Lunker redfish rolling in surf 3-5-13

Lunker redfish rolling in surf 3-5-13

Many of the redfish being reported at local bait shops were at the top of the limit of 27 inches and weighing more than 8 pounds. A few years back, if you weighed in an 8-pound redfish someone would ask how many sinkers you dropped down its mouth. Not any more. I went back to some old records that I keep and about three years ago there were two redfish over 8 pounds caught; last year there were more than 12, and one red hit the scales at 10 pounds. That fish was caught by John Fanell fishing a live 12-inch mullet.

Local angler Gene Van Dorpe has been fishing the surf in Port Orange. Gene says the water is clear and he has been catching enough big whiting that it is worth the drive. Gene said he also has been catching a few keeper pompano using sand fleas.

Pier manager Bud Sawyer said that they have also been catching some big trout, whiting and black drum. Bud weighted a 20-pound black drum caught Saturday. The best time to fish is on an incoming tide. Bud also said that they saw the first manta ray around the pier on Saturday. It shouldn't be long before we start to see cobia with the rays.

Spotted sea trout are being caught at the Jacksonville Beach Pier, but most are small, according to notable local angler and retired policeman Butch Garvin.

At St. Augustine, smooth-talking Don Edwards says good numbers of whiting are available to surf fishermen, even with strong west or northwest wind. Find a sheltered beach area near a high sand dune, and soak shrimp on bottom. Edwards recommends the marker 38 area of the Intracoastal for black drum.
SA: fishing sparse because of weather call week

March 7, 2013

Surf & Piers

You know it is Bike Week when those who favor black leather, boots and beards arrive at area piers to chase the sea's bounty. Rhonda Nelson, at Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores, spilled the news in her weekly report.

“We're seeing whiting, flounder, trout and bikers,” Nelson said, with a laugh. “Bikers love to fish, wear their leathers. It's going to be fun week at Sunglow.”

Despite the wind and chill, Nelson said Sunglow came alive Wednesday, as anglers reeled in whiting and trout chasing dead shrimp while others were catching sheepshead on sand fleas.

“Once it warms up and the wind calms down, we'll see plenty of whiting, blues, sheepshead and black drum this weekend,” Nelson said.

To the north, the Flagler Beach Pier reported a mixed bag of fish during the past week, with whiting being the top catch. Other species included sheepshead, black drum, blues, Spanish mackerel and jacks.

Surf fishing has been steady. Jeff Burkehead, at Fishin' Cove Bait & Tackle, said anglers are catching huge whiting on the New Smyrna Beach side of Ponce Inlet.

“A whole lot of whiting being caught in the surf and some pompano, too,” Burkehead said. “I mean, they're catching whiting by the bucket loads.”

Whiting are one of the few fish that have no size or bag limits, and anglers are taking advantage of this flurry of fish activity.

“It's some of the biggest whiting I've ever seen,” Burkehead said. “A guy showed up here with a couple weighing 3 pounds. It looked like a redfish. I couldn't believe they were whiting.”

The whiting are biting in the Daytona Beach, too, according to Donald Parksey, at Don's Bait & Tackle in Port Orange.

3-13-13

3-14-13

“The pier has been really good,” Wynn said. “It's had a real good trout bite. We had a guy come back with a 6-pound trout the other day. They are also catching black drum, sheepshead, nice whiting and plenty of blues.”

Wynn said inlet anglers are catching decent reds, sheepshead and black drum.

3-17-13

Guana south surf report Sunday 3-17 huge whiting!

15 whiting to 18"!!

3-18-13
A1 I fish the south parking area at matanzas in front where you walk on to the beach yesterday (3/18) it was about 2 hours on the incoming  the whiting bite has pic up-- 10 in an hour and nice ones --got 2 pomps at the inlet early morning turn of the tide and it shut down-

3-21
Matanzas Inlet tons of blues, lots of nice sheepshead on fiddler crabs. Gazillion blues. Redfish steady

3-22-13 Guana south

Beautiful day, light breeze, 1-2' surf, water a little cloudy with a bit of grass & seaweed. Fished the full incoming tide 1230-530 using fresh shrimp. 14 whitings (refunded 4) and 6 snapper blues (10-12" refunded all). Didn't see any mole crabs and still haven't caught my season's first pomp yet.  Rains and winds forecast for rest of weekend so may not make it back out again.

4-9

3-8-13

3-12-13

The weather has kept most of the offshore boats tied to the docks. Those who have gone offshore to fish the local reefs are catching larger numbers of black sea bass and red snapper, both which are still out of season.

3-14-13

Rhonda Nelson, at Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores, said there has been a steady stream of whiting and sheepshead being caught off the planks.

At the Flagler Beach Pier, anglers keep track of the current catch by posting on a chalkboard near the office. On Wednesday, the board had only one fish listed, a whiting.

Capt. Todd Wynn, at The Fishin' Hole, said the Daytona Beach Pier has enjoyed an incredible run this week.

“The pier has been really good,” Wynn said. “It's had a real good trout bite. We had a guy come back with a 6-pound trout the other day. They are also catching black drum, sheepshead, nice whiting and plenty of blues.”

By Gary Simpson march 15

Something about fishing “firsts” brings a spark to the eye of the avid angler. From the opening of grouper season to the initial reports of warm-weather bream beds, fishers celebrate learning of new catching opportunities.

That's why the following report is likely to brighten a few days.

Last Friday, Capt. Jim Keith and his party were fishing the grass flats well off Snake Key when what must have been Cedar Key's first wave of Spanish mackerel arrived. Capt. Jim's clients for the day were newlyweds, Charles and Amber Finch of Oviedo.

3-21-13

Local angler Andrew Price has been scoring big on large whiting in the surf with sand fleas south of the Jacksonville Beach Pier.

Surf around Saint Aug is slow. If you find a good hole u can load up. But the fish aren’t moving N-S

4-4-13

.The most interesting news is a pretty good bite of pompano, but not in the surf. Doesn’t sound all that great. There are a few big whiting along pontre verda