Rules for AOTY 2017 are here!

Alright everyone, see below for 2017's Angler of the Year rules!  Upon first glance, it looks as if we're heaping more rules into the competition.  This is not the case.  We did our best to streamline and clarify all existing rules, which is what accounts for the increased text vs the 2016 rules (big thanks go to bmb for doing the heavy lifting!).  I've done my best to highlight the significant changes from the 2016 rules in bold.  But it's each participant's responsibility to read and understand these rules, so don't rely entirely on the "bolded" stuff.  Of course, the AOTY Committee will gladly answer any and all questions regarding these rules and encourages participants to post their questions to this thread.

We wish the best of luck to our current 2016 competitors as they wrap up their year, and look forward to the beginning of the 2017 AOTY season!

Chris/Clayman
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2017 Angler of the Year Rules

1. AOTY runs from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. Fish caught prior to payment of entry fees are ineligible.

2. The pool covers the following twenty-one categories: Lingcod, Rockfish, Cabezon, Greenling, California Halibut, Pacific Halibut, Flatfish, White Seabass, Surf Perch, Salmon, Sturgeon, Striped Bass, Steelhead, Trout, Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass and Spotted Bass, Lake Trout, Kokanee, Catfish, and Panfish.

3. Waterway Rule - All fish entered must be caught within the northern and eastern California borders (the entire waters of Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake are allowed) and north of the southern borders of the following counties: Monterey, Kings, Tulare and Inyo. Fish caught from waterways with restricted access to the public, such as members-only or private waterways or aquaculture operations are not allowed. Fish caught from waters where anglers have to pay on a per fish basis, such as trout farms, are not allowed.

4. Watercraft Rule - Eligible watercraft for the competition include kayaks, kayak/canoe hybrids, and Standup Paddle Boards (SUPs).  The watercraft must be under human powered control from launch until landing, and no mothershipping is allowed.  Sails will be allowed in the Sail division but no motors may be used or attached to the watercraft while fishing.

5. Take Rule - All fish entered must be caught by hook and line (i.e. hooked, fought, and landed) from an eligible watercraft without aid from anyone else and using methods deemed legal by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

6. Retention Rule - Only fish that you can legally keep and eat (per CA DFW regulations) are eligible.  Any fish that has the appearance of possibly being not qualified for entry (such as the appearance of an adipose fin from a non-native retention body of water) will be disqualified. Competitors should include comments with AOTY submission if there may be any questions regarding the fish's legality.

7. Photograph Rule - Photographic evidence of fish size (total length, except for Sturgeon which shall be measured according to fork length as per CDFW regulations) against a measuring device must be provided. Photographs must be clear, with measurements easily read. Only pictures that show the ENTIRE fish will be used in judging submissions. Missing portions of the head or tail in the photograph will result in a disqualification of the submission.  “Tail only” shots may be used to clarify full length pictures, but will not be used as the sole factor in determining length.  Committee recommends competitors take pictures of fish from “straight up” with fish's belly facing towards the competitor, as this assists the committee in determining the accurate length of the fish and determine whether the mouth is closed.

8. Posing Rule -All fish should be posed in a manner that allows the committee to easily determine the length, mouth open/closed status and legality. All fish must be measured on their side, with the exception of sturgeon, catfish, and cabezon which may be measured with their belly facing down. Submissions should show the mouth of the fish completely closed. If the mouth is not completely closed, the committee will deduct 1.5 inches from the measured length (unless the mouth cannot be completely closed due to a natural deformity or kype/hookjaw). Participants should make a good faith effort to close the fish’s mouth and egregious “mouth-open” submissions will be rejected at the discretion of the committee. Fish may NOT be gutted, have their throat cut or ripped through, or manipulated in any way prior to photographs being taken. Cutting of gills is permitted. Tails may be pressed together or tilted.  You are not allowed to stretch, pinch or pull the lips to gain extra length. No lip grippers, game clips or stringers can be in the mouth when photograph is taken.   Continued violations of the posing rule may result in the disqualification of the competitor.

9. Measurement Rule - All submissions should include accurate, full length measurements of the fish, and be measured on a hawg trough, measuring board or similar measuring device. All entries must be rounded down to the nearest hash mark that can be visibly seen, using quarter inch increments.  For any submissions where an extender or similar device is used, the competitor must submit photographic evidence verifying the length of the extension. The committee strongly recommends competitors use a sharpie on measuring devices that have hash marks which are not clearly marked. All submissions will be subject to committee approval before appearing as official entries. There may be a few days lag between the time you post a submission and the time it appears on the AOTY site.

10. The biggest fish from each angler's top ten species will be used towards the angler's total points.

11. The “Trout” category includes fish generally referred to by the following common names: brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, and dolly varden.

12. The “Panfish” category includes fish generally referred to by the following common names: crappie, members of the Lepomis genus (bluegill, red ear, pumpkinseed, etc), Sacramento perch, and yellow perch.

13. The “Flatfish” category includes all non-halibut flatfish species, including all species of flounder, sole, turbot, sanddabs and tonguefish.

14. Entries must be posted within 2 weeks of being caught and photographed. No "hoarding" of entries.

15. Participant complaints should be submitted to the committee (bmb, Cen Coast, Clayman, RacinRob and/or Sailfish). No bashing of other competitors on the NCKA forums will be tolerated. Such posts will be deleted by the Admins/Mods, and a warning will be issued. A second violation of this rule will result in a disqualification of the offender from participating in AOTY.


