Paddle In The Park

This promises to be a fun event - bring your kids...

Sheena Was Right

One of the good things about getting up early to go fishing on a Saturday or Sunday morning is getting the weather forecast from Fox 13 weekend weather anchor and super babe Sheena Parveen. She helps make the rumbling and the stumbling of an ugly early wake up time a bit more bearable....one of these days, I'm going to get her out fishing with us....but anyway, the forecast was HOT, low chance of rain, and no wind.

Just getting to the put in was a bit challenging. On my way across the causeway, one of the last remaining draw bridges in Florida decided to go up. I was feeling a bit perturbed when I didn't see any sailboats coming through and after 15 minutes, the bridge finally went back down.

There were a bunch of hardcore kayaking vehicles at the put in...you know the kind - rusted out Ford Ranger with an old topper, fishing stickers plastered all over the back end but a nice Yakima system on top....I meant to take some photos but got distracted by a girl in a bikini with a lime green kayak. After closer inspection, I saw that all she had was an Ocean Kayak, so I went back to loading up my gear.

Now back to the fishing....

Slick seas, clear skies, incoming tide and bait all over was the scene.


Fifty feet off the beach is a trough that runs parallel to the shore line. This backs up to a fairly shallow grass flat with sand potholes and nice grass. At around 75 feet from shore, it drops back down to around 8 feet....only to rise back up again to another shallow flat at roughly 500 feet from the beach. We fished these areas briefly while heading to our destination - the southernmost tip of a barrier island about 3 miles away. We should have stayed near the put in because we started catching fish right away.

I caught a dink trout and 2 juvenile grouper and Keith caught a grouper. But with the tide pushing over the flats, there was sure to be bigger fish....and there was.

I saw a 7 foot bull shark pushing across the shallow flat, dorsal and tail out of the water like a scene from Jaws heading toward the beach....Eeeesh. I made sure to warn the surprised folks close to shore.

We paddled south to a deep cut along a sandbar and fished for a while. There were a lot of kayak anglers around this spot, so I'm fairly certain there were fish around. I had a hook up with a sold fish, but lost it.

We continued south through a really shallow section of grass flat, seeing large tailing mullet and wakes pushing everywhere. No redfish among them though. The water quality was getting murky as we pushed south. By the time we got to the southernmost point, there was a boat on the spot. We saw them pull in 2 nice redfish and move on....of course blowing out the spot in the process as they gunned the motor on the way out.

I found a kayak trail through the mangroves that looked like it would be a great spot on an outgoing tide. A deep hole formed the mouth of this small creek, giving the fish ample cover to lie in wait for prey to be swept out.

We worked the edge of the mangroves on the return trip. There were several guides with clients asking us where the fish were. We kept seeing scatterings of finger mullet along the treeline so, we knew there were fish around, but had no takers.

On the long paddle back to the causeway, I noticed that the wind had shifted to blow right into our faces...of course....we stopped and fished a few spots and caught more juvie grouper.

I'd forgotten my Buff, so when I arrived home, I found a nice red raccoon face staring at me in the mirror....

So... lesson learned - when you're catching fish close to your put-in, stay there and fish...and pay closer attention to what Sheena says....

Wanna Win A Pair Of Costa's?

Yakangler.com always has great prizes for their contests.

This time, you can win an awesome pair of Costa Del Mar Wave Killer Sunglasses.

Check here to see how to enter.

Rules:

-All YakStaff members may participate, Adam and I will not
-All pictures must be at least 800X800 pixels in size
-Photographs do not have to be taken during the contest they can be older ones
-Maximum allowed pictures are 1 per photo shoot, but you may submit up to 5 photo shoots
-All pictures must be of good clear photo quality
-All pictures must be submitted by October 6th, 2010
-All pictures must be emailed to: events@yakangler.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
-Your full name, your username "if applicable", title of photograph, and location of photograph

Thai Fish Dish

I'm going out on a limb with this one, but I'll share it with you anyway....

The ex used to make a KILLER Chicken Penang. This is MY version of it. You can use fish, chicken or just veggies with it.....but since this is a fishing blog, we'll stick with fish. I totally LOVE this dish.

Please excuse my redneck recipe writing style.

