9/26 - LOTS OF FISHIN'

Just got back from going to Ohio. 1890 miles in two days. Flying down the highway as fast as we could. Towing a motor cycle trailer to some small town up there, to get myself a spare 225 Honda. Whewwww, was that a ride from hell and back! Going North was 90% rain the whole way. And going through the mountains into the clouds at 2083 feet above sea level (per the GPS), was not a fun ride. At times the rain was so bad that if we had rain like that in J-ville Florida, we would  be swimming!!!!

Had to get a spare outboard, though. It's always the plague of any commercial type fisherman's life, when the motor is down, for whatever reason. And I sit, loosing income based on someone elses time schedule (mechanics!). So now, I will have a spare in the garage, and will hopefully just swap out one for another and be on my way in a day or so.

It was so nice and COOL in Ohio.

So I fished with Mike and Phil on Sunday and then got up at 4am and was heading down the road for Ohio with my dad, on Monday at 5:30am. (no rest for the weary.)

Sunday was a lot of fishing....I mean a lot of fishing. For slim catchin'. Compared to the two trips prior, I made last week.

I stayed with the same theme. Bottom fish,  for whatever while putting a live Croaker out the stern on a leash and a circle hook. Between Mike, Phil, and I we went through two pounds of giant shrimp, and lots of cut bait, and many live Croakers. For a small box of  "stringer fish". It was a good time. And I have to say, Mike and Phil are my kind of guys. They hung with me, as I'd drop anchor for just a "let's see" and if not much was happening we'd make a move. From Sharks to Pigfish, they caught whatever bit.

I know the flooding tide wasn't the best scenerio for what we were doing. But that's what we had.

We caught one big Redbass at 27 pounds on a live Croaker and had another monster fish hooked up on "TOO LIGHT OF TACKLE".  We anchored on so many spots it was as if it was a river road rally. Where covering 20 spots in 8 hrs was the challenge. I was so wore out by the end of the day.....and had the 15 hour drive ahead of me, Monday morning. At least it was really COOL as we went north. Ohio was a max. of 70 by the afternoon. And a chilly low or 50 when we arrived.

Before we even dropped a line over board on Sunday we ran straight into rain on the river. That produced a set of double rainbows.



























The best action of the day was along the little Jetties. The Croakers were so thick that it was a bite on every single drop to the bottom. But we failed to get a big Redbass on any live Croaks out on the heavier rods down deep behind the boat.

But if Mike and Phil wanted FISHING.....we fished hard!  Eight full hours. Boxing a handful of river Whiting, lots of Croakers, a few Sand Trout, and one big "RB".

Here's Mike with a fish WAY TOO Large for the light rod it was hooked up too.

Next up: is Thursday afternoon with 4 people. Then, Saturday's Underground Utilities Contractrors Assoc. fun tournament with 3 people, while the inaugural Mayport Full of Bull Redfish tournament is going on also. And the weather looks a bit challenging, at this time.

In between, I'll be checking out my new spare 225 Honda. Yeah, I have a full plate!!

9/24 - Taking it EZ....

Had Randy E. from West Virginia, aboard today. Yep, he was flying solo. And that was okay with me. I have plenty 4 passenger trips in the works. So, a good ole one person trip was fine with me.













"There's more that one way to skin a cat" we've all heard that saying. And that's just what we applied in today's fishing. With a 0730 hrs departure, I pointed the Jettywolf leftward out of the boat ramp and we headed up river. I had a coffee can full of fresh giant dead shrimp and that was it for bait. No live shrimp, no float-rig rods, and no plans on even attempting to hunt up those snipe hunt Speckled Trout, amongst all the bait stealers. With a full moon rising tide. I had other plans.

We're gonna bottom fish for whatever bites, while soaking either a Mullet or small Croaker on the larger with the heavier rods. So before going too far we hit a dock that I frequent this time of year to see if there was any small Mullet around. And for the second time this week. We didn't see any. So we just moved on.....

Fishing spot to spot. Not falling in love with anywhere in particular. And each spot we just dropped down some dead shrimp. We picked up a few small Croakers and Sand Trout. The Croak's went into the livewell, and the Trout went into the fish box.

