Backwater fishing has taken a new twist for some of my most hard core," I would never fish out of a kayak" clients!! Some of the most intense fisherman I know now have a new outlook on kayak fishing` For years I have fished out of my kayaks, not because I had to but because I love to! My 22 ft center counsel sat in my driveway as I loaded my kayak into the back of my truck! Yes that's right, a professional guide with beautiful boat fishing out of a kayak!! What is he thinking!! I really believe that too many fisherman discard kayak fishing as a lower form of fishing lifeI am here to tell you that's not the case at all. Being a professional guide I can't tell you the number of clients I have that call me for kayak charters that were only "big boat fisherman". There were times when they wouldn't even give kayak fishing a listen let alone a chance. How times have change!! With the improvement of the new age kayaks and equipment, kayak fishing is no longer the primitive type of fishing many have been use to thus the change in many of my clients perception of kayak fishing. Fishing from a well equipped kayak is not only enjoyable but an incredible backwater experience. My comparison of kayak fishing for me would be like that of a hunter using a bow. For many years I bow hunted for deer and the serenity of being one with nature has always been the reason for me to be out there. There is a lot of pre planning that goes into a hunt, it is definitely not the run and gun type of sport. Sure you have the new compound bows with the new graphite arrows and the latest high visibility sights, but it still comes down to the hunter's ability, pre planning, patience and persistence to make one good shot, a lot like kayak fishing. Before you even think of loading your kayak into your vehicle, there is a lot of planning that goes into your trip. Unlike the big boat space is at a premium you need to stream line your choice of equipment. You need to decide whether you will catch your bait or purchase it and if you decide to net bait do you do it before you launch or after? Is your net too large or to heavy to transport in your kayak. How will you keep your bait alive? Do you have the necessary equipment to keep your white bait aerated? These are just some of the checklist items you need to review before you ever leave home. I know its sounds like a lot already but I promise you the rewards you will reap from a kayak fishing trip will far surpass the amount of pre planning you need to do. Besides for us hard core fisherman that's what it's all about anyway! Once you have figured out all the detail of your kayaks it will be one of the most rewarding things you have ever done. Once you are on the water it becomes a whole new game. You know were you have caught fish before but now you have so many more options. You can get to places that were to skinny to get to before in the big boat. You don't have to wade across a 400 yards of flat to get to the mangroves on the other side, now you just paddle! but by far the best part for me is that you are just stealth! As quiet as a mouse! No haul slap, No trolling motor just you, or at least as quiet as you can be! For those of us that are use to standing on the trolling motor and working the shore line, this is the Flintstone version. You seem to look closer and work the area harder. You get that bait up under the docks and mangroves a little further and for some reason the spots you didn't work as hard before are producing big fish. You also seem to notice holes and prop scars that hold fish a little more! Fishing from a kayak heightens your scenes. It lets you pay attention to the little things that sometimes in the fast world we overlook. I know that I have found spots with my kayaks that I would have blown right over in the big boat and would have missed some big fish! Last but not least is the piece and quiet of the slow moving, hand powered vessel. It is not only a pleasure to fish out of but also a pleasure to paddle! Sometimes I will paddle for hours and then drift just looking for new spots or for fish. The exercise you get coupled with the enjoyment of paddling down the ICW is awesome! It's like going back to the steam boat days. So for those of you that have not as of now experienced kayak fishing you are missing out on a lot. Don't cheat yourself out of a trip of a life time. I promise you with all the wildlife you will see and the enjoyment you will get out of a kayak charter you will be hooked for lifeJust like me!!
As always don't forget to take a kid fishing!!