1st Annual JayB Memorial Paddle-In
Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:42 pm
In honor of our founder, JayB, we will get back to our roots and once again have a good old fashioned Paddle-In. Paddle-Ins were something Jay and John put together back in the olden days to get us all in one place and put names with faces.
For those of you who have never been to a Paddle-In, here are the specifics. It is officially unofficial. It is not sponsored by anyone but you. Food will be catered by whatever you bring for yourself. Liquid refreshments are typically in abundance but that all depends on the size of your cooler. If you want to let others dip into your cooler, that's fine, it's your cooler. Some may get very generous and fire up a grill. But, then again, maybe they won't.
There is no start time nor is there an end time. People show up when they want and leave when they want. Some will get there an hour before O dark thirty. Some will get there after a leisurely breakfast of Eggs Benedict on their back deck. If you want to fish, go right ahead. If you don't, don't.
Details:
Date: Saturday, May 30
Where: Fort Desoto
Time: When you get there until whenever you leave.
This is to be a get together of fishermen and fisherwomen that use paddlecraft in pursuit of their enjoyment. A chance to meet others, share fish stories (both true and exaggerated), see how other kayaks are rigged, have fun, laugh, solve all the world's problems and just generally hang out.
Of course, the committee meeting will probably rule the day. If you don't know what a committee meeting is, get together with a few others while out on the water - typically on a shallow sand spit - and discuss what a committee meeting should be.
There is one rule - there will be no flying of "colors". Once you show up, you are not a member of any club. You are no longer a sponsored angler promoting any company's wares. You will simply be just another person who enjoys catching fish from a paddle driven boat. If you show up with logos all over yourself, you just may go home looking like the duct tap man.
I only know one thing that absolutely will happen. At some point, we will all gather together and raise a paddle (and some sort of liquid refreshment) in honor of JayB. After all, he invented kayak fishing and is the Highly Trained Expert!
Here is where we will gather. This is just past the 35 cent toll booth. Now, this doesn't mean you have to launch here. In fact, you don't have to launch at all. We would like to have several launch here so we can 'mark our spot' to have plenty of room when we do gather.