Boil a pot of water and get your jasmine rice started.

In a large skillet, cook 4 fillets of flounder with a bit of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and a pinch of freshly ground lemongrass.

When the flounder is cooked, shake, open and pour a can of coconut milk. Pour over fish into skillet.

Add 2 teaspoons of red curry paste and stir with coconut milk and fish.

Add a head of fresh broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.

Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.

Cover skillet and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Serve with the jasmine rice.

Smile and enjoy.

Up On The Downsize

There seems to be a recent movement toward larger lures...larger flies....build it bigger and they will come. For me, there certainly are times when I want to chuck a 8/0 Deceiver with huge dome eyes at a bunch of rolling tarpon. One of D.O.A's latest additions is the Big Fish Lure - an 8 inch soft plastic.

There are times and places for the big stuff....but why is it that no one ever thinks to downsize the lures being used?

I know the word "Downsize" is a dirty word in most circles but can prove invaluable in the world of fishing. Just by simply tying on a bonefish fly or small jig, you can often get fish to bite who were previously suffering from lockjaw.

The reason is quite simple.

On the flats that I fish, small prey items are quite numerous. Summertime redfish are often keyed in on grass shrimp which are less than an inch in length. When casting to spooky fish, try tying on an Epoxy Charlie or #2 Clouser Minnow. I've witnessed large tarpon feeding on schools of glass minnows, one of the smallest baitfish in the sea, swimming through the school, mouth agape, gulping mouthful after mouthful on each pass. Maybe a small plastic crappie jig or Clouser Minnow might do the trick....

So, the next time you're seeing fish but can't get them to strike, try scaling it down a bit.....

Fly Casting Like A Golf Swing?

I've had this crazy notion for a while now.

Fly casting is quite a bit like a golf swing.

If you've ever played the game then I think you'd understand what I'm getting at. No matter how good you are, there are always things to remember and learn. Even the best golfers on earth have swing coaches....But enough about golf.

Fly fishing ninja/author and marine biologist Aaron Adams tends to agree...

"It doesn't matter how many times you've watched or listened to Lefty Kreh talk about fly fishing, there is always something new to learn. Even if you have all of his books and videos, there always seems to be something not yet revealed in those books that comes out during a presentation. For example, during a recent lunch with Lefty, he said to me "I've seen you cast, I bet I can add 10 or 15 feet to your cast in 10 minutes." I said "You're on", and damn if he didn't add 10-15 feet to my cast after lunch. And it was just a simple adjustment to my stroke. Nice. Lefty recently gave a presentation to a group in Sarasota, FL, so I drove up to see Lefty, and to sit in the back of the room to pick up some more tidbits. I did, of course, pick up a couple more fishing tips. I think part of the reason that Lefty always has new tips to provide is that he's always thinking about ways to improve fly fishing. In any case, it's a good thing for the rest of us."

For those of you who don't know...Lefty Kreh and Joan Wulff are probably THE best fly casting instructors on the planet. If you're trying to improve your casting skills, look up their instructional DVD's

Now...you don't need to cast 100 yards to be a good fly caster. In most cases (and this can be debated) you only really need to cast ACCURATELY 30-40 yards. This is just my opinion of course....

I've found that when I'm trying too hard and the fly rod, line and reel feels like it weighs 100 lbs, I just need to relax...breathe....don't try to overpower the forward cast....that things usually tend to feel a bit lighter.

Lights On, Nobody Home

In life and fishing, sometimes the things you plan might not go exactly the way you envision them, but if you improvise, adapt and overcome, you can go from scratching your head.... to watching your rod bend with a fish on the other end.

Keith and I paddled out to a string of docks that I found lighted on a scouting mission earlier in the week. The plan was to concentrate on the docks that were sticking out into the incoming tide and hopefully locate a few snook.

The problem was....someone forgot to tell the folks who live there to turn their lights on for us. It was a bit like Halloween. Several residents actually saw us out there and turned their lights off! I asked Keith to go knock on a few doors and ask them to turn their dock lights on, but he wouldn't do it. These same docks were lit earlier this week....I need to remember to bring the rolls of toilet paper and burning dog shit bags me thinks.

