Wrap Up 5th Annual CBKA Tournament September 10th 2016

Another Chesapeake Bay Fishing Tournament in the books. For me it was great to be out on the water with my kayak after two and a half months due to relocating and my truck having mechanical issues. Living now in South Eastern Delaware it was a pleasure to have half the driving distance to the venue on Kent Island Maryland. This was my third year to be present at this beautiful venue.

Preparation:

It was the first kayak haul for my new 2016 F150. I took the Friday off from work which worked out as I was able to get my new truck bed cap installed at the ARE Dealer, Trick Trucks in Millsboro DE. Previously had removed the Thule rack in anticipation of installing it on the new cap asap. It took me around an hour to drill and bolt on the rack to my new cap. It was now pretty set for kayak hauling. I loaded up and let around 3:50 PM to arrive at the venue around 6:00 PM.

Arrival:

Upon my arrival meeting up with Joe Hostler. Checked in and received my captains bag stocked with goodies. Then awaited the captains meeting. After sitting trough that went to the field to set up my tent. The day was a scorcher at 95 degrees and high humidity. As the sun set during the potluck dinner which I provided some tuna mac with crab salad. All of the potluck food brought by others was excellent as always. Joe’s mac salad was amazing along with various other items such as jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, and a crab mac & cheese dish.

As the evening set in the temperature leveled at about 86 degrees as the humidity shot through the roof. The conditions were not the best to be camping but made the best of it. Sat in the truck air conditioning for a bit. Finally going to the tent around 12:00 am. Some of the guys were still up hanging out and apparently were until around 3 am.

Tournament Day:

The morning came fast. Sounds of alarms and others waking from camp. It was still dark but not for long. I went over and met Joe at his cabin grabbed some coffee and rigged up a few rods. We were probably the last to launch but it worked out because driving to the drop in was simple. Rather than loading up the kayaks and walking then there on kayak carts. Hitting the water we immediately started fishing for bait. In these areas Spot are an excellent source of bass bait. Spot can be gathered using a small 1/0 Octopus hook a small bit of weight and a fish bite or small piece of blood worm.

After about a dozen or so spot and catching small white perch at the same time we trolled over to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in search of solid fish marks on the chart plotter. By this time the wind had kicked up from the southeast and it was rocking and rolling out there. Live lining for bass was non eventful after a few hours. The stripers just didn’t seem to cooperate on the live bait.

Attempted trolling for hours catching one small striper around 17″. We went back at catching perch with an attempt to place in that category but could only manage fish up to 8″. We fished the entire time and missed the weigh in but were sure we had nothing that qualified for placing in the tournament anyway. It was a great day to be out on the water doing what I love the most.

The awards ceremony commenced and as always is very well put together. A representative from the make a wish foundation was present and spoke a little bit about the charity followed by a tear jerking video of a boys wish to take a trip on a US aircraft carrier. They really do amazing things for these kids whom unfortunately endure a lot of pain and suffering. This is what we do it for!

If you have never attended the Chesapeake Bay Kayak Anglers tournament come next year and check it out. Hang with a bunch of friendly kayak anglers.

A New Venture In Life

On June 28th 2016 I embarked on a new venture in life. Like many others said goodbye to New Jersey for a more relaxed and affordable way of life. Moving to South Eastern Delaware is a dream that has come true finally. Although I will always be from Jersey I’m happy not to be living there any longer. Setting it straight Jersey has much to offer. In the burbs mostly a safe place to live. New Jersey has a lot to offer from its sandy beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and its inner bays to its vast forest land and lakes. However the middle class is running away and have every reason to. From stupid laws for stupid people that kill freedom to its harsh unreasonable firearms laws the state has become a tough place for outdoorsmen to enjoy the freedoms that they are their god given right.

Some of you may have noticed that posts on The Plastic Hull have slowed. This was due to my big move in June – July. It took most of June to pack up and sift through everything acquired over the past 14 years living there. Able to purge enough to only make 2 trips with a 12 x 6 box trailer that Chris Parson of The Kayak Fishing Store graciously let me borrow. IT however was a giant billboard!

I quit my job giving myself about a month to move and unpack comfortably prior to starting a new job lined up prior to moving in Lewes Delaware the second week of July. The moving process was painful. At the 2 weeks away point, feeling way ahead of where I thought turned out to be an illusion. There was so much more to do and to the bitter end.  Thanks to my friends and family for all of the help. Especially my buddies Leonard and Dan. Without their help I would still be living in NJ.

I thought there would have been time to do other things especially a bit of fishing but the time just slipped away. I was able to accomplish a few bucket list things prior to leaving. Mainly visiting brewery’s in NJ and the surrounding area.One final Heroes on the Water event in Wildwood and with a good friend showing me around the Philly area which previously had never experienced. Good times and cherished every minute as the deadline was set.

