12/14 - Catch'em on the FLY!

Had Kirk M. out today. We decided to go yesterday, because the weather has been so damn nice. And I told Kirk, "well, we have a high tide at noon, no sense going till then and just put with the high water, till the low tide late in the day." So we left at noon, one guy and me....."ah, a charter the way I always envisioned them". Instead of management fishing, it was so pleasant and relaxed to have Kirk a N. Dakota native on board. Who is also a Navy Officer, just back from Afghanistan. Which by the way said, "THIS BLOG KEPT HIM IN TOUCH AND SANE, WHILE OVER THERE!"

Can ya believe that? So he wanted to fish with the Float-Freak, ride on the metal monster, and catch himself some fish, with me! Which was well deserved!

Being from N. Dakota (C/O the USAF, I spent a decade there one year! hahahahahah.....) I learned his people are TUFF, and they are SPORTSMAN, too! So Kirk and I were already on the same page. But of course, I had plans laid out in my mind, and Kirks plan was just to "hang-out and kick back". Well, I can kick back.....as long as we're wackin' some fatties!

So we started by pitchin' some jigs-n-shrimp along the rocks. My first cast after showing him the finer points, connected me with our targeted species, a nice Black Drum.

In the box that Drum went, and we were on location maybe 4 minutes??

So now it was Kirks turn. He pitched his jig and

shrimp out, and there happened to be a Ocean Vulture - aka: Pelican, sitting between us and the jetties. I saw it all in slow-mo as it went down....

Kirks line passed over the bird, and it spooked and flew away. But not familiar with such obstacles, Kirk let his spool go and as the bird went airborne he caught the bird as it circles around us. "Nice going Kirk! Great Catch!!"

To make a long story short, (hell they taste like chicken not fish) he reeled the bird in and I un-hooked the Pelican and it took off, no worse the wear. We plan a day, he's been to "BFE" and back, we get out to the jetties, and on his first cast he hooks a Pelican!

WHO'D EVER GUESS?

I told him, "man this is gonna make great Blog material! Everyone's gonna read about this.....let me grab my camera, and capture your first cast catch!"

Notice he's looking UP in the photo?

That's where birds fly.

His second cast, thank goodness was something that had fins and scales. And was a fat Ring-tailed Porgie! Not the easiest fish to hook with their tiny mouths, and up tight inside the rocks. But it proved to me that at least he can feel a bite, and this man can cast a bait caster! My kinda guy.....except for the bird fishing incident! So we continued on. But caught not much else except a tiny bluefish or two. The tide was officially high. And whatever current we had was over.

So I pulled anchor, and we went to power drifting the north jetty. Our drifting was just from the slight breeze we had, but their ought to be at least some better action over here, I thought. YEP, more blues. But as we worked the area, here came the first wave of current and darker river water......perfect! And we scored 2- Reds, one 26" and another 28 incher and another Black Drum, and a few yellowmouth trout and blues drifting the area while pitching up to the rocks.

Easily done with the fuel efficiency of a HONDA outboard and the non-aggravating and silent PURRR of the engine. I told Kirk, "it's my 225 horse power trolling motor." And from the trolling motors that I've beat the hell outa, a whole lot more dependable, too.

Since this was just the prelude to what we were really going to do, it wasn't all that bad starting at the high tide with no current.

Our real plan was to do some Float-rig fishing at the jetties. Kirk said all he read about was how much I loved watching my float go down, so he was anxious to see how it was all done. And especially after Wednesday's Massacre (12/12) I had while fishing solo, Kirk would ask questions about float fishing as we were jig fishing. I said, "don't worry, you'll see because even though we'll be early for it, were gonna go do it in a little while".

I say, early for it because the tide works forward about 50 minutes each day, and the same exact tide I was on Wednesday at 3:30-4:00pm will be a 5:30pm-6:00pm today.

So "pushing it" we went to do some Float fishing.

I got on the spot, gave Kirk the finer points, and he pitched his float-rig behind the boat. Thinking it would take awhile to get bit, he looked away over at a passing boat and of course that's when his float went down! "DAMN....that fish almost yanked the rod outa my hand!" Not realizing this is I.G. style fishing, Kirk was shocked that his shrimp lasted 20 seconds out there, before reeling in his first Trout, a very spunky Yellowmouth.

The rally was ON! He and I caught, boxed or released full of "spit and vinegar" Specks and Yellowmouths for a few hours and never moved the boat. Never lost a rig, and caught one fish after another on the float rig. "This is what I wanted to see", Kirk said. I told him, "this is classic winter action. Don't think it's like this in July, it all about time of year and water temp. and it's full bore action at its finest!"

We ended up catching fish till we were out of Live Shrimp, the cooler was full and the sun set. So we headed back to the boat ramp. Where we planned on doing it all over again on Tuesday.

The weather guessers say all of this 80 degree

warmth is gonna stop this weekend as the

"front" that has slammed the rest of the

country heads south, and it's supposed to get cold and windy.

Kirk won't mind, he's up for the challenge! I hope my Monday trip is too, if indeed the weather does change. I have a Marathon Runner coming from New England to fish on Monday.

Kirk and I talked back at the boat ramp, and he said he'd never thought the action would be that good. And he's never caught so many fish.

I get call after call from people wanting to do a trip, who never even look at all the info I provide for them on my web site. It's all here! The good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly. Doing research pays HUGE dividends in the charter world!!!

This is what I live for all year!

Not the steamy, hot, miserable weeks around July 4th, that's for sure! It's just too bad that these Holidays also coincide with great fishing here in N.E. Florida. Because people's focus right now is not on how good the fishing is in J-ville, Florida. But it should be!

Ya' know if I had my druthers, I'd be here from Nov. 1 till June 1, and then move my whole operation to Maine, fish for Stripers and Bluefish in Maine with NY city vacationers all summer, and then come back to Florida for the winter/spring season. Ahhhh, would that be the ticket. I'd be one happy Float Freak....wonder if I could catch a Striper on a Float-rig in Maine??

12/12 - ROCK RIOT!

If you read Monday's report (12/10/07) things looked rather dim at the jetties for a float rig freak like me. Yeah, I was all upset, and could tell I was kinda pissy. But as an update to that report, I'd like to add...."I really think the moon had a lot to do with the bite." And since I'm up at 5am-6am, and usually start my fishing days early. I may have not given Monday a full chance. And got disgusted and went home too early.....actually started too early, and gave up too early, is what it was.

