Statewide, spectacular catches start with spectacular catches!

Over the past five decades, the pursuit of high jumping, hard fighting, saltwater game fish has been a major pastime for millions of anglers all along our 1200 miles of coastline. Like so many, during the last twenty of those years, I too have spent a large percentage of my free time pursuing piscatorial prizes over our near-shore reefs and throughout our coastal offshore waters.

Yak fishermen explore new ways to reach untapped fisheries.

My connection to the big, mystery fish down below came to a quick but definite end. There was a solid strike, a very powerful pull for a few feet, a sudden wrap around a concrete piling, and our relationship was over. Whatever my visitor was, he left me about as quickly as he showed up. While I spent the next few minutes considering my frayed line where it had been damaged on the jagged barnacles, I heard the tremble of an outboard approaching. I could clearly hear the motor come to an idle and a couple of fellows talking.

The rise and fall of a legacy

As dawn broke, it was clear that this was going to be a perfect day. The eastern sky lightened steadily as golden streaks from thesun flooded the cloudless horizon.Throttled all the way up, my skiff seemed not to touch the water but rather to effortlessly fly over the glassy slickness of the serene bay.

A recent survey of leading backcountry experts revealed some exciting results. We asked for their professional opinion on the top ten innovations they feel have evolved skinny water angling into the sophisticated sport it is today. Though their opinions varied, all agreed that since the turn of the century, ingeniously designed hulls powered by innovative propulsion systems, which are now outfitted with an array of ‘smart’ accessories, have all combined to provide a new level of accessibility to extraordinarily thin water. It’s in these secluded pockets and shallowest of pools where this panel of experts continue to find success.

Welcome to the evolution of backcountry top-water tactics where tantalizing soft plastics strut their way to success

There are very few anglers who can resist the excitement of fishing a top-water lure. Witnessing a fish erupt from below is one of the most exciting experiences in all of fishing and is shared by anglers in every realm of the sport. Truly, there is nothing like making them come up and work for it. For the backcountry angler, however, there is a whole new take on top-water fishing that is opening up a new world of exciting possibilities. Welcome to the age of top-water soft plastics.

A better understanding of inshore sea grass,
will leave you a more productive skinny water angler.

Flourishing grass beds, endless mangrove shorelines, expansive flats, and miles of inviting channel edges all combine to provide Florida’s east coast shallow water angler with the most diverse ecological system found anywhere in the state.