Captain Vic Tison's Fishing Report, Jax., Fl. Areas 9-14

[Fishing Report]

For those of you who didn't get to listen to our Still Just Fishing Radio Show a couple of weeks ago I just wanted to let you know about a 'well known' Corporation that seems to using our own money to work against us to help close down fishing. The Walton Family Foundation, owners of Wal~Mart and Sam's. Last year they wanted to be known as being 'green', (I'm beginning to hate that word) so they donated 71.8 million to the same Enviro-nuts that are trying to shut down fishing AND we're helping paying them to do it.
Watchdog group's report says $1 billion in government subsidies have aided the retailer's expansion. http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/24/news...art_subsidies/. They use taxpayer dollars to create jobs that tend to be poverty-wage, part-time and lacking in adequate healthcare benefits." And that 75% Full-time jobs they boost of at the end of the article, represents 28 hrs a week plus, you get Full-time status. Full time part time job no wonder you can't afford 35 dollar a week health insurance at minimal wage. Then they made $108 billion in profits. Now get this, we pay them 1 billion in our tax dollars and they make $108 billion?

Do these names look familiar? Ocean Conservancy, Conservation International Foundation, Marine Stewardship Council, World Wildlife Fund and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Well they should, your friendly Wal-Mart announced "investments" totaling more than $71.8 million awarded to them, last year in “Buying Up Your Fishing Spots!” An additional 36 million handed over this year to help in the lock down of Privatization of the Oceans of the USA. And you thought they just sold fishing equipment for a profit. Those rod and reels to baits and lures are angling to own a piece of that water you fish and then lease it back to you at a “Roll-Back” price. Catch Shares are catching on in Congress so President Obama and his Yellow brick Road Club, led by Dr. Jane Lubchenco, keep changing the names, to protect their self-interests. With Agenda 21, it started with ICLEI then changed to Smart Growth, then to Sustainable whatever and so on but with Catch Shares we now have the so called "marine protected areas." That could be somewhere to every where! A Cover it all phrase that smells of Pew Charitable Trusts, who has billions in reserve to fight for its right to own your ocean. I'll bet PEW to EDF will not back my campaign in The Right To Fish because I FISH and I VOTE!
August 17, 2011 - Wal-Mart announced that week its efforts to help fund the demise of both the recreational and commercial fishing industry while also working to ensure that the next generation of sportsmen will have less access to coastal fish stocks than at any point in U.S. history.

In August 16th news release from Wal-Mart corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Walton Family Foundation announced investments totaling more than $71.8 million awarded to various environmental initiatives in 2010, with over $36 million alone handed over to Marine Conservation grantees including Ocean Conservancy, Conservation International Foundation, Marine Stewardship Council, World Wildlife Fund and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

According to the release, the Walton Family Foundation "focuses on globally important marine areas and works with grantees and other partners to create networks of effectively managed protected areas that conserve key biological features, and ensure the sustainable utilization of marine resources - especially fisheries - in a way that benefits both nature and people."

Scott Burns, former director of marine conservation at World Wildlife Fund and now director of Walton Family Foundation's environmental efforts, said money will go to "protect and conserve natural resources while also recognizing the roles these waters play in the livelihoods of those who live nearby." The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) countered that these specially managed areas of coastal waters are also referred to as marine protected areas or marine reserves, and the end result is denied angler access, of no benefit to the very people whom Wal-Mart claims to benefit.

"A quick visit to the Ocean Conservancy website should be telling enough for anglers interested in learning where Wal-Mart's profits are being spent," said RFA executive director Jim Donofrio. "These folks are pushing hard to complete California's network of exclusionary zones throughout the entire length of coastline, and they've made it very clear that they would like to see the West Coast version of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) extended into other coastal U.S. waters," he said.

"Here's an organization which has publicly opposed creation of artificial reefs used by Wal-Mart's tackle buyers, in some cases openly advocating for their removal, yet the Walton family is handing over tons of money for support," Donofrio said of Ocean Conservancy in particular.

"Shopping for fishing equipment at Wal-Mart is contributing directly to the demise of our sport, it's supporting lost fishing opportunities and decreased coastal access for all Americans," Donofrio said, adding "I hope all RFA members across the country will remember that when it's time to gear up, but I would also wonder if perhaps our industry can help spread the message and support our local tackle shops instead of Wal~Mart.
According to the Walton Family Foundation website, Sam and Helen Walton launched their "modest retail business in 1962" with guiding principle of helping "increase opportunity and improve the lives of others along the way." It is that principle the foundation says, that makes them "more focused than ever on sustaining the Walton's timeless small-town values and deep commitment to making life better for individuals and communities alike." I bet poor old Sam Walton is turning over in his grave to know his own family if helping to stop people from enjoying the great outdoors. He was an angler and an outdoors man as well.



RIVERS:
Black drum, whiting, some nice sized yellowmouth trout and huge bull redfish are all biting in the St. Johns River now. A few whiting and yellowmouth trout in Nassau River too. Try dead shrimp right on the bottom for these guys and of course some blue crab and cut croaker will get you hooked up on the bull redfish. They are schooling up real good now in the river and it's time to play with these monsters as they prepare for their offshore run come the first part of November. The black drum have been biting for a few months now even in the warmer months which is pretty unusual for these guys but I'll take it! You don't get near as many as you will come the last of October through April but they are good table fare.
Looking ahead, this is the time of the year to get out there. The big Virginia croakers are going to be all up and down the river mixed in in the same locations you can catch the trout and black drum and I'll be looking for some mangrove snapper to move in in the next week or so too. I'm hoping the fall flounder run will be better than last year's. Be looking for them to start happening right at the beginning of October. Spotted sea trout are from way up the river to the jetties but they're scattered. Mostly small ones but if you concentrate enough time on them you can get some nice ones. Try just before, during and just after the high tides along rock banks and grass edges where you know there is structure underneath.



JETTIES:
You all know my favorite out at the rocks, sheepshead! I'll be checking those guys out tomorrow morning at the rocks and in the river to see if they're ready to play with us. If they aren't fired up yet you all know they'll be fired up come next month. That's why I only have 4 dates left open in October. People love the sheepshead, big croakers and the black drum. In mentioning the black drum out at the rocks, they'll really fire off about the end of October and bite all the way through April and sometimes into the middle of May. This is my time of the year! Cooler weather and all the species of fish fire up. We'll even be looking out for some cobia as soon as the water temps drop a few more degrees. They'll be heading back down south and feed here along the way. I like to use lively pogies for these guys. Bull redfish are schooling up at the rocks also now and the tarpon have been hammering live pogies and big live mullet on the mullet run out of the river. Be sure you have some good tackle to target these guys or they'll leave you wishing you had some. Hopefully the flounder will show up better this year.


CREEKS:
The tailing sheepshead and redfish are happening about every other week now and will be continuing their presence in the flooded grass throughout November. Each and every year starting in September on the full moons and the new moons we'll have flooded high tides up to 6.2'. Now I like to be able to watch these guys waving their tails at me and I seem to see more of that when the high tides are from 5.5' to 6.0'. When it's up to 6.2' they're still in there but you don't see as many. There have been more sheepshead from 4 to 9 pounds in the grass than reds in the areas I like to fish. Flounder are scattered in the creeks but most of them are small. You'll hear of a couple big ones here and there like the 24.5" one caught at the Vilano Pier last Saturday morning. What a beauty. Spotted sea trout on these early morning high tides with top waters cast over top of humped-up oyster beds and you'll get a few reds now while doing this also. The water temperatures are dropping slowly but the top water action should pick up a lot in the next few weeks. The weathermen are all talking a big cool-down this coming weekend. Let's hope they're correct. Redfish are feeding pretty good as the water temps drop now in the shallows and we're catching some nice ones up to 32" lately. On calm days you'll see several with their back out of the water they're so shallow.

MILL COVE:
A few flounder along the grass edges during the high tides and a few redfish in the shallows during the low tides but mostly what I've seen is the spotted sea trout. I like to target them with my favorite trout lures, the Bomber Long A's and top waters.

I want to thank everyone for tuning us in on 600 WBOB Talk Radio on our Still Just Fishing Radio Show. Please listen and visit our sponsors to the show. Shop there and support them as they support our show. Without them I couldn't do what I do and that's let everyone know what's up with the Enviro-nuts, what's coming up with fisheries meetings, fishing reports, how to's where and when and how's trying to shut us down. Please keep your trash out of the water by bringing it back to the dock's trash cans. I hope to see you all out there! Be safe!

Thank you,
Captain Vic Tison
Host of the Still Just Fishing Radio Show, 600 WBOB, Saturdays 6:00 to 8:00am
United States Coast Guard Licensed Captain
International Game Fish Assoc. Certified Captain
Regional Director for the Florida Guides Assoc.
Member of the National Assoc. of Charterboat Operators
Member of the American Professional Captain's Association
Member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance
Member of The Inshore Saltwater Anglers Club
Member of the Florida Lures Anglers Club
Vic2Fish & Adventures, Inc.
P O Box 28208
Jax., Fl. 32226
904-699-2285
Web Site http://vic2fish.com