Fly fishing in a kayak...

Fly fishing and kayaks can go together like peanut butter and jelly once you master the combination. Fly fishing form a kayak can be one of the most effective ways to fly fish. I personally enjoy fly-fishing from a kayak above all different methods of fly fishing.  Although it does have its challenges, once you fine-tune everything it can become game changing.  Your process will depend on your own person skill set and you will have to learn different casting techniques that you would normally not use on land or in a bigger boat. However, there are many advantages to moving your fly fishing game to a kayak, for example, you can get to places that no one else can get to. Also, your presence is so small that you see and get shots at many more fish. Here are a few pointers for making your kayak fly fishing journey a success.

Being organized can be the night and day difference of having a poor day or the day of a lifetime! When I plan on going fly-fishing from the kayak, I bring minimal equipment out on the yak. Getting your things ready the day before is mandatory:  picking out what size rods, lines, and flies helps ensure that there are fewer things that could go wrong on game day.  Generally, the only thing I bring on my kayak is my paddle, 1-2 rods/reels, anchor stick, a dry bag to put phone, keys, flies, etc… and maybe a small cooler for drinks and food. Now on my personal body… I have on my life vest, a pair of pliers, and some type of snips for cutting lines or trimming flies. The less stuff you have on your yak, the less likely you are going to tangle or catch your lines.

Once you have fly fished out of a kayak a few times and are starting to get the hang of it, there are a few more things that I would recommend bringing.

Landing net: Using one with a longer handle or an extension handle with rubber mesh can make it easier to land fish depending on how long of a leader you are using. Also, on windy days it can make a great stripping basket.

Stripping basket or mat: Bringing these out on the yak and storing them away while not using them can be kind of difficult. But, on really windy days it can make huge difference with line management.

Push pole: Some sort of push pole depending on the area that you are fishing in. It can help you control and move your kayak while standing. Standing makes it easier to see and locate fish.

Remember, the more stuff you bring out with you the more things you have to be aware of your line getting tangled around. I even ask myself sometimes… why did I bring so much stuff! Haha! Anyways, go out there and give it a try. I promise once all the puzzle pieces all come together, it will become a lifelong obsession. 

Jack Attack!!!

 Most people who fish, do it for many different reasons. Some do it to escape from the everyday grind, some do it just for the pure beauty of being on the water, and others for the shear thrill of hunting different species of fish. But, if you are out there to find the best fishing challenge, when it comes to saltwater fishing the fish that comes to mind for pound for pound hardest fighter would be the Jack.

    There are many different species of Jacks all over the world and are they are all known for their long hard fights. The Jack Crevalle is one of the most popular species that lives here in our local waters. Generally, they travel in large groups and don’t discriminate on what they eat. Look for schools of bait getting blasted in every direction and most likely it’s them. They will eat anything from bait fish to crustaceans. My favorite thing that I like to pitch at them are top water lures like the Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil. Their top water assaults are ferocious and if the first one misses it, keep on working it because there is going to be another one right behind waiting to explode again! Then the second thing I like throw are Monster 3X Paddle-X soft-plastics with a 1/8 oz. jig head. Swim it very fast with slight twitches and hold on when it hits! These fish pull like a freight train as you start to look at your reel wondering if you have enough line. When they start to swim in a circle in either direction, this means they are starting to slow down but, even when they start to slow down you still have a good fight ahead of you. The last but definitely not last way I like to target them is with a fly rod. Once you’ve hooked one these fish on a fly rod, you will be hooked for life. They will have you into your backing in seconds! Most of the time it doesn’t really matter which fly or what lure you are throwing as long as you work it fast.

    You can find these fish from deep in the backwaters all the way out to the gulf. Just make sure your tackle is up to par when playing with these guys because they will surely test it. I hope that on your next trip you run into these tackle testing machines and have some fun. As always please be safe! Take care of your local waters and respect all the anglers on the water. There is plenty enough water out there for everyone to enjoy. Tight Knots and Tight Lines to all! 

Fishing in Florida!

