Wrap Up: 2014 CBKA Tournament

It begun on September 12th 2014 with a 4 hour drive from my home to the destination of Camp Wright on Kent Island Maryland. Once past the beaten paths of NJ and onto Delaware after Route 299 (I will never go that way again) and onto Rt 301. Rt 301 was a desolate highway while driving within a group of 3 vehicles the entire way until hitting Rt 50 which is more heavy on traffic.

A first for me to be present at the Chesapeake Bay Kayak Angers tournament. I became aware of the event in the spring while at the Susky Jamboree while chatting at with NJ native John Foley one of the organizers. This year was the fourth annual.

Camp Wright is a children’s summer camp that was gracious to host the CBKA on their grounds. The camps property is waterfront on the Chesapeake Bay and overlooks the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Upon my arrival I met up with Mullet Miller whom is sort of local to the area. We have known each other from other past tournaments and mutual friends. After talking with a few people that I have met in the past fishing the Susquehanna River Flats it was time to get registered. The captains bags were really heavy! They were stocked with some great stuff such as nice swim baits flukes and a ton of sponsors literature. The t shirts were nice I really like the safety orange color!

After rummaging through the captains bag I stepped out inside the back screened in patio area and there was 3 tables of food for the potluck. Some really good stuff. Im so glad I didn’t make chili because there was 3 other homemade chilies there!  The tables were fully stocked with cold salads Jalapeno poppers chicken wings chicken nuggets. Lots of food. To top it off there was a ton of shucked oysters and 2 bushels of blue claw crabs for pickin. They were still hot too!! I love blue claw crabs with that Chesapeake Bay Seasoning and this was the first time this year I was able to enjoy them with a choice beverage.

Eight crabs later and a few hours of hanging out it was time to call it a night. My truck was the shelter of choice for the night. I did pack my tent but opted against pitching it as it was supposed to rain the next day and I was only staying the night.

The front bench seat of a Ford F150 isn’t the most comfortable but was able to manage about 3 hours of sleep between waking up uncomfortable and hot a few times. At one point during the early morning I woke up and turned on the vent.  This made it a bit more comfortable. was wide awake by 4:45 AM. Around 6:00 we were about to leave and i went to start my truck and the battery had died due to using the vent fo

r too long. Thanks to Mullet Miller giving me a Jump it was off to the tackle store and 711 for coffee.

We arrived at the Kent Narrows boat ramp around 6:30 just before the sun rose. After rigging up yaks and heading to the boat ramp the sun was already into the overcast.

The tide was incoming and we had about an hour and a half until slack tide. I was amazed on how much the tide actually ripped through the narrows being a three foot tide. I decided to start with an xrap on my Bull Bay Rod with the Lew’s SuperDuty Speed Spool casting reel.  Fishing this area is very different from what I am used to . Making use of all light tackle using small baits and plastics.

We fished the bridge for about a half hour eventually riding the tide in while fishing the bank. I ended up landing a small striper on the x rap casting underneath a small pier. It was early in the day and to have a caught a fish felt good! An hour later again caught another small bass that was the same size as the earlier catch. That was it all day. Fishing the Big Rig in this tournament  paddling a majority more than motoring. The Big Rig does paddle very well for its size. Turns on a dime and is pretty quick. A longer paddle is required.

It was a slow day but nice to get out and explore a new place. No better excuse for doing a little Yak Action!! See the video below for the full production. During this time I was also able to test out the new Sea-lect Designs footbraces installed a few days prior. They worked flawless. Much better than the factory installed smart rudder footbrace track control. The gas pedal style is the way to go. Check my blog for future posts on that!

 

Around 1:30 showers moved in. It poured for about 15 minutes. Stuck in there for a little longer to get that last cast in. Wet chilly decided to call it a day around 2:30. Mullet Miller picked up a 14 inch needle fish just before we headed back to the boat ramp.

Back at the ramp we packed up and headed back to Camp Wright. Shower was first on my list then rinsing down my gear and the Torqeedo.

By this time it was awards raffle and dinner time. I had purchased  5 raffle tickets but knew it wouldn’t matter since i have yet to win a raffle at a tournament.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There had to be over 150 raffle prizes including a separate raffle for a Brand New Jackson Kayak Big Rig!! The raffle was started and winners were announced.

A 24″ striper took the largest bass along with a 13 1/4″ White perch that took the Junior and the White perch division. A 47.5″ overall length took the slam (White Perch Bluefish and Striped Bass) A lady angler won a yeti cooler for catching a 16″ needle fish.

I do recommend that you check out this tournament next year or in the future. It is very well run and there are many great people to meet. Overall its just a great time meeting new people with similar interests and to explore a different fishery.

 

 

 

Matthew Trucks

Jackson Kayak Fishing Team Pro Staff