ATLANTIC
Stalking Big Ones in the Backwaters
Little Narragansett Bay, Connecticut
Little Narragansett Bay in Mystic County, Connecticut, is a sheltered, saltwater network of estuaries, backwaters and weed beds that’s choked with striped bass. In the lagoons near Stonington, kayak anglers can stalk trophy stripers in three to four feet of water. “The stripers pool up in these backwaters where bigger boats can’t get in,” says local guide Jerry Sparks. Fishing is best on an incoming tide, ideally between daybreak and noon.
What’s Biting: Striped bass and the odd bluefish.
Season: June–October.
Onshore Attraction: Historic Mystic County is perfect for families, featuring an aquarium, museums, beaches and a historic seaport.
Local Lore: The best way to ignite early season, sluggish stripers is to use DOA grubs. Later on try blue- and pink-colored lures.
Your Guide: Jerry Sparks, Northeast Kayak and Boat Charters; (413) 219-8455, sparkskayakfish.com.
Sand, Surf and Stripers
Virginia Beach, Virginia
At Virginia Beach, schools of fish from the north and south Atlantic gather to offer exceptional angling. “It’s a kayak fishery that easily rivals Texas or Florida,” says Cory Routh, a local guide, who considers Virginia Beach to have some of the best striped bass fishing in the world. Kayakers beat motorized boats to the best fishing spots by avoiding crowded launches, and sheltered, shallow-water flats make for great inshore fishing.
What’s Biting: Striped bass, redfish, black drum, sea trout species, among others.
Season: Any time.
Onshore Attraction: Resorts, nightlife and theme parks.
Local Lore: Fish in the winter months for the biggest stripers. The surf is easy to negotiate year-round.
Your Guide: Cory Routh, Ruthless Fishing; (757) 403-0734, ruthlessfishing.com.
Going Intracoastal
Timucuan Preserve, Jacksonville, Florida
The Timucuan Preserve of northeastern Florida was known as the “place where waters meet” to Native Americans. This collection of creeks and saltwater marshes offers typical inshore fish—including redfish, trout and flounder—in bountiful numbers. “It’s as diverse an estuary as any in the country,” says Mike Kogan, founder of www.jaxkayakfishing.com, an online community of Jacksonville-area kayak anglers. Kayaking makes it possible to get strikes regardless of the tidal height, which ranges up to six feet. Access the Timucuan via Jacksonville and the Intracoastal Waterway.
What’s Biting: Redfish, trout, flounder.
Season: Spring and fall.
Onshore Attraction: Nearly 50 miles of beach, pro sports and the usual big city attractions keep everyone busy.
Local Lore: Shrimp on a jig head is the number one weapon, while flyfishermen have most luck with clousers, toad flies and gurglers.
Info: Jacksonville Kayak Fishing; jaxkayakfishing.com.
GULF
The Best of the Best
Wizard Creek, Everglades, Florida
In a state that’s called “the fishing capital of the world,” the Florida Everglades are the best of the best. Hundreds of inflowing rivers, expansive flats and thousands of mangrove islands make for a diverse geography that supports over a dozen game species. According to local guide Captain Charles Wright, the best place to fish in the Everglades is Wizard Creek. “It’s like fish soup there sometimes,” says Wright. Accessing Wizard Creek involves a 20-mile paddle or taking a mothership charter. Once there, kayaks are the ultimate vessel for negotiating narrow channels and stalking tarpon in the shallows.
What’s Biting: Tarpon, snook, grouper and many more.
Season: There are more fish in the winter but you stand a better chance of landing a trophy in the summer months. September is hurricane season.
Onshore Attraction: Sign up for an airboat tour of the ‘Glades when you get tired of paddling.
Local Lore: Bring your flyrod for the ultimate Everglades experience.
Your Guide: Captain Charles Wright, Everglades Kayak Fishing; (239) 695-9107, evergladeskayakfishing.com.
Chasing False Albacore on the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Shores, Alabama
False albacore—or bonito as they’re known in Alabama—are the Energizer Bunnies of game fish, spending most their lives chasing baitfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Keeping up to them while angling from a kayak off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama, can be a challenge. But Heritage Kayaks angler Jimbo Meador says a kayak won’t spook false albacore like a powerboat will, and once you cross paths with a feeding school of bonito, the action is fast and furious. Meador catches surface-feeding fish with a flyrod. On a good day you’ll also catch Spanish mackerel and bluefish, which are far better eating than the catch and release false albacore.
What’s Biting: False albacore, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, bluefish.
Season: June–September.
Onshore Attraction: Catch an IMAX film at the Gulf Coast Exploreum or comb 32 miles of brown sugar beach.
Local Lore: Follow the gulls and terns to find schools of feeding false albacore in offshore waters.
Info: Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing Association; gulfcoastkayakfishing.com.
