2015 AOTY & DOTY!!!

OK we have 12 more days of competition this year, then it's time to get started on 2015! This has been a tremendous year and it will be hard to top, but I hope 2015 will be even better!

Based on input from the community, there are a few minor changes to next year's competition. Here's a link to those suggestions. Thanks for your input. http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=58424.0

I'll summarize the 2015 changes below:
-AOTY winner gets the Hobie, DOTY winner gets the JK, and Raffle winner gets a kayak TBD
-Combining Smallmouth Bass & Spotted Bass into one category and they'll be worth 9pts per inch
-Adding Brown Trout as a category and they'll be worth 7.75pts per inch
-Adding Rock Scallops to DOTY and they'll be worth 23.5pts per inch
-Eliminating the 'pulling/stretching of lips' from DOTY & AOTY
-Amending the definition of Panfish category
-There will be a Jr AOTY & Jr DOTY and entry is free. Prizes TBD but will be awarded to at least the Top 3.
-Sails will be allowed Edited 12/23 Sails will remain a separate division, just like 2013/2014.
-Big Fish plaques will be replaced with 16oz custom pint glasses (Rider's awesome idea) I am pretty stoked on this one and I imagine other people will be too.

Guess I will be getting a Hobie in 2015. Woo! 

I dig the changes!  I'm very excited to see what the new brown trout category will produce.  And, combining the smallies and spots will maintain the same number of eligible freshwater species as before.  Great to see the lip pulling/stretching is being addressed as well.  There were a few photos submitted this year that made me cringe with the way the fish's mouth was manipulated.

I do have a question about amending the definition of Panfish.  Will the amending of the definition exclude or include species within the category?  Or is the amending more of a formality?

I dig the changes!  I'm very excited to see what the new brown trout category will produce.  And, combining the smallies and spots will maintain the same number of eligible freshwater species as before.  Great to see the lip pulling/stretching is being addressed as well.  There were a few photos submitted this year that made me cringe with the way the fish's mouth was manipulated.
I do have a question about amending the definition of Panfish.  Will the amending of the definition exclude or include species within the category?  Or is the amending more of a formality?

The lip-pulling issue affects both competitions, but was more of an issue in DOTY, in the past.
The Panfish category will be defined as the following common names: crappie, members of the Lepomis genus (bluegill, red ear, pumpkinseed, etc), Sacramento perch, and yellow perch.

I can get behind all of it except for the sail part. Its a sailboat. With numbers.

I understand, and I sympathize.
But for me personally, I look forward to the challenge of kicking Raydon's butt hahaha...

hell I`d like a pint glass w/NCKA  logo just for the heck it..ahem

Me too!!! BUT it wouldn't be the same if anybody could simply "buy the pint glass." This way, people have to earn it. Can you imagine the jealousy as you parade around the Albion campground double-fisting homebrew in your 2015 AOTY Biggest Halibut and Biggest Trout pint glasses?!!

Awesome!!!!

Can't wait for it to start! Thanks to everyone involved.

Matt

I almost forgot: we are setting up 2015 and it should be available to signup soon.
But if you want to signup now, you can pay through the current Paypal link and we'll make sure you get credit for 2015.

Is there any reason why the flounder/sole/dab fish won't be added?

+1 on the sails.  It's not kayak or man powered once the sail is in use.

Your adding even more number of species to DOTY which already has more species than AOTY , but your keeping the number of species the same in AOTY when both CCKA and NWKA both have more species than NCKA in AOTY.

Again AOTY favors people living south of Mendocino.

I believe it was because the last time flounder were in the competition pretty much no one entered them. Not sure if that would change this time, although I'm sure you have a reason to want them .

I'm also in the no sails camp. At least not for the main competition.

How are sails going to be defined?  Any craft under sail power?

I don't compete, but I buy in every yr just to support the site/PIF.

And most of you don't know me,

So I wouldn't expect my opinion to count for anything, but that never stopped me from expressing it.

But the thing about sails,,,,,,,,,really?

IMHO,  Sure seems like giving an advantage to anglers with sail capable boats that can't be easily rationalized.

Is there any reason why the flounder/sole/dab fish won't be added?

+1 on the sails.  It's not kayak or man powered once the sail is in use.

Your adding even more number of species to DOTY which already has more species than AOTY , but your keeping the number of species the same in AOTY when both CCKA and NWKA both have more species than NCKA in AOTY.

Again AOTY favors people living south of Mendocino.

You want sanddabs added to AOTY? I thought you only fished for species that made your reel scream. You got some kind of mutant dabby up north? 

Is there any reason why the flounder/sole/dab fish won't be added?

+1 on the sails.  It's not kayak or man powered once the sail is in use.

Your adding even more number of species to DOTY which already has more species than AOTY , but your keeping the number of species the same in AOTY when both CCKA and NWKA both have more species than NCKA in AOTY.

Again AOTY favors people living south of Mendocino.

You want sanddabs added to AOTY? I thought you only fished for species that made your reel scream. You got some kind of mutant dabby up north? 

No not sand dabs specifically, but all other flatfish besides halibut which some  I catch on a regular basis like petrale sole, sand sole, sand dabs or starry flounder.  I have yet to catch one at 14" which is the trophy mark for Kayak Wars, but I have caught some at 13"+

Doesn't the 120' depth restriction severely hamper the petrale sole fishing?

Is there any reason why the flounder/sole/dab fish won't be added?

+1 on the sails.  It's not kayak or man powered once the sail is in use.

Your adding even more number of species to DOTY which already has more species than AOTY , but your keeping the number of species the same in AOTY when both CCKA and NWKA both have more species than NCKA in AOTY.

Again AOTY favors people living south of Mendocino.

You want sanddabs added to AOTY? I thought you only fished for species that made your reel scream. You got some kind of mutant dabby up north? 

No not sand dabs specifically, but all other flatfish besides halibut which some  I catch on a regular basis like petrale sole, sand sole, sand dabs or starry flounder.  I have yet to catch one at 14" which is the trophy mark for Kayak Wars, but I have caught some at 13"+

Flatties are fun but they're not a fish people usually target, in my experience they're always a by-catch, which is awesome but a ton of luck goes into it. It would make things interesting to have them on AOTY but I don't think participants would go out of their way to go on flatfish missions

The Panfish category will be defined as the following common names: crappie, members of the Lepomis genus (bluegill, red ear, pumpkinseed, etc), Sacramento perch, and yellow perch.

Thanks for the clarification on the Panfish definition Pat.  Sacramento perch...those things were a blast last spring, I hope to pull on many more in 2015!