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Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing Flherd1971@gmail.com (941) 284-3406
June 27, 2007
I paddled to Rat Key, about a half mile to the west. I caught a snook on my first and fifth casts. Then, I paddled back toward Cat Key and had Will and Dave paddle to Rat Key. Good decision. Dave saw a tarpon roll and cast his Rapala Skitter Walk toward the fish. He didn't hook up, but experienced a heart-pounding blowup. A few minutes later, Dave hooked a big redfish. While he was battling the red, Will paddled around the point with a nice snook. Dave landed his red, a 30-inch beauty. We snapped a few photos and went back to fishing. That's when the snook bite erupted. Dave and Will anchored on the southwest corner of the island and caught 25 snook to 25 inches on MirrOLure MirrOminnows, MirrOdines and Yo-Zuri 3D Fingerlings. When the bite subsided, we paddled to a bayou were they caught 5 snook. We paused for lunch, then fished sand holes with Gulp Shrimp on jigheads. I love fishing sand holes, and this time didn't disappoint. Will caught and released six redfish to 26 inches and trout to 17. Dave managed several trout to complete his slam. I'm done with my Everglades trips for the season. We'll resume them in the fall when the weather cools off. Our recent trips down there were a blast. Using 3- and 4-weight fly rods, we caught up to 300 fish per trip, including largemouth bass to 5 pounds, Mayan cichlids, oscars, bluegill, stumpknocker and shellcracker. Top producer was a No. 10 chartreuse popping bug in the morning. In the afternoon, we switched to the infamous Myakka minnow. Last time out, Sarasota's Jack Hartman caught 40 Mayans, 50 bluegill, several stumpknocker and a handful of bass. A neophyte fly-fisher, Hartman caught all of his fish on a popping bug. This is a great outing for beginning fly fishers. Not only will they succeed, but also catch a lot of fish.
Steve Gibson Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (941) 284-3406
June 9, 2007
Nine-year-old Lyman Ortkiese of New Orleans has the time of his life on a recent outing with Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing. Lyman was in Sarasota for a week-long stay with his father, Scott Ortkiese. The duo joined us for a half-day outing on Little Sarasota Bay. Strong east winds plagued anglers for more than two weeks. And wind is always a determining factor when kayak fishing. So, we opted to fish the east side of Little Sarasota Bay out of Vamo. On an exploratory outing a few days prior, I caught a slam: redfish, snook and spotted seatrout. I found reds and snook around the mangroves and caught them on Rapala Skitter Walks and the new MirrOlure MirrOdine. Trout fell for 3-inch Gulp Shrimp on 1/8-ounce jig heads. Lyman and his dad caught spotted seatrout to 25 inches, ladyfish and jack crevalle. "This sure beats riding jet skis," Lyman said after reeling in a 19-inch trout. "I want to do this the next time I visit my dad." We fished the Intracoastal Waterway on June 8, launching at Phillippi Estate Park. The launch is good, but you have to drag kayaks and canoes at least 200 feet from the parking lot to the water. I think this will be an excellent fall and winter destination for snook. On our outing, we managed six snook, a 25-inch spotted seatrout, a mangrove snapper and a sheepshead. We caught one snook, a 24-incher, on a Skitter Walk. The rest hit the MirrOlure MirrOdine. The trout, snapper and sheepshead were caught on a Gulp Shrimp and jig. On June 4, David Shugol of Lakewood Ranch joined us for an all-day outing to The Everglades. We fly-fished canals there and had a fantastic day. We caught nearly 200 fish on No. 10 popping bugs and Myakka Minnows. We used 3- and 4-weight fly rods, floating lines, 7 ½ -foot leaders and 3X and 4X tippet. We caught at least 100 Mayan cichlids, 20 bass to nearly 4 pounds, plenty of hand-sized bluegill and a number of stumpknocker. Shugol is a financial advisor and vice-president of the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers. Canal action is extremely hot now, with low water concentrating the fish. Often, savvy fly-fishers will catch fish or get hits on 20 casts in a row. Everglades trips are all-day affairs because of the distance. But it's worth it because of the fast and consistent action. We provide sandwiches, drinks and transportation. Cost is $300. Anglers need a valid Florida freshwater fishing license. Redfish and snook action is expected to pick up in the backcountry. In addition, we should start catching doormat flounder in southern Tampa Bay. Join us for a day on the water. Kayak fishing is fun and very productive.
Steve Gibson Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing
May 15, 2007
Things have been hectic for Southern Draw Kayak Fishing over the last
two months. Business has been good and fishing hot.
