December 2011 - Follow Capt. Danny in
The Florida Keys Catching Tarpon and Cruising
the Back Country in his Kayak
Tarpon in the Keys
It's time to start the holiday
season! I'm sitting in Big Pine Key, Florida just up the road from Key West, enjoying a few cups of coffee. What a morning
it has been. I got up at the first hint of dawn and began my second day of fishing. I headed to the Shell station for my first
cup of Java and then over to the bait store for one dozen live shrimp. Yesterday, I found a canal loaded with grass where
small tarpon were willing to take live shrimp. The water in the canal here is so oxygen depleted that the shrimp die in about
a minute, so casting to the tarpon quickly is a must. Small tarpon find these canals attractive due to the lack of predators.
I arrived at the end of the road, grabbed my light spinning gear and the bait bucket.
A minute later I found mother nature had played a mean trick on me, as more grass had blown in and blocked my honey hole.
Next I noticed that the gnats were getting worse by the minute. I knew I had to move, so I eased over about fifty yards past
my truck to a spot that gave me a view of the area where the canal empties out onto a gin clear grass flat. It was evident
that the falling tide was pulling bait out onto the flat as a few gulls circled above and dove.
Honestly, I don't get
too nervous seeing redfish tail anymore, at one time many years ago it made me kind of hyper and I learned to slow down and
stay in the moment, but those old feelings were catching up with me as I looked out over the flat and saw several tarpon rolling
along the grass line.They were juveniles, but bigger than the canal tarpon. It was then I realized I was on a time line. Tarpon
are known to disappear, my shrimp would only live another half hour and the Hobie kayak was still on the roof of the Xterra.Alone, I unstrapped the kayak and got it down on the rocky ground. Talking out loud to myself I reiterated my immediate
needs: paddle, lifejacket, rod, reel and bait bucket.
I got the yak floating, it wasn't easy as the big coral rocks I
had to traverse gave my task a mountaineering twist. I didn't mess with the pedal drive, I just had the essentials. I didn't
even have extra fifty pound leader or 4/0 circle hooks. Like I said I had only a few shots and limited time to get it right.
In short, I had a version of buck fever to conquer. Tarpon fever is just the same as buck fever, it is why we are drawn to
these activities. My adrenal glands were open, I had driven two days to get here and as Ricky Bobby said, "Thank you
little eight pound six ounce baby Jesus", I was going to get at least one shot at these bigger tarpon.
Finally in the water, I saw several fish roll about forty feet away, the wind was taking its first puff
of the morning and I had the opportunity to nestle the kayak on a mat of floating grass about four strokes ahead. I glided
in and knew I was undetected. I took the biggest shrimp, impaled him and made a soft toss out in front
of the fish as they rolled. BAM! Holy molly, it was ON. The tarpon streaked through the grass and when he realized that could
not shake my hook, he did a series of ariel jumps as high as the ceiling. The hook set held the fish was beginning to tire.
Then it put a classic Tarpon move on me, under the yak it went and a did big ariel on the other side of the boat. That friction
helped it come off. Oh well.I took time to put fresh water in the bait well. I was too late, of the twelve
shrimp only a few were still kicking.
To my surprise, the tarpon didn't disappear. I would get a second shot. Much like the
first shot I hooked up and fought a tarpon and lost. These fish just go ballistic. They jump, they flip upside down in the
air, they may jump in the boat and they will strip line and run down in the grass, you never know what is next. I was mildly
shaking and a little upset at my failure to land the second fish.
With only three
dead shrimp left, I realized I might have fumbled on the goal line. I shook off the tragic event, re-baited and slowly drifted.
Near a lobster pot float was another school. I processed the data. I would be able to make the cast if I could get thirty
feet closer, I would deal with the possibility of loosing the fish on the float once I hooked up. I would not fall for the
tarpon under the boat trick, I shut down these mind cluttering thoughts made the cast. The strike came a little slower than
it would have on a live shrimp but it was a good hook set, and the fish took off headed off away from the lobster pot float.
