NEFGA Catch & Continue Contest, Sponsored by Cabela’s - POST ENTRIES HERE

[Chad]

Originally Posted by friggidy

Do our photos have to be dated or what proof are we going to use to make sure they are caught in the proper week besides the control image?

Each week will have a different control item. No one knows what those control items will look like until the week they come out. Including me.

That will prove it.

[Jump n Fish]

Man, I wish I could play. I wish they had a forum down here that did a competition like this.

[Bass-Assassin]

How are we suppose to measure the fish accurately? Does the whole fish and measurement need to be in the picture? Obviously there could be some manipulation to gain extra length.

[LiquidSteel]

Just run out and get this cool tattoo....

[brademan76]

Originally Posted by Bass-Assassin

How are we suppose to measure the fish accurately? Does the whole fish and measurement need to be in the picture? Obviously there could be some manipulation to gain extra length.

I wondered the same, because the picture you posted of the measured fish is "iffy." It seems that the whole fish needs to be in the picture not just the tail and the measurement or one could easily cheat.

[OldBaldGuy]

Originally Posted by Bass-Assassin

How are we suppose to measure the fish accurately? Does the whole fish and measurement need to be in the picture? Obviously there could be some manipulation to gain extra length.

Not sure about the other species, but with carp, put it and the infamous weekly "control item" in a black plastic garbage bag and leave it on the south-facing front step at Chad's house. He will not only make sure it's measured accurately, he might even think twice about scheduling the next contest in a month when I'll be gone two weeks.

[Alex T.]

Each week will have a different control item. No one knows what those control items will look like until the week they come out. Including me.

I'm presuming that any entry for any given week will have to be entered by a certain time or it won't count. New control item each week for each type of fish needed to be caught.I'm guessing there may be a slight overlap of time when two control items may be in effect.Or,it'll be this week runs from Thursday to next Friday and then the next week starts on Saturday.All entries from wek one will need to be in by the start of week 2. Or,I may be all wrong too.

Alex

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Bass-Assassin

How are we suppose to measure the fish accurately? Does the whole fish and measurement need to be in the picture? Obviously there could be some manipulation to gain extra length.

Having the whole fish in the measurement picture is nice, but NOT an absolute requirement. That's one of the reasons why two pictures are required - one of you and the fish and one of the fish on the tape. The one with you and the fish reveals blatant lies.

In all contests of this nature, cheating is possible. There is no set of rules that will eliminate the possibility of cheating. So to some degree, each of us is on the honor system. Play fair! On the other hand, as contest host, if I find out someone is cheating, they'll get bounced.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Alex T.

I'm presuming that any entry for any given week will have to be entered by a certain time or it won't count. New control item each week for each type of fish needed to be caught.I'm guessing there may be a slight overlap of time when two control items may be in effect.Or,it'll be this week runs from Thursday to next Friday and then the next week starts on Saturday.All entries from wek one will need to be in by the start of week 2. Or,I may be all wrong too.

Alex

- Week 1 (July 4-10): The contest will begin at 12:00 AM on Friday, July 4th. All fish for week 1 must be caught AND entries submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Thursday, July 10th.

- Week 2 (July 11-17): Week 2 will begin at 12:00 AM on Friday, July 11th. All fish for week 2 must be caught AND entries submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Thursday, July 17th.

- Week 3 (July 18-July 24): Week 3 will begin at 12:00 AM on Friday, July 18th. All fish for week 3 must be caught AND entries submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Thursday, July 24th.

- Week 4 (July 25-31): Week 4 will begin at 12:00 AM on Friday, July 25th. All fish for week 4 must be caught AND entries submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Thursday, July 31th.

NOTE: Control items will be posted on Thursdays.

[LincolnLunger]

catching the fish wont be the hard part...taking the picture of me, the fish, and the control item will be the hard part cuz I almost always fish by myslef.

[friggidy]

Well all I have to say is good luck to all and if anyone is weak in one species of fish just ask. I'm sure myself or someone else will give you some good pointers there's nothing like competition with your own fishing techniques!

Question, tail open and mouth closed for measurements?

[LincolnLunger]

I think i will have some dificulties during the week when I have to catch a catfish, and ideas were to go to catch a 26 inch channel catfish? Since I go to holmes lake a lot I could try there... is there any other lake sin the area I could catch a 26 inch channel cat?

[carbonman]

Originally Posted by LincolnLunger

I think i will have some dificulties during the week when I have to catch a catfish, and ideas were to go to catch a 26 inch channel catfish? Since I go to holmes lake a lot I could try there... is there any other lake sin the area I could catch a 26 inch channel cat?

We'll be at wagon train for those. Bring liver and cut bait.

[jetdriver1]

Merely one month ago, I became a "reborn" fisherman from my long ago fishing days of youth:

First Fishing Report Walnut Creek

I am currently working on LM bass--the total tonnage of what I don't know about can fill ....errrrr....well.....Lewis and Clark Lake AND all of Nebraksa's recently flooded basements!!! But at least I've got a few (very few) LMB's under my belt. Soooooooooo I pretty much don't know where to start with the other species listed--especially CATFISH!! Is there "catfish nip"?

In need of some serious "edumacation" here.

Anyways, count me all in!!! The experience should be great fun---and, without any doubt, entertaining.

Hey Chad, is there a Boobie Prize? Ima thinkin I could be in the running for that.

Best of luck to all!

Thanks and Cheers!
Jet

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[Ty Stromquist]

so does bowfishing count? It is a form of fishing you know.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Ty Stromquist

so does bowfishing count? It is a form of fishing you know.

