Official Tiki Wrap-up Post

Thank you everyone for the congrats, you all are AMAZING!!! I was so discouraged going out to Tiki because everyone I talked to in Sac said 'there are no stripers at Tiki'. I am really excited that I now have some creditability under my belt with my manager when I talk about kayak fishing. That is probably the best thing about this. 
Thank you Rich (MontanaN8V) for letting us crash at your place much appreciated. Thank you Jeff (IRoeLikeThat) for the boost of confidence the night before saying I would win (I can't believe you predicted that). Thank you Mike (Sledge) for everything you are an awesome man. And thank you everyone else for giving me such a hard time as you came in with your fish.
 Congrats to Ashley (Miss Ash), you did an amazing job out there and I hope you and I can continue to win these events and show the guys us girls are just as good without a female division.
Congrats to David (Tweak) as well for third, you did amazing for first NCKA event (or at least that I've seen you at).

Congratulations again on your win
Not to rain on the parade but,
Although many of our friends in NCKA attended these events, please remember that these are not NCKA events.
These events are brought to you by the generosity of Fisherman's Warehouse and Ocean Kayaks. These companies have invested a lot, and we must recognize them for their generosity. Please remember the fine sponsors of the 2011 Yakhopper Kayak Fishing Series on your next purchase.

2011 Yakhopper Kayak Fishing Series Sponsors;
Fisherman's Warehouse
Ocean Kayaks
Ahi / Promar
Fish-On Jigs,
Hook-1 Kayak Fishing Gear,
Uncle Larry's Lures
Okuma
Eagle Claw,
Malone Auto Racks
Western Outdoor News
Lowrance Electronics
Extrasport
Rod Wrap
Culprit Worms
Carlisle Paddles
Pro Cure Scents
Rapala
Coast Distribution
Coca Cola Co.
Luhr Jensen
Flexx-rap
X-Tools
Vicious Fishing Line
Blakemore
Hildebrandt
 
Please never forget that without these fine sponsors these events would never come to be.

Thank you all for the memories created by these events, Never let compitition ruin a good time

Eric / Yakhopper

 OK my two cents, I was one of the new guys and everyone made me feel like a friend, what a great group of  kayakers.  I live in Modesto so I showed up early Sunday morn totally green to this event, met Eric at the dock and he helped me put my yak in the water. I left early right at 7 am saying hi to a few but not really meeting anyone and headed out to the unknown. Never been to TIKI LAGUN or that part of the Delta before. It was fogy and calm as the first few headed out including myself. The whole day was gorgeous, no wind, tidal movement minimal, the fog burned off and it was a clear day, no wind too. No wind in the Delta ! I didn't catch anything but I did get a nice strike but didn't get to set the hook, I am not used to sitting in my yak for that long and my butt hurt from the seat that came with my OK Prowler, I gotta fix that, so I called it quits and made it back about 1:00 or so. Once back I packed up and loaded my yak on the car and went over to the camp area where everything was going to take place. I felt a little insecure being new not knowing anyone but that changed as soon as I entered the area and started approaching people, I felt welcome and introductions came easy from everyone I was around. Next year I want to camp with the group instead of showing up the morning of. All in all a great event and I can' wait for the next one. Oh yea congrats to the winners too.         

Hey Eric,

I remember at the event you said something about letting someone know directly about the good times we had.  I'd like to send a thank you.  Who and where?

Thank you everyone for the congrats, you all are AMAZING!!! I was so discouraged going out to Tiki because everyone I talked to in Sac said 'there are no stripers at Tiki'. I am really excited that I now have some creditability under my belt with my manager when I talk about kayak fishing. That is probably the best thing about this. 
Thank you Rich (MontanaN8V) for letting us crash at your place much appreciated. Thank you Jeff (IRoeLikeThat) for the boost of confidence the night before saying I would win (I can't believe you predicted that). Thank you Mike (Sledge) for everything you are an awesome man. And thank you everyone else for giving me such a hard time as you came in with your fish.
 Congrats to Ashley (Miss Ash), you did an amazing job out there and I hope you and I can continue to win these events and show the guys us girls are just as good without a female division.
Congrats to David (Tweak) as well for third, you did amazing for first NCKA event (or at least that I've seen you at).

Congratulations again on your win
Not to rain on the parade but,
Although many of our friends in NCKA attended these events, please remember that these are not NCKA events.
These events are brought to you by the generosity of Fisherman's Warehouse and Ocean Kayaks. These companies have invested a lot and we must recognize them for their generosity. Please remember the fine sponsors of the 2011 Yakhopper Kayak Fishing Series on your next purchase.

2011 Yakhopper Fayak Fishing Series Sponsors;
Fisherman's Warehouse
Ocean Kayaks
Ahi / Promar
Fish-On Jigs,
Hook-1 Kayak Fishing Gear,
Uncle Larry's Lures
Okuma
Eagle Claw,
Malone Auto Racks
Western Outdoor News
Lowrance Electronics
Extrasport
Rod Wrap
Culprit Worms
Carlisle Paddles
Pro Cure Scents
Rapala
Coast Distribution
Coca Cola Co.
Luhr Jensen
Flexx-rap
X-Tools
Vicious Fishing Line
Blakemore
Hildebrandt
 
Please never forget that without these fine sponsors these events would never come to be.

