I’m sitting in the kayak trying to catch some tarpon after spending 2 hours catching pinfish and they’re ALL dead! I’ve got a flowtrolll and a 5 gallon bbucket of water to keep them in clean fresh water but they all keep dying on me. Any thoughts?
I’ve considered a floating baitpen and tossing a block of ice in the 5 gallon bucket with an aereator. Anybody have luck with either of these options?
yella bote
black motor
Just had a hell of a bite on a live pinfish under a float after I made that post. Took about 100 yards of line and I dropped the anchor to chase it. As I got about 50 yards away and had a big ass tarpon jump on me a flats boat comes flying between me and the fish and cut my line. What the hell…
yella bote
black motor
Bring ice in a cooler. Keep your pinfish in separate container with water and a little ice. Object is the keep the bait cold so it doesn’t need too much oxygen, but not so cold that they die. Keep adding ice as it melts. Works for many baits, including shrimp. Have had live shrimp live all day in ice water. Never tried it with pinfish, but worth a try.
Tidewater 196DC
Yamaha F115
Pungo 120Ust put a 5 ft tarpon to the side of the boat, holy canoly what a ride that was! Just as I got back to my anchor and put my last two little live pins out, a whole school of pinfish show up and I’ve got a full bait bucket again! I think I’m going to get another flowtroll so I can keep them alive and in the water. My only. Concern is how I’ll keep the baits alive when I’m paDdling from point a to point b now…
yella bote
black motor
I like the real time reports Rap. Where’s the pics? Great day!
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
quote:
Originally posted by RapchizzleUst put a 5 ft tarpon to the side of the boat, holy canoly what a ride that was! Just as I got back to my anchor and put my last two little live pins out, a whole school of pinfish show up and I’ve got a full bait bucket again! I think I’m going to get another flowtroll so I can keep them alive and in the water. My only. Concern is how I’ll keep the baits alive when I’m paDdling from point a to point b now…
yella bote
black motor
Nice job man! Go get a 12 volt aerator pump with alligator clips and a small battery to run it with. I use a Werker (12volt 5 amp? i think) that is made for home security systems. I jerry rigged a some what ghetto “dry box” out of a tupperware storage box, some sponge material for padding, and some duct tape in strategic areas to store the battery on the water. Works great for a bucket of mullet or menhaden.
Give me a shout later if you want.
DD
Annoy a Liberal, Work Hard and Be Happy!
not asking for any specific spots but where do tarpon run here in the charleston area that you can fish from a kayak.
Tarpon 120
First off, let me say congrats!!! Are you in South Carolina? We just started to see haden a couple of weeks ago (maybe three), local mullet populations are still a bit thin, and the water temp isn’t quite high enough. If this is in SC then I need to question what I thought I knew about SC tarpon fishing. Sounds like you might be fishing in southern florida though. Post some pics and cool real-time reports!
“The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.” </font id=“size2”>
Hobie Adventure Kayak 08 </font id=“size2”>
Hobie Pro Angler Kayak 09 & 10 </font id=“size2”>
Also, what kind of yak are you in? There are a couple of bait tanks that are kayak specific and may be able to help you transport baits from location to location as well as keep them alive while anchored.
“The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.” </font id=“size2”>
Hobie Adventure Kayak 08 </font id=“size2”>
Hobie Pro Angler Kayak 09 & 10 </font id=“size2”>
Hey guys Rap is in the keys
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
I’m living on Summerland Key at MM24 for the Spring and Summer. I’m in a Wilderness Systems Ride 135, any bait tanks for one of them? I might have to take a look at your contraption when I come home in May Dave. I’ll be bringing the kayak back up with me and hope to do a bunch of fishing while I’m home. I don’t think it’d be unreasonable to think you could fish for tarpon in a kayak in Charleston area as long as it was a somewhat calm day. If I’m in Charleston when the tarpon are around, I’d be down to give it a go.
yella bote
black motor
haven’t caught a fish from a 'yak in years, but had to stick my head in here and say “well done, man!”
thanks for the text about landing that fish… i was thinking “that’s a great florida story”… and unfortunately the whole flats boat cutting you off sounds like it fits right into the same scene.
i think we’ve already shown that my temper flares more quickly than yours… good job on persevering with the poons- i’ll be glad to help you work on a deck-mounted .30-06 in may.
nice job… might be coming down to the keys for spring break… is the tarpon bite gunna be good late april?
also hoping to bring the freedom hawk down … for some tarpon or anything else out there… so tht should be fun
Rap,
I will be down there the end of the month for 7 to 10 days. Send me a PM is you want to try and get together and fish.
Hobie Fishing Team
Fin-Tech Pro Staff
The tarpon bite should be in full swing. Gonna fish for them again saturday afternoon I’ll be leaving here and comiong home on the 25th for a few weeks but if I’m here I’m always down to fisah when I’m not working.
yella bote
black motor
Holler when ya get back to town Rap and come root thru all my old kayak accesories, got hatches, straps, plugs, backrests, webbing, pad eyes, rivets, etc…
Way to go on the poon.
Russ B.
www.joinrfa.org
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
quote:
Originally posted by DolphinDquote:
Originally posted by RapchizzleUst put a 5 ft tarpon to the side of the boat, holy canoly what a ride that was! Just as I got back to my anchor and put my last two little live pins out, a whole school of pinfish show up and I’ve got a full bait bucket again! I think I’m going to get another flowtroll so I can keep them alive and in the water. My only. Concern is how I’ll keep the baits alive when I’m paDdling from point a to point b now…
yella bote
black motor
Nice job man! Go get a 12 volt aerator pump with alligator clips and a small battery to run it with. I use a Werker (12volt 5 amp? i think) that is made for home security systems. I jerry rigged a some what ghetto “dry box” out of a tupperware storage box, some sponge material for padding, and some duct tape in strategic areas to store the battery on the water. Works great for a bucket of mullet or menhaden.
Give me a shout later if you want.
DD
Annoy a Liberal, Work Hard and Be Happy!
Another alternative is to bring a small tank of O2. I’ve been using O2 for years on my skiff bait tank and for a bucket on the yak. You’ll want a regulator with fine settings down to .25 ml as it doesn’t take much at all to keep them alive in a bucket and you don’t want to run through it any faster than you have to. Use a balsa wood defuser (not a stone) for the finest bubbles as that is best.
Pros: no noise, nothing mechanical to break, no worry about battery being charged/electrical connections, keeps more fish lively longer in less water
Cons: IMO the only downside is it may be expensive.
Where ya workin/whatcha doin’ down there Rap? I’d love to spend 6 months or a year down there
There is no normal life, there’s just life.
Tarpon 140
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing LLC
Some one mentioned ice. I can tell you that most fish do a stay alive a lot longer in cold water, although I have no experience with pinfish.
For the aerator don’t waste your money on something that requires a 12 volt battery. Unless you are already have a 12 volt battery for a fish finder or w/e, you are going to hate dealing with it. Get one that runs on D-cell batteries. I have used this brand ice fishing and it works wonders (check out others too, this one has other options so it is a little more):
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Marine-Metals-Two-Way-Bubbles-Portable-Aerator/701080.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D1100297%26Ne%3D1100297%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Daerator%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26WTz_l%3DHeader%3BSearchAll%2BProducts%26WTz_st%3DSearchRefinements%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26search%3Daerator%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=aerator&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products