    As you probably know, Florida is one of the best fishing destinations on earth.  It is unique with beautiful lagoons, lush grass-flats, long rivers/creeks, deep blue-green coastal waters, and lakes/ponds in just about every direction you look. There are many ways to fish on them:  by boat, by foot/wading, or by canoe, but my personal favorite is by kayak. I love the freedom of being able to put my kayak in just about anywhere and leave as little imprint on the environment as possible. Plus, they are super stealthy and I can get to places that many people can’t get to… I want to give you guys my three top places to fish in Florida and why…

1st- Tampa/ Sarasota, FL

  I choose to live here because of our beautiful Gulf waters and the amazing fishing. Besides Sarasota winning best beach in the world just about every year, it is home to some of the best tarpon fishing in the world. We also have some of the most beautiful, lushest grass-flats that I’ve seen anywhere.  And our water clarity is pretty good all year. This makes for an outstanding inshore fishery for snook, redfish, trout, and tarpon. Because we are on the central gulf coast, it does take a little bit to get into some deeper waters for offshore fishing. But there are plenty of nearshore reefs on the way out with lots of great fish to be caught like grouper, snapper, cobia, kingfish, etc…

2nd- Mosquito Lagoon/ Indian River, FL

   This place is a very unique fishery. It is home to some of the largest trout and redfish I’ve ever seen! It isn’t really tidal driven like most saltwater areas, so the wind and rain play a huge part in the water level and clarity. If you are any type of fisherman whether fly or conventional and like to catch redfish and trout, this place is literally a dream come true. If you put your bait anywhere near a fish over there it is going to get crushed!

3rd Florida Keys

   This place is an incredibly beautiful chain of islands that has the best of both worlds inshore and offshore. Literally pick an island, head out in any direction and you can find just about every fish Florida has to offer. They are well known for their tarpon and bonefish fishing. I also love that it still has that old Florida feel.

    Be adventurous and go check out what all Florida has to offer. Also please respect and take care of our water so that everyone can enjoy. Tight Lines & Tight Knots! Tight lines and Tight knots to everyone!  Eric Henson is the owner of Casting Kayaks LLC. a guided kayak fishing company out of Sarasota Florida.  He specializes in inshore light tackle or fly fishing from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. To book a guided fishing trip with Eric check out his website www.CastingKayaks.com or give him a call at 941-504-1349

Landing the big one...

When it comes to fishing, learning to properly land your catch is critical.  We all have a great story about the huge fish that we almost landed… but there’s no photographic evidence (or dinner on the table) because we lost it while trying to get it into our boat.  Learning to land your fish can be the difference between a good and a great day. There’s nothing like catching the fish of a lifetime and as soon as it gets next to the yak, it comes unglued… This usually happens when you try to lift the fish into the boat with your rod or you try to grab it with your hands next to the boat. There are many different types of tools that you can use to land certain types of fish in different types of situations. The two main tools that I use to land fish are a good landing net and lip grippers. These two tools can improve your game and help you successfully land more fish.

Landing Net-  This is the number one thing that I depend on in tournaments when it is most critical to land the fish. When picking out a net decide on what size fish is the average that you will be targeting. The last thing you want on your kayak is a huge clumsy net that is always in the way of your paddling or fishing. For inshore species I like to use the EGO Slider 2 17” or 19”. Reasons why: First, it has rubber mesh that is easier on the fish and is extremely easy to remove the hooks from (no tangled mess). Second, it has an extension handle that makes it easy to use for reaching out on kayaks or when using a fly rod with a long leader.  Third and most of all it floats! : ) People ask me all the time what if I catch a huge fish? Trust me I’ve landed 40+ inch fish in this net. Most of the time if you get a large fish’s head in a net it will break it will and give up, giving you complete control of the fish.

Lip Grippers- I use lip grippers on an everyday basis! Either to land a fish or after just to remain in control of the fish. A lot of times I have a bungee tied to the grippers so I can let the fish rest in the water (to lessen the stress put on the fish) while I decide to get out a measuring board, camera, etc… They have many different varieties out there from floating ones like Fish Grips to ones that you can actually take weight measurements from like a Bocca Grip. None-the-less, they all work great for keeping control of your fish.

Until next time, keep control of your catch and land the fish of a lifetime! Tight Lines and Tight Knots to all! 

Winter is HERE!:)

  Winter time fishing is one of my favorite times of the year to fish. If you are a true Floridian like me, it’s time to break out the winter clothing. Things I like to wear to keep me warm include a nice warm pair of paddling gloves, hats, buffs, and I even knock the dust of the ole waders. But, the number one thing that keeps me warmer than anything is a good windbreaker. You can cut the chill in half with a good windbreaker and they aren’t very bulky, so it's still easy to move around. Although this year has been a little warmer than previous years so far, look for fish this month falling into their winter patterns. Once you learn the patterns of the fish you are targeting, it can be literally like plucking fish out of a bucket.

