Fishing Connection Online May 2024

Joe Dionne Publisher Editor

Danielle Dionne Pacowta Volunteer Editor

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Fernandina Amelia Island

By Nik Bremer

I can't believe we're already into May and the Nassau County Black Drum Tournament is over with some nice fish caught in each category.

Ricky Hartsfield had the overall largest fish at 68 17lb, Renee Oliver took the Lady's tourney with a beautiful 42.02-pound drum, Savannah Shearin finished on the top in the lady’s junior angler division with a huge 45.68lb fish and Houston Robinson took the boys division with a 47lber Congrats to the four of you and to everyone else who weighed in throughout the tournament at Amelia Island Bait and Tackle as well as Atlantic Seafood.

Water temps are now into the 70s, and the big Black Drum a replaced with many people's favorite, the Pompano

When targeting pomp's, I like to fish the incoming tide. Do a little scouting at dead low tide to find your sandbars. Try to match it up with a good little runout and you've got yourself a good place to start Pompanos eat a variety of baits including shrimp, sand fleas, clam, and what the Sinker Guy calls his secret weapon, blue crab knuckles.

I like to get as many scents in the water as possible to feel out the bite. By this I mean, I fish with different baits to see what the fish like to have on the menu for the day Fish a Pompano rig with 1/0 or 2/0 circle hooks. Contender Rigs have been extremely popular at the shop which has a variety of color options with the sandflea floats selling 2to1 over the rest. On the bottom hook, I use live sand fleas which we sell at Amelia Island Bait and Tackle.

They are on the top of the menu many may argue For the top hook, I'll use fresh dead shrimp (when available) and I'll tip it with fish bites Color is up to you, but I

like using a different scent than I already have on my hooks. So, in this case, I would not use sand flea or shrimp but would try flavors like clam or crab.

The Fishbites will also give the setup a little color and helps keep your shrimp on the hook. With this combo, you’ve now got 3 scents in the water and can see what’s most effective to dial in the bite. Complete your rig with a Sputnik weight to keep the slack out of your line and you're in business.

American Beach, Peters Point, Amelia Island State Park, and Jasmine are a few of the favorite beaches on the island for you to give it a shot. Tight lines my friends! As always, please feel free to come by Amelia Island Bait and Tackle or Old Town Bait and Tackle with any questions you may have, we're always happy to help.

Nik Bremer

Shop # (904) 277-0775

Cell # (760) 212-8131

1925 S. 14th St.

Fernandina Beach, FL.

Nassau County Black Drum Tournament

Ricky Hartsfield had the overall largest fish at 68.17lb

Nassau County Black Drum Tournament

Swamps, Creeks, and Ponds

By

Capt. Bert Deener

April 25, 2024 Fishing Report

By Capt. Bert Deener

The annual Satilla Riverkeeper fishing tournament will be held May 3rd through the 12th. Rivers are dropping out but are still high. Okefenokee Swamp is high, but the Flier, Bowfin, and Pickerel bites are picking up with the warmer weather. Your best bets this week are ponds and saltwater, but the St. Mary's is fishable.

Satilla River – The annual Satilla Riverkeeper fishing tournament will be held May 3rd through the 12th. Get the details on the Satilla Riverkeeper Facebook page. Catfish Legends held a tournament on Saturday out of the Burnt Fort Ramp. Sasquatch Outdoors won the event with 66-lbs, 7-oz.. The Bull Gator team brought 35-lbs., 6-oz. to the scales for second, and 28lbs., 12-oz. is what the Undercover team caught for third place. For all the latest information on the tournament trail, check out Catfish Legends on Facebook. The upper river has dropped below flood stage,

but it is still in the flooplain. I expect it will be within the banks by late in the week, and catfishing should be decent by late in the week in the upper river.

St. Mary's River – Brentz McGhin fished the river on Saturday and caught some nice panfish. He had a stumpknocker that would have been a river record, but he did not take the time to get it certified. He also caught Warmouth, Bowfin, and a small Bass that he released. He used crickets and plastic crawfish.

