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Rules and Regulations – 34th Annual Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey
Rules and Regulations – 34th Annual
Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey in Memory of Capt. Steve White
Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010 through Sunday, September 26, 2010
Time: Fishing to begin at 6 a.m. Saturday (9-18-10); ending at 1 p.m.
Sunday (9-26-10). Please note that all weigh stations will close at 8
p.m. on Saturday night (9-25-10). The official weigh station on Sunday
will be at the New York Power Authority’s Visitors Center, Lewiston Rd.,
Lewiston in conjunction with their Wildlife Festival from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. Awards will follow at 4 p.m.
Location: Only fish caught in the U.S. and Canadian waters of Lake
Ontario and its tributaries including the Niagara River, with the
eastern most boundary being the Orleans-Monroe county border and an
imaginary line extending north to the Canadian shore; also the U.S. and
Canadian waters of Lake Erie and its tributaries (including the Niagara
River) with the western-most boundary being the NY-PA border. From that
point, the boundary will be a straight line that extends across the lake
to Long Point, Ontario Canada. Fishing from shore can only take place
from the counties of Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties. Only fish taken
from these waters, along with the public waters of Erie, Niagara and
Orleans counties, will be eligible. All trout and salmon entered must be
a minimum weight of 8 pounds in the Adult Division. Junior Division must
simply be legal in the water where it was caught.
Weigh Stations: Weigh stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from
September 18 to 25, 2010. Fish may not be weighed prior to 9 a.m. or
after 8 p.m. Only one weigh station will be open on Sunday, located at
the Wildlife Festival, Lewiston at the grounds of NYPA.
Entry Fees: Adult is $20. A one-day pass is available for $10. Kids 15
and under can register in the junior division for free. Young anglers
from 12 to 15 years are eligible to fish the adult division by paying
the $20 entry fee. However, once registered in the adult division, they
can no longer compete for youth prizes.
Registration: To become a contestant and participate in the 34th Annual
Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey, and in order to be qualified and compete
for derby prizes, each person must be properly registered and possess an
official derby registration. Each derby contestant must carry his or her
official derby registration at all times in the angling competition and
it must bear the personal signature of the derby contestant, as well as
the signature of a recognized derby agent. Derby registrations are not
transferable; they must be presented on each occasion a fish is offered
at the weigh stations. One or more fish may be offered by a derby
contestant using the official registration. Any contestant, when
claiming a derby prize, must present his or her derby registration as
proof of identity.
A) To register by mail: All entries must be received at the address
stated below by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 10th to allow for adequate
mail time and processing. After September 10th, please register in
person (see next section). Send check or money orders (U.S. funds only)
payable to: Newfane Business Assn. Be sure to enclose a $20 registration
fee for each adult to be registered. Youth anglers less than 16 years of
age are free but still must be registered. Youngsters between 12 and 15
years of age may register as an adult by paying $20 (U.S. Funds only!),
but they are no longer eligible for junior prizes. Each person must have
their own derby registration, complete with name, address, phone number
and which division they intend to fish appropriately marked. Mail
registrations to: Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey, PO Box 174, Newfane, NY
14108
B) To register in person: There are numerous locations throughout WNY to
register in person, including any weigh station for the event starting
September 3, 2010. You can register the same day if registration takes
place before 7 a.m. One-day tickets are available for $10; the entire
derby ticket for an adult is $20.
C) Prizes: All prizes will be issued on Derby awards night. The awards
presentation will be held on Sunday, September 26th at the New York
Power Authority Wildlife Festival starting at 4 p.m. in Lewiston at
their Visitors Center. Announced winning contestants must be present and
show proper identification, along with their official derby
registration, at the derby awards night. All first place winners must be
present at the awards ceremony (adult division) for possible polygraph
testing by 3 p.m., along with their corroborating witnesses. You must be
present at the awards ceremony for random door prize drawings.
Contestants are encouraged to release all fish not in contention unless
for personal use. The Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey is intended to
stimulate recreational fishing and business activities in WNY.
1. Each Derby contestant through registration in said derby agrees to
abide by the derby rules and regulations. Failure to conform and observe
these rules will result in automatic disqualification of that contestant
and the forfeiture of all prizes and recognition as a prize winner. This
derby reserves the right to deny entry to anyone. Any person who
knowingly attempts to deceive or defraud the derby may be barred from
future participation. It may lead to being banned from other fishing
competitions on the lake. Further action of a legal nature may be taken
should it be warranted.
2. Each contestant, upon registering to compete in the Greater Niagara
Fish Odyssey, agrees to hold the sponsors, their agents or employees
harmless from any liability of any nature and kind for any injuries
and/or damages suffered by the entrants during the period the derby is
held.
3. All eligible fish that are entered at the weigh station will become
the property of the derby committee until released by the derby
committee. A Derby weigh master will not weigh/enter fish of an
immediate relative.
