Publication: Coastal Journal (August 8th, 2007)
Author: Robert Fernald
Picture: Matt Boutet

The 17 Rivers Striper Tournament is a month long saltwater fishing tournament promoting catch & release practices and sustainability. This format uses photos to establish fish scores and by doing so sets a new standard for tournament organizers. Slated for September, anglers have the opportunity to participate in a fun fishing tournament and possibly win big prizes.

The tournament website http://www.mainestriperseptember.com/ offers a great deal of useful information for saltwater anglers. The site will support the tournament and allow anglers to easily upload digital photos and share them with others in the fishing community via a unique photo slideshow element.

The striped bass fishing in the coastal waters of Maine is world-class. It offers anglers the opportunity to explore the many interesting “nooks and crannies” of Maine while casting for fish. It is a reason to get out on the water with family and friends, to enjoy nature, view wildlife and capture memories of scenic vistas. Even more importantly, to enjoy fantastic fishing action!

Recreational saltwater fishing has a significant impact on the local economies of Maine. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, in 2006 Maine anglers spent in excess of $28 million on saltwater fishing. For this reason, it’s not hard to imagine why the striper fishery is such a valuable economic resource. Next time you are out on the water, take notice of the numbers of fishermen drift-fishing a shoreline, trolling a bay, wading a flat or casting to breaking fish. Consider all the gear anglers have accumulated pursuing these activities - boats, motors, trailers, a vehicle to pull the load, float tubes, waders, sunglasses, fly rods, reels, flies, hats, specialized clothing, sun block, bug spray, spinning gear, surface lures, jigs, rubber fish, live eels, mackerel, worms… Anglers invest a lot of money in pursuit of fish!

Eco-tourism is another aspect of fishing that is growing and significantly impacts the local economy. Most locals  take this fishery for granted - for others, this opportunity is awesome. Hardcore fishermen think nothing of traveling around the world in pursuit of great fishing opportunities, and they enjoy visiting destinations like Maine. While here they hire guides, rent cottages and spend money dining out and shopping. A whole industry is developing around servicing the needs of these sportsmen.

Overall, the saltwater striper fishery has a meaningful impact on our local economy. The Maine Department of Marine Resources estimates in 2005, nearly 400,000 anglers fished for saltwater species and participated in over 1,000,000 fishing excursions. In recognizing the significance of this fishery and its economic impact, we should also recognize the need for protecting this recreational fishery to ensure sustainability. An old farm saying applies, “if you take care of your crop, it will take care of you”.

Avid striper fishermen often catch hundreds of stripers each year and most are released due to their size. The Maine Department of Marine Resources estimates anglers successfully landed 3.25 million stripers in 2005 and harvested over 70,000 fish. The majority of the stripers landed fall between 16-20 inches in length. Their are however fewer of the larger stripers, which are of real significance. These big fish represent the brood fish within the population . They are mature adults and have the quality genetics that are important to sustaining favorable genetic variability within a population. These large fish also produce an exponentially greater number of eggs. For these two reasons alone, anglers should think hard about killing large striper.

What can we do locally to sustain this valuable resource?

If anglers practice catch & release, the striper population will stand a greater chance of remaining vibrant. And if you want a fish for eating, take a slot fish, the impact is much less significant. Also, remember to pack your camera to take a photo of that really large fish before releasing it. The memory of catching a huge striper and having a quality picture is often meaningful years down the road.

Those who fish with bait know it is a very effective strategy for targeting striper and one of the best tactics for catching big fish. However, when fishing bait, the angler typically lets the fish swallow the bait before setting the hook. This often results in the fish being hooked deep in the throat and can be damaging to the fish.

A simple solution to decrease fish mortality is for bait fishermen to use single hooks and in particular, circle hooks. These hooks are shaped with the barb offset towards the shank of the hook. This design results in the hook hanging on the lip and not getting caught in the gut. It is much easier to remove and less harmful for the fish

So, this fall, get out and enjoy the great striper fishing and think about the future of this wonderful recreational resource when you release that monster striper. You’ll be grinning ear-to-ear when you do.

The 17 Rivers Striper Tournament - Awards Ceremony is to be held October 13th (3:30 PM - 5:30 PM) at the Kennebec Tavern located on the water front in Bath, Maine.

