11/20 - My Motto is.....

After a sort of frustrating afternoon, fighting the tide. And bottom fishing along the jetty rocks, I told Charley & Brett my fishing motto (which has been posted on the bottom of this blog page, that no one ever notices.) So we packed it up and got on the heavy duty float rig rods, and got on a Redfish bite, like no tomorrow.

But earlier this morning, we bottom fished along the rocks and had a decent time, catching 4 Drum, and a monster Croaker. Along with a bunch of misc. bait snatchers.

Around noon the current was so blasting we couldn't even stay anchored up inside the jetties. The Full Moon, is fast approaching with a wierd swell. So when the tide did slow down, we watched another boat do all the big Black Drum catching. While we sat, with hardly a bite.....straight into the incoming tide too, and we still couldn't score!

So that's when I said, "ya know, when every instinct ya have is wrong, then the opposite must be RIGHT", which is my fishing motto. And that meant since the green tide water was starting to flow, I had a place in mind to hit, because our day wasn't done just yet! I broke out the big 8' G. Loomis BUCARA rods, matched up with Shimano Tekota 300's, a 2oz. trout lead, and a 2 oz Salmon Stalker float. My "HD" Float-rig rods! I love these rigs, the feel of confidence reigns supreme, when you have one in your hands. So we fished up tight to the rocks, and didn't get bit. Oh No! So try the opposite...right? And that's all it took to HIT PAY DIRT.

One big bad beautiful Redfish after another. All I had to do is make a small adjustment, in our depth and drift. Everyone got chances on getting their drag burned after the float-rig and live shrimp passed over a certain spot. The same spot I couldn't even think about getting my anchor near on Sunday, because of a homesteading Sheepsherd....(and if they only knew what my Float magic can do there.) If you remember reading my last report, you'll probably remember how frustrated I was with the weekender crowd. But what can ya do...it's a zoo out there on weekends.

The Reds were ferocious, it was a classic bite. Soon as the float went over a certain spot it went down, Fast! The guys caught 10 back to back before we called it quits. The nice thing about sending a float out drifting is that anyone can do it, and the spot where they are is easily marked. Charley's youngest son, 10 years old had no problem sending the float out, but he needed a hand when it came to getting these big fish to the boat, though. I like helping the kids fish, and want so badly for them to have a good time, while learning to be a good fisherman. I wasn't nearly as lucky as some of the kids I get on my boat. I never went on a private charter with a guide. So when I have them out with me, I want them to have a really good time.

We easily boxed our limit of 4 just under 27"
and released the rest. When it's good it's really good out there at the inlet right now, I just have trouble being patient sometimes. I like to keep things "happening". Because I always feel, that is what people expect. But sometimes ya just have to sit through the slower parts of the day, so to get to the better parts of the day. Which means working and waiting for the right current or waiting on the tide to change.

Please check this link:
http://www.captdaves.com/Catch3.htm
to see the rest of the photos of today's catch.

One thing that makes ya feel good is that after our big day, with loads of fish cleaning. After I got home and was washing the boat off. Charley called me and said he just wanted to thank me again for the great day, and that he'll definitely be back again. Hey, that's all I can ever ask for. It's like I told Charley earlier in the day, whatever we catch or don't catch....at least here on my boat we'll die trying!

It's that time of the year again, when everyone waits till the last minute to try and reserve their trips. All I can say is "early bird gets to fish on the prime days", so plan ahead! (2 wks. to 30 days)

This is the time of year also that the wintery "fronts" come about 3- 4 days apart. So there's a smaller window of good weather.

Weather link from my site: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS52.KJAX.html

A bit of planning, meaning checking the forecast, and giving me a call well in advance, can certainly help your success rate. Weekdays when ever possible also will help your success rate, so we don't have to fish an area that's been beat by 5 other people before we get there. The St. Johns River sure does seem small, on a Saturday or Sunday, or a Holiday anymore.

It was a beautiful day today, that the forecast was for EAST winds, and to tell ya the truth, the winds were so light, I never even noticed which direction it was from. The perfect temperature, sunny skies and other than that current in the river. It was one fine day!

11/18 - Jetties....bound

Headed straight as an arrow, to the jetties (inlet)this morning with Mack & J.T. It was gonna be low tide in the morning, so we went immediately went to "jiggin" with live shrimp. And it didn't take long to locate some fish. J.T. was reeling his jig back to the boat when a big fish (redfish) followed it up off the bottom and slammed it just under the surface. And took off.....but for some reason the hook pulled after a good run. Then, Mack put the first pup Black Drum in the box, then a nice 26" Red, followed up by J.T.'s Drum. The action was steady as they learned the finesse of pitching up towards the rocks, and letting the jig-n-shrimp combo meal, bump lightly down the snaggy exterior of the jetty.

I had plans to attempt to duplicate what Nick and I did on Weds. But the tide was just about the opposite. So nothing was gonna actually be the same. But I had it in the back of my mind all day.

"How could I not?"


Isn't that all fishing really is? Going with what ya know from the last trip?

So as the falling tide faded, the guys lost a few and caught a few more small Reds, and then we moved on. I had big plans to go to my favorite Float-rigging spot, so we went and looked at it. But it wasn't ready yet. (and there was people everywhere) The tide means everything, there. So our float-rigs will, float straight down the jetty and into "the pocket" usually filled with fish. So we moved on to a spot where this time last year I caught huge Trout. But of course being a Sunday, someone was there...But he moved on and we got to anchor up. The guys let there floats go down the rocks, and started catching "pup" Reds. All 16"-17". Okay for the action, but no Trout!

Okay, time to go look again at my honey hole, because the tide was just starting to come in a bit.
This time there was a boat planted on it.
GRRRRRRR....WEEKENDS!!!!!!!

