AOTY/DOTY 2014 (March update)

paid, hope to start to enter fish next year ....
Transaction ID: 38A746177V8860921

Paid! 2KV39025SB5879924 

Official 2014 DOTY Rules posted below.

Note change to rule #1 and replacement of fuzz on DOTY committee with Rob102. Harold chose Rob as his replacement, and I have no doubt that Rob will do an excellent job as a DOTY committee member.



2014 NCKA Diver Of The Year (DOTY) Rules

DOTY is meant to be fun and encourage safe and enjoyable diving practices.  It is however, a skill based, individual competition, and an excellent tool to help hone your hunting abilities. 

1. All entries (fish and abalone) must be taken while freediving without any assistance from another diver.  Assistance is defined as:  Finding, marking the hole, luring, chumming or directing another diver to a fish or abalone.  No other diver can load the gun, make a back-up shot, touch spear or iron or assist in the landing of fish or abalone.  You may alert another diver to the possible presence of a fish in a general area, but not a specific area such as; next to my gun, at the end of my float line, right underneath me, in a hole under that big rock, etc.

2. Chumming is not permitted.

3. Diving can be from shore or from kayak or dive board. No motorized vessels or mothershipping or SCUBA.

4. Photographic evidence of fish/abalone (total length) against a measuring device must be provided. All entries must be rounded down to the nearest quarter inch. Pictures are required to show the MOUTH CLOSED of the fish on a Hawg Trough or similar measuring board. No lip grippers or game clips or stringers can be in the mouth when picture is taken. This is in accordance with DFG measuring standards. Multiple pics can be submitted to show mouth closed and touching end of trough (if need be due to rigor mortis making squeezing mouth shut necessary). Any entries not in compliance will be subject to DQ of entry at discretion of DOTY committee. Pictures of fish need to be taken BEFORE scaling/gutting etc. for both ID and accuracy of measurement purposes. See pics provided in Dive Zone for examples of good and bad submissions.

5. Abalone can be measured with ab gauge/calipers/hawgtrough and knife (see pics for examples). Ab measurements will be rounded down to the nearest quarter inch

For example:
8.9" ab --> entered as 8.75"
9" ab --> entered as 9"
9.1" ab --> entered as 9"
9.2" ab --> entered as 9"
9.3" ab --> entered as 9.25"
9.4" ab --> entered as 9.25"
9.5" ab --> entered as 9.5"
& so forth
Keep your PB shell. In event of tie at end of year, shells will be calipered as a tie breaker.

6. The pool is open to NCKA members only and runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Fish/abalone taken prior to payment of entry fees and joining NCKA are ineligible. Prospective participants can join NCKA at anytime and then once their fees are paid they are eligible to compete.

7. Payment of DOTY fees makes the participant eligible to participate in AOTY and vice versa.

8. Sharing of reports and pics with the NCKA community is STRONGLY encouraged. Not asking or encouraging people to share secret spots, just encouraging people to share their stories and adventures and reports with the larger group. Reports and pics are fun!!

9. All fish/abalone entered must be taken south of the California/Oregon border and north of the southern border of Monterey County.

10. The pool covers the following categories: Lingcod, Cabezon, Greenling, Blue Rockfish, Black RockFish, Gopher Rockfish/Black&Yellow Rockfish/China RockFish, Kelp Rockfish, Grass RockFish, Copper RockFish, Vermillion RockFish, Olive RockFish, MonkeyFace Prickleback, Halibut (California and Pacific), Perch (all kinds), Sheepshead, White SeaBass, Red Abalone.

11. The biggest fish/abalone from each diver's categories will be used towards the diver’s total points. Entries in all 17 categories will count towards each diver's total points.

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

13. ALL DFG rules must be followed 100%. Period. Any breaking of any DFG rules will result in the entry being disqualified and public ridicule.

14. If you don't like the rules and don't want to play, don't! Diving is fun, and this is meant to be fun between friends as well. We all have bigger and better things to argue/stress/worry about.

15. AOTY is DIFFERENT than DOTY. Hook and line fishing is DIFFERENT than freediving/spearfishing. The rules for both contests are DIFFERENT. Discussion of rules is encouraged, and will be considered and evaluated for use in future year DOTYs. NO CHANGES to rules will take place for 2014 DOTY.

16. DOTY committee of Rob102, bwodun, Sailfish and BigJim have final say over any and all issues/arguments/controversies.


Scoring Scale

WSB 4.5
Olive 9
Vermillion 9
Halibut 5.5
Lingcod 5.5
Copper 10
Black 9.5
Gopher/B&Y/China 14
MFE 7
Sheepshead 6.5
Kelp 13
Perch 11
Cabezon 8.5
Grass 10
Abalone 19
Greenling 11
Blue 11

Registration fees ($40 per player) will go towards PIF 2014, after prize plaques for top three and "big fish" are purchased for both AOTY and DOTY. PIF (Pay It Forward) is organized by the A-Hulls and has donated over $33,000 since 2010 to NCKA members battling Cancer. The A-Hulls will decide (with input from the NCKA community) who the PIF 2014 recipient(s) will be.

There will be Piscean Plaques for the top three in both AOTY and DOTY, smaller plaques for "big fish" in each category of AOTY and DOTY, prizes donated by sponsors (TBD) for at least the top three in both AOTY and DOTY, and there will be a brand new kayak as the grandprize.

The kayak will be raffled off at the 2014 Awards Ceremony.

Each participant in AOTY/DOTY will automactially receive one entry into the raffle once they pay the $40 entry fee. Participants can receive up to 20 additional raffle entries for each species submitted and approved in both AOTY and DOTY. 21 entries into the raffle will be the max that any player can have.

The goal of the raffle is to encourage participation and friendly competition amongst those anglers and divers that may not be able to invest the amount of time needed to finish in the top three.


Entry Fee - $40

Official 2014 AOTY Rules posted below:

2014 Angler of the Year Rules

1. All fish entered must be caught by hook and line (i.e. hooked, fought, and landed) without aid from anyone else and using methods deemed legal by the California Department of Fish and Game. For the kayak division, no sails or motors are allowed on board. There is also a sail division. When entering a fish, there will be a place to designate if that entry is for the sail division.
2. No mothershipping allowed, the kayak must be under human powered control from launch until landing.
3. Photographic evidence of fish size (total length, except for Sturgeon which shall be measured according to CA DFG fork length) against a measuring device must be provided. Photographs must be clear, with measurements easily read. It is recommended to use a sharpie on measuring devices that are not clearly marked. All entries must be rounded down to the nearest quarter inch. The ENTIRE fish must show on the measuring device in at least 1 picture. Missing portions of the head or tail will result in a disqualification of the fish. 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. Participants are responsible for ensuring the pictures are of sufficient quality to demonstrate the legality of the catch as defined by the CA DFG. 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. Mouths must be completely closed. If there is light showing between the lips then the mouth is not closed. If the mouth is not completely closed, the entry will be disqualified. No lip grippers or game clips or stringers can be in the mouth when picture is taken. The above methods are those used by the CA DFG fish measurers. All entries this year will have admin approval before appearing as official entries. There may be a few days lag between the time you post a picture and the time it appears on the AOTY site.
4. AOTY runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Fish caught prior to payment of entry fees are ineligible.
5. 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.
6. The pool covers the following twenty species: Sturgeon, Salmon, California Halibut, Pacific Halibut, Rockfish, Cabezon, Lingcod, Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Trout, Kokanee, Catfish, Panfish, Spotted Bass, Steelhead, White Seabass, Greenling, Lake Trout, and Surf Perch.
7. Only fish that you can normally keep and eat (per CA DFG regulations) are eligible.
8. The biggest fish from each angler's top ten species will be used towards the angler’s total points.
9. Trout are defined as the following common names (brown trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, and dolly varden)
10. Panfish are defined as the following common names (freshwater sunfish, crappie, yellow perch).
11. Entries must be posted within 2 weeks of being caught and photographed. No "hoarding" of entries.
12. Participant complaints should be submitted to the Committee. No bashing of other folks on public boards. 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

White Seabass = 4 pts/in
Kokanee = 10 pts/in
Sturgeon = 3.75 pts/in (fork length measurement)
Greenling = 11 pts/in
Lake (Mackinaw) Trout = 6 pts/in
Steelhead = 6 pts/in
Cabezon = 8 pts/in
Panfish = 12 pts/in
Rockfish = 8 pts/in
Smallmouth = 10 pts/in
Spotted Bass = 9 pts/in
Surf Perch = 12 pts/in
Catfish = 5.5 pts/in
Largemouth = 8 pts/in
Lingcod = 5 pts/in
Trout = 7.75 pts/in
California Halibut = 5 pts/in
Salmon = 5 pts/in
Striped Bass = 5.5 pts/in
Pacific Halibut = 4.25 pts/in

Registration fees ($40 per player) will go towards PIF 2014, after prize plaques for top three and "big fish" are purchased for both AOTY and DOTY. PIF (Pay It Forward) is organized by the A-Hulls and has donated over $33,000 since 2010 to NCKA members battling Cancer. The A-Hulls will decide (with input from the NCKA community) who the PIF 2014 recipient(s) will be.

There will be Piscean Plaques for the top three in both AOTY and DOTY, smaller plaques for "big fish" in each category of AOTY and DOTY, prizes donated by sponsors (TBD) for at least the top three in both AOTY and DOTY, and there will be a brand new kayak as the grandprize.

The kayak will be raffled off at the 2014 Awards Ceremony.

Each participant in AOTY/DOTY will automactially receive one entry into the raffle once they pay the $40 entry fee. Participants can receive up to 20 additional raffle entries for each species submitted and approved in both AOTY and DOTY. 21 entries into the raffle will be the max that any player can have.

The goal of the raffle is to encourage participation and friendly competition amongst those anglers and divers that may not be able to invest the amount of time needed to finish in the top three.


There will be a prize for the sail division, appropriate and proportional to the number of entries. 

Entry Fee - $40

So, for 2014 AOTY...if I pay to enter and catch 8 species, I will have 9 raffle tickets in the hopper?
I think it's a cool idea. And now I have a chance to win AOTY hahaha!

Any idea what make/model the top prize will be for 2014?

So, for 2014 AOTY...if I pay to enter and catch 8 species, I will have 9 raffle tickets in the hopper?

yes PK, cameron

So, for 2014 AOTY...if I pay to enter and catch 8 species, I will have 9 raffle tickets in the hopper?
I think it's a cool idea. And now I have a chance to win AOTY hahaha!

Any idea what make/model the top prize will be for 2014?

Yep, one ticket for paying, one ticket for each species. Max of 21 tickets.

Winner of kayak prize is not the winner of AOTY or DOTY. Just the winner of the kayak prize. 

PolePole is the man in charge of the kayak prize. I have no clue. 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

For those newer members not familiar with Pay It Forward (PIF), here is a description I wrote recently to help solicit prizes/donations for PIF 2014.

DOTY/AOTY reg fees will first go to buying hand carved wooden "Piscean" prize plaques for top three, and smaller plaques for big fish winners, and then to PIF 2014.

For the past four years a few of my NorCal Kayak Angler buddies and I (we are informally known as the A-Hulls) have put on a fundraising event to raise $ for our kayak angler brothers battling Cancer.
 
The Pay It Forward (PIF) events also celebrate life (and this awesome thing we call kayak fishing), and promote cancer awareness.
 
PIF combines both a paddle, a raffle and a potluck and a ton of fun. 
 
The first PIF raised over $6,000, and the grand prize was a Wilderness Systems kayak donated by Mark and Karen from Hook1.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=25407.0

Encouraged by this success we coordinated the second PIF and changed the venue to Monterey Bay Kayaks at Del Monte Beach to help with logistics.  The second PIF in 2011 raised over $9,000 and the grand prize was an OK T13 donated by Alain Satre of the A-Hulls.
 
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=32266.0

The third PIF in 2012 raised ~ $8,000 and the grandprize was a Santa Cruz Kayaks Raptor donated by Jim Martin owner of Santa Cruz Kayaks.
 