     Fishing will be most productive on the couple of days right before cold fronts and generally a few days after the cold front has rolled in. Fish get extremely fired up right before a front. Even the day as the front rolls in with crazy high winds, I’ve had some of my best days! Just please be careful if you are in a kayak. As the front rolls in and the fish feel the pressure dropping, it triggers them to feed hard. Then right behind that, the pressure will begin to rocket back up with cold high winds and blue bird skies. The fishing will generally be slower right behind the cold front. Then usually 2-3-4 days after depending on the size of the front, the high pressure will let up and the fish will begin the eat more heavily again.

    Extreme winter time negative low tides can also give anglers a clear advantage targeting fish. First off, all extreme tides are caused by the full and new moon’s gravitational pull. Fishing as a whole, is generally better on these big tide swings. Also with the heavy winds this time of year, it can blow the water out even more. Think about it like this, less water- less places for fish to hide…(mangrove shore lines, docks, etc.) As the water pours off the grass flats, target nearby creeks, rivers, and boat channels. These will get narrower as well, giving you a better chance with less water to find them. If you enjoy wading, this is a great time to walk the grass flats. Fish holes that you’ve found previously fishing on the higher tides. Sometimes you can find fish stuck in them from the water getting sucked out to fast. Now that's like fishing in a bucket! These extreme low tides can help you learn a lot about the layout of an area for future fishing trips.

        So remember to check the weather and your tides this winter and try some of these methods. I promise it will give you an advantage to fishing in the winter months.  Stay warm and be safe! Hope everyone’s holidays were blessed and fishy! :) Tight lines and Tight Knots to the New Year!

Reds, Reds, and more Reds!!!

    This is one of my favorite months for Red Drum. I call it The Hunt For Red October! Red Drum are also called redfish, spottail, or channel bass. Red drum are named after the drumming sound they make when taken out of the water and during breeding. They have broad heads and stout bronze/ red colored bodies normally with a black spot right before their tail fin starts. You can find them just about anywhere inshore and offshore in our region. The bag limit for our region is one fish per angler 18-27 inches.

      This time of year, huge schools of bull redfish are here and on the prowl for their next meal. The majority of these fish will be over slot but are very fun to pursue . Some of the newer schools that are  coming  in from offshore will be a washed out lighter grey color and the schools that have been here for a little bit will be a beautiful bronze color. When you see a large school of these fish coming at you, it will literally turn the water a bronze reddish color. A lot of the bigger fish in the upper 30’s – upper 40’s might look a little beat up from spawning. Be careful to release them because these are our big breeders.

      Right now I am targeting them on the grass flats. On the higher stages of the tide in the mornings and afternoons, look for huge pushes (wakes)  as they will cruise around in the 2-3 ft. depth range. Then concentrate on them in the 4-6 ft. depth as the sun comes up or the tides go out. Also look for them staging in large potholes. The biggest thing is once you’ve found them, try to be very stealth! They can feel and see you coming from pretty far away and once they know you are there, fishing for them can become very frustrating.

     Baits that I like to use to target these schooling fish… First thing in the morning throw a top-water plug like Yo-Zuri’s 3DB Pencil. Make long cast out in front of the school, wait to work it until they get close enough to see it. Their mouth is on the bottom of their head, so they have to really commit. Watching them hit a bait on top of the water can be an incredible sight! Then as the sun comes up, I start throwing soft plastics like the Monster 3X shrimp or the paddle-X. There are lots of weeds out there this time of year so be sure to rig them weed-less. Last but definitely not least would be your favorite suspension bait like a Mirrodine. Of coarse live or cut bait works great as well. Some days these fish will be feeding like Piranhas, eating anything you throw in front of them and some days they can be quite finicky. Regardless, it is an amazing sight to see a school of reds the size of a football field coming at you!

Ever thought about broadening your fishing horizons...

  Well, it's tournament season in the southeast!  Do you like fishing?  Do you like to compete?  Do you want to meet others who love to fish?  Do you need a good excuse to get out on the water all day?  Think about checking out some of your regional fishing tournaments this summer.

One way to get involved is to join a local kayak fishing club.  Some clubs do monthly competitions with entry fees and prizes while others just connect you with new friends who like to kayak fish, but all of them allow you to meet fellow anglers and will keep you up to date on local tournaments. You can always check with other anglers and local fishing stores to see which tournaments they recommend.

