10/11 - How important is the right Tide?

The right tide. Who knows, day to day what the best tide will be in the St. Johns River. But here's a story that may make you believe me when I say, not all tides are created equal.

I went to do some R&D (research and development) I was float-rig fishing for Trout. I was in the water and heading for the jetties before the sun was up. And so was a buddie (also a float-rigging/Trout catching mentor of mine.) We were in our own boats, and fished different spots, looking to see if there was any substantial Trout along the rocks.

The tide was pushing in as the sun rose.

It was slick calm, and beautiful. The water was clear and green (what Trout love). I worked a stretch of rocks up and down that was about 100 yards long. Not a single bite other than a bait stealer or two. My buddy, he tried the last spot where he caught a couple a week or two ago. After a few hours, he came driving up to me. "I haven't lost a single shrimp, how bout you??" He was also on the hunt for Trout.  I yelled over to him, "Me either, just some little rock blennies. I can't believe this. The conditions are perfection. Low light, clean clear water......."

The writing was on the wall. He said he was gonna go into the ICW. And I went back up into the river.
For the next three hours, I worked a float-rig on some stereo typical Trout haunts. Places I have caught not only Trout on a rising tide, but places I have caught Gators to 7 pounds in October, years past.

With nothing but a Bluefish and Croaker's to show for my efforts. I was heading back towards Mayport when the phone rang. It was him, "Dave I went all the way down towards the Atlantic blvd bridge and caught a couple Trout and one Flounder, on the float-rig. This is terrible...I'm going home. Are ya still at the jetties?"  I told him, I was up in the river and had no trout, still. But maybe I should head back to the jetties again.

So that's what I did. The tide was maximum high, now! I mean, the rocks were almost under water in some spots. So I tried to find a Trout again. No luck. And then the tide started the slow turn-around. I made a move to the inside of the north jetty. And gave up on the Trout search and my float-rig rods.

I anchored up on a safe spot, seeing I was alone. Didn't want any trials and tribulations, like wakes or current pushing me into the rocks, as I bottom fished.

The current on the bottom was just starting to ease eastward. I took my lightest rod, pinned on a 1/2 ounce bank sinker to my rig, horn hooked a nice live shrimp and pitched it out to the base of the jetty rocks.
It hit the bottom, and I felt.....BUMP, BUMP. I reeled in the slack and that's all she wrote....Fish on!
A big fish. As it turned out, it was a great fight on my light rod. I was wanting some fillets for dinner, but this wasn't it, as I netted a big Redbass.

A 29 inch "Super Spotter"! And it's opposite side looked the same. After such a long fight I didn't bother to take time to try and count all the spots it had, but it was alot. Released to fight again another day. I thought to myself........5 hrs of fishing the rising tide, and as soon as the tide started to fall (on the bottom) here comes a decent bite??  

N.E. Florida tides, strike again! 

As the boat started to swing on the anchor, but the current wasn't really moving all that good the bites came one after another. I thought to myself, "this is always that perfect time." The time of the day right between tides. Actually fishable current. A 1/2 oz. sinker and no wild ride in the river's current. This must be the way it is in the Gulf of Mexico? No wonder they can catch fish all day long over there.....

Knowing the blasting tide was on it's way, with the earlier super high water.  I had to fish fast. I caught 6 - Redbass, 3- Black Drum, and had about half dozen large Seabass and lost 3 big fish to the rocks. I was having a ball on my light rod. Bowing over the rod and getting my butt handed to me, was great fun. But of course it didn't last forever. The tide line came. I could see it. And then came the blasting current that ruined all "super light tackle and sinker fishing".  Afterwards, 4 ounces was needed. And the bites slowed down because of it.  

Oh, how I'd love to experience less tide! I'd like to be a Gulf Coast fisherman some day!

But the moral of this entire story is, "THEY BIT LIKE NUTS ON THE FALLING TIDE!"
Right as the current wasn't all that strong.

So my nice little R&D day that was to see how the Trout bite really was, turned out to be a 9 hour day to catch fish for the table. I guess I'll reinterate. I'm hanging up the float-rig rods for awhile longer, I guess.
No Trout, but Drum, Croakers, and Reds will be the targeted species. Even for me.

Picking the right tide is what I try to do when someone calls for a charter day. I try my best to instill in them the importance of planning around the tides.

P-L-A-N your trip in advance.

10/9 - Weakfish aka: Yellowmouth Trout, new regs.

