GS8 - Only one brief capsizing reported - WTG, Everybody!

(seems like I'm always thinking 'just one more coat')

Totally!!   

The slicker and shinier the better!   

GS8 Paid Registrations:

1.   Baker, Jeff / jbaker
2.   Batt, Dave / batt                  
3.   Bennett, Martin / Fish ‘n Brew   
4.   Brockman, Cody/ MontanaN8V Guest
5.   Brockman, Rich / MontanaN8V   
6.   Calvert, John / Dogwood   
7.   Cameron, James / AbMan   
8.   Campbell, Craig / INSAYN         
9.   Chasey, Lloyd / Kahuna      
10.   Coon, Aaron / SeaChumm   
11.   Dilbeck, Michael / dilbeck
12.   Dinkell, Stephen / Backlash
13.   Duffy, Tim / fisheducator
14.   Durant, Jacob / jaked4
15.   Easter, Brandi / Brandi
16.   Gee, Scott / Great Bass 2
17.   Ghiselli, Alex / Fishslinger
18.   Harrison, Scott / SFHarry   
19.   Hayashibara, John / bluewrx02
20.   Isaac, Jim / Jim I.   
21.   Jackson, Jim / Salty.   
22.   Jeong, Angelo / ginoltk              Welcome to GS!   
23.   Johnson, Bill / Snapperhead   
24.   Jung, Won / SmokeOnTheWater      
25.   Kaber, Doug / crash
26.   Kaji, Amber / HapaIK’s wife
27.   Kaji, Isao / HapaIK
28.   Kelly, Kevin / Brdopry
29.   Kelly, Martin / Martianfish
30.   Knoles, Rob / RacinRob
31.   Martin, Russ / Desertdiver        Welcome back, Nevada Brother!!   
32.   Mouton, Greg / cajun              Welcome back, Humboldt Brother!   
33.   Moxon, Jacob / jmox
34.   Navari, Joe / birddog
35.   Newman, Ben / Ben
36.   Nguyen, Sonny / Sailfish
37.   Ocampo, Erwin / Darius         
38.   Ornellas, Jeff / Jeffo
39.   Peters, Aaron / pond poacher
40.   Price, Chad / Chadrock
41.   Quinton, Josh / JJQ   
42.   Revelo, Antonio / Cabeza de Martillo
43.   Reyes, Herb / Herb
44.   Richards, Jeff / JWR
45.   Riggs, Jarrod / Goofball
46.   Riggs, Jeff / Jriggs
47.   Russell, Jim / BigJim
48.   Saufferer, Ron / Bald Eagle           Welcome back!   
49.   Saufferer, Terry / Jacks              Welcome back!   
50.   Sciucchetti, Pete / PineMtnPete
51.   Shippey, Raydon / Raydon
52.   Silva, David / metallidave
53.   Silva, Jon / shoprat
54.   Smith, Jeff / barefoot1      
55.   Soldano, Suntino / mudshark      
56.   Stockwell, Eric / Abking   
57.   Velho, Joe / strucdog
58.   Walker, Paul / PNWKA
59.   Walker, Sean / PISCEAN   
60.   Woodley, Martin / MWoodley
61.   Yu, Ernest / lucky13            Welcome back!   
62.   Ziomek, Tracey / sctrace

Bending Branches is on board (auction item), and they're sending a rep!!   

Our MAN on the product scene, Mike Lavoie / CAWingshooter is coming through with some great stuff from Lowrance again as well as other manufacturers - Thanks, Mikey!!   

Guess I gotta bring some cash for the raffles! Better yet! Swap meet Friday evening!!

Guess I gotta bring some cash for the raffles! Better yet! Swap meet Friday evening!!

Swap meet sounds like a plan - campground has been great for that.

As for "raffles", I know it's kind of a generic term, but I'm having an auction - there's a difference!   

Silent auction with items on display where everyone can walk through and check them out.  Bids accepted on a sheet of paper per item, each bid higher than the last, cash-pay at the pre-announced end of the auction.  All proceeds go to HOW and PIF on the spot.

Stories from Shelter Cove...

Back in the early 90's when vehicles were still allowed three miles north of the Black Sands Beach Trailhead, I had a focus on getting people on the reef up there during a series of minus tides.  Sound familiar?...   

Paired with my buddy Rex and his wife and two girls, we hauled gear north three miles to camp at Gitchell Creek.  This trip was the result of much planning and reconnaissance, and we were lucky to hit flat calm water.  We got all of our camping gear up the beach with 2 four wheelers and a trailer, setup camp and partied the afternoon and evening away with excited energy in anticipation of the next morning's minus tide and super flat ocean.

The next day did not disappoint.  We were prepared early and made our way easily onto spots where we'd previously bobbed around and darted swells on less accommodating tides.  Neither swell nor wind were even present that morning, and we had our pick of some untouched abalone.  I picked a limit of four that day, as did a couple of my friends.  All of them were deep 9"+'s, but the one that would've been a big ten had a porous, sponge-attacked shell and broke when picked - it was still almost a ten with a huge part of the end broken off.  We didn't care much - it was a different time - we weren't that focused on the stats...

Don't get me wrong, I did realize that it wasn't a ten because it got broken, and that we hadn't gotten any others.  But it was such a small part of what we were doing - camping out, cooking over a fire, diving, preparing ab in the wilderness - the size of an ab wasn't as big of a deal as I came to know it in later years.

We cooked ab that evening, and we had plenty left in the coolers, having picked so many big abs as a group that morning.  My buddy's wife, Tracy, made a comment at one point about how maybe we didn't need that many abalone.  I will always be thankful for her comment.  We'd gotten giddy about hitting a great tide with calm water on a pristine spot, and we mowed through a bunch of 9"+'s in a spot where I came to know later had 10's very nearby...  Not that the size of the abs should be the focus!

I understand the allure, and I know the glory and satisfaction of achieving the ten inch ab.  I want to see others achieve that. 

The message I mean to impart here is that we shouldn't just be waiting for that rare opportunity where the flat ocean, low tide and our good timing allow us to pounce on something.  Instead we should look at every outing as one where we can learn and hopefully further our knowledge of that area and skill with the environment in that situation, and we should hope to achieve the restraint that's needed to avoid falling into the temptation of harvesting something just because it's easy.  I'm telling you now, from experience, that is one of the best lessons of sportsmanship.

I don't want to be a hypocrite, and I hope for all to achieve their goals and to grow as they progress in their pursuits.  I'm just saying that the earlier in your outdoorsman career that you can work through the need to kill in order to feel satisfied with your day, the better off you'll be.  For me it's a spiritual thing, and I harvest whenever I want to.  It's about that.  Harvest when you want to - not just because you have the opportunity to.

Thanks for reading through my rant.   

Trophy Trough update:   

Are you making one for everyone? (j/k) 

Now that's hard core there buddy, Loleta "chainsaw " Eric 

Now that last photo is what I call a MANLY picture

Trophy Trough update:   

So you walked up to the guy cutting the wood, grabbed the chainsaw, took a pic, and handed it back? Slick.

Kidding, those trophy troughs are sweet. 

Check is in the mail. 

Husqvarna.....

Lookin good!

Eric, Are you Gonna Auction off one of those?
 

Planning on it, Greg. 

A Trophy Trough - not my chainsaw!   

here's a little bit more reclaimed redwood for ya
Gaff & bonker for the PIF/HOW silent auction