Meeting Minutes
July 17, 2007
PACK opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests. This may have been our largest group to date; we have been consistently averaging about 25 to 30 people in attendance. This month we had 30 members and 13 guests were in attendance for a total of 43. A new item was added to the meeting’s agenda. Future show and tales are being encouraged. Anyone wishing to share a story or personal item, such as fishing trophy’s or other kayak fishing related items are encouraged to contact Jason T to add your “show and tale” to upcoming meetings agendas.
Jason held a safety review and reminded the group to be aware and equipped to be safe at all times. Of particular note was the tragic death of a kayaker off the beach at Surfside recently. It was reported that the victim had a pfd on his yak, but was not wearing it when he was found in the water near his boat. It was not certain that the pfd would have aided the stricken victim, but it couldn’t help if it wasn’t being worn. As our club membership has grown and our group outings have swelled to include 20 or more participants; Jason urged us all to think about Safety. We really need to be able to communicate with everyone particularly on the primitive trips. Everyone should make sure someone in the group knows what area you will be paddling in and report changes in plans. VHF radios are encouraged and maintaining a buddy system when paddling may save your life.
PACK merchandise is available for order. Monogrammed shirts, hats, bumper stickers, and monogramming of your favorite shirt can now be ordered.
Will H is leading this month’s day trip to Keller Bay on July 28. Sign up on the PACK web site and obtain details on this outing.
Our Guest Speaker this month was Captain Scott Null: letsgoguideservice.com
Scott has recently become the area rep for Shimano, among his other occupations; author, journalist, guide, and all around good guy. Scott shared information on new Shimano gear and tackle and gave us some of the inside scoop on producing his new book, “the Ultimate Guide to Kayak Fishing”. The book contains some outstanding photography and is full of useful tips on both kayaking in general and of course fishing in both fresh and salt water. The book is an excellent reference for the new kayaker and would be a great addition to any kayak fisherman’s library. Congratulations to Michael Emshoff; he received an autographed copy as a door prize. As always, Scott had some great stories to share and we always look forward to his presentations. The large attendance at this months meeting is testament to Scott’s reputation in the kayak fishing community.
Ron R |