Now, I understand why some folks might not want folks fishing around their docks. I get it. A few errant casts clanging off their boats, fishing line draped across their boardwalks, and hooks left laying exposed to bare feet. I get it. A prudent fisherman needs only to realize a bit of respect to not do these things and to remember that you're literally in someones back yard.

Ok...back to the fishing part.

Conditions were just PERFECT. The sort of night that brings on a sense of Zen peacefulness...no wind, slick, flat calm seas, painted skies, and less humidity than you'd expect for an early September night in Florida. I could have just laid back and took a nap if there wasn't fishing to do. The water temperature is a bit cooler for sure.

So lights out on the docks we planned to hit.


We paddled into a clover leaf of docks in the inlets. It seems the lights were out more than on, but we could see feeding activity along the lights that were lit. The pattern was whomever got into position and got a cast off was almost guaranteed a hook-up.....cast....plop....thunk....tension....fish! Trout were everywhere. I started with a 9 foot leader and had to keep trimming it because it would get frayed. It's probably about a 5 foot leader now. The larger specimens really tend to put up a fight and I had a few that actually leaped free of the water. There seemed to be a lot more schoolie sized fish than the last time, but we were getting a few that were in the 18-20 inch range.


We came upon a submerged amber colored light that had quite a bit of feeding activity around it. I pulled a few decent fish out and just sat back to watch the them interact with each other. I often enjoy just observing the fish as much as catching them. What was strange was, I could see the trout, who were mixed in with a gaggle of sail cats, just lazily swimming on their side. A few of them looked like flounder and would require a bit of a double take.

The last dock that we hit had a light that was placed about 10 feet above the water. There was surface action everywhere for about a 100 foot radius around this light. You could cast in any direction and immediately have a fish on. They were feeding on finger mullet, greenbacks and shrimp....but I think you could have tossed a frying pan and it would have received a strike.

A Sad Day

Break out the Kleenex! This is truly the end of an era.....

I was recently informed that Plueger Has stopped making the Purist line of fly rods....

Nooooooooooooooo!

So much for being Mr. Current Events.

Due to my propensity to break fly rods with aplomb, the Purist line was one of the best fly rod deals for me.....$37.00 for a quality 8 weight delivered to my doorstep from W-flies....plus I really like the way that they perform.... where will I find an affordable replacement the next time my backcast snags a mangrove branch and I shatter my last Purist into a million pieces?

At least Pflueger hasn't stopped making the Trion line of fly reels yet. I use a 1978 and 1912 respectively and am happy to report that these are virtually bullet proof with solid construction and smooth drag that won't burn up with a fast tarpon or bonefish. I'm really surprised that more saltwater guys don't use these fine reels.

World Angling

Here's a nice little ditty for your Sunday morning. I LOVE the flat calm conditions shown here. It's not only beautiful, but very relaxing to fish in. I know that a lot of folks hate fishing in flat water because it's easier for the fish to see you, but this guy loves it.

I didn't know that the guy from The Hangover fly fishes for tarpon.....



If you're like me and want to see who the World Angling guys are, check this out...I just need to know if they've got an extra couch for me to sleep on....hell with the couch, I just need a corner for me and my Thermarest.

Inane Randomness

Tomorrow night, there is a showing of the movie Jaws at The Capitol Theater in downtown Clearwater. I DID see it in the theater in 1978 when it was re-released, but this will be cool. My brother has never seen it in the theater.

It's weird, because I'm currently reading a book about the 1916 New Jersey shark attacks in which the book Jaws by Peter Benchely was loosely based. I've always been intrigued by sharks and shark behavior. It's amazing to me that there is still a bit of debate and speculation about whether or not the shark was a Bull Shark or Great White. I'm currently on the Bull Shark side as I've never heard of a case where a Great White has swam up a river or creek. This of course is normal behavior for Bull Sharks....I LOVE history.

The rain has really dirtied up the water clarity around here and all of my scouting trips have been cancelled due to bad weather. Might do one big scouting trip on Friday...but I'm not sure yet.

Behind The Fly Rod

I had the honor of doing an Angler Spotlight piece for Yakangler.com this week. Don't mind the first photo though as I look like I'm sinking my kayak. After mentioning this to the photographer, my brother, he commented that he thought he was shooting it for "cakeangler.com"...guess admitting that you have a problem is the hardest part....