4. All fish entered in the derby must be freshly caught on hook and line
and retrieved by rod and reel. Bowfishing is not an eligible means for
taking carp. These fish must be caught in the mouth, only in a legal
angling manner as designated under laws set forth by the NYS Dept. of
Environmental Conservation (Article 11-0103) or Province of Ontario’s
Ministry of Natural Resources. Snagging, snatching or lifting in any
way, whether from vessel (boat) or land, or altering these fish in any
way to increase weight, will automatically disqualify any registered
contestant and their accomplices. A registered contestant who brings a
fish to the weigh station should examine it very carefully. Any fish
that has cuts, wounds, punctures, gaff marks or gill net marks anywhere
on said fish, except lamprey marks, will render such fish ineligible.
Additionally, the derby judges may, in their sole discretion, disqualify
the contestant for the remainder of the derby. Further, any previous
fish entered by said contestant will be removed from the derby and
disqualified for all prizes and recognition as a prize winner. All fish
entered must be whole and not gutted.
5. All fish entered will have their gill plate hole-punched for weigh-in
identification and may be subjected to an internal probe and scanning if
questionable.
6. All fish must be entered at a weigh station within 24 hours of being
caught. Each participant entering an eligible fish, and his or her
witness, must complete a detailed form at the weigh station to the
satisfaction of the derby committee. Any person (contestant) who offers
a Grand Prize or Division winning fish and all affirming witnesses must
be willing to submit to and pass a polygraph (lie detector or voice
stress test) examination. Witnesses must be at least 12 years of age in
the adult division. The Derby committee reserves the right to conduct
polygraph testing at 3 p.m. at the NYPA Wildlife Festival. All first
place winners should be in attendance at this time. Said contestant
and/or affirming witnesses failing to be present could result in the
forfeiture of all prizes and recognition as a prize winner.
7. All persons aboard the same vessel (boat) must be registered in the
derby and are subject to being checked for same. In the event there are
persons on board a boat who are not registered contestants (regardless
of whether they are angling or not), all fish caught during that
particular outing may not be offered or considered for derby prizes. A
witness for a contestant must be present at the time the fish is caught.
If fishing from a boat, the witness must be present on the boat the fish
was caught from.
8. In order to discourage angling alone, and also to affirm the
integrity of the catch of each fish offered in the derby, there must be
a registered witness to each catch whether the catch is from shore or
boat. That witness must be present when the fish is caught. A supporting
affidavit may be required from all other registered contestants on board
a boat at the time a prize winning fish is caught and the said affidavit
must affirm the integrity of the catch and also that no unregistered
person was on board at the time of the catch and that no unregistered
person handled the fishing tackle or line prior to the strike, and on
through until the fish was boated or landed. Witnesses for a catch must
be at least 12 years of age in the adult division. Junior Division
anglers can use any registered angler as a witness.
9. Eligible fish may be offered at a derby weigh station in these
categories: Adult Division – salmon; rainbow/brown trout (as one
category); lake trout; walleye; smallmouth bass; carp. In the Junior
Division, categories will be salmon, rainbow/brown trout;
largemouth/smallmouth bass; panfish (perch, bluegill, sunfish, white
perch, black crappie, white crappie, NOT silver bass); carp; walleye, a
total of six categories. Winning fish will be determined by the weight
of the fish. In the event the weight is equal, the earliest entry will
determine the winner. The decision of the judges is final and not
reviewable.
10. Adult Division Contestants may not win more than one of the
following prize categories: Grand Prize or Divisional Prizes but are
eligible for door or special prizes. Awards night door prizes are
selected randomly, whether a fish is caught or not. Junior Division
contestants are eligible for only one Junior Division prize and are not
eligible for adult prizes. A youth 12 years of age or older may register
in the Adult Division by paying the registration fee, but they are no
longer eligible for Junior Division prizes.
11. Contestants agree to submit all disputes to the Derby Committee
within 24 hours of the fish being entered. Fish disputed the final 24
hours of the derby must be reported by 1 p.m. the final day of the
competition. Any disputes among contestants or derby officials regarding
eligibility, acceptability or weight measurement of an official fish at
the weigh stations will and shall be resolved by the judgement and
ruling of the Derby Committee. Disputes not brought to the derby within
24 hours may be dismissed. A decision by the derby officials will be
final.
12. Grand Prize Classic Challenge: In an effort to add some excitement
to the Fish Odyssey, a special Grand Prize Challenge will be held on
awards night. Instead of the largest fish overall winning the Grand
Prize, the first place anglers in each of the specie categories will be
placed into a container and randomly selected for Grand Prize
consideration. For the category selected, each place will then move up
one slot in the ranking.
13. Eligible anglers: There are no limitations on who can compete in the
Fish Odyssey. However, anyone under 12 years old may only register as a
Junior; 12 to 15 year olds have the option of registering as a Junior or
Adult. Only one division may be entered. If 16 years of age or older,
you must be registered in the adult division and carry a valid angling
license in the waters you intend to fish, abiding by the rules and
regulations for those waters.
14. All contestants agree to the use of their name and/or photograph in
any advertising or promotion associated with this derby without
compensation or notification.
For further information contact the Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey at PO
Box 174, Newfane, NY 14108 or call (716) 282-8992 Ext. 303. Two websites
are also good sources of info at
www.fishodyssey.net or
www.outdoorsniagara.com
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