NEW AM RULES FOR PRO AM

[LIQUID PLUMBER]

Well the first pro am iss behind us for this year and I don't like the new rules! What does everyone else think ?

[HIGHWAY]

As far as Double Play II has a say we don't like them either. Has nothing to do with finishing 11th or 3rd. 6 fish with a bonus lake trout! Give me a break. I know we fished for at least 3 hours on Sunday and to no pevail no lakers. Go back to 9 silvers and be done with it! If it wasn't for a few people from different organizations pushing for these changes they would never occured!! IMO!!! See ya at Niagara!!

[spoonfed-1]

Seems to me they are fixing stuff that wasn't broken.

Did they give you a chance to voice your opinions?

Glen

[HIGHWAY]

Just a select few people were ask what they thought the rules should be. Main reason for the changes in the AM division was to help fisherman with smaller boats or teams with just two people. Well from what i seen at Orleans this rule didn't do that. 20 teams. I'll bet the entries at Niagara will be about the same this year as last!! Keep pluggin along! Happy fishing!!

[LIQUID PLUMBER]

When I asked about the rules before weigh in on second day to avoid a sceen before everyone showed up. I was told if I din"t like them fish PRO. I asked if I fished PRO with 3 fisherman and a observer and still run 8 rods and was told to come back when I had more sleep. It seems like they just want to cater to the pro's and screw the am's! I also asked what am's wear involved in making the rules and was told it was a fishing club. I don't think it was right the way I was treated. I know my team is thinking of droping out next year! It cost us us money for lodging , gas,meals,plus other things, like this year $180 for prop that hit something on the way out sunday. This is money that goes to the area where the event is held. We did this for a pay off of $250 for 4th Place. At least they could do is answer our ? and involve us in our own rules.Thank you for leaveing me vent see you all this weekend. DEL

[Wolfhound]

I Think the 9 silvers is the way to go...Lake trout come on! :evil:

[Goudy156]

Well, lets see. As far a the new rules i don't personally think they are better than they were last year. i do understand the intent but do not think it will work. I don't think there were many two man teams. One thing Jeff and I talked about is that now it is a King tounament for the Am teams. 6 steelies, coho or browns each day will IMO not win a tournament. Also if let say 5 teams went pro, is there going to be enough am teams?

Matt-Coldwater Affair

[Storm Warning II]

I know the feeling you guys. I have decided to fish Pro in the walleye tourneys here on Erie. Just more money to try to make up expenses. Last year we took 5th in the Am division of a tourney but would have taken 6th in the Pros and would have won an additional $200! As far as a king tourney goes, what's wrong with that? That's why we go to Lake O. I like catching fish, but I LOVE catching kings. The last trip we purposely did away with high divers and boards to run all deep in the hopes of targeting strictly kings, it worked, it wasn't like coho city 2 weeks ago. Its all about fish and weight, target the BIG boys. I think you could have done well with a mixed bag in the Orleans Pro Am though, Team Vision Quest that took 2nd in the Pros only carried a 5# average for day 2. There are plenty of coho and steelies that can carry that average. As far as the Am observer goes, if he has a license (which the rules state he has to) than I should be able to deploy two rods on his count. He is licensed and is taking up space in my boat, I am going to use it!

[Time Out]

Not a fan. I play in the mud all week long and then I go to these tournaments and are forced to fish for Lake Trout. Nothing like having a good morning and being all excited that you have a 6 fish limit and then having to fish for lakers. Late morning to around 4 pm is pretty boaring.

Jeff

[TOP SECRET]

I have mixed feelings...

I LOVE the new 6 king rule. I fish a small boat (19' trophy) and very seldom have more than just me and the gf on it... which means I have almost NO practice running more than 4 rods. For my situation, the 6 king rule is great, as there are VERY few days where I catch 9 kings, let alone 9 quality kings.... so this new rule gives me a chance.

Not a big fan of the laker rule.... never target them, don't know how to catch them well.

All in all though, if I had a choice of keep it how it is now, or go back to the way it was.... I'd keep it the way it is simply because I feel that I have more of a chance of winning now on my small boat with a 4 or maybe 5 rod program compared to those of you with larger boats and 8 rods out.

So much so, that I may join the Sodus Pro Am this year.

Nick

[Yankee Troller]

Go for it Nick! You will really enjoy yourself. Good competition and great comrodery.

Even when guys like Del were a little ticked off about rule changes I can bet him and his team had a good time for the most part. His team is always fishing these t-ments and hopefully will continue to fish them.

[Time Out]

The rule change has decreased the number of boats in the am division. Orleans is hard to tell because its new, but well see in Niagra. There was 37 teams last year, so less one Yankee there should be around 36 teams this weekend. The number of new teams is not out weighing the loss of teams that have fished in the past. Ill fish them either way, but from a tournament and sponsor point of view, more teams the better.

