Anyone here had any success kayak fishing in Florida?

I fished in Navarre many times (Santa Rosa Sound). I used gulp shrimp with and without a cork, live shrimp, topwater (bone colored super spook jr) and gold spoons. Caught many reds and specks.

I have never fished beachside though, don't have the balls to try to get past the surf.

Yeah, fishing beachside is way different than fishing the bayside. You can catch some bull reds beachside also. Would be awesome to catch a ling in a yak.

Best thing to do is to get hooked up with a guide. They will have all the best equipment and best numbers.

Kayak fishing Destin

Sails&Tails

Sails and tails comes recommended by a very experienced kayak guide that has switched to guiding real boats. They are in the Pensacola/Navarre area, but may guide Destin too. If not, I am sure they could put you in touch with the right people.


ETA: Going BTB on your own without someone experienced is doable. However, you'll have a much better time with someone who can take all the guess work out of it for you. As far as baits, a basic offshore yak setup is trolling live or dead cigs on a duster rig. You can catch Mackerel and maybe a cobia or Blackfin if you're lucky right now. Without a GPS and numbers, you're not going to do much bottom fishing.

Talking about Jd? If he recomends them, they're good. There is no "should" get a cobia from the yak. its not like a boat where you can spot them easily. Most of the ones that are caught are caught trolling a king rig or bottom fishing. When are you coming?

I'm in Milton. Picking up my Kraken Thursday. Can't wait.

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Specifically, in the Destin area.

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Yes. If you are fishing the beachside, I recommend getting up early and fishing the trough in between sand bars with gold spoons. I use a spinning reel spooled with 20 lb mono and use a 30 lb fluorocarbon leader that is about 3 feet long (the reason is that blue fish have teeth and will break you off if you don't have a leader).

You can expect to catch redfish, bluefish, ladyfish and pompano.

Something we have done in the past few years is to put in on the back bay (there is a free public boat launch that is really on good for kayaks and really small boats on the back bay (cannot remember the name).

We fish at night in the back bay around the dock lights on private docks from kayaks. We typically use DOA shrimp under a popping cork.

Expect to catch speckled trout and redfish around the docks.

It is kind of spooky to be in the bay at night, but as long as you are no further out than 300 yards from shore (which you only need to be about 20 yards out to fish the docks), you can stand up and walk to shore if you needed to.

Also, keep a head lamp on at all times so you don't get run over by a drunken boater while doing this type of fishing at night.

check out BCKFC.org

Choupique on there has caught sailfish off the beach in Destin.

I fish out of a kayak every year in that area, mainly with a flyrod. I basically just throw on a clouser (a spoon of any kind should work find if you're doing traditional) and troll a little off the sandbars. Get into mainly ladyfish (which are fun on a flyrod) and some spanish mackerel. Also get into schools of reds and bluefish on occasion.

You need my Hobie Mirage with me in it. Then we will talk bait.

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You need my Hobie Mirage with me in it.

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