I had recently started a thread about buying a boat and after research I bought a kayak. (nucanoe pursuit)

I plan on fishing middle coast, (Port lavaca to Port A)with my kayak and a fly rod.

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated.

In reply to dr_boogs Appreciate the advice, I'll stop in pay him a visit.

I planned on making rockport my first stop, so this works out well.

Get up earlier, paddle further, fish harder.

You made a very wise choice!

In reply to CS78 I do, I have a 4x4 tacoma.

I'm new to salt water fly fishing but not fly fishing.

I fly fish colorado most summers, but I have heard salt water is another animal. (id assume casting into 20 mph wind on a good day is why)

My plan was to take my kayak to my parents pond and practice casting in it there.

Lighthouse lakes near Port A, usually too shallow for boats to get in there, just have to cross the intercoastal

In reply to CS78 Do I get to south of East Madagorda bay off of 2031?

There is a great salt water fly fishing thread on here if someone can post it

In reply to Pinche Guero I REALLY want to fish there.

My goal is to get some paddle hrs in away from boats before I cross the intercostal.

In reply to KlinkerAg11 Does this imply you're new to kayaking?

You don't need to cross the intracoastal to access Lighthouse Lakes.

In reply to dodger02 Yes I am.

New to kayaking, not to fly fishing.

In reply to SanAntoneAg Really?

Where do you put in at?

In reply to KlinkerAg11 The Aransas Channel is relatively tame.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/coastal/lighthouse_lakes/

In reply to SanAntoneAg Appreciate it!

Welcome to the madness($$$$). I followed the same pattern as most of accumulating too much gear before I was able to figure out what I really needed and minimizing.

https://texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/

Everything you need to know is here.

In reply to SanAntoneAg

SanAntoneAg said:

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The Aransas Channel is relatively tame.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/coastal/lighthouse_lakes/

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It is relatively tame, but don't underestimate the wake some of the boats that come through will throw. I have had some close calls. You are fine once you get across and back in the flats, but be cautious if you are fishing the cuts right on the channel.

In reply to KlinkerAg11

KlinkerAg11 said:

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I do, I have a 4x4 tacoma.

I'm new to salt water fly fishing but not fly fishing.

I fly fish colorado most summers, but I have heard salt water is another animal. (id assume casting into 20 mph wind on a good day is why)

My plan was to take my kayak to my parents pond and practice casting in it there.

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Get ready for a world of fun, and frustration!!!

Practice your casts, religiously. It is a WHOLE different animal than pitching nymphs and dries in mountain creeks. Learn to double haul with heavy rods if you don't know how. Wind will be your constant foe. Develop a really good back cast, as you will use it often. A quick but accurate roll cast and sidearm can be more useful than shooting line out to ridiculous distances (though that has its place).

In reply to KlinkerAg11

KlinkerAg11 said:

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Yes I am.

New to kayaking, not to fly fishing.

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Also, see if you can get a few trips on you kayak with spin gear. Get a good feel for controlling your boat, and where its wall is (tipping point). Learn how it reacts in wind. If all that is second nature, fly fishing from a kayak is much easier.

Practice fly casting from your yak on a pond if you can, or at least a quiet cove. It's a little different, if you are casting seated or standing from a kayak than on land.

Also, my BIGGEST frustration fly fishing from my Hobie is managing the line I have stripped off. Carefully consider your kayak setup, because there are 1,000 things for your line to get tangled on JUST when you need to shoot or set the hook on a big fish that needs to run. So, be meticulous about what on your deck can snag, and managing your stripped line. This is why it's best to practice on a pond, to learn these things before you are tangling with a red.

Welcome. I'm not a huge kayak fisherman but I do own several boats and have spent most of my time on open flat and whitewater.

