Spring is here and for offshore kayak anglers that means great fishing in South Florida and the opportunity to catch everything from Kingfish to Tuna close to shore. Football size blackfins will be in good numbers over the deeper wrecks in 150 to 200 feet. Vertical jigging will be the key to catching most of the footballs from the yak. Try using pink or purple vertical jigs as those colors have brought me the most luck. While jigging for the footballs, you may get a shot at the big amberjacks that hang out on the wrecks as they will hammer a vertical jig. Get ready for a sleigh ride if you hook up to one of these reef donkeys. The bigger blackfin tunas should be showing up in April and will be bite a jig too, but live bait will give you a better shot at hooking up. Try free lining a live pilchard on a 3/0 or 4/0 circle hook tied to 30 or 40 pound fluorocarbon leader. This technique will also be productive for mahi mahi that will also start to show up in good numbers. April will also produce some bigger kingfish in 80 to 120 feet. You’ll want to slow troll a juicy goggle eye on a downrigger to have the best shot at hooking up with a smoker. Make sure that you use a stinger rig as the big kings will slice your bait in half. If you are new to the sport of kayak fishing, the folks at Nautical Ventures in Dania Beach can help you get set up with a downrigger.
Stay safe when offshore kayak fishing and make sure you have all your safety gear like a safety flag for boats to see you, a PFD and a radio.
Joe Hector
954-895-4527
Extreme Kayak Fishing Inc.
www.extremekayakfishing.com
joe@extremekayakfishing.com