First time kayak fishing

[bpac]

Got out for the first time fishing on the kayak. Launched at the lighthouse and went east. I managed 6 trout, four of which were short but the other two were both 19", and two flounder. One flounder found its way home and on to the table. It was unbelieavable how much fun it was fishing out of a kayak. Other than the heat today could not have been any better.

[procraftwes]

Ive been fishing out of yak my past 3-4 trips. Its been positive and negative.

First off I can't seem to keep my reels out of the water and even with rinsing/soaking its eating them up.

I seem to pick windy days or they pick me. Either way its ruined a couple trips.

3 trips out since moving here from Lauderdale and all I can seem to catch is small blacktip sharks. I think mostly due to not being able to get in deep enough water because of the wind.

Still unsure how I feel about it because I can get in a couple inches of water although in this heat nothing has been willing to get shallow in my experience thus far.


Congrats on your success.

[cotton]

What a great first trip. Sounds like your off to a great start.

First off I can't seem to keep my reels out of the water and even with rinsing/soaking its eating them up.

Elevate your rod holders. Buy a milk crate and mount some pvc.

I seem to pick windy days or they pick me. Either way its ruined a couple trips.

Pick the location your fishing based on the conditions.

If you get a chance visit http://www.fcka.net . Some things to check out:
The number of launches in the area and how protected they are. There are kayak launches for almost every condition.
Check out the rigging of yaks.
Try to find someone to show you around.

[procraftwes]

What a great first trip. Sounds like your off to a great start.

First off I can't seem to keep my reels out of the water and even with rinsing/soaking its eating them up.

Elevate your rod holders. Buy a milk crate and mount some pvc.

I seem to pick windy days or they pick me. Either way its ruined a couple trips.

Pick the location your fishing based on the conditions.

If you get a chance visit http://www.fcka.net . Some things to check out:
The number of launches in the area and how protected they are. There are kayak launches for almost every condition.
Check out the rigging of yaks.
Try to find someone to show you around.

I got it pretty rigged up with milk crate and a trolling pivot rod holder in front of me. the big problem is when tying line to lures and removing fish the reels seem to get dunked.

So far I've done wakulla beach and st marks. The lack of a kayak launch at st marks will keep me from going back.

I will try to go with someone next time.

[kikstand454]

There is a fine launch for kayaks at St marks....its right at the light house parking lot.

If you're catching sharks, try lures. Live and cut bait leads to sharks and catfish. Especially in the summer heat.
go early and throw a topwater.

Kayak fishing is the best decision I have ever made ( fishing wise...) FCKA. Net is a great suggestion. Lots of info and ideas. Good luck, and welcome to the plastic navy!

~~Dave

[Ifishtoo]

bpac, nice catch. Any of you Kayakers 63-65 yrs old?

[Salty Gator]

bpac, nice catch. Any of you Kayakers 63-65 yrs old?

I know there are some kayakers that fall into that age group. Follow cottons advice and check out the forgotten coast kayak anglers website(fcka). Very nice and informative group

[cotton]

bpac, nice catch. Any of you Kayakers 63-65 yrs old?

Age & weight won't be an issue. Your back issues might. Others say kayaking helps their back.

I would suggest to everyone who thinks they might like fishing from a kayak, attend one of the free demos at TNT. Paddle or pedal one of the many angler kayaks. Then rent the kayak you like best and go fishing. It will cost you less than a $100 and you'll know if its for you. It will cost you between $500 - $3000 to buy one.

Its not for everyone. I would guess the average age of the active folks on FCKA is about 55. There are several who are retired. We have teenagers and many grandpas. We only have a few ladies.

The effort required is about the same as walking. After only a few trips your range on a trip will be several miles.

[Ifishtoo]

Thanks for the posts. Yes, my old busted up back sorta puts "a drag on things". It would be good exercise.

Kayaking certainly does have an appeal to it. Crossing/fishing skinny water is always challenging......... and often rewarding. Tearing up props and buying jack plates, combined, gets expensive.

The Big Bend has plenty of tributaries from the Suwanee River, northward and over to the Apalachicola River. The Apalachicola River Basin south of Sumatra has dozens of tributaries, before you reach Apalachicola Bay. I guess the current would often rule that out.

Can one "non macho man" launch a $500-1000-2000-3000 kayak alone? I like the idea of a video and a rental. Heck, ten rentals would only run $1000. Ten rentals is probably way more than it would take, to decide if I wanted one.

Can you buy one that will stay dry? I would hate to have it sitting from Oct to May. Honestly, how often will you tip the darn thing over? I can remember canoes from when I was a kid.

[cotton]

The Big Bend has plenty of tributaries from the Suwanee River, northward and over to the Apalachicola River. The Apalachicola River Basin south of Sumatra has dozens of tributaries, before you reach Apalachicola Bay. I guess the current would often rule that out..

Check out the kayak launches on http://www.fcka.net. Last time I checked there were 67. One for almost any weather and tide.

Can one "non macho man" launch a $500-1000-2000-3000 kayak alone?..

A kayak weighs 50 - 100lbs. Most are in the 60lb range. If you have a truck sliding it out of the back could be done by a 50 lb kid. If you have to load it up top, that's a different problem. The 100lb yak is really a boat. I doubt you could flip it if you tried. One thing great about fcka. You can almost always find someone to fish with.

I like the idea of a video and a rental. Heck, ten rentals would only run $1000. Ten rentals is probably way more than it would take, to decide if I wanted one.

Rentals are a lot less than $100. I haven't rented in 6 years. Here is a link to TNT with some rental prices: http://tnthideaway.com/ It will probably cost a little more for a angler or pedal yak. If you rent, don't waste a trip renting one you wouldn't be interested in buying. The demos are the best and free. You can try a dozen yaks in a couple of hours. After 1 trip you'll typically know if kayaking is for you.

Can you buy one that will stay dry? I would hate to have it sitting from Oct to May. Honestly, how often will you tip the darn thing over? I can remember canoes from when I was a kid.

There's so many options to stay dry. With kayaks you normally sacrifice stability for speed. You can buy kayaks that are practically impossible to tip. I fish year round and the last time I flipped was 5 years ago. I fish at least once a week.