Fishes for AOTY 2012?

It seems we go round and round with this every year.. More points here, less there, what about adding purple pond guppies... People forget AOTY is just a game, granted a fishing game but still a game.  The fish, like pieces on a chess board, each have different values, and this needs to play into your personal AOTY strategy.  If every piece on the chess board was given equal weight, pawn could move like a queen etc, then it would be a fairly uninteresting game.  When I first did AOTY I thought the same as many above.. "Man its lame, a large difficult to catch salmon was worth way less points that an average largemouth"  but the wise sage SPOT reminded me that "its just a game man, play the pieces for the points they are worth not the "value" you place on the fish" and then he promptly left me standing in Second Place that season....

It seems we go round and round with this every year.. More points here, less there, what about adding purple pond guppies... People forget AOTY is just a game, granted a fishing game but still a game.  The fish, like pieces on a chess board, each have different values, and this needs to play into your personal AOTY strategy.  If every piece on the chess board was given equal weight, pawn could move like a queen etc, then it would be a fairly uninteresting game.  When I first did AOTY I thought the same as many above.. "Man its lame, a large difficult to catch salmon was worth way less points that an average largemouth"  but the wise sage SPOT reminded me that "its just a game man, play the pieces for the points they are worth not the "value" you place on the fish" and then he promptly left me standing in Second Place that season....

Great comment Ron!

Personally, I am looking forward to fishing this coming year with my new friends. I go fishing to have fun. I view the AOTY as a side thing.
I think it would be unfortunate to stress out about AOTY and miss the joy of fishing. Hey, I would rather catch a 9' sturgeon next year
than a legal-sized one for AOTY points. Don't forget to have fun fishing and appreciate every fish you land.

It seems we go round and round with this every year.. More points here, less there, what about adding purple pond guppies... People forget AOTY is just a game, granted a fishing game but still a game.  The fish, like pieces on a chess board, each have different values, and this needs to play into your personal AOTY strategy.  If every piece on the chess board was given equal weight, pawn could move like a queen etc, then it would be a fairly uninteresting game.  When I first did AOTY I thought the same as many above.. "Man its lame, a large difficult to catch salmon was worth way less points that an average largemouth"  but the wise sage SPOT reminded me that "its just a game man, play the pieces for the points they are worth not the "value" you place on the fish" and then he promptly left me standing in Second Place that season....

Then maybe think about making a hard to catch fish (e.g. steelhead) worth an outsized number of points.  Or something to get people targeting them more in hopes of getting that 230 pointer.

I have to admit, the strategy is what makes it fun.  If it weren't for the strategy part of the AOTY  game, three of us knuckleheads would have never driven to Tillamook Bay to chase surf perch.  Four if you count Rawkfish who did it on a different day. Then, I would not have seen how fast and furious a fishery it was for small black rock fish.  Now, I know where to take my 7 year old son for his introduction to salt water fish where he won't be bored or seasick.

One of the main things I learned this year is that you need a strategy or you miss out on certain fisheries.  It won't happen next year!

I am not saying it is wrong to plan trips for AOTY.
I just do not want stress about it and miss out on the
fun that is 6 inches in front of my face. When
I read about your surf perch trip I was jealous,
that sounded like a blast. I would go on a trip like
that in a heartbeat. I hope the AOTY generates more
trips like that and that I get to tag along on some
of them.

It seems we go round and round with this every year.. More points here, less there, what about adding purple pond guppies... People forget AOTY is just a game, granted a fishing game but still a game.  The fish, like pieces on a chess board, each have different values, and this needs to play into your personal AOTY strategy.  If every piece on the chess board was given equal weight, pawn could move like a queen etc, then it would be a fairly uninteresting game.  When I first did AOTY I thought the same as many above.. "Man its lame, a large difficult to catch salmon was worth way less points that an average largemouth"  but the wise sage SPOT reminded me that "its just a game man, play the pieces for the points they are worth not the "value" you place on the fish" and then he promptly left me standing in Second Place that season....

Then maybe think about making a hard to catch fish (e.g. steelhead) worth an outsized number of points.  Or something to get people targeting them more in hopes of getting that 230 pointer.

The highest steelhead score recorded so far is 175 points.  The average of the highest points scores for all the species is 170.  So steelhead is relatively higher on that metric.  The median steelhead score is 150.  The average of the median scores for all the species is 122.  So steelhead is relatively higher on that metric as well.  The median steelhead score is also higher than all the average scores for this year participants.

Where does 230 come from?  The highest points ever scored in NWKA AOTY is 216.

Everything is relative.

-Allen

I'm so looking forward to 2012 AOTY. Gotta get my OR license and get signed up. Hope to travel to all sorts of new spots and learn many techniques.

Thanks for everything NWKA has created for us.

iHop

It seems we go round and round with this every year.. More points here, less there, what about adding purple pond guppies... People forget AOTY is just a game, granted a fishing game but still a game.  The fish, like pieces on a chess board, each have different values, and this needs to play into your personal AOTY strategy.  If every piece on the chess board was given equal weight, pawn could move like a queen etc, then it would be a fairly uninteresting game.  When I first did AOTY I thought the same as many above.. "Man its lame, a large difficult to catch salmon was worth way less points that an average largemouth"  but the wise sage SPOT reminded me that "its just a game man, play the pieces for the points they are worth not the "value" you place on the fish" and then he promptly left me standing in Second Place that season....

