Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum - 2014 Open Water Derby

2014 Open Water Fishing Derby – Official Submission Thread

This is the official entry thread for the 2014 Open Water Fishing Derby. Here you will find rules, instructions for participation, and the current standings.

Anyone on this forum can participate, no registration required. Remember to print out your card and take it with you when you go fishing (put it with your fishing license so you remember).

IMPORTANT: Please NO discussion/congratulations in this thread. ONLY contest submissions. You are definitely encouraged to talk about your fishing trip and your fish, but please start a new thread.

CURRENT STANDINGS (updated ____)
1. Biggest Fish (by length)

Artic Grayling:
Brook Trout:
Brown Trout:
Burbot:
Cutthroat Trout:
Golden Trout:
Goldeye:
Lake Trout:
Lake Whitefish:
Longnose Sucker:
Mooneye:
Northern Pike:
Quillback:
Rainbow Trout:
Rocky Mountain Whitefish:
Sauger:
Shorthead Redhorse:
Silver Redhorse:
Walleye:
Yellow Perch:

2. Other

Most Species Caught:
Ultimate Alberta Angler*:

* Ultimate Alberta Angler is the biggest total combined length of 1 fish from each category. If you post pictures of a 12” perch, a 36” pike, and a 15” rainbow, you’re at 63” total. If you get a 13” perch, post it up and you’ll be updated to 64” total. I will make up a spreadsheet to track this and update it once per week for the season. The goal with this one is to get out and fish the varied waters of our great province, maybe meet some new people, and try something new!

Instructions to Participate:
1. Print off the ‘Registration Card’ attached at the bottom of this post. Fill in your AO handle, and take this card fishing (you’ll need to take a picture with it).
2. Take a picture using the rules below, post it to this thread. Check out the “Posting Pictures” thread here if you need help: http://outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=191020
3. In your post, please put the SPECIES NAME, and your MEASURED LENGTH.

Rules:
1. Official Judges: AO members AppleJax and Dago. Hopefully shouldn’t be any drama, but they are the ‘drama hammers’, decisions are final.
2. Timeline: April 1, 2014 to October 31, 2014. ALL entries MUST be posted by noon on Nov 1, 2014 to be eligible.
3. Photos: Must show the entire fish, your ID card, and the tape measure (yellow preferred) used as described in the “Measuring Fish Length” section below, and MUST be taken of a live fish.

You MUST have a BARRIER of some sort between the fish and the ground!
Photos taken at home afterwards will not qualify.
Photos where the tape isn’t clearly legible and in focus can’t be counted either.

4. Locations: Not required to disclose the lake of origin with your entry, but the lake must be managed under the Alberta Fishing Regulations (ie: no private or community lakes). If a judge requires further proof the lake is in Alberta, be prepared to verbally verify it in confidence.
5. Catch and Release/Fish Handling/Barbs:

C&R is encouraged, but submissions of fish being kept are acceptable if provided via the photo guidelines above.
If you are practicing C&R, handle the fish with the least possible impact, “C&R Fish Handling Suggestions” are provided below. Please try your utmost to use these for the contest.
In accordance with the official SRD stance, participants are encouraged to use barbless hooks, but are not legally required to do so.
No negative posts about any of the above, use Private Messaging if you feel the burning need, or just lead by example. Barbs, beer, C&R, gill fingers, whatever, no negative posts. Just no.

Measurement Barrier
This tournament requires that all fish being measured have a barrier between the fish and the ground. Yes, this may be a higher standard than you normally use, and yes I’m sure you’ve laid fish on rock and they’ve been fine. However, that is the rules for this tournament and non-compliant entries will be removed.
We would like to reduce the ability for sand to get in fish gills, and for abrasive surfaces to affect the coating of the fish.
Here’s some ideas for a barrier:
1. A poly tarp cut down to about 1.5’ by 3’. You can even glue a fabric rule to it to make it easier. This will also carry quite easily
2. Painters plastic sheeting, cut to size
3. A 3-4” PVC tube cut in half (with the hard edges sanded off). You can mark the tube with a sharpy marker
4. A commercial fish measuring device.
5. A board (fillet board, piece of wood, etc). Please wet it before putting the fish on it.
6. Boat seats, gunnel, etc are fine.

Measuring Fish Length (from Alberta SRD)
Length – The total length (maximum) of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail fin, with the tail pinched.

NOTE: Anglers should only determine if a fish is longer than or shorter than the specified legal length. It is best to immediately release fish that are close to legal length rather than subjecting the fish to extra handling for the taking of a more accurate measurement. Flexible tape measures may be used provided only the straight-line length of the fish is measured without including the curvature of the body in the length of the fish. Lay the fish on the measuring device. If you lay the measuring device overtop of the curvature of the body, you will get an inacurate measurement. It’s a good idea to have a fish measuring stick.

C&R Fish Handling Technique
Fish handling is all about doing the least harm possible to the fish, which involves two main ideals: keeping the protective coating and not causing physical harm.
1. Protective coating: All fish have a protective coating on their skin, compromising this coating has long-term negative health consequences.
a. When grabbing the fish, refrain from using rough surfaced ‘fish gloves’, wool or cotton gloves are okay if they are soaked before handling the fish. If using bare hands, getting your hands wet before handling fish will cause less damage to the protective coating.
b. When you are laying the fish down, it helps to wet the surface beforehand.
c. Handle fish with a secure grip. A fish dropping onto the ice and thrashing against objects will severely impact its protective layer.
2. Physical Harm
a. Do not put your fingers in the gills of the fish.
b. Do not put your fingers in the eyes of the fish.
c. Limit the time the fish spends out of the water.
d. Barbless hooks are encouraged.
e. If the fish has an over-inflated swim bladder, do not puncture it or squeeze the fish. Put the fish in the water and allow time for the bladder to deflate.
f. Holding fish horizontally is better than vertically, as it causes less stress on vertebrae and organs.
g. Carry needle nose pliers to allow hook to be removed more easily.
h. Check tipups frequently to reduce stress time on fish.