Wait until those kings start showing up off the pier and then go troll live menhaden a few hundred yards off the beach; that would be fun! And you wouldn’t have to paddle five miles. Buddy boats/safety gear are a must; as said above, things can go bad quickly.
May all your favorite bands stay together…
quote:This is done by few locals. I plan on getting a pro angler for this exact purpose. Alot safer when that close too
Originally posted by 23SailfishWait until those kings start showing up off the pier and then go troll live menhaden a few hundred yards off the beach; that would be fun! And you wouldn’t have to paddle five miles. Buddy boats/safety gear are a must; as said above, things can go bad quickly.
May all your favorite bands stay together…
The “offshore” kayak videos I’ve seen are in the 2-3 mile range. I’d definitely be going with someone or a group that had done it before and I would invest in the appropriate gear, vhf and such.
I’m looking at selling my yak and going to a Solo Skiff. It’s designed for a motor whereas my hull isn’t designed to plane, it’s a displacement hull.
When do those kings start getting close to shore?
Ian
Jackson Kayak Big Rig with 2.5hp Suzuki Outboard
Kings have been close to shore since water temp hit 68. Go chase some Pogie schools and you surely find them. Been catching off piers since April 30th
Thanks, good to know.
Jackson Kayak Big Rig with 2.5hp Suzuki Outboard
I paddled out about 600yds to the far sandbar in front of the light house and there where schools of bait fish birds diving and some other stuff feeding. I came from the front beach to avoid the waves and didn’t get to close because I was just dropping a shark line and getting hit by 3 foot breakers a 1/4mile + offshore would make for a long swim and I am to lazy for that. There were 2 kayakers that paddle right to the breakers and surfed them for about an hr, but that was what their yaks were made for. I wouldn’t take a yak with a motor any where rough it just seems like it would affect the balance way to much and if you tipped it would make it a lot harder to deal with. Those kids who got lost and drown very likely where tipped and not able to get back in the yak because of rough conditions with in a 1/4mile or closer (I’d say closer) to the light house because of the sand bars and the white wash they produce especially in wind and current. They definitely would have got jacked up as the inlet pushed them out over the outer sand bar, it has nasty waves when every thing is flat calm. There is also a lot of possible factors that could of contributed, like experience, gear, alcohol and many more. In my opinion inlets are usually more dangerous than open water because of the funnel effect of water increasing speeds of currents and waves, boat traffic, and deltas and sandbars, you can see how big waves are but it really is hard to tell just how hard a current going to pull/push you. I have put out in inlets and had to paddle one side of the yak the whole time to stay some what straight, and if you let up you would spin really quick and hit the waves side ways. The only thing about big game fishing from a yak is its really hard to make any progress because you can’t get any leverage or resistance to put pressure on a fish. The fish just pulls the yak and if large it doesn’t wear them down like it does the angler between paddling, balancing and fighting the fish and water. If any thing bad happens you have to
Yaks are great inshore and can be a blast offshore, but all of those guys you see on the fishing shows are doing what has been suggested here: Mothershipping. My motto is, if I spent the money on gas, I might as well fish from the boat that has the beer (or at least the larger supply )
ColumbiaDawgfan
Sea Hunt Triton 220
Hooked up with a group this weekend that goes a mile or two off Sullivan island for kings. They launch from the beach on the north end of the island. I am thinking about joining them the next time they get a group together. One thing about the motor is it’s a lot easier to push the stern back and forth, so it would make it much easier to stay straight in a current than under paddle power.
Ian
Jackson Kayak Big Rig with 2.5hp Suzuki Outboard
granted im on the florida/georgia border now, but i take mine out off the beach quite regularly during the late summer. what i do is get to the beach and look for either a nearby menhaden school, diving birds, or big splashes and go from there. i drag a plastic squid rig behind me with either a whole squid or snag menhaden with a treble hook and paddle through and beside the pods. doing this im trying to catch cobia, kingfish, spanish, jacks, or even a tarpon, but always end up catching either big sail cats or blacktip, spinner, or finetooth sharks. at least where im at tarpon smash menhaden like crazy all around me, but ive never hooked one of those. take a ride on the 1 shark open sleigh on the other hand and you have a fight on your hands. it is a fun time, but definitely keep safety in mine…heres the main things i take into consideration.
*know your limits and go out on calm water. the first schools i usually spot are between 200-400 yards out, then as i either get towed by a shark or go to more pods ive been up to a mile or so off shore but NEVER out of sight of the horizon. on a calm day im not worried about a mile since every time i fish tailrace canal for shad i paddle a bit over 2 miles each way to get to the dam but keep in mind if you troll youll get an extra workout as well.
*keep a knife readily accessible on your belt in case you get something that gets out of control or something you dont want right beside your leg. if you start to see africa, you may want to break off.
*keep your drag set fairly loose. i use a 9/0 senator with 80lb mono (yes overkill i know but thats the only conventional rod i have and it works great), but still have my drag set not much heavier than the bait runner. if you hook a shark theyll dive straight to the bottom when you reel yourself to them. although yes you can pump them in, theyll make repeated runs back to the bottom and if youre drag is too tight youll get flipped sideways in the middle of a feeding frenzy.
*pay attention to the weather an