New York North - Classic

********    See the 2025 Season Schedule at the bottom of this page     *********

Director's Introduction:

My name is David Provost and my wife, Sherry, and I are the new co-directors of the division.  This is our 2nd year as directors and we have learned a lot in this last year and hopefully will continue to learn and grow with the help of our fishing family.

Our Background:  I have been with Fishers of Men on an off for 18 years and a prior director more than 10 years ago.  A lot has changed in these years including Fishers of Men going digital.  God has given me the talent of fishing and gave my wife the talent of digital knowledge so we work well together to assist each other in running the division.  I have been fishing all of my life and have great memories with my dad, and have passed the love of fishing to my children and grandkids.  If anything defines the name of Provost, it is the love of fishing.  Within this past couple of years, fishing has become secondary to my desire to bring souls to Christ.  My wife and I have been Christians for a long time, but we felt a calling to use the talents that God gave us for His purposes.  We are grateful to Fishers of Men for giving us the platform to use our talents for Him.

We would also like to extend our gratitude for and thank you for your grace as we tackle our 2nd season as directors. Please feel free to provide feedback on how we can improve and things that you would like to see in this division.  We really feel humbled and privileged that God has called us to lead this division and we want to do our best for this family of fishermen while glorifing God in all that we do.  Our contact information can be found in the header above if you have any comments or suggestions.  

Fisher of Men (FOM) Tournament Information:

FOM is a registered nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting fellowship, community, and spirituality through competitive fishing events for all levels of fishing teams (men, women, & children).  We use fishing as “bait” to fulfill our mission of gently sharing the good news to those who normally would not attend a church service. The Fishers of Men Trails have, over time, developed a special, warm and welcoming family atmosphere, combined with fellowship and friendly competition.

We fish a two-person team format, best 5 bass fish by weight. Tournaments begin at first light and generally run to 2:00 pm with weigh ins and awards immediately following.

All are welcome here, whether you want High level competition qualifying for National and Regional tournaments, or you are looking for local club, friendly competition and fellowship.  It also doesn't matter if you are a non believer, seeker, or strengthening your faith, you can become part of this family. 

FOM offers Regional and National challenges for the highly competitive angler as well as other optional programs.  See the District/National Qualifiers below for more details.

Pre-Tournament meetings                    

We offer a free meal and inspirational message the Friday before each of our points tournaments.  Open tournaments will not have a meeting.  Important information is provided about upcoming events during these meetings.  Feel free to bring your family and friends to this event, we just ask that you please let us know how many will be attending so we can ensure that there is enough food for everyone.  Although attendance is not mandatory, they are a big part of the club and are worth 50 points toward the points championship.  Members that attend will also be entered into a door prize drawing and all attendees can participate in the 50/50 raffle.  

  Costs, Rules, Payouts, & District/National Qualifiers :

Membership:     Family $60, Individual $40 (Membership must be paid for before signing up for the points tournaments.  Membership is not required for Open tournaments)

Tournaments:    $150 per points tournament and $75 per open tournament.  1 out of every 5 teams entered will earn a check (Payment due by 8pm the Friday before each points tournament)

Rules:               The tournament waters will be off-limits the Monday-Thursday preceding each points tournament.  There will be 1 official practice day the Friday before the tournament. (This rule does not apply for Open Tournaments)

                         Requirements to participate:

• Boat Insurance ($100,000 minimum)
• Boat driver must be >= 18 years old / Co-Angler can be any age
• Boat with aerated live well that can hold 5 fish
• Working kill switch on the boat
• Working life vests for each angler

Scoring:            A limit of 5 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass) may be weighed in.

• Minimum lengths will be set at 12". Lengths will be measured with mouth closed.
• A short fish or slot fish brought to the scales will not be weighed, and will result in a 1-pound penalty.
• Dead fish will be penalized .25 (1/4) pound. The dead fish penalty will also apply to any fish weighed as a Big Fish if that fish is dead.
• All culling must be done at the time the 6th fish is caught; no team may continue fishing with more than the tournament limit in the livewell at any time during the tournament, with the exception of dead fish that is not included in their limit. The penalty for possessing more than 5 fish, bringing more than 5 fish to the scales, or culling at the ramp will be 1 pound. That 1 pound will be deducted from the total weight of the team’s best 5 fish. 

See full Rules at https://www.fomntt.com/strenteamrules.cfm

Payouts:           *1 out of every 5 teams entered in each tournament will earn a check. 

