High Hopes
Dot and Liz decided to take things a little slow. They weren't up for any lengthy paddles in choppy waters and they certainly didn't want to be caught in an unexpected situation if Tropical Storm Karen decided to turn inland. They were content to fish closer to shore where Jennifer and Rebecca could keep an eye on 'em. It wasn't even a half an hour after her first cast when Dot hailed Delores on the two-way with the announcement that she'd caught her first fish of the day. Yes, it was only a catfish, but technically it was the first fish of the day and any fish was better than no fish at all at this point.
Not to be outdone, mind you, Liz managed to wrangle up a fish of her own, and not just any 'ol fish - a nice little bonnet head shark! Dot found humor in watching that shark spin Liz's kayak in circles like a washing machine. Liz just happened to be fishing with a pretty sturdy spinning combo or she could've easily lost the shark to a quick slice of the line or worse yet, a broken rod. Jennifer paddled over to help Liz de-hook it and that's who the morning started for those two.
Smile for the camera
The other group, Alice, Delores and a couple of others followed Darin and Tara out a little farther and around Piney Point to some of Darin's favorite fishing spots. They both wanted to see some new visitors to Cedar Key be as successful with kayak fishing as they were and what better way than to introduce them to some favorite areas.
The Morning Route
Darin led the group of kayak anglers to an area that was pretty large and would accommodate all of them at the same time while still staying within sight of one another. Alice happened upon the first hot-spot of the morning where she pulled in a countless number of trout. She invited others to share in the spoils but they were hoping to chance upon a little action hole of their very own.
The goal was to keep an eye on Darin and where he paddled to. He knew this area better than anyone so his periodic relocations were good indications of where the fish were and were not. At one point he had everyone's attention by announcing that he spotted a tarpon roll in the near distance. Anchors were pulled up immediately and paddled hit the water in the hopes of witnessing a second roll and maybe even hooking into it but too much time had passed and the still water never broke again. Disappointing but not surprising.
Between the hours of ten and noon, the four anglers and two guides had covered a lot of ground using various tactics like live shrimp vs artificial and deep pockets vs oyster bar edges but regardless of their attempts the fish seemed to elude them with the sole exception of Alice. She ware the crown for the morning. It was still low tide when noon rolled around and feeding growling stomachs moved to the top of the priority list. A nice, inviting shoreline was just the place to paddle to for a bite.
A Cedar Key Representative
Another member of the Cedar Key Welcoming Committee.
And yet another....
Darin was a bit befuddled as to why more fish hadn't been caught. The moon phase was good, the tide was perfect, the weather was outstanding....what gives? Being the nice guy that he is and not wanting anyone to paddle away empty handed he not only introduced the group to one of his favorite spots, he went so far as to lead them to a few of his extra secret spots (which, incidentally, will remain extra secret) where the chances of catching fish in the afternoon would be greater than those caught in the morning.
Darin hailed everyone over to let them know about his new game plan and he got no argument from anyone. It meant a longer paddle to get back to the launch site but it was just past noon and everyone seemed to have gotten their second wind after lunch so they followed their leader past the airport and to the waters of plenty.
This was a bit of a scenery switch from oyster bars in the morning to grass patches in the afternoon and not just one or two grass patches, we're talking about dozens of them...everywhere. They looked inviting for fish and anglers alike. Now with so many patches to chose from, who would pick the most productive one?
About an hour in with random fishing being caught here and there, the pressure Darin felt to put the group on some fish at some point in the day finally lifted when the tide turned and he located the mother load of trout schools. It was in the smallest of all of the grass patches and once he let everyone know where the fish were at, that little patch was surrounded in no time. Five kayak anglers began catching and releasing trout after trout after trout. The length wasn't so much of an issues as the quantity. They were hooking into trout after one cast and that was the exciting part. No one came up empty handed!
This was a bit of a scenery switch from oyster bars in the morning to grass patches in the afternoon and not just one or two grass patches, we're talking about dozens of them...everywhere. They looked inviting for fish and anglers alike. Now with so many patches to chose from, who would pick the most productive one?
About an hour in with random fishing being caught here and there, the pressure Darin felt to put the group on some fish at some point in the day finally lifted when the tide turned and he located the mother load of trout schools. It was in the smallest of all of the grass patches and once he let everyone know where the fish were at, that little patch was surrounded in no time. Five kayak anglers began catching and releasing trout after trout after trout. The length wasn't so much of an issues as the quantity. They were hooking into trout after one cast and that was the exciting part. No one came up empty handed!
By 3:30 p.m. the NCLA girls all had caught fish they could be proud of and that's what they came here for. It was time to call it a day now. The weather had held out for them and the water had been calm. The paddle back to Airport Beach was a short one thanks to Darin's knowledge of the area and where the short-cuts were. Jennifer and Rebecca were still hanging around the launch site even though Dot, Liz and the early morning crew had finished and were off the water by noon. The helped every body load their kayaks while asking all sorts of questions about the afternoon excursion. By 4:30, the NCLA ladies had expressed their sincere thanks to all four FWC guides and were heading back to the condo to get ready for the Horseshoe Crab Demonstration at 5:30 at the Marine Lab. There wasn't any time to waste.
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