On May 25th 2014 Matt Benson, BC Fishn Team Member, participated in the first ever Alberni Outpost Kayak Bass Event on Quennel Lake in Cedar on Vancouver Island. Here is Matt’s report that he shared with us from the Alberni Post Website:
We had a turn out of 16 amazing anglers, it was a great event. First off we would like to thank some of their great sponsors like Spro, Rod Glove, Blue Water LED, Alberni Outpost, Country Grocer, Humminbird, St. Croix, and Gone Fishing.
It was a catch, photo, text release format, where you took a photo with your phone and texted the tournament director the photo. This seemed to work really well for their first time. However, some of the playing cards, used to identify participants, were falling apart in the rain. The top three individuals were Matt Benson (myselft) with a total of three fish for 56 inches. In second was Dave Pedersen, and third Andrew Mikus.
This was the first ever kayak event I had fished. One of the few things that I believe helped me succeed was the kayak I was fishing out of. I was using a 2013 Hobie Pro Angler 12. It really gave me an advantage because it allowed me to travel further than the other participants with sit on top paddle kayaks. I was able to do so because I could manage the windy conditions with a lot less effort. Also, with having my hands free to fish it increased my control of where I wanted to place my bait around the cover. I never had to anchor once all day, I was able to position the kayak easily with small movements of the mirage drive. Another nice feature of this boat is that it is very stable which allows me to stand up easily. This came in handy when I was fighting a few of the bigger fish I caught.
The hot bait of the day for me was a 4inch black and blue Yum Dinger. I hate fishing this way. It is just so boring. It is the most do nothing bait out there, but this thing just plain catches fish at any lake in North America. I had it wacky rigged on a Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap weedless hook. The weed guard allowed me to cast it right around the tree branches and not get snagged.
My big fish came off a Spro Bronzeye Frog 60 in a putty black colour. Not many people fish top water this early in the year, but I saw the fish bust the surface under a tree. It must have been chasing bait fish. I skipped the frog under the tree and just let it sit, giving it short twitches to rock the frog back and forth. The big girl busted the surface and landed me the biggest fish of the event (20.25 inch smallie). This was the only fish on this frog, but you are out on the water you have to pay attention to every little detail and be ready for whatever comes your way when.
Once again I would like to thank everyone that came out and let’s grow this thing to even bigger and better things next year.
Matt Benson
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