Okefenokee Swamp – I fished the east side on Saturday and checked a bunch of different areas. The water is still high and way out in the prairies, but there are fish in the canals. I fished 4 hours in the middle of the day and caught 16 fish by myself. I only caught a couple fish trolling, but casting was the ticket that day. All of the fish ate either lemon-lime, fire tigerchartreuse blade, or jackfish Dura-Spins. I tried lots of other colors, but the fish did not want the other hues. What they lacked in numbers, the fish made up in size. I had 3 bowfin over 5 pounds and pickerel up to 22 inches. The biggest fish was a monster Pickerel that I watched open its huge maw and totally inhale a Dura-Spin and immediately break me off. That’s the first time I’ve had one take it deep enough to get past the long wire that I use on the

in-line spinner. That same day a couple anglers dabbling jigs said that they had a “mess” of warmouth. Another group had caught only 3 Warmouth. Almost all Warmouth reports I’ve gotten are fewer than a dozen fish per trip. Jim and Hayden Blackburn walked the boat basin on Wednesday morning and caught a handful of Warmouth and Fliers. They caught the most on crickets, but Hayden fooled a big Warmouth with a Satilla Spin. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.46 feet.

Paradise Public Fishing Area (near Tifton) – The King of the Kayak Series held a doubleheader tournament on Saturday. It was an interesting format. They fished Paradise PFA in the morning and then nearby Rutland Farms in the evening. It was well-received, as 22 people fished, and they scored 70 legal-sized bass during the event. Jason Lee won the event, Hank Joyner came in second, and Seth Carter rounded out the top 3.

Local Ponds –

Don Harrison fished out of his kayak in a Waycross area lake on Saturday and flung Satilla Spins. He caught 18 nice bluegills up to 8 inches, and the best color was black/chartreuse. Jimmy Zinker fished a lake this week at night with Jitterbugs and buzz baits and fooled five in one night.

The biggest two were 7-lb., 15oz. and 5-lb., 15-oz. and both ate the Jitterbug. Jim Trollinger used one of my whitetreuse (white and chartreuse) Perch Hounder Spinnerbaits in a pond in the Savannah area and caught 3 bass in 10 minutes. John Ross fished with his dad, Chris, this week and caught some bass in a Waycross area pond. He was flinging bluegill flash Keitech swimbaits rigged on Zombie Eye Jig heads.

Saltwater (GA Coast) –Warmer weather improved the reports before the cold front hit during the weekend. Capt. Cason Kinstle fished the Savannah area and put some youth on a good Whiting bite by putting dead shrimp on the bottom. Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) had a great trip Friday with a group of biology club members from Georgia Military College. They were tagging Sheepshead and ended up catching and tagging 14 of the convict fish. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that he had a couple good trips this week, but they worked for them. On Monday they had 9 solid keepers along with 3 slot Redfish and 3 oversized reds. They added a few Sheepshead and Black Drum by floating shrimp over rip rap. On Tuesday they were mostly sight-seeing, but caught a dozen Trout and kept 3 for a waterside lunch at Mudcat Charlie’s. They saw a giant alligator and a bunch of

smaller ones that afternoon. On Wednesday Capt. Tim had trouble finding Trout – just a nice 18-incher and a good Flounder. But, they made a stop for reds and caught them on every cast for about 15 fish (all released). They added a couple Sheepshead and Black Drum late in the trip, as well. All week the ticket was live shrimp under a Harper Super Striker Float. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is 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. For the latest information, contact them at 912-223-1379.

Saltwater (Nassau Sound near Jacksonville, FL) – Dionte Smith fished from the bank over the weekend at the Nassau Sound He had 10 nice Whiting but was hounded by sail catfish. Dead shrimp on the bottom was the ticket for his Whiting.

