By Paul LebowitzMay 27, 2005 MISSION BAY - The “usual suspects” took a back seat to a tournament newcomer at the Fastlane Kayak Fishing Frenzy. Fishing in only his second Plastic Navy event, winner Austin Bland was so happy with his 9.2 pound 5-fish tournament limit that he spent the final hour of the tournament relaxing onshore. Drew Clark, one of the organizers of the May 14th event at Mission Bay’s Dana Landing, said Bland caught his fish on spinnerbaits in the waters adjacent to Sea World. Bland’s hot day earned him a fully rigged Hobie Outback fishing kayak. Second and third place were claimed by Brian Lloyd (8.88 pounds) and Todd Groessl (8.46 pounds). Keith Martin collected the jackpot with a fat 2.54 pound spotted bay bass. The 101 anglers who participated caught, weighed, and released an impressive 314 pounds of saltwater bass. |
MOST OF THE FISH weighed at the Fastlane Kayak Fishing Frenzy were spotted bay bass or “spotties” like these two shown off by Barb Keeney. PHOTO COURTESY PLASTIC NAVY |
74 anglers weighed fish, likely the highest ratio recorded in many years of Mission Bay kayak fishing tournaments. Although it didn’t count towards his tournament standing, young angler Alex Foster (13) was thrilled with his 6.7 pound corvina. Placement and raffle prizes were provided by Hobie Kayaks, the Fastlane Sailing Center, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Okuma, Booyaa Clothing Company, Ballast Point Brewery, Hook1 Kayak Fishing Gear, Angler’s Arsenal, Squidco, Dana Landing, West Marine, and others. The raffle’s first prize was a spot on the Islander’s upcoming 1.5 day kayak mothership trip. Through the generosity of these sponsors, Plastic Navy’s raffle raised over $1,000 dollars to benefit the Friends of Rollo youth fishing program. The Fastlane Kayak Fishing Frenzy was the third event in Plastic Navy’s Tournament Trail. With four contests remaining, the race for Angler of the Year is a close one. Matt Brewer leads with 24.25 pounds. Trailing him are C.J. Siebler (23.6 pounds) and Bill Hokstad (23.37 pounds). Five other kayak anglers are lurking within range with over 20 pounds of fish apiece. Their next opportunity to gain ground will be on July 9th, when Plastic Navy will offer the Cobra Kayaks Calico Chaos at La Jolla Shores. See PlasticNavy.com for details. |