In reply to KlinkerAg11

KlinkerAg11 said:

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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.

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Nice! Well it sounds like you thought it through and did the research.

Is it peddle drive as well? Kayaking at the coast sucks, with the wind. So I can only imagine having to use my arms to paddle then having to use them repeatedly with using a fly rod.

In reply to KlinkerAg11 I've fished the Rockport area for close to 40 years... A few places to consider for kayak fishing...

HWY 35 between Tivoli and Rockport - It crosses Salt Creek and Cavasso Creek on the north end of St Charles Bay. There are areas at the bridges where I see folks launch kayaks for fishing all the time. Salt Creek can be a little shallow when the tides are low. But both feed into the upper end of St Charles Bay - shallow and not alot of boat traffic in the area.

Also Goose Island State Park - seen alot of kayak fishing in/around the park. There are several oyster reefs around that hold good redfish.

Down from Goose Island - drive down Lamar Beach Road - There is an area to park where the road turns to go to the Big Tree. Can launch there - its close to one of the oyster reef reclamation areas set up by CCA. Always people kayak fishing in the area.

The Matagorda area
It's called East Matagorda Bay Paddlesport park. On the road paralleling the Colorado river towards the gulf/LCRA park. Looks like alot of cool canals out to the bay. Believe it is restricted to kayaks/canoes/paddleboards - NO motors.

SW '86

In reply to TH36 I did not, I've heard mixed reviews about if you need one or not.

I can install a trolling motor on the stern later if I need to.

In reply to Strongwind86 Thank you for the tips.

I plan on driving down to rockport for my first trip.

I don't kayak, but they sure seem useful for some. For me, I can wadefish for miles but if I am in a kayak for more than a bit I can barely walk afterwards. The observation I wanted to make, is it seems in a kayak if you are an explorer to really keep an eye out for the daily wind trends. I have had to rescue kayakers a couple times when the wind didn't behave. A nice leisurely stalking paddle chasing reds downwind in the morning with light winds can leave you stranded trying to paddle back upwind when the wind picks up later. I've had to pick up guys that did that in POC that were left with a 5 mile upwind paddle with high winds and cramping arms. Also had to pick up kayakers blown out into Copano from the Port Bay mouth and also blown all over Estes flats after a front blew in, same on East shore/Brown and Root flats coming from the ferry road. Just wanted to pass on that safety concern so you factor that into your day plan.
When we used to run scooters with jets we loved it when the kayakers had the orange bicycle flags on the back of their kayaks. It helped us not accidentally blast up on to them. I didn't think about the flag interfering with a fly rod so I don't know if that can be mitigated.
A question for kayakers, what do you think of those gators way back in Cavasso or Salt creeks? I can't speak from a high position as I used to dumbly wadefish those areas when I was younger but finally got barely a little smarter. Are these guys a threat to kayakers, or not so much? As I have gotten older I'd want an RPG or something in a kayak in the back of St. Charles ha ha. I see the kayaks back there so I guess it isn't a big issue? Have always been curious.

I figured starting out I won't wonder too far from my launch point.

Fish around the launch points, reload, and go to another launch point.

That has its issues too, (unloading and loading the kayak)

I've switched up my workouts to try and prepare myself physically for the challenge. Was just lifting weights, now I do kettlebell/ crossfit and have dropped 10 lbs.

In reply to fishnvet Gators don't bother you in a kayak. Except in nesting season, which is May. Even the , just give them space and you are ok. Be aware and don't be a dumbass and you will most likely be fine. Also, if you are using a stringer, pull your fish into the boat when you get into gatory water.

Make sure you know how to get back on your kayak if it flips over. I speak from experience. I made my safety flag out of pvc with a Walmart light. Works well