What did I learn from ORC 2013...

Honestly, there is more that I learned in the last few days than I ever thought I would learn in 5 years when it comes to kayak fishing in the salt. Here are a few of the things I took away from this years AWESOME experience...

1. Use your full name instead of an avatar when it comes to this (or any) website forum, otherwise you get called, Dan, Dave, John, Andrew, Mark, Wilma, Ethel, Joseph, or Barney. Mark Collett said it was so much easier to just go by his first and last name - no one got HIS name wrong. D'oh!

2. People will go out of their way to be helpful even though you're a noob. Many of you answered questions, shared some of your secret weapons, and were patient with our ignorance out there. No one I met was stingy with their information. The free flow of beer, I'm sure, helped to contribute to this... Next year, I'm bringing my friend Jose Cuervo with me...

3. Respect the salt. It was important to depart and enter the bay in small groups or with a partner. Fish near someone. Take your marine radio with you. The ocean is a huge daunting creature for those of us who have only experienced it in protected areas and were spoiled growing up in SoCal waters. I was wanting to fish a little closer to shore, but because it was only my second day in the ocean, I held back. Next year, with more practice this year, I might get a LITTLE closer to look for that winning Cabby.

4. Karma pays off. When you think of your fellow man first and his or her well being, sometimes forces are put in motion for good mojo in your direction. Well done and MUCH respect!

5. Make sure you have ALL of the gear you're going to take with you. Don't forget your fish wacker (unless you don't mind punching a fish in the neck - you know who you are), bring a burlap sack or cold bag to put your fish in, and make sure your batteries are charged in your fishfinder, VHF radio, video camera, etc.

6. A fishfinder with a GPS is a MUST in the ocean. It was nice to have my Eagle 300, but I would hit that big mound of fish, catch one, drift, and then have trouble returning to it even with my compass and looking at the points of reference around me.

7. Don't rock the boat! I had a plastic box with the winning lure in my hatch in the front of my REVO, but when I moved forward near it, the kayak got tippy. Not worth it to open it up in my opinion. Next time, I'm going to make sure I take my milk crate with me to make things a bit more easy to access.

8. People will feed you at the ORC. I brought too much food for myself, not thinking that people would be so generous with their food. This event was like a family event, and in many ways, it was a family event. People took care of each other. Bring snacky foods for yourself in the down time (including breakfast), but bring a side dish, for Friday and Saturday night to share with your new family. Dino, thank you so much for your mad cooking skills. That pig was delish. Andrew, you were very thoughtful to think of the gluten-free options for Saturday night.

9. Thank the generous sponsors who contribute to these events. I usually don't put stickers on my yak (it's a big corporation hang-up I have), but when you donate items to a cause I like, your sticker earns a spot on the Ms. Salma (my kayak). Thank you too to Allen for filleting the lingcod and rockfish that I donated to the cause.

10. Thank the organizers of the event so that we have more of these in the future. To Jammer and everyone else who made this weekend something I'll tell everyone about for years, a HUGE thank you. Sometimes you may think it's a thankless job, but the joy, happiness, and friendships that these events solidify make me respect you all the more.

I know there are many more things that I will share as they come to me. Was there anything out there that YOU learned this weekend at the coast regardless if you were a salt-Noob or a salty-dog?

True

Many of the points above, but I also learned that there's some times where it's ok to throw everything in the truck and just get out on the water... but unfamiliar water is *not* one of those times.  One of my ama sidekicks came loose and I had to pull it in early, once I got back in the jaws it fell out completely.  Granted, I hadn't been in water like that, but that's kind of the point - I'll be spending some time in 2-3 foot swells for quite awhile before trying Depoe Bay again  

On that note, there's a flyer at Next Adventure that says if you've never been on the salt, you owe it to yourself to sign up for ORC... I'm not sure who was behind that, but, I'd advise rewording that   If I hadn't gone out to Westport a couple times prior to ORC, I would have been in trouble out there.

On a positive note, I also learned that NWKA isn't the snobs I would have originally assumed (before participating in the forum)... I'll be hitting up Washington folks willing to go out with a noob'ish for sure, not just waiting until the next ORC.

  Very well said True,

 I totally agree with all the points you mention.
 Except your 1st one------the only reason I use Mark Collett is because I can remember how to spell it (most of the time).
 I would like to apologize to anyone that I might have called by the wrong name. If I could remember all of you by avatar and your real name---I'd be doing great  But--my CRS and "old-timers"  get me every time. Now if I could only remember what those are

 #2-- Jose is a great guy. But I've learned to stay away from him...I get too stupid.
  #3---practice helps......this ain't Kansas Dorthy.
 #4----good karma goes a long way. Nurture it and feed it well
 #5-----Nate told me his "Fist of Fury" crushed his cabby's skull. Glad to hear it...might have saved some wear and tear on your own hand.
 #6----GPS is a plus..especially on the salt where it can and does get foggy --fast.
 #7----most of us carry too much "stuff". Minimize !!!  or get training wheels.
 #8----this is your family--or at least an extended part. Love everyone's generosity.
 #9----Our sponsors are totally great.
 #10----Our organizer's did such an awesome job. None of us will ever know all of the "behind the scenes" work they have done. It was a lot..........thanks so much.

 Cool thread Fred.....appreciate you starting this and looking forward to the replies.

On that note, there's a flyer at Next Adventure that says if you've never been on the salt, you owe it to yourself to sign up for ORC... I'm not sure who was behind that, but, I'd advise rewording that   If I hadn't gone out to Westport a couple times prior to ORC, I would have been in trouble out there.

This year was the worst for me. The 2 previous years were in June and was really calm compared to this year.  I was hoping that it would rain so the wind would die down and the waves would be smaller. Sorry to hear of your troubles.

4. Karma pays off. When you think of your fellow man first and his or her well being, sometimes forces are put in motion for good mojo in your direction. Well done and MUCH respect!

Amen!

1. Use your full name instead of an avatar when it comes to this (or any) website forum, otherwise you get called, Dan, Dave, John, Andrew, Mark, Wilma, Ethel, Joseph, or Barney. Mark Collett said it was so much easier to just go by his first and last name - no one got HIS name wrong. D'oh!

That's why on forums I sign all my posts with my first name.  So my first name is associated with my screen name.

-Allen

All good points True.   I would also add that being able to self rescue is a pretty big deal...I learned that my first time out at PC last month.

Also, you guys can cook...that was some awesome food!