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Jacksonville Fishing Report for Amelia Island & Mayport
Capt. Dave Sipler
March 8, 2005
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
March 8, 2005 fishing report - Jacksonville to Amelia Island, Florida St. Johns River/inlet/near-coastal waters.
Ahh....It’s finally March
The one great thing about March 1st here in N.E. Florida is that Speckled Trout is back in season.
No more catch and release, unless you just want too. But after February sends shock waves to our local water temperatures. The first few weeks of March just don’t seems as productive for the Trout as it was the last week in January. So we have to play catch up.
Something people don’t realize in the northern areas of our country, that Florida has a winter too. I get calls from folks in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, that seem shocked that I’m not catching 100 pound Sharks, and Tarpon, or Sailfish at the mouth of the inlet in February and March. That's why Fishing Reports are essential information for you, as a charter client. Read them, subscribe to them, and investigate the area you are traveling to and it's fishing seasons.
All that will come, but just not yet. "It’s a wonder how television can depict things, isn’t it?"
For now I’m looking forward to the Sheepshead spawn, when they congregate, and throw some caution to the current. They will eat like pigs rather than graze like sheep! They’ll gather along hard bottom areas. Meaning; shell, rock, and even hard packed sand. I’ll feed them clams in swift current, put the rod in the holder and watch for a tap, tap on the rod tip. Then pick up the rod without lifting the weight off the bottom. Feel for the fish, and then set the hook! Every year this technique yields our largest Sheepshead, most of the time it’s a 10+ pounder. Which is a heck of a 7-striped Jetty Snapper!
Fishing fresh juicy jumbo chowder Clams does two things, they just suck-up the soft clam meat, no nibbling. And when fishing fresh live clams the shells and discards are used for chum behind the boat. Creating a slight scent trail these bloodhounds can detect, very easily.
Pitching light jig heads, 1/8th, 1/4 and 3/8ths oz. along the jetty rocks will produce Sheepshead, Redfish, and Black Drum, and Ring-tail Porgies with either a live shrimp or a few small fiddler crabs pinned to the hook. This is a technique that 10-15 years ago not many fisherman practiced. Just a few of us "Jetty-a-fish-ianados" knew about. But now on a Saturday afternoon, scores of boats will be casting from an anchored or trolling motor-equipped boat along the massive inlet boulders searching for these species. I can do it with you too. But you’ll have to know, "how to cast." It’s great fun, although we burn many jigs. Losing jigs to the rocks is just part of the game.
The light tackle action can be very exciting. Die-hard Bass fisherman are my favorite to take Jigging, the jetty rocks. They have the feel already down-pat, and when they stick a big fat sheeps or Redfish on the light jig, they forget all about Bass!
I had Frank Sarra aboard the FOR REELIN II just the other day. And what a day we had fishing the jetties with the float-rig. Frank just moved to the Jacksonville area, and his wife made the right decision when it came time to kill two birds with one stone....
His charter was a birthday present, along with a "see how we do it around here" trip. Just myself and Frank were aboard. "One on one" instruction. And boy did we have fun!
Frank learned real fast, and also learned many aspect’s of my favorite way to fish the granite rocks that line our massive inlet. And that's, "Float-rigging". There’s so many big delicious Speckled Trout around those rocks from late November to May, it’s silly. And until this year, (probably because of me) I’m just starting to see other anglers taking advantage of it. To my dismay. I don't care for crowds.
No lost tackle, just quality fish. Everyone can do it, "with the right teacher". And it’s just not Speckled Trout either. I’ve had big Redfish to 16 pounds, 5 pound Yellowmouth Trout, 8 pound Sheepshead, 9 pound Black Drum, 5 pound Flounder, 2+ pound Ring-tailed Porgies, Bluefish, Tarpon......You name it. A live shrimp floated down the jetties is hard to pass up for many fish.
I told Frank, "the reason I like to start someone like yourself off with float-rig fishing is because it will teach you the currents, and how the water moves in and around the jetty rocks, and in the river. The tides, and how important wind direction is." If you can master it, your damn near home free with experimenting with other ways to fish here.
And by the way.......we had limits (30) for both of us on Speckled Trout and Yellowmouth Trout to 3.5 pounds, a Redfish (not a single undersized Trout at the inlet) and the makings for one heck of a fish fry for Frank and his wife and kids..