* “Big Fish” payout for heaviest fish per tournament 

* Option to participate in Bonus Bucks in each tournament for additional earnings

*  See member incentives for details

Steps to take to Compete in  Points Tournaments:  Please review this website and/or our Facebook page for the latest updates

Step 1: FOM Membership - If you are not already a Fishers of Men member or if you need to renew your membership for the new season, complete the membership application to join the New York North Classic Division at  https://www.fomntt.com/memberjoin.cfm.

• Both individual and family memberships are valid from Jan 1st-Dec 31st each year
• Payments are accepted by debit or credit cards via PayPal

Step 2:  Choose one of the below options:

1. Complete the entry form and send via email, mail, or in person & pay in one of the following ways: cash, check, Zelle (FishersofMenNY.North@gmail.com), or Venmo (@FOM-NY-North)
2. Submit an entry for each tournament that you want to fish by going to the schedule page and pay using your card (fee added).

Sign up and payment can be accepted until 8pm on the Friday before each points tournament and until launch on open tournaments.

Step 3:  You will need to provide the following to be eligible to compete in our tournaments:

1. Boat Make/Model & Year (We are sponsored by Bass Cat Boats)
2. Motor Brand (We are sponsored by Mercury Motor)
3. Insurance Provider & Policy # **
4. Boat Driver's name, Age, Email, & Cell ph# (Must be =>18)
5. Co-Angler's name, Age, Email, & Cell Ph# (Any age)
6. Confirm that you have (or will have) the required equipment on/before the tournament:

• Aerated live well that can hold 5 fish
• Working kill switch on the boat
• Working life vests for each angler

** A minimum of $100,000 of liability insurance must be carried on any boat used to participate any Fishers of Men Tournament. Failure to do so, or reporting of false information, will result in disqualification of catch.

Please provide the required information online HERE

Member Incentives:

• Drop your lowest:  We are doing things a little different this year.  There will be 1 open tournament and 6 points tournament events.  Only 5 of the 6 points tournaments and meetings will count toward points accrual.  This allows teams to drop their lowest points event from their season standings and help reduce the impact if a team competing for points has an unforseen circumstance which causes them to miss a meeting or tournament.  
• Add money to Cash Pot (Bonus Bucks) - This totally optional program allows anglers who would like to fish for higher stakes to enter "Bonus Bucks" for an additional $25 entry.  100% of all the funds collected through this program will be paid back to the top 3 teams entered in the Bonus Bucks program on a 50/30/20% split, giving teams a chance to earn a bigger payday. You can either add Bonus Bucks during your purchase, or you can add it seperately HERE.
• Opportunity to progress to District, Wildcard, & National Championships if you meet the qualifiers. (See Rules for details)

The District & National Championship Tournaments for the 2025 season have been set! 

District 13 Championship:  NOTICE:  DATE CHANGE September 26-27, 2025 with mandatory meeting on Thurs, Sept 25th.  Launch Site:  St. Lawrence River @ Cape Vincent Boat Ramp in NY.  Details: https://www.fomntt.com/pageflow.cfm?callpage=eventdetail&schid=9873&divid=154  

• Qualifiers to compete in the 2 Day District Championship Event(s) and/or Wildcard Tournament
  • The top 80% of division teams of those that have fished at least 3 Divisional Events will qualify to fish in the DISTRICT 13 Championship Event and/or the Wildcard Tournament
  • Division teams that fish 5 Divisional Events & at least 3 pre-tournament meetings will qualify to fish ANY or ALL Fishers of Men District Championship Events throughout the country and/or the Wildcard tournament at the end of that season

National Championship:  March 26-28, 2026 @ Toledo Bend in TX.  Details:  https://www.fomntt.com/pageflow.cfm?callpage=eventdetail&schid=9924&divid=3

**** Teams qualifying for the National Championship Tournament have the opportunity to earn a share of the purse valued at over $125,000 in cash & prizes, including 2 BassCat Bass Boats powered by Mercury Motor. ***

• Qualifiers to compete in the 3 Day National Championship Event
  • The Division's Points Champion will automatically qualify
  • The top 20% of those who compete in the District Championship Event will qualify
  • The top Male/Female team who competes in the District Championship Event will qualify
  • The top Adult/Junior team who competes in the District Championship Event will qualify
  • The top Bass Cat Boat owner who competes in the District Championship Event in a Bass Cat Boat will qualify
  • The top team who competes in the District Championship Event with a Mercury Motor will qualify
• Refer new members / Invite guests to meetings:

* Entry fee savings will be in the form of a check refund being given at the weigh-in to ensure all qualifiers are met.