San Pablo Success...

Well Done Everyone once Again....

  Quite possibly the best, easiest event we have done so far....

Great weather, Great Company, Fishing was good for San Pablo especially after a hard rain...

Really Tired... Just got Racinrob back on the road, he blew something in his truck and we got him to a kargen...

friggin amazing... replaced his radiator with a pair of fingernail clippers!!!!

he's on the road and might be home before midnight....

Awesome job everyone,  can't say enough, so I'll just post some pics.... 

Congrats to everybody who had a hand in this event. The pics look like a fun time was had by all. Keep up the good work!

Great going guys. Glad everyone had a good time and the wx cooperated for you all.

Just got home. 11:20. Great weather. Some fish. Good food. NO rain. Finally caught a few fish right before they kicked us out. Could have had several more if we could stay. I needed Totes measuring board net contraption for one of my fish. I unhooked it and looked down to realize at at the wrong moment it really wasn't in my net anymore. Getting ready to take a pic and flop. Off my leg. Then the kayak. Over my paddle and in the lake. 16"  of fat trout. I meant to C&R it.

Loaded up and pulled out of the parking lot and kaboom. Cooling fan explodes. Takes out the radiator, fan shroud, battery, power steering line, and who knows what ellse I will find in the morning. 622k and once in a while something breaks.  Changed radiator out and spilled battery acid all the way home. lucky I found one in stock.

Now, how fast can I find parts in the morning so I can fish in the afternoon.

Oh yea, thanks for the help Don. Really really helped me out.

Oh yeah that was too much fun. Guided an Air Force vet over to the east side and bagged a 15" fat mount lassen bow on a fire tiger kastmaster. The water was pretty stained and most boats were fishing bait on the anchor so we found a cove and fished from shore. Paddled back and cooked up some chili dogs then filleted the trout packed it in ice and sent it home with my vet. After loading my stuff, a lot of the guys were hanging out so decided to fish a little more. I picked my custom Loomis rod because I was down in Fresno last week and Eric (Fishermans Warehouse) picked out a really sweet Daiwa spinning reel and the combo is the best casting combo I have ever used. I went down to the fishing dock and started fan casting a kastmaster and after a dozen cast ZZZZZ FISH ON!!! After 5 minutes I got it to the surface and it was too big to pull over the railing because it was barely hooked on the head. Unfortunately I didn't have a net and had to call for help.  A nice guy with a net came over and helped me land the fish. Fried it up for dinner and it was great.

Special thanks to Don and all the NCKA who made this a great event. The SPR staff were great and their hospitality was off the hook. Thanks so much.

Scott

I must agree with Scott, great success and all the veterans had a blast. I giuded a Navy guy out and he had more fun toddling around and enjoying the scenery than fishing. As I drifted he toodled. I got my first two on the dreaded powerbait then went back and got two more on a dead kastmaster just sitting on the bottom. Missed a few on the bait rod too. I saw Scott nail his first on the shore and let the vet have at with the fish. I marked tons on fish right in front of them.

Great day, great company and great friends.

What a great event, NCKA came through with flying colors; was real bum'd I had to leave, but extremely glad I made it out for part of it. Just seeing the smiles & grins on the vet's faces was great! From the young lady that Eric guided when she caught her first fish (next time Eric, bring a net) and then release it unvolunteerily, to KayakJames vet who "guided" him all over the lake in 'his' brand new Revo.

Kayakjack!!!!, you and the boys "Rock'd the kitchen"; your reputation is well deserved. The vets LOVED the breakfast burritios and even though I didnt stay for lunch (damn work  ) the 1lb burgers look'd badass!

This is one of the events that makes me proud to be an NCKA member, and I will make absolutely sure that I put future events on my calendar of attendance.

Great Job Don, Great Job my NCKA brothers!
(stifting though a ba-zillion images and have narrowed it down to 285ish, slideshow will be up by this weekend!)

Don probably mentioned that some of the vets including the one I guided did not want their pictures posted.

Don probably mentioned that some of the vets including the one I guided did not want their pictures posted.

Thanks Scoot G...

Great Job G-Whiz.... but definitely keep Scotts Vet out of the picture.... 

I'll help you identify who that is... he changed his mind after the event about being photographed....

  Thanks again Everyone!!!!

  Strong Work!!!

Don probably mentioned that some of the vets including the one I guided did not want their pictures posted.

Thanks Scoot G...

Great Job G-Whiz.... but definitely keep Scotts Vet out of the picture.... 

I'll help you identify who that is... he changed his mind after the event about being photographed....

  Thanks again Everyone!!!!

  Strong Work!!!

bummer.... he looked so happy in the pictures.... I'll go back and remove them....

Well for once the weather worked out great for an advance planned event. Made for a real nice gathering. I enjoyed chatting with the vets and watching them have a good time. And of course always a great time when the NCKA brotheren get together. Great chow, great company, great weather, great setting.....did I say it was great?
Oh, I am missing a black apron. If someone picked it up let me know thanks.
Jonesz

I am also missing 3 metAl spoons and a dog flipper with black handles.

Every vet that came was taken care of-- whether they wanted to fish off the bank, just kayak, or kayak
fish they got what they wanted.   I think the vets left feeling that they were very appreciated by NCKA.  Great job from our members.

Don spent an enormous amount of time making this happen.  It was, in my opinion, the best HOW event yet. 

We should also remember that EBMUD really cooperated with us.  Next time you go to one of their lakes,  it would help our goodwill if you thank them for letting us use their facilities.

These cooking utensils were left and I have them with me in Pleasant Hill.  If you want to pick them up,
pm me.

Raydon

What a blast.  My partner for the day, Juliette, was happy to keep paddling until the powerboat came and told us to come in because her ride was leaving.  So funny to watch her say, "I think I have something...  no, it's off...  wait...  it's still there... what do I do????"   She reeled it in but it came unhooked at the boat and I was without a net....  but she was stoked just to have the experience.  I lost another one, must have been 7-8 lbs, so fat I thought it was a big bass for a second.

Also helped out a vet otw, Jerry, when he paddled up with a fish and no way to secure it, so I unhooked it for him and sent him off with his fish on my game clip.  He has been to a few events and even has his own kayak, but prefers to paddle with the HOW group.  That says a lot about the organization and really struck home as to why we were there.

The food was excellent.  Perfect timing, (which imo, separates the Pro cooks from the dabblers such as myself).

The parks people were so cool.  I even saw a cop shlepping kayaks!