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.

Fishing started before sunrise with a snook caught on the first cast. Trout were active on topwater once the sun rose. Redfish were caught around feeding mullet schools and near mangroves, including two solid fish that put up strong runs. The rest of the morning produced additional snook, trout, and a couple of dreaded hardheads. Lures Used: 3” paddle tail, 5” fluke, topwater