Keaton Beach/Steinhatchee, Florida – Capt. Pat McGriff of One More Cast Guide Service (www.onemorecast.net) out of Keaton Beach had some great trips and some where he had to work for them this week. His toughest day was Sunday when they were only able to fish 3 hours before being run off the water by storms. During the short time they managed 6 keeper Trout with 4 over 18

inches (only one over 19”). One of them was on a stinky pink Assassin 5-inch shad under an oval Cajun Thunder Float, while the balance were on live pinfish. The magic depth that day was 4 1/2 feet. The other 3 trips this week each produced limits of Trout and a few Redfish mixed in. Live pinfish under Back Bay Thunder Floats was the prime presentation. Capt. Bert Deener guides fishing trips in the Okefenokee Swamp and other southeast Georgia systems and 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, you can download it from his website at bertsjigsandthings.com or e-mail (bertdeener@yahoo.com).

Capt. Bert Deener

Cole Crawford caught this 31-inch, 10-lb. plus Bowfin on the east side of the Okefenokee Swamp earlier inApril. He flung a red-white Dura-Spin to fool it.

John Ross caught this bass this week while casting a bluegill flash Keitech swimbait on a 1/16-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead.

Pier & Surf

By Spencer Brogden

The month of May signals somewhat of a transition for surf fishing in northeast Florida and the pier. The water will usually get to the upper 70's in May. When this happens, the Whiting and Pompano bite will start to slow down. The Whiting will move back off the beach into cooler water and the large schools of Pompano will head north on their journey to the Carolinas If the water stays mid-70s, then the Pompano will grace us with their presence even longer. With the rising water temperatures, speckled Trout, Flounder and Redfish will become more prevalent along our coast, inlets, and piers.

To target the Trout, I usually use a slip float rig where you can adjust

the depth and live shrimp I plan to put a video up on YouTube of the setup. It is literally one of the easiest rigs to use and you can catch everything on it. The best times to target the Trout are early morning and late afternoon. You can still get them in the middle of the day but in the morning and evening the fish tend to move in very shallow to feed You can also target them with artificial, mainly throwing topwater as the sun comes up The Trout will sit in inches of water at times and will blast a lure when it's right at your feet!

The Flounder are fairly easy to target as well a simple Carolina rig with live mullet or live shrimp will usually get the job done The key is to always keep the bait moving. I like to throw and drag the bait back to me very slowly and cover a lot of water. They love structure to ambush their food so pilings, rocks and any other type of structure is a must to fish. Remember they have to be 14 inches and it's 5 per person a day.

Redfish are perhaps the least picky of the three fish. They will eat sand fleas, fiddler crabs, blue crabs, dead and live shrimp, and

mullet From the surf, they tend to hang out in slough or deep drops. They also live structure so piers and rocks at the inlets is a top attractor. I've caught Redfish in a foot of water on live sandfleas many times. I've even caught them in my cast net while throwing for mullet in small tide pools. Redfish will hit in just about any weather it seems, but they really love when the surf is churning. They will sit right in the whitewash feeding on all the crabs and sandfleas getting stirred up. Carolina rigs and the Sinker Guy's Bruno rigs work well for Redfish.

Remember to enjoy yourself when fishing. I run into far too many grumpy fishermen. Be attentive as well One thing I did as a kid was always watch the ones who were always catching fish and copy their techniques! If you have any questions or comments, check us out on Brokenreel23 on YouTube. We post weekly fishing forecasts as well on there. Until next time, tight lines!

Spencer Brogden

Clear calm day on the St. Johns River

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,

Here we are fully involved in the Spring season and rapidly blending into the summer season

Our waterways are now warm enough to see the manatees returning and the fishing and boating season ramping up to full activity Remember to pay close attention when you are in the inland waterways to watch for the manatees using polarized sunglasses and watch for the clue of a boil on the surface. When you are anywhere along to shallower shorelines the chance of a manatee in the area is probable.

Our construction and repair projects continue to make progress. Riverview Park boat ramp has moved to actual development and the new ramp is going in and new docks should arrive soon.