The Speckled Sea Trouts "ugly cousin".......the weakfish. Also know just as a "weakie" in the northeast part of the Atlantic coast. Yep, as a kid visiting and fishing Barnagate Bay, NJ  I saw 12 pound Weakies on a fish cleaning table once. My cousin and I would say to each other, "Wow, I'd love to catch one of those someday!"

Well, I never did catch a 12 pounder. But here in good ole J-ville, I did catch a 7 pounder one time on a MirrOlure 52MR on the south Jetty in the spring time. And even though it wasn't the sought after "SPECKLED TROUT", it was one hell of a fight, and one hell of a fish.

For awhile there it seemed that the wonderful folks at the F.W.C were gonna take this fish away from us here in Duval County. Ya' know, they've taken so much away from the offshore fisherman, you just had to know that it was soon to be the inshore fisherman's turn.

But, it went the other way......HOLY MACKEREL!

As it turned out. Not good for the Nassau County/ Fernandina anglers.......but then again I never have caught many Weakfish there in the first place.

Here's the NEWEST REGS:
http://www.myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_Weakfish.htm

But for us here in Duval County we don't have to worry about the 4 per person @ 12" rule any longer.
(even though it's been a bit confusing, and the dock talk has been "can we, or can we not?")
YOU BE THE JUDGE....I'm making NO claims here. Just publishing the findings.

I'm reading this just like you. WEAKFISH TYPE SPECIES 100 POUNDS PER PERSON, OUTSIDE NASSAU COUNTY AREA LINED IN RED (on the link page).

I love what they say at the top of the page....."difficulty distinguishing between weakfish, sand seatrout, and weakfish-sand seatrout hybrids."  I have no problem distinguishing what is a tried & true Weakfish!



















The one on the LEFT is a bigger "Weakfish." Take notice compared to it's Speckled Trout relative (right), the Weakfish isn't as "stocky", but has a bit of a broader head.

This one is a "stud" Weakfish!

Here's another "GATOR", Weakfish.

So you can see, I have no problems knowing that these fish are not some "hybrid SandTrout".....Illusive to only some FWC researcher.

Yes, I love me those "Yellermouths" as they are called locally. These fish school tight. They eat everything from cut bait to live mullet to big lures, and are a blast to catch on the ever faithful float-rig. When the "Specks" aren't all that willing or are a bit shut mouthed. I've found us some Yellowmouths and customers and I have put on a fishing clinic. They fight good, and I think they're quite sporty. Although many local fisherman seem to look down at them.

Heck, I believe we need all the species of fish we can get! I wish the Striped Bass in the river would come toward my stomping grounds, I wish we had Snook all the time. And I'm already feeling the effects of no Mangrove Snappers this year, so far. The last thing N.E. Florida needs is, "less species of fish!"

Soft fleshed with thin skin as with all Trout like species. They don't take kindly to extended freezing then thawing. So what I do is keep them just above the freezing point and will fry them up fresh along with some other fillets.

In the river past down-town, I've caught them in the dead of winter. And they will not look all that healthy. Some fish will look really thin, while others may have a sore or red spots on them. I believe, that in the very cold water they don't move around much and are very susceptible to parasites, and possibly disease of some sort. But, in the spring and the fall, closer to the ocean. These fish are healthy and full of spunk.

You ready to go hunt up some??
I am.....

Call Capt. Dave - the "float-freak" at 904-642-9546 8am-8pm eastern time for your personal / private fishing charter aboard the 26' plate alloy, Jettywolf.


-click on this blog entries title to take you to the URL of this post, where you post a comment if you'd like on this subject. 

10/7 - Malnove Co. & Whoopin' Tide

One thing that's certain is that saltwater fisherman have the ability to know what a day's going to be like, because we have predictable...TIDES. And any saltwater angler worth his/her SALT will check the tides before heading out.

This week was the week of the NEW moon. "The dark-side of the moon" ya might say. Yeah, dark side alright! Meaning, you know what you're in for. But at the same time, how bad will it really be?

Mayport Tides 10/7:
High - 8:42am 6.2'
Low - 2:36pm -0.2'
-total approx water movement = 6.4'

Average tidal range for the Mayport area - 4.0' So today's whoopin tide was 2.4' over the norm. And it played hell on us. I had 4 guys from the Malnove Co. and they were really great guys. Not all were from around here. So allot of this was new to them.

My plan was to just bottom fish around different parts of the river, and toss out a few big baits off the stern of the boat for a possible BIG Redbass.  Probably live and cut Croakers. I had the guys all fishing my lighter rigs with just shrimp. Yeah, we were like a river party boat...."ding, ding....send them over fellas!"