People everywhere! No where, was there a spot that hasn't been fished already. (that's the biggest problem around here for me!)

But mostly they were all Sheepherders. Without a clue of what that spot can give up to a good float-rigger. (Sheeps, Reds and Trout) My frustration level was getting pretty high! Have ya ever stared at someone long enough, hoping that they would just move? Willing them to disappear from the face of the Earth? Well, that was me! I so wanted to treat Mack & J.T. to what we did on that spot last Wednesday. I wanted my folks to catch fish like we did earlier in the week, so bad. I went an anchored up but could tell I wasn't in the right "lane". So I tried again, and again........and we didn't catch but one Speckled Trout for the box and one small throw-back Speck.

We only had a small window, to fish the spot as the green tide poured in. So we went back to try some jig fishing at the morning spot. And caught Bluefish. I was scrambling to fish a good spot, before the tide got to high. It's all about "water level" at this point.

We did see some guys wackin the Drum pretty good from where we were. They were just bottom fishing, and we were doing the light tackle thing. My heavier bottom rods were at home! Didn't need them on Weds. that's for sure. Plus, I had a lot more float-rig fishing in mind, that we weren't getting the chance to do. And I was getting really T'd off! ( if I can't float-fish, I start to get my nose out of joint)

I'm gearing up for Thanksgiving week mentally, right now. Cause ya wanna talk about a zoo? The day after Thanksgiving if the weathers nice or not is going to be like 4th of July week out there on the river. I think I'll just bottom fish and stake claim to a patch of bottom and go with it....

So we eventually ended up back at my favorite spot. Because the boat staking claim and acquiring their "Florida homestead exemption" finally moved on. So I slipped in. But the water was now high and there really wasn't any tide movement. But that's okay. I sometimes pick up some rogue Trout up in the rocks. Instead the guys caught a big Mangrove Snapper and some junk fish. Then, I figured I pick up a rod and make a few tosses. And as Mack and I were talking, I looked away from my Float for a second, and then looked back and it was GONE. I reeled up the slack and lifted.........AND HAD MY ASS HANDED TO ME ON A SILVER PLATTER!

The float was up in the rocks to start off with and whatever this was, had no plans of coming out of the rocks. It dove and pulled drag hard, but I was fishing a 15# mono leader on my Float-rig, with a #8 hook on the end. So all I could do was hold on and do my best to keep my rod high and attempt to get the fishes head up and out of the jetty rocks. It made no less than 5 or 6 drag smoking runs up into the shallowest part of the jetty. Still we never saw it. And then finally it turned away and came out a bit deeper, and then we saw it was a Sheepshead. The fish wasn't done yet, getting the net under it it took a few tries. All I could think about was my "tiny" little hook and that 15# mono leader. Sheepshead do not have line friendly bodies and leaders can easily get wrapped on their dorsal fin or belly fins as they dart back and forth. Thank goodness there was zero current. J.T. grabbed the net and laid it under the fish......MY GAWD, it was a massive Sheepshead! Weighed on the boga, it was a 10 pounder. Largest to date I've ever caught on the Float-rig. Which to this fisherman makes it EXTRA, EXTRA special.


If I was gonna catch one fish all day, I can't say that this would be it. I'm really in a life pursuit for that double digit Speckled Trout, but being that it's the start of Sheephead time it was a great catch. And what made it better is that I caught this monster right from the same spot that one damn boat "homesteaded" all day long.

And again, being caught on the "float-rig", with super light tackle made it so much more of a achievement, for me personally.

We ended up with 10 Reds up to the 26 incher, a few Drum, a few Blues, a few Trout, a big Mango, and the one monster Sheepshead.
If it was a weekday, we could have easily doubled or tripled that.

The wind is going to come around again...and the forecast for Tuesday is:
TUESDAY EAST WINDS 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.
Which is my next day I'm going. Think if the wind is not all that calm I will take the bottom rods with me, just incase. The Black Drum are everywhere. And I like filling the box with them, too.

11/14 - PERFECT IN EVERY WAY

Yep, compared to 4 days ago when the wind was HONKIN' 20 knots or better and the bite shut down to nearly nothing....here came the WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY. Some take it, some let it go by.
Who do you think I am??

And man was it a day that made ya feel good to be an avid angler in North Florida. Cool, light breeze if any, slick calm waters, perfect tides, and some of the best live shrimp I've seen in awhile filled my live well to the rim.

Good company, great conversation, loads of laughs, no bait stealers, perfect water temp, and fish after fish after QUALITY fish!

Nick Watson, Drummer and leader of the band RATHKELTAIR http://www.rathkeltair.com/ joined me today. Being the kinda of guy that has his days off, and bangs on the pots and pans at night. I've sort of taken him under my wing, and helped him learn the ropes. And he's become a "Float Freak", like me. I'm a fan of the his band, also. He has a boat too, a 17 footer and we swap trips back and forth. Sometimes a smaller boat is just what I need to do a little R&D in, and Nick's always ready to go.

I've been absolutely DIEING to get out to the "big rocks", because it's that time of year that a short drive 2.5 miles out to the inlet and 2.5 miles back can mean an all day adventure, without a long boat ride anywhere else. Plus, the weather had the inletlooking gorgeous today. And so was the ocean, because 90% of the boats at the ramp looked to be heading offshore. They too haven't had it all that easy. The bite is on out there also. And the weather only gives you a few days of window to take advantage this time of year. Unlike inshore fishing, I can go about anytime. But the bite on the other hand, maybe limited

when a "front" pushes through.

We started off on a spot that in my mind is FAMOUS when it

comes to float-rig fishing the jetties, with a live shrimp.

