Fishing Forecast for Jacksonville Fl

[Fishing Report]

Plan your trips around the wind

Here lately the wind has not been my friend. For the past couple of weeks we have been pounded with high north east winds and for the exception of Guana Dam, most of the other (boat fishing) has been at a halt.

On the days it is blowing a gale from the north east and fishing from a boat is at best tough, you should take advantage of Guana Dam. I have been fishing Guana since I was about 10 years old, some 47 years and this is without a doubt the best place to fish on high north east windy days. Here are some key points to consider.
The tide difference is about 2 hours from the St Augustine inlet. You want to fish the last couple hours of the incoming tide for the best action. BIGGGG fish can be caught there, when the tide is right. This area is heavily patrolled by the FWC. DO NOT break the rules.

Species that you can expect to catch are redfish to 65 pounds, trout to 8 pounds, flounder to 10 pounds, black drum to 20 pounds, monster blue crabs and a good assortment of TR's.

Here is what have done for these species.

Trout:
Live finger mullet or live shrimp fished from the dam on a trout float rig. Normally this style of fishing your bait is a few inches from the bottom, but in here this means a lot of lost tackle, so adjust your float so your bait is well off the bottom. Toss the cork near the dam where the water is running into the fresh water side and let the current take it towards the lake. You are going to be competing with several other anglers so your drift cannot be too far or you will be tangled in the lines of the anglers that are wade fishing. If the tide is right, you should have no trouble getting your five keepers.

Redfish:
This will be done from the bank and you will be casting out towards the lake. You are going to need an outfit that will hold a lot of line and you can cast a long distance. Your bait should be a chunk of lady fish or a finger mullet. Lady fish works best. I use a carolina rig with about 3 to 4 ounces of lead (depending on the wind) with my leader about 1 to 2 feet long and a Diachii 5/0 Circle Wide hook. Cast this as far as you can straight out in front of you and be careful not to cross the other anglers lines. You can fish 3 rods, so bring some rod holders and fish three rods. For the rod holders, I like thick wall PCV about 4 feet in length. Be sure to push them into the ground as far as you can get them. When using rod holders, be sure your drag is not too tight or one of these monster reds might relieve you of your rod. As far as the rods, I like a long rod about 9 to 11 feet long. The reasons for this are: The longer the rod, the farther you can cast and your line will be out of the water more than if you are using a shorter rod. If the wind is gusting and a lot of your line is in the water, the waves will constantly be pulling your line back towards you. There is a sinker called a Sputnik that Sea Striker makes and these are by far better than a pyramid or bank sinker. They hold better than the others. A lot better. When you hook on of these monster reds, it will swim back and forth a few times before you land it and you will have to hold your rod tip high and try to walk around the other anglers or you will be tangled with everyone else. This is another reason to use a long rod.

Black Drum:
Use the same set up as above. Fish the same way except for your bait. Use a big shrimp, clam, squid or 1/4 to a 1/2 of a blue crab.

Flounder:
Now you are going to have to get wet. When you get there if the flounder bite is on, there will be several people in the water from the dam, in a line heading towards the lake. Go and get a spot along side of another angler. You are going to need a rod holder as mentioned above. This will be for your landing net. You CANNOT fish more than one rod in this spot. If you do, you will be steadily tangled with another angler. Most of these anglers are hard core and if you stay tangled with them, it might cause a problem. Your best bait is LIVE finger mullet. Fresh dead will work but not as good as live. Your rig should be a rod that you can cast about 70 feet with a carolina rig. The weight can be from 1 to 3 ounces and an egg sinker works best. I like a 1 to 2 foot leader of 30 pound test mono and a Diachii D-82, 3/0 to 5/0 hook. When you land a nice fish, use your net to scoop it up then place your rod in the rod holder, while you walk back to land to put your fish in a cooler. Preferably, my cooler. Leaving your rod there in the rod holder marks this spot as yours and you will have your spot when you return.

When the bite is on here, this can be some of the best fishing you have ever experienced. but when the bite is not on, it is like fishing the Dead Sea. A big nor'easter is best.

As far as the inshore waters go, the trout have turned on and will eat almost anything you toss to them. A Gotcha 4 inch trout grub works great along with an assortment of lures that slow sink or suspend. In the past few weeks I have caught them on green, white, red, blue, chrome, black and more. I am sure there are plenty of days that color matters but for the past few weeks it has not seemed to make a difference. Of course a live shrimp or finger mullet also work.

There are some nice sheepshead and black drum at the jetties, when you can get out there. When the wind is honking it is hard to fish the jetties.

With all of the big north east winds, the tides have been exceptionally high, so the creek fishing for reds has been tough but with a little work and being in the right spot, you should be able to get a few to stretch your string.


Capt Jim Hammond
Capt Jim's Fun Fishing Inc.
Jacksonville, Fl
904 757 7550

http://www.hammondfishing.com
jim@hammondfishing.com


Raymond McCauley with what is considered a RAT red for Guana. This one was caught while Raymond and I were in a boat in Guana.

the line of anglers flounder fishing at Guana

a happy angler, with a nice Guana flounder