Serious people hire a guide when new to an area. If not many times, at least do it once. If your not a serious fisherman, then you’ll beat around for months maybe years, or possibly get into an un-safe situation. Our inlet (the St. Johns River inlet) is a good one, but is a "local knowledge needed situation" also.
LOOKING AHEAD.....
Black Drum, although I haven’t been on many lately due to my obsession with Trout. I have heard about a few heavy-weights coming from down river in the Blount Island area. A crew of anglers fishing the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing club’s river tournament had a 28 pounder. Which is the largest I’ve heard of so far, at this writing. There’s some in and out the inlet, mostly in the 3-6 pound range, and along the beach, and just offshore.
Sheepshead. Well, I covered them. I’m anticipating the spawn to kick off big time.
Redfish, I hear the creeks along the ICW and down river are full of small ones, with a hefty fish thrown in here and there. At the Inlet the Reds of course are always bigger. But don’t always arrive on the tide stage and bite the same as the day before.
Flounder, I’m catching them while floating a live shrimp along structure in the river. In and around White Shell rocks is where I’m pulling some nice ones from. I’ve seen some beauty soon to be door-mats come in from offshore bottom fisherman. Seabass, Grouper, Snapper, Whitebone Porgies, and Flounder. What a great mix that is.
A few times in February I took off to the near-shore reefs, and played around. Huge Seabass was always the target species, but we usually ended up with more Whitebone Porgies, than anything. In the 1-4 pound range on light tackle these fish will fight something fierce. A live shrimp dropped down around a nice lime rock ledge, can yield anything. We had plenty of Red Snapper, many throw-backs, and one day had an 8 pounder. When the seas are slick, slick, slick, and the air is warm to hot in Feb. It’s my favorite time to go play "light tackle" bottom fisherman.
Whiting, as of last week and this week I’ve heard great things about the big silver "beach" Whiting, in Nassau River/Nassau Sound. From the beached "sailboat" and "A-frame house" to the Amelia Island beach side slew east of the bridge. Dang, I need to get up there!
With spring comes Pompano, It’ll be worth keeping an ear to the Jax Beach Pier for when the pomps start to move north. But as they arrive, so will the huge honkin’ Redfish. And of course, "this Jetty Wolf, is in all his glory then". Last year, by the 31st of March I was waxing some monsters in the river.
Although, this March things seem to be taking a little longer to get going.
"ALL ABOUT FISHING" - Has moved
Unfortunately for many people, including myself and my co-host, we suffered the loss of my radio show on Feb. 12th . The radio station I was on was sold and the doors were closed. I felt bad for the employee’s, and friends I had made there.
But as part of the hectic world of business, I just sucked it up.
We were so on a roll, too. "All About Fishing" first aired June 5th of last year. And no sooner we had regular listeners, great sponsors, and an active audience. The show was off.
BUT NOT FOR LONG.........
Starting March 19th, "ALL ABOUT FISHING" will be broadcast on ESPN AM 1460.
Saturday’s from 8-10am. Stronger, and better. I was hunting a sports radio station and talking to the people at ESPN AM 1460 a week before the radio station was sold, "it was if I was having a E.S.P. moment. And it turned out to be a ESPN moment, instead".....I told a friend, laughing.
So all of you that listened to us before, called in your fishing stories, answered trivia questions, And became friends. All I can say is, "Look out. We’re back".
Information - Education - Entertainment, with a edge. Cause fishing ain’t always pretty!
We’ll also resume the 24 hr. recorded show available on my web site for those of you that can’t listen live on Saturday mornings.
For Your Information:
FYI: West Marine Store: March 16th at 7:00PM FREE Seminar, by yours truly, on Float rig fishing for; Trout-Redfish-Sheepshead and more......also Jetty Float riggin’. Refreshments, door prizes-give-away’s!
If you’d like to be on my e-mail fishing report list. Please send an e-mail with a subject title "add me to report". And I’ll ship them to you as just a link, on a monthly basis. And remember to check those e-mail settings. Sometimes people request my report, then have foreign address's blocked, and the report gets kicked back to me.
Thanks, and till next tide.......
Capt. Dave Sipler’s Sport Fishing
904-642-9546
www.captdaves.com
e-mail: [email protected]
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