Saltwater Kayak Fishing For Redfish And Trout

December is as good a month as you could ask for. The celebration of Christ’s birth, old Santa sneaking down the chimney and plenty of time with family and friends. It’s Christmas time in Georgia, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it, both off and on the water.

That’s right, I’m not ready to let my kayak start collecting dust just yet. As a matter of fact when it comes to saltwater fishing, December is without question one of the very best months to enjoy some red-hot inshore action with a paddle in your hand. Key species this month from my kayak will be trout and redfish.

Seth Carter, of Blackshear, with a nice fall redfish. Saltwater fishing from a kayak takes more planning than tackle. Once on the water, the fishing style is fairly simple.

Right now, from the marshes of Darien way down to St. Marys, inshore action is to be had, and you don’t have to go far from a boat ramp to find fish. Georgia’s inshore waters are filled with redfish and trout, and unlike other times of the year, you won’t need a fast boat and a 55-gallon drum of gas to go look for the fish.

What you will need is a plan. I’ve spent countless hours over the past few years prowling the salt in my kayak, and I’ve learned that preparation and doing your homework mean way more than lure selection or angling skill. After all, you’re not only battling fish, you’re in a fight with the elements, and a plastic paddle blade is your sword. Knowing how to use it to your advantage is the key to winning the fight.

Here’s a breakdown of the things you need to do to be successful from a kayak in the salt this month.

Maps Are Your Friend

This point can’t be stressed enough. Reading a map and coming up with a plan are crucial to ensuring success. I can’t count the times that I’ve run into another kayak angler at the boat ramp after a day of fishing, and I can see the frustration on their face. They say that they haven’t caught anything and haven’t hardly been able to fish for fighting the tide, wind, etc.

The truth is that with 15 minutes of research on your smartphone, you can make a plan for a much easier day on the water, even if you’re fishing an area you’ve never been to.

I have several friends who are excellent public-land hunters, and over time I’ve realized it’s not by accident. When they go out, they have a plan, and they execute that plan. As fisherman, especially kayak fisherman, we can benefit from a deer hunter’s scouting mindset.

When I look for a new saltwater spot to fish from my kayak on the map, I begin my search by locating various boat ramps and the features near them. I like using Google Earth for my search as I can zoom in from the satellite and look for features that typically hold fish.

I promise at the end of this story I will give you a few of my favorite honey holes to get you headed in the right direction, but truthfully there are hundreds, make that thousands of great fishing spots on the Peach State coast that are easily accessed from a kayak.

When I look at a potential launch point, I want to locate as many features as possible nearby. By features I mean creek mouths, shellbeds, bridges, islands, etc. Basically anything that will hold a fish. Saltwater fish tend to school and hold on different types of structure day to day, so it really helps to find an area with several different features that you can check out without having to waste a pile of time paddling.

Going With The Tide

If you’re new to kayaking the salt, one sure way not to enjoy yourself is to spend an entire day fighting against the tide. I’ve done it many times, and trust me, it rarely works out to your favor. I’d also recommend avoiding fishing within a day or two of a full moon or new moon, as water is often moving too fast to allow for an adequate drifting speed as you fish.

A quick online search will give tide predictions, and planning around the tide makes for a much easier trip. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

Let’s say that tomorrow it will be low tide at 8 a.m. at one of my favorite spots near Blythe Island. By putting in at 7:30, I can paddle at a moderate rate going with the outgoing tide to a creek mouth that’s roughly a couple of miles away. By the time the tide stops moving, I’m in position to begin fishing my way back with the incoming tide. As I work my way back, there are several different types of structure I can target without having to fight with paddling against the tide.

When possible, I like to fish from about three hours before low tide until about three hours after low tide. This enables you to fish out with the tide, and then you can work back with it. This is simple but effective.

As you begin scouting and fishing areas from your kayak, it becomes easier and easier to learn which areas to target based on the tidal stage that day.

While we’re talking tide and boat position, let me add this. Leave your anchor at home. Nothing will get you frustrated faster than fighting with a big heavy anchor all day. When I locate an area I want to stop on and fish, I like to use a 6-foot garden stake (they are about $10 at Lowes or Home Depot) to aid in doing so. These stakes are very light and can easily be stored on the side of your kayak in the paddle holder while not being used.

Another pretty good option for slowing yourself down to fish is a 1-lb. dumbbell and about 6 feet of rope. I borrowed one from my wife’s exercise equipment a while back and discovered it works really well to toss up in the marsh grass. It will hold you effectively while fishing a grassline without having to deal with a traditional anchor.

Wind Is Not Your Friend

The only downside to saltwater fishing this time of the year is the wind. Many days out of the month, it will blow upward of 12 to 15 mph, and that makes for miserable fishing for kayak and boat anglers.

But, and I did say but, a kayak angler has an advantage that a boat angler doesn’t. Kayakers have the ability to hide from the wind. Due to the low profile of a kayak and its ability to hug the shoreline, you can effectively put yourself right up on the edge of the marsh grass and out of the wind’s way.

