4/30 - Jetty Trip for two

Had Jon & Karen aboard today from Tenn. Visiting our fair city......hahahaha.

S.E. breeze was bit of a Voo-doo on me. Because I can't stand it. But Jon & Karen withstood my want to sit in the slop on the S. Side of the South Jetty. Where "sea legs" were mandatory for sure.

As I told them, "Ya'll are on the Jettywolf...You'll be find after you get the rhythm of the seas. She's was built for this".  Which were a close 2-3'.

Although we had good current, the water was all stirred up. We float-rig fished live shrimp down the jetty rocks, deep then shallow and Jon had one small Yellowmouth Trout. That was it!

Last trip there was of course a WAY-LAY. But that of course was under different circumstances.

So we left and worked all over the jetties,

WOW...a keeper!  23-1/2 inches......."into the box!"
then next up.
The usual Jax Redbass. Too Big at 29"

The current Voo-Doo'd me and went all nutty, so we went bottom fishing looking for a Black Drum, which would have been nice at the very end of the rising tide. And amongst a whole bunch of really nice seabass, that would have been keepers just a few years ago, and NO Black Drum.
Karen caught a "Winter time left over visitor" a HAKE! And one of the largest I have ever seen on my boat.

YES...not a pretty fish. But then again, as I said. One that visits from the deep in the winter time, usually. I've looked them up in books and have tried them in the pan, and they really aren't a good eating fish, in my book.  Just another "rock resident".

We went back to float-rigging as the tide started to fall, and wasn't getting much at all. So we headed in. Right after I finished cleaning fish. And Jon & Karen left. Here came the rain! And of course everything got a freshwater wash down by the time I got the Jettywolf home, and back into here shed.

Forecast is for lots of chances for WET weather the next couple of days?

Saturday Sharkin?  I hope so!

4/28 - Get Ready.....for WICKED SHARKIN'

SOLO, R&D, PATIENCE, FORTITUDE!

-with agony of defeat.



at: WWW.CAPTDAVES.COM

4/27 - The fish manager.....Brady.

Absolute WAYLAY of Yellowmouth Trout today, along with Pompano, Jacks and Spanish Macs, with Brady the fish manager, chief Fish netter. His dad and grandpa, too.

It was super crowded out there today. But, we were the first ones on the whole jetty. Then came the flood of weekend crowds, after we already had big time "I.G"-instantaneous gratification right off the bat fishing live shrimp on float-rigs. The "S.O.P" aboard the Jettywolf in the spring time.

4/26 - Let's talk staying put.

Anchoring around here in a larger boat is a topic all it's own. From deep swift current to granite boulders, and shallow sand and mud. 12 months a year, the challenges can be tough finding how to "stay put". Sure today there's all kinds of "lazy-man" anchors.

From a $2,000 Powerpole, only good in the shallows, to running a 36V 101 pound thrust trolling motor that's GPS compatible. Which entails, carrying (3)- 75 pound batteries, (equivalent of another person on the boat) a wiring nightmare, and having a huge $$ problem, when it all fails....!!

All that costs huge money. And around here, just doesn't make sense for me.

I roll ole school, so it seems. I anchor up. And it suits me just fine. But first you have to find what anchor system works for you, according to your needs.

Here's a short, all about "how the Jettywolf anchors up, "ole school".

4/24 - Land Mark?

My Youtube channel now has:

201 video's, and 532 Subscribers!

Not that bad for being just a Jacksonville fishing guide with 3- GoPro hero 2's. And still learning, while trying to be creative.

So, how many of my readers here are subscribers to my YOUTUBE channel?

That's what I'm wondering. Since all my video's also get published here, of course.

If you'd like to receive a e-mail of when I do upload a new video to my channel
and be a subscriber, just click on the photo below, and click ""SUBSCRIBE"", when there.

   

4/22 - Playing "recover"

Had a no show today...at 7am. Received a text. Just wonderful.......

So, with a livewell full of shrimp, endless rod types. 4 pounds of Key West dead Pink shrimp.
Guess it was "Dave's Time".

So, in between looking to see if there were any SHARKS around, "I drifted the rip line outside the jetties with free-lined live Croakers wearing circle hooks through their noses. The latest fashion called, EAT ME."  Was there any SHARKS on the rip? NO!

So on the slack and very first moments of the rising tide. I caught dinner!




WWW.CAPTDAVES.COM
-more to come.

4/16 - WIND FACT UPDATE...

