Florida Fishing Kayaks

I took my Kayak down to the Sanibel Causeway today to do some fishing and relaxing. I caught about a dozen trout and few Jacks. The gulp were working really well. The view and water today was absolutely spectacular. It was the kind of crystal clear Florida day you wish for when your on vacation or in my case have a day off. I am always amazed at the difference of my view in the water and the fish I can see with the polarized glasses when I stand up as compared to sitting down.  Maybe next week I will get some Reds to bite instead of just chasing them off.

Today was one of those days were you catch one on every cast. I launched out of Tropical Point Park in St James City. This is on the south side of Pine Island. It is a spectacular grass flat and has become one of my favorite spots.  Luckily there was a young lady reading a book at the launch and she was able to snap a photo for me.

I went out paddling around Matlacha the other day with a friend of mine. This is kind of rare for me as I usually go into withdrawal symptoms when I am on the water with out a fishing pole. I used this opportunity to scope out some sites and check out the scenery and unwind. My friend Brendan does not have a Wavewalk so I let him try mine. It’s very fun to watch people try the Wavewalk for the first time as they realize that everything we say about them is true and just how easy it is to stand up and move around in it.Here is a couple of pictures from the day.

Many times I forget how lucky  I am to live in Southwest Florida. The fishing here is absolutely spectacular and the choice of prime spots are just dizzying. In my immediate location there is the Pine Island Sound and all the little bays and mangroves around it, not to mention the world-famous tarpon fishing of  Boca Grande pass. In Fort Myers Beach you can choose to fish in the Estero Bay or fish directly in the Gulf of Mexico. There are also Sanibel and Captiva places well known for tourism but the fishing is the true gem. A little further south  is Naples and the Ten Thousand Islands. All of these areas are prime inshore fishing spots perfect for kayak fishing where you can catch fish in excess of 100 pounds at any moment. If you are considering a fishing vacation, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t consider Southwest Florida as one of your options.

I have made some modifications to the motor mount designs out there and this is what I have come up with. I have to thank Bruce Ramsey at Action Marine and Welding in Cape Coral for the fine aluminum work. The wood used in the mount is Oak which I will be treating with a Marine Grade Finish. I have used two bolts on each side for increased stability. I made some gaskets out of an old tire and cut them to fit between the mount plates and the Kayak to reduce any potential vibration and slippage. The Oak was used on the mounting plate to increase traction for the motor. On the back side there are 2 layers of 1/2″  ak. One of the layers has 1 and 1/2″ holes cut out where the mounting screws for the motor can be inset. In the unlikely event of these bolts coming loose, this will prevent the motor from slipping to the side.

I have been making a few modifications to my fishing kayak. I have added a crate with rod holders. While the W500offers plenty of storage, this addition  gives me a space for my cast net and bait bucket which keeps the water out of the boat. I found a pair of  hooks that make a great paddle holder. I will be improving on this feature very soon. I also added an anchor trolley for positioning the W while fishing. After using this tool a few times, I don’t think I could live without it. One of the great things about the getting a Wavewalk now is all the useful information and ideas on the website make it so easy to rig your W just the way you like it. Most of my ideas were inspired by Jeff McGovern. That’s no surprise as he fishes in similar conditions to myself. I will be adding a small outboard soon. Stay tuned for the update and photos.

Jeff Taubes

I took my wavewalk fishing kayak on a fishing trip for the first time this week. Launching out of Serenia Vista park in Cape Coral, a park dedicated to kayaks and kayak fishing, complete with kayak trailer parking was the perfect choice. It is a very short paddle to highly productive mangroves that hold snook, redfish and a host of other species. I paddled for about five minutes and pulled up to a flat where I decided to give it a go. With in a few minutes I had caught my first fish. It was a 20 inch snook that leaped out of the water and put on a full show. I quickly realized for myself that one of the  great things about the wavewalk fishing kayak is the ability to stand up at will when a fish strikes. For any serious fisherman its a natural reaction. I caught few other fish during the afternoon included a nice size mangrove snapper that I took home for dinner.

First fish caught on my Wavewalk