[HIGHWAY]

Heard through the grapevine the Am division gained @ 6 teams while Pro's stayed the same! Don't tell me that the rules for 6 fish plus a bonus laker or two man teams had anything to do with it! Thats a crock! I think a total of 3 lakers entered at Orleans, success or luck who knows! See ya in a few days!!

[LIQUID PLUMBER]

Nick I hope you do great in Sodus. Last year we won there using a 5 rod program . My boat is not much biger than your's it is a 21 ft ARIMA and if you deduct the 2in. X 6in ancor roller it is 20 1/2 with a 8 ft beam. What gets me is last year they asked if we felt we needed a observer or not. I voted not. being able to take 9 fish gives you a chance to compete with the pro's and let me tell you it feels good! The 6 fish limit makes the am's more of a derby and releaseing a gill hooked fish at the side of the boat at the side of the boat sould not make you the better fisherman. I have fished these pro am's for 7 years won a few placed in afew and won the chalnge cup once and feel the am's should of had some say in the rules. NO HARD FELLINGS AND GOOD LUCK DEL

[MyTurn]

What is the deal with you guys complaining about the "bonus Laker" allowed in AM? For years the rule was you could have 3 Lakers in your AM box, now that they only allow 1 there seems to be an issue with "having to target lakers" WTF? I don't get it.

[TOP SECRET]

no no, you're confused..... we complained back then too!

And if they change the rules to something else.... we'll complain about that too :shock:

They'll never make all of us happy, just no way... but if we all make our opinions heard there will be a majority usually and at least most of the people can be made somewhat happy on at least that one subject :idea:

Nick

[rustyrat]

Here is the situation for you guys who don't get it:

Its a lot easier to to get a 6 fish silver limit than a 9 fish limit. There will be a lot of AM boats with limits early. So now it boils down to the one boat that can get the 1 laker to put them on top. Remember its your first legal limit so if you run into a bunch of coho's and 4 rods pop with 4, 3lb cohos you are screwed. At least before you could make up for it with 5 more kings.

I don't like the new rules either. With a 9 fish limit, it seperated the the pretenders from the big boys. (I have been on both sides of that! )

RR

[ray koziatek]

ill have to reread the rules i thought they said the AM 's could release leagle fish if they wernt netted or brought in the boat..and can be released alive. its the pro's that gotta be careful of how deep they fish

[Yankee Troller]

Hey I know this doesnt pertain to me anymore, but I hear both sides points very clearly. One thing to remember is as an AM team you can release fish that you dont want. So Cohos can go back inthe above situation. Another thing to remember is this isnt all about just going out and getting a limit. Its about finding the Salmon and then looking for "limit fish" if the Salmon arent cooperating. Generally Cohos, Steelies, and Browns wont be hanging in the same part of the water colum as a mature king this time of year (I said generally ).

Lets look at team Screamer. They had a 6 fish Salmon limit with all mature Salmon on day one, and no laker. On day two they brought 5 Salmon to the scales and again no laker, and they won the dang tourney! These guys consistantly win all over the lake and they are plain jane weekend warriors.

I dont want to start a pissing match with anyone, but this tourney is about finding the better class of fish, and from the example above it isnt always about the laker or 6 and 9 fish limits.

[rustyrat]

Didn't realize you can cull now. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

RR

[muskybob]

Didn't realize you can cull now. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

RR

It's my understanding you can't cull but you can release a small fish as long as you don't net it or bring it in the boat. Any fish in the boat have to stay in the boat and count in your limit. I may be wrong, but?

[Yankee Troller]

You hit it on the head Musky!

[DOUBLE P]

The rules do suck for those Am. The only way anything will change is by all getting together at the same place with the committee or all protest one year and not enter.You guys pay the tourny fees, its your tourny.

[ray koziatek]

I,m gonna stick my foot in my mouth here ive been fishing Onterio for about 4 years now on a tuff day 6 kings is pretty darn good for me so with the smaller limit i feel a little more like i got a chance in the AM.. when i see guys with 10,20,30 years experiance on lake O. complaining about the AM rules ima thinking maybe its time to join the PRO teams and leave the AM to the AM,s. just because you dont have CAPT. in front of your name dont mean you cant fish with the big boys.............kinda like the Red Sox going to the little league playoffs .

[Time Out]

Its not that you can catching more Kings, Its about being able to have the option to target coho, browns, steelies, and having a chance to beat the weight of kings with numbers. Some are better at catching these than kings.

Jeff

Cold Water Affair

PS. Team members have only been fishing for 4 yrs or less.