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from Shallow
Water Angler
October/November 2007
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T=
arpon
Fishing On Kayaks
Gladiator fishing at its toughest, on the ocean’s marg=
in.
By Zsolt Takacs=
The last time we
chased tarpon along Northeast Florida
beaches, we watched a guy who was fishing alone fight a fish for so long =
that
we hooked and landed two fish and a blacktip =
shark
while watching the guy’s silhouette get fuzzy on the horizon.<=
/o:p>
“I hope he
brought his passport,” quipped kayak partner Jeremy Ackermen.
I had to laugh,=
but
almost felt sorry for the guy. When fishing from a kayak, if you can̵=
7;t
reach pliers or a knife, or bring the wrong tackle or use it incorrectly,=
it
becomes almost impossible to part ways with a giant tarpon short of tossi=
ng
the rod overboard.
![3D"continue](3D"ShallowWaterAnglerKayakontheWildSide_files/image002.gif") <=
o:p>
Fishing
in kayaks on the ocean has become very popular in =
Florida,
for species including snook, tarpon, king mac=
kerel,
jumbo jacks and bonito (false albacore to anglers from North Carolina northward). A few
determined yakkers launch from Outer Banks be=
aches
to catch stripers in numbingly cold waters. Down S=
outh
Texas way, Capt. Brandon Shuler and friends also chase kings,
bonitos and ’poons. But the sport has r=
eally
exploded here in the Jackson=
ville
area, where I live, and for good reasons. For one, fuel’s a bargain.
Last time I checked you can still buy a box of macaroni and cheese for 99
cents. But seriously, stealth is the key to success. Nothing puts these f=
ish
down more quickly than an outboard, or hull slap on a skiff. And there
isn’t a more furtive approach to this fishery than from a kayak.
It doesn’=
t get
much more sporting than fishing for big tarpon, sharks, jumbo stripers and
other large gamefish from a kayak. Talk about=
a
level playing field, or even one slanted in the quarry’s favor. Wha=
t I
call the “gladiator aspect,” the challenge of taking on a
dangerous animal in its element without many technological advantages, is=
one
of the main reasons why kayak fishing in the ocean is growing substantial=
ly.
But it’s a sport you should enter into carefully, with forethought,=
in
order to land fish without doing harm to yourself or the fish.=
First “st=
ick
up” a bit. For tarpon and sharks, I like a 7-foot rod with at least=
a
medium-heavy action for two reasons: It is easier to cast an un-weighted,
live baitfish and when your hooked fish decides to travel from one side of
your kayak to the next, that 7-foot rod makes it easier to get the line p=
ast
your kayak’s bow. I prefer conventional reels without levelwinds because they cast farther than reels wit=
h levelwinds and offer greater torque than spinning r=
eels.
That said, one of the most heartbreaking momen=
ts
that I’ve had on the water was having a rod and reel ripped from my
hands while trying to right a backlash. I wouldn’t have had that
problem if I hadn’t wound the line on unevenly or if I was using a
spinning reel. So if you tend to backlash when the action is hot, maybe y=
ou should
consider that spinner.
Reels need to h=
old at
least 300 yards of 40-pound test mono line. Braid may help with casting
distance and line capacity. However, the downside to using braid in this
application is the lack of stretch. You can feel everything, which normal=
ly
wouldn’t be so bad but when you are dealing with a 100-pound-plus f=
ish
while sitting down, a jump and a head shake could vibrate you right off y=
our
kayak. Also with braid, you really have to bow dramatically (in a tippy
kayak) to the tarpon when he jumps. Without any stretch in the line, the
leader and sometimes the braid will snap like string.
Terminal tackle=
can
vary depending on your preferences, but if you go with braid then you nee=
d at
least 3 feet of shock leader. I have found that 80-pound-test fluorocarbon
works fairly well. When using monofilament line on your reel, increase the
leader length to 4 or 5 feet. I like to attach the leader to the line wit=
h an
Albright knot, although using a swivel hasn’t seemed to do much har=
m. There
are many different hooks that have been tried and tested and there are a =
lot
that work, however, a local captain and friend turned me on to the only t=
wo
hooks that you need when tarpon fishing. One is a Daiichi 13/0 circle hoo=
k.
It is extremely light and allows a less hardy baitfish, such as a pogy, to swim around longer without getting tired. =
These
hooks are expensive, and you’ll lose a few to sharks.
