Saltwater

 Has anyone taken their kayak saltwater fishing? I have shore/pier fished the Gulf of Mexico for a few years and I know what gear I need. I am taking my kayak to Florida and I would like to know if there are any tricks when setting a rig up? I know that saltwater fish will tear up most gear that folks use in freshwater. Will the rod holders be tough enough to handle the punishment that a Bluefish can fish out? 

  Spinner,Bull, Nurse, Blue, Oceanic Whitetip, Porbeagle and Thresher have a 54" minimum limit.

 Atlantic Sharpnose, Blacknose, Blacktip, Bonnethead, Fine Tooth, Smooth Dogfish, Florida Smoothhound and Gulf Smoothhound do not have a minimum size limit. 

  There are also requirements for shark fishing from shore and from a vessel, that require annual online testing/certification. 

You do know the minimum size limit for sharks is 54", right?

 I got one Blacktip, one Spinner and one Bull shark this summer in my kayak. I got two of them with my walleye rod. Good fight and delicious!

Just read an article about kayaks and Great Whites. Hope you guys never run into a hungry GW while out from shore. Good luck as always.

The fishin' is still very good!

 Last night's supper.

 I am headed back to Cape Coral tomorrow. Permit, Pompano, Spanish Mackerel and Speckled Sea Trout are on my list, plus whatever else comes along. I'm not sure how long I'll be there, but I do have to be back by the end of July.

 Those are some really nice Sheepshead! I had to deal with the Red Tide and high winds to mess up my Sheepshead and Spanish Mackeral fishing. For Spanish Mackeral, I use a Chrome Gotcha plug. It's great for just about anything. 

 Fiddler Crabs and live shrimp are the best for Sheepshead. Three feet of twenty pound florocarbon leader, is good, but I use a short black steel leader, so the Spanish Mackeral do not bite you off. 

Any of you yakkers out there have any tips on shore fishing in the Crystal River area?   i don’t own a yak ( too old lol ) so I only shore fish or hire a charter.       I’ve been out in a charter 4x now with only minimal luck:    A couple of sheep’s, some undersized trout, 1 mackerel, 10 barely legal mangroves, and a ton of lady fish.     We like the area and are going there in March.   Thanks!    CARPIO 

 Peacock Bass, Sea Trout, Spanish Mackeral and all the Ladyfish I could catch! The Ladyfish were taken to a bait shop and I got store credit. 

  I finally got out on the water. A bit slow, but I did manage one Spanish Mackeral, one Squirrel fish, a few Jack Cravale, a bunch of Speckled Sea Trout and a ton of Lizard fish. I will target Sheepshead, if the wind and tides cooperate.

 Well, I've got the Pescador looking like a 12' burrito and will be headed to SW Florida on Tuesday, to scuba dive for sharks teeth ànd saltwater fishing. I've talked to some local fisherman and the reports are good...if you can really believe a fisherman! Time will tell.

My kayak will be in saltwater from Jan 5 to March 8,minus a few windy days. Hobie Revo with mirage drive...and outrigger and motor mount and 2.5 horse outboard. For short trips or everglades tidal creeks I leave the motor and outrigger back at camp.

Kayak purists don't consider that a kayak. "Regular" boaters usually don't consider it a boat. I have had it almost 10 miles offshore (fishing wrecks) and some folks take pictures without even saying hello. Everglades or keys backcountry kayak "eco-tours" people also aren't very friendly. Imagine being two hours paddle away from the launch - way back in some little tidal creek - and hearing the 'rrrrrrrr' of a little 4 stroke motor. Then around a bend comes some fisherman on a franken-kayak. I wave,they often don't wave back.

 I have fished by the Bat House at Matlacha and the pier at Bokeelia, as well as the A, B and C spans, near Punta Rassa, plus all of the hot spots on Sanibel. All from shore. This will be my first adventure with this kayak. I intend on spending a lot of time at Nokomis, for Spanish Mackeral and Bluefish. I know the Pompano and Permit will be around and the the Sheepshead are always fun. 

We yak fish Charlette Harbor every Feb. I have 12.5 Ascend my buddy has a Hobie. Get a stake out pole and trolley so you can set up on the corners of the oyster bars. You will find better fish if you get away from places like Matlacha. In winter look for deeper spots when the water cools down.  Sand holes work well - 2 to 3 feet of water in 1.5 foot flats. Birds will often tip you off to where they are.  Mirrolure suspending twitch baits are great. Rarely buy schrimp anymore the trout love em. I wear lightweight boot foot waders and get out to wade fairly often as seen here. Yak is anchored behind me. Many published kayak guide books are available and there are lots of good places to launch. Pretty decent fishing too. Be careful around the boat channels and stay in the deeper wateror well up on the flat to avoid breaking boat wakes.  I was crossing a shallow 10" sand bar by a boat channel near Bokelia when a big offshore sportfishermen turned his screws toward me and rolled me in the resulting breaker.  Had floats on the rods so I only lost my pliers. Simply stood up and climbed back on. Have fun