December 2023 Volume 21 Issue 264
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Nassau * Duval * Clay * St. Johns * Flagler * Volusia * Brevard
Merry Christmas
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Joe Dionne
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Page 6 Nik Bremer Page 10 Capt. Bert Deener Page 16 Spencer Brogden Page 18 Capt. Jim Suber Page 22 Capt. John Eggers Page 24 Capt. Todd Philcox Page 27 Capt. Cory Sparks Page 36 Capt. Adam Morley Page 41 Capt. Jeff Patterson Page 45 Craig VanBrocklin
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Fernandina Amelia Island By Nik Bremer In this month’s edition of Fishing Connection Fernandina Beach, we are going to cover how to troll for speckled sea trout from a sailboat during a Nor’easter. It will help with saving money on gas and utilizing the unlimited renewable resource of wind that we have had constantly blowing 23mph out of the Northeast. Can we please catch a break? The weather has definitely been challenging, but the good part is the fish are still there and hungry. The key is knowing how to fish in these difficult conditions. By now we are all probably over that stage of saying “This weather sucks and I’ll wait for the next best day”, because that day will fall on a day that you must work, are out of town, or have 16 pages of “honey-dos” to complete. So put an extra layer on, do your due diligence, and get out there. Here are
the steps I take leading up to my day on the water. First, if I know I have a day off 5 days from now, I’ll pull up the tide chart to see what the tides are looking like for the day. You can check tides months in advance to give you a head start on picking you spots that you will potentially fish. I love to use apps like Fishing Points to explore and save spots. There are plenty of different logos and symbols that you could color code. For example, I’ll use fish icon one, two, and three, to signify 1) Redfish, 2) Flounder, and 3) Trout. Color-wise, I’ll use green as incoming and red as outgoing. So, if I see a fish icon 3 in green, I know that I have either caught trout on the incoming tide in this location or want to try it on the incoming. That is my system, you could color code and use whatever icons that float your boat. Clicking on each marker will allow you to add pictures and notes to reference in the future. Second, keep a close eye on the weather leading up to your fishing day. Rain is the first thing I look at. This will tell me how to dress or if it’s even worth going out at a certain time. No one likes being soaked while trying to enjoy your day. The wind is a close second when checking out the forecast. This is going to tell you where you’ll be able to fish. A change in direction could easily eliminate half of your honey holes. I typically like having the wind to my, back allowing it to assist in my cast. Casting into the wind and pissing into the wind are two in the same, it’s not fun.
So based on the wind forecast, you could match that with the tides and come up with a game plan for the day to get the best out of it and not waste any precious time on the water. The third would be looking at your first light, cloud coverage, air, and water temperatures throughout the day. This will help when picking what you’re going to fish with. I LOVE fishing top water and will as long as I can until the sun peeks its head through the clouds. When that happens, I’ll move to a paddle tail or Mirrolure 17MR and work a little lower in the water column. If I’m not finding fishing covering water with artificials, I’ll switch to live bait to pinpoint their location. Fishing in the conditions we’ve had for the past month (or year) could be challenging at times, but following the steps above to plan for those limited fishing days we get, will help you get the best out of your day and keep frustration levels to minimum. If you’re planning a day and need a little help, always feel free to drop by Amelia Island Bait and Tackle or Old Town Bait and Tackle to check out a map and talk shop. Tight Lines and Merry Christmas to everyone.
Nik Bremer Amelia Island Bait & Tackle 904-277-0775
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Swamps, Creeks, and Ponds By
Capt. Bert Deener November 23, 2023 Fishing Report By Capt. Bert Deener I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The bite in flatwater systems has been the best I heard of this week. The river and saltwater reports have been hitand-miss. Altamaha/Ocmulgee Rivers – A Waycross angler fished the lower Ocmulgee River on Friday and did well. He caught 17 bass up to 2.91 pounds and his biggest 5 weighed 11.59 pounds. He fooled amost all of them on Texas-rigged plastic crawfish. Shane and Joshua Barber fished the lower Altamaha River on Tuesday. They had 25 total bass (16 keepers). Most of them ate Jelly Worms, but a few hit spinnerbaits, and they caught one on a crankbait. Shane said that the bite was often just a spongy feel – not a hard hit. He said that the water in the creeks was clear but the main river was stained. Okefenokee Swamp – A Waycross angler fished the west side out of the SC Foster State Park on Saturday and had a blast. He caught 11 fliers and warmouth in the boat basin on chartreuse and pink sallies suspended underneath a small balsa float. In Billy’s Lake he trolled Dura-Spins and caught 27 bowfin up to 6 pounds. The best colors were fire tiger-chartreuse blade and white-white blade but he also caught a few on blood red and lemon-lime. Some anglers fishing the same day caught a few bowfin and a nice 18-inch pickerel on fire tiger Dura-Spins. Bowfin bit on the east side, as well. Most reports I heard were fewer than a dozen fish per trip. This cooldown will slow the bite for a few days until it stabilizes, but then it should pick right back up. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 120.50 feet.
