Offshore Kayak Fishing in South Florida
I’ve always wanted to go offshore kayak fishing and decided to try this increasingly popular way of fishing. Researching best kayak fishing guides in Florida took me to Deep Blue Kayak Fishing Charters. I deemed it a sign from the fishing gods that their launching beach was only 2 miles from my cottage.
It was a gorgeous day in sunny South Florida and I was going offshore kayak fishing in the ocean – yes, the deep blue sea. I checked the seas. Although for days the wind had kicked up the seas, today promised relatively flat seas.
Deep Blue Kayak told me to meet at Gulf Stream Park just on the beach to the north of the park. This park is due east of Boynton Beach, Florida and just south of the inlet.
Upon arrival Eric (a Deep Blue fishing guide) met me and another fisherman. He was in town from Virginia for a whole week of kayak fishing. The checklists were quick and to the point as
Eric had arranged a rendezvous with the “bait” man at 6:30 just offshore. Not only do you pay for the trip, but bait can be extra. And “livees” are super important to making a day of saltwater fishing successful.
The Day Starts Leaving Shore
Leaving the beach felt like being shipped out to sea. The first waves were probably 2-3 off the beach, but being able to steer left or right was of utmost importance.
I’ve always been a little uncoordinated. Paddling the Hobie offshore kayak with your feet while using your left hand to turn the boat left or right required my full attention. In fact, it took almost all day for me to not turn “left for right” and “vice versa”. It may have been that I grew up as a sailor using a tiller to push left for right, but it still had me zig-zagging the entire day.
As I learned from Matt and Eric, the owners of Deep Blue, hands-free kayaks are a must for offshore kayak fishing. Their kayaks of choice are Hobies which is on the equipment list at the end of this article.
Hooking Up with the Live Bait
Eric met up with the bait guy about ¼ of a mile off shore where we heard that we had really great bait today, but the bait man had to purchased it (instead of catching it), costing us more money. A perfect example of supply and demand.
The type of bait used is known as “greenies”. We often used them for offshore fishing and it always gives you the best chance of catching.