am Teams (50) The Am side has shown steady growth. It would be awesome to see a larger field of Am teams than Pro teams this year!!

Thanks for your input Chas! I am not sure about Oswego, but after reading the Sodus rules it would appear there is no longer a minimum boat size for the AM. The rules are on the website and can be found here.... http://www.sodusproam.com/

That is a GREAT rule Matt. You guys running the Sodus Pro Am rock !!! I'm pretty sure I would have never thought of that.

I think you make some valid points Mike. I just don't know how they'd address the captain licence issue differently? It seems no matter what, a certain group would be upset. The rule changes you speak of that were changing yearly were always at the insistence of the participants. Just as you don't like the captain's lic. rule, or someone doesn't like 9 fish, or 6 fish, etc, etc, etc. Everyone got tired of that, and in the end it didn't seem to make a difference in participation numbers so to their credit the east end Pro Am's have both been steady on their general rules the past several years. It's still important though to listen and adapt in order to stay relevant. I always though Ivan did such a great job with the spring King Of The Lake event in Canada. As far as # of entrants, I know Sodus had shown steady growth on the Am side up until last year when all the complications of the high water levels kept many away. Even so, the turnout was pretty fair. Oswego has struggled a bit more with Am numbers and it doesn't make sense with all the boats, facilities and location that town has. Growth should be so easy in that port compared to all others.

Fat Trout, I do agree that 5-6 fish limits are where it's at. The Sodus Pro Am has a six fish limit and may be the funnest tournament on the south shore. Jimski - Both Sodus and Oswego Pro Am's have a 6 rod limit in the Am division.

Every opinion matters Pap, it's just an open discussion so thanks for the input. The main thing I'd point out is the throwing fish in the dumpster comment. No tournament on lake O would ever condone such an act. Has it "ever" happened, I'm sure it has. There are lowlifes in every walk of like. Mom's have thrown their newborn babies in a dumpster as well. It's more reflective of that individual. It's always the ugly story that grabs the headline, but there are far more positive ones that go unheard. Last year at the Sodus Pro Am, I had 12 fish I really preferred not to clean. I would have never kept them had it not been tourney day. My wife and I drove to Arney's marina, where there was a couple from Rochester fishing for catfish. I offered them all our salmon, and the woman was so elated she was crying!! This fish would feed them for weeks. They only had a tiny 6 pack cooler (with two sunfish in it), so he was going to just lay them in the bed of his truck. To see her so happy and grateful was truly heartwarming and I didn't want to see the fish spoil in the hot sun. I had a spare cheaper cooler, so I just gave it to them and packed the 12 salmon in Ice and they raced away. This type of story is never heard, because we don't do good deeds for the praise or recognition. This family doesn't get those fish if there is no tournament. Just sayin. These fish are stocked to be caught. No comparison to bass , etc.

No observer is needed in the Am division in either Oswego or Sodus Iceman. The observer was eliminated several years ago because of the many many requests to do so.

Love the boat name Mike I'd guess so, but I'll leave that answer for someone who actually knows.

Good point !! I Totally understand the weather / boat size issue. I think a lot of us struggle with that even coordinating a regular fishing trip. Sometimes mother nature is the ultimate winner. I think the committees have done what they can with that regard, in that they will usually allow cash entry right up to the day or two before the main event knowing that there will be some teams that want to watch the forecast. Just be sure to check with them beforehand on their policy. Entering last minute is problematic for the committee though, and causes extra work and concern for them so to offset that I know Sodus (not sure about Oswego) has a drawing for a free entry to all teams entered by a certain date. Just something to keep in mind if the weather is your main concern. They never fish if there is a small craft issued.

