Alberta angler of the year farce

[FisherPotch]

Originally Posted by BigPikeHunter

I understand how you feel and agree with you on many points, however, I will throw in my two cents since I was the 2012 Alberta Angler of the Year for the contest you are referring to.

In any contest, there are always going to be people who think it should be run differently. Personally, in the length vs weight argument, I am for the length. How can anyone judge the weight of something, through pictures? I think there is a lot more opportunity to cheat if it is run by weight. And when there is a significant prize on the line such as the fly in fishing package, I think length is the way to award it through pictures.

As for the species of fish selected for this contest, sure it could be any, but its not. People enjoy fishing for different species everywhere. How do you decide which fish to include and which not to? It was said in the thread that this is a publicity contest, I agree. It's their contest and we have to follow their rules.

I love fishing for pike, it is my fish of choice. I don't consider them "Snakes". Their latin name is "Water Wolf". Personally I think that is a much better depiction of them. I have fished all my life and consider myself a pike hunter. Anyone can throw a hook in the water where pike are and catch one, but it's taken me many years of study and understanding to consistently catch really large pike. I caught that beauty early in the spring, right after their spawning season. If that would have been caught pre-winter it would have been 30+ lbs. I have the pleasure of being last years Angler of the Year and wear that honor proudly. Any large fish is hard to catch, that's why they are large.

In closing, I believe that this contest is designed to promote fishing. I can remember as a kid and young adult flipping through the regulations and coming across the page with the anglers of the year and thinking "Wow, I would love to have my picture in there someday". If you are wanting to promote fishing, why not have the winner be from a species that is probably the most abundant species in Alberta, if not Canada. Little kids can catch them most places easily and dream of one day having their picture in the regs.

I understand the pr side if things and in no way am I trying to take away from your accomplishment. And im not gonna tell anyone they are running the contest incorrectly either. If it was myself i wouldnt be using a prestigious title like "angler of the year" for a contest that applys to only a small portion of the anglers in the province. It's biased towards pike QUITE obviously! I just don't even look at it as a contest for angler of the year when a pike has won 10+ years in a row. If I was dead set on winning this I would fish for nothing but pike for this reason. Folk like yourself have a massive advantage in this contest because by choice you like to fish for pike. I like to be challenged and I'm not saying catching big pike isn't a challenge because it is. It took me over 300 hours to catch three brown trout this year (targeting big ones) two of them small and one was big. If it took people 300+ hours to catch 3 pike I have a feeling many would not be on the water getting skunked. in the last 5 years ive csught 3, 40 inch pike...... not even fishing for pike!! One of which was on a size 10 or 12 fly barely lip hooked. Now that was some challenging angling, lots of luck too because if his teeth touched the 7 lb line..... I wouldn't be bragging. Honestly over a decade since a rainbow or walleye have won and I find that obsurd.

Crazy length on your pike no doubt, it would be a tank if caught at the right time of year.

The land slide of feed back I've gotten on this topic off forum is STAGGERING! I'm guessing ppl are just afraid to chime in on an open AO forum and share there negative thoughts on how this contest is done.

My opinion on the cheating thing..... If the fish is kept that would be when it would be hardest to cheat.

[pikester]

FisherPotch, I have to agree that I never even gave a second thought to the qualification process or results of that particular contest or others like it until you brought it up! I guess because I have never had any ambition to enter it hasn't been a concern even though I have nailed a couple pike & walleye that most certainly would have won or been runner-up had I entered, I can see how it would peeve an angler who entered a worthy fish other than pike & didn't win.

Not to defend pike entries completely but I have been fishing all species for close to 40 years & my personal experience is that anyone can catch hammer handle pike anytime but fish over 17lbs are a completely different animal in Southern Alberta anyway! I have caught as many 7lb-13lb walleye (while spending about 70% less time fishing for them compared to pike) as I have 18-30lb pike. I guess it depends on how you rate 7-13lb walleye on the trophy standard, I don't know?

There are no doubt many nice trout, walleye, & sturgeon which should win that title more often for sure though.

[Safety D]

I have been tagging since 1993. Probably one of the longest serving taggers out there. I dont tag anymore. Its getting really goofy on the river now. I remember the days you would never see another boat on the river. I miss those days..... Some of my spots there are 4 or 5 boats in them....

[FisherPotch]

Originally Posted by Safety D

I have been tagging since 1993. Probably one of the longest serving taggers out there. I dont tag anymore. Its getting really goofy on the river now. I remember the days you would never see another boat on the river. I miss those days..... Some of my spots there are 4 or 5 boats in them....

I imagine you logged those spots into the data base? I've heard those with the special Geon license have access to a data base with location and size of where tagged fish were caught.

