Crabfest 2014 Report

Thanks Vic, Narissa, and Dan.........
Loved the raffle style yak giveaway.  Everyone still on the game even after  coming to shore.

Thanks Vic, Narissa, and Dan.........
Loved the raffle style yak giveaway.  Everyone still on the game even after  coming to shore.

+1000

Still have mixed emotions about having the ticket number one higher than the winning ticket. I'd have loved to go home with that eddy line . Congrats to all the raffle winners and tournament winners!

Thanks Vic, Narissa, and Dan.........
Loved the raffle style yak giveaway.  Everyone still on the game even after  coming to shore.

+1000

Still have mixed emotions about having the ticket number one higher than the winning ticket. I'd have loved to go home with that eddy line . Congrats to all the raffle winners and tournament winners!

I know! My homie Noah had the  number below. Not bad for his first NCKA event. More to come I'm sure. Great day.

Thanks Victor and Dan for an awesome event. Congratulation to all the winners. 



-Kiel

Victor, Narissa, and Dan, thanks for all your hard work in putting this together.  I had a great time hanging out with many old buddies. 

The reports from Saturday were not encouraging and a warm sleeping bag was more inviting than getting into a cold wetsuit, but I felt too guilty and decided to go out.  Thanks to Fuzz, I had about 10lbs of bait in each trap and we dropped the traps as we paddled out. I probably had the most impressive bait.  I had a whole copper that probably weighed 6lbs in one trap.  Having never crabbed at Doran our plan was to follow guys that caught crab the day before.  That plan didn't work too well as we couldn't recognize anyone from afar so we just continued to paddle and would pick up our traps at 11:30 hopefully get back in time for the potluck.  I was lucky and got a legal in each trap with one of those being 6.6" putting me in 3rd place. 

Lapu, "the fish not the cannibal," thanks for letting us share your food, drinks, and campsite.  G-whiz/Jedmo, thanks for feeding us and allowing us to be part of the "in" crowd.

A-hulls, fun hanging out even just for a little.

Nater the crab terminator 

Crabbing was slow.  Working 4 rings hard for 4 hours for two legal dungees and a few rockies was still entertaining. Camaraderie on shore with the NCKA crew is always a pleasure!  Jack has already got me fired up about the Taco Stand for GS8. 

Thanks Victor, Awesome sponsors and a well run event!

Great job, Vic & Headwaters!!!
Ash was so bummed that she missed it.
I got there late but was able to hang out w/ everyone for a little bit.
Good to see everyone!
See you next time!

Hey All,
 Being the winner of the Rock crab division I want to thank all the sponsors and a BIG thanks to Victor and Dan for a GREAT DAY!
This is my 2nd NCKA event and really felt the Luv from u all!
I know fishing takes a certain skill but crabbing really takes some LUCK.
Guess I had some flowing on Sun.
Thanks again for the fun and I only had 3 legals but we got 2 tasty meals from those babies!
Later...Scotty

P.S.   I WILL  learn how to play that Ukulele!

Thanks to Vic for all the hard work, your lovely wife, Dan and all the crew who made this the greatest crabfest to date.  It just doesn't get any better with the weather, the food and the friends.  So looking forward to the next event, as there is no way I can wait a whole year for the next crabfest event!!  Barryessa is it?  WoooHooo!! 

Thanks Victor, Narissa, Dan and the rest of the Arbuckle crew.  Congrats to Aaron, Tracey, and Nate for finding some nice dungies in a big bay.  A big thank you to the sponsors.  Another memorable Crabfest in the books.  Ukefest 2014 was in full swing.  I'll see if I can't get my video and picts together soon.

Bring on BSS4 next!

Hi NCKA Bruddahs,

Crabfest 2014 was awesome! Since this was the first time for me, I did not know what expect and decided to go as I have been fortunate to have met some great NCKA Bruddahs since Fall 2013. I arrived around 8pm Saturday night and it was already dark. Trying to find my way to my campsite, I ran into a kind and generous Hmong Laotian kayak Bruddah and his wife all the way from Yuba City. If you see this post please write to me as I forgot your name. Anyway, he took me to find my campsite and then gave some firewood, which was a really nice touch. I walked over to introduce myself to some other kayak brothers who were staying in the trailer campsites. Bruddah from Monterrey thanks for you Aloha!!!
As I walked back to my campsite, it was a clear night with all the stars blazing with the sound of the waves close by. It felt so peaceful and quite magical.
In th morning as I got to see Doran Beach, it was just beautiful and paddling out with all the Bruddahs and some Sistas was an awesome sight.
I dropped my first trap fairly far in and then it was looking very crowded, so I paddled out way past the jetty where there was no one and dropped my last 2 traps. With half and hour soaks, I was pulling up a lot of juvies with some good sized adults mixed in. Looking like the crabbing was much better farther out, I hauled ass in to pick up my other trap and almost couldn't find it as my markings was kinda hard to see. I then pulled my trap up and took it futher out and line in up horizontal with the shore in deeper water with my 2 other traps.
I ended up taking in 6 Dungees 4 of them were good sized and one of them was larger than all of them. Was in the running for biggest Dungee for a little while.
I have attach a pic of my Dungees after I took them home and laid them out in my ktichen sink. I wish there would have been a prize for most Dungees caught.
Being too wasted after I got home to cook it fresh, I gave 3 to a neighbor-friend/couple and I put the 3 live crabs in a open pot and covered the top with a small wet burlap bag.  After I caught the crabs I put them in a 5 gal. bucket and covered them with a wet burlap bag from the time I caught them and later put some ice between the burlap bags for the trip home and they were still kicking when I got home around 7pm.
I heard that cold temperatures slows down their metabolism and crabs are able to survive longer.
I ended up cooking the Dungees this afternoon and 2 of them were still alive this afternoon, amazing!!
These were the sweetest, tastiest Dungees I have had far this season. The taste and sweetness was to die for!! My wife loves Dungees, she,  however has been in the hospital recovering from GI problems and told me to go to the Crabfest as she knew I really wanted to go to meet more NCKA Bruddahs. She's a sweetheart!!!
Thanks to Vic and wife Narissa for making this happen. Awesome prizes to die for. I am happy that the $$ raised will be going help young diabetics get support. Feels like good Karma passing forward!
This November when the Crab Season opens, I going straight to Bodega Bay. With so many young juvies now, there's going to be a lot of big adults around this Fall and Winter.
Mahalo to all the NCKA Bruddahs that I met.
Aloha.

Michael (Da Bruddah) Yamagata-Oakland

What an incredible time. We had soooo much fun! Thanks guys for putting on this great event! Its only getting better.

I have soo many pics not enough time to resize.

The pain of defeat.....to the poor 9 who touched it.

A couple more.