By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 at 1:34 p.m.
Provided by Halifax Sport Fishing Club
Randy Beardsley shows off a 6.5-pound black drum he caught during the recent Halifax Sport Fishing Club Surf Fishing Tournament.
SURF, PIERS: Tom Farnham struggled to find the right word to describe the black drum bite from the surf. “It’s hellacious,” he said with a big chuckle. Anglers fishing the breakers are being rewarded with monster-sized black drum, if they stumble upon a school of these fish. “They are catching them in pockets,” said Farnham from Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “One guy caught five drum in an hour. The smallest one was 3-feet long.” The more successful fishermen are using sand flea scented FishBites. Farnham said everybody is catching “some” pompano, but not in record amounts. “As the water gets cooler, we’ll see more pompano,” he said. Debra Cook at Sunglow Pier in the Shores said some of her customers were catching “fat black drum” big enough to require use of a net to bring them up to the planks. Other fish being caught at Sunglow include pompano, blues, redfish and sheepshead. The Daytona Beach Pier reports black drum, trout and sheepshead, while the Flagler Beach Pier has produced a catch of bluefish, bull whiting, Spanish mackerel and flounder, plus redfish well over the 28-inch maximum.
MATANZAS INLET, RIVER: A black drum invasion is also being reported in this inlet. Karen Miles of Devil’s Elbow Fish Camp described the catch as “crazy” as the predators chase finger mullet in the inlet waters. In addition, folks are enjoying a solid flounder bite. Miles said she weighed one doormat flattie at 8.5 pounds. Before the front came through, Miles said anglers were catching reds and trout.
Published: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 at 1:40 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 at 3:09 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: If it ever stops raining, folks in Volusia County might consider pushing away from the table and heading to the water this weekend because word is, the bite is on.
Reports out of Sunglow Pier are that sheepshead, pompano, spots, blues, whiting, reds and black drum have been coming in this week.
The bait of choice: shrimp.
They’ve seen the black drum and some big reds at the Flagler Beach Pier, too, along with a few blues and some big whiting, reportedly around 16-17 inches.
Gene Lytwyn, of the Fishin’ Hole, said a trip into the surf with clams and shrimp this week produced good catches of pompano, large whiting and a couple black drum.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at 1:59 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at 2:44 p.m.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: As the temperature drops, the sheepshead become bigger and bigger in the inlet and river, according to Jeff Burkhead at Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach. “Guys are tearing them up,” Burkhead said. “The bigger ones are in the 5- to 6-pound range. We’re still waiting on the 8 and 10 pounders to show up.” Joining in the catch is black drum, mostly at the high end of the slot (24 inches). Adding to the good news around the inlet has been the appearance of nicely sized flounder in the 18- to 20-inch range. In the river waters near the inlet, fishermen continue to catch mangrove snapper. “I don’t know why they haven’t taken off yet,” Burkhead said. “They are measuring 15 to 16 inches.” Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole in Daytona Beach said people throwing lines in around the metro bridges are nabbing sheepshead and black drum in the daytime and trout and under-sized snook at night. “There’s less than a week left in the snook season,” Lytwyn said.
SURF, PIERS: Burkhead said some of his commercial-fishing customers are cranking up whiting and a “mess of pompano.” He said one angler showed up with a 7-pound pompano over the weekend. Others are catching redfish in the slot. The change of weather has not been kind to those fishing off area piers. Sunglow Pier’s Debra Cook said over the last week customers have hooked bluefish, whiting, pompano, black drum and most recently sheepshead. The Flagler Beach Pier reports a sluggish catch of sheepshead, black drum and whiting. Lytwyn said the Daytona Beach Pier, located at the end of Main Street, has been slowed by weather. The catch there has been blues and sheepshead.
By Brian Linder
brian.linder@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 11:02 a.m.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: The Fishin’ Hole’s Mike Callahan said the whiting are there for the taking and that’s not all. Callahan said black drum are still hitting on blue crabs and live shrimp, and at the jetties sheepshead are everywhere. “The jetties are the place,” he said. “I went out there and there were like 90 boats out there all slamming drum and sheepshead.” In the river, Callahan said flounder are being caught at night with an occasional red drum. He said black drum are running between the Main Street and Seabreeze bridges.
OFFSHORE: Callahan said he has heard reports of an occasional dolphin catch as well as wahoo and king mackerel.
TOMOKA BASIN, RIVER: While the bite seems to be strong just about everywhere else, Capt. Kent Gibbens of backcountrycaptain.com said he’s not seeing much action in the Tomoka area. “I’ve found fish, but they wouldn’t eat,” he said. “I’m not the new kid on the block. I’ve been fishing this river 57 years and I’ve never seen it this bad.” Gibbens said he believes an influx of fresh water is to blame. “It’s just really weird,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll get better once the water levels start to drop.”
