4-4-13
By Godwin Kelly
OUTDOORS EDITOR
Published: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 5:30 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 5:22 p.m.
Capt. Todd Wynn, The Fishin' Hole, Daytona Beach, said the Daytona Beach Pier has become a hot spot for trout, which generally live and feed and are caught in saltwater estuaries.
“They are spanking them up there,” Wynn said. “There are tons of trout being caught off the pier.”
Wynn said catching trout from an ocean pier is “not common” and that “something has changed” in the waters off the coast.
“We think of trout as predators, but they are sought after by bigger fish,” Wynn said. “For some reason, they feel safer in the ocean. Something is not around that usually chases them around, maybe sharks.”
In addition to trout, pier anglers are reporting pompano pushing past 4 pounds, along with reds, sheepshead, black drum and some Spanish mackerel.
“Once you see the Spanish being caught, that's a sign of spring,” Wynn said.
The Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, has not enjoyed the same heated action, but Rhonda Nelson said anglers have been pulling “nice-sized whiting” to the planks.
Jeff Burkhead, Fishin' Cove Bait & Tackle, New Smyrna Beach, said surf anglers have enjoyed a burst of pompano activity near Ponce Inlet.
“We had a guy catch 40 (pompano) the other day,” Burkhead said.
In the Port Orange area, surf fishermen are pulling in whiting, reds, black drum and Spanish mackerel, according to Donald Parksey, Don's Bait & Tackle, Sea Bird Island.
Karen Miles, Devil's Elbow Fish Camp, which is three miles north of Matanzas Inlet, said surf anglers are catching keeper-sized redfish on cut or frozen mullet.
4-10-13
Spanish mackerel are showing tight to surf areas, as well as the inlets at St. Augustine and Matanzas. Jacksonville Beach Pier fishermen have been collecting skinny, but legal Spanish. Sally Johnson of Amelia Island Bait & Tackle reports surf fishing for whiting has been outstanding at the north and south ends of Amelia Island. Beach surf in recent days has been clear and calm, and anglers using dead shrimp during the last of incoming tides are taking 25 to 40 good-eating whiting per trip.
4-11-13
Fishing report: Water, fishing heating up around Daytona
By Godwin Kelly
OUTDOORS EDITOR
Published: Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 5:51 p.m.
The Tomoka River and Basin came alive this week because the water temperature is quickly rising.
According to Capt. Kent Gibbens, of backcountrycaptain.com, the water temperature in the basin went from 73 degrees Tuesday to 75 Wednesday morning.
“The water temperature is on the climb,” Gibbens said. “It means we are headed into summer, and it means better fishing.”
Gibbens hooked a 31-inch snook on a jig and said there are “bigger ones out there.”
“We're catching trout, redfish, snook, some jacks and blues,” Gibbens said. “We are getting into that time of year when fish are everywhere. I've seen schools of reds.”
Capt. Todd Wynn, from The Fishin' Hole in downtown Daytona Beach, said he has hooked snook, reds and nice-sized mango snappers during recent forays into Tomoka.
“Tomoka has been steady for me,” Wynn said. “It's all turning on because it's spring. When spring comes, it all starts coming together.”
Surf & Piers
The piers and surf continue to deliver for anglers. The fishing at Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores came alive last weekend and hasn't stopped, according to Rhonda Nelson.
“It has been good fishing,” she said. “They are catching a lot of Spanish mackerel and buckets full of whiting. One guy caught a 29-inch blue this week.”
And those targeting pompano and sheepshead are not complaining.
“We are having a good run here,” Nelson said.
It's much the same story at the Daytona Beach Pier, which continues to see a surprising trout run, in addition to whiting, pompano, black drum, sheepshead and flounder.
The primary catch among surf casters has been whiting and pompano.
“Pompano have been really, really good,” Wynn said.
Those fishing the surf are using frozen shrimp, sand fleas and clams.
4-13-13
Spanish mackerel are showing strong in area coastal waters, and anglers from Matanzas Inlet to Brunswick soon will be slamming the speedy, good-eating, and fun-to-catch mini-mackerel.
