Catching fish from kayaks is catching on in Portugal.  Mario Correia from Lisbon submitted a nice little video from an outing he took with a few friends in January. “We do not have any official club, kayak fishing is still recent in Portugal, but it is well launched.

I'm starting a project for a kayak fishing channel, but (it) is still only in draft.”

Watching the vid for the first time, I saw Mario quickly hook up while jigging.  He is completely bendo and calmly chewing his gum.  I wondered, “This guy’s got a great hook-up going, when is he going to start smiling?”

I believe it was the fish’s second run, about 32 seconds into the video, when his face cracks and a small smile finally appears. It quickly grows into a grin as he realizes “This is a GOOD fish!” Correia proceeds to get towed around, calmly playing the fish and neatly netting with an economy of effort. When contacted, he ID’d the fish for us as a Corvina, AKA croaker or drum.

“On this day I was fishing in the River Tagus (Rio Tejo) between Lisbon and Almada, in a natural bay made by the river before it launches to the sea. It was my first catch of the year. It was a surprise, as these fish usually only appear in the spring, and we were in the middle of winter.”

“You can not say that it was a normal day, because it was hazy with visibility less than 300 meters. Our escape was the GPS, LOL. Unfortunately I was the only one to catch fish that day. But, better a bad day fishing than a good day working. That's what I say.” A sentiment shared by kayak anglers worldwide.

Correia used 30-pound braid to jig a Williamson Gomame Jig, colored silver, pink and purple. He customizes his jigs with a single hook in place of the stock treble, and adds an assist hook with rubber octopus (hoochie).

I predict we’ll be hearing more from Mario Correia in the near future as he and his crew paddle their way into a full-on kayak fishing season in Portugal this year.