Year after year, this is the 'go to' spot for about all I'd ever want. And we sat there for FOUR hours having our float's first drug under by big fat Trout, then Redfish, then a few Sheepshead. Which by the way is a "here's yer sign" tell tale that it's now the best time of the year for this inshore fisherman. When I start catching Sheepshead on the float-rig and live shrimp....My heart starts to flutter, I get so damn excited. Because that means the water temp is perfect, and it's go time for gamefishing fun.

We fished on this spot all that time and NEVER caught a single junkfish.

To put it plainly, Nick and I put on a "clinic" for all the

"Sheepherder's" near by dabbing over the side with fiddler

crabs. We banged one fatty after another. And Nick learned how

important the tide was. Besides water clarity, and the water

movement around the jetty rocks. Which makes this area special to a float-rigger, like me. I know when it's right...I can just feel it.

After hours past and the tide slowed, the bites dropped off

and it was time to make a move. So I pulled anchor and headed

to the next spot.

A very short ride to spot #2, I anchored up, grabbed my jigging rod,

pinned on a live shrimp and made a cast up to the jetty rocks.

My jig sank for about 4 seconds and I felt the distinct tap, tap through my Loomis 8'2" Greenwater rod, and Stren super braid line. I lifted up and there it was another healthy Redfish burning line off my low profile Shimano Curado reel. I was "first cast" lucky all day long. Then it was Nick's turn....I.G. (instantaneous gratification) for him too! We both had Reds from 25-27" long.

"We're gonna be in a rally of fish here again",

I said to Nick, as I netted his fish then rebaited. It was CLINIC time again. Because on almost every single cast we caught a beautiful slot sized Redfish....many times we got our timing perfect

and had double headers, having both of us setting the hook at the exact same time. Then came the first Black Drum, because I let my jig fall a bit deeper. And that's all she wrote....we wanted the Drum for the fish box. So Redfish actually became the bycatch of the day.

We wanted freezer fish. We had our 1 per person per day Redfish limit hours ago. And it wasn't all that hard to entice a Black Drum to the fish box either. They were so schooled up that in a matter of an hour or so we had caught 10 or more Reds (released) and put 10 Black Drum in the fish box.

The Drum ranged from 18" to a hefty 7-8 pounds. I love 'em.

I like to Blacken "black" Drum on my iron skillet outside in my

summer kitchen. (actually it's my outdoor 12 month a year kitchen) I have not cooked a single meal inside the house since

I lived where I do. I have a porch and deck on the back of my

detached garage, where I have my double burner fish cooker, and stainless steel gas grill. As a bachelor, I can get away with doing things my way. And I cook outside.

After we boxed our 10th Drum, we pulled up anchor and went

in search of more Speckled Trout. And I found them, no problem.

But many were just 15 inches (the legal size limit) but Nick and

I decided to go ahead and only keep larger ones. So we hit the

last spot of the day and that's where we found some fatties

again and topped off the second 72 qt. cooler I had in the boat.

Plus, I caught the first Black Margate of the year too, on the float-rig.

We burned about 12 dozen live shrimp between the 2 of us. And the shrimp we got from B&M bait and tackle were superb today. "Wade the shrimp man", from Nassau County must have had a banner day shrimping, as we had fishing. Because these "river crickets" were super lively and fresh besides being the perfect size. It was just a perfect day all the way around.

At the dock, we took the time to take all the fish we kept (our limits of Reds, Drum, Trout, and the two Sheepshead, Margate, and Yellowmouth Trout) out of the cooler for an end of day photo. I put Nick in front of the fish, got ready to snap the picture and thought, "if they bit like this everyday, I'd really have my work cut out for me when it came to fish cleaning".

11/11 - Patience was a virtue...with river traffic & high winds.

See this video? It reminds me of the St. Johns River on weekends.....

It's actually a video of a Hummer going down the street in Iraq. Fire power and armor plate is what I guess makes "everyone" get the hell outa the way??? YEAH, I DO WISH IT WAS MORE LIKE THIS WHEN THEY SEE MY "RIVER HUMMER" COMING!

Oh well, besides the wakes, the tugs, and inconsiderate's on the river (even in the no wake zones) the high N.E. winds played havoc with us today. Actually it was pretty nice at 8am at the boat ramp, and still nice at 10am when Taylor and Jamie met me there.

But as the day went on the sun went away and the wind blew harder. I guess it was a cold front passing thru. Damn, I worked hard as hell to get them on the Trout that I got on Friday. But adding the fact that there was so much traffic, and the wind, every place I went was a struggle or was already fished by someone.

We'd anchor up and would be hanging by a finger nail, and someone would wake us and we'd go flying away in the wind. All the while I was either re-rigging, getting out a snag, or having to stand ready to start up and move away from the rocks we were about to drift into.

I really need to go far away on weekends, and especially need to on the up coming Holiday's. Which means more fuel, and time used to just get away from what I refer to as the St. Johns River HUB, (from the jetties to the Dames Point area) because that's where the most traffic and people are. Because it's close to all the ramps. Same reason I'm there. I'll have to make a concerted effort to get away from the Hub.

We struggled and only had 4 Specks, a lost fish or two and a Mangrove Snapper. Two of the Trout were in the 20 inch range, and the other were 16-18". I knew things were getting worst, rather than better when I went to a few spots that we could hardly get a bite. And they should have been covered up with Specks.

That's this time of the year for ya'. I was just out on Friday when we had the NW light winds and had zero problems catching all the Specks I wanted, as I fished the same tide.

But I hope these two guys will fish with me again some day, because I tried to teach them as much as I could about Float-rig fishing, even though the conditions weren't perfect.

You have to think about it like this, "what would it have been like if we were out attempting to fly fish on this same day?" Probably even worse! Back when I had my 17' Carolina Skiff I took Fly fisherman out in the fall on windy days. They might have been very accomplished casters, but it still turned out to be a "few" fish day.

I stopped second guessing myself long ago. I go with what I know, and love. And my hope is that people have fun learning while doing...No matter what the conditions are.