I live and breath the tides. Which in turn is also the current. As a float-rig fisherman. Tossing a jig or lure can have its good and bad tides. But basically, you can cast a jig or lure any ole time on any ole tide. But as a float man, I pay close attention to the details of the tide, like current speed, tide height: how low is the low tide, how high is the high? Because I'm kinda locked in to the current flow, even when jetty fishing.

So now that today was 3 days after the New moon, "I saw the tiny sliver of white on the moon tonight". It only made sense to me that when I went out early this morning, that I'd be cussing and moaning till low tide, that seemed to take forever to come. And I caught damn near zero all day n the incoming, and only got into fish, as the tide got really low.....just like I always do on a full moon too.

So I didn't even pay attention to my "own" Full & New Moon rule, these last few days!!
-Only fish the last 4 hours or so of the low tide!!
Why do I forget my own rules? I'll tell ya why.....I go too early, because I like being out there in my boat, but end up kicking myself in the pants, because at the jetties it's all about that low tide on the New & Full moons. And today the tide got really low!

So, I arrived to find a buddy sitting along the rocks after I went and jigged a spot with not a single bite, except Bluefish. I couldn't believe it. But he said he was getting some Yellowmouth trout, so I'll try that too. It was pretty much "I.G." - (Instantaneous Gratification) as I tossed my shrimp up to the jetty rocks. "Okay, things are looking up!" Then came the Speckled Trout.
And this one, too. That had not a spot on its body, just on its fins.

As the tide got lower and lower, I started catching either a Speck or a Yellowmouth on every single pitch up to the rocks!

So I tried, looking for bigger fish. And casting out deeper. BINGO.....bigger Specks out deeper.
And Yellowmouths up tight to the rocks!

By now, I had my limit of yellowmouths 15-18"and 4 Specks from 15-18". And was waiting for a bigger Speck.....and my float went down! The drag peeled, and this fish was what I was hunting for, and it came from out deeper. BIG SPECK....I could see it, so I grabbed the net. Looks to be a 5 pounder at least! BAM...it pulled off the hook right as I was reaching down to dip it up in the net! So, my largest Trout ended up being this exact 20 incher.

Okay....the Trout fishing is on fire. I have my limit. So what do I do now? Go in? NOT!

After Monday's disgusting trip. I'm catching me a lot of fish. So I continued to catch some Trout behind the boat. But things were looking kinda sweet in front of where I was anchored, now.

The rocks were all exposed, and I was learning something very valuable about the Jetty rocks where I was parked, in relation to where the fish were. I could find a distinct edge! Up in too tight, no bites, just outside a bit, a lot of bites, out deeper yet, bigger Trout. Now let's see if the proven area in front of my boat has the same thing going on??

So I jumped up on my bow deck, and made a long bomb cast, right on that same edge. SLAM DUNK!!!!!!! Wheww, my float went down instantly and I just had my name engraved on a silver platter! "That was a BIG fish!"....And it broke me off in the rocks. So I tied on another hook, and made a pitch right to the same spot with a fresh shrimp. Again....INSTANT HOOK-UP! And I'm not using my bigger fish float-rig rod and reel. A long battle gave up a nice big 31" Redbass! Then another, then another, then another.....Can ya see where I'm going with this?

I had Reds, back to back, taking a breather about every two Reds, to catch a Trout off the stern of the boat, till I had caught (15) Reds from 27" to 33". IT WAS A LIGHT-TACKLE FISH RIOT!

And a classic Full or New moon kind of bite. I've been here before and had the same thing happen. ( I had so many I tried holding up the number of fingers of how many fish, I caught)












These weren't lil pup reds either, they were all brusiers, with one that measured 27" exactly., That went in the fish box. And it never entered my mind that I had a heavier rod and reel sitting in my rod rack, that I bought just for these big mean jetty Reds.

I was using a set-up that is really addictive for Float-rig fishing. Its a G. Loomis 8'2" Greenwater rod, matched up with a Shimano Curado DSV 300, a "low profile reel" that has a 6.3:1 gear ratio but holds well over 190 yards of 50# super braid line, if the diameter is that of 14# mono. No other light weight, low profile reel holds that much line. And let me tell ya, this ain't no wimpy Bass reel. It man handles these big Reds as well or better than a Abu Garcia 6500. If I can some day afford more, there will be 4 more in my reel arsenal. I'm that impressed!











I first heard of this high line capacity saltwater/freshwater low profile Shimano reel on my favorite fishing show, Larry Dalhberg's 'Hunt For Big Fish' Where Larry and a Shimano guy where using them for Golden Dorado below a damn in Venezuela. And these fish are a combination of as Redfish, Snook, and Tarpon all rolled into one, and weigh 50-7o pounds! Of course, I fell for the shows "objective", when I had to get me no less than two of them, ASAP. And I'm glad I did. I've fished them now for 6 months without doing a damn thing to either of them....just a wipe with a clean wet rag.

The lightness of my entire Float-rig setup is so nice to fish with all day long. Now, I wish Shimano would come out with a BIG game version, of this reel, just a tad larger, larger counter-balanced handle, and even more line capacity.

As I continued catching these Reds, taking out revenge for having such a crappy day on Monday
it started to take it's toll. I was getting tired!

Can ya believe that. But really the rod was a little light for all this pulling and tugging. But the "burn" did feel good, I'll admit.

As you can see, just holding the fish up like I did in the first few photos wasn't working out as planned. And I was hurrying. But, I wanted some good Reports Blog material, for ya'll.

People ask me all the time, "If your alone, how do you get those pictures?" Never buy a Camera that doesn't come with a timer, if your a fisherman, I tell them. I set the timer and jump in front of the camera. I learned this trick off an ole friend, who always fished alone and always had plenty of self portraits.



I tried to give a "sign" after I took a picture of number 5 because there was no way to hold up 6 or 7 fingers and the fish at the same time.

I certainly hope that potential clients find all this hard work, informative (yeah, it's work doing these reports after fishing all day.) Because I certainly do not see anything nearly as thorough on any other fishing guides web sites. I've tried it all. Doing magazine articles (Jax Fisherman Magazine for 6 years), my own fishing videos (which can be found at the local Gander Mountain and on my tackle shop web page) and Saturday morning radio shows (WNNR AM 970 & WNZS/ESPN SPORTS 1460 AM) I have to say, this daily reports blog is cheapest to do, by far.



I had about a 1/2 dozen shrimp left and could have kept on going.....but after (30-40) Trout, and the (15) big Reds , I felt that enough revenge was sought, so I pitched the shrimp over the side, packed everything up, and headed back to the boat ramp. Feeling like, I never come out here without learning something new, or at least reminded of how I sometimes don't even take my own advise. Which is; "fish the right tides and save yourself a lot of frustration and time" But it was another beautiful day out there. Makes me feel good to be able to appreciate it, even though things are slow now right before Christmas.

Hey, treat yourself! Give me a call and we'll go try and get you into a fish riot of your own.

12/10 - After weekend whoa's

Holy, blank fish finders Batman! What a crappy day I had today. And I was so looking forward to a Monday, when the river isn't like I-95 before Thanksgiving.
All ya had to do is go to B&M bait and tackle and observe the traffic going through there to realize, EVERYONE WHO OWNED A BOAT WAS GOING, this weekend. Due to the flat calm conditions.

So I laid back, held on and waited my turn....till Monday, after the crazy weekend blitz of people. I had such "high hopes", because the tide was in my favor on a favorite spot(s), where in the winter I wackz them good and hard 99.95% of the time. Last day I caught the tide perfectly on this same spot(s) was November 14th and here was the outcome:



Not too shabby, huh?





Yeah it was a calm cool day, a Wednesday. No one around, just me and Nick out filling two 72 qt coolers, plus releasing just as many!


Well, today I never had a bite at the same places on the exact same kind of tide. Except from Bluefish and a few other assorted bait snatchers.

There's the ole saying, "sometimes you eat the Alligator, and sometimes the Alligator eats YOU!

Or when I have a charter, they always say; "that's why they call it fishing, huh?" And of course I know, they just picked a really lousy day, out of 365!!

Well, I don't believe in such theories, really. Those un-scientific ones, like an ole "saying". I work triple hard and stick it out to the very end and do all I can to make it turn around till I'm totally beat, and mentally FRIED! And this is what I did today, and eventually caught one 19" Trout, some Bluefish, a puffer on a MirrOlure, and of course the Mangos are still out in force on ever single rock in the river. (our now resident Mango's)


I truly believe and from my experience, which I have no technical data to back up except for a lot of days in pursuit of Trout alone, that when we have a seriously wacky Barometer, the fish that swim up in the water column, turn off FIRST. Unlike the bottom dwellers, IE: Flounder, Reds, Drum, etc. But I couldn't catch any of those either!! I tried.


The first thing I did notice is my live shrimp. Usually they are in up the bucket swimming around when I get them from the bait shop and are putting them in my live well. Today they weren't. They, all 6 dozen of them were laying in a pile on the bottom of the bucket not moving. I had to stick my hand in there and move them around to check if they were alive!

Then in my live well, they are usually up and swimming around, again......laying on the bottom. Hmmmmmm.....things that make ya think a bit.


Another thing I noticed is that I saw no "fuzz" on my screen anywhere I went. Fuzz is defined as "bio-mass" aka: "Life on the bottom". I fished my spots hard and tried everything, while looking at a blank "12 inch screen" with a single red line as the bottom, on my color sounder. No schools of bait, no fuzz, no piles of Croakers, no glass minnows.......nothing.


But the funny thing is that the bait-stealers are still out in force, although they could have been worse. Nothing turns them off. As I made casts with a jig-n-shrimp up to the jetty rocks, and had zero bites I'd end up sticking the rod in the holder and letting it sit on the bottom, eventually they'd find it and tiny lil snatchers would eat the shrimp off the hook. If I was a beer drinker still, it would have been a good day to sit back, watch the rod jiggle while the snatchers got a free meal and ate a bag of Ruffles potato chips!


















Here's a chart of the Barometer from 12/7-12/11 on the bottom and the pressure along the side. Look at the barometer between 12/10 at 00 hrs and 12/10 1200 hrs ....."up and down up and down".

So if the "general rule" is :

*Rising Barometer: Fishing is Best
*Rapidly Fluctuating: Indication of good fishing (regardless of fluctuating up or down).
*Static Barometer: Fishing is poor
*Falling Barometer: First part of fall is good fishing. After the fall continues for several hours, the more the it goes down the poorer fishing will be.
*Unusually Low Barometer: Don't bother as there is no fishing.


Where the heck does today fit into this scenario?

Was it that today was the day after the new moon?


Certainly the last few days would be refered to as "bluebird" days. Blue skies, no winds, sunny, and oh so calm, and 75 degrees in December. Just the kinda day that makes you run out with a big bucket of shrimp, wack some fatties, have a ball and go home oh so satisfied, that your a fisherman in Florida and not in Michigan, right?


Well, since I can't figure any of it out. I'll just go with the saying "sometimes you eat the Alligator, and sometimes the Alligator eats you", because after 6 hrs and a lot of running around and hard work on my part catching nothing.....and couldn't give away a live shrimp to a GAME FISH, I'll just wait till it starts blowing and gets cold, the jetties are rough as a cob again, because that's when I do my best most of the time.

I wasn't alone either. One of the better Trout fisherman I know was struggling hard, also and had several friends out there not having as much fun as they had planned, too.


C'C'mon wind and big swells.....looks like you're my best "Jetty" friend.
(see the White Water behind me??)

12/09 - Killer Rides!

Ya know I love aluminum "plate alloy" boats to be exact. Because of their toughness.
And since Christmas has everything around here at a dead stand still. I found the perfect Christmas Present I'd love to give myself and Dad....(don't know if mom would be up to it).

All we have to do is get on an air plane, fly to New Zealand, find where these guys are, and go for the ride of a lifetime, and then come back to J-ville. (I may never come back, though!)

I'm facinated with rocks, white water, and water jet propulsion on boats.
So this takes care of all my "wonders".
I just won't forget my 'Depends' undergarment!

12/7 - Test, this was only a Test!

Went with Cappy Bryan today. He just got his boat back from the Mako factory where some warranty issues were being addressed. So it's been 70...something days since he's been in his boat, (he was Jones'n) and what did we do. Head out to test it, on an offshore trip! Close in, but offshore none the less. We headed out the jetties, and it was a "soup sandwich". So Bryan says, "forget this lets turn around, any wind direction with a "N" or an "E" in the beginning, FORGET IT!"

Hell, I was all ready! I was Grundens slickers from head to toe, had my Crocs duck shoes on, I was ready to get wet and tossed around. So instead, Bryan heads back in and up river to a good ole Trout spot. "Thank goodness we brought 4 dozen shrimp along for the ride. "

The Trout bite was hot. But most of the fish were smaller 14-1/2 inchers, and Bryan caught most of them too.

Out of nearly 20, 5 were keepers up to 20 inches, on this one and only spot we fished. Not a good ratio. I also pitched a jig-n-shrimp combo meal, besides a float-rig.

The weather was not at all what it sounded to be last night. It was overcast, cold and windy. "Didn't I read SE winds 5-10 kts.??" Well, it was North, Northeast, 15 knots! And the sky "looked like winter" . But I'm a boy scout, I came prepared and was very comfortable in my foul weather gear.

And the funny thing is, all I caught on the jig-n-shrimp was a small Lane Snapper.

So before ya knew it the 4 dozen shrimp were almost gone. And Bryan says, "can ya get rid of that last shrimp in the well?" It was a tiny little shrimp too, almost too small to fish with. I said, "sure can, I'll make one last cast with it", So I pin it on my jig, while Bryan pulls the anchor. And I get hit, I set the hook and the fish pulls a little drag. Then, the fish gets stuck in something on the bottom. I yell, "pull up, pull up ahead, the fish ran me into something!" I end up getting the fish out of the structure, and it's a really pretty Gag Grouper, 18 inches. I got "rocked-up" by a river Grouper!!

So a Lane snapper and a Gag Grouper....(almost like the offshore fishing trip, for me.)

With a few Trout added in....that's funny.

Two days ago a 18-1/2" Red Snapper at the jetties that a client caught....

(Ut Oh, Commentary brewing....)

And the State is thinking of sucking water out of the St. Johns River so Orlando residents have fresh water to drink?

Screw them, then the state shouldn't let developers go hawg wild! Greedy damn tax sucking governments!

What's next if they do that, "King Mackerel down town?"

12/5 - Cold, Crisp, Clear, Calm, I love days like this!

Had Don and Joe on board, and had plans to go down in the river for the day, but at the boat ramp changed my mind and went east, again. The lure of the big rocks, the multiple species and the big water. It calls me all winter, and I can't shake it. And that was a good thing, because we caught some nice "multiple species" today. From pup Reds, and Reds too big, Drum perfect sized eaters, big Yellowmouth Trout, Speckled Trout, add in a few Croaka's, Seabass, and Bluefish round out the bait stealer crowd, and one Genuine Red Snapper.........(18 1/2 inches)

AT THE JETTY ROCKS!

I've fished out there for a long time, and have done it all. Jigged, bottom fished, float rigged, lure fished, and caught some uncommon species, like Bonita while casting a spoon, Almaco Jacks on jigs and a pogie, Cobia on jigs and shrimp, Dog Snappers on jigs and shrimp and even Barracuda on top water plugs. Ballyhoo in my cast net, but today was the first time I've ever had anyone catch a Red Snapper at the jetty rocks, on a jig and shrimp.

I heard they are in really close, but man this is close! I thought we had another Drum, but Joe said it was fighting different. And when I went for the net, and looked back into the water, I was shocked when this "chicken" Snapper popped up to the surface.

We had a better tide for jigging than float-rigging, so I set the anchor and the guys had a 28" Redfish and two 22" Black Drum and a 20" Yellowmouth, and a 2 pound Jack Crevalle in the first 20 minutes of being on the spot. Not bad!

I don't get why a Jack is still here, the water temp was a cool 65 degrees.....ain't it time for them to head to Ft. Pierce??

It's my favorite time of year! I could easily give up June, July, August, and September, and go live some where else, and then come back to J-ville for this kind of fishing. On a Cold, Crisp, Clear, Calm winter Day! We fished the spot till the bluefish showed up and drove us outa there. And we lost a few big fish to the rocks, also.

I was very lucky....or more like the fella's were that they knew how to cast a bait casting reel, cause I don't use spinners....I hate them things!

They quickly picked up the jigging technique that isn't all that easy to do, if you've never taken a 3/8th's ounce jighead and bounced it down a set of 10 ton granite boulders covered in all kinds of tackle and marine growth. Feel the "tick, tick" of a bite and then pull a big fish out of there on the literal "fairy wand" GL3 Loomis popping rods I had them using.

We caught Trout after the jetty bite quit on the float-rig, but most were small, and we kinda jig fished right through most of the best part of the falling tide. So we tried a few other spots, but ended up back jigging the rocks, and picked up another over sized Red. Dang...no slots??

Then, the blues showed up again so we went and did some heavier rod, deeper water, swifter current float-rig fishing. Where Don caught a slot Red, exactly 27". And a few more Specks, with one 18 incher for the cooler.

We worked this spot till it just didn't work any longer. And by now, is when the weather forecast

came true. The 15 knots from the west.

The tide was coming in on the bottom and the boat was all over the place, and when I went to move my anchor was caught on another anchor line someone cut off. Ya' know when you really understand the jetties?? It's when you pull up to a spot and tell the folks on board, that there's anchor lines down there, and then what happens.....ya get stuck on one. Hmmmmm... I wonder how I know that?

Been there, done that a few times? Yeah, that's for sure. Just like I have names for certain rocks out there too. There's the Bull Rock, the Prudential Rock, the Flat Rock, and Round Rock, and the Poop Rock.

I just realized, I never took a picture of the Specks that were caught....how could I?

They're "my" fish, and I didn't include them?

How could I!

Overall, it was a good day. It had its trials and tribulations.....some days have none. But that's usually only when I'm alone. But Don and Joe learned a lot, even though Don was a float-rigger from way back. I was pleased when an ole Float-rigger learns a new trick or two. It's one thing I can teach very well, since that's where my passion lies.

Looks like the rest of this week is gonna be okay:

FRIDAY SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. INLAND WATERS SMOOTH. AREAS OF EARLY MORNING DENSE FOG WITH VISIBILITY 1NM OR LESS.

SATURDAY EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH. AREAS OF EARLY MORNING DENSE FOG WITH VISIBILITY 1NM OR LESS.

SATURDAY NIGHT EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS. INLAND WATERS SMOOTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

MONDAY NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

Come on, "Lets Go Fishin". A 'private charter' with Capt Dave, makes for a really nice Christmas present for a son, daughter, or the wife. Quality time spent together, in the sea air, is good for the soul, and a fine way to spend time with a family member.

