I certainly would have rescheduled or canceled my Monday trip had the weather forecast been accurate. The forecast had been for calm in the morning and 10 to 15 southeast in the afternoon. I woke up feeling weak and wobbly. A very strange feeling. I didn't feel physically sick, just weak and dizzy. I figured it would pass.
My guests were Charlie Rann and his son Stephen, of Mahway, New Jersey. We met at Castaways at 8:30 and got the boats ready to launch. We had a little breeze going as we left the dock, but the area near the ramp is well sheltered, and it's hard to tell just what's going on. Stephen had a little trouble keeping his boat going the right direction, but did OK until we got out of the lagoon and went to the trolling motors. He had trouble keeping his boat on track in the current and wind that was now picking up, but seemed to be getting the hang of it as we made our way toward the fishing grounds.
By the time we got there the wind had definitely kicked. I couldn't believe it. I went in ahead of Charlie and Stephen to anchor on the first hole, and would have them anchor on each side of me so that they were properly positioned to fish the hole. Charlie had no problem anchoring, but Stephen just couldn't get control of his boat, either by paddle or trolling motor, and went over the hole and adjacent hole numerous times trying to get his boat back to where he needed to anchor. Finally, I had to go get him and help him get anchored on the next hole.
We didn't realize what was going on, but that afternoon Charlie hit it on the head. Stephen was so light that he wasn't putting the kayak hull into the water to the point that it was designed to be to work properly. That, and the fact that Stephen was just not heavy or strong enough to get his stakeout pole stuck into the mud in the wind, and couldn't get his boat stopped. You have to stop your forward motion before anchoring with the stake.
The weather had really double-crossed us. This wasn't supposed to be. But, it was blowing hard. I caught a few ladyfish in a hole I went to check out, and Charlie managed to catch a redfish in his hole. The strong wind was blowing the tide in ahead of schedule. I wanted to get us in shallower and calmer water and see if we could put some redfish in the boat. I knew I was going to have to get Stephen properly anchored, and do so without him blowing by me and running over the flat we wanted to fish. Stephen followed closely behind me. When we got to our spot I quickly anchored my boat and caught his boat as he came by on my port side. I got him anchored and ready to fish, and put a Gulp New Penny jerkbait on for him. I moved about a cast away. Charlie had stayed on his hole.
I don't know why, but the fish just didn't want to eat. We got lots of bumps without a hookup. Eventually, Charlie came and joined us. I kept moving around on the flat, just trying to fish a fish that would eat. But, I never found one. Charlie managed to catch a beautiful 5 pound speckled trout, and put it on the stringer. The trout gave him a real battle, with lots of splashing and thrashing around the boat. But, I was too far away to get video with a cam that doesn't zoom.
The wind kept gusting and building, and I was becoming concerned about safety, especially since Stephen was having trouble controlling his boat. I got on the radio and told him what I thought, and he agreed. I went back to Stephen and anchored a few feet from him. I instructed him to pull his anchor trolley so that the stakeout pole was at the bow of his boat. That would swing him around bow to the wind, so he wouldn't have to be trying to turn his boat around in the wind after pulling his anchor.
I then instructed Stephen to turn on his trolling motor, get his paddle ready to steer with, and then pull his anchor. He did, but by the time he got his composure he was already spun around on the wind and couldn't get his boat turned back toward us. He was literally blowing away on the wind. Worse, he was headed for a large oyster bar that would have carved up the hull of his boat and sunk it. I pulled anchor and ran him down on speed #5, and literally rammed his boat from the starboard bow and turned him away from the bar in the nick of time. We were only feet away from the bar.
At that point I realized that the only way I'd get Stephen home was to keep him right where he was on my port side with his trolling motor on, hanging on to him keeping his boat right against mine, and hoped it would work. It seemed a very long ride to the closest mangrove shoreline right into that wind, and Stephen's boat was kicking up a lot of water with the waves breaking on the bow. I was taking on water in copious amounts. It wasn't long before I heard my Whale bilge pumps kick on, and from that point on they never turned off. I can't tell you how glad I was that I'd put them in the Ultimates. Of course, I never anticipated anything like this, but I was so glad I had. It was a struggle hanging on to Stephen's boat and trying to keep the two of us going the right direction, but we did it, and eventually were back at the ramp safely. I was bushed. But, my sick feelings were long gone. I was running on adrenaline, now.