April 8, 2007
The latest cold front put a damper on fishing – but not totally. David Ginburg of Marietta, Ga., spent a half with Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing on Friday, April 6. We checked the weather report and found out the wind was supposed to blow 14 mph from the NNW. Obviously, the wind is the great determiner when it comes to fishing from a kayak. It usually determines where we're going to fish for obvious reasons. With that in mind, we met David at 7 a.m. and headed for Buttonwood Harbor, a popular spot located on Longboat Key. The area is popular, but few people are aware of the public kayak launch. We got out boats in the water and were underway at 7:20. Our plan was to fish the deep grass off Whale Key. However, the wind was "howling" from the NNE and was making things quit difficult. We fished about 20 minutes, then decided to paddle to the southwest to a canal that runs along Longboat Key from Buttonwood Harbor to about Country Club Shores. The canal usually yields redfish, snook, mangrove snapper, sheepshead and ladyfish. On this outing, all but ladyfish had vanished. With the wind blowing a steady 20 outside, we were forced to remain in the canal. We paddled and fished our way to Harborside Moorings. At that point, I paddled outside to check out a flat. It was fishable, but there were no fish. Since it was getting late, it was time to head back to the launch. The wind had subsided somewhat, so we decided to paddle through a cut and give it one last try. We anchored our kayaks and got out. We waded to the edge of the sand bar and began casting into potholes. That didn't pan out, but things changed when I saw a really large wake approaching us. It was confined and unusual looking. I checked around the area for boats, but there were none. I wasn't sure what it was, but instructed David to make a cast. All of a sudden, it was obvious that we were into jack crevalle – huge jacks. David hooked up quickly and watch in amazement as his 15-pound Power Pro began to disappear faster than children at dishwashing time. He was well into his backing (we fill the spool halfway with monofilament) in a wink, then nearly ran out of line a few moments later. When there were just two wraps of monofilament on the spool, David was able to stop the fish and gain some line. It was tedious work, but he was able to do it. He fought the mighty fish superbly, pumping and reeling correctly. All the while, he was regaining precious line. When he got the monster to within 50 feet, the line went slack. David reeled the line in and we discovered the jig's hook had straightened. Power Pro plus tight drag plus big fish equal straightened hook. We're looking into another brand of jig head. I waded back to the kayaks in order to re-rig. Rather than another jig, I opted for a topwater plug on a heavier outfit. A couple of minutes after I waded back out to David, I noticed an area of disturbed water toward Harborside moorings. I seemed to be headed in our direction but, I didn't say anything until I was almost sure. I told David that I thought the fish were headed our way. As the mass approached, bait began to frantically flee the water. We cast and hooked another large fish immediately. Only this time, there was no stopping the monster. With the rod bent and drag singing, the line melted away like butter in the sun. We never did stop the fish. And we were dejected when we heard the line break with only a few yards left on the spool. At that point, David was ready to head back to the launch. "They gave us two shots," he said. "That's all we can ask." My guess is that they were really large jack crevalle. From experience, I'd estimate the fish at 25 pounds or more. We encountered a bunch of redfish on another outing. Fishing with Will Huibregtse of Indiana, we found the sand bars along southern Tampa Bay loaded with redfish. We launched at dawn and began to fish the backcountry. We had a couple of fish blow up on our topwater plugs to no avail. After two hours, we decided to head out to the sand bars. We anchored the kayaks and began to wade. It didn't take two minutes to spot the first red. Using a jerk worm on a slightly weighted hook, Will made a perfect cast and hooked up quickly. But the hook pulled after a few seconds. We continued walking and found a bunch of reds in a depression on the bar. Will hooked another fish with the same result. A large school of reds swam toward us a few minutes later, and Will hooked up quickly. This time, the hook held. Will landed a 24-inch redfish after a short battle. We found another school, but were unsuccessful. I then noticed a really large push of water over the grass off the sand. Will fired a cast into the mass and immediately hooked up. But the hook pulled (we examined it and the point was sharp) again. I'm fairly sure it was a school of large jack crevalle. We then drifted the grass and caught and released a number of spotted seatrout to about 20 inches. We landed one nice redfish, a dozen seatrout and a couple of ladyfish. Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing continues to hit the edge of The Everglades. Mark Phelps of Bradenton joined us for an all-day session. Using 4-weight fly rods, floating lines and No. 10 bluegill poppers, we totaled 50 bluegill, 20 bass, 40 stumpknocker, 25 Mayan cichlids and eight oscars. Fish were plentiful and hungry. We were targeting oscars, but they weren't as cooperative. I've found from past trips that the oscar bite usually is better in the afternoon and that proved to be true. After lunch, Mark and I paddled to Big Oscarville, a spot that I named for obvious reasons. I pointed out the prime spot to Mark and let his have at it. He watched in amazement as three big oscars in a row slowly swam up to his popper and inhaled it. Each time, the results were the same. He'd set the hook and watch as the big fish didn't budge. Then, each would take off and either break the leader or tangle in the structure. There's no doubt in my mind that oscars at this spot are of world-record proportion. We're now making sure that all leaders we take on our outings meet the specifications of the International Game Fish Association. In my opinion, records are attainable in at least four tippet classes. We've got several upcoming southern trips on the books. Anglers are pumped at the prospect of setting a world record. In addition to the fish, there's some great scenery. On Phelps' trip, he saw plenty of alligators, loads for snook, red-shouldered hawks, ibis, osprey, great blue herons, night herons and others. The highlight of the outing was when we spotted a rare swallow-tailed kite. These southern trips won't be available after May. Rain, heat and bugs make it uncomfortable. If you'd like to get on one of these great trips, give us a call. Cost is $300 a day and includes food, drink and transportation.
Steve Gibson Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (941) 284-3406
March 21, 2007<QL>
3-11-07 March 11, 2007
There's nothing like the elixir of the Everglades. Paul Drewry, a Ludington, Mich. Veterinarian, joined us for a two-day trip to The 'Glades. Our plan was to target juvenile tarpon in some remote areas. Unfortunately, a late cold front sent the baby tarpon scurrying for warmer water. So, we loaded the kayaks on top of the truck and headed for another spot. We launched at a creek and found the snook hungry. Paul used a 6-weight fly rod, sinktip line and a D.T. Special on a No. 4 hook to catch and release seven snook. The fish were typically small. Our largest fish was about 22 inches. The fish were attacking small minnow along the mangroves. On a scouting trip the day prior, I saw a couple of snook that were 30 inches or more. In all, we totaled 17 snook. I caught a number of fish on MirrOlure's new MirrOdine, a scaled sardine imitation that has been pretty hot. The next day, we switched to freshwater exotics on light fly rods. We launched at a remote spot and immediately got into the action. We were targetting oscars and Mayan cichlids, but also caught bass, bluegill and stumpknocker. Oscars in the remote portion of The 'Glades are larger than average. We caught 20 of them, with most being around 2 pounds or slightly more. If you've never caught an oscar, you might want to give them a try. They're extremely strong and quite willing to rise to a well-place popping bug. We used No. 10 chartreuse bluegill poppers. Our fly rods were 4 and 5 weight. Floating lines are perfect. Our leaders were 5X. Key to successful oscar fishing is figuring out the pattern. In this case, the fish were congregated around fallen trees and root systems. We eliminated most stretches of shoreline and concentrated around heavy structure. When you hit an oscar oasis, it wasn't tough to figure out. When your popping bug hit the water, you'd see the wakes of the beefy panfish heading toward the bug like a torpedo. You had to resist the urge to set the hook until the proper time. The battle is unlike most freshwater fish. Oscars are super strong and will head for the structure when hooked. Breakoffs can be frustrating. We often have to beef up our leaders in order to stop the fish. Believe it or not, but Mayan cichlids might be even stronger than the oscars. However, we caught only two Mayans on the outing. We did see a number of large snook. Our light fly rods wouldn't have been of much use. Everglades fishing should remain hot for at least another six weeks. After that it will be too hot, humid and buggy. Tarpon should show up any day. On one trip last year, we jumped 10 tarpon and landed five. We also caught and released four snook. Prior to our 'Glades trip, we fished with Rod Corson of Fort Wayne, Ind. He was on vacation with his wife, daughter and mother-in-law and wanted to do some fly fishing. The wind was blowing 17 to 20 mph out of the south. Such conditions are not conducive to fly fishing. We gave Corson his options: Cancel the outing, spin fish, or try to get out of the wind and fly fish. He opted to fly fish. We launched at Blackburn Point and got a little relief. We paddled north to channel the runs from the Intracoastal Waterway to the west side of the bay. Using a 6-weight fly rod, sinktip line and chartreuse-and-white Clouser Deep Minnow, Corson landed a number of feisty, high-leaping ladyfish. He hooked another fish that took him into his backing. I figured it was just a larger ladyfish or foul-hooked lady. I was wrong. Turned out to be a hefty pompano. Later, Corson picked up a spinning rod and caught spotted seatrout to 22 inches on Cotee Jigs with root beer grubs. I nailed a 24-inch trout. In all, he totaled 15 ladyfish, four seatrout and a hefty pompano. Not bad considering the wind. We strongly suggest an all-day Everglades trips this time of year. Cost is $300 and includes a full day of fishing, lunch, drinks and transportation. Fishing can be hot and the scenery is gorgeous.
Steve Gibson Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (941) 284-3406
2-5-07 Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing has made two trips to The Everglades recently. John and Cindy McClure joined us for an all-day outing. They bid on a trip that I donated to Ladies! Let's Go Fishing last summer in Sarasota. I met them just east of Naples and they followed me to Picayune Strand State Park. We launched our kayaks on a calm morning under partly cloudy skies. John and Cindy used spinning rigs. They caught oscars, Mayan cichlids and some decent largemouth bass. They used 3-inch Bass Assassins rigged Texas-style for the larger bass. I fished a 4-weight fly rod, floating line, 5X leader and a No. 10 chartreuse bluegill popper. That's my standard rig for the exotics, bluegills and bass. I would estimate I caught a total of 40 fish. Most were bluegill, but I did encounter some nice oscars and Mayans in the afternoon. Fishing in The 'Glades has been off somewhat, but should pick up in about a month. We're scheduled to fish Dr. Paul Drewery, a Michigan veterinarian in early March. We've got two day on the agenda and plan to target tarpon one day and the exotics the next. We'll be strictly fly fishing. Paul took me salmon fishing in early October a little more than three years ago in Michigan. We fished the Pere Marquette River near Ludington. It was fantastic. I landed 12 king salmon up to 30 pounds on fly. And I lost a number of others that got into fast water and I couldn't stop them. Don't pass up a chance to fish the west coast of Michigan. I fished the White River in March 2003 and caught a pair of hefty steelheads on fly with guide Kevin Morland of Baldwin. In addition, I caught a nice walleye. This past summer, I fished with former Sarasota Jon Fryer, who is now a trout guide in Michigan. We spent and afternoon on the Muskegon River near Newaygo. We caught a number of brown and rainbow trout on dry flies. It was fantastic. A week ago, Sarasota guide Rick Grassett and I spent a day fishing the canals around The Everglades. Fishing was extremely tough because of low and clear water. We used 4-weigh fly rods and my Myakka Minnow. We did best in the canals along Loop Road. We caught bass, bluegill, Mayan cichlids and stumpknocker. The afternoon bite again was best. Grassett and I were headed for the Florida Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers' mini-conclave at the International Game Fish Association in Dania. Grassett did a seminar on fly fishing in Southwest Florida. I was a featured fly tier. The conclave was attended by nearly 300 fly enthusiasts throughout the state. I will be giving a seminar on backcountry kayak fishing at C.B.'s Saltwater Outfitters' Captains' Fishing Extravaganza on Saturday, Feb. 10. My seminar is scheduled at 11 a.m. In addition, guides Ed Hurst, Kelly Stilwell, Rick Grassett, Jack Ryan, Bruce Burkhart and Jim Klopfer will conduct seminars. All will offer discounted fishing trips the following day. On Feb. 17, I will join Pete Greenan of Sarasota and Rex Gudgel of Athens, Ga., at an Introduction to Fly Fishing school at Phillippi Shores Park in Sarasota. If you're interested in learning to fly cast and to fly fish, you might want to check this one out. Cost is $95 per person. Greenan and Gudgel are Federation of Fly Fishers' Master Certified Casting Instructors. To register, you can call me at (941) 284-3406 or Greenan at (941) 923-6095. We're going to explore Phillippi Creek. The most recent cold front should have pushed snook up the creek. Phillippi annually produces monster snook during the winter. In addition, it has a sizeable population of large jack crevalle.
Steve Gibson Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (941) 284-3406
Jan. 8, 2007
One of the most important pieces of equipment for your kayak is an anchor trolley. An anchor trolley is a line that runs through a pulley on the bow of your kayak and through another on the stern. The line has clips on each and attaches to an O-ring. You clip you anchor to the O-ring and it can be positioned at any point along the kayak simply by pulling the line. What's the advantage? It enables you to always face the direction you need to cast. This is important when fishing in the wind. If, for example, you have a north wind and you want to fish to the north, anchor off your bow, and you'll be facing north. If you have a north wind and you want to fish to the south, then anchor off your stern. Some days, we don't anchor. On other occasions, we'll use the anchor frequently. On a recent outing, Eric Boyle, a graduate of Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina , and I used our anchors frequently. We were fishing sand holes in Pine Island Sound where we knew there were some fairly large spotted seatrout. With the wind blowing steadily, the only way we could completely work each hole was to anchor. It worked out well. Eric, who works as a personal fitness trainer, caught several seatrout. The largest was a 24-inch. He caught them on a ¼-ounce jig head and a molting Gulp Shrimp. Earlier in the day, Eric nailed a 20-inch redfish. We took to the shallows in search of snook. They were blasting glass minnows along the mangroves. Eric hooked a large snook that tried to get into the mangroves. But he was able to horse the fish out. It made a speedy run along the edge of the mangroves, then headed straight for the kayak. Evidently, there was too much slack in the line and he lost the snook at the boat. That would have been his backcountry slam! I lost a snook that I estimated at 27 inches. He literally hit the jig right at the kayak. I set the hook and the fish took off. Unfortunately, the hook pulled. The area we fished usually is good for tailing redfish. However, the water didn't get low enough. We do have some good tailing tides coming up over the next few weeks. When it's going on, it's common to see 100 tails or more. We often see redfish in schools of 10 or more. Next week, we're headed down to The Everglades. We're going to target oscars and Mayan cichlids on ultralight tackle. If you're interested in fishing for tailing redfish or heading to The 'Glades for Florida freshwater exotics, just give us a call.
Steve Gibson (941) 284-3406
Dec. 16, 2006
The weather has been warm and the fishing hot. Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing has been busy over the past week, guiding fly fishers to decent catches in Blackburn Bay. On Tuesday, John Sommers of Madison, Wisc., joined us for a half day of fly fishing. Sommers, 71, caught and released 13 ladyfish and a dozen spotted seatrout. Now, ladyfish aren't something that Southern Drawl emphasizes or usually pursues. However, we've found that they're perfect for the beginning saltwater fly fisher. And, trust us, the ladies of Blackburn Bay are running very large. When they hit the fly, you're in for a battle. In fact, we caught and released one healthy lady that went 3 pounds on the Boga Grip. That's a world-record candidate, according to the International Game Fish Association (tippet class). On Friday, Frank Merino of Connecticut, another new saltwater fly fisher, wanted to give kayak fishing a try. He connected early on his first marine fly-rod fish. He caught and released several leaping ladyfish, including one that ran him in circles. Merino later added a couple of small spotted seatrout to his total. Most of the fish during the week were taken on chartreuse-and-white Super Clousers, a variation of the famous Clouser Deep Minnow. Super Clousers are tied with Super Hair, a tough synthetic that holds up to the punishment that ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and other saltwater brutes dish out. We joined Pete Greenan of the Gypsy Guide Service on Wednesday for a trip into the inshore Gulf of Mexico. Our target was little tunny. The action began slow, but improved as the day went on. We landed five chunky Spanish mackerel early on off Grassey Point on Casey Key. We got into little tunny a little further south. Fishing just north of the Venice Inlet, we found the tunny herding up glass minnows in the surf. We hooked and lost three (two breakoffs) in short order. The action quickly ended and many of the boats in the inshore Gulf headed home. Pete decided to head back north where we'd caught the macks. As we neared the spot, we saw birds. However, when we go there, we noticed the pelicans were grouped together and just sitting on the water. Gulls were hovering over them. Upon closer inspection, we saw that the pelicans were dipping their bills into the water and coming up with baitfish. There were no signs predator fish. "Something's driving those baitfish to the surface," Pete said. "They wouldn't just be there and allow those pelicans to eat them." When we got close enough, we cast to the edge of the pelicans. We immediately hooked up. We landed three little tunny to 12 pounds on Super Clousers. The highlite of the afternoon was a 32-inch cobia. After that, we called it day. Five Spanish mackerel, three little tunny and a cobia. Not bad in anyone's book.
All of our fish were taken on 8-weight fly rods with
intermediate sinking lines.
Steve Gibson
Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing
(941) 284-3406
Dec. 6
Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing took a busman's holiday of sorts. I joined
friends Pete Greenan of Sarasota and Ron Whiteley of Rotonda for three
days of trout fishing in north Georgia.
We left Sarasota at 7:45 a.m. on Nov. 26 and arrived in Helen, Ga., around 5 p.m. that afternoon. We stopped at Unicoi Outfitters to buy fishing licenses and flies. On Monday morning, we met up with guide Rex Gudgel out of Unicoi Outfitters and fished the Chattahoochee River, which ran right behind the shop. We used 3- and 4-weight fly rods and No. 18 nymphs with a dropper and strike indicator. All of the water that Unicoi Outfitters fishes is private. They have more than six miles of private waters to fish. And the rainbow trout there are whoppers. Three of us landed about 20 rainbows to 24 inches the first morning. After some good Georgia barbecue, we headed for the Soque River. Fishing was better in the afternoon than it was in the morning. Rex fished with us and the four of us caught and released 30 trout to 24 inches. On Tuesday, we spent all day at Noontootla Creek, a tiny stream. Water was low and clear. Fishing was tough. This is where Rex put on a show. He grew up fishing tiny streams in the Sierras as a youngster in California. The creek was no more than 15 across at its widest point. Rex landed at least 20 rainbows to 24 inches. Ron did well, too. For me, it was a struggle. I'm relatively new to trout fishing. However, I did manage a 22-inch 'bow on my own. Ron landed the largest trout of the trip, a 26 1/2-inch rainbow.<QL> On Wednesday, we fish a half day on the Chestatee River. This was the largest stream of our trip. And it was loaded with big rainbows. Ron, Pete and Rex had a decent morning with fish to more than 20 inches. Pete ended the outing by breaking off a hefty rainbow on a dry fly. We got on the road just before noon and arrived in Sarasota at 8:30. We got out in kayaks late in the week. Greg Sanchez of Boston, Mass. joining us for a half day on Little Sarasota Bay. We launched at Turtle Beach and paddled south to Blackburn Bay. Greg landed several really large ladyfish on Clouser Deep Minnows before the wind got too strong. We paddled north to the Jim Neville Marine Preserve and fish the lee side of an island. Greg missed one strike, then hooked a fish two casts later on an Estaz-Marabou Fly. The fish was strong and put up a determined fight. At first, I thought it was a redfish. But when it began circling, I figured it was a decent sized jack crevalle. However, I couldn't see any color and then decided it must be a catfish. Ugh! I was wrong. After a 5-minute battle, it turned out to be a 4-pound mullet. And it was hooked in the mouth. It's the tailing season. And reds are thick at Matlacha and Pine Island Sound. When the tide is right, it's possible to get a shot at 20 or more tailers. And these tailers aren't the least bit shy about eating. In addition to reds, large jack crevalle and spotted seatrout are usually cooperative. We're offering an all-day tailing redfish trip throughout December for $225. The outing includes transportation, sandwiches and drinks.
Nov. 13, 2006
We've been getting out on local freshwater lakes and streams and doing well. We launched the kayak on the upper Myakka River and found the water very low. In fact, it was so low that it ruined plans to paddle down the river and fish. We were restricted to fishing a 50-yard stretch. However, any deep water we could find held fish. They had no place to go but into the holes. It was a lot like fishing sand holes in salt water at low tide. The bass were on a minor feed. We caught and released eight before the action subsided. We were using a 4-weight fly rod, floating line and 5-pound leader. Fly of choice was the chartreuse-and-white No. 10 bluegill popper. We caught a majority of the bass on that, but the two largest came on the Myakka Minnow. A lot of people have expressed interest in the Myakka Minnow. It's a fly that I designed after a couple of frustrating trips to the Myakka River. I could see bass and bluegill busting on small minnows, but I couldn't get them to hit anything in my arsenal. So, I decided to come up with a reasonable facsimile of one of the tiny river minnows. I use fine mono thread and a No. 10 or 12 streamer hook. The tail can be either marabou or a clump of Krystal Flash. The body, which is built up into a minnow shape, is made out of pearly Bodi-Braid by Spirit River. I add 3D Prismatic Stick-On eyes and coat the body with Devon 2-Ton Epoxy. The minnow has resulted in a lot of fish. I go to it when the topwater bite ends. I cast it out, let it sink and retrieve it extremely slow. I've taken big bluegill, bass to 4 pounds, tilapia, stumpknocker and speckled perch on it. It also has produced good results in the Everglades. There, I've caught oscar, Mayan cichlids, bluegill, bass and gar on the Myakka Minnow. On my most recent trip to The 'Glades, I did the freshwater thing, then hit a brackish spot. The water was running and fish were busting pretty good. I caught and released eight snook to about 20 inches on the Myakka Minnow. Didn't get any monsters, but not bad on a 4-weight. It's the time of year where we'll start concentrating on fishing tidal rivers and creeks for snook. The lower Myakka can be hot from November to February. In addition to snook, we catch bass, gar, mudfish and sometimes a tarpon or two. When the weather gets cold, we don't put the kayaks away until spring. Just dress in layers as you would on any day on the water. I suggest a t-shirt, fishing shirt, sweatshirt and jacket. Long fishing pants and wading boots are suggested. As you warm up, you can chuck the jacket, then the sweatshirt. If wading is in the plans, a good pair of waders comes in handy. The water can be wet-waded at present, but it won't be long until it's simply too cold. When we get northeast winds, we like to head for Placida and fish the sand holes for spotted seatrout, snook and redfish. It's also a good time to find tailing reds in the shallows. There are days when a catch of 50 or more fish is possible. We've taken up to 150 on some outings during low tide. We launch at Placida. The paddle to Whidden Creek takes about an hour. In kayaks, we can fish the holes much sooner than those in flats boats. If you've never fished out of a kayak, you should give it a try. Our fleet consists of Heritage Redfish 14-foot kayaks. They're "sit-on-top" kayaks and very stable, offering a steady platform from which to fish. The kayaks are extremely comfortable and easy to paddle. We do like to find a spot to get out and stretch our legs every 3-4 hours. All of the kayaks come with three rod holders. The tank well in stern can be used to carry a cooler, tackle, etc. I supply life vests, whistle, paddles, paddle leashes, food and drink. You can either ride with me to the fishing spot or meet me at a prearranged location.
