CBKA Tournament -- A Worthy Cause and a Great Time for All

[Sun]

I have not heard any reports from anglers launching from Shipping Creek yesterday. Did anyone launch there? If so, how did you do.

I launched out of shipping creek yesterday. The water was fine in the creek, but the wind did push you pretty good.
I actually went out into Eastern Bay to troll and liveline. The land mass didn't protect the water from the wind as I had hoped...the water was still pretty choppy, and I was drifting at over 1mph with the wind and waves.

I caught some spot and a tiny croaker in 4 feet of water, 2 stripers at 15-16" trolling a deep diving yo-zuri minnow, and a 8" perch on the same yo-zuri minnow.

I didn't catch anything live lining, but I did have a spot get slaughtered by what I suspect were bluefish in about 20 feet of water.

[HokieDJ]

That's crazy Metro. That's why I always look at my yak all the time to gauge if I'm taking water by checking how low my yak sits. I'm always nervous it's going to take water one day.

I launched out of Shipping Creek also. It sucked. Caught a bunch of spots but no takers live lining except for blues. I saw it chase and chew up my spots when I had them suspended but I could not get them to bite on my lures. The north wind made the afternoon incoming impossible.

[kitkatyaker]

Hey Langston ,
What an ordeal!!! I gotta hand it to you though. You got back in the yak after reaching safety...
Enormous nuggets for getting back in.
As for the cbka tourney; I thought the organizers did an outstanding job. I really enjoyed it. I will definately return next year.
Thanks guys for an event well run and for the charities it supports.

[DOGFISH]

Very nice and very fun event. I launched out of Little Creek and fished Crab Alley Bay. It was windy with white caps. I was still able to troll around. It was my first time fishing that area. I fished around Parsons Island and a ways out into Eastern Bay proper. I did start to get a feel for some of the bottom contours and where the fish were holding. Most of my fish were small. I thought, I should have done better near Parsons Island. However, I was not marking many bait schools there and thus no fish.

All in all, I had a great time and would recommend the tournament to anyone and everyone.

[YakidiYak]

[/QUOTE] one was floating pretty far south of the Bridge..I think it was yellow [/QUOTE]
Yea, that was me in my PA12. Thought I'd troll a little and bottom fish for spot before I got to the Bridge. Ended up getting to tired fighting the waves and never made to the bridge and gave in at 1:00. New game plan for next year - great job to those that run CBKA. I had the tent with the pop up cover on top great time and meet some new folks to fish with

[FishingGeek]

Organizers did a great job, I'm planning on returning next year.

[toyomo]

This was my first time at CBKA and only second time at the BB and I will definitely be back. It was a very memorable experience and although the wind was high and the water rough it was still a great time. Getting to the bay bridge from the campsite launch I felt like the bridge was a mirage because it felt like it kept getting further away the more I thought I was getting closer. It was a long wet ride against a fast and choppy current. All worth it in the end. Nothing over 20" but over 10 fish caught I was just happy to participate.

Metroman: Glad you were ok when all was said and done. I have noticed in rough water a lot of water entering my kayak and just bought a hand bilge pump. Along with a ton of pool noodles as well as a radio im trying to do as much as I can to prevent a disaster on the water. I think a lot of factors worked in your favor and although you lost some gear the important thing is you made it back to tell the tale.

[gillplate]

sounds like despite the less than ideal conditions,all had a blast. I hope to be involved next year to share stories if nothing else.congrats to all who went, you have my envy.

[Rockchaser]

Hey Langston ,
What an ordeal!!! I gotta hand it to you though. You got back in the yak after reaching safety...
Enormous nuggets for getting back in.
As for the cbka tourney; I thought the organizers did an outstanding job. I really enjoyed it. I will definately return next year.
Thanks guys for an event well run and for the charities it supports.

She said "Enormous nuggets" Love it.

The CBKA staff does a hell of a good job every year and now they have a few days off before they have to start working on next years event. I will see you all again next year if not before.

[Goody]

My first CBKA tournament and it was a blast. Great job to the CBKA staff. Thanks for organizing the event. I'll be back next year.

[MetroMan]

lol @ Enormous nuggets

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Nobody expects to fall out...nor does anyone expect to take on water lol. It was a learning experience, and I will plan accordingly hereafter.

When I was on the beach at Hemmingways, there was a guy with a black van. He offered to transport me and my yak back to the camp. Stranger with a black van offering me a ride. ehhhh...I'll paddle back, thanks lol. Despite being in a ziplock bag, my phone is no longer working. But I have kept my original "silverback" iPhone over the years in case of emergency...so I will be trying to get that activated this morning.

I've already made my initial claim with my Homeowner's Insurance to begin the recovery process for my gear, phone & video camera. My adjuster will be contacting me within a day or so to get the actual detail of the losses. My home owner's insurance is through Ameriprise. They offer different add-on packages to cover things non traditionally covered. Their "adventure package" covers all sporting & outdoors equipment (excluding the kayak itself). All of my fishing gear is always covered. The premium is $50 annually, for $2500 coverage. My "home media package" is an additional $80 annually for $5000 coverage for all of my electronics. All items are covered regardless of fault/cause/location, no deductible.