Oh, and the article can be read here

The rain for the last three days has pretty much ruined my scouting missions for the week. Three days of constant rain? Really? The last time I can remember that happening was in 2004 when the weekly hurricanes would roll through. So lack of scouting missions and I'm guessing, super murky water and short tides might make it one big scouting mission this weekend....was going to target snook on the dock lights, but not sure now.

Shrimp Burgers

A bit of Southern Fried Goodness for your Monday. Preseason football.

Beer Battered Shrimp
Coleslaw
Sourdough hamburger buns
Cocktail sauce on the side
Bread and butter pickle chips

Serve with a light wheat ale.

Daylight Dies

I arrived at the put in spot at 7PM. The conditions were ideal: Sun low in the sky, the tide was just starting to come in, a light breeze tickling the waters surface. The water temperature felt like bath water and was just ticking 91 degrees.

The plan was to head back to our favorite redfish spot and fish the oyster bar that backs up onto a lush grass flat. Keith was working the drop off along the channel and I was opposite him working the shoreline on the way back to the oyster bar. There was fishy action going on all around us with finger mullet scattering, fish wakes chasing, and birds wading and diving. The area was ALIVE! Perfect conditions....but...the problem was, someone forgot to tell the redfish to show up.


We worked the area and the entire water column with a myriad of flies, soft plastics, and Mirr-o-lures. Nothing. Not even a chase or a tap. When you see about 100 finger mullet scattering and spraying into the air, that usually means a bigger fish is chasing them. Casting past this spot and working the lure with the tide SHOULD trigger a hook-up, right? But once again, the fish haven't read the latest issue of Florida Sportsman.

After an hour and a half, we decided to target some docks with lights to see if we might be able to find some snook.

"Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light" (Who would've ever thought I'd resort to using an Eagles lyric?) There was an eerie green glow next to the seawall. The shade of green that you might see in a sci-fi film...around the same shade of green as my kayak. As we paddled closer, I could make out baitfish darting and large shadows chasing. It looked like some sort of sci-fi aquarium.


Bingo!

We started casting. Nothing. Changed lures. Nothing. Changed lures. Nothing. What would Captain Kirk do? "Captains log....suplemental....we've discovered an eerie.... green.... light with fish feeding around it....yet.....we can't seem to....catch any.... fish Mister!" (Wow...a Star Trek reference? Really?)

After 30 minutes of this, we decided to try another dock. This time, with a light that pointed downward. First cast, BAM! 22 inch trout! Keith got the hook-up on it's twin a few moments later. After about 4 fish each, all between 18 and 22 inches, and FAT, the action quieted. I made around 6 casts without a fish.

Time to move.



Over the next 2 hours, this cycle repeated itself over and over. Cast, catch, release. Cast, catch release. Cast, catch, release. Cast.....cast.....on to the next dock.

I think the reason that the first light didn't produce was because the light was projected upwards, giving the fish a better view of it's prey. Any other time, it's the opposite, with the light projecting down. All they can see is the profile silhouetted against the surface.

We eventually got tired and headed back in...today, my wrists are sore from horsing so many large trout out from under the docks. The bigger trout put up a harder fight for sure.....

Inane Randomness

This weeks Inane Randomness!!!!!

My fishing buddy Keith loves gear. He has loads of kayak fishing "stuff" that he drags out like outriggers, a leaning post so he can stand up and fish, a poling platform, a portable A/C unit, and a flag/light rig. Actually, it's not THAT much stuff, just less than the amount of stuff I drag out. Even though I'm TOTALLY the opposite, it gives me a good reason to give him a good natured ribbing from time to time. Yesterday, I found this which is actually pretty cool because there is no drilling involved. The mount just fits in your flush mount rod holders. Not a bad deal for the money either. This is not really something that I'm looking for, although it WOULD come in handy on the long paddle back to the put in spot....

Don't forget to listen to Kayak Fishing Radio this Thursday at 8 pm Eastern. If you can't listen or call in, listen to the podcast later.

Saw this story about a Great White Shark biting a kayak of the coast of Northern California. This guy is lucky that he only got a few holes in his kayak.