Steve Gibson Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing
Oct. 27, 2006
Fishing has been very good over the past couple of weeks. In fact, I caught my largest redfish to date, a 15-pound, 37-incher. I caught the monster in almost the exact spot of my previous best — a 14-pounder that I landed two years ago. I was pre-fishing for the Coastal Conservation Association/Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Fall Fly Fishing Challenge. Pete Greenan and I fished a sand bar at the mouth of Turtle Bay off Charlotte Harbor. We located snook, spotted seatrout and redfish in several spots that day. On tournament day, things changed — as they usually do. I did manage a 23.5-inch snook on an estaz-and-marabou pattern. I got my red (all 14 inches of him). Then I caught, photographed and released 132.5 inches of trout. My slam was one of only four in the event. But the 52.25-inch slam was only the third largest. I ended up taking second place the Snook Division. Greenan was second in the Trout Division with 138 inches. We fished hard and had a great time. I took Rick Grassett to The Everglades for a day of fly fishing for exotics. At our first stop in the Picayune Strand State Forest, the bite was not on. We did manage three hefty oscars and a bluegill on No. 10 popping bugs. After a shore lunch, we loaded our Heritage kayaks up and drove to the Tamiami Trail. We found plenty of hungry fish. In two hours, we caught and released 50 oscars, Mayan cichlids and bluegill. In addition, we caught several cichlids that I've never seen before and haven't been able to identify via the Internet. All of the afternoon fish fell victim to my Myakka Minnow, a sinking baitfish imitation that usually produces. Lake Manatee has been fair. The 2,400-acre reservoir has been yielding bass, bluegill, speckled perch and catfish. John Roche of Osprey and I had a fair outing. Bass were schooling at mid-day and we were able to catch a few up to 2 pounds. In addition, we caught bluegill and a 4-pound channel catfish. On a solo trip to Lake Manatee, I did a little better. I caught a total of 42 bluegill, seven bass to 4 pounds and a decent speckled perch. I used a 4-weight fly rod, floating line, 5-pound leader and No. 10 chartreuse bluegill poppers. I caught the speckled perch on a pattern I call the Speckulator. We've had a couple of cold front move through. That means we'll get to fish in comfortable conditions. It won't be unbearably hot. Freshwater action should continue to heat up, with bass, bluegill and speckled perch the targets. In saltwater, snook will begin moving up creeks and rivers. We predict good action on the Myakka River and the Manatee River. We plan to fish both rivers as the weather cools.<QL>
Steve Gibson
10-18-06 Fish have been more plentiful than people. But that's always the way it is this time of year.
Fall is my favorite time to fish. It's a time when the water and air are cooling, and the fish begin to feed in anticipation of winter.
I recently headed down to Pine Island Sound for a day of fly fishing. Most of you who know me are aware of my passion for fly fishing. It's something I've done for more than 30 years now. Whenever I get the chance, I take the fly rods and leave the spinning rods at home.
I launched just before daylight and made a short paddle to the shallow grass flats. To be perfectly honest, not much was moving. I was looking for redfish.
I paddled into the shallows and looked around the mangroves. Again, not much. The breeze was light and from the east. But it was enough for me to make a few casts while drifting. I caught a couple of decent spotted seatrout on a white snook fly.
When the sun got up high enough to light the flat, I began casting into sand holes. Using a 6-weight rod, sinktip line and olive-and-white Clouser Deep Minnow, I began hooking fat mangrove snapper on nearly every cast. Before the bite was over, I caught and released 25 snapper. The largest was about 14 inches, but all were fat as they could be.
In addition, I caught eight spotted seatrout to 20 inches, a couple of obligatory ladyfish and one 15-inch pompano.
Three days later, I returned for an all-day trip with Hank Guetzlaff of Apollo Beach. We were think snapper, trout and pompano, but the snook got in the way.
Actually, the tide was perfect for tailing reds. But there just weren't many redfish around. By 1 p.m., all we had to show for our efforts was four small snook.
It was time to look around. I found an opening and paddle into to it to take a look. It opened up into a small bay, and there were all sorts of snook busting glass minnows along the mangroves.
In a little more than an hour, we caught and released 25 snook. Most were typically small, but one went 27 inches. Most of the fish came on a Gurgler. We caught others on poppers and D.T. Specials.
This is the time of year that we love to shake the dust off of our lightweight fly rods and hit freshwater lakes and streams. Recently, we did an all-day trip on Tiger Lake , an unheralded (yet very productive) lake near the town of Lake Wales in Polk County. Sarasotans Ed Hurst and Pete Greenan joined us for a fun day. Action was somewhat slow in the morning, but picked up in the afternoon. Using 4-weight fly rods, floating lines, No. 10 charteuse bluegill poppers and floating grasshoppers, we caught 100 bluegill (many of which were handsized) and 15 bass.
We did an all-day trip on nearby Lake Manatee. It was a scouting mission and it was productive. We caught 17 bluegill. But the big news was schooling bass. In early afternoon, we caught five schoolers to 2 pounds on a 4-weight fly rod and No. 10 chartreuse poppers.
On Monday, Oct. 16, Rick Grassett of Sarasota joined us for an all-day trip to The Everglades to fly fish for exotics. At the first spot, we managed just four oscars, but they were large. Oscars are great fighting fish that readily take a fly or small spinner. I'd estimate our largest oscar at 1 ¾ pounds.