Liberty Street Marina continues forward in design and permits McCue Boat Ramp Bulkhead replacement design and the design for the Windward Marina upgrades are moving forward at a good pace. The City of Jacksonville is moving forward with the ramp and parking lot replacement at the Beach Blvd / Pottsburg Boat Ramp. The surveys of

dredge needs in the downtown area came back and the results were as suspected so the design for the project will move forward. This will include the River Place Tower docks, The Friendship Park Docks, The St Johns Boat Ramp, The A. Philips Randolph Dock area, The Cove area of Friendship Park, The mouth of Arlington River, and the Fixed Dock area near the Chart House Restaurant. 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 are in design The Downtown Investment Authority has approved the forward movement of the new bulkhead on the downtown North Bank and the new bulkhead east of the St. Johns Boat Ramp on the South Bank. The replacement of the gangway at Reddi Point is complete and the additional damage work is in progress. The Plan to remove the new docks on the North Bank has changed and will not be removed and stored on the upland site while the new bulkhead is installed The docks from the Main St Bridge east will remain open to the public. The bulkhead replacement at the CSX Building is near design and permit completion. The Dinsmore Boat Ramp has been paved and a light project has been contracted The contractor has ordered the lights and poles. The City of Jacksonville is submitting new grant projects for consideration, Re-Building the boat ramp at the street end at Wayne B. Stevens, the new bulkhead for Mike McCue construction, and the replacement of the Blue Cypress Fishing Pier. The new channel markers and signage for the Arlington River has arrived and installation is in progress. We are still waiting for the permits to place a slow-speed zone near the Cesery Bridge in the Arlington River. The derelict vessel program has continued to make slow progress, but vessels continue to pile up. The Jacksonville Waterways Commission has a sub-committee to resurrect the River Accord that continues to meet and make progress with a draft of the agreement is being vetted Updates on the Ortega River Anchoring Ordinance are being worked on by the Office of the General Council This is resulting in a complete rewrite of the docking and anchoring

ordinance that will affect the entire County. The new Floating Structure Ordinance is getting full use at the Trout River / St. Johns River area. There is an old barge and other debris that has been abandoned for several years On April 8th the barge broke loose from its anchoring and was floating south on the St Johns River The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Marine Units were trying to hold it but not able to move it. They were able to re-direct it some saving some Arlington Residential Docks. They made contact with the Dock Master and with the fast work of the Parks Department, Environmental Quality Division, and the Procurement Department, approval was given to contract Mobro Marine and Moody Brothers Marine to deploy a tugboat to return it to anchor. The process to remove it is now moving forward.

I want to continue to remind all, on the east end of the Back River behind Blount Island we have a sand bar that has developed and growing. It is on the Ramoth Drive side of the river A solution to this concern is being worked on. We are still waiting for USCG approval of the plan to place warning buoys 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 A subcommittee has included the Office of Congressman Bean and a Plan from JU to prove the source is in progress

The annual Mug Race from Palatka to the Rudder Club at the Buckman Bridge will be May 4, Jacksonville Marine Charities will host the Redfish Roundup Spots Tournament at Jim King Boat Ramp May 11th and Safe Boating Recognition Week will be May 18-24 with the Jacksonville Sail and Power Squadron and the USCG Auxiliary will hold an awareness day and vessel safety checks at Jim King Boat Ramp. Major concerts in EverBank Stadium will be May 4,5 and 11 and The City of Jacksonville will have the Jazz Festival back at Metro Park May 23-26. Come by boat!

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 2024. 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 jspsboating club continues to do vessel

inspections so you can contact an inspector at the same website or reach out to me and I will assist 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 you all a great 2024!

Happy Fishing and Safe boating! BE SAFE!

Capt. Jim Suber

Jacksonville Sail and Power Squadron at Port 32 doing safety outreach

Intracoastal Waterway

By Capt. John Eggers

Sheepshead fishing is coming to an end with the warmer water temps but these changes provide plenty of opportunity for other species.

Our backbone all year round, the Redfish, will still be here in good numbers and become more aggressive with the influx of bait. Silverside minnows, small shrimp, plenty of finger mullet, and tons of small ribbon fish make their way in from the ocean creating a smorgasbord for not just the reds but

Trout, Bluefish, Jacks, Ladyfish, and Yellowmouth Trout.

I like throwing top water lures early and late for some great early morning action then switch to subsurface twitch baits and crank baits when the sun gets up Live bait always works well at any time during the day. Look for the birds working the incoming tides diving for bait that are getting pushed to the surface.

A Lot of the time the bait is getting chased by blues ladies and Jacks but if you can get down underneath those guys speckled Trout, Yellowmouth Trout, croakers, and Bull Reds will be feeding closer to the bottom I like to put a chunk of Ladyfish down, out of the back of the boat, while fishing for those other species to catch Bull Reds. The early part of May can still have those giant Black Drum feeding on whole crabs around the jetties and river drops, some of them reaching 70lbs.

Snook seems to have survived the North Florida winter due to mild temperatures for the most part Although we don't have the numbers

our friends have to the south we still have plenty of fish to catch here if you know where to look.

Downtown docks and bulkheads, backwater creeks, and brackish ponds are a great place to start I am already seeing Tarpon funneling in from the ocean and starting to migrate to the backwaters. It seems a little early but in my opinion, we are going to have a stellar year for them.

The big Tarpon from 70 to 150 plus tend to stay close to the ocean around jetties and bridges close to the sounds while the smaller fish will work inshore all the way past downtown and as far as Orange Park One of my favorite ways to catch them is still chasing them in the pogie pods on the beach.

Big popping corks or free-lining live pogies or mullet seem to be the most productive way to get them to bite

Capt. John

Paul from Connecticut with his first Speckled Trout

Kayak Fishin’

By Travis Goodale

Welcome back and hopefully you have been ripping lips in this beautiful weather we have been blessed with.

May has some great fishing to offer us in Northeast Florida. Kayak fishing in general is phenomenal in our area There are many options for us kayak anglers, and at times it is very hard to decide where to fish.

Of course, the tide, moon, and weather conditions should always influence your choice of where to launch your kayak The tide plays a major part in my decision because as most of you know, spots can be hot

on high tide and dead on low tide Although it takes time to figure this out about spots, it can really pay off when planning a trip.

The moon can be a very important factor to check as during a full or new moon or leading up to that the currents can be extremely difficult to navigate. Around these times I would suggest fishing areas with less tidal influence.

Mill Cove is a great spot or Guana on full or new moon tides. As for weather that should always be an important thing to check before deciding where to fish. Although the weather in May is much more consistent, less windy, and not as many storms pop up out of nowhere, it should always be a safe practice to check the weather before picking a spot to fish

But as for May, the mullet should be showing up in good numbers and the Flounder should be right behind them. May is usually when I break back out of my gigging gear and take a few late-night trips gigging the flats I have a walking setup that consists of a three-prong gig and a powerful light hooked to a battery in a backpack. Be

careful and always bring an anchor to secure your kayak while walking. I drag my kayak up as far as possible and then anchor it also. Another great way to bend a rod this month or get a kid in on the action is to look for birds diving early or late in the evening and throw topwater lures or spoons at the Jacks, Ladyfish, or blues that are pushing the bait up for the birds to feast on.

Occasionally, there will also be a few decent Trout in the area. Trout fishing should be hot this month and hitting dock lights at night can be super fun from the kayak. I like to use suspending lures or paddle tails and work the edges of the lights Redfish can be found at low tide in the creeks or cruising the spartina grass at high tide cruising mullet schools.

Tight lines out there this month my friends and remember to practice safety out on the water and be courteous to other anglers on the water.

Travis Goodale

Solid Trout caught fishing the river by Travis Goodale

Spring Flounder

Stud

caught by Travis Goodale

Simon and Jeff Torbet and Guest.

Al

Intracoastal Waterway

By Capt. Todd Philcox

May in NE Florida is a great time to be on the water, pleasant temperatures, longer days, and fewer afternoon storms than our summer months will allow for great morning as well as evening fishing action

Weekend boat traffic will continue to increase so be sure to get out very early, or late in the evening if you plan to fish along the Intracoastal waterway. Midday boat traffic will make fishing the Intracoastal banks uncomfortable and less productive due to wave action and muddied water around the lower tides, favor creeks, or other protected areas when the boat traffic increases.

