Yellowdog, a kayak angler's paradise.

 

Matlacha is a well known kayaker’s paradise. Within paddling distance there are places with names that most kayakers have heard time and time again. Names like Smokehouse Bay, Indian Fields, East Wall, Mud Hole just to name a few. For kayak anglers coming to Matlacha there are few places to stay close by, requiring a drive from Cape Coral or Ft Myers. Recently, I found a place in the heart of Matlacha that caters to kayakers, and the more the better.

 

The Redfish Cottage

Inside the Redfish
 

Yellowdog is comprised of several buildings on the waters of Matlacha Pass. It’s right next door to famous Bert’s Bar and Grill, and steps away from the Matlacha Bridge. There is a private gated entry to the compound which boasts three cottages, a commercial kitchen, a retail space featuring a well known kayak and paddling shop and ample dockage for boats and kayaks.

Each cottage is named after the target species of fish that inhabit the area. The Snook cottage is a studio with a large modern kitchen, seating area with large LCD television and a spacious bathroom. This unit is directly on the water and has several french doors opening up on the protected basin.

The Snook Cottage veranda
 

The Redfish is a one bedroom cottage that is oozing with old Matlacha charm. Vaulted bead board ceilings and reclaimed hardwood floors are some of the cool features. Renovated from an old fishing shack, this unit still has some of the interesting features of its past like uneven floors and low ceilings in the full kitchen. There is a living room with LCD television, dining area and a nice bathroom. This cottage overlooks the water and also has a front door on the busy main thoroughfare of the town.

The Tarpon is the biggest cottage with two bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms. This unit is a spacious open concept cottage with enough room for a large living room, dining room and big kitchen with bar. It has the largest deck of the three with seating for very large parties.

Inside the Snook

              

In the center of the compound is a full commercial kitchen. Yellowdog owners Chris and Linda Seibert have a restaurant license for the property, but until that comes to fruition, the kitchen is available if you have a large group. There are also two fishing kayaks and two paddleboards available for guests at no charge, in case you have to leave yours at home.

On the Water

My family and I reserved the Snook and Redfish cottages for two nights. I was all set to go fishing in the morning, then checking in that afternoon, but weather hampered those plans. I ended up checking in early, which was ok due to the remote check-in procedures. I was very pleased with the Redfish cottage and found it to be deceptively roomy. It was very clean. I connected to the wifi and it was speedy. I walked around the property and the docks. I noticed several fish and a large snook under the dock.

 

 

Redfish Charm

My sister Angie and her husband Carl checked into the Snook a little later and loved it. They immediately opened the waterfront doors and relaxed as we watched boats pull up to Bert’s. There was a steel drum band playing there and it was so close it felt like they were playing for us. Later that evening, we fished the docks and caught snapper, Spanish mackerel and one really big snook that took me to school.

The next morning I met fishing buddies Josh Harvel, John Donohue, Lucas Cesario and Mike Malle at the nearby Matlacha kayak launch and we paddled right by the Yellowdog cottages. We fished within a mile or two of the dock, catching over slot reds and trout, and one large jack with a bad disposition. After a few hours, we went back to the cottages for drinks before we paddled back to the launch. Later that afternoon, fishing buddy Allen Reddick picked my grandson Hunter and I up in his Hewes and south down the pass we went, catching snook and enough snapper to make Hunter tired. It was a great day of fishing from our base.

John Donohue saving the day

The next morning, checkout was a breeze. Hunter and I had breakfast at the famous Perfect Cup restaurant and capped off a great weekend. Yellowdog has it all for kayakers, especially for groups, who want to fish the famous Matlacha Pass area and Pine Island. Check out their website at www.ouryellowdog.com and go fishing!



Lucas and his many spotted red

Overslot!

Approaching the kayak basin

Hunter with a snook

Tarpon kitchen

Yellowdog flats boat

Berts Bar right next door

Fishing for snook

Kayak basin

Hunter slaying snapper

Landing big ones

The Southwest Florida Kayak Angler's Festival



 

The weatherman was predicting scattered showers at the beginning of the week. I think we all knew they would be a little more than scattered showers. Certainly by Friday night, judging by what was happening in Tampa, things were going to be interesting.

The 3^rd annual SWFKAA fishing tournament, newly dubbed 24 hours in Southwest Florida, was going on rain or shine. Anglers came from Tampa, Vero Beach and all over Florida for this marathon tournament. Numbers were lower than the previous two years because of the impending weather, but many intrepid anglers showed up in spite of the forecast to support Heroes on the Water.



 

The Angler’s meeting at Fish Tale Marina was a low key event and SWFKAA President Jeff Gabrick and I went over the rules with a heavy slant toward safety. The meeting ended around 6:30pm and the anglers raced to their vehicles, each wanting to get to their favorite area first. On the way home, the rain began. I stopped by a couple of local kayak launches in Estero Bay and watched as some of the anglers were dragging kayaks to the water. I thought “It’s going to be a long night”.



 

The next morning brought cloudy but dry weather. I was excited that the anglers didn’t have to suffer all night. I headed up to Fish Tale Marina and there were several vendors already there. John from Illumarine and Paul from Fishbone designs were on hand as well as Matt from Estero River Outfitters. Skip Seal and the Heroes on the Water crew showed up and we all started setting up our tents. We were all constantly checking our phones for the latest in radar information, and at some point it became obvious the storms were imminent. The Michael King Band showed up, and I cancelled to keep them from getting their gear wet. Things were falling apart.



We moved the entire festival into boat barn #2. Everyone helped each other and the whole move occurred in short order. Soon after, a deafening torrential rain began that threatened to flood the entire area. As we all sat there in our makeshift “vendor village”, I could see it on everyone’s faces. We were worried that the anglers made it off the water in time. We all have fished in the rain, but this seemed a little extreme. I wanted it to end.



 

 

The rain let up a little, then a little more. Before I knew it, it had cleared up nicely outside and the anglers began coming in to the weigh in! There were no reports of injuries and everyone was ok! Things started looking better and the boat barn came alive with anglers reporting their catches and the activities that were going on. Ross Gallagher brought his tricked out Pro Angler in, and Butch Newell and Crazy Alberto Knie were out in the parking lot chatting up an FWC Officer. The HOW guys called everyone over for a prayer and then fed everyone in the building.



It turned out to be quite an event despite all the setbacks. Peggy Riley was there to show off the new Kaku SUP, Paula Stuller from Estero River Outfitters came by and Esteban Gutierrez was making his rounds making sure everyone had something to eat. Jeff Gabrick and I were busy checking in anglers and adding up their numbers, and what numbers there were!

 

 

Anglers could register their total number of inches from 2 trout, 2 redfish and 2 snook, along with a tarpon for extra points. The inclement weather hurt some anglers but seemed to help others and many checked in a slam. I was very proud to announce the winners of this epic struggle with nature. William Fazio finished in 5^th place, Bob Bielser placed 4^th, Joe Henary came in 3^rd, last year’s Champion, Jerry Burdine came in just shy of a repeat in 2^nd, and Joe Komyati edged out all the others to become this year’s champion and take home a new Hobie Revo. Only one inch separated 1^st and 2^nd place.

With the awards handed out, it was time for the raffle. Estero River Outfitters did the honor as the proceeds were going to benefit Josh Stuller. Al Durrett of Fish Tale Marina came out to oversee the festivities as the event drew to a close. Robby Lacey, one of only two junior anglers in the tournament cleaned up in the raffle. I can’t wait to fish with him when he is back in town.



 

Soon after the raffle, boat barn #2 began to clear out. It was time to make ready for the Reel Paddling Film Festival. We quickly set up tables, chairs, equipment and the screen. It was a light turn out as most of the ticket holders were tournament anglers who were now probably in bed. Jean McElroy and Tony D’Andrea came from the East Coast to watch the only showing of the RPFF in Florida this year. Skip Seal and his lovely wife as well as Preston Haytac and his brother Bryce were in attendance. Crazy Alberto Knie was fighting sleep as Bass on the Road was playing and Butch Newell and I solved all the world’s problems as we stood outside the building watching the films in the night air. There were people in chairs, hammocks and even golf carts as we watched some of the year’s best paddling films.



 

The evening drew to a close all too soon. A few of us diehards made our way next door to the Fish House restaurant for the VIP experience. Some good food and a few drinks with good friends really finished the day off in a big way for me. I made my way home that night thinking about all the things that went wrong, but really appreciating all the things that went right. Everyone seemed to have a great time in spite of the weather and we raised money for a great cause. What can be better than that?

Thank you to all of you who made this event possible from the vendors to the anglers to the good friends who attended. Also a big thanks to the event sponsors, including Arthrex, Bob Taylor Chevrolet, Fish Tale Marina, Estero River Outfitters, Hobie, Greenscapes, Culligan Water, and Conditioned Air. Plano, Bending Branches, YakGear, Fish Trap Marina and ERO, among many others donated prizes as well. Lastly, a very big thank you to Jeff Gabrick. You were on fire with the sponsors and you will be a fantastic Tournament Director for all the next events! I look forward to fishing in them for a change…