Gimme Shelter 4 - Epic as Predicted - 5/14/2010-5/16/2010

 Cooked up some bean that were a littel on the hot side

Those beans were the bomb!  paid for it later.. but still the bomb!

Thanks ..   but everything was awsome there. So many choice so little time. It just kept coming and coming and coming.... 

Yeah I was wondering who crafted those beans?! They were fantastic. Almost as good as your thai peanut sauce abalone on Friday!

Yeah I was wondering who crafted those beans?! They were fantastic. Almost as good as your thai peanut sauce abalone on Friday!

That Thai Peanut Sauce Abalone was AWESOME!! My second favorite was BaitnBeer's and Dr. Fectavious' Abalone Mi Pueblo!!!

Thnaks again guys for all the great food and sharing of good times!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

some moe of it!

Awesome pics, Andy.  Kris with the salmon and Bird's stoked grin in the background are priceless, and Dr. Fektavius out at the Whistle is sooooo cool when you've been there and recognize the long way out that it is.  I heard that was George's first legal ling - WTG, Doc!!!

When I was driving to the Cove yesterday to pickup my gear and maybe go out OTW I was feeling pretty nostalgic and emotional about the trip.  This kayak tournament is a special thing, but it's just an offshoot of a much more significant force.  NCKA has brought people together, and they're not just any people - they're kayakfishermen, and they are one of the finest groups of people on this planet.  I'm so proud to be a part of this group, and I hope everyone involved in our sport and our club recognizes how special what we have is.  I've caught tons of big fish and abs, but the interactions with people from this board are more important to me.  Thanks, everyone, and keep up the great vibe.   

Sorry for the late post guys.  I was tired as we got back real late on Monday and had to get ready for the Texas trip on Tuesday.  Anyway I'm posting from Texas and it's pass midnight here.  Thank you Eric for another epic GS's hookup and looking forward to next year.  Here are some of the pictures I took during the trip included the "mini pot luck" on Sunday night.

Tournament Results:

Big Jim took first overall with a 25.25" ling (126.25 points), 19.5" rockie (136.5), 14.25" greenling released (167.75), and 19.25" cabezon released (141.75), for a total of 572.25 - nice AOTY boost!

CalifBill Mckee took second with a 29.5" ling (147.5), 17" rock (119), 14" greenie (154), and 18.25" cab (127.75), for a total of 548.25 - he would've had to release all but the ling to have beat Big Jim, and if he would've released all of his fish he'd had been AOTY and SOTY - unprecedented!!!    Just having some fun here - no judgments intended!  

Here's another angle - if Big Jim wouldn't have released any fish (he released two), and CalifBill would've released just the rockie or cabbie, he'd have won.  Again, I'm not making any judgments (I'm stuffed on fish right now!   ), but I am saying that as a tournament strategy, C&R pays if it's part of the scoring scheme.  

Eric Kaai took third with a 19" rock (133), 15" greenie released (176), and 19.75" cab released (145.25), for a total of 454.25 - it's clear that Eric would've won with a ling...  Nice work.  

James Gustin / Dr. Habanero took 4th with all but a cab for 424.75.

Eric Berg / EWB took 5th with all but a cab for 410.5.

Allen Leepin / Otobepelagic took 6th with all but a greenie for 409.5, and he got the highest catch and release only score which earned him "SOTY" or Sportsman of the Day.  He was awarded with a 10.5" abalone with a custom ceramic tag naming him SOTY for GS4, 2010.

I explained that evening that I had considered awarding sportsman of the day to someone who did something heroic on the water, but that I'd also originally thought of giving it to whoever scored highest with C&R.  I may not have been clear about it, so I want to be here:  The entire group, through our participation in a tournament where teams and radios are required, and due to the fact that "we" successfully aided whoever was in need, actually earned "sportsman of the day", so that's why I decided to fall back on my original thought about C&R.  That said, I do not look at the awarding of this for C&R with anything but respect and admiration - I didn't mean to make it sound like "well, we didn't really have a hero, so I'll give it to the highest C&R score..."  Allen's diligence in gently handling fish, handing out Shelton descenders, always pushing a good ethic and a good vibe...  these traits ARE heroic to me.  Well done, Allen.  

