Jacksonville Fishing; 2 Hour Kids Trips with Capt Dave

Email:  Charter@captdaves.com   to reserve your own 2 hour Kids trip.
or call
904-642-9546 8am-8pm (eastern time)

6/28 - Right On Time

Did yet another 2 HOUR KIDS TRIP trip today. And I can honestly say. T-O-D-A-Y, was the first day that we got into the Croakers at the Jetties with a vengeance.  NO, they're not huge. But, I love having them out there so I can put these little kids on them.

PLUS, I like having them there, because I like to stop in early in the morning, catch a dozen or two, put them in the Live-well and it's game on for just about anything.  Drift fish them for Kings and Cuda's, pitch them behind a Shrimp boat, better cut bait when bottom fishing for a Bull Redbass, whole live at the jetties for massive Shark attacks.

Believe it or not, I am like a bird waiting on a insect hatch. I look forward to the Croaker arrival at the Mayport jetties.

It's right on time too....it's usually; Last week of June, First week of July, every year!

6/27 - Kids,Kids,Kids......(and more Kids)

the last tree trips I've had Kids, out fishing. And I put them on the Sharks!  Crazy Instantaneous Gratification.

Yesterday I had two boys, their little sister, and Mom from Texas.  3 seconds after lines were in the water we already had a Shark hooked up!

Went for about 4 (smaller) Sharpnoses, but did have one giant Blacktip hooked up that smoked 200 yards off my big reels in a matter of seconds.

The two brothers were great fisherman, with lots of experience. As they were Texas Redfish and Trout, Kayakers, they told me.

They even fished the pogie pods off the beach on top of rented Yaks,, down in Ponte Verdre  Beach.

Unfortunately, we had the biggest  Blacktip come up-pinned from the hook after a huge long run.

We also bottom fished and had catfish, whiting and blue runners, before calling it a half day.

Absolute pleasure to have aboard.

So from my 2 hr Kids trip to a regular 6 hr day. Call me to consult about what trip best fits your needs and age group.

904-643-9546  8am-8pm EASTERN TIME PLEASE.

6/22 - Day light is getting shorter??

Float fished and bottom fished all day without anything worth a damn.
Last spot, last chance. I had some dead pogies in the cooler we'd been using on and off all day.
So we pinned on a dead pogie, Dan, had a Redfish or something big on, but lost it.

So he re-baited up and on my Daiwa Saltist 20HC and a heavy action Ugly Stik Tiger Lite casting rod, he hit the bottom and that was all she wrote.......the drag smoked off like no damn Redfish ever could.

Here's the reel, rod and the Eagle Claw 2/0 snelled hook and a 25# mono leader, that held for the next HOUR!

A "snelled" hook is the strongest connection. PERIOD!  Here's the PROOF of what a tiny little hook can do.

A Blacktip, (a tagged Blacktip) when caught at the jetties is a whole different animal than one caught behind the shrimp boats. For some reason at the jetties the Sharks are meaner and will make you cuss them with their super tactics. The difference is you're catching them in "current". And they know how to use it to their advantage.

I had to lend a few arms to Dan, because he was needing a rest after 45 minutes going "toe to toe" with this dude.

SNELLED, 2/0 Eagle Claw hook planted in the corner of this bad boys mouth. HELD for an HOUR on my very own "Strong arm rig" I make and we exclusively fish when bottom fishing, and leader to hook was 25# Hi-Seas Mono!!!!!!

CARE OF, the "Jus Grab It Glove" which everyone ought to use, the shark was leadered just long enough to get these photos via Dan's wife. Soon as the shark was straight lined, he broke the 25# Mono leader. The small 2/0 hook wasn't even bent or anything.

 


Moral of this story is, "they'll always hit the lightest tackle, so make your light tackle the strongest you can."  MINE always is!

And don't buck the system in the summer heat. If the Sharks are biting. Go catch Sharks if that's what it takes, when along the Mayport Jetties.  You'll probably get them even if you aren't trying.

Personally, I like Sharks and fishing for Sharks!

16/19 & 20 - HOT & SLOW

Had 4 guys out on Friday the 19th for Sharkin behind the shrimp boats and it was slow...although we had a near 100 pounder Blacktip another Blacktip that was smaller and then a few smaller Sharpnoses.

