June 5 Deception Pass, WA ... Lings!!

Looks like I'll be picking up my new WA kayak (X-Factor!!!) at SeaTac airport on Saturday.  I'm planning to head up to Deception Pass to hunt lings on Sunday.  It looks like the slack tide is at 9:08AM.   I'm planning to launch out of Cornet Bay, fish the slack at the pass, then ride the incoming back towards the launch.  Anyone up in WA wanna join in on the adventure?

-Allen

Allen - good luck - POST PLENTY of pics!  

Allen-

Wish I could join you, but I'm working an extra day on Saturday and need to spend some fun time with the family on Sunday. (Need to build up that WAF- great concept!) My work, the wife's work, a couple of crappy rentals, and three kids keep me awfully busy. I usually need to schedule well in advance for full day-trips or longer expeditions. D. Pass is about three hours west of my home, Neah Bay about 8 hours, depending on ferries. Local fishing is a different matter; especially when the river heats up. Shoot me your schedule (in Washington) via PM and hopefully we can put something together.

BTW- I recently met Greg Knab of http://www.bigwatersedge.com/; he bought a friends inn here in Winthrop, last summer. (Wanted out of the SoCal rat-race.) Saw his Malibu yak on his rig outside of my favorite coffee shop and I struck up a conversation. He's a possible partner as he isn't very familiar with WA fishing, yet. You can reach him at his site or at http://www.mtgardnerinn.com/contact.html.

Good luck Sunday!

Even the best laid plans go wrong.  Tried to call the shipping company this morning to check if the yak was in.  No answer ... started worrying.  So I drive down and sure enough, they are closed on the weekend.  So here I am with no boat and scrambling to come up with a backup plan.

 

=Allen

Allen:

I am SO sorry.  We were told that you could pick up your boat today.  I will follow through.  It seems as though not a single step of this has gone right and at this point I feel just plain horrible. Again I am so damn soory, and just plain sick to my stomach.  I will give you a call.

Sean

Allen:

I really want to at least get out on the water so the season doesn't end while your new boat is locked up.  If you can find a local yak rental, we will gladly pay for the rental. If you see this post please call our cell at 707 490 6181.

Sean

What a bummer- it's a horrorible feeling when plans blow up.

I've looked in the past for kayak rentals in Western Washington and had a tough time finding SOTs. I bookmarked this site for it's liberal overnight policy. Might be worth a shot.  

http://www.mossbay.net/rentals_takeaway.asp

Good luck.

Allen: I found a place in Seattle called Northwest Outdoor Center and have reserved you a P-15 or 13 on me.  They are open til 6, and open tomorrow at 9.  If you want to use it let me know so I can finalize the rental.  Again, I am reallllly sorry.

That's cool; I didn't know they had SOTs, though I've been there. Easy to find on the west side of Lake Union, off Westlake Ave. Easiest to find coming in from the south from Mercer St.; maybe a couple blocks' distance north of Kenmore Air. You'll turn right into the lot; go down some stairs to the water level.

Wow!  What can I say?  Sean goes above and beyond the call of duty for his customers.  For those of you who are curious, my order of 2 X-Factors got held up at the factory, something way beyond Sean's control.  He has worked very hard to make things right, and every time I talk to him I even start feeling bad that he is feeling so bad about this.   Sean, you're a class act to do business with!  Don't take it so hard, there will be plenty of days for me to get out on the water.  I appreciate all your efforts.  Thanks.

So when I found out I couldn't get the yak today, I took off on a long afternoon hike instead of gearing up.  I don't have much gear up here yet, so I'm really not prepared to go fishing tomorrow.  Perhaps I'll spend the day at the fishing store tomorrow, the 2nd best thing to actually fishing!!!

Pisco Sicko,  I'm in Seattle pretty much every other week and I can adjust schedule if I know 3-4 weeks in advance.  So let's try to plan an OP trip some time this summer.  I took a look at Greg's site.  Nice!  We'll have to pull him into some trips as well.

-Allen

Allen:

Thanks for the kind words.  As a tiny company there are some things we can't offer or stock.  We feel that personal service is one of our best products and something that seems to be forever out of stock at some of the bigger stores these days.  Don't get me going on Home Depot!

I feel the same way about you, you have remained unbelievably patient and polite and that makes a big difference on this end.  Good luck on Monday, and enjoy your new boat.