The 10,000 Islands Experience

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Today I am going to recap the kayak fishing my brother and I did on our big family vacation 4th of July week. My parents, my wife and 2 boys, and my brother’s family – his wife and 3 kids all shared an Air B&B on a canal in Marco Island. So my individual fishing was not the focal point of the trip, but my brother and I did get up before sunrise twice and get a chance to get out and explore the northwest corner of the 10,000 islands. We fished 3-4 hours on these trips and came back for family time. The trip was a blast, my two boys and their cousins had a blast – we played in the pool alot, we took trips out in my parents boat to different islands/beaches and truly had a great time. It is such a beautiful place down there! I really want to go back another time and fish it hard, but alas, this week you will get a report based on a somewhat limited fishing focus.

My sons are getting into fishing, but when you throw the whole crew together I have a nephew who will turn 7 this week, my oldest is 6 and a half, my youngest is 5 and a half, my niece is 4, and my youngest nephew is 10 months old. It would have been nice to hit the beaches when we went out on our boat trips, or fish from the boat – but there was too much going on onboard, and I take away enough time from my kids doing the stuff I do here, so I felt like I owed it to the kids to be there for beach fun, and shell hunts, and snorkeling etc.

The Lord of the Tides

If I go back again, which I would really like to do, I envision a trip sometime between November-March when the mosquitoes are a little less crazy, and the air temps are more moderate because…tides really matter here. The two days we went out the tide went slack both days around sunrise, so both trips started slow, and picked up as the tide started to work in. But by the time the bite windows started it was also hot as you know what. So that being said, a trip during a time of year where the fishing is better throughout the late morning, and afternoon would probably be more productive, so I can plan around tides more than sunrises.

Where & How We Fished

We wanted to escape the boat traffic so each day we zipped across Caxambas Pass and fished around various islands between Goodland and Marco Island. We let the incoming tides both mornings push us down and back, and once we had fished for roughly 3 hours my brother tied his paddle kayak to my pedal drive and I used my horsepower (big quads lol) to power us back. I felt like a high school QB driving a pile on a 4th and 1 QB Sneak again, but it saved my brother having to paddle against tidal current which would have been rough.

One thing I think we overlook at times living here is how much easier paddle fishing is in the Lagoon without the tidal flows. We drifted mostly with the tides when fishing – the “work” was to keep your kayak positioned in a way to cast up current and retrieve our lures with the tidal flow. There wasn’t much wind on these mornings, and we were back in the mangrove keys and islands anyway, so whilst the surface looked calm and glassy, the undercurrent was stronger than what I was used to. We rigged up with ⅛ oz jigs, and had to make the switch to ¼ oz jigs to get down in the current.

Crossing Caxambas Pass before daylight and covering miles of mangrove shoreline reminded me why I love fishing from a Hobie. Having the pedal drive meant I could fish hands-free, hold my position in current, and even tow my brother’s paddle kayak back at the end of each morning without either of us dreading the trip home. If you’re thinking about getting into kayak fishing, that’s one of the biggest advantages a quality fishing kayak offers; it turns water that would be exhausting in a paddle kayak into something you can comfortably explore. Huge thanks to Kayaks by Bo for keeping me rigged in a kayak that’s just as comfortable making long exploratory trips in the Ten Thousand Islands as it is chasing fish back home on the Indian River Lagoon.

Fishing Breakdown

Neither one of us caught a ton of fish, but between the two of us, got a pretty impressive variety of fish. My brother had two rigged rods, one had a MirrOlure Lil Jon, and the other a Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad. I took out 3 rigged rods, a baitcaster with a topwater plug, and two spinning rods with a paddle tail on a jig and a weedless jerk bait. The jerk baits I never really fooled with, as the current made them hard to get down. Also being in a new area, and having my brother with me, I used the paddletail as a search bait, and let my brother slow down and comb through productive areas with the Lil Jon.

Buck went with the Golden Bream color Lil Jon because I told him that was the color I have caught the most fish on, and that was his work horse! He has limited inshore fishing experience, but he’s caught tons of largemouth from South Georgia farm ponds and he loves to fish a trick worm on a shaky head. I told him he could fish the Lil Jon in a similar fashion. Let it hit the bottom, work it back with little bounces and twitches.

On day 2, we retraced our steps, already armed with heavier leader and terminal tackle. My brother got on the board first with a nice flounder, using a Sugar & Spice Saltwater Assassin Sea Shad on a ¼ oz Red Jig – a classic inshore combination! He also landed another nice Redfish with the Lil Jon again. I caught a few jacks, and a small snook on topwater that morning, but once the tide turned, I started to get dialed in with the snook – I ended up catching 5 that morning – none very big, the biggest was 25 inches, but I was just happy to land a few while we were there! They were all caught on the same DOA CAL in Silver Glitter with the Chartreuse jig.

All in all we ended up landing redfish, snook, seatrout, flounder and jack crevalle – it was a really fun mixed bag!

One thing I was thankful for before making the drive southwest, was stopping by Strike Zone Fishing in Melbourne to stock up. Whenever I’m fishing unfamiliar water, I don’t try to reinvent the wheel; I bring confidence baits that have earned a permanent place in my tackle box. Between Rapala Skitterwalks, DOA CAL Shads, Saltwater Assassin Sea Shads, jigheads, and heavier leader material, everything we needed for the trip came right off the shelves there. It’s hard to beat walking into a tackle shop where the staff actually fishes every week and can point you toward proven lures instead of just the newest thing on the peg.

Conclusion

For me, this trip wasn’t about catching tons of fish or chasing personal bests, it was about making memories with family in one of Florida’s most incredible places. The fishing was simply a bonus. Even with just a few short morning trips, we experienced everything that makes the Ten Thousand Islands special: endless mangrove shorelines, powerful tides, explosive snook, cruising redfish, and a fishery that always feels like it has another surprise waiting around the next island. I left knowing we had only scratched the surface. Hopefully, next time I’ll plan the trip around the tides instead of the holiday schedule, spend a few more days exploring, and really dive into what this remarkable fishery has to offer. Until then, I’ll be more than happy reliving this adventure.

Thanks for taking the time to read this report! Have a great week, and may your lines be ever tight! Until next time!