Monster mackerel, pompano, bluefish and trout make fast fishing fun

There is some great fishing going on in Sarasota Bay. My clients have been rewarded by fine catches of large spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, pompano and bluefish.
However, the real treat was Monday (April 5) when I hooked and landed the largest Spanish mackerel of my life. The fish weighed slightly more than 7 pounds on my Boga Grip.
It was the final fish of the day. I had cast out and was letting my Big Eye Baitfish Fly sink when my concentration was interrupted by a text message from my friend, Dave Robinson. Just as I was about to respond to his text, my fly line tightened and my 6-weight rod was just about pulled out of the kayak.
I grabbed the rod and set the hook.

At first, I had no clue it was a big fish. But all of sudden, the fish pulled and the thick fly line cut through the water. The line was going so fast, you could hear it.
I figured it was a big mackerel, cobia or maybe even a large jack. A friend of mine, Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict Guide Services, told me early that morning that his client had landed a 7-pound mackerel. So, I was fairly certain it was a giant mack.
The fish made several long runs, each time taking me into the backing. I was certain I wouldn't land the mackerel because surely it would cut the line with its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
But my luck held out. After about five minutes, I was able to grab the leader and subdue the fish. I lifted it into my kayak with the aid of my Boga Grip.
It was a day of large fish. I caught and released a number of spotted seatrout from 18 to 22 inches. In addition, I landed a trio of pompano to 4 pounds. I also landed a couple of 3-pound mackerel.
The pattern has been the same over the last week. Jason Beary (top photo) of Warren, Pa., fished with me late last week and caught a load of Spanish mackerel, pompano and bluefish. Jason is an experienced fly angler and did very well. All he was missing for his Southern Drawl Grand Slam was a spotted seatrout (usually the easiest of the quartet to catch). So, late in the day, we paddle inshore to a spot that I knew had trout. That's where Jason connect to complete his Slam.
Brian Bourdages (bottom photo) of Traverse City, Mich., had no trouble catching spotted seatrout the next day. In fact, had caught a number of large trout, including one we estimated at 4 1/2 pounds. He also landed several pompano, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish. But he couldn't connect on a bluefish.
It's great having accomplished fly anglers out. You just wind them up and let them fish on their own. They need little attention and can cast all day.
Our fishing has been heating up with the weather. Just as we figured, warmth and gentle breezes were all we needed to turn the fishing on.
I'm still puzzled, however, about the giant Spanish mackerel cruising Sarasota Bay. I've never seen them so large locally.
But I'm not asking questions. I'll just continue to cast and have fun.

Tarpon fishing from a kayak isn't for the inexperienced

I remember dreaming about fishing for tarpon when I was a boy, growing up in Ohio. I dreamed some day I'd get the chance to do that.

I've now spent a majority of my life in Florida and I've landed several hundred tarpon and most on fly rod.

As many of you know, I am a professional kayak fishing guide. I get inquiries all the time from people who want to go fishing for tarpon. It's a popular pursuit here in Sarasota in May, June and July when the giant fish show up in the inshore Gulf of Mexico and roam in schools just off the beaches.

When I tell those who want to fish for tarpon that I don't do it, they are shocked and want to know why?

While I love to fly fish for tarpon, I'm not taking a client out there.

Those of you who are old enough to remember former Ohio State football coach Woody Hays, I'm sure you also remember what he said about passing the football? Hays said when you pass the football, three things can happen and two of them are bad.

That's about the same as tarpon fishing from a kayak.

Now, I have some friends who pursue tarpon from their kayaks. Realize, however, that they have been doing it for years, are very experienced and do it as a team effort. They don't go after tarpon solo.

But most of my clients aren't experienced and might not be able to even handle a 100-pound fish.

There are several factors you have to take into consideration. Our tarpon range from 50 pounds to more than 200 pounds. If one of them would happen to jump in the kayak, it certainly could result in broken arms, legs or even death. And a tarpon jumping into a kayak is not unprecendented.

If you hooked a hefty tarpon, the battle could last two hours or more. You might hook the fish of your lifetime a quarter mile off Turtle Beach and land your fish two hours later six miles off the coast. You subdue the tarpon, have your picture taken, release the fish, then begin paddling back only to find a huge thunderstorm between you and the beach.

The weather can and often does change in an instant. One minute it's calm and the next the wind is gusting to 30 miles per hour and the seas running 4 or 5 feet. That's not safe for any kayak.

Another consideration is sharks. When the tarpon are here, so are the sharks. These finny denizens of the deep just love to snack on tarpon. I was fly fishing in 1994 and hooked a big tarpon just south of the Venice Pier. After about 15 minutes, the tarpon started going crazy and was chomped in half by a 10-foot hammerhead. It all took place in just a few seconds.

