Ahoy there Anglers,
Here we are still in the heat. I'll sure be glad when the water temperatures start cooling down here. I'd be willing to say that should start happening in about another two to three weeks. When it gets to this time of the year I'm always anxious for the sheepshead and black drum season to fire off, (especially the sheepshead). Yes, it's getting closer and closer to the large Virginia croaker time and the fall-flounder-run also. I can't wait. Not only will the redfish and trout cooperate better and better but the 'air temperatures' will be better for us fishing also.
Yes, when the water temperatures cool from the high 80's and get back into the 70's the top water lures work so much better and my Bomber Long A's work wonders on the trout too. Such a great time of the year. I look so forward for the October, November and December fishing and then comes along March, April, May and June again. I'd have to say the worst months of the year for fishing has to be February and August. Real cold water temperatures in February slow the fish down as well as the real warm temperatures in August.
Now don't get me wrong, August has it's bright side also. Redfish in the creeks when the wind is calm and they're up so shallow that their backs are out of the water, well, yes, you can't beat it. I love to sight-cast to these beauties in the shallows and the bull redfish start to school up for their fall migratory run to their offshore spots to spawn. As the water temps gets hotter and hotter the reds slow down and then when the water temps rise about as much as they're going to and they stabilize at about the same degrees every day then the reds get used to the temps and then start eating again. That's what they're doing now. So yes, August does have some bright sides.
CREEKS:
As mentioned before, the redfish in the creeks are doing good again in the shallows and we've also been catching some nice reds just before the high tides with live shrimp on Cajun Thunders over oyster beds. The spotted trout are still scattered over so huge an area that we're still not getting very many slot-sized ones. It's so hit-and-miss. The flounder have been good this year so far. I think the fall run will be great on these guys. Jacks and ladyfish are here and there in the creeks. Not like usual. Some real nice tarpon are rolling in the creeks but since the schools of pogies aren't anywhere to be found I haven't even targeted the tarpon much. The tarpon can find a pogie here and there but nobody else seems to be able to unless you go to St. Augustine Inlet.
RIVERS:
Small croakers are everywhere. You just can't keep a dead shrimp on the bottom for all the small croakers. Some people have been lucky enough to catch a few keepers, ( I know, they're all "legal size" but I don't take people to catch 5" to 6" croakers unless we're going to use them for bait. They need to be bigger than that).
Nice yellowmouth trout to 3 pounds are in the river again. Dead shrimp or sliced croaker are good baits. The whiting are back in better numbers also. Nice whiting and very good to eat are hitting dead shrimp in the sandier areas like Nassau River and Ft. George Inlet.
A few black drum still in the river but hard to find. When you do find one, stick with it. There's probably more in the same location. spotted trout on slip-float rigs are the better bet than lures right now. Soon the plastics will start working again better as the water cools then back to the lures. Haven't seen the larger jacks around lately but there's plenty of mangrove snapper around. You just have to weed through the smaller ones to get your legal sized ones.
JETTIES:
The Mayport Jetties slowed down so much last month. Not as many bull reds around and even less tarpon. I think they're mostly down around St. Augustine where all the pogies are. We even went shark fishing out at the rocks a few weeks ago and didn't even catch a shark. I know now they'll be back at our rocks up here as the time is getting right for all the bull reds to really school up. The tarpon and oversized redfish should be hitting a lot better out at the rocks now and I'm looking for the pogies to return north to us. The mullet should be thicker at the jetties and that'll bring more fish in. A few black drum on the bottom in spots and some pretty nice whiting are starting back up out there. Nice yellowmouth trout are here and there but more of them seem to be up-river. A few mangrove snapper against the rocks too.
MILL COVE:
Redfish and flounder seem to be the best thing going on now in the Cove. Yellowmouth trout here and there and we've been catching a black drum or two during the higher tides with Cajun Thunders and live shrimp over the oyster beds. The spotted trout should be moving back in better within the next couple of weeks and man, am I looking forward to that!
SURF:
My surf fishing buddy tells me there are some real nice whiting in the surf right now and some nice pompano and a few black drum.
OFFSHORE:
Sailfish are here and are traveling in schools. They can be found from the beach to the ledge. Live bait works best but they'll also hit lures with ballyhoo.
Tarpon are doing pretty well. I've heard of a few being caught in and around Nassau Sound but most are being caught on the beach south of St. Augusting Inlet, where all the pogies are. Amberjacks and cobia are on all the wrecks. Kingfish and barracuda are still everywhere. Beeliners and black sea bass are the best bet for bottom-bumpers and the triggerfish are picking up too. Still a lot of short snapper.
Remember to help keep our waterways clean and trash-free. It takes all of our help. Hope to see you on the water soon.