Out of the three times the circle hook rod doubled over, we caught two big RB's (Redbass' aka: Redfish.)
And each bite came when we were busy fishing dead shrimp for whatever. And that's what was so EZ and fun about it.

Randy and I caught Whiting, Sand Trout, Croakers, Bluefish, and Seabass on the light rods. Put plenty for a fish fry in the cooler. And Randy got his wish. He got to pull on two big Reds, one at 16 and the other at 26 pounds.







































I didn't anchor on places that were stereo typical big Red spots. I anchored on places where we could stretch a string, with the dead shrimp baits, instead.











Of course, I was wanting a big Red to come by and suck up one of our shrimp. So we could have a light tackle battle on our hands. But each time, the Reds smacked a small Croaker on the bottom, with it's tail fin cut short, and on a relatively short leash and a 7/0 circle hook.  The largest Red, even hit a Croaker after I just took a whole blue crab off that received no attention.

The flip side of our fishing today could have been an all out assault on the bottom with nothing but the heavier circle hooks rods. Where we would have been pretty dang bored watching rod tips all day long. I've done that too, this time of year....and am really sick of it.

It was fun, and I cleaned plenty of "stringer fish" when we returned to the dock.

9/22 - Last Day of Summer

Well...say good bye to summer of 2010. But in Jax you'd never know it. At least my lack of sun screened face knows it. "Do I have wind burn, or is it sun burn?"

Had Scott Z. and his son Zach, on board today. As it turned out I had James & Robin C. booked for today for the a long, long time. Then, yesterday I got a call that James hurt his back and couldn't hardly walk. "Hey, been there done that, at least once a month myself."  So James and Robin had to cancel. And while being the "even-steven" that I am. Scott called me a few hours later and took their spot. Now that's what I like. No messing around. Scott said, "we'll take it." And booked his trip immediately.

Since last Friday, and then again on Sunday, I had Jon & Chris M. on both days. And I've probably not had a more challenging two days in years!  And Sunday was a real wash, in the sustained 20 knot winds. That never quit. 

So, today plans had to change. No fancy fishing what so ever. The plan today was; keep baits in the water and catch fish no matter if they are big or small or in between. And that's just what I did.

First spot along the "lil' Jetties" during the smokin' incoming tide as the East wind helped with the push.  Drop down some boat ramp caught finger Mullet on my heavier rods and see if there's actually any big Redbass around.

N-O-P-E! Not one sniff. 

It's so funny, or actually sad. I've caught more big Reds at the lil jetties this year in the 9990 degree heat of July, than I have in the last few weeks......AND IT'S NOW LATE SEPTEMBER!!!!!!  (supposedly the hot time of year for big Reds...so I've heard??)

Yeah....welcome to bizarro world, Cappy Dave. (One might say)

So, Scott, Zach and myself took off and hit the Carlucci Boat ramp real quick to see if I could cast net a few more perfect sized Mullet.

Nope, no Mullet to be seen.

The writing was on the wall. My plan was now going to hit implamentation stage; Park it, and Fish it.

So we ran up river a ways. Grabbed the medium light rods matched up with the Shimano Cruxis low-pro reels and a bottom rig. Open the dead shrimp bucket and go to town, and just plain catch some damn fish! I was sick and tired of bait-n-wait fishin', targeting obvious species that are not gonna bite.
And these below are what us three set the hooks on all day:

- Croakers








-Spots








-Sand Trout







-Yellowmouth Trout/Weakfish







-Piggy Perch, Pigfish








-Bluefish







-Spadefish











-Jack Crevalle








-Whiting








-SeaBass








The three of us caught while using; dead shrimp, pilchards, mud-minnows, and small mullet, on the bottom. Having fun shootin the bull, telling stories, and as Scott said, "Spending the day with his son, bending a rod." And Scott and Zach were USDA GRADE Fisherman all the way!!!

We did take some time out to try for big Reds again. It took hours and hours for the tide to turn hard enough so the boat wouldn't just lay in the wind. And when something finally did take a big bait on the bottom (Live Croaker) it turned out to not be a big Redbass, but a 82 degree river water favorite.....a 50 pound Stingray.
We kept trying for a little while more. But the Croaks and other snatchers just kept shaking the rod tips. So we all went back to dropping dead shrimp down on the bottom for a few more bites till we packed it up and headed back to the dock with what we had in the cooler.