When looking for a tournament to fish, you want to see a nice, well-organized website.  You also want clear, detailed rules.  It's nice when they do things like raffles at the weigh-ins so that everyone has a chance to win sponsor prizes from great companies like Johnson Outdoors, Old Town/ Ocean Kayaks Bending Branches, Yo-Zuri Lures, Mirro Lure, Monster 3X, Yak-Gear, RailBlaza, Intova, Engel Coolers, etc,, even if you are not into the money that day. As long as the attendance is good, most of your larger tournaments pay out through the top ten. Also some tournaments have ways to win extra money by signing up for the Angler Advantage or the Calcutta.

Once you find a tournament you would like to fish, get on their website and sign yourself up.  Read the rules many, many times!  Every tournament is different and you want to be sure that you know what to do to give yourself the best chance of winning without being disqualified.  You will be expected to attend a "Captain's Meeting" the night before the tournament- these are mandatory.  There, you can get all of your remaining questions answered- anything that wasn't covered clearly on the website or in the rules.  You will have a start time when you are allowed to push off into the water on tournament day and specific rules about how to take pictures and measure your fish.  You want to be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get back to the weigh-in location, because in most tournaments if there is a tie the angler who checked in first wins.

Some of my favorite kayak clubs are KAWF and Hard Core Kayak Angler Cub. Favorite online tournaments are onlinefishingtournament.com, 321Fish.com, and kayakwars.com. 

Some of my favorite Florida tournaments include the Kayak Fishing Classics, IFA Kayak Tour, Kayak Bass Series, and Extreme Kayak Tournament. There are so many more fun tournaments out there that you can fish for just about every species of fish you can think of...

Hope this helps you get motivated to try something new.  You've got nothing to lose and lots to gain!  Please feel free to come say "hey" if you see me at any of these events.  Tight lines and Tight Knots!

Redfish North & South!

   The redfish are everywhere! From North Sarasota Bay to South Sarasota Bay!  Look for them in groups. Once you find them anchor up and don't move. They are feeding extremely hard on the fast moving tides.Have been picking most of them up on soft plastics but they have been tearing after the ol top water also in the middle of their frenzy! 

     It had been a while since Rebecca had been catching any good fish. She was getting bites but not getting the fish hooked. I had her cast out and just practice setting the hook without a fish on, just to get the feel of a proper hook set. Within minutes she set the hook into nice upper slot redfish! The fight was on! I coached her to keep the tip up and not to reel against the drag. She listened well and after a great fight, she had a beautiful redfish kayak side with a smile ear to ear:)  We continued catch redfish after redfish till we lost count. Also landed almost a 19 inch Flounder in the mix. Another great day in Sarasota bay!!!

Bradenton on Fire!

      Started out the morning heading south do to the wind. On our way out Chris started catching trout after trout! I was right behind him catching nothing,until BOOM! Fish On! I wasn't sure what it was till it came up and gave me a nice head shake. Nice Snook! After a great fight, I got him to the yak and realized it was hooked pretty deep. The snooks mouth was so big I was able to put my hand down his mouth a gently remove the hook. Lucky for him it was about a month shy of snook season because he would have been coming home to mamma! Mine and my wife's favorite fish to eat! He was able to swim off to fight another day. We ventured off to the flat where I had seen lots of reds a couple of days before. Before we got there I seen a couple of redfish cruising so I threw my top water at them.They were all over slot fish so my heart was pounding! I seen one turn on it and was coming at it like a freight train! You wouldn't believe the wake it was pushing up behind the lure but, he wouldn't eat it! I cast one more time and after a couple of twitches he crushed it! It looked like a killer whale eating my bait! My drag was screaming out line! The fish had to be over 35 inches. I yelled over to Chris to get over here and cast. As he pulled up next to me the lure popped out of his mouth and almost hit me!lol! I take a look at my lure. Three hooks were straighten and one of the back hooks completely snapped off! Wow, my heart sank. Less that five minutes later Fish on, Fish on! Another over slot redfish but, this one was on a jerk bait. I backed the drag off so I wouldn't lose this one.Lol!  Finally after a grueling battle I landed him.Snapped a couple of pictures and did a cool underwater release with the go pro. After that we moved on to THE SPOT! We start seeing reds everywhere , in groups of two and three. And every once in while we saw schools of 15-30 reds but ,they were very spooky. We did manage to catch a couple of more redfish and trout which was a blast! Another great day on the water:)

Rain Rain Go AWAY!

