A unique website dedicated to fishing information from Florida's Northern Big Bend. This includes the area from the Econfina River west to the Apalachicola River
Use this area to post inshore fishing reports from the area. Please try to include relevant information such as:
Location, date, time, water conditions, weather conditions, baits, techniques, species caught, etc.
Took the kayak out for the first time of 2016 out to Bottoms Rd. Put in at about 2:30 pm and paddled across the bay to net bait. There were a ton of bait, didn't net too many pinfish, but got more tiger minnows and bull minnows than I could use in a few tosses. The wind was blowing from the south pretty hard so I set up my new to my drift anchor and threw a minnow out on a popping cork and one out on a free line. I got into a ton of little sharks and a single Spanish mack hit the flat line before I was pushed to the north side of the bay. I paddled through a little creek on the southern tip of Piney Island and set up a drift again towards Oyster Bay. Got into more sharks, and hooked into a BIG shark before the line popped. Made my way out to the flats east of Piney Island and kept drifting north. I started popping the cork with the live minnow instead of deadsticking it and found that trout were hitting it. I ended up with several shorts and a 16' keeper. Up to that point I was keeping the flat line rod in my hand and the cork behind in the rod holder. I think next time I'll pop the cork and deadstick the flat line; I'm also not a big live bait fisherman from a kayak. It was about 6:30 and I'm closer to Shell Point than I am Bottoms Rd so I make my way back against the wind. I'm trolling a Yozuri crystal minnow behind the kayak when I paddle and I'm riding between the grass flats and the shoreline. On my way in, finally within view of the ramp, an almost slot red hits the lure. I get blown about one last time while I unhook the red and let it go. Ended up giving the trout to a couple shore fishing at Bottoms Rd. My buddies went out to Bottoms that afternoon and they said they only caught sharks and catfish. I'm sure I missed out on a ton of trout by not working the cork more. No pics from Saturday, just gotta believe me.
Later that evening I met up with my buddies I ran into at Bottoms Rd. One of them didn't get enough fishing out of their system, and wanted to go out with me on kayaks. I suggested Hickory Mound to take advantage of his F-250 being able to go where my VW hatchback cannot. We decide to fish at first light and left Tallahassee at 4:30 am. We were the first to get to the east launch and put in to an incoming tide and a swarm of bugs. There was no place I would've throw my cast net; oyster bars everywhere. We scramble to get into the creeks and hope a light wind picks up. I see reds tailing everywhere! My buddy is throwing a super spook Jr, and I'm tossing a chartreuse Gulp jerk shad on a pink jig head. I cast into a few holes and around some corners and hook an under slot red. I never fished Hickory Mound and never took the kayak out to such skinny water where you can see reds pushing water on the surface so it was really neat to try and sight fish for them. We paddle out of the creeks and into the flat and drift. We were drifting in about 3 to 5 feet through some pretty thick grass. The jig was getting fouled much more than I'd have liked. There were trout hitting the surface just about everywhere 360 degrees all around us. Ended up with 2 nice sized trout, 17.5 and 19 inches, before the wind chased us off the flats. It was my first time out there so I didn't want to get blown around too much before I got a chance to study a map more. I think I prefer artificial lures for kayak fishing more due to space constraints, covering water, and being able to somewhat target game fish over the sharks and catfish.
Nice report. I fished Wed. off the pier behind Crum's store and caught several small sharks as well. Did end up with 5 small keepers, but it was very windy that day, too.
Nice reports, CCA. Glad the drift sock is working out.
I seem to recall mentioning something about the HM potential. You do need to dose with bug juice before existing the vehicle though.
I'm strictly a lure fisherman on my own (will use bait with guides if that's their speciality for an article) and only carry two rods when I'm in the yak. Have a baitcaster rigged with a topwater and the subsurface is usually a DOA shrimp or Aqua Dream spoon on the spinner. Keeps things less cluttered and more active, which is how I like it.
Keep at it and you'll have the Big Bend coast scoped out in no time.
"Sun rise and sun sets. Since the beginning, it hasn't changed yet." Little Feat
You do need to dose with bug juice before existing the vehicle though.