At this point, the Office of Administrative Law needs to sign off on the rockfish season, but it's all but done - rockfish and lingcod will be open to boat-based angling in waters up to 20 fathoms in the Mendocino Management Area in May. If something crazy happens to where it won't be open, I'll refund 100% of entries received.
Putting this tournament on has been a big part of my life for many years, and covid was an interruption that I didn't anticipate. Now the fishing is changing too. Last year we had a shortened season that was suddenly closed, making it even shorter. This year things look promising for a longer rockfishing season, but those in the know are warning that the strict quota on quillback bycatch may lead to another early closure. From what I've seen, salmon will not open at all this year again. Part of what is motivating me to bring back GS is the feeling that in the face of these changes, our community needs to reconvene to celebrate our traditions as long as they're available, and that the camaraderie that we've developed must be honored and perpetuated.
With the likelihood of our large group catching salmon as bycatch, I have made a major rule change: all barbless, all the time, no matter what tackle you're using. This will be required of all participants on tourney day.
Another aspect of this event that has provided much joy for me over the years is the gear. As many of you black-t-shirt-wearing diehards know very well, I went through years of changing fonts and colors while always having the "yakker image" on there, evolving along with the event. Finally, 5 years ago, I commissioned a local artist and good friend of mine, Shawn Griggs (Redeye Laboratories in Ferndale, CA) to create the yakker in his own unique style - but then covid came and I had to cancel the event. Shawn's work on this year's same level of high quality garments that I've always used will turn out as the nicest pieces in the GS series to date. I pride myself in always getting the gear orders fulfilled and going the extra mile to assure quality as well as satisfaction. I highly appreciate the support over the years, regarding the gear and the entire event experience.
Registration materials are attached to this post and include the rule sheets, to be read; and application and registration sheets, to be printed, filled out, signed and sent by mail with checks or money orders. I'm not doing electronic signup, and I'm not doing Venmo or Paypal. It's old-school, but it's a big part of the tradition, as I receive physical mail and go through the process of checking everyone in, sending welcome emails, creating score cards, scoreboards and schwag bags with everyone's names...etc. By the time I complete the process, I basically know everyone's name, and I try to focus on knowing that person when I shake their hand and look them in the eye at the Cove. Thanks for understanding and supporting how that works for me.
If you have any questions, feel free to post here, or call me up - my number is in my signature lines on every one of my posts. The campground has new owners, so I don't anticipate a Jack-Style, per person kind of scene. My advice: get a room or a house, quick! Campers, let us know how the new owners are doing on responsiveness, reservations, availability...etc.
To close, I had lots of doubts about going forward with the event. The short registration period, my own aging bod and changing life details, the state of fisheries and troublesome horizons for our environment - all of this had me wondering if I could ever again go down this road, where I work hard to bring a diverse community together to enjoy common interests as well as each other. When I went to my family, they were all in. My kids were young through the early GS's, and now they're adults and will bring their significant others to hang for a long weekend at a house I rented in the Cove. Once I envisioned that, I was all in too. No matter how many people sign up, how the weather is, how the fishing is, or any other details of the weekend and the event, I really look forward to just having my family there enjoying themselves and showing their partners a little bit about what they experienced as they grew up. A whole bunch of us in NCKA can, should and will have that kind of a nostalgic and reflective experience too, because a bunch of us kind of grew up around this event.
I look forward to seeing everyone who can make it. Let's do this. :smt001
essrigr:
I am glad I applied for vacation this year between mid April to mid May, I will look for more post on your event. I only got to get rockfish off of a boat last year so looking to score on the kayak, keep us posted, Ron.
Sailfish:
I am ok with either proposed dates :smt001
Sin Coast:
Hell yeah! Both dates are good. May 11 is closer to the normal date.