In this episode, the baitfish fry hatch is in full swing as we venture into the Caloosahatchee River for Mid-Summer tarpon fishing. We found the fish to be pretty picky about what presentations would get a response, but once we got the pattern dialed in, the bite was on! Gear List: Rod: 8′ Sewell Custom […]
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Mysterious things swim in the dark shallow waters of Southwest Florida’s Caloosahatchee River. This June I hooked into something large and got to experience a truly epic battle on a kayak. This is one for the memory book. Shout out to Conway Charters for an awesome trip.
This June I joined up with Captain. John Conway of Conway Charters to target a prehistoric fish species that haunts the lower reaches of Florida’s Caloosahatchee River. Capt. John has spent years assisting FWC capturing Sawfish for acoustic tagging and research. On this trip, my goal was to hook into a sawfish from my Hobie […]
Those long nights, chasing silver until dawn are full swing. We head out on a perfect tide and the right time and experience one of the best juvenile tarpon bites I’ve experienced. Cast after cast, we stick acrobatic tarpon on the Hogy Lures Pro Tail Series. Reel: Shimano Stradic C5000XG Line: 20lb Power Pro Slick […]
Here’s my one month review on the pro’s and con’s of Camp Chef’s new Wood Wind Pellet Grill System. I’ll cover what I like about this grill, how quickly it can cook, flavor and pellet consumption. For more info on the grill check them out direct with Camp Chef: https://www.campchef.com/woodwind.html
If you’re an avid outdoorsman, there is a good chance you’ll be using knives for harvesting fresh fish or game at some point. Not only does a razor sharp blade make your job faster and easier, it also makes it much safer. My lovely wife purchased the Ken Onion Edition Knife sharpener for me a […]
It’s the start to another wonderful tarpon season here in Southwest Florida and I’d like to share some info about a new setup I’ll be adding to the quiver. It’s the new Shimano Tranx conventional reel paired on an 8′ Heavy Sewell Custom Rod, designed for casting jigs and soft plastics. I worked with Matt […]
What’s the one thing you couldn’t leave the dock without? For me on my daytime excursions, it’s going to be my shades. Few things are more painful for blue-eyed people than a glaring Florida sun on the water. Eye pain and fatigue is real and it can make for a very uncomfortable day on the […]
I’ve been doing my best to abuse the New Gemini Fishing Shorts from AFTCO over the past 4 months. Released spring of 2016, these angler driven shorts followed in the footsteps of another personal favorite, the Tactical Fishing Shorts. These shorts exceed the needs for warm weather anglers: Comfort, Quick Drying, Odor Resistance and, Incredible […]
I’m not sure why I waited so long to bring Cast Iron cookware into my life. I enjoy preparing and cooking home made meals at the house and the outdoors. During a camping trip last October, a neighboring camper was using the Camp Chef Explorer Two Burner Stove and I was immediately impressed. It may […]
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to use just about every major brand of marine plotters and sonar out there. When I had the opportunity to equip my Hobie Fishing Kayak with Raymarine’s Dragonfly 7 Series Chartplotter/Sonar, I didn’t know what to expect from their new CHRIP technology. The unit itself it quite easy […]
As an avid sportsman and regular traveler, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the past year in my 2014 Toyota Tundra. It’s offered plenty of power and towing capability, along with a very smooth ride. Over that time, I found myself in many situations that the unprotected truck bed was causing me grief. Meeting an Outdoorsmans needs. Living […]
It can be hard to find a fishing shirt that can serve double duty as casual wear. I recently picked up the new Alto series short sleeve shirt from AFTCO. I immediately noticed the unique texture of the shirt, it’s a Heathered Polyester, while soft to the touch holds it shape well and doesn’t wrinkle […]
I began using Right Coast Independent (RCI Optics) shades back in 2013 after finally giving up on the “premium” eye wear I had been wearing. Truth is, at that point, I had tried the top 3 brands out there, spent a ton of money and never really found a product that could hold up for […]
If I was asked 6 months ago about my thoughts on the use of advanced sonar/plotters on my Hobie Kayak, I would have said, “I prefer to keep it basic and clutter free.” With a majority of my fishing time spent inshore and in less than 30 feet of water, I figured that between experience […]
Redfish love to eat crabs. It’s a primary forage for bull redfish that frequent inlets all around the southern coasts. While the effectiveness of using real crab or cut crab baits is apparent, finding these baits can sometimes be difficult or expensive. THE MISSION: I recently had a chance to fish with Bull Redfish expert, […]
Fish Finder Unit: Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Craft: 2014 Hobie Pro Angler 14 Difficulty: Easy (basic wiring, sanding) I recently had to opportunity to install the Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Fish Finder/Chart Plotter on my 2014 Hobie Pro Angler 14. The install was relatively simple and only required a few modifications to use the existing Lowrance Transducer ready […]
I bought my first pair of AFTCO’s new Tactical Fishing Shorts in late April of this year. After 2 months of intense fishing, sun, sweat and blood, I feel it’s been an appropriate amount of wear and tear to give them an honest review. Are these shorts worth the money? Do they hold up to […]