After lunch, we loaded the kayaks up and drove south. We fished canals along Tamiami Trail. It was definitely an afternoon bite. Using my Myakka Minnow, we caught and released 30-40 oscars, Mayan cichlids, bluegills and another cichlids species that I've never seen. They were green, weighed about ¾ of a pound and were very, very strong.
We'll being fishing the Coastal Conservation Association/Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Fall Fly Fishing Challenge on Saturday (Oct. 21). My partner, Pete Greenan, is the defending champion. I won the Trout Division is last year's inaugural tournament.
It's a great tournament and a lot of fun. If you're interested in fishing, contact me at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com or call me at (941) 284-3406.
Sept. 28, 2006
We're entering my favorite time of year to fish. The air and water are cooling, and the fish are feeding heavily before winter. That makes for a great combination. Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing has experienced some great action over the past couple of weeks – both on spinning gear and fly tackle.
On Sunday, Sept. 24,
Scott Connor of
Sarasota and John Jones
of Orlando joined me for a half day of fishing. We can't fish distant
waters on a half day, so we opted for the east side of Sarasota Bay.
Scott hooked a 27-inch snook on his
first cast. He handed the rod like an expert and landed the fish after
four jumps and five minutes.
It turned out to be a great
morning. On Tuesday, Hank Guetzlaff (Fishwhistler) of Apollo Beach fished with me. We drove down to Pineland and launched in Pine Island Sound. Fishing was slow in the morning. Hank landed a quartet of small snook and I landed one. Potholes that had been so fishy a few days earlier were not productive. After lunch on the water, we did some exploring. I saw an opening and paddled into a small bay. I saw snook crashing glass minnows against the mangroves. I was using a fly rod, floating line and a Gartside Gurgler. I caught several snook before Hank paddled in. Over the next two hours, we caught and released 25 snook . There were a lot of small fish, but I did get one 27-incher. Anytime you can catch 30 snook is a great day. Just proves what I've said for years: Keep your eyes and ears open, and you might discover good action. We're planning several more trips to Pine Island Sound. This is a great time of year for that trip. And it's a great trip for fly fishers. Spotted seatrout, mangrove snapper, snook, redfish and tarpon are possible. Spinning enthusiasts will catch fish on topwater plugs, jigs, spoons, jerk plugs and jerk worms. The Pine Island trips are all-day only because of the distance. Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing is offering a Fall Special: an all-day outing (fly or spin) for $200 (includes lunch, transportation and drinks). TIP OF THE MONTH: If you haven't tried any of the Berkley Gulp products, you're missing the boat. The 3-inch shrimp works great when coupled with a light jig head. I've also done well rigging it Texas-style and added a split shot about 6 inches up the line. Color doesn't seem to be all that important. I also like to use the Berkley 5-inch Gulp Shad, rigged Texas-style with a slightly weight Mustad hook. Contact us at (941) 284-3406 or visit our website at www.kayakfishingsarasota.com.
Sept. 20, 206
The beauty of kayak fishing is that you can fish wherever you want.
Because of red tide in Sarasota Bay, Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing has been very mobile over the last week. Things started out fine along the east side of Sarasota Bay. Geoff Henderson of Bradenton and I fished from Whitfield Avenue to Stevens' Point and caught a variety of fish. We were looking for bull reds that I had encountered a few days earlier. Unfortunately, we didn't find them. We did catch several rats reds (the largest was out 18 inches). And we managed spotted seatrout, ladyfish and jack crevalle. The highlight of the day was a pair of beautiful juvenile Goliath grouper. We caught our fish on Rapala Skitter Walks and 3-inch Berkley Gulp Shrimp on light jig heads. I returned the following day and found the big reds. At low tide, I found a small school pushing along the edge of a sand bar. We landed a 28-inch red and a 30-incher. In addition, we caught spotted seatrout to 18 inches and a couple of jack crevalle. Red tide had been concentrated along the west side of Sarasota Bay. But the wind switched out of the west-southwest and blew it across the bay into the Ringling-Whitfield area. From all reports, it dissipated quickly. We traveled south on a scouting mission. I fished with John Donohue of Venice along the Intracoastal Waterway near the Manasota Bridge at Englewood. Action wasn't fast, but it was consistent. We caught and released six redfish to 30 inches, five snook to 25 and a few jack crevalle and ladyfish. I found tarpon rolling near the bridge. Although most of the fish appeared to be in the 5-pound range, I was luck to hook a 30-pounder. I was using a 3-inch Gulp Shrimp on a light jig head. We caught our redfish on Rapala Skitter Walks and 5-inch Gulp Jerk Shads rigged weedless. A few days later, I took Paul Magliacane of Venice to the same area. We didn't find any redfish. Although mullet were plentiful, redfish weren't. However, we caught and released 11 snook to about 22 inches on a variety of lures (19MR MirrOlure MirrOminnow, Rapala Skitterwalk, Gulp Jerk Shads, Gulp Shrimp on jig heads). In addition, we managed several jack crevalle, ladyfish, a gag grouper and a Goliath grouper. We had about 10 shots at tarpon, but didn't get a hit. I'm sure if we concentrated on them that we could put a couple in the air. We've had more than our share of rain over the last three weeks. If you plan to kayak fish, make sure you are aware of the weather. You don't want to be caught in a thunderstorm or severe wind. Our freshwater endeavors will have to wait for the rain to end. The rivers and lakes are up, making for some tough fish. One of our favorite rivers (the Myakka) usually offers great fly-rod action for bass, bluegill, stumpknocker and tilapia this time of year. But the current is much too strong for kayak fishing at present. In November, we start heading down to The Everglades where we'll target