LOC Derby

I have received a couple of calls on the link to the application. When it opens it's the regular LOC application, just scroll down and there is the boat application. Thanks Dave Here is the link again: http://www.loc.org/media/locreg.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/live Here is the link to view the webcast of the meeting in Ypsilanti Michigan. Probably should get to the site a few minutes before 6 pm. There will be a place to comment on the site.

I received this email today that talks about a hearing to be held on Wed. There is supposed to be an Web site where you can watch it and comment. I will post that information as soon as I get it. If you have time Wednesday watch the meeting in Ypsilanti Michigan on the internet even if it is just the first ten or fifteen minutes... and make a comment... you can tell them that "over the past ten years they have failed to prevent the Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan... the Framework is nothing new. We are depending on the same agencies that failed for the past ten years to prevent asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan to execute this new plan. Why should we expect the results to be any different, they will not. The Army Corps of Engineers have a proven track record of failure to stop the goby, then the Asian carp, they have demonstrated they have no sense of urgency protecting the Great Lakes. Close the locks NOW on the canals to prevent more carp from reaching Lake Michigan. Take aggressive actions to kill those carp that have breached the barriers." I need everyone to make a comment similar to this... it goes into the public record. The Barge operators were well organized at the meeting in Chicago it was overwhelming against closing the locks. If we lose this battle the Great Lakes will not be so great anymore. For my friends on Lake Ontario this is not so far from you that it is not important, there is the Welland Canal and fish do survive the plunge over the falls. Please send this to your friends who are interested in the health of the Great Lakes ... send it right away, there is not much time. If anyone can go to the meeting in Ypsilanti (near Ann Arbor Mi.) Please go, we need to make a big showing. I am certain the barge operators in Chicago are bussing in supporters. See you in Ypsilanti. Thomas Marks NY Director Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council 7004 Waring Circle Derby, NY 14047 716-997-6919

Please read the new press release at loc.org. I didn't want to cut and past it here to save space. The change that is important is the way you guys and gals can get me your commitments. Please send an application via the mail or fax (585-545-4226) and your methond of payment you will be using. If you send a check along, that is fine but it won't be deposited until after the minimum number have submitted payment. If funds are a little tight right now (find that hard to believe) please send in the commitment application and you can take care of it later, just indicate how you will be paying, check or CC. Thanks Dave Chilson

An unnamed member pointed out a slight error I made in the pricing having to deal with the extra charges I was trying to collect to offset those rascally credit card fees. Not only is it an error, it's downright against the law. I will update the web site and redo the newspaper. (thank god it hadn't been actually printed or my head would have exploded) I feel Lucky Enuff this was caught in time and I will repost the updated release later today that includes some new instructions. Thanks Dave Chilson

The Asian Carp Workgroup (formerly the Asian Carp Rapid Response group) has just posted a new Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework to outline short- and long-term actions to be taken to prevent Asian carp from establishing themselves in the Great Lakes. The document is available at: http://asiancarp.org/RegionalCoordinati ... mework.pdf

I tried having Canadian weigh-in station before and it made me want to jump off the bridge. Peace or Lewiston, take your choice. The shops and fisherman were great but I can't spend so much time and money at customs. I think I spent a week there one day.....I had to have a Canadian bank account, pay taxes with three letters, (GST, VAT) pay a broker at the customs building to make sure things went smoothly, which they didn't. But I did get to hang around customs for hours on end and I must say you meet a bunch of nice folks there. I couldn't make a continuation of the every-other-day run up the coast as I do for the duration of the derby. It was a special trip because even though I wasn't leaving all the stuff in Canada, it had to be declared. Newspapers, fish sheets, weigh-in forms, scales and so on so I couldn't go over with anything I was bringing back. For me, trying to meet the legal, time and custom requirements precludes me from attempting it again. Thanks for the interest and you can always come stay at one of our fine ports and participate, we would love to have you.

