Finders Keepers

So awesome to see the youth anglers getting involved - always one of the highlights for the Classic events! Final checks will be hitting the mail in the next couple days. Congrats to all the winners in this year's event including the five $2,000 Grand Prize winners!! Next year's event will feature a few changes that are sure to spark some interest and we'll have more cash on the line - stay tuned later this winter for all the details!

The Summer Classic is underway! Get entered today to get in on the action alongside the LOC and other Lake Ontario events! Lots of cash to be given away this year thanks to our many sponsors for this summer's event!! Follow the event on Facebook for all the latest information and updates: https://www.facebook.com/NYSSummerClassic/ To register simply visit: www.NYSsumemrclassic.com Anglers can also register at most weigh-in locations. Keep in mind, if the lake is rough you can always hit the bay for some of the other species!! You can also enter the C&R Event for double the fun! Stay tuned for more announcements and updates throughout the summer!!

New Cash Awards added (in addition to the general payout schedule) for the following: Main Event: $100 Cash Award - Largest Salmon Each Week (8 total)(Sponsored by Plano/Frabill) $500 Bonus Cash Award - 1st Place Salmon (Sponsored by Plano/Frabill) $400 Bonus Cash Award - 2nd Place Salmon (Sponsored by Plano/Frabill) $300 Bonus Cash Award - 3rd Place Salmon (Sponsored by Plano/Frabill) $100 Bonus Cash Award - 1st Place Walleye (Sponsored by Fillet Away) $100 Bonus Cash Award - 1st Place Yellow Perch (Sponsored by Fillet Away) $100 Bonus Cash Award - 1st Place Crappie (Sponsored by Fillet Away) $200 Bonus Cash Award - Largest fish caught on a Koyote Ugly Product (Sponsored by Koyote Ugly) Catch & Release Event: $250 Bonus Cash Award - 1st Place Largemouth Bass (Sponsored by Plano/Frabill) $250 Bonus Cash Award - 1st Place Smallmouth Bass (Sponsored by Plano/Frabill) $500 Cash Award - Overall Longest Muskey (w/ 250+ C&R anglers) PLUS Additional Prize Awards: (must be present at the awards ceremony Sept. 21st to win) (2) Frabill Power Catch Salmon Nets - Random draw from 4-10th place Salmon (2) Frabill Fish Weigh Bags w/ Mesh Inserts - 2nd Place Smallmouth & Largemouth Bass In an effort to boost payouts and make the event more attractive to current salmon and bass tournament anglers, we have packed the new sponsored funding into the prize structure as listed above. These along with the $10,000 Cash Grand Prize are all guaranteed to be awarded this year! Additional weigh-in stations are being added this year. More to come - stay tuned!!

Well done and great report! Congrats on the big fish - best we could do was 18's. Looking forward to seeing you guys doing the doubles and triples - what a great few days of fishing!! We'll see you down at the east end - good luck the rest of the season!!

As stated above, entrees in tourneys for the most part have seen a decline over the last few years, and not only trout and salmon either, it's across the board. To answer why that is for the Lake Ontario events I think involves many factors - many previous teams have broken up, cost of living has gone up, cost of this sport has gone up, the high water isn't helping matters this year, etc. - I know if I had a larger boat like a lot of the teams and had to travel across the lake to an event I would be very hesitant this year with the amount of large debris in the water. However, I think economics is the largest driving factor. While I agree with Rick that the amazing fishing we have seen the last few years may make anglers lazy (I wouldn't say dumb) you still have to pay attention to the details and adjust your strategy to target the larger fish or else end up in the middle of the pack. Plus there is always that element of luck whereby you happen upon a larger school of kings and get them to go. Consistency is what highlights skill in the tourney realm - those who consistently place in the Top-10 from season to season. The best way to become a better angler is to learn from your own and others mistakes, pay attention to details (no matter how small), and keep records to refer back to and to look over in preparation. Most of us have had a crushfest day while other struggled to get bit (or vice versa) even though your running the same stuff side by side - the difference is often in minute details like type or test of line, leader length, size of spoon, treble hooks versus single hooks, clip size, etc. etc. etc. Ask those that do well in an event what gave them the edge - most anglers realize that each day is different and will give you an honest answer. This past weekend we succeeded in waters where others struggled and it came down to several key details that we had dialed in the day before: spoon color and size (Carbon-14 & Defender, mags and Stingrays), rigger depth and separation (65 and 85), presentation (12 ft leads off the balls with fixed free sliders 12 ft above), down speed (2.4 early, 2.2 later), tracking of the bait/fish (progressed east), and most importantly the willingness to adjust these as the fish and water conditions changed based on previous experience (when the wind and waves picked up we lengthened the leads off the riggers to 25 ft).

**Attention to those just starting to fish the big lake and those who would like to learn a few new tricks of the trade** On June 8th the Finders Keepers Sportfishing Team will be at the Rochester Field & Stream store with our tournament boat on-site (weather pending) to offer insights on how to rig-up boats (tracks, rod holders, electronics, etc.), run various techniques (planer boards, downriggers, multiple wires on a side, run stackers, sliders, fixed sliders, etc.), and answer any questions you may have about trolling in Lake Ontario. We will have the latest gear on display from Okuma, Cannon, Humminbird, Plano, Frabill, and Aqua-Vu, plus sign-ups for the 2019 NYS Summer Classic Tournament. With the ability to do on-demand seminars tailored to your questions and inquiries, this will be a great opportunity to take advantage of! While not confirmed yet, we are also hoping to have additional boats and professionals on-site to answer questions and inquiries regarding other fishing realms such as bass fishing, walleye fishing, and those who target the Finger Lakes. I'll post updates as the event comes together - if there is anything you would like to see in particular, drop a comment on this thread!

