My thoughts on DOTY

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to NCKA and everyone who has been supportive of DOTY.

I'm really proud of our little game, and think it is a ton of fun.

Here are some of the reasons that I like DOTY and why I think it can be fun for any diver:

-Learning how to ID different species is cool!!
Before I started playing DOTY I sometimes struggled with telling a kelpy from a grassy, a gopher from a copper, a black from a blue etc. The more time I spend underwater and targeting different species the better I have gotten at IDing them, both from features like gill rakers, fin shape/size AND from how they look and behave underwater.

-Learning how to hunt different species is cool!!
DOTY has pushed me to hunt deep, shallow, mid water column, under ledges, on top of pinnacles, in tight holes, on sandy bottoms, from BigSur to Humboldt and everywhere in between. I have learned how and where to hunt for different species (even though I may not always be successful!  ), and that if I want a grassy I will be hunting very differently than if I want an Olive etc.

-Keeping track of your Personal Best fish and being able to reference pics of them is fun!
The DOTY software allows you to basically create a record of your PBs of all the different species. For example, because of DOTY I have been able to tell that so far this year I have already got new PBs for copper (by 2 inches), cabezon and sheephead (each by 1/4 inch).

2012 Copper PB: http://doty.ncka.org/catches/134

2013 Copper PB: http://doty.ncka.org/catches/309

2012 Cabezon PB: http://doty.ncka.org/catches/238

2013 Cabezon PB: http://doty.ncka.org/catches/315

2012 Sheep PB: http://doty.ncka.org/catches/228

2013 Sheep PB: http://doty.ncka.org/catches/316

-Helping your dive partner out is fun! I helped several fellow competitors out last year find various fish, and vice a versa. It's awesome to see the look on your buddy's face when they get to the surface with their targeted fish!! 

-It's a competition, but it's really not about winning or prizes!
If all you care about is winning a big fancy prize than DOTY is the wrong game for you!   We WILL have some really cool prizes for participants (donated from some awesome sponsors!), but nothing that would justify all the time and effort that it takes to get all the species throughout the course of the year. It's way more about challenging YOURSELF and meeting your own personal goals, AND helping your dive buddy achieve theirs. 


Anyway, just wanted to say thank you to polepole and the DOTY committee guys (fuzz and Rick) for putting up with my constant nagging about stuff, and to all who have played and/or expressed support.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Nice work!   

Thanks for sharing your passion Jim.

now that is the ONLY attitude one should have about such silliness.
I'MgonnaTHROWupTHEthreeBROSspooningHERE!

Jim has also secured records in NCKA that will likely never be broken!   




... like smallest Vermillion.   

Jim has also secured records in NCKA that will likely never be broken!   




... like smallest Vermillion.   

LOL!

Yes...it is true!

I believe that is a feat that will never be broken!!!!

http://doty.ncka.org/catches/50

I aim to crush my Verm PB by 3 inches this year! 11 inch monster!

 

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

You are definitely the most (outwardly) enthusiastic free-diver fisherman I have ever met. 

Great job fellas!   

Can we add carp to the species list, can I get extra points for c n r? 

 

Can we add carp to the species list, can I get extra points for c n r? 

 

  

No.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Nathan was mumbling under his breath the other day.  As a parent I worried...are finals getting to him?  Competitive gymnastics is in full swing.  Worried about making it to regionals?  Girl troubles?  Drugs? Booze?

"Jim is ahead of me in DOTY"

Talk about relief 

Nathan was mumbling under his breath the other day.  As a parent I worried...are finals getting to him?  Competitive gymnastics is in full swing.  Worried about making it to regionals?  Girl troubles?  Drugs? Booze?

"Jim is ahead of me in DOTY"

Talk about relief 

LOL!!!!!!!!!!

That won't last long...once he gets back in the water he will cruise past me no worries. 

I need to take him up North this year so he can get an abalone though!!!

Maybe we can all cruise up together and you can hook and line while he and I pop some snails and urchins and we can all gorge on uni before driving home.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I want in on that trip.

Jim I'm glad you enjoy DOTY as much as I enjoy AOTY. Are you the godfather of DOTY?  I seem to remember you were the one that spearheaded it's birth but I could be wrong. Hope to see DOTY grow gracefully over time, as I know it will, under the DOTY committee's careful care. jim

Jim I'm glad you enjoy DOTY as much as I enjoy AOTY. Are you the godfather of DOTY?  I seem to remember you were the one that spearheaded it's birth but I could be wrong. Hope to see DOTY grow gracefully over time, as I know it will, under the DOTY committee's careful care. jim

Thanks Jim!

Yeah...it was my idea, even though if you look back through NCKA history there are threads about doing a spearo of the year comp that never really seemed to get formalized...

Here is the original DOTY thread from 2011:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=35026.0

Then Bird, you, sailfish and polepole (AOTY committee at that time) gave us support and we formed the three man DOTY committee, polepole and bsteves helped us with the software and we were up and running.

 

Really is a team effort...I don't have anywhere near the skills, knowledge or experience to do it all on my own.

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim