3/26 - One for the Ladies....and her name was Pam!

Had Sheldon and Pam aboard the Jettywolf today. It was a GLORIOUS DAY! Absolutely beautiful. With a light N.W. breeze blowing we actually had to wear light jackets. I said to Sheldon and Pam, "Did ya'll bring this coolness with ya?" as they were from Macklin, Saskatchewan! From the "great white north", coming down to visit Sheldon's brother.

But these folks weren't rookie travelers, either. Come to find out this couple are well seasoned travelers, having visited Austrailia, Korea, and other places I would never have thought people would venture too. I was a bit blown away!  Because, for me heading to New Orleans back in February for 3 days, was like a major feat and a undertaking in exploration.

Pam was quite the angler......we started out wackin the small Yellowmouth Trout right away. Dropping a bunch into the fish box. But I could see a change was needed. So being a "spot" fisherman. I don't make radical moves. Just made a re-position and that's all it took.

Pam slams a GATOR!



Oh, what a beautiful fish! I had to do two photos!

The slight move I made put us right on the "specks", and we started filling the box with them. When Pam, hooks another big Trout!  I was "giddy" as a 16 year old school girl. THIS, is what I hoped for.

Like right out of a magazine! Pam is no fishing "newbie", this gal knows what she's doing and can do it well!

We fish and fish and finally we squeeze all the tide we can out the spot. And as I pull away looking at my scopes screen I see a pile of fish. So we drop anchor outside the jetties to see what they were. Pitching 3/8ths oz. Jigs and shrimp, we find they're just small Yellowmouth trout in a school. BUT.....of course Pam hooks up on a "buckin" fish that pulls drag, but gets off. Hmmmm....don't know aht that was but it was significantly larger.

The pogies and Threadfin Herring are out there now. Maybe that's why we weren't getting any Redbass bites.

The BIG switch is taking place! It's time to get some live Pogies for the BIG Reds. I didn't have my cast net on the boat yet, but I can tell ya........"It's on the boat right now!"  So I'm ready. Yes, it's about summer time, already.

We make a move and set up on a area and work jigs and shrimp. The dang Bluefish were eating us outa house and home. But Pam hooks up........and gets a Sheepshead on her Jig and shrimp.

This gal knows what she's doing!

Again.....a 2nd look.

Because of the Bluefish, I make another move. Still trying to get Sheldon bit by a big Red on a jig and shrimp. So they jig as I set out a few bottom baits. And after a little over-kill by the FWC, and then narrowly escaping some USCG harrassment, because we were the closest fruit dangling on the tree, anchored where we were. We're finally LEFT ALONE, to fish. And Sheldon reels up another nice Sheepshead from the deep.

We headed back to the dock so I could clean fish, and I had alot to clean! The couple took away two giant bags of fillets, prime eating, fry'able de-boned, skinned, fillets. After a great day. It was picture perfect out there on the water, with a slight cool breeze and so much fun to be with two angling diehards. Pam, really knew her stuff. And as usual, the gals have a way of wooing big fish to thier hooks.

Pam's  two big Trout made me so proud. They were "sweetheart" fish, for sure!

Your day "can" vary.....My best trip is two anglers. Today, we were highly flexible and could easily move from one direction to another.  Today's fishing was high interactive.

Thanks Sheldon and Pam, it was my pleasure to have you aboard the Jettywolf today.

3/25 - HUH?? Facebook??

Jacksonville's Best Inshore Fishing  (link to my Facebook page)

Why do I have this page.......I'm certainly not 16 years old. Does anyone even know I have this page. I get these Facebook people calling me asking me if I want to "advertise" on Facebook.

I tell them,"are you kidding?"  I tell them, "I have a page, don't care too much about it at all....and that I believe I'm wasting my time anyhow." It's not like I'm a rock band.

I see down the side I have 45 friend's, and ONE I found on Facebook, because they send ya too all that high school stuff where you can see if you know anyone from H.S. that's on this thing.

And yes, I found a lovely gal now some 31 years later that was tormented by me and my buddies in H.S. And She was very nice.