12/2 - It was S-W-E-L-L

Headed out again solo after some getting a few calls, that of course they never panned out. I just don't get it, why call me if you don't want to go out and have a lot of FUN.

So I did without them.

There was a monster swell at the jetties today. Why I couldn't figure. The tide wasn't strong at all. We didn't even have a 4 foot tide. But around the jetties the water movement was huge.


Especially noticeable at the tips of the jetty rocks. Swells 6 foot and maybe larger crashed on the rocks. Especially on the incoming tide. It was "kawagunga dude" where I fished. I certainly wouldn't have been where I was if I had people on board I'm sure. I sat in an area today that was for the well seasoned jetty fisherman. But it had clear water. And of course there was plenty of fish there if you could stay on two feet while fishing. I had some come around the rocks, but didn't have anyone anchor up near me. So being the fishing snob I am, I was glad they didn't have the "sand" to join me.

On my second cast of a jig-n-shrimp up to the rocks I had this pretty multi-spotted 28" Redfish.
Yes, I threw jigs most of the day. I was hoping to do some float-rig fishing on the incoming, but the crowds were out in force, this morning, so I stayed on the jig most of the morning.


I also got to try out a new anchor, and it was a good day for it. I usually use my own Jettywolf Anchor's. Just a jetty style anchor with tines, but my designs are so much better than those bait shop rebar ones. But in the rough water, when I need to anchor in sand, the ole JettyWolf anchor just won't hold well. So I bought one of those collapsible "reef"anchors. It looks like one of those anchors a kayaker would use. The difference is theirs is light weight, and mine weighs in at 12 pounds. Add 8 foot of chain that comes in at 12 pounds too. And I have a nice anchor to hold in the soft bottom, that I can carry and won't take up a bunch of room in my boat.


I fished where I did, starting at low tide, because there's been some Drum in the area. And I didn't want to bottom fish (bait-n-wait) so jigging on light tackle (L.T.) was what I had in mind for the Drum. The swell surely had to be tough on the fishing, since after the first Redfish on my 2nd cast it took quite a while to score a drum, but I did. I caught 4 of them. Two were worth boxing, and two were too small to be worth it.


I know the photo of the seas certainly don't do it justice, but it was tough fishing, standing, and jigging where I was. But it was a whole lot better since I was alone and I wasn't being waked every two minutes. The sets of swells would almost come in on a predictable pattern. If I could have had customers out there, they would had to be experienced and had some serious sea-legs on.


I sound like a broke record, I'm sure. But I have the boat to be able to do what I do. I was safe, comfortable and dry as a bone as I sat in the back wash of the huge walls of water crashing on the jetty rocks. You know your in love with your boat when on every trip, your re-confirmed that it was a great decision to have it built.

I continued catching Reds rather than more Black Drum. I've done this before, wishing each Redfish was a Drum. After the first Red, I really have no use for them. I wanted fish for the box.


I caught a few big fat Yellowmouth Trout, on a jig with a spinner on the bottom. It sinks slower, and I really jig it after I cast up to the rocks so the spinner blade flutters, and with a live shrimp pinned to the hook, it's a definite a Trout catcher. But I caught Reds on it, too.


As the tide changed I did move on to explore the rest of the rocks. So I hit the south Jetty, and of course it had people all over it. But I shmoozed on in to a decent spot. The water was really sandy, and there wasn't any decent current. But I did make 6 casts with the float-rig and came up with 2- Speckled Trout, and a small pup Redfish.


Then, disgusted with dirty water and no current I moved on. It's really funny how some people camp out on a spot. I guess it's in hope that something will come their way. Personally, I have found especially on the float-rig, if there's active fish in the area, they'll make their presence know right quick. I have a saying when I have customers on-board, and they're fishing the float. If they each make 5 drifts on a spot, that's 10-15 drifts through an area. If we don't get bit by then, there's no fish on this spot. And hell, if I'm waiting around for the bite to magically turn on. Many times, if there's a big trout on the spot, we'll catch them on the 1st drift. It's like clock work, and happens every time. It's the nature of the presentation. It gets their attention, quickly.

I caught a few small trout up along the navy base and was waked by boaters that can't even give ya' a 100 yard berth. I'm anchored 20 feet from the bank and had people zooming by 50 feet from me, when they have the whole river. And are supposed to utilize the CHANNEL. Yes, the channel......If ya don't believe me, just ask the USCG. I don't always agree with that either, but when underway from one place to another in navigable waters, your supposed to be in the marked channel. But we all know there's nit-wits out there on weekends that haven't a clue of the "rules of the road", or common courtesy.


So I went back to the only spot where I had some peace and quiet......alone with the giant swells that now rolled in with the incoming tide.

And continued to catch more Reds.
I ended up with 12 Reds, one was a slot size, and I put it in the fish box. two were small, and the rest were too big, up to 31 inches.
I had the 4 Black Drum, kept two. and had 4 Specks, two I kept, and a few Yellowmouths.

I took 6 dozen live shrimp and still had some left in the live well, when I packed it in and headed for home.

Overall it was a decent day. I could stand a Monday like this a whole lot easier, but heck ya have to soak up the 80 degree December days when ya get them, huh?

I certainly am not gonna feel bad when I have someone booked for a trip if they are local, and it's 40 degrees all day long. Because they certainly had their chance at fishing in the warmth lately.

Overall, you cannot not miss if you go to the big rocks, right now. Tis' the season, for the jetties. But I miss the river, too. Since ever day I've been to the inlet lately, it's been rough. Today was kinda tough on the body. As I sit here now, I still feel the ocean moving.

Next up for me is a Wednesday trip, with one guy. It's guaranteed to be cold and maybe windy. Because he missed a dead calm weekday "window", last Thursday.

11/30 - Hurricane seasons over...so I went fishin' in the Slop.

Today, was the last day of the Hurricane season in Florida...bet ya haven't gave that much thought, have ya'?


Well, I had my nose seriously out of joint yesterday. I had a charter on Wednesday, well it was scheduled at least. Then, Wednesday morning at 6:30am I called my customer and said, "well we won't be going in this Small Craft Advisory today, the winds blowing 20 knots from the N.E. So let's go tomorrow. There's gonna be light winds Thursday." My customer, says he doesn't want to go on Thursday, and we reschedule for next week.

