Kayak Fishing Post

"Redfish in the Deep" presented by Don Dingman

JohnYaksJax Reporting - KayakMike and I had the pleasure of fishing with Don last Oct. and we can vouch for this great guy and great guide....he put us on 44 giant reds between 32" and 45" in less than two hours...about 900 pounds worth of fish!!

Don's preferred rig for the jetties is 3-4 oz. of lead (dull not shiny to prevent cut-offs by blues and Spanish) on a dropper loop of leader tied to a 3-way swivel; 30 # line and 60 # leader;  and a short leader with a 9/0 hook.  He usually uses live crabs which he takes the shells and legs off of, and halves or quarters depending on size and runs the hook thru the round leg openings.  He said to hold them horizontal for pictures to protect them; don't hang them from their jaws or lip-grippers.

Some good spots are the outsides of the jetties, the outsides of the channel in dropoffs in 26-42 feet of water between the red cans at the Coast Guard Station, and up north of Fernandina inlet since there is less fishing pressure.  Stay out of the boat channels!!!...he got bumped by a huge barge last year that swung too wide!!

Black Drum and Bull Reds can be caught with similar tackle and tactics, except he uses 8/0 hooks for the B.D.  Please do no kill the large Black Drum...take pix and put them back and please work the fish to revive them.  A good spot for B.D. is the Dames Point area.  Use whole croakers, shrimp mammies, or even other small whole fish for bait.  B.D. usually bite best at dawn and just before dark.

Summer fishing for Reds: fish under the pogie pods and use a whole pogie for bait.  He sometimes cuts the baits so they bleed or trim their tails so they cannot swim as well.  Use a lighter weight than in deeper water, but you want the bait under the pods where the predators are: reds and sharks mostly and sometimes tarpon.  When the surf temperature reaches the magic 62 degrees or warmer, so can start looking for them, but usually better when it's a little warmer.
Artificial lures for the surf are large DOA lures, bucktail jigs with red tails, and he likes to "sweeten" lures with crab-flavored Fish Bites.

Florida Sportsman Seminars: Jacksonville: March 12, 2005. Notes by John Stewart (JohnYaksJax).

"Fishing with Plastics by Capt. Ray Markham"

JohnYaksJax Reporting - Capt. Ray talked about "finding the fish" and then "casting to the fish".  His "fishfinder" rig is a 1/4 oz. jighead with a paddletail grub or minnow.  He figures this combo sinks about 1 foot/second and says to close the bail before the lure hits the water to eliminates slack. He counts down different amounts of time depending on depth.

He uses braid to eliminate line stretch, but cautioned about stiff rods and braid: you have no stretch or forgiveness with that combo. He ties mono leader to braid with the double Uni knots (Uni to Uni).

Cast to the fish by fan-casting at spots 10 feet apart.  Trout are schooling fish and when you find one, there will be several other nearby.  Fish usually face the current to eat: there mouths are postioned for this and even their scales won't resist the flow this way and they can hold position with little/no movement to scare prey.  Cast at an angle to them and retrieve by them so the bait comes near them.

Suspending Lures: are good for the middle water column and he mentioned some MirroLure models and Rapala and Yo-Zuri.  They can be used to find fish at this depth of water.  He likes the new rattling hooks and jigs and lures to attract fish.  He likes a flexible rod tip since it casts with little effort and good distance and imparts good lure action.

FAVORITE: His "go to" rig is a D.O.A. Shrimp and he repeated the mantra "fish it slowly".  In fact, he casts and lets it sink and sit awhile, then he gives it ONE quick twitch and waits and lets it sit again...then repeat!! This method is very good if you see a fish or find a fish and target that area.

If he fishes live bait, he anchors. If he fishes lures, he drifts.

SPOONS: he said they were "OK".  Always use a swivel and split ring with then to avoid line twist.  The exception to this is the Nemire Red Ripper which does not need a swivel and it rattles.

FISH THE D.O.A. SLOWLY!!

