New rules for Striper Cup

[westhavendave]

Seems reason has won out on this issue. Following are the much improved rule changes. Will it change your mind about participating?

Dear OTW Readers & Striper Cup Participants,

It has been a long week in which much dialogue has occurred about what OTW is trying to do with our Striper Cup Tournament. I have received strong emails both supporting the tournament and strong emails asking for drastic changes. I am not surprised by the passion that has been displayed by anglers from Maryland to Maine, on both sides of the aisle. We at On The Water have a tremendous responsibility to the fishermen of today, but more importantly, for those who will fish tomorrow. It is our hope with this tournament to bring the fishing community together so that if we need to speak with one voice, we can. Like it or not, we at OTW are and should be held to a higher standard when it comes to the future of our great fishery in the Northeast. All of us at On The Water are lucky enough to work in the industry that is also our passion and we owe a debt of thanks to you, our readers. When I’m fishing off some jetty late at night or drifting over some shoal, the world slows down for me. I gain perspective about how I can become a better father, husband, coach, and yes, publisher. The point is, fishing, to all of us, is an outlet that takes us away from the pressures of every day life. I would never, knowingly, jeopardize what so many of us enjoy.
With this in mind, we at On The Water have been meeting all week to improve the Striper Cup while capturing the mystique and essence of the old Schaefer Tournament. We have unanimously decided that we must err on the side of caution and have greatly reduced the number of fish that can be weighed. It will take cooperation and work by all anglers who have signed up or plan to participate. Club members will need to work together so that NO fish are weighed in unnecessarily. This speaks to the very fiber of this tournament and what we are trying to achieve. Camaraderie between the clubs and anglers was always a major goal for the endeavor. The new rules will foster communication and strategy to obtain club points while drastically reducing the total number of fish taken. Individual anglers will also need to plan and be responsible as to which fish to weigh. We have no doubt that this will become a great tournament in which clubs can compete and be proud of what they have achieved. Individuals will measure their skills against other fishermen from throughout the Northeast and in the end, we hope to all celebrate a successful tournament at the Striper Cup Festival.
Below are the changes we have implemented that should reduce the total number of fish weighed in by over 90%. We have listened not because it is the politically correct thing to do, but because those calling for more conservation are right.

• Rather than being able to weigh in two stripers at least 34-inches in length per week, that number will be reduced to one (1) fish per week.

• The Angler of the Year trophies will be awarded in both the boat and shore divisions based on the five heaviest fish submitted by an individual in each division over the course of the contest, with the aggregate weight of those five (5) fish determining the winner. This is a change from the original rule, in which the Angler of the Year was determined by a total weight of all fish (potentially, 36 fish) caught throughout the contest, regardless of size. The intention of this change is to discourage taking and weighing in many smaller fish and to encourage the selective harvesting of fish.

• All club awards including the Striper Cup and state awards will be awarded based on the club’s ten (10) heaviest fish weighed in over the duration of the contest. This is a substantive change from the previous rule, which seemed to encourage weighing in many smaller fish by many members of individual clubs. This change will encourage club members to communicate with each other frequently to determine whether or not a fish should be weighed in or even harvested, based on the size of fish that have already been officially weighed in and attributed to that club. This also should level the playing field between large and smaller clubs. In the event of a tie, the largest individual fish will determine the winner.

• With the interest in this contest spreading beyond New England, we welcome participation by anglers and clubs from New Jersey.


On behalf of the entire staff at On The Water, I want to thank all the passionate fisherman from Maryland to Maine who care enough about OTW to actually let us know how you feel. I personally invite all our readers to join us and become a part of building another tradition, The Striper Cup!

Sincerely,

Chris Megan
Publisher