12/29 - Sheepshead, December's heat, KastKing Braid

12/27 & 28th: UN-seasonably, UN-seasonal...

Speaking personally. Not for a single other soul. This really sux!  I'm sweating at 6am in December while putting the boat in the water because I mistakenly wore a LONG SLEEVED T-SHIRT!


Sunday and Monday:

Sunday had us at the Jetties float-rig fishing and it was rough and my crew could barely stand it. We caught I believe maybe 5 Trout, and it really wasn't worth sitting anchored in it. And I knew Monday's crew certainly wouldn't handle that kinda of slop, so we never even bothered.

So Sunday we ran way up river, after trying numerous other places at the jetties that were dead.
Yep, more Trout but all small ones. But the Jig-N-Shrimp combo meal seemed to be the ticket.
With two kicker fish, a 2 pound and a 8 pound Sheepshead off a underwater rockpile.

After Sunday, I could tell Monday was doomed......all day we had a super flood tide with a HOT S.E. wind blowing pretty hard. So Monday ended up being a super Flood tide with HOT air blowing even harder from the due south.

Due SOUTH??????

In December we should have NW, N, and NE winds.....cold winds too. Not hot south winds.
Monday turned out to be a complete disaster. Bait stealers is all my 3 person crew could connect with if they could even get a shrimp to stay on the bottom for more than 30 seconds. It was unbelievable!
Jig and shrimp is what we fished from Mayport to Mill Cove to Mayport again.

When it's bad, it was actually more like horrible. The weather reports said winds 8 kts as we sat near the little jetties area and the winds (south) were blowing more like 20 knots plus. Go figure?

Rescheduled Tuesday (today), because I know one of my crew members very well . and there's no way I was risking taking him in this, with this lack of bite. So it turns out as usual, he can't go till the end of January!  Well maybe by then it won't be 85 degrees with a south 20 knot wind!

NEXT UP:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
The forecast is for a wind shift and temp shift.
And fishing the crowds....AGAIN.

12/26 - 1/2 way....

IT DOESNT EVEN FEEL LIKE WINTER TO ME AT ALL. AND WE'VE ALREADY REACHED THE 1/2 WAY POINT OF WINTER AKA: COLD WEATHER FISHING SEASON.  THE SEASON I DREAM ABOUT ALL SUMMER LONG, THE SEASON WHERE THE TROUT ARE CHEWIN' SO GOOD I GO BY MYSELF, JUST TO SLAY SOME FATTIES, AND COME HOME WITH ONE TROUT, BECASE THEY ALL WERE WELL OVER 20 INCHES.

MY PREDICTION IS SUMMERS HEAT WILL COME ON US SO FAST, THAT YOU WON'T HAVE TIME TO GET A NEW PAIR OF FLIP-FLOPS!!!

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YOU THINK WE HAVE PROBLEMS?

CHECK THIS JAPANESE DESCRIPTION (BAD TRANSLATION SOFTWARE) OF A DAIWA RYOGA REEL ON EBAY:

Item Description

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12/22 - Can't believe I've never seen him!

Hey Folks. This is "Jetty" the Mayport Deer. The one and only, that is constantly spotted from A1A North, he lives on the base and meanders thru the marsh.

This photo was taken just south of the back gate to the Navy base, where they are FINALLY lengthening the damn turn lane for all the Navy people (I'm being sooooo nice , here) to get in the base and stop clogging the damn road!!!

The Little Jetties Park is just on the other side of the street......the "Redneck Riviera", you know, where people camp in tents with their heads 10 feet off the dang pavement?  Yeah, that side of the street!  

I'm posting this because as much as I go back and forth on that road, I've never seen him. (guess thats because I'm a A rated driver and my entire livelihood is usually in tow, behind my truck)

People are concerned that Jetty is "feeling his Seaoats". And YES, we all need to be aware early in the mornings and late in the night that "he's out there".

Early in the morning "ON WEEKENDS"...because on weekdays the damn Navy traffic is so slow and thick, you won't be going over 2 miles and hour anyhow!!  That gate should be shut down in my opinion to ONLY large truck traffic, but thats me hating everything about the base. So, I'll keep my opinions on my blog to myself.

Long live Jetty, Mayport's only Buck.

12/21 - A Big Easy slice of heaven

Where I'd like to retire too.......hahahahahahahaha
yeah that's a joke. Me and my $59.99 a month social security check.

12/19 - VIDEO FISHING REPORT (DEC)

THAT WAS IT FOR THIS WHOLE MONTH, FOLKS!
OCT. - HAD ONE
NOV. HAD ONE 

COLD IS THE KEY!!!!!!!!!

This Ole "Jettywolf" House, (project)

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING WHEN NOT FISHING FOR THE LAST 3 WEEKS. FIXING BOTCHED UP JOBS FROM THE LAST OWNER, AFTER 9 YEARS, IT WAS TIME. WE PLANNED ON DOING ALL THIS IN THE COOL WEATHER, BUT THIS SUMMER IN NOVEMBER & DECEMBER WEATHER HASN'T BEEN AS PLANNED EITHER.

DAD AND I AREN'T EVEN CLOSE TO DONE YET.

12/17 - Shakespeare Ugly Stik LITES, best rod ever.

Yeah, I'm a fan. But these are gone?
(don't worry I have them for my customers..I did that weeks ago(
I got you covered always!


NEXT UP:  SATURDAY 12 /19 with a ole customer from years ago. "He's back in Jax"

12/12 - where oh where, were you today.....

Where oh where were you today.....Mr. Speckled Trout?

We were run outa the Jetties by all the damned Bluefish eating all our live shrimp (precious commodity)  Then after catching a few small dink trout we ran up river and tried there. Fished a super Trout spot, but they weren't home.

Got rid of the float-rigs and went to the Jig-n-shrimp comer bo meal and caught Trout then, but all were small. Got a 4 pound Sheepshead off the spot and a 15" Flounder.

ALSO, TWO FRESHWATER CHANNEL CATFISH!!!  now that's 4 Channel Cats that my customers have caught in that area since October.  Hmmmmm, kinda weird.

Made a move and switched to my bait saving "slab spoons" with FISHBITES added and caught small yellowmouth Trout.

Ran back to White shell area and had a guy in a old T-Craft center console boat which looked to be in great shape, and when I asked him, "Is that a old T-Craft?"  He replied, "You're within casting distance" (????)  I said back to him "I just came by to ask you about your boat, thats all."   

Damn huffy ass weekenders!!!  Some people need to chill out.  But we laughed and laughed as he thought I was gonna park on top of him.......which I don't do. But plenty of people do it to me, and never say BOO.

And at White shell we busted the larger yellowmouth Trout pretty good, dropping high numbers into the fish box using Slab spoons and our last dozen or so live shrimp on the float-rig. And also had a few Mangrove Snappers too.

So we made a good finish of the day.  Whewwwww.....and it was a strange one at that.

One of two Freshwater Channel Cats from up river.....

WHO EVER LOST THEIR BOAT........I FOUND IT JAMMED IN THE NORTH JETTY ROCKS.  LOOKS LIKE ITS STILL FLOATING...........MAY NEED A NEW JETTY ANCHOR,

                                                                                                       

12/8 - Listen too; WJTTY- "Gator Country"

5 POUNDER for Mike

6 pounder next....for John

In between we had "keepers" and "sweethearts" and a few just shorts.
Lost a Redfish to a broken leader, picked a few small Mangrove Snappers. But never got many Redfish bites, it was 99% all Trout. Which isn't something I'm complaining about.

"MAKING THE DONUTS........"

BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY CHARTER, NOW!
BEST DAY: 2- PERSONS......GATOR TROUT TRACKING!
904-642-9546  8AM-8PM 

12/7 - ahuh......we got 'em

James and son Tyler had a banner day fishing the river with the ole Float-rigs and live shrimp.
If only the fishing would be like this 12 months a year.

Don't call me in July and want the same as today.

-Speckled Trout to 5 pounds
-Redfish 18" & 22" KEEPERS!!!!
-Big CROAKER
-Filled in some cooler space with decent sized Yellowmouth Trout (weakfish)
-Mangrove Snappers too.

Just a good, fun fishing day in early December.

12/4 - ITS COOL & BLOWIN OUTSIDE

SO NO FISHING TILL MONDAY AND TUESDAY FOR ME.
SO LETS GO WITH THIS......

WANNA KNOW A WHOLE LOT MORE ABOUT "JIGGING"?

THINK MY INSHORE VERTICAL JIGS AND SLAB SPOONS ARE UNORTHODOX?

LEARN MORE WAYS TO UTILIZE YOUR VERTICAL JIGS FROM THIS ARTICLE.

FROM TROLLING THEM TO "DEAD STICKING" THEM. I'M A FIRM BELIEVER, BECAUSE I HAVE ALREADY RIPPED THE SPANISH MACKERAL UP ON THEM TROLLING.
HERE'S THE ARTICE'S <LINK>

12/3 AIRD - UGLY STIK - SLAB SPOONS

12/2 - Best La. Fishing show! "makes me drool"

BEST YOUTUBE LOUISIANA TV SHOW..

Capt Tony Fontenot is as genuine as they come. I know.....I gotz me the T-shirt. ,Castin' Cajun I never miss an episode. Check it out on YOUTUBE, and subscribe. You'll love it and be very jealous like I am, that I'm not a Castin Cajun too.

WATCH THE SHOW AND SUBSCRIBE HERE (LINK)

I told Capt Tony, I could learn to be a Castin Cajun in one year or less...... TRY ME!

DECEMBER ONE (deserves some off topic fun)

HUGE FAN........FAVORITE MOVIE(s)..........SO WHAT COULD BE COOLER, than this?

Arnold Schwarzenegger pranks fans...This is why i love this guy!!! hahahaha
Posted by Kit Dale on Thursday, August 6, 2015

11/29 - I be yer Huckleberry!

1st Jetty Trout of the winter season.....they always make it by Thanksgiving. But sometimes I can't for the seas and customers non-sealegs.

BEAUTIFUL 3 pounder.....told ya the assault has begun.

Moved inshore for more sweethearts.

On a "home-made" Clatterbrat lure.

Two, liked it. Very much so.

was seduced on the "BLING" ROD & REEL.

More the Merrier, I say! (Trout that is)

I LIVE FOR THIS RIGHT NOW.  I PAY MY DAMN DUES ALL STEAMY SUMMER LONG, WITH THE ABSENCE OF ALL GOOD FILLET'ABLE FISH INSHORE. I SWEAT DOWN TO MY BVD'S, DEAL WITH KID AFTER KID, JULY THERMO-CLINES, RAIN FROM HELL.

SO DON'T EVEN ASK IF SHEEPSHEAD FISH. I TROUT FISH, IF YOU CATCH A SHEEPSHEAD, THAT'S NOTHING BUT BYCATCH ABOARD THE JETTYWOLF!  

11/28 - Time for an all out "Float-rig" assault

Today, was about like yesterday..."lots of small fish" from up river. And Mill Cove about as dead as I have ever seen it so far this fall.

What's to blame?  Probably me for trying it again this morning.  It's amazing how the fish can get so stacked up in there and then a few days later, ZIP!

It seems like yesterday to me that I went in there with Bob & Carol and we cleaned house

Plus Reds, Drum and a bunch more Trout.

IF the weather would ever lay down I'm sure the Trout have arrived at the jetties. It usually takes till the day after Thanksgiving when I find them in the area. But I haven't been out at the inlet in so long because I just wasn't up to fighting the 20-25 knot winds with small craft advisories!