A fellow kayak guide used to scoff at those of us who questioned the sanity of fishing for tarpon out of a kayak. Well, he no longer does it. While on a charter a couple of years ago, he hooked a tarpon and handed the rod to his client.

That's when a big hammerhead showed up and beging figure-eighting the kayaks. The shark then got bolder and began swimming under the kayaks. On one pass, the shark actually lifted the one of the kayaks slightly out of the water.

"That's when I realized it wasn't a safe thing to do," he said. "Never again."

Good kayak guides will carry liability insurance. I do. And I had to fill out a form, detailing the waters I fish. I don't think I would have been approved had I told them I took inexperienced clients into the Gulf of Mexico to fish for giant tarpon in shark-infested waters.

That brings us to another point: Is your guide insured? That should be one of the first things you ask when inquiring about a charter. If he's not insured, it might be best to find another guide. If he says he is, ask to see proof.

I've caught several tarpon out of my kayak over the years. However, they've all been juveniles that I"ve taken in the bays or in The Everglades.

My kayaks are Gulf of Mexico virgins and they forever shall remain pure.

Call me a whimp if you want. But you can also call me safe and prudent.

Fishing improves as the weather finally warms

The weather is warming and the fishing is improving.
After some unusually cold weather, I finally was able to get out. I did well.
Spotted seatrout and redfish are the main targets. Remember, snook season is closed at least until Sept. 1. Scientists estimate that nearly 10 percent of the snook along Florida's west coast were killed during the record cold. You can catch-and-release snook, but you cannot keep them.
That's OK! We're catch-and-release anyway.
I'm not sure how beach snook fishing will be affected. Last spring and summer, we had a wonderful time sight-fishing snook in the surf. It was a record year for us. I caught snook to 39 inches (nearly 20 pounds) and had a number of fish of more than 28 inches. In addition, I caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish, jack crevalle, mangrove snapper and flounder.
My best day was spectacular and certainly "once in a lifetime." On that August outing, I caught and released 15 snook to 39 inches, including six of more than 28. I landed three redfish to 32 inches. And I "jumped" three tarpon, all of which went more than 100 pounds.
My best morning was 41 snook on fly.
Beach snook fishing is all sight-fishing. We don't make a cast until we see the fish. I've been doing this for more than 20 years and I know where the fish are at any particular time. We use 6- to 9-weight rods, floating or sinktip lines and 20-pound leaders with 25-pound fluorocarbon shock tippets.
Our fly of choice is my D.T. Special (variation), the best beach snook fly I've ever used.
Back to the present ...
I've been getting into some large spotted seatrout. On an outing to Palma Sola Bay, I caught and released 25 trout to 6 pounds. I had many trout in the 18-inch range.
I fished Al Ewert and his daughter, Annie. Al manages a BMW store in Connecticut while Annie is a senior at UConn. Both are accomplished anglers.
They caught about 15 trout to 4 pounds in Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point. All fish came on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with shad tails. Fishing was tough, but their persistency was the difference in trying conditions.
On Wed., Jan. 27, I spoked at Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive in Sarasota. To my surprise, a standing-room-only crowd showed up. And the audience was enthusiastic, attentive and asked a lot of question. I talked about cold weather kayak fishing.
I am scheduled to conduct seminars and tie flies Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 at the Grand Opening of Flint Creek Outfitters in Riverview.
I will serve as the Master of Ceremonies at the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club's annaul Kids Fishing Tournament on Feb. 27.
On March 18, I will speak at the Suncoast Fly Fishers in St. Petersburg.
Fishing is improving. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the sun shines and the wind is calm.

Catching fish during cold weather is the topic at Jan. 27 seminar

Dick Pfaff, a kayak specialist at Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive in Sarasota, called me the other day and wanted to know if I'd be interested in conducting a kayak fishing seminar?

I'm always interested.

So, we set Jan. 27 as the date. I'll talk about fishing in cold weather that evening at 6:30. Economy Tackle is located at 6018 S. Tamiami Trail. Check this out for exact location: http://www.floridakayak.com/.

Fishing in the cold is quite appropo, considering the winter we've been experiencing. Water temperature is about 47 degrees and we've had numerous fish kills. According to Capt. Rick Grassett of the Snook Fin-Addict, there have been reports of dead snook from Tampa Bay to Naples.

"I fished Charlotte Harbor on Tuesday and we didn't even get a bite," said Grassett. "And there were dead snook all over the place."

While it can be very tough to catch fish during periods of extreme cold, there are a few tips that will work when the weather starts to warm. Even though the water temperature may be in the high 40s or low 50s, fish have to eat.

I will talk about these techniques at the seminar and hope to see you there!

For information, call Economy Tackle at (941) 922-9671.