Hook and line only in this one, Ty.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by friggidy

Question, tail open and mouth closed for measurements?

Closed mouth, pinched tail.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by jetdriver1

I pretty much don't know where to start with the other species listed--especially CATFISH!! Is there "catfish nip"?

In need of some serious "edumacation" here.

Jetdriver,

Here's an article from the beginners' guide that Oldbaldguy is putting together.

III.A. Getting Started on Channel Catfish

From Chad:
There are many ways to catch channel catfish. The information presented in this article is just one approach. But if you use this method – popularized by In-Fisherman – you are likely to find big cats all over Nebraska with remarkable consistency. Your whiskered giant may exceed 30 inches in length and weigh 20 pounds or more. Just remember one rule: all channels catfish exceeding 26 inches in length should be returned to the water. One day, those fish could grow to legendary proportions, perhaps even threatening the state record of 41 pounds.

Rod/Reel: The ideal setup to chase big channel catfish is a medium/heavy rod paired with a bait casting reel, preferably one with a “clicker” that alerts the angler when a fish has mouthed the bait and is pulling out line. If you don’t have this high-end gear on hand, there is no need to give up – a spinning setup with ample heft will also get the job done. Adequate rod/reel combos can be purchased for as little as $20 from any sporting goods store.

Line: Whether you select a braided line or monofilament, get something with high test strength. Channel catfish are not line shy, and you are likely to be fishing in low or no light conditions. Twenty to 50 pound test will give you the strength you need to stay in control. Personally, I like the stretch of monofilament over braid to aid in setting circle hooks (discussed under the next section, Terminal Rig). The only time I use braid is when fishing live bait (a better choice on rivers in this author’s opinion). With live bait, the lighter, more flexible nature of braid allows baits to move more freely and garner more attention from hungry catfish.

Terminal Rig: The slip-sinker rig is ideal. To construct a slip-sinker rig, simply cut an 18-inch length of line and set it aside to use as a leader in a few moments. Slide a one ounce bell sinker onto your main line and then tie a large barrel swivel to the end of the line. Tie the leader to the other end of the barrel swivel. Tie a hook to the terminal end of the leader. For this application I recommend a nickel-sized circle hook with a wide gap.

Bait: Channel catfish will eat just about anything, but there is one bait that out performs any other bait when it comes to big channels – cutbait. Cutbait is simply a fish cut into chunks and placed on a hook. Bring a supply of worms to your local reservoir and catch two or three small fish – species and sizes that can sustain the harvest. Make sure to follow all bag and possession limits. Bluegill make good bait and are typically easy to catch, but any fish “local” to the body of water you are fishing will work great. Cut the fish into chunks as small or large as you like. I favor baits that are just smaller than my wallet. Try to cut the bait at an angle to create the greatest amount of raw/bloody surface area. Chunks should be pierced onto the hook in a corner to avoid crowding the gap. Try to hook a bone or something semi-solid to keep the bait from ripping off the hook during casting.

Technique: It doesn’t get much easier or more relaxing. Cast out cutbait, put rods in holders, engage clickers, and find a comfortable place to wait for the action to start. If you are using spinning gear, reduce your line drag so that a fish can easily run with the bait, pulling out line from the reel. Depending on your supply of cutbait and your mood, you can refresh your baits as often as every 15 minutes. I like to keep my baits about 10 feet off shore. Many anglers feel the need to cast the bait out as far as they can. But, long casts often separate the bait from the hook and place the hook in less productive locations (see Location/Habitat below). More often than not, I use a little underhand flip to place the bait. When a fish is running with your bait, you will need to resist the urge to set the hook – circle hooks will set automatically from the light resistance provided from the clicker or loose drag. Once the fish has pulled off line for several seconds, simply engage the reel (or tighten the drag on spinning gear) and slowly begin reeling in the fish.

Time of Day: The hour that begins with swarms of mosquitoes and the buzz of cicadas and ends with the faint slash of bat flights is when you are most likely to hear your clicker scream. But often it is worth while to fish all night with a flurry of activity during the dawn hour. This is especially true when water temperatures are at their highest in July and August.

Seasonality: Ice out to ice up.

Location/Habitat: The most likely spots to set up are along windblown shorelines (the wind should be in your face). If the shoreline is a large flat close to deep water, that is even better. Come dusk, channel catfish will leave their deep-water loafing spots and come shallow to cruise shorelines scavenging for food. It won’t take long before they come upon your bait.

There are times when the angler should move away from the windblown shoreline in favor of other locations such as deep-water channels, creek inflows and flooded terrestrial vegetation. But by and large, these are special circumstances that I will leave to the reader to learn and apply.

Conclusion: Channel catfish are one of the largest and most common fish that swim in Nebraska waters. Chasing your trophy is likely to fill years of hot summer nights with lasting memories, good friendships, and quality fish. Enjoy!

[Catfishsteve]

Now, just in case some of you have never seen this, here is the video that we posted up on Youtube following the 2006 online forum catfish contest. You'll see a lot of familar faces in this short video. Just click the "play" icon there on the video screen. Enjoy!



The format we ran at the time was very similar to this year's contest and it was a complete blast at the time. No one on the web yet has run a catfish contest as good as this one was. What made it great was that we had so many, many forum members get in and and take pictures of their fish and send them in.

Remember, this year's contest is free!! If you need any help getting any entries sent in, give a shout and we'll get you some help!!



2006 Nebraska Fishing Forum Online Catfish Contest



Good luck, everyone!! Get out there and get in it!!

[SKershaw]

This is easier to follow... hope I am not stepping on toes.

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?vid...8KGJ5hg8tO&hl=