With Memorial day weekend upon us, it's time to begin preparing for the upcoming tournament season on Lake Ontario's east end. Oswego and Sodus are setting up for one of the best seasons in memory. Fish are so abundant this year, if you were ever going to enter a well structured fishing tournament like the Pro Am's, this is your year!!! I fished my first tournament in 2008. I entered the Oswego Pro Am in the Amateur division. I had just started fishing the great lakes, catching the very first salmon of my life in 2006. I guess fishing a tournament so quickly was a tad premature for such a novice, and as fate would have it nothing went right that day. I actually ended up being towed in by the Coast Guard. That didn't deter me though, as I witnessed first hand the friendships that develop and friendly competition that takes place at the Pro Am's. That Excitement I felt as we took off in the morning full of hope into the unknowing with all those other teams is something that I find just as thrilling today. A lot has changed in the past 10 years and the Pro Am's entrants have fallen almost every year. On the Pro side, It's understandable. There are only so many teams willing or able to fish pro, and charter season is in full swing on the east end in July with many captains working both days and some with doubles. Its hard to pass on that guaranteed income with only a few months to make it. It's expected that some Amateur teams will eventually step up to the Pro side and add growth to the pro division, and a few have. With the expectation of new teams entering the Am each year, the tournaments should experience constant growth. So why hasn't this happened? A buddy who is on the Sodus Pro Am committee said to me recently that he was trying to figure out how to get more teams involved? It got me thinking, why don't we see more new teams each year? Perhaps, it's because we just don't speak about them much anymore. Not like we used too. I guess that's why I decided to start this thread while I enjoy my cup of coffee this morning. If you are reading this, my question to you is what is keeping you from entering a Pro Am? Some good input could be helpful to understand how today's fisherman view tournament fishing. I think if some of you actually participated, or even just attended you'd see that the teams in the Am division are just a bunch of weekend warriors, family and friends just out having a good time. You definitely should not be intimidated lol. The entry is minimal, but the enjoyment can be off the charts! With all the fish this year, anyone can win some $$ as well, though the true measure of these events isn't in where you finish or how much you win. It's the fun you'll have with family and friends, the memories you'll create, the many friends you'll make, the thrill of competition, the atmosphere and the excitement. For many of you who know me, you know my story. I have fished these tournaments predominantly with my son. He began with me when he was 11 years old. We've finished last, and we've finished first. We've fished small one day events up to the most prestigious invitationals, all for the love of the sport. Oswego Pro Am takes place July 14th - 15th Sodus Pro Am takes place July 21st- 22nd These two events are GREAT tournaments. No observer needed in the Am division! I personally enjoy the Pro Am's more than one day events. So much so that I haven't even fished a one day smaller tourney in several years. I just like the segregation of the Am's and Pro's in separate divisions and we love the atmosphere! It's my favorite format, with the 6 rod, 6 fish invitationals running a close second!! If you have any questions on entering, dockage, accommodations, etc - just ask and someone will help answer your questions. Put a small team together and give a Pro Am a go this year!! I've already fished Sodus several times with just 2 people, myself and my son so its not like you need 4 guys. You need 3 team members for Oswego and 2 for Sodus to cover the 9 fish and 6 fish limit. Hope to see many of you there!!

Looking so forward to the back to back Pro Am's in July!! Oswego and Sodus are setting up for one of the best seasons in memory. Fish are so abundant this year, if you were ever going to enter a well structured fishing tournament like the Pro Am's, this is your year!!!

We'll be participating this year Greg. It sounds like there are some minor rule changes forthcoming in Oswego which I totally support!! My team is excited to participate, not just donate like last year haha!!

