11/27 - It's a tough job....

First 5 minutes on the spot, with baits down, meant INSTANTANEOUS GRATIFICATION!  (31" Redbass and a 18 pound Black Drum)





















The next 5 mintues, another Black Drum.

Four days of holiday charters, and finally a "keeper" slot sized Redbass.....barely under 27". But another one for the BOX!

















They came in all sizes. Big, medium and small, and really small. But, "we loved them all". 

A big "seven striped jetty snapper", even enjoyed some ABC - "already been chewed",  jumbo fresh dead shrimp. It's all about the smell of goodness.

Another fattie, heading straight into the fish box, and then on its way to Saginaw, Michigan for many a dinner.

It's a tough job being out there bright and early in the morning chill on a Saturday with a front passing through. Wind blowing 15 knots, water choppy. BUT SOME ONE HAS TO DO IT.

But Ed, Tony and Steve were ready for the job, of whackin some fatties!  Ready, and successful!

More then enough filler fish too. Which Ed asked, "Dave, what's a filler fish?" And I replied, "the ones that fill the gaps in the fish box between the big fish." Which were plenty of Yellowmouth Trout, Whiting, and even Croakers.

The guys caught, reeled on, lost, released, allot of fish....5 pounds of shrimp, allot! And plenty of those small chomper bluefish moved in when the tide turned and flooded the green water in between the jetties. But no biggy. They still let us catch plenty.

The wind backed off, the chill went away, and the water calmed down. As the front passed over. Allot of the boats heading offshore turned around or were in early, another reason I'm glad to be a Jetty-man!

We anchored on 2 spots all day long, and kept lines in the water with fresh baits on the hook 99.9% of the day. Plus, as we fished. All the other boats out there disappeared. Guess the Bluefish ran everyone off. Or their crew wasn't as tough as mine.

Don't let the jetty exit door, hit ya in the azz, I say. More room for the Jettywolf!

11/25 - Turkey Day.....FREE FOR ALL!

Have I mentioned to ya'll lately, how much I LIVE for this time of year.

If I haven't, let me remind you that N.E. Florida inshore fishing just doesn't get any better than RIGHT NOW!

Okay...I got that off my chest.

Well, I can see by the poll I was taking (on the right side bar) and thank you to everyone that were kind enough to add their two cents. That the majority of the votes were that you're here on my daily reports blog to learn more about Jacksonville's Best Inshore fishing  Thanks, for being honest. Because just one vote was for, "I'm here because I want to book a charter."   No charters, no reports. That's how I see it. So you need to spread the word as much as possible. Because, of course this blog isn't really for learning more about Jacksonville's best inshore fishing in general. It's for my customers to view their photos, and read their reports. That is and will always be the intent, here. Unless you're willing to start paying a subscription fee.

Had "Traveller Bob" aboard again, today. Bob's a Kingfisherman in the summer. Bob lives in the mountains of N.C. Bob of course has a really nice boat. Bob likes fishing Jacksonville. And Cappy Dave in Jacksonville is always happy to see the Traveller. Be it in the summer, or in the fall. On my boat, or on his own.

And today. I believe Traveller Bob, was glad to have booked his fall trip, aboard the Jettywolf. Because Traveller Bob.....WORE THEM OUT!

But, let's start around 7:30am to about 11:00am. F-O-G...F-O-G...F-O-G, so we weren't going anywhere fast. No one I saw was and if they were, they were a complete idiot! The fog was thick enough, the Traveller and I idled 7 miles up river in the Jettywolf, along the bank (staying very clear of the ship channel) watching my GPS chart plotter and keep a sharp eye out, for any of those idiots. All to attempt to catch some Trout on a strong rising, tide. (5.2 feet). Well, it was a bit futile. The only thing we did catch was a handful of small Yellowmouth Trout.  Really, the incoming up in the river hasn't been doing me any big favors. And the jetties are slap full of those chomper Bluefish, making float-rigging for Trout even more futile on an incoming tide, the last few days.

But we tried, I always give trout wrangling 110%.  Bob and I fished at least 4 spots. No specks. So the Jettywolf steered her self to the Jetties. So as the tide topped out, we tried float-rig fishing again. Nothing much. but Bob catching one small pup Redfish, and that cost no less than 25 shrimp to just do that amongst the Bluefish.

So, when the Trout fishing gets tough, the tough go down to the bottom. We anchored up on a great spot. And started dropping down live and dead shrimp to the bottom, at high tide. And here is when our day really started.