Satilla River – I got a report from a couple Blackshear anglers fishing for striped bass
on the lower river, and they did not catch them. Another angler fishing there also was not catching any, but she said that she had been catching striped bass on the lower Altamaha and St. Marys rivers. A young lady caught a giant 1-lb., 6-oz. bass from the upper river. The photo was on Satilla Outdoors on Facebook. The bass reports from the upper river were good in the stable warmer weather we’ve had lately. Bass are still feeding aggressively, but I haven’t heard any good panfish reports. The level is good to do a float trip, but this cold front will likely knock them in the head for a few days until the temperatures stabilize. St. Marys River – Matt Rouse fished the upper river on Wednesday for a couple hours and caught a dozen yellow bullheads (butter cats) on shrimp. A couple of them were pushing 2 pounds – big for that species! Local Ponds – Harry Beverley and a friend fished minnows in a pond this week and caught 50 crappie up to about a pound and a half on minnows. Chad Lee had a blast this week flinging micro-crankbaits for bass. He caught 8 bass and had 4 that were over 2 pounds. I fished an area pond with my daughter on Monday evening for just a couple of hours and caught 24 crappie up to 1-lb., 8-oz.. All of them ate Keitech 2inch swimbaits rigged on 1/32-oz. Zombie Eye Jigheads and 1/16-oz. Flashy Jigheads. The wind was crazy-strong, but we were able to control the boat by trolling directly into the wind, and the fish cooperated. Color did not matter, as we caught them on everything we trolled – both natural shad and minnow colors and also bright chartreuse hues. Saltwater (GA Coast) – Winds were rough most of the week, but folks still caught fish. Jay Turner and Gerald Riner won a big trout tournament in the Savannah area on Saturday. They pocketed $4,000 for their win. They caught their fish (several species) on a variety of plastics rigged on Zombie Eye Jigheads (2/0 hook). They had big trout, Redfish, and Flounder on the rig. Scott Smith and Cole Anderson fished out of Crooked River State Park on Sunday and caught 25 trout. They had 5 keepers in the 16 to 18-inch range and all of them hit a pearl Keitech Swimbait rigged on a Zombie Eye Jighead and suspended underneath a float. ChadFishingConnectionOnline.com Sexton and Brentz McGhin fished out of Crooked River on Monday. Winds were much stronger than
forecasted, but they found a few protected areas. Flinging Gulp and Assassin Sea Shads under Equalizer Floats produced 9 trout up to 15 inches. They had 2 keepers. Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) fished Tuesday and had a bunch of smaller trout along with a few keepers. He was fishing live shrimp under a Harper Super Striker Float in 4 to 6 feet of water. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that inshore fishing was good even in the winds this week. Sunday and Monday his charters caught lots of trout and Redfish and some Black Drum. Both days they fished live shrimp under Harper Super Striker Floats. They caught 25-30 Redfish both days and on Sunday they also had a limit of trout. The Monday trip only caught 10 trout but added 3 Flounder, a couple big Sheepshead, and 7 nice Black Drum. Tuesday was great for slot-sized Redfish, but they struggled for trout – they were mostly shorts. They caught them on both jigs and shrimp that trip. He canceled his charter Wednesday because of nasty conditions but he fished in the rain and wind anyway. He was pleasantly surprised with nice trout up to 20 inches, 3 reds, and a flattie. He was flinging Keitech Easy Shiners and Berkley Power Swimmers that day. The new bait shop in Brunswick named Wat-amelon Bait and Tackle is now open Friday through Sunday from 6am to 4pm each week. They have plenty of lively shrimp and fiddler crabs and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. They’re on Hwy 303 just north of Hwy 82 in the same location as the previous J&P Bait and Tackle. For the latest information, contact them at 912-223-1379.
Capt. Bert Deener Capt. Bert Deener makes a variety of both fresh and saltwater fishing lures. Check his lures out at Bert’s Jigs and Things on Facebook. For a copy of his latest catalog, call or text him at 912-288-3022 or e-mail him (bertdeener@yahoo.com).
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Ellie Deener of Athens caught these 2 slabs and 22 other crappie from a Waycross area pond on Monday evening. She trolled Keitech 2-inch swimbaits on 1/32-oz. Zombie Eye Jigheads for the fish. FishingConnectionOnline.com
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Joshua Barber fished with his dad on the lower Altamaha River on Tuesday and caught 25 bass (16 keepers, including the one in the photo). Most of them ate Texas-rigged Mann’s Jelly Worms. FishingConnectionOnline.com
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Local Wild Caught Large & Jumbo Shrimp __ Live Blue Crabs __ Tackle & Seasonings
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Pier & Surf By
Spencer Brogden
It’s hard to believe we are in the last month of 2023! It seems that it was just spring time and we were filling our coolers with all types of fish. Instead, we are on the back end of the fall bite as our water temperatures are starting to head towards the mid 60’s and will go even lower if we get several cold fronts in a row.
This is the time of year I like to fish sunny days with light east/west winds when possible. The big Whiting will gladly take fresh shrimp in any runout or slough that you can find. Patience is a must though because as the water cools the fish aren’t nearly as aggressive and will many times chew on the bait before fully taking it. This is also the time of year I soak my shrimp in Diet Pepsi before hitting the surf. When I was only 11-12 on the old jax beach pier I saw a guy catching one Whiting after another while everyone around him sat and watched. I went over and asked his secret and Diet Pepsi was his answer. I quickly went to the drink machine , got a Diet Pepsi and put his trick to the test. After soaking my shrimp for about 10 minutes I started trying. It was not long
before I had 15 nice Whiting in the cooler. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation to this but I don’t have it, I only know it’s worked every time I’ve used it in the winter time when the water temps are cold. I hope to see a lot of great catches of big Whiting and hopefully no more week king northeasters like we had a couple times in November. Don’t forget to check out our Brokenreel23 YouTube and Facebook pages for weekly reports! Until next time and next year, tight lines!
Spencer Brogden
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Our Waterways By
Capt. Jim Suber COJ Waterways Coordinator Dock Master Division of Natural Marine Resources Department of Parks Recreation and Community Services 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd. Jacksonville, Fl. 32202 Office (904) 630-0839 Cell (904)509-0588 Jsuber@coj.net www.JaxParks.com www.COJ.net
Greetings, High water and high wind have been the common denominator for the fall so far with numerous Northeast winds and rain fall abundant the river continues to have higher than normal tide action and the salinity levels have fluctuated from low to normal and back to low. Although we have been lucky with the hurricane season coming and going without a major storm crossing our area, we have had several systems to influence our waterways and weather. The winter will give us some fluctuating temps and wind the waterways should get back to normal. We have several FIND grants that continue to move forward. Riverview Park's new boat ramp has moved out of red tape and the contractor has received the contract and work will start within the next month. Liberty Street Marina is in design and permits, Pottsburg Creek/ Beach Blvd design and permits to rebuild, Mike McCue Boat Ramp Bulkhead replacement design is near completion and the FIND funding to construct is due for approval, Thomas Creek Fish Camp Adaptive Kayak launch is in design and permits and is ready to move for construction. The City of Jacksonville is submitting grant
requests to the Florida Inland Navigation District for the design of dredge needs in the downtown area, the design of extending the floating dock system at Jim King Park and Boat Ramp, St. Johns Boat Ramp Boardwalk, and the replacement of the Oak Harbor Bulkhead. The new lighting and bathroom improvement project for Wayne B. Stevens Boat Ramp is complete and only a few clean-up issues remain but with the tree trimming, the new lighting and the improved restrooms this facility has a brand new outlook. The city staff has recommended a rebuild of the boat ramp that is at the street end at Wayne B. Stevens so that the process for grants will begin. The boardwalk at Blue Cypress Park has been rebuilt, the dock at the Riverside Art Market has been repaired and the repairs of the damage at Arlington Boat Ramp and Mayport Boat Ramp are underway! The city continues to move forward with the design and permits for the rebuilding of the Beach and Pottsburg Boat Ramp. The new Mayport docks for the Shrimp boat community are still moving forward. The proposals from contractors have not been up to the city standards so they have advertised to request proposals