Get some sleep

[Chubby-Chaser]

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by fishbones

I wouldn't mind seeing OTW or some other entity doing a strictly C&R tourney going forward. Not only would it keep them in the spotlight, but I think it would also paint them in a more favorable light with the more conservation minded anglers. It may not be as popular as the current format, but there would still be some sponsors who would get involved. People could keep fish if they wanted to, but those of us who would rather release them would still be able to get in on prizes.

Can't happen. Big prize C&R tournaments won't work. If you think there's cheating now---and there is---you ain't seen nuttin' yet, if someone ever puts in a big prize C&R tournament.

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Can't happen. Big prize C&R tournaments won't work. If you think there's cheating now---and there is---you ain't seen nuttin' yet, if someone ever puts in a big prize C&R tournament.

I realize it couldn't be done on the scale it's done now, but there are some pretty big C&R tourneys that do ok. It would have to be more about the competition than about the prizes. As for the cheating, that's always going to happen no matter how hard anyone tries to eliminate it.

[FishermanTim]

Not saying it's good or bad, but once OTW openly allowed "commercial anglers" to participate they opened up Pandora's Box, and you can't "put the genie back in the bottle" now!

I had entered the first 2 years and stopped. It just wasn't worth it.
(Same reason I canceled my subscription to the magazine.)

After they bounced around from venue to venue, from year to year, changing sponsors from year to year, it definitely looks like OTW and Stripercup will soon be cruising off into the sunset as a good idea that couldn't maintain their fan base.

When they started moving further and further south, and kept change the beer sponsors, they completely lost my interest.

Oh well, at least there will be plenty of ice fishing derbies to look forward to this winter!!!

[fatcow]

I have a com lic and fish com. Those who know me can tell u that im fishing no matter what. For those that think com guys have a advantage thats just plain dumb. How is it that most of the monthly winners caught their fish recreationaly. Its all about luck. The people that fish MORE have a better chance of going large. DANGLES Whats up with all the DRAMMMMA.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by fatcow

I have a com lic and fish com. Those who know me can tell u that im fishing no matter what. For those that think com guys have a advantage thats just plain dumb. How is it that most of the monthly winners caught their fish recreationaly. Its all about luck. The people that fish MORE have a better chance of going large. DANGLES Whats up with all the DRAMMMMA.

"How is it that most of the monthly winners caught their fish recreationaly."

because comm season doesn't even last a month, it's impossible for less monthly winners to be recreationally caught.

[big jay]

I believe the whole "the commercial guys have an unfair advantage" is way overblown.

Case in point:

This summer my Dad hit a big fish (53) with one of his charters. Good fish, and there were more bigs around as they had a very good week.

The next day was open for Mass commercial, so I took the boat as I normally do if he's not booked. I ran 60 miles to chatham - 3 hours each way, a very long run instead of fishing a place in my backyard where I knew I had a very good shot a serious cow. Why??? Because I was playing for total pounds, not looking for glory, and to weigh a fish for some stupid cup. It was a heck of a lot more productive for me to target lots of legal fish than take the time to go CowHunting for a couple of bigs.

Mass Commercial only lasted 17 days last year - couple the limited days available with a little thought about the actual goals when someone is commercial fishing (total pounds for the available day) and you might just come to the conclusion that the commercial license doesn't have much impact on this tournament.

[big jay]

For the record, I don't currently and never have fished this tournament.

I don't have a problem with the tournament itself, if you choose to fish it and enjoy it - Great.

I just think tournaments in general have a tendency to turn good guys into A-holes, and A-holes into slanderous jerks.

[WESTPORTMAFIA]

I'm gonna weigh in a 15 pounder tomorrow.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[striperman36]

Originally Posted by WESTPORTMAFIA

I'm gonna weigh in a 15 pounder tomorrow.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

A Brazilian Hamburger?

[SAUERKRAUT]

Picture is a fatty 41" fish 27-4. The mouth had a healed chronic thru laceration of the jaw. Probably somebody's previous fish hook injury. Your kind C&R allowed me to have a similarly fine C&R experience with a nice fish that made my nite. Despite what the "commercials" say, these are tough fish and they survive.

2nd Pic is a 38" fish, healthy enough to suck in my eel and fight well-- it probably survived a seal, and probably not very long before I C&R'd it.

I do certainly like the consensus direction this Threadhas taken re what is really important here...and that is the preservation and the protection of the opportunity to catch these great fish. I don't need tournament, neither OTW nor the MV Derby to get me out there.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by SAUERKRAUT

Picture is a fatty 41" fish 27-4. The mouth had a healed chronic thru laceration of the jaw. Probably somebody's previous fish hook injury. Your kind C&R allowed me to have a similarly fine C&R experience with a nice fish that made my nite. Despite what the "commercials" say, these are tough fish and they survive.

2nd Pic is a 38" fish, healthy enough to suck in my eel and fight well-- it probably survived a seal, and probably not very long before I C&R'd it.

I do certainly like the consensus direction this Threadhas taken re what is really important here...and that is the preservation and the protection of the opportunity to catch these great fish. I don't need tournament, neither OTW nor the MV Derby to get me out there.

Then there was that 57 pounder that Lev Wlodyka caught on MV several years ago. It had an old yo-yo weight in its stomach that had been completely encapsulated in stomach tissue.

Bass are not delicate fish. I've always said it, and every year, the point gets proven.