Range is one of=
the the limitations that makes big-game fishing from a =
kayak
so sporting. Kayakers can’t simply unload their boats, fire out of =
the
nearest inlet, and head north or south depending on the latest and greate=
st
reports. Our approach is patient and observant. I like to drive my kayak =
to
various beach accesses and look for signs of bait fish. Look for diving
pelicans and other birds, dimpling bait or best of all, explosions that s=
end
bait flipping into the air. If you see any of those signs, launch. If you
pull into an access and the ocean seems lifeless, wait and watch for 15
minutes. If still nothing happens, move to the next access. (The Florida
Department of Environmental Protection has a digital map of all saltwater
access points around the state.) Places where driving on the beach is
permitted is obviously a huge advantage.
When kayak fish=
ing,
finding a pogy pod is like finding a golden n=
ugget.
You want to hold onto it all day long and never lose it. The large fish w=
ill
come in and out of it all day long, so be prepared to spend the time. When
you find a hot pogy pod, pack and launch quic=
kly. I
bring three rods: A main rod to fight large fish as described earlier, a
backup to the main rod and a pogy snatch rod =
(a
15-pound test light- to medium-action rod), along with a minimum amount of
tackle (extra hooks, swivels, pliers, gloves). Since one pogy
is all that you’ll need at any given time, and a bait bucket would
cause too much drag, snatch the bait by using a No. 4 treble hook with a =
3⁄4-ounce
egg sinker slipped down right above the hook. When the pogies
are thick, snatch hooking one takes less than a minute.
Reel the pogy in quickly or tarpon, sharks and cobia may tak=
e the
baitfish right from the hook. When you bring the pog=
y
into the kayak, switch it as fast as possible to the hook on the larger
outfit. Hook it right behind the nose and cast the lively bait right back
into the bait school. Using a circle hook in the bait, I place my rod in =
my
holder and paddle every so often to keep my baited line in the bait schoo=
l.
If there are tarpon in the bait pods, you’ll soon know it. They usu=
ally
explode into the schools, sometimes coming completely out of the water. M=
ost
of the time, when they show up, you can pattern them. Some will explode on
the bait school just on the outside corners, while some will almost always
explode right in the middle. They will do this in unison, sometimes for
hours, sometimes not long at all.
When fighting a
tarpon or any other large fish from a kayak, it is essential that you hav=
e a
place to secure the paddle easily. Typically, the first couple of seconds
will be filled with out-of-control leaps. In that time, it is imperative =
to
store your paddle. When the fish starts to run, lower your rodtip and use it to steer your kayak. By using you=
r rod
as the steering wheel, utilize the pressure that you have on the fish to =
keep
your kayak at a 45-degree angle to the fish. This is very important becau=
se
if you lift your rod tip too high, it will cause your kayak to lie sidewa=
ys.
The 45-degree angle will cause the fish to pull the kayak, but give
resistance at the same time and allow you to better control the situation=
.
I have had tarp=
on
drag me for over an hour and almost two miles offshore. Near the end of t=
he
fight, tarpon do not seem as intimidated by a kayak as they are of a boat.
They don’t surge away so frantically. But the fight usually ends in=
an
up and down battle, which puts the kayaker at a disadvantage due to the
inability to use one’s legs. One helpful addition is a small fighti=
ng
belt that serves as a fulcrum. Here’s where you appreciate every po=
und
of the 40-pound test. Lifting the fish becomes a game of inches.
After a tarpon =
has
been worn down, they will almost always lie on their side. Timing is of t=
he
essence because you have to release the fish unharmed. I wear a pair of
gloves (if I have a chance to put them on), and grab the tarpon by the lo=
wer
lip. Take extreme caution when lipping the fi=
sh,
until you know exactly where that hook is. I do not like to use a lip gaff
because I believe that it hurts the fish. By puncturing the membrane in t=
he
tarpon’s mouth I feel they lose some of the suction power which they
use to feed. A lip-grabber, however, is very useful. The reviving process
takes about 10 minutes and consists of the angler moving the tarpon in a =
way
that rushes water through its mouth and past its gills. This can be compa=
red
to lifting and pushing a 5-gallon bucket in and out of the water. The tar=
pon
will let you know when it is ready to go, as inevitably it will spring to
life, by gradually flipping its tail, righting itself and swimming away. =
Once
the tarpon rights itself you can release your grip on his lower lip and i=
t is
time for the “victory paddle” back to the bait pod to do it a=
ll
over again.
Kayak fishing f=
or
large fish should never be done alone. You should always have a whistle or
another loud noise-making device and a life jacket either on your body or
easily accessible in your kayak. If you are an inexperienced kayaker and
would like to chase giant gamefish, go with a=
more
experienced angler/kayaker who knows the local waters and has done it bef=
ore.
The ocean is a wonderful place full of wondrous sights and it is very eas=
y to
get up that creek (out to sea) with only a paddle!
SWA<=
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