By Paul LebowitzFebruary 16, 2007 Plastic Navy partners with Western Outdoor News to launch the biggest saltwater bass tournament series in the world – on kayaks Saltwater bassers, ready your fishing arsenals. Kayakers, saddle your watery steeds. The Plastic Navy Tournament Trail is stampeding your way. Unlike any California kayak fishing competition to date, this 6-event series is presented in partnership with Western Outdoor News, “the nation’s biggest weekly fishing and hunting newspaper.” “This is going to be huge,” said an obviously thrilled Drew Clark, founder of the kayak fishing website PlasticNavy.com. “We’re taking a sport – kayak fishing – and opening it up to anyone who likes to fish the bays and inshore.” Plastic Navy has run quality kayak fishing tournaments for years. Clark is proud of his organization’s record of successful events. “We got into this (running tournaments) to show what’s possible. We created the kind of first-class kayak competitions we wanted to fish ourselves,” said Clark, a keen saltwater basser. Clark and his Plastic Navy buddies yearned for tournaments modeled after the big freshwater circuits. These would be skills games, determined by the one with the heaviest 5-bass string. There’d be no live bait, only artificial lures. And to protect a cherished natural resource, every one of these events would be catch and release. Ending a single tournament atop the standings would be significant, both in terms of prize money and recognition. Trophy hunters wouldn’t be left out. They’d vie for a lucrative jackpot. But the biggest prize of all would go to the angler who performed best over the course of the circuit. The winner of the Tournament Trail would be crowned Angler of the Year. Other kayak anglers shared the dream. Plastic Navy’s events proved instantly popular. The grand-daddy of them all, the Kayak Fishing Classic – this year’s finale - ranks as one of the best attended kayak fishing competitions world-wide. Great prizes explain part of the draw. The rest? Give the credit to the fish. “A 2-lb. spotty can go up to a 5-lb. largemouth, steal his lunch money, and send him home crying. These fish can fight,” Clark said of the smallest of the tournament targets, the pugnaciousspotted bay bass. The others are that denizen of the kelp and rocks, the calico bass, and its mellower cousin the sand bass. Why are saltwater bass so ideally suited to tournament action? They can be caught on many an artificial lure – swimbaits, crankbaits, shiny spinnerbaits, drop-shotted creature baits, jigs and spoons – but it requires skill to consistently fool the bigger models. That’s why the measure of success in a Plastic Navy tournament is the heaviest 5-bass string. And just like the big freshwater bass tournament circuits, the fish must be alive to count. How do you manage that on a kayak? Plastic Navy makes it easy. Weigh boats patrol the tournament fishing area. Competitors with fish can flag down a boat by waving a paddle or calling on a handheld marine VHF radio. Hand over your catch, call out your number, and you’re quickly back to fishing. Ok, bass still must be kept alive until a weigh boat arrives. Since the fish only have to be held a short time, maybe an hour or two, many competitors get by with a mesh bag or floating fish basket. But by far the best bet is to buy or build a small live well. Articles elsewhere in this issue explain the options. The competition at Plastic Navy tournaments has always been keen, but Clark and his happy bunch welcome everyone. That means you, new kayakers. And you, anglers who are still honing your bass catching tricks. “We want everyone to have the chance to fish in a very fun year-long competition,” Clark said. The tournaments themselves are a day-long party. |
SADDLE UP FOR THE PLASTIC NAVY TOURNAMENT TRAIL PRESENTED BY WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS – 6 events, big money, and glamorous prizes for catching saltwater bass like this chunky La Jolla calico. What more do you need? Grab a kayak and get at it like defending Angler of the Year champion Dave Easton. PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS FIERRO
A KICKIN’ BASS – Don’t be fooled by the small stature of the spotted bay bass, the prime target of Plastic Navy’s upcoming Tournament Trail. The freckles hide a mean streak.