for the design first and then they will contract the actual build. There will be a slow speed zone installed 300 ft. on each side of the Cesery Bridge only in the Arlington River. In addition to the slow speed zone, INFORMATIONAL ONLY signs will be installed at the University and Beach Blvd. Bridges advising the area has paddle craft in the area. A new city ordinance has been approved by the city council to develop an anchoring restriction zone in the Ortega River. This will require vessels to leave the area after 45 days on anchor. New signage for enforcement has been installed. With the high water, we get additional debris in the waterways, so it is still extremely important to use caution and keep a lookout! The derelict vessel war is still full speed ahead all over our waterways. More are piling up and the process and funding are working slowly. The old vessel sunk north of Half Moon Island Park is scheduled for removal, the sailboat north of the Beach Blvd Bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway and the sunken vessel near T.K. Stokes ramp are waiting on a contract for removal by FWC, I want to continue to remind all, that on the east end of the Back River behind
Blount Island, we have a sand bar developing. It is on the Ramoth Drive side of the river. A solution to this concern is being worked on. The Jacksonville Waterways Commission continues to have a committee to address this issue and discussions continue with The Army Corp of Engineers and a source of the sand is being explored. The Waterways Commission has submitted legislation to fund warning buoys for the area as well as pursuing a funding source to study a cause and solution. Please use caution and a look out anytime you are underway especially when up on plane in your boat, debris items are just under the surface, and seeing them can be difficult. Day time always use good, polarized sunglasses and at night slow down and double your caution and lookout. As always allow me to continue to remind everyone to always check your boat and yourself. Use of a lookout and being aware of your surroundings is always a priority. Invest in a QUALITY EPERB, and file a float plan with someone who will miss you first so if things don’t go as planned, the search for you can be narrowed and recovery can be quicker . Take a safe boating course and do your part to activate our waterways! The Jacksonville Sail and Power Squadron, America’s Boating Club, continuously offers America’s Safe Boating Course at Lamb’s Yacht Center and classes have resumed monthly. Check their website for classes through 2023. The cost of the classes to the student will continue to be reduced to an affordable rate thanks to a donation from Jacksonville Marine Charities from proceeds from the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament. The next class and all future classes will be announced on the America’s Boating Club website at www.usps.org/localusps/Jackson. JSPS continues to do vessel inspections so you can contact an inspector at the same website or reach out to me and I will assist in getting you with an examiner. Last but not least, show pride in the facilities provided for your use with your tax dollars by properly disposing of your by-products when you clean your fish and dispose of your trash appropriately! I wish all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy Holiday Season! BE SAFE!
Capt. Jim Suber 18
Ortega River Bridge The most active bridge in the State system
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High water at Jim King
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Intracoastal Waterway By
Capt. John Eggers The fishing season seems to have flown by this year and it's hard to believe it's already December. Typically December is one of the best months of the year for schooling slotsize Redfish. Although we will have some wind and cold front issues we will also have plenty of good weather days to fish.
Water temps will be in the mid-60s most of the month which is a perfect temperature to school those reds up. Feeder creeks will have lots of good fish stacked up in the holes and around oyster beds. The same with the Intracoastal Waterway especially at low tide outside of creek outflows and flats that dry up. The river will have fish schooled up around the shell banks and rock piles all the way out to the jetties. Fish those same flats at high tide that go dry in on low. Reds love to cruise the grass lines looking for food and tend to be pretty aggressive. The Speckled Trout bite and yellowmouth trout will be best in the river around most structures like docks, shell points, oyster beds, and rock piles. Soft plastics always work well for them rigged on jig heads or just live shrimp rigged the same way. Sheepshead will still be biting at jetties but they start to move deeper
into the rivers and Intracoastal Waterway. Most of the bridge pilings will hold fish including deeper bulkheads, docks, markers, and rock piles. Fiddler crabs are the best bait but I still have pretty good luck with small live shrimp. Black Drum should be in most of the creeks but the bigger fish will be in the river around the rock and shell bars somewhere around that 10 to 15 foot depth. You will also be catching them in the same areas as the Sheepshead. Tight Lines.