               As we launched out we could see huge rain clouds rolling in off the gulf. Looking on the radar, it looked like it was all heading north. Not even ten minutes after launching ,the rain began. We threw on our Frogtogs and paddled on. When the rain picked up I broke out the ol umbrella! Paddle in one hand and umbrella in the other !lol! When we arrived at the spot ,the rain had lifted but the fog was rolling in behind it. Oh well,the rain had stopped! Time to fish.  The water was dead calm and when I stood up redfish just scattered in every direction. My heart was pounding. I told Otis" drop your anchor"The redfish are everywhere! We started casting at them but they were very spooky. Every time we casted a jerk bait or a lure at them they would literally run from it. It was eating at us so we decided to move on and try to sneak up to them on the way back. Soon as we crossed over the sandbar we started picking up nice trout. Working the deeper ledge and potholes seemed to be the ticket for the ol trout. It was time to head back and sneak up to the redfish QUIETLY!lol! We took a few nice long blind cast and BOOM! Fish ON! As soon as my jerk bait hit the water a huge redfish smashed it. It was a very long cast, and had lots of line to recover. Line was peeling out drag and had to tighten it down before he spooled me. I kept saying to myself PLEASE DON'T BREAK!  I managed to turn his head and get some line back but it felt like my line or rod was about to snap at any second! I eased up on him a little bit and let him self wear down a bit before getting him next to the kayak. When I got him to the yak, I knew he was way over slot. So I got some more great footage with the Go-PRO and got a cool underwater release. After that we continued fishing and the bluefish rolled in! It was literally fish after fish until our arms couldn't take it anymore! We decided to head in after what turned out to be decent day on the water. Sometimes you just have to wait it out!:) 

Fishing on fire in Sarasota bay!

  The day started out good because one of my best friends and I were on the water ready to catch some fish! We headed out early in the morning with a beautiful sunrise in the distance.  We were blessed with great weather- wind was blowing hard the day before.  We headed down the intercoastal searching for some big snook.  Casting towards the mangrove lines we managed to catch a few monster jacks.  They put up big fights- my buddy's yak was spinning in circles- we had a good laugh about that one- got a great video of it as well.  I will post that video on my youtube channel (search eric henson casting kayaks on www.youtube.com to see it) in a few days.  We paddled on and picked up a couple of huge 'doormat' flounders- kept a fat one for dinner. : )  As we came up to a grass flat we started picking up lots of trout- a couple over 20inches!  My friend (visiting from TN) really wanted to hook a redfish and the day was almost over.  I took him to a hole where redfish hang out- he casted and BOOM- redfish on!  Over 27inches- put up a great fight!  What a great way to end a wonderful day.  We didn't manage to catch any snook, but we caught a ton of fish and ended up with a great fish dinner! : )

Vamo on fire!!!

     This morning headed out on the water a little late because of the cool weather. We started paddling out to the mangroves to see what was biting. First mangrove line we saw lots of mullet moving but, not one bite! We head to the next stretch and casted out the top water.It got crushed as soon as it hit the water. Snook on!:) We continued catching snook after snook with a couple of small trout in the mix. Now all we needed was a redfish to finish the slam. We paddled on to the next mangrove and on my way I see a 35-40 inch snook floating dead in the water. :(  As we pull up in between two islands, there are mullet everywhere! The water is super skinny, six inches to a foot. I take a long cast with the top water and boom a red fish crushes it! I struggled to get the go pro on and got a little slack in the line. I reel the slack in and put pressure back on the fish.Pop! The lure comes out and almost hits me in the face!  My next cast is into like six inches of water where I had seen redfish cruizing the mangrove line. Couple of twitches of the spook jr. and it gets SMASHED by a nice redfish! It was unbelievable watching the whole fish come out of the water and inhale my lure! The fight was on!  When I got him close to the boat I realized he had completely swallowed the whole lure. So, I decided to bring him home. Then we paddled over to turtle beach, got out to stretch out legs and take a few casts on the beach side for flounder with jigs. We ended up catching 6 flounder within 1/2 hour. Then we jumped back in our kayaks and made our journey back towards the launch. We picked up a few more nice sized snook on the way home. Great day!