Scoring Scale

Lingcod = 5 pts/in
Rockfish = 8 pts/in
Cabezon = 8 pts/in
Greenling = 11 pts/in
California Halibut = 5 pts/in
Pacific Halibut = 4.25 pts/in
Flatfish = 9 pts/in (new species addition)
White Seabass = 4 pts/in
Surf Perch = 12 pts/in
Salmon = 5 pts/in
Sturgeon = 3.75 pts/in (fork length measurement)
Striped Bass = 5.25 pts/in (reduction of .25pts/inch)
Steelhead = 6 pts/in
Trout = 7.75 pts/in
Brown Trout = 7.75 pts/in
Largemouth Bass = 8 pts/in
Smallmouth Bass & Spotted Bass = 9 pts/in
Lake Trout (Mackinaw) = 6 pts/in
Kokanee = 11 pts/in (increase of 1 pt/inch)
Catfish = 5.5 pts/in
Panfish = 12 pts/in

Please add lingcod to the belly down group. It's much easier to photograph and adds nothing extra to the length.

Please add lingcod to the belly down group. It's much easier to photograph and adds nothing extra to the length.

We will discuss it. outside of that, 

Thanks Chris and Ben for spearheading the rule changes this year!


These two guys have put a fair amount of time asking for suggestions, submitting the suggestions to vote, and finalizing rule language. I like the new rules.

I'm signing up this year. Not competing to win but trying to catch new species. The wife is getting me a fish finder and downrigger for the Hobie and I hope to finally get out in the ocean.

 I really need to get my self rescue skills up, I've only tipped once in my old sundolphin POS, in 3 ft of water that was warm. I don't think that counts as self rescue when I didn't even get my hair wet.

I'm signing up this year. Not competing to win but trying to catch new species. The wife is getting me a fish finder and downrigger for the Hobie and I hope to finally get out in the ocean.

 I really need to get my self rescue skills up, I've only tipped once in my old sundolphin POS, in 3 ft of water that was warm. I don't think that counts as self rescue when I didn't even get my hair wet.

It's a great way to challenge yourself to target new species, and to keep track of your personal bests across the years.

Self rescue is of course something you wanna get down first. 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Please add lingcod to the belly down group. It's much easier to photograph and adds nothing extra to the length.

The committee has carefully considered this proposal and has decided at this time we will not be allowing lingcod to be measured belly down.  We will re-consider it again next year after some testing.

Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions regarding why we reached this decision.  We did not consider it lightly.

Thanks,
bmb

 Submissions should show the mouth of the fish completely closed. If the mouth is not completely closed, the committee will deduct 1.5 inches from the measured length (unless the mouth cannot be completely closed due to a natural deformity or kype/hookjaw). Participants should make a good faith effort to close the fish’s mouth and egregious “mouth-open” submissions will be rejected at the discretion of the committee.

I'll take losing 1.5" over the entire catch.  And yes, I'll have a better camera for 2017, Ben.   

Paid my fees.  This should motivate me to get out to more places this coming season!

I Like the new rules. Emma and I will hit it hard in Jan... Gonna post a few more fish species this year...

Glad the flatfish are included! I'll be getting a Starry Flounder up asap.

 Submissions should show the mouth of the fish completely closed. If the mouth is not completely closed, the committee will deduct 1.5 inches from the measured length (unless the mouth cannot be completely closed due to a natural deformity or kype/hookjaw). Participants should make a good faith effort to close the fish’s mouth and egregious “mouth-open” submissions will be rejected at the discretion of the committee.

I'll take losing 1.5" over the entire catch.  And yes, I'll have a better camera for 2017, Ben.   

Dude, it pained us every time we had to reject one of your fish (or any fish for that matter).  This should help out a bit, but of course we'll still encourage you to get that mouth shut! 

Paid my fees.  This should motivate me to get out to more places this coming season!

Awesome.  That's one of the best things about AOTY: it provides that extra little nudge to get folks out of their comfort zones and to target species they may rarely or never target.  Even if you're not gunning for those 200 point fish, the adventure that comes with chasing at least 10 species alone is a blast.

I Like the new rules. Emma and I will hit it hard in Jan... Gonna post a few more fish species this year...

Looking forward to seeing more entries from both you and Emma!

Glad the flatfish are included! I'll be getting a Starry Flounder up asap.

This will be a very interesting category to watch in 2017.  For the first time in many years, flatfish species such as starry flounder and petrale sole will be available to kayakers outside of the general rockfish seasons and depth restrictions.  It'll be a whole new world out there and we're very excited to see what anglers catch!

Those rules look great except lingcod should be able to be measured belly down. I appreciate all the hard work the AOTY committee does to keep this tournament functioning and getting better each year. Thank you very much.

OK, I'll bite. Reg fee still $40? Who's handling payments?

OK, I'll bite. Reg fee still $40? Who's handling payments?

click the link that says 2017 AOTY/DOTY Entry on the left hand bar.  Make sure you put your AOTY username in the field or PM BigJim to ensure you AOTY account gets activated.  $40 still.  Don't make me reject your fish.