Greetings from Tru Luvin Fishing and Hagan Coastal Outfitters. This blog provides you with a front row seat to what Domenic and Ron are seeing on the water in Northeast Florida from our kayaks, as we chase inshore saltwater species, primarily using artificial lures. From time to time, we will include bonus reports from tournaments and fishing trips around the region as we travel. We want to keep you informed of what is biting, what lures are working for us and what gear has been helping us get on the fish.
Overall Fishing Report
March was a transitional month for inshore fishing. We had another stretch of cold winter weather with a lot of wind for most of the month. The roller coaster weather made fishing challenging at times and kept water temperatures cooler than we usually see for March. We started the month off in cool and breezy conditions in the kayaks. We managed to get ourselves into a good Trout bite on a few trips throwing Mirrolure 17mr twitch baits. We are still working them a little slower than usual as our waters slowly warm up.
We then hit the road with the Beavertail skiff in tow, headed to Crystal River on Florida’s gulf coast for a few days of fishing. This is a favorite area of the state for us to fish. Crystal River is a small town with an old Florida feel that has some great fishing. We participated in the Sodium Big Fish Classic Tournament while we were there. The tournament benefits education in Citrus County and awards prizes for the top three Redfish and Trout. We caught our best fish on tournament day and weighed in a competitive Redfish and Trout. We did not finish in the top three but had a good time fishing the area.
The rest of the month was a mixture of boat and kayak trips in Northeast Florida with mixed results. We managed to catch fish on every trip, but some days were better than others. The bite was on the same roller coaster as the weather. This should change as we move into April with consistently warmer weather and rising water temperatures. Topwater fishing, a favorite technique for Dom and Ron, should fire up and get consistent in April.
Tactics That Are Working
As we mentioned earlier, March was a very windy month. This makes fishing a challenge for kayak anglers who must manage the wind for both kayak navigation and casting accuracy while fishing. We like to throw artificial lures and fish on the move.
In fact, it is not unusual for us to fish an entire day in the kayak and never actually stake out in one place. However, fishing light artificial lures on a moving kayak in heavy winds makes for poor lure retrieval and casting accuracy. The high winds not only affect your cast, but the wind actually picks up your fishing line after you cast and pulls light lures in a way that makes them look unnatural in the water.
One of the tactics we use on the kayak on windy days is to spend more time in certain locations by staking out upwind of our target zones. This allows us to cast into those target zones from a stationary position with the wind at our back which allows for longer casts and more natural looking lure retrieves. This requires moving stationary locations until you find the fish, but it allows you to fish on windy days where you might have packed it in otherwise.
Lessons Learned
Fishing is something you can either do with friends or do alone. Kayaks are obviously solo watercraft. Even when you launch with friends you typically end up exploring different areas and fishing solo. Road trips with friends for fishing brings a social aspect to fishing that can be a lot of fun.
We had 7 good friends all fishing together on 3 separate boats in Crystal River. We met up frequently both on the water and off. There is nothing like getting away and spending time outdoors with like-minded friends doing what you enjoy. There is something special about staying together and sharing fishing experiences and fellowship on a good road trip. Enjoy your quiet time fishing but schedule a group road trip for fishing with friends when you can. It is a lot of fun!
Tackle and Equipment
On the tackle front, Domenic and Ron both successfully used Mirrolure 17mr twitch baits in March. Their small profile matches the smaller bait that is in our Northeast Florida waters this time of year. They are versatile from a presentation standpoint as well. You can work them more slowly in cool water like we experienced in March, but you can also speed your retrieve up and add more twitches as the waters warm.
Another lure than produced in March was the ZMan Thick Trick. This is another versatile bait you can present and retrieve in almost any way you can imagine. It paid off with our pictured Redfish that we weighed in at the tournament in Crystal River. We saw mud puffs about 20 feet from the Mangrove shoreline indicating that we were spooking Redfish who were warming up in the sun.
We casted that ZMan Thick Trick on a jig head ahead of the boat in that same distance range from shore. Following a few short twitches that telltale thump hit and it was fish on!
Tournament Report
We are proud to say that the inaugural Hagan Coastal Outfitters Marsh Madness kayak fishing tournament is in the books. The tournament was held on March 28th after a great captain’s meeting the night before. We want to thank everyone who came out to support our charity benefactor, the First Coast Women’s Services and that fished in the tournament. We had a great turnout and the anglers did not disappoint with some great catches.
Wind was in the forecast but there was a calm window for the first several hours of the day. G. Vong was the Slam Champion with 55.5 inches. Alex Luongo won the Redfish division with two upper slot beauties measuring in at 53.5 inches. Bob Kulpa topped the Trout Division with a 18.25 inch Trout and Cole Houston won the Flounder division with a 14.75 in Flounder.
The top three finishers in each category walked away with some great prizes, the captain’s bags had great swag and the raffles were great as well. We are very appreciative of all of the sponsors. We look forward to making this an annual event that gets better each year.
Submitted by Domenic Paniccia and Ron Lendvay