Shad fishing on the St Johns

By Mainsail John

Most Orlando Kayak Fishing Club members enjoy fishing for reds and trout in Mosquito Lagoon, as well as, the Indian and Banana Rivers. I have found, however, that there are days when I’m short of time, or the wind is not cooperating on the coast. Sometimes I just want to be on the amazing St. John’s River. It turns out that there are some great alternative fishing opportunities.

One of them is an often overlooked shad fishery...(read more)

Kayak reviews by their owners

Ever wondered what it's like to paddle a different kayak. Thinking about getting a new kayak but don't want to listen to a salesman? We have compiled a reference guide to kayaks by their owners and fellow club members...(read more).

Picture from last year's Swan Round-up at lake Eola

We are also preparing for this springs Kayak swap.  Last fall many members got together to exchange kayaks on Mills lake it was a great opportunity to come together at a picnic and try everyone's rides.  If you are interested in doing this when the weather warms up let us know.  No date or location is planned yet. 

Those interested please drop a quick line to Kirk so we can plan.

Our Next Meeting

Tuesday, March 2nd - Bass Pro

All meeting dates & Maps to locations

Our last meeting was in the 2nd building for Mosquito Creek outfitters which is actually located at South Washington Avenue and West 1st Street. This was across the street from the main storefront, Rory and Paul kept the store open extended hours to accommodate us and hosted our club after their normal store hours.

The topic for the first hour of our meeting was about shad fishing.  The staff of Mosquito Creek including our own Captain Tom Van Horn shared with us how to fish for shad as well as what type of tackle to use, and we discussed the latest shad fishing reports and locations.  He also rolled the details of the shad derby.

I’ve noticed the recent peak in new club members who are also new to kayak fishing, so from 8:00 pm to 8:30 yours truly conducted a special session on kayak fishing 101 for beginners.  I covered the basics including what items you must have (required by law) equipment you should consider including kayak selection, and techniques to cut the learning curve and help maximize your effectiveness on the water.  We conducted this as a separate session and afterwards everyone socialized with the veterans of the club or simply shopped for some new toys.

Send your e-mail address to me at kirk@orlandokayakfishingclub.com and I'll be sure to add you to our e-mail list.  This list is for club updates only, I don't share them with 3rd parties.  I also only send about 2 e-mails per month (one for meeting reminders and another for meeting summaries) so you won't be inundated with tons of e-mails.

View past meeting notes