Tournament Day.

Clear Lake WKBS,

Headed out to Clear Lake with Curtis Fong for Western kayak bass Series open very late Saturday after work and some after work kayaking. Making it to clear lake after 1 a.m. Sunday morning and heading towards 29 from highway 57 brought a sight I was not ready for the normal calmness that the pitch black night brings was disturbed by the incredible glowing from the very devastating Valley fire. After making it to highway 29 before it was eventually shut down. It was very hard to think about fishing and having fun when you knew people’s lives were changing at the same time. Making it to the clear lake state park and having to park outside and sleep Curtis and I were able to maybe sleep 1 hour. Check in was at 4:00 a.m. so we then headed to where we were going to launch from because of some last minute things event options changed. After arriving and meeting and talking with a very awesome family that sadly was there without anything because they had to leave there home without notice, I slept for another fifteen. Launch at 6:30 and paddled out a little bit and After catching 1 fish in the general launch area it was time to get to paddling and put some distance between me and the dock. Fishing Tullie’s and a few docks throughout the day led to another small fish. After a few different updates from the tournament director Wes and the emergency alert system things were clearly getting worse for those unfortunately in the path of the growing fire. 6.6 miles through ash covered water and ash falling everywhere put me on a nice 17 1/4 inch Bass caught on a green with red flake senko in literal minutes of checking in. After being just a quarter inch away from being in the money we headed back to Sacramento after driving on a nice detour around the lake because the 14 miles of road from lower lake to Kelseyville we drove in on was now shut down. The drive home during the day was a huge wakeup call as we were leaving clear lake at the junction of 20 and 53 is a moose lodge if anyone is familiar with that area it is usually empty 9/10 I have been by it but Sunday it was packed you could not even see the lodge there were so many campers and tents from those that have been displaced. This trip taught me some great lessons and I look forward to the next tournament.

I would of rescheduled that tournament. I wouldn't continue a tournament in those conditions with the fire close and ash everywhere. Ash came down from the valley fire out here in the east bay/ delta on Sunday.

Yeah they wanted to shut it down at noon and I was a little pissed we started it might as well finish it. If we would have I would not have got that fish that helped me qualify for KBS final in Tennessee in march. That buff around my neck came in clutch no joke. Probably saved me from breathing in alot of bad stuff.

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my van was clean minus bugs before the ash.

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