by David A. Brown
WINTER LOW WATER WONDERLAND
AIRBOATS & KAYAKS GRANT ACCESS
TO COLD SEASON OASES
I
t’s like shooting fish in a barrel – but the barrel is really
difficult to reach. It’s the annual winter bounty of
geographically isolated fish on Florida’s West Coast where
anglers who time the tides and employ the right access
methods – those being airboats and kayaks – will find lightsout potential.
The cooler months see the year’s lowest tides and when
the powerful flow of a new or full
moon cycle combines with a strong
north wind, these forces can drive
most of the water off the shallow
flats. This leaves loads of redfish,
speckled trout, snook, sheepshead
and other fish trapped in deeper
holes and troughs between the
shoreline and the outer sand bars.
Impossible to access by motorboat
and typically too far for waders to
reach without arriving exhausted,
these backwater oases are ideal for
airboaters and kayakers who can
blow or paddle across mud puddles
to reach the deep spots where
trapped fish readily grab practically
any bait thrown their way.
Essential to success in this scenario are the schools of mullet
that gather during the cool season. The vegetarian mullet ignore
the shrimp, crabs and baitfish that flush from the sea grass as a
rumbling school passes overhead. However, predators
such as redfish, trout and snook follow the mullet and
pick off the easy meals. Find the mullet and you’ll find
more game fish.
Close Contact
Their designs also allow these vessels the ultimate
up-close-and-personal angling experience. Gulf Coast
guide Capt. Greg DeVault runs airboat charters in
Charlotte Harbor each winter. He said this scooting
ability comes in handy when prospecting the region’s
countless potholes.
“I can ease right up the edge of a hole without
disturbing the fish,” DeVault said. “When it’s time to
move on, I can slide over to the next hole.”
Capt. Jason Stock, who guides kayak anglers from
Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor, likes the stealth factor
of his chosen vessel, along with the easy transition to
fishing on foot.
“Because you’re sitting so low to the water, you can
sneak right up on the fish and they never even know
you’re there,” he said. “And if you want to get out and
wade, you just anchor your ‘yak on a bar, get out and walk to
the fish.”
Getting There
Airboats and kayaks both have their place in this game and
you’ll find pros and cons for each. Want to paddle or portage
through a narrow mangrove creek? Kayaks will go where
airboats can’t fit. Like the spontaneity of launching anywhere
you can reach the water? Airboats
require launch ramps, while
kayakers can drop in from any
beach.
On the other hand, range and
speed are much greater with the big
fan. Time management is also
easier with an airboat, as kayaking
takes more time getting from spot
to spot. It’s no big deal as long as
you plan your day wisely and
commit to a couple of key areas.
Nevertheless, a long trip home is
obviously less exerting in an
airboat.
(Fo ȁ