Kevin, How about adding another layer of mesh and plastic over the entire seat area. That way, its supported around the rim of the seat and tied into good solid material. It may not be very pretty but it will spread the weight stress out over a larger area.
Kevin

What’s the scoop on camping there? It’s close enough to drive up for the day, but I have a bed in the back of my truck if there is room to park.

No worries, most sites have plenty of room. We’ll get you in somewhere.

Only two weeks away. Remember to bring fire wood!

 I'm by far no expert but here are a few key things when targeting Kokanee: Depth, Trolling Speed, Presentation, Lure/bait, Weather.

Having a fish finder and a line counter reel on a soft action rod are what work for me.

I fish with two rods and start fishing at staggered depths, usually 10' apart. I do not use a down rigger. I prefer the sliding weight method.

Pay attention and let the fish tell you what they want. Just because you read a report that someone used X bait at X speed at X depth last week doesn't mean that that's what will work today for you.

For me Depth is most important.  90% of the fish I catch come from the surface down to 40'. These are generally  the active feeding fish. When you mark fish, don't drop down and blow right through the middle of them. This will usually spook them and scatter the school. Drop down a foot or two above them.  Often you'll see two schools at once. Ignore the deep school and go for the shallower school first. Make a pass or two. if it doesn't produce then drop to the deeper school.

Trolling Speed can be critical. I usually start slow, 1.2 or less and then bump it up a point at a time until I get hit. I rarely fish faster than 1.6 but sometimes faster works. Once you get hit, make a note of the speed and stay there. Many times I've found that going 1 point faster or slower than the speed they want that day will result in no hits.

Presentation can change day to day or even hour to hour. Some times they only want a slow subtle set up. The next they go wild for something aggressive. I always start with the subtle stuff and work my way through my terminal tackle toward the aggressive until I find what works. My Subtle tackle starts with a dodger with slow action and muted colors. Aggressive is fast action and bright colors. Remember, you can bend most dodgers to change the action. Leader lengths, both in front of the dodger and between the dodger and your lure play a roll too.

Lure and Bait. If you use a lure with little or no built in action like a Hoochie and Wedding Rings, shorten the leader length between the dodger and the lure to 12" or less. For lures with built in action like Wiggle Hoochies and Flutter Bugs, I go with 12 to 18". I've found that certain lures and colors work well at certain lakes. Typically I'll start with something with Hot Pink. Then change colors till the kokes tell me what they want. Lure size can change too. If you find that you're getting hits on a certain color but only getting short strikes, try down sizing the lure, add more or less bend in the dodger or perhaps increase or decrease your speed a point.
For bait, I primarily use Shoepeg corn with the oil from a can of tuna. I always bring a tub of corn cured with Minced Garlic and another cured with Anise extract.
All my lures have two hooks on them. I put one kernel of corn on each hook. Any more than that may affect the action of the lure. You can also add dye to the corn. Pink, orange and green work well at times. I also carry two jars of Powerbait Maggots. One in Pink and one in Chartreuse. On occasion this is all they will hit.

Weather. Kokes can be caught all year around. I've caught them while it was snowing and raining as well as on scorching 100*+ days. I've found that they do bite better with a little wind chop on the water. I will fish the shore line the wind is blowing against. This is because the wind will usually push the plankton that direction. Regardless of the time of the year the kokanee are light sensitive. In the morning, they tend to be shallow and then move deeper as the sun comes up and the water warms. This is not always the case though, sometimes there will be a plankton bloom when the water warms and the Kokes will be gorging themselves in very shallow water. Moon Phase can play a factor too. I fish any chance I can get so I don't worry about it too much but a full moon bite is normally slower as they tend to feed all night and are not as interested in the morning. More aggressive lure tend to work better during these times as the bite is from reaction and you've just pissed them off!

Well I hope this helps those of you new to kokanee fishing or struggle a bit. let me know if you have any questions or need spacifics on set ups.
Kevin

Gonna be a Shit Show is right. I'll pass and wait to see if inland fishing is allowed. If so, I'll be up at Klamath and fishing the Spit and Glen. 

Since I picked up the OT Bigwater 132 ePDL and kept my Feelfree Moken 12.5, this kayak as just sat in my garage just taking up space. This is an older version, 07 I believe. This was my buddy/loaner boat and it's in great condition. It has a Scotty mount for a rod holder and a Ram ball for a Fish Finder. It's water tight and has a few light scratches on the keel but no deep gouges. $300 OBO.

krmn, actually, I see it as going to the event as a newb as a good thing. Having friends around you while your trying to learn has many benefits. The most of which is Safety. Much better to have people there to help out rather than being by yourself should the need arise for assistance. Make sure you practice self re-entry, have a good PFD(life vest), a VHF radio and dress for emersion. Bullards is usually very calm in the mornings with little to no wind at all. What Kayak do you have?       

I had an outstanding day. Bought a new ff battery at Home Depot at 7am then headed up to Bullards. Finally launched at 9:00. There were a ton of Fresh-n-Salty kayaks in the cove by the ramp. My ff marked fish just 100 feet from the ramp. Put on my two go to Koke rigs and dropped them down. Boom. In less than 15 minutes I had 3 in the net. However, it was so crowded that you couldn’t go more than 100 yards without having to turn due to all the Kayaks. Reached out to Brian on the radio. He was all the way back in the Willow Creek arm. Headed that way, working all the coves on the way. Picked up several fish on the way. Got to my favorite cove and found it loaded with Kokes. Never made it back to Willow Creek. Reached out to Brian but somehow he got past me and was back near the buoy line. I stayed in that cove the rest of the day. Managed to net 28. Yes, 28 with 3 doubles! Finally headed back to the ramp at 2:00. Met up with Brian, had a beer and swapped stories. No big Kokanee today. All were in the 11-12” range. My fish came 20-30’ down in 30 to 60’ of water at 1.3mph. Since the BB fish-n-Chill is just a few weeks away, I’m not going to share what I used but I will tell you they had some Pink on them. Bullards is loaded with Kokes again this year. Get up there and get um!