Well grey zone and the rest of ya make the mistake of being nice. We all are kayak anglers right? That means we all have a little narcissist in us too right?
So as I looked at the post count...as narcissistic anglers often do, I thought "Hmmm...seems low." I realize I hadn't posted an update on the Winter Homer King Derby held March 21. So uhh...a little more Alaska scenery to convince some of ya that are talking about road trips and cabins to get up here pretty much any time of year. Besides, with my GF taking pictures with a DSLR, these pics are much better. I am working with a place that rents pro anglers and outbacks and there are a few extra kayaks laying around up here. So C'mon up. In the words of my favorite mentor... "Try not! Do or Do not. There is no try."
So without further adieu...I sure hope I haven't posted this yet. lol.
Reprinted from my blogs with a few edits.
The 22nd annual Homer Winter King Derby was held this weekend. $100 per entry. This was my third year entering. The previous two years I have been blanked. The weather and fish certainly cooperated for the derby. Records were shattered in number of anglers, boats, and fish caught. The total ended up being 1,324 anglers, on 386 boats (7 kayaks) with 590 fish caught! That fish per angler was 0.45 fish per angler.
There were 3 Hobie Outbacks, two Pro Anglers, one wilderness System kayak, and a Native Propel. Two kayakers including myself entered fish. Of the seven, 5 were from "TEAM NWKA". A huge shout out and thanks to those who entered! AKRod, EricBlim, Michilutiiq, and Uuqutiiq!!!!!!!!
I only got to speak to Travis on the Wilderness System. A third kayaker, Derrick (sp?) lost a fish which was unfortunate because had he landed the fish instead of being 0.29 fish per kayak angler it would have been 0.43 which would have been virtually identical to the power boats! Now THAT is pretty cool! Especially when you consider the area we fished is NOT consider a hotspot by any means and most boats traveled at least ten miles one way to get to their spots. My 16.2 lbs fish was the first ever entry and winner in the kayak division in this derby.
I pre-fished the derby on Friday with AKRod and EricBlim from the NWKA forums. I managed a fish in the first 5 minutes of fishing but didn’t get another strike the rest of the day. I caught it on a chrome Silver Horde Coho Killer spoon behind a red/chrome Fish Flash flasher and 12oz of weght.
On derby day, I had a solid strike early but when I reeled up, 40lbs fluorocarbon had been cleanly cut off just above the spoon. I switched to herring and nothing. Switched back to a Black and White coho killer spoon and within 2 minutes had my fish on! I am starting to think the action of the spoon trumps the fishiness of herring. More reaction strike than an "eating" strike…maybe?
A strange mix of weather. Cold and breezy in the morning. Blazing sun and heat during lunch, then a few more sprinkles. But you couldn’t ask for a better time!
To add a little more kayaking flair to my story, I head out Sunday on a powerboat with friends who had gotten skunked during the derby. Four rods for 6 hours and zero strikes. Maybe my kayak really is more optimal in catching fish! Lol.
Great times, slow fishing. But who can complain!!! Thanks to the Homer Chamber and the entire community for holding this great event! We willdefinitely be back!!!!
So a fairly unedited video. My Friday and Sat fish. Double my normal length at 5 minutes, but pretty amazing considering I hit the button pretty much as soon as I get the rod in hand and get the fish initially under control...about 10 seconds after the strike. It sure feels like an eternity when you are fighting a good fish, but to be able to land two kings in under 5 minutes sure seems like a lot faster than when we are on a boat. I know its different in rivers but we've battled big kings for nearly an hour.
It's definitely one of the things I like best about kayak fishing and one of the things I like the least. What I like is I swear my hookup to landed ratio is off the charts compared to fishing from shore or a big boat. I attribute that to the fact that kayak acts as another shock absorber. Instead of the fish just running for a hundred yards, the kayak slowly gets towed and it slows the fish down sooner. So the thing I hate most is the same concept. I don't think the battles off a kayak are anywhere near as exciting as from the shore or the boat. I learned in my ultralight fishing days, the fish seemed to battle proportionately as hard as you pulled. Yah, length of fight may differ, but the "berserkness" factor is much lower from a kayak in my opinion.
oh yeah, the video...sorry.
https://youtu.be/a2i0Mr1DEHI
A few..uh, bunch of pics. All the good ones courtesy of Michelle.
And finally my favorite pic with my daughter Sakurako!
