Pompano Beach Florida | How to Catch and Release a Sailfish from a Kayak

Kayak Fishing in Pompano Beach Florida

The Set Up

The most widely used technique is slow trolling. Tackle for targeting sailfish is very specific; a 6’6” to 7” 30-50lb rod, with a reel that will hold at least 300 yards is the ideal setup. I use spinning reels because that’s what I am accustomed too, but a conventional reel works just as well. I prefer using 30-40 pound braided line. Combining the braid with 15 feet of 40-60lb fluorocarbon leader has proven to be an effective combination. The size of the hook will depend on the size of your bait; smaller bait means a smaller hook. I use a 5/0-7/0 inline circle hook exclusively. If you are specifically targeting sails a circle hook should always be used to ensure a healthy release.

Properly Rigging Live Bait

There are many types of bait to use when trying to catch and release, from live goggle eye to dead squid. The top two baits fishing off Pompano Beach are live goggle eye or small blue runners. You can rig these baits through the nostrils or for a better hook up ratio, bridle the bait. This technique will expose the entire hook for a better shot at hooking the fish. When slow trolling you want to go just fast enough to keep the bait away from your kayak. If you think you are going slow, go slower. I like to be moving at about one to one and a half miles per hour. Sails in the Pompano Beach area are attracted to structure, drop offs, current and temperature changes in depths from 40’-300’. When you begin slow trolling for sailfish, start shallow and work your way to deeper water in a zigzag pattern. Moving shallow to deep and deep to shallow repeatedly will help you find fish quicker.

Keep your drag loose!

A lot of times these fish will hit the bait with its bill or hold it in its mouth then drops the bait immediately when they feel the tension of your line. If and when that happens, free spool your bait. Most of the time the fish will turn right around and pick it back up. When the fish finally commits and takes off with the bait engage your reel keeping constant tension. When that sail feels that hook in its mouth it will go nuts dancing across the surface in all directions. Stay focused and land the fish quickly if possible.

When landing a sail use a pair of gloves to handle the bill of the fish, as it will destroy your hand if you have nothing to cover it. Snap a quick photo and take the time to revive it. Holding the fish into the current while alongside the kayak until you feel the fish biting and using its tail will revive the fish quickly.

For more information or to book your trip call Brian at 772-201-5899 or click the button below

June 12, 2017 Brian 0

Delray Beach Florida | Kayak Fishing How to: Vertical Jigging for Tuna

Kayak Fishing How to: Vertical Jigging for Tuna

Vertical jigging in a kayak can be an exhausting technique. Jigging even for 30 minutes can leave you feeling like you want to chop your arm off and go to bed. I try to use the lightest rod and reel I can get away with without losing to much drag and power. Pairing that light setup with a technique that alleviates pressure on you shoulder and arm will set you up to have a long and hopefully successful day on the water kayak fishing.

Set up

I use a Shimano Trevala 30-80 pound jigging rod paired with a Quantum Cabo 50 spinning reel. The reel is spooled with 30 pound braid and a 40lb Yozuri fluorocarbon leader attached via uni to uni knot. A 3-5 ounce speed jig caps off the set up. I prefer using the speed jigs, as they are slender and cut through the water quickly giving you less resistance to work the jig to the surface. Jig fishing is all about getting a fish to react to the jig. In the case of a fast moving tuna, a quick moving jig gets the job done.

Technique

When specifically targeting tuna, your target depth of water is 200-320 off Delray Beach Florida. When you reach your target depth see what the current is doing. If it is 1-2 mph try using a 3 ounce jig, if faster bump up to a 5 oz. You want the jig as vertical as possible when retrieving it. If the current is over 2mph throwing the jig ahead of your drift is a good idea so that when it reaches that drop zone of around 150ft down it will be directly under your kayak.

When you start your retrieve try to find a place to plant your foot on your kayak. Your thigh is going to become your base to rest your elbow when jigging. Using this technique will take most all pressure off you shoulder and reduce fatigue. From here it’s just setting up a rhythm of reeling and bouncing your rod tip. Again I like to work the jig fast, if that doesn’t seem to be working slow it up with different retrieves. Check out the video below to see me using this method on the water.

For more information or to book your trip call Brian at 772-201-5899 or click the button below.

June 6, 2017 Brian 0

Palm Beach Florida | The Best offshore kayak fishing trips tips

Offshore kayak fishing

The sport has become very popular in the last few years. You don’t need to rent to buy a boat yet you still get to go out to sea. Guys and gals are beefing up their inshore gear to battle the big pelagic fish that roam the blue waters of our coasts. Transferring from kayak fishing trips inshore to offshore may be challenging for some kayak anglers. Grass Flats, mangrove tree lines and channels drop off give an inshore fisherman a good place to start looking for fish. Offshore waters don’t always give up that information quite as easy.

The ocean is a big place, as a good friend once said five percent of the ocean will hold ninety-five percent of the fish. Off the coast of Palm Beach Florida the ocean current has to come into play in your plans. There could be no current to as fast as 5mph to the North or South. When setting up kayak fishing trips most of the time I will set up a drift plan to maximize time on the water. This takes a little bit of planning from choosing a launch and landing point, to deciding to drop a buddy’s car, call a cab or have someone pick you up. Once on the beach check out the current wind and water conditions. Is it clam, is it rough, are there a lot of weeds on the beach, is there bait close to shore, which way is the wind blowing? This information will help you decide what baits to use and at what depths to use them.

In general on a calm day, try to run your baits deeper in the water column. If you have some surface chop and see a lot of action on top, like bait jumping or pelagic fish breaking the water, look to run baits closer to the surface. Other things to look for are “rips”, color changes and weed lines. A rip is an area of current that will make the water look more turbulent than the surrounding areas. A defined color change will have strong current running along the edge of the change. Most of the time these color breaks will have debri and weeds mixed in, so they are fairly easy to spot. If you are lucky enough you may run into a weed line during your offshore kayak fishing adventure. Any type of weed line or scattered weeds is a good place to stop and put bait out.

In addition to being able to locate target areas visually, every offshore kayak fisherman should have a quality GPS and fish finder. Using a quality GPS system will give you detailed depth and contours of the ocean floor as well as give you the ability to locate natural reefs, artificial reefs and other fish holding structures.

If you are new to taking kayak fishing trips offshore or are thinking about trying it, this information should give you a good start on what to look for while out on the water. Good luck out there, be safe and have fun!

For more information or to book your trip call Brian at 772-201-5899 or fill the short form below:

May 31, 2017 Brian 0