The action was fast as we had the near 100 pounder with in seconds of dropping a bait out.

But they wanted Redfish, so we went to the jetties with live pogies and no one really was into anything except a suicidal fish.  This time of year you have to be up and fishing. Actively fishing.
In the summer NOTHING comes easy!

We had one run and that was it, so we came in.

Saturday, 2 guys from the same wedding party group. Wanted just Redfish. So we ran up river tried two spots without a bite. Third spot, one half assed run on a bait and that was it. But I should of just went to spot number 3 first. But they wanted to go where they heard there was a bite.  Against my better judgement I followed along.

Lesson learned I'm the guide, I go where my GUT tells me!

Dropped off Saturday's guys to head to the wedding. And went to the jetties by myself. I wanted to JIG. I wanted to play with my JIGS.

Well, I must have caught 20 Jacks. One was ate by a shark. One Croaker, Two Ladyfish, and hooked up a Shark in 75 feet of water on my new Daiwa Ryoga reel and man did I have a tussle.

I lost many a jig that I had "coverted to" a swinging hook. BUT vertical jigging does work.
You just can't pick your species.

Tarpon were everywhere at the jetties inside the south in the 75 foot hole. I had hopes of "jigging" one of those up. Now that would make my Jigs Famous!

Never saw what kind of shark it was, that ate my jig. The damn thing lurked down on the bottom for what seemed like forever, so I had to ease it up. I got it up and behind the boat and that's when my measly 25 pound leader broke.  But it was a big shark around 5 foot long.

The Daiwa Ryoga handled it!

It's a small reel. But a MIGHTY ONE!

Sooooooooooo......moral of the story.
Go with the flow.

Its summer in Jax. Not summer somewhere else.

6/18 - Quick morning trip

 




3 Hours, Mike and Brandon.

1-Altlantic Sharpnose, 2 - Blacktips sharks, 2- Whiting and one Flounder.

Next week....we're gonna try Float-rig fishing.

6/17- Unboxing DAIWA RYOGA 20/25 bay jigging reel

READY TO SLAB SPOON, VERTICAL JIG OR CHUNK B-I-G LURES!
(plus rip fish off the bottom when baitin -n-waitin.)

Yeah baby!  This is a GEM.

6/15 - Jacksonville's Summer Shark Fishing, aboard the Jettywolf

DO YOU HAVE THE SALT?

-advanced reservations
-Max 4 persons
-Eat your Wheaties!!!!!
-CALL 904-642-9546, now! 

6/13 - Always thinking.....

INGREDIENTS
-Small pliers (split ring pliers)
-Chromed 3/4 Slab spoon
-Jettywolf #5 'open eye' rolling swivel
- 3/0 SS Eagle Claw 'trot-line' hook
-Soft glow bead
-Super glue
-Small patch of FISHBITES applied to hook before fishing.

The St. Johns River is deep, swift and murky. Active fishing is way more fun than staring at your rod tip while waiting on a bite.  So, I like to "slab spoon".....works best at the Jetties during a rising tide of clean clear green water.

So far caught:
Jacks
Ladyfish
Redfish
Croakers
Yellowmouth Trout (weakfish)
Flounder
Speckled Trout
Seabass
Whiting

Best over all slab spoon weight:  5/8ths ounce. But I carry a assortment from 5/8ths, 1/2, 3/4, 7/8ths,1, 1-1/8th, 1-3/8ths and 2 ounce.  To fit all current conditions.

I'd MUCH rather vertical jig, or flutter one down the jetty rocks or over hard bottom, then cast out a bottom rig and stand there waiting.

Like Float-rig fishing. It's an active fishing.  And ""Active"", is the key word!


BUY YOUR OWN "OPEN EYE" ban the split ring - swivels?

""""EBAY LINK"""

6/11 - out of storage: TEAM DAIWA & Shimano

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331580120049?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

SOLD        SOLD $97

UP FOR AUCTION AND OUT OF STORAGE!!!!
***never used-never seen water!

next:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331580253608?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

<<<<<<SOLD $140 plus shipping>>>>>>>>

<<<<<<SOLD $140 plus shipping>>>>>>>>
SHIMANO CURADO 3OO EJ HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A DAIWA

6/11 - perfect for: Slab spooning!

