Spring has finally arrived with calmer winds and numerous kayak fishing opportunities in tow. The Sea Trout bite will be red hot in the entire region. The most productive kayakers will cast large top water lures on mullet-covered flats. Be on the water at first light or at dusk, and be extremely quiet. Lagoon Sea Trout don’t reach gator size by investigating odd noises. Wading may be necessary if winds don’t allow for a silent approach that is needed to catch the trophy trout. Just about any top water plug from walk-the-dog types to poppers will get you strikes. Best colors for these lures are chartreuse, sea trout, red head with a white body, and natural. On the conservation tip, please release all big Sea Trout; they make more! Plus, there are plenty of 18-20 inchers if you are looking for dinner.
For the adventurous paddlers, Cobia and Tripletail should be available off the beaches of our region. As I write this (mid-March), the main body of Cobia-friendly water (68°-72°) is hanging from Patrick Air Force Base, south. Through April, the Cobia and the Manta Rays they follow will move north. By the time this publication hits the stands, I would expect kayak anglers may find Cobia from the Cocoa Beach Pier, north to Playalinda Beach. Canaveral National Seashore (Playalinda) beach access can be tricky to navigate with kayaks due to their “ziggy-zaggy” nature, but the deep water and structure will wipe that from your memory. Medium/heavy tackle from 12-20 lbs., with leaders in the 40-60 lb. class, will subdue even monster Cobia. I personally prefer 10 lb. river tackle on the average sized (15-20 lbs.) Cobia most encountered. Though any live bait will peak the cobias interest there is no need for the hassle. Large bright jigs of which Handler tackle supply in Port Canaveral has many of will work well.
Remember to size the jig for your tackle not the fish; all will have heavy enough hooks. One of my little tricks is to bring a dozen or two jumbo shrimp and some ¼ to ½ oz. jig heads not only do cobia love them, but they are a sure bet if a tripletail is spotted. When searching for cobia look for floating debris, dense bait pods, turtles, manta rays, and free swimming fish. Be sure to have a good pair of polarized sunglasses to see the brown shark looking fish. Please use common sense when dealing with large fish in open water. VHF radios, visibility flags, and the buddy system are safety precautions that should be taken. A fish-bag works great to ice down your days catch of cobia and tripletail, and be sure to check your regulations. If all that sounds like a little too much work, but you still want a kayak cobia. Give me a shout and book a Mothership kayak fishing adventure, huge fish none of the hassle. For some awesome pictures of the space costs most prized game fish visit and “like” Facebook/Local Lines Guide Service the official space coast fishing page.
Tight Lines & Wet Paddles
Forecasts by: Capt. Alex Gorichky
LocalLinesChartes.com
Full-Time Space Coast fishing guide
And Malibu Kayaks Pro-Staff paddler
Contact Capt. Alex @ 321-480-3255
