Everything seemed to be moving along nicely for this extended weekend in Cedar Key.  All five women were really looking forward to spending a few days laughing, eating, paddling and fishing and generally having a nice, relaxing time.  The proverbial 'curve-ball' came, though, when a week before our planned trip Kathy sent out a unexpected mass e-mail to all of the NCLA ladies that she would not be able attend the Festival and invited the first responder to take her place.  Well, that was a surprise.  Certainly no one was expecting it.  The group was understanding but quite disappointed, too.  Kathy is one of the most fun-loving gals around and has a great sense of humor so her absence would be noticed.

The lucky lady that was sitting at her computer when that e-mail went out and who responded to it first was No. 5, the newest member of the NCLA group.  There wasn't much time to prep her on plans that had been in the works for many months prior.  An impromptu meeting with all of the Paddle Fest travelers (including Kathy and No. 5) was held in the Plantation's lounge area immediately following October's meeting so that Kathy could hand over all of her pertinent information and the girls could fill No. 5 in on as much information as possible.  That meeting ended with an agreement that all would be traveling alone with the exception of Dot & Liz who would be car-pooling and that the group would meet at the condo site at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning.  There was nothing else to do except wait for Friday morning to arrive.

This amazing weekend (October 4, 5, & 6th) all started with an interesting e-mail from Theresa, one of the NCLA members who is familiar with kayak fishing but enjoys the kayaking part more than the fishing part.  The subject line simply said, "A Great Weekend".  The short e-mail went something like this:  

 Check this out. I have gone to this festival 3 years in a row. This year they have added 2 days of kayak fishing. They have also added a registration fee as it has always been free. Any questions, call me.
Theresa

 Then, of course, the link to the website that sounded too good to be true.
http://www.hiddencoast.net/

Oh my...this sounded like F-U-N.  From there, a mass e-mail invitation was sent out to the group with the link above and a notice that the first five ladies who agreed to join in would rent the first condo together.  Any other ladies who were interested would make up the occupants of a second condo, and so forth.  Well, it didn't take long before the first band of women were formed.  The first five to get in on the act were Alice, Delores, Dot, Kathy, and Liz. 

Immediately following August's NCLA meeting, the band of five converged at the pool side Tiki Bar to organize the group registration and share expectations over a few drinks.  This was mainly to make sure that everyone registered for the same activities so that no one accidentally signed up for the wrong paddle, there were really SO many to choose from it could have easily been very confusing, but as long as they all signed up together, it would all work out.  The organizers wanted to know T-shirt sizes, whether or not kayaks would be brought with or need to be rented, paddling skill levels and so on.  The girls signed up for a very busy weekend leaving minimal time for napping.
Friday, October 4th - 1:30 paddle
Saturday, October 5th - 10:00 kayak fishing and 2:30 kayak fishing
Sunday, October 6th - Cedar Key Lighthouse tour

Last on the registration agenda was to make reservations for a place to stay.  Theresa, again with her previous participation in this event, was kind enough to recommend a gulf side condo development called Island Place.  http://www.islandplace-ck.com/index2.php and so, to keep things as simple as possible, that's where reservations were made.  Five women in one condo....this was going to be interesting.  From here, it was just a matter of playing the waiting game until the October weekend came around the bend.  So far everything was running as smooth as silk....until....

Apologies in advance for the fact that this web-post will be fairly short and to-the-point.  Five of the girls are getting ready to head up to Cedar Key to join in the kayak fishing event during the Hidden Coast Paddle Festival this weekend.  There are lots of details to iron out so time is of the essence.

October's meeting had a total of 10 NCLA members in attendance and it turned out to be quite a busy evening for them.  Who went fishing and what was caught?  See below:

Dot was assigned 'Attendance" duty since, admittedly, she has such a hard time remembering everyone's name.  This assignment should solve that problem.  :o)   joined the group last month and it's as if she's been a part of this club from the get-go.  She jumped right in and has already gone kayak fishing with two of the other members during one of the group excursions.  On the flip-side of that, Kathy H., one of the women who has been with the NCLA club since the original formation of it back in March sadly informed them that she will be moving to Jacksonville. at the end of October and no one was happy to hear that news.  She, and her wild-n-crazy sense of humor will be missed, but everyone wished her well and asked her to stay in touch.  Filling her seat, though, was yet another new face to the club.  Marilee E., found our website though a friend of hers who attended the Flint Creek Outfitters fly-fishing classes that five of the NCLA group also attended.  She is a nice addition to our NCLA gang as well.  A quick shout of "THANKS" to Martha Ann for taking over the time consuming project of putting together the New Member Packets.

Andy Smith, the Events Coordinator with the Citrus County Parks & Recreation Dept,. came to give us some information about an upcoming fundraiser for the county called the Dragon Boat Festival.  Information for this event can be found at
LakeHernandoDragoBoat.com
The funds raised will be split between the county and the Wounded Warriors Project charity.
The NCLA club will be looking to build a team of 20 participants (men AND women) at $25.00 donation per person.  It will take a commitment from 20 people to build an official team.  A tent can also put up for the NCLA team as a gathering spot and rest & relax area.  It's just a easy way to let the general female population know that a ladies fishing club exists.  Who's in besides Delores & Ty ???????

Paul Cross, the Manager of the Adventure Center at the Plantation, was also invited to stop by to educate the group about the many services and activities that are available at the Adventure Center at the Plantation.  He started off by getting the ladies involved in playing a trivia gave about the IGFA and tarpon caught on a fly rod.  The winner of the trivia game won a half-day pontoon boat rental which we're sure she'll enjoy with her friends and family.  Paul said that the best time of year to redeem the coupon would be in January or February when the sea water was cold and the fish would be hanging around the warmer bay waters of King's Bay.  He also gave a hint of what new services they are working on and may be offered in the near future.  It was very informative and he wrapped up by giving away a few scallop t-shirts, too.  Check out the info below:
Adventure Center Flyer page 1
Adventure Center Flyer page 2
Adventure Center Flyer page 3
Adventure Center Flyer page 4

Each month a new fishing knot is introduced so that over the course of the next few months, the women will have learned a few of the basics to carry them through until they become proficient at tying them.  They began last month with the Albright Knot and practiced throughout the month of September.  Dot was able to demonstrate her ability to tie this knot in front of the group which earned her a free pack of scented artificial lures in New Penny by Big Bite Baits.

Moving on to October's lesson - learning how to tie the Arbor Knot around our reels using the www.animatedknots.com website.  Alice demonstrates here.  After a month of October practice, someone else will demonstrate that knot in November's meeting and win another door prize...and on...and on it goes.  Another big "Thank You" to Virginia for helping out with the storage and transport of the knot tying supplies for the group.  As always, everyone's contribution is very much appreciated.

Alice, Delores, Dot, and Liz will all be heading up to Cedar Key on Friday to participate in their first kayak fishing event of the Cedar Key Paddle Festival.  They are really excited about spending the weekend together and learning some new tips and tricks for fishing from a kayak and just having a little girl-time, too.

Then it'll be off to the Fly Fishing Expo at the Plantation later in the month.

The Video Library that had been discussed and worked on, unfortunately isn't progressing as hoped.  Other ideas for alternative arrangements are currently being considered at this time.  The NCLA logo is complete but there is no plan to use it at this time due to limited funds, BUT, it will be available to use in the future.  The discussion of dues is currently being reviewed at each meeting and may be implemented in the Spring of 2014.  And finally, the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5th.