Jax. Fla. - Keepin on......
Capt. Dave Sipler
February 10, 2010
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Various days spent on the river. Wind, cold, and gale force w-i-n-d-s.
1/29 - and you think you have a tough job?
I've had the pleasure lately of being the transport boat for a few of the preliminary surveying duties for the rebuilding of the Sister's Creek Bridge on Hecksher Drive. Can ya believe it? The stimulus package has actually trickled down to a fishing guide.....well it's about time!!
Yes, I do just about any "boat for hire, with Captain" duty there is, out there. I do leisurely river tours, burials at sea, I can legally be a tow boat, I've had boy friends propose to their girlfriends on Bird Island in Nassua Sound after taking them there. I've transported survey crews into distant shallow waters, for depth measurements, you name it. It's why I own the boat I have. A bump into a concrete piling, or crushing some barnacles with the bow of the boat, or pulling up on a rocky shoreline doesn't mean I'm having to run to the fiberglass repair shop. We in the alloy boat world call it, earning a merit badge. And in 3-1/2 years of ownership. I have my share of merit badges so far.
Today, was one of those days under the Sisters Creek bridge. One of many so far. But, today was different.
I had a commercial diver aboard...a couple of them.
When you think your job is a tough, as you sit in the air conditioned office or heated cubical. Think about what this fella did, for a second.
The water temp was 53 on the first of the incoming tide. Yes, the water was moving a decent clip, and the pilings were covered in razor blades that resemble dead barnacles and oysters. I had to hold the boat in one position, as he went over and then down, to survey the piling, all the way to the bottom.....all the while, he had a line connected to him, with Chris the contractor holding it. I'm so surprised how well my boat can just sit in the current and wind without getting all wacky and moving around alot. It has a predictable movement. Holding position under the bridge with a guy on a line...not something I do every day. But it was fun, sort of. In it's own way.
Myself, like many people, I'm sure have not really fished around the Sisters creek bridge much. Yeah, I have float rigged it a few times over on the east end, and even caught a few small trout, many moons ago. But after spending so much time in the last few months under the bridge. With the help of all the guys I've had aboard, plus a diver. I should be fishing it more! The structure and holes under that 55 year old bridge are, unbelievable. Plus, I now know all the depths and ever drop off, too!
Even though the diver had a wet suit on, he said, "It's not so cold. At least it doesn't feel that cold anymore after my face went numb!"
These guys are usually in a dive helmet. With the air pumped into it. Wearing a sort of "diving armor", steel toed boots, and protective gloves, and lots of weight belts. So getting back into the spider-man suit and a mask with a vest full of tanks was so...1990's, for them. But a job had to be done and these guys bid on doing it. They'll be doing much more when construction begins in the spring.
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2/6 - WIND?.....Grossly Wicked
There's two wind directions I really dispise in this area. And that's due West and due East. Kick that up to a sustained 20-25 knots. And ya have yourself one wickedly heinous day, on the water.
Had my usual and leisurely breakfast at the RiteSpot with Dad this morning at 7:00am. Where we discussed our possible trip to Louisiana at the end of the month. I've been trying to make it there for about two years now. So we're thinking after Mardi Gras, and before the end of the month. Just a scouting trip, not a fishing trip. I want to go there many more times, too. So this maybe just the start, if I get there the first time. Because I'm wanting to make a move there. At least seasonally, if nothing else. I have many contacts there. And everyone says, "C'mon on over Dave and see us." But realistically, I can only do that during the dead-ness of February.
They catch truck loads of Trout there, all summer long. WITHOUT HAVING TO JUMP THROUGH HOOPS. Like I have too here. In the heat of the summer. Here, it's Oranges. And There it's Apples. There is no comparisons.
So after my breakfast with pops. I headed home. The gusts were bending the tops of the 70 foot tall Oak trees in my neighborhood. So I figured today was a real wash, as forecasted. A good time to check routes, and places we'd be heading too, via Google Maps.
Then the phone rang......
