AOTY 2017: New Species Suggestions

I like it but if we add any fresh fish, lets also add a salt fish

This came up so that if we added flatfish as a saltwater fish, then we should add a FW fish to keep the balance.

That being said, I'm Anti-22.  I think 20 fish is better.

I like it but if we add any fresh fish, lets also add a salt fish

This came up so that if we added flatfish as a saltwater fish, then we should add a FW fish to keep the balance.

That being said, I'm Anti-22.  I think 20 fish is better.

Oh yeah.

What is the argument against adding more species?

I like it but if we add any fresh fish, lets also add a salt fish

This came up so that if we added flatfish as a saltwater fish, then we should add a FW fish to keep the balance.

That being said, I'm Anti-22.  I think 20 fish is better.

I prefer 22. Then we can call it "catch-22"...

I prefer 22. Then we can call it "catch-22"...

That's flawless. 

I like it but if we add any fresh fish, lets also add a salt fish

This came up so that if we added flatfish as a saltwater fish, then we should add a FW fish to keep the balance.

That being said, I'm Anti-22.  I think 20 fish is better.

Oh yeah.

What is the argument against adding more species?

Same as it is against MLB expansion - degradation of species included.  (carp and crap are anagrams).  If anything I'd trim down species, but 20 is nice and clean.

Another option I mentioned earlier would be to separate crappie from the other panfish.  The current panfish category might as well be re-named "crappie", because with the exception of a couple Sac perch entries, the largest non-crappie panfish entry in AOTY history clocks in at 144 points.  Bluegill, redear, pumpkinseed, and green sunfish have a relatively wide distribution.  And while catching numbers of small bluegill can be relatively easy, catching a "bull" bluegill can actually be quite a challenge.

Thoughts?

I like it but if we add any fresh fish, lets also add a salt fish

Cool, and definitely.  I'm going to continue pushing for flatfish as the salt addition (scroll through NWKA's flounder category photos...sooo cool!).  And there's interest in potentially adding vermillion as their own category.  So far, those seem to be our two most popular salt candidates.

so make it 24
Ben is happy that its not 22
crappie gets its own
Carp are added because they are damn cool and fun (might be biased because I have 50 or so in my pool at home and love them)
flatfish get a spot because they are very cool as well, STARY!!
and Big Verms get a spot


24c

What is the argument against adding more species?

The way I look at it: adding more species keeps the competition fresh and opens new avenues for participants to fill out their Top 10 species.  More strategies can be devised on how the participant wants to get their Big Fish.  We'll still have the usual stuff (i.e, get your big catfish at CL in winter, get your big spotted bass at BB in early spring, etc.), but after a while of sitting with the same species, the path to scoring high in AOTY becomes the same well-traveled formula.

I'm all for adding new species.  Spice things up.  And if they don't work out, we can always kick em to the curb for the following year.

What is the argument against adding more species?

The way I look at it: adding more species keeps the competition fresh and opens new avenues for participants to fill out their Top 10 species.  More strategies can be devised on how the participant wants to get their Big Fish.  We'll still have the usual stuff (i.e, get your big catfish at CL in winter, get your big spotted bass at BB in early spring, etc.), but after a while of sitting with the same species, the path to scoring high in AOTY becomes the same well-traveled formula.

I'm all for adding new species.  Spice things up.  And if they don't work out, we can always kick em to the curb for the following year.

+1

What is the argument against adding more species?

The way I look at it: adding more species keeps the competition fresh and opens new avenues for participants to fill out their Top 10 species.  More strategies can be devised on how the participant wants to get their Big Fish.  We'll still have the usual stuff (i.e, get your big catfish at CL in winter, get your big spotted bass at BB in early spring, etc.), but after a while of sitting with the same species, the path to scoring high in AOTY becomes the same well-traveled formula.

Nobody told me there was a formula, now I'm more prepared for next year! 

20, 22, 24 species, all would be ok with me. Switch out a few see how it goes or add a few and see how it goes.  I like all the species suggested to add except the verm separation, if your going to separate a rockfish how about an olive or kelp bass? Is there a reason why Verm was chosen?

Nobody told me there was a formula, now I'm more prepared for next year! 

Check out the spotted bass entries.  All those big spots on there came from the same lake, same time of year, and the same bait.  There are other patterns with the other species, though they may not be quite as obvious as that one.

I like all the species suggested to add except the verm separation, if your going to separate a rockfish how about an olive or kelp bass? Is there a reason why Verm was chosen?

Verms were suggested because of their popularity.  They received a fair number of votes in the "drop greenling" thread too.  But I personally don't support separating them out from the other rockfish, or separating any rockfish for that matter.  Rockfishing itself is basically a "grab bag" style of fishing: they all live in basically the same habitat, they all eat the same stuff, etc.  There are a couple things one can do to improve their odds of catching a particular species of rockfish, but for the most part all the usual shrimp flies, irons, plastics, and baits will work for every rockfish.  Add to that that virtually everyone in NCKA knows how to catch rockfish, and the result is that separating the rockies doesn't add any new challenge or dimension to an AOTY participant's fishing.  They'll fish for rockfish the same way they fished for them when rockfish were all lumped together.  The end result: slight tweak in the points, but no change in how we fish.  Same old, same old.  Is that the direction we want to go?

Most people on here are creatures of habit, so maybe Chris.

Same old, same old.  Is that the direction we want to go?

Verms were suggested because of their popularity.  They received a fair number of votes in the "drop greenling" thread too.  But I personally don't support separating them out from the other rockfish, or separating any rockfish for that matter.  Rockfishing itself is basically a "grab bag" style of fishing: they all live in basically the same habitat, they all eat the same stuff, etc.  There are a couple things one can do to improve their odds of catching a particular species of rockfish, but for the most part all the usual shrimp flies, irons, plastics, and baits will work for every rockfish.  Add to that that virtually everyone in NCKA knows how to catch rockfish, and the result is that separating the rockies doesn't add any new challenge or dimension to an AOTY participant's fishing.  They'll fish for rockfish the same way they fished for them when rockfish were all lumped together.  The end result: slight tweak in the points, but no change in how we fish.  Same old, same old.  Is that the direction we want to go?

Well said chris! Exactly what I was thinking! Even if nothing is changed Ill keep playing... and finding new ways to do it The "formula" works but is not the only way!!

Most people on here are creatures of habit, so maybe Chris.

Same old, same old.  Is that the direction we want to go?

If that's the case, then so be it.  I'll roll with whatever's the most popular additions among the community.  I might be openly critical of it, but hey, it ain't my tourney  .