No customers flock here (to my facebook page) or ask me "are you on facebook?" Because they usually are well to do, older adults that could care less about Facebook, like me I guess? Although I'm not all that well to do. But older, I guess so.

I don't tell them to "search for me on Facebook" and win a free cup of Starbucks coffee or anything, or a free pack of rubber worms.

Really, is this a waste of time or what?

Someone please tell me something.....Hahahahaha

I do that twitter bullshit too. I send out on twitter these fishing reports.

Have loads of followers and "do I get business from these people in BFE?"

Nope.

But I get a new follower every day or sometimes 5 a day? What, are these people doing they can't read every B.S.'n thing everyone "tweets".

Wow, just had a new follower while I writing this......"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?"

3/24 - Before the rain.....

Had "two Don's" aboard today......Did a late morning start, and finished perfectly just before the rain came. Actually, I put the boat on the trailer after cleaning fish, headed out the boat ramp parking lot, got down the road a piece and "here it came!!!"

Buckets, of big rain. Always what we need around here. With the windshield wipers on hyper-magnun speed I could barely see infront of the truck as I crossed the big Wonderwood bridge.

Although we had to depart "way" later than I normally would. The action was fierce. First 5 fish were.....one 14-3/4 inch speck we tossed, and then four Pompano from 14-20".  "I'll say it again.....good gawd how I love TRANSITIONAL times of year!!!" (The 1st is Thankgiving, and 2nd is around Easter)

So what are ya waiting on? Let's go, during this great period of the year. Soon it'll be so hot, this action won't be here.

Departing at 10:30am and all the shrimp were gone and fish were caught by 1:30pm!  One area, NO long boat rides. All fishin'.

After the first flurry of action, the tide went slack, then the wind blew a little out the SW, then the tide started to move again. The two Don's saw how every time their floats moved and covered water, that's when the fish bit.

The guys caught about a dozen more Speckled Trout all keepers up to a genuine GATOR!

The Yellowmouth they caught were good ones up to a few pounds, and I even whacked me a few on a 3/8ths ounce jighead and a brown Matrix shad plastic.

Which brings me to a point. "ya know if you're just looking for fun, the backsides of each jetty produces plenty of fish such as fiesty Yellowmouths and Specks, on nothing but soft plastics....toss in a Redbass here and there also."

I never NOT jig a shad tail when I'm out there. Saves on bait, alot of bait sometimes.  But ya never see anyone ever doing it. Lures, may not keep the "green scourge fish" aka: Bluefish, from biting. But any cheap plastic will work to find schools of fish along the jetty rocks.

No Redbass today, but it was okay. The action was sort of steady, as the tide came and went alot. But like I said, today's short trip ended early as shrimp were all gone. And our timing couldn't have been any better.

Fish cleaning......my buddy the White Egret always shows up for a hand feeding. It's a relationship we've had for a long time. I gave it the name, "Pencil Neck". This bird is way more polite than the Pelican dock buzzards, that's why it gets the special treatment.

Don't think of your "fishing trip" as if you're gonna sit on a boat all day just wetting a line. BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT.
Think of it as a full blow adventure, seeing things, doing things, and learning things. Possibly, a whole new experience!

3/22 - Happens to me too...WIND

Difference is. "I jus go home, and call it a day." 


the start of a cinematic journey of one man's quest to catch some fish on his new "Dahlberg Wideglide by River2Sea". But the inlet was nasty, and the river was heinously windy. And wasn't really into wasting $90 worth of fuel (only 20+ gallons) at these prices, today. So the journey ended, and the quest abruptly ended. To continue another day....


Testing:  River2Sea "Dahlberg Wideglide" - http://www.river2seausa.com/t/wideglide.html

3/20 - Changes....

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY!  WOW...slick calm waters, very light winds, blue sky.

But, I do believe because it was the day before the NEW MOON. The day was somehow effected.  Remember now, people don't even know it. But the Moon affects them. "Just ask any Law Enforcement person. They'll tell ya the same thing." Hahahahahaha..Yep, it's funny but seemingly true.

Today, the 21st is actually the New Moon. The "dark side".  For some reason yesterday we weren't effected.  But who really knows?  It could have been a swing in the barometer or something. But today my crew had to work HARD, for everything they got.

