AIM Announces Catch-Record-Release™ is Headed for Lake Oahe
Category: npaa
Jul 13th, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jul 13th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Plymouth, WI – July 13, 2009 – Anglers Insight Marketing LLC™ (AIM) announces that its exclusive Catch-Record-Release™ format will be the centerpiece of the upcoming tournament to be held in Akaska, South Dakota.
Akaska, SD will host the next AIM Pro Walleye Series™ tournament on August 13 – 15, 2009. One of the exclusive features of each AIM tournament is Catch-Record-Release™ – or “CRR™”. This format involves taking digital photographs of each walleye lying on the Official AIM Judge™ Ruler. The photographs are used to confirm the lengths that are recorded on the AIM Score Card. Immediately following the photo process each walleye is released where it was caught to fight again – and be caught by another tournament or local angler.
At the end of each day, the Pro Angler selects the seven longest walleyes, which are then converted to pounds using a standardized formula that is based on studies by the South Dakota Game and Fish Department. The weights from the first two days are used to determine the top half of the field which will fish the third day. The weigh-in is held daily in Akaska at 4:30 pm. The Day Three winners will be announced after the weigh-in on Saturday, August 15th.
Several unique features of CRR™ have the AIM Pro Anglers looking forward to this tournament. First, the daily “limit” is seven walleyes. This larger limit makes it possible to come from behind, or stretch your lead. Also, since fish can be recorded all day, it is possible to “upgrade” continually and actually weigh the seven largest walleyes.
The most interesting feature of CRR™ is the opportunity to avoid the Lake Oahe “slot limits”. Standard fishing regulations allow only one walleye larger than 20 inches per angler per day. In a typical tournament a pair of anglers could then weigh two walleyes over 20 inches. This means they would spend the majority of their time fishing for small fish, and actually try to avoid larger walleyes!
But with CRR™ (because NO walleyes are kept, but only recorded) ALL seven fish can be over 20 inches. Lake Oahe is teeming with walleyes in this size class and seven fish limits may exceed 30 pounds! The Akaska AIM Pro Walleye Series™ tournament may even see a three-day winning weight of more than 100 pounds!
Perhaps the most important aspect of Catch-Record-Release™ is that no walleyes are relocated from where they are caught. ALL fish are immediately released. NO fish are carried in “live wells”. NO fish are brought to the landing for later release. In fact, these later releases often result in a high percentage of dead fish.
This reality has forced the South Dakota to prohibit walleye tournaments during the warm summer months. John Lott, Chief of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks reports, “Because of concerns with post-release mortality of walleye in tournaments where walleyes are caught, placed in live wells, and later weighed and released, catch and release tournaments for walleye are not permitted from June 1st through September 15th.”
For the first time the AIM Catch-Record-Release™ (CRR™) format opens the door to stage competitive fishing tournaments on the vast – and incredible – South Dakota fisheries during the peak summer period. Mr. Lott continues, “However, AIM’s immediate release format removes concerns related to the possibility for high mortality following a weigh-in event.”
Further information about the AIM Pro Walleye Series™ as well as up-to-the-minute updates about tournaments can be found at the AIM web site: www.aimfishing.com.
Please go to the SD Walleye Classic website at http://sdwalleyeclassic.com for complete details about the festival.
Anglers Insight Marketing, LLC™ (AIM) is a unique tournament organization which is owned by stockholders, the majority of which are professional walleye anglers. AIM Pro Anglers are among the “All Stars” of professional fishing, with cumulative HUNDREDS of years of tournament experience, including countless tournament victories, series championships, and Angler of the Year titles. This insight and knowledge is now being employed to provide the finest tournament experience for the participants, and the maximum exposure for the host tournament sites and Marketing Partners.