Bass N Fly

[Jay Murakoshi]

Good luck too all you particpants in the Bass N Fly tournament. I know it's early but I might be dead a$$ tired by next Friday. I'm fishing 6 straight days with a guy.

Jay

[Darian]

OK guys, lets hear it for Jay.... :nod: Jonesin' for sympathy for having to fish with someone for 6 straight days at Cerralvo.... :lol: :lol:

[mark]

LOL, good call Darian. I think I am feeling a twinge of sympathy........ wait ................... nope jealousy.

Looking forward to my first bass n fly. We'll be in the dinghy.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Looking forward to my first bass n fly. We'll be in the dinghy.

Ditto here... We're in the blue tracker pro-v :D

[lee s.]

We'll be parking cars. ;-)

[Phil Synhorst]

We'll be parking cars. ;-)

Me too. It'll be good to see you and Susan again, haven't seen you two since Kiene's Expo last year.

[briansII]

We'll be parking cars. ;-)

Hey Lee,

Looks like you picked the right job. ;-) Conditions look tough out there. Still, I'd rather be there fishing, than stuck at work. :-(

Good luck to the contestants.....but especially the Papike Bros.

briansII

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

YIKES! REALLY rough day of fishing today.... that west wind blew 17 - 25mph from 8 am onward. We had a helluva time finding places out of the wind. Paul and I only brought in 2 fish for a total weight of 4 lbs 3 oz :confused:

But, we were eternally grateful to have found those fish! There were a LOT of empty live wells at the end of the day. We were boat# 39 out of 44 that launched.

QUICK STATS (from a very tired memory, as we were up at 2:30 am - BNF will have to post the official results, of course):
12 lbs 13oz took 1st, 6 lbs (+ some oz) took 8th. Big fish was only 5 lbs... :shock:

[lee s.]

Welllll......
I BLEW IT!!!!!!
.....lee s.

[Darian]

Geezzz,.... Kinda sounds like the weather conditions were worse than when I was out with KD earlier this month. Interesting/tough casting in that kind of wind.... :nod:

[Phil Synhorst]

Welllll......
I BLEW IT!!!!!!
.....lee s.

Lee, how did you get 200 miles off course?:eek: I think the rest of us drivers on the board need to have a little sit down with ya, your givin us a bad rep.:lol:

In all seriousness, when Ken hung up and told us what happened I think we all had that OH S#@%, heart sinking feeling for ya. Us valley dwellers will just have to wait a little longer to see you guys.:(

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Lee, how did you get 200 miles off course?:eek: I think the rest of us drivers on the board need to have a little sit down with ya, your givin us a bad rep.:lol:

In all seriousness, when Ken hung up and told us what happened I think we all had that OH S#@%, heart sinking feeling for ya. Us valley dwellers will just have to wait a little longer to see you guys.:(

What happened to ya Lee???? Hope you and Susan are ok?

[GreggH]

When we face conditions like yesterday the skippers importance is ten fold. If you don't have experience in extreme conditions the chances to put fish in the bucket are very limited. At times it blew 20 gust to 30. I have never had to ride my troller like I did yesterday. If your not set up properly (24 V bow troller) fully charged and healthy batts and in my case a remote key fob your in for a long dreadful day. Keeping your boat in a nasty environment to give your team the best shot is what I believe separates the fields during weather. My partner Matt aka G$ has delivered both years with $ bags and in fact I zeroed yesterday and G$ tossed 4 in the well good enough for 6th. He's a lefty and we can dance around the boat giving each of us the best casting lanes. Without a wireless remote for the trolling motor I wouldn't be able to control the boat from both ends and would limit our angles. I'm blessed with a fine boat and a kick ass partner. I would also like to thank the team at Bass-n-Fly for for all there hard work. They all rock !!

[Phil Synhorst]

Attention Ken Hanley:
You asked yesterday for us volunteers to give any suggestions we might think of to help things go smoother. May I humbly submit that along with the necessary permits with DFG etc., a permit for good weather would be in order........it's just after 10am and we have sun shine and a slight breeze here in Sac.:angry:

For everyone in general:
My hat goes off to the Bass-n-Fly crew, Stockton Bass Club, and my fellow volunteers. IMHO, never having fished or worked a tournament before, the event went really well. The check in table seemed to go pretty quick; Peter and I had no problems at the raffle/swag table; and boat inspection, while fast and furious, didn't appear to have any hitches. I didn't get to see everyone launch, but assume there were no problems.