Small Reds......there's thousands and thousands of them out there along the big rocks. And we caught them. And then we caught some Black Drum. And the longer we fished. The more exciting it got.



















Big Reds, small Reds. Perfect eater size Black Drum, and small pup Black Drum. It was a bottom fishing festival! Bob was now on the scoreboard. Rods were bending and we were having a ball.


















Then, we got SQUATTED UPON. Two dudes, decided to anchor so close to us I could have spit a louggy in their boat! In yesterday's report I said, "some people park on top of other people, but I won't." Well, I was right. We were on them and just minding our own bees wax.

When the tide turned and started to fall, I had to pull my anchor, or I'd be up on the rocks when the current came. But of course the anchor wouldn't budge. Yet again, the inside of the north Jetty claims another victim. I lost my anchor. My "trip" cable came loose and I got back all my chain and anchor line. While my anchor remained in the rocks, for YOU to get hung on next time. Well, that's two anchors in two months for me.
Not as bad as 4 lost in one day, before 1:00pm, like I had happen a several years ago. I lost my light anchor, again. And had to use my "man-maker", the 22 pounder with 12 foot of chain. And because we were squatted upon, so nicely by the other dudes. The perfect place for me to re-anchor would have been dropping my anchor on the stern of their boat. But being a precision anchor'er, that I am. I believe,  I had to run over their lines to drop my anchor to put us where I wanted to be. So I did and we got on the spot.






















And again, live or dead shrimp on the bottom, put Bob and I in constant bites by either Black Drum or Redfish. At least 10 Reds were 16 inches, while the others were 29-32 inches. NO in between keepers. The Drum were from 16 inches to 23 inches, with several too small to keep. Toss in plenty of super hungry Seabass just under what would be keeper status, and a few Yellowmouth Trout. And it was a clinic, out there.






















I went from a zero to a hero by giving up on looking for the Trout today. And I believe, Traveller Bob was happy I did. Bob reminded me, that today was the first time he and I fished the jetties. Each time we fished in the past it was too nasty or something out there, to do so. And we had to stay up in the river.

















Well Bob....."how 'bout that fall Jetty Bottom fishing?" Man, it was great. No fancy bait needed. Live or fresh dead shrimp, is all we used and they were scarfing it up, as if it was their last meal....and it was for many of those perfect eater sized Black Drum!






















We left them biting. It was getting late. Momma was wondering where I was, I'm sure. Thankgiving dinner was around 5:00pm and I would barely make it. Traveller Bob, was wondering to himself, "when is Dave gonna say UNCLE??...and say that's enough, let's go." 






















Well folks, it all gets back to what I said at the start of this report.....

"let me remind you that N.E. Florida inshore fishing just doesn't get any better than RIGHT NOW!"



















So even I, can't get enough after 3 days in a row! It's living the dream, and catchin the fish. It was such a beautiful day, with good company and great fishing once again. I never want to leave and call it a day. But we did after even more big Redbass.


















Light tackle, maximum of a 3 oz. bank sinker in the tide. This is the type of bottom fishing I can really love.



















Next up:

Saturday 11/ 27 with 3 guys. And then I guess we'll call that another great month of  November for the history books.






















If you missed one of the absolute top months in Jacksonville, I wouldn't waste any time. And get in on December, NOW!

11/24 - Learning new tactics

Had blog reader Richard C. aboard today. Richard decided it was time to learn about what Cappy Dave is always talking about here on these pages. And my goodness did we have a beautiful day. If you weren't off, and out on the water or sitting along the banks of your favorite stretch of the big St. Johns. You missed, one hell of a glorious day.

I though yesterday was nice. But I believe today was even nicer. The forecast wasn't actually projected to be "Light & Variable" winds. But as Richard asked me as we sat anchored up along the big ole rocks that line the inlet. "Dave, what would say this wind speed is right now...2-3 mph?" I replied, "Richard, it's my two favorite meteorological words...Light and Variable." Which means Richard was right. The wind couldn't have even been 5 mph.

Richards trip was all about learning some new stuff. He has his own boat. But learned:
- Float-rig fishing
- why Bait casting tackle is for Jetty fishing
- Tides
- how to anchor correctly around the rocks
- how to rig a jetty anchor correctly
- how just plain shrimp catches big fish this time of year
- the in's and out's of fall bottom fishing

Besides a bit of story telling, and just plain having a good time in the sun, aboard the Jettywolf. Step on, step off. No fuss, no muss. With a bag of your filleted catch. And all the while being exposed to a whole lot of new stuff.

