BAM IV

Well, the weather was tough, the fishing was hard, yet we still had a GREAT time.

The results:

1st-Tote with an 11 pound 15 ounce limit
2nd-Dans 964 with a 10 pound 3 ounce limit
3rd-Freddie with an 9 pound 9 ounce limit

We weighed 26 fish, most small by Mendo standards.  Nice to see long-time NCKA folks on the podium.

Thanks to Ocean Kayak, Mark Shimizu Designs and West Marine for the support, these events wouldn't happen without there generous contributions.

More later...

I know I missed out on all the fun again! But CONGRATULAION to

Tote, Dan and Freddie!

I'm putting in my request now to be at BAM V 2009

Can't wait to read more.

again congratulation to all.

Alien 

Was thinking of you guys yesterday - glad the event was a success and congrats to the champ and placers.  Some day...   

Looks like you guys had fun. Its always fun too get together with a bunch of other yakers and fish an area together.

Long report.
I want to thank Sean for all his efforts putting this shindig together and supplying us with fantastic prizes.
Thanks to Mark Shimizu for his much coveted belt buckle. It is an honor and priveledge to have.
It is as much an honor as a thrill to have won this event considering the skill level of the all the competitors.
With the likes of Mako1, Chuch E, Freddie, Danglin, Guitarzan ( Elk winnner this year already ), Shimmy, Jonesz, Mahi-Mahi ( a mendo regular ), OBpelagic, HolyToledo, Kunz, Mickfish, FishHunter ( the original ) and the list goes on and on I figured I was just there to fish; outclassed by FAR.
I did bring the kayak rack to transport another kayak home but I do that EVERY time there is a kayak to be won. And I have always come home with that slot empty.
It seemed I was doomed from the start of this trip.
Thursday night Becky and I got everything ready and piled up to be loaded Friday morning.
Friday morning rolls around and we slept in a little longer than expected. I want to be there somewhere between 11 and 1PM. Not happening so I am in a hurry to get out of Dodge.
I unlock the vehicle and notice I left the dome lights on all night. Crap! The vehicle has a hard time turning over but it finally starts. I let it run for a solid 20 minutes while I have my morning coffee. Battery should be charged.
We load the vehicle and I am jonesin' to get on the road.
Stressin' because I want to leave I tell Becky I will meet her in the vehicle. Sitting there going over my mental list of things I have to bring it hits me; no kayak on top! Dohhhhhhhh!!!
Load the kayak and finally ready to be on our way.
We both get in, ready to go , the vehicle won't turn over. CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!!!!
Gonna have to jump it.
We both get out and I stick my arm through the window and give it one last try. Voila!! It starts!!!
About 2 blocks from home I realize I do not have my glasses. Not my fishing glasses but my seeing glasses. Screw it! I need to hurry and get outta here.
Thanks to a call from Danglin in the morning I hit up Broadway Bait for one dozen decent sized minnows. I need a couple of D batteries for the aeriator so I grab those as well and pop them in. Aeriator broken. Crap! Dude there offeres me one for a price tag of $26. No thanks, I will find one on the way.
Target in Woodland is the closest place on the way. Their fishing dept consists of a rack of Barbie fishing rods ( which I thought about ) and not much more. Crap!
Walmart in Woodland, score!
Right around Arbuckle I realize I forgot my radio. Crap! Oh well, someone nearby OTW will have one .
Make a detour to Clearlake to see how their minnows look. Smaller than what I already have so I don't get any.
After I blow by the entrance and have to turn around we arrive at Mendo around 2-2:30.
I get kayak by the water and everyting set up and ready to go for the next day.
Not exactly sure what time the rain started to dump non-stop but it did not deter the NCKA crew from having a great time.
Hit the sac early as I knew it was going to be a long day ahead.
Got woken up by a generator because if that guy is up then EVERYBODY needs to be up.
Tried to get back to sleep for a while but that was a moot point.
Shoved off around 7AM. Get ready to hook up a minnow when I look at my line. WTF?!?!?
Looked like my braid was twisted to hell and frayed starting from just past the reel and through the guides. So much for getting things ready the day before. I have NO idea how I missed that but it needed to be dealt with. I casted out a big AC plug with my other rod and trolled while I was re-rigging this one.
I cut out the tangled line. As I did I watched my weight sink to the bottom. Dohhhhhhhhh! I finally got things squared away so I reeled in the trolled AC plug only to discover I was trolling a tangled mess the whole time. One of the hooks got caught in the swivel which got caught on the other treble so it was just a gob of mess being pulled through the water the entire time. More time spent NOT fishing.
I baited up a minnow and slow trolled past Vinegar Point. Seeing no action I decided to head to the south east side.
Trolling the SE side I managed to snag a buoy thanks to my incredible inattentiveness. Had to break off and re-rig. I go to tie on the #2 Gamagatsu hooks I bought only to realize I left them in the car! I don't think a sailor could have done a better job of hurling expletives at me then I did.
I had to go with with a #4 Owner hook instead.
It was about 10 and I had nothing but frustration for my efforts to this point.
Following the shoreline I come around a point and see who I think is Dan ( I don't have my seeing glasses ) with his yak next to shore. I ask if he had any luck and he casually says yes. So I ask myself what the hell am I doing wrong? I did see Sean and his weigh boat going from kayak to kayak on the west side. I have no radio so I figure everyone is catching fish but me. Then Sean comes to Dan's kayak and he hoists TWO fish. I think DAMN, what am I doing wrong?
Sticking to my game plan of trolling close to shore, a plan which is failing miserably, I cruise past Dan and am looking at shoreline ahead of me.
Then it appears. The Holy Grail. The phenomenon I have only heard about; never witnessed. Right before my eyes, the Mendo boil!!
It was not a lot of fish, but for one who has never witnessed one before it did not matter. Just that there WERE fish was good enough for me. I started to whip out the camera then realized I was here to catch fish with the rod, not the camera. I gave a loud whistle to get Dan's attention. I gave him a wave and pointed to the boil. We were both on it. Me casting a 1/4oz Kastmaster and Dan a swimbait. Dan had a follower and I had nothing.
Still trolling the minnow I was putting the casting rod away when zzzt, zzzzt, zzzzzzzz. FISH ON!! FINALLY!!! Not big but at least it was something. My first mendo striper. Hell, my first Mendo FISH!!!
Netted and clipped I circled around with a new minnow. BENDO again! Good fight. When I saw color and the size of the head I said, this guy's a toad. Dan hailed Sean for me. When the boat showed up I had to pedal out to it because the water I was fishing was very shallow. The first fish was 4+ lbs. The second fish was 6+ lbs.
"Biggest fish so far."
You gotta be kidding me. W/O a radio I had no clue what was going on with anyone else. It was 10:30 and there was plenty of fishing time left.
I didn't think it would hold so I worked hard on upgrading.
Three more hours of nada. I worked the shoreline further south for nada.
Came back to the spot where I caught the other two. No one else was around. Wind was blowing hard. I tail hooked a minnow and back trolled him peddaling into the wind to slow the drift when zzzzzzzzzz! Fish #3 hooked. Hooked him shallow but he took me deep. Best fight of the day. He did not want to come to the kayak. Finally got him landed. Upgrade on the 4lber for sure.
I look around and no one in sight. So I tow this thing all the back to Vinegar Pt., against the wind, looking for someone with a radio only to find the weigh boat was a done deal about an hour and a half ago. No radio=no clue.
Got this fish in at 2:30 and weighted at 5+lbs.
First two fish were good enough to get it done.
Packed up and left Mendo around 7 that night with the hopes of getting in a halibut hunt today. Not happening. Too beat.
Great time, great food and the GREATEST people ever!
Can't wait to defend at BAM V.