But each spot we tried had it's own trials and tribulations, for sure. First we started out with 3 oz. sinkers just to hit the bottom in 28' of water. And then other spots it was a 6 oz. sinker that wouldn't even stay anywhere near the bottom! Parts of the river were about un-fishable because of the screaming current. And it didn't matter if it was a rising tide or a falling tide.

Since Monday with the Brandts was so successful. It's all I could think about. I wanted the same thing, all over again. BUT, THIS WASN'T MONDAY, IT WAS THURSDAY!

The weather was beautiful, again. Just like Monday. Those crisp fall, cool mornings sure are a relief. If I'm a bit chilly all I have to do is think about mid July in the dead still hot air. And all of a sudden the chill goes away.

We caught fish, actually the guys caught lots of fish. Just not allot of big fish. They had Croakers of course, a fair amount of Spots. Whiting, Seabass, the ever present Toads and Skates. But Bruce, probably the groups most experienced fisherman had the shocker of the day.

We were up tight to the Little Jetties. Fishing one of the washout spots. Dabbing down with 3-4oz leads and a dead shrimp. When he received the "ass-handing" of the day! Whatever it was that ate his bait over the rocks below, pumped his rod like a big Grouper. The fight was straight up and down for a minute or so. My Ugly Stik rod was doubled over, and Bruce was brought tight to the side of the boat. Digging for cover the fish almost had him back in the rocks a time or two. Bruce did great, he kept the pressure on with the bowed rod while reeling down and lifting up. Then, whatever this was moved into the current and down the side of the boat, then slipped out into the deeper water and made a run for it.  I swear this fish took classes straight out of the book Grouper digging 101. And when the fish slipped out past the stern, Bruce's line snapped!
Not the 30# leader, but the 30# Suffix braided line.

I only wish I had a photo of Bruce and that Ugly Stik bowed over with him brought to the rail like he was. It was awesome. The rest of the guys were, w-i-d-e e-y-e-d.  

We tried other spots, with me looking for a place that a 3-4 ounce sinker would actually hold bottom in the river. We tried along the inside of the North Jetty, and the anchor wouldn't even hold. This was getting really tough. It is what it is....and I knew that going in. But once out there it was frustrating to say the least.

We boxed a few monster Croakers, a 2 pound Spot, some small yellowmouths, and then Bruce caught this nice 20" Yellowmouth, that we thought was a Redbass it pulled so hard.


















But the big fish eluded us. The stern line that I kept out all day with either a small live Croaker, or a piece of cut-bait on never got any interest other than, chomping Bluefish.

We fished all day long. And only packed it in when all the bait I had aboard was gone. And as I pulled anchor in the late afternoon the tide was still screaming. The guys left, fished out. I'm sure. And I cleaned up the fish we had in the box, and will have me a fish fry with what we kept.

Wheww...can't wait till the tide slows after this week. I got an itch to get the float-rig rods out and work the Jetties. There's some Trout out there, if I can get to where they are. Told to me by an past customer, today.

10/5 - Speck outlook, finally catchin on?

If the absence of Specked Trout like we are experiencing in the St. Johns ever happened in the bayous of Louisiana it would make headlines in the New Orleans Newspaper.

If you are a frequent follower of this blog of mine. You may have caught the clues that have floated through many of my reports. If you missed it all, I'll remind you.

If I could only fish (personally) for a single fish, the species would be TROPHY TROUT, period. Yeah, I'm in the wrong area, I know that.  The Texas coast and the Louisiana coast are number one in the entire USA for BIG Trout hunters.

But, I'm here. Where the tides are extreme, the current is fast and to be a really good Speck hunter, you have to be dedicated and knowledgible of the species.

I've said many times here on these  blog pages that this past winter put a real hurt on the tender Speck population in the river.

August 26, 2009 - Kirk M. and myself over 100 Trout in a day.
November 2009 - Glory Days! Wackin & Stackin limits of specks.
December 2009 - the same fish were on thier way to the inlet, (which they do each and every year) limits caught and released just east of the Mayport Boat Ramp.

By January 2010 the vicious cold weather that set record lows was in full swing. One day DOA Rob and myself fished in 43 degree water that was 10' deep and actually caught 20 near dead Trout.

DOA Rob and "Kayak Mike" Kogan and myself actually attempted to Kayak fish Simpsons Creek, for Trout. When we got out of the truck at Kayak Amelia the news talk radio station on DOA Robs radio said it was 18 degrees at the airport......"And we were gonna sit in plastic boats and trout fish??"  We three, lasted about 2 hrs.

