[Bluewater Jon]

The point of the initial post was to spread what I thought was cool news about a guy catching a big fish from a yak with no assistance. Turns out everyone had heard about it anyway, but whatever...

I post on this and other kayak boards super infrequently, and figured that I might add a bit about what I have been up to, since it's been a long, long time that I've been to this board, or any kayak boards, and maybe someone (or no one) might be curious about what I have been up to, just like anyone else that hasn't posted in awhile. I figure sometimes it neat to see what other people have been up to, particularly if it's fishing related. If this stuff doesn't float your boat, sorry, just move on bro.

I went out with a yakfishing halibut expert about a week ago, but haven't put that article up on my site yet. Had a great time watching him do his thing- he caught 4 legals, donated fish to my classroom, and we did a hands-on science lesson all day on the fish, which dovetailed nicely with the marine science unit that we have been having fun with.
It was a big bonus also because a lot of the kids' dads deployed fairly recently and they have been feeling low, so every fun and interesting day helps. Working with and supporting this special group of kids- kids of deployed Marines-is something that we have grown accustomed to on campus since 9-11. It's a lot of work, and a big responsibility, and for people to suggest, as they did in previous posts, that I bus my students to LA, when their parents don't even know what the closures are, is ridiculous. This is a public school with zero extra funds.

I can just see the emails I would get from the Middle East from deployed dads wondering where I took their kids on the PTO's tab. Good for you if you took your kid, and that you are able to take off of work. The closures would be a big bummer, but don't kid yourself into thinking that that's the only worthy cause, and don't lump everyone who isn't taking days off from work to attend the meetings into the enemy camp.

"Exploiting kayakfishing" is kind of a strong term for what I did, which was, after mentioning the bluefin catch, adding one whole sentence and a link about what I have been up to, which is fishing related.

It's also a strong term because since I've had a column in Pacific Coast Sportfishing on kayakfishing, most every column has been devoted to highlighting the local kayakfishing scene and trying to get newcomers to the sport to support the local kayakfishing businesses. In some cases it was a local yakker- Josh Pruit, Larry Laumann, Dave Pliska, for example, and their techniques and contributions to the sport.

If the columns aren’t about one single person, it may have been about some of the local kayak fishing message boards, pioneers, message boards, and shop owners. In fact, I have mentioned BWE many times (not just in that mag) and highlighted the shops and owners affiliated with the site, like OEX, encouraging people to visit the site, join up, and get gear at these shops.

I have made numerous shouts out to people who are affiliated with BWE and OEX, asking them if they’d like to discuss their kayak fishing endeavors and enterprises. If this qualifies as exploiting kayakfishing, and particularly BWE, I don't know what to say, except I guess I made a big mistake visiting and posting on this site.