NWKA AOTY (angler of the year)

Speaking of that, where's your tenth fish Bill? 

.... Stay tuned
I don't like entering low scoring fish and that's all I've kicked up lately .... Well mostly all.

Nice piggy of a SM BTW!

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

I should have done a little more research before barking up this tree. I agree that there is a certain level of strategy involved and getting bent out of shape over one species is a waste of time. Also being a first year member I should probably "know my role and shut my hole." 
It has been pretty cool to see how this tourney has unfolded over the course of 2013. I have said all year that Yaktrap is untouchable...and I still put my money on that claim!
On that note, I would be happy to stay in the top ten for the year. I guess I have some work to do to try and seal a spot.
Anyway...I think I learned my lesson on this one.

I'm sure it has probably been discussed thoroughly long before I was a member here...but what are people's thoughts on lingcod scoring?
It just seems crazy that there are so few monster lings being entered into aoty and only a handful are in the 200pt slot. If you look at cabezon there's so many 200pt + entries. The scoring doesn't seem balanced right to me. I don't know how to not sound like a cry baby...I just feel like  the bar for "trophy" sized lings is set a little high.

Those of you that have been here awhile already know what I'm going to say, but for those of you that haven't, it's a good refresher on how AOTY points are determined.

We use historical AOTY catch data in determining what a "trophy fish" is for this competition.  Trophy sized fish are given a points per inch to make them be worth 200 points.  Are cabezon a little high?  Yeah, maybe.  When we roll up the stats for the next year, we'll make adjustments as necessary.

-Allen

I should have done a little more research before barking up this tree. I agree that there is a certain level of strategy involved and getting bent out of shape over one species is a waste of time. Also being a first year member I should probably "know my role and shut my hole." 
It has been pretty cool to see how this tourney has unfolded over the course of 2013. I have said all year that Yaktrap is untouchable...and I still put my money on that claim!
On that note, I would be happy to stay in the top ten for the year. I guess I have some work to do to try and seal a spot.
Anyway...I think I learned my lesson on this one.

Yaktrap pretty much has the crown this year but 2-8 are going to be interesting!

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

Speaking of that, where's your tenth fish Bill? 

I am waiting for you to pass me so I can start complaining to the no fun/rules committee about how it is no fair that you went to Alaska.

It is true Alaska is the only place to catch big fish.
Just look how many 200+ point fish our Alaska residents put up this year.

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Lol.  We do have to get our act together up here in Alaska.  I think the only species that we can catch up here where I feel we have a disadvantage to the west coast folks is Ling Cod.  In Southcentral Alaska, minimum length keeper is OVER 35 inches and there are no areas that are accessible without taking a boat ride. 

I've done the math and here in Alaska with one keeper Ling Cod, I think its completely within reason to score 2,000 points.  I've signed up the past few years but never enter any fish.  The seasonality of the fishing here (like everywhere) is such that you miss a fish or two, there is no making it up.  So if anyone from Alaska wants to be competitive, they are going to have to look closely at the AOTY board and plan to make a competitive run at it.  I think that's a good thing.

One day I may do that.  Right now its just hard getting out fishing for anything I can.  I figure a 50 pound king, a 75 pound halibut, and a 40 pound ling cod should put the Alaska contingent in good shape.  Add the monster arrowtooth flounder and a shortraker rockfish dredged out of the depths and we could round out the other species with "average" fish and come close winning.  I know Kenai Guy is pretty serious about this.  If I tag a good King or halibut before summer is out, I may try and take "special" trips to round out the big lings and rockfish.  But unless I have a chance, I have other fish I can target.  I'm not going to fish 1,500 feet down for shortrakers unless there is a dang good reason...like AOTY points..well maybe once to say I have done it.

I
Those two topics are by far the most popular AOTY subjects and trust me they have been debated to death. That and the dreaded Chum salmon debate Soon it will be time to start the AOTY 2014 thread to discuss next years contest.

2014 is a couple of weeks away.   Any word on when you can sign up?  I'm heading out to Lake Stevens this am to target some Rainbows.  I've heard they are close to shore - feeding

There is usually a grace period around the first of the year and open sign ups. Feel free to fish starting January 1st.

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So we are pretty much in the final stretch of AOTY. . . It seems a little quiet in here for being so close to the deadline...

First place is like 150 points ahead of the next guy, and short of quitting his job, the second place guy isn't going to be able to catch up.  It's not a "close" contest like it's been in the past.

Todd did a lot of fishing this year.  How many hundred miles on a certain eastern washington lake alone, just to get a good cutthroat?

The trick is just fish, no work, no worries, fish all the time. Catch lots of fish and some of them will be big ones.

I have one GPS / FF I used about 35% of the time this year, it has over 800 nm on it since April. If you fished from a kayak in 2013...I fished more than you did.

I wish it could go on forever, but it's not sustainable one day soon I'll be back at work and a weekend fisherman again. ...and it breaks my heart.

The trick is just fish, no work, no worries, fish all the time. Catch lots of fish and some of them will be big ones.

I have one GPS / FF I used about 35% of the time this year, it has over 800 nm on it since April. If you fished from a kayak in 2013...I fished more than you did.

I wish it could go on forever, but it's not sustainable one day soon I'll be back at work and a weekend fisherman again. ...and it breaks my heart.

You've put on one hell of a show this year! 

-Spot- 

I have to say, while ohbryant isn't tracking the aoty points anymore, I take pleasure in finishing behind him and being able to say that we caught all but the King together.