A pretty nice little Thursday

Thursday found me back in Florida, and after some time on the beach, I was itching to get on the water for my night Snook trip. After dinner I met up with Steve Gibson of Shallow Pockets Fishing, and we were off. We set off for the lighted docks that hopefully held my first Snook. I must admit, I don’t have much reason to throw 9 wt. rods for hours on end back home, and this time I was learning to do it proficiently from a kayak. Lets just say that it throws a whole new bunch of challenges into fly fishing.

It didn’t take us long to find fish, but finding fish that were feeding was a different story. I had no expectation of my first Snook coming easily, and I knew I had all night. That knowledge coupled with Steve’s awesome knowledge of the quarry and the fishery made me totally confident that I stood the best chance I could.  A handful of docks and a few hours into the trip, we were in the right place at the right time.  A well lit dock with a few fish starting to feed, and just like anyone would hope, I got a good cast close, and just like Steve said, on my first strip the fly just stopped dead. A quick hookset and the line took off under the dock, spelling disaster. Don’t ask me how, but like Steve said, I just pulled as hard as I possibly could and the fish shot out into the middle of the canal, and I really got to understand just how strong these fish are. Fighting and landing fish from the kayaks gets very interesting to say the least. After an awesome fight, my first Snook was at hand, taping out at 27 inches. What a rush!!

After some good pictures and a quick measurement, the fish was released with only a bruised ego. A quick re-tie and I was casting to some other docks. It took  a couple more hours, but we found a bunch of fish stacked up around a light, where I missed 2 fish on the surface and hooked into another Snook that put my kayak under a dock and then broke me off after a solid jump. It is amazing how hard these fish fight, especially when you are used to freshwater species that you can handle on a 5 wt!

All in all, there is not a better way to spend a summer night. I was in bed by 4 a.m.  Sure my shoulders are sore from paddling and my casting shoulder felt like it was made of gravel this morning, but that was truly an experience of a lifetime. If you have never experienced Saltwater kayak fishing and are in the Sarasota area, you need to get in touch with Steve at Shallow Pockets Fishing. Trust me, you will leave with an unforgettable experience, and be up close and personal with these fish, whether it be Snook, Redfish, Trout, Tarpon, or anything else this amazing fishery has to offer.

I will be fishing with Steve again on Sunday, with a report and pictures to follow, so stay tuned for the next episode of this awesome kayak fishing.