Dan Carns
As a kayak fishing instructor and guide at Gulf Coast Kayak, I’ve come to expect that every single angler that I come across has in them the things that define their abilities. These are either attributes or liabilities, as I see them, and they come from a lifetime or a short-time of fishing, so it’s imperative that we recognize them relatively soon on a guided trip. I’m a teacher at heart and love to impart my lifetime of fishing knowledge onto every client, while being patient at the same time. No two anglers will observe or learn alike from the same lesson, so adaptability is key. Of course, fishing a new area is in itself complicated. Add to that an entire new sport like kayaking and the process can seem a little overwhelming. We generally spend a few minutes on shore discussing gear, technique and of course safety messages, but the real work starts the moment the yak hits the water. Depending on a client’s exposure to paddle sports I like start to correct or expand on paddling habits. It’s remarkable how just a few alterations can improve speed, duration and style; just the suggestion to lower your shoulders and relax your muscles during the paddle stroke changes everything about paddling for most. Posture and foot position are two more areas that can improve not just technique, but overall comfort during a potentially long time in your kayak. All this happens before the fishing even begins, subliminally getting a client to feel more at ease before the real action starts. As we move through the trip there a hundred other observations that I make to help a client have a more successful outing. By the time we’ve reached our first fishing stops, many of the kayak fundamentals are covered and we can focus on fishing.
Within one mile of our launch we have an abundance of fishy habitats like oyster bars, grass flats, mangrove shoreline, and boating channels, so depending on the time of year the prevalence of certain fish species and factors like tide and wind, we decide where to start and what to use. We often bring live bait unless someone tells us not to and sometimes we’ll catch bait as a by-product while fishing and use that as well. While every trip is a unique experience, we use just about every style of lure and technique available so that as the trip evolves our clients get to at least see how it’s done here in S.W. Florida! The water here is fairly shallow so top water plugs are a great choice early and the ever-present popping cork with artificial or live shrimp are great options. Surface to mid-water twitch baits and slow retrieved plastics rule here as the fish will easily see any presentation and depending on your ability to make it look like food, you may find yourself on the other end catching a memorable fish!
It’s A Wild World-Get Out There! Fishman Dan
Dan Carns at 239-283-1125