Capt. John Eggers 904-591-1611 rocknreelcharters.net
Wren from Atlanta
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Bonnie from Jax Beach FishingConnectionOnline.com
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Intracoastal Waterway By Capt. Philcox Capt. Todd Todd Philcox
Shorter days, cooler water, and hungrier fish, December will bring more cold fronts and the first minor winter freezes to NE Florida and our inshore species will take notice. The enormous quantity of bait that offered easy meals from August to early November has diminished greatly, Redfish, trout and Flounder must now work a bit harder for their meals, and they will rarely let a live shrimp or minnow presented on a jig escape them. Work creek bends with
holes from 4 to 8-foot depths, those adjacent to oyster bars and large mud flats will be extremely productive at the bottom of the outgoing tide, especially when that low outgoing tide coincides with a sunny afternoon. November fishing was quite active with lots of smaller Redfish, slot size Redfish were scattered, and most days I would find a few by keeping on the move and hitting numerous different locations. Hopefully, the cooler waters of December will get the larger reds schooled up a bit. The trout bite picked up, best action was in water 15-20’ deep in areas adjacent to the river. Our area is blessed with an incredibly immense landscape of marshland and estuaries extending from the Intracoastal and St. Johns River miles back into the grass. These creeks all hold productive areas to fish, get out at lower tides, and explore. Slot-size Redfish will be found in shallower water throughout the winter months. Look for those oyster bars and slightly deeper holes, just be sure to know your tides so you don’t end up
stuck in the mud! We see more extreme low tides over the winter months which really condenses inshore fish into those creek holes and leads to some real fun fishing. Live shrimp and mud minnows are my primary bait throughout the winter, I fish those baits on an 1/8 to a 3/8ounce jig, depending on wind and tide conditions, work those baits more slowly as the water temps cool and let them sit in productive areas. I also try to have blue crab available and will let a chunk sit on the bottom on a circle hook while I actively fish the other baits. Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year to All!
Capt. Todd Philcox Salty Charters (904)403-8575 Saltychartersjax.com
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Baughman family Great day with Trout and Redfish
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Kevin and Chris Parks with a 26" Red.
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Palm Valley By Capt. Cory Sparks December in the Valley is such an amazing time to fish! Boat traffic is down as well as the temps. Comfortable weather makes fishing any time of the day fun! Fish are biting and there are so many species to target that are willing to cooperate this month! Speckled seatrout will be in big numbers. You will catch droves of slightly undersized ones while trying to locate your slotfish. Take extra precautions when handling trout that will be released. Heavy handling and dropping fish decrease their survival rate and we need these young fish to keep our stock high. They
also have a slime that is removed when you handle them so if you know the fish is small, just shake it off with a hook removal tool and don't touch it at all! As for lures, I will always seize the chance to throw topwater in low-light conditions. Paddle tails on 1/4 oz. jigheads are tough to beat though. You can work a paddle tail through the entire water column from bouncing on the bottom to skimming almost on top of the water. This serves as a great tool to locate the depth that trout are feeding in. I also love throwing twitchbaits like Mirrolure mr17s and similar lures this month. The darty, slow sinking action drives trout wild and are a blast to fish with. And they just flat-out catch fish! Sheepshead and Black Drum will remain around the structure and oyster bars throughout the Valley. If you're not a believer in Fishbites EZ Strips this is the time of year to change that. Tip live or dead shrimp with a small piece of shrimp or crab flavor and hang on! Bouncing this offering around the structure and shells using the current to move you will entice these striped creatures to feed! My favorite colors are orange, green, and pink but try all the products to see what works for you! Redfish will be cruising grass edges on high water. Popping corks with live baits is a must when the tide is up. I also like
putting soft plastic under the cork if the bait is limited. Curly tails, paddle tails, or any scented plastic worked under a cork will get hit by Redfish as well as other species. If tides are dropping or low, Redfish congregate in funnels and ambush points. Drifting or soaking bait in these areas will result in catches. If you fishing a suspended bait like a popping cork set up or a lure, you want to cast up current and allow the bait to drift through the strike zone. If your bait will be stationary like a Carolina rig, then place it where the fish will be staged feeding and let it sit. I like to actively fish an area with multiple cast with multiple casts of a lure while having one road soaking with bait somewhere else. This allows multiple baits to be offered and maximizes the chance of catching something. Some days both rods go off and other days the fish will show you what they prefer. Spend some time fishing with friends and family this Holiday season. There is no better way to spend time than fishing with loved ones! Merry Christmas! Keep Reeling!
Capt. Cory Sparks
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Dave with a nice Black Drum off Fishbites and shrimp!
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Morgan was on a good Black Drum bite!
