I finally hit the saltwater in my kayak! I departed from the Orange Street beach access in Panama City Beach, FL. There are two boardwalks to the beach. One is a ramp and the other one has some stairs. I got there pretty late in the day and had to take the stairs. Getting to the water wasn't so bad but getting back to the car wore me out. After pulling the kayak up some stairs I had to sit down and rest for a full 15 minutes before I could continue. Thankfully, I already built a PVC cart following the instructions from Palmetto Kayak Fishing. That made life a lot easier. A kayak cart of some sort is absolutely essential.
Besides the PVC kayak cart, I'm glad I brought a hat, sunglasses, and a Hoo Rag. They kept my head and neck protected from the sun without having to use sunscreen. Bringing a waterproof phone case was awesome too. I got a few pictures as well as a blurry video of dolphins.
As for fishing, I ended up taking one fishing pole and using a DOA Shrimp. I've seen the DOA recommended a lot for beginners so I gave it a shot. I also bought some frozen shrimp to fish off the bottom. One problem with that was I left them in the car! Thankfully they weren't stinking when I got back. So I fished the DOA for a bit but had no bites whatsoever. I didn't get fish on my first trip but I did see dolphins and a sea turtle. It was pretty wild to have a pod of dolphins 15 feet away from me. I can't wait to get out there again. I'm working on an anchor trolley, anchor float, and researching saltwater fishing techniques in the meantime.
Besides the PVC kayak cart, I'm glad I brought a hat, sunglasses, and a Hoo Rag. They kept my head and neck protected from the sun without having to use sunscreen. Bringing a waterproof phone case was awesome too. I got a few pictures as well as a blurry video of dolphins.
As for fishing, I ended up taking one fishing pole and using a DOA Shrimp. I've seen the DOA recommended a lot for beginners so I gave it a shot. I also bought some frozen shrimp to fish off the bottom. One problem with that was I left them in the car! Thankfully they weren't stinking when I got back. So I fished the DOA for a bit but had no bites whatsoever. I didn't get fish on my first trip but I did see dolphins and a sea turtle. It was pretty wild to have a pod of dolphins 15 feet away from me. I can't wait to get out there again. I'm working on an anchor trolley, anchor float, and researching saltwater fishing techniques in the meantime.