Florida, USA
Morning Of Glory!
Christopher (Tex) Lewis
At 6:05 I spotted 3 tailers and they were within casting distance of me...it was still DARK. By the time I casted they were literally 15ft from me...I felt like I was being watched by T-Rex...I was so still and quiet. THUMP! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....This freakin bone took me all over the place....I had a giant loop of line going all over the flats....I reeled as fast as I could and could not catch him. Finally the fight started to calm down and I worked him back to the kayak. I reached out for my very first bonefish to scoop him up in the yak. This fish was BIG...Im guessing 31-32". Right as I extend my arm the FREAKIN hook pulled. OMG! I was so devastated. I am on my 15th trip for bonefish and this was the second one I hooked and lost. Seriously considered leaving but who was I kidding.
At 7:45 I hooked another Bone! This one was smaller but third time is a charm right? I survived the initial craziness and I was working him back to the kayak...I could see him plain as day and he dug down in the grass...guess what happend! PLUP...hook pulled again!!!! At this point I am about to break everything I own!
Now I decide everything that I have read and all the pros using those darn worm hooks to rig the shrimp weedless are idiots. I cut of that hook with the tiny barb and tie on a trusty Mustad Circle...now we are in business.
At 8:00 I hooked my THIRD bonefish of the day! I never in a million years thought I would hook 3 in one day. This fish was a crazy fight as well as he flirted with disater by weaving through all the crab pots on his 3 blistering runs! I worked the fish back to the kayak fully expecting to lose him because that is all I know. He got closer and closer and he was finally with in arms reach. The moment of truth...I scooped him up and placed him in the kayak and started screaming!!!!!! Finally!!!! I stared at him in awe for like 20 seconds and then began the quick photo op. Man what a freakin day! Its moments like this one that keep me going through all the driving...being tired...all the dissapointment,for that one moment!
He measured out at 29" and he was THICK! Anybody got an idea on weight? I was thinking like 8lbs. Took some quick photos and revived him for a bit...he swam off good and it was a thing of beauty!
Finally. Thats was a very large monkey on my back.
29"
Now I just need a big fat Permit!
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Personal Best!
Robert Duerschiedt
7/27 - Launched on the North IRL with friends Capt Ed, and Mike at the crack of dawn. We started the morning off with some nice topwater trout action working a super spook jr across large bait pods of finger and adult mullet. Bait was being slashed everywhere and each cast produced either a 17 - 20" trout or large lady fish. After getting bored of catching trout we made our way over to the grassy shoreline in search of tailing reds. We found some tailing in the schools of mullet along the shore but they were being picky. So I snagged up some mullet with the x-rap and sent out some chunks, but the bite seemed to be off as the reds were not accepting our donations of mullet or Capt Eds lady fish, but I did manage to catch Flipper. Not sure if it was the dumbest dolphin in the world or what but flipper picked up a piece of chunked mullet and then spooled me before I could even pick the rod up. Capt Ed and Mike left early and I went looking for a school of fish that I came across a week ago. They weren't tailing but I managed to find them, and it was no easy task in the wind that had started to kick up. I zero'd in and my first hook up ended up breaking off, so I reset and the 2nd attempt had much better results. This guy pulled me out into deep water, and almost across the whole IRL, there was no slowing him, no stopping him, for 15 minutes this guy worked me. I finally get him to the yak, and head for shallower water to get a measurement. Would you believe the smile on my face when he hit 48" without even pinching the tail, tail pinched and he crossed 50"!!!! A New personal best for me! So some quick snap shots, a good 10min revival process and off he swam nice and happy!!
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First Snook On Fly!
Nick Felts
Tues afternoon I got out of work late, so I decided to hit a place near my house. I picked up my dog and got on the water around 6:30 only to have VERY little water under my boat. But as soon as the tide came in, the tails started popping up. I hooked into two others before landing one and spooking a school of upper/over slot fish...
I returned the next day, more prepared for the school I had found, but the tides changed too late and I was forced to go home with a near skunk... Thank you dink trout...
