I went back on Monday to go to Tod Schwartz seminar on Tuna Fishing. I learned quite a bit and got fired up all over again. I can’t wait to get back out on the ocean. While I was there I ordered a Garmin 740S with a bronze through-hull tilted element transducer from my friends at J&G Marine. I also talked to them about a temperature gauge and some led lights that I will probably be ordering also.

Went by LFS marine said hi to John Beath the halibut guru and bought some Mustang auto inflate life jackets and a throw bag for the boat.  One of the things I will be changing this year is I will be making everyone wear life jackets at all times. If someone falls overboard it can be difficult to find them in the swell. The life jacket can save lives in this case.

My favorite boats at the show, in no particular order, were:

again the TJ Offshore, which is unique in that it doesn’t have the extruded piece of aluminum along the bottom. It is cut in two pieces and the side is folded over the bottom creating a reverse chine. The problem with extruded aluminum is it is a different grade from the side material. This creates a galvanic reaction (if not much of one). This is a beautiful well appointed rig. But I still like the Wooldridge better.

The new Defiance San Juan 25 was probably the thing I was looking forward to seeing the most. And I was not disappointed. This rig has all the comforts inside that the wife likes and all the fishing amenities that Bo and the guys at Defiance have become famous for. A large cockpit, huge fishboxes and enough fuel capacity to chase anything the Northwest has to offer. I love the pilot house style with the forward slanting windows. This creates a lot more room and makes the cabin feel less like a 25 and more like a 28. The Defiance 25 is a home run.

There is a boat I couldn’t remember seeing before built by one of the guys that made Glacier Bay Boats what they are. The Aspen power cat is a unique idea in that the hulls are not the same. And there is only one engine. The hulls on this rig are designed to offset the torquing on the single engine making the boat track straight. Because it only has one engine and is a catamaran style boat it gets fuel burn rates around 4 to 4.5 GPH at 18 to 20 kts. I’m no math guy but I think that’s a little better than 4 miles to the gallon. It is a very impressive Puget Sound cruiser but I would like to see how it handles a following sea with ten footers eight seconds apart. Just sayin’.

There was a lot of hype about Boston Whaler unveiling their new Pilot House 28. They had champagne and this big celebration but the boat was sort of a swing and a miss as far as I am concerned. I love BW boats. they have a great history of building powerful inovative fishing boats. This one looks like they are trying to capture the Sea Ray market of pleasure cruisers. The upper part of the cabin is too small for four people to ride in comfortably and while it has plenty of space below, anyone that has tried to put their head down at sea can tell you that is not really usable for transit to and from fishing grounds.

There was one Parker boat at the show. I guess Jacobsen’s still sells them. If you missed it it was hidden behind a bunch of Grady Whites.

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

I need to get back out on the water so bad I can taste it.

So I left work early, called a buddy of mine and off we went to the show.

We stopped to look at the chainsaw carvings on the way in. This guy does some great work. We watched some dock dog practice and got some info for the wife for next year. Patti plans to enter Grace in the competition next year.

We finally entered from the boat side and worked our way through. There were the Defiance boats first then some bass boats and drift boats. Outside the tent area we found the River Hawk Boats. These are the big Aluminum boats you see at Cabelas. These are good boats made in Medford, Oregon.

Next we checked out the camp cooking tent. It smelled yummy but since we were so early there was nothing going on yet.

We entered the main hall and walked through the myriad of outfitters, guides and lodges. Spoke to a few. Spent a little extra time at the Women in Waders booth.

We came to the Wooldridge section and could see the big offshore they had there. Next to that was the something I had till now thought was impossible. The new Wooldridge 20′ Sport Pilot House. Not a typo, a 20′ Pilot house boat. I include a link to the video but this little rig ROCKS!!!

After that we went buy to see what was happening at the Stealhead pond and watched Tom Nelson catch and release a couple stealhead. Walked by the archery area as some kids were learning to shoot. and back out into the maelstrom.

We went by some RivTech drift boats and picked up some “Wiked Lures”. I’ll let you know how the Wiked Lures work out but they look killer for Blackmouth. Stopped at the XRodz booth and chatted up Jim Mercier. He had some great deals on some beautiful rods. Not only do these rods not suck, each one is a work of art.

And lastly we went by the Sportco booth to see what was happening there. They had some great deals on gear including this one on Lamiglass Rods.

I learned some new things about Lamiglass production that we will be discussing later. Overall it was a good show. I spent too much money but enjoyed some great people, made some new friends and learned a few things.

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

View the press release here

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

My new rocket launchers from Jurassic Carp

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

I also got some great snow pictures of the harbor this weekend. These can be seen on the Facebook.

I am looking forward to the Boat Show starting this weekend. especially looking forward to seeing the new Defiance San Juan 25. It’s a beautiful boat. When you go by tell them you saw it on gigharborfishing.com

I will be live tweeting from the show so if your not following on twitter do it before Friday. I don’t follow twitter all the time but it’s good for stuff like this.

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

One of the cool things about having a blog is it gives me a way to check in and forces me to get things done. So here is the update for this week:

Replaced brakes and bearings on the trailer. I had to run new brake lines for the axles and still need to bleed them. I may put new leaf springs in too. Haven’t decided yet.

Rocket launchers are on order and I am waiting till the boat show to purchase electronics. I purchased a new troll housing for the go-pro this year. That should make for some great tuna video. My friend John picked up a couple Tica Rod and reel combos (Chinese but for 60 bucks they are disposable). I still plan to purchase some new Avets for bait fishing but that is also waiting for the shows.

The overall theme in all this is to clear the deck and cabin of clutter so we can cover it in blood.

I will be interested to see what others are working on this winter. Please drop a comment with your projects and pictures. I know my friend Steve is replacing the deck on his boat and Tom is always working on something.

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

I am writing this post to tell you all that I and my 12 year old daughter just turned in our winter crab catch to WDFW at this site. It was a great winter season.

Good Luck.

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen

This is a good time to use those Tuna scraps you have left over from the summer. If you don’t have that Turkey legs, Salmon carcasses or heads will work and in a pinch you could even use good old Puss in Boots cat food.

Oh and Sportco has a great deal on crab pots at $15 for a nice box whith an opening top. Crabbing in Quartermaster Harbor has been a great time for the kids and I. We’ve even gotten some of our friends in on the fun.

Good Fishin' To Ya'

Kerry W Allen