Texas-Sized Redfish
Redfish Bay, Aransas Pass, Texas
Deep in the Gulf Coast heart of Texas, the crystal-clear water of Redfish Bay serves up trophies. Cruising the area’s flats by kayak is the ultimate way to hook into redfish and avoid the crowds. “There’s plenty of public land and launching is pretty much always free,” says Dean Thomas, owner of Slow Ride Guide and the Texas Kayak Fishing School. “You can fish within sight of your vehicle.”
What’s Biting: Redfish, speckled trout.
Season: Any time.
Onshore Attraction: The fishing will keep you plenty busy.
Local Lore: Kayaking is the best way to escape the crowds find the biggest fish. Lures or flies are equally effective.
Your Guide: Captain Dean Thomas, Slow Ride Guide; (866) 856-9477, slowrideguide.com.
PACIFIC
California Dreamin’
La Jolla, California
Cradled between the famous surf breaks of SoCal’s Pacific coast, La Jolla is a kayak angler’s paradise. A unique seabed of canyons and kelp provides nutrients and habitat for a long list of game fish. “There’s everything from bass to halibut, and it’s the prime yellowtail spot in southern California,” says Jim Sammons of La Jolla Kayak Fishing. Sammons says that even on the biggest surf days it’s easy to launch. “It’s a 15-minute paddle to trophy-size fish,” says Sammons.
What’s Biting: Yellowtail, white sea bass, halibut, thresher shark, among others.
Season: Any time.
Onshore Attraction: Beaches, scuba diving, surfing.
Local Lore: Focus on underwater features to find big fish.
Your Guide: Jim Sammons, La Jolla Kayak Fishing; (619) 461-7172, kayak4fish.com.
Thrashing Threshers in California
Corral Beach, Malibu, California
There’s no doubt that the thresher shark offers some of the most exciting—and perilous—kayak angling. Each spring off of Corral Beach near Malibu, California, threshers gather in large schools to spawn. Veteran kayak angler Dennis Spike says there’s two ways to catch them: By the mouth using live bait like sardines or Pacific mackerel, or by the tail on a Rapala. When threshers hit live bait, be prepared for aerial stunts—Spike’s seen one jump 15 feet out of the water—and greyhounding, where the shark skims the surface of the water. And expect a workout. “For every 100 pounds of fish there’s an hour of fight,” says Spike.
What’s Biting: Thresher shark, halibut, white sea bass, calico sea bass.
Season: April–May.
Alternate Attraction: If you’re coming up empty with rod and reel, anchor your kayak to a kelp stringer and try your luck with mask, snorkel, fins and a spear gun.
Local Lore: A high-flying thresher can inflict serious injury to an angler. Once you’ve played it out, land a thresher tail-first, never with a gaff.
Your Guides: Jeff Kriger; rhynobar.com. Dennis Spike, Coastal Kayak Fishing; (818) 970-2392, kayakfishing.com.
Scoping Trophy Tyee in British Columbia
Moutcha Bay, British Columbia
With its wilderness islands and access to the open coast, Vancouver Island’s Nootka Sound has long been a must-do for touring kayakers. But it also offers exceptional fishing. Shielded from the Pacific Ocean by the islands of Nootka Sound, Moutcha Bay is chockfull of 40,000 chinook (tyee) salmon when they queue up to spawn on the Conuma River. Every September Jim Davis of Moutcha Bay Lodge organizes Canada’s only kayak fishing derby, which produced a 31-pound giant in 2004. This year, Davis says the prognosis for salmon looks good. “We might even see a 40- or 50-pounder,” he says.
What’s Biting: Chinook (tyee), coho and chum salmon.
Season: August–November.
Alternate Attraction: Sea kayaking, wildlife viewing.
Local Lore: Tempt trophies with jigs and spinners.
Your Guide: Jim Davis, Moutcha Bay Resort; (250) 923-2908, moutchabay.com.
Kayak Fishing’s Frontier
Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Alaska
In the sheltered inlets of Ketchikan on southern tip of the Alaskan panhandle, it’s possible to reel in five species of salmon, as well as monster halibut, lingcod and dozens of species of rockfish. “This is the kind of place that will make you feel small and insignificant,” says Howard McKim of Ketchican Kayak Fishing. It’s not a friendly place for the unprepared. McKim encourages all his guests to watch the weather and carry enough gear for an overnight.
What’s Biting: Halibut, salmon (chinook, coho, pink, chum, sockeye), lingcod and rockfish.
Season: May–September.
Alternate Attraction: Leave your rod on shore and search for humpback and orca whales by kayak.
Local Lore: Bait your hook with herring to you’ll catch everything there is to catch.
Your Guide: Howard McKim, Ketchikan Kayak Fishing; (907) 225-1272, yakfishalaska.com.
