9/12 - The Two Don's

There's not anything more fun than leaving the dock at HIGH tide, then running to your spot that was also every "Croaker Charter's", same spot too. Then, sit around waiting for the dang tide to turn! Well, I say sit around.....what I really mean is watch live shrimp get burned up on bullshit bites from 1/2 pound Pinfish and 3" Mangrove Snapper, by your "participants".

Heck, at least it was float-rig fishing practice for the two Don's. Don M. and his dad, Don Sr.

Dead high tide. Not my favorite time of the day. But what can you do, leave later and then have possible boats on your spot when you get there?

So we worked through it. And when the tide finally started to fall. We got what we came for....
T-Rex sized T-rout. (I'm jumping ahead here...let me go back.)

Don Jr. landed trout #1. And I was ready for the Croaker onslaught. But the guys only caught a handful. And they were really big. Again we had 14 inchers, "oh so worthy of meeting Mr. Zaterain".

The bite wasn't "on fire" by no means. And it hasn't been, since we've had the SE-EAST winds.
I've been tracking it. Remember, my saying. "East winds and a falling tide no matter where I'm fishing is like going against the grain of the wood."

I stepped in each time the guys looked to be struggling a bit, and caught Trout each time. So to prove they are there. Float-rig fishing isn't hard, when the fish are chewing, and it's hard when the fish are not. BUT....details matter, no matter what the fish are acting like.

I only took this one photo, and it's all I wanted. I wanted either Don, to catch a whopper, a Gator, a big trout. As I have been doing since last Wednesday (with the exception of this past Tuesday).

And that's when Don Sr. hooked a big fish, that ate his shrimp and immediately came to the surface splashing and frothing the surface.

Weighing in at 6 pounds and measuring 25 inches
it was "the fish" I was hoping for when we left the dock.

We finished up this spot with a half dozen Trout from 16" to the 25 incher. And a dozen Croakers, and one big Mangrove.

So off to do some bottom fishing for a big Red.
But wow, was that a chore in the afternoon east winds. It was all wrong, no matter where I tried.
I'll just leave it at that. Frustrating, yes!

I'll be trying something different tomorrow morning....Saturday's high tide.

I really hate it when we get in the funk of 15 knot SE-EAST winds day after day.
At least it's been dead calm in the river till about 10am.

The two Don's really learned the in's and out's of float fishing, were heavily challenged and scored on some good fish. It's always a good day when we catch a big Trout like this one, in my book, plus go home with a nice bag of "fish fry" groceries.

I'm not counting, but that's at least 6, 5 pounder's or better in the last 4 trips.

Not bad.

I haven't mentioned this in awhile. Now two years old, I still cannot discribe to you how well my BlackLab Marine 26CC fishes. This boat is not an aluminum novelty boat. It's truely a charter fisherman or serious fisherman's dream. From the roomy deck, durability, fish cleaning table, ride and even my electronics, the shallow draft, and especially the rough water stability, the list goes on and on. This is my all-time, dream machine. And with good tools, comes good fishing.

I welcome you aboard anytime, to see for yourself why I love it.

9/11 - For YOU, readers and anglers.

If you haven't visited the rates page of my web site, you need too. So you can at least enlist yourself into my data base for specials, announcements, and other local fishing related info, that will not be posted here. And only goes to people who have signed up.
(None of your information will ever be shared, with anyone.)

There is one small change when it comes time to reserve your charter day.

I still do $100 deposit, but now you can also pay in full.
If a $100 deposit is made. The change is, that the balance of your day must be cash only.

I will not be running credit cards on the boat any longer.
So if you want to use a credit card, I'd recommend that you use the pay in full option.
And via the policies page of my web site, I'll direct you to the correct amount, because there's 14 different payment options. Several customers have already utilized the new system. And it works out well, for them and myself.

Besides being addicted to fishing tackle which is a constant process of refinement. I am doing what ever I can to bring costs down for you.
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I don't know what the outcome would be, but I'm working on having a rod designed that will be of "my design". But not thru the roof expensive. They will be rods completely dedicated to the art of Float-rig fishing. The length, the action, the style, the guides, reels seat, etc.

If you've fished with me, you may know that I'm a bit of a detail oriented kinda guy. To me, that's what makes catching everything that swims in the St. Johns River on a float, exciting. And do-able. For years, I have settled for rods that work great, but still there's things I'd change.

Not everyone can afford a $270 G. Loomis "Bucara", which I've been using. But then again, there's things I'd change about the Bucara too.

So this is a work in progress. And a almost unattainable goal, it seems. But I'm working on it. And would love to be able to say, "from all my work, fishing, and tweaking, this is what I've come up with." and have them available to you also.

I rig my floats a certain way, I use certain floats, I use certain reels, and the hardest thing to come up with is that certain rod. I want to design a rod that has a mixture of ole school with new technology. And have them be affordable. I'd build them myself, and that has been in the back of my mind. But the investment to get started isn't something I want to do. Because it could mean thousands.
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Looks like we're stuck in the funk of a S. E. - EAST wind pattern. As I say, an east wind and a falling tide is like working against the grain. But according to the forecast the winds should be under 15 knots, still a bit too heavy for that direction, in my opinion.

REST OF TODAY SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 KNOTS.

FRIDAY SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS.

FRIDAY NIGHT SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 KNOTS.

SATURDAY SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS.

Being that I will be out on Friday and Saturday.
Heck at least the monster Croakers don't care.
---------------------------------------------
In case you don't know the proper way to make a "stopper knot" for above your float-rig. I found this very good diagram. You can make a "stopper knot" out of about any material. Monofilament, thick unwaxed dental floss, or even thin Dacron line. Some people use rubber bands, but they break easily.
And of course, the use of a super braid line is all I'll use. Since it floats on the surface of the water, rather than sinking like mono does it's the best choice for the float-rigger.

