12/28 - Corkin' all day long...

Met with buddy D.O.A Rob at the "clubhouse" yesterday, (the China Buffet for lunch). And we planned to go fishing together in his boat this time. I at the same time got to go do some R&D prior to this weeks charters. Rob dislikes Sunday's, as do I. But what ya gonna do? It's so nice on the water when its 80 degrees in December. So we headed out around 7:30am.

I'll keep this short and sweet because, I'm starving! Dinner's cookin'!!

But I'm compelled to always get these reports up after they happen.

This is WHY it's so important to me:

Capt. Dave,

I found your site a month ago googling and I really want to say Thank you!

My wife 2 sons and I moved here from Cleveland, OH 5 yrs ago to OP. We bought a 20' SeaFox Typhoon deck boat 90HP and have a blast catching scallops in Steinhatchee. Our sons 8 and 6(Downs Syndrome) have been disappointed with "dear old Dad" not being able to catch fish with them. 3 weeks ago you got me off the hook with them.

We went to the Jeddys for the first time. Inside North wall and brought home 2 trout and 2 sheepshead. The next weekend was bad weather and did not catch anything, but thats fishing.

We really enjoy your blogs and Thank you again.

I will always refer your charter when asked.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

-Ron, Bethany, Hunter and Dylan

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

Redbass, A LOT OF THEM...everywhere we went! No less than 20 of them. All sizes, from 16" to 29". Lot's of slot size Redbass, everywhere.

Sheepshead, 2 or 3 up to 7 pounds....no way our target species. Just by-catch.

Speckled Trout, "our targeted species". at least 25-30. Multiple limits of keepers, some throwbacks too. We only kept ones that were "very" worthy, up to 20". No wallhangers. ROB REALLY NEEDED A SUPER SOW....but it always turned out to be a Redbass, every time he thought he had one hooked up.

Yellowmouth Trout, 2 in the right spot, wrong time.

Bluefish, 2 micro-sizers.

I almost forgot how a 17 footer bounces around like a cork, in the slop. Rob's boat is set up for him to perfectly do his solo DOA Shrimp casting. I was like a large container of ballast for him today. And had to catch myself a few times as we pitched and rolled differently than in my boat.

I did get to sit in an actual pedestal chair either on the bow deck or behind the console. I never sit anywhere while fishing in my boat. But we both "needed too" today, in a few "big swell" spots we anchored on.

12/26 - Day #2 of the year!

Day #2, is what I call December 26th. It's the second most popular fishing day in this area. The first is the day after Thanksgiving.

So, smartly Phil C. from N.C. called me about a month ago to book his trip with his two son's and his brother Mike, who lives locally. (all holiday weeks, minimum 2 weeks to 30 days advance notice please.)

I didn't have the best feeling in the world. Because just two days prior on Dec. 24th my jetties were absent of all Trout bites, let along catching anything else on the ole Float.

But, on the 24th it was nasty....sloppy and windy out yonder. And around noon after much defeat, I had to put some miles between the nasty inlet and our next spot. And I found them, and my guys Glenn Sr. & Glenn Jr. had a good time filling the fish box.

I told Phil lets do a 9am departure. So for me that meant leaving my house before 7am just to be able to get into B&M bait and tackle to get shrimp and ice, and aquire a parking spot at the Mayport boat ramp. So I sat around for 2 hours tied to the dock. No one thinks about all that....the hours that go into just getting there on holidays. But I have to do what I gotta do.

The guys came down early, and we took off. Very Slowly! The fog was thick. It would be slow going. So I gambled and headed for the BIG ROCKS.

And once I pulled up and dropped my anchor we never went anywhere else for 6 hours!

It was slick calm, no real current to speak of (day before the new moon) and we commenced to WHACKIN THEM!!!

Two rods only, was the rule. I'll do the casting. Phil & Mike and the boys just switch off rods every once in awhile.
IT WAS MAYHEM!!!

The first cast I made, showing the boys what to do, the float went down and the look on everyones face was, shock!! I.G. -instantaneous gratification , a 5 pound Sheepshead.


Then, the next drift, Yellow
mouth
and Specks from the minute they
hooked the first one till the last fish
of the day.

We were sitting in the middle of a FISH RIOT!

I was baiting, casting, coaching, netting, tying, un- hooking, taking photos for hours. It just blew me away what a difference a day can make. When there's no wind, heavy fog, and slick water.
















They were catching Trout as fast as we could get a spunky live shrimp in the water.
Big ones, small ones and everything in between. But we only kept just enough for a fish fry.

Letting the first Sheepshead go, and most of the Trout. Then, it was Phil's (dad) turn. He set the hook on a big fish. A 7+ pound Sheepshead. "We'll keep this one!"

Everyone got their fair share of rod time. And I was so glad it wasn't rough, and windy and foggy too. Because that sure would have made for all together different fishing experience for these 4 guys.

The weather gods were shining on me, for once. I'm usually pretty nervous on 4 passenger charters. "Will there be enough activity for everyone, if it's rough it will make it a big problem, etc."
Today, I was breathing a sigh of relief. And was so happy for the day we were having.


The fog would come and go, but never completely went did it go away. The river remained covered up, so I was glad I didn't have to do much traveling.

