Mini-Doggle: Definition - Not quite a Boondoggle - almost, but not quite.

Kayak fishing for me is all about the adventure. Not knowing what’s around the next corner, the anticipation of an unknown area and what it could hold, the challenge of unlocking those hidden secrets - that’s what draws me to the sport. So it was a no-brainer when Chip Gibson called me and asked if I wanted to fish Mosquito Lagoon. Did I want to join him and Brad? ”Of course!"

For my last kayak fishing trip of 2011,I made the decision to go to a location that I hadn’t visited in quite some time. This New Year’s Eve trip would serve two purposes: finishing off a great year, and hopefully giving me some content for my next magazine article. I made the some calls and rounded up the usual suspects. Chris and Tom would be there, and I would pick Greg up along the way. As we drove over the Skyway Bridge enroute to Fort DeSoto, we could tell it was going to be a good morning. Flat calm conditions greeted us at the launch. We were soon on the water, casting Heddon “Super Spook, Jr.” topwaters into schools of mullet, looking for redfish.

As in most of my kayak fishing trips I had a hard time sleeping the night before, so I spent some time going over my gear to make sure everything was in good working order and packing my tackle bag with the items I would need for the next day’s trip. The person joining me on this trip was someone who I enjoy spending time with on the water more than anyone else and who introduced me to fishing some thirty years ago my Dad!

Ok, so I took some liberties with the title, but like the movie, I’m haunted by waters. I want to know what’s around the next bend in the mangroves, that hidden pond in the back country, or up the river I used to fish when I was a younger man. So when my buddy Walt called me and said “Let’s go see if they are biting up the river”, I jumped at the chance. This time of year the snook head up the rivers in search of warmer water, so this would be a perfect opportunity to see how well they are making a comeback after our terrible winter of a few years ago.

This past weekend I met up with Chip Gibson and his son Brad, as well as Greg Becker and his son Robert for some kayak fishing in Cedar Key. The plan was to get the kids on some big Black Drum and possible in the IGFA record books for Catch, Photo and Release. Chip had purchased the official IGFA measuring device, so all we needed was a Big Ugly.

I got hit with a care package from Mister Twister the other day, payment for a review I had done a while ago. Well to say I was blown away was an understatement, I thought they had forgotten about it and to tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting anything in return. Mostly RT Slugs in various colors, there were a few packs of crabs thrown in for good measure. So many baits and not enough time...

I have been thinking about Peacock Bass for a couple of years now. I finally made the decision to fish my way across US41 to Miami and find some. As I was doing some research about canals and lakes in Miami, Jimmy VanPelt and Will Mallett found out and joined up. We left very early Friday morning and stopped at some smaller canals along 41 just to explore.

I’ll liken it to this: You’re out hunting squirrels with your BB gun, and an elephant shows up.

I think it’s safe to say that, anytime you go out kayak fishing, there is something to be learned. No matter how long you’ve been doing it; never be surprised at anything the fish do because, just when you think you’ve got them figured out, they do something different.

I wasn’t sure how todays kayak fishing trip was going to turn out.  It was a little breezy to do any sight fishing for sharks, so Greg and I hit the flats in search of some reds. The redfish bite has been really good as of late and I have all but given up looking for snook in my home waters, I have seen a few and those that I know about I have left alone, so today it was a pleasant sight to see a few cruising the flats.

Well, Myself, Norm, Shamus, Dustin, DaveR and Uncle Tommy made a pilgrimage to the promised land that is the Big Bend. Thursday found DaveR and Dustin beating Norm and I up there, so they got on the water way before us. All told, they had a pretty good day with a bunch of redfish. But the catch of the day belonged to Dustin with a huge Black Drum, caught on of things, A Spinner Bait.