And then comes the choice of Super Braid line.
I like line that has a bit of a texture to it.

Run a line such as Stren Braid, or Power Pro through your fingers, and you'll feel a bit of a texture. This makes your stopper knot hold it's place well. Compared to some other braided lines that are slick and have no texture.

Some fisherman might say that they like the super slickness, and I can understand why. But for me, I like that tiny bit of texture in my super braid. Most of my lines are either Berkely, or Stren super braid. In the 50/12 class. 50 pound line, with the diameter of 12 pound monofilament.
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Plans are in place for a new video about Float-rig fishing to be made this fall/winter. As you may or may not know, I've made two 40 minutes videos on local fishing. Distributed through Bennett Marine video in California, to vendors such as Gander Mountain and availible on Bennetts web site. http://www.bennettmarine.com/fishing_sportfishing.html


They are also in the Netflix catalog. (if you want to purchase one, I have DVD's and VHS tapes on hand.)

We hope to cover A-Z on techniques, tackle, structure, and current. With help from an interesting friend of mine Nick Watson, from the band RATHKELTAIR.
After all filming is done, then comes editing and then on to Bennett for duplication and distribution.

9/9 - Bazzarro World, the other reality

Had Chris C. and his girlfriend Jessica aboard on Tuesday. Originally, the trip was planned for last Tuesday. But the weather was windy and overcast, so since Chris had any Tuesday open, we moved it to this Tuesday that was windy, but not overcast.

Yeah, sometimes ya just can't win.

So we headed out for big Trout and plenty of big Croakers. I worked the same area that I fished on Sunday with Don Z. The tides were a bit different but easily manageable, the forecast was for 15-20 knot East S.E. winds. So we headed up river.

Since Sunday had me still with anticipation of what today could bring. I made sure to "kinda" follow the same track. To target these big fat Speckled Trout.

On the first spot, the Croakers....big Croakers were insane, as they were on Sunday. Fish after fish yanked Chris and Jessica's float's down. Fantastic action, and fun no doubt. But something was different...NO TROUT I.G. - (instantaneous gratification)....Not a single Trout bite!! Was it that the Croakers were so viscous that the Trout couldn't bit? I don't think so. Because we had plenty of big Croakers (to 14" ) on Sunday too.

So, to save some frisky live shrimp for our big Trout hunt, we moved on and tried a few other locations. But by now the high east wind was bucking the falling tide, and fishable areas were far and few between. So we just moved about, in this same area that was relatively protected.

I knew the Croakers were a given. So the hunt, I soon found out would be for "any" Trout.

And I don't give up all that easy. Jessica caught the first one. A 14-7/8's inch Trout.
A radical difference from Sunday, when they were mostly 18-23 inches! But it was our "Targeted Species".

We just kept catching Croakers. And no Trout.
So I kept us on the move, searching.

Jessica also caught a mini-Redfish, that was hanging out with the Croaks. It was the same size as the Croak's.

Then we met up with my buddy D.O.A. Rob.
A fellow Trout connoisseur. He'd tried the same areas and came up empty handed too.
And let me tell ya' that doesn't happen to Rob very often. So I knew something was going on in Bazaaro world.

The salinity in this area was no different than on Sunday. There must be plenty of food around, because the Croak's are ferocious. The only thing that was really different was the wind, and it's direction. I told Chris and Jessica, that of all the wind directions East is the worst on this part of the St. Johns. It's as if it blows against the grain, in more than just one way. It has the ability to really kill a bite, and I think we're experiencing it.

Either way we plugged on. Float-rig fishing where we could. And then, Chris found another Trout, a small 15 incher.

Then, afterwards we made another move and I caught a keeper Trout as I surveyed around with my float-rig.

I think we found some. The last two came from the same spot. A piece of bottom that was on the end of a long drift, hard to get too in the wind and current. And then even on a Tuesday afternoon, a boat came in and parked right on top of where our floats were heading. Two, dead shrimp chuckers.

We had a box of Croakers, though. A day saver, for sure. From 12-14", these are surely some nice fish fry fillets. And our two keeper Trout. We met up with DOA Rob again after making a zip code change. He said he lost a big fish on the float rig on one spot, and that was it. But didn't know what it was.

The wind now in the afternoon was really "gettin it" in the middle of the river. I've exhausted about all I could do on the float rig hunt for a big Trout. So we finished up the day, hiding from the breeze and just bottom fishing a little bit.

And what did we catch? MORE CROAKERS....and smaller ones.

Our pursuit of a Gator Trout, certainly wasn't from a lack of try. We worked hard and long, with what the weather had to offer. And the big Croak's on the float-rig are always fun.

I made a deal with Chris, that I'd clean his Croakers. So it was time to head back and get the assembly line going. And get all these Croaker's filleted, skinned and de-boned. Didn't count how many we kept. But I'd guess it was between 20-30 of them. So I'm glad I have a comfortable fish cleaning arrangement on my boat to do it. It's on thing I love about my boat, it's so versatile. I can even make it into a fish cleaning factory, too.














Complete with running water and several garbage disposals.

9/8 - Tackle Sale update

FOR THE BARGAIN HUNTER.


I have (4) Abu Garcia 6500 "Chrome Rockets" for sale. Very good condition. Level-wind reels, best Salt-Water Abu Garcia reel made.

Chrome over all BRASS construction. HEAVY DUTY.

There's two kinds of Abu Garcia's, flat sides with double centrifical controls, and domed sides with one centrifical control. These are flat-sided reels. Way better than their domed counter parts. YOU WILL NOT find these reels in Walmart!

They MSRP for $214.00 each!!

