NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing => Events => Topic started by: INSAYN on September 14, 2009, 09:43:34 AM
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Figured I'd start the ball rolling with pictures of the alternate venue so we could get them all posted in one place. ;)
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Back at head quarters for the potluck and raffle. I didn't take any pics of the raffle, as it was too dark by then.
Sorry for the blurry pictures, my mom and daughter took the camera from me and didn't know how to set it up for solid shots.
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Looks like I really missed out. Thanks Zee for picking up my slack, I owe you.
By the way, the rest of us that didn't go want details...
Brian
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I'll get the photos from my wife's camera up here this evening.
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Yeah, I have some pics I can get up here a little later. Sorry about the delay on details everyone.
Yesterday was for sure a make-up day for the WAF account! :laugh:
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Yeah, I have some pics I can get up here a little later. Sorry about the delay on details everyone.
Yesterday was for sure a make-up day for the WAF account! :laugh:
Hmm, are you for some reason responsible for the details? You must have really lost big time :)
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Details.....you want details? From my yak this is how it went. NO BITES! None, Nada, Ziltch, Zero. I got snagged up on a submerged log, but was able to free the lure without damage. Got snagged in a tree with yet another lure, but was able to rip that one free as well. Drifted in REALLY close to both the Blue Heron and the family of deer without being detected. At one point I was roughly 10 feet from the mama deer. The deer "puppies" where a fun to watch as they jumped around playing with each other.
I threw everything I had at those silly fish and no bites. It was kinda fun passing by folks (more than a dozen times) through the day getting updates from them, little stories, blah blah blah. Then there was Squid Girl on the VHF. "Here fishy, fishy, fishy, where are you?" And the good one! "Uh Rich"..... "Yes"..... "Where are you?"......
(long silence).... "I'm at the back of the lake, why?"....... "Is the truck unlocked?"....... "No"....... etc.......
Other folks got into the conversation at this point and I don't have enough memory on board to remember all the details, but it got silly real quick. ;D
The Nothing pulled off the biggest fish with a 2lb+ bass. This was caught really early in the morning, and nobody touched his lead all day. Goldendog was slaying the trout all day bumping folks out of 3rd place, and then 2nd place with a 1 lb+ trout. Steelheadr hung on to 3rd with his bass. Did anyone get pictures of these fish, BTW?
Back at headquarters, AMB started a wicked nice fire for all to sit by. Food started coming out of the woodwork and piling up on the table. We had fish, LP, a pot or two and just 2 quarts of oil. No Panko or Tempura batter! CBY and I buzzed off to Walmart and Safeway to get more oil and the fish coatings (big thanks to CBY for this BTW).
We got Zee all setup with the oil, batter and and sliced up rockfish (thanks Steelheadr for cutting the fish up). Then we turned Zee loose with the fish fry. Good job bro! Good eats for sure. Somewhere a little jar of Mrs. Dash popped up and that got sprinkled on the fish after the hot tub ride. Wow that works! It works really good! Cobrakak76 mixed up some crazy fish dip out of who knows what. It was tangy, spicy, creamy, colorful and then some. Double dipping for all.
Raffle was great! Cobrakak76 slayed alot of the "hot" items with his 200 and something raffle tickets. He was donating won prizes to "whomever is the newest member", or "who drove the furthest", or even to me for taxiing him and his yak to and from the campground so his family could sleep in and visit the lake later in the day.
He's a really good guy! Lots of heart in him :love5:.
Helped wrap up the mess as the rain was trying to spit, and I made my way back to my RV up at Devils Lake SP.
Good times!
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Yeah, I have some pics I can get up here a little later. Sorry about the delay on details everyone.
Yesterday was for sure a make-up day for the WAF account! :laugh:
Hmm, are you for some reason responsible for the details? You must have really lost big time :)
Yeah, you got it!
Coming home empty handed didn't look good! :D
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I didn't take good enough notes (read: ANY) to give a full report, but I had also planned on letting Zee take care of all of the "official" stuff. I know he took lots of notes.
here are some of my pics. Mostly from the iPhone as I discovered the battery on my dSLR was dead. Lame. If i had known that I could have charged it in the car on the way. I did get a couple pics from it though...
