Today, my brothers and I took our kayaks "beyond the breakers" for the first time, off the beach. We all trolled x-raps and other heavy duty jerk baits behind the kayaks, and the results were better than I had hoped! Within minutes of launching, my rod with the x-rap doubled over and drag started stripping out. After a short tussle, I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice sized pompano underneath the kayak, visibility was at least 15 feet so I could see everything. The next fish that hit was a bluefish, which we were expecting to catch.

The third bite I had was the real show stopper. I picked up the rod and it quickly became apparent that if I didn't move quickly in the direction the fish was heading, I was going to run out of line! I gained some line but the fish wrapped around my other line which I then accidentally wound into my spinning reel. I grabbed a knife and kissed the other bait goodbye so I could continue fighting the fish. It headed deep and for a minute or so I couldn't move it, but slowly, I started to bring the fish to the surface. To my dismay, I saw a skinny fellow in a grey suit with my x rap hanging out of his mouth! It was a fun fight on light tackle though, and after I took his picture, the hook pulled out and I didn't even have to deal with him.

By now, dolphins, bluefish, and pelicans had pushed several schools of menhaden up against the beach and there was an onslaught taking place. When you're in a boat, you have to kee your distance, and many times the presence of a boat upsets the chaos, but in a kayak, you just become another predator taking advantage of the situation. It was WILD! We caught a bunch more bluefish before we decided to head in, catching them the whole time on our way back. We made it through the breaking waves without losing any tackle or flipping any kayaks so I would call it a successful first try!

 

Thats some big leeg yak fishin guy

That's badass!