I felt really bad for Charlie and Stephen, as I know how much they were looking forward to a good day on the water. The weather had really double-crossed us and the fish wouldn't eat. I offered Charlie a trip on me the next time he comes down, and want to get him out there and put him on a good bite.
After a couple of trips rescheduled because of another passing front, I was back on the water on Friday with Dave Wank, of Mentor, Ohio. He was staying on Sanibel, so I met him at Bailey's Store and he rode with me to the ramp to save on parking. Dave is thirty-seven years old, a teacher, and a rabid angler. It didn't take us long to get the boats in the water and headed to the fishing holes.
It was a beautiful day, and we had a slow moving tide that would eventually be a very high one. It started with a low that was about half way in, or out, depending on your perspective. We were starting the day between tides, and I didn't really expect much action early on.
It went as I expected. The water was already a bit high for the big trout in the potholes. We got a few 14 inch trout and plenty of ladyfish, but that was about it. We moved on as the tide began to noticeably move. Our next stop was a nice hole we've been getting redfish from every time I fish it. I situated Dave on the hole and moved on down to see if I could find redfish on a different hole. Dave did catch one redfish on that hole, and I didn't get the first bite in the area I was fishing, which has been very productive.
When the fish didn't bite after Dave's first red, he moved along the edge and fished his way toward me. He tagged a nice snook on a DOA Cal, and that gave him his SLAM. That was it for that area, though, and we moved on. I stationed Dave on another series of holes along an edge and went to fish an area a couple hundred yards away.
The action was slow. As I worked my way toward my favorite part of the area, I heard three tremendous slashes out behind me. I spun around just in time to see a tarpon every bit of seven feet long free-jump the fourth and final time, and land with the force of a small bomb. I called Dave on the radio and asked him if he wanted to see if he could hook it up. He was immediately on the way to me. I wouldn't have even asked many people if they wanted to chase a tarpon in a kayak, but Dave had quickly proven his angling and kayaking skills that morning, and I knew he could handle it if he got hooked up.
We went to the edge of the flat where I'd seen the fish out in deeper water and set up a tarpon watch. I wanted to see if we could spot a pod moving or daisy-chaining. Then, he could go cast to them. We started working the edge, and caught a few trout and ladyfish as we watched for the tarpon. Then, Dave caught another redfish. Hmm. Maybe there were more.
Then, as we turned our attention to redfish, the big fish, or another one, made another jump, and Dave took off to where it had been. I stayed right where I was and caught redfish. Dave gave the poons about a half hour, and never saw another one. He did do some blind casting, but with no takes.
Dave came back and joined me and we had a good time catching redfish. Once the bite slowed where we'd initially found them, we moved up to where I had been headed earlier, and not only got on more redfish, but the big ones I was hoping would be showing up any day, now. We ended up catching eight redfish a piece, which included 24 and 26" fish late on the tide, and had a great time. We caught until the tide was obviously laying comatose, and headed in. We did stop along the way home and make a few casts to see if we could find another red or two, but the water just wasn't moving, and it was getting late. We moved on.
It had been a good day that had worked out about as I had anticipated. Dave was a great guy, and loved the boat, and said there was probably going to be an Ultimate in his future.
I will soon be making a series of video clips for all who want to kayak fish to see and learn from. Each will be a short, single subject clip about such things as how to use the stakeout pole and anchor pulley system, how to use the Sampo stringer, how to use the radio, how to properly land a fish in a kayak so that you're not dunking my reel two feet under the saltwater on the other side of the boat, and so on. I think they will be helpful for first time kayak anglers, as even though many are experience paddlers, they've not fished from a kayak, and not used the various tools of the sport.