Right now the best action is south, off Matanzas and St. Augustine. And anglers casting spoons and live baits off the Jacksonville Beach Pier have had great sport in recent days. Beach fishermen also can do well, though more fish are caught with cast spoons, plugs and jigs than dead baits intended for whiting and other bottom feeders.
The mackerel are migrating south to north, so for the First Coast, great fishing can be expected for several weeks at area inlets and beach zones so long as the weather remains warm and calm.
4-16-13
Toothy macs, bluefish require wire leaders
CAPT> MIKE VICKERS
FLAGLER FISHING
Published: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 3:37 p.m.
Anglers fishing Matanzas Inlet have been experiencing a good yellow-mouth trout bite using live shrimp fished on a fish-finder rig. There are reports of 3- to 4-pound speckled sea trout being caught in the same area.
Sheepshead are hanging around the rocks on the south side of the inlet and are responding to live fiddler crab as bait. Spanish mackerel are moving in and out of the inlet with the tide, along with bluefish. Anglers fishing with spoons or hard baits are getting the most action.
Use a wire leader of at least 10- to 12-inches in length to keep these toothy creatures from cutting your line. When using a wire leader, add a swivel to connect the fishing line to the wire. This will keep your fishing line from twisting as you retrieve your lure.
For those who have been fishing the inlet and had some big fish break-offs, think bluefish. It's about this time every year that we have some very large bluefish move into the area for about two weeks. The best way to fish for these brutes is to use a big, noisy, top-water plug.
Fishing with Bill Morgan last week, I was able to put a 15-pound, 4-ounce bluefish in the boat. This fish put on quite a show, jumping out of the water, tail walking, and diving to the rocks, docks, or anything else it could find. If you want some fun, head to the inlet.
Daytona beach surf fishing has reached a fever pitch
April 18, 2013
Surf fishermen are enjoying a bountiful catch from Matanzas Inlet south to the shores of New Smyrna Beach.
Tim O'Donnell, Fishin' Cover Bait & Tackle, New Smyrna Beach, said surfcasters are pulling in pompano and whiting, with jacks and blues mixed in the catch on the south side of the inlet.
Gene Lytwyn, The Fishin' Hole, chimed in with a similar report for the Daytona Beach area.
“Surf fishing has been really strong,” he said. “We're seeing whiting, pompano, blues and Spanish mackerel being caught every day.”
Up toward Matanzas, the same thing in a report from Devil's Elbow Fish Camp. Don Ayotte, who was manning the outpost Thursday, said beach anglers are filling their buckets with flounder, black drum and pompano. “Everybody's happy,” he said.
The Daytona Beach Pier continues to yield trout. Lytwyn said the pier-savvy anglers are catching keeper trout by “floating live shrimp.” Other fish brought to the planks this week include whiting, black drum, blues and Spanish mackerel.
Offshore
The fishing is getting better each week, according to Lytwyn. The Halifax Sport Fishing Club's Offshore Challenge produced a large haul of fish last weekend and the first round of the "King of the Inlet" Tournament is set for Saturday.
Lytwyn said those trolling the deep waters are snagging the best fish. “The fishing has been good -- when they can get out,” he said. “They've had some real snotty days.”
4-24-13
Surf fishing was outstanding through last Friday, but weekend fishing was a bust because of foul weather. However, improving fishing conditions have been good for beach-casters. On Amelia Island, the area south of the Peters Point Beach Access has been giving up whiting, weakfish (limit one per person in Nassau County) and some sea trout.
4-25-13
Surf & Piers
Rhonda Nelson, of Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores, said anglers are dealing with a fishing frenzy, highlighted by the catch of a 27-inch black drum earlier this week.
“That's a freaking big black drum,” Nelson said. “They had to use the pier net to bring it up.”
Nelson said happy fishermen have been carrying out buckets filled with sheepshead, trout, whiting, blues and pompano. The Daytona Beach Pier continues to yield trout on a regular basis, plus whiting, blues, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel.
For those chasing pompano, Jeff Burkehead, of Fishin' Cove Bait & Tackle, said reports indicate the species has moved south toward the Canaveral National Seashore.
“And, they're catching some reds, too,” Burkehead added.
Karen Miles, at Devil's Elbow Fish Camp in St. Johns County, said there has been a run of near-shore cobia in her area. The cobia are on the small side, but she reported one in the 40-pound range.