It jumped and it jumped, doing those classic tarpon flips that I see on TV. I finally grabbed the leader and hauled him to
the yak.I was smiling, I was shaking and I just wanted a picture! I had lucked out. He was as big as my
leg and the circle hook was in the corner of the jaw, the leader was chaffed but held and the camera was working.
I got my Christmas present this morning and I might get another
shot at them tomorrow!
I hope your Christmas is as fun as mine.
2009 - Follow Capt. Danny fishing for snook,
tarpon and gator trout in South Florida.
Capt. Danny and Bill Keogh with a Tarpon caught on light tackle in the Florida Keys
◊ Ft. Pierce, FL - Indian River
near Sabastian Inlet
◊ Chokoloskee
Island, FL - Everglades National Park, The Backwaters
◊Big
Pine Key, FL - Big Pine Key Kayak Adventures with Bill Keogh
A long time ago I lived on North Beach in Fort Pierce, FL. I
had to start my South Florida fishing adventure by going back to where it began for me almost 30 years ago.North Beach is a barrier island is bordered by Sebastian Inlet to the north and Fort Pierce Inlet to the south.Highly saline Atlantic waters flow in and out with two high tides and two low tides a day. In the
70's I spent most of my time on the beach - surfing, working cabanas and cleaning swimming pools, and tending bar
on disco night. Today I am in search of big trout!
In 1995 a 17.7 lb gator trout was caught on the grass flats of the Indian River about a mile from the Inlet, this world
record trout is still number one on the charts. Beautiful gin clear water pours in from the Atlantic and floods the grass
flats and mangrove islands that dot the area.The beauty of this area is staggering with the different
colors appearing as variations of depth and bottom grasses.Huge trout are harvested year round in the
green holes on these flats. The good news is it’s a perfect kayak destination. This area is all accessible to the public
and camping on the islands that dot the Indian River is allowed. This area is just shy of two hours from Orlando. So
when Disney calls, drop off the kids and keep driving south on I-95.When I arrived back on North Beach for this trip, I pulled
into Little Jim Marina and saw about a half dozen vehicles. Two trucks were marked as local fishing guides.Capt.
Mark Dravo, a slim, weathered, smiling fellow, who reminded me a little of a Nascar Driver, greeted me as I parked.As a North Beach resident and surfer, he immediately began to chat with me about how our paths must have crossed on
the beach years ago.Mark offered me a ton of free advice: “Get in your yak and paddle past the pelican rookery island.Slide on down about four more islands, and then drift the flats looking for ‘green holes’.The big trout will hold on the flats near these holes. Try floating live shrimp under a cork near the holes.I’ve caught twenty fish over eight pounds this month, but I’ve been using live pilchers.” Pilchers are a longer skinner version of a pogie, but a lot
more athletic – and tough to keep alive in a kayak, so I settled on shrimp and launched the yak.
A Pilcher - live bait for Gator Trout
I floated the holes as directed, but cold weather (the coldest in three years!) had moved
the fish off to the deeper water in the Indian River.I tried for about three hours on the flats and then
relocated to fish the drop off of a channel that flowed in from the river toward the Inlet. At this point I was tossing plastic,
saving the live shrimp, then suddenly I felt a strong bite!I set the hook and a large ladyfish went ballistic.I anchored on the flat and began tossing live shrimp into what I imagined was a deeper hole cut by tide water flowing
under a bridge about one hundred yards to my east. Tap, tap. I set the hook and this time it was a mangrove snapper.I now had found some fish. Another shrimp - another mangrove.The next shrimp produced a small gag
grouper.I felt like I was fishing an aquarium. The tide picked up and then it happened – not the
gators that Mark had described, but a string of six nice trout all about sixteen inches. But for the highly unusual cold snap
that hit south Florida that day, I have no doubt that I would have had that big trout Mark described.I
called Mark when our game plan had not produced the big trout I so badly wanted. Mark must have felt a bit sorry for me, because
he invited me to fish with him on his boat the next morning.
