Sunday, July 28, 2013

LA 1 Slamboree Tournament


I had the opportunity to fish the LA 1 Slamboree put on by the great folks with the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club.  My plan was set, I would launch early Saturday morning in an area I knew held big Reds and was a go to spot for loads of Trout. I would pick up a late morning Flounder completing the Cajun Slam and weigh in before Noon. It was a great plan in theory. What could possibly go wrong?
Apparently Mother Nature had a much different scenario worked out in her head that did not remotely match my plan.
Launching at daylight from the northern boundary in Golden Meadow the wind was blowing from the WSW at 20+ mph. Heavy thunderstorms were blowing up everywhere in the area keeping sky’s overcast, the water choppy  and fishing conditions absolutely horrible. I paddled out and was able to locate calm water protected from the relentless winds. Fishing with the BSOD I landed a nice 18.5” Leopard Red with 4 spots as my first fish. Perfect! I now had my entry for the new kayak category. My confidence continued to rise as I worked the calm water next to the bank and another huge Red hit the BSOD like a semi-truck and began peeling line. He made a run straight through the oyster bed into open water and just like that my line went slack and my heart dropped. I knew the line had been cut, I lost a monster Red and my prized BSOD was gone too.
I landed another smaller undersized Leopard Red before moving down into a deeper pond. It wasn’t very protected from the wind but it had a few small cuts with moving water pushing through. On my second cast I hooked up and landed a fat 22.5” Red. A brief break in the clouds had me temporality excited.  Perfect, my plan was coming together despite Mother Nature’s bad attitude. Now, it was time to put a few trout in the kayak.
Wrong! The wind started blowing freakishly strong with heavy thunderstorms moving in and the bite dropped off completely.  I fished hard trying to pick up a trout and flounder to complete my slam but couldn’t buy another fish.  I slowly began to realize my plan was not going to come together. All of my fish were caught before 9am.  I ended the day and tournament with two entries with my large Red and a (4) spot Leopard Red.
There were quite a few anglers at weigh-in that had nothing to show for their efforts. Mother Nature assaulted their plans as well.  I knew my single Red wouldn’t be enough in the Slam category even though he weighed in at nearly 6 pounds. However, I had a decent chance at winning the Leopard category with my 4 spot Red. Only seven anglers’ submitted entries for the Leopard category and 8 spots took home the new Jackson Cuda Kayak.
Despite the less than perfect weather condition I still enjoy each and every minute on the water. The LA 1 Slamboree is a first class tournament and I’ll be looking to redeem myself next year.