Nor Cal HOW Volunteers/Troops take on San Pablo Reservoir

Success!!!

Once again...  Everyone kicked butt and worked hard to get the vets out on the water and even some fish!

GB2 was the Hot Guide for the day and got his group scoring all day... other vets fished from shore as severe mobility issues were at hand and had action with one missing a giant trout... Got to give it to these brave souls,,, San Pablo Res is down quite a bit because of some Sacramento thing and they want the res down, Wonder what thats about...

anyway, some of the vets who could barely walk, made it down to the shore,,  fighters all the way... couple more hook ups on the shore and more out on the water...

KayakJack at the helm with Breakfast burritos, and Birthday Boy Raydon took lunch Grill duties with a variety of Hamburgers, polish pineapple links, tofu, Mediterranean pita, humus and sauté grilled Red Pepper...

Huge Thanks to Kathy at Delta Adventures for bringing out a trailer full of yaks and helping out on the water. Kathy scored a trout too!

And San Pablo Reservoir administration and staff,,,  not only did they waive entrance fees and quagga fees, they basically just came out and checked the yaks with no paperwork, made it so easy as well as all the paperwork I usually have to do for these events... could not have been more accommodating and helpful..

Thank you San Pablo Reservoir!!!!

Props again to the Volunteers...

Raydon
KayakJack
RacidRacinRob
GB2
Schiken
"Ted" The Fish Monger From Berkeley Bowl
Jer Bear
Kathy

These Volunteers got 25 vets out on the water, on fish and fed 2 Fantastic meals....

Not too mention Everyone had an Awesome time....   

  Strong Work everyone!!!!

More pics...

Thanks Don for organizing another successful event. Had a great time. Got there a little before 8 AM and helped Jack prep the breakfast burritos then took Molly for a hike on the "whopper" trail to look for fish. Rob was trolling and I saw him hook up and also spotted some rising trout and picked a spot to target if I was needed to guide. I actually did not plan to fish and didn't bring a yak or any equipment. Got back to the rec area and helped Don rig a bunch of rods for bait soaking. Jack served his burritos and they were sooo good. Jack's cooking has become the talk of the VA and I think some of the vets come just to eat his food.

We were short of volunteers so I ended up guiding 3 female vets. We paddled 2 tandems to the spot I picked out. The vets wanted to fish from the yaks but decided to fish from shore because there was enough wind to make bait soaking difficult without an anchor. One of the vets was a cat fishing expert from Kentucky and hooked up after 10 minutes. Man that gal had some skill. Even brought her own secret bait. I told her she should be a HOW guide. It was a steady pick and they were pretty much schooling me until the last 10 minutes and I hooked 2 trout on green power bait. Everybody ended up with fish and I kept my HOW streak alive. I actually work hard to get the vets on fish, much harder than fishing alone.

Had to leave early to get back to work and missed Ray's birthday cake. Molly had a great time licking the vets. Joel was there in spirit. Life is good.

Scott

Howdy again...

  Just wanted say that the VA has more than once commented on how professional and organized we are...

  They work with plenty of other Orgs. who are much more well funded and larger,

  They have said consistently, we are the best outfit to work with and they have seen the most in happy faces from the vets that have participating with us...

To date:  Over 800 wounded vets and their families on the water due to NCKA Volunteers...

  Strong work ya all.....   

I got there about 7:00 and Jack was already setting up the kitchen.  The  San Pablo concessionaire was a great help this year. As Don said, inspection was easy, getting fishing passes and generally being the most friendly yet.  When the vets started showing up and I was crunching the numbers  I thought we are going to have to group them and take them out.   If you have never volunteered, or  feel like you might like to contribute to the greater good, sign up next time.  Without Kathy of Delta Kayak, we would not have been able to saddle the vets up.  She has come through on the last couple of HOW events and deserves praise.  The vets came with  more balance issues than ever along with some vets that were reluctant to take part in the kayaking.  The therapists  worked with their patients, walked them down the bank close to the shore so we could get them set up to hold a fishing pole.   There was one vet that was totally withdrawn and stayed away from the crowd.  However, his therapist was able to talk him into a tandem and away they went.  He had never been in a kayak before, and was literally shaking with fear as I sat him in the yak.   Jack knocked it out of the park with his breakfast burritos, Rob took several people out and had a 2000 calorie slice of cake;  Scott is thinking of changing his occupation to professional fishing guide with emphasis for women veterans, Marv saved the day by bringing his Weber, in his Subaru, Delta Kayak saved our bacon, Ted of Berkeley Bowl, a non NCKA help with prep work and is generous with his knowledge of foods and especially fish.  Of course, none of this would have happened without Don managing the piles of paperwork, and telephone calls.  Good Job Team NCKA.

If you have never volunteered, or  feel like you might like to contribute to the greater good, sign up next time. 

Hey NCKA

I know you may have to take a day off of work but it is worth it. We need more volunteers. The events have become very popular and we need to staff up. Joel was always there for the HOW outings. Those who have sacrificed for our freedom deserve the very best.

Scott

Strong work everyone. Strong work.

If you have never volunteered, or  feel like you might like to contribute to the greater good, sign up next time. 

Hey NCKA

I know you may have to take a day off of work but it is worth it. We need more volunteers. The events have become very popular and we need to staff up. Joel was always there for the HOW outings. Those who have sacrificed for our freedom deserve the very best.

Scott

Thanks Raydon and Scott,

                                                                         WWMD?



                                                                What Would Mooch DO?

If you have never volunteered, or  feel like you might like to contribute to the greater good, sign up next time. 

Hey NCKA

I know you may have to take a day off of work but it is worth it. We need more volunteers. The events have become very popular and we need to staff up. Joel was always there for the HOW outings. Those who have sacrificed for our freedom deserve the very best.

Scott

Very well said Scott.

 I fished early with one person and got him on some fish. Later I just trailed a vet as he did not want to fish. I just made sure he stayed safe. I of course trolled behind and beside him in hopes of handing him my pole. He had been fishing from shore with no luck. After he went backin I got back on the fish and landed a few. Every time I got near Scott I heard "fish on the stringer". Your amazing with these people Scott.

Thanks to all of you who stayed late to clean up. I usually will be about the last to leave, but had to get going Fri to take care of some business.

Great job as always NCKA!
 

thanks to everybody who showed up and helped out. It seemed like we had a really great vibe going with the troops.  Perhaps the best yet at a HOW event. I can't wait for the next one. Don, when is the next one? Berryessa? soon?   

Thanks for another job well done guys.

thanks to everybody who showed up and helped out. It seemed like we had a really great vibe going with the troops.  Perhaps the best yet at a HOW event. I can't wait for the next one. Don, when is the next one? Berryessa? soon?

I'm trying to break the doors down at Pathway as we speak and yes, Berryessa or Hennessy is the target....

Great job everyone.  Wish I could have made it.
Looked like a great day to have a HOW event.