By Paul Lebowitz

July 20, 2007

Howerton’s 17-lb score tops kayak fishing tournament presented by Western Outdoor News

LA JOLLA – The surf at La Jolla Shores had been step-over small for most of the week. Instead, bumpy 2 to 3-footers faced the 110 kayak anglers who collected on the beach for the Calico Chaos catch and release saltwater bass tournament on July 14. This third event in the Plastic Navy Tournament Trail Presented by Western Outdoor News was set to start with a saltwater shower.

“It kept me cool,” said Ed Howerton, who took a soaking getting through the waves. After that the kayak surf novice but expert angler paddled south around Point La Jolla to the slightly off-color water in front of Windansea Beach. Howerton, of Team OEX, said he fished a green 8-in MC Swimbaits slug all day for just 5 fish. They were good ones; Howerton’s 17.16-lb tournament limit propelled him to the tournament victory and into the overall lead for Lowrance Electronics Angler of the Year. Howerton earned $1,001 and a lot of breathing room.

“I had a lot of people to contend with,” Howerton said in a nod to other kayak bass-catchers. Normally calm and collected, Howerton confessed to a rare case of nerves in the days leading up to the contest. A poor showing in calico-rich La Jolla would have brought the front-runner back to the pack. 

La Jolla regular and defending Trail champion Dave Easton finished second with 14 lbs. The Wilderness Systems Kayak Team member fished a smelt imitation, a hologram swimbait with a chartreuse head. His efforts on a day described as scratchy were good for $275.

Ed Keil was third with 11.95 lbs anchored by the big bass of the day, a 7.20-lb checker caught on an orange Mogambo curl-tail with a brown skirt. Keil took home $180 plus $810 and a $400 gift certificate from Global Fish Mounts for the jackpot win. Keil’s big bass is the new front runner for the Okuma Jackpot of the Year and a bonus $1,500.

No kayak tournament in La Jolla would be complete without a big fish contest. William Baker snatched the winner-take-all jackpot and $400 when he rescued an 8.12-lb yellowtail from the jaws of a larcenous sea lion.

Up at Kate Sessions Park, site of the tournament’s award ceremony and huge raffle, Plastic Navy tournament director Drew Clark announced the 110 angler field as a new high for a La Jolla kayak bass event. “Thanks for putting up with some crazy surf today,” Clark said.

The raffle was a rich one, highlighted by a pair of state of the art fishing kayaks. San Diego Kayak Adventures owner Ric Osanai was pleased to present a beautiful Perception Search 15 to lucky angler Sean Lorenz. Michael Williams won the Cobra Marauder-XF, nicely outfitted with easy to reach hatches and a full set of rod holders.

Other raffle highlights included Okuma’s hot new Baidarka kayak fishing rods, fresh from their introduction last week at ICAST. These babies float! Seairsports was on hand with gift certificates good toward kayak fishing seats and accessories such as the Pacific Angler and Bait Tank Buddy. Sports Chalet handed out gift cards good toward the chain’s wide variety of fishing tackle, kayaking accessories, and other sporting goods. San Diego kayak shop OEX and Jim Molesworth of Angler’s Yak Shack provided a KayaTank, a fully plumbed internal livewell system.

Xtools gave away a tall stack of ProX Series floating metal pliers.

They feature offset steel jaws and carbide cutters. From Berkley, there were Powerbait and FireLine Crystal, the world’s first translucent braid. Costa del Mar handed out several pairs of beautiful polarized sunglasses. Mike Ieler of Battery Systems was on site to award gift certificates for the company’s comprehensive line-up of kayak-friendly rechargeable batteries. Additional quality prizes were provided by Hogan’s Bait and Tackle, Hook 1 Kayak Fishing Gear, Islander Charters, Lowrance, Promar, Rapala, Trix Jetty Worm, Western Outdoor News, and WFO Sportfishing.

Plastic Navy / WON kayak fishing competition resumes on Sept 15 when the Trail paddles north to Dana Pt. This centerpiece of Orange County kayak fishing is sure to surrender more big calico bass. Although Trail front-runner Howerton has sprinted out to a big advantage, individual tournament honors, a minimum of $1,001 of first-place cash, lots of jackpot dough, and thousands of dollars of raffle prizes are up for grabs.

Expanded placement info is available at www.plasticnavy.com.

RAFFLE GOODIES GALORE – Like every other Plastic Navy Tournament Trail event, the Calico Chaos raffle was stocked full of great prizes from industry leaders such as Berkley, Costa del Mar, Okuma, Promar, Rapala, and too many others to list.

HOWERTON RIDING HIGH – Ed Howerton won the Plastic Navy / WON Calico Chaos catch and release kayak bass fishing contest at La Jolla with a 5-fish total of 17.16 lbs. The victory propelled the Team OEX angler into the lead for the Lowrance Electronics Angler of the Year points title.

DEFENDING TRAIL CHAMP TURNS IN A STRONG PERFORMANCE – Team Wilderness Systems member Dave Easton finished second at La Jolla with 14 lbs even. Easton summed up the fishing day when he said it was scratchy after the first hour or two. After that, competitors had to contend with rough current and wind conditions.

BIG BASS, BIG $$$$ - Ed Keil’s 7.20-lb calico bass won the jackpot (valued at $1,210) and paced him to a third place finish. His big bass is the heaviest caught in Trail competition to date, making it the front runner for the series-long Okuma Jackpot of the Year and a bonus $1,500.

SUPER STICK – Okuma sales rep. David Brown shows off one of the company’s innovative new Baidarka kayak rods. The first of their kind, they float if dropped overboard and boast many other kayak-specific features.

 HAPPY WINNER – Michael Williams (center) beams after winning a grand raffle prize, a new 2007 Cobra Marauder-XF. The Xtra Fishy kayak features a superior deck plan, side storage pockets, and easily accessible storage.