TAMPA “These ’yaks are the way to go,”
says Spencer Goodwin, a Tampa guide who uses nothing but kayaks. “With the price of fuel, many people are searching for ways to fish more often for less money. Toss a kayak on a small vehicle and launch at the beach, and you’re pretty much fishing free for kingfish, cobia, tarpon — whatever is cruising by. We even catch our own bait and freeze the leftovers year ’round.” Kings migrate through the Tampa
area when water temps hover around 72 degrees, usually in the spring and fall. Goodwin’s program includes pad- dling near a pod of baitfish rippling or splashing off the beach, catching one with a Sabiki rig, transfering it to a kingfish rod, and heaving it out. “Aking hits so hard, he sets the hook so you can leave it in the rod holder,” says Goodwin. “A friend of mine caught a 43-pounder from his ’yak the day they had a local SKA tournament, when the go-fast boats ran a hundred miles north and south. He could have won second place and seven grand.” Which would buy a lot of kayaks. Yakkers targeting big kings tend to offer a ladyfish or a Spanish mackerel,
and drag it behind the boat. However, veterans know to avoid using two baits that big at the same time, lest you tempt fate and hook two kings at once. When a king hits in high gear, it can run in any direction. Hooked kings circle and sprint, but a one-man kayak easily pivots with the fish and follows. Keep that reel drag light and avoid double-headers. Using your favorite, high-dollar tackle isn’t recommended either. Spencer says a 25- or 30-pound spin outfit is fine, and there is no need for 350 yards of line since a kayak can fol-
Jordan Wright and his buddy Kevin Maye are young but serious yakkers targeting kings in the epicenter for this sport, Navarre Beach on the
Florida Panhandle.
low a hooked fish. Everything in a kayak gets wet on every trip, so the gear will take a beating. In the confines of a kayak, almost any mishap can result in a dropped or lost rod, too. My own beloved Quantum Cabo spin out- fit, a veteran of five countries, was pulled from my kayak’s milk crate merely by brushing a mangrove tree. “I haven’t had any serious mishaps yet,” Spencer says. “We catch five species of sharks here. We’ve had king- fish skyrocket around us. Tarpon and sharks have approached the kayaks for a look. Around Tampa we have lots of calm mornings and we can generally fish from dawn until about 11 a.m.”
FLORIDA PANHANDLE Jordan Wright and his buddy Kevin
Maye are young but serious yakkers targeting kings in the epicenter for this sport, Navarre Beach on the Florida Panhandle. If you can’t catch a kayak king from this 100-mile stretch from Panama City to Orange Beach, Ala- bama, this sport isn’t for you. This duo launches their ’yaks at the 1,600-foot Navarre pier. Slow-troll a live bait sev- eral hundred yards off this beach, and be ready for a fight. Big kings prowl
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