Had Mike P. and his son and I believe Brother in laws out, today. A total of four. We started Float-rig fishing the jetties. And it was not long after I could tell "something was off" compared to the day before.

We got a few bites, picked up a few yellowmouth's a small Speckled trout. But damn, I had to move and move and move to keep us in some current and to fiind some good bites.

Picking up a few for the box, but never connecting to any BIG BOYS. Mike's son need a complete azz hander. That's what I wanted. He would have freaked out if a 32" inch Redbass slammed is float-rig. So I kept working it. But the current died and died fast.





So we went and tried some quick bottom fishing before the screaming falling tide started. Got some small Yellowmouths, Seabass, a stinger and a toadfish. Then, here it came..."the brown water!" And with it was huge mats of sargassum weed that had blown inshore. And the anchor kept slipping. That was on the edge of the channel. So I dragged up the anchor and put us against the jetty rocks next. And we picked a Sheeps or two.....





The tide along the rocks was so screaming that the guys had to use 6 ounces, even there!  Oh, it's been awhile since I bottom bumped. And may times that's the reason I don't like too. It's like fishing with a concrete block on the end of your rig.  But, it was the MOON, alll the way!

We eventually tried the same spot that produced 3-5 pound Trout as yesterday.....The current was not perfect by any means. A few were hooked and lost. Mike definately had on a whopper Trout, but it busted off on an abraided leader. Picked up a few more Sheeps as a couple lines were fished on the bottom as we float-rigged out the stern.






















Then, Stu picked up this "keeper Redbass". We had a box good enough for a fish fry. So we headed in and cleaned up all the fish. But, because of the new moon it was definately different than the day before with Dave Z.

It's the general rule to fish 3-4 days before any moon, and 3-4 days after. But when all ya get is calls to fish around the moons, what ya gonna do?????  You just go fishing, right?

I hope this weather keeps holding out like it is. Because at least it's just like SUMMER, without the 100 degree heat...."not yet."

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

Seeing more and more bait along the jetty rocks. Had a past customer and his wife tell me they caught a "float-rigged" Pompano. There's "mega-lopalus" Black Drum out there. Heard of one that weighed 118 pounds??  Which was probbably a new record for Florida, as the record I see for Florida is only 96 pounds. But don't believe the angler did anything about it. Tripletail are around and scattered. I saw some very small pogies jumpin and splatting on the surface. There's over sized jumbo reds on the beach. Soon to be heading up river.

All this means, summer will be here reallly quick!
   

3/19 - SO MUCH TO CATCH.....

Are you thinking about fishin'? Wishin about fishin?

Well, let me tell ya there's so much fishing to do here in Mayport, Florida right now, it's sick!

-T-rex sized Trout
-Redbass......it's a given
-Sheepshead
-YellowmouthTrout
-Black Drum
-Sight cast "Tripletail"
-Coolers full of Whiting.....some Pompano.
-Take the little kids to catch all those Bluefish

If you're bored, it's because YOU don't have a day booked aboard the Jettywolf.

Had Dave Z. aboard today as a "solo'ist", and had yours truely as his personal angling/baitcasting coach. Yeah, I love it when I have one person. It's all about truely guiding versus people management.

We weren't on the "spot" 10 minutes as the sun peeked over the horizon and Dave was already hooked up!

He pitched his float out it drifted and "bobbed", I saw him get sand-bagged a bit and I said "reel, ya got one!" And it was a nice eating size 5 pound Black Drum. Then, on his second drift he gets bit again....and it's a BIG RED BASS!

It was magical.......two pitches behind the boat and two great fish! Then, more Redbass!

It was a great morning. And being "On-Time" and departing early really paid off.  DON'T be late for getting on your boat. I can't believe how many people show up late all the time. We're on Mother Natures time clock, if you want to actually catch fish?

The action was great on the last of the rising tide. And now were were into Trout and yellowmouths.....

None were big, but almost all were 15-17 inches, so they went where?  "INTO THE B-O-X!"

