Shot In The Dark

Friday night, I'll be heading to an undisclosed location to see what sort of fish I can find on an incoming tide after dark.

Of course, after dark means making a few special, handy-dandy modifications to allow for night time kayak fishing - not only to keep from being sunk by some idiot blazing through at top speed, but to keep from being cited for having or not having an illegal vessel.

I had a hard time finding the information needed, so I posed the question to kayak fishing guru and "Google Masta" Mark Watanabe from yakangler.com

Of course he found the information for me (let me Google that for you)and here is what he found:

"Where do Kayaks and Canoes fit into the Navigation Rules? Neither the International nor Inland Navigation Rules address "kayaks" or "canoes" per se, except in regards to "vessels under oars" in Rule 25 regarding lights. One could infer that a "vessel under oars" should be treated as a "sailing vessel" since it is permitted to display the same lights as one, but, ultimately the issue of whom "gives way" would fall to what would be "required by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special circumstances of the case"

RULE 25: SAILING VESSELS UNDERWAY AND VESSELS UNDER OARS

(a) A sailing vessel underway shall exhibit:

1. sidelights;
2. a sternlight.

(b) In a sailing vessel of less than 20 meters in length the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule may be combined in one lantern carried at or near the top of the mast where it can best be seen.

(c) A sailing vessel underway may, in addition to the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule, exhibit at or near the top of the mast, where they can best be seen, two all-round lights in a vertical line, the upper being red and the lower Green, but these lights shall not be exhibited in conjunction with the combined lantern permitted by paragraph (b) of this Rule.

(d)

1. A sailing vessel of less than 7 meters in length shall, if practicable, exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule, but if she does not, she shall have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision.
2. A vessel under oars may exhibit the lights prescribed in this rule for sailing vessels, but if she does not, she shall have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision.

(e) A vessel proceeding under sail when also being propelled by machinery shall exhibit forward where it can best be seen a conical shape, apex downwards. A vessel of less than 12 meters in length is not required to exhibit this shape, but may do so. "

I've got a few battery powered camping lanterns with clear waterproof cases that will come in handy for this....

The Return Of 2 O' Clock Charlie

2 O' Clock Charlie made another appearance yesterday...this time right off the west end of Dunedin Causeway.

I arrived at the causeway late, as usual. I could see Keith paddling about 300 yards offshore as I unloaded the kayak and got ready to go. When I looked up again, I could see his kayak but not Keith. I wondered to myself if he just took a swim or something.

He paddled in a little while later to tell me the chilling tale of a run in with 2 O'clock Charlie. Towed him around for a few minutes but dumped his kayak when it quickly changed direction.

Local anglers are taking no chances, often packing dynamite and depth charges on their fishing boats.

In a statement issued by an anonymous government source, residents are urged to use caution - "We don't think it's a shark but, but bathers should use caution...as always."

Shrimp Cocktail

Since almost everything in the sea eats shrimp, it's a good idea to have some of these patterns and lures with you when fishing. I've caught so many different fish on shrimp lures and patterns. These small crustaceans pack quite a large caloric punch so maybe that's why fish like them so much.



The D.O.A. Shrimp is one of my favorite baits to find fish. Remember, when using any shrimp lure or pattern, the key is to fish it S-L-O-W. For some reason, everything that swims seems to LOVE this color (Clear/Red Flake).



Chartreuse Sparkle is nice in dingy or stained water.



Grass Shrimp are prevalent on the flats in the summertime. They are small (less than an inch) but numerous. If you're on fish and can't get them to eat, try tying on a Crystal Shrimp size #4.



Crystal Shrimp in gold and white with beadchain eyes instead of burned mono.



E.P. Shrimp. AWESOME when you can get it in front of shallow redfish on the feed. Let it sit on the mud bottom and give it a twitch as the fish approaches. Should trigger an immediate strike.



Not sure what this Double Bunny is supposed to look like but I fish it like a shrimp and the trout seem to like it.

Photo Essay - 7/25

Sunday Keith and I paddled from Dunedin Causeway to Caledisi Island to scout new spots. I caught 3 flounder and lost a 20 inch redfish at the boat.


I need to rethink just how I put fish in the boat. Teeth on those flounder could be bad news.


How big was that redfish that I lost, Keith?


An Osprey. Haven't seen one of those in a while.

Scouting New Spots - When?