I hang up thinking, W-H-A-T?


So I get all tangled up on Thursday doing the "Bob Villa" thing, installing new appliances in my kitchen. Well new to me, given to me by my Aunt who got "brand new" ones. So all day, all I could think of was, "incoming tide, Trout, Reds in the green water...slam dunking fish after fish on another 80 degree November day" . Yeah, that's what it would have been like. But for some reason my customer and I are not out there. I'm installing a dish washer, overhead Microwave, and a stove, with no hardware....."where's those damn screws??"


So of course, today's forecast wasn't nearly as good, as Thursday. Just so you know, if your a possible potential customer, ALWAYS TAKE MY WEATHER ADVICE. Being a fishing guide usually also means we are "marine weatherman" too. Most of the time the forecasts on TV are for a Walmart parking lot on the west side of J-ville. Screw that! Listen to me! I know my watery world, that's why YOU are hiring me....or so I think.

To get my nose out of joint, I had to go today. I had 5 dozen live shrimp still in my boat that Nick and I didn't use last Wednesday while in his boat, and they are now sub dividing the livewell and selling condos in there! They need to die in a Trout or Reds mouth. I hate it when they get too comfortable in there.

So I went at 8am. Which was too early, because the area I fished when I got there was a falling tide but had no real current. Plus, the water was really dirty. So I had to hang around and picked and poked till I saw that green water moving. Plus, today it was cold and overcast and windy from the NW and then North later in the day. But I did get to literally watch the "front" pass right by. The sky finally opened up, and it got sunny and warmer in a matter of just minutes as the mass of clouds headed south like a blanket being pulled across the sky.


So when that current came and the water cleared up, here came the fish. I was float-riggin along with my "L.T." rod and reel (light tackle), when I got my butt handed to me by a big Red that I couldn't stop. My 8'2" Loomis 'greenwater' rod bowed like a horseshoe, as I tried real hard to keep the fish out of the rocks. Pop! Went that 15# leader. So I grabbed my "B.T." the Loomis Bucara 8 footer (big tackle) that is a man's kinda rod! It has big handles, and handles big fish!

I pitched out and drifted to the same spot, and in the choppy water the float was bobbing up and down and when my eye caught up with it again, the float disappeared. I reeled fast and lifted...."Oh, no......another ass hander". And before I could yell "WHOA NELLIE", the leader popped on a rock. WOW, Big Reds in the Slop, again. If I forgot to mention, the water was nasty rough, and the waves were folding....again!

It seems that either the SLOP likes me or I like the SLOP, because I seem to always be fishing in it. It's okay. I can handle it.


As soon as those reds showed up they were gone, because I just couldn't get another bite like those. The wind was honkin' and the anchor kept pulling free, and every 5 minutes the boat would drift off the spot. ARRRGGG!

So I re anchored, in a patch of calmer water behind a high rock. Pitched out the B.T. again and started catching Specks! "Hmm, I can dig it."

But the only problem was that I didn't bring any ice for the cooler. I was doing a serious "on a budget" trips today. And man were these
Trout nice and fat. I easily had my limit of
5 trout as I rotated between the "B.T. & L.T." rigs.





Mixed in were those classic winter species, Weakfish aka: yellowmouths.
And they sure are spunky. I can usually call it when I have a Speck or a Yellers hooked up. The Speck just doesn't run like the other "less respectable Trout".

But I love 'em all. Yellowmouth Trout are just plain fun to catch, I think. But of course I really love those monster Speckled Trout. I like the way they hunt, and what you as a angler have to look for to catch'em.

I was really hoping to hook up another big Red, because I was now more alert and that blanket of clouds was now gone. The sun was out and the day just looked better. But as hard as I tried, it was just more Specks and Yellowmouth Trout. Either way, both were running 18-20 inches.
Which ain't bad.






You can see, I didn't take the time to even photograph the Yellowmouths the way I did the Specks. But I do respect the fiesty fight they give. They're not the "Rodney Dangerfield" fish, that everyone makes them out to be. If you're looking for fast action, and big ones, the jetties in the winter is your place! I've caught them to 6 pounds out there, and the largest was caught on a MirrOlure 52-MR. They will also take a jig and grub tail, and they will gobble a DOA shrimp.



I love the jetties in the winter!



I got about 10 Specks and 8 Yellers,
and the action just died. So I headed
into the river. Not far, but just inside.


The tide was now high as it was gonna get, I had 5 live shrimp left, and I wasn't quiting till either the bait was gone or I caught a Redfish!!

I had to be redeemed. My pride was hurt loosing those two big fish back to back, I'll admit to that!



So I anchored up on a spot where I've caught, Reds, Trout, Flounder & Sheepshead. Let me re-state that...really, by now there isn't many spot where I haven't caught all those species and more. But when I pick a spot to go to it's, "what have I caught here recently, can I float-rig it in these conditions, and is the current right?" That's what goes through my mind, before I drop anchor. Oh, that's another thing, "what's the best anchoring angle, to be able to drift the spot?"

My 3rd drift out I had a bite as I tightened up my line. It fought good, wanting to get back to the structure. But gave up kinda quick.......Pup Redfish. Well, I guess it's time to quit and go home, right? That's what I said I'd do, but now my curiosity was peaked, so I pitched out and made a few more drifts in what little current or wind drift there was left. Float went down and I had a nice Trout. It came to the surface three times and was really putting on a show for me as it jumped a few times. That's something not all Trout do. But this one was spunky.




Okay, time to pack it in. Clean out the livewell, put everything away and head to the ramp, and
not clean any fish. Which was a time saver, I thought. Because when I got to the boat ramp I
saw ole Bud, from Boaters World sitting at the ramp reading a book in his car. He said his wife was in Minnesota up in the 22 degree's, so he could do anything he wanted, and waste as much time as he wanted doing nothing. I told him, "sounds like your leading the life of Dave...because that's me. I do anything I want, mostly."


He'd never seen my new boat close up so I gave him the .50 cent tour, before I put it on the trailer and headed home, to do my BLOG report for all of you!



















Please remember when reserving your charter:
-Heed my advice on winter weather, good or bad.
-Remember your hiring a professional Guide, not a Taxi cab.
-Try your best to do some kind of planning.
-Tides matter.
-Boat traffic matters.
-Weekdays are great.

11/27 - Research & Development....or Fly Fishing?