Urgent Notice Call the White House on Monday! On Monday in Washington, D.C., President Obama's staff is holding a closed-door meeting about what actions the federal government might take to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. While you can't see what happens in the meeting, you can call the White House at 202-456-1414 to voice your opinion. Make Your Opinion Clear: Close The Locks And Stop Asian Carp From Entering The Great Lakes If everyone who signed up at StopAsianCarp.com called the White House at 202-456-1414, the President would hear from thousands of people in the Midwest who want the locks closed and the Great Lakes protected. Call Monday: 202-456-1414 So, on Monday morning, please grab your phone and dial 202-456-1414. Call the White House. Tell them you know there is a closed-door meeting about Asian carp today but you want your voice heard. Permanently close the locks in Chicago before Asian carp can get into Lake Michigan and beyond, ruining our lakes and killing thousands of jobs. Rumors of a federal plan that would leave the locks open most days have begun to be published in media reports. For example, under one scenario the locks would be open four days per week and closed three days. This makes no more sense than keeping criminals in jail four days a week and hoping nothing bad happens on the other three days. When will the emphasis be placed on protecting the Great Lakes instead of the narrow interests of one state? Thank You For Your Help Your vocal efforts on this issue have helped raise the level of attention paid to this crisis here in Michigan, across the Midwest and now in Washington. As our multi-state lawsuit continues before the U.S. Supreme Court, we can only hope that officials in charge will change their stance and announce immediate steps to close the locks and move toward a permanent separation of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins. With your help, we can make that happen. Sincerely, Mike Cox Michigan Attorney General

OK guys and gals, here is a link to the web page that has the application. http://www.loc.org/media/locreg.pdf The regular application is the top one and the boat tournament is the second one down. About 20% of the needed participants have already responded, so it's looking good. If you send in your check I am not depositing them until it's a go. I can take Visa MC but it will be a 4% charge but am not going to do that until it's positive. Hate paying the bank just to refund money. The web site will be updated with more information along with the LOC Derby paper which is being printed next week. I will try and get them out to the weigh stations and registrations outlets asap. Also they are going to about 8 sportsmen's shows in the next couple of months. As a side note yes, walleye will be the Spring LOC but preregistration IS required. I got a little tired of disqualifying people who wouldn't follow the rules and this way night fishing is a go. Before anyone asks, the rules for trout and salmon will stay the same. Thanks and only 84 more days until the Spring LOC! Dave Chilson

Here are two changes that people are inquiring about. After talking to the attorney, since this is a boat tournament and there is no law requiring a minimum number of people to operate a boat, yes one person can fish by themselves. You must abide by the maximums allowable passengers as posted on the boat placard. I'm not a huge fan of fishing alone, it can be quite dangerous and steering, handling the net and rod at the same time is an accident waiting to happen. This does NOT change the rules of the Spring, Summer of Fall derbies. Secondly how we are determining the USCG status is that if you booked for hire in 2009 and/or 2010 you are considerd an active captain. Thanks Dave Chilson

Jeff and Howie, I apologize to all who were offended or felt that it was inappropriate for my last post. I irks me when people take things that aren’t theirs and present them as their own. Nobody knows the years and tens of thousands of dollars spent and who thinks they have the right just to take it? I also overreacted after talking to people I have known for over 20 years who were unaware of being listed as weigh stations. My bad. It won’t happen again and will limit my comments to the thread dealing with the proposed LOC event. Thanks Dave Chilson

Maverick, I just looked at the rules on your web site and they are obviously taken from the LOC Derby. Pretty much cut and paste. These are intellectual property of Empire State Lake Ontario promotions. The rules are protected and not for use without prior permission which the Payeverydayderby does not have. You need to address this problem ASAP. This includes the affidavit attached to your sign up. Additionally the scales that I maintain and certify at LOC weigh stations are the property of Empire State Lake Ontario Promotions and are not for use by the Payeverdayderby. Not sure how many weigh stations you have talked to, but none I have been able to contact know what your plans on scales are and some who you have listed as weigh in stations have heard nothing about this event. Some you have listed multiple times. I would highly recommend before you collect any funds and list weigh stations for your event you have worked out payouts, scales, actual weigh in locations and are willing to make the commitment of manpower and resources that an event of this magnitude requires. FYI you spelled Dick Schleyer’s name wrong in you “about us†section on your web site and it's salmonids, not salmonics. David Chilson

Yes WWIV, if you are a Charter Captain who has no customers and is only going to fish one day over the 30 days of the event, I agree it would be a waste of your money. For those that still may confused, It's $36,000 over 30 days and you can win once per day. There are two prizes every day, $600 for the largest salmon and $600 for the largest trout, as per weights described in the first post. If you were really good you could win $18,000. Some more math, if you are not a charter captain it costs $10 a day for the thirty days. ($300 enty fee) You can win $600 PER DAY. So in essence you are paying $10 each day to win $600. Charter Captains pay twice as much $600 enty fee or $20 per day to win $600. If no one enters a fish meeting the minimum requirements the amount is carried over to the following day, making it $1200 and so on. And before someone asks, there is no daily entry. As individuals you will have to make the decision if this is right for you or not.

