This year the forecast called for possible thunderstorms in the afternoon all weekend, and on Friday just prior to the captains meeting a large storm blew though.  Luckily after that the weather cooperated the rest of the weekend.  After the captains meeting it was time to fish.  In this tournament there are no hours off limits and fishing in the dark is the norm.  Over the next 43 hours I would spend over 20 of them out on the water.  My efforts would net me 18 keeper bass but none of them would come close to the eventual winners.

 

The tournament brought in nearly 150 anglers from as far away as Canada a large portion of the anglers camped in the Winter Island Park where the off the water time was split between BBQ’s, hanging around campfires, and now and then even a little rest.  It was great to see that many people from many different walks of life all come together and have a good time.  In addition to fishing and having a good time the tournament raised over $7000 for the charities; they were Heroes on the Water, Casting for Recovery, Sofia’s Fund, Greater Salem Boys & Girls Club and the Floating Hospital for Children.  And as always I have to give thanks to all the sponsors that donated lots of great prizes for the raffles, including kayaks from Hobie and Cobra.  There was also a special raffle from Hook 1 for The Ultimate Fishing Crate that was stuffed with tackle and gear.

Advanced Elements  Al’s Bait & Tackle  Aquapac Aqua Skins

Backwater Paddle Company Bending Branches Butchie Built Tubes

C-Tug Cobra Kayaks Fin & Feather First Light Anglers Fished Impressions

Guy Harvey Hobie Hogy Hook 1 Immersion Research

Kayak Anglers Pro Shop Kayalu Klip-n-Go Kayak Straps Kotatat

Lateral Line Mad Frog Gear Maui Jim MTI Mysterioso

Navionics New England Small Craft On The Water Magazine

Pelagic Point Jude Lures Ram Mounts RonZ Skwoosh

Surf to Summit The Fish Grip Wave Spin Reels Yak Attack Yak Gear


After the photos were submitted at the weigh in the results were tallied and the winners were announced at the final BBQ and the raffle prizes were passed out.  And the winners are:

Open Division:       
1st     Mark “MarkN” Nelson     46”
2nd     Matt  “Calm-Seas-Big-Fish” St. Pierre    45”
3rd     Jamie “Fish Fever” Eicher    44”

 

Ocean Kayak Pro-Staffer Mark Nelson with his winning 46” Striped Bass

Artificial Division        
1st     Billy “BillyBass” Eicher    44”
2nd     Eric “ Slappy” Harrison     42.5”
3rd     Rick “DiveBuss” Buss    41”

Billy Eicher and his first mate Brady and their class winning 44” Striped Bass

And there were no fish landed in the fly division this year.