5-02-13
Surf & Piers
All during April, the surf and three area piers were the league leaders in area fishing, but now have fallen off the pace. Wynn said the chop along the coast is to blame for the falloff.
“The Daytona Beach Pier was doing really good, but it's slowed down,” he said. “They are still catching flounder, black drum, some trout and pompano.”
The Flagler Beach Pier catch board on Wednesday showed a tally of sheepshead, jacks, whiting, weakfish, flounder and plenty of blues.
It has been an especially slow week at Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, according to gatemaster Rhonda Nelson. “Blues, pompano and one jack,” she said.
5-9-13
Surf and pier anglers suffered last week because of the bad weather, but Wynn, who owns limitlesscharters.com, said fishing “should return to normal this weekend.”
The fishing at the Daytona Beach Pier is coming back to life with whiting, trout, flounder and pompano catches. Surf casters are nabbing whiting, pompano, bluefish and the occasional black drum.
5-15-13
St. Augustine surf fishermen are doing well on pompano and whiting. The water is not clear, but good enough for decent fishing.
Surf fishing has been a bust off Amelia Island, says Sally Johnson of Amelia Island Bait & Tackle. Only a few pompano are being caught near Talbot Island due to discolored surf water. Good fishing for flounder to 12 inches is reported at the mouth of the St. Marys River, though redfish and sea trout action has been slow.
5-16-13
Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said the water under the pier has been “crystal clear,” which is not good for those fishing from the planks. “When the water is clear, the fish don't bite as much,” she said. Sunglow did have a small run of blues earlier this week.
Anglers at the Daytona Beach Pier are nabbing the occasional trout and Spanish mackerel. The primary keeper fish have been whiting, black drum and flounder.
Wynn and Parksey said whiting are dominating surf fishing with beach casters hooking a pompano now and then. “Most of them have moved north,” Parksey said.
5-21-13
Surf fishing has been on the slow side, with most of the fish moving out past the first sand bar. Anglers using 12-foot surf rods and able to make the 80- to 90-yard cast needed are picking up a few bull whiting and pompano using sand fleas.
Flagler Pier anglers have been going home with a mixed bag of black drum, sheepshead, whiting and pompano. Black tip and hammer sharks are also being caught. Reports of a kingfish hook-up on Saturday may be a sign of bigger things to come.
5-29-13
Plenty of legal pompano are being caught in the surf during incoming tides from the beaches of Amelia Island, according to Sally Johnson of Amelia Island Bait & Tackle. Shrimp, clams and quartered pieces of blue crab work as bait. Beach fishermen there also are catching whiting, Spanish mackerel, some trout, croakers and small sharks.
5-30-13
Sunglow Pier's Rhonda Nelson was almost giddy as she delivered her weekly fishing report from her Daytona Beach Shores outpost.
“Quite a few black drum; really nice-sized drum,” Nelson said. “They have been up to 8-pound fish. Most have been 7 to 8 pounds, taking mostly shrimp.”
In addition to the drum, Nelson said the whiting catch “comes and goes,” and there's been some Spadefish and spots brought to the planks. “It's been good fishing,” Nelson said.
The Flagler Beach Pier produced two big king mackerel Wednesday, according to the daily catch board. The biggest king weighed in at 41 pounds, while another was hauled up at 32 pounds. Anglers were catching blues, whiting and flounder on a consistent basis.
The Daytona Beach Pier reports black drum, flounder, whiting and a few sheepshead. The surf is dominated by the whiting catch and occasional pompano.
6-6-13
Surf and Piers
The Flagler Pier shut down due to Andrea on Thursday, but a pier representative reported that small sharks, spadefish, sheepshead and black drum were caught this week. A seven-pound flounder was also reported there.
Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, said the bite has been slow there.
She said a few drum have been caught. She also said a 20-to-25 pound permit was caught Thursday.
“You don't usually see them that big at the pier,” she said. “It was huge. It was cool.”
7-11-13
Slow at Flagler pier: Flounder, whiting and BD,
Sunglow flounder reds and pomps in large numbers and the usual whitng
8-15-13
St. Augustine sea trout fishing has slowed, but dock and jetty sheepshead are plentiful, and black drum are taking shrimp near bridge abutments.