Didn't take any photos. I'll save that for when the big fish, ""or Trout"", start biting again......someday.

But, we had a cooler full. And enough for a real good fish fry.

Next up: Friday with one angler, and Sunday with two anglers.

Will the EAST winds stop blowing........"Doesn't look like it. The funk still continues...."

 **REST OF TODAY
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

**TONIGHT AND FRIDAY
EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

**FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

So we'll just do what we did today. And that's NO running around. And keeping lines in the water for as long as possible.
It's called, K-I-S-S fishin'.

9/20 - Whewwwww.....

The last few trips.....wow, what a tough few days. Don't know if it was the hurricane passing way offshore or what. But, no matter what we did. It had it's challenges.

One thing I can tell you as a possible customer. Follow my lead. You see me working hard. You have to do the same thing. If the fish are chewing the bottom of the boat, yeah you can lay back if ya want. But when they aren't. And you want the best possible chance. Then ya better step up to the plate 100% of every minute we're out there.

This isn't my first year doing this. Or as Dr. Phil says, "this ain't my first rodeo."  I'm a great observer of the human condition. And when things aren't going as people would like many times. I see folks get less motivated. I can understand that. I don't expect people to be as die hard as I am. But......

Catching fish isn't a "right". It's a privilage. A challenge. And a skill. I provide the best boat, tackle, bait, I can, and know how, for YOUR abilities.

My theory has always been, never quit. And I'll die trying......or until I get really, really hungry. Because I don't eat, I hardly drink, I forget to use sun screen, I get fried, and my arms ache from heaving the anchor for the 15th time. All in pursuit of fish, big or small. 

Water temps are still 83 degrees in the river. This is again, a time of year I start tracking every drop in degrees. I mark it in my log books and even though not one year seems to ever be the same. I look back in old log books to see the differences.

Shorter days, cooling water temps, seasonal migrations and tide changes, Trout tracking, `and fluctuating fuel prices, are just a few of the items I keep a very close eye on.

For example. Last year on Oct. 30th and it was 90 degrees. And I predicted a warm winter. Oh, I couldn't have been any further from the truth!!!!

So meterology, is like fishing!   

9/16 - I'm on the fence........

CCA FLORIDA

GRASSROOTS ALERT!

Public Hearings on FWC Redfish Management Proposals

Volunteers Needed to Attend Hearings and Support CCA

CCA FLORIDA DOES NOT SUPPORT ANY OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES FOR FLORIDA’S REDFISH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM WHICH HAS BEEN A HUGE SUCCESS UNDER THE CURRENT SET OF REGULATIONS.

IT DOES NOT NEED ANY CHANGES!



CCA Florida recommends that the Commission continue current regulations of one fish bag limit, 18 – 27 inch slot, open year round season, no commercial take to continue one of Florida’s most successful and valuable management plans. CCA Florida does not support the FWC staff recommendation to create north and south management zones and to increase north zones to 2 fish bag limit.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is proposing a bag limit change for North Florida redfish to two fish per person and create four management areas which would be the same as those used for Spotted Sea Trout.

-Dividing the state into 4 regions in order to increase the bag limit to two fish in the North regions places the redfish management plan at risk.

-Dividing redfish into two regions on the west coast and two regions on the east coast is not based on any biological information. Genetic and tagging information shows that redfish move and mix along both coasts. The west coast is one stock of fish and the east coast is one stock of fish. SW Florida may be dependent on movement of fish from the Big Bend and Panhandle areas to maintain population levels.

-Increasing the bag limit on redfish will have a significant impact on take. Those anglers who catch and keep one legal redfish normally catch more legal size fish on the same trip. Therefore an increase to 2 fish will double the take of redfish. The FWC must investigate the impact of increasing effort and such doubling of increase in take on the management plan escapement goals before proposing any changes.

-Creating and dividing redfish into regions causes the Northern regions to have higher escapement rates; however, in the southern areas escapement rates decline. The NE region has a 74 percent escapement rate? It is simply not a believable number and is probably a result of sample size and data deficiencies caused by the regional division.