Maybe we need to do a poll. I have received some calls and emails in regard to USCG captains and I guess it may pertain to the previous post from ScottB. I wasn't aware of how many people that hold a USCG license and don't actually take paying clients. Should these people be placed in the same category as active charter businesses? Opinions please. Dave Chilson

Shade, Yes to questions 1-4 Muskybob, Yes, but you should be charging those Charter captains when you teach them to fish. Scott, When I was first approached the fee that was suggested for Charter Captains was $1200! Glad I didn't take that advice.....As you are well aware there are many people who have a USCG license from those who take their buddies and very few if any payiing clients to those who take a majority of clients. Not sure where you fit in but this was more geared towards the latter. Thanks for your question and I'm sorry if this is unworkable for you. Dave Chilson

Scott, I can imagine some captains might use it as a promotion, where their customers could win $600 to offset the cost of the trip and if the captain went fishing for themselves, keep the cash. Also they could charge them each $25 bucks or some fee, and if they declined again keep the money for themselves. Or possibly never mention it and when they get to the dock offer to weigh their fish in and just keep the cash. Not sure exactly what goes on in every charter captains mind! I'm sure there are other options I haven't even considered..... As far as the trout thing goes I wanted to make it fair for everyone along the lake. I went over many past events and this would keep it on a more even keel. I know a few lake trout fishermen on the west end who could turn this into a full time job and everyone would get real tired of reading their boat names. Janz, The derby would take care of the fee and it would come out of the entrants fee. And yes it was overlapping for a reason. It's already set and by adding this event will not require more days of derby fishing for the weigh stations. I know it's hard to believe but it can be quite stressful and long for all parties involved. By the end of the Fall Derby I swear there are weigh stations that want to choke me. Extended hours, my constant checking of procedures, entrants and can be daunting for all parties involved. After this event we can reveiw with the weigh stations their concerns and address them. What happened with the first "Per day" event was it got out of hand and promises were made that could't be kept. Cheating went through the roof, people weren't paid and a black eye was given to the event and derbies in general. I want to keep that from happening again. Yes there are some dead times but in this economic climate it would be unwise to try and draw during those times. Late May and early June have historically been slow, both fishing and tourism wise. Don't know it you remember but during the $1000 a day derby there were many carryovers at that time, and got to 5 figures. For this reason a couple of years ago I cut back the Summer Derby on the front end by a month. There wasn't the draw, fishing was slow, kids were getting out of school, crazy people are getting married etc. If interest is there having it after the summer and/or prior to the fall event would be the way I would go. Dave Chilson

Here’s how it will work: $600 a day for the largest salmon and $600 a day for the largest trout, one winning fish per day per boat. Salmon minimum weight would be 20 lbs, Lake trout 15 lbs, Rainbow steelhead 13 lbs and brown trout 10 lbs. This way all trout will be competitive. For example: If a 12 lb brown trout were entered, it would take a 17.01 lake trout to beat it. Any problems with the math contact me. I am staying with the $600 figure because at that amount I would not have to issue 1099 forms, besides depending on what your tax bracket is you can pay up to 40%. Because carryovers are in effect you would receive a 1099 if you win more than $600. Checks will be mailed on a weekly basis. As a side note all 2009 1099 forms from the LOC will be mailed before the end of the month. For 2010 this event will run concurrently with the Summer Derby June 19th July 18th 2010 and coincides with the last two pro-ams and will utilize the LOC weigh in stations, hours and rules. (Other than the minimums described above.) This way it will not put too great of an additional burden on the stations. IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING FISH FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE LOC SUMMER DERBY, ALL RULES, SUCH AS ALL MEMBERS MUST BE ENTERED WOULD HAVE TO BE FOLLOWED. So yes you could win in both. The price for entry is $600 for USCG registered captains and $300 for non-captains and this covers everyone on the boat. If anyone on the boat is a past or present captain, the $600 would be in effect. Checks and 1099’s will be sent to the person who registers and any distribution of funds to fishing partners is the responsibility of that person. The weigh in station that weighs each of the daily fish will collect $25. Go-no-go of this event will be May 15th and if not enough entries are received to cover the event, it would be cancelled. Do NOT send any money at this time. Please send an email as a letter of intent to participate in this event to [email protected]. Once enough letters of intent are received we will collect the fees. Any additional entries received after that date will go to cash prizes at the end. If all goes well we can look forward to expanding this event in 2011. Please post any questions in this forum so all can see. Thanks and looking forward to an exciting 2010 season. Dave Chilson

Hey guys, I will update with the dates. It's not that I changed anything, I just FORGOT. Now if I could remember where I had it listed......