Leaving a place after living and working locally for 14 years was in a way hard but in another a huge relief. A new start is welcomed! Departing wasn’t hard. It was funny because i stopped to get gas and a bite to eat at a Quick Check and for the first time saw Chris Christie the NJ governor in person just getting a drink. I had to do a double take. What a great way to leave. I plotted a route to take the Scutters Falls bridge out of NJ so I didn’t have to pay a toll to leave. How gratifying is that! It was an excellent cool night to make the last drive with the trailer and the bed of my truck fully loaded.

We arrived just before midnight and the next day it was unloading time. Leonard stayed a few days although the weather wasn’t all that great. Dan arrived and we had a good time hanging out at Paradise Grill a local beach resort style bar/club on the bay. I could get used to the beach life! The following Monday I started the first week at the new job. This was the day I felt how laid back it is here. Working in Historic Lewes its loaded with tourists during the day. The first town in Delaware it includes historic homes and buildings. Located on the Delaware bay its is an old port town. Setters traveled by sailing wood vessels in to live in the USA. There is alot of History and unique architecture in Lewes which makes it a great town to work. Along with its unique shops and restaurants. I’m hoping there is ghost tours around Halloween!

Just when its all going well my truck decides its going to break. After the big move it seemed I needed just about a new everything else. Mechanic tried to fix the problem but it ended up being worse. It was time for a newer vehicle anyway i was just hoping for a few more months. SO after weeks of my mom helping me out by carpooling her to work using her Honda Pilot then me driving the rest of the way with my dad picking her up everyday was getting old a week in. 3 weeks later finding a used truck I liked but the salesman selling it to someone else for $500 above my offer i decided to buy new. Now sitting my driveway is a beautiful 2016 Ford F150. I don’t typically brag but its a beautiful truck!

I haven’t been kayak fishing since that HOW outing at Wildwood in June. I severely miss it. Although having to been able to get out paddling to keep me sane. Once my new kayak hauler is set up I will be fishing as much as possible to close out the summer and into the fall. This is one advantage of living more south. A longer fall season.

Delaware has much to offer. There isn’t really much of a “rush hour” as a matter of fact everyone that lives here are not in a rush. This is a good and bad thing. The worst part about it is while driving you could be the only vehicle on the entire road. A majority of people here will pull out right in front of you. Then proceed to drive 10 miles per hour below the speed limit. If your not in a rush then wait to pull out when the car with no one behind them passes. Other than that great beer is minutes away at both 16 Mile Brewing Company or Dogfish Head, My dad has been taking me to 16 Mile for the past 5 years now.

Fishing is in my backyard now. Within minutes to the bay 20 min tot he ocean and 15 minutes to the closest pond its the best of both worlds. Delaware Paddlesports is right around the corner so i plan on doing more with then as soon as i am set up with my truck.

Future plans are to be present at the CBKA tournament on Kent Island MD and then the TKAA Tournament at Norfolk VA. Hoping my kayak hauler is all set by then! On to making some local friends and fishing buddy’s. I will still see everyone that I love in Jerzy soon. I will fish Raritan Bay again in the future as that is the one place among a few others I will whole heatedly miss.

For a few years it has been a dream of mine to be present at the YakAttack tournament. Previous years unfortunately the tournament date conflicted with the J-Bay tournament. 2016 was different however! The 8th Annual YakAttack Tournament was scheduled for the following weekend on Saturday May 21st. I was in and so was Ricky Wolbert! Planning started months in advance as the tournament was capped at 180 total registered anglers. For me this was a road trip being that the tournament is located in the area of Farmville Virginia, A 6.5 hour drive from my residence.

Meeting up with Ricky on a sunny warm May afternoon at his pad in Philly we transferred my gear and my Jackson Cuda 14 to his SUV and kayak trailer. Three nights worth of camping and fishing an unknown area we had to be decisive on what to bring. Our gear and everything had just fit. We were on our way crossing our fingers that we we wouldn’t get stuck in the major waste of time we call Washington DC traffic. Along the way in Virginia we stopped at Wawa for gas and a quick lunch break. It was nice to stop for a few minutes but little did we know the traffic on I95 was building ahead. Ricky calls it a “Rubbernecker” with a drawl!

Eventually arriving at Burkville the home of YakAttack LLC  not knowing what was around understanding we were deep in the country we settled eating at a strange “family restaurant” for dinner. I have to say I think it was the most bland food I have ever had in my entire life. Some research should have been done but it is the way it is. After chowing down it was the race to camp to set up before dark. Upon our arrival the camp site was perched on a 30 degree slope. We knew there was inches of rain to fall the next night and were hoping the slope wouldn’t turn into a river. Pitched our tents in a way that we would be able to tarp both of them in preparation for the impending monsoon that was forecasted. Hung out with some of  the other Jersey anglers who also made the road trip. Enjoying a few beverages before getting into the sleeping bag. The night became cold and damp but sleeping wasn’t a problem.