Keith Secor of Rick’s Bait & Tackle in Jacksonville Beach says surf anglers have been getting bigger whiting, and some redfish. Mayport-area docks have been yielding flounder.
Randy “Mud Puppy” Green at the Palm Valley boat ramp says fishing is slow, with dawn, dusk and night action best for some sea trout and redfish, occasional flounder.
At Fernandina Beach, sight-casting for shallow reds is good in the Amelia River. Boat poling is more effective than using an electric motor. Shell beds are holding plenty of reds, which are taking mud minnow and shrimp baits. Flounder can be found in similar areas.
9-6-13
Keeper reds are red hot off the piers. Whiting, pomps and wandering reds in the surf also.
9-7-13
As the water starts to cool towards the end of the month the Pompano will return from their summer vacation in the Carolinas. They will first show up on the north side of the St. Johns. Specifically Little Talbot Island and Huguenot Park. In the fall I’ve always caught more big Pompano on blue crab knuckles. My largest Pomp 6 pound 4 ounces was caught at Huguenot in late September.
Remember to take your cast net to the beach from now through the end of October. If there is lots of mullet in the surf then use them for bait. Be sure to take extra rigs because those blues and sharks will tear up some tackle.
9-10-13
Anglers fishing at the Flagler Beach Pier are catching their two-per-person limit of keeper redfish, along with a few over the 27-inch limit that are being released. Those using live finger mullet with enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom are doing most of the catching.
Pier anglers are also catching bluefish, whiting, sheepshead, black drum and mango snapper. Dead shrimp on a single hook rig is the go-to bait for these species.
Early morning hours are still the best time to fish, before the heat of the day sets in.
Surf anglers are reeling in sharks and redfish on live or cut mullet. The fall bait run brings the mullet close enough to the shore that most anglers can catch their bait with a cast net, but it also brings bigger sharks into the shallow waters. If you ever wanted to catch a shark from the beach, now is the time to do it.
This time of year, it’s not unusual to hook a fish and by the time you get it to the beach only half of the fish is left after sharks attacked it.
Whiting, black drum and a few small pompano are also being pulled from the surf. Most of the pompano are under-sized, the larger ones will show up when the water clears up and drops in temperature.
The mini red snapper season is over f, offshore fishing is back to basics with a few boats making the trip out to the 21 fathom line. Anglers making the trip are coming back to port with big mango snapper, grouper, amberjack, red eyes, black sea bass and triggerfish.
9-25-13
Jacksonville Beach Pier fishermen are taking some sea trout at dawn, plus redfish, black drum and whiting.
9-26-13 modified 10-3-13
PIERS, SURF: The Daytona Beach Pier offers this good and bad news. The good? A lot of redfish are being brought up from the water. The bad? They are too big to keep. But the waters under the pier are also yielding thick flounder and portly trout, according to Gene Lytwyn of The Fishin' Hole, located in downtown Daytona Beach. “I had a bunch of guys coming in here getting Gotcha lures,” Lytwyn said. “That usually means they're going after trout. Not only are they catching big trout, but they are catching a large number of big trout off the pier.” At Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores, Rhonda Nelson said there's more of the same news. “We still got reds, quite a few,” she said. “Some really big, some small, some keepers.” In addition to reds, Sunglow anglers are catching mango snapper, jacks and one 35-pound barracuda.
Those fishing the surf are being rewarded with whiting, pompano, blues, redfish and reeling up an occasional shark. “It's been pretty consistent in the surf,” Lytwyn said.
10-2-13
Keith Secor of Rick’s Bait and Tackle recommends surf fishing for whiting at Jacksonville Beach. Using dead shrimp recently he caught 25 whiting, keeping the largest dozen that weighed to 1.5 pounds. Secor says Cabbage Creek off the Intracoastal Waterway near the Butler bridge is loaded with small tarpon, and some snook to 24 inches are in area creeks, too.
Black drum and some redfish are being caught from the Jacksonville Beach Pier
10-3-13 updated 10th
SURF, PIERS: Jeff Burkhead of Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach said his happiest anglers are those fishing off the beach. “I had one of my customers come in here the other day with 12 pompano and 40 pounds of whiting,” Burkhead said. “This is happening up and down the coast. I had fisherman tell me the whiting being caught off Flagler Beach are so big, some people think they are redfish.” The whiting are sizing up to 20 inches. The bait of choice is sand fleas. The three area piers continue to enjoy a strong redfish bite, thanks to the mullet run now in its fourth week.