Just a heads up. The Lake Ontario State of Lake Meetings are scheduled for: 3/9- Mexico; 3/10- Rochester; and 3/11- Lockport. Save the dates. When exact times, locations and agendas are given I will post. Dave Chilson

Here are the new proposed license fee increases. conservation legacy $76 -> $96 super sportsman $68 -> $88 sportsman $37 -> $47 SR sportsman $5 -> $10 sm/bg game $19 -> $29 fishing $19 -> $29 SR fishing $5 -> $5 fishing (blind) $0 -> $5 (qualifies for federal revenues) DMP $5 w/ sportsman application fee DMP w/out sportsman $10 mil/disabled $5 bowhunting $16 -> $21 JR bowhunting $9 SR bowhunting $0 muzzleloader $16 -> $21 sr. muzzleloader $0 small game $16 -> $26 JR small game $5 -> $5 turkey permit $5 -> $10 trapping $16 -> $21 SR trapping $0 -> $5 JR trapping $6 -> $6 7 day fishing $12 -> $15 no resident one-day fishing license lifetime sportsman (0-4 yrs) $300 -> $381 lifetime sportsman (5 - 11 yrs old ) $420 -> $534 lifetime sportsman (12 - 65) $600 -> $762 lifetime sportsman (65 -> up) $54 -> $60 lifetime small/big game $350 -> $534 lifetime lifetime fishing $300 -> $458 lifetime fishing 65 up $50 -> $100 lifetime lifetime trapping $300 -> $529 lifetime bowhunting $180 -> $317 lifetime muzzleloading $180 -> $317 non-resident super sportsman $250 -> $280 big game $110 -> $140 bowhunting $110 -> $140 JR bowhunting $9 -> $9 muzzleloading $110 -> $140 bear $30 -> $50 small game $55 -> $85 JR small game $5 -> $10 turkey $30 -> $50 trapping $255 -> $310 fishing $40 -> $70 7-day fishing $25 -> $35 1-day $15 -> $25

The camera used was a Canon XH A1 and wide angle lens. I have edited a 8 minute version of this and am putting it on Utube. Should be available tonight or tomorrow, it's already been uploading for over 3 hours! I will post a link as soon as it's active.

Jerry, What size screen did you view it on and was it square vs widescreen? I don't have a square screen to view it on, so I guess I also need to take that into account. I think the "medium" size has fit on all types so I will concentrate on getting those file sizes smaller. I don't think I can stay with the 264 codec so I may have to rerender the clip and transcode it differently. I'll try to get it done today but it took almost 6 hours to render and post that short clip in HD. Hopefully this will take less time. If anyone has a high def set up, I can get a disc or two burned of the whole piece and we can circulate them around. I gave one to Gustin but I doubt I will be getting it back anytime soon. FYI A PS3 player works great with a HD TV and has the ability to read almost any BluRay disc. Dave PS Mon sounds great but is carp a "seafood"?

OK ladies and gentlemen, it appears that the quality may be set too high. With my computer and others I have spoken to, rendering times between the versions does not seem to be too different, all of them seem to take too long. It can take up to 15 minutes to view so I think we have to go back and try and downconvert to a different format. We still want a large size so that when we show "how to rig a dipsey" where the detail is needed, it still can be seen. Also there is a feature that lets you download a copy on the lower left of the page. If anyone has done that could you please respond to see if that option works and what viewer you used to view it. Thanks Dave Chilson

We are working on getting videos in three levels of resolution on the web. I have disabled the response on the site, so if you could respond here with problems that would be appreciated. When you get to the page you will notice three buttons for the quality. When you click the quality some very small numbers will start moving and you have to wait until it gets to 100%. Choosing the quality depends on your connection. If you have dial-up, ONLY choose the smallest version. Also you must have the latest version of Adobe flash installed. For those that have high speed, please try and do the HD version. It may take about 5-10 min for the hd version to load. Please respond with which resolution you can watch and any problems. Thanks! (This video is only a couple of minutes long, it was taken from a 15 minute version.) Here is the link http://exposureroom.com/6bd8427c87bf484 ... 69d6800ab/ Dave Chilson

If you can pick up a copy of the LOC Derby News, there is a two page write up on some of the changes and the application for the pro am tournaments. Dave Chilson