Outfit yourself for 1 or 2 for less than half that. I have additional parts, tools, oil and schematics if you'd like them.

Some of them are tweeked with better bearings, and a Stainless Steel spool "clutch" rather than weaker brass.

I did the improvements, myself.

$90.00 EACH or $340 for all (4)













Cash or Paypal transfer (+ fee charge.)

DO-ALL REELS. FOR INSHORE FISH.

Contact me at: 904-642-9546 or e-mail at: charter@captdaves.com

9/7 - Taking Advantage.....of one gorgeous day.

Had Don Z. take advantage of the special offer I sent out for this weekend. (you may have received it.) Well, from now on, what ever "deals" I do. They will be for people who have "joined" my Lil' club, I guess you could say. To become a member, you have to log-in to my rates page.

Well, if you want to know my rates schedule, anyhow. You have to log-in. By doing so you go on to a list. a private list. And will receive e-mailed announcements. Announcements like Don, took advantage of.

It was for this weekend only. One passenger only. One on one learning, the how's and why's with the "Float Freak" - (me), and catching big Speckled Trout, target species.

I knew for a fact that after hurricane or tropical storm Hanna, passed by Friday. That Saturday & Sunday would be OUTSTANDING weather. And it was!!

Saturday went by, and I thought to myself, "are these people crazy??" "How could some one pass this offer up." After storm weather is always great. Then came Sunday and Don, emailed me for info on the offer, and reserved Sunday. And by the looks of him, I think he was very glad he did. I told him, "Don, it's TROUT, and gonna be all about BIG TROUT!"

So we took off this morning at 0700 hrs. By 0730 hrs. Don had his largest Speckled Trout he's ever caught on the line heading to the net.

Yes, folks he was hooked up to a big fattie within minutes of pulling up to spot #1.
IT WAS AWESOME!



Don admitted, I had to shake him up a bit to get him on the boat again. Last time we went he caught jetty trout and a big 21 pound Spring time Red, some more Reds and some monster spawning Sheepshead.

When I say, "LETS GO!!" He should really know after today's action.

I DON'T KID AROUND. I mean, "Let's go!"

Look at that fattie he caught. Not a long fish, but a girthy fish. The sun wasn't even fully up and shining yet.

If you are a reports blog reader, you need to go to my home page, click on the rates page, and go through the simple "sign up" procedure. That way you go into my special data base.
Heck, it could mean discounted charters, free stuff, tackle sales, and just plain members only info.


The Trout were chewing on Don's shrimp as well as really good sized Croakers from 12 to 14 inches. Yes, I mean super keepers for N.E. Florida standards. I only keep them if they are 12" or more. As a matter of fact, I just got done eating a fried Croaker dinner and they were yummy.

Think of the large ones as small Redfish that you'll never be able to keep. So it's kinda like Redfish revenge to me. Even thought it's revenge through relatives. Big Croakers are fun. Pull drag, and bite so damn hard. They are always more fun on a float-rig up in structure, as is most fish, in my opinion. But then again, I'm biased! Because there isn't much that swims the lower St. Johns River, that I haven't caught on my trusty Float-rig.

And now Don is building his resume, too.


Not counting only one Ladyfish all day long. Don caught Trout to 5 pounds, Croakers, Mangrove snappers, and a Sheepshead on his float rig today.

A good angler already, and a joy to fish with and have aboard. All I had to do is just point the way for Don, and then he took over.

This is what a true "guided" charter is supposed to be like, as was Wednesdays charter Paul M.

I don't mind larger groups, but it's really great being able to spend the time to really go over a situation, a presentation, or a trick. And someone can go away with that info, knowing it was thoroughly explained and covered by doing it.


Here's the Sheepshead Don caught right as the current died
and I was saying, "let's move....", right then, he hooked up!




The Croaks were some serious just plain fun fishing as always. And we never really had to weed through the small ones, because we caught them as we caught limits of Trout. And even released over sized Trout. We had our two over twenty inches!

I think I counted about 18 Croakers that we kept.

And Don said I could have them, so that was no problem with me, as I love them. If they are worth filleting of course.




















I got to help out a little bit, and boxed me a few fat Specks.






Been using low profile Shimano high speed reels.
They're light and powerful, and are really working out. Matched to G. Loomis "Bucara" series rods you'll only be using quality tackle on my boat.

No K-mart blue light specials, here.
Lucky for you, I have a high taste when it comes to my tackle. Even if you don't know anything about the difference between a blue light special rod, and a G. Loomis. Believe me, it's the same reason that a Master Auto Mechanic doesn't use K-mart tools to fix your car. I'm your fishing mechanic!


















Here's the box getting crowded.












It was a great day! (as far as weekends go)
Turned out, we certainly were not alone.

Thanks Don.

9/6 - SAVE ON SNAPPER SAVERS

Have you visted my links on the side bar of this Blog, yet?

If so you've probably clicked on a revolutionary new product called the Snapper Saver.

The Snapper Saver, isn't just for Snapper Fisherman. Heck, I have one and love it!

It comes in handy for de-hooking Croakers, and at the same time, "venting" a big fat Redfish if need be.

http://www.snappersaver.com/products.html - Here's the products

Check out the how-to video:



The cone shaped end of the Snapper Saver handle has the "perfect angle", while depressing the buttom for the retracted venting needle to protrude, and into the air bladder of the fish. Then the dehooker, flips the fish off the hook. EZ2CY, the Snapper Saver is a very innovative product.

CONTACT ME, IF YOU'D LIKE A COUPON FOR 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE OF ANY VARIOUS COLORED SNAPPER SAVER. I HAVE COUPONS, WITH A CODE THAT INSTANTLY SAVES YOU $$, ON YOUR PURCHASE,

AT: WWW.SNAPPERSAVER.COM

And remember, this isn't just for Snapper. It works on any fish you want to de-hook, and the handy venting tool is there for when you need it.