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Art Richer always find the Redfish when he's in town! FishingConnectionOnline.com
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November 2023
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Fishing in and Around the Matanzas River By Capt. Adam Morley As December's cold breath swept over the Matanzas River, the Redfish gathered in their winter congregations, a tight-knit fellowship of bronze backs and iridescent tails. In the shallows, where the sun lingered on warmer days, these crimson warriors basked in the fleeting warmth, a respite before the chill set in. Yet, when the mercury dipped, they sought sanctuary in the deep recesses of the river's bosom, their copper forms disappearing into the abyss. The cooler waters, like a crystal lens, bestowed upon the Matanzas a newfound clarity. The river's soul laid bare, revealing a seemingly barren mud flat, a canvas upon which the drama of the piscatorial world unfolded. It was a time for sight fishing, an art where the keen eye of the angler met the elusive gaze of the Redfish. With each cast, the dance commenced a delicate interplay of lure and predator beneath the dappled sunlight filtering through the oaks lining the riverbanks. As the tides ebbed and flowed, the trout emerged from the shadows, an ethereal presence in the shifting waters. High tide became a canvas upon which the grass lines painted their own narrative. With the river's pulse-quickening, these silver ghosts
patrolled the edges, their predatory instincts heightened by the promise of the moving water. The angler, a silent observer in this aqueous theater, cast with precision, a line cutting through the stillness. In the secluded bends of the creeks, where the currents sculpted sinuous pathways, Black Drum lurked with voracious appetites. Fresh shrimp, a succulent offering, danced upon the end of the line, a siren's call to these dark knights of the river. In the silence, the angler felt the subtle tug, a prelude to the ballet that unfolded beneath the surface. The Black Drum, with their robust frames and indomitable spirit, made each encounter a test of skill and will. Flounder, those masters of disguise, undertook their own odyssey. Migrating towards the inlets, they embarked on a journey offshore to warmer sanctuaries. The angler, attuned to the ebb and flow of nature, sought these elusive flatfish in the channels leading to the open sea. With each drift, the anticipation grew, a silent communion between the angler and the denizens of the deep. The Flounder, with their uncanny ability to blend into the sandy substrate, required not just skill but a touch of serendipity. The river, a vessel of tales untold, cradled the hopes and dreams of those who cast their lines into its depths. The December air, crisp and invigorating, carried with it the whispers of the Redfish, the rhythmic beat of the trout, the primal drumming of the Black Drum, and the elusive dance of the Flounder. Each species, a character in this piscatorial drama, played their part against the backdrop of the Matanzas River. As the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting an amber glow upon the water, the angler reflected on the day's pursuit. The winter river, in its quiet majesty, had revealed its secrets. It was a season of transition,
of Redfish seeking warmth in the shallows and sanctuary in the depths, of trout patrolling the high tide grass lines, of Black Drum feasting in the creek bends, and of Flounder embarking on their offshore sojourn. In the fading light, the angler embraced the timeless allure of the Matanzas, a river that, like the stories of old, unfolded with each cast and each tide. For in the heart of December, as the river murmured its tales, the angler stood as a witness to the piscatorial poetry that echoed through the currents, a narrative etched in the waters of the Matanzas River.
Capt. Adam Morley 904.540.7245
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Daytona Ormond Beach By
Capt. Jeff Patterson It’s been a great year with ups and downs landing some awesome fish and then of course there’s the big ones that got away. Hoping to finish out the year with some great fishing! Sheepshead bite has been hot and should be great for the next couple months. I like targeting them at the jetties and some of the nearshore spots out off the beach the best and I prefer sand fleas or small live shrimp over fiddler crabs just because once the fiddlers shell
cracks they fall off the hook pretty easy. Docks and bridges can be good too. Black Drum have been around the bridges pretty thick in Daytona and New Smyrna. Half of a blue crab is a good bait but also live shrimp. Several times I’ve also got them to eat a dead smelly shrimp after trying with live without luck. There’s been some at the jetties and should get even better this month. Bull reds and tarpon have been around the inlet and then in the river south of the inlet towards New Smyrna. I’ve been doing great using bigger pigfish and pinfish drifting with them on the bottom. This time of year you have to catch these baits since they don’t have them at the bait shops. I’ll try out different areas in the river just using a small piece of shrimp on a little hook or sabiki rig. If you can get your hands on these baits, docks towards the inlet and bridges hold some really big snook! Season closes December 15 through January 31 so keep that in mind. I like to fish them on the bottom in these areas and at the jetties as well. A couple you don’t hear about as
much are sand trout and weakfish that are plentiful over the next couple months. Not my favorite for table fare but they’re a blast for kids with big schools of them making for a bunch of action keeping kids busy . They hang out in deeper holes throughout the river and I catch them using live shrimp throughout the water column and they’re fun on artificial too. I like using a faster sinking soft plastic with a 1/2 oz jig head or even other heavier artificials that you can fish deeper in the water column. If they don’t bite one day where I know they’ve been hanging, i’ll try next time with the opposite tide and usually get them. The funny thing is one week it might be better on incoming tide but the next outgoing. Hoping for some decent weather the rest of the year and tight lines. Happy holidays and happy New Year from Pole Dancer Fishin’ Charters!