FRESHWATER
Atlantic Salmon Doubleheader
West and Margaree rivers, Nova Scotia
The rivers of the Canadian Maritimes are synonymous with top-notch Atlantic salmon flyfishing. While anglers fork out thousands to fish New Brunswick rivers like the Miramichi, it’s possible to cast streamers on the cheap on Nova Scotia’s West and Margaree rivers. Veteran outdoorsman Tom MacDonald of nearby Antigonish says a kayak is the best way to access the hidden pools of the West River. “Around each bend there are little pools that are treats in themselves,” says MacDonald. And MacDonald promises you’ll never catch salmon on a prettier river than Cape Breton’s Margaree.
What’s Biting: Atlantic salmon.
Season: Last two weeks of October.
Onshore Attraction: Hunt for ruffed grouse and woodcock once you’ve caught your limit of salmon.
Local Lore: Use bright and wavy flies like General Practitioners and streamers for more strikes.
Your guide: Margaree River Fly Fishing Specialists; margfish.itgo.com.
Wild Whitewater and Muskie Monsters
Petawawa River, Ontario
The Petawawa River cuts through the northeastern portion of Algonquin Park, near Pembroke, Ontario. A popular whitewater canoe trip in the spring, it’s lesser known as one of Ontario’s prime spots to land trophy muskie come autumn. Drybag three days worth of camping gear and paddle the Petawawa from Lake Travers to McManus Lake. En route you’ll find whitewater rapids (with portages) and muskies lurking in the shallows amid logs and lily pads.
What’s Biting: Muskellunge, northern pike, walleye.
Season: September–November.
Onshore Attraction: Hike the nearby Barron Canyon trail to witness a forest of fire.
Local Lore: Find muskies in one or two feet of water with lots of structure. Entice them with shallow-running crank baits.
Your guide: Valley Ventures; (613) 584-2577, valleyvent.ca
If Hemingway Had Kayaked
Fox River, Michigan
Midway between the Great Lakes Superior and Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, the Fox River flows a serpentine course past the sleepy town of Seney, Michigan. Ernest Hemingway fished the UP in 1919 and wrote about it in a short story called “The Big Two-Hearted River.” He named the story after the nearby Two-Hearted in an effort to keep his cherished Fox River a secret. The Fox remains one of the finest brook trout fishing rivers in the lower 48. With its tight corners and cool waters, it’s perfectly suited to kayak fishing. Hemingway fished the Fox with a flyrod, but you’ll be equally successful casting a No. 1 Aglia.
What’s Biting: Brook trout.
Season: Spring and summer.
Onshore Attraction: Located north of Seney on Lake Superior, the quaint town of Paradise lives up to its name with its beautiful waterfront and historic lighthouse.
Local Lore: To cook up your catch a la Hemingway, roll fillets in flour and fry them up in bacon grease.
Your Guide: Uncle Ducky Charters; (877) 288-5447, uncleducky.com.
The Triple Crown of Kentucky Bass
Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake and Lake Cumberland, Kentucky
America’s favourite game fish owes much of its popularity to three reservoirs in Kentucky. Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake encapsulate the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in the southwestern corner of the state. To the east, Lake Cumberland—the biggest in Kentucky—sprawls near Monticello. Combined, they offer some of the best bass fishing anywhere. With a kayak you’ll avoid the masses and find hard-hitting trophies in shady, weedy coves and twisty inflowing rivers. In the summer months avoid the heat and add a new dimension to the experience by fishing after dark.
What’s Biting: Largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Season: Any time.
Onshore Attraction: While Kentucky might be the home of bluegrass music, it’s not far from great bass fishing to Graceland, Tennessee.
Local Lore: Spinner baits rigged with pork chunk trailers are killer choices for hauling out big bass.
Info: Kentucky Fishing Guides; 1fghp.com/ky.html. Kentucky Tourism;kentuckytourism.com.
The Best of the Southwest
Gunnison River, Colorado
Near Montrose, Colorado, the Gunnison River flows 14 miles through the appropriately named Black Canyon and serves up world-class trout fishing to moving water–savvy anglers. Thrills come in the form of class II whitewater interspersed with pools chock full of trout on the Gunnison. Fish with flies or lures—either way the action will be fast and furious. As if its sheer canyon walls aren’t enough, a limited number of access permits means you’ll have the river to yourself.
What’s Biting: Rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout.
Season: Late April to late September.
Onshore Attraction: The Olathe Sweet Corn Festival, held in nearby Olathe, Colorado on August 3, is the self-proclaimed “biggest and best little festival in the U.S.”
Local Lore: Time your visit with the Gunnison’s legendary stonefly hatch—it typically occurs in late-May or early June. Sweet-talk a local for the exact dates.
Your Guide: Jaci Dvorak, Dvorak Expeditions; (800) 824-3795, dvorakexpeditions.com.
This article was first published in the Fall 2007 issue of Kayak Angler. Subscribe to Kayak Angler Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