Contact me, at charter@captdaves.com or 904-642-9546 for your 10% off coupon today!

9/6 - 9/7, This weekend

Attention:

Single passenger pricing that's usually done on weekdays, only.

Target: Blackening sized T-Routz!

Call for rates, quick (904) 642-9546

Float rig fishing, for T-rex sized Troutz.

Call now, for reservation.

Let's go hunt down them speckley bastards.

GREAT TIDES, mean a Happy Cappy Dave.

One or more anglers? Refer to my Rates Page.

Learn from the Float-Freak, how & when.

9/3 - Two Guys, Mania.....!

Okay, I read the weather report as I always do the day before (Tuesday). And it read windy!
All week the report was labeled, "SCA" - small craft advisory!
East-Noreast winds. Incoming tide. Usually K.O.D. - "kiss of death", is what I think most of the time.
Well, first thing this morning this is what I saw as I waited at the dock for 7am to arrive.


"red sky in the morning, mariners take warning"
Yeah, I go by all those ole saying. Because too many times they are true. If that sky isn't red, it's at least beautifully PINK.

So just before 7am Paul M. came walking down the dock, my solo angler for the day.

We talked yesterday about the weather report and I said, if nothing else, we'll try it and see.

So off we went left out the boat ramp rather than turning right. Which was a good decision on my part. I was the only Truck and trailer at the whole boat ramp this morning. So I just had to wonder....

We eased along shooting the bull, as I looked around a bit. "Getting the feel of the morning at sunrise." It wasn't windy, and was so damn nice.

I picked a spot to start off that had good current.......hopefully Trout current. And as I showed Paul all about the "float-rig", I caught the first fish of the day. That's funny, I usually do a quick show and tell WITHOUT bait on the hook. Just so I don't catch a fish! But on a bare hook I caught a nice fat Croaker.......on a bare hook!! That's not my first time catching a fish on a bare hook. But usually it's a 'snapper' Bluefish, they bite anything.

Well, as it turned out, that was a good omen. Because we caught fish after fish on this spot to include more Croakers, Ladyfish and some beautiful Speckled Trout. Even a 25", 5 pound GATOR.

Oh, we were on the right track. What a difference a few days can make.

Fish were flying over the gunnel and beautiful "local" live shrimp were getting eaten.

It was a great time, and we were 30 minutes into the fishing.

The tide slowed, so we moved on to catch more trout as I do when the tide shifts.

Next spot, a mere 500 yards away. And the action was steady there too, with a few more trout and keeper and non keeper Mangrove Snappers.

Okay, a few more Trout in the fish box and a few Mangroves.

Time to make a move again.

Well, I think Paul had the most fun here. It was fish, bite, fish, fish, lost shrimp, bite, bite, Croakers and Trout. Fast and furious action.

Now mind you, we were fishing in damn near fresh water. I tested the waters with my hydrometer, as we went along. The scale goes from 0-40 part per thousand of salt water. Zero meaning no salt water, and 40 hyper saline water. At the boat ramp in Mayport this morning the river water was a 6 PPT - parts per thousand. And it was damn near that low where ever we went. The Ocean is usually 36-38 PPT. So as you can see, 6 PPT is low to no saltwater. At least on the surface, where I can get a sample.

But a 6 PPT isn't a bad thing. I've had some of my best Trout days in the river when it was a 6 PPT day in the river. Tropical Storm Fay's effect will be long lasting. The river's high, and very fresh. It's a great thing. The boat and tackle isn't even salty after a days fishing, another neat thing.

After a while of constant bites and fish, we were quickly out of 9 dozen shrimp.

After 12 Trout, too many to count Croakers, a few Mangrove Snappers and Ladyfish. The box was looking good, so heading back wasn't all that bad.

It was a great day. And by the way, the wind never really blew all that hard, certainly not what I'd consider Small Craft Advisories. The sky was blue, and it was never all that hot.

Oh, I can't wait till those cool fall mornings that can't be here soon enough for me.

Because that sweat shirt in the morning, and the bailing of fat Speckled Trout is what I live for......we're on our way.

And not to leave out, Giant Redbass too. Let's go get us some!
Check out http://www.captdaves.com/
for all my charter info, pricing schedule, policies, and frequently asked questions page.

End of August...

End of August...(30th & 31st)

Here's what the last two days were.

Windy, over-cast and not a whole lot of catching.

Yeah, we caught fish. But I wanteds Trout, Sheepshead, Reds and/or Black Drum.
Instead we had small Trout, Ladyfish, Jacks, Croakers, small Yellowmouth's, SailCats, one Black Margate, a Lookdown, a few toads, and blennies.

EAST WINDS, and incoming tides all day I refer to as K.O.D. - kiss O' death.

In the last two days, I figured out that all that rain fall we had from T.S. Fay, has meant nothing. I got all excited over nothing. Again, bazzaro world throws me another........."fake out".

I've checked the salinity of the water and from Mayport to Arlington there's not much salt water, in the river, at least on top of the water. Even on a strong Flood tide.

So where are all the fish? Why was there a huge rush toward the inlet a few years ago when we had the same kind of rain fall amounts, in a short duration? And then not now....it's good Ole
J-ville. Remain rigidily flexible, ya never know what the hell's going on.

Croakers!! Wanna go Croaker fishing? That's no problem. Do I want to Croaker fish for 6 hrs.?
NO. I'm not cleaning all those 12 inch fish.

I fished hard the last two days in August, and then have charters booked for this week, too.
And what do ya know, luck gives me a storm in the Atlantic heading this way, Tropical Storm Hanna that might go Hurricane and hit close to Jacksonville. And if not, the EAST/N.E. winds will be up and howling anyhow.

Can't really give much of a report, because I don't have a clue of whats going on either.
All I know is Croakers are everywhere!

Croaker, Croakers, Croakers.

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

On another note for ya'll BARGAIN HUNTERS.

I have (4) Abu Garcia 6500 Chrome Rockets for sale.


Time to turn over. Very good
condition for used 2 year old reels.
Level-wind reels, best Salt-Water Garcia reel made.
Chrome over all BRASS construction.
Some of them are tweeked with better bearings, and a Stainless Steel spool clutch rather than weaker brass.
I did the improvements, myself.

$90.00 EACH or $340 for all (4)

Still have a Shimano CORVALUS - 400 for sale - in box brand new $45.00














10' Bait Buster POGIE cast net - reduced! $70.00














2- Shakespere 8' VHF antenna's....both $45 each

A WHOLE GIANT BOX O' LEADHEAD JIGS!!!!!!! -
think ahead, you'll like them if it was December,
for sheepshead at Jetties, $40.00 Lead heads for
Grub tails, ball heads, slider heads, 1/8 th oz. ball heads,
Buck-tails, assorted sizes of Gotcha plugs.

*******SOLD******SOLD******SOLD********















Visa/MC/Amex/Discover / Google Check out, cash or Paypal
Contact me at: 904-642-9546 or e-mail at: charter@captdaves.com

8/29 - Just when ya think.....

Yep, just when ya think all "penis extender's" are made out of Fiberglass...

You find out you're wrong.

And that all "53 knot" Go fast fishing boats are plastic with racing stripe decals:

STAY TUNED THIS ONE IS FAR FROM FINISHED YET.

8/25 - After T.S. Fay.....A New Day.

The St. Johns River is making records. The amount of water that is breaking it's banks (river height) is at a historical high. There's going to be a good "pouring" of fresh water now, for a very long time.

Many people in Jacksonville that I talk to have no earthly idea of how this river works, it's ecology. For them it's just a thing they drive over on the cities many bridges. That's why they have me. But in all reality it's a living, breathing, organism. It has the power to make your life very uncomfortable or provide you a living, and thousands of hours of joy.

Heck there's so many local fisherman, who haven't a clue of some of it's most minor details. They just wet a line from time to time. But it's a "need to know" situation for me.

But "per my last report" where I talked about RAIN FALL AMOUNTS, and how it effects the river's marine life, is going to be a continuing topic here for quite a while. So get used to it.

Hit the jetties with my good buddy and fellow Speckled Trout Angler, "D.O.A." Rob Harvey.

I had a simple plan. Go east of the boat ramp, and no where else, with some live shrimp. Catch our own bait for the big fish. And just enjoy the day, with a friend.

The word on the street was "bait every where!" Mullet especially, getting busted by Tarpon after Tarpon. Well, that couldn't be any closer to the TRUTH!!!!!

Yeah, the water's nasty looking. Pretty much, it's just "browner" .

We anchored up and pitched jigs, and float rigs with shrimp at first. Then moved to bottom fishing catching Croakers. Which would be our BIG fish, cut bait. We made a small move and were so deep in Croakers, it was all you wanted. Then the tide started to really move and here came the wads of mullet and the Tarpon sucking them up like Snickers bars from the surface. The Tarpon's bodies would come clear of the water as they striked at a school of Mullet.

And what was so funny, is that the radio chit-chat was about there being no bait for the Captains going trolling. Well, if these fella's were " well versed" they would have come on over to the jetties. Anchored up and threw their cast nets on the massive schools of bait pouring out the jetties. But instead, they ran down the beach, and then to near-shore bait spots looking and looking. With obviously no success, from what I heard. There will be lots of gas wasted this weekend, looking for that mystery bait that was passed on by.

As we caught Croakers just for fun, and keeping the larger ones for a fish fry, I rigged up the big fish rods, cut a Croak in half and pitched the pieces behind the boat. And here's what I came up with.
This just wasn't a large Redfish, it's a MONSTER! My largest Redfish came several years ago, after we had a Tropical Storm that dumped 19" of rain. And now, same situation! That one was 53 pounds on a 100 pound scale. This fish, was in that exact category.

We had our fair share of Nurse sharks, while soaking cut Croakers too. And since we were covered up with other boats we couldn't adjust our position. Which will most likely be the same problem I'll have this Saturday...(Ugh...Saturday/Holiday crowds)

We worked through the small Croakers keeping the larger ones, and hoping to catch some Black Drum, which should appear in droves any day now. We were hoping they would be our other dinner fish. Oh well, no Drum, maybe another day.


This is Jax Kayak Clubs representative, local D.O.A Shrimp (soft plastic shrimp replica lure) master of his own domain. DOA Rob. But what the hell is that hanging on your shirt, Rob? Is it a DOA Shrimp Lure? Doesn't look like it...it looks like a tiny lil' Remora! A Shark Sucker, aka: a Sneaker-head. Yes, it is. My Redfish had a hitch hiker, so I slapped it's sucker head on to Robs clean yaker shirt.

Oh, I almost forgot. There's good and bad after heavy rainfall storms the St. Johns river. The good is that the water at the inlet is really fresh, but there's also Sail cats.....EVERYWHERE!

Gaftopsail Catfish. And they are hungry! Here's a picture of what has to be the largest Sail Cat I've ever caught. FYI, if ya don't know...they're major junk fish! I've always caught them in St. Augustine. But hardly ever in the St. Johns.

Things really petered out, and we couldn't move around, we were boxed in by other boats, so we took off. And went and threw jigs and float-rigged live shrimp again. I haven't caught any Ladyfish or Jack Crevalle's in awhile, since they head up river during deep summer. But they are flushed out now, along with all the kitty-cats. And we caught our share of each one of those. But as I drifted my float down the jetty, I had a good bite. And caught a small summer Sheepshead.


Overall, it was a fun day. And hopefully, as the fresh water pours out the St. Johns River it will bring more Big Reds, Trout, and Black Drum, and bigger Croakers, and a lot more.

If you've been waiting for that "big summer change", as I have. It's here.
I'm excited and hope to have you on board the Big Metal Boat soon.

Always call, if your interested in a charter date.

8/21 - THINK F-I-S-H...AFTER FAYE!

With all this storm stuff going on. Think about what happens after Tropical storm Faye.
South of Jacksonville had huge amounts of rain. And where does all that water go?
Melbourne, they say had almost 2 feet of rain. And it ends up in the St. Johns River.

I'll never forget the last time 20 inches of rain fell in the southern river regions. It wasn't two weeks later, that every fish in the Jacksonville river area was pushed towards the Mayport jetties. This event was also in late summer, early fall. All that fresh water literally pushed the fish "to" the Ocean.

(Think about it for a moment. Cold water 95% of the summer, no real storms other than BERTHA passing by which did suck away the cold water for a week or so, before it was just back again. FAYE IS A BLESSING!!!!!!!)

The Croakers were monsters! And coolers full of these tasty "stringer fish" were jetty fishing staples for weeks on end. The Redfish, Trout, Black Drum, Tarpon, Mullet, Sharks, Sheepshead, were chewin' so good that the end of the south jetty at times was like a High School reunion party. Boats were anchored on top of each other, but it didn't matter. Everybody was "giddy" with fishing fever. I remember being sandwiched between two friends. My anchor line was up against an outboard motor off my bow, and my stern was almost banging into another friends bow. And it was the most fun, I ever had fishing in a crowd.

Here's a photo of myself and Roger Walker with our limit of Black Drum, not in the photo was our 72 Qt. cooler filled with monster Croakers we hand selected for keepers.

All you needed was about a 5 pound bag of dead shrimp. And let the games begin!!

Around that same time, I had a charter with the Smith family from Ft. George. And as they filled the fish box, I made a cast with a DOA-terroreyes jighead with a dead shrimp on it down the south jetty and caught my largest Redfish ever. 53 POUNDS! On some serious light tackle. I had to bust out the 100 pound Tarpon scale, to weigh it.

So, hold on. Let everything calm down and then CALL ME!!!!!

As you may know or hear of, that during the summer it seems that all the fish in the river run up river and the reports from down-town to Orange Park is where you hear about big catches of Trout, Yellowmouth Trout, Reds, Sheepshead, Drum, Croakers.

But never fear, when all that rain water hits that part of the river. That fishery will go "belly -up", and fast! I say that with some sarcasm in my tone. Because I've actually heard rookies say, "the fishing in the southern areas of the river in Jacksonville is so good I may never fish in Mayport ever again."

Well, these dudes have a lot to learn about fishing the St. Johns River. The area they are fishing is very seasonal. Middle of the summer seasonal! But all you have to do is add 2 feet of rain water. And my stomping grounds, comes back alive out of the summer doldrums. (as far as top notch inshore/river fishing is concerned)

The later in the summer we get a storm like this the better. Late September, early October is the perfect time. But, with all these crazy ocean water temps we've had all summer. I'll take a storm like Faye. And look at the long range effect.

Same thing happened after the '05 Hurricanes that ran accross the state, dumped massive amounts of rain water into the river. And a few weeks later, I had one of the best Trout years I've ever experienced. Days that had myself and charters thowing back multiple 5 pounders, because we had our limits. That's a great day!

And don't forget about these guys.
Shrimp have been at the Mayport Boat Ramp, prior to the storm. Although small, these also come with the fish in the aftermath of big rain falls.

That same year I'm talking about, I threw my net all week onto the boat ramp itself early in the morning, and came up with as many as 4-5 dozen shrimp each throw. Wow, I love it when it's like this.

Half the problem is the anticipation I feel. Especially after all the rain in Jacksonville alone.
EVERY dang fish in the river ought to be at the jetties as the month ends and September begins.

Keep a look out, and call me ASAP. Support your local Hooker (me). If you enjoy reading this blog, before I have to make it by membership only.

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And remember;
- "When pigs carry sticks, the clouds will play tricks; When they lie in the mud, no fears of a flood."

8/13 - Bait...Better late than never.

The story on the street is that there is bait around close. IE: Pogies. And not far away is good kingfish action. And not far away is Tarpon. Another word on the street is that the Tarpon are again being spotted rolling at the jetties. And the big Spinner Sharks are spinning.

I haven't seen a Tarpon along the rocks since July.

I'll have to just go make my own report, real soon. Kids back to school, vacation time basically is over. And now bait shows up on the beach. And no one wants to gooooo try????

Recieved this email from a reader:

Hey I read on your blog you heard there was tarpon action at the jetties. I finally got to get out on a boat with a buddy last weekend(saturday) and he got me on my first TARPOON. We went to the jetties, lots of people catching big reds but I hooked a tarpon on 8" mullet. First ever.. it was like.. my cherry was popped and now I'm an addict. Fought it for 35 minutes saw it jump, got close to the boat and snapped the line! My buddy guessed it was near 100lbs. It was huge. Anyway, just figured I'd tell ya. Had a hell of time!

On another subject, I set up two Kingfish rods and reels with "lead-core" to try it, since I don't have down riggers. Figured if it was good enough for 40 pound Salmon, it's good enough for a "beach slimey".

Plus wanted to try the lead-core for trolling areas of the ICW, for Trout this fall.

But, that water temp put the kybosh to all that. Have never even tried it out yet. Maybe, I can get out there and give it a try now without just wasting time. The S.E. hole was quite fired up before the first shot of that cold water came on in.

Was hoping for a Cobia during some chum fishing excursions. But the only one that ever swam up to the boat was a tiny lil' 2 footer that hung around while I jigged bait on a spot, back in late June.
So, if things are turning around a bit (bait & water temp), there's alot of catching up to do.

8/11 - Buying the "LOT"...saves you $$

I know, because I didn't fall from the fish delivery truck last night. Everyone wants rods with reels. Don't know how many times I sold a rod and people ask what reel comes with it?
None!!!!!!! Did I say the word reel??

So this time I'll say; REELS.......REELS, too.

The (2)-8'2" G. Loomis Green water rods, and (2)-7'6" Okuma Guide select rods with (4)-Abu Garcia 6500 Chrome Rocket reels - Bargain at: $550.00 "I must be NUTZ!"

Contact me at: charter@captdaves.com or call (904) 642-9546 (8am-8pm only, please)

SOLD - SOLD - SOLD - 8/13

8/10 - What the hell are these????

Check this out:

THESE STRANGE LOOKING BAIT FISH WERE CAUGHT BY A "REPORTS BLOG READER" of mine.

I have to say, "they sure do look succulent!"

I've heard that if you use these for bait, that they're pretty damn good baits, too.

I've also heard that if there's one, there's many...and fish like TARPON, love'em. (so do Kings, Sharks, Cobia, Flounder, Grouper, Snapper, Redfish, Trout, Jacks, Ladyfish, ....ya mean about every fish that swims in N.E. Florida waters????? Yep.)

Can ya' just imagine, if there was lots of these around, and the ocean water temp. was like...83 degrees, what you could probably catch?

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Now, if I could only have a day like this.....I'd be right where I wanna be fishing!!!!!!!!

8/6 - Tarpon try....

Had a great group of folks aboard. The Springer Family.
They've been coming down to J-ville beach for years and have chum fished many times before.
And were recommended to me by a family member that I have spoken to a few times, over the years.

It was a very late notice, call with not a lot of heads-up, but I made some arrangements to get some chum from a shrimper. So we could target some Tarpon & Sharks, inshore. And they were up for it.

Let me set the scene......

We've been experiencing 74 degree ocean temps, with a afternoon high of maybe 76-77. Rather than the primo, 83 degrees. Tarpon water? Not hardly! But, I've caught them inshore alson when the water temp was the same. It's just not this year that this is happening, it's almost every summer it seems.

Per my report from 8/5, I tried with the Rudy crew, the day before. But had higher hopes because everything was arranged before hand for more chum. And I was going to try a differrent area.

So we left out at 7am. Chum pick-up was at 9am. And we found plenty of shrimpers working the chum-hole. We did some run & gun behind them first off, and caught two Blacknoses, right off the bat. (smaller, but very speedy sharks) Just as a warmer-upper. John (son) and Hayden, (daughter) caught these two.



We met up with a shrimper working the beach, very close-in. And he really set us up. My chum bag was so heavy I could barely get it up on just my swim platform on the transom of the boat. It was just the ticket for all day assault on the warmer inshore waters.

But the tale of the tape....or more like the chum bag was, not a single POGIE. And my chum came from the beach. Which really hammers home what a no bait summer this has really been, so far. Personally, I believe that having schools of POGIES are an integral part of the overall status of our inshore (coastal) fishery. Yeah, yeah....they maybe in the canals, Mill Cove, or 25 miles up river. But, that doesn't mean crap for the coastal areas. Where Sharks, Tarpon, big Jacks, Cobia, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, usually roam.

Remember fish are "COLD BLOODED CREATURES" . And they go where the food is.

So with the Springer family, and a 100 pounds of fresh chum I took off for a long ride to the only place I've ever caught Tarpon during the summer when the water temp is cold. It's a long ride from in front of the old Sea Turtle Inn, where my chum came from.

Yesterday, 8/5's report. Gave me hope, to at least stretch a string. But there was a big difference. We at least had "some" action.

First spot. Nothing but a monster Stingray and a small Blacktip shark.

Second spot. Nothing but a few skates, and a small Blacktip shark.

As far as a weather difference. We had a good breeze from the North West, today. Versus yesterday's slick calm, no wind, and absolutely intense heat.

We fished in water as warm as 84 degrees! Never even saw a Tarpon roll.....if there was any Tarpon in the area, our chum would have had them running to us, that's for sure!

This is about the end of my knowledge, of where they could be. And 95% of most local Tarpon guides wouldn't even think of this area, let alone know that they are many times here. Although we never had a hook-up. They do roam these waters very frequently.

We went through at least 50 pounds of perfect chum. And caught what we did on the dead Cuttlefish that were in my chum bag. There really wasn't any FISH eaters, any where around.

But the Springer family were really some great sports. And knew I was trying as hard as I could for them. Heck, we ended up about almost 20 miles from where we got our chum earlier this morning. So it wasn't like I was holding back on the throttle.

I was very impressed by these folks good nature, and sportsmanship. They're very welcome on my boat anytime.

Yep, those day dreams of a chilly December morning along the jetty rocks, in some fog. Casting for Reds, Drum, Trout, and Sheepshead....are becoming more frequent as this summer continues.

We need a storm again, like Bertha to go by here and suck all the water out this place!




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REAL or HOAX? Make up your own mind. (high speed connection is best)

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v8059374D7bemsRg

8/5 - Extreme times, call for extreme measures?

Had the Rudy crew aboard today. The last time they were out with me it was mid-March. My notations of that day in my log book included the words, HEINOUS-SUPER WIND-DUE EAST. Even though it's a favorite time of year for me. It can be very windy.

So Joe called and I had today open. And this time, I'm dealing with the cold water deal in the Ocean. Hmm...Luck of the draw, I guess.

But then again, that's why I fish all day long in the 95 degree sun, then come home and do these reports. They are for you, not me. I know what's going on, you can bet on that. You wouldn't believe how much work goes into doing these. This "Google blog" publishing stuff, isn't always a piece of cake.

We departed at 0700 hrs, the summer usual. Headed straight to the chum hole. And had our pick of a whole bunch of shrimp boats to shark fish behind. I did the run and gun behind the first one and had a good hook-up for Joe and he had a taste of the power, and then the shark got off the hook. We did more running and gunning, and it just wasn't working. So we just drifted and set out a few baits when we had a taker. But it was a smaller shark. Fast, a quick turner. A buddy calls them Blacknoses.

But what we're always looking for as you may know is a 100 plus pound Blacktip Shark. Or any other "brand" in the 200+ pound mark, would be great.

Yesterday a friend caught a huge Cuda behind a shrimp boat, but not many Sharks. So yes, things are a bit messed up. The only clue is the 74 to 76 degree water temp.

I was really frustrated. So after gathering my thoughts I went to a shrimp boat and asked for a favor......some CHUM. The man, James said he didn't really have much fish chum. (another reason for the lack of sharks) But he gathered up about a 5 gallon buck for me in my chum bag. And we took off for a different area. And area where the water's warm at least. And maybe we could find a Tarpon. Even though my crew hadn't a clue what a Tarpon even was. I do, and they'd want want. I know. So I went where I've caught Tarpon before. It was a long boat ride. But I made great time, getting there.

There was ZERO wind after I anchored up, and man was it steamy hot. And the water was 80-81 degrees. I started chumming.

You have to get the sharks going before you usually catch a Tarpon. And it worked. Joe caught a Bonnethead Shark on a fairy wand rod, broke another off, we had a small Blacktip, a super strong Nurse shark. Well over 100 pounds, may have been 200 pounds!! Then another Blacktip shark. But never saw a Tarpon. But we at least had some action. Of course, I had no plans of making such a long run to where we caught these. "But sometimes ya just gotta do, what you gotta do."

There's that ole saying...."extreme times call for extreme measures." And this summer has been no exception.

This Nurse shark about completely whooped Don!!

They're like monster cat fish. They're slow and don't run all that fast. They're strong as all hell, and they know it. I failed to get a better photo, because I sort had my hands full after the shark eventually made it to boat side. I tell people, "This is the biggest Kitty Cat you'll ever catch." I was surprised to get a Nurse where we were fishing, that's for sure. You usually catch them around jetties, and reefs where there's lots of nook and crannies. But it came straight to our chum.

As soon as the tide got high. All of our bites stopped abruptly. I was about out of chum anyhow. So we packed it in for the long ride back to the dock. Which we needed, for a cool down period.

BRING: Hats, sunglasses, and plenty of beverages when the heat is really on like today. And I'm not talking alcoholic beverages either. That's the last thing you or I need.


Heading out tomarrow with four passengers, that I'll have to do the same thing with. It's tough going right now. And we so badly need a hurricane in the Atlantic to pass by, just like BERTHA did. Which changed the water temps for awhile, or a Tropical storm, depression or something. Just to suck all this water out of here, again. So we can fish the rest of this summer like normal.

The weather man on channel 4 TV is talking about the ocean water temp, right now! It's in the 70's from Anastasia Island, St. Johns County to just north of Fernandina Beach. Below it's warmer and above us it's warmer. Welcome to Bazzaro world, Jacksonville, Florida!



Here's my crew...sun burnt, hot and tired. Needing a cold beer and some A/C!

8/4 - Tarpon #1 of 2008

Well....since I had just a blast on Saturday's (8/2) charter, so much that I never even did a report about it. I did the opposite, today with Marty & Ken. The river water's even cool, and the ocean water is even cooler.

To quote Jerry Sienfeld, "This isn't good for anybody."

This thermocline thang isn't doing us any favors, that's for sure.

So we went hunting 80+ degree water today. And went to an area I don't fish much at all, because I don't have too. The ICW. (Intra-Coastal waterway)

I do have a few spots where I've caught some Trout, Drum, and Reds. But they certainly weren't there today. Because on two of them we never even lost a live shrimp or a mud minnow!

So we just kept working south.

In a nut shell the fella's caught a few Mangrove snappers, a lil puppy Black Drum, and a mini Tarpon.

These lil' dudes were all over one spot. Just swimming around, totally ignoring or savory live shrimp.

They'd roll, they wake wakes, they spook and shoot across the surface of the water. But never leave the comfort of one particular area.

Damn, I love N.E. Florida Tarpon!! (sarcasm)

And that was about it. Just one, made the mistake of gobbling a sprightly "local" shrimp under a cork.

Oh the water was warm, alright, 81 degrees. And Ken and Marty were looking as if they were about to fall out from the blistering afternoon heat. Accompanied by the lack of any breeze, down yonder. I fare very well in hot weather and I have to admit, it was stifling.

So with all that excitement. We came back to Mayport (Ahhh...I'm home!) And I saw a shrimp boat coming in the river, so we went out in Lake Atlantic where the air was cool, and the ocean water temp was a steamy 74-76 degrees and chased a few shrimp boats we found dragging out there.

One hook up on a smoker shark. Only to have it come off the circle hook. I kept trying and trying, to get another. Running and gunning up to the boats, but we never had another big bite. So we headed in, after one long hot summer day.

(right about now, I'm starting to have day dreams of chilly December mornings along the jetty rocks.)

Here's another pic of Poon #1, and may be the only one in '08?? It was a cute lil' bugger.