Looks like Tuesday is the next "calm" day. I still have some Shrimp in the live well, actually mini Lobster size shrimp. So I may run north and give a few spots a try in preparation for the Thanksgiving week inside the HUB. Here's Wedesdays report as of right now:

WEDNESDAY WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. - "Looks like this is gonna be the day to go!"

We did poke our nose's toward the jetties, as I left the dock. The wind was really whipping, man there's got to be some good fish (Trout) stacking up out there. But every time I go to check it out it's really nasty conditions.

I don't know if I believe it, but my temp gauge read 65 degrees during the afternoon up in the shallows. Still a false kinda reading, being just the surface temp. I believe it's warmer down deep still. Because just last week it read 70 degrees.

Taylor, (the fella with the foul weather jacket on) is a Blog Reader, and it made me very happy
when he told me that he likes this my blog because it's always updated, and hardly a day or two goes by without a report. I appreciated the comment. Because I work hard to keep everyone informed and educated on what's happening. This Blog has become a habit, if I don't write something about fishing, my day feels incomplete.

11/9 - IT'S GO TIME !

What a gorgeous day. Cool on land this morning, and cold on the water, with lots of Florida sun! But don't let this photo scare ya...I look like that all winter. It maybe my Yukon Cornelius look, but actually I had a T-shirt and shorts under my foul weather gear. Remember, I'm the anchor puller and don't care to get wet or sick.

Largest Trout of the day was this one at 21 inches. And I swore it was a the first Sheepshead of the season on the float-rig and a live shrimp, because it fought like a Sheeps in the current. With that tell-tale side to side action, but I was real glad to see it was a good sized Trout instead.

I had my limit (5) and had to throw back around 6 more of various sizes.

I only fished 3 spots all day, on the falling tide. And I'm not even gonna count when I went to the jetties. Because I couldn't stay anchored up, even though I was tossing the anchor way up in the rocks. The swell and boat jerking from side to side in the wind at high tide, had me packin it in before I could even settle in.

Stopped by and talked to a couple friends that were fishing the north jetty with fiddler crabs, they caught 6 Sheepshead and even a Trout on a crab. Then they float-rigged a little and had 3 more Trout.

It's fall in full swing now. And I like it. The water temps are diving and the bait stealers today were almost non-existant. I even caught a Mangrove Snapper that went 14 inches. It was a real fatty and of course went straight into the cooler.

The NE breeze blew, but it wasn't that bad except at the jetties. So I went into the river and caught my Trout. Of course, the best bites are on the last of the falling tide as usual.

The last spot I hit, I ended up being right on time for it. I pulled up and anchored, pinned on a live shrimp, and pitched my float out. My first 4 casts were Trout, instantly. I love this spot, because if you time it right as I've learned, many time you can have a limit of Trout in 5 drifts of the float-rig. I ended up boxing a few more and released the rest.

Then, I pitched a jig and shrimp out because I was hoping for a Black Drum. Which is sometimes a frequent catch in the cooler water at this spot. But instead on my first cast, I hooked up an exact 27 inch Redbass. Man, what a light biter this fish was....tick, tick is all I felt through my braided line and Loomis, Greenwater rod. So I lifted up slowly, and then felt the weight of a big fish, and then set the hook.

Ya know, I notice everything on my boat. And I know a lot of "fishing's details" only come with experience. But all too many times I see people feel a tap, be it a small bait stealer or a goodsize fish and they rear back like they're setting the hook on a steel jawed Whale. Ya' know what happens if you hardly do anything, when feeling a tap, tap on your line? The fish will continue to eat the bait and move off with it. Especially, if it's a Red, Black Drum, Flounder or even a Sheephead. Because the fish we are after eat their food whole. So let them take it.

I have to constantly remind customers to not jerk. Light tackle fishing is all about "THE FEEL"....and if I mentioned this once, I mentioned it a thousand times; "Bill Dance and Roland Martin, and the whole slew of TV bass fisherman do nothing but make my people loose fish." Bass fishing is bass fishing....and I bet you don't have to do those slamming hook sets to catch a Bass either. It's just something we as saltwater light tackle fisherman don't have to do.

I prefer small fine wire, very sharp hooks. Because they are "sticky". Think about it, is it easier to drive a needle into a piece of wood, or a 10 penny nail? I use "needles" when ever I can, and leave the 10 penny nails to the Shark or Tarpon fishing, not Trout, Reds or Flounder or Sheepshead. Along with a whole bunch of other species. Then, I match my tackle to the hook. Tackle should always be matched to that one thing on the business end. I like long rods with a light tip, and light drag settings too.

Especially for Float-rig and Jig fishing. A light-action rod gives you the sensitivity needed to feel those tap, tap type bites of even large fish.

I'll never forget going to a seminar when I was a member of the Inshore Saltwater Anglers Club here in J-ville. It was given by a Tournament Bass Fisherman, and if I recall it was all about using soft plastic baits, and similarities between Bass and saltwater baits. The fella was very knowledgeable, but as he passed around some jigs and plastic baits, I about fell out of my seat!

He commonly used a quality jig head, that was painted real nice, and had a black chrome hook. The only problem is the hook was an 8/0 size!! Holy crap, I use an 8/0 hook for Tarpon and sharks, and he's using this monster hook for a 2 pound Bass??? The baits maybe similar, but that's where it all ended in my book. He'd probably freak out if he and I went to the Mayport Jetties and a I break out my jigheads that have a 1/0 hook, that's made out of thin wire. And can commonly catch Redbass in 40 feet of water.......10+ pound Reds at that! And that's just not me, I've had thousands of customers do it too. Which in my mind is like tournament fishing, because ever fish counts on a charter.


Oh well...to each his own. That's why Baskin & Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream.


