AOTY Welcome & Overview article

AOTY, or Angler Of The Year, is our annual year long fishing competition to decide which kayak fisherman is the best in Northern California for that year. It is open to all members of NCKA so if you have a username you can sign up and compete for a $40 fee. Every year we have some great prizes for the top finishers. Prizes in the past have included new kayaks, fishfinders, kayak carts, and more. NOW THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! The money collected from AOTY is what pays for the NCKA forum. So if you post on NCKA, and you like NCKA, THEN PLEASE CONTRIBUTE BY SIGNING UP FOR AOTY!

AOTY is very different from a regular fishing tournament. Anglers have all year long to catch their fish. You can fish when & wherever you want in all of NorCal, as many days as you like, & enter as many fish as you can catch. Please first read and then follow the contest rules and especially take good pictures of your fish on a real hawg trough. If you don’t already have a hawg trough NCKA can sell you one. This simple measuring board is how we judge the length of fish for your score.

AOTY is different things to different people. Some people sign up simply to support the NCKA forum. Others to seriously compete by targeting many species of fish and putting in a lot of long hours chasing them. Still others are somewhere in between just playing along for fun and posting up a few fish here and there. A few people fish only for their favorite species trying to catch one of the 20 Big Fish of the year. It’s a great place to showcase your personal best or trophy size fish and even just to document your catches through the year.

Participating in AOTY can benefit the kayak fisherman in many ways depending on the individual. It can spur one to raise their level of skill, knowledge, organization, planning, and documentation through photography. Many friends are made as competitors often fish together making for a lot of memorable good times. Pursuing a serious bid for AOTY is a big commitment, but the rewards of living the kayak fishing lifestyle for a year are priceless memories you will never forget.

We hope you’ll consider joining in on the fun and who knows……maybe you’ll be the next NorCal Kayak Angler Of The Year! Good luck and great fishing.

I counted 63 AOTY signed up so far...I'm sure we can break the 100 barrier this year!

Are you saying that we HAVE to have a hawg trough for measuring our fish? They used to give them away with an entry fee. What happened to that? You mean all that advertising doesnt pay at all for the running of the website? Maybe we should have an annual fee like coastside.

Are you saying that we HAVE to have a hawg trough for measuring our fish? They used to give them away with an entry fee. What happened to that? You mean all that advertising doesnt pay at all for the running of the website? Maybe we should have an annual fee like coastside.

I'd prefer that (if needed). No AOTY for me from now on.

I just signed up but don't really plan to fish competitively.  I simply see this as a voluntary contribution to help support the group.  If the fee becomes mandatory, there may be some who can't afford to pay it and would be forced out of the organization.  I haven't participated in AOTY in the past because I just never thought of it as anything other than the competition.  Just my opinion.  Annual fee or AOTY is OK as far as I'm concerned.


Sent from Martin's iPad using Tapatalk

If I remember correctly,
You must have a accurate measuring device, BUT, it DOES NOT have to be a Hawg Trough.   
Also,
I'm sure that some of the advertising goes toward running the site, However some advertising is given in return for what they give to us (discounts, special group buys, etc )
Lastly,
I would sure hate to see NCKA join the ranks of other sites that charge a annual fee to hear bickering about political issues (Yes ... Politics of fishing are important).
What we have here is unique and I would like to see it continue to grow. I joined AOTY to help support the site that gave me so much, and I would like everyone who feels the same to also join. I really don't plan on winning, But I have my own goals that are my personal victorys in AOTY.
If you chose not  to join AOTY, you are still my brother and I respect your decission, If you do join, You are my hero and will help insure the future of this brotherhood.
These are my opinions and I hope I haven't offended anyone.

See Ya Soon,
Eric / Yakhopper

Pursuing a serious bid for AOTY is a big commitment, but the rewards of living the kayak fishing lifestyle for a year are priceless memories you will never forget.

  Very well said Jim    Sara commented a little while ago that AOTY is a lifestyle, not a sport, and I had to agree   

Many friends are made as competitors often fish together making for a lot of memorable good times.

It's a good thing you and Craig are such buddies

I am hoping that this article will be posted on the same page as the AOTY rules so that new members can be welcomed to join AOTY and also to explain what AOTY is about. Allen suggested I post this here and so I did.

No one is talking about a mandatory fee so I don't see why that needs to be discussed. Joining AOTY is purely voluntary but IT DOES FUND THIS FORUM, servers etc, so keep that in mind.

If you want the most points for your fish then I strongly recommend you use a hawg trough. It's much easier to accurately judge the length of your fish with it.

Sonny, I too hope we can reach the 100 competitors mark this year. That would be awesome!
Please support NCKA and join AOTY. Thanks

I just signed up but don't really plan to fish competitively.  I simply see this as a voluntary contribution to help support the group. I haven't participated in AOTY in the past because I just never thought of it as anything other than the competition.
Sent from Martin's iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for joining up Martin. One of the reasons I wrote the article was for exactly the reason you said in bold. I thought the same thing. Then when I did join up I found out about how much fun AOTY can be. Unlike any other contest AOTY is what the individual kayak angler makes of it. And that is the beauty of it. I hope I was able to convey that thought in the article. Thanks for the feedback. jim

Who knows?  Maybe I'll get Lingzilla at GS-6 and be motivated to go after the rest of the species.  Thanks for the feedback Jim.

Martin

TTT

If I read this right,"You can fish when & wherever you want in all of NorCal" I live in central cali as they call it I know SF is more than central. But the Idiots here say were the central coast. So people in NO Cal say we in SO Cal. And People in SO Cal say were in NO Cal. So where are you considering NO Cal to Fish the AOTY? If your confused where I live so am I.
Jeff

Rule #4 from the rule page......


"4. All fish entered must be caught south of the California/Oregon border 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."

Good to see the original post again.  Great writeup.

What is the kayakfishing lifestyle?