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Brian's kayak fishing blogMostly true, semi photo documented episodic narratives of kayak (and other) fishing experiences.
Brian's kayak fishing blog

Bunche of fun - 10/29/09

Thursday, 10/29/09, I headed out to Bunche Beach with the kayak. I threw a Rappala X-rap out one side of the kayak and a blue-backed Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow out the other side and commenced paddling around the sand spit towards the Sanibel Causeway. I hadn't even rounded the sand spit yet when the rod with the Yo-Zuri went off. First fish of the day was this nice bluefish.

I picked up three lizardfish and three ladyfish too. The majority seemed to prefer the Yo-Zuri over the X-rap for some reason. Somewhere between half and 3/4ths of the way to the Sanibel Causeway is my special grouper spot (hey, I can't tell you EXACTLY where it is or word would spread and the spot would be ruined!). I picked up four gag grouper trolling those lures. I think three hit the Yo-Zuri and one the X-rap. All four were shorts, but fun to catch! The bigges might have been 14" overall.

I decided to take a rest from paddling so I anchored up with my 10# barbell plate anchor and set one of the cut lizardfish out on my heavy spinning rod with a 6/0 hook on 50# mono leader. Within just moments, the pole went off and I sank the hook into a nice 16 inch red grouper! Well - let me clarify that! I didn't exactly "sink the hook". The grouper had the lizardfish bait in his throat and somehow the leader looped around his head and the hook caught the leader effectively lasso'ing the fish as you can see in these pics!

Choosing a Fishing Kayak--Buy a model that has a fishing pedigree. It’s a model that’s currently being used by a lot of fishermen. Fishing kayaks are dominated by a couple of dozen models.

-- I headed out to Bunche Beach with the kayak. I threw a Rappala X-rap out one side of the kayak and a blue-backed Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow out the other side and commenced paddling around
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--THE ULTIMATE INSHORE FISHING EXPERIENCE!Come try a fishing experience that is as unique and exciting as the wilds of Florida!
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-- Websites of the greater Naples FloridaOffering many different types of Kayak Rentals as well as Kayak Tours, Kayak Fishing, Lessons and Fitness Classes for adults and children.
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Launch Maps The Launch Locator Map Section gives you the chance to find kayak launch locations all over the world. It also lets you share launches with others and even leave a fishing report for a particular location.

This map is here to help you find areas to launch your kayak and other kayak fishing resources.

Gear Guide Kayak Fishing Gear See the latest fishing kayaks that hit the market. Also see our buyers guide for complete list of all fishing kayaks.

Instructional Kayak Fishing Videos Videos that will help improve your skills on the water. Check out below.

Kayak Illusion.MOV 8 Year Old CJ shows how to get through the Catails in a kayak going from one pond to another.

Kayak Technique - ROCKS and RI... World Champion Kayaker Ken Whiting explains how to deal with rocks when paddling in rivers with current.

Shrimping From Your Kayak Howard McKim of Ketchikan Kayak Company in Alaska, shows how to catch shrimp from a kayak.

How to Rig Up Your Kayak for F... Pro Fly Angler Greg Bowdish teaches you how to get the deck of your kayak ready for fly fishing. Essential for all new to fly fishing from your yak. F...

Homemade Kayak Loader - Loadin... and or Homemade kayak loader using suction cups and PVC pipes. I created this because I can n...

How to load kayak on car by yo... Small girl demonstrates how to load a 13 foot kayak on a car roof by herself using the Wheeleez beach cart + bungee cords.

How To Re-enter a Sit On Top K... Before you go fishing in rough water, surf or moving current it is important to know how to get back in your kayak after you fall out. This week Ken W...

As long as you're prepared for it, there's no reason you can't be out fishing from your kayak in cold conditions. In this episode, Jim Sammons expl...

Catching Striped Bass with Liv... Kayak Kevin Whitley explains how to catch big striped bass with live eels.

How to Launch a Kayak in Surf World Champion whitewater kayaker and obsessed kayak angler, Ken Whiting, explains how to make a successful kayak launch in a surf zone.

I think red grouper are one of the prettiest fish. This one measured 16 inches - too short to keep, but sure fun to catch!

The lizardfish bait was still good to go after I unhooked - I mean un-lasso'ed - the red grouper, so I threw it back out on that big eight foot Shimano Terramar heavy rod with the big Penn 750SSM reel on it loaded with 30# braid. That's my tarpon rod, so I knew it was up to the challenge of handling a decent sized shark should I happen to hook one while in the kayak. I was slurping up some Gatoraid while bobbing around on the kayak - just sort of admiring the scenery when the Penn 750 started singing! I grabbed the rod out of the holder and gave the drag a couple of turns to tighten it while the fish was pulling line out and felt the circle hook set into something BIG!

So there I am, rod bent double, reel singing, holding the rod right handed while I use my left to work that barbell plate anchor and maybe 10 feet of line back into the kayak! As soon as the barbell plate came off the bottom, the kayak was moving! The fish, whatever it was, was dragging me along at a healthy clip! My first thought was that I had a bull shark or perhaps Goliath Grouper on the line, but I didn't know WHAT it was!

Maybe 10 minutes into the fight, it occurred to me to try to film part of the battle. With one hand, I fished my camera out of my shirt pocked then managed to select movie-mode and power up the camera. I held the camera in my right (rod-hand) while I held the reel handle in my left and occasionally using my left on the rod as well! I was aiming the camera by guess and by golly so the video quality isn't good here, but you can get an idea of how this fish was pulling! I finally decided to stop filming and put the camera away for fear I was going to get dumped out and didn't want to lose it! After a 45 minute struggle, I finally got the fish up to the kayak! It was a HUGE sting ray - maybe the size of the one that killed Steve Irwin! It was easily six feet from nose to tip of tail with maybe a 4 to 5 foot wing spread! The body looked to be about 9 to 10 inches thick! This photo doesn't do it justice becasue there's nothing to give it perspective as to the size, but hey! I was kinda busy right then and a quick, one-handed snapshot was all I could manage!

I very carefully, cut the leader about 6 inches from the mouth of the ray, then paddled back and played with a few ladyfish and blue runners on my way in. I finished the day with a beer and order of hot wings at Bonita Bill's.
Bonita Bill's in the background.

Life is good! : Posted by Brian Travis