10-8-13
Falling water temperatures have brought the bigger whiting and pompano to our beach. Anglers fishing with sand flea from the surf are catching large bull whiting and keeper pompano, along with redfish. Strong winds have broken up the bait pods but once the winds back down the pods should return and fishing should also get better.
10-9-13
Another nor’easter and another wave of tough fishing conditions currently are being dealt to area anglers. However, before the most recent “blow” rolled in Tuesday, fishing throughout the area was on fire for flounder. As late as Monday afternoon some fishermen were catching limit numbers (10 per person) of flounder to 4 pounds in shallow, sheltered waters.
With diminishing wind and waves, that action should turn on again, perhaps as soon as Friday.
10-8-13
Awesome October is finally here! The mullet run is in full swing but it will not last very long. Here is the biggest thing to remember. If there is mullet in the surf, fish with mullet. Matching the hatch is very important. All of the predators are in the surf munching out on this plentiful bait fish. While the non-predators are running scared. The Pompano and Whiting are a little scarce when the surf is slammed with mullet and what eats them. Once the mullet run has slowed down and the water starts to cool it will be Pompano and Whiting time! ‘Now lets match the hatch again. Use sand fleas as long as you can find them. With cooling water temps they will be harder to catch. When fleas become scarce clams will then be the bait of choice
10-03-13 updated 10th
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 9:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 10:02 a.m.
SURF, PIERS: Jeff Burkhead of Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach said his happiest anglers are those fishing off the beach. “I had one of my customers come in here the other day with 12 pompano and 40 pounds of whiting,” Burkhead said. “This is happening up and down the coast. I had fisherman tell me the whiting being caught off Flagler Beach are so big, some people think they are redfish.” The whiting are sizing up to 20 inches. The bait of choice is sand fleas. The three area piers continue to enjoy a strong redfish bite, thanks to the mullet run now in its fourth week.
10-10-13 updated 17th
SURF, PIERS: Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said the redfish catch has slowed, but sheepshead, jacks, whiting and bluefish have filled the gap.
The Flagler Beach Pier catch board read whiting and black drum Wednesday afternoon. Burkhead said surfcasters were catching bull whiting and pompano. The bait of choice was sand fleas.
10-17-13
SURF, PIERS: Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said there is a steady bite of redfish, black drum and “a bucket full of whiting.” The Flagler Beach Pier reports reds, jacks and whiting, while the Daytona Beach Pier has enjoyed a decent catch of blues, flounder and keeper reds, according to Gene Lytwyn, The Fishin’ Hole, downtown Daytona Beach. Pompano and whiting are in the surf, if you can find them, said Tim O’Donnell, Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle, New Smyrna Beach. “It’s been a little slow,” O’Donnell said. “We’re waiting for ‘the changing.’” Don’t get creeped out. O’Donnell is talking about area saltwater temperatures. “We need the water to cool down for the catch to heat up,” he said.
10-23-13
Jacksonville Beach Pier fishing has been good for whiting, small sea trout, some drum, flounder and pompano, according to local ace board fisherman Spencer Brogden.
10-24-13
SURF, PIERS: Tim O'Donnell, Fishin' Cove Bait & Tackle, New Smyrna Beach, had the good news for all saltwater anglers. “It's starting to pick up a little bit,” O'Donnell said. “This week's cold front will do good for all of us.” Surf fishermen are reporting a good catch of whiting and pompano off the beach. Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, echoed O'Donnell's optimistic report. “We've had some beautiful, bright pompano up to 2 pounds this week,” she said. “People are catching bluefish, a few Spanish mackerel and quite a few sharks, from babies to 5-footers.”
10-24-13
Jacksonville Beach Pier fishing has been good for whiting, small sea trout, some drum, flounder and pompano, according to local ace board fisherman Spencer Brogden. Whiting are picking up a little but the Blues are much better.
