Well it’s almost a month since the 2017 competition officially ended, so I’m overdue in providing a wrap-up post. Januaries are busy at my house, apologies, etc. On to the fun stuff!
AOTY 2017 MAIN EVENT CHAMPION: Snopro
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/thumb_5792-160216122112-5107241.jpeg) Kayak Shed (http://www.kayakshed.com/) | | (http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/thumb_5792-160216122112-510954.jpeg) Next Adventure (http://nextadventure.net/) | | (http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/thumb_5792-230216162522-5117252.png) Kokatat (https://kokatat.com/) |
Snopro - Champion - Grand Prize Provided by Next Adventure: $500 gift certificate
Our 2014 champion climbed to the top of the chart yet again with an astounding score of 2066.375 points! That is the highest points total by an AOTY champion EVER. Way to raise the bar, Snopro! If you look back through previous years’ results it’s pretty obvious that this guy knows what he’s doing. I imagine in addition to skill it took some serious grinding to get that total. The top of the mountain just got a little higher.
jed - 2nd Place - Prize Provided by Kokatat: $250 gift certificate
After placing 4th in 2016 it seems jed had no place to go but up, which he accomplished with a final score just shy of that magic 2000 mark - 1983.4375 points - earning him second place. His saltwater fish were ridiculous (see his saltwater slam results below). Well, jed, there’s still one more rung to climb!
uplandsandpiper - 3rd Place - Prize Provided by Kayak Shed: Package including livewell
A man on a mission! Uplandsandpiper nearly did the impossible, shooting for AOTY champion with only freshwater species. By my reckoning earning 1839.5 points and 3rd place with only freshwater species is one of the most impressive feats we’ve seen in AOTY. You might remember this is the same guy who did a Big Fishing Year (i.e. how many species he could register) in 2014 and tallied 84 species. What amazing thing is he going to do this year? Stay tuned.
4th - Casey - $50 for RAM, Bilge, Hoo-rag, T-shirt, Big Hammer Baits
5th - Nobaddays - $50 for RAM, Seat cushion, Hoo-rag, Big Hammer Baits
6th - Captain Redbeard - stuff
7th - smokeyangler - $50 for RAM, Seat cushion, Big Hammer Baits
8th - johnmikerob - $50 for RAM, Big Hammer Baits
9th - Ashley - $25 for Austin Canoe and Kayak, Big Hammer Baits
10th - Polyangler - $25 for Cabela’s, Big Hammer Baits
Osteves - Youth Division Champion - Prize package including Yak Attack and Scotty accessories, Hoo-rag, baits
Osteves takes his 2nd consecutive Youth Division crown! I’m stoked that the youth division got more participation this year and I’m happy to say that every youth division participant got a prize package. They are the future of our sport - let’s get them involved!
Side Challenges
Similar to last year, prizes for side challenges were awarded such that each Main Event prize winner would only win one side challenge at most. Tiny Fish and On The Fly kind of have their own prizes anyway so those work a little differently. Unfortunately prizes were a little harder to come by this year so the slams only got the 1st place paid out except for the Saltwater Slam.
I want to highlight the Tiny Fish category this year. Not only did Ashley place 9th in the main event, but she won the Tiny Fish Slam as well. I’m committed to continuing to find prizes for Tiny Fish, so if you feel that you don’t have the chops for the Main Event, go small or go home! I’d love to see this category grow this year.
Tiny Fish Slam
1 - Ashley - Tiny trophy, rod holder, hat, baits, Hoo-rag
2 - surf12foot
3 - C_Run
Salmon Slam
1 - Snopro - NEMRods custom salmon rod
2 - johnmikerob
3 - Casey
Saltwater Slam
1 - jed - Lucid Grips fish gripper
2 - Klondike Kid - Baits (I had to send some love to our Alaskan brothers!)
3 - rawkfish
Freshwater Slam
1 - Snopro - n/a (Salmon Slam winner)
2 - uplandsandpiper - Hat, drift sock
3 - BasinKayakGuy
On The Fly
1 - surf12foot - Sillwater Fly Shop fly line voucher
2 - Nobaddays - Sillwater Fly Shop fly line voucher
3 - Tinker - Sillwater Fly Shop fly line voucher
All said and done we raised $1578.91 for Heroes On the Water. Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.
THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS AND SPONSORS. I truly believe we have something special here - let’s keep it going! I’ll keep trying to find prizes if y’all keep fishing.
THANK YOU to polepole for keeping the lights on and to the volunteers and judges that make AOTY a 100% donation effort.
And how about a monster round of applause for bsteves who completely reworked the AOTY software to provide a great experience for years to come!
You can do me, HOW, and AOTY a big favor by posting pictures of you with your winnings on social media and tagging the appropriate sponsor along with a “Thanks for supporing NWKA’s Angler of the Year” or similar message.