We started off float-rigging for Trout. But like yesterday, the small chomper Bluefish were ravenous. I stuck one Speck about 17 inches. But bites were far and few between. As I say many times, I knew that going in. But we tried anyhow, because Richard needed to know the float-rigging for Trout basics.

So as the tide continued to rise very high because of the full moon. We went bottom fishing. The catching wasn't on fire by now means. So it gave us time to just talk about different fishing ideas. We caught more Bluefish, Seabass, and a few small yellowmouth trout.

I made another move. And because of my chart plotter, I got an idea. I saw a line of X'd spots on my electronic chart and it reminded me of what could be, at exactly this tide. And believe it or not, that's one of the reasons to have a GPS charter plotter and electronic chart of the whole St. Johns river. When I see X'd spots that litter my entire chart plotter, of places I have caught particular species before. I look at the spot, and then judge it against the present tide conditions.

Needless to say. We anchored up. Richard and I pinned on some big fat jumbo dead shrimp, and pitched them out on only 3 oz. banks sinkers into an area 60 plus feet deep. I've caught big Reds, Drum, and monster sized Sheepshead on this spot, at exactly this tide. So I was very hopeful. It wasn't fiver minutes later Richard sets the hook on a big fish. The Shimano Cruxis lowpro reel was peeling line as Richards 7' Ugly Stik Catfish rod bowed over into a horseshoe shape. I set my identical rod into the rod holder and grabbed the net.

Richard was having a ball battling what was obviously a big Redbass......Brutus T. Redbass! I no sooner netted his fish and the other rod bowed over with the drag peeling. INSTANT DOUBLE HEADER!
It just doesn't get any better!

I held the first Redbass in the water, inside the net. Grabbed my second net, and waited for Richard to whoop his second Redbass.  The second Red came popping to the surface, and I netted that one. Wow, that was exciting! I love double-headers!






















Now, this was "LT" jetty bottom fishing! Some 60 feet below the boat. The reds were way to big to be keepers at over 30 inches a piece. And right after releasing them. The boat started to swing, as the tide changed. We made a move and fished the start of the falling tide. Catching not much again. But, it wasn't us. It was the location. The same location I "have been" catching some nice Black Drum, on the early falling tide. Of course, we caught Bluefish. A few small Yellowmouths. But all we really did was watch a boat behind us catch Reds, Yellowmouth and Drum. Allot of people would have tried to park on top of that boat. I know they do it to me. But, I don't do that. So we made another move.

I tried a spot that produces Drum. But it also produces more Toadfish that anywhere I've ever fished at the jetties. Toadfish...the bottom of the barrel, the worst. And what did we instanly catch???  Toadfish, and BIG ones. "OH GAWD....I KNEW IT!" But I wasn't going to give up on the spot too soon. It has potential, I know that too.

So we continued fishing jumbo fresh dead shrimp on the bottom, when Richard gets a good bite. He was reeling, but whatever it was, wasn't pulling drag at all. It was sort of just sliding in the water and tugging a bit. I could tell it wasn't another toad, but something else. It wasn't  a red, or a drum either.

But when it came up to the surface from 45 feet below, Richard and I were ellated. It was a BIG Flounder! I scooped it up with the net and showed Richard, how a big flattie like this was a top predator. Opening it's mouth, showing Richard that a fish like this can eat whatever it wants. And it wanted a jumbo dead shrimp, way down deep!

   
  



















We had a few swing and misses, while we continued to fish the toad hole. And then came another big Redbass. Way to big to keep, again. But a great fight, for Richard. And then, we swung really close to the rocks, and Richard said, it was time to go. So we headed back.

Saw my single passenger charter for Thursday at the boat ramp, "Traveller Bob" from N.C. Told him we'd have to vacate the jetties if we wanted to trout hunt on his trip. So as of right now, I'm beat. And need to think about my Turkey Day game plan.

Momma said, "we'll keep a plate hot for ya when your done."  But ya know catching some fattie Trout is always more important than eatin' for Cappy Dave.....

So stay tuned.

11/23 - Super Nice Day, at the big Rocks.

Had the Eric Johnson and crew aboard today for some "go east" fishing. Gawd, I love this time of year when I can go to my favorite rock piles and not come back "west" till days end. Unlike other times of year when I'm all over the place, looking for that big bite.

Cool water, Full moon and too warm air temp today for my liking. I enjoy it when it's very cool.

So we departed at 7am. And went Float-rig fishing. The little bluefish were chewin us up pretty bad. But young Taylor was the man. Catching some seriously nice fat Specks. While we had a throw back and a Yellowmouth. Today for big time success on the float-rigs would have taken lots of patience and lots of shrimp, where we were fishing. We had the shrimp, but maybe not the patience.

So after a the tide just started to slow, we headed off and went bottom fishing. The tide was darn near slack when I pulled up along the jetty rocks. Should almost be perfect to catch us some Black Drum, Redbass, Sheepshead and Yellowmouth Trout. While fishing just live and dead shrimp on the bottom.

Well that's just what happened. But it took awhile to get them all. First off was the Sheepshead.

 
Then, between small Bluefish bites, the pesky Seabass. We got a few Yellowmouth, another Sheepshead, and a small pup Black Drum.

But that was the only Drum mustered up from along the rocks. And the two Reds were small pups also.

The falling tide barely managed to let us use light leads to hit the bottom. So bite detection wasn't easy by no means. And knowing what's a little fish bite and a bigger fish like a Sheepshead, wasn't something that comes instantly. It takes some experience, for sure. When the current's haulin'.

But we ended the day with a box of good eaters and headed back to clean them up, for the frying pan.
Good day had by all. It sure was nicer out there, too.

Next up:

The 24th and 25th single passenger trips....which ought to give us loads of wiggle room.
And by the way...the 26th is still wide open.

If I'm not booked for "black Friday" it will be the first time in my carreer of 14-1/2 years that I wasn't booked for the day after Thanksgiving. So, right there you can see the world is not the same as it used to be.

I'd like to kick the person in the azz, who messed up my world. If you see him or her.....send 'em my way. So I can do a number on them!

I know..... "I'll have to get in line, huh?"

11/18 - GATOR TROUT, REDBASS, and their Ugly Cousins. (and more)

Had Chris M aboard again today......smart, and committed. He's the only one who took advantage of my weekday single passenger, special. And while learning more than I almost think he should. We, by now just go fishing. (on these perfect weather and tide weekdays that come along) And yell to each other, "Ya need to tighten up! And get that net!" When one of us hooks up. Yeah, he just follows my lead. Or is that I have to follow his lead? Because he will slick a nice Trout from right under my nose, sometimes.

What are ya waiting on? The fish are chewin! And if you're at all interested in a days charter. I'd be calling "me" and booking your day. Nothing short of "Global Cooling" will keep the fishing as good as it is right now.

I wait for this time of year, for months. Back in August and September, I was the one chewin on the bit. I knew with everyday that passed. We'd shortly be closer to the BEST TIME OF THE YEAR, once again. And now that it's here. Jacksonville residents ought to be chomping at the bit too. But as it turns out. Most people on my boat for a days fishing, are not even from the state of Florida!! C'mon Jacksonville, come see what's in your own back yard! 

Today, the weather and tides was really good. The days I choose (because I know how to pick'em) I'll
e-mail Chris  a day or so in advance, and say...."Let's Go". That's how we get the best days.

It was bright and sunny, cool, the breeze wasn't a bother at all, and the tide was great!  We started out going west. And float-rigged for some Trout. Catching a few smaller ones. But Spot #3 was a hit. Chris whacked a few nice fattieTrout, right off the side of the boat. While I worked some deeper water. I think he was 3 for 3, with in 3 minutes of the boat laying tight on the anchor line. Then, I tried to play catch up, catching a few small Trout, and a pup Redbass.

Before spot #3, we bottom fished. Catching Croakers, and yellowmouth Trout.

Then, as we moved around. We settled in on a spot that is certainly no secret. I like rocks, and this rock pile everyone fishes. It can and does produce some of my largest Trout over the years, just short of the big jetties. Chris caught a pup Redbass, right off. And as I played around with a "light weight" Float-rig, I scored the largest Trout of the day.

A real nice GATOR.

Between the breeze, the wakes from all the ghetto cruisers and the wacky currents, we whipped back and forth, allot. So we worked the area a bit further and then moved on. I don't know if the JETTYWOLF has her own influence on the steering wheel. But it wasn't long before we were pointed due east, and heading for the big Jetties. Where she likes to call home. Especially, during the fall, winter and spring.