-In all regions, except NE, the redfish escapement rates are continuing to decline and fishing effort on redfish continues to increase in all areas of the state.


The Commission is interested in providing more opportunities and more fish for recreational anglers. We encourage and support the Commission in that regard; however; we urge them to look at spotted sea trout instead of redfish. Spotted sea trout are currently closed in February in the NW region and November and December in all other regions. A new stock assessment will be completed in December 2010. The anticipated increases in abundance could allow for the elimination of some or all of the closed months. Opening those closed months provides increased opportunities for anglers and allows more sea trout to be taken.

Public Hearing Locations

All hearings are from 6pm – 8pm

Monday, Sept. 20 - Brevard Agricultural Center
3695 Lake Drive Southeast Branch  Cocoa 10599



Tuesday, Nov. 23 - Jacksonville Public Library
Deerwood Park Blvd  Jacksonville




Date – TBA Date - TBA
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute City Hall Council Chambers
100 Eighth Ave. SE 123 NW Highway 19
Karen A. Steidinger Auditorium Crystal River
St. Petersburg



If you are unable to attend please send your email comments which can be very simple to: marine@myfwc.com


Florida’s redfish program does not need any changes. CCA Florida does not support any increases in bag limits.


For more information contact – Ted Forsgren CCA Florida at (850)224-3474 or email tforsgren@ccaflorida.org

9/14 - Goings on:

The Hook the Future Foundation will be hosting the inaugural Full of Bull Redfish Tournament on October 2 at Morningstar Marina at Mayport. Attached is a press release and a registration flyer.


Please help us get the word out and make this next event in the Hook the Future Tournament Series a huge success.

(Catch-Measure-Photograph-Release, Tournament format using provided Circle Hooks.  $50 per Angler. 1st-3rd big prizes)

Feel free to forward this e-mail in its entirety to anyone else you know who may be interested.

Flyers will also be available at most local bait & tackle shops and marine supply stores beginning this weekend.

Thanks,

Frank Joura

http://www.takeakidfishing.org/


Same date Oct 2nd:  I'm booked for the Underground Utilities Contractors Assoc. "fun" Tournament. Which I've had charters for several times. It's a fun tournament with a almost anything goes species line up. And a good BBQ afterwards held at Sisiters Creek Boat Ramp. 



Off I-95 in Daytona:
THE SPORTSMAN'S EXPO: OCT 23RD & 24TH, CLICK LINK FOR INFO:   http://thesportsmansexpo.com/

8/13 - Been awhile....

For years I've been doing these reports. And since the last one it's been a day shy of two weeks since the last report. Doesn't seem to matter much. Some prespective customers or inquiries, think I fish in freshwater....."It's probably because they don't click on these fishing reports."  Go figure?

The reason for no reports lately has been because of Honda Marine. My Honda outboard, an obviously lemon, has let me down again for the third time in just 3 years and ten months of ownership.  I thought Honda was better than that. And for a grand total of over $1200 dollars worth of repairs and parts, in just the last three months!!  So since the 2nd of the month, I've been out of commission. I'll spare you all the gory details. But as of 6pm on the 10th. I was back in business.  And had this past Saturday and Sunday booked. But lost $1,200 due to being down, through the past Labor Day weekend.

So I had a few trips this weekend. The fishing was a bit challenging with the wacky tides of the last two days of the new moon. But we worked our way around the river hunting up some action.

Reds, Jacks, Ladyfish, baby Groupers, Croaker, yellowmouths were the catches in the  still 83 degree water.

OOPS.....rockin boat?

It was plenty HOT on Saturday. Then on Sunday it was quite pleasant because we had a breeze. But it doesn't matter, I'm so looking forward to Winter. 

8/30 - No Sweat Day #2

Today, was the second day of "no sweatin" fishing, for me. Are we looking at a cool down? It sure felt nice, compared to those long hot days in July.

