Oregon Coast Kayak Fishing Derby

Allen & the guys from NWKA were hosting a kayak fishing derby, so I decided it was a perfect time to meet some people I've known virtually for a while, as well as get a taste of ocean fishing. Jason & I loaded up the car after work on Friday, and headed for Pacific City. We pulled into our campsite about 10:30, and realized we'd forgotten beer. Fortunately, the Pelican brewery was still open, so we headed in for a quick beer before settling in for the night. Four beers later & forty dollars lighter, we headed back to camp and watched the waning moon rise overhead. We woke in the morning to mostly clear skies, and a lot of rabbits. Seems there's a population in the area that hasn't been thinned in a while, so they've been spreading like....well like rabbits. After the beginning of what would turn out to be a weekend-long debate on whether Jason's dog could catch a rabbit, we met up with the NWKA boys, and headed over to launch. It's been 6 years since I've been in the ocean, and my first time something besides a surf or play kayak. Launching in a 15' sit on top was quite a bit easier for the most part. Instead of knuckle-dragging our way into the surf we waded out to about knee deep, waited for a window between sets, then sat down and sprinted out past the break. Once out a bit, most people took a few moments to rig up, with rods, fish finders, and other goodies being broken out of hatches. We paddled out a bit past Haystack Rock and started fishing. Not really have a clue what I was supposed to do on rock fishing, I just dropped the 3" purple bass lure I had over the side, let out a bunch of line, and started jigging it up and down. After a minute or so, my rod started jumping around and I had my first fish on line!
I got it to where boat where the line promptly snapped, letting him free. Joy. Not sure what it was, but I'm sure it was a world-record of some sort. I tied on another lure, and sent it out. After a couple more minutes, I had another fish on line. I managed to get this one in the boat, only to find out it was a cabezon, and out of season. So back into the ocean he went. He'd done a good job tearing my lure apart, so I set about digging another lure out of my tackle box and tying it on, opening my bail a to let out more line. After getting the new lure hooked up, I realized I'd knocked my rod overboard. Aargh! No worries, I'm holding the line still. Oh, wait, didn't i leave the bail open? Allen tried to help retrieve it, but wasn't able to snap it. Oh well, I'll just pull all the line, I'm bound to hit the end eventually. Or snag it & break the line. Wow, two quick lessons in what not to do. This was the only pole I had with me, so I watched everyone else fish for a bit, then Jason & I headed back in to check on his dog & get some lunch. Afterwards, he headed for a surf session while I headed back out for a paddle around Haystack rock. Later in the evening we met back up with everyone for weigh-in and a potluck of fresh fish & other tasty foods. We sat around the campfire for a while talking story, then headed off for bed. Woke the next morning to cold & rain, so we make the executive decision to pack it up and head for home. Great weekend, can't wait to get back out!