The only time I pulled anchor was to re-set it for the change of tide.

The fish box was looking pretty good. But we still needed a larger Speck and a Redbass. So it was just myself and the two boys in the back of the boat. I told them, "let me make a cast for you one at a time. I think I can get you a bigger fish right up in there....." And I pitched the float. Two seconds later the float went down, I reeled a little and handed the rod to one of them. It was a Redbass! Yep, just what I had planned on.

Damn, it's great to know exactly when, where and how to find the perfect fish sometimes. It turned out to be a perfect 25" Redbass. Just what we needed. The "Jettywolf" could smell one up in the rocks! I knew it was there.

Okay, now we need a larger Trout.

So I did the same thing. I made a cast up in the rocks, coached one of the boys, the float went down, and he caught the largest Speck of the day
a beautiful 20 incher.














It was warm, slick and beautiful.....no wonder the boat ramp parking lot looked like a Walmart on dollar day. But what made it nice was the fog. Most everyone was just motoring around slowly. You have to be nuts to go balls to the wall anywhere in that pea soup. While ships passed us by fog horns blarring, and you could only see a faint hint that they were even there.


This whole weekend is supposed to be beautiful.
And I'm sort of glad my next days out are the 29th and 30th.

Maybe I won't have to leave my house 2 hours earlier than need be. Since from my driveway to B&M bait and tackles driveway is only 4 minutes, and I'm only 5 minutes from the boat ramp, also.





It's GO-TIME, folks......
Don't ask me about this kind of action come JULY!

12/24 - SWELL, fishin'

Had the two Glenn's out on Christmas eve. Glenn Sr. & Glenn Jr. T.

Two really great guys. Fun to have aboard and patient....and they needed to be!!

They wanted to learn more about float-rig fishing. And believe me that got all the time they needed to practice!

THE JETTIES WENT... D-E-A-D!

We fished the good the bad and the ugly. Areas that had fish a few days ago were now either devoid of all Trout or they were there, but just not hungry. I'd figure they were sea sick, from the SWELL. Yeah, the east swell formed by Mondays 20-25 kt winds and then the 15-20 knot east winds on Tuesday.

We were, of course originally scheduled to go on Tuesday the 23rd. And when they said, "Christmas eve was is okay for us, Dave", I was soo happy! I'm getting tired of juggling days around.

You cannot even imagine how hard I worked to get them on something out there. While they learned the ins & outs of fishing the float-rig. Oh, that 10-15 knot south wind that was fore casted for the 24th.....yeah, that came gusting inland around 10-11am. And certainly wasn't any 10-15 knots. as usual. By the afternoon, at the jetties the wind wasn't howling at all. It was a big time LAND breeze, that's all. But because of the early in the week winds, the inlet was a soup sandwich, again.

It was noon, and we had about zero bites and nothing in the box.

Even I pitched out surveying the grounds. And I maybe had one Sheepshead nip a shrimp off.

Our shrimp were dieing on the hook.....from boredom, I kept repeating to the Glenn's.

Remember.....from the article in the newspaper;

"It's the Zen of the float upon which I can pontificate for hours - and often will. The float has history, pedigree and finesse...... It's a sure-fire bet for the pilgrim in the boat. At the same time, it's a deadly tactic for the true believer and strict practitioner of the religion called float fishing." -Jim Sutton, Florida Times Union

So it was time to change zip codes!

My "Zen", was getting depressed, my finesse wasn't working, and my pedigree was going to the dogs!

BUT NEVER FEAR...THE JETTYWOLF WILL FIND THEM!

So we made a trek up river about 8 miles. Got on a spot and instantly I went from a zero to a hero. The two Glenn's were pulling in some small Trout. And on Glenn Sr.'s third fish he scored a 4 pounder! Then, Glenn Jr. scored a 3 pounder.

What is this whoey I always hear about, if you're catching 14" trout, that you'll probably not catch any big ones? Hell, I told the guys that this was a BIG trout spot or nothing most of the time. And they proved me wrong by catching numerous small ones here instead. Along with some serious "boxers".

Then we picked up some really big Croakers. Damn, the Croak's are still here too? 12-14" Croaker's are fun to catch especially on the float-rig. I couldn't help myself. I had to pitch on in too. And on my first drift boxed a perfect 19 incher along with a Croak and small Redbass.

The box went from dead empty to full in a matter of an hour. We stayed, even though the two Glenn's were supposed to be at some "Christmas get-together" by then. "We like catching fish instead", they said.

Didn't get to do a lot of picture taking. Because I wanted lines in the water as much as we could. So no stopping for a pose with the fish when they looked "pretty".

We finished up the day on this same spot, never moving. Between the three of us we probably had 15 or more Trout and five Croakers and the small Redbass, and one token Mangrove Snapper. (they're still around too.)

I pulled out another one, here in Bazzaro World, Jax. Fla. Where no day is ever the same and nothing is ever constant.

On the 26th, I have a family of 4 and that includes two young boys. If it's like I think it's going to be

it'll be, wall to wall boats and people everywhere.

Everyone got a new boat or fishing rod for Christmas.

I'm sure it won't be an easy day, the high tide is late in the morning. Hope there's a parking spot left at the boat ramp!

12/23 - Thanks Jim...

I'd like to thank Jim Sutton of the Florida Times Union newspaper for the great article in the Sunday (12/21) "outdoors" section of the paper.


"ya just won't believe how long that article, or our day on the water took, to get right."


If you didn't see or read it, Jim pretty much hit the nail on the head!
And damn we caught some seriously fine "jetty" specks that day. All in one spot!


Many of my tackle secrets are out'a the bag, now......but, I still have a few things (tackle items) that I've kept to myself. Already getting emails about the Salmon Stalker Floats, too.


I guess that will be good for Premier Plastics Inc. But not me...they don't do anything for me.
(Best place to purchase is Cabela's.)


One thing that he or we didn't touch on is that when you see someone like myself wackin the fatties along the rocks, breaking out your poppin' cork, or Cajun Thunder thing, isn't going to be the same.



We have a saying on my boat;
"OKAY, I SEE THE POPPING CORKS ARE NOW BUSTED OUT OF THE TACKLE BOX"

(these are not float-rigs)
Were referring to people in other boats, that may think that's it's all about some kind of float.

When it really has to do with "where" your bait is, depth wise.


I love the float-rig because my people can fish the rocks and not be hung up every two seconds.

And they don't have to feel a bite, all they have to do is not see their float any longer and just reel, and they'll have the fish. Be it a Redbass, Trout, Sheepshead, or whatever.

I'm not a trolling motor kinda guy either....I'm an "ANCHORER" . Back when I had three boats at one time (aptly named: "my 3 wives") I did the trolling motor deal up and down the jetty rocks. And it was quite tiring. So I went back to the basics, when I gave all that up. "I always loved fishing my cork."

Well, talked to today's customers and decided to try it Wednesday instead of today in the predicted EAST 15 knots. Wednesday is suppose to be warmer anyhow with a south Breeze!

One thing about winter that gets old is the juggling of people and fish'able days. I'm used to it. And it seems to be a huge part of my job this time of year.

One thing that Jim said in the article that's oh so true is,

"IT'S THE ZEN OF THE FLOAT IN WHICH SIPLER CAN PONTIFICATE FOR HOURS..."

How 'bout years, at a thousand words at a time. Right here on my REPORTS BLOG.

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

Here's Jim's article: "JUST DON'T CALL IT A BOBBER"

Link: http://jacksonville.com/sports/outdoors/2008-12-21/outdoors_just_dont_call_it_a_bobber

12/22 - Its back to being a.....

Well. looks like we're back to being a winter wonderland (for Florida that is).
I broke out the fully insulated Dikies coveralls for this mornings charter.


-when I drag these outa the closet, ya know it's a frost bite kinda morning!!


But we didn't go. Bob and I met at B&M bait and tackle this morning, to just check. I was supposed to show up with the boat and then check the ramp weather, but heck with that. It's down right chilly out there...and the SCA-small craft advisory isn't wasn't all that welcoming. NE 20-25 kts.

So we backed up Bob's charter till April, when he'll be back in J-ville, from N.C.

I was so looking forward to another one man trip. They're usually pretty damn good.

So now all I have to do is worry about tomarrow with a two man trip and east winds instead.
We'll see what today brings. And I'll be studying the weather.

High East winds on a falling tide, isn't all that good for anyone. Especially me!!

So as the saying goes "pack up yer squeeze toys Farful" -Sienfeld 1993


It's gonna get interesting.

12/21 - Bitchin about wind and weekends

Good gawd was that west wind a killer, today. Had Keith K. his dad and Keith's 7 year old boy, on board. I gambled....it was either last Sunday in the nasty 20+ knot Noreast winds, or wait till today and try it. Keith I hope you don't gamble much. I know I don't. I have plenty of vices, but two that don't interest me is Gambling and Alcohol. One leaves me with empty pockets and the other gives me a huge headache.

If I want those same symptoms, all I have to do is say "Let's try next Sunday instead", to a customer on the phone.

We left out around 8am. And picked and poked around. I had to first make sure everyone understood the "float". I didn't get to fish where I wanted too, and one of those spots was rough as a C-O-B.

And that's where the first part of "Dave's 6 hour challenge" came to be. "ANCHORING."

It wasn't like, I wasn't gonna at least try fishing in the rough stuff. I always do, so why should this be different. But that west 20+ knot winds was whoopin my ass. I couldn't get close enough to the spot, so my crew didn't have to cast 50 feet, (even if they could.)

I went to pull the anchor on my last attempt to get it right and bent the stock on my fluke style anchor into a pretzel. The ole welded cast aluminum cleats on the boat don't have any give. And the boat lurched around in a swell and that's all she wrote. Bent anchor!

"Okay, I give up"....I said. Which brings me to a good point. I'll anchor about anywhere in any seas. And I'll give it up to three tries. What can happen? Failure? But sometimes it all works out, and we sit there wackin the fatties with no one around.

What the worse thing that could happen, hitting the jetty rocks?

The last day that was evidence of "just giving it try", despite the 4 footers hitting us sideways was when Jeff W. caught these two trout back to back. Six and seven pounds! But we were also lacking a 7 year old.


We left and I was defeated. And with a pretzel
anchor that wouldn't hold my boat in a duck pond with 20 knots of west wind, let alone the St. Johns River. So I ran back to the boat ramp and got a new anchor rigged up.

Had another die off of live shrimp too, so half of the original 10 dozen were now dead. But I don't think we'd be in any jeopardy of using them all up.
We got on a spot and lil' Luke caught some Speckled Trout, along with grandpa' and dad.


Keith said, "this boy will grab any kind of bug he can get his hands on." But holding up a Trout for a photo was something that just wasn't something he wanted to do without lot's of prodding.

We tried a few more spots looking for a decent bite of fish, got yelled at by an angry dock owner, caught a few more Trout, and then got run back to the dock by a 15 degree temperature drop and 50 MPH gusting winds, as a band of clouds with what looked like pouring rain behind them.

I put the boat on the trailer as it hit. But no real rain came our way.

I went through A-Z today...just another blustery weekend day on the river.

I'M MOANIN' & GROANIN'....can ya tell?




Now, I have Bob J. booked for tomarrow - forecast:
MONDAY: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON NORTH WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.
Oh great!!!! The winds don't lay down till Christmas eve or Christmas day.



Then, to add insult to injury is my Tuesday charters Forecast:

TUESDAY: EAST WINDS 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. East.... "straight down the pike", I guess we won't make it the jetties?



Looks like a bit of "Chinese Yellow Mustard" in the forecast to me...

12/20 - Isn't this wonderful???

Damn I like December. It's usually like this. WARM and NICE, I mean.
December isn't much different than November, really....just closer to real nasty weather, and that's called FEBRUARY!

Just think folks, this could be YOUR world:


















Instead, we're out fishing and having a ball. Actually Friday I went all the way down to the backwoods of Citra Florida to buy some "clumping" Bamboo (http://www.floridabamboo.com/) for my back yard jungle I'm designing, and on the way back picked up some nice citrus trees in Waldo to add to the backyard also. More plants mean less "weeds" to mow, right?

This could be your winter fishing boat, right here:



Hell with fishin', riding in that thing looks like too much fun to me! Especially on ice!

(at least it's aluminum!)

Yeah, even in S.E. Georgia..........I mean N. E. Florida we certainly can't bitch that bad about the weather. I know I moan and groan about high winds, but at least I'm fishin'. I could be (not really) standing on a frozen lake next to a tent and my ice air boat. Instead of sitting here in a t-shirt, shorts and Crocs giving you something to read at work.

I know I sometimes look like this out there.....

and it's only because
I'm not further south.

But then again,
this is the best of the best
fishing season, during the fall/winter/ spring.

So I guess we're lucky.

I can live with Jacksonville's bad case of "Urban Cancer". I really got a dose of seeing it yesterday as we drove outa here. I've lived with not enough boat ramps, and no fish cleaning tables, for so long I'm used to it all by now. But, I believe we could all agree that it's all worth it...Cuz, I'd rather be on the water than on land anyhow.

12/16 - Vortex of reverse gravitation and FOG

Had Kent & Jacob B. out fishing today........or do I even say "out fishing"? Because, I was thinking for quite a while that it was just an exercise in futility!!

For starters. THE F-O-G. The first of the season. Wouldn't be December, if we didn't have some of it. Damn, it made for slow going. I'm only traveling a few miles, I know. But don't forget I'm really IMPATIENT!

We get to the jetties, (where I wanted to fish) and the seas were 4 footers folding over, with white water. Just for added excitement. NO BIGGY....the "JettyWolf's boat", can take it.....But can we? Standing was a real problem. Yeah, that simple endeavor was very hard to do. But believe it or not, we tried it.....for a very short time. And received ZERO bites.

Can fish even swim along the jetty rocks in a white water folding swell like this? Is what I was thinking. Hmmm, maybe we ought to come on back later. It was exactly the same thing yesterday when DOA Rob and I were out here. Damn , I figured it might have laid down a bit.
Add in the fog and we have ourselves a true "Chinese yellow mustard" , kinda day here.
(Chinese yellow mustard isn't HOT....it's exciting!)

All this was well and good, till I stuck my hand down in the bottom of my live well, because I was wondering why my 10 dozen shrimp weren't swimming around. And when I did they were all
D-E-A-D, laying on the bottom of the well. HOLY CRAP!!!!!! What the... *%!*@@!!!&*?

So I jumped on the phone and called the bait shop. And being the best best bait shop in Jax. Rusty, of B&M ran down to the boat ramp with 10 more dozen to me. And we made the slow ride back to the dock in the fog, loosing precious time.

Some thing was wrong. So we changed out the water in my well, which was only bait shop water originally. And I kept close attention to my "ICU" - intensive care unit, like I needed more to pay attention too today! Rusty didn't know what was wrong, either....

Okay, now we're back along the rocks. And we try a easier place to anchor and fish. But the fish didn't care. We received zero bites, until I was drifting into the jetty rocks and started the motor and moved away. And that's when Kent gets a small "potato chip" Flounder. FISH #1.

And I think we've been at this for hours now. So we move on. Back to the SLOP we go, where the fish have been. The currents fading, which meant the heinous swell was also fading. It's not "folding over" anymore. So we tried it. And the guys caught some small 14" sized Specks.

I the looked down the jetties and saw the big swell just go away totally. Which is about the same thing I experienced yesterday with Rob. So we moved to a better spot.

And here is where we sat, and started catchin! Hell, we never even had to leave the ramp till 11am, if this is the way it was going to be. The fog lifted, the sun came out, it warmed up and FINALLY, all was well in Dave land. The shrimp all of sudden came to life, and were swimming in the livewell, now. WOW...what was the deal?

Were we caught in a vortex of gravitational Earth fog and reverse rotation, the likes of planet Nebulon, or something? hahahahah....

In between some small Trout, I picked up my rod and on my 3rd drift of my float-rig set the hook on a nice "box" Redbass at 24". "Okay, fellas.....game on!" I said.

Then, the guys started on the Specks.....then had a double header.

















They weren't keeping a whole bunch of fish today, but that didn't mean we didn't have plans of not catching a whole bunch of fish today. They wanted enough to take to Singleton's Seafood Shack for dinner. And that started to happen real quick!

I wanted someone besides me to catch a big Redbass. Because all I was doing was surveying the drift of the float-rig and hopefully enhance the looks of the fish box at that moment.

But I didn't have to wait long........






















Jacob, set the hook on this beauty of a multi-spotter with the blue tail.
That was around 25 inches.






















Then, he set the hook on this 12 pounder. And it really kicked some butt.
While he was fighting this one his dad landed a few trout.

Wheww...what a day, huh? I always say; "Like sands through the hour glass, these are the days of Dave's life."

We then ran out of time. Mom was coming to pick them up at the boat ramp. So I cleaned, filleted, and skinned 3 Trout and a Redbass for them to take to Singletons. I hope all worked out for them, and they had a pleasant dinner of eating their catch. I believe, that's a great way to end a day of fishing.

I thanked the guys for being so patient, on a day like this. And Kent said, "they're fisherman, they understand fishing". It's fine folks like these, that make my job a bit easier when the going gets tough. I just wanted them to know, I appreciated it.

12/15 - Droopy flag day!

Had buddy D.O.A. Rob out with me today for a bit of R&D - "research & development", because after this weekends blow, and the ocean being all stirred up. I wanted to go see what the scoop was.

And Rob is in a on-line tournament and needed a larger Trout to enter. The tournament is an open tournament, and he can fish bait, lures, and on any boat. I told him that I've been catching some seriously large Speckled Trout before the blow, and he maybe able to get a whopper, out on the BIG water. So we went to kill two birds with one stone, and left around 8am, today.

It was over-cast, with no wind. Hence, the droopy flag over at the bar pilots building adjacent the boat ramp parking lot. But the water was soupy, dirty, and had loads of left over slop & chop in it.

On the first spot, on my first shrimp I had what ended up being the largest Trout of the day, at 21 inches.

We got into a bit of everything, from Trout, Redbass, Sheepshead, Black Drum, and a few Yellowmouth Trout, through out the day.

And explored many areas, and had to wait for a few to calm down. Because a few were really nasty, as the tide flooded.

No where was it absolutely gang-busters, at first.

Some spots were a fish here and a fish there.

And Rob went literally hours and didn't even catch a Speckled trout at all, even though he float fished all day along with me. With only a few casts of his trusty DOA shrimp. But he hung Drum, Reds that handed him his butt, and Sheepshead, at first.

But as the tide slowed, we ended up getting on the fish pretty damn good. Wow, that weekend wind must have been wicked. I wouldn't know, I stayed home. And recommended to one caller, that it wasn't the kind of weekend at the jetties for a small child, let alone adults. Let's try it next Sunday, I urged.

K.O.D. - (Kiss O' Death) is what I assumed it might have been like....incoming full moon tide and NE winds at 20 knots??? You tell me, because I don't want to fish in that, anywhere. I don't usually do well in that situation.

But today, it all worked out for Rob and I.

And we ended up with great action on some spots, and others were just dead, especially when it came too really big Trout. All were nice fish, but not GATORS. Which Rob needed. And we caught at least 30. And kept only the best ones.

There is no doubt about it. The fish were still there...just scattered. You would be too in that soup sandwich.

The falling tide bite was dead. We tried 3-4 spots and had zero. Which was not really surprising. These full moon tides are bazarro world as far as I'm concerned. But we ended up wackin more Trout after an extensive search during the ebb, in a spot where the tide was actually slow.

I love this time of year, so much. I could fish like this every day. Too bad we have seasons....

I suppose there's no place that is perpetually no bait stealer's, and just loads of Trout and Redbass. Or is there....??

Stay tuned I'll be

out with a new crew

on Wednesday.

12/9 - Everything YOU need, nothing YOU don't.

Had a trip with Bob R. today. Bob's recently new'ish to the local fishing scene. I guess you could say I met Bob at the jetties. It was back when ole D.O.A. Rob and I went out on a damn near perfect day and slayed the Redbass & Trout on Float rigs, ran out of bait, so we switched to D.O.A. shrimp and 52MR MirrOlures and kept on catching them.
This day: http://captdaves.blogspot.com/2008/11/1117-you-could-have-been-hereif-you.html

Bob passed us by and said, "You guys sure are catching them...." or something to that effect.

And I made mention to him, that Rob was a friend and "master type"angler, and I was in the charter biz and if he called or emailed me. I'd make it worth his time to do a charter and show him the ropes one day.

Well, that day was today.

Here's an excerpt of the email I just received from Bob;
"Capt D,
You filled me with such great information today that by the end of the day I was reaching sensory overload........ I realized I forgot to actually thank you for all the great stuff you taught me and the great day. So THANK YOU!"

I think Bob was a bit flabbergasted, yes. But it was just the basics, really. If you're a life long fisherman, and have done some saltwater fishing, I went over what you would have been familiar with. (So I believe) And as I said, it was worth Bob's time for certain and he got his money's worth!!! And he'll learn as he goes with time. And I'm always here for questions, too.

But I did hope to cover some areas that I'm sure a lot of people don't think of. Our emphasis was on Float-rig fishing, basically. While touching on the jetties, tides, structure and no day would be complete without Cappy Dave's strong opinions on fish, boats and tackle. I throw all that in for free....... (we caught some Trout of course, too)

Which leads me to a few suggestions. It's that time of year, and especially this year with the way the economy is. The number of requests I get for gift certificates is a economic flow chart from year to year. In good times I'll get 10-20 requests or inquiries in December. But this year, I've received two inquiry/requests...but no takers.

Gift certificates are a great way to save $$$. You can maybe buy a gift certificate now and save money. Charter prices can vary. You could buy now, because prices could go up later.
Like hotels, they have their "seasonal rates".
And so do I.

A fantastic Christmas gift that doesn't take a lot of thought for the fisherman in your family is the Florida Sportsman Tide Planner book. Believe me, if you're a local 1st Coast fisherman and don't understand, know like the back of your hand, the tides around here. Your fueling up, buying bait, and heading out handicapped still. I see it all the time, when I talk to people at the bait shop.
The FS Tide planner has much more in it than just tides. It explains the whys and hows, and has lots of good reading material, about weather, barometric pressure, solor/lunar tables, records, state size limits and much more. I just went to Strike Zone on Beach Blvd. this evening and bought a new one for 2009. I book all my charters by reviewing it, FIRST.

Plus, I'm quoted on the inside cover, explaining how important the book is too me. I use mine as a log book, even. And save them and look back to other years to find trends, and read notes I've made.

To toot my own sale items....I have """like new""" (4) Shimano Trevalla butterfly jigging rods for sale. And some jigs and terminal tackle, and a case. Perfect for the offshore angler at Christmas.
Mine are way cheaper than in the stores. Let's talk!

Another present for the fisherman could be the Snapper Saver! The innovative dehooking device with built-in fish bladder deflator. I have a link to them on the side bar of this blog. It's a product that goes hand in hand when someone has a Boga-Grip on the boat. It's that type of innovative fishing tool. I have a Boga Grip and a Snapper Saver, myself, so I'm prepared. I love tools.......and speaking of another great fishing tool and possible Christmas present is the "JUS' GRAB IT GLOVE". You may have fished with me or seen me with mine....I will not fish without it, now. It's the product with the motto: No more slime, No more grime, safe fish handling for everyone! Check them out on the side bar of this blog where I have a link to them, also.
Or just watch the "funny-mercial", I did here: http://captdaves.blogspot.com/2008/11/from-1111-out-trying-my-new-stuff.html

I know I have the toughest time with Birthdays and Christmas myself. Because let's see....my mother loves to cook, I have no clue about cooking, and she's very particular. My dad, well his life revolves around riding his motorcycles. I don't ride motorcycles, (I can, I just choose not to anymore) and both of these people, have everything!!! So, I'm left with a blank. And struggle every holiday.

But us fisherman. We never have enough stuff. Especially, if you also own a boat, or multiple boats.

Wanna know what I've always wanted, but it's been just a tad out of my reach. Because I usually want a rod or reel more?



These are 'Jim Buoy' brand Type 1 Personal Floatation Devices.
Life Preservers....probably the most durable, longest lasting, most compact type 1 PFD's made. They're also expensive! Because you buy them once. When I bought my "life-time" Plate Alloy boat over two years ago. I vowed to eventually get 5 of these, at least.
It's a "state of mind" kinda thing. I want everything completely commercial grade, tough as nails. And that also covers all my PFD's too. While hoping to never have to use them. Retailing $58-75.00 each! Versus $20-38 for the cheapo ones made of fabric.

"Completely puncture-proof 100% closed-cell construction Stainless steel or government bronze hardware throughout. Dons easily with less confusion that other type life preservers. Slide-thru belt is in ready at all times. Completely reversible (front to back). Flat surface design requires less stowage space-less tangle. New resilient CJ-16 Foam resists fuel, acid, fungus and is absolutely puncture-proof!"

If you have a smaller boat, and your storage is limited, these maybe the last thing you think of, but those big bulky PFD's that just don't store well are the first thing you think of when they're taking up all the room in your only dry storage space!!

Two maybe three on your boat isn't so bad. But I need a minimum of (5) and could use (6) not counting any child size. So you can see why they are still on my, "Wish List".

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Looks like we're in for some crap weather......."oh that means my phone will ring!!!" (a charter biz saying...)

Here's the forecast, and Friday looks to be a possible fish'able day.

THURSDAY SOUTH WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SHOWERS AND THUNDER STORMS LIKELY.

FRIDAY NORTHWEST WINDS 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.

SATURDAY NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.

SUNDAY EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

See ya out there, FRIDAY

12/6 - What fun!

Had Paula Ray, husband Keith, and son Dominic aboard today. They were visiting Dominic here in J-ville from, New Mexico. And Paula distinctly remembered when she booked her trip that I told her, "the ladies have all the luck."

So since the three of them have never done any fishing, like we do here. I started them out slow, and close. We hit a Yellowmouth Trout spot, first near the boat ramp. I must be a good teacher because they did so damn good. And Paula......"what a hoot" she was when she caught her first ever fish. She was so excited. And she had good reason to be too. Hard hitting yellowmouth trout were just the ticket for her. They fight good, their willing, and there's usually alot of them in one spot. So all three of them got good chances to just do some catching on the float-rig.




















After at least 10 or so yellowmouth we moved on. "Time to kick this up a notch!" So we hit an area where all the monster Speckled Trout I've been catching have come from. But wouldn't ya know it, the tide was dead still there.....but they still caught two Specks, either way. But I wanted bigger fish. So we moved on again.


I pulled up to the jetty rocks, and the incoming tide had just barely started. So it looked like we were in a good position to catch some decent fish. The Sheepshead wouldn't leave our live shrimp alone. They'd nip the tails off our shrimp. Again, that's okay...we ain't fishin' for them damn things. Then Paula hooks a big fish. It comes 1/2 way to the boat and comes loose. Then, she drifts out again, her float dives, and she comes tight on another really good fish. She's excited now!! And it was so much fun watching her do battle. And up pops a super beautiful Redbass. And into the net it goes. Dark copper colored, must be a fish from up river that just came out to the inlet. It had the river look to it. And it was a perfect 27" keeper!

















Talk about one PROUD lady. I believe this photo of her says it all. Looks like she could be right out of the pages of Florida Sportsman Magazine. Complete with the legendary jetty rocks behind her......It just doesn't get any better!

Then, we started nailing some really sweet Specks up to 3+ pounds. And that's when Paula's son Dominic said, " a few hours ago she didn't even want to touch a shrimp, and caught her first fish, now she's a pro....."





































I have to say, the whole crew did so good. We had no catastrophies, no tangles, no lost floats, no lost sinkers, and bearly any lost hooks. Talk about a wonderful day! And many times it can be that way. Just have your mother, aboard. She's good luck!

12/5 - had to use up the shrimp

BIG weather change from yesterday, too today. Fooled some people, that's for sure....

Especially those that went offshore in small boats. I know one. Overcast, wind direction change, and a bit of rain in the late part of the day, and colder.

But for me that's here nor there. Because all I did today was call my friend "RKA"-Nick and get his butt moving this morning with tales of a Speck bite that was through the roof.

I had some shrimp left over from the trip with Jim yesterday. Just enough to go wear them out again.....same area, same time, same Bat channel.

We didn't even leave the boat ramp till about noon. Threw the anchor out and it was "balls to the wall."

I'm a bit tired from fishing Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and I'm going tomarrow too. So I'll be keeping this one kinda brief.

3-4 hours, 25+ Speckled Trout, one Sheepshead. No BS fish at all (Bait Stealers), no Redfish at this spot yet this week, Sheepshead bites of course. No yellowmouths, no Rock blennies, No 3" Seabass, no nothing except for what's so near and dear to me...BIG FAT SPECKS!!!!!!!

They ran from 16" being a small "box fish" , with a handful of throw backs. All the way up to Specks pushing 7 pounds! We had numerous 3-4 pounders, and a 5 pounder.

It was so much fun, Nick can attest to my dancing around the boat being amusing, but without much in the way of having "good technique." I get excited! When I stop getting excited about big Trout, I just better give up fishing huh?

The most fascinating thing about this whole week has been the fact that every single live shrimp sent out to fish through the gauntlet of Trout mattered. No wasted baits. Wasted on B.S. fish. Either they get eaten, or they fall off the hook during a lob along the structure.

Because it's not all that common that just 60 live shrimp can catch 25 big fat specks and a few Sheepshead. They many times get chewed by some unwanted species of rock dweller, while your in hot pursuit after a big fat speck. Many times just between Nick and I, we usually take 8-10 dozen for just the two of us. I'll toss a live shrimp if it doesn't swim right. I'm particular.

The fish over 20" started to come by the numbers...and I started counting.

And releasing. Only after a "attitude" photo or two. Because I was getting excited and Nick had to put up with me, as usual.

It started to get really cold out there. Then came some light rain and we were out of bait pretty much, had our cooler full and heck I was "hungry" for some Troutz. And man, they taste so good an hour or two after they were swimming in the river. "Now dats freesh fish!"

Stay tuned.....I still have a Saturday trip.

12/4 - Just one really pleasant day.

Had Jim Sutton on board today. Jim's the "outdoors editor" of the Times Union newspaper. I've known Jim from way back when he worked for the St. Augustine Record newspaper, and wasn't even in the "outdoors biz".

As I stated yesterday, we had been planning to get together for a long time. And Jim's going to do a article on Float-rig fishing/Trout. And after today he'll have plenty of material.

Because we caught some really beautiful fish, by doing so. (he was pleasantly surprised, too)

The boat ramp parking lot looked like a Saturday in June! There was hardly anywhere to park at 9am when I arrived. Man, this town is getting big. Or is those fuel prices?? I'll go with fuel prices, nice weather and usually crappy weekends, for the work force.

We met around 10am and I headed east. The jetties were a parking lot, too! Looked to me like about every boat was "sheep herding". Ya know there isn't any other fish to fish for, right?
Yeah, that's funny as all hell, ain't it? In many areas of the Gulf of Mexico coast line, those guys over there just wouldn't believe their eyes.

As we rode out the jetties, I told Jim, "there really won't be much incoming tide current, and when it comes it really won't be strong or long in duration, there won't be a single spot left to fish......but don't worry, we'll catch our fair share." He looked at me with a befuddled look....

I said, "I'm just thinking out loud, that's all."

We anchored up away from the masses and went over the technical stuff, took a few photos, and then gave the spot a try. I could tell at this location with no good current we were just practicing. But neither Jim or I needed any practice, so we moved on.

The spot we went was devoid of boats, "just the way I like it!" I said. I maybe in the people business and enjoy "most" people, but I don't want them around me when float fishing. I need my space!

I'm exactly like my grandfather who used to surf fish, ALOT! If he looked up and down the beach and saw a single human being, he'd tell my dad when he was a kid, "don't bother setting up, we're outa here!" Grandpa would have a tough time these days wouldn't he?

Jim and I had such a pleasant afternoon catching one Speck after another and talking float-rig fishing. The fish, the tackle, the vernacular, the why's and how's and trading fishin' stories. It was GREAT!

And I think Jim caught the fattest Trout of the day. I of course had a really big fish shake off the hook right at boat side, but overall these fish were nothing to sneeze at. 17-19-1/2 inchers are prime box fish in my book. And we caught at least 15-20 of them, and Jim's token 'grazer'...a small Sheepshead.














It was a glorious day, sunny, warm and a bright blue sky. We fished about 3 hours and Jim had to meet up with some folks in Mandarin for a story. So we came, he saw, and we did exactly what I had intended for him to experience.....the magic of the float, drifting down the jetty rocks, disappearing, and with a fat Speck attached to his hook, time after time.

Plus, Jim got to take home a cooler full of fresh Specks. What a deal!!

You can look for his article on today's trip on Sunday December 21st in the Outdoors section of the Times Union newspaper.






















A private fishing charter with Capt Dave Sipler's Sport Fishing, would make a really nice Christmas present from Santa!!

12/3 - Just enough time for whackin'

Had Dave A. along with Glen and Gary aboard. Dave and company had just enough time to fish this morning, before having to go to meetings at 1pm. So we agreed to depart ASAP at 7am fish fast and furious, so they could be back at Ponte Vedre in time.

And wouldn't ya know it, the tide was damn near slack as we started to float-rig fish. It happens to me all the time. So I had to hunt up some current and quick. And wouldn't ya know it, as I'm teaching them what to do I catch a real nice Speck. Which is always a good sign.

On this spot they caught about 5 or 6, but not all were keepers. So as the tide died completely, we moved on.




















Okay, by now everyone was in the swing of it. So I headed to the mother-load. And Dave whacks a Speck within seconds of me shutting the engine off! But still the current was exactly right, but it was coming. I pointed out the rip line that heading right at us. And once it was near, I was going to adjust and get ready for the show down.



















Nice fattties were coming to the net real consistently. All Specks, in the 17-19" range. And Dave had plans to take home these fish back to Wisconsin, and he'd have his chance too. A few were hooked and lost, and a few baits were stolen, and one hook was crushed flat........Dang, Jetty Snappers!! Then, (3) "jetty snapper" aka: Sheepshead were caught, one small one and two we kept that went 4-5 pounds. And I wanted a photo of each of them with a fish at least.



















I don't get to take that many photos when I have several guys aboard. But what's a report with no pictures? By the time we had to leave and head back to clean fish the totals had to of been about a dozen or more Specks, and 3 Sheepshead, and only one "rock blennie". I wanted to hit my Redbass spot, but of course some dude was sitting there catching nothing. Yep, there sure is alot of people out there on weekdays, these days....I remember, when in the winter I could count the number of boats at the jetties on one hand on a Wednesday. Can't imagine how nice and vacant the rocks were on a weekday back in 1960.

There was 10 shrimp left in the livewell after the fellas left. Being I hate to waste good bait, I turned around and headed out again. And on my first spot I caught 3 Specks on my first three drifts of the float. Then I moved and caught 3 more, and a Flounder! Six Trout and a Flounder on 10 shrimp. NOT BAD AT ALL.


















I kept two Trout for dinner, and headed in to clean them and went home.

Tomorrow, (Thursday) I'll have Jim Sutton the Times Union newspaper Outdoors Editor on board. We've been trying to get out there for a "show and tell" about Trout and the float fishing for over a year. Last time we fished was years ago, back when Jim wrote for the St. Augustine Record paper. And we threw jigs and shrimp combo meals at the "back then" the over looked St. Augustine inlet rocks. Man, we wacked them that day.



STAY TUNED....