Let's go fishing...it's that time of year I've been waiting for all year. And if you fished with me this summer in the blazing heat, it's NOW the time of year I probably told you to come back for the "better fishing". Because you probably said as most do, "Dave, when's the better time to fish here?"

11/5 - Too Long, Too Less

Well it's been some really beautiful fall weather.......and still the most popular month is JULY!

Why people want to come here and sweat in the stifling heat, I'll never know.

Now.....is the time of year to fish!

It was cool in the morning and oh so pleasant in the afternoon. I live for this time of year. I day dream about it all summer long. I'd like to be somewhere that's like this all the time.

Nick and I hit the water, with our little tiny "shcrimps". An acronym for shrimp and scrimping, combined. (they're obviously running tiny right now)

So small I was thinking....."where the hell did I put my #10 hooks??"

Float rig fishing ONLY, was our game. Looking for piles of Trout in the river, was the plan.

But there's that ole saying you can only do what the tide allows. So we tried variations on some of the same spots, just fishing out deeper rather than shallower. Outside a line of docks rather than up in them. But it produced Croakers and Yellowmouth Trout rather than our target fish...out sized Specks. And where I'd think this time of year the Trout would be stacked up, we'd catch (more like Nick) would catch one good sized fish. And that's all the spot would give up.

This certainly is'nt like "years past", in which we set our standards upon. Because what is fishing anyhow? Learning patterns, habitual traits, and following up on what you may have done days ago, that worked. Well, we'd find fish, alright but they'd be either "one or two" rather than a school, or they'd be "shorts".

And then we had to go get some more shrimp because we were running out, because of all the Mangrove Snappers that are still infesting every trout spot, rock pile, or dock piling. Right there is all the evidence I need to prove too me that the water temp just isn't cold enough down below yet. So when I read a 69-73 degree temp on my machine, it's really just a false reading. Because down below I'm sure it's warmer. Or is it that our livewell eating buddies are growing resistant to the clloer waters, compared to their southern cousins?

We fished all day long, and in my opinion not getting what I came for. Nick on the other hand was Mr. Lucky. He must have ate his Lucky Charms that morning before I met him at the bait shop. "Is that why it took him so long to get there, even though he lives 90 seconds away from B&M?"

There was times we'd drop anchor on a spot, I'd tell him "float your bait thru right there...the Trout should be 18-20 inches, no dinks" and he'd do it and catch one immediately! I'd try and come up with squatola or shorties! Then, he'd do it again. I told him,"see what a good fishing guide I am? I can tell ya everything there is to know about where they are and the size they'll be"....but I couldn't catch one myself!!!!! And this happened time and time again. And if I didn't know that I could be out here doing this all over again the next day, I would have been getting pissed.

Personally, I was keeping big Mangos and Croakers and yellowmouths so I could have something to eat, because it didn't look as if I was gonna catch any good sized Trout.....I was the small Trout guy all day, till the very end. While Nick had no trouble putting fish in the box up to 19 inchers. We didn't find any super studs, which was the days plan, and never even lucked into a Flounder or a Redfish.

I guess I did luck into a big Red on one spot. My float went down fast as it was 70 feet behind the boat, along a set of pilings. And before I could do a thing a very strong fish ran my float threw the pilings and got my line woven into ever barnacle encrusted pillar it could. I was like Larry Dalhberg on that TV show 'HUNT FOR BIG FISH'. I crouched, reared back, almost knocked Nick over, hit him in the head with my rod, and hung over the side of the boat, grunting and groaning.....doing all I could to reel, reel, reel, pull, pull, pull that ass-hander from out of the pilings. But it broke me off, before I knew what happened.

We ended up fishing all the way up to high tide in the late afternoon, being the died hards we are. Till hunger got the best of us and there was no current left. So Nick and I went to Capt. Dave's Club House, the Grand China Buffet on Mayport Rd. Where I spend a lot of lunch and dinner hours, with fellow fisherman.

Well, it's "time to go make the donuts", and clean the fish that Nick was graciously willing to split with me. And do some tidying up of the boat.

So if you're someone wanting a fishing charter, I highly recommend November 1st through June 30th. So what, if sweatshirts and hats are needed in the morning, right now. No passing out from the heat.....yep, I've had a few "Nanook's from the North" about pass-out from the summer's heat on me before. They just ain't used to it.

I'm so looking forward to what winter brings in the river and at the inlet's jetties.

-Jumbo Speckled Trout

-Jumbo Yellowmouth Trout

-Black Drum

-Redfish, on the float up in the rocks

-and NO bait stealers!

LET'S GO!

11/4 - 2nd day after the BIG BLOW

So was it worth it?

To have that amount of wind during the week to have the wind back off and be back to beautiful skies on the weekend?

Depends on who your talking to, really. Because I was hoping for great weather when Kathy & Rick were here on Thursday and Friday.

But I sure did like the air temp today....we all were wearing our Foul Weather skivvies this morning. The girls came prepared, I liked that. And I enjoyed taking them.
I love this time of year! And could go without July and August altogether.

So today, it was Natalie and Shannon. And since I just did a brief talk on the big Reds, Thursday night and neither one of them had caught an extreme puller like them, we hit the river looking to pick a fight. Tried two spots and didn't have a sniff, soaking big pieces of cut bait in the current along so BIG rocks under water. I was wondering if they headed for the offshore waters yet, or maybe since the weather came through, it changed up the pattern I had found. Well, something happened....and that bait-n wait fishing was killing me.



So I bagged that and headed to an I.G. spot for the girls. And it was I.G. alright, instant-gratification. Because when I did a survey drift on the float-rig, I hooked the first Speck of the day. And then they were into fish for awhile, till the tide died out. Mango's and Croaker bites too with a jumbo Croaker on the float-rig...dang thing pulled like a Redbass.