[Goody]

lol @ Enormous nuggets

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Nobody expects to fall out...nor does anyone expect to take on water lol. It was a learning experience, and I will plan accordingly hereafter.

When I was on the beach at Hemmingways, there was a guy with a black van. He offered to transport me and my yak back to the camp. Stranger with a black van offering me a ride. ehhhh...I'll paddle back, thanks lol. Despite being in a ziplock bag, my phone is no longer working. But I have kept my original "silverback" iPhone over the years in case of emergency...so I will be trying to get that activated this morning.

I've already made my initial claim with my Homeowner's Insurance to begin the recovery process for my gear, phone & video camera. My adjuster will be contacting me within a day or so to get the actual detail of the losses. My home owner's insurance is through Ameriprise. They offer different add-on packages to cover things non traditionally covered. Their "adventure package" covers all sporting & outdoors equipment (excluding the kayak itself). All of my fishing gear is always covered. The premium is $50 annually, for $2500 coverage. My "home media package" is an additional $80 annually for $5000 coverage for all of my electronics. All items are covered regardless of fault/cause/location, no deductible.

Sorry to hear about the turtling. I'm just glad your safe and sound.

[moc]

This was a great event for me to be apart of. Thanks to everyone who participated. A new item to our CBKA Tournament was the grass roots pot-luck dinner that started after the 7pm Captain's meeting. It began at 9pm to give the participants time to cook their goodies to share and bring them into a screened in extension next to where the Captain's Meeting was held. For those of you who missed it, here are the items as best as I can remember that was there:

Masgouf Trout
Masgouf Rockfish
Jumbo Shrimp Skewers with Jerk Seasoning
Jumbo Shrimp Skewers with Mesquite Seasoning
One Bushel of Maryland Blue Crabs
Cucumber Salad
Cookies
Brownies
7 layer Dip
Salsa Dip
Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken Wings
Sausage Stewed in Onions and Peppers
Kielbasa Sausages
Hamburgers
Hotdogs
Pizza
Veggies and dips
Cokes and other Beverages

And let's not forget that we got our appetites wet with the Oyster Bar at the Captain's Meeting. Wow, that was a lot of good food. No one went to bed Hungry. It gave everyone time to mingle with each other. This is just another event to make the CBKA Tournament unique. Thanks to everyone for coming!

[jffoley]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys! Our event was a huge success. I have bills to pay so don't exactly know how much will go to Make-A-Wish Mid Atlantic and CCA MD just yet until I sort out all the expenses. We could not have done this without all the help and support of this community!

Here's the summary I'm circulating to sponsors and other web publications:

If it weren't for the windy conditions (again!) it would have been perfect! But a great time was had by all. We had 104 online registrations, almost 3 times from year 1!! Highlights include:

Raw oyster bar and CBKA friend, author, and CCA rep Shawn Kimbro at the Captain's meeting. The oysters were donated by Tyler Sondberg of Great Eastern Shellfish. Shawn provided words of support and the local fishing report. What a great combo.

The Friday night potluck get together was a huge hit. It was a great time meeting fellow kayak anglers and swapping stories. The food was excellent including the donated crabs from Bette S. Kenzie of Easton, MD and coordinated by Dana "Coop" Cooper. And the Masgouf style open fire fish roast was provided by Mustafa Hussin(AbuMasgouf on snaggedline). Thank you, Mustafa and Coop!

Saturday came and the wind had not subsided. But, a number of brave anglers went out on the main stem of the bay to fish the bridge. The majority opted for the relative calm areas on the eastern side of Kent Island. Those that braved the 3' waves were rewarded with the larger and more numerous striped bass that were caught. Personally, I would have left the donated Carefree Boat Club chase boat at the dock if I didn't commit to be out there with fellow director Martin and volunteer photographer, Russ Hewitt. Alot more fish were caught this year including striped bass to 30" for the win. Another went 29" and several others in the upper 20 inch range.

Speakers at Saturday's awards included Ms. Ashley Jefferson of Make-a-Wish Mid Atlantic. Ashley provided some examples of wishes granted to local kids including a great video of little 8 year old Lateef meeting his hero, RGIII. You'd have ice in your veins if that video didn't reach you.

CCA MD Executive Director Tony Friedrich provided a summary of CCA efforts to "defend the fish" and brought along surprise speaker, Tom O'Connell, Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Director of Fisheries. Tom provided words of support for our grass roots efforts of conservation and updates on DNR activities to support local fisheries.

This year we held 3 raffles. The regular raffle was for accessories, fishing equipment, gift certificates, books, and more. A second raffle for a Hobie kayak donated by Easton Cycle & Sport sold out! The 3rd raffle for a Jackson Kayak Coosa donated by Valley Mill Boats along with several other high end items was a great success.

Overall, our most successful event to date. Really, really appreciate your support. Looking forward to next year. Thank you!!

Regards, John
Chesapeake Bay Kayak Anglers, Tournament Director
www.chesapeakebaykayakanglers.com

[jffoley]

Oh yeah, our grandma award winner said "Enormous nuggets" ! LOL!

Now, how many tournaments attract grandmothers!!!