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Fishing Northeast Florida - Amelia Island to St Augustine
Capt. Ron Schurr
October 24, 2007
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Redfish are schooled up along oyster beds in the feeder creeks and backwaters from St Augustine to Fernandina Beach. Catches of over a dozen spot-tails per shell bed are common. Most of the redfish have been from 19 to 22 inches, with a few “uppers” mixed in. Judging by their football shaped bellies, they haven’t been skipping many opportunities to eat. Fat and happy and full of fight.
This is usually a numbers game, where you can literally keep the rod doubled all day fighting these lower slots. Tides are everything, so fish the last 3 hours of the falling tide. Find oyster beds adjacent to mud flats with moderate water flow in 2 to 3 feet depths. Usually the smaller slot redfish feed more aggressively in the swifter current. As the tidal flow slows down to a crawl prepare for the big dogs to come out to play. This is when the upper and oversized reds drop of the flat and work the oysters looking for an easy meal. Hannah Mills and Clapboard Creek systems have been the most consistent for this type of low water fishing.
The next 10 days or so will bring big major high tides. These full moon tides will be some of the higher ones of the entire year. Tailing redfish will be the targets for sight fishing and fly rod enthusiast. Look for "flags" to be waving all along the spartina grass flats along the ICW. With the tides being extra high, the flats from Palm Valley, south to St Augustine will hold plenty of redfish, as well as sheepshead.
Top water action has been outstanding all week due to plenty of cloud cover and breezy conditions. Skitter Walk top water plugs fished along the grass; on the last two hours of the incoming tide will almost always produce a trophy trout or redfish.
The St Johns River is loaded with tasty croakers and mangrove snappers. Mayport docks and rock piles have been covered with mangroves. The Blount Island "croaker hole" is living up to its name, with plenty of bull redfish mixed in.
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