Saturday, June 29, 2013

Here comes the "Mid-Point"

The mid point of the "heat season" is around July 20th.

Then it's all down hill from there. Unless we get another year that on Halloween it's 92 degrees!!!
I sure hope not. But it does and has happened.

I suppose plans are being made for people up north sweating, to come on down here and sweat a little more. (because it's vacation time) And the kids are out of school. (Can't vacation any other time, right?)

It'll be just in time for the heat of the month. But watch out.......PARK IN THE SHADE!!!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

6/22- Really is this what it's like on summer weekends?

Was up at 4am....after reading one of the 20 weekly update emails I get from the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing club. Referred to now on as the J.O.S.F.C in my reports.

They have something to do with a Kingfish tournament going on <<THIS WEEKEND!!>>

So when I read that wonderful news. I like Doctor Phil say, "This ain't my 1st Rodeo", which means I know it's gonna be a mega-zoo at the boat ramp.

I had Gary K. and his wife and daughter booked, so I mistakenly told them 630am, the day before. Not knowing a mega-zoo would be going on. (Yeah, I had one days notice, par for the course) and so it happens I was at the boat ramp at 5:10am!  Yeah, early. But I was in and docked and parked in my usual spot, just before the mayhem started.

No heading east. Forget that. So we went west......far west!

We weren't early enough. What did I just say in my last report with the video? Hope you can leave early, hope you can cast. Well, the early depart thing was my mistake, and yeah all three of them could cast a spinner.

I had these rigged up on their spinners already:









Egret Baits: Kick-A-Mullet top water lures. Because the nice thing about what I have researched is. At low light, all ya have to do is cast these as far as you possibly can. Do a 1 potato, 1 potato, and start reeling really slow. These lure swim their asses off....yeah the tail wags like crazy. And just under the surface, as the lure leaves a wake. The Trout will smash'em.

Well, we also have a full moon. Not a great thing in our favor. But I can't change that. So as we eased up on spot one. Everything looked decent.

I gave Gary and his wife the Kick-A-Mullets, and his daughter a jig and Matrix shad. Mom, dad and I would work the shallows. While daughter works the deeper water.

No sooner we get started Gary's daughter starts hooking Ladyfish one after another, then yellowmouth trout, and then small Specks. She's up 10-0 on us. But most of the ladies jump off.



























Then Gary gets a wallop. A nice sweetheart sized trout inhales his Kick-A!

 

























In between his daughter....."forgot her name, of course". Is having a ball casting and getting bit on every retrieve. Gary gets a few more swipes and then the Mrs. yells, "GOT ONE".  Her trout comes up and is another sweetheart sizer.


























Then, your's truly hooks up and mines the smallest of the bunch. But still a keeper. Gary's daughter is having a ball getting bites constantly, as we keep at it. With a few hits, but misses.

The sun's getting up already, and the tide dies. So we move on. I hit another spot, but there's no current. So we make a run a bit further.

I drop anchor and say....Last time we fished this deepwater. I had a guys wife hook-up a giant Red on the float rig.

Not 5 minutes after that. Gary's daughter has he float go down and she's on a fish this 13 year old can't begin to handle. It's a big Redbass! As she reels frantically, the she makes a dive and POP goes her 20# leader on the float-rig. The fish dove and got her in the structure.

We keep trying but that was it. Time for a restroom break. And then we're back at it again. Next spot was just a few small Trout. And then we see this:

























So we blast back towards Mayport and yep, at the boat ramp we get rained on, and after Gary and family leave.....all hell breaks loose. And it really comes down as I'm driving out of the parking lot.

They didn't score a lot of fish, and didn't even keep any. They left them for me. 3 nice fat Trout and a handful of medium yellowmouths.

But that's kinda par for the course really. The bite is early and I'm sure the full moon wasn't any help. It normally isn't, by the way.

But, yes even folks from Kansas City Missouri can catch fish on top waters and jigs and soft plastics. It's not always perfect like when you watch me do it in the video's. But the better YOU are, the easier you'll catch'em like that in the dawn of another summer day.

Friday, June 21, 2013

6/20 - Dances with Troutz....his name "Jettywolf"

Where ya at?
Whatcha Doin'?

Sitting in the A/C, wastin life?

Can ya cast?
Can ya get up and go before daylight?

If not, guess you can experience Trout Dancin' via the Jettywolf, then.

Leave early-Back early...eat Trout Lunch!
(Yes, in that order)

Thursday, June 13, 2013

6/12 - SUMMER FUN...

-all before the heat poured on. Leave early (crack O' dawn) Be back by High noon, to clean fish, and celebrate our success. (I do that with a cold PBR)






Watcha' waiting on. There's nothing to be scared of...Learn something new, see something new, do something new. www.captdaves.com

BEST, light tackle inshore trips: 2 person, more versatility.

Calm waters-Free video/photos!


Sunday, June 9, 2013

Accurate Reel Sale:

I hope this explains all...



6/9 - JIG TALK....info? Or not?

Here's a few things I never hear about.....TECH TIP #10

-discussed in a seminar type video.

Watch in full 1080 High Definition (adjust Youtube settings on Youtube screen) if your computer can handle it, and for seeing detail, use "FULL" screen.







(by the way, it took me hours and hours to make just this. And then, 3 hour load time to Youtube)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

6/6 - The talking heads, crack me the hell up!

What was that in the first week of May?

5 days straight of rain and high winds. What the hell did they call that??

-Black Creek 15 feet over normal 
-San Marco Flooded
-40 MPH Mayport winds
-5 days of solid rain

But now, Tropical storm Andrea, ewwwww...and they're going nuts on the local yokal TV news stations.  They remind me of the Coasties for some reason?




















It's not even raining at my house. Right now (1730 hrs).  The Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club even cancelled the 54th Club birthday party/meeting.

Rescheduled today's charter..." I rain-checked it" Hahahahaha  Because it was raining harder this morning than it is now, and the "STORM" is way closer!!!

6/5 - inconsistent weather, and big fish.

Yeah, everyone wants to take my J-O-B. But at least when you go to the office, and sit behind your desk. You probably have an idea of what you're in for. And I'd guess....."It's pretty damn boring, too"

So no. I won't trade with you. But then again, not all that sure if you'd want to hang with never having any consistency, either.

It's my biggest frustration. And yes. It's not everywhere. There is places that do have some kind of consistency. But that place is not N.E. Florida. If someone tells you there is. They're blowin' smoke.

Here at captdaves.com blog reports. I tell it like it is. Because, fishing this area is just that. FISHING.

Today, here comes the storm. So we decided to "postpone" today's one person TROUT ONLY charter.
Yeah, I had Chuck visiting Amelia Island with his wife. He called, and said "I want to go TROUT fishing. And yeah, I'll break off a Redfish to get to a bog Trout!" 

WOW, a man after my own heart!

That's a real rarity to have someone say that to me. So Chuck will be back. He's just in Midway, Ga. So in two hrs he can be in Mayport.

Yesterday, I had regular customer Dave Z. He loves Trout fishing too. We had a short window to fish. So we departed early and headed due WEST. It had already drizzled a bit at the boat ramp. But we got very lucky. And had a dry morning.

Spot number one:  Not much current, 3 feet of water, scattered oyster shell bottom, I threw a jig and Matrix Shad, had one Flounder hook up and lost it. Dave had a few pinfish bites. So we moved on.

Spot number two: 4 feet of water, rocky bottom, fantastic current. High-tide, just starting to ebb. Dave was on a light spinner rod and reel. A home made popping rattling cork, and 2 feet of leader to a unweighted hook and a live shrimp. 1st cast and drift......Float down! The fish pulls the drag really good. Dave is smiling big time!





















FIVE POUND SPECKLED TROUT - 1st cast on 2nd spot. It's 0730am!

We continue to fish the same spot. The Mangroves and Ladies, and Jacks have our number now. Dave get's bit on almost every shrimp.

Then, the float goes down and he gets another beautiful TROUT. Not a 5 pounder, but a nice 18 incher. (no photo....Dave wanted to waste no time, either did I)  So he got right back out there and the rest of the bites were "shit fish", Mangroves, Ladies, and Jacks again....

We moved on. THE "shitters" found us!

Spot number three:  3 feet of water atop a rocky shoreline. We had a BIG Flounder sky-rocketing small little minnows along side the boat!!!!!!!!  This Flounder looked to be 5 pounds. Coming up to the surface, swirling the water, jumping out of the water, eating 1/2 inch long minnows.

I tried dropping a jig in the spot. It was all ROCKS. Kept snagging. Dave drifted his popping cork thru, and his live shrimp would dive straight into the rocks. Snaggin.......
Oh, this was frustrating. But even a free lined live shrimp may get hung up too.

We ended up with three Ladyfish. While Seabass were eating my jig and Matrix Shad behind the boat.
Seabass??

Third spot: Float-rig fishing. One small Trout. Nothing else. Moved on.

Last spot of the day: A BIG Trout area. For me, as many 5 pounders have come from this spot as I've caught at the jetties in the winter time. So I had confidence. But the current was a bit too quick. So we stuck it out. Mangrove Snappers GALORE. This river is full of those "shitters" this time of year. Almost the reason to fish only "soft plastics, or plugs".....I know that. But most of my customers need live bait. They do best with live bait.

And Dave did!

Right as the tide slowed. He nailed another "sweetheart".







































Okay, three nice Trout in the box. No rain. We're dry. And Dave has to head back.

NOT BAD. We did okay, during the super overcast sky's. And now the wind started blowing. So we headed back. And Dave was heading back to Chicago....."with Dinner."


-----------------------------

So, who up next??
Who wants to go hunt up some Big Troutz?

They're around. I'm liking it.

But, I just wish for a bit more "consistency", that's all.


STAY DRY, THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS. I BELIEVE THIS MAYBE A GOOD TREE-TRIMMER AT MY HOUSE....TROPICAL STORM ANDREA, I MEAN. 

-IF YOU DON'T WATCH  THE WEATHER.
-I DO, I LIVE BY IT.



Tuesday, June 4, 2013

6/4 - What a difference a day can make..!!

No to slow Trout bite....boxed three keepers, versus yesterday's 30 keepers!

"if it wasn't for inconsistency around here, we'd have no consistency at all"

And that's what I hate the most. I despise it!!!!!!!

Picked a nice Flounder. Had Mangrove Snappers, Ladyfish, and Jacks, of course. And a few small yellowmouth trout.


















































Maybe the NEW moon coming on strong, and the weather played a part in the inconsistency...I don't know. I can only guess.




Monday, June 3, 2013

6/3 - What a day!

Finally....this is what I have been waiting for.

An all out TROUT slaughter.

We got on the tail-end of it, Friday with Traveller Bob in my last report. But today we were On It. And Stayed On It!

Fished one area all day. Just made slight adjustments to stay on the spot better as the tide changed.

Four guys, and myself of course. LIMITS for all!

Plus, we threw back some small ones, and kept a 1/2 dozen Yellowmouth Trout, Two Mangrove Snappers, had 4 Jacks, and a 17" Redfish.

Float-rig fished live shrimp. Had two guys in the back of the boat doing that, while two were on the bow casting 1/4 ounce jigs and Matrix Shads, on light spinner rods.

JUST LIKE LAST YEAR, AFTER BERYL AND DEBBY.....(the two tropical storms that hit us in early summer) IT ALSO TOOK NO LESS THAN 4 MISERABLE WEEKS FOR THE WATER TO GET BACK RIGHT.

Well, same here. We've been picking and poking around. And even had completely dead "couldn't find any good bite going on days" since the big rains of the first week of May.

So, hopefully. All that is behind us, for a good long while. I'll be basking in a Trout bite that makes for some seriously happy customers.

LIMITS, from 17 inchers, to 5 pounders!




























































































































































Saturday, June 1, 2013

5/31 - End 'O May.....with the "Traveller"

Always have such a great time with Bob "Traveller" Johnson.  Bob, got his "float on" and thumped some fatties. I just lost them on jigs.






Now gearing up for June 3rd - 4 persons, 4th - 4 persons, 5th - one person & 6th - one person...when it rains it pours!!

"and pour me in a Dixie cup afterwards, too."