We were going to continue float fishing. But seeing what the tide/current was like out there. I had a better idea, since we already had plenty of Trout in the box.  So we anchored up inside the big rocks, and fished live shrimp on as light a sinker as possible.

But before I could even go to my fairy wand rod, my Shakespeare Ugly Stik Striper rod, 7' that's super duper whippy, with a light sinker. For maxium rod bending action, Chris and I started out with fishing a bit heavier rods. I told him, "I have Black Drum on the list, for this spot." He pitched out, hit the bottom and set the hook....BLACK DRUM. And a perfect eater size.






















I'd call that "I.G." - instantaneous gratification. Just what I wanted to see. But as I tried to follow suit. I hooked a big Redbass, instead. A 10 pound 30 incher.

As you can see from this photo, it was slick as glass out there today. As the NW breeze blew nice cool air over the water. The current could not have been any more perfect. For light tackle tight-lining.

It was Chris' turn again. The fishing was like Grouper-digging, over a offshore wreck. Drop bait over the side, get a "sand bagger" feel, of a bite. Set the hook and hang the heck on.

Another big fish. A 31 inch Redbass for Chris. It's either too big of a Red. Or too small of a Red. So what ever the Florida Conservation Commission does with NE Florida Redfish limits. After doing the work shops and scoping meetings, that will be held Nov. 23rd in Jax.  It really isn't gonna mean much for me, when it comes to more "take home" fish for my customers. I don't get all that many slot size Redfish anyhow.  But they all are F-U-N. 

Yeah, that's a ugly one worth a big wet kiss, Chris!  I had a few swing and misses, before Chris nails this nice Black Drum. So I had to play catch up.......again. 

Well that's where my "catchin' up" ended on this Black Drum. They were chewin, and the fish box was filling up fast.

As the bite slowed up a bit while the boat swung with the tide. Chris nails yet another good eater size. And I caught one for next years crop. So this litl' fella got to go back to the bottom.   

In between the Black Drum, we caught pup size Redbass, and lots of yellowmouth Trout. And only a few of those small pesky Bluefish that ate everything in sight, just a few days ago.  Maybe they're on the way to another inlet. I hope.

The sun started to get low on the west sky. The air soon got cooler. And we were out of bait. So we headed in. The 72 qt cooler was packed tight, and couldn't fit another fish. And it was another great FALL day on the St. Johns river.

CALL....don't e-mail......CALL 8am-8pm.  If you want a date anywhere near the Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years holidays.

It's definitetly time to catch some nice fish.

Ya' just read and saw the proof.

11/16 - We beat the weather!

Had Greg and Stacy aboard today. Greg called me after a R&D day at the jetties with a few buddies, yesterday. And after 14 dozen  live shrimp later, it was more than evident. Do Not Turn East out of the boat ramp today. The lil chomper Bluefish had invaded the inlet in a plague proportions. They weren't so bad last week. So I knew they were there. But when you know the Trout all over the inlet, and can't get a bait to them. It's time to let the little Blues come on through, as they "snowbird" their way south. Keep your baits in the faces of the fish you're in pursuit of. And it ain't 12" Blues!

We left out of the dock and headed west instead. First trying a creek. The wind was howling. Despite a forecast that didn't seem to include the words, "WIND BURN."

The shallow's didn't really produce but a few small Trout hook-ups, and Stacy's first box fish at 17 inches.















Looking for a wind break. We worked two spots real good. But it just wasn't panning out. So time to go brave the openness of the river. Both Stacy and Greg picked up the how-to's of the float rig, easily. Time to step this up a notch!

The next stop was what I'm always looking for. But not as easily found up in the river versus the jetties. And that's I.G. - Instantaneous Gratification!

Greg's first drift of his float over the spot produced a fat 18 inch Trout. And then, the next drift he hooked a perfect keeper Redbass at 24". Then Stacy found her, Trout and Red too.

They continued to set the hook on some nice Trout. The bite was fast and as the weak falling tide started to wain, so did the bites from Trout and Reds. And here came the Pinfish. Greg also caught a small Gag Grouper. A few Bluefish made it to the boat. So after that it was time to make a move.

The next spot was tough to fish in the gusting wind. But Greg found the "nest" of Yellowmouth Trout, while Stacy and I caught a few small throw-back Specks.

