Fort Island (Crystal River) 5/15
Posted: May 18th, 2006, 9:21 pm
Had a conference in Crystal River this week and headed down there a couple days early to get a day of fishing in. I fished with a fellow that I work with from Ocala and he rented two Wilderness Systems Tarpons from Brasingtons in Ocala and we launched at Fort Island boat ramp on Monday morning around 7:15. This was my first real attempt at kayak fishing from a sit-on-top. I've fished a fair bit from sit-in touring boats and from canoes though. I had a Tarpon 140 and it was a great boat. It had lots of options for fishing (I made a milkcrate with rod holders and a net holder out of some spare PVC in a bout 20 mins. and it really complemented the boat). The stability was amazing - I had waves breaking over the sides and it never felt like it was going to tip. We launched in a good breeze and a light chop and fished around a couple of islands, some oyster bars and over some grassy bays. The wind kicked up strong in the afternoon, and by the time we were returning it was whitecaps and a good 15 kt. 'breeze'. The fishing was great but the catching was slow. 
Tom faired a couple of catfish on gulp, I got a couple of sea bass, a snot cat, a lizard fish (a first for me) and a nice size trout. All on jigs. I'd love to return and fish on a non-windy day, it was a beautiful area with plenty of places to explore.
Tom faired a couple of catfish on gulp, I got a couple of sea bass, a snot cat, a lizard fish (a first for me) and a nice size trout. All on jigs. I'd love to return and fish on a non-windy day, it was a beautiful area with plenty of places to explore. 