First 'Glades trip of the season is wonderful

The drive from Sarasota to where we fish in The Everglades is about 2 1/2 hours. But it's not bad when you have someone with you. Talking passes the time nicely.

Capt. Pete Greenan of Sarasota joined me on Monday for the first 'Glades trip of the season. We talked about fly fishing all the way down.

Greenan is one of Sarasota's fly-fishing pioneers. He hooked me on the sport many years ago. We've caught everything together on fly: snook, spotted seatrout, redfish, tarpon, jack crevalle, false albacore and other species.

On Monday, our targets included oscar, Mayan cichlid, bass, bluegill and whatever else might be lurking in the depths of The 'Glades.

We arrived at our spot about about 6:30. We unloaded the kayaks -- Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5s -- and placed them near the water. We then grabbed life vests, anchors, paddles, seats, milk crates, fly boxes, leader and fly rods and put them in the kayaks.

We hit the water at 7.

We knew we were in for a good day. And we weren't wrong. Greenan hooked a fat oscar on his first cast. It was the first of 200 we would land that day.

The water level was low. That's important because it concentrates the fish. We don't fish during the rainy season (June through September) because the water level is up and the fish can spread out over millions of acres. Plus, the air temperature is much more comfortable in winter and there are no bugs.

That Greenan hooked an oscar on the first cast was an indication of things to come. By our conservative count, we landed more than 300 fish. Other species included Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, bluegill, stumpknocker, warmouth perch, speckled perch and peacock bass.

Ironically, we had never caught peacock bass or speckled perch at this particular spot.

We used 3- and 4-weight fly rods, floating lines and 7 1/2-foot leaders with 8-pound tippet. You can't use much lighter tippet because oscar are so strong. Their first move is to head back into the structure. You need to prevent that from happening.

We started out with No. 10 popping bugs, but switched to the ever-popular Myakka Minnow within a half hour. For The 'Glades, I tie black MMs because most of the small minnows along the shoreline are that color.

It was easy to find the fish. All we had to do was watch them bust minnows or thump the bulrushes and reeds. A quick cast usually resulted in a hookup.

Greenan is a veteran saltwater fishing guide (www.floridaflyfishing.com), but he loves nothing more than to take a break and spend a day in the Florida Everglades fly fishing for oscar and other species.

It's usually a day for bent rods and fast action.

I run Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com). Everglades trips are available from December through April.

You can reach me at (941) 284-3406.

Native's Ultimate 14.5 is the ultimate for me

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Native Watercraft's Ultimate 14.5 fishing machine.

For those of you who might not know what I'm talking about, the Ultimate is a kayak. It just might be the best fishing kayak on the market. I say this with reasonable certainty I've paddled just about every fishing kayak out there.

And I'm not easy to please.

Sure, I'm sponsored by Native, but you've got to understand that it wouldn't mean a thing if I didn't love the product. Why would I want the sponsorship if Native was inferior?

Truth is the Native is on top of the world when it comes to fishing kayaks.

Here are my reasons:

1. Roomiest kayak you can get. You can tote a whole lot of gear and more. On full-day charters, I carry a 36-quart cooler in the bow. And it's full of ice, food and drinks.

2. It tracks extremely straight; you rarely have to make a paddle correction.

3. No other kayak offers the stability without add-ons such as pontoons. I can stand up and pole my boat. I can stand up and fly cast. I cant stand up and battle a hefty snook or redfish.

4. It's as fast as any other boat in its class -- maybe even a little faster.

5. It drifts slowly.

This is an area that most kayak anglers don't even think about. A couple of years ago, I was fishing with Capt. Al White down in The Everglades. I was in my Native and White was in another brand of kayak. We were fishing a long canal just off Alligator Alley. I was slowly fishing along while White was 100 yards down the canal.

"I thought you were anchored," said White.

No, I was just leisurely drifting along. The slow drift makes for easy fishing -- especially when you're using a fly rod.

Believe me, I've tried to find out what flaws the Ultimate might have. The only thing I can find is that it will take on water because it's not your traditional "sit-on-top" (SIT) kayak. There are no scupper holes through which water can exit.

So, I carry a hand bilge pump -- just in case. I've never had to use it, but I have it.

Another kayak manufacturer claims its boat offers "hands-free fishing." Big deal. I've got hands-free fishing in my Ultimate. I can drift along, cast and make direction changes without taking my hands off my fly rod. With the paddle sitting across my lap, I can dip a blade in the water and manipulate it with my elbow and never interrupt my fishing.

Anyway, if you really are a fan of peddling, Native offers a peddle version. They even offer a model with a trolling motor.

I'm not saying the Ultimate is for everyone. That would be about far-fetched. I believe it is, but it's ill conceived that all anglers think alike. That's why there are so many manufacturers offering so many models.

I like to stand up and fish. I like to stand up and paddle my boat. Sight-fishing always has been a big part of my world.

The Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5 allows me to do what I love.

Slam time in the backcountry

Fall is fabulous for local saltwater fishing. I just love it.

It's a time when fish are hungry and the water is uncrowded. Tourist season is still months away, so there's only a few locals on the water at any given time.

This time of year, I like to branch out and fish areas that I don't get to experience often. Lately, I've been fishing Bishop Harbor and southern Tampa Bay. And I've been doing well. Fishing the incoming tide, I have been getting snook to 28 inches, redfish to 25 and spotted seatrout to 16 on Rapala Skitter Walks and plastic-tailed jigs.

Most of the action has been taking place in the shallows along the northeast side of the harbor -- partiularly around the numerous mangrove islands. The fish are hanging out around mullet schools and off the tips of the islands.

When that action subsides, I like to paddle out into southern Tampa Bay and fish a couple of sand bars that offer fabulous sight-fishing for redfish, large jack crevalle and shark. On one outing, I caught and released three reds to 28 inches in just 10 minutes. I've also been catching spotted seatrout to 18 inches, bonnethead shark and pompano to 4 pounds.

I haven't seen any tarpon, but it wouldn't surprise me if I encounter one soon.

As the weather and water cool, this area is going to heat up.

Choosing a kayak is personal

Kayak fishing is the fastest growing segment of the sport.

There are a number of reasons for the surge: 1. Kayaks are inexpensive when compared to flats skiffs; 2. There's no gas required; 3. Maintenance is limited; 4. Anglers can fish areas not accessible to motorized vessels.

But what's the best kayak for you?

That's simple. Ask a kayak angler and he'll tell you the best boat is the one he owns. And why not? Why would he own that particular craft if he didn't think it was the best?

But just like automobiles, boats and fishing lures, kayaks come in every size, shape, color and description.

In my opinion, many beginning kayak anglers make the mistake of choosing a model because of price. That's understandable, but perhaps not the way to go. Considering most fishing kayaks range in price from $450 to about $1,800. If you're a little short on cash, hold off on your purchase until you save the required amount.

Realize there are several different types of kayaks: sit-on-top and sit-in. Sit-in kayaks are what most people envision when they think of these vessels. Many SIKs aren't suitable for fishing because you're severely limited in the amount of tackle you can carry.

Most sit-on-tops are made for fishing. They're stable, beamy and had amenities such as rod holders. Some of the top brands include Wilderness Systems, Hobie, Ocean and Heritage. Native Watercraft makes several SITs such as the Magic and Manta Ray.

I'm sponsored by Native and I own the Ultimate 14.5. It's 14 feet, 6 inches in length and is what as known as a hybrid kayak. It's sort of a cross between and sit-on-top kayak and a canoe.

I fell in love with this boat immediately. It's wide open and can carry a lot of gear. When I take people out on all-day charters (I'm a kayak fishing guide; http://www.kayakfishingsarasota.com/), I carry a 36-quart cooler full of ice, sandwiches, snacks and drinks. You couldn't do that in most SOTs.

I also love the stability. The Ultimate is so stable that you can stand up and fish in them. That's gives you a real advantage when sight-fishing the flats.

The Ultimate also features the best seat in the industry; a real plus when you're planning to be out all day. It completely eliminates sore butts!

The Ultimate also tracks straight. Paddle corrections are rarely needed. Native offers a rudder for the Ultimate, but it's not really needed.

The Ultimate comes in a peddle model, but I'm a purist and prefer a paddle. If you're hellbent on a peddle, realize that you have forward and reverse in the Ultimate's Propel model. I don't think any other kayak manufacturer offers that. Reverse is important when you're fishing docks and other structure and need to move away. Otherwise, big fish will pull your kayak under the structure.

"Hands-free" fishing is something another manufacturer touts, but, believe me, the Ultimate really does feature hands-free fishing when you learn the nuances.

But realize, I own Ultimates. And the best kayak is whatever the person you ask owns.

Check out all of Native Watercraft's models at http://www.nativewatercraft.com/.

If you have any questions about fishing kayaks, please feel free to drop me an email at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com or call me at 941-284-3406.

Photography

I like to take pictures. Sometimes I'll spend more time taking pictures than I do fishing. But that's OK.

A wise old professional photographer gave me some sage advice years ago: Film is cheap. So burn a lot of film and you might screw up and get a good picture.

In this digital age, we can take a lot of photos. And that advice is still true.

The real secret to taking a good picture is being able to visualize the composition. I've got a decent eye and I think I know what make a good picture.

I really don't like posed photos, but sometimes you have to take them. One thing I've noticed is that when I take photos of men holding fish, they won't smile. Guess it's a macho thing.

When I'm out in the kayak, I use a Sony Cybershot, a versatile camera that retails for about $350. I like it a lot.