Another Yankee Kayak Question

Come down every Spring and stay around Ft. Morgan. From Missouri and I'm no stranger to the big water and the respect it should be given.

Bringing down a Wilderness Systems Pungo 140 kayak. It's rigged for fishing and it's been on the Missouri river just north of St. Louis...life jacket is never even a question.

I've got a week over Easter to play when the family isn't around. So here are the questions I'm most interested in learning before I come down and become a story on the 10 o'clock news...I'll be going out by myself so I would only go into the gulf in 1-2 seas with winds no greater than 12-15. Even in glass water I wouldn't go out much past the sandbar....not much of an adventurer.

1. How is the bay for paddling around and catching some fish without have to go more than 100 yards off shore?
2. Decent place to put in the bay around Ft. Morgan?
3. What should I be going after in the bay around Easter?...How about out past the sandbar?
4. Canal looks like it could be calm and enjoyable...any kayak fishing down around orange beach?

Any other tips? If anyone would like to go out over Easter I promise not to be a burden...I may even buy you a burger and a beer or 2 or 3,4,5...

Lots of good area fishing in all of the bays and trolling the beach. Just a suggestion if you are launching off the beach do is a few times empty to launcy the surf if not you may lose gear. You will turn over several so be sure the have the fam video the fun. Check between now and then check out MBKFA.com. You can find some maybe to fish with. Check out J&M (with all kinds of advise) on Canal road. Once you get ready to get on the waer be sure to lash everything. Good luck and welcome.

OH, forget to mention checkout kayak fishing on Pensacolafishingforum.com. do your research.

Sounds good...tips on trolling out past the breakers...I really don't have a clue what to do that far out and how to troll.

All I've ever done is surf fish and that's pretty much using pompano rigs with shrimp and fish bites....got to be a better way if I'm paddling out to calm water.

Many times have I cast out from the surf, and thought to myself, "just another 100 ft., bet they are biting like hell". I haven't ever sat in a kayak, but, when we are surf fishing at Ft. Morgan, I think about it. You are more experienced than I'll ever be, but I think you might enjoy a buddy, for at least the first merry-go-round. Check out MBKFA, play safe. It is just fishing. I am a fishing addict, so what do I know?

I wouldn't take a kayak out in the canal. I have seen some large Hattaras style offshore boats roll through there bringing a tidal wave behind them. There are some spots that are idle speed only, but it is such a narrow area with large barges coming through, I wouldn't take my kayak out there

Thanks for the direction. here's what I'll be trying...

1. Not going in the canal
2. Launch from the beach a couple of times empty until I get the hang of it.
3. Troll back and forth past the sandbar with ????
4. Hit up the pine road ramp for getting into the bay and figure it out once I get there???

So help me out with 3 and 4...what should I target and with what....out past the sandbar I don't want to hook into a big black tip or sumpin...this boat has only landed large and smallies and an occasional channel cat.

As far as #3 is concerned, my favorite for Spanish is a small Clark Spoon - especially on a sunny day. They do twist your line after a while, but the fact that the single hook is fast to the spoon makes them easy to get out of a Spanish's mouth while avoiding teeth. They will hit a Clark Spoon as well as anything and they are pretty cheap (go for the smaller ones).

You don't need a fancy rig, just a naked spoon on a short leader (50# mono, unless they are really hungry, then light wire).

To get the twist out of your line take the lure off and drag the naked line a bit. It will quickly untwist.

As for #4, if you put in at the bar/grocery just north of the bridge at Co rd 4 and 6 intersection (on 6), there is some pretty good fishing in the old neck of Oyster Bay and you can make your way south across the I'coastal into Oyster Bay for some shallow water fishing that does not get much pressure from outboards because of the depth. You are still a bit exposed to the canal in Oyster Bay, but it's not like being in the canal. I personally would not pass up Oyster Bay if I were inshore kayaking.

Not sure if the water will have warmed enough, but there are some pretty nice specks, rat reds and the occasional flounder in Oyster Bay at times. Fish the edge of the grass.

Thanks a ton for the info on the bay...I'll be honest...getting into some fish would be great but I'm just looking forward to being down south again and out on the water this time...I was born and raised in MO but know that I was a Southerner in a former life. Someday I'll be down there for good...maybe find a shack in Apalachicola...Oysters and beer...for dinner everyday of the year...makes me feel fine.

frednic is right on about Oyster Bay. It has been 15 yrs. since we were there last (had a really good flat bottom back then), and we loved that place. There were a couple of creeks feeding into the bay that were productive for reds and flounder, though we were fishing spring and fall. not winter. We heard there were gators in the creeks; we never saw them. We did see areas of grass beside the creeks that were flattened out, but I thought it may have been otters doing that. It is a lovely and lonely place, so take extra care if you go.