I shouldn't have done any bottom fishing for the
Reds, since that was a waste of time. But that's the price ya pay to hunt for a really big fish. They really weren't worried about keeping any fish, but you know me, I like some stink in the box. And don't feel complete unless the box smells of Trout!

Man, was it a Zoo of Humanity as the day went on. Looks like I have to remind myself to cut and run north, to no man's land on days like this. I still have to get my ass back up to 'gator creek. Where the oyster beds are the size of trucks. There has to be some good fish up there now. And you can fish all day and never see a but a soul or two minding their own bees wax, unlike the mobs of coasties and every other law enforcement patrol on Earth, around Mayport.

Been thinking about Hilton Head S.C. and how I'd like to try my hand up there. Same terrain, no commercial ships/tugs, and no military!! The extreme affluent don't want to see tanker ships and hear incessant helicopter noise pollution near their pristine island paradise. Even though I couldn't live near their paradise......I'd sure love to fish it. Or as I always say but never do, "I just need to go north more."

Think Nick and I will go try it tomorrow, again. R&D, or more like Dave get's some fresh fishez in his fridge, for a change. Then, into the frying pan!

Nov. first, later that evening...at the JOSFC

I got a call on Wednesday from Lee from the Jacksonville Offshore Sportfishing Club, and he asked would I come on out to the club house at the Mayport Boat ramp to do an "impromptu" discussion on catching the big bull Reds, that are in the river this time of year.

As an old member for many year as a board of director, and supporter of the J.O.S.F.C, I was glad too. The club is where I have some of the longest lasting friends. Back in my day, I was membership director. That's where you really get to know folks, then I did the fishing committee with help of a good friend that's no longer with us, the ole "Croaker-Toter" him self Capt. Joe Caramelli. That job was really fun. Planning tournaments, and giving weekly reports and handing out prizes.

I owe a lot to the JOSFC. It's where I learned much of what I know today, and have many fond memories. I'm just not active in the club now, because my focus is on fishing the river and inlet. And I can't tell you when the last time I was "offshore", more than 3 miles. I admit, I wasn't the greatest offshore fisherman in the world. I had my success' and my failures. But I did it all with friends I made in the JOSFC. Exposure counts.

I got to talk with some ole friends last night and even sat across from Ms. Big Bobberz T-shirts herself, Trina. Wishing I only introduced myself properly.....as I have seen her photos in Gaff Magazine, and on her apparel web site. Because red heads, always get my attention.

My short discussion I did was about fishing for the big Bull Reds in shallower water than what is led to believe is necessary. And how so far this year, BIG Bull Reds have been mostly 20-25 pound fish, rather than 30-40 pound fish.....for me. Using hand caught Croakers for cut bait, rather than the expensive and easily washed out in the current, Blue crabs. And lightening up on tackle when in shallower 15-20 feet of water, for added fun. Instead of the "big guns" needed for fishing the channel edges, mostly because of the weight needed to get your bait to hold in 40-50 foot of water, and a ripping falling tide. It was the best I could do, on short notice.

The JOSFC is a great organization of various people in which to learn from and become friends with. If you want more information about the club, I highly recommend attending a few meeting, that are open to the public. For more info visit their web site at:
www.jaxfish.com

Nov. 1st - Enough is enough wind!

Had Kathy and Rick with me today only after calling them real early and saying, "Can we go on Saturday or Sunday? " Kathy said, "Can't go then, we're heading out of town then".

So as I pulled the "Metal Monster"out of it's lair, here came the rain. Oh no!! Can this get any worse? I thought, it was 6am.

Yes, it can. Kathy and Rick are from San Diego, California and are yearly regulars of mine.....SAN DIEGO.......They left forest fires, and a 5.6 Earth Quake back home. Now they're here in Florida, and we have Tropical Storm NOEL!!

I was wishing for weather like we had last year when Kathy and Rick came November 9 & 10th. It was a lot cooler and very nice. Besides we hit what I figured was the EXODUS, in the creeks. Exodus of shrimp and following right behind was LOADS of Trout, BIG TROUT! (here's a snap-shot of last years first trout,of the morning (5 pounds) that Big Rick caught!)

Unfortunately, that didn't happen today.

Kathy caught the only Speckled Trout all day, small ones mostly and just a few 14-7/8th's inchers.

All the while the 20-25 knot winds, over cast skies and noise pollution of all those jets practicing for the Air Show this weekend, were giving us major grief!

The rest of the fish we caught were Bluefish, some tiny Yellowmouths, and a Mangrove Snapper along with the incessant Pinfish when we were up in the shallows.

Damn, was it windy. Most of the places we tried I couldn't even stay anchored. The wind would blow so hard, whipping the boat back and forth snatching it out of the bottom.

And we were supposed to go again tomorrow.

When Rick and Kathy come we always fish two days back to back. And in past years we've really had some great days. Kathy is getting to know what seasons I prefer. Or at least she's getting to know that "Bobber Fishin" as she calls it, is best in the fall, winter, and spring.

She's officially a Float Freak now, because last year she caught he largest Trout she ever tangled with. A solid 6 pounder. She was so proud of it she had the fish mounted here in Jacksonville and shipped to her in California. (that her 6 pounder next to Ricks 4 pounder, they had a double hook up at the same time!)

Last year they caught bunches of 3, 4 and 5 pound Specks, along with Drum and Reds. It was an amazing two days!

But going with this years theme of being one long summer and a really weird fall so far. Today's weather wasn't a real shocker to me. I look so forward to them coming, and even rushed to have some new tackle here and ready for when they arrived. But just felt as today approached, the weather wouldn't cooperate.

Really finishing up my my ultimate arsenal, for deeper water, big fish Float-rigging I made plans to have ready new G. Loomis Bucara 8' rods matched to Shimano Tekota 300 reels.

I wanted these for using a larger float heavier leader, larger hooks and a 2 ounce trout lead. Instead of trying to make work my lighter rods with a small float, lighter leader and a 1 ounce trout lead that's now just reserved for shallower water and slower current. We got the opportunity to use the new rigs, but only caught a few blues, mangrove snappers and small trout.

Actually we did pretty good today considering. We went through 7 and a half dozen live shrimp today. Mostly because of the bait stealers. But I told Kathy, "I bet no out here caught as many Trout as you did today."

Nothing today was worth taking a picture of. It was gloomy and dark all day. Although the water temp was 72-73 degrees 'on the surface', by no means has the water temp really dropped low enough to rid of the river bait snatchers. There's still plenty out there. And have you ever noticed, that no matter how terrible of a day it is, windy, rainy, overcast, a terrible barometer, or even red tide, the bait snatchers always bite?? It's one of those things that makes ya go, Hmmm?

Looks like this weekend "MAY" calm down some, but still things will be really shook-up out there. The VFW Croaker tournament is this weekend, along with the air show at the Navy Base.

10/29 - FULL BLOWN GALE NOR'EASTER

Yes folks, and I have a charterThursday with some of my favorite regulars all the way from California. I hope stuff goes away. Gale force winds......sustained. Not just gusting.

Winds: 25-30++ knots from the North East

I think winter is here, finally. I love the fishing now, but of course can do without a week of fronts.

Either way, if you live on the coast here in J-ville you've seen the super high water at high tide maybe. It's mega-high-water!! I live with my backyard facing and not far from Chico-pit bay (at the ICW and river crossing) I drive over the Wonderwood and Mt. Pleasant creek bridges daily. And I almost stopped to take some photos today at high tide......but instead I figured you'd be better off checking out how the real folks with real daily tides live.

Yeah our tides maybe 7' plus right now, with the wind helping the tide push up the river. But how would ya like to live where the tide is 35 plus feet yearly, day-in, day out?

A different kinda life style, I'd say. You better be close so you can check those dock lines. And of course the boat ramp is probably only crowded a few hours each day.

I think I'd fit right in. And aluminum boats would be popular, here.

(I think they are)

I'd probably forget to lift up my engine though!

And I hear people say they can't get used to fishing our tides and current??

The current here is

ENORMOUS!

On the east coast we have 2 high tides and 2 low tides per day, so can you imagine fishing in all that water leaving twice a day?

I wonder if people ask those goofy questions here....."what tide is better, the falling or the incoming?"

According to the fella who lives there and took the photos say.."you never fight the current, always fish and boat with it."

Have ya guessed where this is yet?

NOVA SCOTIA'S BAY OF FUNDY

10/27 - First real day of winter on the water.

Ahhhhh....Cool weather! It started a few days ago, I guess. But today was winter on the water for myself and Nick. And at the same time, unfortunately it was a wet first day.

I met to go on Nicks boat, (his 17 Seachaser) at B&M Bait and Tackle at 8am. Where it looked like rain, and by the time we got our ice and shrimp and were ready to head to the boat ramp, it was raining.

No big deal, I brought a light rain jacket, a really old rain jacket that leaks, and was in shorts wearing of course, my Crocs. Nick was in full Frogg Toggs rain gear. The tide was high as we left with some serious rise still to come. A 6.3' High Tide, which meant a lot of fooling around till it turned, and a lot of Dave getting really wet and cold as the wind blew.

It was actually very cold out on the water. So much that through my leaky jacket, wet shorts and Crocs I needed to do something about this situation. So we headed back to the boat ramp, so I could run home real quick and get my full weather gear, and a fleece shirt for me and one for Nick...and to put on my winter Crocs. As we got to the ramp there was others there who were calling it quits, already.

Home and back in exactly 14 minutes, I was decked out in my serious winter wear, and Nick was warmer in a fleece shirt too. So off to any where different than the first two places we tried at the super flood tide. Although a few bait stealer's, one catfish and one small Trout were caught. So as we headed north from the Oak Harbor boat ramp on our second half of the day, I suggested a spot.


And for the next several hours we sat there having a great time. I mean, ya know it's a good spot when "yours truly" flips out my first live river cricket (shrimp) on the Float-rig and it drifts 10 feet and I have a 4 pound Trout hooked up. That's a "here's yer sign" situation!
(also know as Instantaneous Gratification)

So we got real busy fishing all angles possible, and started hooking up Trout after Trout.

Some were just under 15", but most weren't.

And then of course here comes the FWC. And picking the lowest fruit on the tree is always how they conduct business. Even though just 30 minutes before we watched multitudes of "Ghetto Cruisers" (giant boats that throw enormous wakes) run full speed ahead through the "Minimal Wake Zone" behind the Little Jetties. So we had to go through that routine before commencing our Trout Wackage.

I did get out of one Officer, "Holy Cow, that's a nice Trout"....I told him that's why I fish here.
Back on track now, Nick started to wack'em damn good. Then he caught a Bluefish we thought was another big Trout, then he caught a "chipper" Flounder.....Hmmm, variety?? But as the tide got low in a real hurry. More variety came, as in the Mangrove Snapper, juvenile Grouper category. I said to Nick, "before this current gone we ought to catch a few more Trout", and he caught 2 more, and I caught one.

Expectations Exceeded!

What more could two guys in full winter fishing out wear ask for?

It was a good day as long as the tide was falling.
Because all it took was to choose a good spot, get a little lucky and we were quickly forgetting about the weather.