After getting a good many Trout, we tried a little drifting the outside of the beach in 30' of water with shrimp tipped jigs on my deepwater spinner-livebait-combo, I make. And we also ran the rip line seeing if there were any Tripletails out there to sight cast too. No action there, so we came back to the Jetties and the tide was pretty low and the Bluefish were chewin. So we left out and saw a "just caught Black Drum", floating off behind the boat that caught it. I went over and picked up the Drum, "vented it", so it could swim back down and let it go. It was around 60-70 pounds!  Not my kinda fish. But a good catch.

Then it was on to float-rig fishing spot #2.....and the Trout turned into T-REX sized Trout and we finished up our 2 person limit of 12 keepers right there. And a Sheepshead.

The tide was perfection, and this was real genuine float-rigging I told Dave. As we picked off some beautiful Trout up to 5 pounds.

What a great day, and what a great way to end our perfect day! With none other than some GATOR T-Rex Trout.

Then, on the way in I got a call and it was for a 4 person trip tomarrow. Well, if they want fish like these, they all have to just take turns. Two lines out on float-rigs only. It's all about quality fishing not "quantity fishing" in my book. We may toss in some bottom fishing, ya never know. But if you know me, these Trout and Redbass on LIGHT TACKLE is hard to beat.

CALL NOW for F-I-S-H! 

   
 

3/16 - PERFECT WEATHER....again #?

Well, today it was perfection weather again.

I suppose everyone is either waiting for the new moons tides (ludicris tides) or it to blow 20-25 kts. Because when either of the two are happening. That's when I'm busiest.

I get tired of running into people I know at the grocery store or at the gas station and they say, "Why aren't ya fishin'??"

As in because it's perfect weather, that means I should be out there with customers.......??????

SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS.
SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH.

SUNDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND
WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH.

I have to tell them in the shortest breath I can, that I'm not in charge of people's schedules. I don't get to pick the day.

That's what seperates the mens from the boys, or pro's from the non-pro's. I get handed a day, not a day I'd pick, but any day on the calender. Not the tide I'd pick either, by the way. I get various skill sets. Sometimes fisherman, sometimes not.

And I have to produce to the best of the day's abilities, and bring out people's best fishing abilities. And no matter what  have my crew feel as if they are getting way more than they thought they'd get.

Remember, that's why we as fishing guides make the big bucks....LOL.

Not because we have $65K boats, and another $20K in fishing tackle, and a healthy means to get it all to the water.

It's the ole saying, "getting paid for what ya know, not neccessarily for what ya do."
The big difference is it's BOTH!  Plus much more.

I can't speak for anyone else. But at least that's how I think about it.

Sure wish I was out on days like today, though....

3/15 - PERFECT WEATHER...again!

Where were YOU?  You're missing out on some great days.

I'm learning "NOT" to pay much attention to the marine forecast, that's for sure. As I passed over the bridge heading to the bait shop the fog was thick. "YA CAN'T HAVE WIND AND FOG, TOGETHER....THEY DON'T MIX."

But, the ever changing Marine Forecast said 10-15 kts out of the N.E.  So one expects to arrive river side and feel the wind, right?

By the time I got to the boat ramp the fog was burning off, and still no wind. "JUS ANOTHER WONDERFUL DAY!"

TIDES FOR TODAY WERE:
LOW: 9:30am Mayport time
HIGH: 3:40pm Mayport time

So we started at 9am. I didn't want to deal with too much of the falling tide. And for good reason, "it hasn't been all that good to me." And it was evident. As I had Matt & Chris on the spinner rods, and we three worked jigs and shrimp along some spots that shpuld have produced the first slam dunk Redbass of the day.

There was a learning curve, for my guys today. They haven't done much of this style fishing. As in monster "structure".
So we moved around working the jigs, only picking up some tiny Yellowmouth Trout and a Bluefish or two.

As soon as the rising tide just started to "show". And I mean barely......we ditched the jigs and picked up the float-rigs and began casting the floats.  "PUSHING IT", means you're really early on the tide. But we "pushed" it anyhow.
I don't like casting long distance with the float rigs, because unless you're really into fish, it beats the shrimp up, we get tangled rigs and not enough "show time" along the jetty rocks.

But, it was good for Matt, as he wanted to learn all that could be learned out there today. And he recieved a boat full of info.