Friday Night
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First yak fish for me!
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Prizes
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Cause all we need are cookies and beer
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Zee battering up
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Kids with fire! Awesome
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Thanks Craig for the details!
Congratulations to the Nothing, Goldendog and Steelheadr. Enjoy your prizes well.
Raffle was great! Cobrakak76 slayed alot of the "hot" items with his 200 and something raffle tickets.
200 and something raffle tickets or $200 worth of raffle tickets? Either way, wow! Really good guy indeed!
CBY and I buzzed off to Walmart and Safeway to get more oil and the fish coatings (big thanks to CBY for this BTW).
The two of you are like some long lost cousins or something. You're both in to fabricating stuff and ATVs and you bare a slight resemblance to each other. Sounds like you must have gotten along okay with you big bromance road trip to Walmart. :lovestory:
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Thanks Craig for the details!
Congratulations to the Nothing, Goldendog and Steelheadr. Enjoy your prizes well.
Raffle was great! Cobrakak76 slayed alot of the "hot" items with his 200 and something raffle tickets.
200 and something raffle tickets or $200 worth of raffle tickets? Either way, wow! Really good guy indeed!
CBY and I buzzed off to Walmart and Safeway to get more oil and the fish coatings (big thanks to CBY for this BTW).
The two of you are like some long lost cousins or something. You're both in to fabricating stuff and ATVs and you bare a slight resemblance to each other. Sounds like you must have gotten along okay with you big bromance road trip to Walmart. :lovestory:
Actually it was something like 50 tickets but who's count'n? ;) It all went for a good cause.
Bromance road trip to Walmart? Too funny!
We were on a mission to make sure we had a fish fry and I don't even think ATV's came up in conversation until after the raffle was over and most folks were gone. CBY is a good guy. I plan to get down his way to fish with him for sure (and do some ATV riding as well).
What's the scoop on your prego wife? Any updates?
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Sounds like you must have gotten along okay with you big bromance road trip to Walmart. :lovestory:
sniff..... sniff, sniff....
Is that ass I smell or just another asshat?
:police:
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Hey Spot. Maybe you just need a shower....
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Big thanks to everyone for coming out to the event. Total tally was 22 entrants so just about double last years' tournament. The potluck rocked and everyone went away with some swag.. and some MUCH more. Big congrats to The Nothing with the days' biggest fish (2 pound 12 oz. largemouth bass) and first place and the owner of a brand new Ocean Kayak Trident. Second was goldendog with a 1 pound 1 oz. rainbow trout and a brand new paddle from Outdoor Play. And third went to Steelheader with a 14 oz. largemouth bass who got a Kokatat Bahia Tour PFD.
Here's how it went down for me.
I got there about 12PM Saturday and was greeted by sunny and warm conditions on the coast. I dropped by the entrance of the Yauina Bay and it was a washing machine even though the real swell was a day away. Got some supplies from the local grocery store and checked out the lake. A very warm and windless lake was before me with a grey pickup truck and a San Diego Chargers sticker... it was Yakinitup doin a little pre-fishing. He came in and said he'd gotten a few trout. The water was extremely warm (70's I guess) but the LMB's weren't doing their thing. Cobrakak76 dropped in with the family and after talking with a few locals headed to camp.
I went back to camp and set up HQ while everyone slowly trickled in. A lot of members next to HQ meant we could spread out and it worked great for the festivities. After stopping by cobrakak's for some steaks we all migrated to pelagpaddler's for some chicken vindaloo. For those who missed out on that I'm sorry... the man knows curry. Checked out the mist that had been kicked up by the increasing swell and a sunset and got ready for tourney day.
I got to the lake at 5AM and wouldn't ya know it Yakinitup and Pelagicpaddler were already there. Totally pitch black and drizzly but the two headlamps on the water proved they were after that new yak.
As light came on more showed up and before ya knew it there were 22 kayaks floating around on the water. Quite a sight for the secluded little reservoir. I launched at 7AM and when I turned on my VHF there were already fish to weigh. I fished a little with breaks to weigh fish and t was pretty consistent. The Nothing and Steelheader were the first to strike. Yakinitup came along and placed third. Then was knocked out of contention by Coosbayyakker, then came back but then knocked out of contention by Scott, came back but knocked out of contention by Mybuddy and finally when Goldendog posted his 1 pound 1 oz. trout solidified the board. Big kudos for Yakinitup battling. In between all the action I picked up 4 rainbows that were pretty and fun to catch but not weigh worthy.
