NCKFA Spots and Specks Tournament

In November each year there is a gathering of kayak anglers at Fort Fisher boat ramp located at the end of Hwy 421 near Wilmington, NC. This was my first year at this event the NCKFA spots and specks tournament. The goal is the longest combined length of a Speckled trout and Red Drum. We paddled out at the start time of 8am. I paddled to my first location and joined several others. I put out some mud minnows on Carolina rigs and started throwing a Zman PaddleZ. It did not take long to connect with a 17 inch trout. I switched to a Mirrolure MR17 and the bit got better but I lost a similar sized trout at the kayak. The trout bite slowed as the tide came in and with no luck on the live bait off I went in search of a drum. I started along the rock wall joining about a dozen other anglers with no success. Once I had another angler drift within feet of my kayak and little concern for me it was time to go. I do not like fishing the crowds. I worked my way around the basin fishing live baits and multiple artificial offerings. I decided to prospect with a jig and a big-bite baits curly tail grub in baby speckled trout color. Paddle, stop, cast, paddle, stop, cast then BAM. Fish On. I knew with the way he was fighting and dragging the kayak around I had a good red on. My thought was how many times has this happened and I lost the winning fish. After some tug of war the red found his way in the EGO net. I put the Hawg Trough ruler on him to make sure he was a slot fish and paddled to the ramp to get a good picture. Final measurement was 25.5 inches long. I knew I had two solid fish for a total of 42.5 inches. After it was all said and done I ended up with big fish for the drum and 2nd overall. Another angler had a 22 inch drum and 21.25 inch trout for a 43.25 total. Lost by 3/4 of an inch. Either way Astral came through with a Romney PFD and Brewer shoes. KC kayaks stepped up with with a great kayak for the winner. If you have not paddled one of their kayaks don't be fooled by their looks. They are fairly quick and very stable. Perfect for stalking reds in the shallows of Fort Fisher and Buzzard Bay.  This was my last tournament in the Jackson Cuda. It has been a great kayak and I may purchase another in the future. I wanted to make a change in the type of kayak I fish. Keep watching as I rig my new kayak over the Winter 2013/2014. As always I am honest in my thoughts and am not endorsed by any manufacturer. I buy or build everything that I use.