LIP GRIPPER
TACTICS | DESTINATION | RIGGING | SCHOOLED | FOOD | SKIL LS
RED FLAGS SIGNAL FEEDING REDFISH. PHOTO: JAY FLEMING
[ TACTICS ] FISH EYE T POLING THE FLATS
For kayak anglers fishing skinny water, understanding the tides is key to catching fish. On the Gulf Coast, there is one high and one low tide each day. Tides are at their most extreme when the moon enters its full and new phases and are even stronger during the fall and winter. Ben Fleming, a devoted kayak fly angler, fishes the turtle grass flats on Pine Island Sound on Florida’s west coast when the tide is lowest. “Low tides concentrate the bait and make fish more visible,” he says. To find the fish, Fleming stands in his kayak and patrols water from 12 to 20 inches deep.
“I can sneak up on the fish without spooking them with my paddle and
boat,” he explains. When he spots boils or tails on the water’s surface, he gets out of his kayak and stalks his quarry on foot. Once in range, Fleming lands his cast a foot in front of the fish and then lightly twitches the lure, careful not to make sudden movements that could put off the fish. To mimic local forage, Fleming favors flies such as the Merkin crab,
bone shrimp or spoon fly in size two to four. His best lures are an Exude RT Slug, native shrimp pattern, rigged weedless on a 2/0 or 3/0 offset worm hook.
SIGHT CASTING FOR TROPHY FISH BY JAY FLEMING
he tide was falling out. Silently, my kayak slid across the glass calm water. I stood completely still, squinted my eyes and held my breath,
waiting for the fish to show themselves. Then I spotted the sign, three tails waving at me on the surface. Red drum feeding in the shallows, and I was about to interrupt their meal.
WHACKING THE WEEDS
From the northeast coast of Florida to the Carolinas, the best shot at hunting down fish is during extreme high tides in late summer and early fall. Rich Santos, a kayak-fishing guide out of Jacksonville, Florida, looks for flats that are dry at low tide and close to deeper water where the fish can escape as the water level drops. “I try to stay in water no deeper than the height of my paddle blade,” he says. Since the fish are searching the grass for fiddler crabs, Santos favors darker colored soft plastics rigged weedless. With fish feeding in the thick grass, sometimes Santos has to drop the lure right in front of the fish. “Casting accuracy is key,” he says. “If you land the lure in the right place, the fish will almost always eat.”
OLD TRICKS, NEW LOCATION
After sight fishing along Florida’s east and west coasts, I was anxious to find opportunities at home on Chesapeake Bay. I had caught red drum by blind casting around oyster rocks and points, but I wondered if the fish venture into the shallows like their southern relatives? I studied Google Earth satellite images and nautical charts looking for shallow flats adja- cent to deeper water. Next, I rigged up with a weedless soft plastic that would imitate the local minnows and shiners. Then, I waited for the water to drop before paddling into the shallows. It wasn’t long before I saw redfish waving their tails at me. I bet if you try sight fishing where you fish, you’ll be surprised at what you see.
Jay Fleming is an outdoor photographer based out of Annapolis, Maryland. He can usually be found with his camera and his fishing rod paddling around Chesapeake Bay.
www.kayakanglermag.com… 33
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