If you were really into all this like I am, you could go through November through January's blog archives along the right side bar of this page and read the facts for yourself and see the end of Speck catching due to serious cold.

It's funny that it gets to be Sept & Oct and finally ""other"" local fishing guides are just starting to realize what I've been talking about, since January.

Here's what some of them say in their reports:

"What is really glaring though is the absence of trout in any numbers which I attribute to this past winter's hard freeze."

"Speckled trout seem to have taken a hit from the cold winter we had this year. They are still here, just more difficult to catch."

Harder to catch? Because there's LESS of them....that's why! 

It's really simple, "more fish, easier to catch."


Since January 1st, we are also over a foot to the negative with rain fall. You ask, "why does that matter when it comes to Trout fishing?" 

I've tracked it to an extent. Wetter years, better Trout fishing....actually better EVERY FISH FISHING!
Dry years, tougher fishing.

Wet, dry? What are you talking about Dave? 
I mean, storms! Hurricanes, Tropical depressions, Tropical storms, whatever you want to call them. They mean R-A-I-N!!!

All "Estuary Species" depend on the mixing of fresh and saltwater to thrive, and spawn. And being that the St. Johns River is NOT a real river, but rather a 318 mile long estuary. Our fishing is dependent on rain, since the "estuary" doesn't get a rise from northern snow melt, or a flush because of up river floods.

When you think rivers, think the big Mississippi heading around New Orleans. Before it even gets to New Orleans, fresh water via flood control, is diverted into the bayous. And fresh water enters the bayous all over SE Louisiana. And Trout THRIVE!

Remember the storm season of 2005? I believe we had 4 named storms / hurricanes, go over Florida.

Where did all that rain water go? Allot went into the St. Johns River. And when it got to N.E. Florida, it was like a Trout fishermans dream land.  I found the holy grail of Trout bottle-necked up in water that was only 6 part per thousand of actual saltwater.......nearly drinkable!

And BTW....if you actually think you're catching lots of bull Redbass in the river, right now. You're NOT! This whole theory also goes for those big spawning Reds.

Two, Three, Five, big spawners is not allot of big Reds, in a single tide. 30-40-50 on a single tide is really catching them. Just as some may call catching allot of Trout being three or four. What I call catching Trout is 25-50.  And yes, you can also catch the big Reds better, during wetter years.

When you think about Speckled Trout in the St. Johns River......just ask yourself, "where did all those Mangrove Snappers I used to catch go?"
(we won't talk about those Snook that we once had)

Ditto for Trout......

Thank goodness for Croakers, Whiting, Spots, Sheepshead, Black Drum, and Reds. As you may have noticed, I've switched my daily techniques lately.

Less Float-rigging and more bottom fishing.

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Click on this reports title to go to it's own URL, and you can leave a comment about this report / editorial if you'd like. 

10/4 - MOST GORGEOUS DAY, and the greatest crew.

Wow, was Monday the pick of the week. Even though the forecast was for "wind", the little we had was perfection. And the air temp was so nice and cool. I was loving it. As was my crew the Brandt family. Don lives around the corner from me, while his folks come down from NY at least 4 times a year. They are long-time customers that I so much enjoy having aboard the Jettywolf, that I look forward to them calling me. We always have such a good time. It helps that they are, "nose to the grind stone" anglers. Willing to fish hard, all day long.

So we departed at 8am after the flood tide. My plan was to go catch some Reds off the stern in the current, while they fished shrimp on the bottom for "stringer fish" (IE: Whiting, Croakers, Spots, Yellowmouth, Sand Trout, Seabass.)

But they did better than that!



















Right off the bat, Don's mom scores a nice Sheepshead in 35 foot of water on a piece of shrimp. And as planned they wacked the Croakers real good too. While I took the smallest ones and put them in the livewell for big Redbass bait...."gotta love free bait, that are a blast to catch."

So I flung out a live Croaker behind the boat pinned to a 7/0 circle hook on the heavier rods, as the crew continued catching one fish after another. In hopes for a big bow in the rod and a large Redbass. And it did happen! But whatever it was stole the live Croaker.

Some of the Croakers are getting pretty big. Good enough for some fillets.





















Then, "BIG FISH BILL", Don's dad. While stealthfully fishing up on the bow of the boat. Stuck a big fish on the light tackle. It smoked drag, ran slack back towards the boat, ran under the boat, and then ran out off the side of the boat. Bill was smiling! It was an oversized Redbass that ate a small dead shrimp intended for more Croakers........."or was it??"

