Striperfest

[Charlie Gonzales]

Had a great time at the fest yesterday but was disappointed with the lack of Kienes BB members. The fest helps fund the legal fight to support the fish we all love so much. Thanks to those who attended.

[Darian]

I made it yesterday and had a great time. :nod: Lotsa good food catered by Texas West Barbeque. Lotsa camaraderie. Saw Charlie but didn't get a chance to say hello. I saw a bunch of Kiene's BB members there. Many of the attendees are/were members of Blantons BB as well as Kiene's. So, maybe the appearance of lack of attendance was misleading.... :confused: Lotsa new attendees this year (I was one of 'em). :cool: The weather was wonderful. Not sure about the fishing (I didn't fish). Spoke to Jerry Neubereger and Sturmer. Jerry said that Sturmer caught 14 pounds of fish, one at a time.... ;)

Finally got a chance to meet and talk to Mike McKenzie. Great guy. He really is involved in the good fight as a member of the DFG striper committee/panel.... Too much to discuss here. :)

Scott Vaughn was there, providing his assistance to the organizers and passing out raffle prizes.... 8) Met and spoke Lee Soares and his wife, Steve Reem and his wife and met a man named Shawn (forgive me for forgetting the last name, senior moment....) that I spent some time talking to about his business, family and fishing.... Really enjoyed all of 'em.... :D

The high spot of the evening for me was the raffle. I won a Tibor, Everglades fly reel engraved with, "Striper Fest 2009" and a graphic Striped Bass. Gold, satin finish. What a reel. :D

[Charlie Gonzales]

I dont know about a bunch Darian.... I counted 5(including you) Kienes regulars there. I was very happy to see that you had won the Tibor. There arent many fund raisers that benefit stripers, and we are in a war to save them. So my point is that whenever there is a chance to help, we ALL need to step up; if you dont then dont cry when they're gone.
The few fight the fight, while many reap the rewards.

[Darian]

I didn't mean to make it seem as tho you were mistaken, Charlie, but there were many more than the five you mention. I always count anyone who posts on kiene's at all as a member of the BB community. There're seven (eight if you include me) named in my note that fit into that category and I saw several others that I didn't mention....

At any rate, your point about conservation of the resource (Striped Bass) is absolutely accurate. We really do need to support activities like Striper Fest or risk losing the resource forever. According to Mike McKenzie, commercial fisherman in the bay area are "hammering" Stripers as they've been cut-off from ocean Salmon fishing. Perhaps we're wondering why there aren't very many large Stripers in the Delta as of yet.... :confused: Proceeds from Striper Fest support activities required to restore all fisheries in the Delta and all of it's trib's. \\:D/

If Bill agrees, I'll try to post some info about how/where to buy Striper Fest 2009 logo apparel/hats that remain in inventory. They were sold at the event. All or a portion of the proceeds goes to the same causes. :D

[lee s.]

GREAT BS'ing with you Darian. Sorry to have seen you have to stand after just sitting for a moment......but I guess the Tibor was well worth the "strain". :-)
....lee s.

[Darian]

Hi Lee,.... you're sure right about BS'n and that reel. Here's a photo of the engraving:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o31/jockscot/MyPicture.jpg

Hope to do that again sometime.... :D :D

(Hmmmm,.... Forgot it would be reversed in the image)

[Darian]

I forgot to mention in the first post that Leo Gutierrez was there and demo'd his newest version of the twisted leader. The latest version is finished with a Uni-knot instead of the usual double surgeon or overhand knot. Very slim, non-slip knot. :cool: Gotta practice this new version. :D :D

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That is a pretty cool reel there Darian..............

[Scott V]

That is a pretty cool reel there Darian..............

Yeah too bad everything was spelled backwards!:D

[Dean Y.]

Just curious. Was there any mention of the Striperfest on the board? Couldn't find a link to it or a thread on the BB... I'm interested in learning about the fishery and this sounded kinda fun. Perhaps, I missed the posted info? :o

[Darian]

This event is/was hosted by Dan Blanton and the organizers stuck to his Bulletin Board. Maybe we can convince Dan to make some announcement of next years event on this BB.... :confused: :confused: IMHO, it certainly would contribute to more attendees and benefits for the fish.... :D