In third place in the adult division was kayak enthusiast Allen Bushnell, who landed two sanddabs while fishing bait in 60 feet of water off Santa Cruz.

The first-of-its kind derby ran from daybreak to 1 pm out of the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor.

After the weigh in, anglers ate an awesome barbecued albacore tuna feast, with garlic rolls, salad and barbecued corn-on-the cob. I've covered a lot of derbies, but the event had the best food in any derby I've attended. The dinner was followed by the awards ceremony and the raffle. Cecily Cahill of Santa Cruz won the top raffle prize, a Wilderness Systems Ride fishing kayak.

During the derby, Mark Paspick, owner of the Kayak Connection, took me and Jayson Lira, Fish Sniffer staffer, out for kayak lessons and a little fishing. I was impressed by how fast and stable these craft were. After doing some stretching exercises and showing us how to operate the paddles, we were on our way out of the harbor to 16th Street.

"Paddling a sea kayak is like meditating," Mark emphasized. "You set your sites on a landmark, like that light on the harbor jetty, and row with a steady rhythm to your destination. You want to use your shoulders and arms, rather than your wrists, to power the boat or you'll be too tired to row any more by the time your reach the harbor mouth."

As we went through the harbor mouth, we had to dodge some motor boats and scullers. "You want to be careful that you don't go far to the left, since the waves are breaking over the harbor jetty and they can pull you in towards the rocks," he advised.

We got 100 yards outside the harbor mouth and put our lines in the water. I had a bite right away on my squid on a live bait rig, but the fish got off. We went over to the 17 Avenue Kelp Beds and began trying for halibut or rockfish, but didn't land any fish, although Jayson had a decent-sizes fish on for a few seconds that broke his line. Mark ended up nailing a kingfish off the beach.

The maneuverability of these craft really amazed me. They allow you to get into tight areas where it's difficult to put a motorized craft into, such as the many kelp beds found in Monterey Bay. These craft are unsinkable and designed for open ocean conditions.

"There are many advantages to fishing from a kayak in Monterey Bay," said Mark. "These boats take a lot of abuse and don't suffer from the wear and tear that you have on motor boats. They're virtually indestructible. They also make difficult to fish areas, such as the Big Sur coast, easy to fish for rockfish and other species."

On calm days, you can launch these kayaks in the surf and don't need a launch ramp like you do with other boats. Also, you get to see dolphins, sea otters, pelicans and other Monterey Bay wildlife at the water level, since these boats ride so close to the water.

The kayak derby is a great concept and I plan to fish the one planned for next year. Hopefully, I'll be able to pre-fish the day before and see if I can locate some halibut and white seabass. For more information, call the Kayak Connection, (831) 479-1121, www.Kayakconnection.com.