BigBendFishing.Net

LOL...What...you didnt kill your children? You must have lucked into some good ones...where'd you buy em?

Advice appreciated. I'll start with my own hardearned pigheaded fishing gear philosophy...but if I dont catch anything Chalk and you and everyone else will see a grown man beg and cry.

Thanks LOL

Geezer, sounds like you're way redy to fish & decide what you need & what's in the way.
Fishing gear this time of year, 2 rigs, CT with grub on one and a Chug Bug on the other, hoping the CT never even gets a toss.

EEEEEK...whats a "CT"? nebber heard that term before? Im 15 years behind in 'tackle talk'. And whatever it is I sure its not the path Ive started down.

You're commonsense right about inflatables! But crabtrap floats in the bushes? Wow. Some of my curiousity is about the shellfish. Are all these oysters edible...maybe I can clean up these dangerous bars for you guys? Scallops, oysters, crab ...nobody has mentioned shrimping?

We also splurged on some of those floating pliers that dont give me a lot of confidence because of their flexibilty...and have a medium length gaff and net that I anticipate cutting down after we have used them a bit.

I have some canoeing experience so Im pretty comfortable that I will eventually make the thing float, stay upright, and get it to move in some direction or other. Kathe (geezerette) spent her whole life in Palm Beach fishing the Atlantic and her fishing fanatic son says she knows what shes doing...but she is into this kayak thing with me on pure faith so far...and will no doubt put me (maybe all of us) to shame. [she signed on here as KatYak but I dont think she has said anything yet]

Thank you all again...Ill never know enough to repay you for the great info.

For pliers I've found that I can buy 2-3 pair from the hardware store, some cord, and a can of WD-40, cheaper, sometimes a whole lot cheaper, than one pair of most fishing pliers.

The crab trap floats, as a matter of course, get cut off or lost and wash up in the marsh free for the picking up. I've never, ever, seen a crabber recovering them.

I think Im with you about the pliers...we got caught up in the word 'floating' ...Ill try them out but have some old fashioned ones in my secret pocket.

Thanks

Bob

What is reality in the shallow coastal Gulf...what are the 'gotchas' to prepare for? Or is it just an ocean by another name?

Weather is your first gotcha, and know your waters

What is minimum prudent electronics? GPS? VHF?
GPS is great to mark spots you have good luck in, and deep holes you come across with your depthfinder. I carry a handheld VHF and monitor 16,68 and 72.

How does a Kovey of Kayaks communicate?
We use VHF but you can use the GMRS radios also. Its good when you are spread out, or your in mangroves around Tampa.

In a couple feet of water could/would anyone come if you called for help?
If you call for help on VHF 16 and someone hears you, help can be found

Are FishFinders actually useful in 2 feet of water?
Maybe not but when you come across deep holes where you thought it was two feet, mark it and catch fish.

Do you guys use anchors? Anchor trolleys? Or do stakeout poles cut it?
I use all of the above, and use the stake out pole exclusivley in the skinny stuff. You might want to go deeper for Cobia nd anchor up with a chum line.

Is a set of wheels handy for typical launch sites? Or can you drive to the waters edge in most places?

Very handy if you regularly make beach launches

What about toothy-critter-handling seated inches above the waterline? Gaff? Net? Lipper?

Net , lipper, or cut the line.

How about hauling your catch around all day in the blazing sun rot?

Catch and release, cooler in back or use a basket. They also have cooler bags you can put on the front of the yak.

How often are you wading instead of floating?

Depends on how hard the bottom is. Wading is probably the most productive way to fish if you can do it.

Are you out after dark?

Great time to fish, but i generally watch the tides and weather.

Is weekend boat traffic an issue?
Always, but when your in the skinny stuff, they will be away from you most times

What have I forgotten to ask?

Always wear a PDF, have lights on the rear at night, never ever use the red and green light on the front because you will look like a boat then, and people will expect you to react like a boat, carry a whistle at least and some type of communications. tether your gear on surf launches, and practice kayak re-entry in a safe environment

You're the guy moving to Tallahassee soon...right? Maybe we'll run into each other soon. Im still trying to get my 'head adjusted', and am at this moment worried that my old fishing/tackle thinking is wrong for Gulf duties...first clue was when 'littoral' mentioned 'grubs'...LOL

jsuber wrote: Wading is probably the most productive way to fish if you can do it.