It was Jason S. and he wanted to take his young son Jase out for a little fishing. Jase was 7 years old. I told him "sure, but it's gonna be windy!" Jason wanted to just try 3 hours, and a noon departure. I knew it was gusting bad. But until I got to the Mayport boat ramp. I didn't really know how bad. I told Jason, I wasn't doing anything on Sunday, if he wanted to try then, instead. But Sunday was out. So I backed the boat down the ramp, they hopped aboard and we headed down river. The ferry boat was still making its runs across the river so.....That reminded me of a motto I used to tell my buddy Capt Randall on days he said it was too windy to be out. "If the ferry stops crossing the river, I guess it's too windy for me to be out there fishing with customers." It's not like you can give up any trips in this town, these days. Because of a little gale force gusting winds, huh? This is a new day and age we live in.
I tried to get a photo of the river here, as we came towards the "cauldron of hell" where the river and ICW cross. The spray was flyin' and the river was a 2' washboard, as I headed into it.
HIDING, was the name of the game no doubt about it! But where? The tide was attempting to rise against the 25 kt sustained west wind. This wasn't a "touring" trip. Jason said it had to be catch a fish trip.
No pressure there, huh?
First, second, and third spots I tried, my anchor wouldn't even hold the boat! I have an anchor on back-order, since my last big Danforth was "pretzel'ized" at the north jetty. So I don't even have any thing on board that'll hold us in this kind of wind. So my forth attempt was, beach the boat. And toss the anchor up in the marsh grass. So I pulled the bow up on a shell bank that dropped off, so the stern was still floating, and I threw the grapnel anchor up in the grass.
No fancy fishing here. Cast out two live shrimp on egg sinkers, stick'em in the rod holders and wait! That's all we could do.
Time passes
Time passes
Time passes
Holy crap, not even a bait stealer touching a shrimp back in a creek on a shell bottom? And ya' know how fast a 7 year old gets bored if nothing is going on? .......about 10 minutes!
That's why I like taking kids in the fall when there's lots of Croakers around. Except, there wasn't many Croakers this year, that's for sure. There's wasn't much of anything this year. And there wasn't a fish anywhere around us, on this spot either. Which is par for the course......I don't know why I'm ever surprised.
So we moved on. And now that the tide was pouring in, so I hit a spot that's strictly been a fast current incoming tide spot. Plus, it was out of the wind, and I could tie off to a piling. So we could actually stay put, for a while.
First bait out and it hits the bottom.......FISH ON!
Jase reels in a fish that he thought was too big for him. A "pup" Black Drum. It was funny because Jason asked what we might catch here. And I said pup Black Drum and pup Redfish. And then the other rod went off......
And what was next? A pup Redfish.
We fished for a little while longer till the current slacked off on the spot and so did the bites. So we headed back to the boat ramp. Through the "cauldron of hell" and when we got back my two crew members were soaking wet. The spray of water from the blowing wind was hitting the windshield, soaking all the rods and reels and both of them, too.
I was very surprised to see a "mosquito fleet" of 17' flats boats running up and down the ICW today. I guess, because it was "Saturday", people just go fishing anyhow.
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2/3 - BBB brrrrrrr....
I knew it was gonna be a tough afternoon. Being we had high water, N.E. winds, cold, and zero....nada.....no sun shine at all. At least sun shine would have warmed our bones a bit and with it possibly sparked a decent bite of fish. But Kirk knows. He's a very experienced angler. He always says to me, "Dave I'm your easiest charter. No stress here."
So we just hopped from point to point up in the creeks. Finding areas where there was current running down the bank. Catching a few here and there. But I brought some ice. That meant a Sheepshead, Drum, or Redfish.....more like a little Redfish, is what I wanted to put in the box. (since Specks are closed now)
We always have a great time together, that's for sure. When I started in this business 14 years ago, Kirk is the kind of customer I always wanted to have aboard. Laughing and cutting up and yelling at the fish in the water, or bait stealers we couldn't even see. We just had plain "cold weather fishin" fun.