My buddy had called me earlier in the week, and let me know he would be coming in from Orlando to do some fishing with me on Sunday, so I had to think of somewhere I could put him on some fish. I ended up taking him to a spot that I haven't fished in a while since I knew we could at least find some trout, if nothing else. Well Sunday morning came, and we were on the water by 6:30 pedaling towards our destination. When we reached our first fishing spot the floating grass was so thick that I gave up on the topwater, and decided to chuck a clouser on the long rod instead. Some irritated mullet caught my eye, so I start making my casts into the school and BLAMMO! My line starts flying out of my hand, and I think REDFISH! Then a loop catches my fingers and right when I think I am about to lose my fly, the fish turns from her run and releases enough pressure for me to free my fingers. As the fish gets closer I am pleasantly surprised to see the pointed head, and single strip of a nice healthy Snook on my line! I have been fly fishing a long time, but for some reason the Snook has eluded my fly... Until now
Now to focus on my friend, and get him something that pulls some drag... Immediately after taking my picture he hooks into another small snook, but loses him. And as we fish on, I land a little 20" red on paddletail, but he still has the skunk on the same lure. The day was getting late, and the sun was getting hotter so I decided to turn around and head back. I knew, however, the the incoming tide would bring in some fish behind us so I gave my friend a lure change to an RT Slug. Reluctantly, he changed his lure and on the third cast... ZZZZZZing!!! He was hooked up! As I struggled to get the camera out, I see a small school of large reds spook from under me but oh well, had to play photographer...
We tried to locate the spooked school, but only one more cooperated and I still had to go get a trout to complete my slam... So we went out to the edge of the flat and caught a few trout on Gulp! on our way back to the launch. Great day on the water and another mission accomplished!
South Shore Action, Part Deux!
Mark Knowles
Tides were a little better and coincided again with an early morning major solunar approx 7:15. Unfortunately, the cloud cover that we thought was going to help us never showed up. It also seemed that the water was considerably more “stained” today than yesterday. Upon launching, we immediately hit the high flow areas in search of early morning Snook, but none to be found. We moved off to more of a flats area to target Reds. The East wind was supposed to be a little less than yesterday, but seemed at least equal if not 3-4 mph stronger. No one had anything more than a weak short strike or two until about 7:45, then it turned on. Everyone in the group was getting decent blow-ups and fish following their lures, but the fish seemed to have a difficult time engaging. Not sure if they really weren’t that hungry or whether the stained water was giving them difficulty. Marty & Ryan both lost fish near the kayaks. Dan & David both brought slot sized Reds to the boat. Take a look at OldTimer’s eight-spotter…what a gorgeous fish!
I had the best luck of the group today…..don’t know whether I was presenting the lures differently or whether I was in the right place at the right time. I only had 3 fish to the kayak, but it was one of each inshore species for my first Slam of 2010. I’ve been fishing hard just as many of my normal fishing mates have…but haven’t really been that productive on average until the last few weeks. Anyway, the trout was certainly not like the one caught yesterday. He measured up just over 18. The Snook was challenging and it took some effort to keep her from entering the mangroves. I never took her out of the water and estimated her size to be just at the lower slot limit. She was very healthy looking with none of the rash spots that are normally found in the Summer. I took a little extra time with her and she swam off to hopefully make some more little Snookies. The upper slot Red hit just a few minutes later and gave quite a fight, digging his face into the mud & sea grass.
After 9:00, it was like throwing in a bathtub…..nothing hit for anybody anywhere. We kept throwing lures in “search-mode” until about 10:45. The sun was beating us up pretty good by then and we were ready to call it quits. Cheeseburger !
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The Future!
Steve Gibson
My boy Jacob and I took a quick trip around the pond in our new Emotion tandem. He quickly surprised me and stood up and said he was going to find us some fish. He will be a future HardCore member for sure.
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The HardCore Kayak Anglers Club is based around the many avid anglers that have chosen a kayak as their main method of fishing.
We love to have fun and catch BIG fish!
Snook, Redfish, and Trout are our favorites inshore. We also target Tarpon, Kingfish, Shark and any other fish that can pull some serious drag!
We are very active in our community. Participating in and hosting many tournaments. The HCKAC is very thankful to live in such a beautiful part of the country where kayak fishing is as good as it gets!
Our mission is to help preserve this resource for future generations through "catch and release", clean-up/ re-nourishment efforts.