Had Don and Dave aboard the Jettywolf. Yeah, it was breezy straight out of the East. The sky was a deep red color as the sun came up, so I stayed away from the Jetties. And even though I initially had plans to head up to Nassua Souind. I decided not to gamble on it. The sound is just so wide open. And the last place I'd want to be on an East wind at 15 knots. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, before.

I had allot of live shrimp, but still needed some baitfish for my second livewell. So before we got too serious, I stopped by a dock to get some live finger mullet. I tied off and Don and Dave yelled, "Is this what ya want??"

As I stood loading the castnet up, on the bow. Down the side of the boat swam a giant school of perfect sized Mullet! But of course I didn't have the net ready yet. "Damn! See, that's how it works. Ya always see them when you're not ready yet", I told Don and Dave.

But we got really lucky. Just as I had the net out of it's bag and ready, Don and Dave said, "Here they come again!"  Another big school swam right down the side of the boat. I threw the net and we had all we needed.

I figured we'd try a creek spot with our perfect finger Mullet. Nothing! So we moved down the creek. The next spot I had the guys Float-rig fish. And as usual, while I was showing them what to do a huge fish came up to the surface in the shallow water and busted on the float. Paying no attention to the live shrimp attached.
Looked like a big Red. So, I was hopeful. As Don and Dave sent live shrimp down a shell bank. I pitched live mullet. They each caught a "pupper" Redbass, and I caught 3 "pupper" Reds on the mullet. Okay, this isn't nothing but the nursery. So we left.

The tide was flooding in good by now. And after Float-rigging a few more spots with no dcecent bites. I made a change.

It was time to slow this all down, and soak some Shrimp and Mullet. I could see, that today with the East wind and rising tide that this was gonna turn into a "marathon charter" day. If it was a bone chilling cold winter day , I'd be refering to this as a K.O.D. kinda day. (Kiss of death)  But, as we fished the wind seemed to back off and it was really nice. It may have been just the location we were at. A bend in the river that seems to be a spot where the wind was blocked.

As the flood tide started to slow we picked off some decent fish, although the bites were slow. It was what we came for. Don got the first Redbass a perfect 27 incher. That was heading into the fish box after a photo.
















Then Dave hitched into a Redbass that I thought might have been a monster Flounder. Because it swam to the boat, didn't do a whole bunch of drag screaming long runs, and then hung along side ther boat. Just out of sight. Or at least I was wishing it was a monster Flounder.....but it was a larger Redbass than Don's at 29 inches.

We switched back and forth between live shrimp and the finger Mullet. Maybe the shrimp would catch a nice Black Drum. But instead the guys got bit by Seabass, and Bankbass, whatever else that was small. Then, Don got a good bite. I was on the phone with a buddy who lives out in Texas. He reeled it up to the boat and that's when I saw it was a BIG Trout! Ohhhhhh, I didn't want Don to loose this fish. I know how easy a big Trout can come off the hook with the slightest slack line. I held my phone and netted the Trout. Bid farewell to my Texas buddy. And admired Don's bottom caught Trout.

















It wasn't a bust'em up kind of day, by now means. But Don wanted to have his photo here on my blog, he said. So we accomplished that as you can see. So we ended up with 7 Redbass to 29", a small little Jack, a few Ladyfish, some bottom baitstealers and a 21 inch Speckled Trout. I'm sure it could have been alot worse, if we went all the way to Nassua Sound and sat rough swells coming in from the ocean and caught nothing but dinky fish.

I have a 4 passenger Friday charter of guys that I've had out numerous times years ago. I hope to hit the sound then, and have constant action with them. The last time they fished Nassua Sound with me it was late March and we had numerous Sheepshead, Whiting and Black Drum to 40 pounds in 6 feet of water during the spawning season up there.

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

Interesting Mullet fishing articles:

http://www.floridasportsman.com/gear/G_0207_Weedless/

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWkGCmMytxxOS-yVadRXfUJ53be0idAfs3AvkvtGIMzR3Fg0B3myJdzlI4yeSCwuo-0flh0gO6V-QwS_ITZqnUYfUQpR6VbAypJUxOzHjTuJn_OJlO4wYs9oH5jwO0PL0e8equFBNbhk/s1600/TheMullet.png

8/28 - alittle ME time.