SURF, PIERS: There are reports of whiting being caught in the surf. At the Sunglow Pier, they have been seeing large whiting, along with redfish, pompano, blues and black drum being brought in. At the Flagler Beach Pier, reports are that whiting, small blues and sheepshead are being caught.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 1:58 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 2:18 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: Whiting are biting everywhere you go along the surf, but there seems to be a dividing line when it comes to other fish. For instance, those fishing the shoreline north of Ponce Inlet are getting into some nice black drum, while those throwing a line in New Smyrna Beach and south are pulling in limits on pompano. “And everybody seems to be having a good time,” said Tom Farnham at Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. Debra Cook at Sunglow Pier said anglers are nabbing sheepshead, redfish and whiting while those using the Daytona Beach Pier are being rewarded with a ton of bluefish, some bull whiting and a few redfish.
OFFSHORE: In the last week, the ocean has looked more like a lake to those going offshore in search of fish. Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole in Daytona Beach said anglers trolling northeast of Daytona Beach have caught dolphin and kingfish. Lytwyn said bottom fishermen have come back with sea bass and some cobia. “Everybody is covered up in red snapper, which you can’t keep,” he added. “I had a customer move three times and caught so much snapper, he just came back in.” Jeff Burkhead at Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach offered a similar report. “The fishing has been pretty good out there,” he said. “They’ve been catching grouper, amberjack and lane snapper and hooked a few cobia.”
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: Burkhead said the hot catch right now from the inlet into the river has been sheepshead. “The average size is about 3 pounds, but we’ve seen them up to 6 pounds,” he said. The bigger sheepshead are being caught at the very end of the inlet jetties. In the Daytona metro area, Lytwyn said anglers are seeing a heavy sheepshead catch around bridges and dock structures. “We’re seeing some trout in the early-morning hours,” he added.
Dec 31, 2014
Whiting are running like crazy at Sunglow. And pompano, BD and sheepshead are here and there. Blues and Whiting have also been running at Flagler, with Flounder in the mix. Wgiting is the top catch from the beach. Its been pretty good.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at 11:28 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at 11:28 p.m.
MOSQUITO LAGOON, INDIAN RIVER: Al Huffman at Lagoon Bait & Tackle in Edgewater said anytime anglers are catching keeper fish and gathering five-gallon buckets of shrimp “it’s pretty good.” Huffman said fishermen are catching a lot of trout and mangrove snapper and the redfish bite is “really strong.” The hot spots have been Haulover Canal, Tiger Shoals, Plantation and Middle Island. In addition there’s been a major shrimp run in the Oak Hill area. And the best is yet to come, according to Huffman. “When the water temperature drops, the fish bite heats up, so we’re looking forward to this big cold front coming through,” he said.
SURF, PIERS: The pompano are in the local surf, according to Tom Farnham, who owns and operates Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “I would not call it a run, but the pompano are around,” he said. “I’d say each person is averaging about three large pompano a day. The black drum are in there with them and whiting are overrunning the beach, but it’s hard not to catch a drum right now.” Anglers are using sand fleas or clams which have been pre-soaked in salt. Farnham said don’t use salt with iodine. Debra Cook at the Sunglow Pier said pompano and whiting have been the hot catch with waves of sheepshead, black drum and reds moving through here and there. The Flagler Beach Pier reports bull whiting and small bluefish while those fishing the Daytona Beach Pier are nabbing large amounts of whiting and a handful of black drum.
OFFSHORE: Many target fish are out of season, but Jeff Burkhead at Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach said boats are catching triggerfish. “They’re catching some big ones,” he said. “The captains tell me they are the biggest they’ve seen in a long time.”
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole said those fishing the river around the bridges are pulling up black drum and small trout. Burkhead said keep-size mangrove snapper are still lurking in the river south of the Dunlawton Causeway. Burkhead said anglers are getting a consistent bite of oversized reds, black drum and sheepshead up to four pounds in the inlet.
2-11-15
Only Whiting at Sunglow and Flagler piers but a few Black Drum, Bluefish and Sheepshead as well at DBP as well as a few Flounder. A few Pompano were caught around Daytona Beach on 2-10, one was 16.5”. WT 58.
2-18-15
Steady bite of Whiting and Blues at Sunglow plus a few good sized sharks. At DBP, black drum, flounder and BF. Surf fishing has been decent believe it or not with some, nice whiting and blues. Some big reds on new Smyrna side of inlet.