Lucky Enuff Oswego and Sodus Pro Am Experience. Long post warning !!! A week late, but still recuperating from two weeks of mayhem. I fish an east end Pro Am with my son each year. We have been doing them together since 2012 as a father/son team. before that, he'd fish an occasional tournament with me and some teammates. The very first one we fished together as a two man father/son was Sodus in 2012 and we ended in first place Am division, so that gave him a .drive to keep doing them with me. Justin is not an avid fisherman. He doesn't possess his fathers deep seeded passion for fishing, but when we do it, I try to make it a great experience and we always have a great time. .I set very few rules, I let him do what he wants and I don't act like his father. This year he turned 18, so I was worried he wouldn't make it up to Ontario with me, but with a little bribery, we made it happen. OSWEGO I have not fished the Oswego Pro Am in 5 years. Mainly because of the 9 fish limit. I do like it, don't get me wrong. 9 fish separates the winners from the beginners and allows a team room to separate themselves from the crowd. However, like some other aspects of this Pro Am, in my opinion its outdated. I fished years with just Justin and I. We couldn't fish a 9 fish limit event, so you take out all the two man teams like us with a 9 fish limit. I won't add just any person and mess up what we do, I will find something else to fish. Sure, the upper tier teams love 9 fish and believe me, I understand why!! All things being equal, I prefer 9 fish also but its not good for tournament growth. IMHO, 5 or 6 fish limits is the future of tournament fishing.on Lake O. Again....my opinion only. This year, we found the right people to join us, so we fished Oswego again! I pre fished starting Wednesday by myself. I caught fish, but didn't set the world on fire. On Thursday, my new teammate Jason fished with me. Jason had observed for me years ago. We never fished together, so this was our maiden team voyage. We went north east 18 miles, and had a very good day. Our biggest was about 20lbs, so we missed out on the 1k but had a plan for Friday. Friday brought my son Justin to NY for his first trip on the season. We headed to Thursday's water, and fish were present but it was sloooow ! I worked over a small area refusing to leave because I only needed three, but damn if I could get one in the boat. Short bites is all we'd get. Then....boom, and we double up ! Justin. lands a 26.4 king, Jason lands a 16 Ya think we could get another? Nope. I finally decide to pull lines and hit up the browns. I waited too long, and only had about 15 minutes to fish browns. Luckily, we got one quick and headed in. Had I upgraded my brown by just one pound (it was 5 bs) , we cash a check. Dumb move Rod!! But....Justin won big fish, plus the 1k a day and was 3rd at the time LOC as the big bruisers had yet to show up. He even got on the front page of the paper. Not bad for his first fish of the season!! I can't lie, it was (and always will be) a VERY PROUD father moment seeing him on the front page at the newsstand. He's grown up a bit since we caught our very first salmon together!! OSWEGO SATURDAY......tourney day is here. We were excited, but knew we had some rough conditions awaiting us. We were delayed because of thunderstorms until 7:30. I thought the Pro Am committee did the right thing, and a great job with the delay process !! As we idle out of the harbor, I was putting my plan together knowing I couldn't go east due to the forecast. Once I saw the conditions, I knew my best plan was to run west before it got any worse. Shotgun start was a ride, as we got a bit rocked by the waves. This great image was taken of myself in the middle of Thrillseeke ant the A-Tom-Mik CB11 We ran to Fairhaven, set up and worked east until we found fish. We picked away as the day passed and the waves built to ridiculous heights. We put a decent box together, loosing a couple key fish late, but had a shot an Am division money spot. Unfortunately, we left our weigh in sheet at the boat. It was a very confusing time, but I just shrugged it off as **** happens. I was told immediately I would probably be dq'd. I shrugged it off, as **** happens. It is what it is and I messed up. Its just fishing and I refuse to get mad or upset while doing what I love most. I have gone on record as saying that a dq was a ridiculously harsh penalty for just forgetting a paper that is no longer needed and one that I did in fact acquire, fill out and hand in. Not having it gave me no competitive advantage. Another team broke a rule, it was decided they gained no competitive advantage and it was dismissed (as it should have been). But.. rules are rules and I messed up so I took it on the chin like a man without a fuss. What I did get upset over was how I was treated and talked down to. I made a stink on Facebook about it, and while some didn't agree I don't think they knew what happened. Really, it was just one individual and shouldn't reflect on the tournament itself. We have talked privetly and mended the fences. Time to move on.... The important thing is that there are talks about lessening the punishment for minor rule infractions that don't give a team any competitive advantage. A dq was damn harsh! I would love to see Oswego work on this, and if some rules are modified to bring the tourney up to date, I'd love to fish it again. Oswego is a fantastic port and boasts an incredible fishery. I'd love to see the Pro Am be what it once was, and maybe it can be? Only time will tell if Lucky Enuff returns. SODUS After Oswgo, I decided on a big change! I was out of the Am cup with my dq in Oswego, and felt I wanted to prove I could follow protocol after my Qswego experience so for the first time Lucky Enuff went to the Pro Division. I found an observer here on LOU ( Thanks Casey !!) and we made the plunge!! Jason again would join Justin and I, along with his GF Becky. I felt good, as Jason was a GREAT driver and that is so important when tournament fishing. Our observer Casey joined me on Friday and we pretty much crushed it all day! We had