Me and Frank got to talking about organizing a float tube tournament before the end of summer. It would probably be at Goleta Beach and we've still got to work out the details, but I think we'll end up having one pot for seabass and one for halibut, possibly one for sandbass, or maybe just limit it to halibut. Why don't all who are interested post a reply here. I think we've already got 8 or 9 guys lined up. It will possibly be in two weeks, but we haven't planned anything yet.
-Brian

Our initial idea was to limit it to float tubes, artificial lures, and disallow all types of sharks and rays. Acceptable fish would prolly be legal fish of the following species:

halibut
white sea bass
calico / sand / spotted bay bass
any rockfish
or any other good-eatin' fish that makes a showing

We'd have to have a decent scale to do a cheesy weigh-in at the end of the day. I was thinking $10 or $20 bucks for the entry fee...... Any other suggestions?

I had been thinking about this for a year or so and had some ideas, but didn't have the time to organize it and put it on. If you guys are going to do one my idea was a halibut derby at goleta, 3 fish limit with a pot for biggest halibut and biggest total weight of halibut. $20 entry, 10 towards each pot. Tubes, kickboats, and kayaks only with the boundries being the point to maybe a 1/4 mile past the pier, something like that. A hand held scale would work for that kind of tournament because the weights probably won't be close enough to make a real scale necessary. Also limiting it to halibut would, I think, be the easy thing to do since you know you can catch halibut there but the other species are kind of hit and miss. Anyhow, that's some input and if you guys need help or whatever I can see what I can do. Being in Fremont is kind of a limitation, but it sounds like a fun idea.

-Rob

Oh yeah, I thought the artificials only rule would also be good, not that I couldn't smoke someone on swimbaits over rat-traps, but you know, just to make it fun =)

Rob,
If we go with those boundaries, it would be from campus point to this other point over by the slough. The kayakers would have a huge advantage so I think we should enable the runner's rule for float tubers. Maybe it should be like an all day event, double weigh in and hit both high tides. We'd have to plan it right, so that one high tide is at like 9 or 10am and the next is at like 5 or 6pm. Man, that would be a decision to make with the double halibut weigh in. It's not like you can really figure a pattern out or find a hot bite. Maybe it should be a 5 fish limit, then at the first weigh in, chances are nobody'll have a limit (besides me of course...) so maybe it should just be like a mid day break/weigh in. Just like weighing the fish you have to see where everybody's at, then just taking those fish back out for the afternoon and culling em. I think it'd be a great way for people to see what's catchin and what's not. That way somebody doesn't have to go all day without having a clue, at least this way they'll have a decent shot for half the day. I don't know, we'll figure it out. You gotta come down here and dominate Rob. Or at least try to, I think my fastrac will whoop on your green sardine. I haven't caught a single swimbait flattie for months. All on the fastrac.
-Brian

Maybe some of you should try the floattube tourney on the 27th in Long Beach. $35 dollars get you big fish JP, big sack JP, BBQ, fun, and ideas and maybe more new faces for your tourney. Then have yours a couple weeks later. I'd come up for it, if it's on a sun. Email me for more details as I don't want to post another tubers board with out permission. It would be nice to see the two groups share some ideas and maybe tourneys.Just a thought.
Ed

I like the idea of 2 pots...but I also've noticed that legal halibut are pretty tough to come by. The short-to-legal ratio is about 10-to-1 from what I've seen in the past 2 weeks. For that reason, I'm kinda inclined to have one pot be for the biggest halibut (or biggest legal fish), and another for largest total weight of all legal fish caught during the day, excluding stuff like sharks and rays of course. That might give the guys catching good sized sand bass a chance against the guys who catch 1 legal halibut or seabass.

Just a thought that might prevent more people from getting skunked.

Just a couple of thoughts.......

Be aware that you do need a permit to hold a fishing contest. I am not sure if it is free or not, but f&g likes to know when this type of stuff goes on. Call Long Beach to find out.

I would be willing to do it if Kayakers were allowed. I also have two other bodyboaters who would do it. I am not sure of the disadvantage that bodyboaters would have over kayakers, halibut are such a hit and miss thing......

Point system Idea, Spearfishing tourneys have rules that are on a point system, one point per fish, one point per pound. They also have a certain fish limit (below that of f&g's) ie only 5 of each species.... If it is an all day thing, you can get your halibut, then bass then WSB. Another factor to consider.... Do we want to take out 30 or 40 or 50 calicos from an area. Granted, any party boat would gladly take that amount or more from a couple of rocks, but keep in mind, we will be fishing structure much smaller than where they are able to go, and therefore may have a much larger impact on the resource. I am not sure of the catch and release capabilites of everyone, but I am sure that you don't plan to cart around a 30 gallon tub to keep the bass in.

What is the point of a fishing contest. who is the best fisherman on that given day, given the conditions, bait, lure choice and (LUCK). Does the fact that you can go out and get 5 halibut make you a better fisherman than "Frank" who gets a couple of halibut, a nice WSB and three calicos? I think that the best fisherman is one that can change his game plan to catch the most amount of different species of fish. Maybe here is where the kayakers might have a little advantage, but the area is so spread out, the structure is all over the place, and you have just about as much chance of getting a 8 lb hali as a 8 lb wsb in the shallows. I know because I have speared them both in the same zone out there.

I am all for a limited quota, ie 3 sand bass, 3 calicos, 3 wsb and 3 halibut, or maybe five flatties, but I want to avoid culling fish at all costs. Keep in mind that this should be a fun event.

I used to fish in Glen's Fishing Station's bodyboat tourneys in the mid and late 80's, THEY WERE A BLAST!!!! and I miss them. The comraderie of ten or twenty guys meeting at haskells and charging the surf is great. then the weigh in and the prizes, and you can even do a raffle. I always drop a 20 spot in any raffle, hold on gotta check my lotto numbers...... DAMN, gotta got to work tomorrow.... : )

Other logistical things to think about, securing a table and BBQ at Goleta beach means that a wife/girlfriend/parent ( the ones who are classicly drafted into this job) gets to sit at an empty table all day and watch the waves break.

I would also be interested in doing an informal contest once a month at different spots, ie carp reef, refugio, haskells, gaviota....... maybe every second saturday of the month?


Any thoughts.... sorry to be so long.

MoonDoggie

MoonDoggie
So you fished with Glen back when he used to have those tourneys? That's very cool. My friend James Beck who used to help me with this site back when it was called "Jamon and Rob's Fishing Page" was a friend of Glen's years ago but we got into the float tubing thing just a little to late to get in on the tournaments.
Anyhow, thanks for your input, I think you had a lot of good ideas. Since this was Brian and Frank's idea and I can't really be to involved in the planning, I'm going to leave it up to them how they want to do it. Maybe the best thing would be for Brian to post a sample tourney outline and rules and if it sounds good, everyone say "Ok" and pick a date and do it. So Brian, you're probably out fishing this morning, but when you get home post something and let's rock.