Every angler has a few trips in their lifetime that they will never forget. Those trips that land on a top five or a top ten list. You know the ones I’m talking about. For me I had one of those trips this last summer with my good buddy and business partner Don and my dad Allan. This trip holds a special place in my heart and one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
Our story begins in 2017 as the three of us set out to participate in the Brewster Salmon Derby. We had high hopes of placing in the top 25 and to be honest thought we had the knowledge and skills to pull it off. We were quickly humbled in that tournament as we only hooked four fish over two and a half days of fishing. Over 30 hours on the water and zero fish to weigh in. We were sent home with tails tucked between our legs on a hot Sunday afternoon with three hours of road time to think about our performance.
We spent the rest of the season fishing our normal spots. Usually with each trip some sort of discussion would come up about where we went wrong at Brewster. More discussion would follow about how we were going to redeem ourselves in 2018 and more recollection about what we could have done different.
Fast forward to 2018. We were set to log a better performance than the previous year and give it our best shot. We also decided that we wanted to be more involved with the derby. Strike Addiction sponsored a portion of the tournament and provided each participant with one of our bags along with other prize packs. Now the pressure was on. Who are these Strike Addiction guys? We had to get a fish on the leader board.
The first morning started off with a bang and we bonked two fish right away. 2-2! Boy did things change for us from the previous derby. We landed two fish quickly and headed to the weigh station. We were on the board! We caught more fish after the first day than we did the entire previous derby and headed back to camp with smiles and feelings I don’t think I could do justice describing.
The second and third days got even better for us and we ended up finishing the derby in 6th, 8th, and 21st place. We landed over 20 fish and lost numerous others over the two and a half days. Our biggest fish was just under 21 pounds and we had the time of our lives. The trip couldn’t have gone any better for us. Sure, a 1st place finish would have been better for most, but redemption for our 2017 performance and putting three fish in the top 25 was more than we were expecting and could have asked for.
We couldn’t have asked for a better trip. We had the time of our lives and put one of the most memorable trips in the books. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
Have a trip that has made a lifelong impression on you? We would love to hear about it on our Facebook page. Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/strikeaddiction/ and post your story and pictures!
- Clint Novak
