Thanks for the explanation of NACA Scott.

What is the TOC and what happened last year?

TOC is the Tournament of Champions (Hominy, OK)

Last year, Tom drove from North Carolina to the tourney and one of the members of his group passed away the night before the peg draw. He and his partner were forced to withdraw from the tourney.

Ok, I remember y'all telling me about that tournament. What a horrible thing to happen.

I have a Word Doc of bait recipe's that Tom would slip onto the CAG every now and again....top notch stuff....

Without pointing fingers at CAG individuals, can someone here summarize what is going on behind the scenes in CAG? I seldom go to the CAG forum these days because of the general nastiness that I see there, but I still don't know what the real issues and problem are. Any takers?

wow, you don't ask for much....

Brett

There are no real issues or problems over there.........life is a bed of roses there at the moment, the group is just going through a transition period again, (It happens every couple of years)

The power struggle that was mentioned is a storm in a tea cup, there are a few who think that the Paylake boys (or a couple of them) are trying to take over that section of the group, the other side blame those guys for throwing a wrench in the workings just to further their own cause.

Add that to the usual b/s that goes on and you have it in a nutshell!!!

Got to admit there are sevral better forums than over there at the moment though, including this one!!!

Simple isn't it???

Hello Everyone.
My name is Louis. I am one of the Candidates. I was speaking to Zach o the phone last night, and he told me I just had to check out this thread... I have read the TFF in the past, but the last thing I ever wanted was to join one more message board!

Anyway, I am glad I dropped by, and I felt obligated to join most of all to say thank you for the kind comments about me, I am flattered. I have always tried to say what I think on the CAG board and in person concerning any controversial topic without being a jerk. It's rewarding to see that people noticed.

I want to think about some of the things people have said here about the group, not nessecarily concerning the election, and gte back to you in a few minutes. It's a mouthful...

Thanks Again. Louis.

I have been a CAG member for a few years now, and I have to say that it has given me some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It sounds a little corny, even to me, to say something like that about a little fishing club, but it's true. I will try and explain how and maybe it won't seem so fruity to you afterwards.

I joined the CAG forum to learn more about carp fishing. I ended up meeting a lot of people, which was a little weird over the internet, but there it was. I ended up going to a couple CAG events. I like road trips so I even went to the Chicago carp classic, and some fish ins in other states. ( I am a dirty commie northeastern liberal from Philadelphia(it's a joke.)) Anyway... The people I met were almost all great. We drank beers, laughed told stories, and many invited me to their favorite places to fish. The first time I fished town lake, I drove straight to austin and met Zach and paul swider, who showed me one of the best swims, that had been baited, and I caught 4 fish bigger than any I ever had previously... in one day. one was a 30. That generosity is what CAG is about. It happens in local clubs too. There are lots of them. Lonestar, Indy Carpers, Tennesee "awesome haulers," norcal, socal, and probably more I am forgetting. These clubs are great. I even have my own multi species club that I run: www.philadelphianglersclub.com. They are an important part thing to have. But you aren't going to ask a question on the TFF about fishing in chicago, or michgan, or NY state and get the response you will on the CAG forum. Last week a guy from Ohio dropped me a message that he'd be in Philly for one night. I baited him a spot and took him out afterwards. We only had 2 hours to fish, but it was still a blast. And I am sure it was more fun for him then sitting in a hotel room by the dirty road next to the airport. I have fished and been welcomed in at least 14 states off the top of my head. members from this forum have had the same experience. Mark fished DC recently. Zach was supposed to stay at my house this summer, but I guess he pussed out...

anyway... that is the number one reason for CAG as a national club vs the value of smaller clubs like LSCB. They bothe have their place. Which one is more important to you is up to you. Effectively capitalizing on the right niche is key to the success of any group, whether its a business or a fishing club.

In the past CAG was much smaller. there were not so many smaller groups to suport carp fishing. So the niche I mentioned wasn't yet clear. Most CAG members were from the Chicago area, where most of the original growth occurred. Most knew eachother no matter where they were from.

Things today are much different. there are over 1000 members. The nature of our club and forum is changing because of this. The way it is run needs to reflect that. it's just a growing pain.

I personally do not think the forum should be closed. It has it's place, but that niche needs to be hashed out and the forum needs to be structured accordingly.

the arguing etc on the forum is really ridiculous. but I will tell you what it's about. CAG is a non profit group. the members pay. they are the club. I dont know the deal with the TFF, but ACS is for profit. what they say goes. while the leaders may ask for help, how things are done is not up for debate in the end. My Philadelphia anglers club is the same. We don;t make money. The site is run on donations. I am almost in the black but. what I say goes. I made it. the end.

In CAG everyone running it are volunteers. things are always changing. the forum, the events, etc. lots of new events come up. Sometimes people have ideas, but there really is not an avenue to properly discuss them. some people want to volunteer, but they never get a chance fo a lot of reasons, both personal (sad) and structural.

This leads to bickering. people feel unappreciated. or that they were unjustly moderated. I rarely get into arguments, but as mentioned, i am not scared to discuss controversial issues and put my opinion out there. i even like it. freqently these discussions are seen as the root of all out problems and they are moderated.. erased. I feel that healthy discussion is the only way any of us from far away places are going to understand eachother. most people have their opinions for a reason they think is good. letting those reasons out is only good in my opinion.

I used to be a moderator. I was the last of a team who had a great strategy... don't do much. If it's on the line, leave it. If somebody acts like a jerk, let them. people arent stupid. If you are consistantly a jerk. people will ignore you. I don;t want to brag, but i think those were the most successful days of the CAG forum in the last 4 years.

now those posts are all hidden, and it in a way protects the jerks. and when posts i have spent an hour writing get erased, along with a "controversial thread" wouldn't you expect me, and others in the same postion to be mad?

It is my intention to get the members to think more and discuss our club issues openly on our forum. to make them feel like they are a part of the decision making process. Even if thier ideas arent used, I hope it will be clear why, and at least they will feel like they had a part in it. I think guiding the discussion to be positive will be a lot more effective than putting down more rules, and punishing people after the conversation got bad. positive reinforcement rather than just negative. There is a place for both.

I want to encourage local groups like lonestar, indy, etc by helping them reinforce their local identity. as a big group we can get local guys better deals on t shirts with their local clubs name, etc. help them financially with local events.. that sort of thing. muskies in has local chapters, trout unlimited, etc. there is nothing wrong with being proud of your local team. now that cag has grown so much, I think it's time for this kind of local support. Lonestar carpers went out and did this on their own, but how many other carp fishing sub groups could we help start all over the country if we inspired them. someone here even said, that more carp promotion happens on the local level. that is cag's goal with local fish-ins, and other events, but it's time for a new angle.

anything I left out?

Looks on target to me. Shows me a bit of a new perspective on the forum, valid points. Well stated. To add.. I think that rebuilding collapsed bridges with regional and local groups is going to be a top priority of the new CAG prez. Texas and Cali in particular.

Thanks a bunch Louis,

This is exactly why you need to be the new president. These are very thoughtful posts with great insight.

Chad, are you watching? Texas wants Louis to represent us at the national level.

Please vote accordingly.

thanks guys.

ps, Texas, thanks for the memories (fish porn is what forums should really be about, right?)


















I hope I get to visit again soon.

Slumming down here in the TFF today I see.


Hows it going man, good luck in the election, you're either very dedicated, or crazy, most likely both.