Then maybe think about making a hard to catch fish (e.g. steelhead) worth an outsized number of points.  Or something to get people targeting them more in hopes of getting that 230 pointer.

The highest steelhead score recorded so far is 175 points.  The average of the highest points scores for all the species is 170.  So steelhead is relatively higher on that metric.  The median steelhead score is 150.  The average of the median scores for all the species is 122.  So steelhead is relatively higher on that metric as well.  The median steelhead score is also higher than all the average scores for this year participants.

Where does 230 come from?  The highest points ever scored in NWKA AOTY is 216.

Everything is relative.

-Allen

I only picked on steelhead because none have been caught for AOTY yet this year, and there were only 2 or 3 entries for last year, IIRC.  230 was just a number pulled from the air as a score well in excess of anything yet entered.

I probably won't participate in AOTY this year as I only just bought a yak, and have yet to get it wet nevermind fish from it.  Still need a fair amount of safety gear.  2013 though I hope to be able to participate.

Anyway, point being I was just trying to toss out an idea to make that strategy aspect perhaps a bit more interesting.  E.g. do I try for the monster points of a fish I've never managed to catch, regardless of method, or try to upgrade a couple other species?

I only picked on steelhead because none have been caught for AOTY yet this year, and there were only 2 or 3 entries for last year, IIRC.  230 was just a number pulled from the air as a score well in excess of anything yet entered.

I probably won't participate in AOTY this year as I only just bought a yak, and have yet to get it wet nevermind fish from it.  Still need a fair amount of safety gear.  2013 though I hope to be able to participate.

Please keep in mind that the AOTY  competition is the sole fundraiser for this site.  We don't change anything for membership and we rely on AOTY and advertising to cover expenses.

Anyway, point being I was just trying to toss out an idea to make that strategy aspect perhaps a bit more interesting.  E.g. do I try for the monster points of a fish I've never managed to catch, regardless of method, or try to upgrade a couple other species?

And we appreciate the thought!  I'd just like to point out that the strategy we take when assigning points is to equalize the field and for people from most regions we cover (Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon) to have a fair shot at hitting 10 species, since it's the top 10 of your entries that count towards the standings.  The point is not to highlight one fish or the other.

-Allen

I probably won't participate in AOTY this year as I only just bought a yak, and have yet to get it wet nevermind fish from it.  Still need a fair amount of safety gear.  2013 though I hope to be able to participate.

I also got a kayak this year and am not outfitted properly for saltwater fishing, but I am outfitted for warm weather, calm water fishing, i.e. holding a pole in my hands on a nice summer day on the Willamette, but I will enter the 2012 AOTY competition for the following reasons:

a)  it supports this site (thanks for mentioning that Allen - I was not aware) and I want to help keep this site up & going. It has inspired and entertained me as no other site has.

b) the more people that enter, the more fun for everyone. The winners get to get bigger heads - winner of a competition with 177 entrants is way more impressive than winning a 12 man contest - and the hoi polloi can comfort themselves with their side bets and personal competitions. In this way we can give back to those top fishermen who deign to share their (low level) secrets with the rest of us.

c) as others point out, AOTY spurs you on to try things you might not have otherwise tried. My personal goal is to get 10 species entered. If I just catch rainbows, cutts, LMB, SMB, panfish, surf perch, kokes, flounder, and rockfish - all species I have previously caught sans kayak - I would have nine. Getting that 10th would be a new high for me.

Will definitely try the tournament in2012. Figured I could have at least gotten on the scoreboard with my trout and salmon this year.

As someone who was new to the NW last year I can say AOTY is well worth it.  With support from fellow NWKA members I have learned a lot of new techniques and am now a better overall fisherman.  In fact all my fish in the top 10 except for the 2 bass and 9 of the species I submitted were pretty much new species to me this year.  With a little bit of luck and a willingness to try new things anyone can win it.  That said, next year you are all going down.   

 "The highest points ever scored in NWKA AOTY is 216."

This is not true I seem to remember breaking onto the scene with a 240 point Walleye back in the day


Honestly guys with the 20 fish list it's super easy to score points.  Any day at PC you should check off Ling, Cabbie, Rockfish, and Greenling there is 550 points on avg size fish. A couple Bass and a Perch and your 7 species in.  From there go Trout and Kokanee fishing that puts you at 9 species.  From then on your golden just work on high scoring fish.


The old 10 fish list was much harder and really made you have to get out and try to get all species.  It was fun.

"The highest points ever scored in NWKA AOTY is 216."

This is not true I seem to remember breaking onto the scene with a 240 point Walleye back in the day

Yup.  You are correct!  That was when walleye were scored with panfish.  With the current scoring system, the highest scoring submitted fish would be 216 points.

-Allen

I know you all have things to do but any idea on when the AOTY 2012 stuff will be up?  I'm already planning on a keeper sturgeon trip Jan 1 or 2 or both......

Anybody that will be McNary is welcome to join me.

AOTY has already got me thinking about fishing trips 6+ months out

EDIT:  Wait a second.  I was just re-reading the AOTY rules and stopped at #7. The biggest fish from each angler's top ten species will be used towards the anglers total points.

For clairification, if i caught all 20 species, only the top 10 species scores count and the other 10 are thrown out?

(Bell goes off in my head)  Now I get it.