Gimme Shelter Growing Pains

I think the fish ID issue is on the person. People should know what they are fishing for and if they don't know ask. If you are uncertain either way let it go. I was with Rider when I caught a massive rockfish. It look so much like a Verm coloring wise and indistinguishable band, it was hard to tell. We both thought it was a Verm at first but decided it was most likely a Canary and put it back figuring better safe than sorry.

I am not fond of the idea of an attendance cap. I think if anything the registration fee should go up to help pay for temporary structures to handle the load of people. I use to do wildland firefighting and at some base camps we would have mobile shower trailers. Basically a semi trailer converted into a shower unit. I have already sent a few emails to get an idea on pricing for a unit for 4 days.

I don't think the event format should change. I like that there are multiple ways of winning different parts of the event or the main tournament itself. Having small and large species allows everyone the chance to fish for something. I personally have very little experience with Salmon or Halibut. If it switched to large species there would be almost no point in competing since I have little shot of actually winning. The way it is now a lucky first timer could win simply by having a good day.

I also like the team format. I ended it up with a group of guys I had never met before that turned out to be great people from my area. We are planning to fish together throughout the summer.

This is my first event with NCKA and it was freakin great. This event made me realize how awesome NCKA is. Keep up the good work Eric!

All great ideas. The statement about donating something back to the community (Fire, Police, Charity) would probably better press, even though quite a bit of money goes to the local business's already. Probably hit home with more of the locals. And hopefully hit the newsprint !! Great job Eric !! hopefully next year I will be able to make it.

Alex.

Last name .....  Bush
First name .... Seymore

             

I just attended a manufacturing show yesterday @ Santa Clara and registered under than name for the fun of it.  Some of the vendors got it ... sadly, most didn't.

Stumped me LOL.

Actually I did it a few times last year so I could get my Kayak Wars points and catch a bigger halibut.

When Chris stated his piece about the Halibut in the lap, I was envisioning something along the line of what Randall caught at GS6, which would be insane, Rob's is just kinda crazy?

Yeah, I was envisioning a beast of a fish like that one Randall caught.  You got mad skillz with those Pac halis Rob, definitely above most everyone on NCKA.  I've never handled a live halibut in my life, so I can only imagine the chaos that would ensue if I tried putting a live one on a measuring board.  First time I tried that with a live lingcod resulted in a busted measuring board and a lost fish  .

As for the big salmon/ling: we already kinda had that going this year with the "biggest ling gets a kayak" part of the tourney.  I thought it was a really cool addition and added another dynamic to the tournament, similar to the side-bet for biggest rockfish/cabezon.

I am not fond of the idea of an attendance cap. I think if anything the registration fee should go up to help pay for temporary structures to handle the load of people. I use to do wildland firefighting and at some base camps we would have mobile shower trailers. Basically a semi trailer converted into a shower unit. I have already sent a few emails to get an idea on pricing for a unit for 4 days.

IF the mobile restroom/shower were to be implemented, an additional fee for this should be assessed to campground occupants, not all registrants, many of whom utilize motel rooms and house rentals. - JS

I am not fond of the idea of an attendance cap. I think if anything the registration fee should go up to help pay for temporary structures to handle the load of people. I use to do wildland firefighting and at some base camps we would have mobile shower trailers. Basically a semi trailer converted into a shower unit. I have already sent a few emails to get an idea on pricing for a unit for 4 days.

IF the mobile restroom/shower were to be implemented, an additional fee for this should be assessed to campground occupants, not all registrants, many of whom utilize motel rooms and house rentals. - JS

+1 - I appreciate the ideas, but, honestly and very frankly, I have no intention of providing infrastructure - that's the job of the facilities where people stay.  I will never be looking to get a portapotty down at launch or extras at the campground (other than talking to Jack about it).

Also, the idea of giving instruction to the noobs about fish ID is kind and generous, but I don't think GS is about training noobs.  GS is an event geared to serious and experienced saltwater anglers.  I like the idea of asking DFW to be present to check the fish as they come in and advertising it that way - people would be foolish and prove their own lack of attention if they got in hot water in that situation.

Thank you, everybody, for the kindness and compliments.  I do intend to keep the format the same - the scoreboards are a blast to make and fill in, my daughter and I love doing the math and checking each other's work, and I love providing the compiled data for all to see and digest.  A big part of what I'm doing with GS is about providing a forum for self sufficient kayak fishermen to compete and share the fun of a massive hookup.  SELF SUFFICIENT is perhaps the most important part of what we as kayak fishermen display to each other.  The reason we are attracted to each other, IMO, is that we recognize and appreciate that others have their shit together, so it's easy to be generous and friendly with each other.

