By Bruce Butler
Welcome back yak fans. This month: skinny water, Indian Bay and my search for sheepies.
The winter cycle is here in full force, with 4 to 9 foot tides, which means, I get to drag the yak a lot more than usual. Heck, if you don’t time it right, just finding a usable launch site is tough. For those intrepid souls (in my case, sometimes pronounced “stupid”). They offer a whole new fishing experience. I mean, how often do you get to see a bay disappear? But besides all the extra cardio I get from dragging the yak, there is a payoff at the end.
#1 You really get to know the layout and cuts and where the natural dips and holes are. On a negative tide, you usually have the whole area to yourself, because nobody else can run that skinny.
#2 The payoff, big tide movements, bring everybody out of the backwater, and if you time it right, and know your area, you will be sitting there when they come out. If you get lucky, you may catch a school heading out. Work your way out with them and throw to the edges, not the middle. This technique will keep from spooking the school, and give you more time to work.
My last trip was to the North end of Indian Bay in Aripeka , and other than a couple of missteps, I dragged the kayak to the back behind Indian Key, to check two holes, but they were empty. So, then I got to drag the kayak back out, (of course in even less water). My excuse, I thought there would be fish back there. Oh well! finally got back into enough water to paddle and the trick at the low tide, is to figure out where they went to wait for the incoming tide. Sometimes you get lucky and they stack up in a small depression, and you will see the pressure waves and tails as they feed. This is when all the work pays off! Work the area with soft plastics at top water, or bait and let the fun begin. The bite usually slows down at the bottom of the tide and will pick up again as you start to get a decent incoming flow. Than you do it all over again, in the other direction. I picked up 10 reds last time on both sides of the tide. Don’t be afraid of those negative tides; just learn how to use them.
I almost forgot, the annual sheepshead run is happening in the flats and canals near you. I’ve had many reports of big ones hanging out by the docks and tailing in the flats. More on that next month. Till next time.
Bruce Butler
The Stumbling Gypsy
(352) 428-5347
Bruce@IndianBayOutfitters.com
Web: www.IndianBayOutfitters.com