GS Team Aspect - Needs Overhaul Regarding Partnering Requirements

Nobody bitching here. Like I said, it is what it is.

Don't overthink this. I wasn't there but clearly the majority of the issues this year were caused by one individual, and that factor has already been removed.
waiver
ocean experience
standard safety equipment incl working VHF
done.

and maybe put a cap on the # of participants - an event can get too big.

Waiver, VHF, wet suit or dry suit and PFD seem like reasonable requirements. More than that would be hard to verify. I have seen "OG" have trouble with self rescue so having ocean experience doesnt always mean you can get back in your yak.

I had mentioned this before and people ragged on me but making the wash rock area a no fish zone should be considered. Eric always says not to fish or paddle through that area at the Friday safety talk but few seem to attend his talk. Yeah, there are big lings there but there are big lings all over the reef. I dont think you lose much not fishing that area. People swim at GS every year but the only times when things got more serious was in the wash rock area. I would also be in favor of removing greenling from the list of species to be targeted. This will also keep people from fishing too tight and personally, I dont think greenlings are worth targeting from a gamefish or eating perspective.

As far as teams, I think it adds some fun to the event but the realities of fishing makes them somewhat impractical for GS. I launched with my team and never saw most of them for the rest of the day. I did check in by VHF from time to time. I think if you want to take off and fish far from the reef, it would be good to have a buddy. I fished most of the tourney by myself but was never more than 100 yards from another kayaker so in some sense your team is whoever happens to be in your area. For newbies, having a buddy is probably a good thing.

As far as catch and release, I am not opposed to it as long as you are using a descender if fishing deeper water. I usually don't freeze rockfish and only keep enough for 3-4 meals. Personally, I stop fishing when I have caught enough rock fish because of the barotrauma mortality issues. 

I would also be in favor of removing greenling from the list of species to be targeted. This will also keep people from fishing too tight and personally, I dont think greenlings are worth targeting from a gamefish or eating perspective.

I agree.  Greenlings suck.  LOL!

I'm gonna push to take them off DOTY next year as well.

:  )

Sincerely,

Jim

It might possibly open up a big old can of liability, but maybe there could be a certification program that's part of NCKA? Perhaps if the certification took the form of a class put on by one of the local kayaking instruction facilities? Skills and knowledge would be tested...

MBK gives you a certification of completion after taking one of their courses.  I now have three of them   

I like the catch&release aspect. What I didn't like was trying to take a pic with the "thumbs up" in it. That was a pain, but I think that may have been the point. I did end up drawing it on my hand. Way easier. Eric, you did a helluva job this year. Don't change a thing.

I'm with the keep it simple crowd. Encourge dressing properly, with  tournament organizers having the right to pull anyone the found going out in a bikini, etc. Although, I'd be willing to fish beside her all day, just to keep her safe.
PDF, VHF and Compass mandatory.
Per Ryan's comment. A compass isn't perfect and compensating for drift in the fog is a problem, but at least we can find a nearby section of coastline. No paddling till  we encounter a debris field to discover we are headed for Japan instead of California 

The only thing I would change is give the guy who gives the most fish to the taco shack the Golden Taco award with 100 bonus points! 

Come on Craig wait till Jack gets his Taco shack hooked up at the ALbion Fishing Event. It keeps getting dialed in and next time we need some different sauces for the tacos. So come on everyone let's come up with some great recipes. We had some awesome hot sauces last time for sure. I will have to come up with a nice Habanero sauce for sure. 

Later
jimbo 

VIVA LA TACO-SHACK !!!

VIVA LA TACO-SHACK !!!

Si, es la verdad!   

Im wrong. The Taco Shack is great. Im not sure if the Dr. was just kidding about razzing folks for not donating fish. Jack, I hope you come to Albion. Im a fan and you know it.

Just my opinion here, nothing else.
Requirements should be kept at a minimum:

Immersion protection (wetsuit, drysuit)
PFD
VHF

Ability to self rescue should not be a requirement but should ultimately lie on the shoulders of the participant. I certainly would not enter any competition where I had to prove my ability to do this prior to fishing.
I didn't fish for almost a year after shoulder surgery because of my probable inability to pull myself back onto my kayak BY MYSELF! My shoulder had extreme limited mobility and strength so until I was comfortable that I could do so I sat out.
Even if someone was able to prove they could self rescue prior to any competition that doesn't mean they could do it when they needed to do it most.
Look at how many people have passed a driving test then compare that to how many bad drivers are on the road. The same thing applies here.
Teams should be 3 max, 2 minimum. If there are 5 that want to fish together make a team of 2 and another of 3 and fish together all day if that's what pleases you, or if there are 4 that want to be on a team make it 2+2 and fish together and so on.
It is a LOT easier for 2 or 3 people to keep tabs on each other.
The simpler things are the less likely things are to go wrong.
The #1 thing to remember for anyone who participates is YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF!