Southwest Florida Kayak Angler's Association

Hi All...

Heading down for my annual "get outta Dodge" FL fishing trip next week. Long range forecast shows some pretty high winds for most of the week. Cant change my plans, so have to figure out how I might be able to cope with it.

Very experienced with kayak angling and will be renting a Hobie in Naples.

With high winds, can you "hide" from them in the mangroves? Looking at different bays and the 10k islands, there are certainly plenty of land massess to fish up against, but with the forecasted 10-20's, are these mangroves/land massess enough to break the winds and be relatively safe?

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Jeff: I am not familiar with the 10,000 islands area; however, I do generally avoid going out when the winds are forecast to be much greater than 11 mph. With that being said, I have found that you can usually tuck behind mangroves when the wind is somewhat more excessive and still have a fun day on the water and catch some fish. Enjoy your stay in sunny, southwest Florida.

Not sure what weather forecast you have seen but the forecast on Weather.com is showing fairly moderate winds for next week. That said, the weather down here can change in a heartbeat but you should always be able to find the leeward side of mangrove islands that will fish well. You should also have some good tides and lunar conditions. Best of luck to you!

Thanks. I use an app called Windfinder, and that forecast for the region lists steady 20's for the winds. I like your forecast better, but suspect it will probably be somewhere in the middle. Still some time so the forecast will no doubt change.

We are going to find a way... No more fishing up here (MA) unless we drill holes in ice (no thanks!!!).