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28 degrees, a negative tide, and a forecast for winds at 5-10.
Just had to go.
I put in a half day starting as early as I could after distributing my kids. On the water at 9:00 was later than I planned but my recent thinking is that cold fish need a little sunlight before they’ll bite anyway. My new-found “funâ€

THANKS FOR THE REPORT, GLAD TO KNOW THE TROUT ARE IN THE BAY AND AROUND THE BARS. SOUNDS LIKE YOU CAME HOME A WINNER. PA

WTG...Lit

good deal Lit. I just bought new 7WF line and will be setting it up before spring. If you can do it sitting low from a yak, ...

How long was your long leader?

Casting from the kayak with the long leader (~11feet) & weighted fly was too much for me. I flailed a lot and after getting whacked in the head twice without catching my ear I chose common sense and went back to wading. I've practiced from the kayak in the yard & did well. That was with a shorter leader (7-8') & a lighter fly.

thats great

Very nice.

Congrats on your first red on the fly.

Very good

Nice job. Fast learning curve

Your "On the Fly"

great pic !!

Great report and " job well done" on batteling with the wind.
Last two times I went out I didn't find any trout. I figured they were on the flats but was talked into fishing the rivers .
Good job man.

Hey, Jeff.
I have a fly rod that I purchased MANY years ago and have kept it around with the hope of getting to use it WELL. I have promised myself that this year ( spring and summer ) I will catch my first saltwater fish with it! I want to catch Mackerel with it. Now that I'm exclusively fishing from a YAK I have pulled it out and dusted it off and looking for help on choosing backing and leader. Any advise ?

Can someone please tell me how and when to target mackerel.
Remember I'm in a kayak. I was thinking chumming and chunking.

I'm also chompin to chase the macks on fly. Where? Dog Island Shoal by boat.
My short answer is not around here by kayak, at least to target them. They've been showing up a lot the last 2 years on the flats but they have not been in schools but rather we get one fishing for other things. My favorite answer for them by kayak would be places west starting with Port St Joe. Late March and well into April they are predictable and very accesible by kayak. I'll never forget catching them there 2 at a time (spec rigs) with my daughter on her 2nd birthday, March 24. Negotiating 2 macks at a time with the 2 of us in the kayak was interesting.
"Hey, look at the teeth"!
Closer to here I would think the east end of St George after putting in the bay south from the middle of the park and paddling east to the cut. That's a fine fine bunch of habitat for lots of critters -including spring Pompano. I'm not sure what the paddle is from there to the cut is. I've not done it. That sounds like an excellent group trip. I'm not sure what the park road is like now but the east end is "accessible" by 4 wheel drive.
Chumin? Could be a good idea closer to our area -but maybe not with a kayak. Another version might be to net up a lot of white baits (Pilchards, Jennies, Croakers, Anchovies...), put them in a plastic bag to die and start chumin at a likely spot with cat food to draw in smaller bait & then start tossing the bigger baits. That's just off the top of my head but it sounds easy, clean & safe.

Good job Lit

I don't think it hurts to wait for things to warm up a little during this time of the year.