I was very surprised how well I did casting my "home made popping cork-clicker rig", with my hot lil' lure. If a Trout see's it, the fish is gonna eat it. Because every bite bite I had caught a Trout. There's no half hearted take down's of my cork. It's Pop-pop, fish on!! And I like that. In shallow water, 3-6 feet it's like fishing a lure, without all the casting. Because I still let it drift along with the current, and no re-baiting, and no pinner (pinfish) bites Interesting......huh? I also tossed a 3/8ths oz jig and a Bass Assassin "chicken on a chain" Sea Shad.
We worked our way out of the Sisters creek area and to the lil' Jetties. Fished around there, but the tide was still too high. Then, we ended up back into shallow water.......really shallow water! (for me, at least) We picked up a few more Trout and Kirk caught a nice one, that would have been in the box if we were able to keep Specks.
Does Kirk look cold? Well if the camera was turned around pointing at me you would have seen "hat plus hood, Dave". But as the day got closer to sun down, the wind faded off nicely to a mere puff. We fished awhile longer and moved about the area. Picked up another small Speck.
And even though Kirk and I have caught on a windy winter day as many as 16 Redfish from 16-28 inches on this exact same spot, back on Dec.23rd 2007 . Just goes to show ya how things change. Especially on a year when the water temp took such a dive, south. But heck, we caught fish. And as you can see in these photos it wasn't a Florida sunshine kinda day.
But, dang we had a good time. And no matter what, that's what it's all about. Especially, when your customer flies all the way from Lima, Peru to go fishing with you. (not really, but almost)
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WEAKFISH aka: "Yellowmouth Trout"
They gotta mess with something.....
Jacksonville Fishing Forecast:
Keep on keepin on...I GUESS.
This is the proposed FWC rule change........pay attention.....
==================================================JUST MORE CRAP FOR US, trying to make a living.
Weakfish - The proposed draft rule would modify the Commission's rule for weakfish to decrease the size of the weakfish management area and become compliant with recently passed Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan (IFMP) for Weakfish, which was modified to help improve the depleted status of the fishery along the entire Atlantic coast. As a member state of the ASMFC, Florida is required to adopt the specific management measures in the IFMP or adopt measures of similar conservation value. The portions of the weakfish rule that would be modified are listed below. (Weakfish Draft Rule Presentation) (Weakfish Draft Rule Presentation Update 1) (Weakfish Draft Rule Language) (Weakfish Draft Rule Presentation Update 2)
1.
68B-47.001, Definitions - The proposed draft rule would modify the definition of weakfish, ynoscion regalis, to distinguish it from the sand seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius and would define a weakfish management area where all weakfish-like fish (including weakfish, sand seatrout, and their hybrids) would be considered weakfish and all weakfish-like outside the zone would be considered a sand seatrout. The management area would include all state waters of Nassau County and waters of Duval County, with the southern border of the management area in the St. Johns River being the Buckman Bridge. In addition, a definition of harvest for commercial purposes would also be created.
2.
68B-47.003, Recreational Bag Limits - The proposed draft rule would reduce the recreational bag limit of weakfish from four fish per person per day to one per person per day.
3.
68B-47.005, Commercial Harvest Limits - The proposed draft rule would establish a new commercial harvest limit section where a limit of 100 pounds of weakfish per vessel per day or per trip (whichever is the longer period of time) would be added. This limit would apply to both directed commercial fisheries as well as all non-directed commercial fisheries. In addition, a possession limit of 100 pounds of weakfish for commercial harvest would also be established within the management area. There is currently no commercial harvest limit for the weakfish fishery.
4.
68B-47.006, Weakfish, Regulation - The proposed draft rule would establish a new section where the presence of weakfish-like fish aboard a vessel that is actively fishing within the weakfish management area shall constitute prima facie evidence that such weakfish-like fish were harvested from the management area and thus the proposed limits for recreational and commercial harvest would apply to those fishermen.
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