ONLY one guy on Facebook told me he caught his limit of jetty trout, as he went on Thanksgiving day. And he had to of fished way inside the North rocks, and I believe that's what he said.

NOT a single other person has shared a report with me.....But then again, I put all this out there almost every day.  (excluding Traveller Bob of course who fished with me on the 27th, he's finding great Trout. But not at the jetties of course.)

From here on out It's gotta be assault time. But it doesn't feel like it being so damn warm!! 

Heading out again on the 29th and even the 30th. And my 2nd Holiday run is over.

11/27 - WENT DEAD on us....

Had good ole regular aboard today, "BOB the TRAVELER". Tried the kitchen sink on them, threw the tackle box in the water. Killed 8 dozen live shrimp.....Caught two Trout, one for Bob and one for me that were keepers.

The full moon or something had the fish completely off the "feed bag" for us. Yeah, we caught loads of small fish, but that was it really.

NOTHING compared tp this past week of pure 100% USDA mayhem, which I was getting used too very easily.

Caught the largest Trout of the day while doing R&D on a home made lure from Skip at www.clatterbrat.com - who sent me some lures to try.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL:  https://www.youtube.com/user/bloodknot101

Got the largest on the Clatterbrat "Jigshad".

Let's see........we float-rig fished, we fished shallow using corks and a shrimp, we threw jig-n-shrimp combo meals, I threw plugs, I threw the Jigshad, we both threw Slab spoons, and Nada!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many small Sand Trout and not even enough Specks and just one pup redbass and two small Black Drum, and we gave it hell all day. While in the river as the coast was hit hard with Small Craft Advisories!   Which will continue till Monday.

So yeah, the Jetties are out for me, and I have charters till Monday.
All I can do is keep plugging on and staying with the river fishing, till I can get out to the rocks and give it a try.  Most people can't take the rough water at the Jetties so I don't even try anymore, when it's questionable.

Hope it turns around to pure mayhem again. That was too much fun.

My favorite TV show host sent me his t-shirt (or actually his wife Julie did) He's too busy catching cooler fulls of TROUT in Louisiana

11/22 - REDFISH Jacksonville November

GOTTA LOVE IT....yes this way more fun that sitting on the channel edges using all those heavy sinkers and heavy tackle.

C'C'mon and git you some. Plus so much more.

Two persons is the best quality trip you can do.

BOOK NOW FOR AROUND CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS HOLIDAYS

11/21 thru 11/23

11/20: the TWO Ken's:

I ditched the bottom tackle and went up river and found perfect water. On the 21st while catching Trout on a rock pile we pulled up a 6 pound FRESHWATER Catfish, a Channel Cat. That right there tells ya, here's yer sign. This water is perfect. Not so damn salty. The fish want this kind of water.

But the highlight was on the 21st, we no sooner got on a spot and were fishing along and catching Yellowmouth Trout about 12-13" when Ken's rod bows over and he looks like he's fighting a pup Redfish. Nope it's a GIANT CROAKER at 17 inches.

But the excitment didn't stop there.  On a jig-n-shrimp combo meal (1/4 oz.) in 8-10 feet of water he sets the hook and the drag screams...screams so fast I had to pull the anchor start the motor and chase this fish!  A 29 pound Redfish......on super L.T. (light tackle)

Yep, that huge mouth inhaled a little shrimp on a 14 oz. jig head and took off. An amazing catch on the lightest of spinning reels with not that much line on it. 20 braided line, and a 20 mono leader, with a jig with just a small 1.0 hook.

We also caught a few more Croakers, Lots of small Trout a few nice keepers, and of course the big fat Freshwater Catfish.  Ended the day by getting caught in a rain storm from hell. It rained so damn hard and we had no where to go. So we got all wet from our toes to our heads and suffered thru it catching 10 more good sized Yellowmouth trout on Slab spoons and berkey gulp patches.