Pinned on the hook for Jetty vertical jigging

Slab spoon jigging......

FISHBITES, hands down works better than Gulp or Power bait! On the Jettywolf.

6/10 = Float-rigs?

I believe I'm more than READY......are YOU?

I have a few Float-rigs set up ready to go......."just a few!"

6/7 - GOTTA LOVE THOSE JETTIES; fishing with Capt. Dave

6/7 - SHARKIN IS STARTING MONDAY (?)

Check this link out -  Jax World Record

Well we may not be going for World Records, but I sure love mornings like this. (WEEKDAYS!!!)

(older kids please, no 3-5 year olds)

JULY 2013

6/5 -New "HAMMERHEAD" trailer from 2014 - Jacksonville fishing

MY 1st attempt at imovie on my NEW (Thanks to Nick W.) Mac computer that has the famed iMovie software.

It's a learning curve that sure will take me awhile.

MINI OPEN EYE SWIVELS #5 & #7 sizes.

Unique

Not found anywhere

No more need for split rings

For use in front of spoons, rigs, jigs, and small lures

I have went far and wide to get these for my personal use. Then, decided maybe other people despise "split rings".

I wanted less terminal tackle, less bulk, and a EZ squeeze-on small rolling swivel. So I went and had these made.

I am offering them to the public via Ebay.  20 to a pak, pick your size, #5 or #7 or both.

Just $8.00 and free shipping in the USA.
#5 is 30#
#7 is 60# rated.

I've found all kinds of uses for them. I really like the fact that I can easily pinch these on to make up all kinds of different rigs out of my "SLAB SPOONS", that I use. Which has practically taken over from the use of a 1/4-3/8-1/2 ounce lead headed jig.  I just don't use jigs much any longer....

My Slab spoons, use a pinched on single "Siwash hook" already.  If you'd like to order some Slab Spoons, I can make them to order for you.  (I can make you 50 for $50.00 unpainted no hooks, on a order basis)

I use the 5/8th's ounce the most.

Add a single Siwash hook and a piece of FISHBITES, and you have a "everything catcher", this time of year.

From Croakers to Trout and everything in between. You can even pin a Shrimp  to the siwash hook and have a flashy, vibrating , dead bait "presentation".

That's way better in deep swift water than any lead headed jig.

I'm always in search of a fishing technique and tackle to make it easier for my charter customers to enjoy fishing our challenging area (aka: Mayport Jetties) without the need for "super skills". All the while, I find it a fun technique also, as I perfect the tackle and tune and tweak it to better suit different conditions and seasons.


Here's a use of the Open Eye swivels to make a "swinging hook" for less snagging when vertically fishing over structure.

(added 12mm soft glow bead to hook for added appeal in deep water)


"SIMILAR" to butterfly jigging but doing it inshore around structure. Replacing a bottom rig and dead bait, to only attract the "AGGRESIVE" fish in the area and not feed every bait stealer around.

They have already worked on Trout and over sized Redfish in the river as well as the Mayport Jetties.

Here's a few other 'swing hook' slabs where I added in the OPEN EYE SWIVELS, to make a EZ swinging hook.

So, as you can see. The OPEN EYE swivels have many uses.

5/31 - 5 days in a row...

Just got done 4-5 days in a row. From trying to get serious about big Redbass to taking kids out for a learning day catching just small fish for fun. Sat in the rain, as giant cold rain drops had us scrurrying away from one spot to another. To no Big Redfish bites at all.

Starting June 1st, it'll be time to mix it up a bit as soon as the shrimp boats are allowed to work close to the beach. Then, it'll be "run-n-gun" time, and Blacktips & Spinner sharks in the morning when it's cooler.

On this day, I had three kids, and two adults. We let the kids catch some small fish for fun in the beginning of the trip, and they soon wore out. So we "adult fished" the 2nd half of the 1/2 day.

And caught two nice 40 pound class Redbass, using cut baits along the channel edge of the river. Just a mile from the boat ramp.

Greg Wong and family:

The time to book for JUNE is right now.
Email me: charter@captdaves.com
or call 8am-8pm eastern time:  904-642-9546






-what to expect coming up soon: