35 Kayak Fishing Trips

Started by FlatsNBay, March 14, 2024, 06:09:12 AM

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FlatsNBay

Join me as I give a review of my kayak fishing trips to 35 different spots. All locations are within an hours drive of my house and most are little hidden out of the way places inaccessible to bigger boats.

I intend to give you the good bad and ugly of each trip, weather I find a gold mind or a dud.

I'll keep most of the smaller location names intentionally vague but will reveal the names of some of the bigger more popular spots with bigger ramps. All of fishing spots are public bodies of water. Many were found by looking at city and county parks, FWC managed areas, water management district lands and other public lands. I'll also throw in a few saltwater spots for variety but most will be bass fishing trips.

Come along, it should be fun! Stand by for my first report...

Hobious

35?!! 

dang, i might have 3 within and hours, and 15 if i allow myself a 2 hour drive.

FlatsNBay

Hobius, those are just the 35 places that I'm dying to check out and explore. There are tons of others!

FlatsNBay

#3
Spot 1: The Rock Pit

This a spot that is closest to my house. I've fished a bunch before when I had the Bass Hunter and by a borrowed kayak. It is a butterfly shaped rock pit in a local park. It's been in existence for many years and a buddy in his 50s said that he used to party and hang out at the  lake in high school!

It is a good lake for numbers and 30-40 fish days are common. The quality of the fish there is usually pretty good with a 3 pounder or two being pretty common. My biggest years ago was about a 7 pounder caught on a lipless crankbait.

Habitat: Deep dark but clear water with tons of rocks, ledges, and humps. Overhanging trees cattails and bullrush rim the lake and there is scattered hydrilla here and there.

Launch: Primitive launching only about 100 yards from the truck. Better eat your Wheaties!

Result:

New kayak worked great! I launched at sunrise and took some time to try and get my depthfinder dialed in. I left my finesse techniques at home and concentrated on bigger baits. I had several misses on a prop bait and then caught first fish of the day and out of the new kayak, a dink! I'll take it! Switched over to a Texas rigged worm and caught a few on it. Big fish of the day was about a 2 pounder caught flipping. Ended up with 13.

I quit around noon to map half of the lake on my Garmin..I found depths down to 30' along with some killer looking deep ditches and drop offs. It should be a fun summer place to fish.

Will I be back? Yes!

Overall Score (out of 100):90. The long cart of the kayak makes this spot a challenge!

FlatsNBay


big g

 ~c~ Thanks Flats, looked like the weather was perfect for a trial run with the new toy! ~c~
(Fish) - P/B 11.4, Everglades, L67, L28, Little 67, Alligator Alley, Sawgrass, Holey Land, Loxahatchee, Ida, Osbourne, Okeechobee, Weston Lakes. Broward and Dade Canals.

Capt. BassinLou

Hey,, I know that spot!! ;)  Thank you for sharing your kayak adventures, Steve. Looking forward to your reports.

FlatsNBay

Spot 2: M Park

This is another spot that is very close to the house. It is a public park that allows paddle craft only (No motors). I've fished it a few times before from a borrowed kayak and could only catch very small fish. My biggest before was about 2 lbs. I wasn't too excited to fish it with the majority of fish being dinks but it's been a couple of years since I've been there.

Habitat: bullrush and gator grass along the entire shoreline with nice looking hydrilla along many parts of the shoreline. The water clarity is very clear dark water.

Launch: no ramp! Just cart the kayak about 10 yards away from the truck and slide it in the water. No fresh signs of anyone putting a kayak in for a while.

Result:

It started rather slow and I had a few short hits on a Devil's Horse. Knowing that they were small fish, I downsized to a Yozuri 3d prop bait.i quickly caught 3 dinks. I was really feeling like a fluke would be good along the hydrilla and grass along the shoreline. Bingo! It was nonstop action! I went through 2 bags of flukes and caught one fish after another. The size seamed to be much better with several in the 2 pound range with big fish going about 2 1/2 or so. I noticed that the majority of the bigger fish were out deeper and would smoke the fluke on long pauses. I ended up with 58 and quit at noon. Super fun day.

I graphed on the way back and found the deepest water to be about 15 feet.

Will I be back? Yes!

Overall Score (out of 100):

Before this trip, I would have scored it a 75. But, since the bite was so good and the quality increased, I'll score it an 89. It's so close and the launch is pretty easy and close to the truck. Now, if I can catch some consistent better quality, I'll score it much higher. It's a fun place to fish with little to no fishing pressure.

FlatsNBay

#8
Spot 3: FH Pond

This spot is a pond at one of FWCs Wildlife Management Areas. The gate at the area is closed and locked during periods closed to hunting. I took advantage of the area being open for spring turkey season. I've never fished it before and really didn't know what to expect.

Habitat: the pond is surrounded by trees, pads, bullrush, cattails, and tons of peppergrass throughout most of the lake. It kinda reminded me of how Lake Okeechobee looked back in the day. Water clarity is clear.

Launch: No ramp. I parked at a designated parking area that was very close to the water. Launching was very easy. During periods outside of hunting season the gate is locked which would require about a 100 yard cart to the water. It would be tough getting a kayak through the narrow gate when it's closed.

Result: I noticed all the peppergrass and started with a frog. I only had one fish boil up at my bait. I switched to a speed worm and caught fish here and there in the peppergrass. I found a nice little backwater area and caught a bunch of small ones in there. It started to mist rain from an approaching front so I switched to a spinnerbait. Nothing going. I fished around the entire pond. It looked great but unfortunately all fish were small.  I ended up catching 16, biggest 1 1/2.

Will I be back? Yes, I'd give it another try during hunting season. I would try for some bigger fish. I'm sure that there's a few in there.

Overall Score (out of 100): 74 I might score it higher if quality got better.

Capt. BassinLou

It's great seeing you enjoying your kayak. Appreciate the reports .

big g

Thanks Flats for reports and pics.  How is the back holding up to the kayak fishing?
(Fish) - P/B 11.4, Everglades, L67, L28, Little 67, Alligator Alley, Sawgrass, Holey Land, Loxahatchee, Ida, Osbourne, Okeechobee, Weston Lakes. Broward and Dade Canals.

FlatsNBay

Big G, new kayaks designed for fishing have raised stadium seating. They are extremely comfortable to sit in for days. Picture sitting in an office chair while fishing. They are that comfortable. 

Old Kayaks=back pain, new kayaks designed for fishing=no back pain at all.

My Old Town Sportsman is designed for fishing and comfort. Standing is a breeze (and encouraged). I can also sit for days on end and gently pedal while fishing.   

FlatsNBay

#12
Spot 4:  Horse Creek (brackish water):

The wind was blowing 20 to 30 out of the south so I decided to try out Horse Creek which is protected from the wind. The creek connects to the Indian River and is very small. This was my first time fishing there so I didn't know what to expect.

Habitat: Tree lined shoreline with scattered docks here and there. The creek is extremely shallow and muddy in some places. The water is brackish and could hold both snook and bass.

Launch: Kayak concrete launch at the end of a 50 yard paved path. Half of the path was wet and full of slippery slime. It made launching a bit tricky.

Result:

I started out working my way up the creek and quickly caught a tiny snook on a topwater. I switched back and forth with a variety of baits and made the short trip to as far as I could go. It was pretty small. On the way back, I had a nice 2 lb bass wake up to the boat and hit my topwater right next to the boat. He missed and wasn't interested again. I fished the way back and noticed something pushing water next to the boat. It was a giant snook that was lazily swimming along. I spooked it and it darted away. Back at the ramp in a couple of hours with only one tiny snook to the day.

Will I be back? Nope! It was just too small to mess with and shallow and muddy.

Overs Score (out of 100): 50

FlatsNBay

Spot 5: B Lake

I was excited to try this spot. B Lake is a long and narrow lake on one of FWCs Wildlife Management Areas. Access to the lake is controlled by the Water Management District and they only issue 2 permits to have driving access to the lake. There was about a 3 week wait on getting a permit so I figured fishing is probably pretty good.

Habitat: the lake is surrounded by woods. The shoreline has a variety of reeds and cattails. There are pads, reeds and spadderdock throughout the lake which was very shallow. I only fished a small portion and the deepest water that I could find was about 3'.

Launch: a dirt road leading to a primitive gravel and sand ramp. You could probably launch a bass boat but there is a 40 HP limit on the lake. Launching the kayak was a breeze.

Result:

Boy, it looked great. I quickly caught a couple on topwater then found a good little swim worm bite in the pads. I found a nice little mat of vegetation, picked up my flipping stick and dropped my bait right through the center of the mat. My line went tight, I set the hook and the fight was on! Dang mudfish! I caught quite a few throughout the morning.

The last 30 minutes or so was pretty good and I caught probably 6 in the skinny water along the shoreline. I was surprised at how shallow the bass were. I ended up catching 15 with big fish going about 2 1/2.

Will I be back? Yes, with all the habitat there's gotta be some bigger fish in there. I'd like to explore some other areas of the lake since it was so big.

Overall Score (out of 100): 85

Capt. BassinLou

Looks like a very nice place. Appreciate the reports!

FlatsNBay

Spot 6 Lake Eaton (Ocala National Forest)

Lake Eaton wasn't on my list but I had a function at the Youth Conservation Camp on the north end of the lake, so I brought my kayak.
I only had a couple of hours to fish and it was during the hottest time of the day.