11/22 -  HOT ROD Eduardo in the group of four

This was supposed to be a 2 person trip, but over night went to 4 persons, so I was a bit taken, because I have been fishing some tight places. Tight rock piles up river, that are full of huge snags and lots of fish if you can get thru them all. So I was apprehensive.

So I went to the same spot that the big Redfish came from yesterday. Four people can cast jigs there with minimal snags and I can stay sane while they catch versus get snagged.

Gave everyone a light spinner rod and reel and a 1/4 ouncce jig head and had a pile of live shrimp in the baitwell and cut them loose to do the catching.

Eduardo was a HOT ROD. And was using the rod and reel that caught the 29 pound Redfish yesterday. Well as he fought a big Red that I again had to let go the anchor and chase, the reel started grinding anbd skipping and was just Blown Out! From the day before's catch.  But he managed to keep the fish on .

I think it was a 33 incher and about 14 pounds.  And then Eduardo catches a keeper Redfish at 26", while everyone else was catching small Specks and yellowmouth Trout.

THEN.......here comes a giant Croaker again!  Even larger then the one before. A 18 inch Croaker!

There it is along side a nice 18 inch Trout and my big Fillet knife.

We get a few Sheepshead to include this massive 7 pounder.

The weather on Sunday was not great. It blew all day long and was quite damp. But the guys boxed several keeper Trout, the Redfish, Sheepshead and a pile of yellowmouth Trout.




11/23 - Another 4 person trip in the BURNING COLD! (1st huge chill of the season)

I twittered this photos of myself while preping to head out for todays charter. YEP, full Gortons fisherman attire, and I still froze to death on the ride to the spot where we started todays trip.  I needed even more clothes, and some gloves would have been nice too.

The ride up river was down right brutal at 40 mph against the cold air. And once on the spot the wind still blew, making it not that much warmer.  But the guys got into the Yellowmouth Trout fast and even picked up  small specks, when Nestor using a Capt Dave's Approved Slab Spoon set the hook on a fish that AGAIN smoked the drag some thing fierce. Heading straight for a Crab trap float on the surface.  So, I had to pull anchor AGAIN.........and chase the fish.

Another 29 pounder that drug us out in the middle of the river, around a crab trap float, and fought to the bitter end on extreme light tackle.

While besting the record from last Sunday at a 21 pound Red, with this 29 pound Red being caught on a Capt Dave's Approved Slab Spoon and a piece of Fishbites.






Here's the slpab spoon (5/8ths oz.) used in 8-10 feet of water, with a 1/0 VMC Siwash hook
A NEW RECORD FISH ON A SLAB SPOON!!

The rest of this freezing cold day consisted of just small Speckled Trout and yellowmouth Trout and not much else. Guess it's because the full moons just a few days away and the cold front may have shut down much of the bite. Not sure what the deal was. I had the guys on slab spoons and jig-n-shrimp combo meals using a 1/4 oz. jigs all day long.


IT WAS A PRODUCTIVE 4 DAYS IN A ROW. iT'S FUNNY HOW EACH DAY FOR TWP DAYS STRAIGHT WE HAD JUMBO CROAKERS, AND JUST ONE OF THEM, EACH DAY. aND EACH DAY ON THE SAME SPOT THERE WAS BIG REDS, SOME GIANTS UP IN 8-10 FEET OF WATER WHO HAD NO PROBLEM EATING A SMALL SHRIMP ON A JIGHEAD.

NEXT UP:
THE 27TH AND 28TH. AND THEN THE 30TH, AFTER TURKEY DAY.

HAVE A GOOD THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE. AND IF YOU READ THESE REPORTS WITH REGULARITY, LET ME KNOW. I'M ALWAYS CURIOUS TO WHO IS STOPPING BY MY DAILY REPORTS BLOG.