PACK Meeting Minutes
March 20, 2007
President Jason Talley opened the meeting and welcomed members and a large group of guests. Jason gave an excellent overview of the updated PACK website at www. packtx.org., and the new forum available to members and guests. Everyone was encouraged to register and enjoy the full benefits of the information available on the site.
Vinh Ha reported that the hybrid bass run is in full swing on Lake Conroe. Stripers up to 10 pounds have fallen victim to Vinh’s kayak trolling techniques. He advises that the fish are aggressive and recommends that your rod and reel be securely attached to the boat if trolling. Sounds like the upcoming outing on Saturday, March 31 could be an exciting one.
Jeff Wolfanger, trip leader for this past weekends outing to Starvations Cove on West Bay, gave his report. Thanks to Jeff and Bruce Behrens for providing the power boat assist to the kayakers for this outing. It was really nice to not have to paddle out and back in the typical PACK outing wind. Jeff and Bob Roesing managed a few throwback trout drifting the mouth of Starvation, while several kayakers waded or yakked Starvation Cove, Malager Cove, and Mentzel Bayou. Jason Talley, Jim Richards, and Barry Sandler all paddled to the Starvation area from Sportsmen’s Road. Jason scored the first keepers with two nice trout, 22 and 25 in, and Bruce Behrens picked up a trout and then scored two small flounder on back to back casts with a corky. The group convened at the Pirates Marina restaurant for some refreshments and stories. Very pleasant day, good fishing, but not much catching for our efforts.
Club business discussed included our upcoming tournament on June 9. The club has decided to scale back our tournament and make it Members only this year. This may provide some incentive for folks to join the club and reduce the work load for the members who historically do all the work. Jimmy Hutto, past VP was nominated for Tournament Director, and since he wasn’t present to defend himself, the nomination was unanimous. An appeal for volunteers was made to help with the necessary tasks of securing prizes from our sponsors, helping with the weigh in, and the food.
New this year will be the awarding of the PACK CUP and bragging rights to the member catching the largest Slam… or whatever category we decide earns the grand prize. Details to follow. Plans are to still award prizes to the top catches and have door prizes for those who don’t win big fish prizes. Tournament details will be posted to the website in weeks to come.
A brief discussion was held to explain our new outing insurance policy. The American Canoe Association offers protection to the club and members on sanctioned outings. PACK has decided to take advantage of this service and require that each member or guest attending our outings have a liability waiver on file. The waiver is good for a year and is available with the membership application to PACK. The trip leader for each outing will be required to have emergency contact information for everyone on the outing and will have waivers available for those guests who have not yet completed one.
Upcoming events include our weekend campout at Powderhorn Lake, March 23-25. About 20 members and guests have signed up for this trip. This location has provided memorable catches in past years and all are looking forward to repeating the success enjoyed on past outings. Group meals are planned for Fri and Sat nights. A small donation of $3-5 per person will be asked to cover the expenses of those members providing the food and drinks, etc. Check the PACK website Event tab for directions and other details.
Saturday, March 31 will be the date for the rescheduled Hybrid Striper outing on Lake Conroe. Vinh Ha is the trip leader and has been doing some pre-fishing to locate the fish and has good results lately. Its not unusual to connect with Stripers up to 10 pounds or larger trolling with various spoons, rattle-traps, and down rigged artificial baits. Send Vinh a message on the PACK forum and he may give you some pointers.
Also on Sat. March 31, REI’S ANNUAL SPRING PADDLE DEMO DAY
Saturday, March 31st
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
at the
Cypress Creek YMCA
Tomball Parkway @ Cypresswood
(just north of REI Willowbrook on 249)
Anyone interested in the latest in kayaks and canoes can give them a test run on the water at the pond on site. This is the best way to determine the best boat for you. PACK will be on hand to promote the club and fishing and camping from kayaks and canoes.
Next month, there are outstanding trips planned. On April 14 a day trip down to Shoalwater is planned. This might be one of the club’s favorite spots for sight casting to reds in the beautiful, clear water in Shoalwater and the lagoon. On April 20-22 we will have a camp out on East Matagorda. Details are still being worked out for the East Mattie trip, so stay tuned and check the events calendar for details. Options being considered are camping on the beach near the Hog Island area, or the RV Park near the town of Matagorda. Anyone with ideas are encouraged to post their suggestions on the PACK forum.
Our guest speaker this month was Capt. Steven Coffee, of Steve Coffee’s Guide services. Capt. Coffee spoke to us about using live bait to catch Large Trout in the Galveston Bay system. His presentation was both informative and entertaining and included tips on rigging, presentation, bait choice, and fishing locations. Steven’s experience and sense of humor would certainly make him a great choice for pursuit of that big trout. A special thanks to Captain Coffee for a great presentation…PACK looks forward to hearing from you again!
Ron Romeis