2-25-15
Called Sunglow. Kind of slow but some whiting and blues and sharks
3-2-16
SURF, PIERS: Good news for those with a taste for pompano. The fish, considered a delicacy by many, are being caught along the beach in Daytona Beach Shores and Wilbur By The Sea, according to Tom Farnham at Your Rod & Reel in the Shores. “Most of those fish are fat; they have a big girth of them," he said. "They’ve been eating well and they are all chunky.” In addition to pompano, Farnham said more anglers are catching bull whiting. “We had one lady fisherman come in with a bucket of whiting and a 3½ -foot blacktip shark,” he said. “You can get some nice steak cuts off a shark that size.” Lytwyn said the action off the Daytona Beach Pier has been hit or miss. “They’ve been catching sheepshead, sea trout and a few whiting, but nothing spectacular,” he said. Meanwhile the Sunglow Pier posted bluefish, sheepshead and whiting as its primary catches the last week. The Flagler Beach Pier is buzzing after one angler landed a 46-inch redfish Monday. The regular bite includes sheepshead, trout, bluefish, whiting and black drum up to 6-pounds in size.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: Lytwyn said the pompano catch has been solid around the south jetty area of the inlet. He said one couple reported catching eight, then 15 pompano on consecutive days. “And they had a lot of fat whiting mixed in there with those pompano,” he said. The river is holding sheepshead around the Seabreeze Bridge and Dunlawton Causeway. “Overall, in the daytime we are seeing bluefish and flounder and at night some snook are being caught from Main Street to Seabreeze. There’s been a few trout, but the majority of them are undersized," Capt. Kyle Busby of nobigreel.com sent in an email report. “Fishing has really picked up this week with the temps on the rise,” he said. “The Port Orange area is loaded with lots of trout, blues and ladyfish. Mangrove snapper and sheepshead are also in the mix. The snook action hasn't picked
3-9-16
 
David Chapmen, right, from Greenville, Georgia, went on a guide with Capt. James Hillman, left, and landed this 11.6-pound bass fishing St. Johns River waters near DeLand. They were fishing out of Highland Park Fish Camp. HIGHLAND PARK FISH CAMP/CAPT. BRYN RAWLINS
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 5:06 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 5:06 p.m.
This is big bass season in the St. Johns River and anglers are catching some real whoppers right now. Meanwhile, offshore fishing continues to pick up momentum and some fishermen expect to see the annual near-shore cobia run starting very soon.
ST. JOHNS RIVER: Capt. Bryn Rawlins from Highland Park Fish Camp sent in an email report on freshwater fishing in the DeLand area. “This is a great time for bass,” she said. “Most likely they will spawn on the upcoming full moon so right now, they are hungry and fat! We are using wild shiners in the nearby lakes to target them. Speckled perch are on the down turn for the season. We didn't have a good season for specks and it won't be getting any better this month.” At Bull Creek Fish Camp in Flagler, David Stewart said anglers are still enjoying a steady crappie bite in Dead Lake. “Speck fishing is good on the lake right now,” he said.
OFFSHORE: The catch is building momentum as the fertile spring season begins with a bang. Jeff Burkhead at Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach said it succinctly. “We’re seeing some really good fishing,” he said. “I’ve seen large catches of dolphin, wahoo and kingfish on the troll.” Bottom fishing has been excellent, too. Burkhead said anglers are enjoying a bounty of sea bass, triggerfish, amberjack and various types of keeper snapper. “And, they’ve caught a few cobia along the way,” he said. “We might be seeing a near-shore cobia run here shortly.” Faith Henson at Fishing Shack Bait & Tackle in Daytona Beach Shores produced a near identical report. “They’re catching dolphin, wahoo, and cobia and wahoo in numbers,” she said. The Sea Spirit party boat, which docks at Inlet Harbor, has been coming back to port with good catches every time it heads to sea. “That boat has been catching a good number of cobia in the last week,” Henson said.
SURF, PIERS: The pompano are here in force, according to Ray Barkey at Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “They are catching a lot of pompano off the beach and in the river,” he said. “They are in the river south of the Dunlawton Causeway and we had one guy catch 15 or 16 of them in the surf in Ormond Beach.” Barkey said the baits of choice for pompano were clams and sand fleas. All area piers are producing catches. The Sunglow Pier reports a consistent flounder, up to 20-inches in length, plus whiting, bluefish and black drum. The Flagler Beach Pier reports pompano, bluefish, sheepshead, flounder up to the 4-pound range and one 27-inch redfish pulled up Wednesday. Fishermen at the Daytona Beach Pier are pulling up an abundance of whiting, plus bluefish, sheepshead and s
3-16-16
SURF, PIERS: The pompano have finally arrived, according to several anglers and bait shops in the area. “We’re having some good fishing in the surf right now,” said Tom Farnham of Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “We had a guy in here who caught a 5.5-pound pompano. The thing measured 22 inches long. It was the fattest pompano I have ever seen.” Farnham said the pompano are heading north in big schools. You cast into a school, you are nearly guaranteed a bite. “The best catches have been on the outgoing tide,” he said. “Our guys are using sand fleas or clams, probably more clams.” Amy Jarvis at the Sunglow Pier said the planks “were packed” with fishermen trying to get their limit of pompano. “They’ve been hitting pompano and flounder really good the last few days,” she said. Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole in downtown Daytona Beach had a similar report for the Daytona Beach Pier. “Pompano are coming in and they are catching some whiting and bluefish, too.” The pompano have not reached the Flagle
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