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Welcome to the Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Wiki

This is meant to serve as a repository body of knowledge for our club members. Take a moment to create an account, log-in and and add tips, techniques and info to expand our Wiki.

Please contact Philip Richen [1] with any questions

Please Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.

[edit] Club Purpose & Activities

We are a no dues club started by Kirk Dunaway in March 2007 with the sole purpose of bringing together people that love to fish from kayaks in the Central Florida Area. We share ideas, tips, spots and stories through our forum. We only ask for members to actively participate by posting on the forum, to abide by our mission statement and to fish responsibly with proper catch & release techniques to preserve our estuaries.

Read our Q & A letter for New members.

Our meetings are held once a month in the meeting rooms at Bass Pro, Gander Mountain or Mosquito Creek Outfitters. Maps to those locations can be found on the meeting tab located on our website[2]. Dates & times are posted on our home page as well as the upcoming events forum and the calendar section.

We also have a official club outing once a month and occasionally sponsor a group event such as the annual Swan round-up at Lake Eola, The Wekiva Riverfest, or other environmentally driven events such as a clean up of the areas we fish. We are also in the planning stages of a fishing Tournament.

The following article is built on a WIKI model and we encourage members to contribute and expand our collective club knowledge. Every link is always under development and will lead to additional information that will continue to grow.

[edit] Where we Fish

Our preferred fishing zones are the different estuaries extending from New Smyrna down to Sebastian Inlet. These estuaries comprise the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian river lagoon, the Banana River including the No Motor Zone. There are various locations to put in a kayak that can be viewed by downloading our Google Earth KML file which is located on our main page.

[edit] What species we target

Many of us prefer to sight fish for Redfish. It is very typical that we seek them specifically, however often end up catching other predatory fish such as Tarpon,Snook,sea trout,flatfish. We will also head to the St. Johns for Shad, crappies, Blue gills and the interior lakes for Bass.

[edit] What equipment do we use

We like our toys and we like to play with many. During part of our meetings, there is some time we spend just discussing lures and equipment. All of us are pretty opinionated and we love to share our experience with others on the equipment we use. Ours gear page is a good starting point as many links to the manufacturers we use are listed there in one spot. If you are thinking of making a purchase, use search the forum first, but if you don't find an answer just post the question under the rigging & tips board [3]. Additionally, you can review this article on the subject of anchors by Kirk

[edit] What kayaks we use

This is probably the most asked question on our forum. Please visit the kayak reviews page for a series of reviews of many kayaks by their owners. This is a relatively new article and is currently being amended to on a regular basis check back to see any additional reviews as they are added.

[edit] Wind

There is an amazing amount of flats located within these estuaries. The decision on where to fish starts with the wind. Wind velocity and direction will affect us to a very strong degree once we are on the water. Experience has taught us that fishing while under the influence of wind makes for an extremely unpleasant and unproductive experience. We consult Sailflow and the NOAA sites to forecast the best potential spots at the time of our excursions. We often recheck these sites down to the last minute.

During the hot months of the year we will launch prior to sunrise. The “early bird catches the worm” holds very true with this sport. As the winter months arrive we will delay our launches based on temperature. The fish are more lethargic with the colder water, and often wait for the shallower water on the flats to warm up in the later morning.

After considering wind, weather, temperature and time of the year it is experience that makes the final decision. That’s the strength of the group. Many of the seasoned veterans have fished the area and know where the reds tend to be found depending on the time of the year. That’s the design behind the “top spot” maps that are available in many of the Bait & Tackle Stores. These are a good indicator but we can tell you from experience that redfish are constantly on the go, being moved by all different factors from salinity, bait fish movements, fishing pressure and many other environmental factors. Finding them is never assured which really makes it a pleasure when you come across a swirling school of them as you hunt.

[edit] Tailing

Most reds we locate are only in one to half a foot of water. Having a great pair of sunglasses are imperative to spotting them. They use their mouths to locate small crustaceans, snails and crabs in the cover of the grasses located on the flats. Their characteristic tails with the dark spot(s) lift up and out of the water signaling us where our prey is located.

The biggest advantage in hunting them in a yak is our ability to cover a lot of skinny water and then stealthy approach them to launch an artificial bait on an interception course with their feeding pattern.

[edit] How to locate Red fish on the flats

Schools of mullet come through and disturb the grass on the bottom. This makes the small shrimp and crabs expose themselves. Then the reds come in and eat. The point is, schools of mullet often have reds or trout hanging out underneath them. Try casting along the edges of the mullet schools... click here for the full article.

[edit] Baits

Ask anyone in the group what lure they would use and you'll get a dozen different answers. Each one could be right or wrong depending on what the fish is actively seeking at the time. You could even have the correct bait but not use it properly. The technique that you use at the time can make the difference between catching or being completely ignored.

Kirk put together the skinny on lures which gives you some basic building blocks, but you can also read this article on building a basic saltwater tackle box and also this article on silver spoons.

Our most commonly used lures would probably be a weedless jerk bait. The quiet nature of the jerk baits tends to be the best to be used to silently approach a feeding school. If you add the fact that it can be cast into grass flats and allowed to drift down into pockets you'll find it an amazing lure to entice reds to bite. At first learning how to rig a weedless jerk bait seems difficult but after a few tries will become second nature.

, top water and shallow running hard body lures such as the ones from Mirrolure. Some also favor DOA shrimps as well as bait busters. Many in the group will have three rods with a different lure on each to be used depending on the circumstances. The quiet nature of the jerk baits tends to be used to silently approach a feeding school. Top water seems to work best in the early morning as the sun rises but is noisy and can spook the fish. Shallow hard bodies are hit and miss on reds but will definitely cause a sea trout waiting in ambush to attack. We commonly use a 10-15 lb Braid with a 15-20 lb Fluorocarbon leader. We use a loop knot to attach the lures to the leader to maintain a more realistic motion in the water.

[edit] On the hook

Once on the hook you need to maintain the pressure preventing the fish from shaking the hook. As the fish tires you can increase the drag and start to bring them to the yak. Don’t be surprised if all of a sudden the fish comes back to life upon seeing the yak. We commonly use a Boga style lip gripper to safely secure the fish. Never lift the fish just by the jaw as this can damage their ability to eat afterward. Having the barbs mashed down also aid in releasing the fish. Wet your hand and then grab the fish under it’s belly and lift it into a horizontal position while holding its mouth with the grip. Remove the hook quickly, snap your picture and return the fish to the water as quickly as possible. Take a few minutes to hold it by the side of your yak making sure to revive it by having water flow through its gills to oxygenate it. Remember that it has just fought for its life and it is probably exhausted. Take the time to make sure it will live to fight another day.

If the fish is slot size and is destined for the dinner table, make sure that you place it on ice. We do not suggest placing it on a cord behind your yak as that makes you a target for an alligator looking for an easy meal. One of our club members has bite marks on his yak as a testimonial.

[edit] Fly Fishing from a Kayak

We get lot's of questions from people interested in getting information or getting involved in fly fishing. Here's an article on some Fly Fishing basics and in particular as it pertains to kayak fly fishing.

[edit] Reel maintenance

This is a thread complied from our forum and added to the Wiki. You can retrieve some good ideas however it is not organized in any specific order.

Visit the Reel maintenance page

[edit] Reel cleaning

This article has some basic information as well as links to the schematic of the major reel manufacturer, the PDF from Shimano with images of proper reel cleaning and our own PowerPoint presentation of doing a complete breakdown and cleaning.