Fishing report: Novice anglers reaching pompano limit 10-31-13
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: Those anglers, who have spent years studying surf fishing and building their specialized equipment, won’t like this much. Jeff Burkhead, Fishin’ Cove Bait & Tackle, New Smyrna Beach, said pompano are so plentiful in the waves right now that even novice anglers are reaching their limit on the fish. “Tearing them up on the beach,” Burkhead said. “Lots of whiting and pompano. Guys who have no idea what they’re doing are getting big catches.” Fishermen are allowed to keep six pompano per day. Pompano must be 11 inches long to be legal. The piers are popping, too. Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said people are catching so many good fish it’s like a “fishing buffet on the pier.” Nelson said anglers are enjoying a catch of flounder, redfish, sheepshead, black drum, whiting and jacks. “They (are) using about everything for bait,” she said. “Frozen shrimp, live shrimp, mullet, cut bait.” At the Flagler Beach Pier, planksiders are nabbing blues, whiting, black drum and flounder.
10-31-13
Whiting, some sea trout and redfish are being caught in the surf along Amelia Island, and at the south end of the island at Nassau Sound. Plenty of small flounder are around, especially in the Simpson Creek and Fort George areas. Trout also are hitting well in Fort George and Nassau Sound.
Jacksonville Beach Pier fishermen are having good action with whiting, black drum, pompano and some flounder. Water clarity is fair.
11-1-13
October went out with a bang! A Big Bang of fish that is! Finally the water temperature dropped just enough to turn on the bite. With this late season trend November should be a banner month.
At the Jacksonville Beach pier the Kingfish season wrapped up with 114 Kings coming over the rail. Now the big Redfish have replaced them. Reds from 32”to 45” have been netted, photo’d, and released. That red hot action has been followed up with whiting, big blues, black drum, pompano, and a variety of big sharks.
The Flagler Beach pier has been a hot spot for nice flounder. Minnows worked slowly around the pilings have produced nice big flatties. The pompano, black drum, and whiting have rounded out the catch lately. As the water temp drops the big bluefish will show up for sure. A few degrees cooler will also bring in the return of the big bull whiting. Also known as southern kingfish these whiting are more aggressive and will be in great numbers throughout the winter. In the surf it finally happened!
The POMPANO are back! In mid October they arrived with the cooler water. These tasty good fighting fish like cooler water also They should be around through November and beyond as long as the water temp stays above 65 degrees. Sand fleas are the go to bait. If it is to cool and the fleas are too hard to find then switch to clams and blue crab knuckles. As the mullet run trickles to an end the black drum and whiting bite has really turned on. Fresh dead shrimp casted close in the first trough will produce a nice cooler of fish for the fryer.
Noel Kuhn,Surf fishing guide and long distance casting coach.
904-945-0660
www.TheSurfAngler.com
11-6-13
Surf, jetty and pier action has been difficult at best. But with diminishing wind and clear water, whiting should turn on again in the Mickler’s, North Beach and Amelia Island areas.
11-7-13
SURF, PIERS: The recent northeast blow turned the surf into a monster and kept many anglers at home. The area piers are reporting a strong whiting catch with a few pompano mixed in to make it interesting. Gene Lytwyn, The Fishin’ Hole, downtown Daytona Beach, said he had several customers show up with ice chests full of whiting and keeper redfish, caught off the Daytona Beach Pier.
11-12-13
Well I finally took a day off from work and the weather was good so I met up with my fishing buddy Noel and we went surf fishing before the cold front came through. We hit the beach and the water was clean and the surf was small with no current. It was a nice day as it was overcast the whole day so we didn't get too burnt from the sun. When we first got out on the beach at 8am the tide was in its last hour of going out so there was plenty of real estate to work with.
I set up with 4 rods and had my first of many pomps before I could get the last rod out!!! It looked like a good sign but I didn't have a clue as to how great of a day fishing it was going to be. Whiting from 11" to 15" in size were hungry and shrimp was the bait of choise. The pomps preferred sand fleas. This time of year the fleas are very large and one will be perfect for a pomp or a redfish if he finds it first.
The incoming tide proved to be the magical tide today as Noel and I limited out on pomps each and caught a few more only to be releases. We did not catch one undersized pomp today and that's a great sign...Noel caught and released an 28" red and over a dozen nice whiting too.
