ORCA 2005 NATIONAL... BOATS

[el Lawrence]

Tom

About the fishing contest... I would love to fish from a boat but I've never run a boat myself (and I imagine I will have my hands full working the antique fishing gear...) What kinds are they? Trolling or outboard?

How many will one of the boats safely hold? Should we bring our own life vests? Or do they come with the boats?

Maybe some folks would want to share to have fun fishing with some other ORCA folk... Maybe a place to put these folks together?

Who all is planning to bank fish? What are the banks and docks like? Can we do a good job from there? Wadders? Gator Repel-X?

I DO know we will all need good SUN SCREEN and I imagine bug repelant by then... Hats and sunglasses...

Inquiring minds wanna know...

[Tom E.]

Ah the fishing contest! The boats used are "Jon" boats. Flat bottom with an electric troll motor - no outboards. Not hard to operate, but direction sometimes gets a bit confused. Three of the boats hold 3 and the others hold two. We're trying ascertain number of boaters, so we can commandeer additional boats if necessary. There will be a "mother" boat with an outboard to render aid and refreshments. You will be measuring your own catch and quickly returning unharmed to the lake. Personal Flotation Devices will be in the boats.

The bank fishing will not be in the lake, but from the lagoon that winds its way through the Resort. Banks of lagoon are mowed right down to the waters edge. There is some moss, but not too hard to deal with. No wading so, don't need waders. We are optimistic there will be Bass catching as well as fishing in both the lake and lagoon. We're going to start very early in morning to take advantage of topwater opportunity, so bring some topwater baits i.e. Bably Lucky 13's: Creek Chub poppers etc. Bring sunscreen for sure. Wouldn't expect much of a mosquito problem. The other critters i.e. alligators and snakes are not a problem. We won't be thrashing around among them.

We'll put together groups in a way to ensure there is an experienced boat driver. Also, fishing will be available in both lake and lagoon all week at no cost. There is a $25 entry fee for the tournament when fishing from a boat. No fishing license is required since it is a private lake.

I'll post fishing and casting contest rules as soon as they are finalized by the Board (Board members please finalize!)

[Reel Geezer]

Tom: The Board passed all the general rules and regulations for our fishing and casting contests months ago - or so I thought. You might want to contact Roger for a copy.