As usual, there was fish caught and fish lost. "It all comes with the first time doing this."
Not all fish hooked up, will make it to the net. ( I call it the stuff that makes people come back to do it all again.)

Over sized Reds were hooked up, burned off line, wallowed on the surface and pulled the hooks.

Chris was the first to get a perfect Brutus T. Redbass to the net. (keeper!)

A few spots along the rocks produced, and some areas just didn't. And as I told the guys, "I'm a spot fisherman." I work an area during a certain part of the tide and let it show me what it has, and as the tide moves and it doesn't produce that's when I make a move.  But I don't run-&-gun. I'll make a move 50 feet or 50 yards and work it all over again. And certainly not camp out, waiting and hoping for bites, as I see alot of boats doing.  A move 50 yards sometimes can make all the difference at the big jetties! 

As the tide rose, the action really kicked into gear. I made a move to a spot that I call the "May spot", because in the month of May one time we caught Redbass one after another and I hooked up to something so big that it dumped all the line off my reel..."some 200 yards of line!"  Obviously a GIANT Jack Cravalle. Against the rocks, is what that was. But talk about a shock!

The May spot produced Reds and allot of Trout. No big whopper Trout today. But enough that at the end of the day we had 16 keepers in the fish box. Only releasing 2-3 small 14 inchers. We had a few yellowmouth, and one larger one in the group.

Two Sheepshead were also caught on the float-rigs. But, we had a butt-load of fish. So Matt made the right decision to release them. Because they're worth more swimming then the little sliver of fillet that come off them. The sheeps were 3-4 pounders.

I'd say that by days end, the nreeze was from the N.E. as predicted, and maybe 10 knots. And as you can see it was a beautiful day at the jetties.

Boats were everywhere! Way too many for my liking. That's why I LOVE those nasty cold winter days on the JETTYWOLF, along the rocks. Because all the fair weather fisherman are no where to be found. And we can sit anywhere we want and have the inlet pretty much to ourselves. She's built for the "slop", and has no problems fishing it, when the going gets tough.

The largest Red was caught by Chris at 30 inches. And was the kicker fish, right before we were out of bait. Ten dozen frisky river crickets, were used and as we pulled up on the spot, I said, "Work this area here....there's a BIG Red in there..."  And I was right, because it wasn't 5 minutes later, Chris was hooked up and battling the largest one of the day!

Here's our box, and it was full of prime eatin'......

Here's how to make the decision to book your trip, and get the low down...904-642-9546, JUST CALL!



3/14 - Crazy "left" Coast Fish?

Doesn't this look jus' like a monster sized Yellowmouth Trout (weakfish)???























It's a 82 pound, what they call "WHITE SEABASS" over on the left coast.

Can ya just imagine hookin' one of these while float-rig fishing the Mayport Jetties??

Talk about confusing the "often confused FWC" when it comes to anything but a Speckled Trout.

---------------------------------------------
BTW, the words "LIGHT & VARIABLE, don't enter a spring time marine forecast very often. BOOK YOUR DAY NOW!

Tides are good. Friday is open

3/13 - So, what did you do today?

Here's what I did.... ""Limits"" of Redbass and Speckled Trout!

Ya know, we're in a weekday pattern and as soon as a weekend comes, it'll blow 20 knots.

TODAY WAS GLORIOUS!

It's been awhile since the forecast said "LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS".

Here I am, doing my duties and telling you exactly when to call me and book your day.

 

NWS Forecast

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA/SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
1000 AM EDT TUE MAR 13 2012

---

TODAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND
WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT
SOUTH WINDS 10 KNOTS UNTIL EARLY MORNING BECOMING
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY
SMOOTH.

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

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS UNTIL EARLY
MORNING BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET.
INLAND WATERS SMOOTH.

THURSDAY
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS BECOMING EAST 10 KNOTS.
SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET. INLAND WATERS MOSTLY SMOOTH.

THURSDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 TO
3 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

3/11 - Wow, dat's big!

I get asked all the time, especially this time of year "WHAT IS THE STATE RECORD WEAKFISH?" And believe it or not, I didn't know.

