Summer 2016 | Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2016 | Page 15

Sea Island—are easier to catch in a kayak. When it comes to speed, a kayak is an ideal option. “A good trolling speed is 2 to 5 miles per hour, and that’s about how fast you would go in the kayak anyway,” says Gavin Earl, water sports manager at Sea Island. There is also less downtime. “In a boat, you anchor up and start fishing,” he says. “If the fishing is not good, you move to another spot and start fishing. In a kayak, you cover 3 to 4 miles of area but you are fishing 100 percent of the time.” Kayaks are also easier to transport. A larger, more expensive boat, for instance, comes with a higher cost of upkeep, storage, towing gear, marina fees and fuel, while a kayak requires less maintenance, can easily be stored in the garage and strapped to a car en route to the destination. When on the water, kayak fishermen can also navigate natural obstacles more easily. Unlike those casting a line from shore, Sammons notes that kayakers have the opportunity to get around rocky cliffs and sandbars, and they can also access areas that may be off-limits to larger vessels. For example, in Belize, Sammons fished the flats—places that are too shallow for a boat, but that hold plenty of fish. Perhaps the most attractive thing about kayak fishing is the very reason avid anglers love the sport to begin with—the ability to commune with nature and connect with our hunter-gatherer spirit. “You are forced to stop and smell the roses, if you will,” Sammons explains. “The [things] you will see kayaking—dolphins, sea turtles [and] whales—is incredible because it is so noninvasive of the environment. … The carbon footprint is pretty small.” Evolution of the Sport According to Sammons, kayak fishing has come a long way during his 28 years in the sport. The most significant change he has noticed is in the equipment: While he used to adapt kayaks for fishing, he says that they are now built from the ground up with the activity in mind. For instance, a plethora of aftermarket accessories—sophisticated rod holders, fish finders and other gear crafted specifically for the kayak angler—are readily available for fishermen today. “One of the beautiful things about the sport now is there’s a kayak for everybody and every style of fishing,” Sammons adds. Like all types of fishing, there are good days and bad days on the water. “If you need to catch fish to have fun kayak fishing, you are going to be disappointed,” Sammons says. “… The time on the water is just so enjoyable.” m Kayak anglers can access Sea Island’s estuaries. KAYAK FISHING ON SEA ISLAND Sea Island offers two options and boasts some of the most bountiful estuaries on the East Coast for those looking to give kayak fishing a try. INTRO TO KAYAK FISHING If you’re brand new to kayak fishing, this two-hour class will give you an overall introduction to the sport. You’ll learn what gear you’ll need, how to anchor, what fish to look for and the basics of how to handle a fishing kayak. “Once we leave the dock, we can start fishing immediately,” says Gavin Earl, water sports manager at the resort. “In this area, we target trout, redfish and flounder, just to name a few.” KAYAK FISHING EXCURSION If you’ve tried kayak fishing before or have your own gear, opt for the three-hour kayak fishing trip. “Tidal differences here are 6 to 9 feet,” Earl says.