Then, a few boats went hauling butt by us heading back eastward. And I looked to the southwest and saw the dark clouds. Then, we felt the rain dropping. Stacy said, they needed to to go anyhow. But needed their fish cleaned for the trip back to Maryland. So we packed it in.

Back at the dock, I had a good amount of fish to fillet, skin and debone. And the clouds failed to follow us eastward. The wind never backed off. But we stayed dry as ran through the fish, and Greg bagged them.

Not a bad haul for a 20 kt. windy day with threats of rain. And while being on a time line, to boot. Ya' know I love my big granite rocks, especially this time of year. But I'm certainly not going to "feed the blues". I'll let them scatter before I feed them the whole livewel, again.

This weekend doesn't look all that bad. The EAST breeze, isn't in the favorites list. But if not stiff it's workable, depending on the tide.

FRIDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

FRIDAY NIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT
EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

SUNDAY
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS BECOMING EAST 5 TO 10 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND WATERS SMOOTH.

Weather....or not??

SUNDAY

NORTH WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS BECOMING NORTHEAST IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH.















SUNDAY NIGHT
EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS IN THE EVENING BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS SMOOTH.

MONDAY
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS BECOMING SOUTHEAST 5 TO 10
KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH.











The key words, when fishing for BIG Trout at the inlet can be "Light and Variable" winds. And here we go again, another Sunday/Monday, that's going to have just that!
















There's NOTHING like a Monday at 7am, along the jetty rocks, is a favorite saying of mine. Now the tides not going to be all that strong either. Presently, we're right in the middle of BETWEEN the moons. Usually, people don't know about the tides. That's why I'm telling you. It's all about being informed.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hope to have you aboard, very soon.
 
Mayport weather

BTW....the day after Thanksgiving is still open. Actual Thanksgiving Day, and the Saturday afterwards are booked.

Usually the #1 day of the year for fishing is, "BLACK FRIDAY". How the hell it got that name is unknown to me. Probably a marketing ploy made up by Macy's or something. Back in the hay day of the United States....retailers. They ought to re-name it, China Friday, now.

See this....Float-rig fishing the big Jetty rocks. Don't you want to do some light-tackle fishing for Trout to Sheepshead?  RIGHT NOW....the fall season, is slipping away. And if you've been aboard the Jettywolf in the past, when it was hot and steamy and wondered when the best Light Tackle fishing is, and asked about it. I KNOW my answer to you was, RIGHT NOW. During the fall. Go ahead, let these beautiful weather days slip away. But remember, I told ya so! 

Did you miss, what Chris commented about his Nov. 11th trip?

If so, here's what he posted on the bottom of the Nov. 11th report:

Chris said...


EPIC to say the least! What a hell of a day Dave!
This four day single person charter deal is exactly what I've been needing to hone in on my angling skills. I only wish you had offered this type of charter two years ago when I first moved here and got into fishing. It would have saved me a ton of money and time wasted trying to figure out how to fish these Jacksonville waters on my own. The personal attention and one on one coaching is superb and something you can't find anywhere else. Not only have I advanced my fishing abilities, but also gained a better understanding and appreciation of equipment, surroundings, and attitude. Al of which coincide to make for an epic day of fishing! I'm looking forward to our next trip, and in the mean time I'll be enjoying lots of fried T-routz! Tighten Up dave!

11/12 - The Ugly Stik and the story behind the naming of the best selling rod of all time

Monroe Lindler - January 4, 2005


The story of the development and naming of this popular fishing rod by one who was there.

The 70’s were exciting times for the entire fishing tackle industry. Shakespeare had been working with graphite from the late 60’s primarily for golf shafts because Union Carbide was subsidizing the project. The race was on among all manufacturers to use graphite in fishing rods. The first rod I remember seeing at tackle show utilizing graphite was a boat rod made by Garcia /Conolon. This was a laminated rod made like an archery bow that may have had wood, fiberglass, and graphite in layers. Shakespeare’s efforts were composite rod blanks with graphite co- mingled with fiberglass and epoxy resin. We were having problems making them straight enough to use in fishing rods.

After numerous proto types using the composite approach, we developed several samples of all graphite spinning rods and fly rods. Marketing decided to put an all graphite fly rod in the product line. At a tackle show in Chicago, Shakespeare and Fenwick both introduced a graphite rod with a name spelled the same- GRAFLITE. You can imagine the concern on both sides. After much deliberation it was determined that Shakespeare had secured the name first and Fenwick had to destroy all the catalogs in print and come up with another name.

