Hello. I'm from tennesse and I'm wanting to find a few new ways to fish in florida(Assuming this oil spill thing doesn't ruin this years trip.). I've done some charter trolling(Caught a 22 pound mackeral once.) before but I mostly just fish off of the piers. I've yet to catch anything worthwhile off the piers, just a lot of whiting, catfish, and sharks. I had a pole broken once by I was told was an eel. None of my boats are seaworthy. I have a canoe and 14' flatbottom for rivers and lakes but i've been told that I shouldn't use them anywhere near saltwater. I have a friend who wades out into rivermouths which feed into the ocean and he catches pretty good fish that way. I've heard good things about using kayaks in certain areas as well.
I'll likely be fishing near panama city this year. I'd had plans to try and fish an area called oyster bay near apalachicola national forest. This area is at least 10 square miles miles but I'm not sure about the fishing there. I'd prefer to fish an area fed by a fairly large river. I think the fishing might be better that way so long as the area isn't overfished. I also want to avoid high traffic areas if i can. I'd be happy to catch just about anything so long as I don't get bitten or drownd(The sharks I usually pull in often try to hurt me. I wear steel toe boots instead of sandals now. I'm not sure wading is a good idea.).
I'd seen advertisements for guided kayak fishing trips so I figured a kayak might be safe in the right area. If anyone has any suggestions or warnings I'd be glad to hear them. My plan is to kayak out out with a buddy at first light and see what happens. It appears that their might be some shallow shoal-like areas during low tide but I'm not sure. We have jackets but I'm worried about currents and waves as well as angry sharks. I figure any large fish we hook will just pull us around until they get tired then we can stab them with a gaff or something. Would this attract sharks?
Assuming this isn't a terrible idea I plan to use fresh shrimp and squid for bait. I'd ideally be catching mostly small fish and sticking them in a floating cooler which i plan to have tied to the kayak. If anyone knows what kind of fish I might catch in these areas during july please let me know. Also I'm interested in other bait and other similar fishing areas where the fishing is good.
I'll likely be fishing near panama city this year. I'd had plans to try and fish an area called oyster bay near apalachicola national forest. This area is at least 10 square miles miles but I'm not sure about the fishing there. I'd prefer to fish an area fed by a fairly large river. I think the fishing might be better that way so long as the area isn't overfished. I also want to avoid high traffic areas if i can. I'd be happy to catch just about anything so long as I don't get bitten or drownd(The sharks I usually pull in often try to hurt me. I wear steel toe boots instead of sandals now. I'm not sure wading is a good idea.).
I'd seen advertisements for guided kayak fishing trips so I figured a kayak might be safe in the right area. If anyone has any suggestions or warnings I'd be glad to hear them. My plan is to kayak out out with a buddy at first light and see what happens. It appears that their might be some shallow shoal-like areas during low tide but I'm not sure. We have jackets but I'm worried about currents and waves as well as angry sharks. I figure any large fish we hook will just pull us around until they get tired then we can stab them with a gaff or something. Would this attract sharks?
Assuming this isn't a terrible idea I plan to use fresh shrimp and squid for bait. I'd ideally be catching mostly small fish and sticking them in a floating cooler which i plan to have tied to the kayak. If anyone knows what kind of fish I might catch in these areas during july please let me know. Also I'm interested in other bait and other similar fishing areas where the fishing is good.