Afterward at the campground the potluck went down. Lots of grubbin' food and my duty at the fryer was all taken care of thanks to CBY and INSAYN. Thanks guys! After giving out the prizes and the raffle it was time to have a beer and count the cash. We raised $255 for the Coastal Conservation Association. BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE!!
A great event and I had great time hanging out and meeting new people! Let's get ready for next year!!!
Z
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Thanks Z for pulling this thing off single handed. It went great and really the only thing that didn't cooperate was the ocean. You figure out how to control that and you'r one smart guy. The food was awsome. Everything came together and both the wife and I had a good time. Looking forward to next year -
Alan
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I had a hoot meeting everyone and getting to see as many kayaks on the water on such a small lake. Good grub, wish we had been on the ocean, but at least that meant not having to deal with cleaning fish at a State park.
Congrats again to all of the winners.
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Here fishy.... fishy..... fishy....... gee there not listening to me today any better then they did saturday.. i had even told them to hop on Spots line and they didnt listen. :laugh: :laugh:
First of all thanks Zee for all the hard work and the great event. Congrats to all the winners. It was great getting to know everyone and hanging out and telling stories..
Looking forward to the next event.
Marilyn
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I only took two photos Saturday, and Zee got one of me with my camera. What a beautiful day on the lake! It was great seeing everyone I fished with last year, and nice meeting new friends. Having 22 kayaks on a lake that small was in the least, very interesting. Congrats to The Nothing and Steelheader for their winning fish. The trout gods were good to me, with 9 trout landed. I went home with a nice limit, including the 15 incher that took second place. The fish were very scrappy, and were in nice condition for so late in the summer.
Thanks also to everyone who contributed to the potluck, and to Zee for all his hard work in organizing all the fun. Thanks also to P Paddler for the tasty chicken vindaloo on Friday night!
Anyway, looking forward to the next time we can all fish together. Hopefully it will be in the salt!
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Here's the other two photos, somehow they didn't show up on the other post.
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Gee, it's only letting me post one pic at a time, here's the final photo
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Great seeing ya'll Saturday. Wish I could have stuck around longer, but my plan of mixing family with a fishing trip ended up turning into a full family trip. Dave, congratulations on your paddle, hope you enjoy. Can't wait until next year!
Brian
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Thanks Brian, I can't wait to give it a try. I love the way it can be adjusted! It's mighty purdy too!
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Thanks Craig for the details!
The two of you are like some long lost cousins or something. You're both in to fabricating stuff and ATVs and you bare a slight resemblance to each other. Sounds like you must have gotten along okay with you big bromance road trip to Walmart. :lovestory:
Hey, it's Oregon you never know, we could be long lost cousins...
It was a nice drive gave us time to talk crap about a guy that let a silly little thing the birth of his kid get in the way of a fishing trip....... ;) Any updates?
Anyway we teamed up and saved the fish fry from oblivion...
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Anyway we teamed up and saved the fish fry from oblivion...
High five, bro! :wave:
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Insayn's report is pretty much the way I remember it going down with a few couple more fish landed (11 oz trout and 2 sculpins), and a few more trout that were hooked up but i managed to loose by horsing them and other errors of over-confidence ;D All in all good times. Didn't have a camera so no pics, scored some sweet new hobbie sunglasses, and a rocket RAM pole holder mount at the raffle.
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Here's a TON of photos from the event:
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and more pic's...
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and even more...
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and yet even more...
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still going...
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I put in just before 530am to be the 3rd boat on the water. I figured I'd get a better lay of the lake by heading straight towards the other end and start working my way back. Never mind the fact that between the pitch black sky and fog that I couldn't see the bank. Only ghostly visions of trees when I got too close to shore and some SOLAS tape in the distance (man that stuff is AWESOME!).
Then there were headlights. A man in a pickup stopped to yell at the person ahead of me (sorry, i don't remember who it was, just all the solas). "Hey! what are you doin?!?" "Fishing!" "That's awesome! I just got a couple ocean kayaks!..."