During this time Steve Trewhella was the president of Shakespeare and Clyde Rickard was vice-president and general manager of the fishing tackle division. One of the persons reporting to Clyde was Joe Kuti who was a product manager in the marketing group. I was in charge of fishing rod development and the engineering group in the FTD.

Graphite was very expensive; in the beginning it was about $400 per pound and glass was about $.50 per pound. Shakespeare was noted for white rods with spiral markings and our marketing group perceived that Fenwick, Garcia, Wright McGill, and others had an advantage as to styling and cosmetics on fishing rods.

These competitors all used a preimpregnated material and made rods by a cut and roll process. Shakespeare’s quality rods were made with an internal spiral fiberglass core and parallel glass fibers impregnated with pigmented polyester resin .The method to make them was referred to as the Howald process. Both processes used a clear film like tape on top of the impregnated material, wound in several layers to apply pressure to the laminate while curing in an oven.

Shakespeare removed the tape with high pressure water jets. Other rod makers removed tape by un-winding and surface sanding or simply by sanding away the tape. Shakespeare’s rods were left with spiral markings on the surface while our competitor’s rods had sanded smooth coated surfaces.

The most important project request from marketing to engineering was to make our rods look better which included sanded smooth surfaces and colors other than white. An engineer reporting to me was Mike Romanyszyn. While we were trying to use graphite in rods we had to also work on this cosmetic improvement project. Regular scheduled meetings were occurring between engineering and marketing to update everyone on engineering developments. While we had developed and brought to market the first all graphite rods, they were very expensive to make and high priced to the consumer.

During one of our engineering experiments, I asked Mike to make some sample blanks using graphite instead of fiberglass for the spiral core. Because of the crook problem we had when we blended fiberglass and graphite we decided to use clear resin with the parallel glass fibers so we could detect any stresses that might be occurring while the blanks were curing. This was yet another way of combining fiberglass and graphite as compared to blending parallel fibers. The next day Mike and I were examining these latest casting rod blanks and to our amazement they were stronger than anything we had ever seen, almost un-breakable.

Needless to say we were excited and on top of the strength asset the blanks were straight. The following afternoon we had one of those scheduled progress update meetings with Joe Kuti, Clyde Rickard, Mike, and me. The meeting immediately worked itself to our progress on sanded, coated blanks. I said there was no additional progress, but we had something new and innovative to show. While bending the rod to show its strength I talked about capitalizing on our manufacturing strengths and abilities and that sanding and coating was not easy for us. Joe Kuti immediately criticized our lack of cosmetic progress and said that those blanks were the ugliest that he had seen. I was very upset at his response and expressed my feelings at their inability to recognize a real innovation...

While loudly slamming the blank down on the conference table, I left the meeting in disgust and anger indicating that they did not need my help. The plant was dark as it was after the 3:30 pm shift closing. I was walking through the plant and Clyde came after me to try to calm me down before we all left the plant for home that afternoon.

I don’t remember if it was the next day or two or three days later but by now these blanks had been looked at by most of Shakespeare’s executives. We were informed that there was going to be a new product line with a limited model offering and we were to pursue patent applications and trade marks for the UGLY STIK.

The UGLY STIK patent was filed 4-12 -1976 by James Monroe Lindler and Michael Taras Romanyszyn. Joe Kuti is the one that I credit for naming the rod series.

The first years production was beefed up to be extra strong, and these rods were truly ugly. Blanks were not pigmented, the graphite color showed through clear parallel fiberglass, wraps were black with white pin stripes and a stronger metal rod handle was designed for bait-casting and push-button rods.

Shakespeare was the center of attention at the next trade show in Chicago with rods being used to lift heavy weights, buckets of water, engaging in tugs of war with competitor’s rods and the famous tip test. Many competitors’ rods were broken. Before the year was up we were working on improved cosmetics. Styling was changed to the familiar red and yellow basket weave at the grip, black wraps with red and yellow pin stripes and lightly buffed smoother blanks with black pigmented fiberglass, clear glossy coatings and a clear tip area.

The product offering was expanded; blanks were made lighter in weight, including all fresh water rods, push button rods, bait casting rods, fly rods, and many specialty and salt water rods. This rod product line was supported by a fantastic advertising program, rods being bent by models, rods bent while being caught by auto windows and boat docks and lots of tee shirts and accessories.

