By Paul Lebowitz

April 4, 2008

Plastic Navy Tournament Trail kayak competitors get their shot on April 12

MISSION BAY – The 2008 kayak fishing competitive calendar will hit the high gear on April 12, when the Plastic Navy Tournament Trail Presented by Western Outdoor News will take over Mission Bay.

Last year’s contest saw a west coast record 220 anglers vie for bass superiority. Tournament director Drew Clark is hoping this year’s Trail debut will set a new mark for a saltwater catch and release contest. With good reason; Plastic Navy has cooked up a couple of exciting innovations to their excellent format. Read on below.  

The Mission Bay event, like every one in the series, is an inexpensive and fun catch and release tournament targeting spotted, sand, and calico bass with artificial lures. As always in Plastic Navy competition, every angler will be striving for the heaviest 5-bass tournament stringer. Calico, sand, and spotted bay bass are all valid targets. This is a zero kill event; bass must be alive to be weighed. Most anglers will keep their fish kicking via portable battery-powered live wells. Several weigh boats will take up station throughout the course, so anglers won’t have to look far to log in their bass.

Pre-registration is $50 ($60 day of), good for a delicious Mexican-style lunch, entry to the stocked raffle, and eligibility for lucrative placement prizes. Some hot stick will walk away at least $1,001 richer after weighing the heaviest 5-bass tournament stringer.

Global Fish Mounts is sponsoring the optional $10 jackpot. It’s worth more than mere cash – the winning catch will come with a gift certificate good for a beautiful replica mount.

The jackpot entry will also get anglers into Plastic Navy’s new blind bogey contests. Big or small, any weighed fish could be worth a cash bounty. Just get closest to the randomly selected weights.

Plastic Navy is also making the Director’s Challenge a regular feature. At least one of the Plastic Navy crew will fish the contest (rumor has it Clark will take the field); the angler who turns in a similar score will collect a special prize.  

Land-based tournament activities will center on Mission Bay’s Dana Landing area. The launch site is the free public ramp adjacent to Dana Landing Market, a great place for that last minute tackle purchase. The market is a full service tackle shop featuring Mission Bay staples such as plastics, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits from many Trail sponsors.

The April 12 event kicks off the 2008 Tournament Trail, a 4-event points race to crown a Kayak Angler of the Year. After Mission Bay, the Trail takes on Newport Bay (June 21), and Dana Pt (Aug 16) before crossing the finish line at the Oct 11 San Diego Bay finale.   Every competitor will earn one point per lb of fish weighed. After three contests, the leading 15 anglers will vie for overall honors.

For rules, event times, to sign up, and for other important information please visit the Plastic Navy website at www.plasticnavy.com. And look to WON for Tournament Trail previews, news reports, and the best in kayak fishing coverage.

A Quick Look at Trail Event #1 – Mission Bay, April 12, 2008
What: A catch and release saltwater bass tournament for kayak anglers. Fish it as a stand-alone competition or vie for Trail placement points towards Angler of the Year.
Goal: Weigh the heaviest 5-bass tournament string. Eligible fish are the spotted bay bass, sand bass, and calico bass. Bass must be a minimum of 12-in. long to be weighed and must be alive.
Event Placement Prizes: Cash awards based on entries, minimum $1,001 for first place. Cash and / or merchandise prizes awarded through 5th place. 
Global Fish Mounts Jackpot: The winning bass in the optional $10 jackpot will be immortalized with a reproduction mount from Global Fish Works. 
Prizes: Fishing kayaks, rods and reels, electronics, sunglasses, fishing tools, accessories, tackle storage, bait and tackle, and more.
Entry Fee per Event: $50 / advance at www.plasticnavy.com. Day-of registration higher. $10 optional jackpot.

Be Kind to Your Bass
All Plastic Navy events are catch and release, artificial bait only tournaments. Anglers must be prepared to keep their fish alive and well until they can reach one of the weigh boats that will be stationed in the tournament area. Weigh boats are a privilege; anglers should expect to paddle their fish to a boat. For the health of the bass resource, competitors are strongly encouraged to use powered live wells for fish storage.

GATHER ROUND, ‘YAKKERS, IT’S TOURNAMENT TIME – The 2008 edition of the Plastic Navy Tournament Trail Presented by Western Outdoor News kicks off on April 12 at San Diego’s sparkling Mission Bay. It’s the first of four big-league style saltwater bass catch and release contests, all lucrative individual events.

MISSION BAY IS SPOTTY CENTRAL – Spotted bay bass are likely to take center stage in Plastic Navy’s Mission Bay. The freckled fish will hit just about any bass candy: plastics, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, you name it. Catching them is easy; compiling the heaviest 5-bass stringer takes talent, determination, and luck.

LIVE WELLS COME IN HANDY AT WEIGH-IN TIME – Like all Plastic Navy saltwater contests, the Mission Bay tournament is a zero kill event. Competitors must keep their bass healthy until they can be weighed on the water by one of the weigh boats. A simple battery-powered livewell gets the job done effectively.

BIG MONEY, BIG PRIZES – The Mission Bay tour stop offers a minimum $1,001 payout to the top placer. There’s more to win: a bundle of jackpot cash, great placement and raffle prizes, the Director’s Challenge, and blind bogeys open to anyone who weighs a fish no matter how big or small.