Tight lines to you all,
Here we are still in the heat. I'll sure be glad when the water temperatures start cooling down here. I'd be willing to say that should start happening in about another two to three weeks. When it gets to this time of the year I'm always anxious for the sheepshead and black drum season to fire off, (especially the sheepshead). Yes, it's getting closer and closer to the large Virginia croaker time and the fall-flounder-run also. I can't wait. Not only will the redfish and trout cooperate better and better but the 'air temperatures' will be better for us fishing also.
Yes, when the water temperatures cool from the high 80's and get back into the 70's the top water lures work so much better and my Bomber Long A's work wonders on the trout too. Such a great time of the year. I look so forward for the October, November and December fishing and then comes along March, April, May and June again. I'd have to say the worst months of the year for fishing has to be February and August. Real cold water temperatures in February slow the fish down as well as the real warm temperatures in August.
Now don't get me wrong, August has it's bright side also. Redfish in the creeks when the wind is calm and they're up so shallow that their backs are out of the water, well, yes, you can't beat it. I love to sight-cast to these beauties in the shallows and the bull redfish start to school up for their fall migratory run to their offshore spots to spawn. As the water temps gets hotter and hotter the reds slow down and then when the water temps rise about as much as they're going to and they stabilize at about the same degrees every day then the reds get used to the temps and then start eating again. That's what they're doing now. So yes, August does have some bright sides.
CREEKS:
As mentioned before, the redfish in the creeks are doing good again in the shallows and we've also been catching some nice reds just before the high tides with live shrimp on Cajun Thunders over oyster beds. The spotted trout are still scattered over so huge an area that we're still not getting very many slot-sized ones. It's so hit-and-miss. The flounder have been good this year so far. I think the fall run will be great on these guys. Jacks and ladyfish are here and there in the creeks. Not like usual. Some real nice tarpon are rolling in the creeks but since the schools of pogies aren't anywhere to be found I haven't even targeted the tarpon much. The tarpon can find a pogie here and there but nobody else seems to be able to unless you go to St. Augustine Inlet.
RIVERS:
Small croakers are everywhere. You just can't keep a dead shrimp on the bottom for all the small croakers. Some people have been lucky enough to catch a few keepers, ( I know, they're all "legal size" but I don't take people to catch 5" to 6" croakers unless we're going to use them for bait. They need to be bigger than that).
Nice yellowmouth trout to 3 pounds are in the river again. Dead shrimp or sliced croaker are good baits. The whiting are back in better numbers also. Nice whiting and very good to eat are hitting dead shrimp in the sandier areas like Nassau River and Ft. George Inlet.
A few black drum still in the river but hard to find. When you do find one, stick with it. There's probably more in the same location. spotted trout on slip-float rigs are the better bet than lures right now. Soon the plastics will start working again better as the water cools then back to the lures. Haven't seen the larger jacks around lately but there's plenty of mangrove snapper around. You just have to weed through the smaller ones to get your legal sized ones.
JETTIES:
The Mayport Jetties slowed down so much last month. Not as many bull reds around and even less tarpon. I think they're mostly down around St. Augustine where all the pogies are. We even went shark fishing out at the rocks a few weeks ago and didn't even catch a shark. I know now they'll be back at our rocks up here as the time is getting right for all the bull reds to really school up. The tarpon and oversized redfish should be hitting a lot better out at the rocks now and I'm looking for the pogies to return north to us. The mullet should be thicker at the jetties and that'll bring more fish in. A few black drum on the bottom in spots and some pretty nice whiting are starting back up out there. Nice yellowmouth trout are here and there but more of them seem to be up-river. A few mangrove snapper against the rocks too.
MILL COVE:
Redfish and flounder seem to be the best thing going on now in the Cove. Yellowmouth trout here and there and we've been catching a black drum or two during the higher tides with Cajun Thunders and live shrimp over the oyster beds. The spotted trout should be moving back in better within the next couple of weeks and man, am I looking forward to that!
SURF:
My surf fishing buddy tells me there are some real nice whiting in the surf right now and some nice pompano and a few black drum.
OFFSHORE:
Sailfish are here and are traveling in schools. They can be found from the beach to the ledge. Live bait works best but they'll also hit lures with ballyhoo.
Tarpon are doing pretty well. I've heard of a few being caught in and around Nassau Sound but most are being caught on the beach south of St. Augusting Inlet, where all the pogies are. Amberjacks and cobia are on all the wrecks. Kingfish and barracuda are still everywhere. Beeliners and black sea bass are the best bet for bottom-bumpers and the triggerfish are picking up too. Still a lot of short snapper.
Remember to help keep our waterways clean and trash-free. It takes all of our help. Hope to see you on the water soon.
Tight lines to you all,
VIC2FISH & ADVENTURES, INC.
Web site: http://vic2fish.com/
904-699-2285
P.O. Box 28208
Jax., Fl. 32226-8208
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