Setting up for the afternoon events was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Everyone jumped in where needed, and we were able to set up before the wind picked up.[-o<

The weigh in rolled right along also, fortunately(for us) the participants came back in with enough time between, that we didn't have more than 3(?) boats at a time waiting. The prize and raffle ceremonies were quick...and pretty sweet...good payouts and some killer prizes.

All in all, I had a damn good time. I got to see some people I haven't seen in a while, and met a whole lot of new people I'd like to hang out with again.\\:D/

p.s. the dilemma for next year....have a kick ass time helping out again, or
fish and try to win some cash and/or a sweet raffle prize.:-k

[k.hanley]

Just a quick note.........
We'll have all the details of the event up on Facebook (and Kiene's Board) in a couple of days.

M-a-n-y thanks to everyone involved with the event. Conditions made it a challenge on all levels but we pulled it off. Great comraderie, great community.
Cheers, Ken

PS: Phil I have your note on the weather permit now in the books!

PPS: Nobody needs to worry about Lee & Susan. It was just a matter of Lee having too much fun working behind the wheel.....we'll get him next time!

[Phil Synhorst]

#-o#-o#-o#-o

My apologies to Robin, and anyone else that I may have mislead about Lee and Susan's well being.

:oops::oops::oops::oops:

[lee s.]

Not to worry....Lee and Susan are fine. Lee merely suffered one of his greatest EYETALIAN moments this weekend! We did a grand job scheduling and reserving camping and planning and such for this event. We just did the WRONG DAY! OUR tournament was on Saturday....not Friday like Ken's! MY BAD!!!
When Ken called Fri AM I just knew it was a prank. We danged near ran off the road when we realized what was really up. Ironically we were on I 5 close to March Rd with a load that was already 3hrs late due to milling schedules. The irony of this global positioning also did not occour to us till we finally finished our day at 6PM.
Glad all worked out well and the tenacity of the crew and participants is to be admired due to the adverse weather experienced. Congrats to all....the winners too.
Bet we are on time next year!!! ;-) ;-)
....lee s. and Susan

[larry sommerfeld]

My partner and I put a lot of effort into this tournament and ended up getting skunked.

I didn't fish the original tournament but my partner did - paired up with a gear head. They didn't finish in the money, but placed high. Bob and I fished last year's tournament for the first time together, placing 10th.

This year, we didn't want to place 10th or even 2nd we WANTED TO WIN!! With that in mind, we started pre-fishing a month ago. When we caught fish we would record location (of course), state of tide, state of moon, and weather. After a time, a pattern started to emerge. The week before the tournament, we fished Tuesday - Thursday. It was windy all week, so all our spots were more or less sheltered. We were careful not to fish the same area and hammer the same fish. Tuesday we had a 20# bag. Wednesday we worked hard for 9 fish - all between 2 and 3 pounds. Thursday we would have gotten skunked except for one 4# fish. The day of the tournament, we got skunked (7 fish, largest 11 3/4").

Everyone says the wind was blowing 20 gusting to 30. I think the wind was blowing 30 gusting to 40. I have a big Min-Kota powered by a bank of golf cart batteries. The wind overpowered the motor. If we got blown off shore, we had to power back with the big motor. After about 10 a.m., we decided we couldn't both fish and run the boat so we took turns, one fishing, the other running the boat.

We had a game plan. First we'd go to spot #1, next spot #2 and so on. We didn't deviate from the plan. Everyone was fishing under the same conditions. My hat is off to those who caught fish. I'm just bummed that we worked so hard and got skunked.

Larry S

[Darian]

Larry,.... After putting in that much effort/planning you really have to give yourself a pat on the back. Even tho it didn't pay off this time, at least you can say that you put yourself in position to take your best shot. Too bad the fish/weather didn't co-operate. Next year.... :nod: :nod:

[Spicytuna1]

First I would like to thank everyone that came together to put this great event on and have it go as smooth as it did, too bad Mother Nature had a different idea. Thanks again to Kevin Doran, Ken Hanley, John Sherman, Keith Kaneko, and the Stockton Bass Club, and all volunteers. Without these people we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did out there.