[FisherPotch]

Originally Posted by pikester

FisherPotch, I have to agree that I never even gave a second thought to the qualification process or results of that particular contest or others like it until you brought it up! I guess because I have never had any ambition to enter it hasn't been a concern even though I have nailed a couple pike & walleye that most certainly would have won or been runner-up had I entered, I can see how it would peeve an angler who entered a worthy fish other than pike & didn't win.

Not to defend pike entries completely but I have been fishing all species for close to 40 years & my personal experience is that anyone can catch hammer handle pike anytime but fish over 17lbs are a completely different animal in Southern Alberta anyway! I have caught as many 7lb-13lb walleye (while spending about 70% less time fishing for them compared to pike) as I have 18-30lb pike. I guess it depends on how you rate 7-13lb walleye on the trophy standard, I don't know?

There are no doubt many nice trout, walleye, & sturgeon which should win that title more often for sure though.

I guess I should state that I've never entered a fish into this contest as I likely come across bitter from defeat.

I think they are a different animal up here too! I find with all lunkers of all species they behave much differently than the little ones. I've seen guys struggle even to catch small walleye though.

With pike being the top predator I suspect on most fisheries with a good healthy staggering of big, medium and small fish; there is likely less lunker pike than there is lunker walleye. Also with harvest of walleye being closed or reduced on many lakes the pike to walleye ratio is likely in favor of walleye. Especially on lakes closed to walleye harvest and open to keeping pike over a specified length.
That's gonna bring down the large pike ratio without a doubt. Hence making it more challenging to catch the huge pike.

It's the fact that the contest is open to three species and one of them has a massive advantage that I find ubsurd. Not looking to take from anyone's accomplishments here.

[fishpro]

Some really good points made in this thread. I agree with the general idea of it - the current scoring system is definitely biased towards pike, as is shown by how the winner is almost always a pike.

The best system I have seen was years ago in the Canadian Sportfishing National Championship: 10 categories of fish (1-6 similar species in each category), and your ten longest fish in each scored you points (one point per inch). Whoever had the most points at the end of the year was declared the Angler of the Year. I think something like this would be great to get going in Alberta provided a company was willing to run it and was able to find sponsors.

[pikester]

No harm done here! The whole topic of fishing contests/tournaments/accolades is an interesting one anyways which can be hottly debated (and has been!) until the end of time. I know a few very good fishermen who have already caught a lifetimes worth of trophy fish but you will rarely, if ever, see their names mentioned in magazines or in the record books because the pleasure & art of catching giant fish is for themselves & close friends they share the water with only.

In all walks of life there are people who quietly know they excell & have a natural talent for what they do; and people who gain most of their pleasure from having their skills & talents broadcast for everyone to admire.

I try not to judge too much!

[FisherPotch]

Originally Posted by pikester

No harm done here! The whole topic of fishing contests/tournaments/accolades is an interesting one anyways which can be hottly debated (and has been!) until the end of time. I know a few very good fishermen who have already caught a lifetimes worth of trophy fish but you will rarely, if ever, see their names mentioned in magazines or in the record books because the pleasure & art of catching giant fish is for themselves & close friends they share the water with only.

In all walks of life there are people who quietly know they excell & have a natural talent for what they do; and people who gain most of their pleasure from having their skills & talents broadcast for everyone to admire.

I try not to judge too much!

Great points pikester. For myself the broadcast and recognition aspect appeals as I fish tourneys and if no one knows who you are no one is gonna sponsor you or make you pro staff.

That's one of the down sides to any of these contests, releasing the name of the fishery to the public. I've never entered anything into any contests. I don't tell my dad half the places I fish because he likes to talk too much lol.

I've been pondering if entering my 16.5 lb brown is a good idea or not and I'm having a serious debate. It will likely get me the brown trout and largest trout on the fly trophys for my club. Possibly master angler for my club and who knows maybe provincial brown or provincial trout on the fly. It is the first and only trout I've kept since I took up fly fishing, it's going on the wall to be preserved and displayed for decades. If its worth exposing the fishery...... That I haven't come to terms with yet.

[FisherPotch]

Oh wait I lied.... I've never entered a fish. My elk won for my club last year.

[Secret coulee]

Originally Posted by pikester

No harm done here! The whole topic of fishing contests/tournaments/accolades is an interesting one anyways which can be hottly debated (and has been!) until the end of time. I know a few very good fishermen who have already caught a lifetimes worth of trophy fish but you will rarely, if ever, see their names mentioned in magazines or in the record books because the pleasure & art of catching giant fish is for themselves & close friends they share the water with only.

In all walks of life there are people who quietly know they excell & have a natural talent for what they do; and people who gain most of their pleasure from having their skills & talents broadcast for everyone to admire.

I try not to judge too much!

Very well said