It's funny how accustomed one can get to having endless amounts of room in a boat. Nick 17' Seachaser is a nice little boat. But as he said, "It sure is different huh? Your always running into something." That maybe, but I have to remember how good I have it when it's just a few of us on my boat. It's all the room you want. I saw a boat ad for a bay boat the other day, that had a slogan, "EVERY THING YOU NEED, AND NOTHING YOU DON'T" Which perfectly describes my boat, I feel. We went no where today in Nick's 17 footer that I couldn't have gone in my 26 footer. And even though it was a tide with 2 feet higher water than normal....shallow was a relative term, today. We tried it, but really didn't catch what we wanted till we got into the main part of the river.

We end up with our Trout limit easily and threw back a few small ones and keepers, kept a big Croaker, and a Bluefish for Redfish cut bait on a later trip.....and I was loving it. And will love these eats, too.

It maybe Flounder time for many, but I'm not gonna throw the cast net for hours at high tide for Mullet. My bait is Live Shrimps! And B&M had some super sweet ones today.

And those lil' bait stealing sand perch in the creeks at high tide convinced me you don't need to bitch if you get bit by a Mangrove Snapper in a creek! The Sand Perch were everywhere in the creeks we fished.

It felt 100% different on the water compared to on land. And that's a sure sign of a wintery type day. But hold on to your hats folks, because the difference "on Land" versus "on the water" for the next few days is gonna be dramatic! We're in for a Big Blow. This time of year the fronts, or Noreasters will start to pass through way more frequently. And even though it's a real pain, when they land on the days I have people reserved for, or on every single weekend. Just don't forget about how hot and miserable it was in July. Unless you like catching more Needlefish than Trout, and more Jacks and Ladyfish than Redfish, in the river around Mayport.

I know I don't. We're finally getting into "MY" time of year. And it spells, T-R-O-U-T !

10/23 - Octobers warm, but FISHEY!

Wow....It was way too warm today! Setting heat records in Late October???

Yeah, and climate change doesn't exist? I felt as if it did today. The only thing that keep it in the "okay" level was the 20 knot south winds that were said to be 10 knots on every single weather report I heard or saw. Dang weather guessers!

Had Keith C. and 3 of his friends out today. And with 4 people the best thing to do to keep down the Fubar's is just do some bottom fishing for the big Reds. No float-rigging today.

It's way too hard to have 4 people all trying to keep their floats from tangling behind the boat. Plus the winds would have made it even worse.

So since Keith and the guys had a big night at the Jags game on Monday night ( they said it wasn't a game but rather a slaughter care of the Colts) We didn't leave till after 8:30am. Hell, I didn't watch. Ball sports don't do much for me. And I'm, sound asleep at 9 or 10pm.

And off to the jetties we went. And the south 10 knots was HONKIN'. And the seas were sloppy and AGAIN... I couldn't anchor for if I did, the lines would have been over the bow again. So we made one drift. But not after looking around a bit. I wanted to see BAIT. And if I did I would have felt a lot more confident. Pogies, those threadfins, something. But as we cruised from behind the surf and out to 20 feet, there was hardly anything on my scope compared to my last trip out there. So I reluctantly went and made a controlled drift with two lines out. And we had just one lil' shark bite, that mutilated a piece of cut Croaker.

So we headed back in the river and went to the Navy Base area. It took a little while but as the tide started to really get going (the current is always goofy there, because of the way the water pours out of the basin) But we got some Reds. And not big ones. The first two were 12 and 15 pounds. So after a short bite we moved on up river.

Picking some fish off at almost every spot, but not all. Because the current was so bad at a few I choose, that my anchor couldn't hold all of us and add in that wind. It was a lot to ask of my JettyWolf anchor. But heck, I don't usually park it in 38-44 feet when float-rigging! So doing a few deep water Bull Red trips, I'll guess I'll just have to fish some less deep spots. So that's what I did. And it worked.

The guys ended up with Reds from 12 pounds to 30 pounds.....so far the largest. With those 20-24 pounders in between. Which for this year seems to be the norm. Hmmm, why is it I remember fishing these same spots years ago and the average Bull Red was 28-32 pounds, and some in the high 40's? I guess it doesn't matter, these are still some big ass fish for folks that don't get to do this all the time.

No keepers, and didn't even really try to fish any spots for smaller ones. Because I was on a mission by the mid-day. To just find a place where the wind was blocked a bit and the current was running good. And to keep getting some bites.

We finished up along a spot that's really shallow, maybe 16-18 feet. But had produced Bull Reds for me in the past up to 50 pounds, with a lot of 40 pounders. Not a big time known spot. But if you have longevity around here, you'd know that it does produce. And we hit 3 right away on this spot and that's where the largest one came from.....plus it's real easy to fish.

I'm sort of ready to go back to some serious float-rig fishing, already. A true addicted Float Freak like me can only "bait-n-wait" so much, before the staring at rod tips becomes sort of "been there done that", and now it's time to go back to highly inter-active fishing with light tackle.

I have the start of some heavier grade Float-rigging rods (G. Loomis Bucara's) and reels (Shimano Tekoka 300's). I'm attempting to get ready for big 30+ inch reds along the jetty rocks along with heavy weight Sheepshead and Drum in the deep winter months. Because you just can't fish the float the way I do with the same light rods everywhere.

I like lighter trout leads in some instances, and 2+ ounce trout leads other areas, it's all about presentation, water depth and current speed. Yes, I'm ate up with these small details, even though it probably doesn't matter to anyone on my boat. It matters to me! I can't believe some of the tackle I see on some of my competitors boats....cheap, cheap, cheap stuff.

HERE'S A PHOTO THAT'S A BLAST FROM THE PAST. REMEMBER WHEN? (Jan. 18 2006) It was of course winter....and we had 25 Reds like this in a matter of an hour and a half as fast as you could get your float and live shrimp up on the rocks. Dang it was cold that day. But the float-rigging was HOT! (we also caught limits of fat Trout)

Here's all of today's photo's on my recent catch page link: http://www.captdaves.com/Catch1.htm