A Pro Am thought...

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

In addition to all the great feedback to a fair question, we need to keep in mind angler effort. Tournaments and derbies have become a vital part of the "Angler trips" conducted on the Great Lakes. No apologies needed as long as the fish get consumed. They have already provided recreation and memories before they even get to the weigh-in. After weigh-in, there are now people clamoring for any unwanted fish.

People need to keep in mind that the effort needs to be there to justify keeping the program going. Not only do these events produce lots of angler effort and fishing license sales for NYS, they are a tremendous economic "shot in the arm" for the hosting counties.

The fish harvested during these events also help out the DEC biologists. They are able to to look at, and get scale samples from, numerous specimens of different species of all sizes and ages.

The fish harvested during the Tournys are some of the most justifiable. The "no cull" format has merit and many believe leads to less overall casualties. As for the size minimums, the current size minimum was arrived at when actual discussion and feedback was appreciated and used. It was a compromise taking into account all the different styles and approaches used in the strategy. Also, many anglers communicated it was important to have some fish for weigh in even in a tough bite.

[fishman08]

i agree 100%, No need to change any rules with the fish size or amount, and its a huge boost to the economy, This year i've been lucky enough to fish a lot of the tournaments and if it weren't for them there would be very little boats out fishing.

[troubles]

I also agree 18" is fine. I do believe however that the rules should include -(Mandatory)every fish must be measured with the observer before it is placed in the cooler or thrown back.

[rolmops]

I also agree 18" is fine. I do believe however that the rules should include -(Mandatory)every fish must be measured with the observer before it is placed in the cooler or thrown back.

On both the Leviathan and the Fish Hawk,the captains insisted that I witnessed the measuring of the fish caught and asked me to double check,so that seems to be a habit among at least a few of the participants.

Cornelis

[Paul Czarnecki]

I also agree 18" is fine. I do believe however that the rules should include -(Mandatory)every fish must be measured with the observer before it is placed in the cooler or thrown back.

On both the Leviathan and the Fish Hawk,the captains insisted that I witnessed the measuring of the fish caught and asked me to double check,so that seems to be a habit among at least a few of the participants.

Cornelis

I would like to "think" MOST of the good captains would do that and most "good" observers would be happy to do that as well. The problem lies with the drunken slob that got dragged out of the bar at 3 AM and stuck on a boat and is now passed out. I have actually had to wake a few up to record the catch. Better quality observers that think highly enough of themselves to not get fall down drunk every night is the answer to a LOT of tournament problems. If we chose our observers like we choose our teammates and the observers actually ACTED like the Tournament Officials they are the majority of tournament problems would never happen.

[rolmops]

I also agree 18" is fine. I do believe however that the rules should include -(Mandatory)every fish must be measured with the observer before it is placed in the cooler or thrown back.

On both the Leviathan and the Fish Hawk,the captains insisted that I witnessed the measuring of the fish caught and asked me to double check,so that seems to be a habit among at least a few of the participants.

Cornelis

I would like to "think" MOST of the good captains would do that and most "good" observers would be happy to do that as well. The problem lies with the drunken slob that got dragged out of the bar at 3 AM and stuck on a boat and is now passed out. I have actually had to wake a few up to record the catch. Better quality observers that think highly enough of themselves to not get fall down drunk every night is the answer to a LOT of tournament problems. If we chose our observers like we choose our teammates and the observers actually ACTED like the Tournament Officials they are the majority of tournament problems would never happen.

You probably are right about the drunken slobs having to get dragged out of a bar at 3 in the morning, but then again and forgive me if this is in error, it is the captains of the teams who choose the observers in the first place and what goes around comes around.

My choice to be an observer comes from a desire to learn about fishing techniques, strategy and the decision making process. I was very lucky to have Captain Glen and the Spoonfed crew accept my offer to be an observer. I do think that there are many more like me who wish to improve their skills. Maybe the observer thing should be treated as a rare chance to learn instead of a necessary inconvenience. Chances are that the level of available observers will improve.

[TOP SECRET]

Nice thread and I just want to add please make sure to line up who your fish are going to after the proam.... Too many times do I see whole fish in the bays and dumpsters!

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