florida fishing/kayaking

[PoPin Plug]

i might go to florida this winter and does anyone know if you will get bites off a beach on a kayak about 150 - 300 ft off coast ( a local privite beach in sarasota... if anyone has any info of what kind of tackle and bait and fish i'll get....

[Finaddict]

For fishing the Sarasota area, you have a few options. Off the beach in the winter you can target bluefish, spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, etc. In the inlets you can encounter snook, redfish, barracuda ... inside the bays you can find redfish, seatrout and snook. That is what I would recommend, heading inside the harbors and working the flats, bring old sneakers or wading boots, tie your yak behind yuo and cast to tailing redfish ... or work the edges of the flats and potholes on the flats for snook, trout and redfish. Also work the mangroves with special attention to points, bars, etc. If you don't have any cold fronts messing things up, you should do okay. Good luck.

[Finaddict]

As for tackle, the norm spinning gear is 7 foot rod with 10-12 pound test, use soft plastics such as DOAs, Cottee Jigs, Slug-Gos of varying sizes, of course jerkbaits such as MirrOlures, Zara Spooks, Bagley's Finger Mullet and spoons. But a lot of what we use for stripers would do quite well for the species down there - get some of the smaller nice wood plugs like the smaller spooks by AfterHours, Tattoos, Surf Asylum, also metal lip swimmers work quite well too - smaller ones, they are just not used all that much, but a friend of mine caught an 11-pound seatrout on a new atoms metal lip plug, small one, just think what some of the nice wood plugs by the guys here would do there. Awesome. But the plugs they use down there tend to be smaller than what we use up here, so don't bog yourself down with too many big plugs for fishing down there, bring a few plus soft plastics and spoons.

[PoPin Plug]

i was thinking about brining my light tackle "my fresh water rod" witch has only 8 pund test, a few plugs"small" <--- got to remember that, and i was thinking of getting some shrimp and just thowing them out there on a bluefish bober........ also there are alot of sandbars out there were i go and you can see dolphins there..... also everytime i go there there are a tun of bait fish swiming every where and like here with the bluefish they get swamed soo hopefully i'll get something

[ridler72]

I kayak fished a few times in Florida during the winter. I've been to St. Pete and Mosquito Lagoon. If you do a google search you should be able to find a kayak fishing community in the Sarasota area. Paddle-fishing.com is one I know of for the Tampa area but you may be able to score some information to use. You should also be able to rent a kayak for fishing rigged and ready to go. Just add rods.

Here is what I take with me for Reds, Snook, Speckled Trout and Jacks. Most of the fishing should be from 1-2' and the deeper channels will hold Speckled Trout.

7' 1/4 to 3/4 fast action 3 piece St. Croix travel Shimano Stradic 2500 15lb Power Pro

7' 1/4 to 3/4 moderate action 3 piece St. Croix travel rods Shimano Stradic 2500 10lb Power Pro.

30lb-40lb Flouro leader (for sharp snook gill plates)

15-20lb Flouro leader

DOA Shrimp 1/4 ounce in Glow and Rootbear

Gold Spoon Weedless 1/4 ounce

Finnesse or any Jerkstyle 4-5" rigged weedless (Green for sunny days, Rootbeer or white for Overcast days)

Rebel Jumping Minnow in Bone

3" Storms Bunker or Mullet color with red eyes.

Mirror0lure Mirrominnow in Chartruesse and Silver 3/8 ounce (This is a great lure that suspends at 18" Perfect for fishing the 1-2' depths and cover water)

Hope you have luck. It's a blast in the kayak. It would be a bonus to get a SOT kayak that you can stand up on and sight cast like an Ocean Kayak Big Game, Malibu Xfactor, Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140. Use your paddle as a push pole or rent a push pole. Also bring down something to stick through the scupper hole of the kayak like an old golf club or wooden dowel. This will help you stay in an area and cast and stalk fish. The most fun down there is the stalk! Have fun.

My Avatar picture was taken in Florida at Cockaroach Bay. You got to love Florida!

[PoPin Plug]

Originally Posted by ridler72

I kayak fished a few times in Florida during the winter. I've been to St. Pete and Mosquito Lagoon. If you do a google search you should be able to find a kayak fishing community in the Sarasota area. Paddle-fishing.com is one I know of for the Tampa area but you may be able to score some information to use. You should also be able to rent a kayak for fishing rigged and ready to go. Just add rods.

Here is what I take with me for Reds, Snook, Speckled Trout and Jacks. Most of the fishing should be from 1-2' and the deeper channels will hold Speckled Trout.

7' 1/4 to 3/4 fast action 3 piece St. Croix travel Shimano Stradic 2500 15lb Power Pro

7' 1/4 to 3/4 moderate action 3 piece St. Croix travel rods Shimano Stradic 2500 10lb Power Pro.

30lb-40lb Flouro leader (for sharp snook gill plates)

15-20lb Flouro leader

DOA Shrimp 1/4 ounce in Glow and Rootbear

Gold Spoon Weedless 1/4 ounce

Finnesse or any Jerkstyle 4-5" rigged weedless (Green for sunny days, Rootbeer or white for Overcast days)

Rebel Jumping Minnow in Bone

3" Storms Bunker or Mullet color with red eyes.

Mirror0lure Mirrominnow in Chartruesse and Silver 3/8 ounce (This is a great lure that suspends at 18" Perfect for fishing the 1-2' depths and cover water)

Hope you have luck. It's a blast in the kayak. It would be a bonus to get a SOT kayak that you can stand up on and sight cast like an Ocean Kayak Big Game, Malibu Xfactor, Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140. Use your paddle as a push pole or rent a push pole. Also bring down something to stick through the scupper hole of the kayak like an old golf club or wooden dowel. This will help you stay in an area and cast and stalk fish. The most fun down there is the stalk! Have fun.

My Avatar picture was taken in Florida at Cockaroach Bay. You got to love Florida!

wow!

[ridler72]

Just got back from Florida. Top water action for Redfish was on fire.

[PoPin Plug]

Originally Posted by ridler72

Just got back from Florida. Top water action for Redfish was on fire.

sweet

[PoPin Plug]

what ya use??????????

[ridler72]

I fished the Titusville area Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. Rebel Jumping Minnow in Bone with a red marker to make it a red head. This will help to stand out in the dark water. Top water was effective first thing in the morning and then in the evening.

White or White with Chartrues tail Exudes RT Slug 5" on a 4/0 offset hook worked great when you needed weedless and to work the 1' depths. Trout and Reds would hit it. Exudes RT slug in funky chicken also worked. I also did well on Exudes on 1/8- to 3/8ounce red jig head.

Speckled Trout loved the White Slug rigged weedless in the skinny water. Nice to watch your offering get slammed.




These are good colors for the stained or dark water or clear water during early morning or evening. If your working flats in the sun you want a natural color. Greens and Alewife Finesse work good. Powerbait is very popular as well. The only one I used was the Nuclear Chicken in the dark water. Powerbait is expensive and you can go through a pack real fast, especially if the puffer fish are around. lol

[PoPin Plug]

sweet, thanks, cant wait to try this