Figured I'd join the "weekend" crowd, so I actually went out on a Saturday, by my lonesome.

I missed my chance on Friday because I got caught up in trailer and truck maintenance. And afterwards it was to late to go.

The weather wasn't all that bad. It sure was dark and gloomy. And cooler....!!! I never broke a sweat, it almost felt like FALL.  (C'C'mon winter.....)

I took 4 dozen live shrimp. And had a plan to fish just one area of the river, with shrimp, and maybe a jig with a soft plastic on it. The tide was rising. I really liked that. So I made my way up river and fished one 1/2 mile stretch. The jig just wasn't working. So as usual I went to my ole stand-by, the Float-rig. I didn't care what I caught. But as I moved down the bank, each small spot I anchored on had been Flounder country in the past. Usually in the spring though.

I was on my second anchor drop, and I pitched out a live shrimp over an area covered in nasty oysters. Set only inches deep on my rig, with a 24" leader. I was keeping my shrimp shallow to avoid any bait-stealer bites. That's when I saw a big swirl and then a splash, and my float went down. I thought it was a Redbass by the commotion it made. But as the spot dictated, it was a aggressive Flounder, that came up to the top to attack my live shrimp.






















Not a stud.....but worthy of my dinner plate. So I kept trying to catch another. Had a few more bites, but they certainly were not Flounder. So I moved on, trying a 100% spring time Flounder spot. Which on an incoming tide in May, I will not drive past. But it was dead, after a thorough going over.

The weather report certainly didn't keep the Saturday crowds down. No matter where I was, I had boats driving around me. Lurkers staring, and everywhere worth an anchor drop, had a boat on it.

That's a weekend for ya'.

I headed back east, and into the ICW. I decided to fish a spot that's really shallow, near the mouth of a creek. It has some interesting topography just outside the mouth. A very long sand/mud bar. That's 4 feet under at most high tides, and out of the water at low. It was max high tide, when I arrived. There was hardly any current. On my second cast, of the float rig set very shallow, once again. The live shrimp got sucked up off the surface in the shallow water by a 18" Trout.




 
 
I also had rigged up, a snap on float attached to a leader and a hook. A stealth rig. I always keep plenty of these weighted snap-on foam floats on the boat. They work great for everything from casting a shrimp to a Tripletail on the rip line, to pitching a shrimp up on a shallow oyster bed. So I used this float to cast a live shrimp up to the same spot, and the Trout busted the shrimp soon as it hit the surface.

 
I pulled only two keepers out of the spot, while catching about 15. Most were small male Trout. Then, the Ladyfish showed up. But I was happy. I was catching, and for me everything is more fun on a float. Watching the shrimp being popped right off the top of the water, was exciting.

I didn't press my luck to far. I could see some rain falling just south of me. My livewell was almost empty, so I headed back to clean my fish for dinner.

Weather?? I didn't feel the heavy East winds were that fore-casted. I even ran towards the jetties for a look see on the way back to the boat ramp.

I'm heading out with two guys on Monday or Tuesday, and wanted to try Nassau Sound. Hope there isn't any big wind. Because that's one place that it's not good  for anyone, if the wind's blowing 15 kts out of the east.

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

Had these photo's in my camera of a excessively HOT, slick as glass day last week, with Brandon and Lauren from Houston, Texas. Where we struggled all day to give away a live shrimp on the float-rigs. But ended up catching a few small Reds, a Trout and a Flounder with a few Pilchards on a bottom rig.  Which I caught, from castnetting at the dock.

8/26 - Change a comin', by way of wind

SATURDAY-NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET.
INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

SATURDAY NIGHT-NORTHEAST WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET.
INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

SUNDAY-NORTHEAST WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

SUNDAY NIGHT-NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

MONDAY-NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

Alrighty......we're getting into that time of year that'll hopefully flush the summer doldrums away.

Now, is the the time of year to plan. You read the word "plan" allot here, I know.

What we really need is a bunch of endless rain, so to flush the river out in conjunction with a massive tide.
I'd love to see "tea water" at the boat ramp in Mayport that's for sure. Remember T.S. Faye??? Yeah, like that.














