Kayak Accessible Locations for March 1, 2014

[Gauppinho]

Hey Everyone,

Planning on doing some kayak fishing this weekend with my Dad. We are relatively new to the area and kayak fishing in general and I was looking for some suggestions on where to take the kayaks. Normally we fish off the Shell Point beach area and nearby Walker Creek and while it was great last Fall we haven't seen much action there over the winter. After doing some research on these forums and fcka, I think I want to try putting in at Wakulla Beach and heading east towards the East Goose Creek area. Anyone have any luck there recently? We are looking for any spots within ~1 hr drive from Shell Point.

I'm pretty new to fishing the flats and tidal systems along the Gulf Coast. We recently attended the Flats Pro Seminar at Shield's Marina and learned quite a bit in addition to having a great time. During the fall we just went straight off the beach and found trout, ladyfish, redfish, and little tunney but those same flats seemed pretty dead the couple of times I've tried this winter. Recently, I've read that during winter that we should be looking around creek mouths, oyster bars, and deeper holes in the rivers/creeks for trout and redfish. I've tried a little ways up Walker Creek on both high and low tides with no luck. How far up these creeks should we be trying to go? Do the fish push as far back up the creek as the incoming tide allows or do they generally hold somewhere?

Thanks in advance for any replies. I'll let ya'll know how we fare and I look forward to contributing some reports in the future when I can make it out on the water.

[Luv2Yak]

How you fish ("slowly"), with what you fish (artificial lures vs. live bait vs. cut bait) and when you fish are equally, or more critical, to success, particularly at this time of year, as where you fish.

[Luv2Yak]

Lakes steady, but salty spots bring more action

(Posted on February 21, 2014)

[edited]

Typically, February offers better action to the North Florida freshwater angler than to those saltwater-oriented.

So far this month, things have leaned a bit toward the coastal casters.

But this week, most of the best fishing stories again came from salty spots.

Through the winter, the best Gulf coast trout and redfish action has come from north of Suwannee; and the hotbed of trout fishing has been Steinhatchee.

Now, with the water temperatures finally creeping upward, some of the flats that had been nearly uninhabitable for the thin-skinned trout are starting to attract fish again. Capt. Jimbo Keith took a visiting Michigan angler out of Cedar Key Monday. Conditions were not ideal — the water muddy and most of the grass beds done in by a cold winter. Still, they made what might have been the best Cedar Key-area trout catch in months, hauling in somewhere between 50 and 60 fish.

The trout took Saltwater Assassin grubs in the Green Moon color, set under Jim’s Jigs Super Sounder rattling floats. Nine were keepers, and the best fish measured 22 inches. Two good redfish — each a 25-incher — joined the trout in Capt. Jimbo’s ice chest.

Dewey Holloway of Ft. White fished out of Horseshoe Beach Sunday with Michael Hawkins and his sons, Calan (8) and Porter (6).

The young Leesburg anglers enjoyed a great fish-catching day, hauling in all of fourteen big trout better than 20-inches long. In fact, the group was unable to fill limits, but only because so many of their fish were too big to keep. The most productive lure, fished in the shallows through a rising tide, was a soft plastic bait made by Mirrolure called the “Lil John.”

Wes Benton of High Springs also found the big Horseshoe Beach trout.

Fishing alone Wednesday, Benton cast live shrimp to bag a five-trout limit made up of four fish between 19 and 20 inches long — and one 26.5-inch giant.

http://www.garystacklebox.com/blog/lake ... re-action/

[Gauppinho]

Thanks for the post and the link. Mostly I fish with artificials although if I see any bait I may try to net some. Hope to have some good news and pictures to update with come Monday.

[Gauppinho]

Well nothing to report today. Only sign of life was the occasional solitary mullet jumping and two large gators. Pretty strong breeze from the southwest today that helped on our paddle east towards the creeks from wakulla beach. Quite a few other kayaks and anglers on the water. Someone I talked to had spoken with some fwc officers who said that very few people reported catching anything in the area. Guess the water temps were still a bit cool. Anyone have any luck nearby? Think we will try up spring creek tomorrow or try to go deeper off the flats but haven't decided yet. Will post some pics later.

[Gauppinho]

We ended up going a couple hundred yards out past the tripods off Shell Point Beach at low tide and let the tide carry us all the way in to the back of Walker Creek on Sunday. We ended up with 1 trout caught near the oyster beds at the mouth of Walker Creek near high tide on an Atomic Chicken Gulp shrimp. Someone else we spoke to was anchored up near an oyster bar further up the creek and fishing the edge on the incoming tide and said he had caught two trout there on live shrimp. Despite not catching anything it was pretty cool to see the creek and surrounding flats on a negative tide and the weather was really nice for as long of a paddle as we had.

[kikstand454]

Great pics!

~~Dave

[roadtrip]

wow thats a LOW tide!

[luceror]

Really nice pics. I see u got a really good look at the underwater terrain!