In Today’s Newsletter: Learn the one self-rescue skill every kayak angler needs before going overboard, plus expert tips to fix common beginner mistakes and catch more saltwater gamefish.
• How to deep-water self-rescue in a fishing kayak
• What you’re getting wrong about the basics
• How to catch the most popular saltwater gamefish
• And More…
The One Skill That Could Save Your Life
Learn how to deep-water self-rescue
Picture this: you’ve just made the catch of your life fighting a monster fish that spun your kayak like a top. You’re lined up for a classic photo with your catch when… the monster fish leans towards the water. Your boat leans too. Faster than you can process, you’re in the water, fish gone, viral video secured.
What’s next? After taking a swim, you’ll need to self-rescue back into your fishing kayak. Here are three videos demonstrating different techniques anglers rely on for kayak fishing.
What You May Be Getting All Wrong About the Basics Of Kayak Fishing
Geoff Luckett helped develop the ACA's kayak fishing curriculum, so we asked him some key questions about the fundamentals of kayak fishing.
Inshore Special: How To Catch The Most Popular Saltwater Gamefish
From the backwaters to the beach, anglers target trophy saltwater fish with light tackle.
Redfish
I love hitting the water just before sunrise and throwing a walk-the-dog topwater. To give the fish plenty of time to find the lure, I make a long cast and slowly walk the dog. To avoid spooking the fish, I use the lightest jig that will reach the bottom. I also like to drift a popping cork down a grass line or over a sandbar. Every 30 seconds I give the cork a few short pops…
Speckled Trout
The key to winter trout is a slow retrieve. The more time the lure spends in the strike zone, the more time a trout has to eat. I often find trout on a ledge where grass meets a steep drop. My favorite ledge presentation is a weedless ⅛-ounce Owner Twistlock hook tied to a grub tail from AM Fishing Lures. The lure has a moderate drop and imitates the slow twitch of a lethargic baitfish…
Summer Flounder
My first choice is a Carolina rig and live or strip bait. The best artificial lure is a curly-tail or fluke-style soft plastic. I use the lightest jig possible to get the lure to the bottom without spooking the fish…
Bonefish
Bonefish hunt in clear, shallow water. Standing in my kayak, I see the fish swimming along the bottom. When I spot a bone, I cast a crab or shrimp lure and work it into the fish’s path…
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