In this installment of Scouting New Spots, we'll combine the things that we learned from the first post - Where? - and try to determine when is the best times to fish and how it goes hand in hand with where.

For starters, you need to understand that I'm not a marine biologist or expert on the subject of finding fish. All I'm doing here is passing on things that I've learned in the hopes of helping other people find fish on more of a consistent basis....I'm always learning new things too. This year, I've really been putting an effort into being able to find fish.

Now...when the best times to fish is an oft debated subject. Some say the best time to go is low tide, others will tell you high tide, and of course, the incoming or outgoing tide is thrown in there as well. Going at night or the break of dawn?

I've found through trial and error that fish can be caught at all stages of the tide, night and day...you just have to know where to fish.

At my special little oyster bar spot, there's an oyster bar on the edge of a drop off that backs up onto a lush shallow grass flat. My favorite time to fish this spot is at a dead low tide with the sun low in the sky. The flat is almost totally dry, but the water leading up to it and around the oyster bar can hold fish. This area just comes alive at this time, with little shrimp, fish and crabs coming out of their hiding places. I've witnessed redfish stacking up on the edge of this flat, working their way into the grass as soon as the water is deep enough to hold them.

In the wintertime, I've seen redfish at the lowest stage of the tide, holding in pools of water with the surrounding areas completely dry, waiting for the tide to come in. A deftly placed shrimp or crab pattern will be sure to draw interest in a situation like this.

Snook, on the other hand, are notorious nocturnal feeders. The Mad Snooker, Captain Dave Pomerleau can attest to this fact. I can't tell you how many times I've seen these fish cruising along a mangrove shoreline or hanging around a boat dock, thrown everything I can at them and either spook them or they refuse EVERYTHING. You'd think they either never eat, or are smarter than your average fish.

Truth be told, they DO eat, but at certain times...and only for a short time. I have yet to figure out the formula, but they DO prefer an incoming tide at night. Lighted boat docks with moving water is what to look for. They hold in the shadows, waiting for baitfish to be swept along in the current where they can dart out and grab one.

Flooding tides give gamefish the opportunity to catch prey among the mangrove prop roots. A deep mangrove edge should be explored at this stage of the tide. If you're not hanging up on prop roots or branches once in a while, you're not casting close enough.

But what do you do along the mangroves on a falling tide? A lot of large mangrove islands have "creeks" that, if you were looking at it on Bing Maps, you'd swear it was a checker board. These are breaks to allow for tide and current flows, since the mangroves are in the middle of a current, these creeks allow the mangroves to stay put and not be swept away. Where these creeks empty out, there is often a depression or hole. Fish like to wait in and around these holes on a falling tide to feed on the prey items that are swept out when the water level drops. This is a great spot to find any of the big three year round. Combine this with a low light situation, and the fishy fireworks can be intense.

Another spot that I found that holds fish no matter the time of day or tide stage is a sand flat that drops off into a channel. The edge of this channel is grassy. What I like to do is bounce a black and purple bendback down the hill as it were.

But why does this spot always seem to produce trout?
A few reasons to consider. The temperature of the deeper water makes the fish a bit more comfortable, the eyes of the fish are sensitive to bright light and on a hot summers day, cool darker water seems to be preferable to these fish. There always seems to be moving water along this edge and trout like to lie in wait to pounce on unsuspecting prey items washed to them in the current...tide changes from incoming to outgoing, they just turn around.

So any stage of the tide and time of day should find you still able to find fish, you just need to know where to look and at which time.

The Legend Of 2 O'Clock Charlie

There's something in the water here...the makings of an angling legend of epic proportions.

We call him 2 O'Clock Charlie - He usually hits right around 2 O'Clock...when we're on our way back in.

Recently, almost every time that I've been fishing out at Sand Key, someone has a run in with a large fish - either a big snook or a tarpon - that manages to break the line or straighten a hook....tow around the guy who hooked it. We always seem to run into him in 8-10 feet of water. I've seen it several times and it's right around the length of a yardstick.

Last Sunday, it was on a DOA Shrimp with 10lb Power Pro. I thought I had him, but he broke off when I tried to tighten the drag down too much.

Give it some time and it'll be 8 feet long, have teeth like sabres, and has 3 heads. If you fell out of your 'yak, he'd swallow ya whole.

2 O'clock Charlie, Why do you torture me so.....

Scouting New Spots - Where?

