NWKA Fishing Derby Discussion

Nice fishes Allen!  The one you have in your hand looks like a Greenling (Cod), but I can't make out the rest of the ones lying next to your Prowler.  Are they black bass?

VP

Nice fishes Allen!  The one you have in your hand looks like a Greenling (Cod), but I can't make out the rest of the ones lying next to your Prowler.  Are they black bass?

VP

Hah!  That one is a 29" ling!  I'm a big guy, so I tend to make fish look small.     The rest are black rockfish and the one in front is 26" Fishin-T's ling.

-Allen

  Way-ta Go Allen, you too Fishin-T! 

You're right, the fish does look small when you're holding it.  Sorry dude.  I love fishin for Lingcod, they're exciting once hooked.  One time I hook a Blue Lingcod, it was the first time I'd seen anything so beautiful.  Had silver body and blue poka-dots.  I let it go thinking it was undersize, ...to my surprise later on...ahh well...

VP

So I forgot to mention that Snow Creek has a nice little "alcove" area of 5-6 sites across a bridge over the creek.  It is kind of hidden from the rest of the resort, yet it's right there.  I'm going to reserve these spots sometime soon.  Let me know if you want me to hold one for you.  Here's a pic from their website.  The end lot from where the picture was taken is right next to the water.  Fishin-T has already spoken for that one.  I think we can share this area amoungst quite a few people  Tom, what do you think?



They also have cabins for rent.



The cabins are set up with 4 bunks and either a double bed or 2 more bunks.  They were fairly clean and basic ... you need to supply your own bedding and other necessities.

-Allen

Posted by: polepole

So I forgot to mention that Snow Creek has a nice little "alcove" area of 5-6 sites across a bridge over the creek.  It is kind of hidden from the rest of the resort, yet it's right there.  I'm going to reserve these spots sometime soon.  Let me know if you want me to hold one for you.  Here's a pic from their website.  The end lot from where the picture was taken is right next to the water.  Fishin-T has already spoken for that one.  I think we can share this area amoungst quite a few people  Tom, what do you think?

Been meaning to ask about that, whether we needed to reserve individually, or as a group.  In any case, the short version of our family will be there. (That's Kristi, Janni and I.) We're thinking of leaving the Methow fairly early on Friday to arrive that evening. Wouldn't mind sticking a salmon (or two) on Saturday, and get the the gals out on the water.

Bill, B-R-I-N-G  I-T  O-N!!!  Hey, who let the row boater into our playground?   Roll Eyes  Yes, the derby will be open all paddle powered vessels.

 
As far as I can see, the only set rules, so far, are that we are fishing for Lings and rockfish, on Sunday, between 6:00am and noon. Probably a good idea to settle them before we start fishing!  What's going to be the criterion for winning? Heaviest stringer? Best single fish? Greatest variety?

BTW, isn't there usually a restriction on individuals from the sponsoring organization being eligible for the prize?!

V.P.,

Yeah, those were some decent lings and we hooked them in no time.  I came geared up for halibut and so I could switch to the lings easily enough, but my pole was mighty heavy for working with the black rockfish.  Allen caugth all 8 that you see and I guess he slipped me a couple of them for loaning him my yak for the pictures.  That was the NICEST collection of black bass that I've seen so far in the N.W., although there was a 7.5# reported in the derby over in Sekiu (roughly 10 mi. east from Snow Creek).  The ones in the picture, I'd estimate were from as little as 2# to maybe 4+#.  And to put my estimation into perspective, I'd estimate that the blacks that we caught at Sombrio in Sep of 2005 (ask Snag) were from 1.5# to about 3.0#.  I find that I typically estimate a little too small, out of modesty no doubt.     Seriously, these were as large on average as I've ever personally seen, and you get to keep 10 a day and have 20 total in your posession.

That strip of lawn that you see in the picture is bordered by Snow Creek (tiny, but absolutely beautiful) on the left of the picture and a very steep tree covered bluff on the other side.  Those sites are secluded from the rest of the park which is just across the foot bridge, but there is no distict boundary between any of these half dozen sites.  It doesn't look it at all in the picture above, but it's about 50 yards long (45.92 meters to you, V.P.) from the far end out to the camera.  It'll make a really good shared area.  I only picked the last one closest to the beach to help you guys out... it should help to muffle the snoring that Polepole claims I do.     All that I know is that I sure didn't hear anything!  

The launching will be as easy as I've ever seen, depending on the surf of course.  Even with a pretty good morning breeze, the surf was under 6 inches tall.  The launch area is a small sandy beach.  ALL of those fish in the picture were caught in about 3 to 4 hours, from 1/2 to 1.0 miles STRAIGHT out from the launch, near the edge of the thick kelp bed.  I have to imagine that there are plenty of much larger lings if a larger bait was to be used, although the ones that were caught were spitting up little 2 inch candlefish.

Fishin-T

Wow, absolutely beautiful photos Allen, nice explanation too Fishin-T!

Man, it sounds like you guys had a blast.  Makes me wanna cry each time I see the photos and me thinking about when I'm gonna get that SP.  I think I'll be paddling every day for the first 3 months...and then as the novelty wears off, I'll slow it down to 3...you get the drift.

