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Jacksonville Fishing Report for Amelia Island & Mayport
Capt. Dave Sipler
July 20, 2005
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Capt. Dave Sipler's Sport Fishing Mayport to Amelia Island, St. Johns River/Inlet & near-coastal waters. Updated: 7/20/05
THE BIG ST. JOHNS RIVER IS FULL OF REWARDS
It's now the mid-term of summer. Time for that mid-term testing to see what you have learned. And if you learned a lot, then the rewards are coolers of fat Speckled Trout, among other fish.
Hey, I know. I'm even flip-flopping around. One report about inlet Sharks and Tarpon, then the next one about Trout in the river, then back to Tarpon, now back to river fishing. At least my reports reflect the changing times, rather than those 3 month old reports from some other web site.
As of right now the river fishing is really good. I had several charter trips in the past week that had us catching super stringers of Trout, Sheepshead, Redfish, Mangrove Snappers, and Flounder.
And where we were doing all this catching, the water was about as fresh as it could get. Yep, salinity is another factor in finding fish in the big St. Johns river. So why were we catching saltwater species in fresh water? Well, I'm only checking the very surface. Down under it could be different. But as the fresh water moves along in the river the Trout could be staying just ahead of it.
Really it's a mystery. A biologist would have to answer my technical questions. But as a fisherman, keeping up with the habits and locations of the fish in the river is all we have. Technical scientific answers, I don't.
The river fishing did change. It went from very slow fishing to fantastic almost over night. And the only thing I can think of was that rain water that filled the St. Johns was on the move.
Last Friday is when I noticed the big change. I took Dave Lashbrook and his family down river, and right off the bat we caught Trout. The 6-8" type. "WHAT THE .....", I thought! This isn't right. So around the corner we went, and got on one of my best spots. And we were immediately rewarded with some beautiful pot-bellied specs, some good sized Yellowmouth Trout, and Sheepshead, on the falling tide.
Then on Saturday I had Joe Kalil and two of his buddies. In a half day trip they caught (12) Speckled Trout from 2-5 pounds and one Redfish, on the same spot as the day before. It was fantastic!
Plus my information network was working over time. Keeping an ear to the water, it was obvious the river was going off and the big Trout were strapping on the feed bag!!
That's why these reports change. Rather than a once a month, they turn into bi-weekly's. If you fish once a month, and on a weekend, you better try and soak in as much info as you can, because the "bite" can change rapidly. From week to week.
Here's another simple example. I love to hook people up with some big Jacks on light tackle after we had a morning of Trout, Flounder etc. I can usually find them on a conveniently located spot on the last of the falling tide, during the summer. It's been like clock-work then they just disappeared. Well, I got a call yesterday........"Dave the Jacks are back, and they were studs, hundreds boiling the surface chasing bait over at the......." Obviously the bait is back and the water's back right again. These are the things I have to stay up on, and I do, for you!
You can also check out my "daily reports" forum, on my web site. This is where I put reports of every day I'm out. It's also where I vent, and write "editorial commentaries", because I can. It's my Forum! I find it humorous sometimes, almost hit the delete button, then say to myself, "Go ahead, keep it. Someone may find this helpful if not humorous" .
The big St. Johns River is like a huge artery. It effects everything around it. When the river is hot, you can bet every other kind of fishing is hot too.
Till next time, "Fish Hard Fish Often"
Capt. Dave Sipler's Sport Fishing
www.captdaves.com
904-642-9546- (8am-8pm EST)
St. Johns River & Inlet; Mayport / Jacksonville, Florida
If you would like me to email you my fishing report each month just email me at: [email protected]
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