Thank you all for the memories created by these events, Never let compitition ruin a good time

Eric / Yakhopper

Wow great job on getting all these sponsors.  What a great tournament.  Wanted to make it but didn't feel well enough.   Congratz ladies.

Hey Eric,

I remember at the event you said something about letting someone know directly about the good times we had.  I'd like to send a thank you.  Who and where?

The fine folks at your closest Fisherman's Warehouse would love to hear your take on these events. It always carrys more weight comming from the particapents rather than from the organizer. They are the main suporter of these events and without them it could not continue.

You can relay your comments about this series to the following;
 
Post on the Fisherman's Warehouse Facebook page,
Send a message to fishermanswarehouse.com
or call a store direct and ask to speak to the Manager:
Sacramento = (916) 362-1200
Manteca = (209) 239-2248
San Jose = (408) 873-0113
Fresno = (559) 225-1838

Thank you all, Hope to see you next year,
Eric / Yakhopper

Congrats to all the winners. It sounds like another epic gathering of the tribe. I wish i could have gone. It is super cool that yakhopper, ocean kayak and the fisherman's wherehouse put these events on for free. That kind of generosity truly captures the spirit of this brotherhood of kayakanglers. My hat is off to my homies at the fisherman's where house.

here are a few of my photos. got some good shot with the crazy lighting.... but the boat on the shore is classic...
dont sleep on your boat in the channel, tankers throw a hellofawake! lmao

        A BIG  THANK YOU  to Eric and his family for all their efforts and sacrifice to put  on this  outstanding event. 
   
 It was great meeting all the people on this site in person for the first time...   some repeatedly    ( eh mooch )

       Awesome weather, terrific group of people ,, the pics say it all. 

Thank you Eric and the sponsors for this event. I had a great time ended up with 3 strippers ( 20 inch was my large one )and 2 large mouth. It always nice meeting new friends
Racinrob. My next door neighbors at camp Chuck McCoy, Weimarian and the Sledge. I enjoyed spending this time on the water with you all. Sledge post my picture with my fish please.

Till next time take care

Kevin

As others have said, what an AWESOME time at the FW Tiki Striper Derby!!!  And I think Eric said it best, this was more than just a fishing tourney, we had soooo much to celebrate!!!    The great weather, the fun people, the Saturday Night Party for Ben, Jam Session with Ben, Presenting Joe's new Yak, Tote's Marriage, Giving Mike his new camera, the not one, but TWO signed guitars for Guitarizan, the mai tai's    What a great weekend!!!     Makes me proud to be part of this group of wonderful people!

And congratulations again to Kat and Ash, you two showed up EVERYONE by taking 1st and 2nd place over 90 other competitors!!!!  Way to go!!!!!    

Thank you Eric/Yakhopper for yet another year of fun filled festivities!!!! These are THE best events, and I cant wait to do it all again next year!!!   

My Pics!!!

More Pics! 

In true Sledging form I showed up first...mooch right behind me (not on that pole) I told the girl at the counter that she had no idea what was going to happen this weekend, that it would be "crazy" she looks at me and Say's "are you crazy" my responce was "sometimes"    she Say's "oh your the party boy" yep

Eric Thank you for an awesome time...next yr will attend more of your gigs...The Lady's showed up and preceded to "Get Some" WTFGS!!! Girls oh and Tweak also!!!


To truly appreciate these events one needs to show up early and leave late...You get the full moment!!!  Got tons of pics...mug shots...many many more...will post them up later today...Thanks for the Camera Al it F'n ROCKS and Ben I'm sorry bro some crack head stole that sweet guitar u gave me sun eve ... got the locals looking... One of them has a 30k 1800's classical axe and was very concerned about the theft...I told um I've got a Hundred dollar bill for "local Intel" sparky the local management had a security cam the wasn't working...

But meeting so many NEW and OLD faces it's easy to forget about the bad $hit...

PS Glen (G-Whiz) HELL YEAH on the graphics Thanks brother!!!   

PSS THANKS TO THE SPONCERS I'm going to call every manager and thank them on the phone Eric thanks for ph #'s

And Last but not least Thanks Joe/Bloodbath for being there when I needed you brother...life's better when there's someone to share it with!!!  Got your noodles IN yet bro??? if not you better "GET SOME"

Thank you Fisherman's Warehouse, Eric, and the sponsors for making this event possible!  Congratulations to all the winners and big props to Kat for taking 1st!  This was my 1st kayak fishing event and it definitely won't be my last.  I had a great time meeting and hanging out with cool new friends and it was nice to finally put a face to a name. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE GREAT TIME!

- Jason

I promised I would write more, so here it is 

Note:  See the bottom of the post for a picture of the path I fished marked with numbers that related to where I caught fish as described in the post.

I decided to drive out Sunday since Saturday I was pounding the Howe Ave AR stretch to no avail.  The skunk train was in full effect...WOOO....WOOOOOOO.....