04	16	9:36 am		NE	26.0	GUSTING TO:        28.9
04	16	9:30 am		NE	22.0	27.0
04	16	9:24 am		NE	22.0	28.0
04	16	9:18 am		NE	25.1	28.0
04	16	9:12 am		NE	24.1	28.9
04	16	9:06 am		NE	25.1	28.0
04	16	9:00 am		NE	20.0	24.1
04	16	8:54 am		N	11.1	RIGHT HERE IT ALL CHANGED   15.9
04	16	8:48 am		N	9.9	13.0
04	16	8:42 am		N	9.9	13.0

WOW, I watched it. I mean I watched what time that the wind started by walking around my back yard.

WHY??  Because I have had to re-schedule the rest of my week!

Here's "the souths" whole problem:

Had 2 dads and 2 - 5 year olds scheduled for today that's why!

Then, I had to move Thursday, and then Friday is a blow out for a 1st time 11 year old girl and her dad.

Yep, the KIDS are starting already.  But, I can tell ya.  I'm looking for ADULTS and ones that want to go SHARKIN'!!

Sportsman, I guess.

Already received a comment about Sharkin'. Well, don't poo-poo it. No, I'm sure like 99% of all we do here in NE Florida, it's not what you think.

Besides fishing around bait pods on the beach. There's chasing the shrimp boats, aka: RUN & GUN fishing is what I call it.

Then, there's ass handing at the jetties/inlet too. Free-line live baits behind the boat while on anchor, or drifting.

Do I have remind you all via a Video?

Okay.......here ya go!

SUPER GREAT MORNING WITH SOME KIDS!

(these were the small sharks, I'm going balls to the wall on monsters this year!)

Did anyone see the "Blood Moon" last night?  Not me, I was fast asleep at 8:30pm in my Lazy boy.
Never went and looked.

4/16 - A JETTYWOLF SLIDE SHOW

-Done to one of my favorite songs "Edge of the Ocean" by IVY.....enjoy!

4/15.....time to enter the Sharks Den

Okay folks.

The bait is here (CHUM) and so are the Sharks!

YES, if this litl' gal can catch a 7 footer.......SO CAN YOU!  

I have ready to rock & roll (4) - Daiwa 900H's on 7' stand up rods, with greased carbon fiber drag washers and power handles. (2) - Daiwa 400H's on short stand-up rods. And (2) AVET 50 2-speeds on Ugly Stik 80-130# class stand-up rods. And a "Reliable" brand stand-up harness.

PLUS:

I HAVE THE CHUM CHOPPER POT!

All we need is BIG BAITS for BIG SHARKS
(stingrays, Bluefish, Jacks, or even a Redfish!)

Get ready to hang on and do some battle!

"Say Hello to my little friend...."

4/14 - Pre-frontal slowness:

The SE winds were pushing and the jetties WOULD have a swell from hell I thought with the "day before the full moon tides".

So I opted to head the other way. With Dave H. and his two sons I'd give a try the same thing we did on Saturday. Early morning popping corks and live shrimp up in the shallow water looking for Reds & Trout.

Didn't produce anything but BLUEFISH.  What a difference 2 days can make around here. Same spots, no bites at all, on one of the areas.

"Okay, front coming, wacko moon on the rise. Higher water, overcast and windy." certainly not the same day as dead calm Saturday morning, for sure.

So we went bottom fishing. And one area that is just full of hard bottom, velcro like bottom, that usually holds fish is the mouth of Trout River.

It was dark, windy and sprinkling with rain. The last of the rising tide. And we caught the YEARS first Croakers up to 14 inches!  And a 10 pound Black Drum.

Afterwards, the weather seemed to get a little worse even. But as the tide changed couldn't find the Croakers or more Drum afterwards.  That Trout river mouth is a bit wacko. The tide always seems to take forever and a day to feel as if it's ebbing, there. Until it's almost LOW.

Go two miles to the east and the current is running hard. But at the mouth of the Trout river. You can sit there with sinkers and line straight up & down, no water pushing at all on them, for what seems like forever.

So, despite some weird tides, and weather. We caught A LOT of lunch. So we headed back, and it was one LUMPY ride in certain areas of the river, for sure!  I cleaned up the Croak's and Drum and the guys headed over to Singletons for a late lunch and cold beer!

When I got home. The sun came out and it got hot and calmer. GO FIGURE!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEATHER ALERT - SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES - THIS WEEK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, as I have been posting. The weather this week is KILLING my Pre-Easter charter week, (the rest of it; Weds thru Friday) with huge winds up to gale force along the coastal areas.

