Plugfest reflection

[Canalman]

First let me say I am not a sore loser. I voted for Dave "Canalman"Anderson's Falase Albacore as best in show. It was a beautiful piece of work. Looking at it though, could it actually swim? I don't know and I should have asked Dave at the event.


It swims. I test all of my entries before I submit them.

[Canalman]

Flap, my lure was made in the style of a freshwater swimbait, see the Spro BBZ-1. I used the same weight ratios and locations to make the lure swim like one. I will say that I did this before I added the fins which COULD impede the action, but I didn't want to have something unexpected happen to my bait one day before plugfest.

I must say I do take a little bit of offense from that, you know that i am an action-oriented guy. You have swam my plugs, I think you even said that you really liked the way my A40's swam and one of my needles. I make one crazy plug per year for this contest, no I wouldn't fish that Albie, not because it doesn't swim, but because it took me a long time to complete it. (but if I made a trout or sunfish some freshwater guy would be all over casting that to a big largie)

Finally, and I know this wasn't said or implied-- but I don;t enter this contest so i can win every year, I enter it because I enjoy competition and enjoy putting everything I have creatively into something that goes along with fishing--it's fun for me and this contest gives me a reason to do it.

Personally, I think the panel of judges sounds too complicated, this is supposed to be a fun event that is totally casual and again FUN. If you're concerned that people didn;t know that your plug was a perfect replica (I did and I voted for it), then maybe next year plugs for the restoration category should be submitted with a photo of the original? Why take the voting away from your plug building peers, to me that's the only way to go.

-Dave

[Canalman]

Next year I'll post a video of my entry swimming... sheesh

[Striperknight]

The plug contest is the best and I marvel at all the creativity that surrounds it. I do it for fun and try to push the limits of my plug building.
I would also like to add that testing is hard because my test spots are all frozen in Jan-Feb.


I think judges for the best replication would be good. Let the people judge the rest.

Dave ...I'll be back next year.

[Tagger]

Hey Dave ,,, Your plug was pissa .. Congrats .. well deserved win .. again . really mean that .. I know some guys are more into the vintage than others . I think they should have thier own place in a "contest" .. A handcarve like yours will beat a vintage 100 times out of 100 . If your competing why bother making vintage .. Then all the old stuff is gone .. since this is "Plugfest" reflections .. Let's open a can of worms .. Do you think people should have tables selling plugs ? Not saying Salty and Mike who are supplying us materials,, but other builders . Not being the "Plug Police" but Plugfest use to be all hobbiest builders .. Commercial builders attract buyers and soon it becomes something eles .. Not that there's anything wrong with that .. Have "PlugBash" a seperate venue with table after table of commercial builders plugs . Mass version of Asbury , NJ .. Leave Plugfest as a trade show for builders to share and exchange ideas ,,

[Flaptail]

No there should be no commercial selling.

Dave, I have voted for your plugs as best in show the last four years. I stand by my vote. To ask if it swims is not a slight on you. I have a number of your plugs that I use (striper sniper is still my fav). I am a traditional guy, if it doesn't have a lip of some kind, a beveled head or some visible means of it swimming I had to ask how.

I am awed how you came up with your entries and the work into it and sincerely mean that.

To me the most beautiful plugs are simple fish catchers in form and function like your Atom.

Some entries don't need a judges panel but some do and the classic division surely does.

[JohnR]

A couple quick things in my mind - I'd like to go into more detail but I'm under the weather/cough medicine at the moment.

What we do/did right:

• This is an event of peers. A community event for trading of knowledge and some wood to boot.
• The competition is amazing and it does bring out some spectacular work, creativity, and some great humor. People are constantly raising the bar. A highly structured panel of experts, I think, would defeat the grass roots community feeling of Plug Fest.
• The voting is done by one's peers. This is not Miss America or American Idol where a handful of people judge. It is the community that judges.
• Selling: What Mike & Scott did was perfect. There was not supposed to be any other commercial selling, plugs or otherwise and I don't think anyone else had asked too.
• Keep this a pretty much Grass Roots evet.

What we can do better:

• Bigger space - that would have been tough in the other hall too
• Plan better. Yes, we can plan a bit better and perhaps earlier. The help was fantastic and a team effort, we can a little more help and a little earlier planning.
• Document better within some classes of the competition. Maybe next year we have a "form" that people fill out on the classics, better explaining the job and intent. I noticed this was lacking when I was getting handed paper bag after paper bag.

Plugfest has always been about this great plug building community of people in the northeast (and beyond). Lets keep it what it is, a community event, and not over complicate it.

[Canalman]

Originally Posted by JohnR

A couple quick things in my mind - I'd like to go into more detail but I'm under the weather/cough medicine at the moment.

What we do/did right:

• This is an event of peers. A community event for trading of knowledge and some wood to boot.
• The competition is amazing and it does bring out some spectacular work, creativity, and some great humor. People are constantly raising the bar. A highly structured panel of experts, I think, would defeat the grass roots community feeling of Plug Fest.
• The voting is done by one's peers. This is not Miss America or American Idol where a handful of people judge. It is the community that judges.
• Selling: What Mike & Scott did was perfect. There was not supposed to be any other commercial selling, plugs or otherwise and I don't think anyone else had asked too.
• Keep this a pretty much Grass Roots evet.

What we can do better:

• Bigger space - that would have been tough in the other hall too
• Plan better. Yes, we can plan a bit better and perhaps earlier. The help was fantastic and a team effort, we can a little more help and a little earlier planning.
• Document better within some classes of the competition. Maybe next year we have a "form" that people fill out on the classics, better explaining the job and intent. I noticed this was lacking when I was getting handed paper bag after paper bag.

Plugfest has always been about this great plug building community of people in the northeast (and beyond). Lets keep it what it is, a community event, and not over complicate it.

Perfect. Thread Closed

[Canalman]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

No there should be no commercial selling.

Dave, I have voted for your plugs as best in show the last four years. I stand by my vote. To ask if it swims is not a slight on you. I have a number of your plugs that I use (striper sniper is still my fav). I am a traditional guy, if it doesn't have a lip of some kind, a beveled head or some visible means of it swimming I had to ask how.

I am awed how you came up with your entries and the work into it and sincerely mean that.

To me the most beautiful plugs are simple fish catchers in form and function like your Atom.

Some entries don't need a judges panel but some do and the classic division surely does.

Understood. I'm not asking for a pass either, I'm just saying that instead of posing an open question to the world, why didn't you just PM me and ask if my plug swam? I felt like it was hidden stab, trying to point out that all I do is sculpt a fish and stick a hook on it. My favorite thing about building plugs is decoding what it takes to make it look alive and I love the simple plugs too, that's really all I make (except for my plugfest entries). I'm not trying to come across like I'm all pissed off, I'm not, I just wanted to know what you meant and we're all cleared up now.

Tagger, thanks for the kind words, I understand the problem for the vintage restoration, but why wouldn't a photo work? If someone has something to compare to, they should be able to make an accurate judgement right? Either way is fine with me. Just seeking to keep it simple that's all.

As for commercial. No way Jose, I don;t think that's a good idea at all... simple and fun are the words I always want to think of when I think of Plugfest. I see battles in that crystal ball.

-dave

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Canalman

Next year I'll post a video of my entry swimming... sheesh

make sure .....there's a girl in a bikini .....in that video