This was caught two days after T.S. Faye in Sept of 2008, on top of the S. Jetty on a 12" live Croaker while DOA Rob and I were fishing. You've seen it before, and you'll see it again I'm sure. Because it was my heaviest Redbass ever. (53#'s) The massive freshwater flush kicked things off nicely.

















Last year there was T.S. then Hurricane Bill. Effecting N.E. Florida around the 21st and 22nd of August. Afterwards, I had my good buddy Kirk M. the "kirk-n-ator" aboard the Jettywolf for two days, on the 23rd, and then on the 26th. Our second day turned out to be "legendary" when it comes to St. Johns River Speckled Trout fishing.















Kirk and I scored no less than 100.....yes, one hundred Specks that day, along with Reds, Flounder, Jacks, Ladies, Sheepshead, and yellowmouth Trout.  Because of the rains and winds, the Trout were bottle necked up in one area. We ended up doing two trips, one in the morning, running out of live shrimp, and then another after noon, again running out of shrimp. LIKE SANDS THROUGH THE HOURS GLASS, THESE ARE THE DAYS THE JETTYWOLF LIVES FOR!


















I guess the point I'm making is, RAIN - WIND - STORMS, aren't such a bad thing this time of year. I once had a member of the Hurricane Hunter aircraft crew aboard my boat. And he told me, "think of them this way Dave. Florida needs them, they rejuvenate the land and the water. The bad thing is, no one wants one in their back yard, of course."

Yeah, kinda like Navy bases and Aircraft carriers, is what came to my mind.

So let's keep a eye on the storms this year. And don't forget, they can only make the fishing (Trout fishing) better. I'm up for that!

8/24 - Nice photo

Here's a nice running photo of myself and the Roush crew taken by my buddy Val B. He's a photographer and took several shots of us running in from the jetties this morning, while passing the Mayport Boat Ramp. He's usually down there taking photos of our bird buddies.

I guess I'll chase the Nassau Sound reports. And plain just give up on the river for now. I hear there's at least Jacks and Ladies up there. While even Jacks in the river are a hard find.

Redbass and Trout are a far cry from having to Whiting fish at Nassau. Not part of my usual repertoire. But, toss in a few Pompano, Bonnetheads, Bluefish and the like and I guess we could make a good day up there......But it's, 18 miles one way from the dock!! 

Today it was a bit sloppy at the Jetties, but we tried it anyhow. Using live Pinfish and Pilchards for bait on the bottom and free-lined behind the boat in hopes of one of the many many small "crowd pleaser sized" Tarpon rolling atop the end of the jetties to come by and eat my offering.


Gotta love the Alloy....Silver is where it's at for me. And always will be.

-Another ALLOY educational post, from the big metal boat guy

This is boat is an AMF built boat from New Zealand. As I feel with many of the boats built by AMF, I'm in AWE!!!!!  So consider this yet another educational post here on JacksonvilleFishingReports.blogspot. Because American's just don't get it. If they did, you'd see alloy boat builders here in Florida.

For some reason there's allot of builders in Louisiana, because of the need for heavy duty work boats. That's the reason. But in La. those some ideals have transfered into the fishing world too. With such builders as Gaudet's, Scully's, Hankos, and many, many more.

Check out the LINES on this boat. If shiney alloy doesn't make your heart beat a little faster, then you just don't get it. But for someone like me. My heart skips a beat when I see lines in alloy like this. Because behind it is a life time boat, that's tough, tough, tough. And unique along with total customer customization availible. Without having to make boat parts boat twice, as in making molds. Then, building the actual boat, out of fiberglass.   

New Zealand is a place that is on my bucket list. I don't see it happening. But before I go, scattered accross the sea. I'd love to spend a lot of time, there. Not just a week on a vacation.

Here ya go:

8/17 - Ready, Set, Go. Get your BIG Redbass....and we got 'em.

Big Reds. Coming sooner than you think. And marking the beginning of the fall season. HURRRAY!!!!!



















Stereo typically, most folks think October is the month. But depending on when the BIG BITE starts. October could be the middle of the bite. "Bite as refered to as:  the Spawn."















Large Redfish ...(aka: Redbass for the Jacksonville cracka'.) Are not just a seasonal fish in the St. Johns River. We have them around most of the year.