This summer the statewide NYS Summer Classic Fishing Tournament is sporting some new changes this summer including a guaranteed $10,000 cash grand prize (sponsored by Batavia Downs), more incentives and cash awards, higher payouts, and a new Catch & Release event to run alongside the main event that will allow anglers fishing all of the current Bass/Carp/Catfish/Pike C&R tournament events to cash in double! Here is the breakdown of species for each event: Main Event Fish Categories: Salmon, Lake Trout, Walleye, Rock Bass, Crappie, Yellow Perch, Panfish (Sunfish/Bluegill) C&R Event Fish Species: Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Carp, Catfish, Northern Pike Each event will have its own separate pool of money and associated payout, however all 1st place anglers will have a 1-in-12 shot at the $10,000 cash grand prize - random drawing done LIVE at the awards ceremony on Sept. 21st. All Top-3 angler in the main event will be required to attend the awards ceremony with their fish, and will be housed overnight at the casino as part of their awards package. All 1st Place C&R anglers will be required to attend the awards ceremony to secure their chance at the $10,000, and will also be housed overnight at the casino as part of their awards package. Each event will have its own registration, the main event can be entered online (http://www.nysiceproam.com/SummerClassic/Registration-2.html) or at most weigh-in locations, while the C&R event can only be entered online via the FishDonkey website/app: https://tourney.fishdonkey.com/#/tournament/568/details The main event will place fish according to weight at one of the official NYS Classic weigh-ins, while the C&R event will be done via length and submitted using the FishDonkey App (anglers must have a cell phone capable of taking both pictures and video to participate). Anglers may enter both events - registration in each is required. In addition to the weigh-in network, anglers will also be able to weigh-in fish at the following tournament events: Sunset Bay Walleye Shootout (Walleye Only - main event scales) Fat Nancy's BFF (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) Oswego Pro-Am (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) Capt. Jack's BFF (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) Sodus Pro-Am (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) Atommik Invitational BFF (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) Atommik Invitational (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) Fair Haven Challenge (All Species - see Director Tim Thomas for mobile scales) There will also be additional cash awards available including: $200 Cash Award - Overall Largest Drum/Sheepshead (Main Event Only) $200 Cash Award - Overall Largest Brown Trout (Main Event Only) $200 Cash Award - Overall Largest Bowfin/Dogfish (Main Event Only) $200 Cash Award - Overall Largest Pickerel (Main Event Only, 500 angler participation) $200 Cash Award - Overall Longest Muskey (C&R Event Only, 250 angler participation) $250 Cash Award - Overall Largest King caught by a LOTSA Member $500 Cash Award - Overall Largest Accumulated Weight of Gobies (Main Event Only, 750 angler participation) $1,000 Monthly Overall Largest Fish - (Main Event Only, 500 angler participation, increments) Weekly Cash Awards - Largest Fish Every Week for Every Fish Category (Both Events, 1,000 angler participation combined) The events will culminate with a formal awards ceremony at the Batavia Downs Casino Resort on September 21st, where the Fall Classic Sportsman Show will also be taking place that day. Follow the event on Facebook for all of the latest news, announcements, and updates: https://www.facebook.com/NYSSummerClassic/ Current sponsor backing includes: Batavia Downs, Savage Gear, Okuma, Fillet Away Fish Mats, Fish Fighter Products, Koyote Ugly Products, Frabill, Plano, Oakley, Automatic Fisherman, Nautic Sport, Clingerman Taxidermy, Church Tackle Co., GMSS, Celox, Atommik, Field & Stream, Bass Pro Shops, FishUSA, Makiplastic, Soco Baits, BHammer Tackle, Diabolical, Lake Ontario United, Vital Signs, LCTV, LOTSA, and Factory Direct Trailers.

The Fairport Fishing Club is having their annual Guide Day event at the Rochester Field & Stream store this Saturday from 9am-4pm. Local charter and guide services will be there as well as several company reps. Stop on out and let's talk about the upcoming fishing season!! I'll have several ADDICTED fishing hats with me - stop out and tell me how you are addicted to fishing and you could score one!!

Agreed on the rubber band getting wound into the reel if it isn't removed, but the practice is very effective and used by many seasoned anglers. We tend to use them almost all the time to help get a better initial hookset while using a lighter drag for once the band breaks and they take off. For charters and inexperienced anglers I probably would not use them, or make sure I got the rod first to remove it...

For the invitational the gentleman in the passenger seat was our observer, and while he was looking green, I don't believe he got sick while we were out there. If I remember right, the waves were on the order of 4-8's with an occasional big'un like the one soon after we land the first fish in the video! Tip for fishing in rough conditions with dipseys if you didn't catch it the first time watching the video: use a rubber band making a half-hitch on the wire and looping it around the handle on the reel. This helps allow the wire to flex a little with the rod as it sways in the waves and keeps the drags from creeping out. When a fish hits (if it doesn't slice the rubber band off initially) simply grab the rubber band and slide it up the wire to slice it off.

Who's ready for the 2019 season?? What new products is everyone sporting this year? If you'd like to see some of the new gear coming out for the 2019 season, stop out to the NYS Spring Classic Sportsman Show this Saturday at Batavia Downs! As I was looking over videos of past events for some content for upcoming projects and to get psyched up for the upcoming season, I came across some footage from the infamous 2013 Atommik Invitational event showing the 30+ lb king we landed that day along with several other hits and the massive waves! I will never forget coming around the pierheads that morning and taking air during the shotgun start! Let's hope the current stormy pattern weakens for the upcoming tournament season! Enjoy and good luck this season! We'll see everyone on the water!!

Stop on out for the show and awards ceremony this Sat!!