11-13-13
Before current nor’easter conditions, fishing action had been good throughout much of the area’s coastal waters, and with settling weather such fishing should be good again.
11-14-13
SURF, PIERS: Before the wind began gusting Wednesday, fishing on every level was pretty good. But as the cold front swept over the area, it turned off the bite. Veteran anglers said the fish will return by the weekend. Before the blustery conditions, Sunglow Pier was enjoying a crazy good catch, according to Rhonda Nelson. “They were catching a lot of trout, black drum, pompano, reds, whiting and blues,” she said. “The fishing was great until the wind kicked up and chased the fish away.” Capt. Todd Wynn, The Fishin' Hole, downtown Daytona Beach, had nearly an identical report for the Daytona Beach Pier. “Before the wind, they had a real good red bite, slot-sized reds, plus drum, sheepshead and flounder, plus really nice whiting,” Wynn said, adding that surfcasters were enjoying a steady catch of pompano. Up into Flagler County, the main catch off the beach has been whiting.
11-14-13 Saint Augustine
But the big story of the week came from the normally-mediocre county pier. From the weekend through Tuesday those fishing the planks killed the fish — and it was equal-opportunity angling.
Some really nice pompano were caught, and very good numbers of them. The bigger whiting, up to 12 inches, showed up. There were also eye-opening catches of sheepshead, black drum, seatrout, reds and flounder.
11-17-13 Atlantic Beach
Sunday morning got up at 05:30. Looked outside...cloudy but warm. Coffee brewing, I loaded up the truck. Then it started pouring....rats I did all my weekend work on Saturday, thinking that Sunday would be warmer and a better day. I grabbed my favorite coffee mug...and opened the garage door. It was coming down hard...but maybe it would pass quickly. I turned on the weather channel to get a glimpse of the Doppler radar, it looked like it would pass. I heard my neighbor Pat's garage door open and I went back out front. He thought it would pass as well. I decided to get some extra bait, as Pat had gone out Friday and froze left over shrimp and fleas. After a quick stop at Mr. Lee's I met up with Pat at the north end of Atlantic beach. His friend's truck was already there. When we got on the beach the rain started back up. Stan, Pat's friend had already caught some smaller whiting. I dressed out a large female blue crab and set up one rig with crab knuckle/clam cocktail. The other rod was set up with fresh dead...good thing I got some more fresh dead the frozen shrimp from Friday were rock hard. The rain came down harder...it was chilly at 07:00 but this fish did not seem to notice. From the get go...fish were biting. The crab knuckle/clam cocktail brought in a good size whiting around 14 inches. Pat, using sand fleas hit upon some undersized Pompano. I kept seeing Stan unhooking large whiting and filling his cooler. Pat was re-baiting when his smaller rod bent in half. Stan and I both called out to Pat, as it looked like it might pull his rig into the surf. After reeling and battling up and down the beach, Pat brought in a large and very fat red. It was at the end of the slot, 27 inches. One spot on the right side and two on the left. We fished till almost 10:00, each catching their share of whiting...no keeper pompano and many blues. It was an exciting morning.
11-19-13 Bite picks up when wind dies down
Strong wave action did minor damage to the south side of the pier. The area between the first and second hut is closed to anglers. The loss of a cross member and piling in this area appears to be the only damage.
Because of the higher than normal wave action, pier and beach fishing has to improve. The washing machine action created by the strong wind and current has uncovered more sand fleas and crabs — food for the fish.
Anglers fishing the pier on Saturday or Sunday were having a banner day. Redfish in the 38- to 40-inch range were a common sight coming over the rail only to be released due to size limits.
Black drum from 5 to 6 pounds were being iced down, along with whiting, small flounder, large pompano and trout. Sheepshead anglers were going home with five to 10 fish each. Anglers were using sand fleas or fiddler crabs as bait for sheepshead, cut or live mullet for reds, and live or dead shrimp for all others.
Anglers fishing the surf at Matanzas Inlet are catching oversized redfish. There was a report of one over 40 pounds. Pompano and whiting are also being caught in this area.