The next morning, we targeted only gator trout by free spooling pilchers.In the gin clear water it was easy for gulls to spot our bait.They would occasionally dip down
pick up the pilchers and fly away.I watched as Mark gently tugged back forcing the bird to drop the pilcher
in a green hole even further from the boat.We call this our “relocation program”. We
spotted several thirty inch trout from his poling platform but during this cold snap they wouldn’t hit.Mark was apologetic, but as a guide I told him I understand that making them bite is not within our powers.We have a great day on the water, but I could not get that trophy trout out of my mind.I promised
to return to Fort Pierce and fish with Mark next week in kayaks when the weather was warmer.As fate would
have it, he called me the next day with news of an eight pounder and two fives!The next leg of the trip is to the Everglades. But stay tuned - I'm not giving up on my big trout yet. Stay tuned and see if I catch the big one!
If you are going to be anywhere near Fort Pierce, FL and you have dreams of catching a big speckled trout by all means
give Capt. Mark Dravo a call at (772)519-4632 or check his website www.y-bnormalcharters.com.
Second Stop - Chokoloskee Island, FL - Everglades National Park, Fishing the Backwaters
with Chokoloskee Charters
Chokoloskee is a thirty-two acre island village
literally at the end of the road. (On your map or GPS, find Hwy 41 in Southwest Florida).The road ends
here because from this point south begins Florida’s famous Ten Thousands Islands. This small town is the Mecca of kayaking
and kayak fishing for South Florida because it is bound on all sides by Everglades National Park, an estuary encompassing
over one million acres of marsh islands and the maze of waterways that interconnects them. This national park is unique in
that it is accessible almost exclusively by water. For the extreme outdoors types, the park system allows
paddlers to travel one hundred miles of waterways to the lower end of the park at Flamingo, FL.There are
designated primitive camp sites on small keys along the way, but a local guide is a must to ensure you find your way from
point A to Z. The Everglades is big, and protected in its entirety. There is lots of open water and plenty
of fishing.I am lucky to have a fellow kayak friend, Capt. Charles Wright of Chokoloskee Charters (www.evergladeskayakfishing.com),
who is the premier kayak fishing outfitter in the Everglades. We drove in Friday night unannounced (but
with a bottle of Markers Mark for Capt. Charles) and were greeted with a great fishing opportunity. Charles turned us over
to two of his guides, Capt. Jason Sine and Rich Jones, who were lightly booked with only a twosome for the next day.After a few cocktails around the camp fire at his base of operations, “J.T.’s” – a Chokoloskee
landmark, Capt. Charles found us a room for the night and we agreed to meet the next morning at the dock.
The next morning, my wife was going on about the beautiful Everglades sunrise, but I was
more interested in the impressive twenty-five foot Carolina Skiff loaded with six yaks stacked across the bow. I noticed that Capt. Jason seemed a little nervous
about his run this morning.Tidal range in this area of the Gulf of Mexico is nearly seven feet.We descended from the dock into the mother ship and he told me we had fifteen minutes to clear the six oyster bars
that block the river. He explained that no dredging is allowed in the park and things might get sketchy if we did not leave
ASAP. We polished the prop, but never got off plane as we rode into the core of the park.
Roughly an hour later, we dropped anchor off a small
unnamed bayou that filters back into the mangroves.On our hour long ride into the park I saw no trace
of man.Mangroves and oyster reefs poked their way up from the tannic colored water. I
felt like time had stopped and I was lucky enough to be trapped in this pristine paradise.I dropped into a Heritage Redfish 12 fishing
kayak and began a fishing adventure I’ll cherish forever. I took the lead as we paddled under a canopy of mangroves.I noticed that a slight current was pulling me forward.I began flipping low casts under the mangroves,
slowly walking the dog with a Zara Spook.A bit of anxiety that comes with fishing so many days for a living
was lingering in my stomach. (Or maybe it was just the coffee and cheese grits finally settling after the boat ride?)What if I don’t catch a snook? As is often the case, these negative thoughts vanished immediately when a nice
size fish banged the Spook, but didn’t quite find the hook.
The canopy of
mangroves began to open up and casting became easier. It was just like bass fishing in many ways. Accuracy and patience had
to be employed as casts needed to be tight to the mangroves roots.Occasionally I could see and hear a
snook popping the water’s surface from inside the web of mangrove knees as it ambushed a ball of bait. Bam, I missed
a second fish as he rose from the roots and made a half hearted attempt to assail my offering. I saw the
fish and he was nice, about a four pound snook.A few minutes later, my prayers were answered.A big snook scared me as he engulfed my Zara Spook.