Tournament organizers, representatives of the “Official Host City” of Bath, professional fishing guides, affiliated business sponsors and participating anglers, will be attending.

We are being lent the use of the cities AV equipment and plan to show a photo slideshow of some of the notable fish registered during the tournament. We will also recognize the best of the nature photographs.

Prizes will be awarded in both the Junior Division and the Adult Division to those anglers achieving the greatest fish score. These awards represent prestige and some great prizes! Angler attendance is required of prize winners. We will also be awarding a number of additional prizes to youth, so junior division participants should plan to attend and bring your fishing buddy-parent.

The Kennebec Tavern is generously providing the banquet facility for this function.  The restuarant is putting out appetizers and a cash bar will be available for those wanting a beverage. We’re excited! It’s a nice venue and a great location. Thanks to the owner’s, Kristi and Gene.

We are greatly anticipating the 2007 tournament. The awards ceremony will formalize the near-end of the 2007 striper season and finalize this years fishing event. We are appreciative of those businesses, organizations and individuals who have contributed to making this event a success and want to recognize their contributions. Please plan to attend, to show your appreciation and to have a fun time!

On Wednesday August 29th organizers are planning an informal meeting for the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament. Tournament participants and interested anglers are invited to join the tournament organizer for a social at The Cabin Restaurant which is located at 552 Washington St, Bath. For those not familiar with Bath, this road runs parallel to the river and along side of BIW’s ship building facility.

The Cabin Restuarant boasts some mighty fine pizza and they have a nice variety of beverages on tap. So please do stop by.

If you’d like to meet to discuss the format of the tournament, submit angler registration forms or review the tournament rules, we’ll be there from 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM.

Weather permitting, look for us outdoors on the patio. Alternately, look for us in the room at the front of the building, to the left as you face the cash register.

Hope you’ll drop by… Cheers!

Register Early!

Anglers who register for the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament are to be issued a distinctive Angler Identification Card. The purpose of this card is two fold.

1.) Participating anglers are being offered differing discounts by local merchants. Those discounts are posted on the tournament website. Anglers are encouraged to visit these merchant locations during the month of September to receive the offered discounts. This translates into savings for the consumers and business for the merchants. Cool! We thank them for their generous promotional offers and in supporting the tournament.

2.) Anglers participating in the tournament are required to submit photos when registering fish. Photo II requires anglers to include the Angler ID Card in the photo to establish authenticity with respect to dating the catch.

Since the majority of Angler ID Cards are to be sent out by mail, we encourage anglers to submit their registration forms as promptly as possible to ensure they get the ID in a timely fashion.

For those anglers registering late in August or into September, we will be providing “Official Registrations Sites” with Angler ID Cards. Anglers leaving the completed registration paperwork and a check at those sites will be issued an ID Card at that time.

Note: LL Bean will not be taking receipt of completed registration paperwork nor will they have Angler ID Cards on site. Also ID cards will not be given out or mailed until August 25th, 2007.  This predates the start of the tournament, but is necessary to ensure anglers have the required ID card before the official start date.

The question always comes up,… “what about cheating”? As tournament organizers, we want to address the topic of cheating.

This tournament represents a recreational sporting activity with prizes. Whenever their is prestige or valuable prizes on the line, the potential for cheating exists. Examples are all around… whether it be the Tour D’France, the Olympics or professional Baseball, certain individuals cheat in an attempt to gain advantage over the competition. It’s really sad!

With respect to the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament, event organizers will do everything within their power to protect the interests of the competitors participating in the tournament. It is our intent for anglers to be assured the process of determining prize winners is fair and equitable. But we can’t guarantee against individuals trying to cheat! What we will do, is take the following steps to prevent cheating… 