When I know I’m going to be facing windy conditions, I scout out the shoreline where the wind is going to be coming from and then target those areas. You will often find there is a sweet spot right up next to the marsh grass that extends out 10 to 15 feet from the bank where the wind won’t affect you as you fish.

A prime example of this is a couple weeks ago I was planning a trip for the next morning and saw a 10 mph wind was forecasted from the east. The next morning I targeted the banks on the east side of the creek, barely noticing the wind as the marsh grass acted as a buffer for me. This is just another example of how five minutes of planning can make for a much more enjoyable day on the water.

Leaving It Behind

Any new kayak angler almost always asks me the same set of questions. How many rods can you fit on there? Do you have plenty of room for all your tackle? They are fair questions, but for me, the simplicity of a kayak is its No. 1 feature. Bring your favorite rod and reel and a spare combo just in case. I very rarely use live bait when fishing from my kayak, and usually only bring a few sizes of jig heads and my favorite colors of soft plastic swim baits.

Less is more on a paddle craft, and a dozen rods and two tackle boxes are nothing more than added weight. I encourage those new to kayaking the salt to bring the tackle you believe in and nothing more.

Safety First

I don’t always wear my life jacket and probably should, but I always have it accessible in case of an emergency. It’s state law to have one with you in your kayak, and it could be the difference in life and death.

Additionally, I always have a dry change of clothes stored in a gallon Ziploc bag with me during winter time. I keep it in the compartment under the deck of my yak in case I was to turn my kayak over a significant distance from the boat ramp. It’s one thing to take a dip on a warm summer afternoon. It’s another if it’s 40 degrees outside and the wind is blowing. One added precaution is to let someone know where you are going to be fishing, and try to fish with a buddy whenever possible.

My Favorite Places In December

Craig James like to fish from a Kaku Wahoo 10.5 Kayak, which are sold at Satilla Feed & Outdoors in Blackshear. Craig speaks in depth about why he choose this particular kayak on his blog page at www.gon.com/blogs/craig-james-gon-blog.

Blythe Island: To fish Blythe, I like to put in at the Park Street boat ramp. There are several small grassy islands that often hold fish directly across from the boat ramp. I target these islands anytime water is up in the grass, and I particularly like to fish them about three hours after dead low tide as the water creeps up into the grass.

The I-95 bridge about 200 yards from the ramp is a good place to find trout. Both ends of the bridge will hold fish, and it pays to make several casts around various columns to determine where fish are positioned day to day.

If you pass under the bridge on the far side of the river, across from the boat ramp you will see several hundred yards of shellbeds. I like to fish these shells anytime within an hour of low tide. If you catch a redfish, make several more casts as they will usually school up pretty tight this time of year.

The author nets a nice trout at the side of his kayak at Blythe Island. The photo was taken with a GoPro camera. Notice the I-95 bridge barely showing in the background. Bridges are one feature that will hold trout and reds in the winter months.

Village Creek: Make the drive out to St. Simons Island and head for the Village Creek boat ramp. After putting in, head out past the marina to the main creek. There are literally dozens of creek mouths and shellbeds that will hold fish. I will sometimes throw a jig out behind me and “troll” as I paddle. This can be effective for finding schools of trout.

The key when fishing here is to keep bouncing from area to area until you find fish. They will often relate to different areas hour to hour and day to day.

Jekyll Island: You will need a kayak cart to fish this area, but it’s worth the effort to give it a try.

Park at the Jekyll pier, and roll your kayak across the small wooden bridge to the beach. When you launch, you can either work your way into Clam Creek or target the rocks along the edge of the pier parking lot. Both are good areas this time of year. Pay careful attention to the tide as it’s a long paddle out of Clam Creek with the tide working against you.

Crooked River: If you put in at Crooked River State Park, there are a pile of grassy islands a mile or two down from the boat ramp. If you pull the area up on Google Earth, you will see there are endless fishing opportunities all within a short paddle of the Crooked River Boat Ramp.

These are just a few of my favorite areas to target. With a little preparation and planning, you’re likely to find several honey holes of your on. This is the season for some saltwater kayak action, I hope you get to enjoy it. God bless and Merry Christmas!

December Kayak Baits For Reds & Trout

When you fish out of your kayak this month, you won’t need a whole lot of tackle to get the job done. I keep my tackle selection very simple. I keep a selection of jig heads in three sizes (1/8-, 1/4- and 1/2-oz.) and a few colors of swimbaits. I prefer to use a Bruiser Baits Super Swimmer Jr. in sexy shad, moonlight or mullet color, but most any swimbait in the 3- to 4-inch range will get you bit. I like to keep a topwater plug such as a Zara Spook handy in case I see fish busting, but most of the time I stick to my trusty jig. I vary my retrieve until I figure out the speed the fish want it that particular day.

I choose not to use live bait due to the inconvenience of fighting against limited space in the kayak, and it’s difficult to keep them alive. For those who prefer live bait, I recommend using as small of a bait container/aerator as possible to keep from overloading your kayak.