LOC Summer Derby!

[Sarah Chilson]

Yes, as long as you are registered for the derby prior to catching the fish at 2am. It protects the integrity of the derby and everyone that has registered prior to fishing. 

 

If we did not require same day weigh ins and registration prior to 7am on the day you want to start fishing, some might attempt to cheat by catching a fish at 8:30pm one night, registering for the derby after the fact, and then submitting a fish they caught while not actually entered into the derby. This protects us and it protects those that have qualifying catches. I am not saying that is what everyone would do, but post-catch entries are an issue some other events have had and we want to avoid that problem.

 

So If I understand this.........

 

I catch a fish at 11PM, and this fish cannot be weighed, because I can't get it to an open weigh station on the day it was caught.

 

I catch a fish at 2AM, and I can weigh it once the stations open......

 

???

[jth21usa]

This is a funny rule to me, first and foremost if someone wants to cheat they will find a way. What this rule does do though is basically knocks me and others out of the Derby. I work a regular job with regular hours so the only time the weigh in would be open is the weekends. So now I have to make the decision that over the next 10 days (checking the weather) this Saturday and Sunday are thunderstorms (so I'm out), the next Saturday and Sunday look a little windy coming from the North West (so I'll have to check back on Friday) however tonight, Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday all look really nice, however I'm going to have a hard time if I leave the dock at 6 to make it to Mitchell's by 7. This is really a shame because I was looking forward to using my new boat with a couple of buddies fishing competitively for the first time. So the moral of the story is, I'll be saving $120 and if I really wanted to cheat I would sign up, fish in the evening, keep the fish alive until morning and weight in on the way to work...

[Sarah Chilson]

This is a funny rule to me, first and foremost if someone wants to cheat they will find a way. What this rule does do though is basically knocks me and others out of the Derby. I work a regular job with regular hours so the only time the weigh in would be open is the weekends. So now I have to make the decision that over the next 10 days (checking the weather) this Saturday and Sunday are thunderstorms (so I'm out), the next Saturday and Sunday look a little windy coming from the North West (so I'll have to check back on Friday) however tonight, Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday all look really nice, however I'm going to have a hard time if I leave the dock at 6 to make it to Mitchell's by 7. This is really a shame because I was looking forward to using my new boat with a couple of buddies fishing competitively for the first time. So the moral of the story is, I'll be saving $120 and if I really wanted to cheat I would sign up, fish in the evening, keep the fish alive until morning and weight in on the way to work...

 

I understand what you are saying and I also understand the struggle of having a job with regular business hours, it would be tough to compete on days you don't have off. I would encourage you to keep an eye on the weather and hopefully you can come out on the weekend! We organize three derbies each year so we do our best to have a number of dates that people can plan around work schedules and hopefully participate in, if they are interested. We try to publish the events dates as early as possible and have actually already selected the 2017 dates: May 5th-14th, June 30th-July 30th and August 18th-September 4th. I hope that helps you a little!

 

I know that those who really want to cheat will probably attempt it, but our job as the organizers is to make it as hard as possible for them to succeed. That is why we have rules and regulations. It is why we require at least one registered witness. It is why we take statements and give polygraphs when necessary. 99.9% of participants are doing the right things, playing fair and having fun. We want to protect those people because they deserve an even playing field and those are the people we want competing. We hate to disqualify participants for breaking the rules (knowingly or unknowingly) but we do it every derby in order to keep things as fair as possible. I know not everyone will agree with every rule we have, but Dave has been working on derbies and tournaments for decades and has seen what works and what doesn't work and has a great sense of what is required to keep things fair and running smoothly. 

 

I hope your schedule will allow you to participate this year and congratulations on your new boat...that is always exciting!

 

Sarah 

[whaler1]

Never understood why you couldn't weigh the fish in the following day by a reasonable pre set time.  The last hour of daylight is some of the best time to be out.  A fish caught at 8am can be weighed in at 8pm but a fish caught at 8pm cant be weighed in at 8am.  I don't get the logic. LOC is a great event, my family has enjoyed great success and excitement fishing the derby over the years.  Would love to see that one rule change.

[Traveling Circus]

Well put Bill....... 

 

Without a weigh station close to the creek, Fishing out of Sandy in the weekday evening requires a trailering fisherman to quit fishing by 6:30 so he can safely run in, load the boat on the trailer(hoping there is no line at the dock), then drive 20 miles to the Oak (on the back roads, because the Parkway is the road equivalent of 4 footers), in time to make the 8:00 PM deadline...... 

 

It makes the decision to not fish the LOC derby a little easier to arrive at.....

 

here's to hoping that one rule change would be considered

Edited August 19, 2016 by Traveling Circus

[jth21usa]

I feel the same way fishing from Braddock's...

[whaler1]

Love to see it change. Dave (and now Sarah) has done a great job with the derby. Other contests have come and gone (still waiting for a check for a thousand from the thousand dollar a day derby circa 2003) but I have to think that one change would greatly increase ticket sales.

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[Sarah Chilson]

We also have the daily cash awards to think about. If we didn't have the rule about day of weigh ins it would be impossible to manage that fairly and properly.

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[Sarah Chilson]

And thanks for the kind words about the Derby. Dave does an excellent job, he is really passionate about LOC and certainly wants to make it as good as he can for you all.

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[jth21usa]

Another solution would be make sure the weight stations stayed open after dark.

[Sarah Chilson]

The weigh stations are open 11 hours a day already. Most are family owned and operated so asking them to stay open even longer than that puts a real stress on them. We try to be sensitive to that, too.

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[lost a lure]

One of the complainers should open a 24 hour tackle shop and get approved as a weigh station

[rdebadts]

Is it just a matter of having standard hours? I know that several places would be more than willing to open earlier or later for weigh ins

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[Silver Fox]

One of the complainers should open a 24 hour tackle shop and get approved as a weigh station

Bingo!

Lake Ontario salmon fishing charters

[Yankee Troller]

One of the complainers should open a 24 hour tackle shop and get approved as a weigh station

 

Well said! No ones ever satisfied anymore. This is a standing derby with no questions about payout and a rules list that has pretty much gone unchanged for years. These derbies aren't easy to pull off as seen earlier this year by someone else. The old saying "shut up and fish" is kind of where I'm headed with this post. LOL

 

I'd still like to see a Lake Trout division with 200 spots so Brian Gamble and Jim Piano can get rich!

[Sk8man]

One of the complainers should open a 24 hour tackle shop and get approved as a weigh station

For those of us that can remember when there were NO DERBIES around it seems that it is pretty nice that the option is even offered. To expect organizers to "customize" standing rules to fit each participants particular work schedule or individual situation is pretty absurd and self centered I might add.. It seems that many among us are becoming a pretty impatient and "spoiled" lot and this issue seems proof positive.  A little appreciation and consideration toward the organizers and their efforts goes a long ways in helping to maintain these derbies

[Sarah Chilson]

There are a lot of reasons we have day of weigh ins, many I mentioned above. Daily prizes would be impossible to manage fairly. We don't want weigh stations open for all hours; it is an unreasonable burden on the families that own and operate them. We want people to fish safely; I don't think people should really be out on the water at 11pm or 2am for our derby. We are a family friendly event and safety important to us, we don't want to encourage unsafe fishing practices with endless hours of weigh ins. No prize amount is worth risking your safety. I know we won't please everyone and I know we can't accommodate all of the variations in individual schedules. I do appreciate the feedback though, it makes us think about why we do what we do and in some cases it could certainly result in changes that would benefit our participants. In this case, for now, we will be sticking to the current rules but I hope I have been able to give you some insight into how we came to that conclusion. Have a great day out there!

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