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CNY Muskie/Esox Anglers "Club" Meeting

Tigerhunter
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Tigerhunter

Tigerhunter

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Over the winter, Justin and I had been throwing around the idea of starting a muskie/esox “club†that was more centralized in the state. There are a handful of us that would like to attend the Muskies Inc. Chapter 69 meetings and events but are unable to do so because of the distance.

We had thought of basing the “club†around Otisco as that is a place we both fish regularly with the ability to rotate the location of meetings around CNY (Binghamton, Syracuse, Cortland, Utica, etc.). The legalities of starting and maintaining a non-profit, tax-exempt organization are quite substantial and would take a lot of effort to execute. While we are up for a challenge, we feel that time and money would be better spent focusing on the fish rather than requirements, taxes, insurance, etc.

We have decided to further investigate the option of having a localized group within the existing NY Muskies Inc. chapter. Muskies Inc. Chapter 69 President Jim Reynolds has reserved the conference room at Bass Pro Shops in Auburn for us. The meeting will start at 1:00 PM on Saturday April 23rd, 2016.

If you plan on coming to the meeting please either PM myself or Justin (this is not required but it will be helpful for us to have an idea of how many people to expect). Also if you would like to attend and are unable, also please let us know and we can fill you in on what was discussed/decided at the meeting. If you have any questions or ideas in regards to the meeting please feel free to ask.

Thanks!

Trevor

Edited by Tigerhunter
justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling

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I hope we can grow chapter 69 giving us a larger voice. Changing public opinion of Esox, how Esox are managed in our states waters, and conservation are difficult issues requiring a large organized voice. Hopefully we all make a few friends and catch a few fish together along the way.

Sent from my LGLS996 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling

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Tracy doesnt bat an eye at all the lures and tackle....everytime she spots a rod tube delivered on the porch on the hand...i hear the how many rods does it take! I just ask her how many shoes does it take! Made a little drive down to Cannonsville reservoir this afternoon.

Sent from my LGLS996 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Smeltz

Smeltz

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Posted

Here's another option.  What about  the Muskies Inc #69 that meets in Rochester have a roving meeting where they go to a different area every meeting?  Finger Lakes one month, L. Chautauqua the next, etc./  Then they might see you guys once a quarter or so, depending on the area that chap 69 covers?  It would certainly build a wide base that way.

muskiedreams

muskiedreams

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It was done in the past to a certain extent. A couple times on the evening before the Chautauqua tournament and once in Clayton with a presentation from Bob Walters of Water Wolf Charters. In a way, they really weren't membership meetings because of travel limitations for all members to attend. Because of the fact that members are scattered, with about 17 in the Rochester area and the rest scattered throughout the state as well as several in Canada and a few in neighboring states, is impossible to have a membership meeting that is convenient for all members to be there physically.

 

There might be a possibility of creating a way for distant members to participate online. It is not really the same as being there but might be the best way for distant members to get involved as well as make it more attractive for others to join from other areas. In order for it to work, we might need to acquire some hardware (maybe a webcam and microphone) as well as learn how to use the platform in a away that is effective. We will also need to see if there is a secure wifi we can access at the Moose Lodge.

 

I have been doing some research and most online meeting services are pretty costly ($20 to $50 per month) and most have a fairly low participant limit ( the price goes up to increase limit). I did find this one https://www.freeconferencecall.com/

 

It almost seems too good to be true. It has video and audio capability so members will be able to participate and we will be able to see their faces if they have a web cam. There are other features to control the meeting such as giving control to another person (to give a presentation or show a file) and controlling who can speak (also so there isn't too much noise such as babies crying and dogs barking). It would involve learning how to use the features and figuring out the best way to control the meeting to maximize participant experience and keep order. Participants will also be able to control their own video and audio in case their spouse is yelling at them or walking around disrobed. I believe there are also android and iOS apps. There are also controls to limit who is allowed to participate online so local members will still have to be physically present.

