How Not To Catch A Fish

Anglers not attending the Lake Michigan outing often ask what it is like out there on the water.  Here's a short video clip of just a glimpse of the action

Sexiest Footware Poll

The Lake Michigan trip wasn't just about fishing, It was also a fashion show of footware. Review the photos below and vote at right for the sexiest footware of the trip

Jim

Merle

Ron

Steve

Tim

Tomski (Socs and Crocs)

Lake Michigan Trip Photos

Six anglers took to the waters of Lake Michigan on Monday. Here's some pictures

The mighty angling crew

And a consultant will lead them - Ron lands a monster, 11-12 pound King

Size doesn't matter - or so they "claim" - Steve with his Coho

Not to be outdone, Tomski follows up with a mid-sized King

Three fish on the cooler

Sadly Merle, Tim and Jim came away with empty creels

Scale Calibration

On Thursday of last week, the Committee on Weights and Measures met to determine the proper calibration methods for scales used in the upcoming Open event. Four scales were tested using the official weights of a cup and a bolt that happened to be laying around (see below)

Cup - Official Weight of 1 lb 2 oz.

Bolt - Official Weight of 2 lb 2 oz.

Four (4) scales were calibrated. Tim and Steve utilized scales from the Invitational event earlier in the year. Tomski used his reverse polish notation scale and Ron brought a fancy Bill Dance model. All scales weighed the same official weights before the committee. The table below shows the comparison of the four scales.

All scales can be used for the Open Event. If others wish to bring in scales for use in the Open event, they can be calibrated against one of these official scales or the 2.2 kilogram weight Tim has located

Scales and Weights

Vacation Photos

July was a busy month for several anglers 

that couldn't get enough of fishing at Fermi.  

Shown below are a few photos from the trips.

Team J visited Canada for some 

mighty fine northern pike fishing

Team Tom visited Canada in the 

hunt for walleye and northern pike

Team D fished the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of

 Charleston in pursuit of the elusive bonnet head and black tip shark

2008 Invitational vs Open Rules

As many anglers know, the 2008 Tournament has seen radical changes in the sequence and methodology of the beloved event. The most obvious change is the breaking up of the season into two separate sub-events.

Team Invitational

The team invitational sub-event consists of the recently completed event. The Invitational consists of two member teams that fish for a combined creel. This year, the Invitational was a one day, 4-hour event held on June 13th.

The rules for this event are based on the weight of the five (5) largest fish caught by each team. Each team member must catch at least two (2) of the five (5) fish.

In future years, additional teams may be invited to participate on an invitational basis. In order to be invited, a unanimous vote by the four (4) existing teams (Carp Pros, Bass Turds, Bass Poles and Trouthoff) is required.

Individual Open Event

New this year is an Open Event that is open to individual anglers. Here's the rules:

1. The enrollment period is from July 9th through July 31st;
2. Entrance fee is $5.00 per angler;
3. The fishing period runs from August 1st to October 31st;
4. Fishing is allowed from Monday through Friday from dawn to dusk (no weekends);
5. This year's selected species is Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass;
6. Awards will be based on weight (the largest fish wins);
7. All scales will be calibrated to the official "Trout" scale (see Steve if you need calibration);
8. To be considered for creel, the angler is required to submit a photo of the fish and a photo of the weight shown on the scale;
9. The award ceremony will be held in November.

Award Ceremony Photos

Here's some photos from the award ceremony held earlier today

4th Place Trouthoff - Tim and a reasonable representation of Jim

3rd Place Bass Turds - A Ron look-a-like

3rd Place Bass Turds - Russ

2nd Place Bass Poles - Tomski

2nd Place Bass Poles - Chuck-ish Stand-in

Five Time Champs Carp Pros - Steve and Merle

2008 Awards Ceremony Video

Here's the official video from the 2008 Awards Ceremony

Awards Ceremony Preview

The 2008 Fishing Tournament Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday July 8th at 11:45. There will be pizza, video remembrances and, of course, trophies. Here's a preview.