The day my son explained fishing to me. He was 12 yo, now 32, fishing Muskie in Canada. He was using a bass rod and 3/8 oz spinner bait. I kept telling him to use his musky rod. He hooks a big Northern Pike and battles her to the boat. Turns out to be 48 1/2 inches. Photos and released. He turns to me and says
“ Sometimes they want a T Bone steak and sometimes just a French Fry”
Really like the BG REELS. Fish salt and I hang them all on Ugly Sticks. Fishing off shore you don’t need a sensitive rod, just power. BG 8000 loaded with 60# Braid has landed lots of 200/250 plus fish. Have everything from BG2500 to 8000. All preform well. 8000 with rod about $200/225 depending where you shop.
You can fish under the Jolly Bridge from shore. Lights at night attract bait fish and Snook. Always a shark or several around. Jacks, Ladyfish get caught there also. Not eaters but don’t discount the fun of catching them. Can always chunk a lady fish and use it for bait.
Tiger-tail beach gives you a lot of fishing if you walk the beach and will take you to Hideaway beach that you can get to depending on tides and where the sand has moved. The T Groins there hold fish and deeper areas between them are good also. Shrimp and circle hooks work as already talked about but if bottom fishing you get more catfish. I would recommend a jig tipped with some shrimp. You can work the entire water column with a jig. If you carry shrimp in any kind of bucket they are dinner for some big shore birds and they are not shy about taking it out of your bucket. Keep in mind that Hide Away beach is a public beach right up to the high tide line so pretty much all the sand. If you leave the sand you are trespassing on private property.
There are some docks at the public boat launch on Goodland that people fish from. Don’t know how they do there. You may want to check out Sunshine Tours at Roses Marco River Marina. Rodger runs an off shore Charter boat like it’s a head boat and you can book the entire boat or do a split charter with up to 5 others. 1/2 3/4 and full days trips there. They also have a three hour backwater trip on a mini head boat and other boats with captains and all gear and bait. Worth checking onto as soon as you arrive if interested or give Sun Shine Tours a call. You can pick a day and start a shared trip. I think they are still the only boats doing split charters. Hope this help. GOOD LUCK!!
http://lurepartsonline.com/
At 67 yo I choose the pedal boat. There are many days I travel round trip 20 or more miles. If I want to get somewhere fast I use a backwater boat with and outboard motor. If I just want to fish, get some exercise, enjoy the mangroves, have a relaxing day on the water, it’s the pedal boat. If I am kayaking, there is no place I need to get to fast and I always find the fish are there when I arrive. Kayaks have evolved to the point that some are really just mini power boats. To each their own! Good Luck!!
I’ve taken lures that I make on cruise ships and never had a problem. Use them on the side trips during the cruise. If flying to your cruise ship port make sure to pack lures in checked luggage. I have had lures removed from carry on.
I use maybe 15 yards of Neon Red 10# mono for backing my 5000 and 8000 reels for salt fishing. Spools have rubber added to avoid line slippage. I just want to know the line will break when I get to the backing and the rod and reel doesn’t get pulled out of someone’s hands. I don’t use backing to save money on line but to save the rod and reel. But, we are talking 50/150/300 pound fish. Bass fishing is a different story of course. Unknown what it is you are fishing for but that’s my take on it. Good luck!
I buy from the local hardware store, SUNSHINE ACE HARDWARE, FL. THEY have a great fishing Dept, people that know fishing, outstanding service. They are 20 minutes. Bass Pro is 25 minutes. Bass Pro has nothing worth the extra five minutes and certainly not service!
Had a Native Watercraft sit in fishing kayak. Won it the first year they were made. Was bicycle peddle driven so you could go forward and backward which was great when fishing. Down side to the boat was it had no scuppers like a sit on boat does. When you took a wave over the bow even with the bow shirt you were collecting water in the boat. Had to bail as once you hit 5 gallons rolling back and fourth it started to become very unstable even with actually almost sitting on the floor. I was fishing near shore on the gulf and a busy river. Waves and wakes were the norm. Just a consideration when shopping for a boat. Scuppers, No Scuppers. I made it work for years as loved being able to back up when a big fish was pulling forward. Did Tarpon fishing in the backwaters. It’s like a sleigh ride. Anyway bailing was always an issue.
I have posted this before and gotten some interesting comments but I’ll say it again. A knot easy to tie and never fails me is the Bowline. Works great for jig fishing. I’m using 1 to 9 oz jigs. Also great on a hook using live bait especially with large live bait on a50# mono leader. But works just as well with 10#. Casting spoons or other lures when not using snap swivels or a wire leader also does the job. When making heavy leaders with 50/100# mono alway add a crimp to the tag end. It will work for you on the 10# just as well. Good Luck!!
BOWLINE
have to google it
Never fails me on big fish 200# plus or small
Charter Captains are OK but rarely find them on bridges, docks, piers.
Take a look at the BG 8000 and match it up with an Ugly Stick that you like 7/7 1/2 foot med hey or heavy. Tiny amount of light weight mono backing so the line breaks if or when you get spoiled. Spool has no slip ring. Just still use a little mono. Good Luck!!!
Ron….that post should scare anyone away from thinking about taking up Muskie fishing, LOL. My don started fishing Muskie with me at age 9 using a bass rod and reel loaded with 50# power pro and large bass baits. His first big fish was a 48 inch Norther Pike. His next was a 45 inch Muskie. Lots of bass and poke that kept him interested. You don’t need deep pockets, one pound lures or a 9 foot rod to get into Muskie fishing. Muskie fisherman are all nuts. But before you dive in head first, maybe test the waters and see if it’s right for you. It’s not for everyone. Some guys are just as happy catching big bluegills. I’ve gone through the Muskie phase and have moved on. I had almost as much fun selling Muskie gear and lures as I did fishing. Gotta love Muskie fishermen in a bidding war for something they need in their tool box. Tight Lines!!