In the morning we were out on our own searching for whatever would bite. Put in about 7:30 and paddled around bait pods, mangrove shoots, grassy flats, and drop-offs with a lot of nervous, and busting bait. Not 15 minutes after we leave I have a push on my top water. So I work the area thoroughly with knowledge of the fish’s presence. It pays off with a solid 25” redfish on the end on my line. I’m sure you all have caught your share of 25” reds but here is a video to put you in the moment.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT5mr5_asqE[/youtube]
My first red that far south but I tell ya they fight just as hard! Anyways, I go catch up with rob and he hooked up with a 20” trout but not much else to speak of.(at this point were surrounded with bait and obviously fish in the area) I finally put up top water and grab the jig to put the lure right in their face! Not two casts later and I feel my rod load up with barely any thump at all so I’m thinking “ok small trout…WRONG!” The mystery fish slowly makes its way yak side (no drag pulling or anything just reeling it in) when the distorted figure of a flounder comes into view! I immediately crank the drag loose as to not pull the hook and just in time too. She takes off on a blistering run when she sees the yak. Eventually she tires out and hits my deck and according to my 321 measuring board, it was 21.5 inches! For only a foot or two if water that is pretty gosh darn big!!
Rob noticed that he had forgotten his camera so he paddled all the way back to camp meanwhile I land another solid flounder. This one being 19”.
Rob gets back and the activity dies down so we switch locations and paddle all the way to Sebastian inlet in hopes of some snook ! Were almost their and a honking 40+ snook cruises right along past us in a foot of gin clear water. Almost craped my pants! We make it to the inlet and the current is WAY to strong to even think about fishing so we dilly dally around saw a few snook and left. I got to thinking on the way back. HHMMM if I land a trout over 20” I will have a KW slam! I had already caught a 19 but not quite what I wanted so I broke out the pinfish rig, threw a couple in the bucket and floated them out behind the yak while I drifted in. It sure didn’t take long before the bobber slowly slipped out of view and I had a fish on! She spit the hook ! I reeled it in to see what went wrong and somehow the hook circled around and hooked back into the pinfish obscuring the point from view. Slightly annoyed with the outcome I slip on another and went back to floating a pin. Once again fish on! But this time the odds were in my favor and it was a nice trout completing my slam at a total of 70”!
23.5” trout
DAY 2- We went fishing with a friend from Kayak Wars Mrs. Dee Kaminski on the second day to put us on some snook that she knows all too well. She gives us a bait bucket full of shrimp with radioactive green tails!
And takes us to a creek lined with mangroves. We get a quick lesson on how their setting up and how to present the shrimp. Pretty much you have a 1/0 J hook hooked through the tail of the shrimp so they swim back into the mangroves to an awaiting snook. Apparently they were all the way up into the roots so accuracy was key. Regardless the snook weren’t hungry BUT I did land my 1st one. I don’t know if I will ever beat it…lol
On to spot # two and the action was HOT. As soon as we arrive we spot a 35+ snook on the edge of a canal. So hopes were high. I thought well heck I’m going to set up on the edge and float a pinfish on the side of the canal with instant gratification. My bobber was going down left and right but somehow they would just spit it like the hook wasn’t even their! I was mad beyond belief that I couldn’t get one in the flippen boat and I even jumped a really nice one(yes they jump) but it just wasn’t happening. So I was just tied on an 8/0 tarpon circle hook and thought ” well that pinfish might not swim right in the water but by golly it’s going to hook a snook if he decides to inhale it! So I sent it out and sure enough it goes down and it’s a red! I have never been mad about catching a 27” red until then…but I guess it was an alright fish lol. But by then it was time to head in…there is always next time I guess. We saw snook, we hooked snook, and even caught one…small enough to make you cry. Those little boogers are smart…hence the name "Got Snooked!" Here are a few pics throughout the two days. Enjoy!
This in on a small island on the banana river.
Alot different then the spartina grass i'm used to fishing!
Waiting on a snook...
This was camp