1.) When individuals register for the tournament, they are asked to define the Method and Style by which they will fish. These two categories include several variables with assigned weighting factors. The scoring system used to determine prize winners is a mathematical formula where a fishes length is multiplied against the weighting factors for both Method and Style, thus determining the fishes score. The selections anglers make when they register will be used to calculate the score(s) for fish submitted by individual anglers over the course of the tournament. However, if an angler uses a differing method or style when they are fishing and register a fish, they would note the method and style that did apply. So if an angler says they landed a fish using flies, they should be prepared to demonstrate their skill at casting with a fly rod and have the gear to prove it.
2.) Photo manipulation is another concern individuals have raised. With technology, people can and do manipulate photos or elements within a photo. As event organizers, we will scrutinize all contending photos before awarding prizes and will look closely at each image to determine whether a photo has been graphically manipulated. The individuals, who will assist with this review, have worked as graphic designers for 22 + years. They work with photos day-in, day-out and in aggregate have over 100 years worth of experience to draw from.
3.) Since this tournament is a catch & release tournament, the photos submitted should reflect fish that are alive. We will assess each contending entry to determine whether the fish shown in the image appears to be freshly caught and alive. Those of you who have taken photos of live fish recognize their is a distinct difference in a fishes appearance. So even if you intend to keep a fish for the dinner table, take the required photos while the fish is alive.
4.) For a fish submission to qualify for prizes, Photo II- depicting the fish laid out on a flat surface, showing the angler ID and a readable tape measure, is a must. Having these elements in the photo prevents unscrupulous anglers from submitting images of fish caught in years past for tournament prizes.

If individual fish entries are rejected for any of the above reasons, the entry will be disqualified from prize contention.  This decision resides with tournament organizers and is at the sole discretion of said organizers.

If an anglers fish submission is shown to be blatantly falsified, this action would clearly represent fraud. If an angler attempts to perpetrate fraud, the angler will be “black-balled” from the tournament and future tournaments organized by Maine Striper September. Fraud is also a punishable crime and event organizers are prepared to press charges with local law enforcement against said individuals attempting to perpetrate crime. We clearly hope this course of action will not be necessary!

Since the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament is a catch & release tournament, anglers catches will be judged based on photo submissions. If an angler catches a striper that meets the 30 inch minimum size limit necessary to qualify for prizes, the angler will need to take two different photos. The fish submission process requires the angler to submit the following photos, so be prepared.

Photo I- This photo shall show the angler proudly displaying their catch. Smile this image is for the bragging rights and to capture the moment. It will also be placed into the photo slideshow.

For anglers fishing alone, capturing this shot might be difficult. Try holding the camera at arms length and photographing yourself and the fish… Or learn to use the timer found on most modern cameras. It may be a challenge, but sometimes odd perspectives come out better.

Here the tournament organizer proudly displays a real monster. 

Photo II- This photo shall show the striper laid out on a flat surface, taken from directly above the fish and centered on the middle of the fishes body. This image must include the angler registration card and a tape measure clearly showing the length of the fish. Take your time capturing this image. These elements must be contained in the image or your fish entry will be rejected.

Note… this fish is only about 21.5 inches, so it wouldn’t qualify for a prize, but still it’s a nice catch.

Anglers participating in the 17 Rivers Striper Tournament should make a point to view the Angler Discounts being offered by local merchants to tournament participants .

When anglers register they will be mailed an Angler Identification Card. Just show the Angler ID Card at any of the merchants offering promotions and you’ll receive the respective discount.

The 17 Rivers Striper Tournament promises to be a fun event. We anticipate many anglers will participate, a great number of fish will be caught and someone will win the grand prize of $2,500.

As tournament organizers we wanted to create a structure within this event to encourage the participation of youth in outdoor activities, and in particular, fishing.

The Junior Division is open to all youth - ages 16 and younger. We’ve solicited pledges for tackle, gear and gift certificates from all the regional tackle shops and have a great deal of prizes to award those junior participants. And we intend to spread it around!

To encourage youth participation, we’ve discounted the entry fee for junior anglers, 60% below that of the adult. The cost to participate in the Junior Division is only $20.00! This cost is less that the snacks you’d purchase when you take your children to the movies… and the kids can fish for the entire month of September.

Furthermore, a Special Discount applies for parents. Register in the Adult Division and sign your child up to participate for FREE! We have created this discounted structure to encourage parents to take their children fishing and make it a family activity. We feel strongly that youth’s involvement in outdoor activities, as a family, is of importance. These early life experiences can leave favorable lasting impressions on both the child and the parent. And exposing children to nature at an early age is important too.

This Parent/Child discount offer is also extended to those individuals who act as mentors for children. Please contact Big Brothers - Big Sisters for information about additional discounts offered through their regional programs.