Learn From My Mistake!

[everythingthatswims]

No pictures from this one, and you will soon learn why! I fished a kayak tournament, where you photograph fish on a measuring board to submit to an app for scoring. I didn't have good cell service on the lake, so I had to wait until I got off the water to submit my fish. At 10am on the day of the tournament, I was making a 1 inch upgrade, and had a very energetic bass in my lap.

 

I made sure to hold him down securely, so he wouldn't jump in before I got a picture. The problem arose when he got his tail underneath my phone and somehow flipped it completely across my lap and out of the kayak. So I lost all of my photos from the tournament, and I would have made money with them!!

 

Don't do what I did!!!

[Turtle135]

I feel your pain! If you fish another tourney like that get a "fish grip" and attach it to your kayak with a 3 to 4 foot length of paracord. Let the bass swim while you get the board, camera and identifier ready to go. Take your time and make sure to wet the board before you place the bass on it. I generally angle the board down so that the bass slides down to help keep the mouth closed. Take your photo then put the bass on the grip back into the water while you check the photo. You should be able to get the shot without having to hold the bass down.

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

I bought a phone lifejacket case because I've lost so many phones to the lakes, last one was from my kayak too. 

 

Measuring a lively fish in your lap is a serious challenge. I'm still upset about the 20+ inches I could have added to my multispecies challenge and additional species if it hadn't been for an amped up wiper going straight from the board to the water in one quick flip. There isn't a good spot in my kayak to lay them down in the bottom to take a picture either. I might try the cord to lip grips and just beach it for pictures from now on. 

[PECo]

In our kayak tourneys, we have to put an identifier (e.g., a random number provided right before the tourney) in our photos. We usually write it on the back of our hand and hold the fish down with the identifier visible in the photo. There’s less chance of losing a fish that way.

 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

That's smart ^^^

 

[TOXIC]

Just as frustrating, I have had them rocket out of the livewell when you open the lid to gather them up for weigh in.  

[Fairtax4me]

That's rough man! Gonna need a phone gripper for the next one! 

[PECo]

3 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Just as frustrating, I have had them rocket out of the livewell when you open the lid to gather them up for weigh in.  

Culling balls help with that a lot.

[everythingthatswims]

12 hours ago, PECo said:

In our kayak tourneys, we have to put an identifier (e.g., a random number provided right before the tourney) in our photos. We usually write it on the back of our hand and hold the fish down with the identifier visible in the photo. There’s less chance of losing a fish that way.

 

That's what I did

[lonnie g]

that's rough man!,at least you can smile about it. been bragging about you young gun slingers to my cousin down on lay lake al.  ham down here for a few weeks working on a house,havent got much fishing in yet. keep swinging, I know we will see that winners trophy soon.

[everythingthatswims]

15 hours ago, lonnie g said:

that's rough man!,at least you can smile about it. been bragging about you young gun slingers to my cousin down on lay lake al.  ham down here for a few weeks working on a house,havent got much fishing in yet. keep swinging, I know we will see that winners trophy soon.

I had quite the time with the coosa spots when I went down there last June!