Nice one.  Incredible eating fish.

Big thanks to the generous sponsors and everybody who helps to make this the best, longest-running kayak fishing competition! ...which is mainly the participants! (screw the committee)  2016 was a pretty crazy year. See you guys @ Big Break!

Quote from: Yowlie on January 26, 2017, 02:58:36 PM

Agenda item 11.5 DQTY award (biggest DQ'd fish) 

Actually, that's kind of a good idea!

Finally a category I could compete in!

Way to Go Jackson, Hobie, Wilderness Systems, Feelfree, Orion, Pacific Nalu, Red Triangle, Abachar, as well as Yoanna and other sponsors (particularly of the 4th place prize ).  No seriously, these forums notice your contributions and we really appreciate them.  See you guys there . . . .  I know my kids are going to learn some new sailor talk . . . .

Abalone Sashimi, Grilled Cabezon, PAN FRIED MONKEY!!!!!!!! (but hey it's hard to beat a thick broiled salmon filet)

I use both a lot and prefer Costa for OTW.  I use the 580G Corbina in the darkest color and I think it is darker than the dark kahuna (maybe it is just a better shape for me).  I like a fat temple for blacking out light from the sides but it is not great for driving or cycle commuting.   I also buy cheap used vuarnet and revo on ebay instead of crappy glasses, for my throwaways . . . .  $35 for a pair of old vuarnets with glass lenses.  I just look a little like Howie Mandel . . . .

More fake news, but freezing does not work on bacteria and has to be very cold for worms

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/science/freezing-fish-killing-parasites.html?_r=0

I think we are still expecting BigJim to come back and do an official wrap, but I wanted to hear stories and see pics of peoples' 2016 DOTY experience.

My year got off great when Smosh and I were shore diving with a newbie in a kiddie pool, about to paddle out on our own and I stumbled on a nice red ten inch ab, my first ab of the season.  I swam it back to the yak and headed back to the spot.  I'm checking out holes and see a giant ling head in an open topped cave in about 7 feet.  It went 38.25 and 22lb.  That dive also yielded a nice black.


Later, after a crappy dive near Carmel, I stumbled on a huge Grassy.  It got DQ'd but still a very nice fish:


Another moment was a shore dive in MONTEREY COUNTY with blOOdbath.  I shot a huge red and swam up, only to find my spear bare.  I was yelling the F-word at the top of my lungs.  I did find a nice 19 inch red shortly after.  Later, we did a Yak dive on the flattest day.  I was floating in 25 FOW, pretty much getting skunked, when I saw a red swim by 25 feet under me.  I kicked down and missed it, but stumbled on it or its 6.5lb cousin a little later.  Swimming back a very nice olive came by to investigate.

Then there was the insane scouting mission which yielded this dive report. 

http://norcalunderwaterhunters.com/forum/index.php?topic=9903.msg80287#msg80287

I had a big day on a random December Friday, finding a big monkey, perch, and kelpie.  At the end of the day, when I thought there was no chance, I managed to find a copper.  All that remained was sheep and I paddled out with a fellow DOTY diver a few days later, who proceeds to nail one on his first drop.  Then I found the one fish he was looking for.  I did go back and find a sheep, but it wasn't a big one.  I stumbled on a very fat 36" ling that day, and it looked like I was getting all the fish he needed and a little of what I needed.  Time was getting tight, and I left on vacation.  It seemed like there were only 8 foot days left in the year.  I was pretty much stuck, maxed out on species and needing a sheep or a scallop to upgrade.  That's not what you want on 8 foot days with 3.5 knot current.  So my fate was in the hands of Rob, Steve and DG, needing, apparently a grassy, a copper, and a B&Y.  I knew that the grassy and B&Y would be pretty sure things, so could I hang on to 3rd and what were Thomas Ttwwaattaaand SeanOtter up to?  Well, on 12/30, I knew that DG and CDM must have had luck when they started paddling in at 2:39 pm.  I was congratulating DG as if it were a done deal.  He had found a copper in green and surgy conditions after hours of diving.  Little did we know that Rob had a huge Sheep in his bag and designs on ling hunting the next day.  (I knew he had a grassy but not the sheep).

Rob goes out on New Year's Eve day, in a 10 foot swell forecast (it ended up nicer I think) and finds a 36+ inch ling to go ahead by 8 or so points.  He used great tactics and spearfishing to beat a halibut holder for first.  For those who weren't watching, it was a pretty insane finish.  Setve LOrikay2had already shot a fat B&Y to round out the podium. 

Then, late in the evening, DG announces on the group PM that he is going night diving for a  perch upgrade.  I thought this was a joke, and my reaction was:  what a great sport he is to be joking when this happened.  Turned out he was night diving (and still was a great sport about the whole affair).  No perch to be had.  What a crazy world DOTY is.  Cheers, congrats, and let's hear some of your highlights . . . .

Cheers and congrats to all participants. That was a long haul and really intense at the end. Great to meet some folks in person.  Be safe and see you out there.