Florida Sportsman Seminars: Jacksonville: March 12, 2005. Notes by John Stewart (JohnYaksJax).

"Live Bait Trout Fishing" by Capt. Pat McGriff

JohnYaksJax Reporting - He has guided near there for 32 years, and even caught the I.G.F.A. world record gag grouper of 74.8# fishing out of Destin last year!!  He says tide flow is the most crucial factor and advises Jax area anglers to fish the strong incoming tides when predators feed.

Pat told a story in his down-home witty way, with lots of participation, about catching baits to catch trout.  His presentation was lively and funny, and full of info.  His # 1 bait is pinfish and good sized pinfish.  He catches them on tiny # 16 hooks with pieces of FishBites....cast in, wait 3 seconds, and set the hook or the pinfish will get the bait. He doesn't go trout fishing until he catches at least 100 pinfish, since he changes them every 3 casts!!  Don't throw them in the water since you're only feeding the catfish and sharks and chumming for them....put them into a bucket and throw away later!  He NEVER hooks them thru the lips since they weaken or drown that way...hook them in the eye socket so they don't bleed and attract sharks, or behind the gill thru the black spot.

He was at the Cajun Thunder booth and his rigs for trout are Cajun Thunder floats with pinfish on a 6/0 # 9285 VMC bronze hook on a leader attached to a swivel.  Cast it out, let it sit and pop it 3 times....wait 20 seconds and pop it 2X....wait 10 seconds and pop it 1X...wait 10 seconds and reel it in and try another cast. He changes the pinfish every 3 casts to keep them fresh...remember, he catches BIG trout!!

He also fished Saltwater Assassin eels on an 1/8 oz. jighead under Cajun Thunders. "The bigger the bait, the longer the wait"...repeat after me!! When the fish takes the bait or lure, open the bail and wait, at least 8-10 seconds. Give him time to kill the bait, turn it around, and eat it.  "Reel till you feel" to get the slack out, and set the hook.

He does not use shrimp, except at night.  He does drift fish since trout are predators and attack fish.  Keep your rod at a 90 degree angle when fighting the fish.  He uses a LONG handled net on his charters....8 feet or more since you have a 7 foot rod and a 2-3 foot leader and he wants to reach out to the fish.

He would be a hoot to charter and fish with....possibly contrary, but very good to learn from.

Florida Sportsman Seminars: Jacksonville: March 12, 2005. Notes by John Stewart (JohnYaksJax).

Florida Sportsman Fishing Show Report

The Florida Sportsman Fishing Show in Jacksonville, FL had a large number of Kayak Fishing retailers, manufacturers, and events making a significant impact with their presence.

Welcome To The Kayak Fishing Post

Welcome to the Kayak Fishing Post. I'm KayakMike and I am an avid Kayak Fisherman. I live in the Jacksonville, Florida area and fish inshore and offshore, from the St. John's river to the creeks of the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) to the River Jetties, and the Atlantic Ocean. I also run www.jaxkayakfishing.com, Jacksonville's online kayak fishing community.

Here at the Kayak Fishing Post I will be bringing you articles and posts on a wide variety of topics related to kayak fishing, including fishing kayak selection, rigging, safety, launching, and handling. I'll also be sharing my experience and thoughts on how to target various fish from a kayak, what kind of bait&tackle is recommended, and how to get results.

I used to own a 24' boat that I fished inshore and offshore, but now that I have been indoctrinated into kayak fishing I no longer own a boat. I don't miss the hassles of boat maintenance, storage, upkeep, nor the expense. A kayak is essentially an inexpensive piece of plastic that you can launch anywhere, requires no more maintenance than the occasional pressure washing at the DIY car wash, and is a door-opener to getting into skinny water quietly where you can become one with nature and hunt some fish.

Boat owners across the country are getting into kayak fishing, and many folks that love to fish from shore are finding that kayaks are an economical way of getting out to where the fish are. So get onboard, join us here at the Kayak Fishing Post, and let's go kayak fishing!