 
Congrats on the win, Tote! Thanks for the great story - for telling tales on yourself about what you left behind, almost left behind and such. It's nice to know that others suffer that kind of challenge.

So who won Big Kitty? Also, where there a prize for best slip-and-slide by a truck on the beach? 

Film?

Congrats also to Tote, Dan and Freddie. Thanks also to Sean for putting it all together. I had to cut out early but I still had a great time.  I paddled all the way south to the spot where I caught the Striper last month. I almost had the place to myself apart from 1st place Tote and 2nd place Dan. I was a bit further south when I saw "the boil" over by them, it took me a while to work out what was happening! I hightailed it over to where they were but had no luck there or anywhere else in the 9hrs I spent dragging minnows around. I did make some video, including Tote's Toad being battled and landed.

(I've just discovered both video and video editing software, so bear with me; I'm new to this!).

Thanks Sean for hosting.  My family and I had a great time.  I was already telling my wife about my strategy for BAM V and she pretended to be interested.   

I was with the majority catching no fish, but lovin it anyway.  I never saw a boil, I think my troll was to fast and that I should of done more mooching. 

Got woken up by a generator because if that guy is up then EVERYBODY needs to be up.

Congrats Tote, this wasn't my generator because I left for fishing a little after 8am and Mama didn't turn it on for the hair dryer till about 10 am on Saturday Morning.  There was a motor sound up the hill that I think was some sort of maintenance building.

Looking forward to next year and waiting to hear who won the kitty, I did see a 10+# kitty get weighted today.

Mike

Really sweeeet and well deserved. Unfortunately had a business trip to New Mexico and missed the event. Sorry I you didn't have the opportunity to play some cribbage, then your victory would have been complete.

Scott

Great job tote. You had one heck of a day. I was thinking of you guys in my class get my med gas certs. wish I could have been there. I will hope to see you a the randy fry tournement. Have to drink some of those beers you forgot.

                                                            SQUIDLY JIM RICKER

Congrats Tote. Way to stick with it even when EVERYTHING is going wrong. I think I might try the "Tote Plan" next time I go out.

Beautiful buckle.

1. John (Jdyak) pausing in the living room/kitchen that we set up

2. Jack (Kayakjack)'s plush family accommodation

3. The fellow (never got his name) who builds wooden kayaks

Bill & his wife showed up on Friday evening with kids in hand. Couldn't get a pix of the princess. She was surrounded by all the guys.

Thank you, Sean for putting BAM together.  I LOVE hanging out with the NCKA crew.  I had a lot of fun.  I really hope there will be a BAM V.  

Congratulations Tote, Dan, and Freddie!  

Thanks Bill and Dawn for letting me stay overnight with you guys!  

Looking forward to next year and waiting to hear who won the kitty, I did see a 10+# kitty get weighted today.

My kitty was 10 lbs 2 oz to 10 lbs 4 oz.  With 45 minutes to go, I was sure I'd take it but then Guitarzan pulls in a kitty that was about 15 lbs.  I'm waiting to hear his story.  Congrats Ben!    

1. One of the tactics for a striper was to hug the shoreline. I believe that's how Dan (Dans964) bagged his limit.

2. & 4. Tried to capture the rainclouds hovering low over the lake...no rainbows this time.

3. Except when the afternoon breeze kicked up, it was like glass on the water. The wind wasn't too bad, although it did require extra paddling to maintain direction at times.