Seminars and basic training are excellent pursuits, but GS isn't about that.  We're coming together to do our thing, and I am not interested in turning GS into a training ground for noobs.  An hour or two of salmon or halibut techniques and tackle tips from one or more of our experts would be a cool thing to offer, but mass training for the clueless isn't even a good idea.  The people who don't get it are very often the same ones who aren't listening to this discussion!  There are always people who show up not knowing what's going on - it's not that hard to gather the pertinent information - self sufficient does not include being spoon fed regulations, safety info or other basic stuff.

Regarding those who didn't come to the mandatory meeting on Friday evening - that's lame, and I'm not impressed.  If you weren't in town yet so be it, but just not attending is unacceptable.  Any suggestion of doing things for people because they skipped the meeting is a joke to me (you're too nice, Hojo).

Each year I recognize more and more ways that I need to tighten up rules and protocols so that the few lazy and selfish people stop taking away from the majority who does as instructed.  What we're doing at GS isn't easy, and that's a huge part of what makes it fun and exciting and unique.

I can be pretty uptight about how things go down - it's because I cram everything I can into the available time and space, and I don't plan in extra time to hold hands, make concessions for whiners, or BS when there's work to be done.  I hope that my dedication to achieving something special will always outshine my tendency to stress over interrupted flow.  I think everyone needs to look at what we're doing at GS as being a complex process with rules that are geared to achieving an outstanding result.  If you go to Disneyland you stand in lines, wait your turn, accept when your turn is over, allow the workers and performers complete space to do their jobs, and respect the fact that there is a carefully orchestrated process in action - that's what's happening at GS too.  Thanks so much for wanting to be part of the event, but even the seemingly very minor act of wanting me to hand out an additional prize is a major imposition.  (broken record, but that's the most common thing that trips me up)

Thanks again for all the good energy here.   

Now, my original main concern for this thread was about the report of someone upgrading lingcod - how do we deal with that?...

One year suspension?

Now, my original main concern for this thread was about the report of someone upgrading lingcod - how do we deal with that?...

Eric,

That's a tough decision but it is yours to make. Know I will support you as I am sure most everyone will.

One year suspension?

We don't know who did it.  I just have info that the noob father and son accepted it - they did nothing illegal and I'm not seeing them in any light other than noob light.

It's about how we managed to get someone in the tournament who would upgrade by giving a ling away.  It's egregious to me.  I need to maintain my fantasy that everyone who comes to GS is aware of and supportive of my attitudes regarding ethics, honor and sportsmanship.

I've thought much on how it would be easy to cheat the system, and thoughts like that tend to lead me down the road of no more commercial prizes.  Trophies and bragging rights only should get rid of most who would cheat to win.

Same entry fee, no commercial prizes, DFW present at check-in - these may be the factors that help us limit the number of participants and continue to mine quality instead of just attracting quantity.

Still just thinking out loud here...

I personally think it's awesome to have a chance to win a kayak.

But I will and have gave friends the exact location of fish they were having a hard time locating. To me I value the friends I make and help more than any prize I can WIN

Just an idea, feel free to deem it stupid.   

Getting more folks to actually show up to the mandatory captains meeting (unless previously excused) could be adjusted by handing out a drilled or signed poker chip (or other item) to each person that attends the meeting.  When each person comes to the truck to get their fish scored on game day, they turn in their poker chip and get a mark on their slip saying they have one. 

You can come up with whatever amount of bonus points you want to add to for having one, or subtract from for not having one, and never even tell us what the bonus/deduction actually is until after the scores were tallied up. 

Poker chip, playing card, green army men, LEGO, etc..   Something easy to get a lot of on the cheap, but hard to come by down at Sheltor Cove for those that think they could just skip the meeting, and try to cheat and come up with it after asking around. 

Might be too much hassle to pull off, but if attendance is important then the extra points might be an incentive to show up.   

I think you are heading in the right direction ;0)

I personally think it's awesome to have a chance to win a kayak.

But I will and have gave friends the exact location of fish they were having a hard time locating. To me I value the friends I make and help more than any prize I can WIN

I would still compete for AOTD without the kayak as a prize

I was super bummed my boat came in late and i missed the meeting this year. Love seeing the beach loaded with beer weilding fisherman.

Simple Eric, if they broke DFW rules they should be DQ'd. If they didn't break the rules then its defiantly unsportsmanlike and they should be asked to plea their case with NCKA through a poll. A no vote means no GS9 for them.
With the opener hopefully moving up next year we would have a chance to do a few ocean intro lessons at different locations so people can familiarize them selves with what it is they are doing. You can even go as far as making it a prerequisite for entrance into the event.
How about bonus points for the top 20 guys this year that team up with an ocean newbie next year?
As far as radio chatter I was thinking to my self I don't Recall any bs on the radio this year, then I remembered I turned mine off most of the day. I kept my teammates close by instead.