Crazy
I continued on toward the end of the lake. There was a light in the distance. Seemed like it might have been a barn or something of similar ilk with a big sodium vapor lamp. I figured that was the end of the lake, so I had a slightly visible target to paddle towards. I looked to the left through the fog and saw some dark object sticking out of the water. What the heck is that? I looked straight ahead and saw something similar. Another was to the right of me. More started to appear everywhere I looked. Stumps! STOP THE BOAT! Wait. Stumps. Cover. There should be bass here!
I grab my ultralight and tie on a micro spinner as I as drift towards the bank. I put the rod in a holder and shove off from the bank and my paddle hits bottom. Hmm, kinda shallow. Second stroke hits bottom again. Odd. I stick the paddle into the water vertically. The whole blade doesn't even get wet before I hit mud. Lame! I continue on. Paddle, paddle, depth check. Still only inches deep.
Ya know? I REALLY wish I had a FF at this point.
I continue on until I clear the stump minefield and can finally put at least half my paddle in the water. Man, that would have been a great place to fish, if there had been some water. Oh well.
I still have the micro spinner tied, so I start taking casts towards the bank. The fog is still hanging in there by this time, but the sun, while still not risen, has managed to bounce some light into the situation. Slowly I drift into a wide area. I keep pitching the micro spinner around. I start noticing some surface spashes. "There ARE fish here" I say to myself. I squint through the fog to see what's hitting the surface. There's one! Wait! That's not fish! Rough skin newts! Everywhere are roughies. Besides being the most toxic animal in North America, I curse at myself for not having a newt/salamander patterned plastic. I continue on with the spinner until I see a trout jump.
Ok, so I guess its going to be a trout day.
I put the ultralight and spinner away and tie on a trusty rooster tail onto my generic cabelas trout rod. Time to start trolling. I work my way through a narrow section of the lake. Hey! There's a camp chair someone left behind! I think i might have to pick up that garbage to save for later, I think to myself.
I reach another wide point of the lake. The Rooster didn't do any good on that pass, so I switch up to a Kastmaster and plan on heading back towards where I started the troll. 30 yards into the troll, I look to the right and see a ton of blackened dead trees flowing into the lake. That's odd, I think to myself, I wonder what caused that. Wait! I bet there's a fish in there. I think to myself: first light; fish the top. I reel in my Kastmaster and grab my ultralight. Remove the spinner and tie on a shad pattern Rapala Skitter Pop. Send of the first cast and give it a pop. A heron or something made me turn away. I hear a small splash. It was just a little more than I had given the lure, so I look back. Where'd it go? I wasn't sure what was going on, but I threw a decent hook set. The ultralight bends! Fish on! I start whoopin and hollerin! The fish jumps twice and I can see its a decent size, and definitely the largest bass I've ever had on a line before. It dives under my yak, so I stick the rod into the water and start peeling off line by hand. I didn't want to loose this fish. It was the first I had on the yak! (well, except for a bullhead that I didn't know was there a month ago). I real the bass up to the yak and bring it on. Heck yes! My first yak fish! The first bass I caught this year! My first LMB ever! The first bass on the popper that i bought last year, and the first fish on that rod! I was stoked! I put the fish in the bag, clip it on, and start paddling towards the launch and weigh on.
I see a few others on the way. Craig (insayn) was the first I remember coming across. He asked how big it was. I had no clue. I hadn't given it that much notice or thought. He offered to weigh it, but I opted to continue on. I came across a couple others, including SquidGirl. At this point, in my head I had figured the fish to be 3.5-4 pounds. SquidGirl said she'd radio to Zee that I needed a weigh in, since I didn't have a radio to it myself. I continued on. I got to the launch to see Zee still putting his Hobie together. I paddled up and he pulled out the scale. 2lb 12oz it said. Wow, i thought it was bigger than that. Sure had the bulk! Oh well. It was still first blood on the yak.
I put him back in the water. He kicked off out of my hand. Then went belly up 10 feet behind me.
Lame.
Zee was gone and I heard a radio buzz in. Another fish caught. 14oz bass.