I do have the scoreboard, but I discarded the scorecards, so feel free to ask about the info on the scoreboard.

7th was James Cameron the AbMan
8th was Don "Danglin" Anglin
9th was FishFarmer Ben Peterson
10th was Stormscrambler James Storm
11th was Terry Saufferrer
12th was John Keane, Bird the Salmon God
13th was Jim Jackson the SaltyDog

Some others have mentioned it but wanted to bring it up again, big props to the vendors & individuals who pitched in for prizes. Not sure what was donated outright but I'm sure there were some steep discounts to make it happen. Ab, any chance we could get a recap of the vendors who participated.

And, once again, major props to the folks who put in their valuable time and energy to make this such an incredible event. Can't say enough about Eric's generosity in sharing this amazing place and putting all the extra effort into this event, but also much appreciation goes to the other folks behind the scenes who helped out - you know who you are. 

Thanks, also, to Jack (with his mini wine bottles never too far from reach) and Shelter Cove Campground.

And Congrats again to BigJim, although we're gonna miss the spectacle of you paddling around in that tiny little tub! 

More pictures...

Good point, Aaron - I've been remiss in not naming Greg Mouton, our own "cajun" (previously spedrcr) as THE MAN behind most of the prizes.  Greg arranged for me to get the Trident at cost and also went to bat for the free paddle, safety kit, kayak locks and a bunch of prizes last year too.  I owe you big time, Greg, and the group totally appreciates your dedication to making the GS series all that it is.  Bravo, Greg.   

I'm interested in offering Pro Sport/Outdoor Store the exclusive sponsorship of next year's tournament!   

Some random pictures...

OK I apologize for being so late to post and piling on what everyone else has said.  So I thought I would add some different perpsectives.

It turns out that I actually won the event.  Moles were 400 pts per inch and this baby (with tail) went a solid 5 inches.  But I'm such a nice guy and didn't want to disrupt the vibe I let everyone keep their prizes.  

Besides I don't think anyone could tolerate BigJim in his clown car yak any longer.  There was talk of making him wear a Bozo wig and clown make up if he kept it up.

He didn't mention his one other prize he got on Sunday.  He let me dive for abs with him because he took pity on me because I forgot my float.  While diving he lost his weight belt.  About 20 minutes later I found one that had been down long enough to begin to grow fur.  I humped it out of the depths a few feet at a time to a wash rock.  Back at the beach he declared it nicer than the one he lost (it fit too).  So he was still upgrading equipment.  I hope he bought a lottery ticket on the way home because his luck was running hot.

The photo of this little cutie was shot Friday afternoon.  She has a marshmallow in each cheek and one in her hand and she didn't want to hear anything from me about sharing .  She certainly wasn't going to wait for the S'mores.

This last photo is of the cleaning station carnage around 1:00 Saturday.  Some good dinners coming off that table.  Of course I forgot to photo my 20"cab so I don't even have an addition to my AOTY file

All said a fantastic weekend.  This was my 3rd NCKA outing and they just keep getting better.  I can't wait to see what lessons learned that Eric has that he will incorporate into GS V but I plan on being there.

Sweet pics Sonny!!! Thanks for sharing!!

Eric, thanks for posting all the results...totally agree that getting the variety and using CPR seems to be key in getting max points in the AOTY format...a healthy dose of luck doesn't hurt either!!  

Cajun, thanks again for all your support of the tourney...really enjoyed camping next to you and getting to chat about NOLA and Marrero....WHO DAT!!  

I have been getting the boat ready and will be heading out Sunday with Porky, Stoggie and Zisco to get it wet and hopefully bloody...the BigYak will also be coming along but my good buddy Erik will be riding it instead of his usual SIK!! I will get some pics of somebody else in it!!  

Thanks again to NCKA and everybody for allowing me to be a part of all this.

I really appreciate it.
 
Sincerely,

Jim

And guess who is the mystery man below and what's he doing?