While all this time, the records for the state and world are right in the back of my fishing bible. The Florida Sportsman Tide Planner Book. The book I take everywhere and refer to as many as 10 times a day!!

So, what is the state record "Yellowmouth Trout", "Weakfish", "Speckled Trout's ugly cousin", or "Tide Runner" ???
No matter what ya call them we catch plenty of them around here in N.E. Florida.  Jus' not record size.

[Weakfish on left, Speckled Trout on right]

They all seem to come from water's a bit more south.

Florida record - 10 pounds (Port Canaveral 1987)
World record - 19 pounds, 12 ounces.

Hmmmm, the Speckled trout state record came from Ft Pierce, Florida. Not to far away from Port Canaveral. At a whopping 17 pounds 7 pounces back in 1995.

[HERE'S A NICE EXAMPLE CAUGHT BY DON M. These photos of Weakfish are not new...they came from the photo album slide show on the right side bar of this page]

My largest Weakfish was 7 -1/2 pounds taken at the jetties in the spring on a MirrOlure 52MR/ Florescent orange head, gold/yellow body. SIMAILAR TO THIS LURE:

SO, IT'S TIME TO GET THE WORK AND CATCHA REALLY BIG ONE.
LARGEST SO FAR THIS YEAR WAS TAKEN BY ERIC, ON FEB 10TH AT 5-1/2 POUNDS.

3/9 - before the Saturday gale, One fine day on Friday!!

Jason "Moose" Cunningham brought and his friend Bobby to experience the thrill of Light Tackle Inshore/Jetty fishing. For the first time. And yep, Bobby did real good. It started out as a slop choppy morning, and by 12:45pm the action was so fast that we burned rigjht through 10 Dozen live shrimp.

 The video shows what we did and how we did it.

"it's Jettywolf LIVE time....more fishing charter action footage."
(may contain very excited anglers, a few cuss words, lost fish, caught fish, fish blood, and one bad ass fishing machine)


More Pixs...

3/8 - What's the wind report...."got me?"

Had Marty L. and his two sons aboard, today. New to the area, they had fishin' on their minds. So, with forecasts that no one can actually figure out. We headed straight to the jetties. I told them, "see how far we're going out here, all this is just to take a look."  The deal was all this just to take a look meant heading over MOUTAINS of water, and as my crew looked "wide eyed" and wondering why this wacko Captain is taking them through seas like this, "just to look!!!"

I have to go look to see if it's fishable. And if it is. You maybe really happy I did what I did. And Marty and sons, were really glad we wet and "looked". Because it was a Slam fest, and I.G. (instantaeous gratification) session.

These guys like 90 % of all my customers have never float-rig fished, and let alone fished in current along ten ton granite boulders. So, a decent amount of time is needed to do as much explaination as I can. But nothing makes up for "just doing".
None of the guys ever worked a bait casting reel, like 90% of my customers, so the first bait out I made the cast to make sure all was working. And I handed the rod off.

Instantly the float went down...........REEEEEEEL, is probably what I yelled! And all I know after that was we were hooked up on a big Junk Yard Dawg called an over sized Redbass.  I'd call that serious I.G.!

Round and round the boat it went and finally it went into the net.

Oh, the hook-ups continued! And a good few were lost at boat side. But rods were bending constantly. All on what I considered to be the "wrong" tide for the spot. But because of the full moon, nothing was gonna be perfect. As we sloshed back and forth in the seas.

These photos do not even come close to being a depiction of the action we had.

All Redbass were over sized but one little 18 incher. That's the jetties for ya...28", 29" everyone except one!



Sheepshead to 7 pounds that ran down the rocks like Redbass on a mission.

I don't really think any of my crew today had any idea what they were getting into.

Here' the only Redbass small enough to keep.

The spaces in the fish box were filled with a few Speckled trout and yellowmouth trout of course. Just enough for a good fish fry.

It was a great day and as the current quit completely so did the bites, so we went hunting up in the river and only found a few bluefish in the screaming full moon falling tide. So as the wind started to blow, we headed back to the dock.

BTW....we were the only ones out where we fished and had the whole place to ourselves. I like to think it has to do with the Jettywolf not minding the drive out into the nasty. Just to take a look.

3/7 - weather guessing??

Good gawd, I can't keep up with all this....

the weather guessers have me steppin and fetchin.

Last night they made it sound as if Mother Nature was out to kick some asses and take some names with the Marine Forecast.

But here it is right now:

MAYPORT: (at Pilot boat dock)
 10:48 am EST
1548 GMT 03/07/2012
Wind: ESE (110°), 9.9 kt
Gust: 15.0 ktAir Temp: 69.4 °F
Water Temp: 62.6 °F

Really not that bad except for wind direction especially at the jetties.

I didn't have this hard a time decipering their forecast all winter long!

I re-scheduled today till Saturday because last night Saturday was gonna be fine.

Now look at it!!!!!!!!!!!

NOAA Marine Forecast:
SATURDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND
WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

My crystal ball is going hay-wire!

3/3 - TRIED HARD...(and next week)

Had one of my favorite Lady Anglers aboard today...Erica.  And her family to include a "two newbies" , her Nephew and Dad. (with the goal to get her dad out on the water more often!)

This trip has been "re-re-shcheduled". One day it was jus' plain nasty, another was 40 mph winds. So as I watched the forecast
this whole week. It didn't look good. Then, they changed the forecast. Then they changed it again.


Which brings me to a theory I have come up with......

"we're gonna pay dearly for not having a winter. All those absoultely beautiful days I was out fishing in December and January, in a T-shirt and shorts, begging people to take advantage of this kind of weather. Because for years we haven't had it this good in a long time. Well, folks. It's payment time. IT'S ALREADY SPRING!!! And with this years transition, will be many a windy day. And if you've noticed, it's been WET, alot also."  

With that said, my records show I'm busier when it's 30 degrees and bone chilling in Jax, in the winter months. WHY?
Because if it's cold here, can ya just iimagine how heinous it is in the north??  That's why I'm busier.  So YES, I'll take a really cold bone chiller Jax winter over what we had this year, any day!

EXAMPLE:  (look at how we're dressed, because it was like 25 degrees!!!  January 28th 2011.)
http://youtu.be/Xoa49igyWFs

So, back to fishing with Erica.....

The forecast ended up being not so good when on the water. The winds howled. And I wanted to try "float-rig" fishing for a change. But there wasn't many areas we could even try because of the conditions. We also bottom fished a bit, too. Only got small yellowmouths, seabass and a whiting

Having to work the tide, we stayed put on one spot for a long long time. I wanted TROUT and big ones. But seeing a FRONT was passing, they are always the first fish species to get LOCK JAW!

So, as the floats passed under a dock, Erica caught a small 16" Redbass. Then later, yanked a 25" Redbass from under this dock.

Then, her dad hooked up, and got broke off. Then Erica hooked another Redbass that screamed drag, and we all saw the fish bust the surface on the "FAR-SIDE" of the dock. Whoa, only a miracle would get that fish to swim through the piling without breaking off. Erica had her second big red coming, but it eventually popped the 20 lb. leader.

The weather where we sat was okay, but outside the spot it was 20 kts and yanking the boat on anchor all over the spot as we tried bottom fishing one more time, as the tide changed.

The gusts got really bad, with large dark clouds off in the distance, so I sided on being cautious. So we headed in.  And I was glad I did. By the time I got home, the big oaks on my street were really bending over. I was glad to be backed into the boat port, by then.

My personal goal was to teach Erica, how to float-rig fish. She now has it down pat, and a nice light tackle fish to her credit on a really tough day.

Mission successful!!





FLOAT-RIG FISHING EXPLAINED:  "it's what I love to do, and customers love it too!"

Click here to watch "how's and why's" of being a float-freak!





WEATHER UPDATE:

STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD NORTH OF THE REGION MONDAY...THEN OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. A LONG FETCH OF MODERATE EASTERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA WITH AN INCREASE IN WINDS AND SEAS.

BOOKED ON THESE DAYS:

WEDNESDAY
EAST WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 6 TO 8 FEET. INLAND
WATERS CHOPPY. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

THURSDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET.
INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

FRIDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET.

INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.