The number of fish species cruising our

inshore and nearshore waters will continue to increase with many options to bend a rod for sport or table fare Look for birds to reveal schools of jack crevalle, Ladyfish, and Bluefish from the jetties, up the river, and in the Intracoastal Jacks and blues will crush topwater plugs and poppers, spoons and live bait will also draw aggressive bites

Tarpon should begin showing by late May, along the beaches with the pogy pods first, then at the jetties, smaller Tarpon can be found south of Butler Blvd. Bridge along the Intracoastal and in the creeks

Large shrimp or mud minnows freelined on small circle hooks should elicit bites from the smaller inshore Tarpon when you locate them rolling in the creeks.

Fishing the grass edges along the ditch at higher tides will continue to improve as warmer water and increasingly abundant bait will result in strong Redfish, Trout, and Flounder action Fish jigs and shrimp, minnows, or finger mulletwhich will be easier to find and cast net this month On calm mornings I will go with lighter jigs, 1/8 to ¼ ounce with shrimp and mud minnows, or a 3/0 to 4/0 circle hook and a small sliding egg sinker with heavier baits, live finger mullet or chunks of larger mullet are

great baits as are chunks or strips of Ladyfish, which Redfish will devour. On high outgoing tides, I’ll work the grass lines adjacent to smaller creek runouts and along the larger mud flats.

During lower tide phases work the steeper drops along the Intracoastal with heavier jigs to get your baits down deep, larger reds and Trout will be waiting! I look forward to seeing you on the water, give me a call if I can help get you out fishing!

Palm Valley

By Capt. Cory Sparks

Palm Valley is absolutely loaded with just about anything you want to catch! Bait is here Fish are here You can just about count on a good day of fishing this month anytime you go!

Look for Redfish coming off marshes and flats to congregate in deeper channels and oyster bars at low tide stages. They have been eating shrimp and mud minnows

as well as paddle tails on 1/4 oz. jig heads

Trout are feeding in many clean water rip lines If you see tidal flow creating a distinct line of dirty and clean water, fish that area. Work different depths of the water column and you will most likely find what the Trout want to eat and how deep they are feeding. Paddle tails, popping corks, or slow sinking twitch baits are great options here.

If you like dock fishing, focus on finding some Snook this month. Darting action lures like the DOA Terror Eyes are fantastic for locating these fish Throw in docks and tidal run outs and retrieve the lure in multiple cadences until you get the strike

Sharks are starting to show up and one of my favorite things to do is catch the big Bonnet sharks on light tackle. These fish eat crab and shrimp so you can run into

them while targeting your Redfish, Trout, Black Drum etc. Sometimes you can even sight fish them on flats where you see them cruising Don't try to net these fish unless you don't need your net anymore. One head shake and these guys shred your landing net mesh They make great fights and awesome pictures.

There has also been a good bite of Black Drum in the main river on oyster bars along deep channels Bounce a shrimp tipped with fishbites down the stretch with the current and wait for that rod tip to load up. These fish fight hard and are excellent table fare

Get out there and enjoy all we have to offer in the Valley!

Keep Reeling!

Connor with his big Redfish!

Zach and Madalyne with a couple nice Reds

Honest Auto Repair

Owner David Genchur has been servicing Jacksonville area Asian automobiles since 1987.

River

Fishing in and Around the Matanzas River

By Capt. Adam Morley

Ahoy, fellow anglers!

Captain Adam Morley here, reporting live from the beautiful shores of Matanzas Inlet. It's an exciting time for me and my wife because we've just opened our new store, "The Inlet Beach and General Store," right here at the heart of this popular fishing destination Now, visitors to Matanzas Inlet have a convenient spot to grab a cold drink, some snacks, and even some basic fishing gear if they find themselves in a pinch. And let me tell you, it couldn't have come at a better time just as the summer season fires up and the fishing gets as hot as a July day.