If you fish a lot, you know that your hands can really take a beating out on the water. If you tarpon fish, you already know gloves necessary to safely handle big fish boat side. I recently purchased a pair of AFTCO Short Pump Long Range Gloves. I’ve got relatively large hands and went with […]
It felt like I found a long lost friend the first day I used the Power Pole Micro on my Hobie Pro Angler 14. I was excited as I quietly poled within casting distance to a small school upper slot redfish. With the push of a button, my anchor spike was silently driven into the […]
6 Tips for Tarpon Fishing There are dozens of great ways to rig your tackle to target tarpon. I’d like to cover a dependable system that works for my Tarpon Fishing in Southwest Florida. These tips are by no means, the only way to fish for tarpon, but they are a great place to start […]
If I had to name one item I couldn’t do without while living in Florida, it would certainly a good pair of polarized sunglasses. It may seem like an afterthought to some, but as a blue eyed mammal, my sensitivity to intense sunlight can be down right painful. If you spend any time on the […]
Looking for an inexpensive way to trick out your favorite kayak? Take a look at the kayak templates available from SeaDek. Kits are stocked in storm grey and camo. Custom colors, logos and designs are available for production, with a 3-4 week lead time. From my experience, it was very easy and a great pleasure […]
As a tarpon angler, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our success rate when chasing the Silver King. 2013 ended up being one of my most productive tarpon years yet. Granted, this success may be attributed to a good run of tarpon during the spring and early summer, but I also attrubite the […]
*UPDATE 10/7/2015* The Work Sharp Knife Sharpener is still running strong. I’ll sharpened my quiver of knives about every 4 months and they continue to hold an edge through heavy use. So far, it looks like one sharpening belt will last for about a year of occasional use (8-10 knives 3 times a year). I […]
Over the past 10 years, I’ve had the opportunity to try our a fair share of production rods for inshore – light tackle fishing. Some rods were good, while others were lacking. It seemed like I was in a kind of “rod rut” and felt complacent fishing with sub-par rods. Granted they worked okay, but […]
Gear Review: The Yeti Roadie I’ve had my Yeti Roadie in the heat of battle for over 10 months now. If I’m fishing on the Hobie Pro Angler 14, or out on the flats boat, this cooler always tags along. This cooler is built like a tank, I’ve put it through the ringer and it […]
Snook in the Darkness – Sewell Rod for Large Soft Baits Spring is finally here in Southwest Florida. Hot daytime temps have warmed inshore waters into prime temperatures for tarpon and snook feeding. Nighttime temps are very comfortable and with a little breeze, are relatively bug free. Last night we decided to fish the outgoing […]
Gear Review: Otterbox Armor Series iPhone 4/4S Case I’ve been using a new iPhone case from Otterbox the past few weeks. The Armor is marketed as the ultimate waterproof, crush proof, dust proof possibly baby proof case for your beloved smart phone. I’m still using an iPhone 4s and use the corresponding case, which is […]
Gear Review: Shimano Sustain 5000FG I spend 90 percent of my time casting artificial baits to fish along the Florida coast. Making hundreds of casts over the course of the day can take a toll on the angler and your gear. By late afternoon casting can become lazy and half hearted. The best way to […]
Gear Review: Yeti Coolers Tundra 50 I’ve finally had a chance to really put this cooler to work. To say the least, it performs flawlessly. So far this piece of equipment has been used as a thermal camera case in subzero temps up in the Colorado Rockies, beverage cooler while 5′ – 8′ seas in […]
Gear Review: Hobie 2013 Pro Angler 14 There are a lot of reviews out there covering the full specs and tech of this boat, so I won’t go into many of them in here. What I would like to elaborate on is my fishing experience on the Hobie Pro Angler 14. I splashed the boat […]
Gear Review: RCI Optic’s Monster Hole Sunglasses The life long search for the perfect pair of sunglasses. It’s an expensive and often frustrating journey through broken frames, cracked lenses and unintentional gifts to Neptune on the sea floor. No one likes forking out $250+ for a pair of quality polarized shades more than we need […]
World class tarpon fishing in a metropolitan area? Miami’s got one of the state’s most consistent and explosive fisheries. I headed over to fish with Capt. Fraser Simpson to chase adult tarpon during the winter shrimp migration inside Biscayne Bay. Outgoing tides after dark trigger a biomass migration of shrimp from the shallow grass flats […]
If you’ve arrived here, you’re probably doing your research while planning a fishing trip in the Florida Keys. I’m going to offer some advice from experiences fishing while fishing along side some of the Key’s most prestigious guides. These tips, tricks and suggestions are certainly not the only way to plan for your trip, but […]
My second favorite time of the year has finally arrived. With the arrival of our first few mild cold fronts, Red and Gag Grouper have begun their fall migration into nearshore shallow water haunts. This seasonal migration offers bay boat anglers the opportunity to target keeper sized grouper well within sight of land. Gag Grouper: […]