I absolutely agree & that's an excellent point that gets very little play in our area. A thread to hear others opinions on wading would be interesting. My intrigue would be in discussing why wading is (or isn't) most productive.
Geezer, CT is lingo for the Cajun Thunder brand of a popping cork. Other brands include Equalizer & Greedy Gut (which are the best ones ). Popping corks seem to be particularly effective in the Big Bend and they're particularly good for finding fish when nothing else will.
Grubs? My word for plastic tails on jigs.

I have tried standard epoxy,JB Weld and silicon sealer on my yak it sticks but will peal right of with very little force.

Geezer you know us Suthern fisher people kind of laugh at you Nawthern fisher people in that we usually see you guys casting a long rod (stripers?) with a huge (read that heavy)triangular weight on them. We use made up leaders if using live bate with a free sliding egg sinker on the actually line then a snap swivel then a 8 to 24 inch mono leader (sometimes wire ) of about 20 lb test. I probably shouldn't have told you since its so much fun to watch and hear that line zing out 100 yards and then the two foot high splash it makes. Well red fish and trout spook easily so if you want to fish shallow get a couple of cajun thunder from Wally World, a few 14 to 18 inch mono pre-made leaders. Read the direction. You can fish live bait under it or an artificial lure. Also get a couple of small to medium gold spoons. I use Johnson weedless. Also a bag of Grubs. Most use root beer color. All of that except the thunders can go in a shirt pocket sized plastic box. Which if your PFD has pockets you can keep em in there. You wont need the sinker stuff unless you fish live bait in deeper water which I do in the winter only.

Just a simple open faced spinning outfit about a 6' rod 12 pound test . If you are married most women prefer a Zebco spin cast I think Zebco 33 is the one. They mount on a bait casting rod that you just press the lever and release it at the proper tine, switch hands and reel away. 12 pound mono.

After you get a couple of trips then invest in better stuff. Wall mart sells a lot of outfits for around $30 Get Shakespeare with a medium sized reel.

Sounds like Im a little 'overgunned'...and nobody laughs harder than me at my 'yankiness'. You make it sound like more like freshwater bass fishing (20 yrs since I done that...pretty hopeless, huh) :):). 'jigging' to me is 'bottomfishing' (deep) (Ill never make it, will I) :):), and 'grubs'...YUCKY :):).

I think maybe me and geezerette will show up in Wakulla with binoculars and notepads instead of our fishing gear :):) [hey, at least I got the spoons pretty close, huh].

Oh gawd...brainfreeaze is a comin

Thanks guys

Them Texas fellars use their yaks as a floating tackle box while they are wading. We tend to fish out of them in Virginia. Like tonight when we start at 2:00 am on the outgoingtide in 12 to 60 ft of water to catch 20+ lb striper. THe guys slayed them last night. I work so I have to wait til tonight. Anyway, wading for reds worked real well on the flats outside bullfrog creek in Tampa and he water was about 4-6 inches deep. Reds were swimming around in pairs. Great way to fish, when you can. If the bottom is uncomfortable, like mud, or oyster beds, then stay in the yak. I like to keep mine ready for shallow and deep stuff. I imagine I'll be tossing a lot of DOA shrimps in the Wakulla area.

No, grubs aren't nasty. They are just rubber like shrimp tails. Usually hooked to a lead head jig or even to your trusty golden spoon.

In the summer you can use the Yak to get scallops. Some use a long handled net I just sorta snorkel for em pulling the yak behind me as I go. Game warden will be upset if you dont display a diver down flag but don't know if its required.
You might learn to round up fiddler crabs for bait though. Last time I did that they escaped in my Folbot and they crawled all over the Yak. made it easier though didn't have to reach my hand in the bucket to get them just reached downed and picked one up off my pants.

Yes shallow saltwater is a lot like bass fishing.

Just got back from the St. Marks River with the 5 yr. old. Great time and caught some fish. She limited out on bass using live shiners. Her 5 to my 1, but she had the priority. Her big one was 18".

Observation:
A 14' pushpole in a 14' 7" canoe is a pain. 8' makes a good stake out pole and is somewhat good for poling, but a little short. Something between 10 and 12 should be just right.

I'll put the full report over in "Freshwater" a little later on.