Capt. Jeff Patterson 386-451-4992
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Hunter Patterson landed his first tarpon on a live pigfish
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Regular clients Stephanie Lee and Wayne Anderson with a pair of Bull Redfish
My father Jeff Patterson with a big Redfish in New Smyrna
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Lady Angler Kaydence Fowler 29 Dink Slam Victor Cortez 35.5 Pink Bra Joe Federico NE FL Inshore Slayers Sheepshead Boat Aggregate 1st Mychael Mitchell/Kane Warden 19.312 2nd Ashley Rehberg/William Rehberg/Brook Daily 18.625 3rd Bryce Hardwick/Blake Lumpkin 18 Biggest Jason Schermund/Chris Yaccarino/Gerald Mitchell/Daniel Ortiz 5.437
Tournament Board By
Craig VanBrocklin Florida Lure Anglers 2 Redfish (weight) 1st Chase Maddox/Michael Snyder 13.31 2nd Lee Jones/Allen Flowers 11.96 3rd Damien Solorzano/Spencer Fox 10.69 Big Fish Tom Riley/Hoffman 7.11 Full of Bull (inches) 1st Christopher Thurne 41.25 2nd Marc Hardesty 40.5 3rd Ryun Synder 40.125 4th Cassadee King 40.109 5th Tiffany Carrion 39.5 Lady Angler Cassadee King 40.109 Junior Angler Cassadee King 40.109 Most Spots Peyton Harkrider 30 Toadfish Taylor Lawhon - 15 Netti Kayak Challenge Slam Champion Travis Goodale 73.25 Redfish 1st Rich Altman 52 2nd Matt Embree 51.5 3rd Kenneth Manton 51.25 4th Michael Fitzwater 49.25 5th Sheila Snyder 47.75 Flounder 1st Kevin Lairsey 18 2nd Blake Beltz 17 3rd Matt Embree 17 4th Jeff Altman 16.75 5th Craig Van Brocklin 15.75 Trout 1st Domenic Paniccia 23.5 2nd Sandy Stark 22.75 3rd Kevin Lairsey 22.5 4th Michael Fitzwater 22 5th Robert Conner 19.75 Redfish Spots Craig Van Brocklin 10 Pink Lure Alan Luango 18.25 Junior Angler Jaden Altman 27.5
Kayak/Land Aggregate 1st Jacoby McMahan 13.25 2nd Dillon Lawrence 11.5 3rd Chris Sulenski 11.312 Biggest Victor Cortez 4.312 Junior Benjamin Beach 3.812 Pink up the Spots 1st Joe Driscoll 7.45 2nd Shane Sloan 6.85 3rd Matt Jenkins 6.83 4th Sydney Burgdorf 6.25 5th Marcus Wiley 6.08 1st Ladies - Sydney Burgdorf 6.25 2nd Ladies - Alison Colvin 6.01 1st Trout - Leeane Lawson 2.32 1st Flounder - Jacob Carr 6.03 AIGA 1st Nicole Myers 19 spots 2nd Nik Bremer 9 spots 3rd Regina Davis 8 spots Youth 1st Molly Lidell 6 spots 2nd Brantley Davis 5 spots 3rd Chandler Santiago 4 spots Boat Aggregate (1 Redfish, 1 Seatrout) 1st Connery Petty 8.84 2nd Daniel Tyler 8.82 3rd Matt Davis 8.41
Upcoming Tournaments December * 2nd FLA * 9th Mothers of Veteran Suicide Fishing Classic (St Marys)
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Jaden Altman Netti Jr Angler winner
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Chris Sulenski 3rd Place NE FL Inshore Slayers Sheepshead
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