Spring 2013
New East Division
East West
Magellan GPS
East Coast Girls
2&2
The Way Back Home
www.KayakFishingClassicS.com
When Fishing Matters www.DiabloPaddlesports.com
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What’s Inside
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FEATURES 7 Ladies of the East 12 Finding Your Way
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DEPARTMENTS 6 Editors Letter What Really Counts
14 Snook
24 Anglers Health
18 Stand Up
41 Ashley Amich
The Rise of the stand up Kayak
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53 Throwing Feathers Cheeky Mojo 425 Reel
55 Bob’s Corner Pine Island & Matlacha
Photos She Loves
30 Fishing the Sashimi 51 Seeing Red 34 Hardy Lads 38 2 & 2 49 Trigger Strike
On The Cover:
Jean McElroy East Coast Red
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Get it on...in style Get Cheeky
www.cheekyflyfishing.com
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Editors Letter
What Really Counts People always ask me if I am crazy? The short answer is, well yes but I enjoy it. I am asked all the time why I do what I do and why I keep on building on the Kayak Fishing ClassicS? Didn’t you retire some time ago? Again yes, I did but I retired so I can go crazy. I am not one to just sit around and count the clouds blowing by. I enjoy life way too much and there is way too many cool things that I want to do. Building the ClassicS tournament series is far from finished and I don’t know if I live to be 200 years old that I would ever have it completed. The challenge is great but I really do it because it is such a fun sport and the people that I get to meet are so fantastic. I am in a unique position to travel around the country, go fishing, put on tournaments, meet new people and make new friends. I don’t know of any other thing that I could do that allows me to do this. The most important thing to me is the later; making new and wonderful friends is the best of all. How a person is and how they are with other people, how they help others and show kindness openly to a strangler is what counts with me. I see this time and time again at our kayak fishing tournaments and other kayaking events. It is impressive to me that in these times there is such a warm hearted group of people, so anxious to share with and invite others into their kayak fishing world. It just knocks me out. Friendship is a rare item and to find so much of it in one place is overwhelming at times and I thank you for sharing of yourself. This is how life should be….
Captain Pat Horrigan 6
www.DenaliPerformance.com
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Ladies of the East Fish Like a Girl
The 2013 Series Year has introduce us to some fantastic anglers in our East Coast Atlantic Division and we would like to share some new faces with you. In particular, the Ladies of the East. We first met Vickie Sallee at our east division open at the
world famous Mosquito Lagoon in Titusville. If you have never been to the area you have to put it on your short list. It’s fantastic and another pearl in the series. Vickie Sallee is so excited about fishing it is difficult to describe. After talking with her for a few minutes, you
could tell that living the kayak fishing life is important to her and that fishing just well may be life itself to her. It’s easy to find her, just look for her on the water. That’s where you will find her spending every bit of spare time that she can. And she doesn’t waste a precious moment of it.
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www.SteveWhitlock.com 9
continued form page 7
Vickie can often be found with her good friend, Jean McElroy who came in 3rd place in the opener. Jean McElroy is also one very serious competitor. Catching fish makes her smile and she is always smiling. Like Sallee, she is always thinking about fishing, going fishing, fishing or just went fishing. That’s tough to beat but don’t take our word for it. Just enter a ClassicS tournament and you will find out for your self just how serious this is to her. The third Lady Angler of the East is Dee Kaminski. Like the other ladies, she is smiling all of the time and catches fish like nobody’s business. In fact Dee is so serious about fishing that she is a kayak fishing guide and a darn good one. What’s going on here guys? Well I’ll tell you. What we have here is three ladies, all sweeter than your Grandmas punch, that can out fish, out paddle and out smile most of us and we think that’s fantastic. We don’t get to see many lady anglers in any tournament and we are very, very pleased to have three delightful ladies that are just so darn good in our series. We look forward to seeing them again as our series progresses and am sure we will see all of them on the winners podium. Thanks for making it so much fun.
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Finding your way Home Have you ever found that great fishing hole and then several months later wondered; Where was that place? Now you can ask the eXplorist 510 Marine Edition by Magellan GPS. In short, this is one amazing device that is much more than a GPS. Of course the eXplorist 510 Marine Edition will show you where you are and where you have been. After all it is a GPS and the Navionics navigation charts on coastal waters and lakes are included on a Micro SD card. The eXplorist 510 Marine also is a 3.2 mega-pixel camera which delivers great photos right on the units 3” screen. While that may not sound important to you at first, let’s take a look at that application. While you are paddling along in your fishing kayak the eXplorist 510 is generating your track or a bread crumb trail of sorts. Say you locate a nice fishy place and stake out to throw some lures and catch some great fish. Sounds good doesn’t’ it? So how do you find this hot spot again? Simple, just tap the touch screen, yes I said touch screen, select Waypoint, name the hot spot and now you can find it again. Let’s take it a step
By Capt. Pat Horrigan
further however. What fish did you catch? What lure did you use? What was the tide and weather like and what did that prize fish look like? All of this information and more is at your fingertips. Just snap a photo of your prize catch with the 510, select the waypoint, tap record audio to record the information that you want associated with the photo and waypoint and then select save. It’s that simple and only takes a minute to do. So now you are ready to paddle on to explore and find new fishing spots. Just put the slick little unit into the suspend mode with a touch of a button to save the batteries which last days and days. All but the GPS tracking function shuts down. When you are ready to check where you are or mark another waypoint, just touch the button and the eXplorist 510 comes to life. The screen turns bright and you will see where you have been and where you are. Catch another fish; snap a photo, mark & name the waypoint, record the audio data you want kept with the waypoint & photo then catch some more fish. After a few more trips and you want to return to this magic place just tap the waypoint name in the waypoint menu and it will show you where your secret fishing holes are. The Magellan will even show you how to get to them form where you are making the unit a literal fishing hero and your best fishing buddy ever. Another great feature of the eXplorist 510 marine edition unit is the online sharing experience it affords. You can capture and send screen shots to your friends or show off your Big O’l Fish on your favorite social media and more. The eXplorist will help you plan and plot your next fishing trip be it in saltwater or fresh. This premium, rugged, handheld GPS with camera, microphone and speaker to record all of your actions outdoors is pre-loaded with World Edition. This is a road network of more than 200 countries along with city points, land areas, water features and realistic shaded relief backgrounds. You can go just about anywhere and know where you are and record it all on the eXplorist 510 with the marine edition. I think the greatest single feature of this powerful little
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unit is how simple it is to use. You don’t need a degree in computer science to use all of the many features. It’s simple, fast and amazingly accurate. When we were testing our first unit before inviting Magellan to become a sponsor of the Kayak Fishing ClassicS, we put the eXplorist 510 marine edition through some tough testing. We knew it would be good, hey it’s a Magellan but we did not expect such a high level of accuracy that we experienced. We launched our kayaks into the open Gulf of Mexico and paddled a few miles of open water into the backcountry of the Nature Coast of Florida. We proceeded into the bayous and crossed in and out of several systems all with the eXplorist in the Suspend Mode. We placed a marker float at the mouth of a secret creek, tapped the button to activate the live mode and created a waypoint at the float. We recorded the GPS location data and crossed referenced it on another GPS unit on the kayak for a comparison and future
Photo by Al Klose use. We paddled back to the launch point and called it a day. Several days later we launched the kayaks and followed the track plot on the Magellan to the secret waypoint. We zoomed in the screen as we entered the last bayou area and followed the track to within a few inches not yards, of the float. The backup GPS got us only within 30’ of the float. The difference of a few inches and thirty feet could be the difference of catching or not catching fish. Or finding a launch point in a heavy sea fog but I think not finding fish would be far worse.
As a licensed sea captain of many years, I would highly recommend the Magellan eXplorist 510 with the marine edition. It is by far greatly superior to any other GPS unit that I have ever used and is why we invited Magellan GPS to sponsor the Kayak Fishing ClassicS as our GPS provider. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor. Take a look at the eXplorist 510 Marine Edition today at www.MagellanGPS.com and order yours today.
Nov. National Championship Mosquito Lagoon, Florida TBA
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Meet the Family
www.RiverBum.com
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Snook... By Capt. Pat Horrigan What is it about snook that just makes us well...so crazy? Is it their elusive nature or the amazing fight that always follows a hookup? Is it perhaps sighting a 40” beast hiding in the mangrove roots just waiting for a poor unsuspecting baitfish to meander by? And what about the take? Lets not overlook that art form...yes art form indeed. Well for me it’s all of the above and then some. I love to spot a big old fat momma hiding in the mangrove roots and enticing her to come out and pound my fly. I love to watch her blistering speed as she turns away and returns to her quarry as if to await a curtain call. It’s also the melody of my heart pounding in my ears and the sweat on my hands as I prepare to throw some feathers to her.
is interrupted by the rise of a trout and the slurp of another big snook taking on some breakfast. The quiet anticipation of the impending battle that is sure to awake all late sleepers as she thrashes the water and crashes through the air and grove branches trying to get away from me is also anxiously awaited.
The sun just saying hello over the mangrove tops and the birds coming to life with song and the gentile flow of the tide
Over the years of fishing the flats I have developed some degree of patience only to be matched by anxiety. Watching her
mull about the roots, stalking and waiting for just that right moment to strike is amazing. Being their at the right time to satisfy her hunger is an experience that none shall forget. Many anglers have captured a nice snook or two but only a few get to witness the backcountry drama and all that goes along with stalking a huge snook. I was fortunate to have a great deal of knowledge passed on to me by my good Capt. Cliff Martin who grew up hunting big snook. I love to listen to someone share their adventures in hunting snook and it truly is a hunt. I supposed if you fish enough in the right places, you will eventually get into a pretty nice snook but that is only half of the fun. Learning the species, its habits, the habitat that she likes, what she likes to eat; when & why are just a few things to know. I am fortunate in the respect that several friends of mine love to hunt snook and share with me all that goes with it. I never grow tired of listening to the adventures. Now all of this is not to diminish the level of catching a smaller snook, for indeed it is an accomplishment for sure. Any snook is exciting to catch and a 30” snook is electrifying to battle. Last year I had the opportunity to take one of our photographers into the backcountry to show him a few basics of stalking snook. Al had not yet caught one and was looking to correct that shortcoming. We came up on an area and just sat in our kayaks to watch the water and
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what was going on. I explained about the water movement and food flow. He began spotting feeding snook tucked up under the protection of the mangroves. With a bit more instructions, I paddled away so he could enjoy the solitude and beauty of what was about to unfold for him. Within in a short bit of time I could hear him hooting and carrying on. He had done
it. His first snook was a nice 30� snook that was full of anger and grace in being fooled. After a few photos she was of course properly released. I of course got to listen to the story of his first snook and how the fight went...again and again. I could not have been happier...again and again. Hey that’s how snook fishing goes and as you may gather, I love it.
So what is it for you? Is it the joy of a friends first snook? The retelling of the days battles including the ones that fooled you? They will fool you for sure. How many times have you thought you hook a snookasoarous only to watch her let go of your lure as you put on the heat? Happens more than you may think. Perhaps for you it is the overwhelming beauty of the species. A fierce warrior with soft golden eyes to match her golden tail, joined by a pronounced racing strip that some call a lateral line. Snook are surely one of the most beautiful looking fish in shallow waters. Protecting need and benefits of protecting her environment should be taught by you to those who do not know. Just as you pass along knowledge about catching snook, so should the knowledge of habitat protection and cultivation be. For all that she gives to us so should we give to her.
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Because Fishing is an Adventure Worlds Best Fly Lines SINCE 1971
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Guide Series Waterproof Boxes
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The Rise of the Standup Kayak The idea of the modern inshore fishing kayak is stealth. In short, you can sneak up on em in a kayak where you cannot in any other boat. What if the fish aren’t moving around much? How about if they are in holes or hiding in the mangrove roots or grasses on the flats? Most inshore kayak anglers fish with artificial baits and lures just to spice up the challenge and save a few bucks along the way too.. So what’s the answer to this segment of our sport? Well if you could stand up you can certainly see more fish more easily and increase your odds of catching a few of them. Thus; the rise of the standup kayak. Back in 2009 when we were putting the Kayak Fishing ClassicS together we looked into all kinds of kayaks and liked the idea of a standup yak. Being an old flats fly fishing guide and used to a poling platform on my skiff, it just made since to go in this direction. Well there was not a fleet of stand up’s to choose from and in fact we only found one that would work. We worked a deal with Freedom Hawk for 2010 and liked the
boat but it was very heavy however it has since been lightened. In 2011 we got with Diablo Paddlesports and their Adios Kayak. It was and is standup flats fishing machine and we have been with them since. It is an awe-
some kayak that is a blend between a SUP and a sit on top kayak. This is not to say that anglers did not stand up in their standard variety of sit on top kayaks because many did and yes many went for a swim from time to time. Diablo’s concept has really sparked the rise or revolution in the industry that is now going after the popular technique. In recent months Native Kayaks has come out with their version of a stand up fishing kayak called the Slayer which comes in 12’ & 14’ lengths. It is not as wide as the Diablo nor as stable but very easy and comfortable to stand up in. The advantage here is it is faster in the water due to its narrower beam. The Slayer has caused quite a stir in the industry as has the Hobie Pro Angler. The Pro Angler has a pedal blade drive system to propel it through the water and is a stand up and fish kayak. The 14’ model weighs around 140 pounds with the pedal drive in it and has some pretty nice features for the angler. It has grown in popularity and commands a hefty
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price. Anglers can stand up and fish in Both the Wilderness Commander and Native Ultimate kayaks which resemble a canoe to the novice eye but are really Kayaks. Both are fine boats and comfortable all around. In our tournament series we see all kinds of fishing kayaks and the trend is toward being able to safely stand and fish in a highly stable boat. Of course your own personal balance comes into play in any kayak. Your height is also a consideration where the shorter anglers have a balance advantage in rough water or windy conditions. All of the boats listed above are very good and certainly not all that there is available on the market so look around, ask fishing friends and test some of them. We of course recommend the Diablo Adios but you have to decide for yourself. Another big trend in the fishing kayak industry is seating. It is not surprising
when you consider that many kayak anglers spend 3 & 4 days a week on the water. Many fish for several hours at a time so support and comfort becomes an issue. The designers at top kayak manufacturers have been hard at work in this segment of our sport as evidenced by the seating options available to anglers. The standard strap in kayak seat has under-
gone some fantastic changes evidenced by the Big Game model by Skwoosh. We tested that seat and loved it so you don’t have to run out and by a new kayak in order to get a good seat. If you are in the market for a new boat, take a look at the seating options that Native Kayak offers. They have long since been on the cutting edge of seating comfort in fishing kayaks and are not sitting idle. They have designed a nifty aluminum framed seat that is fully adjustable, has lumbar support of course and is covered in their 100% recyclable HiFlowŽ 3-D Mesh and TextileneŽ Solar Screen fabric which vents well to dry quickly and keep you cool. Native Watercraft has several chair models that are so comfortable that you find yourself reaching for the foot rest lever. Hobie also has some very comfortable seats and their latest design can be found in their Pro Angler models. The fully adjustable seat will allow any angler to find their comfort zone for hours of fishing. Diablo has some very useful seating options including a fold up Larry Chair that tucks neatly away into a dry bag allow-
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ing you to clip in a conventional seat to lower the angler out of the wind. This greatly reduces wind resistance if you get caught in a blow. In addition Diablo has partnered with Yeti Coolers and have come up with a cooler seat that attaches to their ‘Diablo Deck’ which is an option new for 2013. You can also attach a hard mounted seat or other options available. Combine that setup with Diablo’s Leaning Post and you are ready for some very serious stand up fishing. One of the reasons that we like Diablo so much are the versatile combinations available so anglers can easily set up their Adios to suit their needs.
fishing day after day in all conditions. They act upon this gathered information and our kayaks just keep getting better. We thank all of them for their hard work and investment in our favorite sport. Now let’s go fishing!
The great thing about having so many top quality kayaks manufactures working hard to earn your interest and respect is that they all push each other. The smart ones ask and listen to the anglers who are actually on the water kayak
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www.DiabloPaddleSports.com 23
Experience the comfort of Skwoosh. Fish All Day
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The Problem with the Sun
Anglers Health By Capt. Pat Horrigan
The problem with the sun is that we are in it a lot. If you love to kayak fish, and all of us do, we are going to spend much of our fishing time during the daylight hours. All of us are aware of the negative effects over exposure to the sun can cause but what do we really do about it? All of us know to use some kind of protection but there are no guarantees. Naturally fair-hair anglers are more susceptible to coming off of the water looking like a bad piece of toast but anyone can experience the related problems to over exposure. So let’s take a look at what we can really do to protect ourselves. We think some of the solutions may surprise even the most experienced anglers. To begin with let’s look at what really happens to our skin over time as we spend year after year in pursuit of our favorite sport. As we know, the sun emits ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. What you may not know is the sun also emits UVC rays but they are not a concern as the earth’s atmospheric ozone absorbs it. The big concern is the A & B ultraviolet rays as they can quickly penetrate your skin to a harmful level. The affect on your skin can happen during any temperature and any season of the year. That’s important information because many anglers have
told us that they don’t worry about it in the winter months as much as they do in the summer time. According to the Mayo Clinic, skin cancer is the abnormal growth of skin cells that often times develop on sun-exposed areas of our skin. The epidermis, our top layer of skin, is made up of three types of cells called the squamous, basal and the melanoctes. The process of our epidermis constantly shedding and replacing new cells is controlled by the DNA of our skin cells. UVB radiation from the sun is capable of causing skin cancer because it kills skin cells and damages the DNA of our skin cells. UVA radiation weakens the immune system of
our skin cells. This is not good to say the least and damaged DNA may lead to overgrowth of new skin cells while cells killed off by UVB rays lead to sunburn which is a risk factor in skin cancer. All of this increases our chances of getting carcinoma along with melanoma skin cancers which are the most common and can kill you. Think about that. Naturally as we age we change in appearance, but some people just don’t look their age. UV radiation effect and damage the collagen and elastin that give our skin strength, elasticity and firmness. Damaged proteins in the skin lead to early aging of the skin. UVB rays stimulate the production of the skin cells
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which results in a thick leathery skin. Age spots are caused by excessive production of melanin and look like flat, brown, black or gray spots on the skin. Well we think you get the picture here; if you spend time in the sun, unprotected you are going to damage your skin. You may look much older than you are and you may also get skin cancers. Now let’s look at what we can do to protect ourselves. It is much easier to do everything you can to prevent these types of skin problems than to deal with them at a later date. Products today are getting much better as scientists learn more and develop new protection for us. Not too many years ago there just wasn’t much protection from the sun beyond light colored clothing and that wasn’t much considering UV protection clothing is a relatively new item. Today the sun block creams and sprays have a much higher protection level and as you may have seen there is a large variety of SPF levels to choose form. This is a good place to start. It is suggested to that you use the highest SPF rating sun block that you
can find such as SPF 70 that protects you from both UVA & UVB, is broad spectrum, waterproof and contains vitamins A,C & E. Some of these products can be a bit greasy and can sweat into your eyes but there is a solution by Neutrogena. Their Ultra Sheer sunscreen has a SPF of 100+ and is a broad spectrum. It is oil free yet waterproof and won’t clog pores and is PABA free. Another nice thing is that it doesn’t have that weird smell some brands have. It won’t sweat into your eyes and we use it on our face and other exposed areas of skin while fishing. That leads us into the next part of this article which is the protective clothing.
The Shirt: Much of the clothing we purchase is based on appearance and fashion. This naturally comes into play because who doesn’t want to look good? The manufactures of outdoor apparel know this and work hard at it for all of us to enjoy. Many offer SPF protection built right into the fabric which we think is fantastic. Denali Performance Apparel and ExOffico have this protection in their products and are both sponsors of the Kayak Fishing ClassicS because they are really very, very good companies that are looking out for you. Both Denali & ExOfficio make great looking apparel so you can enjoy the best of both worlds
with great looks and protection. ExOfficio also makes a line of fishing pants/zip offs that are second to none and an up/ downer hat that also offers additional protection for us.
Feet & Hands: Kokatat makes great high quality kayak booties that protect your feet from the elements and Mangrove Sungloves make the very best ultra light sun protection gloves in the world. The Mangrove’s were made for the fly angler in mind but we wear ours for all fishing styles and paddle in them with no ill effects. Because they are so light weight, cool and protective with never take off the Kokatat’s or the Mangrove’s while on the water.
The Hat: Another protective item is the hat. A ball cap just isn’t going to cut it on the water in a kayak. Many anglers wear an up/downer which is like a ball cap with a larger bill and has a drop down piece to cover your ears and the back of your neck as well as your bit of your face. A jungle style hat is also another popular style with a short brim around the entire hat that offers some protection but probably isn’t the best choice. If you combine a buff with any hat, your are upping your face, ears and neck protection greatly. A buff is a cloth tube, open on both ends and pulls on
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over your head. Most offer good SPF protection as well. If you use a good sunscreen/block, a buff and a good hat you are tipping the scales of protection heavily in your favor. So let’s see here, we have your face, ears, neck and head protected. Your legs, body, feet and hands covered so what left? Oh yes your eyes!
Eyes: It is important to keep in mind that the damage from the sun is coming from the sky and from the water as well. The sunlight bounces or reflects off of the water and gets you again. Your eyes really take a beating. A mirror layer made into your sunglasses cuts down the glare from the sun and from the water. Ever notice the gritty feeling you get in your eyes after a day in the sun? Are your eyes red and bloodshot when you come off of the water? Well like sunscreen, there are different grades and qualities of protection found in sun-
sunglasses. We did a great deal of research in this area and surprised to find that although many manufactures claim they offer 100% of UVA & UVB protection it is really a distortion of fact. Due to advertising laws in this area, a manufacture can make this clam if they meet certain government requirements that are based on normal use. Being out on the water during a hot, sunny Florida day for 8 to 10 hours 3 or 4 days a week is not considered normal or common. There are also different intensity levels of A & B UV rays and as long as the federal minimums are met, manufactures can make these clams. We found that Ocean Waves Sunglasses is the only sunglasses manufacturer in the world that actually really blocks 100% of all harmful UV rays and then some. Ocean Waves also enhances certain light waves and suppresses others to not only protect your eyes, they make sighting a fish in the water much easier. Our good friend Bob Bramblet placed several objects in the water for a sunglasses test. He used several manufactures lenses for this and filmed
the test. Well long story short, Ocean Waves made the objects ‘pop’ while other lenses would not allow you to see some of the objects at all. The objects were not hidden and were simply fanned out so that you had to look for them at different degrees of the compass such as
looking for fish. In addition to the superior protection and fish sighting capabilities that OW’s afford, they are very stylish which is important. Now you know why we invited Ocean Waves to become our official eyewear sponsor. And yes you can these same glasses in your prescription. So what happens to your eyes in the sun? Without proper protection from the harsh effects of the sun, your eyes may suffer strain, cornea and retina deterioration and worse such as ulcers and tumors. Spooky when you think about it. At the Kayak Fishing ClassicS we consider many factors before inviting a company to become a sponsor. It is a lot of work and expense to us and we do it for you. Our sponsors go to great lengths to offer products that not only work well but are also the very best in their given field. Take advantage of these efforts and please support these companies that truly have your best interest at heart.
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Find Your Way in the Darkness... www.PrincetonTec.com
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Have a D.O.A. D.A.Y.
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www.MaxPaddle.com 30
Fishing the Sashimi
for the bait fish rings the dinner bell for predators come running.
We asked top angler Joe Komyati to take some time and learn how to fish the Sashimi Lure made by Yo-Zuri and he agreed. The lure is very unique in that it actually changes color while in motion, much like a bait fish does when it senses danger or is frightened. The action is incredible but there is even more to this lure than meets the eye. The body of the Sashimi has raised ridges that generate different vibration sounds at different speeds as you move it through the water. When a fish is distressed due to fright or injury for example, it will emit vibrations into the water. This unfortunately
We knew it was an awesome bait with all of the amazing features but it is new to the inshore fishing set. Joe got pretty excited about the Yo-Zuri product and could not wait to try them or should we say, learn them. That’s right you need to learn a bit about this one. Fishing the lures at different speeds and patterns, such as a jerk retrieve versus a walk the dog for example, will cause the Sashimi to change colors differently and emit different distress signals. That was a real jaw dropper for us and for Joe as well.
Knowledge Base
Joe was given a red Sashimi with circle hooks on it. He said it really wasn’t the right color for this time of year and our reply was simple and impactful; ‘it’ll change Joe’ and a big grin flashed across his face. We were speaking his langue. Joe did not care for the circle hooks for inshore kayak fishing as he found them to be a problem and fish were getting away. He changed them out and went to a standard saltwater treble hook like those on other Yo-Zuri lures. Well the nasty weather and cold fronts finally gave us a break and Joe was back
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Fishing the Sashimi
Knowledge Base
at it. He got the hang of working the lure in different fashions and couldn’t believe his eyes. ‘That darn thing changes color like a bait fish’ commented Joe in a conversation with us. If you watch bait move through the water on a sunny day you will see several different colors twinkle in the water as the sun reflects on their scales like thousands of mini prisms. We asked Joe to send us photos as he started catching fish and we figured the size of the fish would reflect in his learning curve. It did not take long…. Joe is consistently catching fish with the Sashimi and can’t wait to go snook hunting with it and has requested the green color scheme model. It’s on the way Joe and we can’t wait to see what he cooks up with this one.
The point here is that an angler was willing to not only try something new, but to increase his knowledge base and it opened him to an entirely new class of fishing and a completely new way to catch a fish. Yo-Zuri engineers really do think like a fish and now so does Joe….
In case you were wondering about the shirt Joe is wearing in the big trout photo, he won in one or our recent tournaments. The Protective UV shirt is made by Denali...one of our great sponsors. www.DenaliPerformance.com
www.Yo-Zuri.com
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Of High Winds and Hardy Lads
Anglers Corner
By Capt. Pat Horrigan
Photo By Redfish Chuck Levi
When the weather is of high winds it seems to call the hardy lads of yore to action. There is something about the howl and scream of the wind in your ears, the spray of the ocean in your face and the knowing that the biggest of fish will ignore it all and go find something to eat. This weather is just perfect and it beckons the hardiest of soles. Just knowing the giant of a lifetime is out there on the flats searching for an easy meal to satisfy his hunger and fuel his wonder lust to prowl his familiar waters. Such is the life of a huge fish. He can’t afford to hunker down too long as his behemoth body demands food and lots of it. This is the weather and the fish that make legends… The weather was to be calm early morning long enough to paddle his kayak into
position several miles away. The winds were to shift to Northeast driving water and baitfish right to where he planned to ambush a monster redfish which the Banana River is known for. A forty pound redfish doesn’t get to be that size out of luck. He is smart, cunning and a savage, brutal hunter. He shows his pray no quarter and the hardy angler, Jose Vidal knew how to play right into his strengths. Seeing a monster redfish and catching one is two separate things. If you can figure out how to put the two things together, well then you really have something. After he reached his zone of opportunity Jose set up and watched for the tell tail signs of the giant quarry in shallow water. He saw such a sign but it was not the mark of the beast he wanted to do battle
Huge Banana River Redfish caught by Jose ‘Pepi’ Vidal…..Nice! with and believe me, if you hook a 40 pound redfish in 12” of water it quickly becomes a battle. Picture this; you are in a little plastic kayak, no motor only a paddle, lightweight rod and reel, the wind is, well you get the picture. Everything is in favor of the fish in this fight…everything. The fish knows where to run and what to run through. He knows where he can break you off and how to twist the line around your head. He can jump over you and swim under you. He can take you for a ride that you will never forget, rip up all of your gear and them swim away leaving you to sob and contemplate why you do this crazy stuff in the first place. Well the answer is simple; it’s the clos-
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Anglers Corner Continued finally gave up and was brought boat side but now what? What do you do with a 40 pound redfish once you get a hold on it? It’s not like lipping a bass. Every time Pepi tried to lift the beast, his kayak tried to scoot out from under him. He finally got the denizen of the depths out of the water and into the kayak for a few nice photos.
Photo By Redfish Chuck Levi
est thing we have to grabbing a rhino by the tail. As Jose or Pepi as his friends call him, watched for the guest of honor to make his appearance the wind continued to build from the north. This was good as it made the tall waves topped with white froth of the middle of the river. The set of the waves were close and deep which was perfect to drive the big fish into the shallow flats in search of food. It had been a cold winter and it wasn’t over quite yet and the big reds needed to warm and nourish themselves on the sunny flats. As the day wore on the wind buzzed at a steady 20 mph it only served to harden the resolve of this highly skilled angler as others got off of the water. Then it happened. He spotted a huge push of water on the shallow flats. This was a big fish pushing water around not unlike that of the bow wake of a submarine making way for deeper waters. It was a call to action, an alarm of anticipation so powerful that it makes your head swim for a moment. A cold sweat breaks out
and you can feel the butterflies zipping around in your gut. Man this is living. Pepi slowly and silently paddled into position to make his attack. He knew he would only have one shot at this big boy as the wind would push him past the target in no time at all.
Fortunately Pepi’s friend Redfish Chuck saw that he needed a hand with the creature and came to assist with the photos, revival and release of the fish, unharmed to fight another day. As the two of them headed back to base camp, Pepi relived the battle with Redfish Chuck and there was no need for exaggeration; the mighty rhino red measured a whopping 39” in length. Pepi did not measure the girth of the warrior as he wanted to get him back into the water as quickly as possible. Although Pepi called it a nice bull red I think I’ll call it the raging red rhino of Banana River.
Pepi focused, made a perfect cast and let the bait come to rest…twitch, twitch… Bam! He set the hook and it was game on. The beast rose from the shallow depths of the flats to show its mighty bronze back, swirled and made a line screaming run halfway to Texas. Pepi gave chase as the wily red uncorked all of his cunning to get free only to be matched move to move by the equally crafty angler. The powerful fish seemed to be yielding to the pressure applied, tried to slack the line and made another spool clearing run. It was off to the races again with kayak, Pepi and all that goes with him. Beginning to tire now the mighty red slowed the pace of the fight and Pepi took full advantage of it. He put his gear to work as the wind was unrelenting while blasting the salty spray into his eyes. Suddenly all of the crashing and thrashing in the water stopped. The fish
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At the End of 2 & 2
As you know the Kayak Fishing ClassicS now has two divisions, a Gulf Coast and an East Coast. So how’s that going, you may ask? Well great in fact. So what has gone down thus far in the tournaments at the end of 2 tournaments each? If you have been following on our website and in kayak fishing magazines around the planet you know the score. We opened the 2013 series year in January as we do each year. We opened in Tampa Bay with the Old Tampa Bay Classic which was a 3 redfish
tournament and was won by Chuck Statham. Next we went over to the east series division for the opener on the right side of the state. We opened with the Mosquito Lagoon Redfish Classic on February 9 and it was awesome. This too was a three redfish tournament and was also won by Chuck Statham who had never fished the lagoon before. This left some of the anglers wondering how that happened. A Gulf Coast angler fishes a place that he had never fished and wins the tournament? Will you need to
understand that Statham has been kayak fishing for big reds for a long time and is a very good angler. But still some competitive hackles went up and Statham was a marked man for the next East Division tournament. (All in fun of course). March 9 brought us back to the Gulf Division for the Fort De Soto Classic and again Statham won the 2 redfish & 1 trout tournament. He now held the series lead in both the Gulf & East divisions and had everyone vowing to out fish him. That’s sports
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2 & 2 cont.
though. Everyone is always after number 1 and this is no exception. Could anyone do it? Several had said they were going to take him in the next tournament and leads us to the Banana River. On April 5 & 6 we back over to the east side and for the Banana River Classic, a 2 red, 1 trout
tournament. April 5 was pre-fish day and it was a fairly nice day with afternoon winds. Not bad. On tournament day, April 6 the contestants launched at 6:30 am after receiving their fishing tokens. The wind built throughout the day and concluded with several anglers only catching fish but this time things were a bit different. Andrew Mixon took top podium with the days only three fish catch of 2 reds and 1 trout. Jose Vidal took second podium with two
nice redfish of which one was of epic size. Where was Chuck Statham? He came in third podium with a trout. Vidal had been in second place in the east series standings but this changed everything. Jose Vidal had taken command of the series lead pushing Statham back to second place. Andrew Mixon now is in third place in the standings and the race is on. The outcome of this tournament changed the East Division standings and may have put the brakes on Statham’s domination. We’ll see because now Vidal is the marked man….
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Handle the Big Ones with BlackDog Rods www.BlackDogRods.com
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Photos of Ashley Amich
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We know that you will enjoy the photographic works of Ashley Amich. She recently joined the Kayak Fishing ClassicS as one of our special photographers and you will see her on the water and at awards in both the East and Gulf series divisions. When you see Ashley please say hello. You are in for a treat as she is a very good angler as well. Look for photos by AshleyA on our website and in all of our publications. Ashley is a photographic arts major at major college and is serving an internship with us. We are glad to have her join us and as you may tell, she likes horses too.
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Turn On The Bite! www.MirrOlure.com
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MADE TO FISH www.ExOfficio.com
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Trigger the Strike and Recently we gave our friend Vickie Sallee a pack of the Big Hammer swim baits to try out. Vickie is a very accomplished angler and competes in our East Coast division. We have learned that it is sometimes difficult to get anglers to try something new but wanted a good angler to use the Big Hammer swim baits that had never used them before. Vickie volunteered so we gave her a pack of the 4” Bay Smelt which is not commonly found where she fishes. The purpose of this was for her to use a lure that was different from what she has ever used and the fish had not seen a lot of. We wanted her to take a look at the fish reaction to the action that the lure imparts.
get away. In our testing we bent down the barbs on the jigs so we could get our jigs back. The lures just excite the fish so much that it trips a very powerful strike. We didn’t tell Vickie about any of that. I just asked her to try them out for us. When a fish hits a lure with everything it’s got you know that the lure either really rang the dinner bell or made the
Big Hammer swim baits are a unique soft plastic, multi colored, high action lure that is new to the ClassicS and the anglers in Florida for the most part. We know by our testing that this should be a killer lure by the action that it creates. Our job is to get it in the hands of anglers and start catching fish. Vickie used a small red jig head with the big bait to make it look wounded. She cast it into a school of mullets that were grazing the flats. The small jig head kept the weight to a minimum as she was fishing in only 2’ of water. Vickie jerked the lure on the fall, raised her rod to left the Hammer and repeated the action. Bam! A nice redfish hit the lure “HARD” said Vickie. I know exactly what she means. We experienced the same violent strikes in our testing of the lures. Judging by the photos that Vickie sent to us, the red hammered the lure as was not about to let it
fish very angry. You’ll see what we are talking about in the photos that Vickie sent to us. The Big Hammer is deep into the mouth of the fish. Vickie really liked the swim bait and requested a smaller size and in different colors. I think she liked the lures and the strikes they produce. It was very nice of her to do that for us and we appreciate it very much and yes, there are some 3” Big Hammer swim baits on the way to her.
Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. An experienced angler using a lure that she has never fished before in chilly winter water and experienced a violent strike. Fish in cold water slow down… way down. Their strikes are generally slow and soft to the point of being almost undetectable. So what gives? Why
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Trigger the Strike such a heavy hit by a common size redfish? We think that the company came up with the perfect name for their lures. The main body of the swim bait is shaped like a bait fish and many of the lures have layers of colors to emulate the look of a certain bait which is why they are all hand poured. Big Hammer designers came up with a tail design that really calls fish and triggers the strike. The entire body action of the lure just screams come and get it. Visit our website Big Hammer page to learn more about them and to place an order with them at http://www.swimbait.com
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Protect Your Feet...They Deserve It... www.kokatat.com
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Seeing Red
By Derick Burgos
Winds, rain and every other act of nature had me on the water during early bird hours. The beginning of the week started off pretty slow but the last couple of days had me seeing nothing but red, Redfish that is. Over slot Redfish seem to have moved in all over the flats. Cut pinfish, ladyfish and mullet,( frozen seem to have worked best) have caught some nice fish for the live baiters but lure junkies (like me) have been releasing the pigs on lures such as Slayer Inc. Lure Co.’s new SSB in Molten and Camo. These “Bruisers” can be found spread out in pot holes and cruising mangrove shorelines. The last hour of the falling tide produced the best fish. Keep an eye for hyperactive Mullet or surface activity. My bigger catches have all been semi-lone fish in super shallow water less than 2’. Areas such as the Kitchen, mouth of the Alafia and Cockroach bay are all great places to start searching for them. Schools
will be hunting but very wary. I blew out a school by simply coughing from over 50 yards away! Poling or drifting your yak or even getting out and wading while in search mode is mandatory for the sketchy ones. If you spot a school be patient, sit up-tide from them, be quiet and let them come to you. Try using lighter gear in the 8-10lb class using a 14-20lb fluorocarbon leader to maximize the
strike. A longer 8’ rod will be just right to make super long casts while staying well out of their “bubble”. Follow these simple steps and you’ll be the right track and landing big Redfish in no time. Be sure to work both ends of the tides to “track” or pattern fish movement and behavior and ALLWAYS log your catches!! www.phatfishkayakcharters.com
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www.Facebook.com/FishTailsApparel
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Getting Cheeky...
Throwing Feathers
Kind of a 1930’s saying; Getting Cheeky but it is appropriate when you look at the meaning. If a reel can be insolent, impudent or saucy then the Mojo425 is indeed Cheeky. The new reel was two years in the making and it treats hard fighting fish with insolent disdain and contempt. Here on the Gulf the inshore bruisers such as tarpon, huge redfish and snook are well known for cooking the guts out of a good fly reel in a matter of minutes. The Cheeky Mojo 425 laughs off all such attempts as its sealed Evo synthetic disc drag will never let you down. Although weighing in at only 7.0 oz and sporting a 4.25” frame and Max Arbor, this tough reel is made to dish out a smack down to all comers who dare cross its path. Lightweight, machined aluminum, easy L/R conversion, quick change spool and a reel case to stash it in. What more could you want? How about stylish good looks? The Cheeky line has you covered there as well. Absolutely flawless workmanship by world class craftsmen go into each and every Cheeky fly reel. Take it out of the box and be prepared to feast your eyes upon an impressive display of sheer beauty and power….it’s that nice.
Break Down: The all important drag is completely sealed for life. The discs are made of PTFE composite that out performs Rulon, carbon fiber and cork in testing. Stacked alternating stainless steel & composite discs yield impressive strength, stopping power, smooth startup and great heat dissipation. The drag system package is completely sealed by aerospace grade o-rings that keeps everything out. Blistering, screaming runs are no problem for this baby.
bor….a nifty feature that is sure to come in handy.
Max Arbor is a Cheeky innovation. Large arbors have been around for a while but MAX Arbor keeps line memory a thing of the past and takes up line as fast as a big fish can run with it. The Mojo 425 holds about 20% more line than other reels thanks to the B2 Channel design. This reserve backing bank increases line capacity without weakening or compromising the ar-
Retrieve Direction Change: Again very simple. Just flip the bearing over to go from right hand to left hand retrieve. Nice…
Weight: Being lightweight does not equate to being a lightweight when it comes to this reel. The design engineering is impressive and due to the design there is no worry of ever experiencing metal fatigue or failure. Spool Change: Leave the tool box at home where it belongs. Simple, secure, one hand.
Finish: Outstanding! Everyone here has been trying to get their hands on my Cheeky and it’s not going to happen. It’s been a lesson in frustration trying to get out on the water. We went from winter to storm after storm to what now looks like summer. We lined up our photographers for this Friday to hopefully get some great action shots. Reds are always great fun to catch on fly and tarpon season is just around the corner. More to come as we hunt up some big snook….