Habitat: the entire lake is full of pads and spadderdock. The bottom everywhere I went was very mucky. Water clarity is dark and tanic.

Launch: there is a public boat ramp on the west side of the lake but I easily launched from the Youth Camp on the north end.

Result: Boy it was tough! I tried a swim worm around the pads and flipping any mats of vegetation that I could find. It seemed like everywhere that I went was shallow and silted in. I only had one hit and was skunked.

Will I be back? No way. Too far for no fish.

Overall Score (out of 100): 60. It looked good but was too tough.

FlatsNBay

#16
Spot 7: Indian River in Suntree (saltwater)

I decided to check out the Indian River. I launched at a park about 15 minutes from the house. I concentrated on the west side as light winds provided favorable conditions.

Habitat: Sandy bottom with homes and docks scattered along the shoreline. I noticed that some grass is starting to grow back in some places.

Launch: the park that I launched from had a sandy beach which made launching easy.

Result: I started with a topwater walking bait and had a few blow ups but they weren't really taking the lure. I tried skipping a Savage Gear shrimp under docks and had a few bumps from mangrove snapper. I was hoping for a snook, trout, or redfish. After the sun came up, I found a little grass and worked the area over with one of my favorite flats lures, a Yo-Zuri L Minnow. I had a fun little time catching snapper, lady fish, and catfish all on the jerkbait. No trout. Off the water at 1000 .

Will I be back? Yes, the trout and snook will move into the docks at certain times of the year.

Overall Score (out of 100): 70. It's super close, an easy launch and I need to explore some other areas along the river.

FlatsNBay

#17
Spot 8: Lake C

Lake C is located on a popular central Florida Wildlife Management Area. Access is allowed year round during daytime hours. The lake is deep within the area and has a parking lot, fishing pier, and dirt boat launch. The WMA is about 40 minutes from the house and then about a 30 minute drive through the woods. I didn't know what to expect.

Habitat: Deep dark tanic water the color of black coffee. The pond was rimmed with thick gator grass, pads, reeds, trees and even nice matts of floating water lettuce. An island had thick vegetation along deep water.

Launch: a nice gravel dirt ramp next to the parking area made launching a breeze.

Result:

As I was launching, I met a fellow kayak Angler Jimmy from Orlando. He was in a Hobie Pro Angler and was super friendly. We exchanged information about hooking up again for some more kayak exploring.

I started with a Booyah Popping Pad Crasher and the fish liked it. I quickly caught a 5 pounder and several more in the 3 lb. class until I wore the frog out. I switched to a Spro popping frog and it was a continuation of one nice fish after another. I stuck with the frog and worked my way around the pond and caught 22 off it. I switched to pitching a beaver style bait along the thick grass and mats and caught 3 more to make it an even 25. All were good quality fish with most around 3 lbs. Off the water at 1030.

Will I be back? Yes! Good quality of fish, easy launch but pretty far off the beaten path.

Overall Score (out of 100): 92. I'd score it higher if it was closer.

FlatsNBay

#18
Spot 9: Fay Lake

Fay Lake is located in a county park and is about 20 minutes from the house. The lake is open to boats but gas powered motors are prohibited.The park has 3 fishing piers and a concrete boat ramp with a dock.

Habitat: Clear water with shallow muddy shoreline. Nasty snot type grass rimmed the lake. I could see bottom throughout the entire lake as it is very shallow

Launch: A concrete ramp that ended in the grass with a pretty good wash out at the end of the concrete. Launching the kayak was easy but a boat on a trailer would be difficult.

Result: I started throwing a topwater walking bait and had a couple of blowups from gar. There are a ton of gar in the lake. I switched to a fluke and caught a gar on it but no bass. I worked around the entire lake trying a variety of techniques all with no hits. As a last ditch effort I fished a dropshot in and around all 3 fishing piers. Nothing! Only gave it a couple of hours.

Will I be back? Noway! It's a gar hole. I don't think that there are very many bass in the lake.

Overall Score (out of 100): 48

FlatsNBay

#19
Spot 10: K Park

I found K Park by using the FWC Boat Ramp Finder website. I knew nothing about this little county park before fishing it. K Park is about 25 minutes from my house and is open to paddle craft only. The park is known mostly for a hiking trail but it has a freshwater lake next to a saltwater marsh and paddling trail. I'll have to explore the marsh paddling trail another time.

Habitat: Very clear deep water with deep patches of hydrilla. The lake isn't as clear as some of the limestone pits in south Florida but has visibility down to about 10 to 12 feet. The deepest water that I found with my depthfinder was 24' .

Launch: Primitive hand launching only with no boat ramp. Pick a spot along the shoreline and launch.

Result: I started with a walking bait and was surprised at how slow the topwater bite was. I had a few hits but nothing real solid. I saw a fish blow up in the weeds in very shallow water so I tossed my fluke into the spot and had a nice blow up resulting in big fish of the day about 2 1/2 lbs. I caught another on the fluke then switched to a drop shot. It was slow going at first until I figured out the bite. Fish were located along deep patches of hydrilla and depth changes found with my electronics. I would find a good looking spot on my Garmin, then spin my boat around and cast back to the area with a drop shot. Bingo! It worked. I caught a bunch but most were dinks. I tried a DT6 crankbait the last few minutes and caught a nice 2 pounder on it. The highlight was seeing about a 3' long tarpon swim by me in the clear water. I'm sure someone caught it in the neighboring marsh and released it into the lake. Ended up catching 24 bass total.

Will I be back? Yes. Fun little clear water lake.

Overall Score,(out of 100): 77. I'd score it higher if the quality was better.

Capt. BassinLou

 Appreciate these reports Steve. Sounds like it was fun outing. Wtg!!  ~c~

FlatsNBay

#21
Spot 11: G Lake

I found G Lake while visiting a friend. The lake is located in a rural area and is a pretty large pit probably created for fill for the nearby interstate. The water is very clear and I could see a bunch of small bass and bluegill swimming in the water when my buddy showed me the little boat launch. I just knew it had to be good!

Habitat: The lake bottom contour is pretty unique. Much of the middle of the lake is a giant flat 2' to 3' deep. Deeper water rims the entire lake. I found depths down to 9'. Water clarity is very clear and I could see the bottom in most places. The lake has a good bit of submerged grasses here and there and some cool looking underwater logs that looked like palm trees.

Launch: A primitive dirt ramp in the woods with irregular shoreline. Launching was easy but carting the kayak up the bank was a challenge.

Result: Fun lake with lots of small fish. I caught a couple off topwater then settled in on a good drop shot bite. The small fish were everywhere! I had a couple of decent ones mixed in. For the final hour, I put down the drop shot and picked up the fluke to try and improve the quality. I found that a slow retrieve attracted a ton of small fish so I sped up and it worked! I caught a few 2 pounders and big fish of the day (3 lbs). The highlight of the day was catching a nice crappie that smoked the fluke. I stopped at 40. Unfortunately, probably over 25 were less than a pound.

Will I be back? Yep. Fun place with plenty of action from mostly small fish.

Score (Out of 100): 83

Quantity was there, but not yet the quality. I'm sure there are some bigger fish in there.

FlatsNBay

#22
Spot 12: Hal Scott Preserve

Hal Scott Preserve is a conservation area in Orange County and is owned by the St. Johns Water Management District. A lake on the property is managed by the FWC as a Fish Management Area. The lake is open to paddle craft or trolling motors only. I've fished it twice before with a borrowed kayak and caught a bunch of small bass.

Habitat: Clear water with hydrilla and cattails around the perimeter. The lake looks like an old rock pit and had deep water up to 24 feet on my Garmin.

Launch: Access through the gate is controlled by water management. I obtained a no cost annual permit and combo so that I could drive to the very shallow sand launch. It's about a 100 yard cart from the parking area to the launch if you don't have a permit.

Result: I started with a frog and only had one blow up on it. I had a few strikes on topwater but they were missing the bait. I switched to a fluke and that was the ticket. After a dozen bass, I worked on a few finesse techniques such as a jighead minnow and spy bait and caught a few more. I ended up with 20 bass, all under a pound.

Will I be back? Yes, but it's not at the top of my places to revisit.

Score (out of 100): 71. All small fish.

Capt. BassinLou

Very cool! Thank you for sharing, Steve. Your kayak has opened up so many options for you.

FlatsNBay

#24
Spot 13: Peekaboo Lake

Peekaboo Lake is also known as Mud Lake and is in one of the central Florida Wildlife Management Areas. It is a long and skinny lake kind of in the shape of the state of Nebraska. I've seen the lake before but never fished it so I didn't know what to expect.

Habitat: It's called Mud Lake for a reason...dirty water with visibility less than a foot. The water color reminded me of the Harris Chain years ago. The lake is in the woods and has a good amount of cattails, Kissimmee grass, bullrush and over hanging trees. Water depth is around 5' in most places with the deepest water that I could find was 10 feet.

Launch: A sandy launch at the end of a muddy road. Once I got there, launching was easy.

Result: I tried a variety of baits and techniques and never had a hit. It was tough!! I'm not sure if there are many bass in the lake. I marked a bunch of fish on my depthfinder but I think that they were trash fish. I found a dead tilapia floating which may have been an indication of what is in the lake. Skunk City and I only spent a couple of hours before packing it in.

Will I be back? No. It took a long time to make it to the lake and the fishing was no good.

Score (out of 100): 49