Of course my sick and twisted mind was trying to determine if I was in that situation, what sort of fly would I toss at a Great White Shark? Am I alone in thinking this way?

Here is a video one of my friends from California sent me...White Sharks among the surfers....

Night Ops 2

I have the plan worked out for another night trip this week. The tide is forecast to be low at 6:00pm, sunset is at 8:15pm with high tide at midnight. The lights are rigged and ready to go.

I like fishing at night. It's easier that getting up at the crack of dawn, the boat traffic is almost nonexistent, and the fish become a bit more active since the water is a bit cooler.

The question is this: should I fish where I've recently seen the finger mullet along a ditch that cuts through a shallow sand flat and cast finger mullet flies for snook? Or should I fish the oyster bar that separates the channel from the shallow grass with crab flies for redfish?

Decisions....

Photo Essay - 8/15

The gathering storm.

Enough napping Keith...that's why you didn't catch anything.

Sand Key Bridge

Like Forrest Gump would say...."There's muh boat"...

Juvie grouper. Not sure if it's a Gag or a Black. Note the blue hued anal fins. Was a surprise being in such shallow water.

The Hatch

One of the best features on my kayak are the 3 middle hatches that make up the casting deck.

The middle hatch gives me the ability to have everything I need close at hand. This middle hatch can also be used as a livewell for live bait (Although I can't remember the last time I used bait)

As you know, I approach my gear with a basic school of thought. I only carry a medium fly box, a water tight box for my phone, keys, and camera, a GPS, a few soft plastic jerk bait bags, a box for hooks, swivels, and weights, a multi-tool, and a pair of scissors.

This basic approach allows me to worry about less stuff and be able to concentrate on finding fish.

Inane Randomness

I'm still bummed that I missed out on Lamb of God and Shadows Fall yesterday at Mayhem Fest, You'll have that when you're spending all your time fishing I guess....

The Tampa Bay Rays have lost 5 in a row and their team batting average is in the .100's but they're still only 1 game back from the division lead.

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Director of Operations, and personal favorite fly fishing ninja and author, Dr. Aaron Adams, was interviewed by online fishing blog GoFISHn about the current state of the tarpon fishery. More importantly, the interview lists precautions that all anglers can take to reduce harm to tarpon while practicing catch and release.

Don't forget to listen to Kayak Fishing Radio tomorrow night (Thursday) at 8pm Eastern for all the goodness related to kayak fishing. I may or may not be a guest on tomorrows show due to a previous engagement, but one never knows. You know how people can be.

Night Shift

Last night, Keith and I did a night trip. Arriving to the beach at around 7pm, we had excellent conditions. With an incoming tide, light breeze and sunset at 8:30, we hit the grass flat along the drop-off with no fish but a lot of diving bird action.

I set up a lighting rig with battery powered camping lanterns inside large, clear,water tight food storage containers fore and aft. Worked like a charm until the batteries died after 3 hours use. Keith said he could see me a long ways off.

Keith caught a small trout along the weed line, then we paddled over to the bridge. There was bait everywhere...glass minnows, needlefish, and majorra. I hooked up with a 15 inch trout on a shrimp pattern, but switched to a white baitfish pattern when I observed snook blasting bait on the surface.

I changed to a topwater, crease fly pattern which drew a few misses. I tried working it fast, slow, painstakingly SLOW to no avail.

Keith caught another trout, but we couldn't seem to entice any of the snook to take our offerings. I think they would have turned their noses up at live bait.

We worked the rock jetty, nothing....the bridge pilings...nothing....all the while watching and listening to "SLUR-POP!" happening all around us.

We headed in at about 1:00 am on a falling tide with a lot of activity still happening. Night fishing is great because the heat isn't as intense, the fish are out, and there is no boat traffic to speak of.

We'll be doing more of this night fishing to be sure!

Kayak Fishing Radio

You can hear yours truly on Kayak Fishing Radio Thursday nights at 8pm Eastern talking about whats happening in the world of kayak fishing. It's a call in show, so listen, and call in with questions or report what you've been catching!

Chip Gibson is your host and is a wealth of information in regards to all aspects of kayak fishing.

There's also a chatroom if you don't feel like calling in.

I think this is a great thing that is sure to get bigger with time.