Interesting that the fishes in Sombrio are smaller.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the colder climates up here?  And those campgrounds look really clean and green.  Reminds me of the many occasion I used to visit the states.  I remember on many occasion camping at the various parks and including some "rest area", one particular site really stood out in my mind and that was when we had just enter California, there was this river that ran through the area and it was so beautiful...very natural and had nice washroom facilities...which is more than what I can say for our Canadians counterpart.
The majority of the places here are stinking potable/pit toilet (I repeat, not flushable) makes me cringe everytime I think about it

I think I travel there when I was a teen more then I did in Canada.  Drove down to Oregon Coast, California at least a dozen times.  The farthest I went was Tijuana, but that was a tourist trap.

Anyways, thanks for sharing with us your trip and photos.

PS. Are you back yet old "Snag", did you catch anything?  Would you like to share with us the rest of yer fishing trip, minus all that rain on the weekend...

So VP, are you going to come join us at the derby?  It's just a hop (on the Coho Ferry), skip, and a jump down the road to Neah Bay.

-Allen

Working on the rules ... got a lot of balls in the air right now and hoping to get into a rhythm in juggling them.   I'm hoping to have a promo flyer and official rules out within a week.

Here's an overview of what I have been thinking.

• $20 dollar entry fee if you pre-register before July 29th.  $25 entry fee the weekend of the derby
• This derby is open to lings, rockfish, and cabezon.
• The derby is open to all eligible fish caught from paddle powered craft.
• You must hook and land your own fish.
• The derby starts with a 6AM launch.
• Weighin at noon.  This gives us time to pack up and leave at a reasonable hour.
• There will be TBD prizes for heaviest ling, heaviest rockfish, and heaviest cabezon.
• Heaviest fish of the above categories wins the Ocean Kayak Big Game Kayak grand prize.
• A tie shall be broken by length.  A further tie shall be broken by a coin flip.
• All categories that don't have a qualifying fish shall be awarded to the next heaviest fish.
• Employees of sponsoring organizations cannot win prizes from their respective organizations.  The judge will make all rulings regarding prizes.  I am the judge, unless someone else steps forward.   The judge is not eligible for prizes 
• All judge's decisions are final.

You get the picture. Of course all other "standard" rules like following the Washington DFW rules apply.

I'd also like to have an optional raffle with proceeds being donated to a TBD chosen organization on behalf of NWKA.  $5 per raffle entry and you can buy multiple entry tickets.  I'd like to solicit a raffle organizer to take care of this portion.  Any volunteers?  The raffle organizer shall propose some possible organizations to donate to and will run the drawing.  We shall have a poll to select the final organization.  The raffle organizer is eligible for derby participation subject to the above rules.

Thoughts?

-Allen

Those rules would work for me.

If you need any help with the promo work, let me know. (BTW, do you have any cards w/ the site listed?) I imagine you are doing a lot of juggling.

RE: a raffle- I would be willing to help with that. Not sure about a beneficiary- maybe PSA? (Puget Sound Anglers, they're about as politically involved in this statew as any group I've heard of.) Be nice if it were an organization that recognized us, though if we start providing funds, they'll all recognize us quickly!

Holy Quacamole' !!      If Allen is not allowed to play, then I'm ALL IN.  Now I REALLY like my odds. 

Thoughts on rules... okay, I'd like to see a statement that spells out whether live bait will or will not be allowed.  And I'd suggest in the name of angler fellowship and comradere that the statement about a very unlikely tie finish go something like this: "blah, blah, blah, ...will be decided by a coin flip unless the tied contestants can agree to an equitable split."

Fishin-T

Equitable split?  I can see it now ... Fishin-T wins the front half of a Big Game.  Pisco Sicko wins the back half!!!   

Live bait is legal under WDFW regulations.

Thanks Pisco, for volunteering.  I was going to volunteer you, but I figured you would anyway.     PSA sounds like a good possibility.  RFA is another possibility although I don't see them as active up here as I do in NorCal.  Please do post in the political section on any orgs you are thinking about.  It will help educate us all.

I'm going to rough out some cards by the weekend.  Nothing too professional until I have the time, but they'll at least have the logo and the site address.  I'll make up a bunch of extras and get them to whoever wants a few.

-Allen

Polepole,

I was thinking in terms of using cash to facilitate a split, should it apply to me.  If Pisco and myself were tied for that Big G, then I'd try to negotiate a dollar amount that I'd be willing to either pay or accept for the remaining half of the boat.  Turns out that Mr. Sicko and I can't come to an aggreement, now we go to that coin flip rather than fisticuffs.

Speaking of cash etc., I think it's likely that the winner is responsible for what the IRS will surely consider to be income.      Does that sound about right?  I'd be pretty sure that Ocean Kayak will write it off and said winner has just won a certain amount of income.

Fishin-T

Mr. Tom, the simple way to handle the tax liability issue is to allow me to assume it.  No prize, no tax. 

Is a special license needed for this event. I mean is snow creek area in the Reservation boundrys. I know that may sound like a dumb question but it would help those that have never been there before.