Best Bet

Ahoy there Anglers, Every person in this restaurant was there for this meeting!



WOW, what a great turnout last night at our first "RFA/Anglers Fired Up" Meeting! I want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all 170 anglers who took the time out of their important schedule and time away from their families because they think, as fishermen and women of this great country, it was important enough to show they are sick and tired of the non-science based closures, ACL’‘s, Catch Share Programs, closures in our own local rivers and the Enviro-nuts along with their ties with the corrupt Federal Agency of NOAA Fisheries. The time is NOW to let them all know that we’‘re NOT going to take it laying down any longer. If you fish and you weren’‘t there you should have been. IF you enjoy fishing, do NOT let them take it away from us. America’‘s Number 1 sport is fishing and there are millions more fishermen and women than there are hunters. It IS THE Number 1 sport. Help us keep America’‘s way of life and keep our right to fish. The Feds now are trying to outlaw any hooks except for circle hooks. You know what that means? No more top water lures without circle hooks, no jerkbaits without circle hooks, no hard lures anymore if this happens. You can already see the lure company’‘s ads in magazines with circle hooks on hard lures and let me tell you, they do not work like the trebles on hard lures. I’‘ve tried them. With President Obama’‘s new Executive Order, Jane Lubchinko head of NOAA Fisheries, and her enviro-nut buddy ties, they can at any moment now, close any fish species with the stroke of a pen WITHOUT it going through Congress. Any species from any waterway that flows into any ocean. That means freshwater 300 miles up the St. Johns River and every tributary that flows into the river and into the ocean. No one is safe now. I’‘ve been telling the inshore anglers for years now that when they get the offshore fishing hurt so badly that no one can keep anything then the Feds will find a way to more inshore and beyond. They are doing that at this moment with the proposed ACL’‘s on redfish. Here we are and if we just sit on the couch and complain then they’‘ll just walk all over us yet again. Get off the couch, for ONE evening per month, stand up for what you enjoy doing. Be a part of our movement. Join ranks with us and we’‘ll be a force to be reckoned with. I WILL NOT be taken advantage of any longer. I’‘ve fished for over 50 years right here in these same waters and I’‘m not going to take it lying down any longer and you shouldn’‘t either. Don’‘t be the person that just wants to do nothing and reap the benefits of other’‘s work. We have way too much of that going on in this country already. We can MAKE IT HAPPEN. We saw that last night. Let’‘s continue the fight and keep our right! I’‘m willing to even stop traffic with my boat trailer in rush our, that would get the media’‘s attention.

CREEKS: Redfish in the creeks continue to bit pretty good. We’‘ve even caught some nice 8 and 9 pound sheepshead with a quarter crab on the middle of incoming tides in the creeks. When the water level starts getting into the grass look for the grass to move and cast into the area. Sometimes it’‘s redfish and sometimes it’‘s sheepshead this time of the year. The top water bite is on with trout and redfish. Our water temperatures have finally began their drop and that is making the fish more active. Spotted trout are eating good even though there is still a lot of small ones around but you can fish the good ones also. Don’‘t give up and you’‘ll be rewarded with some nice trout over 20". This month the Florida FWC will make their decision on allowing the commercial fishermen to be able to keep 150 trout if there is two commercial licenses aboard and they can all be over 20". That’‘s what really gets me. We can only have one per person per day over 20". They cannot have any over 24" but how many of those are around anyway? They are also consideration allowing seine nets to catch trout. Now wait a minute, I thought we were finished with the nets in our river. You had better come and support our next RFA/Fishermen Fired UP meeting. A few flounder are in the creeks although most seem to be in the main river system.

JETTIES: Now here is where it’‘s happening. Sheepshead are biting good at the rocks with our cooler water. Black drum are biting and they’‘re running between 4 and 22 pounds and I heard of one that went 35 last Thursday. Please release the big ones as they will be spawning in the next year or two. Sheepshead with fiddlers on 1/4 oz jig heads are biting good from half way out on the outgoing tides through over half way in on the incoming. I don’‘t like the high tides for them as the bite slows down quite a bit during those times. Spotted sea trout float fishing around the outside tip of the South rocks on the incoming tides and a few flounder are showing up there also. A whole lot of small sea bass but there are a few keepers mixed in with them also. You can keep the big ones as long as you’‘re in State waters. Whiting and a few black margates at the rocks and some pretty nice ringtail porgies too. There is still a shark or two around but with this water temperature dropping most will move out to warmer water very soon. I haven’‘t seen a tarpon in my last few trips out at the rocks and October should have been a good month for them but I’‘m wondering if most have already headed South.


RIVERS: Flounder on the rock banks and sloped dirt shores also. This has been a very good flounder bite for the last two weeks. I hope this Noreaster isn’‘t going to run them out because with all these high winds and cooler air temperatures, the water will cool faster also and that’‘s what helps tell the migrating fish when to get on the move. Live mullet the best but live mud minnows and 3" Gulp Shrimp work good too. Spotted sea trout on the rocks banks and grass edges. I love to catch these guys on my Bomber Long A’‘s. I haven’‘t seen many 5 pounders yet but it’‘s coming. Big Virginia croakers being caught all up and down the river. Dead shrimp is all you need for these tasty fish. Like eating a redfish, member of the same family, both drum. Black drum on the rocky bottoms in the St. Johns. Some have been from 4 to 15 pounds so far. Great fight, stronger than a redfish. I call them "jetty grouper". They’‘re from the Trout River mouth all the way to the jetties now. We’‘ve had a couple sheepshead mixed in with the black drum as they feed right on the rocky bottoms also. Bull redfish are still in the river. They never did school up in huge schools like normal but I attribute that to the water temperatures staying too high for too long. A few keeper sea bass to 15" on hard bottom spots also. Whiting in sandier areas in the rivers especially in Nassau Sound and Ft. George Inlet. Nassau has been holding some nice whiting and yellowmouth trout and I’‘ve seen some nice small drum being caught from the bridges.


MILL COVE: Spotted trout, redfish and flounder along the grass edges as the tide is coming in and dropping. Cast a 3" Gulp Shrimp in the Moulting color on a 1/4 oz jig up to the grass and slowly work it out. At high tides I like to cast a live shrimp suspended 14" beneath a Cajun Thunder float on a 2/0 Eagle Claw Kahyle hook along the grass edges and if you know where some good oyster beds are, float them right over it. Spotted trout on Bomber Long A’‘s are working at the higher tides and redfish in the shallows during the lower end of the tides. You just got to know where you can go and where you can get out of during those outgoing tides in the Cove or you’‘ll have to wait out the tide. SURF: I’‘ve been told the whiting are really nice sized out in the surf right now. A few pompano are being caught mixed in also along with a lot of small to medium bluefish and actually a few slot-sized redfish are being caught also. The best time to get out there and fish is when you can! Thank everyone again for helping support our fishing rights! It’‘s up to all of us right now or we’‘re going to loose it before we know it. Remember, EVERYONE, bring your trash back to the dock. There are plenty of trash cans there.