Simcoe anglers can go after new Fishing award
Interested anglers may contact Wil Wegman.

Note: This program is NOT run by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters

In 2004, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters began the Ontario Angler Awards Program. Since then, more than 12,000 fish have been entered from across Ontario and more than 100 are from Lake Simcoe.

The program features awards for matching or exceeding a minimum length set for 19 species of fish found throughout Ontario.

Sponsored by the federation in partnership with gofish Ontario, Shimano, Berkley, the province, Ontario Out of Doors magazine and the Toronto Canadian National Sportsman's Show, we are proud to announce the new Lake Simcoe Focus on Fishing Angler of the Year Award.

This separate award will be closely tied to the provincial awards, but will apply only to fish caught from Lake Simcoe, adjoining Lake Couchiching or their tributaries.

Basically, we will offer a Focus on Fishing Angler of the Year Award and prize package (details to follow in a subsequent column) to the angler who catches the most species of fish from these eligible waters that meet the minimum requirements set out by the awards program.

You have to register your fish with the awards program and be accepted by the federation as legitimate entries to qualify for the award.

All awards program rules will apply for this award as well.

Of the 19 species eligible in the federation program, more than half are found in Lake Simcoe.

The goal of the Angler of the Year Award will be to highlight the tremendous fisheries of lakes Simcoe and Couchiching.

The award will also draw attention to the provincial awards offered by the federation and offer additional exposure for Ontario's largest non-profit fishing, hunting and conservation organization as well.

Another objective in the long term will be to benefit and promote local fishing/tourism related businesses and, of course, highlight The Advocate and its Focus on Fishing column.

The following 12 species of fish will be eligible for the award, along with the minimum size for each:

Yellow perch, 12 inches; black crappie, 10 inches; bluegill sunfish, nine inches; pumpkinseed sunfish, nine inches, rock bass, 10 inches; carp, 30 inches; lake trout, 26 inches; largemouth bass, 18 inches; smallmouth bass, 17 inches; northern pike, 30 inches; walleye, 25 inches and whitefish, 22 inches.

How our Angler of the Year Award will work:

If you catch a fish that matches or beats the minimum length (tip of the tail to tip of the jaw) as listed above, you will need to register that fish with the awards program.

You will then receive a free Ontario Angler Awards decal and personalized award certificate in four to six weeks from the federation.

Your entry and photographs will be posted on the federation website.

All it takes to enter is your signed affidavit on an entry form or your website application.

Anglers under 16 must have their forms signed by an adult.

Complete details on the awards program and entry forms are available online from the federation website: www.ontarioanglerawards. com

Photographs of you and the fish are welcomed for the awards program, but are mandatory for eligibility in our award.

Catch and release will be strongly encouraged as well.

The angler who catches the most eligible species and registers with the awards program and the award will win and become the Angler of the Year.

If there's a tie, the angler with the highest overall length of all species combined wins.

The contest will begin today and run until December 31, 2007.

Those who have a fish recognized by the awards program and that qualifies for our award are encouraged to send details/photographs of their catch right away to be eligible and we will try to publish them here as often as possible.

Interested anglers may contact Wil Wegman.