Had a great window after the morning rains to go hit the inshore waters with a buddy in his 17 footer. So we went out as the tide was rising, went in some creeks and tried our best to figure out how to get from "East Hannah Mills" area, across from the Sisters creek boat ramp all the way up to Weir Creek....also known as, Garden Creek at the mouth of Ft. George above the Kingsley Plantation.

Well, we got pretty darn far up in there heading north. But the use of a 12 foot ladder would have been a great tool to have. Because as we went in creeks and got to dead-ends, we couldn't see over the marsh grass to find the next creek that lead north.

With just the aid of a small handheld GPS that had a map, we didn't get lost, but we never did find our way up to or close to Ft. George area via the maze of creeks back there. I did it once a long time ago, in my 17' skiff I had. I went from Weir Creek (Garden) all the way down to across from the boat ramp at the Sisters Creeks Bridge. It's serious back waters, and can ya' believe we still ran into another boat on a Wednesday morning??? The tide was high, so we really didn't fish much back there.

Frustrated we ditched our plans and came out a creek into the ICW, almost where we wanted....but still over a mile short of our plan.

The Trolling motor (of course) was going wacko. So we lost the real use of that item. So onward we went into the Ft. George area at high tide. Zero was going on, and only caught a big Whiting that had mosied in from the inlet and was sniffing around an oyster bar. And as the tide started to fall we hit all the places I've caught great winter Trout before....and I caught just ONE!

The whole area seemed dead. We went outside the bridge and of course every single bank with structure had a "LBA" on it......a land based angler. So we couldn't hug the structure. Nick my buddy said, "Boy, Jacksonville's un-employment rate must be thru the roof, since even on a Wednesday there's people everywhere ya go!"

So we worked our way back inside Ft. George. It's been more than a coons age since I've been up there and the place is just one huge sand bar these days, compared to years ago. But some of the same spots I used to fish were still the same. Still no Trout! So we tried another spot.....and Nick caught a really nice one. Then we had 2 questionable sized fish, we released. Then, I got a big fattie.

As all of this was going on, we started to notice that the whole boat was covered in small FLIES!

I'm not talking 50 or 100.....but a thousands of small FLIES. They were covering the whole boat. We laughed and joked about it at first, and I said, "hey buddy, I think ya need to pressure wash this boat with some Clorox and soap, ya have some funk attracting them". But really that wasn't it, maybe someone didn't shower?? hahahahah. They were coming out of the marsh grass or something. Attracted to the boat for some reason. And then came the gnats. At first they were just in our ears, but as we kept fishing we started getting them in our mouths as we talked....I swallowed a few hundred! Nick was freakin out! I kept fishing.


We were perfectly positioned on a spot that SHOULD have been a Trout fest. A beautiful bank with thick oysters, marsh grass and good water flow, and the tide was falling fast. If there's a classic looking Trout bank in Ft. George this spot was one of them. But the fish were sporadic. I even caught a big Lookdown. What a cool fish! A chrome hub cap, with fins and a mouth.

That's the cool thing about Ft. George and Nassau Sound. Sometimes you catch uncommon fish while looking for Trout.

By now the gnats were really bad. We couldn't breath they were so thick on us, and the boat was literally covered with flies. WE NEED TO HAVE THIS BOAT EXORCISED!!!!!

Nick couldn't take it a second longer. And he did his best. But I was the one in shorts, he had long pants on. Maybe I could take it because he caught one more trout than I did and I wanted to up him. I was willing to stay. I kept saying, "see when the wind blows....they all go away", but there was hardly any wind. I was just saying that to bide some more time for my float to go down!

We ended up leaving and had two big fat Trout in the box. And ran as fast as that lil boat can go, 40 MPH. Which is pretty fast! All the way back to the lil Jetties where we fished a really good spot. And on a Wednesday, remember....watched the USCG want to come hassle us, but turned away at the last moment for some reason, then watched boat after boat blow the "No wake zone", just after the FWC passed by. Then, got waked some more by idiots that just don't get it. And then watched the FWC come back and BLOW the no wake zone himself.

I think we learned their trick. When they want to run that zone behind the Lil' Jetties, they just put on their Blue Lights! And run thru it. Because it was WAY too obvious to us as we watched them pull into the zone, turn on the blue lights, get up on plane, and blast away.

Coincidental ????????

I think not. Because I've seen them do that before.

Can they not hit a Manatee? (and we all know these zones are all bureaucratic)

I think not.

One thing is, we can't prove that they do turn on the blue lights when they want to get up on plane and get a donut and cup of coffee back at the office. But C'C'mon...It's not an unobvious trick.

Hypocritical? I think YES.

So we sat there and fished a really great spot and caught Mangrove snappers, but NO trout. Then moved and tried another spot, and caught Mangrove snappers, and no Trout. I think we had some bad mojo, going on here today. Or either it was just a bad day. I went to my graphic when I got home, to check out what the deal was with the combined Barometer and winds.

And the barometer was LOW, as we fished, but so was the winds. I'm still trying to figure out the correlation between Barometer and slow fishing days.

Although not set in stone here are some basic guidelines.
Rising Barometer: Fishing is Best

Rapidly Fluctuating: Indication of good fishing (regardless of fluctuating up or down).

Static Barometer: Fishing is poor

Falling Barometer: First part of fall is good fishing. After the fall continues for several hours, the more the it goes down the poorer fishing will be.

Unusually Low Barometer: Don't bother going fishing!

This graphic has the 28th and 29th on it so is this just a forecast of the winds and barometer??

But it's what I look at in addition to the reports I use for the Mayport Pilots station dock, weather at:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=MYPF1

Either way, we had hardly any wind today, but of course I have a charter tomarrow and the forecast is Small Craft Advisory 20 knots.....so I'll be re-scheduling another one for later.

The problem is no planning. I get calls, and people want to go the next day. And we get blown out. So we end up planning anyhow for a day that isn't Small Craft Advisory 20 knots from the N.E.

Oh well. Tis' the season for small windows of good weather. And that's what I strive for.....work with me folks.....work with me.

11/26 - The TIME to go is NOW!

Wow, what a great time I had today. It was 80 degrees alright, and sunny and full of fish too...amongst other big things. I had about 5 dozen shrimp living in their "condo" in my boat, so this morning I topped them off with 2 more dozen and also left the ramp with 50 pounds of ice. I had a feeling I'd need it. The full moon high tide, is what I had in mind. And it was a CLASSIC WINTER BITE OF FISH, today. But what wasn't classic, was the SEAS...wrenched & stirred by Mother Nature and the gravitational pull of that big white smiley face in the sky. The moon. That was present almost all day long.