But the Late Summer and into Fall spawning season is when there's plenty of them and they are really large.
















Although, the two largest ever on my boat were caught in the spring. One by me, the other by a client. At 53 and 50 pounds.

Because there's a good spring bite also, (April - May) which I believe is the large reds re-entering the river from being offshore during the coldest winter months, like Feb. and March.

The most monster Reds, I've ever had clients catch was 48 in a 4 hour span. It was a just two guys, a father and son team. And the fish were all in the 20'ish pound range. Just inside the inlet's jetty rocks, along a hard bottom ledge of the channel......using dead pogies! It was a real rally of bent rods.

Circle hooks, stout leaders, heavy lead sinkers, and rods that can handle the lead and current is what's needed for this kind of fishing.

A good by-catch of big Redbass fishing is a Black Drum. Especially in the spring months. But depending on the type of year the river is having. There is also Redbass eaters out there too, especially at the inlet.

The fishing is basically "bait-n-wait" fishing on anchor. But the coolest thing about fall big Reds is that most of the time, my crew can catch the largest fish they've ever seen. Redbass in the 40 pound range are true trophies, get one like that and you're really doing something. I'm looking for that 60+ pound fish each year. Just as a personal goal. I'd like to have someone catch one that big, and it can be done.

Not all big spawners have to be caught in the deep swift currents of trhe St. Johns River. There is times, and areas where light tackle can be used to catch true monsters. One of those 50 pounders I've had on the boat came from 15 feet of water over a rocky point.

Jigging can be very effective. Because you can mark these fish on your sounder below the boat.














A light lead head jig, 3/8ths oz to 1-1/2 oz. can be jigged off the bottom while drifting over them. With bait or a large twister tail. This has to be my favorite way of catching a 30+ pound Red. It's all about the tide and the spot, though. Inter-active, and lighter tackle is what makes this more fun. Marking them, then jig them almost vertically.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The use of a some what stout rod works for the jigging. And a high tide, just starting to slack can be thew ticket. You can do it, just off the jetty rocks. And in the river. The idea is to keep the jig about as vertical as you can. Bouncing it off the bottom. Make noise. It matters. Sometimes, when I'm sitting in current using even a  bank sinker I'll lift the lead off the bottom and drop it. Making a thud on the hard bottom I'm fishing. You'll be surprised how many times the bite comes right after a few "thuds". 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Come fall, also comes really "free" bait. Lots of Mullet and lil' Croakers. Blue crabs works great, but can be the ultimate pain. Expensive to buy, and if you "pop their lid" they wash out fast and the little fish feast on the meat, and hollow a piece of crab out in a NY minute!  I found out that if you are truely looking for that "can eat a football" sized Redbass. All you have to do with a Blue crab is pop off a few legs, and poke a few holes in the top of it, pin on a circle hook and drop it down. I've caught plenty of these bull Redbass on a whole crab. Just give the fish plenty of time to eat the bait.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There's an ole saying, I tell about every single customer when we're doing this.
 
"There's no better fisherman, than a rod holder and a circle hook."   LEAVE it alone, and just let the rod bow over. Then pick it up and start getting throbbed by Mr. Brutus.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
One year a customer told me, "Dave, there's a $100 bill in it for ya if I catch a over 35 pounder, while we're here." I didn't want to say anything, because ya' just never know what might happen. But as it turned out, the first Redbass he hooked was 38 pounds. And that only took us about an hour of standing in the pouring rain while fishing to get that fish, and for me to make an extra $100 bucks.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There's NO long boat rides, when the spawners start to do their thang. I've went a mile, and that was a long way even, to catch us some big'un's. It's "sportfishing", we can't keep these fish. So if you are a meat fisherman, this isn't the trip for you.   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOW...is the time to start planning your BIG RED fishing trip.

These fish will really start to kick-off around September.
Reservations are easy;  Call me to check on your day. Then, visit my web site's reservation page, follow the directions and book your charter via Google check out. It can't get easier.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
These are "keeper sized" Rebass......see the difference? This is NOT what I'm talking about. We can try for these after you've earned your BIG "RB" badge.