I put the now dead bass back in the bag, and then continued fishing. Started straight off from the launch and worked my way back up to where I caught him. Nothing. Zero. Just frustration from the occasional tree branch that got in the way of my casting. But no more bites.
I turned back to the launch. I needed a stretch and to put this bass on ice since I've been forced to keep him. I bum a beer, take a good stretch and look over some of the others' kayak rigging.
Ok, time for some more fishing. I knew trout were being caught, but I had some chicken livers to try to find some catfish. Those that had FF pointed out the deepest part of the lake (a measly 30'). I rowed out, dropped anchor, dropped the liver, and took a nap between people rowing by. SquidGirl desperately calling for fish. She kept marking them on her FF as she passed by, but couldn't convince them to take a bite. Eventually I got a text from a friend of mine saying he made it to the lake, with my own beer. I unhooked and paddled in. Yay for cold adult beverages!
I was at the launch, loaned my friend some gear for him try his luck from the bank, and enjoying my beverage. Over someone's radio i hear "Six pounds, four ounces!"
I don't believe it. No way. But, maybe. Who knows? I throw my PFD on, tie up another crankbait on my ultralight, and BIG spinner on the other rod and head back out.
Just about an hour left at this point. I power out to the first spot I find. Hit it with the spinner. Nothing. Hit it with the crank. Nothing. Power paddle ot the next spot. I do the same over and over and over till I get to the end of the lake. No good. No bites. No semblance of fish at all.
I'm running out of time. 6lb 4oz. Can't be real. No one else has mentioned it. Was it a real call? I never heard a name to go with the weight.
15 minutes left.
I'm out of options. I decide to troll the crankbait along the north edge all the way back to my anchor that was still floating. I look back to see my ultralight bending again. Drag not moving. Bah! I'm just dragging bottom. Others start paddling in as well.
Finish time is nearing. Did I still have the lead? Was that last call I heard real? I still don't know.
I give it up to destiny and reel up the lure, bring up the anchor, and head back to launch. Many congrats were offered. So it was a false call after all! Phew!
I did it. I was beyond myself and borderline speechless.
This tournament was awesome. Thanks to EVERYONE that organized the event, everyone that sponsored the event, and everyone that came out to fish. While the conditions were not ideal, I know everyone had fun out there.
I was supposed to be at a friend's wedding. My wife OK'd my participation on two conditions. 1 - i had to call the bride to tell her why i wasn't going to her wedding. 2 - i had to win her a new kayak. After this weekend, my WAP have greatly increased. :)
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Great report man... I wish I could have gotten to the water a bit earlier to get in on some of the topwater action- I'm never up early enough at home to go for the early morning bite.
It was great putting faces to people that were merely avatars and prose before. A healthy round of thanks is definitely due to everyone who showed up or had a part in planning this event. Despite the alternate venue it was well worth the drive and my wife is really wanting a kayak more than ever.
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Couple things:
1. Ya'all need to write more. These lengthy trip reports are fun to read.
2. PSR is giving me beard envy. Good lord, that thing is a pelt. Must grow one.
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Excellent report Nothing! It was great seeing the day thru the winners eyes. Congratulations on the win and on all the 1sts you pulled off in one shot.
The girlfriend told me the night before "Let someone else win.... You don't need another kayak...... and let some other people have a turn...." Yak yak yak yak yak..... ::) Her words haunted me on the way to the lake.
As I unloaded I considered playing the social butterfly.... Lingered a little longer than usual on shore.... But once I hit the water, I was all business. I worked my butt off, covering every fallen tree, alcove, snag and deep pocket. I went thru every kind of rig I'd brought and every technique I knew for bass and big trout. In the end, I brought 4 trout to the boat, non of them worth weighing but each one earned. 2x came on needlefish with a powerbait stinger trailing 4" back, 1 came on a the infamous 5" jointed Rapala and 1 more came on eggs under a bobber.
1st, 2nd and 3rd all earned their prizes. Awesome job guys!!! I can't wait to do it again!
-Spot-
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Nothing I am soooooooo sorry I took you away from a victorious moment with a cold beer. It was just a joke just to get a rise out of people in the last hour or so of the comp. I thought it would be a little funny to just say "6lbs 4 oz" and then wait for the "who,what,when,where's??" over the radio. My bad.