At 28-1/2 inches long it wasn't a keeper. But Bill didn't care. It was a great fight. In the photo Bill's holding his fish, and the tiny piece of shrimp it ate. "yep, elephants eat peanuts too, Bill..."

It was steady as it comes. Fish after fish. Croakers, Spots, Pigfish galore...but ya never know what's gonna eat that dead shrimp bouncing on the bottom. A-C-T-I-O-N, that's what I like. Be it with customers or while I'm out by myself doing R&D. Some of the Croakers were big enough to drop in the fish box, along with filletable Spots also. Good makings for a fish fry. Small, skinless, boneless fillets, perfect for some Zaterains fish fry mix, and Peanut oil. I knew we'd have plenty of stringer fish, so we kept all the filletables.

As the tide fell the action on spot #1 faded some we made a move.  "let it be known...that Spot #1 was only 2 miles from the dock. And we sat and caught fish steady for hours. That's my motto. NO LONG BOAT RIDES!" 

Spot #2, was just an area I wanted to check out. It was deep on the channel edge, and the current was extreme. But Bill pulls pup Drum out of the spot while fishing a 6 ounce sinker on my light bottom rods.

Lunches aboard the Jettywolf, are always great with the Brandts. Really good sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and various fruits. So since the current was blazing. It was time for a lunch break. Then, I slid the anchor up into shallower water along a hard bottom area in 26 feet.

We continued fishing just plain ole dead shrimp on the light rods, while I threw a butterflied Croaker out behind the boat. Whiting, Yellowmouth Trout, Sand Trout, some weird species, and more keeper Spots were biting when the stern rod bowed over with authority. Don's mom grabbed it.......The battle was on!

Thank goodness, this fish hit the beefier tackle. Because it made a long, long run against the heavy drag of my B-197 twin-drag Accurate reel and 6' Ugly Stik charter rod.

   




















Another over-sized Redbass in the 36 inch catagory. "This fish was full of spit & vinegar!" Healthy, no doubt. But Don's momma handled it as she always does, like an Pro.

We boxed some more big Croakers, some Whiting and sizeable Spots. And feed plenty of Pigfish. And it was time to move on. So we hit the first spot of the morning again, because the tide would be perfect again.

And no sooner were we on the spot, Bill was up on the bow again with his rod bowed over and drag peeling.
Don, was in the stern with me and Bill came back with his fish and gave it to Don. "Ohhh, this will something by the time Dad gets home.....having to catch a Red for his son",  Don said.

But either way. Don put a beautiful 32 incher into the net after a light tackle battle in 35 foot of water. And again, another big Red on a small piece of dead shrimp!















We finished up every single piece of shrimp on the boat. The tide went slack, and that was our signal to head to the dock. I cleaned all the fish in the box, and there was some mighty fine fish fry fillets, afterwards.

It was a great day, weather-wise and fishing-wise. And Bill said before they headed off, "See ya in May Capt Dave...." I replied, "I'll be looking forward to it, Bill." 

Oct. 3 - Lot's of fishing.....in the wind.

Been really busy. Have had groups up to 4 passengers in 20 kt winds to a dad and his daughter, which was fun. Even attempted to fish a "fun tournament", put on by the Underground Utilities Contractors Assoc. with a dad and his two boys, during a Nor-easter with 20-25 knot winds. Not as much f-u-n....

Here's the five of us, on Sept 30th running back from up river around 7pm. (gotta love the...JETTYWOLF)

The day before on Friday the 1st of Oct. was obviously the calm before the storm. It was cool (for J-ville standards) and BEAUTIFUL weather. Then, on Saturday Oct. 2nd is when it was even cooler, and so much wind that "real" fishing was almost futile.

But each day we caught fish, and that's what counts...... right?? 

We may not have scored big time in the winds during the tournament, or had the biggest and baddest Redbass of all time. Dealing with the tides and weather gets to be just second nature. And as long as we had fun aboard the Jettywolf.....that's what I'm here for!















Here's a 27 pound Redbass that was caught during a late day 4 passenger trip, along with Speckled Trout, Sand Trout & Whiting. The big Red was a great fish. But it had it's own problems.....(????)

What's dat on yer' head??

Then, there was some Jacks, Flounder, Ladyfish, Redbass, Sharks, Whiting, Croakers on the trip with Chris and his daughter Amanda. It was a gorgeous day, also.

And even a Speckled Trout, haven't seen many of them on Gale force days!

Next up: Monday Oct. 4th with the Brandt's and then a 4 passenger trip on Thursday.

The forecast for the week is basically 10-15 knots out of the North or North East every day. I'll bet it'll be closer to the 15 knots than the 10. 

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.