YEP, that me. COASTAL ANGLING aboard the Jettywolf!!!

Several trips with small children + High winds = NO GO!

4/14 - Ruination of PRE-Easter charters:

Yep.....here's what's gonna kill this week.  This ain't good!

TUESDAY NIGHT
NORTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET.
INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
IN THE EVENING...THEN ISOLATED SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS.
SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

THURSDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET.
INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

THURSDAY NIGHT
NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET.
INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

FRIDAY
NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET.
INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

4/12 - AVOIDING the crowds....

It's that time of year when people pull the boats out of the back yards, get rid of the mouse traps and Moth balls and hit the river with a vengeance.

I don't seem any of these boats in February, when I'm at the jetties, or up in the river.

It's the "fair weather crowds". Not too hot, not too cold. Just perfect weather. And after yesterday "Friday", at the jetties with not much going on at all. With the east breeze, and falling tide "ground swells" rolling in. I could just read the writing on the wall.....Saturday's gonna be a ZOO!.

So today I had Lee and his 12 year old son Forest aboard the Jettywolf. And we beat feet "up" river.
As in towards down town.

First spot. Popping Corks and live shrimp up in shallow water. B-A-M.....2- Redbass. Small pups, but what I call, "I.G." - instantaneous gratification.

We either caught two to four fish per spot, or nothing. As I rushed to keep us on some high tide spots, after catching a few fish only on each spot.

The end of day tally:
 2-3 Yellowmouth Trout
2-Whiting
2- Speckled Trout 14-15 inches
5- Redbass, 16-30 inches
1- Bluefish

We finished up the day bottom fishing. But all morning it was actually clip-on rattling corks, a small split-shot and a live shrimp.  Not really "float-rig fishing". But close and only in 6' of water or less.

Lee and Forest had a double header on Redbass on one spot: "Big Red-smaller Red"

Nice morning and day. Avoided the Jetty crowds, and glad I did.
Just Fun up in the river.

4/10 - SOLO ANGLER - whoopin day!

Kenny L,   Walleye Angler from Ohio.
"SOLO" on mirror, glass, slick, flat, day on a near-shore reef.
Then, back to the jetties for...MORE!

"SUBSCRIBE" to my Youtube channel for future upload notifications.

No need to say anymore. Video says it all.

 

WWW.CAPTDAVES.COM 

"standing at the dock at parade rest, the way everyone thinks I spend my days. Waiting for a charter call."  NOT!

Call ahead or e-mail me to check future dates. Reservations done with deposit.                                                                                                

4/7 - EVERY SINGLE YEAR is never the same......EVER!!!!!!!

This video / SLAUGHTER all day long......of course when no one wanted to go!  Was video'd on March 15th of 2013.

*TROUT
*REDS
*SHEEPS
*YELLOWMOUTH TROUT GALORE

Float-riggin' live shrimp. And pitching jigs and Matrix shad's (soft plastics)

It was complete APE SHIT RIOT, out there, this day I made this video.  Almost felt like I was actually fishing Lake Pontchartrain in Slidell, Louisiana!!

No head-aches. Just NON-stop fish whackin'.  And damn near all by myself most of the day.

THIS YEAR - TILL RIGHT NOW??

Yes, I have had some great days, in 2014:
-Superbowl Sunday (NO ONE wanted to go Feb. 2014)
-Day after, Superbowl Sunday (yeah I killed them back in FEBRUARY 2014)
-Last Tuesday with my favorite fish killer "Traveller" Bob. (See video below this post)

Here's the HUGE difference from this video from March 15 2013, and this past March and even right now in April:
-No TROUT to speak of.....
-No BITES on "soft plastics"
-No multi-species days like this one.




ITS APRIL, right now!!!  DAMMIT.

And people ask me WHY I call this area, BAZZARO WORLD.

Here's what I'm looking for, RIGHT NOW!:
-Insane Trout
-Insane GIANT yellowmouth Trout
-Reds all sizes (more keepers, aka: SMALL REDFISH)
-AND 90% on jigs and Matrix Shads
-NO bait needed, during the "correct tides!"
-Throw in a Sheepshead... Throw in a POMPANO!
-has this even come close yet??  NO.

Believe me when I tell you. Soft Plastics (Matrix Shads) on jig heads. That is in my 100% opinion, when the super spring bite, is in full swing.

Could happen any day now. Do I get a chance or the "TIDE" to always try it out, constantly.
NO.
But when it happens for me. I'll let ya know.