As we transition into May, the weather patterns have finally settled into some consistency, and the fish are beginning to settle into their summer routines. It's been a transition period that keeps even the best anglers working for every catch. But fear not, because, with the warmer water temperatures inshore, the fish are starting to become more active, especially blowing up on topwater baits

Now, let's talk about targeting

some of the prized catches in the inshore waters of Northeast Florida:

Redfish: These prized game fish can be found cruising the flats and marshes, especially during the early morning and late evening hours. Look for them around oyster bars, grassy edges, and mangrove shorelines Live bait such as mullet or mud minnows, as well as artificial lures like soft plastics and spoons, can be effective in enticing a strike.

Trout: Speckled Trout are another popular target for anglers in Northeast Florida. They can often be found lurking around grass flats, sandbars, and deeper holes.

Early morning and late afternoon are prime times to target these feisty fish. Live shrimp, finger mullet, and artificial lures such as topwater plugs and soft plastics are all effective options.

Flounder: These tasty flatfish are ambush predators that like to hide around structure such as rocks, docks, and ledges. Look for them in deeper channels and around oyster beds. Live mud minnows, finger mullet, and artificial jigs bounced along the bottom are all proven methods for hooking into a Flounder.

Tarpon: Known for their acrobatic leaps and powerful runs, Tarpon are the ultimate sport fish. Look for them in deeper channels, around bridges, and near inlet entrances. Live mullet, pinfish, and crabs are popular bait choices, but they'll also take a well-placed artificial lure or fly.

Snook: These elusive fish are known for their aggressive strikes and powerful runs. Look for them around mangrove shorelines, docks, and bridges, especially

during incoming tides

Live bait such as mullet or pinfish, as well as artificial lures like swimbaits and jerk baits, can be effective in enticing a hungry Snook.

As we dive into the summer season, it's important to remember to respect the fishery and practice responsible angling practices. Let's work together to ensure that future generations can enjoy the thrill of fishing in these pristine waters.

Until next time, tight lines and smooth sailing!

Capt. Adam Morley

Daytona

By Capt. Jeff Patterson

The weather has been beautiful! The water temps are heating up and the fishing has been red hot! All kinds of variety going on in the river.

Snook bite has been awesome in the backwaters fishing mangrove shorelines and docks.

Free-lined live shrimp has been working well. Pinfish are good to use around the bridges, especially near the tide changes About an hour into the tide change they start chewing. Both the beginning of incoming and

outgoing have been productive I like outgoing better myself.

Redfish and Flounder have been hanging around the oyster bars so mud minnows are a great choice for both The inlet has really picked up over the last couple of weeks! We’re catching upper-slot and over-slot Redfish using select shrimp and live pinfish.

Most of the reds have been in the 30-40” range It seems like the big Bluefish we’ve been seeing over the past month or longer are moving out of the inlet with the water warning up. We’ve been catching quite a few 30-35” fish targeting the big reds There’s been some big Snook around the jetties but the bite has been different from one day to the next. Now that the water is up to the mid70s the Tarpon have shown up around the inlet

start expecting Bonita off the beach around these bait pods. It seems like quite a few people have been fishing the nearshore spots off the beach and loading up on good-sized sand Trout and Weakfish

I haven’t tried myself but I’ve seen several catches of 20-40 fish with quite a few up to a couple pounds or bigger. There are so many different types of awesome fishing going on right now and we’re getting into the busy season so if you’re planning on doing a charter don’t wait last minute! Tight lines!

Pole Dancer Fishin’ Charters

Capt. Jeff Patterson 386-451-4992

I haven’t checked at all yet but they’re probably on the beach too. I’ll probably be checking before this report goes out because I’m itching to try! I have noticed a bunch of bait off the beach and some days I’ve found huge schools of Spanish mackerel going crazy on them. You can also

Ormond Beach

Tommy, Mason, and Eli Clark with a top slot Redfish