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New need help

Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 12:22 pm
by bobbyg57
Hi, my name is bobby and I am 57 yrs old. I just bought a fishing kayak from cameo country. I am looking for some people to go fishing with who have the time to help me learn the ropes such as one example how to anchor and the other is I am not very good at knots. I work Monday - Thursday from 7-4 and I I have fri. Sat sun. Off is there anyone who could go out and is willing to teach me the ropes . I have been going to weedon Island the past two months and had no luck at all. I can fish from st. Pete to tarpon springs give or take a half hour either way and I don't know where to fish in tampa. I live I land o lakes and I don't mind traveling. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am frustrates not catching anything . Please contact me if you are going out and don't mind bring me. Thank you in advance, bobby

Re: New need help

Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 4:05 pm
by Manning
I live in Sarasota which is a little too far to help much on the fishing, but I can help with the knots. Here is a video of the basic loop knot. I use it to tie on almost all lures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2VtbyE2uJ4

The next knot is a double uni knot. I use this to attach my braided line and my fluorocarbon leader. The video shows 6 wraps on each side. I do 8 turns with the braid and 5 with the leader.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk_VUb-dOQo

Quite honestly these are about all the knots I use. I have never had either of these knots fail. Good luck.

Re: New need help

Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 5:22 pm
by krash
I use a site called Animated Knots for knot help... do not get caught up and overwhelmed there are way to many knots but you really only need to know and perfect a few, and the choice is personal.
Mostly fishing from the kayak/canoe for me is inshore and use Braid in 20/15/10 pound test, and fluro leader material generally 15 or 25 pound test.

1) Line/Leader to Hook, I use either Improved Clinch Knot or Palomar
2) Line to Line or Line to Leader, I use mainly Uni to Uni here
2a) Braid to Leader I usually tie about a 4 to 6' Bimini Twist before tying the Braid to Fluro, just to give the braid a little more diameter.

Jump on that site, cut some pieces of line & leader and start practicing.

Re: New need help

Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 5:32 am
by jbdba01
I'm pretty far south to assist on locations, but seeing that I'm watching some computers grind away and I've got little better to do on a Sat morning...some random thoughts.

I have two knots that I used 99% of the time for inshore fishing - I only deviate if I find a topwater plug is hanging on the loop.

- loop knot - join leader to lure
- albright knot - to join braid to leader

Only time I double up on braid is for poon - spider knot. Bimini twist is too complicated for me.

Youtube search them for a video.

I've fished Weedon only once and found it has some decent fish - so if that's close to you stick with it. Don't shotgun it and go from location to location to location. Get to know one general area before branching out. Spend some time there - like a year. If you want to move on just for a change of pace that's fine, but knowing one area good is better than two so-so.

I repeatedly used the same 3 basic lures. I like paddletails, spoons, topwater plugs. This will cover all three columns of the water - bottom, mid-level, top. If I were just starting out and just wanted to bend a rod - Johnson Gold spoon 1/4 oz. Fan cast - start at 9 o'clock to the boat and work your way to 3 o'clock. As far out as possible. Straight retrieve - don't get all fancy jigging, bumping...just reel it in slow enough not to catch weeds on the bottom.

Two main colors for paddletails - rootbeer and white. Anything in between and you're fine tuning. I use rootbeer in dark water, white in clear water. Same principle - straight retrieve. You can jig it, bounce it...but to start just reel it in. I've switched to Zmann paddle tails mainly because they are practically indestructible, but like the riptide 3" mullet (online only). Zmanns are at Walmart - 4" Houdini and White. 1/8 oz jig head.

Top water - save that until you're comfortable with the above. White spook jr. should do it.

So where are the fish...I use the birds and basic observations to tell me. Look for wildlife - rays, mullet jumping, bait...somethings that says fish should be here. As far as birds - they will spook out the mullet/bait. Find bait/mullet and there should be something around. Reds tend to hang around mullet. I also tend to stand in the kayak - that way I can see more.

When the water's moving things are better - slack tide in general is slower action. Find some cuts, passes where water is moving.

I would target one specie and then move to the next. Personally I like catching reds, and it seems that this was the year for big snook, but I've moved on to poon.

Lastly - observe fellow kayakers around you; observe being the key. Some won't know any better than you - so just because they are doing it doesn't mean it's right, but...if 80% of kayakers are doing X, there's probably a reason.

I would read these article over and over. Article 1, Article 2 - yes it's a winter article, but the same general tactics work.

My $.02.