a great time running a short spread of 4 rods. We targeted Kings, then steelhead, and finally browns and caught all of them. I was very happy with my Saturday plan. Casey with one of his MANY fish from Friday. Casey was great,! Even being new to great lakes trolling, he was setting lines, netting a couple and reeled in many. On Saturday, as in Oswego, we had nasty conditions. I had a plan to run east a little and work north until I found fish. We went as far as we could by 6 am and set up. We landed right on a pod of kings and had two by 6:15. They were small though. Then we had one that was 18 3/4". Team decision was to let it go. I regret that decision. We stayed on that small pod of fish all day, loosing many in rough conditions. Being Pro, I had the option to run 8 rods. On Saturday, we ran a steady 4 to 5. Mostly, I ran two riggers, one wire and one diver. I had them all going, so its all we needed. I did deploy another rod later in the day. We kept a lot of our spread on one side, and that made working a small area easier in rough seas on a smaller boat. I did miss two at the net on a diver that we tried to hand line in. One was 25 plus and I had the flasher in my hand! He was right there but the 50lb line snapped under the top fly on a meat rig. It was a tackle failure....it happens. That was last minute and broke my heart. We immediately pulled lines and headed in three fish short of our limit with 9 fish. We did okay, and found ourselves with a 182 box and in 12th place. Only 30 some points out of a money spot. That is doable so I ws ready to correct our Saturday mistakes and give it hell Sunday! SODUS SUNDAY My plan....fish the same water as Sat. We got there early, thanks to calm seas. But, those fish I had Sat. were gone! We made two passes with a small guy to show for it. I asked .Jason to keep going west until we got in front of port. If nothing happens, point her north. We followed the plan, and once we hit 300 fow we got a much needed moral booster. Finally....two in the box. We'd turn on that spot and go through it again. We'd loose one and land one on each pass. They were smaller, but they were fish and I'd take them. Within a couple hours, we had 7 but our bite stopped and I asked Jason to continue north. We saw some boats working deeper, and as soon as we got to 400 for the bite was on !! We doubled.....now we have 9. We loose a couple. Justin says all we need is a triple dad! I laugh....only a tripe huh? Then, the 350 wire gets bit. FISH ON !! As Justin fights that one, the 500 copper goes and we are doubled. Within a minute, the 400 copper starts really screaming. TRIPLED !! We would land all three, and as the third goes in the net Justin absolutely erupts with joy and emotion. It wasn't until then I realized how much boxing out as a pro team meant to Justin. We hadn't discussed it before, and he was actually reluctant to fish pro. At 12 pm we were boxed out and went in early. Only two other teams would box out on Sunday, and only one other would have a box of all kings. Did we have enough to get in the money? I was concerned about size. That pod of kings I worked over in 300 fow were small. Was it a bad decision staying with them? Naaa, we had 12 and that's good enough! When the dust settled, we moved up 4 spots to 8th place. We did what we set out to do! Had we fished AM we would have been in the top two and made some dough, but the feeling of accomplishment far outweighed any monetary gain just to see our name among such lake Ontario greats ! Congrats to the top 10 teams1-508.90 Cold Steel2-469.50 Finders Keepers3-451.85 Shark Tank4-449.35 Oh Baby5-448.50 Thrillseeker6-430.25 Cannonball Runner7-416.25 Screamer8-401.45 Lucky Enuff9-395.90 A-TOM-MIK10-366.85 Fishin Magician So yeah....This is a loooooong post, but with a message. It's not about winning. It's not about getting a check. Its not about having a huge catch. It's about the enjoyment of competitive fishing and making so many good friends! It's about family, friends, learning, competing, giving it your best and being happy and proud that you were brave enough to get your boat, get a team and give it a go when most everyone else sits home reading the reports!! I felt like a winner! You would have thought I won, as content as I was. I never thought I'd win the Pro division, but in the end we should have been at least third. Finishing eighth was good for us, and as a team I think we all stood proud. Thank you Jason and Becky and Casey for everything you all did!! All that being said....finishing first still would have been cool. I wasn't able to get it done, but I didn't miss out on an opportunity to photobomb the first place winners Team Cold Steel. They never saw me slide in Hahaha The Sodus Pro Am is my favorite event on the lake. Attendance was down this year due to high water concerns. For those that made that decision, ya done messed up!! Fishing was the best I can remember in a long time!! The water was high, but there were plenty of slips. The town was welcoming and alive!! The idle only in the bay was a non issue. It was a BLAST !!! Everyone should fish this pro am. 6 fish limit for AM's makes it doable for a two man team. Will Lucky Enuff do PRO again? I honestly don't know? We are Ams who live in south Pa and only fish weekends here and there. I don't like how much it seems like work to need 12 fish in the Pro division. Can we do it...sure. But do I always want to ?? The observer requirement, 4 person crew, 12 fish, more money, worse odds to win with a less experienced team. I don't know yet. Time will tell, but I sure am glad I did it this time, as I had a blast !!

Greg, you did a great job putting this together and should be applauded for your efforts!! Thank you! Most of us just sit back and complain about how things are run, or about rules we don't like, etc,etc,etc. Very few step up and take initiative so good for you and great job in bringing the AM cup back to life !!!

Yes ! Sent from my SM-G900V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Some Pics from past events. Huge Fun.....don't miss out!!

We're ready Matt. Looking forward to it !!!