Florida Keys Kayak Fishing Advice Needed.

This June, my wife and I will be spending a week vacationing in a beachside condo on the island of Marathon in the Florida Keys.  I have made arrangements to rent a kayak for the entire week.  I plan on shipping a variety of my equipment and tackle ahead of time so it will be waiting for me upon my arrival.  Needless to say I have been researching fishing in this area, however I thought I’d post up here as NCKA has many knowledgeable experienced anglers.

Grouper, Snook, Bonefish, Tarpon, a vast array of reef fish and sharks… There are so many intriguing species to target. How’s a man supposed to choose? We will be there during mid-June. Our condo will provide convenient access to the Atlantic side and the Gulf side too.  Any shared thoughts or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Fish for them all!

Matt -

If your there in June, tarpon will be thick. You'd probably be able to find and catch them by Kayak.

Another fun species to target, which may not be the most glamorous is Barracuda. They can be thick on the flats and channel edges. Use a "Cuda Tube" or large soft bait like a 10inch Hogy.

Catching either of those fish on a yak or on the shoreline would be pretty exciting for you.

Another species that you can target is Permit. Use a live crab casting along the flats or drifted out with the tide around bridges.

Sharks are everywhere and big. It's pretty much a guarantee to hook up on a screamer when the tide is running. Use a fresh cuda, bonito or snapper carcass to get hooked up.

Depending on where your staying, snook may not be very thick and hard to target.

Matt,

 I was just in FL a couple of months ago and had the opportunity to fish with Ross (aka Hogy) and I can tell you from spending time with him and from the results, this guy knows his shiz! I would follow his advice to the letter. And if you can book some time up in his neck of the woods... DO IT! He's a helluva fisherman and pleasure to hang with, one of us.

ruben

Ross.  That summery was more than enough to get me thoroughly amped up! Im am not apposed to chasing "rough" fish such as Barracuda, in fact the notion of these toothy fish excites me.  It is my impression that Tarpon are one of those low probability / high payoff type of species (am I wrong?).  While I enjoy the "hunts" like that, Id rather fish for something a bit more reliable with my limited time, such as Cudas.  The areas you suggested to locate Cudas sound like classic territory for many other species, which means that id be likely to find edible fish as well (right ?).

Id like to PM you to ask more specific questions once I formulate some.  Is that ok?  Perhaps Ill even need to stock up on some Hogy baits before my departure.  Thank you for the lintel Ross!

You may be surprised at the lack of "many other species" on the flats. Now fishing on the reefs, you'll have several snapper species, mackerel and grouper willing to bite.

Flats will have:
Tarpon - Tricky, but doable.
Cuda - Usually willing to participate, but can be finicky
Permit - very picky, only use crabs, maybe a large live shrimp
Bonefish - picky, but will readily eat a live shrimp on a jig head
Snapper - small snappers will eat every piece of bait you drop down.
Sharks - On a moving tide in channel edges or cuts, sharks will be ready to eat. Use fresh meat, big hooks and heavy gear to land them. a 2 - 4lb chunk of meat should work fine.

smacks are a fun fish and taste pretty good as well. i always use 40-60lb mono or some thin wire and just troll a spoon.

targeting other fish such as tarpon and snook use like baitfish or some yozuris. those are always fun. I use to use gulp and jig heads on the spanish and kings down there. sharks use some heavy wire and 100lb mono rub leader(6ft). since you are on a kayak you dont need a ton of line but be careful they dont pull ya out to far lol

smacks are a fun fish and taste pretty good as well. i always use 40-60lb mono or some thin wire and just troll a spoon.

What are Smacks?

Spanish Mack's

   Best served ceveche style

Spanish Mack's

   Best served ceveche style

OOh!  I love to make and eat ceveche!

& they are a TON of fun on lite tackle.  I would use a small wire leader just a couple inches long to preserve the lure action or use a small amout of braided line.  Tootly little critters!

Hogy.  After some research and talking around, it seems as though Tarpon may may not be as elusive and difficult to catch as I thought.  The most popular method seems to be flylining live baitfish around the bridges.  So a few questions remain.

What type of baitfish are best suited to Tarpon fishing?

Can I catch them on my own using sabiki rigs, or can I buy them at a bait shop?

Also, what types of artificial rigs would you suggest for Cudas?

Finally, are fluorocarbon leaders necessary for Tarpon? and are steel leaders necessary for Cudas?     

Matt -

Glad you got over your tarpon crisis

While the adults may be a bit more of a challenge, tons of babies swim around docks, bridges and channel edges.
I prefer to catch them on artificial baits. Check out this article for info on catching them at night http://www.hogylures.com/pro-talk-rattling-night-tarpon/ Keys tarpon love to eat Hogy soft baits!

The most popular baits would be mullet, pilchards and crabs. Frozen mullet can be bought at tackle shops. Live bait is better, but a frozen one soaked on the bottom will work. This will also work for sharks.

Live crabs can be bought at most shops and work great on an outgoing tide. Best best it to soak them on a bridge. Flat lining them on unweighted hooks is best.

You can sabiki herring and pilchards up, but locating them can sometimes be a challenge.

For cudas, a 10inch Hogy rigged on a wire tandem rig will catch the snot out of them. Another rig to try is a cuda tube.

Fluorocarbon is necessary. 80lb for adults and 40-60 for small tarpon. Their mouths are very abrasive and will wear through line after a long fight. You will need to add a trace of wire for cuda. a 12" section of 60lb wire works fine. I prefer single strand tied up with a haywire twist to your lure. You can tie the wire to your mono or fluoro leader using an albright knot.

Shoot me an email [email protected] and I'll get you setup and hook up the NCKA discount as well.

This was caught on the 7inch Original Series Hogy in Black.

Sorry for late response! Yes Spanish Mackeral. They are awesome in ceviche or grilled with a lemon marinade. You can almost cook em like tuna.