Summer time has come for central Florida’s kayak anglers. Look for the fishing to be just as hot as those still and muggy mornings! The brisk spring winds of May will become a distant memory. Kids are out of school and it’s time to get fishing. Many of the baits that are so small in the spring that you won’t even notice them have become perfect bite sized morsels, and certainly caught the attention of our predatory fish. Threadfins, baby pogies (small Atlantic menhaden), pinfish, mojarra, and several types of mud minnows will supplement a diet that has consisted of mullet for the past few months. I will be putting out some short videos on catching, caring for, and using these baits. Those video’s, a weekly forecast by Local Lines Charters, and much more can be found at spacecoastfishingforecasts.blogspot.com/ be sure to check frequently for updates.
The early and late in the day topwater bite is in full swing. Fishing these low light conditions with walk-the-dog type lures can be an extremely productive way to spend your time on the water. It can take some practice to achieve the side-to-side motion needed to truly get the most from this lure. The reward for a well worked plug is easily the most heart stopping experience an angler can have. Witnessing any of our “top four” unload on your plug in the slicked out shallow water will certainly stop a heart. The space coasts redfish, seatrout, snook, and tarpon (“top four”) are all predators that love to go hard for these pieces of plastic. The trout, snook, and tarpon feed from underneath in a very explosive manner, but the redfish have an underslung mouth that makes for a comical hit. Reds will typically wake up behind the lure.
Then must bring their entire head out of the water to get the lure positioned correctly, and it’s a blast to watch. Fishing with clients from all over the world and at many different skill levels has afforded me time to make some interesting observations when utilizing topwater lures. 1.) A well worked plug rarely gets refused. 2.) It is tough to get a fish hooked sometimes. For observation number one; practice makes perfect. As for the second one; here are a few tips to help with that! First and foremost is to continue working the lure in the same manner that got your first hit. Many times the second or third strike is the one that connects with your target, and some species will chase your topwater for the entire retrieve striking the entire way.
By maintaining the interest of a striking gamefish you can combat their Ninja skills. They must be ninja’s to hit a lure full of hooks multiple times and still not manage to get snagged. One thing that really seemed to help me and my clients is to not set the hook until you feel weight from the fish. It’s really hard to not yank when you see your topwater get smashed, but continue the retrieve and wait to feel your fish. It will send your catch rates through the roof. Please do your best to stay up to date on the Port Canaveral rail causeway over the No-Motor-Zone. It will affect many things; including an east side launch closing.