Well, there you have it, the story leading to the development of the UGLY STIK and how the UGLY STIK got its name.

















The individuals mentioned above were the ones involved in how the UGLY STIK got its name. The real success of the UGLY STIK could not have occurred with out major input from factory workers, plant foremen, and their assistants, all of the engineering staff, marketing, advertising and corporate management and the most important sales group.

No company is anything without SALES. All people involved are too many to name and I probably would forget someone very important; one thing was certain, WE WERE AN AWESOME TEAM 30 years ago.

This account was written by Monroe Lindler of the Shakespeare Corporation.
 

 

 

FOR SALE:

 
1/2 price of retail:
 
The newest Ugly Stiks. Dedicated to the Saltwater "light tackle" angler. The "Inshore selects" $25.00 casting medium action, split grip, graphite, ultra strong, 7 foot.
Bass Pro Shops reviews click here.

 

 
Ugly Stik "Tiger Lites" 6'9" Unique cork wrapped & EVA foam grips. A great River rod. $30.00
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ugly Stik "Intracoastal" Boat rods. straight handle, gimble butt, 6'6" Big Redbass rods. $20.00
 
Email: charter@captdaves.com  I have too many!!

Aboard the Jettywolf, the arsenal of rods is 100% Ugly Stik. After years and years of trying other brands. It's apparent. Nothing beats the strength, durability, cost and action. Come fish with me and see why I use:

Ugly Stik:
-Inshore Selects - Jig/Lure casting
-Striper rods - Float-rigging
-Catfish rods - Bottom fishing
-Charter boat series rods - Tarpon/Shark

11/10 - E-P-I-C D-A-Y, aboard the Jettywolf

EPIC, defined as: surpassing the ordinary. Especially in size or scale. Impressivness.

Yes, like sands through the hours glass, these are the days, I have waited for all year. This is the way the fishing in N.E. Florida can be this time of year.  This is why "weekdays" can be so good. This is the reason I offered single passenger, weekday discounts. I watch the weather, the tides. I'm tracking these fish (Speckled Trout). And when I call you, be ready!. Again, it's all about commitment, and timing.

Chris, took advantage. And he knew, I was dead serious when I said, "The time is NOW, too book your single passenger multi- weekday charters". 

It was all too evident on Tuesday that the weekends weather had a big effect on the Trout and river. The water was stirred up, and sandy looking. And there was allot of wind still in the morning hours. So, it seemed to me, that it was worth a try again, on Wednesday. So I called up Chris. "Ya need to tighten up....we need to go tommarrow!" I said, jokingly. But he knew what I meant.

The action was really good, the Trout were super nice size, the "pup" Redfish were chewin, and the float's were steadily going down. With no wind, cool and another beautiful, crisp fall morning in Jacksonville!

Chris was killin me......he was consistantly catching Trout 19-3/4 inches to 20 inches. So as I boxed the largest, and let go the smaller ones. He was filling his limit of the most "select" Trout. I did score a 23 incher. But he whoopin' the ole Pro.

That's okay....it was his day!

UT OH....Say hello to my "parabolic-action" 7'6" Sheakespeare Ugly Stik float-rig rod, Mr. Redbass!






























At 31" and cool water frisky, this Red was a handful.

Large fat Trout, mix in some Reds, add a Sheepshead, and a Flounder, and you have yourself a JETTY, S-L-A-M.

At one point we made a move because the current died where we were. And we switched up a light sinker and a long leader and "tight-lined" along the rocks. It was every single cast that we either hooked a Redfish, or a Trout. Every single cast!!!!! The current was perfect for fishing real light weight. I found yet another "nest" of fish.

Although allot of the Trout and Reds were smaller, we didn't care. We had our limits in the box. But as we finished up all the shrimp in the livewell, we hooked up right down to the very last live shrimp in the well. Totalling at least 30 Trout to 23 inches and 20 Redfish, one Sheephead, and a token Flounder. Along with a few small Bluefish.

What a great day aboard the Jettywolf!

It's time for YOU to call me, (not email.....CALL) consult with me about the tides, sign up for the weekday special, or bring yourself and a buddy. Fall doesn't last forever. Before you know it, it'll be March and the winds will be blowing, and then July again when the heat is back.

Do yourself a favor...fish when they're chewin!

Click here: for latest Mayport weather

(looks like Monday the 13th -15th is gonna be nice...)