by Keith Lozott, Contributing Writer
Florida has no motor zones all over the place for environmental protection reasons and I for one applaud this concept. The fishing in these zones can be epic for the adventurous angler who isn’t afraid to burn some calories paddling their watercraft to get a bite. I have fished two zones chasing down sought after shallow water species.
Weedon Island Preserve comes to mind as it was a funny day renting a kayak for the first time. I made a critical mistake when I decided to tow my flow troll shrimp bucket behind the kayak. It felt like I had a windsock out slowing me to a crawl. Of course my buddy Bill was laughing at me as I cursed the decision to bring live bait and to top it off all of the fish caught were on artificial baits. The first snook landed was near a mangrove shoreline and the fish was towing me around in the kayak. I thought it was a top of the slot fish but once landed it was maybe 25 inches. That gave me some perspective on how powerful these fish can be – able to pull me around!!! The preserve is a very beautiful place surrounded by busy Tampa/St. Pete. I would love to go again now that I have a little more knowledge on canoeing and kayaking.
The “No Motor Zone” which is what everyone calls it, is where I have many fond memories. It is located on the Banana River just north of the Beachline Hwy (528) just south of NASA at Kars Park. Kars Park was designed for armed service veterans and accessible by the public for a fee to enter. There is plenty of parking and a dedicated canoe, kayak and paddle board launch.
Once you launch, head north and start looking for tailing reds, trout and giant black drum. Keep your eyes open for large alligators that inhabit the shallows. They typically leave you alone but you never know. Also, pay attention to the manatees. My buddy Chris and I paddled unknowingly over the back of this grass eating beast when suddenly the canoe’s bow shot into the air with an explosion of water beneath us. The manatee let out noises that I thought only a Rhino could make and slammed its tail with amazing power directly into the bow hitting and bending Chris’s 4000 Shimano Stradic. Chris let out a scream that makes me laugh to this day. Once the situation was over we started laughing for at least a half an hour. As to the fishing side of the area I’d say it’s hard to beat. I’ve days where my silver Zara Spook Jr. was bone color by the end of the day as a result of seatrout crushing it on almost every cast. The redfish can be gigantic as I’ve had a 40 pounder launch itself out of the water hitting a topwater lure right next to the canoe. We have caught bunches of reds and trout on cut mullet and have landed huge back drum on cut blue crab. So I’d say if you like paddle craft fishing, find a no motor zone and give it a shot.