Jacksonville March report
Capt. Dave Sipler
March 9, 2010
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
3/7 & 3/8 - Bottom Blues & Trout for a change.
Sunday, did some R&D. Tried out my new anchor I've been waiting on for 5 weeks..... "getting one of these is not an easy task."
But I have a 12 pounder and wanted an 18 pounder for my long heavy chain I use for anchoring deep along hard bottom.
And I wanted to try out some new rods I got for "big fish meat movers." 50-80# class serious non-sport fishing rods. Just get'em to the boat, rods. I'll most likey use for those jetty Black-tip and Bull Shark attacks, where it's just all out war. Big Reds, Drum and of course stopping the summer time 200 pound alien hover craft stingrays. No playing around sized, Ugly Stiks.
Fished two good areas on the falling, and two good areas on the incoming. With just Jumbo dead shrimp and a piece of Fishbites for added smell. And the couple of bites I did have were just Whiting. Yep, from 28-63 feet of water in the river and all I had was two Whiting......thank goodness it was just R&D.
Was booked today, Monday. But since B&M didn't have live shrimp yesterday, and wasn't exactly sure when they'd be in the livewells at the shop. We decided to move today's trip till Tuesday.
So I though I was going "lure fishing" with DOA Rob today, instead. And another good R&D for Tuesday's trip. I was prepared mentally to not have my beloved river crickets and float-rig in hand. But when we arrived at the bait shop, the shrimp were on their way....and way....and way. But they arrived at 8:30am so we got some.
DOA Rob has been doing great, on DOA shrimp of course in the creeks, the creeks where I can't get to. But yesterday as I sat doing my R&D bottom fishing for anything BIG, he worked a few areas and found some Trout to 4 pounds. And when I said, "ya need to take me on Monday." He said. "Okay, are ya prepared?" I replied, "Heck yeah. I have me some Shiney Hiney's, the new Edura Shrimp and some new Browns Flappin Devils to try!"
http://brownlures.com/news/new-flappin-devil/
http://shop.acadianafishing.com/Shiney-Hiney-Endura-0range-Eye-Shrimp-Shiney-Hiney-Endura-0range-Eye.htm;jsessionid=EB93DC67C67FAF4C1A6CA9C2704AB27E.qscstrfrnt03?productId=208
http://shop.acadianafishing.com/Shiney-Hiney-Orange-Eye-Hook-Body-6-Per-Pack-Shiney-Hiney-Orange-Eye-Hooks.htm?productId=206
Yeah, but in the back of my mind I knew a sprightly live cricket would be the ticket for me. It's not a fish fest out there yet by no means. Might as well "GET" fish in the box, first. And since we had shrimp now. I was in heaven. I had my float-rig in my hands and even had a boat/trolling motor operator.
First stop, Rob caught a beautiful Trout, a 20 incher. On the DOA shrimp of course. And I worked a Brown's Flappin' Devil on a 3/8ths oz. jig at first....till I got it hung in the bottom and lost it.
Rob's buddy Mike was out there too. He caught Trout on a MirrOlure 52MR. And to me that means... "spring is on it's way". Because I'm a MirrOlure chucker too, since I'm usually fishing deeper waters. And it's been for years and years my #1 Big Trout in Spring lure. So much that years past I'd whack the hell out Trout and yellowmouths up to 7 pounds on them, at the jetties.
I put on a live shrimp and as "trolling motor Rob" worked the area back and forth. I sat in the back of the boat just floatin' my shrimp around. Then, I started catching. Putting two in the box to 18 inches. Loosing a few and catching throw backs, also.
Mike was moving all around and he even caught some pup reds on a popping cork and mud minnow. All the while in the river....Not in some 2 foot deep creek. But Mike was all disgruntled. I yelled to him, "You're not up in some shallow creek Mike, your in the river. Be happy your catching something......."
We moved on to the next spot. Rob had 3 keepers here yesterday from his total of 20 plus Trout. We continued catching but they were all small specks, and small yellowmouths.
Only had the 3 keepers in the fish box. But between those 3 fat Trout ( Rob gave me his one fish) and my 2 Whiting from my "bottom only experiment" yesterday. I sure had enough to make the kitchen smell the way it used to smell after a fishing trip.....LIKE A FISH FRY!
Yep, just got done with 2 big fried Speck sandwiches doused in Zaterains, on a toated bun with a slab of cheeze. Too good!
Our day sort of ended on a bad note. Rob's outboard on the way to the third spot conked out on us. Sounded like a fuel problem. It would start, run rough. Then, it wouldn't start at all. So I called for a towand Mike from SeaTow Mayport ran and got us. Till Rob's motor is fixed, he'll just go back to the Hobie Yak.
WWW.CAPTDAVES.COM
Next up: Tuesday 3/9 with three generations of the King Family.
More Fishing Reports:
