New Ice Tourney - Need Your Input

[Finders Keepers]

I am looking to see how many anglers would be interested in fishing a new style of ice tournament run similar to the Pro-Am trout and salmon tournaments on Lake Ontario. It would be run with two divisions to choose from (professional and amateur - depending upon your skill and ambition), and instead of hoping for that one big fish (which is mostly due to luck) would be based on the skill of catching numbers of big fish across multiple species. The entry fees and resulting pay-outs would also be bigger with either 100% payout or with a % going to a local charity to draw larger sponsors. The tournament structure would look something like this:

Pro Division:

1) Teams consist of two anglers. Registration is $100/team/event location and $50 if going for the Triple Crown. Triple Crown Award will be awarded to the pro team from all three events with the highest combined points.

Each Event:

2) Point system based on 20 fish: no more than 6 large fish species (northern pike and walleye) and up to 20 panfish (only perch, bluegill, sunfish, and crappie included), but no more than 20 fish total. Score each day consists of total weigh of fish plus 10 points per fish. Two day total will determine winner.

Am Division:

1) Teams consist of one or two anglers. Registration is $20/team/location.

Each Event:

2) Point system based on 12 fish: no more than 3 large fish species (northern pike and walleye) and up to 12 panfish (only perch, bluegill, sunfish, and crappie included), but no more than 12 fish total. Score each day consists of total weigh of fish plus 10 points per fish. Two day total will determine winner.

With this style of tournament you need to be skilled at targeting various species. For example, someone with an 18 lb pike (18 points for weight plus 10 points for the fish = 28 points) will lose to someone with 3 sunfish (1 point for total weight plus 10 points per fish = 31 points).

We (the Finders Keepers Ice Team) will not be running the tournament (just helping to organize it), but know several people who could if there is enough interest. We're looking at next year assuming the ice situation is better than this year! So let me know if this something you would like to participate in next year or not, and please feel free to drop me your comments - Thank You!!

[Legacy]

[flybuster]

i like the idea! gives everyone a fighting chance i would like to see a higher reg fee for am's with a higher payout tho i dont think fourty a team 20 a man is bad if you ask me what waters did you have in mind

[plecos4sale]

I'll play.

[Finders Keepers]

Over the next 10 months we will be helping to organize a trio of these events. We have found a director for the tournaments and will start to put the tourney construct together over the next several months with them while starting to line-up the sponsors. All along the way we will be looking for feedback from anglers interested in fishing them, including registration fees for Pro and Am divisions (and resulting payouts) to start. From the feedback we have received, our initial line-up of waterways (if everything falls into place) will likely be Oneida Lake (or one of the Finger Lakes), Sacandaga Reservior (or Tupper Lake area), and Sodus Bay. Anglers will be able to fish individual events, or all three if going for the Triple Crown Title.

If you would like to help run and organize the tournaments, we will be looking for volunteers to help serve on the tournament committee. Send me a PM if interested and I get you in contact with the director. Stay tuned as the tournaments come together and we look for suggestions and input from all of you looking to fish them!!

[wrongrod]

Tim that sounds like a great idea I dont think that you will have any trouble selling slots for the ice fishing tourney. The great sacandaga walleye Challange sells out every year and its $30 a person last weekend in Jan. 1500 slots and sells out by early dec every year they pay every hour wcich is fun but i also like your ideas about all day limits. i also think one division would be easier to get started than two. raffles and door prizes are great as well. good luck looking foward to it

wrongrod

[Silver Fox]

I agree, 1 division. In this format, the AM division only means you pay less. I would say 1 division @ $60-$80.

[GAMBLER]

I would be for it IF WE HAD SOME ICE IN WNY!!!!! This winter sucks!

[33canuck]

I agree with Gambler, great and willing to participate but we would have to have solid ice season.

[GAMBLER]

If it was me, I would go with more of the format of the Avon anglers Elite tourney. They do 5 perch, 5 gills and 5 crappies combined weight. You could mix it up and go with 1 pike, 1 walleye, 5 perch, and 5 gills depending on the body of water. Make it a team event with NO COMMUNICATION. Avon anlgers does not let you get within 50' of another team and the team has to fish within so many feet of each other.

[Finders Keepers]

Hey Gambler - How do they manage those rules? I don't want to make it too restrictive, nor to the point of needing an observer. Your combination of fish above is intrigueing and something we can think about.

[GAMBLER]

It is policed by the participants. If you have a concern, you call one of the tourney directors and they come over. I think guys should get extra points for filling a complete limit of each species.

[Finders Keepers]

Ok, we were able to expose this idea at the Northern Challenge Tournament this past weekend and have gotten a lot of positive feedback on the idea. So we're moving forward and starting to plan its design. Therefore I will have a series of polls to gether information from those of you looking to fish these events. Our goal is to get 100 teams in both divisions, which could provide the funding for a 1st place prize of $10,000 for the pro division and $5,000 for the amatuer division.