AOTY 2024

It’s time to get signed up for AOTY.

Every year, I see people catch some great fish and then realize that they should have signed up for AOTY.  You need to be signed up first for those fish to count.  Don’t let those high point fish get wasted. 

It only costs a $50 donation to Hero’s on the Water(HOW).  Good chance you will get prizes that will exceed your donation.

Competing in AOTY has made me a much better fisherman.  Not only catching bigger fish, but also expanding the species I have learned to target.  As a bonus, some really good friends have been formed from fishing with other AOTY competitors.

Don’t delay.  Get signed up now

Some more of you should be signing up. This is a fun contest whether you're super competitive or not(like me). It's a good yardstick of your efforts. I never had any interest in warm water fish prior to AOTY. Now I can at least scratch out most of the species every year. Last year I spent hours trying to catch yellow perch and failed. That's usually the low hanging fruit.

I got to visit with Drifter when I picked up my prize bag and got to talk about goals. He's got goals. I've got goals. I'm looking forward to getting out there soon and trying out some new waters and tactics. Maybe catch a yellow perch this time. You should definitely join up this year.

Not to put pressure on the people gear fishing, but the five fish submitted in the fly category have an average over 195 points.  I feel bad for bringing the average down so far with my 162.5 point smallmouth.  I guess I better get out and upgrade it.  I love seeing great fish caught on a fly.