Got out early this morning and set my sights on the spoil islands. I started by rotating between a paddle tail and a topwater. The first island was quiet—hardly any bait or activity—so I didn’t stick around long. The second island told a different story, with plenty of life around. After a few casts, I landed a solid trout, followed shortly by a beautiful snook. I kept working the area hoping to connect with a few more snook, but they weren’t having it. Still, I managed to pick off a few more quality trout before wrapping things up. A quick trip, but a fun one with some nice fish to show for it.

The morning started off with some solid inshore catches—a trout, a redfish, and a couple of snook. But the real excitement came on the way back to the launch. I spotted a large school of jacks feeding aggressively and couldn’t resist throwing a topwater into the frenzy. Instantly, I was hooked up, and what followed was the battle of a lifetime. This jack would have been a serious fight from a boat, but from a kayak it was absolute chaos—pure power, drag screaming, and a test of endurance. Landing that fish was an awesome experience I won’t soon forget!

The plan: cut mullet for redfish. Reality: only managed to catch fingerlings—not gonna work. Switched to lures and hit the mangroves, landing a few snook, trout, and a couple reds. Then came a ladyfish… which quickly became cut bait. With that cut ladyfish? First chunk: a nice red. Second chunk: an unbelievably lively tarpon! Sometimes, the day just writes its own story on the water.