Jacksonville Fishing Report for Amelia Island & Mayport
Capt. Dave Sipler
October 16, 2003
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
BIG GIANT REDFISH OF N.E. FLORIDA....
(and sharks too)
Whew.......what a week (and more).
Hunting down the big reds that the St. Johns River in Jacksonville is famous for,has me wore out!
But that's the only way you can keep up with their patterns. Make it your mission, make it your life!
Did I mention that this whole last week I did it in driving rains and up to 25 knot winds?
Day in day out it was the same thing. Rain, rain and more rain, and always right as we left the dock.
If you don't know how big this bite is, try this:
On Saturday the 12th of Oct. I had good ole Chuck Phillips and his buddy Ed drive from Memphis, Tenn. arriving in Jax at 3 AM, we left to go catch'em at 11AM, we arrived back at the dock at 6PM, and then Chuck and Ed headed back to Memphis!
Now that's dedication!
And Chuck is a very energitic 70 years old.
What a day that was. It started raining that morning, and then the wind blew, but we ended up with 12 Redfish from 18 - 28 pounds. With the average fish 22 pounds.
To everyone out there in Cyber-angler land, this fishing is really dominated by the word "current", which means the best times for me is when there is a good tide. A "good tide" is near and after the full moon, or new moon.
As with all my trips that my customers dictate when they can go or not go, I have to often wait till that window opens up , and the current starts to flow.
So even though as ole Chuck and Ed started to get "grumpy", cause the fish don't bite the minute I tossed the anchor. I understood. Heck, they just drove 12 hours. They got out of the car and it rained, and the wind blew very hard, and they were going fishing!!
But in this business, I call it "zero to a hero" syndrome. I ended up their hero after all.
90% of the fisherman around here complain about the current in the St. Johns River and inlet. And that's only because they want to fish with "fairy wands". Which can't be done. You'll need tackle that can handle the "lead". 6,8,10,12 ounces and that's with 50 pound Super Braided line. Go with mono and increase those lead sizes even more!
These river reds are spawning too. And as they spawn- out, I believe they move offshore.
So it seems that once you figure them out, you're just fooling yourself. And the search for the next wave begins.
But that's not all.
Then there's the....
SHARKS, TACKLE, CATCH AND RELEASE???
What does a 100 pound Bull, Blacktip, Spinner, Hammerhead, Lemon, Finetooth, shark love to eat?
REDFISH
So, after that nice fight on light-ish tackle, the photos, the pats on the back, and the healthy release.
What happens next?
CHOMP,CHOMP...
Especially if your at the big St. Johns River inlet.
You don't have to worry when you're down river 7 miles. I haven't had any shark problems down river ever.
But just as that day comes when you're parked along a good edge at the jetties, waiting to hook your first bronze and fat 40" red of the morning. But you never do, because your hooking fish you can't even land, cause the hooks are bit off your 50 pound leaders.
That's them.
The Sharks.
If they're below, you can bet no fat 40" reds are!
But wait a minute. These sharks are some bad customers too. And if you want to have you butt kicked, and more than a 2 pound Sheepshead to show for your gas and bait bill. You'll try and catch one of these sharks that bite 40 inch Redfish in half!
That's especially when the "fairy wand" fishing rods get put away and specialty tackle comes out.
Here's what I'm using now to tangle with these 100 pounders, (which can be a small one)
6/0 Penn Senators
8' XX-heavy boat rods
80 pound test mono or 100 pound super braid line.
12/0 - 15/0 circle hooks
8-10 feet of single strand 140 pound wire leaders
Fighting belts
15/0 shark hook lanyard gaffs with dock lines attached!
12" Serated blade knife to subdue, if a keeper.
I'll leave the bait to your imagination.
I love it. Some of these sharks fly out of the water like Blue Marlin. They cork screw, they leap. They are something to see.
Other boats around me stop, fingers point, and people yell.........cause they are not targeted by anyone. So when "Weekend Willy" see's a shark fly by his boat, he starts looking around for the reason.
And they are there now, chasing all the the bait and big spawning Redfish that pour out the St. Johns River inlet with each ebbing tide.
So as you can see, I don't let the sharks upset me.
After a few hundred missing leaders and hooks I've learned to stand my ground, and get into another kind of battle gear.
It's all for the love of big fish, be it the 30 pound Reds or the 100 pound sharks.
If your looking to put a "battle group" together do it quick! Last year the Big Reds were gone and the spawn was over about the second week in November, and I'm sure it varies each year.
But you can see what we're doing on the web by visiting www.captdaves.com and clicking on "recent catches pages". Here you'll see the proof........
that SIZE DOES MATTER!
Till next tide,
GO FEESHIN'
Capt. Dave Sipler's Sport Fishing
904-642-9546
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