GRUMPY ENOUGH TO EARN THE BIG MONEY? – Each Tournament Trail event will have an optional jackpot. Cash is nice, especially the bonus bucks that’ll go to the biggest bass of the series – the Okuma Jackpot of the Year. Your winning catch immortalized by Global Fish Mounts? Priceless. PHOTO COURTESY PLASTIC NAVY
BATTLING IT OUT – Tournament Trail anglers will battle for the largest possible tournament limit. The margin between victory and defeat often comes down to tenths or even hundredths of a pound. |
“We get a great group of people. Everyone’s in a good mood, having fun, showing off,” said Clark. Then he threw down the gauntlet to the powerboat crowd. “Kayakers catch just as many fish or more. They are more dialed in to the areas they’re fishing because they don’t have the range to run around,” Clark insisted. Private boaters, that’s a direct challenge to prove it’s the man, not the platform, which catches the fish. But it’s a good natured challenge. Clark’s already handed over a check for $1,001 to first-time kayaker but long-time bass hot stick Ed Howerton, who lapped the field in a 2005 Plastic Navy event. And yes, Clark was smiling. If you can catch a bass on artificial bait, you owe it to yourself to test the Trail. If you’re still learning, this is the place to pick up new techniques. “You’ll be among people who can teach you new tricks and inspire you to try something different,” Clark said. Guaranteed. In a time-honored Plastic Navy tradition, the winners are expected to reveal their secrets, including where and how they caught their fish. “Anyhow,” said Clark, “you might be throwing exactly what the fish want that day and walk away with lots of money. It can happen to anyone.” The per event entry fee is a low $40 for those who pre-register. If the fun and mild adventure of catching fish at water level aren’t enough, Plastic Navy and WON have plenty of other incentives. How about prizes galore? Highlights include new fishing kayaks from Cobra Kayaks, Hobie Kayaks, Perception (the all-new Search), and Wilderness Systems (the redesigned Ride). Add slick Costa del Mar sunglasses, Islander Sportfishing mothership trips, cool fishfinders from Lowrance Electronics, hot new rods and reels from Okuma and Quantum, kayak-friendly gaffs and nets from Promar, comfy seats from Seairsports and Surf to Summit, handy tackle storage from WFO Tackle Systems, and quality bass baits and tackle from Berkley, FishTrap, MC Swimbaits, Storm, Rapala, and others. That’s a lot of good stuff! But wait, there’s more. “Every event will have a guaranteed minimum $1,001 cash award for first place,” said Clark, who further explained that the stakes will rise with higher attendance. Prizes will be awarded down to 5th place. There’s an optional $10 big bass jackpot for every event too. That’ll pay cash to the winner, but even better, every jackpot fish will be immortalized by Global Fish Mounts. The biggest of the series – the Okuma Jackpot of Year - will bring in a bonus $1,500. But the most coveted award by far will be the title Lowrance Electronics Angler of the Year. The winner of the cumulative points race will take home $2,500 and a lifetime of bragging rights. Here’s how the points race works. Every competitor will receive two Trail points just for showing up. The rest is up to providence. Each angler’s final tournament weight tally transfers over directly to points. For example, if the winning score for the Mission Bay tournament is 9.84 lbs, that angler will receive 9.84 Trail points, plus the two for participation, for a total of 11.84. It will take discipline, drive, and good fortune to capture the Angler of the Year title. Finishing out of the money doesn’t mean going home empty-handed. Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Not Plastic Navy, known for ‘killer tacos’ and other good post-fishing grub. And then there’s the free raffle, stocked with fabulous prizes from the leading names in fishing and kayaking. Action kicks off on April 14 at the Fastlane Sailing Center on Mission Bay. Spotties will rule the roost. Next the Trail will travel to the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort (June 2), another spotted bay bass stronghold. Calico bass will take center stage when Plastic Navy hits the beaches of La Jolla Shores (July 14) and Dana Pt. (Sept. 15) – two of SoCal’s kayak fishing crown jewels. Then it’s back to Newport Harbor for a second crack at its bruiser spotties (Oct. 27). Just over a month later, it’ll be time for the grand finale at Shelter Island (Dec. 8). San Diego’s grumpy sand bass will doubtless determine who takes the day. “We want to show people how easy it is to get in a kayak and fish,” Clark said. He said his team will have a booth at Fred Hall Long Beach, and will hold plenty of demo days and seminars in advance of the Trail. The first is scheduled for April 7 at Fastlane Sailing Center in San Diego. “We’ll make you comfortable. Come and take part in a premier level competition,” invited Clark. 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. The 2007 Plastic Navy Tournament Trail Presented by Western Outdoor News Venues |