He dove for the mangroves, but I managed to turn him and drop the anchor on the kayak. Then he went airborne for three back
to back attempts at freedom. Gills flared and much like a tarpon, I watched the snook shake his head from
side to side trying to gain freedom. Freedom came about two minutes later after a few photos as Capt. Jason explained that
in the Everglades, snook season did not open for a few weeks, and even if it was open, my fish was just over the slot limit
of 28-32 inches.This was fine with me as I had not intended on keeping my catch this trip.
Capt. Jason Sine, Chokoloskee Charters
Rich Jones, Chokoloskee Charters Kayak Guide
We continued to drift our way down the slowly flowing, winding mangrove waterway.
As the sun rose higher and the temperature warmed, I could see big balls of glass minnows that would sometime drift in on
a patch of mangroves. When this occurred, the snook seem to go crazy. They would blow
the minnows out of the water. This would start a chain reaction of explosions from the water as the current pulled the bait
down the tree lined the bank passed one after another snook.Capt. Jason and Rick were smiling from ear to ear as the bite accelerated
for the next half hour. Like most guides you’ll meet, they both love their job - and what a beautiful
office in which to work! We fished until the tidal movement seemed to slacken and the bite waned. We each landed at least
a half dozen snook, took two redfish and had one trout to complete the local “Glades slam”.The
ride back to the dock had me wondering what the Barataria Terrebonne Estuary would look like today if we had protected it
the way the Everglades has been protected. This park of over one million acres is a testimony to conservation and protective
stewardship. Might this approach be the only way to get a grip on the vanishing costal marshes of Louisiana?If you are nursing a case of cabin fever and feel like some adventure,
get up off the couch and journey south for an experience that will blow you away. My friends on Chokoloskee Island are a happy
bunch of fishermen waiting to work on your bucket list. Check them out on the web at www.evergladeskayakfishing.comto see all their kayak fishing packages, single or multiday charters and lodging options.You can also contact Capt. Charles Wright at (239) 695-9107 or via email at Captwright@evergladeskayakfishing.com.
Bill Keogh and Danny Wray with a Tarpon
Third Stop - Kayak Fishing for Baby Tarpon on light tackle in the Florida Keys
with Bill Keogh, Big Pine Key Kayak Adventures
You Should Have Been There!
This statement comes out of
my mouth only after I’ve had the highest level of fishing fun.I’ve wanted to catch “baby
tarpon” from my kayak for a long time and had hoped to bump into them on the Louisiana coast, but to date it hasn’t
happened.So, after our successful experience in the Everglades fishing for Snook, Kristen and I headed
down to the Florida Keys, where the tarpon are plentiful.Capt. Charles Wright hooked us up with Capt.
Bill Keogh of Big Pine Key Kayak Adventures who put us on the little tarpon.Bill told us it was a good
thing we did not have our hearts set on bonefish or permit, as the cold snap the week before had pushed these species to warmer
water.And even though others we had talked to told us that the tarpon were not running – Bill knew
exactly where the small tarpon stayed – warm weather or cold.We followed exactly Bill’s instructions
and were soon watching tarpon roll near the mangrove roots. The first day we fished with fly rods,
the tarpon would take the fly, jump, but immediately disappear.We came to the conclusion that our flies
did not have the right hooks to land these aerobatic fish.Next day, we free spooled live shrimp in Kahle
hooks to the small rising schools and it was “game on.”We landed 12 that day and had more
fun than you can imagine.Our last day in the keys Bill took us out on his mothership, a Carolina Skiff,
much like my own, loaded with kayaks.Another cold front was getting ready to hit the keys – “the
Big Blow” as locals called it.But that morning the water was warm, and clear green.We watched a few more tarpon fly on our morning trip with Bill – just enough to complete the footage we need
for the video below.
Give us
a call if you want to experience tarpon fishing from a kayak in the Florida Keys.We are putting together
lodging and charter packages for a return trip to the Keys.Give us a call and let us know when you want
to go!