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Pine Island & Matlacha
Pine Island and Matlacha invoke images of history and intrigue. The area has long been an adventure destination for anglers from around the world. The Calusa inhabited Pine Island since around the year 300 at the mound -site now known as Pineland. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed near the area in 1513, and careened his ship for repairs in Pine Island Sound. After the Calusa empire collapsed in the 18th century due to war and diseases, the island was only sparsely inhabited until the 1870s. There are also local island stories and varied accounts of pirates
By Bob Bramblet
such as Jose Gaspar, the selfproclaimed King of Pirates, being on and around Pine Island. Pine Island Sound was designated as an Aquatic Preserve in 1970. At 54,000 acres, it’s the second largest preserve in the area. The sound stretches from Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass to the south approximately 20 miles to the Sanibel Causeway. Vast amounts of water move through the many passes along Sanibel, Captiva and Cayo Costa islands. The area is made up of vast grassy flats with deep sandy potholes and lots of mangrove shore-
line. There are many small mangrove islands, as well as small oyster bars creating an excellent habitat for redfish, trout, snook, tarpon and sharks. Kayak fishing has grown quite popular in the area and many kayak launch areas have been established. In Matlacha, the Matlacha Community Park offers a free launch into the pass that covers the east side of Pine Island. Heading south, kayakers can enjoy the launch at Tropical Point at the end of Tropical Acres Dr. This launch allows access to Manatee Bay and incredible fishing oppor-
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tunities. The Pine Island Commercial Marina on the west side of Pine Island is open Monday thru Friday, but is limited to commercial use only. Recreational anglers can use the ramp on Saturdays, Sundays and Lee County recognized holidays. Pineland, an area at the northwest side of Pine Island, has a very limited public launch. The Pineland Marina recently opened a kayak ramp a short distance away for a nominal fee. These launches place anglers upon beautiful grass flats and long stretches of mangrove shoreline.
snook to cruise the mangroves. Top water lures such as a Zara Spook or Topdog work well, while paddle tail jigs and other soft plastics produce later in the day. A chunk of cut lady fish tossed under the mangrove branches is a sure way to find a large redfish. Winter produces negative tides and that brings the fish to the flats. It’s not uncommon to see plenty of tailing redfish on an incoming tide feeding on crabs. Live shrimp or shrimp lures will get their attention as well as top water lures.
Fishing in Pine Island Sound is all about the tides. Summer brings flood tides causing redfish and
Whatever the time of year, Pine Island offers plenty of hospitality. Great restau-
rants such as Bert’s or The Perfect Cup offer great food for refueling after a long day paddling. The Tarpon Lodge is an historic inn right on the water in Pineland and offers reasonable rates for overnighters. Great fishing and amenities abound in Pine Island and make it easy to cross this famous area off your bucket list.
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The Picky Snook
I think the snook is my friend, Paul Phipps’ favorite fish – or it’s got to be at least tied for first. Recently, we went out in his boat at night with his son, Malachi, in search of the often picky linesider in hopes of bringing a few home for dinner. There’s nothing quite like fresh battered snook nuggets dropping in some hot oil and hearing that sweet sizzle, ultimately falling onto the dinner plate and seeing that crispy golden brown crust – I’m drooling just thinking about it. I had heard a lot about these newer lures that had been out for a while and how everyone had been catching snook after snook with them and wanted to give them a try. So getting my gear ready I
By Mark Naumovitz
took a brand new Live Target mullet twitch bait out of its package and tied it on my fifty pound fluorocarbon leader. The hooks looked extremely beefy so there was no need to exchange them out for aftermarket hooks that I usually put on new plugs. It was nice to get a product that you could just tie on your line and not worry about having the hooks pull out on a quality fish, which gave me immediate assurance that I could tighten down my drag. The finish and paint on the mullet was unbelievable, rather, totally believable! Compared to the mullet pushing through the river it was an easy “match the hatch” lure and I was totally pumped to start giving it some tosses. The company definitely takes lure detail
to the next level and delivers and excellent representation of a bait fish. Anxiously we launched the boat and started making our way to a local bridge. Paul and I always have a great time fishing together; telling jokes, making up lyrics while singing songs and just relaxing as we enjoy nature to its fullest – and it’s even better when his children go to get in on the action. As we were getting close to the bridge it seemed like every fisherman with a boat got the memo that the snook were biting because we couldn’t find a spot near an available piling! This was a perfect opportunity to try a few new areas we had always wanted to work so we made the decision to endeavor around some shallow water for a
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The Picky Snook while. The tide was incoming and the current was starting to pick up as we trolled our way over to a bright light along some docks which looked promising. As any other twitch bait, the Live Target mullet threw long and like a bullet, and I started working it with my 2-1-2 retrieval - also I noticed that it had very good swimming action when reeled semi-fast and consistently. No later than three casts and I felt a hard bump that resembled the bottom or getting stuck on a log, but milliseconds later felt more like a hefty fish as it started to take out drag. That feeling of excitement and adrenaline quickly kicked in as I called for Paul to get the net. The snook made a few nice runs which moved me from the bow of the boat, to the stern, and on to the port side where we were finally able to scoop it up. Not bad for the first few casts of the new Live Target! Upon some measurements and some photos we had our first soap fish for the live well and some slimy high fives went all around. As time elapsed and a few other dock lights were visited, we decided it was time to find a spot back at the bridge to pull one up from the deep.
and we found an available bridge piling to get near and throw some heavy jigs around to get to the bottom. As Malachi and I tended the boat this time, within a few minutes Paul was able to retrieve a slot snook as well and with a close combat splashing battle that echoed fiercely under the bridge. Another round of hooting and hollering went on for a few minutes and a second snook was added to the live well. You know it’s a good night when you have a certain size and species of a fish to go after and that’s exactly what you bring home. I tell you one thing though; I can’t wait to go after a slam with my new mullet twitch bait lure in the kayak. Maybe that will be the next story. Visit Live Target Lures at www.LiveTargetLures.com Author Mark Naumovitz, writes an online paddlecraft column for Florida Sportsman and also operates
www.marxsportinggood.com
It was Paul’s turn Mark holding a nice snook caught on Live Target Mullet.
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We thank all of our great sponsors. You can too at: www.KayakFishingClassicS.com/sponsors
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