Is there places where you can rely on a bite to start when it's supposed too?
Y-E-S
Is Jacksonville one of those places?
N-O.

So, cut me a break. When you want that bucket list, folks.
"I wanna catch bla,bla,bla......"

Heck, SO DO I!

I get very very frustrated. But believe me when I tell you.

"You'll always get the straight scoop here, from me. And alot of B.S. from other sources."

4/6 - Half day of fishing 101

Tried my best to get Gwen a MONSTER. But never had a MONSTER bite. So her and her dad slayed the Whiting dang good. Filling the box with "future fish fry'ers". That did end up at Singleton's Seafood Shack around 1:30pm.

Same area, same bait, just not the same as Thursday with the Redfish rodeo going on. Guess, they just moved on into the river and then they scatter.

Now this is a real charter boat. We have loads of room!

4/5 - The BLUE Family adventure......

PERFECT EATER SIZED BLACK DRUM AND A BOX OF MIXED WHITING AND SOME WERE MONSTERS!

(first attempt at time lapse...sort of)

4/4 - Talking to the deaf?? We'll see.

Funny stuff....BOAT/US is working on it.

4/3 - WHAT?.......Mo' Redbass?

Yep. And todays breeze didn't help the float-rig fishing either. So after playing around with that. We gave up and hit the bottom.....hard!

But, let me back up first.

Had Rex and Tina aboard at 8am. At 9:30am I only had Rex aboard.

Although it was what I'd call pretty darn "slick slick slick" this morning. Tina lasted through a few really nice sized Whiting on the bottom  and then said, "take me back". She just couldn't hang on the boat. But was amazingly feeling better as we ran back to the dock!

So, she played landlubber, and me and her hubby headed straight back out to the jetties.
As I said, the float-rig'n wasn't going to work. So we bottom fished and it didn't take long and we were into "OVER-SIZED" Redfish (aka: Too Big to keep)

But we also boxed a dozen or so nice fat Whiting for a visit to Singletons seafood shack afterwards. So to have Singletons fry them up for dinner later on.

Here's the high lights, in Photos!!!   Yes, Photos!  Which is rare for me I know. But video would be too time consuming this evening.

I'm tired and sun burnt.

YES...THINK AHEAD, CALL OR EMAIL, BOOK, THEN...."LET'S GO 
FISHING!

4/1 - NO April fools here......Jus' Redbassin'

My super pleasure to have Bob "Traveller" Johnson aboard the Jettywolf, one mo' time!

"We Never have a bad day together".....says Bob.  And he's right!

For some reason, "his quiet concentration, and my go nutz excitement, make for a great combo I suppose"





"click on this reports title, to read Bob's comment on the day"

3/31 - I was holding my breath...and almost died!

All systems go for Jacksonville, Florida reefing project

Two new fishing reefs planned for the St. Johns River in the heart of Jacksonville are one major step closer to reality after the state of Florida matched a pledge by the Building Conservation Trust to fully fund the project. The two reefs are scheduled for deployment in late spring/early summer and will be placed less than half a mile from the I-95 Bridge over the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Chapter of CCA Florida then raised the matching funding and worked with the state of Florida to realize the vision. The Jacksonville reefs are an opportunity to create valuable marine habitat in an area of the river where the public has unparalleled access, and where a wide variety of fish can be found depending on the time of year, right in the shadow of high-rise office buildings.

The deployment will consist of more than 25,000 cubic feet of concrete rubble and the material will be arranged to provide sufficient clearance from the surface, with three to four foot mounds intermixed with open spaces to create an ideal habitat for fish.

The site is currently open, barren sand, setting the stage for a remarkable transformation. Jacksonville University has announced plans to study the reefs over the next two years to gauge the impact of the structures on the surrounding area. The Jacksonville reefs are the latest of 14 marine habitat restoration projects undertaken by BCT since it was created in 2010.

READ MORE>>

3/30 - TRANSITIONAL SPRING TIME in NE FLA.

Yesterday - RAIN all morning!

Today - Blowin' a Gale, small craft advisory, lake wind advisory!

So...out of being booked pretty much all week "in the beginning". I got out, two charters.

YES, I am looking forward to summer. My Sharkin' tackle has been tweaked to the extreme. I'm so ready.

I seriously doubt I'll be chasing / tracking / hunting down like a fugitive, those up river Trout this summer, as much. Been there done that.  If I have to sit in the "Chum Hole"  (aka: off to the NE of the North Jetty) and chum with Pogies (Menhaden) all day. I'm doing it!

Or, simply do this for some azz-handers, come the heat:






Yeah, I'm heads full of plans. Now, I want ya'll to plan your day and come see me.
No where else do you get the info that you do here.

WWW.CAPTDAVES.COM -since 1996. Your Full-time Guide/Capt/Charterboat. A real charter boat!

Let's go git some of them azz-handers!

3/28 - NEW MOON SCREAMER!

Of course the weekend is even going to be rough, windy and rain(?) But later this week.
"During the weekdays, it's supposed to get nice."
The story of my life.
Thank goodness, I'll be fishing Tuesday, maybe Wednesday and Thursday!

BUT, here's me and Evan, a college Football player from Wisconsin out for a 1/2 day'er. We never even left the dock till Noon. Because of the S-M-O-K-I-N new moon tide!

Out in the "blue Mud" off the south Jetty the Whiting were ferocious! Not large, but there sure is alot of them little bastards. So, we dropped them in the box. Using cut clams and shrimp combo meals.
Then, as Evan was standing in the bow putting away his wallet in his back pack. I saw the rod twitch and it wasn't a "rod rattling" Whiting bite, but rather something else.

I thought BIG Black Drum. Evan had no idea about any of the species we catch. Just as long as it was a monster, it was Okay with him.

Up until now, I told him you'll need one of those T-shirts that say; "I went to Florida and only caught a 12" fish."  Joking. But of course, I was hoping he'd get a big one. As we sat in the 4 foot swells in the screaming tide, super brown water.

(Sat & Sun - I depart at noon also. Doing just a 1/2 day. No sense sitting in this tide catching nothing till it gets low.)

3/26 - Busy, Busy....

Booked from the 27th thru to the 30th.
Thursday thru till Sunday.

Had a week where because of the weather forecasters, had to start shuffling people around. Then, the folks that had two days booked, Friday & Saturday had to cancel. So that opened up those days for me to move the other's into.

So, that's the story right now. But we certainly aren't out of the woods just yet. It's still "spring" in J-ville, and that means "iffy" weather.

Yeah, I know that if you're from Michigan. Anything less than snow and ice is fantastic. But that still does change things here. I remember the weather saying about, "March Shower's brings April Flowers"
But that's not the concern.

Being that March and April are "TRANSITIONAL" months. meaning it's not really winter, and it's certainly not summer just yet.

Water temps are still just 61 degrees at the jetties around the ocean.

On the Black Drum Saga..."I hate these fish!!

They bite, only when our blasting current slows, be it a slowing rising tide, or a slowing falling tide.
So guess what that means?

YOU GET ONE HOUR OR SO OUT OF EACH SIX HOURS TO CATCH THEM!
They've always been that way. And it's a pain in the ass, really.

Another reason why I don't catch that many. Because I've stereotypically been Trout fishing instead.
Suppose I'll just continue that trend?

Not much else to report at this point. But I'm sure after these run of days. I will later on.

3/21-22 - SPRING BREAK at the Jetties!

It was a hell of a two days.....

** First day, we saw some dude sitting on the end of the North Jetty, flip his boat over. Y-E-S, 17-18' boat completely upside down!!!

** Then, in a matter of a few days earlier in the week when it was raining & blowin'. The GREEN SCOURGE fish showed up like a locust invasion!!  Small Bluefish, everywhere.
Day one we managed to actually somehow catch about 12-14 Trout, amongst the green bastards.
How that happened was beyond me, but we did.

** Day 2, not so lucky. Couldn't pull anything out of the jetties on the float-rigs and live shrimp, because of the "little Green scourges" aka: Bluefish. So, we concentrated on catching some Black Drum.

** On Thursday, I hurt my right hand THUMB. Believe it or not, working on my shrimp boat sharkin reels. Changing the drag washers out to greased carbon fiber drags. My right hand is everything! And as we talked about it. Pure torture would be living with no "thumbs". Forget water boarding....that's mild.
No thumbs, and you're really screwed. Swollen, and so painful...I still cleaned fish each day, tied knots that held, and yanked on the anchor line. HOW, I don't know!!  Now, I'm on pharmaceuticals.....

** The Drum only bit for me on the last of the flood tide...."LIKE THE EXACT LAST HOUR!!"
On Saturday. Zero on the morning's last of the falling tide. Crazy S.O.B's.  It can be a long wait.

HERE'S FRIDAY & SATURDAY IN AS USUAL A JETTYWOLF PRODUCTION VIDEO:

ENJOY.