This was our third year in this event my brother and I had some high hopes. We ended up middle of the pack the first two years but were determined to change that. This year our effort paid off and we had a great day despite the weather.

As tournament time came closer this year my brother and I definitely put in our effort this year spending numerous hours on the water. We knew the wind was going to blow so we sent out to find spots we knew the wind least affect our fishing. Having 3 to 4 spots we knew were holding fish and would be protected from the weather definitely gave us some confidence coming out Friday morning.

After a very sleepless night we were ready to set out. Fortunately our homework and Tactics paid off as were able to catch fish at every spot we had set out to fish. We were also lucky to land every fish we stuck. Life is a little easier when you got 5 fish in the live well despite the conditions. Even with everything we had going for us I still took a few good verbal lashings for my boat placement from big brother with the wind and tide fighting each other. I don’t know how but I was able to run the boat and fish at the same time keeping two rods in the water all day, this was a big part of our success. I think I pretty much earned a PHD in troll motoring, between the foot pedal and the remote; I was able to hold us steady and fish effectively despite the conditions. Everything came together for us and there is nothing more than we could have asked for. We had our A game on and it paid off.

I would like to send a special thank to the people that helped make this possible for us:

Bob Nakagawa at Sierra Anglers our local Modesto Fly shop. A personal friend of mine.

Kevin Doran was a big part of us starting out and learning about the Delta.

Lee Haskins flies have always been a big part of my arsenal KD put us onto him when we first started out and I have had tremendous success with his fly variations.

We look forward to the competition next year. Can’t wait for it and I will see you all on the water.

David Merin

[GreggH]

Well done you two. Thanks for post'n up a recap of your day. See ya next year.

[jumpshooter]

Well, it was a hell of a tough day out there. Gregg and I did everything we could to find fish. All four of our fish came in one spot within 20 minutes. We were able through gregg's great boat handling to get on the fish. It wasn't easy and we had a floating grass mat that moved over the spot and stopped the bite, or we caught the whole family.

The color and size of fly really has seemed to matter last year and this year. All of the fish that we have put in the boat the last two tournaments have come on the same color and similar size.

I think if I had any recommendations, it would be to have the tournament later in the year to get away from the spring winds that seem to always be persistent this time of the year.

Thanks to all the guys that make this tourney possible and for the great sponsors that make this even pretty unique. I have been to dozens of DU, CWA, and other events and have never been a raffle winner, now I can no longer say that I have never won anything. Thanks again guys.

[mark]

Same deal with us, We fought hard to compete with the wind but our trolling motor set up on our little 12 footer showed its inefficiency when the wind really kicked up.

Luckily we did find some fish, had a lot of small guys that we had to throw back and ended up with a couple keepers.

Next year we will hopefully be in a little larger boat with a bow mount trolling motor.

Nice work David to you and your brother. Great job on a tough day. Luck often favors those who practice the most......... next year we're definitely going to put in some more practice hours.

take care, see you guys next year.

[Charlie Gonzales]

Finaly saw it in black and white, we came in 9th, missed the money by 5ounces. Money would have been nice, but I still caught more fish than you Gregg.

[GreggH]

Finaly saw it in black and white, we came in 9th, missed the money by 5ounces. Money would have been nice, but I still caught more fish than you Gregg.


Money won is twice as sweet as money earned. My goal was to finish in front of you and RJ....NEXT!!!!!! :) Lets go Flyers, lets go!!!!
FYI- I'm : you.


http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb236/greggh_fish/flyers-ice-team013.jpghttp://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb236/greggh_fish/flyers-ice-team06.jpg

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

We came in 15th...

Again - I'm just happy we got to line-up for weigh-in, and that I didn't get skunked! It was an amazing first experience and hope we can do it again next year! :nod:

I 2nd the remark that maybe it could be scheduled a little later in the year. It was windy as hell both the last two previous years too... although, the first year, I think it was around 100 degrees, if I remember right!

[k.hanley]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. As you can imagine, producing this event is a major undertaking. Getting the appropriate permits, all of our resources, and a reasonable date is quite a challenge each year.

Weather is the wildcard. We do look at the trends and do our best to acquire the permits around “stable weather.” But – stable weather is really an oxy-moron. The weather does what it wants, when it wants.