Yep, if ya have one of the

finest

"rough water"

boats there is; seas, and swells slamming the jetty rocks in excess of 6 foot or better ain't no thang!

If it can take so can I. And that's just what I did, because that's where the fish were at.

Not always are the fish in some comfortable lil' duck pond of water. Remember, that when the seas are stirring the predators are feeding. (see my 11/20 report for another day when the water was stirred up and the fish were going nutz!)

Confident, and safe is what I feel in my boat when in rough water. Stable at rest or at anchored, it's one fantastic fishing platform.

The incoming tide at the jetties had some spots looking like these photos, and other were flat and calm. Guess what? I tried the flat and calm and wasn't catching what I wanted. Only Whiting, and small Bluefish. I was after Speckled Trout, Redfish and a Sheepshead, on the float-rig, of course. Or maybe a jig-n-shrimp combo meal. (preferably the float-rig)

So as the tide got really high I went back to fish the S-L-O-P, and in 4 drifts of the float I had 4 big fat Yellowmouth Trout (weakfish). Hmmm...."no specks?" I thought. They gotta be in here somewhere.

Again, "this looks just too classic, for no specks to be in here with the yellers", I thought.

So I just kept at it. And after I caught my first Speck, I found just where they were...and commenced to whackin' em. It was rock and roll hoochie koo, let me tell ya!

But this is my kinda fishing! I live for this time of year. And I had the entire area to myself, which I loved. T-shirt, shorts and Croc's...in the warm sun, wackin' me some fatties at the jetties in the slop, all by myself. It don't get much better.

And the funny thing is, NOW is the time to reserve a charter, not in July. Especially is ya have a clue about fishing. It felt like June out there, but instead it was a winter day, and I was on my winter bite. I continued to catch Yellowmouths and Specks, sorting through the Specks keeping the largest, of course.

Then I made a slight move just to see what else was going on. So as you can see from the photos, I got closer and closer to the crashing waves on the jetty rocks. That's where I'll pull a Redfish from. So I set my float to the "correct" depth and made a pitch in behind those breakers.

And it didn't take long before my float went down, and with a funny kinda head shake I knew this was no Redfish. It was a Sheepshead. Although I find them a pain to clean, and they hardly have any fillet worth the effort, I'll keep this one, and let go any more I get.

Well, the next cast was up to the same spot. And I saw a huge wave approaching, so I grabbed the camera and put my rod in the rod holder and took a shot at that "comer" heading my way.

And when I looked back at my float, it was GONE. I dropped the camera on the leaning post, grabbed the rod and reeled fast and there it was.....My Redfish. As the boat pitched and rolled in the swell as it past, The fish ran me up to the bow and back to the stern. And then into the net it went. A perfect, 27 incher with the tail pinched. That last wave kicked the anchor free, so I picked up and went back to where the trout were.

I finished up the rest of my live shrimp playing with the Trout, and finished getting my Speck limit, while I was at it. I called a buddy that had a 1/2 day charter, who called me earlier. To tell him it seems to be calming down now, and the frenzy is on. He has a small boat, and I think he could bang a few real quick now....unlike earlier. So he headed my way. And was into some fish for his folks instantly.

There's nothing like going out for a little while and having a box of fish to clean, when you are by yourself. And I almost quit with a 1/2 dozen shrimp left, to go make a few casts for some Black Drum...I'm glad I didn't. I had enough to fillet back at the dock.

By the time me and my buddy left, it was quite calm. That's what I love about the jetties, sometimes.

If ya hang around long enough it's about guaranteed to be way different than when you arrived, out there.

I've heard the saying; "you have to remain rigidly flexible if you want to be successful out there 12 months a year".

That probably goes for all inlets where there's clashing of tides and current along huge amounts of structure and varying depths.

Although the jetties can really make me mad at times. You just cannot fight the "flow". I really feel sorry for the "newbies", with the 1st boat, taking the wife and small child, out there. Because it's so damn easy to get into trouble.

I really think if your a 90% of the time jetty fisherman, you've come up through the school of hard knocks. I know I have.

Here's the fruits of my labor. (aka: FUN)

Almost two one gallon bags of fillets, skinned de-boned and ready to share with mom....So I can come over for dinner. She's a way better cook than I am.

It don't get no fresher than that!

11/23 - #1 Fishing day of the Year.

The day after Thanksgiving maybe the big deal for shoppers, but for me it's a big deal for fishing.

Let me set the scene.......for the #1 day of the year for fishing charters.

- I re-scheduled my Friday with a regular customer because of the winds at 7am.

- I got another call to take a guy that didn't care about the weather at 9am.

-Then my Saturday people called, and said "No way", I agreed. It supposed to be 20+ knots NE Saturday, it was 9:15am
.
-I got another last minute call for Saturday again!! I informed him of the weather in which he had no clue of, and put him on my list, it was 9:30am.

- I ended up going out at 11:30am on Friday with just one experienced guy, we caught maybe 15-20 Trout, and one Bonnethead shark (???) in the wind and came back at dark.

-No Saturday trips..........its "small craft advisory" 20+ knot NE winds! It's whippin out there!
But still a bunch of weekenders were out today.

I felt like a Taxi. Not a fishing guide service. Does ANYONE know what the "Weather Channel" is? How about the weather on the Internet? Or local TV channels??

-Myself and a guy also named Dave from S. Florida who fishes offshore mostly went out and caught 15 or so Trout, kept 7 and one Bonnethead shark, in the wind. The tide was full moon all the way, thats why we left so late...and we stayed out till dark. I even cleaned fish in the dark. It was really cold when the sun went down, too. At times it was tough fishing/

That was my 2007 "day after" Thanksgiving fishing, not much unlike other Holidays with bad weather. It's really too bad that no one wanted to PLAN and come and fish on Monday, Weds. or even Thursday morning, beacuse the weather was BEAUTIFUL then.

This time of year, "the Holidays", really are a distraction from the regular "normal-ness" of the fishing business. Between the weather, and all the last minute callers. I actually did get to make some kind of day out of this whole mess. I guess I'll still be here for the last minute Christmas and New Years calls, too.


PLEASE PLAN AHEAD.

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!