Congratulations for sure though!!! A well deserved win. The 2nd 3rd place battle was awesome radio chatter as too!
Thanks ZEE for all the leg work!! You busted your butt all day and I'm sure it was just the tip of the iceberg.
Great seeing/meeting you all again!! I must of heard "man it is so weird knowing people by only their screen names and then finally meeting them in person" a hundred times last weekend. OK so I said it too.. but truly, it was nice to meet you all!
Brian
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So I headed out to the lake for a scouting trip as Zee mentioned earlier on Friday, but I guess it didn't really help too much! :laugh:
I got to the lake just as the sun was poking up over the coast range and it was BEAUTIFUL!
Started out trying for top water bass, but didn't get any love so I then proceeded to figure out the trout thing. A nice guy at the sporting goods shop told me to throw the garlic powerbait dough at them and boy was he right! They loved that stuff! I liked it too because it smells like pizza! After a morning of trying out various things here and there I decided to head out to the campground so I could maybe get a nap in. At the landing, met up with Zee and while talking to him and putting away my gear, an old timer rolled up and asked how the fishing was. He mentioned that there ARE a few bass in the lake, but this year was an unusually slow year for catching them.
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_22_53.jpeg)
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_23_17.jpeg)
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_23_35.jpeg)
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_23_50.jpeg)
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_24_07.jpeg)
This was a bawlsy little guy!
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_24_53.jpeg)
Back at camp, met up with some of the guys trickling in over the evening and was treated to the outstanding Curry Before the Tourney courtesy of Pelagic, Thanks again btw.
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_25_40.jpeg)
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_26_21.jpeg)
Woke up ridiculously early with an itch to be the first on the water or at least be there before the sun was up. That was me BTW with solas tape talking to the guy up on the road, Isaac. That was so damn funny! He was dumbfounded! I let him know about the site so hopefully we'll see him out on the water soon. Said he was off to get some salmon. Anyways, turned out waking up that early ended up not being completely worth it since I wasn't able to capitalize on the top water bite. Glad SOMEONE was able to though! ;) Nice work Isaac! Wish I would've worked top water a bit longer and harder. :BangHead: Oh well! Let's go for some trout! Busted out the Powerbait and worked it hard for the rest of the morning trolling. I ended up picking up plenty of trout, but in the end, I was no match for the trout master, goldendog! Overall, fished for ten hours only taking a break to run up in the woods for relief. :pottytrain3:
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/527_15_09_09_7_26_49.jpeg)
It was a beautiful morning, and it was tons of fun seeing everyone out there! Congrats to the winners!
Thanks again to Zee and everyone else who put this together! Can't wait for next year!
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Yaknitup,
Great Photos! You have a good eye for photography. Thanks for bringing back memories of a wonderful day!
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Ya know, been thinking about that lake, and i'm almost wiling to bet that a competent fly rodder would have cleaned all our clocks there. i bet those fish see everything from spinners to worms and bobbers almost daily,, but seldom ever see a fly pattern. a 5 wt with a clear sinking tip and a size 4 muddler or woolly bugger would probably be just the ticket.
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Ya know, been thinking about that lake, and i'm almost wiling to bet that a competent fly rodder would have cleaned all our clocks there. i bet those fish see everything from spinners to worms and bobbers almost daily,, but seldom ever see a fly pattern. a 5 wt with a clear sinking tip and a size 4 muddler or woolly bugger would probably be just the ticket.
Based on the size of those fish, I think a 5 wt would be overkill...maybe a 3 wt and some size 20-24s
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PSR is giving me beard envy. Good lord, that thing is a pelt. Must grow one.
I'm here for you bro.... Just use this
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Man, that raffle is going to be the death of my bank account! :D
I am now adding the custom gaff and the Okuma kayak fishing rod in addition to the Bahia Tour PFD to my already-too-long wish list!
Ugh! so much cool gear, so little WAF! :D
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haha, i hear ya! Since i've been home I've added the rod, and more gear that I saw this weekend to my Amazon wishlist. Now to spread the word since my birthday, anniversary and christmas are all coming up...
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Sorry I missed the party. Hope to be there next year. Congrats to the winners, especially TN for his 1st's. Very cool!