I had decided that Sunday would be a every option available kinda day.  I had preplanned my strategy and I was dead set on seeing it through.  My plan was to go North to the Deep Water Channel as last year I hung out in Empire Cut and the Bridge and caught literally 50+ fish, but none with any size. 

The day before I grabbed some minnows and pile worms.  I already had the redworms stocked in my garage fridge aka the GO TO Bait!  On the way out to Tiki, I stopped by Rio Vista Bait and grabbed some fresh shad.  I would have zero excuses!

Got to Tiki at 6AM, still before 1st light and loaded up.  Checked in with Eric and was the on the water in total darkness.  I switched on the headlamp and start moving out.  Once I clear the initial weed garden just outside of Tiki, I decided to toss out a Shad Rap (KVD Boxset).  I'll be honest, I had ZERO confidence in catching anything, but I'll share a secret with you if you don't already know....You can't catch fish without a line in the water!

I peeled off about 100 feet and just started beating feet out to the channel.  I was well over 3 mph when the trolling pole just started peeling...FISH ON!  I slowly started playing him in, and sure enough landed my first fish, a 15" striper.  Now what was special to me about this fish?  This is literally the 1st fish I have EVER caught on a non-worm/swim bait artificial.  I am typically a finesse fisherman either jigging plastic worms or slow rolling a swim bait.  I was psyched to have finally landed one with a lipless crankbait!


Fish Marker #1

I thought for sure this would mean the bite was on!  But alas, as we know, it was not!  I kept trolling out to Acker Island .  I took the left (North West) channel past Lost Isle and headed out to deeper water.  I snapped this shot of Lost Isle that I just love:



The fog was thick but the sun was battling through and I was a little bit nervous about the boats that periodically materialized out of the fog to be moving quickly and 15 feet from you.

At the channel I hooked right and went out to a channel marker.  I tied up and tossed out a pile worm/shad combo...HEAVY bite.  I immediately set, but nothing.  I reeled up and I had just the head of the shad left.  Pretty sure it was a sturgeon given the surgical nature of the bite.

I fished there a few more mins while the sun finished burning of the last few remnants of the fog.  I decided to cross the channel and toss at the drop with pile worms.  I am glad as I did as a sharp tug indicated another bite.  Strong hook set landed me another striper and my largest of the day at almost 16":


Fish Marker #2

I drifted around for a bit and noticed that there was some bait surface action closer in to the shore in shallow water.  I rigged up one of the minnows and tossed it out under a bobber with 2 feet of leader and waited.  It wasn't long before the bobber started moving erratically and then shot under the water.  I knew enough to wait, so counted off 5 seconds and set.  FISH ON!  Unfortunately it turned out to be a little guy with a big appetite as he literally took a jumbo minnow that was larger than I would've guessed he would take.  He was around 10" so I didn't even bother taking a picture.

I decided to cross back and throw at the point just downstream from the deepwater channel and Hog Island.  I wasn't get any bites on pile worms or shad so I switched it up to the GO TO bait....redworms on a #12.  Sure enough...tap...tap...tap... and I landed another short striper:


Fish Marker #4

I fished the channel then the entry way back to Turner Cut quite a bit to no avail, so decided to head back towards Tiki.  Got about 1/2 there and noticed that some large pump over pipes started pumping water.  Decided to throw out some redworms and landed the smallest striper I have ever caught, then proceeded to land a redear pretty much every cast.


Fish Marker #5


Fish Marker #6

I decided that was enough and honestly, any longer and I wouldn't be able to turn in.  Despite some radio chatter, no one was telling what the size of their fish was, so I thought the near 16" would have an outside chance at landing me a top 3... nope

Oh well.  6.34 miles of paddling and given the drifting and repositioning it went much higher.  If you want to see the general path I took:



Got back to the launch and put everything way to truck over to the picnic area.  Found out the top 3 were 20+" so didn't even bother turning in the photos of mine.  Unfortunately I am not the most outgoing person and despite trying, I always feel like a loner.  It's just who I am I guess!  I talked to a few people, but ultimately sat back, drank some beer, and people watched.  I ended up scoring a Fishermans Warehouse hat from Eric that I love (Thanks Eric!).  Watched the women damn near sweep the stage, nice job Chicas!  Then the grand prize giveaway.  Who couldn't have a smile on their face seeing the surprise!

Drove back to Vacaville thinking the whole way about how awesome Yakhoppers Series is and how much I love fishing Tiki   I vote scrap Capels and do two events at Tiki next year! 

Thank you Eric for putting on such an amazing event and thank you to all the sponsors!

Roughster Awesome report...and fish and freaking awesome pic which many I'm sure have used for a backdrop   If you want to hang next time just walk up and say "BeerBong" and get the party going!!!  My problem was not catching anything but a nice buzzzzz... met lots of people...did we say "hi" if not next time bro...hitting up Fish wars this weekend...was going to do some ab diving with the boys but decided that the LAST event of the yr I need to been in... YOU game???...looking for a partner since it takes two...team effort!!!  and you've got skills thanks for awesome report!!!