Fishing Northeast Florida - Amelia Island to St Augustine
Capt. Ron Schurr
December 11, 2007
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Capt. Ron Schurr Inshore Report.
Inshore fishing is as good as it gets here in Northeast Florida. December is fantastic for the reason that it can be extremely simple to locate and catch a variety of species ranging from Redfish, Flounder and Speckled Trout, to Black Drum, Bluefish or Sheepshead. Combine calm and cool foggy mornings, giving way to mild sunny afternoons, where shorts and a long sleeve shirt are the dress code for the day, and all is good.
I’ll start with my favorite, Redfish. If ever there were an easier time to score double digit numbers of reds, it’s now. Cooling water temps have the fish schooled up along oyster beds and there hungry. Once the fish move in on the lower tide, they stay confined to a small area, often packed within a 20 or 30 foot section of the oyster bed. Target the shell beds that have moderate flowing water along them during the last 2 hours of the falling tide. North of Sisters creek has been on fire for big schools of Redfish. ¼ oz Jigs tipped with Mud Minnows, fished slowly along the bottom are all it takes to pick a fight with bulldogs. Artificial lure choices for low tide are 3” camo or dark colored tube lures on a jighead, and small 4 inch plastic jerkbaits and shrimp (Gulp, DOA, Riptide, ect) High tide lures can include topwater plugs and spinnerbaits, but I like to stick with plastic jerkbaits such as DOA’s C.A.L shad tails or Gulp 3” shrimp even during periods of high tide in the winter months. With the cooler clear water, the fish may not be as aggressive, so a subtitle slower presentation is needed.
Flounder : The southern Flounder all tackle record was taken in Nassau Sound in December of 1983 and weighed 20 pounds 8 ounces. Enough said! There are some big “mats” caught in December usually around Mayport docks rip-rap (structure) along the St Johns River. There have not been many flatties in the creeks and backwater systems along the Intracoastal Waterway, but the main river and sounds are holding some impressive numbers of doormats.
Speckled trout have shown up in outstanding numbers in both the St Johns River and Nassau River systems, as well as Ft George, Sisters Creek and St Augustine. Most of the trout are smaller schoolies averaging around 15 to 18 inches, with a few 2 to 3 lbers mixed in.. High fast falling tides in area’s that have swift current, such as points, oyster beds and drop offs are trout magnets. Look for bait and clean water. I have been having success locating fish using ¼ oz jigs or small shad swim baits, then switching to a Mirrolure 52M or suspending crank bait, once the school is located. Trolling small pink or white curly tail grubs along bends of deeper creeks and river drop offs are a popular way to score a limit.
Sheepshead catch reports are increasing daily. Jigs tipped with fiddlers fished along the rocks at Mayport inlet, St Augustine inlet and Nassau Sound Inlet will produce. Here is a picture of three of Jacksonville’s finest “head hunters” Scott, Darren and Travis after a trip this past weekend to Nassau Sound.
Get out and enjoy North Florida’s December fishing. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Capt. Ron Schurr 904-707-8328 www.fishingnorthflorida.com
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