AOTY/DOTY 2014 (March update)

Aww man, I thought you were going to go full DFW and round down to the nearest  millimeter.    I'll miss the .1875 measurements, wont you?   

JK of course

I certainly won't miss the .123456789 measurements.  Yes, someone did that!

-Allen

Ah yes moderators getting lazy on us.

Good stuff guys. I'll be paypalin' as soon as possible. Not only does AOTY support the PIF, it coaxes you to become a better, well rounded fisherman. I like the raffle idea and am looking forward to 2014. 2013 was tough to get out fishing for me, but I'm sure in 14' I'll be able to put more time OTW.

Not only does AOTY support the site.

I'd like to be clear on this.  I have turned AOTY over to Jim and PIF.  As such it supports PIF directly and fees for AOTY do not go towards site expenses.

Why did I do this?  To me, it is a simple matter of prioritization of time.  While the funds from AOTY are greatly appreciated, AOTY admin takes a shit ton of time.  I can put that time to better use on other areas of the site with potentially better payback to the site, all the while making the site itself stronger.  For instance, it's no secret that I dislike tapatalk (damn thing has been crashing on my phone a lot lately too!).  I'd like to dedicate some time to providing a better mobile interface.  Of course I'd like that mobile interface to support ads with better return than tapatalk offers.  It's a win-win ... the site gets a better mobile interface (you win) that is easier to manage (I win) that supports the expenses of the site better (we all win).  So, there you go!!!

-Allen

Nice move!

   Thanks for your time & efforts put into making this a great superstructure for our interactions!

Bill

Not only does AOTY support the site.

I'd like to be clear on this.  I have turned AOTY over to Jim and PIF.  As such it supports PIF directly and fees for AOTY do not go towards site expenses.

Why did I do this?  To me, it is a simple matter of prioritization of time.  While the funds from AOTY are greatly appreciated, AOTY admin takes a shit ton of time.  I can put that time to better use on other areas of the site with potentially better payback to the site, all the while making the site itself stronger.  For instance, it's no secret that I dislike tapatalk (damn thing has been crashing on my phone a lot lately too!).  I'd like to dedicate some time to providing a better mobile interface.  Of course I'd like that mobile interface to support ads with better return than tapatalk offers.  It's a win-win ... the site gets a better mobile interface (you win) that is easier to manage (I win) that supports the expenses of the site better (we all win).  So, there you go!!!

-Allen

Thanks for keeping it free!

This photo validates my closed mouth point,
Fish must be dead to get a proper photo for AOTY points :0(   
Didn't think this was in best interest, but I was outvoted.
Sorry if I'm beating dead horse, I'll play by rules, and maybe not worry so much about killing for points ...
Anybody want some extra fish for their freezer?


See Ya Soon,
Eric / Yakhopper

+1 I feel the same way as Eric does here, and is part of the reason I didn't join AOTY this year.  I do appreciate the changes that have been made this year to encourage more participation, and think that the donations going to PIF are incredibly awesome!  But I think that we should be doing a lot more to promote catch and release fishing. 

A little hard to C&R DOTY. I agree though. I release almost all the fish I catch. I never left the ocean this year with more than 5 fish. All freshwater fish are released if possible.

I think that we should be doing a lot more to promote catch and release fishing.

Bravo - me too.

I too, have an issue with the amount of time it takes to get a "acceptable" shot of a nice fish on a trough.
It really doesn't bug me that an open mouth means there could be a little variance in a fishes measurement.
What does bug me is watching fish float away after being out of the water too long.
AOTY is fun, but if you want to release strong fish(to be caught again), keeping the portrait session time to a minimum is a good idea.

If you catch fish, then you are killing fish.

Even if the C&Rd fish swims off, there is a chance that it will die as a result of being caught.  There are a multitude of reasons that it might die: Barotrauma, exhaustion (especially with the anadromous fish), and organ damage to name a few.

It is true that keeping a fish out of water longer will generally increase the mortality rate, but it is delusional to think that CPRing a fish with the mouth open will drastically increase its chance of survival. The only exception to this in my view is the sturgeon.  In my sturgeon spot it is possible to CPR and meet the standards of AOTY photos, but I know of other spots where it would be much more difficult.

If you catch fish, then you are killing fish.

Even if the C&Rd fish swims off, there is a chance that it will die as a result of being caught.  There are a multitude of reasons that it might die: Barotrauma, exhaustion (especially with the anadromous fish), and organ damage to name a few.

It is true that keeping a fish out of water longer will generally increase the mortality rate, but it is delusional to think that CPRing a fish with the mouth open will drastically increase its chance of survival. The only exception to this in my view is the sturgeon.  In my sturgeon spot it is possible to CPR and meet the standards of AOTY photos, but I know of other spots where it would be much more difficult.

If you catch fish, then you MAY be killing fish.

Last wknd. at Folsom I was so happy that I didn't catch anything that might have later died.

Sometimes killing fish is like masturbating...it's best not to talk about it in public.

Sometimes killing fish is like masturbating...it's best not to talk about it in public.

Uh, but I already wear glasses...

Sometimes killing fish is like masturbating...it's best not to talk about it in public.

Uh, but I already wear glasses...

My  vision is perfect.  I must  be doing it wrong