One of the most challenging things about saltwater fishing is finding fish. You may find them one day and they won't be there the next. My friend Scott likes to say "Well Rob...the fish must not have read Florida Sportsman this month."

Knowing where the fish like to hang out and feed is the first thing I consider when scouting a new area. Sometimes I see a spot as I'm driving past, other times, I use Bing Maps to find features that fish commonly use as either a highway or a hole or hill that they might use as a current break. It's similar to bass fishing - the fish relate to contours and structure much the same as largemouth bass, but you have to account for moving water, time of day, and tide movement.

Here are a few things that I look for when looking for new fishing spots...

Is there grass? This is an important factor to think about. Favorite prey items for gamefish use grass to hide, feed and reproduce almost year round, so make sure sea grasses are in the equation.

The ICW from Memorial Causeway north to Anclote Key has some of the nicest grass flats I've ever seen. The water is always clear and the grass is always thick and lush....but....I haven't had much luck in that area. There are a few spots that I've found that SHOULD hold fish, like a grassy 10 feet deep hole in the middle of a 3 feet deep grass flat that doesn't hold fish for some reason. But on the other hand, when looking at a few spots on Bing Maps near Old Tampa Bay, I noticed an absence of grass. I was assured that there WAS in fact grass there, only to find the area as bald as I am...and ended up going home empty handed.

Deep water nearby? Gamefish are preyed upon as juveniles by birds and bigger fish. This sticks with them as adults. Deeper water acts as security for these fish and it's always a good idea to look for some sort of depth variation close to where you'll be fishing. Deeper water also holds cooler temperatures in the summer.

One of my favorite spots to fish is at Sand Key. There is a grass flat that drops off into a deep channel. There are always trout holding at or close to this edge. I've also caught snook and tarpon there. Recently, I was wading in knee deep water at this edge, catching trout and I noticed that the water blowing from the channel on the incoming tide felt about 10 degrees cooler than the water I was standing in.

Other structures - Oyster bars, sand bars, docks, pilings, rocks and rip-rap? Just like bass fishing, you have to locate the structure. Baitfish use these features to hide from gamefish. Gamefish use these locations as a current break and to be able to ambush prey. I like to find docks that house sailboats because they need to be fairly deep to allow for the keel of the boat.

Another of my favorite spots features an oyster bar. It's located between two mangrove islands with deep edges. The front side of the bar drops into about 6 feet of water. The back edge sweeps into a shallow grassy area that is mostly exposed during low tide. I've often witnessed redfish following the incoming tide into the grass, but make a stop along the front of the oyster bar foraging for mud crabs that make the oyster bar their home.

In the next installment of "Scouting New Spots", we'll focus on when to go.

YakAngler Comes To Florida

Mark and Adam, the founders of Yakangler.com are in Florida this week to hang out and fish all over the state. What I think is really awesome about this is the fact that they came to fish in Florida for a week instead of going to Vegas for the ICAST convention....plus they're really cool guys who love fishing!

First stop on their whirlwind trip was to go fishing for trout and reds with me.

I met them at the always popular Sand Key. Of course I was a few minutes late. Being a Wednesday, there was no boat traffic. The conditions were perfect with a slight breeze and no rain in the forecast. The tide was on the latter stages of outgoing and would be low about 2 hours after our arrival. Florida native Chip Gibson and his son Brad drove all night from Georgia to go with us as well.

They secured a few Emotion Grand Slam kayaks from David Sims at Action Watersports which are pretty nice boats.
We paddled out to "The Corner", a grass flat on the edge of a 20 foot drop off. I broke my rod on the first cast by trying to unsnag a hang up. We caught a few trout and a few lizardfish and a needlefish.
We paddled over to an island and found a strong incoming tide along a shallow flat that dropped off into a channel. We caught a few more trout and spooked a few redfish. Was trying to get Adam a fish before heading back to the beach, but were unsuccessful in our attempts.
It was a really fun day out fishing and I'm glad that we had the opportunity to meet up, fish and enjoy some wings and beer at Mugs after....

Inane Randomness

Tomorrow, I have the honor of taking Mark and Adam, the yakangler.com guys out on a kayak fishing expedition. We'll be heading to Sand Key with hopes of getting on some trout and redfish. Should be a fun time and I'll be sure to get a lot of photos.

I have a confession to make; None of my technology starts with i. I don't have an iphone, ipad or ipod....however, for those of you that DO have these toys, there is a new app for iphone called Whoppa.