I wouldn't underestimate the boating aspect of kayak fishing. Make sure you're safe and always have a really good PFD, sun protection (hat, shirt, & sunscreen), drinking water, and a reliable communication device. The dinky PFDs at Walmart are better than nothing. But I would invest in something that's high quality; it will fit better, be more comfortable (so you'll wear it more often), and last longer.

Let people know your plans. Know what your tides are doing and how that affects your route. Not doing so can ruin a trip pretty quickly.

Also, know that everything is farther away than it initially appears. Unless you have someone picking you up somewhere, remember that you have to paddle back where you came from.

When in open water, I also tend to act like good (cautious) motorcycle riders do - just assume everyone is out to run you over and/or simply can't see you.

Be safe. Sorry if this is preachy. But I hate reading stories about kayakers getting in trouble because they underestimate paddling and/or try to be the cool, invincible guy at the beach.

Post pics of your trips.

Is there an app I can download to track tides and such?

A lot of great advice, appreciate all of it.

I will agree with the prior poster. Even on an elevated console flats boat, I struggle to see kayakers at times, when they are below the grass top/mangrove height. Especially in marsh entrances and backwater creeks or lake mouths.

Any of these tight transit points, when in specialized flats boats or on kayaks, are places that force me, at times to get closer to a kayaker, than I'd like. I usually will shut down outside and wait, if I can see you traversing the cut. But if I can't see you coming, it's a clinch for both of us! I know it's tempting to fish those kinda spots at times, too. My advice may be to have some sort of flag up high, so folks can see. Not saying that would be easy to do with a long rod and line going all over. I flyfish too, but not from a kayak.

I guess I like motors too much!!! And to be honest, I enjoy wading with conventional gear so much, I do that more than anything!

In reply to Aggieangler93 They make flags specifically for this. You can attach a short piece of rail on the back of any kayak, and it makes for a quick attachment point for the flag. The one I have has a light on top, and the pole & light both store inside the flag itself. I never go out without it attached, I consider it essential safety gear. Kayaks are hard to see.

In reply to cupofjoe04

cupofjoe04 said:

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They make flags specifically for this. You can attach a short piece of rail on the back of any kayak, and it makes for a quick attachment point for the flag. The one I have has a light on top, and the pole & light both store inside the flag itself. I never go out without it attached, I consider it essential safety gear. Kayaks are hard to see.

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I agree. And my boat has a much better vantage point than most others on the coast inshore. My elevated console is probably 4 feet off the water, and my head is 6 feet above that! So 10 feet off the water, and still scares me when I see a kayaker up close I didn't expect. I am just so fearful of causing someone harm, when we are both trying to fish and relax.

https://www.yakattack.us/kayak-safety-flags/

Something like this? ^

In reply to KlinkerAg11

KlinkerAg11 said:

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https://www.yakattack.us/kayak-safety-flags/

Something like this? ^

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That's exactly what I have. I love it. Has worked flawlessly for years now. I have the one with the light on top, which I would recommend. I like to get out early, and it really helps with visibility, and sometimes you find yourself in fog or it gets a little darker than you anticipated. It's worth the extra if you ask me.

The little mounting plates are nice. They didn't have those when I got mine, so I just screwed on a short piece of track.

Buy a drift sock, go talk to Dave at Swan Point, lighthouse lakes is a great place to start, know how to double haul, read "Fly-Fishing for Redfish-Chico Fernande".

I use Windfinder and the Tide Charts app.

There are many like them to choose from.

Also, I'm not what I consider a "Kayak Angler" even though I've landed many fish while in a kayak but I would think that fly fishing out of a yak is going to be a total cluster F. I may be wrong but that doesn't sound fun. Unless you went out and bought a kayak you can comfortably stand in.

In reply to TH36 I purposely bought a kayak that is supposed to be fly fishing friendly.

Very stable, clean front deck. (Nucanoe pursuit)

I'm sure it'll have other issues (harder to paddle) it's why I got a rudder added to it.

But I see your point, it almost made me not buy one, but enough folks have done it I talked myself into a kayak.