40+ inch redfish in Sarasota Bay (The Hunt For Red October)

 Well my day started out cooollllddd.... It was the first cold snap of the year. I decided to head out at sunrise like I normally do and it was not a good idea! lol! I didn't catch my first real fish fish till 11 am! Before that I had caught 3 lizard fish and 1 ladyfish. :( Once the water warmed up the fishing started getting a lot better. I picked up a few nice size trout. The jacks were everywhere I casted and my arms were tired from catching so many. So I started scouting out the area. Poling across the flats during the extreme low tides, you always find nice holes that you don't normally see on the higher tides.  Meanwhile as I'm poling along I see this huge red log laying in the water. I take a closer look and see that it is a monster redfish! I pick up my pole with the redfish pattern mirro lure and cast it right in front of its face. Twitch it once and out of no where a jack comes up and eats it right out of the reds mouth. Now I'm quietly trying to real this fish in without spooking the red as the wind is pushing me further and further away. I take the fish off the hook. Pick up another rod with a golden bream lil john. Lather it up with some pro cure inshore sent. Put the Go Pro on and go on the hunt for red October. As I'm heading back, I'm praying I hadn't spooked him? Finally I see him out of the corner of my eye sitting right next to 2 other smaller redfish. I pick up my pole. Make a short cast right in front of his face. He turns his head and sucks my lure right up! FISH ON! My heart drops into my chest and the fight is on. The first time he comes to the top of the water I couldn't believe how big he was. I was praying to myself. Pleaaaaasssseeee don't break or come off. As I was reeling him in, other redfish started following him up. If there had been someone else with me, there would have definitely been a double hook up! I finally land him. My heart racing like crazy! I quickly throw him on the measuring board . When I first measured him I thought he was 39 inches but when I went back and looked at the pictures, I realized he was almost 42! I was in all! I put him back into the water to revive the beautiful bull when two guys and a dog came out on the flat. They were nice and snapped a couple of more pictures for me. I then turned the Go Pro back on for the great release. It was truly beautiful watching the redfish head back to nature for another day:) 

40" Snook and Schooling bullredfish in Sarasota Bay

 Started my morning off heading north in Sarasota bay on the east side, trying to stay away from the winds.  I was picking up a few small trout,when I looked to my Left and saw explosions on top of the water with birds diving on them. I paddled as fast as I could to get over to them. I turned the Go Pro on. Hoping for them to be the school of redfish I had been on the hunt for the day before, while fishing the IFA Redfish Kayak Tournament. As i got closer I saw the bronze bodies lit up everywhere!!! I take a long cast at them and my mirror lure jerk bait gets smashed! Now there are literally hundreds of redfish swimming all around me. While reeling the redfish in there were other reds trying to take the bait out of its mouth.lol! Trying to keep my eye on the school, I finally land the fish. It was lit up beautifully bronze, and had a big ol fat belly. I release the fish and paddle back over to them. This time, I take a cast at them with my top water plug. They were exploding all over it! After catching a few fish I ended up hooking into a monster size jack, that pulled my kayak around for what seemed like an eternity. I finally land him and when I look up to see where the school went they had vanished.  My arms were burning! I was thinking to myself, thank goodness for good reels and St. Croix Fishing Rods! I checked all my knots and bent all my hooks back into place. lol! So I start to paddle back keeping an Eye out for the schooling redfish. I pulled up to a creek and decided to check it out. The last time I was in this creek , I had about a 4 ft. snook follow my top water plug all the way to the kayak. At the last minute, it almost jumped in my boat trying to eat the lure! Anyways ,I am paddling hard because the current was ripping out. I get about half way up the creek and decide to start fishing. I catch one snook hanging around a dock and  just let the current take me down the creek. Fishing all the way down, I come to where the mouth of the creek opens up. I take a cast right on the edge of the mouth. I feel a thud which felt like I hooked the bottom. The current ripping me out. Then the fish realizes its hooked and my line starts peeling the opposite direction towards docks.:( I manage to turn its head and in the mean time wedge my kayak up in the bank of the mouth of the creek. Then remembered to turn on the Go Pro in the middle of all the craziness. Still not knowing what I had hooked, I see this huge head surface. Snooky Snooky! I thought to myself how am I going to land this fish in these circumstances! Finally I land the monster! So beautiful with that big mouth and long black stripe running down its body. Take a few pictures and release her. I start paddling back in thinking to myself that I cant wait to see the video footage when I get home.That was the end of another beautiful day in Sarasota Bay!

  By the way I'm still trying to figure out this whole Go Pro thing. Will be loading videos soon and I have started a YouTube page:)