Here’s the three year history for each of the dates of our tournaments.

BNF Challenge #1 May 30, 2008:
2009… High: 92, Wind Ave: 0, Gusts: 9
2008… High: 77, Wind Ave: 0, Gusts: 10
2007… High: 88, Wind Ave: 3, Gusts: 10

BNF Challenge #2 May 15, 2009:
2009… High: 94, Wind Ave: 1.5, Gusts: 13
2008… High: 102, Wind Ave: 1.5, Gusts: 13
2007… High: 79, Wind Ave: 1.5, Gusts: 11

BNF Challenge #3 May 21, 2010:
2009… High: 93, Wind Ave: 2, Gusts: 12
2008… High: 81, Wind Ave: 2, Gusts: 27
2007… High: 85, Wind Ave: 2, Gusts: 24

We will continue to look at weather trends and do our best with a crystal ball. Securing the permit takes place 9 months in advance. First choices on dates are not always granted or available by DFG.

We look forward to trying it again next year!
Cheers, BNF Team

[Spicytuna1]

I finally got the picture of the big fish of the Trouney here it is.

Man look at that weather we had huh...lol






http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/4112/bassnflywinner2.png (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/bassnflywinner2.png/)

[GreggH]

Way to give up your spot dork. I know were that pic was taken. BTW- folks note the key fob, note the winner. Loose the foot and hard wired remote and go wireless.....or don't.

Lets go Flyers LETS GO!!!

[Scott V]

BTW- folks note the key fob, note the winner. Loose the foot and hard wired remote and go wireless.....or don't.

???

What are you trying to say? That if you have a foot controlled trolling motor you can't win?

[Spicytuna1]

Actually I used the wireless and the foot pedal. The way the wind was blowing its hard to fish and run the remote at the same time, though there were times when it came in handy. But for the most part I was running the foot pedal on constant having to adjust the speed and direction constantly it was no easy task. At times the remote is key though, anytime I had to switch rods or net a fish it is key to have control being anywhere in the boat.

[GreggH]

???

What are you trying to say? That if you have a foot controlled trolling motor you can't win?

I'll try to explain. You have a 200 yard rock wall you want to fish and the wind is blowing 15 knots into the structure and slightly across. You have to slip the boat at a 45 degree angle all the way down. How do I fish that facing away from my casting lanes and the stern closest to the wall? Goofy foot it backwards, good luck. You can't. Do you roll your peddle with both feet? Not. That takes you out of most if not all starboard side windy runs. Tossing a bait caster is one thing getting your body in a correct fly casting position is a totally different ball game. It simply boils down to one VERY important detail, boat position. Let me ask this. Have you peddle guys passed on area's because it was just to difficult to cast crossing your body with a awkward and sometimes dangerous cast ? I guess I could be like 95 percent of fly anglers who quit when the going gets tuff. Trust me, I hate the wind. Lastly, no you don't need a wireless remote to win but I'll betcha one thing my teams fly's was in the zone a lot more then yours. Just my 2

[Scott V]

So you were controlling the boat with your wireless while your partner cast?

[GreggH]

I fished as well but $ is left handed so we switched ends when it made sense. Being pinned to a foot pedal with one body position the entire day will work for the gear guy but not a fly fishermen. I promise you once you go wireless you'll never go back. Now the next debate is a hard wire box remote better then the wireless key fob. The hard wire guy's say they can control the RPM's better then me but after 2+ thousand hours on my unit I've never wished for more/better speed control. I have enough trouble keeping my deck straight without dragging a extension cord around my boat with a box hooked to my belt. I fish solo alot and my boats attitude is seldom in perfect position to allow effective casting from the bow. Me and my partners are constantly dancing all over the deck reaching for the lanes and this would be impossible with a foot controlled boat. Again this has worked for me but if you can explain the advantage of a foot unit please do so, I would love to learn more.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb236/greggh_fish/DSC00729.jpg

[Scott V]

If it works for you Gregg stick with it, I have great control with a foot controller and have really never had a problem with it. I think the reason I have such good control with it in any weather condition is the amount of time I have using one back in my days of fishing tournaments. When you prefish or even on the day of the events, putting in 10 to 12 hours a day will teach you a few tricks and how to better manage boat position. But if your way works for you stick with it, as for trying to explain the advantage, I can't.