 

If anyone has any experience with doing this, I would appreciate any advice or help exploring this as a possibility and setting it up. It might also be a great platform for distant speakers to provide remote presentations.

Edited by muskiedreams
old man

old man

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I did a walleye webinar last week. It was through something called "zoom". I had to load an ap on my phone for it. It worked pretty good. For what it's worth i live only a half hour from the moose in Henrietta and have never made a meeting. I often plan on it but then i work 9 hours,walk the dog,eat dinner and then i'm done. I just can't stay up that late. I haven't been up past ten since I went out with Justin.

Smeltz

Smeltz

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muskiedreams...that's even a different way than I had thought of so it looks like there might be a few different options.  At first, I was just thinking of a "roving" meeting where you go to, like a Finger Lakes area & have a meeting.  the folks in Henrietta just wouldn't have a meeting that month. Then the next time, back to Henrietta & then the next another out-of-town place.

Since you brought up the sharing, "Skype" might be another way.  I don't know that much about it but if a group met in, say a Finger Lakes area, they would all sit in a meeting room & see what goes on in your meeting on a projector screen.  You, then would also see what goes on in theirs.  A computer with projector & screen would make it look like a presentation.  Families do it with one another but it's more one-on-one.  Yours would be group-to-group.   It would be a good platform for, let's say, Dr Farrell to give his presentation from Syracuse right to your meeting, on a big screen.  Then the audience could ask him their questions.

 

As far as needing secure internet access, I've used a Hot Spot for doing people's taxes.  There is a password & it's a connection that goes thru the cell phone system.  The IRS uses it so you can take it for what it's worth.  But I could conceivably turn a Hot Spot on in my car & have a passenger use his laptop to connect to the internet while riding around town.  Hot Spot service costs around $25-$35 a month(?) 

muskiedreams

muskiedreams

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I looked at Skype. It is very limited. Freeconferencecall.com is the only one I found that wasn't too limited and/or too expensive. Traveling to have meetings at different locations would be just as tough for us officers as it is for members.

mostlymuskies

mostlymuskies

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I really would have liked to make the Saturday meeting,but I have a perch charter on Lake Erie that was set up last year.Steve,post some minutes after so us people who could not participate may be able to had some good impute.

Thanks,Capt Larry

justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling

Posted
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We had a good meeting and Trevor and I felt chapter 69 was a good fit for us...

Main areas of discussion other than membership and procedural formalities were:

Getting more kids involved in fishing Esox

Only scoring legal fish in tournaments

Hosting events on new waters and maybe some new formats to increase participation

Trevor put together an excellent packet on our objectives and goals. I'll see if he can put it up here. I know I'm very happy to join chapter 69!

Sent from my LGLS996 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

EsoxOnly

EsoxOnly

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It was nice to put a face to some of the posts I read on here. Great bunch of guys. I'm glad to be on board and looking forward to the upcoming seasons events. Good luck guys!

muskiedreams

muskiedreams

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Good meeting and nice to meet all of you in person. The internet and this forum is nice to have but there is nothing better than face to face for building strong relationships. We had some good discussions. Hopefully, having more muskie anglers speaking as one voice, will help to address various issues in  regions throughout the state in order to help preserve, enhance and build upon the muskie fisheries that we have.

 

I do want to add that going forward there are several keys to finding a voice and having an impact.

1) member support

2) member participation in addressing issues and goals

3) partnering with other angling and conservation minded groups to support each others goals which are mutually beneficial.

4) Building community support through youth support and other social programs or events

Edited by muskiedreams
Tigerhunter

Tigerhunter

Posted
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I would like to thank everyone who came out on Saturday, it was great to meet new people and catch up with a few that I haven't seen in quite some time.  I am working on making some revisions to the information I brought to the meeting to include things we discussed that were not in it originally. Once it is finished I will figure out the best way to distribute it.

 

I am glad that we were able to join the Muskies Inc. chapter and think this will be a beneficial relationship for all those involved as well as esox fishing across the state.

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