Mark and John's SPEC-tacular day

[J.A. Veil]

I fished the last two days with Tampa kayak guide Neil Taylor. Last evening MKF member Mark arrived to join me for two more days of kayak fishing. This morning we returned to the spot where I had caught about 60 speckled trout on Friday. The trout were still there and were eager to feed. Both Mark and I caught specs on our first cast. Over the course of 4 hours of fishing, I caught another 60 trout. Mark caught a bunch on the same spinning tackle I was using, then switched over to flyfishing. He quickly got the technique down and added nearly 10 more trout on the long rod. Here are some photos.

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In addition to catching over 100 trout between us, I had a surprise catch. I hooked a large mullet in the mouth -- it was my strongest fight of the day. Mullet are very common here but are plankton feeders. They do not normally eat lures. Neil told me this happens only rarely.

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[scott taylor]

John,
nice report of catching a really nice species and great that Neil could put you on them. What happened to your waders and boots that we usually see in your reports?
safe travels
ST

[On the fly]

Great job. Looked like a good time.

[Cowpokey]

Nice! I've got a good friend headed to Tampa next month, and a couple more that are there now. Going to have to make a trip down to see them. They are all kayakers too.

[Hemingway]

Sounds like you are having fun! They are calling for up to 6" of snow here tomorrow, so I would hang out down there a little while longer

[chex]

Wow, awesome! These are the types of days we dream about. Nice catching.

Looks ominously cloudy in those photos... lucky you did not get rained out.

[J.A. Veil]

Day 4 offered great weather -- no wind and mild temperatures. We had great expectations when we launched at 7:45. We fished numerous spots in a scenic bay behind a small island near Dunedin (Gulf of Mexico side). Despite the ideal conditions, the fish were not biting well today. I managed 8 small specs and one small redfish. Mark had numerous strikes but only caught a few specs plus one flounder. We each caught a 19" spec -- this gave us a taste for the type of fish we could have caught on a good-bite day. We kept at it for a full 8 hours -- our legs and butts were sore when we attempted to stand up at the end of the trip.

But given the weather back in Maryland, we feel very lucky to have experienced an enjoyable day on the water here.

[Mark]

John,

Just got home from the airport and somehow landing in a snowstorm makes the trip to Florida even more memorable.

I have to say that Tampa is a wonderful destination for a winter fishing break and Neil Taylor of Strike Three Kayak Fishing is an excellent instructor and a most entertaining guide.

I had a blast. Thank you for sharing your trip with me.

[J.A. Veil]

Mark -

I'm glad you made it home. After you left, Southwest announced it was cancelling flights to Baltimore for the rest of the day. Fortunately, I get to have three more days in warmer weather -- New Orleans this time. Sadly, no more fishing on this trip -- I get to experience "Death by Powerpoint" in a dark meeting room during the day plus the sights, sounds, and smells of Bourbon Street in the evening.