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=39730.msg433216#msg433216

The fourth and most recent PIF in 2013 was our most successful yet. We changed the venue to Half Moon Bay to make it closer to Joel and his family, Daniel Shim of the A-Hulls donated his OK T13 as the grand prize, and we raised over $10,000!! 

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=47996.0
 
The PIF funds have primarily gone to Joel "Mooch Lotilla" who passed away on 9/29/13.
 
http://www.kayakfishingmagazine.net/articles/102-current-issue-featured-articles-on-kayak-fishing/1831-mooch-lives.html
 
Even though Joel has passed, there are other NCKA members battling cancers and other serious illnesses, and we are committed to continuing PIF to keep helping our brothers in need...we actually talked to Joel before he passed and that is what he wanted us to do, so that is what we will do to honor his memory.

Hope the above description helps explain where the $ will go.

Sincerely,

Jim

ps...attached are a few example of Sean Walker aka Piscean's art. He will be making the plaques for the top three AOTY and DOTY finishers in 2014. 

And....

Here are step by step instructions on how to sign up to play AOTY/DOTY 2014.

1. If not already a member on NCKA, sign up: http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php

2. Pay $40 AOTY/DOTY registration fee: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WWKJMJU38457J

3. Create AOTY and/or DOTY account. Go to DOTY page and click on the "sign up" button in upper right corner: http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/

Your $40 reg fee also makes you eligible to play AOTY if you plan on hook and line fishing off a kayak. Same instructions to sign up: http://aoty.norcalkayakanglers.com/

4. I will then activate your AOTY/DOTY account and you will be able to log in and enter fish whenever you have new entries.

5. Catch/Shoot fish, take pictures of fish on hawg trough or Plano bump board or other measuring device. Pics must show mouth closed and touching end of measuring device and total length of fish.

Examples of good pics. Showing mouth closed, total length of fish, mouth touching end of hawg trough and numbers on measuring device visible:

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/256

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/102

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/579

Example of pics that we SHOULD have DQd in 2012 cuz did not meet the required criteria...we were too soft back then.  Sorry fellas. LOL.

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/28

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/169

http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/catches/148

We will be DQing pics like the ones above in 2014 so take good pics! 

6. Once you have taken your pics of fish, log onto the AOTY or DOTY site and you will see a button that says "My Fish" and it drops down to say "Add Fish". Click on Add fish and select the species of fish, enter the length and upload three pics and click on "Create".

7. The entry will show as pending until one of the AOTY/DOTY committee members looks at it and verifies it.

Any questions or problems with figuring this out just let me know!!

Sincerely,

Jim

Paid! and about to go out and get my 2014 license!

0465-8630-0267-1591 

Paid! and about to go out and get my 2014 license!

0465-8630-0267-1591

Got it dude!

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Ok i just paid for mine. Do i now go to the 2013 AOTY page and sign up? Or do i wait for the 2014 page?

Ok i just paid for mine. Do i now go to the 2013 AOTY page and sign up? Or do i wait for the 2014 page?

Got yours too Abel!

You can sign up now on the 2013 AOTY page. The accounts carry over from year to year...we just go in each year and update when each participant paid last.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Ok i just paid for mine. Do i now go to the 2013 AOTY page and sign up? Or do i wait for the 2014 page?

Got yours too Abel!

You can sign up now on the 2013 AOTY page. The accounts carry over from year to year...we just go in each year and update when each participant paid last.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

SWEET! Thanks Jim!

I've pondered signing up for AOTY for a long time, primary reason being I like to release larger fish and it certainly doesn't do them any good to lay them on a measuring board, clamp their mouths shut, and shoot pictures.  But now I figure if I'll be doing the fish too much harm by trying to get those precious AOTY points, then I'll simply choose not to lay them on the measuring board.

Jim, sign me up!  Paypal transaction ID is 47686025T1716161Y

I look forward to trying this out.  Question regarding the 'salmon' category: Can I submit a landlocked Chinook salmon for that category?  Just in case I can't catch one from the salt this year, it'd be nice to submit a 24+ inch landlocked 'nookie for that category  .