Friday morning it was time to pre-fish. We awoke to a very cool and damp morning which was a chill to the bone. Taking it easy and in no hurry and we left camp around 8 am in search of coffee and some breakfast sandwiches. In the country gas stations seem to be the place for quick breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Ricky found a gas station that had some amazing coffee and decent breakfast food. From there it was onto fishing at Briery Creek Lake a nationally recognized lake for its record breaking  Largemouth Bass.

John Oast called in as he was on his way down from PA. He is a local to the area being born and raised nearby, He gave us some info on where to launch and I plugged the road into my GPS. 45 min later we were on a windy wooded dirt country road headed downhill to the lake. At the end we found a gate and no real access to the lake. It turned out the road number was the same on the other side of the lake!. So we circled halfway around the lake to the actual boat launch area. It was time to hit the water!

Briery Creek Lake is told to be one of the top Bass fishing destinations in the country. Loaded with timber or dead trees from when the Dam was built flooding the valley. Much of the timber resides just inches below the water line. Its easy to catch one of these in the kayak scupper and get stuck or have one hit the hull the wrong way and flip you right over. Caution was the #1 priority here. This timber is structure which holds a ton of bass. For me fishing freshwater is something that doesn’t happen often and it is always a learning experience. Fishing timber is one of those learning curves brought by this unique location. Attempting spinner baits and soft plastic worms not having any luck. Switched over to a crank bait in a shallow cove. At a sharp drop off from inches of water to about 6 feet I found the bass hanging on beds. I landed two fish up to 17 inches which is a record for me from the kayak. The bite only lasted a few minutes. By the time Ricky came over it was pretty much over. He missed one as it shook itself off his lure. By this time John Oast had arrived and we met up with him. He gave us some pointers and he ended up with a dink before we called it a day. On the way back to camp in search of a tarp for the tents since heavy rain was in the forecast. We located a Lowes where I purchased a tarp which would be very much needed for the night to come.

Back at camp we met up at the captains meeting. The ability to purchase raffle tickets was available for 3 different raffles. A general raffle which had pretty generous prizes such as an Orion cooler, an assortment of paddles, electronics, and just about any YakAttack product you could think of. Another raffle was for a nice fishing rod benefiting a local fellow (I forget his name) whom was a big part of the tournament and the sport. And the big raffle was for 4 different kayaks and a fishing SUP. The rules were discussed a prayer was said and it was time to feast. One rumor proven true is that the Yakattack tournament provided the best meals. Captains meeting dinner consisted of an excellent seafood soup, Rib eyes, T bones along with Ribs, hotdogs, and a ton of sides. The brownies were so good! They definitely eat well in the country and are generous to their guests!

Following dinner we went to back to camp to settle in for the night. It began raining late in the evening. Awaking to the sound of buckets of water being dropped on the tarp over the tent it poured for 3 hours non stop. Amazingly the tarp kept the tents dry. Opting to sleep in anyway and wait out the weather.

It was a damp cool and wet morning that eventually became an overcast day. Ricky and I left camp around 7:30 after the rain had ended. We attempted to find a gas station breakfast but didn’t have much luck. Ricky ate a questionable plastic wrapped breakfast sandwich as I opted to find something better.

Fishing wasn’t good. Couldn’t find the bass. Fished Briery Creek Lake for about 5 hours with really no luck. I threw just about every different color in my tackle box along with different lures such as spinner baits, crank, creature baits, baits and plastic worms. Nothing produced unfortunately. However I do feel the angler pressure from the previous day 4 inches of rain totaling out to a 1 foot rise in water level along with the cooling down of the water temps had a lot to do with the lack of fish caught there on tournament day. However it didn’t matter to Ricky and I. We were there to have fun which is what the YakAttack tournament is all about.

There’s no prizes for catching the biggest fish besides a fish print from Rob Choi and bragging rights. Typically the freshwater tournaments are money prizes. In this case the prizes were raffled out to everyone that was registered and all of the proceeds were to benefit charity’s such as Heroes on The Water and Project Healing Waters.

Back at the awards dinner the winners of the tournament were announced. Representatives of the respective charity’s spoke a little and raffles were read off in between. Dinner was then served as the raffles continued. Once again the food was excellent. It was a joy to be resent at the YakAttack tournament this year.IF you have never been do check it out next year! You will not be disappointed. Keep an eye out for future tournament announcements on the YakAttack Forums.

Thanks to John Hipsher, Luther, his family, and everyone else that worked so hard to make it such a successful event. The 8th Annual YakAttack Tournament was a great experience for us all.

My apologies this post should have been finished months ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwPsPYQvP9o&feature=youtu.be