Introducing Trophy Anglers Guild

[Phil Lilley]

 

The Trophy Anglers Guild is a nationally standardized Catch and Release Trophy Fish Recognition Organization.  What does that mean? For those anglers who might not catch an IGFA World Record or break a National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Line Class Record, but who have still invested countless hours and small fortunes chasing "The One," the Trophy Anglers Guild offers a means of commemorating your Trophy Catch.

 

The national standard means that no matter what state you travel to, if you are sporting the badge of the Trophy Anglers Guild, other fishermen will know that you are among an elite and exclusive group of anglers who have landed a fish that qualifies for the Guild.

 

The Trophy Anglers Guild, also known as T.A.G., promotes Catch and Release, giving fishermen the ability to have a memento or keepsake from a catch without having to physically remove the fish from the fishery and also without having to invest in an expensive fiberglass replica.  On top of a Certificate of Recognition, members also receive decals to go on a boat, vehicle, cooler or whatever you choose that displays your membership. They are also able to purchase exclusive merchandise, only available to those who have qualified. T.A.G. desires to create a friendly but competitive atmosphere for those of us who might not be able to actually fish on a tour, but still want to see where we stack up against friends and others across the country in our online registry (coming soon).

 

And of course, the Trophy Anglers Guild is about the fish. We desire to see big fish being caught and released to grow and be caught again, increasing the overall quantity and quality of fishing. If interested, you can go to www.TrophyAnglersGuild.com and read more on our blog about how we got started. You can also submit, or TAG, your own fish and join the Guild.

[Clay Goforth]

Thank you for posting this, Phil. We are excited to be working with Lilley's Landing on this venture and new recognition organization for fishermen.

If anyone has any questions about the program, how it started, our vision, or anything, please ask. I know that when anything new is launched targeting fishermen, we are a very scrupulous and weary group. The plan of this organization is to be about the fish and the anglers that catch them. Our vision is to have a nationally recognized trophy fish organization that doesn't require you to have set or broken a record to be included, just to have caught a fish that meets a certain standard.

I know that people view certain fish as trophies for reasons other than size and this is not meant to take away from that. First fish, personal bests, memorable fights and so on are all respectable "trophies" in their own right. We are trying to serve one niche of Catch and Release anglers and would love to have the support of our local fishing community to launch from.

I would love for everyone to visit our website, follow us on social media channels (Facebook and Instagram), check up on the blog, share the vision with your friends and fishing buddies around the country and be a part of our growth from the start. We think we could have something really special here and want as many people to be a part of it as we can.

Again, please ask questions, give feedback, submit fish, share social media posts, and just generally engage with us.

Here are some general links/information of other places to find us.

www.facebook.com/trophyanglersguild

www.trophyanglersguild.com

Instagram: trophyanglersguild

Hashtags to Use: #trophyanglersguild #TAGyourFish

Thank you all for your support and engagement.

[Terrierman]

Anybody who hasn't read "The Fish that Started it..." should. Its on the TAG site under the blog link.

[Clay Goforth]

Anybody who hasn't read "The Fish that Started it..." should. Its on the TAG site under the blog link.

Thank you, Terrierman! Here is a link, for ease of use.... http://www.trophyanglersguild.com/blog/the-fish-that-started-it/

[Johnsfolly]

Clay or Phil,

Can you TAG a fish if you only have a photo that does not have the tape measure? I caught a 25" pink salmon, but only have this single photo of the fish.

[Clay Goforth]

Hey John,

While we prefer to have a picture of a fish on a tape, we understand that people have caught fish in the past that they might want to include before they knew the parameters. We work a lot on the honor system and use our experience in fishing (and taking fishing pictures) over the years to determine the legitimacy of submissions. If we feel like the fish is questionable or that someone is trying to "swindle" their way in, we will deny the submission but we feel like most people are good honest folks. For example, and this is not because I don't trust your measurement, I know that streamer is probably 1.5 - 2 inches. I pulled that picture into Photoshop, measured the fly, then measured the length of the fish by the fly. If the assumption about the fly length is correct, then that fish was 24 - 26 inches. So, 25 in the middle is absolutely believable.

I would say, T.A.G. that fish, my friend!

[Moswimb8slinger]

needs to be on a measuring device, a hog trough or other type of bump board is best, but a tape will due.

[Feathers and Fins]

Clay I like the idea but my biggest concern is Many of the fish you listed people like to eat and can always say they released it and not be telling the truth. How are you going to verify that?

Wouldn't it be easier just to enter the fish and not worry about what they did after. It would suck if you DQed a person who landed a monster rainbow but it expired and could not be released like the one that was recently caught, or a guy who wanted to eat a fish.

The idea is good but I think you will lose people at the CNR /CPR aspect of it.

[joeD]

Replace the word "Guild," People will think you are tubby men with beards, drinking mead from chalices "hammered" from ancient ore mined by dwarves.

[Phil Lilley]

Clay I like the idea but my biggest concern is Many of the fish you listed people like to eat and can always say they released it and not be telling the truth. How are you going to verify that?

Wouldn't it be easier just to enter the fish and not worry about what they did after. It would suck if you DQed a person who landed a monster rainbow but it expired and could not be released like the one that was recently caught, or a guy who wanted to eat a fish.

The idea is good but I think you will lose people at the CNR /CPR aspect of it.

I think you're right on the honest part and the losing people part BUT I still think it's a program that is set apart from the other fish award programs out there. If it's done like the others, then why would you do it at all? If you catch a fish of that size and want to keep it, then get one of the other awards that allows for killing the catch.

As far as honesty, I don't think there's an answer for that... you do your best to make it a believable program with reasonable safeguards. You're always going to have a few cheaters regardless.