oscars and Mayan cichlids. If you've never fished for these freshwater exotics, you might want to give them a try. They outpull any bass you've ever encountered. We use 3- and 4-weight fly rods, floating lines, popping bugs or sinking minnow imitations. Speaking of minnow imitations, I designed a fly for the Myakka River (I named it the Myakka Minnow) last year. It's a small epoxy minnow tied on a No. 12 hook that is approximately an inch long. It has been a killer for bluegill, bass, stumpknocker and tilapia. I got a call from my good friend Rick Grassett, who was on a stream in Montana, fly-fishing for trout. He informed me he had just caught and released a 16-inch brown trout on my Myakka Minnow! As we near October, we're offering our Freshwater Special: an all-day outing on a lake or river for $180 (lunch and drinks provided). One of our favorite lakes is Tiger Lake, part of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes near Lake Wales. The lake has a tremendous population of big bluegill. A couple of years ago, we videoed a TV show there. Our goal was to use light fly rods and feature the great bluegill action on Tiger Lake. We ran into a small problem: We couldn't keep the bass from eating the small popping bugs. The first seven fish we hooked were bass. The first fish was a 5-pounder that hit along the edge of Kissimmee grass. Luckily, the bass swam out into the open lake when it was hooked. We later got into the big bluegills. Anyone who has a birthday between now and Oct. 31 is entitled a freshwater or saltwater trip of their choice at $180 (Everglades trips not included). Give us a call or email us and mention the Birthday Special. Just remember, if your lure or fly isn't in the water, you don't have a chance to catch a fish. Call us at (941) 284-3406. Or visit out website at www.kayakfishingsarasota.com.<QL>
Sept 1 -06
Can you say redfish?
Aug. 20
The Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing fleet continues to grow. We received our new Heritage Redfish 14s and have rigged them out. What a pleasure they are to paddle. They're the Cadillacs of sit-on-top kayaks. On the maiden voyage, we really couldn't have asked for a better morning. I've always believed that you should take what you can get. Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing was headed for some shots at giant tarpon on Friday at the mouth of the Peace River near Punta Gorda. However, snook got in the way. We launched shortly before daylight and began casting a Rapala Skitter Walk as we made our way toward the river. Near Colony Point, we started catching snook. The action was very good for a couple of hours. We landed a trio of snook to 30 inches on the topwater. When that action subsided, we switched to a 19MR MirrOlure MirrOminnow, a very productive new lure. We landed four more snook in short order. That quartet included snook of 26 and 28 inches. In addition, we lost several fish and missed a few more. Working our way back, we caught a pair of redfish, a mangrove snapper and a feisty jack crevalle. The action was over by 11 a.m., which has been the norm in August. We've been getting out on the water early and we've heading back home by noon. But the trips have been very productive. Last week, we fished with Capt. Chris O'Neill of Tail Chaser Guide Services out of Nokomis. O'Neill is a retired Army 1st Sergeant. He's a cordial fellow and is a lot of fun. We launched at Ponce de Leon Park at Punta Gorda and head south to an area that O'Neill calls the "Skating Rink." There was a fair topwater bite early and it produced a redfish and a snook. When that ended, we switched to the 19R MirrOminnow. In two hours, we managed nine more snook to 30 inches and an equal number of redfish to 32 inches. All fish were released. We then headed into the Pirate Harbor canals. We jumped one tarpon on an Enrico Puglisi fly and had two other hits. On the way back to the ramp, we encountered large schools of Spanish mackerel and ladyfish. We caught and released about a dozen Spanny macks and several ladies. We also had a shot at a small blacktip shark. We saw several large tarpon. Redfish should be schooling up in preparation for their spawning migration into the Gulf of Mexico. We anticipate large schools of bull reds from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. If we can find them, it's usually hot action. They'll hit most anything and are a ball on fly rod. Bendback patterns usually are a hot ticket. Ditto for chartreuse-and-white Clouser Deep Minnows. Night snook action continues to be productive. We like to get out on the water around 4 a.m. and fish to daylight. Average catch has been 10 snook to 26 inches. We use 6- to 8-weigh fly rods, sinktip lines and small white flies. Tarpon, redfish and jack crevalle frequently are caught. The tarpon, however, haven't been as consistent this year as last. We'll be hitting freshwater lakes and rivers in another month or so. These trips are great for fly fishers. We use 3- to 5-weight rods, floating lines and No. 10 chartreuse popping bugs. Our typical catches are 100 bass, bluegill, stumpknocker and tilapia. We've taken bass to 4 ½ pounds on the tiny tackle. We also like to use my Myakka Minnow whenever the topwater action slows. The Myakka Minnow is a epoxy minnow imitation that seems to appeal more to larger fish. If you're interested in fly fishing or spin fishing for Florida freshwater exotics in The Everglades, we'll be heading that way in the fall when the mosquito population diminishes. We use light fly rods, popping bugs and baitfish imitations. We usually do well on oscars, Mayan cichlids, largemouth bass and bluegill. Tarpon and snook are possible. Our Everglades trips will begin in October. These trips fill up quickly, so booking early is a good idea. On Saturday, we conducted a pair of kayak fishing seminars for the Ladies! Let's Go Fishing school held at the Sarasota Yacht Club. In addition, we manned a skill station in the afternoon and taught several of the women a variety of fishing knots. If you're interested in fishing, please contact me at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com . Or you can visit my website at kayakfishingsarasota.com.
8-16-06 Spotted seatrout and flounder took a big hit during the devastating red tide of 2005.
But Southe |