[JohnnySaxatilis]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Then there was that 57 pounder that Lev Wlodyka caught on MV several years ago. It had an old yo-yo weight in its stomach that had been completely encapsulated in stomach tissue.

jelly belly knelly. The Big One by david kenney. good book!

[Back Beach]

Just read the MV Derby committee disqualified two division leading participants due to their lack of having recreational fishing licenses...makes me wonder about the Striper Cup.

[Mike P]

By the way, none of what I said is directed at Greg or TS. I know that Greg was contemplating throwing in with them over the off-season. It wasn't a case of him looking at the pack and deciding to help out one team over another. Just general principles.

Licensing? OTW is a coast-wide tournament. How could they ever check? The Derby, with one central weigh-in, can demand that a contestant show his/her license when weighing in a fish. OTW can't, and most weigh stations couldn't be bothered.

[Swimmer]

I never look at the pictorials

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Just read the MV Derby committee disqualified two division leading participants due to their lack of having recreational fishing licenses...makes me wonder about the Striper Cup.

Thought it was only one, the big albie, who was the other one?

[nightfighter]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Just read the MV Derby committee disqualified two division leading participants due to their lack of having recreational fishing licenses...makes me wonder about the Striper Cup.

Must have happened on the 18th.... Meeting to DSQ was on the 19th, and the Daily Winners' page from the 18th looks pretty sparse.... I have no beef with their ruling.

[JLH]

Originally Posted by SAUERKRAUT

Picture is a fatty 41" fish 27-4. The mouth had a healed chronic thru laceration of the jaw. Probably somebody's previous fish hook injury. Your kind C&R allowed me to have a similarly fine C&R experience with a nice fish that made my nite. Despite what the "commercials" say, these are tough fish and they survive.

2nd Pic is a 38" fish, healthy enough to suck in my eel and fight well-- it probably survived a seal, and probably not very long before I C&R'd it.

I do certainly like the consensus direction this Threadhas taken re what is really important here...and that is the preservation and the protection of the opportunity to catch these great fish. I don't need tournament, neither OTW nor the MV Derby to get me out there.

They are definitely tougher than a lot of people think...I had one a couple of weeks ago that was missing the whole left side if its mouth, wish I had thought to snap a pic before releasing it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Swimmer]

You'd think it was January 20th and it was five degrees outside the way this thread went. Its beating a DEAD HORSE REGARDLESS OF WHAT SIDE OF THE ISLE YOUR ON.

[striperman36]

Need a few new fishin partners
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Typhoon]

I see the pictures from the 1960s and we've come a long way since stacking fish like cordwood on the sand.

A few large breeders are not going to dent the population. The draggers leaving miles of discards are where everyone's energy should be channeled.

[onecastmike2003]

Get lost thats my spot

[Saltheart]

• Upon registration an angler must declare either a club affiliation or no affiliation

How can Meyerson weigh in a fish on May 30 and again on June 26 as unaffilliated and then weigh in the Aug 5 --82 pounder as a member of Team Striper?

It looks to me that without the 82 pounder that Team Jersey shore would win since they are only 4 pounds (points) behind and Team Stripers second biggest fish is 57 pounds. That's 25 pounds less than Meyersons

Now I'm looking at the standings posted today , Sept 20. Maybe these standing do not include all fish? Regardless of that , how can a guy weigh in fish as both affiliated and no affiliation whne the rules say you must declare your affiliation upon registering? Hmmm

I must have missed something here. What's going on?

[Saltheart]

You should never be able to enter a fish you already caught in the tourney unless registered before the fish was caught or be allowed to have a fish credited to a team you had not been a member of before catching the fish. I don't care if he joins the team the last day but no fish he caught before joining should be counted towards that teams total. A guy should never be allowed to carry a previously caught fish into the tournament or team tally. Thats simply rediculous!!

I mean why not just wait to see if you catch a big one and only sign up if you are sure you will win something. What kind of tourney is that??

I do not agree that just because an exception was made in the past that you have to keep making that same mistake forever. They just admit it was wrong to do it in the firstplace and stop doing it .

To allow that 82 pound fish to be credited to a team that he was not a member of before the fish was caught is wrong and everyone knows it. I also hope he gets the World Record with the fish but it should never be credited towards a team he wasn't on before it was caught. That's just wrong any way you look at it!

[Sea Dangles]

Um,...Saltheart, he caught the 82 after joining Team Striper. This is why none of his previous whoppers were credited to the team.

[Saltheart]

OK so how did he get around this rule (in purple below) after entering 2 fish as unaffiliated to get on team Striper in the time between the two he entered as unaffiliated and the 82 pounder?

• Upon registration an angler must declare either a club affiliation or no affiliation

[Sea Dangles]

With the blessings of OTW hierachy.

[Saltheart]

And that's the root of the problem. Oh well...As some say , rules are made to be broken.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

And that's the root of the problem. Oh well...As some say , rules are made to be broken.

which problem?..and what rules were broken?

the rule states that and angler must declare one or the other status at the time of registration, which makes sense, I'm pretty sure that was done...I've not seen a rule that states that an unaffiliated angler may not (affiliate) join a team during the several months of the tournament and in fact, OTW made it quite clear that this is done regularly and MikeP acknowledged the fact that there is precedence.....an unaffifiated angler joining a team has no idea as to whether he/she is going to catch a fish of consequence after joining a team(which are the only fish that may count in the standings)....what exactly is the problem?