fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Just returned from a fantastic journey to the Orange Beach Alabama region. Managed to get quite a bit of fishing and kayaking done during the stay. Some days were calm, and others were "double red flag" with tremendous winds. Water clarity ranged from clear to muddy depending on the wind directions.

Tried to start each day with a few hours of fishing, followed by beach walking and then some paddling. Caught quite a few brand new species to me...although most of these are routine for those of you that frequent the salty coastlines on a regular basis!

Typically I ended up fishing from the beach surf with bait, and from the kayak while trolling or casting lures. The dedicated fishing pier looked enticing, but after spending some time checking it out I decided that it was just too crowded and I felt a bit uneasy with all the hooks being flung around by tourists like myself!

Pompano, Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle, puffer fish, bluefish and those pesky little "sail cats" were among the primary species encountered. I almost had a chance to cast for redfish but since my 7 day temporary non resident license had expired I was only able to sit and observe a nice group while they were "tailing" in a weedy flat during an afternoon of scouting via my kayak. I can't tell you how annoying it was just to sit there 15 feet away and drool! It looked like half a dozen canoe paddles sticking up out of the water!

Plenty of good fun just paddling close to shore on early mornings before the local beach enthusiasts were out and about. Spider crabs reeling along like tiny tumbleweeds, birds awakening from their night slumber and dolphins cruising along in search of a breakfast snack. At one point an osprey dipped down in front of me and snatched a good sized ballyhoo or mullet. It flew very low, right over top of me, as if to show off the catch. It made me grin and chuckle right out loud! Whatever it caught was just over a foot long, bright silver and quite slender.

This was a first time visit for my wife and I, and we enjoyed our vacation so much that we booked the same condo again for next year...only this time for 3 weeks! I plan to purchase the full annual salt license so time does not run out for fishing opportunities!

Our local inland stream trout fishing season opens this weekend in Michigan, so I need to clear the salty cobwebs from my head and gear up for a season of freshwater fishing. I think I will take a kayak to a favorite lake, and save stream wading for when the weather gets a little warmer and the bugs start to hatch!

Having a great time in pursuit of pompano from the beach. Next year I plan to also cast small jigs right into the breaking surf to try my luck when they zoom in close to the shoreline. My best success came from using freshly caught sand fleas.


An early morning ritual. Awaiting sunrise and watching for the telltale twitch of the rod tip. I ran 2 rods...one closer to shore and one out as far as I could fling a 2 or 4 ounce sputnik weight.


Spanish mackerel caught using some small pieces of raw "cocktail" shrimp.


Part of the excitement was in catching bait in the surf edge. In this case my best scoop of the week. Eleven perfectly sized fleas in one dredge.


Using one of my vintage 8' freshwater salmon rods with a 65 year old open faced spinning reel to set a line just beyond the middle of the breaking waves. All I wanted was about 40 to 50' out.


Cute little puffer fish...breath in to inflate...breath out to shrivel up!


These small catfish kept the action steady when the bite for more desirable species was slow.


The kayak came in very handy to explore local waters and scout out places to go fishing away from the beach. This model comes apart in 3 equal sections for easy transport inside of the truck.


Small jack crevalle found my baits more than once during the trip. I noticed much larger ones being caught from the pier in deeper waters.


A bit of excitement across the street from where we stayed. A deceased 14' 2" long hammerhead shark washed up on the beach. A "sharktopsy" performed by MS fish biologists revealed that she was an expectant "mom", carrying 40 baby pups.

Jarheadfishnfool Loc: Woodlake/Tulare ,Ca.

Great pics & catch Yaker ! Beautiful color on the Mackerel🤙 sad about the Hammerhead awesome creature😔

Knot so fast Loc: Northeast Pa.

Hello Yaker. Really nice photos and story of your trip. Thanks. Also, that may be one of the coolest shirts I have ever seen!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Jarheadfishnfool! Yes...very tragic about the shark. The biologists were very quick to attend to the situation and a lot of us were curious about what may have happened. The results that were released to the public concluded that she appeared to be in great health, and that the death may have been related to an unfortunate case of catch and release trauma induced by having been line caught by fishermen.

Not sure if they can be 100% correct about that...but I leave that conclusion to the professionals....

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Knot so fast! I felt like I could have written a short novel about all that transpired during the trip...so these highlights are what came to mind as I was typing at my computer!

That shirt has become one of my favorites. I like the long sleeves, especially when out kayaking to protect my arms from the sun.

This is from the day I came upon those redfish on the grass flats. My wife dropped me off at a launch spot so I would only have to paddle one way back to a take out location. As you can see...no fishing rod! Bugger!

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Great pictures and story Yaker! Too bad about that Hammerhead...
Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.

DCGravity Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)

Looks like you guys had a terrific and very memorable time, FY! Thanks for sharing your adventure.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Fredfish! Glad that you enjoyed it! That shark had not been dead very long. A couple of guys on shore waded out and initially tried to revive it...thinking that it still had a chance. Once they realized that it was definitely "dead"...they waited for some help from the surf and then dragged it up farther onto the sand. Not sure what the final weight was on her. I plan to continue following the local story in case any new information comes to light....

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you DCGravity! It was definitely a fantastic experience for us. Even though our Norther Michigan Winter was pretty much "over" the chance to head South and soak up the sun and surf was very refreshing.

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Great post and pics. You got any pics of the yak broken down in 3 sections??

Jeremy Loc: America

I read about the hammerhead. The pups are all being sent to schools for science classes.

DVTracker Loc: Harrisburg, PA.

Very nice pics and looks like a fun time. Thank you for sharing.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Gordon! I do happen to have a couple photos that sort of show the unit when apart, although the angles are not optimal....

This kayak is terrific for the ability to get it compact. Each piece is 4 inches shy of being 6' long...17' total overall length once assembled, not including the steerable rudder. It's made of fiberglass with a pretty heavy layer of gelcoat and weighs in at around 65 pounds. For long trips it will fit it inside of most trucks, and then once you arrive at a destination it's time to put the roof racks back on and car top it.

I use a set of Yakima "saddles" for the front part of the rack, and what they call "hulley rollers" for the rear. It is pretty easy to load by yourself by just pushing it upwards and forward onto the rooftop rack system and then strapping it down.

By not having the kayak outside and on top during a long highway trip it helps with aerodynamics and fuel economy.

Rugged travel cases over each part helps keep things from getting banged up during transit. You can actually check this in as airline baggage for taking with you via a flight, but nowadays that would end up being pretty expensive...and maybe not even allowed anymore! I have never done that...but the designer had that in mind when they used to build these kayaks out in Seattle, WA.

Each component safely tucked inside. There is still plenty of room for all the fishing gear and at least one change of clothes!


Once at your destination...the assembly takes about a half hour. Several rubber gasket washers help keep water out of each chamber. Eight bolts for the bow section and 10 bolts for the strern.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

That is good to know. It would have been really cool if somehow they could have survived. I suspect that she was not very far away from giving natural birth.

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Very neat Yaker. Thanks