1st annual Estero Kayak Challenge - Results

Huge congrats Jim on winning the overall event and 1st in the biggest Ling Cod division!!
Goz is one of the most focused and consistent fisherman that I am lucky to have the pleasure of fishing with a regular basis. We had been talking about going south for a while, so we figured the Estero Challenge would be a great way to kick things off.
A BIG thanks goes out to Eric and his team of Wilderness Systems Pro Staff for a great event. They had their shit wired tight from organization to communication, coordination to execution--quite impressive, especially for their first event...
I overheard Eric comment a couple of times; it can be a challenging place to fish and that's why it's called the Estero Challenge. Jim and I took the opportunity to pre-fish the day before and we were greeted to some very nice condition though there was still some swell in the water and headhigh surf to navigate while we launched and explored. The fishing was slow by most standards, we've certainly experienced slower times at home since there are no fish in Santa Cruz. We found some nice rockfish, verms and lings with a little help from Big Hammer and Andy1976 jig heads.
The day of the challenge we decided to try a few spots we had not fished the day before and luckily we quickly found a few decent lings before the conditions forced most everyone off the water. The Kokatat one piece suit and the Hobie's where worth their weight in gold with a stiff 20+mph fog wind blowing us around. Met some friendly folks, had a blast and we'll be back! Here a few pics for your enjoyment

More Estero Pics

Great Job slaying Lings Mike and Jim...

It was definitely well run and fun to fish, the fishing was slow enough that I eventually gave up the fly rod and switched to conventional gear.
Congrats to Jim. Glad you guys came down. $2,700 went to HOW from the event.

Big Thanks to Eric, Andy and Chad for organizing the 1st EKC and raising $2700. for HOW. Class act all around!!!!
Mike and I went to fish some new water and meet some new friends, and succeeded with both. Nice group of guys down there, we were welcomed by all, even though we northerners took the top spot and went 1-2 in the Ling division.
Fishing new water with windy conditions, we weren't really expecting too much, but we fished hard and got some good bites. There's really not much structure in this area as we found out the previous day. We launched at 'Windmills' and worked our way out a couple of miles and made a big loop around and didn't find any major reefs, ledges or drop-offs. So on tourney day, we fished the edges of the kelp beds (like most everyone).
Got to agree with Mike that the Hobies were a definite advantage with the steady 20-30? knot the wind. I found that if I maneuvered to one particular side of each kelp bed, I could maintain position long enough to keep in contact with the swim bait (mainly Big Hammers and Andy's) without fouling up. Get away from that spot and your'e hung up again!!
Pleasure fishing with you Solsrf1---Mike took 2nd in the ling division, and might have taken 1st and overall, if he hadn't lost that big one in the kelp. Sorry Bud…
Great awards ceremony and prizes too.(I was also lucky enough to win some cool sunglasses and accurate pliers too!!)
Definitely going to spend more time fishing south, easy drive 2.5-3 hour drive from Santa Cruz.
The Trophy is awesome!!!!!!! It gets better the more I look at it. Hand-blown glass from CCKF member 'Zodiaker'. Thanks, I'm honored to have such a fine piece of art.
Thanks for all the kind words and see you at the Slamdown and EKC2.
Goz

more photos

Woohoo!!! Congrats on a job well done Jim and Mike! Cheers to both of you

Nice work guys !!  Where is that estero?  Great job on getting your HOW chapter going. I can't think of a better way to fund your chapter and simultaneously generate awareness for the cause in the kayak fishing community. BRAVO!!! 

Congrats! Way to go down there and get it done. 
Maybe I'll see you guys next year, looks like a well run event for sure. Cool glass fish too!

Mike

Way to Go Guys! That sounded like lots of fun and excitemeant happening down there. Going to put this in my bucket list for sure.

Congratulations Jim and Mike!!! Thanks for showing them how it's done!

Congrats Jim and Mike!  You guys are BADASS!!! 

Congrats Guys!

Looks like a great event, a lot of fun, and a successful voyage from SC!  What a great fund raising event too!  WTG!   

-sctrace

Thanks for the kind words Mike and Jim. We had a great time hosting the event and are looking forward to next years tourney. I appreciate you guys coming down and taking a chance on a new event. We'll see you guys at the Slam Down!