My First Remote Skiff Camping Trip For Inshore Slams [Scary Adventure]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
This remote camping trip was the scariest fishing adventure I’ve been on.
I was dumb enough to pick a dangerous area (The Chaz) for my first remote skiff camping trip.
The Chaz is a remote area on Florida’s Nature Coast that consists of shallow grass flats with many limestone rocks hiding just under the surface in random spots.
Even the locals blow out their lower units on occasion by hitting rocks, so someone like me, who has zero experience navigating a boat in those waters, is not a good idea.
The reason I chose this area is that it’s known for being a top-tier fishery for redfish and seatrout while also having good numbers of snook.
I got a taste of this fun fishery a few years back when I was a guest on the boat with some fellow Insider Club members, Bill Deweese and Jimmy Tintle.
So the idea of spending a full 24 hours straight in a great fishing area like this was just too appealing to resist in spite of the risks.
Here were my goals for this trip:
- Get in and out of the backwaters without hitting any rocks
- Catch slam in the afternoon day 1
- Find spot to camp (good fishing zone with minimal risk of bugs)
- Catch dinner and cook on the skiff
- Catch slam at night
- Avoid getting stuck in backwaters with the falling tides
- Catch slam in the morning on day 2
I captured the trip on film (including the night fishing adventure). And I put together the key moments, including some hard lessons learned, in the video below.
FEATURED GEAR
Power Fishing Setup
- Rod: Slot Machine 7’6″ Medium
- Reel: Otis 2500
- Line: 10lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 15 Ib Ande Mono
- Bite Tippet: 30 Ib Ande Mono
- Lure 1: Skinny Lipper
- Lure 2: Wake Mullet
- Lure 3: Prawn USA Jr rigged on 3/0 Hoss Weedless Round Eye 1/4oz
Finesse Setup
- Rod: Slot Machine 7’6″ Medium
- Reel: Otis 2500
- Line: 8 lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 12 Ib Ande Mono
- Bite Tippets: 20 & 30 Ib Ande Mono
- Lure 1: Tweaker (Black) rigged on 3/0 Helix Hook 1/8oz
- Lure 2: Tweaker (Slam Shady) rigged on 3/0 Helix Hook 1/8oz
- Lure 3: Prawn USA Jr rigged on 3/0 Helix Hook 1/8oz
Featured Software:
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although this was a nerve-wracking trip with some hard lessons learned, I’m definitely going to try this remote skiff camping trip again once the weather cools down to lower the bug risk.
I am very thankful for the high-res satellite mapping imagery within the Smart Fishing Spots platform because I relied heavily on it for knowing which zones to avoid and which ones were likely safe.
As usual, it was cool to see that the same trends and lures work in this very different environment compared to where I normally target redfish, seatrout, and snook.
Please do not hesitate to use the comments section below if you have any questions about this trip or suggestions on how to improve skiff camping comfort.
IMPORTANT REMINDER
The 2 core benefits we promise to Insider Club members is to be able to find and catch fish easier than ever before while saving money on fishing equipment.
So I am including links to the quickest ways to achieve each:
1) Finding Fish System
2) Insider Club’s Group Discounts
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish ever trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
This video was great usually you everyone shows a perfect fishing trip video but we all know that not every trip is! To see how you over came the down falls and stayed positive was excellent and really the trip was awesome!! If only you had a lighter!!🤣
Nice trip liked the video. I have been surprised how well the black and silver paddle tail has been working for me. If slam shady is not working the black and silver has done the trick. It reminded me of steelhead fishing when my favorite lure was black and speckled. We called it the Michael Jackson named after the glove he had Always a favorite glad you all have introduced that classic option. It has also worked when the gold digger did not.
Fascinating.
Luke, I think this might be your best video yet! Great info,You share so much great details on lures and techniques., it’s what really makes a difference! what a cool trip.
Thanks Christopher! This sure was a fun video to create. I’ll definitely be doing more skiff camping trips once the weather starts cooling down again.
Do you cast the braid -to-leader knot through the guides ?
Yes, I cast the FG knot through the guides on every cast… it shoots through very well given how thin it is.
Luke, what kind of air mattress were you using?
It’s a random one I found on Amazon. I believe the brand is called Hiipeak.
What a fun video! I couldn’t help but notice and I must say that I am a Modelo man as well, but I’m not sure about having it with PB&J. It probably would have been better with fresh trout!
Thanks Nathan! Glad to see that you’re a Modelo fan too. Yes, that PBJ for dinner was a bummer knowing that I would have had fresh trout had I only checked for the lighter.
Great trip Luke! Thanks for taking us along. Looks like a great fishery. Those no see ums will make anyone move! – Wes
Thanks Wes! Yes, those small bugs can sure pack a punch when there are a bunch of them.