From the Whoppa site - "A 2-in-1 app that enables you to keep a detailed personal log of all your catches AND get up-to-date information on what's working for others in your location.
How many times have you walked past a fellow fly fisherman on the banks, and in passing you enquire, "Had any luck? Oh really... what with...?" Well, this is what this app is about: instant access to local knowledge. That, and being able to keep your own detailed record of all the catches that you make – learning and remembering from your successes in the past is invaluable, and the app does the remembering bit so you can simply reap the rewards.
With GPS capability to pinpoint your location on googlemaps and automatic date and time entries, it's never been simpler to log a catch. You can add as much detail as you like with options such as techniques, equipment, species, weight and length, fly type, hook size, season, weather, water type and water body... you can even add a picture. All the information will be automatically stored on your phone with the added option of being able to upload it to your account on the Whoppa website for safe-keeping.
And, if you want to see what's working for other fisherman at your spot, just click the "Recent Catches at This Spot" button to pick up some top tips and handy information. You can even adjust your retrieval area within a 1-mile, 5-mile, and 10-mile radius. With so much knowledge at your fingertips, Whoppa is your secret weapon to building an impressive catch portfolio."
Available from the itunes store.

Weekend Update - A Close Call

Wow! Hard to believe I haven't posted or written anything in a week. It's not that I haven't been fishing. I have been. I've taken a bit of a break due to un-birthday parties, busy at work, and other things.

Since I have off every Friday in July, I've been taking full advantage of my 3 day weekends. Friday, I went to the always popular Sand Key to "the spot" and fished the outgoing tide for a while on some deep flats. Large needlefish were harrassing my lures and flies, so I caught one and turned it into chum....next thing I know, my 12 weight is SCREAMING with that sound every fly fisherman wants to hear....Zeeeeeeee....zeee...zeee....

An 80 lb tarpon took off at light speed across the deep flat towing me along with it....leapt clear of the water twice before rolling over and seperating line from leader....A black and red Keys style fly with holographic dome eyes was the ticket. Didn't even see it before it started taking off with it.

Happy July 4th

Inane Randomness

Wow! A four day weekend! What will I ever do?

Today, I'll be doing the domestic chores, cleaning, laundry, napping...

Saturday, I'll be out at the always popular Crystal Beach with the yak, chasing redfish on a falling tide first thing in the morning. The shrimp flies and gurglers are stocked in the flybox....weather permitting of course. It's been rainy and stormy for about a week now.

The Friday Pin-up on Moldy Chum is quite impressive. Looks like someone I know!

Not sure where I'm watching fireworks this year. I wanted to launch the yak in Clearwater Harbor or Belleair and view them from there but, as you could probably imagine the amount of boat traffic and drunk idiots on the water at that time....

Kayaking Hangover And The Silver Kings

After fishing all day Friday and Saturday, by the time I was crawling up the beach with kayak in hand Saturday afternoon and sleeping the rest of the weekend away, on Monday, I was suffering the kayaking hangover.

Not like a drinking hangover where you're swearing you'll never drink again. The refreshing, relaxed, my hand feels like it weighs 300 lbs, I'm too tired to write sort of tiredness.

Friday Morning, I met Keith at Sand Key at first light. The tide was dead low and just starting to turn. We headed out of the Pass and worked along the rock jetty. When we go to the end of the jetty, there was a HUGE school of threadfin shad. The next thing I saw was a pod of tarpon about 60 yards away, headed in our direction. My plan was to hold within casting range of the threadfins (which were holding roughly in the same place) and wait for the tarpon to start feeding on them.

The tarpon approached the school....and kept going. I pulled my anchor and started paddling after them as fast as I could. They must have had other things on their minds....and managed to keep just out of range.

A while later, we got on a school of black sea bass. They were undersized but fun to catch.

Saturday morning, met up with Keith and Pettay. Same spot, but we paddled over to W island. Caught a few trout with Keith getting a really nice 20 inch specimen.

The was a school of bait right where we were fishing and a boat full of less than scrupulous folks decided to kick us off our spot in order to catch said bait....why do people have to be such douche bags?

It was a beautiful few days of fishing.....

Photo Essay

Sunrise
Rollers
HUGE school of threadfin shad
Black Sea Bass

Crabs To Yield Bigness

I'll be on the water by the time you're reading this, but thought I'd share.

Every full moon during the summer, tarpon swim out hundreds of miles offshore to spawn. Right before the full moon, they like to eat a lot for their journey...to fuel up, as it were. This time of year, large numbers of swimming crabs are sucked out of the passes on the outgoing tide. Crabs happen to be one of the tarpons favorite things to chow down on....

I hope these crabs will help me on my quest....

2 inch Gulp Peeler Crab

Location X and Keys Style Flies

Big Eye Hommassasa Deceiver

Tarpon Killer X 2 - Ego Vs Common Sense

This sickening story came across Twitter today via Skate The Fly blog. Apparently, this guy likes to kill huge adult tarpon and try to get his name in the IGFA.

Anyone who knows the odds of a larvae far out at sea growing into adults like these wouldn't even think about killing one.

Disgusting. You should be ashamed Tom Evans and Capt. Al Dopirak....

Inane Randomness

This is the time of year for Spanish Mackerel. I love catching these toothy fish because they usually cooperate with fishermen and are the main ingredient for my smoked fish spread. They're very speedy and have razor sharp teeth. Good times to fish for them are early in the morning during a rising tide. Per the FWC, bag limit is 15 a day per harvester and they need to be 12 inches long at the fork in order to keep.

Mark and Adam from yakangler.com will be in town for a week next month. I plan on taking them to a few favorite spots, but we're a few boats short. Can anyone help us with this? Wanna lend us a yak or 2? We'll make sure you get a lot of press for it I can promise you. Check out this cool story about Kayak Kevin's trip kayaking Chesapeake Bay

Yours Truly is headed out ugly early Friday Morning to get after tarpon and Saturday, ugly early again to get after some redfish....again. I have every Friday off in July and am ready to go on a camping/fishing/kayaking excursion....

Happy Fathers Day

Sunday Morning... Nag Champa burning....French press coffee....the delicate sounds of a Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd play list....Lacy snoring gently.

Even though I don't have any human children, I like to be the best dad I can be to Lacy.

We went to her doctor yesterday for her annual check up and shots and was given a clean bill of health. She's in much better shape than she was last year. She weighed in at 57.2 lbs where last year, she was 68 lbs. Instead of her laying around by the pool, I've been running her around.

Today, I'll be getting my gear in order, changing the backing on the 12 weight from 20 lb gel spun to 30 lb Power Pro since those silver beasts made short work of it last time, repairing the kayak where the seat cleat was pulled clean out.

Rob's Smoked Fish Spread

Here is one of my most kept secrets for smoked fish spread. With the impending Spanish Mackerel invasion, I thought it proper to share this. One of my all time favorite fish for this dish is smoked Spanish Mackerel.

The best way to catch macks during the summer run is early in the morning. I like using a silver Gummy Minnow or silver spoon fly worked fast. Spots near Fort Desoto or the mouth of the Bay are good. Make sure you use a strong wire leader for these toothy torpedoes.

Here's my strange way of writing a recipe.....Ya'all pay 'tention nah...

Smoke 2 average sized mackerel filet's. I put them on a low heat charcoal with Jack Daniels chips for around an hour and a half.

Crumble warm mackerel filet's into a bowl. Not too fine...we want it to be a bit chunky.

Add a container of Philly Cream Cheese (one of the ONLY things from Philly allowed in my house) and a cup of your favorite mayo. A bit of horseradish will work too.

As much as I hate celery, a little won't hurt.

A bit of fresh cilantro.

A squeezed lemon.

Some paprika for garnish.

Serve still warm with crackers or soft bread.

Mmmmm...c'mon macks c'mon....

This is perfect for your summer get togethers or birthdays. A good Belgian White Ale compliments this nicely.

Appology To You From Me

I'd like to take this time to apologize to my readers for blathering on about BP and the oil spill in the Gulf. One thing that I personally don't like is when I go to read a good fishing blog and it's chock full of environmental issues. I'm not trying to disguise the blog as a fishing site only to cover the oil spill. Even though the area that I primarily fish (Tampa Bay Region) is not supposed to be affected like the areas in Louisiana and Mississippi, the spill still disrupts the ecological balance. I've added a spill tracker gadget to the blog. Feel free to post it on yours.

This issue is very important to me, But I promise not to bore you with the details any longer.

I'm tired of being accustomed to losing everything I love.

Please forgive me.

I promise to return to our regularly scheduled programming....already in progress.

Rob