11-21-13
SURF, PIERS: Rhonda Nelson, Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, says fishermen are enjoying a heavy catch of black drum. “These are the biggest black drum I have ever seen caught off this pier,” Nelson said. “I've seen them up to 28 inches long.” The good news doesn't stop there. According to Nelson, anglers are filling their ice coolers with whiting. “People have the chance to load up their freezers at home with whiting,” Nelson said. Those fishing from the planks are nabbing good numbers of blues, pompano and sharks. “We've had quite a few sharks caught,” Nelson said. “They've sized from pups to 5 feet long.” The Daytona Beach Pier has been productive, too, for anglers. According to The Fishin' Hole, downtown Daytona Beach, anglers are nabbing whiting, blues and sheepshead from the water.
11-23-13 JAX
Fished from 6:30-9:30am Caught 1 Black Drum, 7 keeper Whiting, about 30+ Bluefish (all released) and a few other misc species (all released). Drum and Whiting caught on dead shrimp. Bluefish and others caught on dead shrimp and cut mullet, No Reds or Pomps this trip, oh well. Incoming tide, 2-3ft surf, fairly clean water. Beautiful picture perfect day.
11-26-13
The sheepshead along with black drum bite will continue to improve as the water cools off. Fishing around docks, rock piles, and oyster bars will put a few fish in the cooler. Big pompano were being caught near Varn Park north of Flagler Beach. Anglers fishing at the park were also catching bull whiting, small black drum and oversized redfish before the wind and waves made beach fishing impossible.
11-27-13
Randy Guy of Avid Angler in St. Augustine reports some large black drum to 8 pounds are being caught near bridges, pilings and near the inlet on dead shrimp soaked on the bottom. Drum also were in the surf with whiting before an east wind crushed that action, which had been good.
11-28-13
SURF, PIERS: Sunglow Pier’s Debra Cook said pompano, sheepshead and black drum are being caught. “We are also seeing a couple reds later, mid-noonish,” she said. Reports from The Fishin’ Hole are that whiting are being caught in the surf and from the pier. Flagler Pier is reporting catches of reds, whiting, black drum and pompano.
Despite cold front, bite still warm
By Brian Linder
brian.linder@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, November 28, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, November 28, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.
Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River: Lagoon Bait and Tackle’s Greg Noel had a good bit of action to report. Despite the wind and front that moved in this week, Noel said sheepshead, mangrove snapper, black drum and reds are being brought in. Noel said fishing in the flats has been lackluster, but south around Haulover Canal has been the hot spot. “People are catching their limit in black drum,” he said. “Trout is the only thing there that has been a slow bite.” Noel said he is looking for bigger sheepshead to move out of the inlet and into the river. “People are catching tons of them,” he said. “But you have to catch three or four to get one keeper.” Noel said the colder weather turns the sheepshead bite on. “They start to eat because they don’t know when they will eat again,” he said. Noel said the reds have been coming in medium-sized, and that they are not yet schooling. He said best fishing is early morning or late afternoon.
SURF, PIERS: Sunglow Pier’s Debra Cook said pompano, sheepshead and black drum are being caught. “We are also seeing a couple reds later, mid-noonish,” she said. Reports from The Fishin’ Hole are that whiting are being caught in the surf and from the pier. Flagler Pier is reporting catches of reds, whiting, black drum and pompano.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: Granada Pier Bait and Tackle’s Tommy Atkinson said black drum are being caught in the basin, and blue fish are being caught offshore.
MATANZAS INLET, RIVER: Devil’s Elbow’s Henry Miles said reds and trout are being caught. He said the best method has been trolling with small grubs, live shrimp or using plugs in deeper water. He said sheepshead and black drum are being caught off the bridge.
TOMOKA BASIN, RIVER: Don’s Bait and Tackle’s Don Parksey said whiting, reds, pompano, mangrover snapper and catfish are being caught. He said a few tarpon are being brought in as well as some blues.
ST. JOHNS RIVER: Highland Park Fish Camp’s Capt. James Hillman said that a “pile” of bass are being caught. He said the speck bite has also been strong. “Everything is on wild shiners right now,” he said.
12-3-13
Big bite last week was the black drum; they seem to be everywhere.
Bluefish are moving through the inlet into the Intracoastal. Cut mullet on a fish-finder rig or a jig head should keep you busy pulling in fish.
Anglers fishing Flagler Pier are putting a few fish on ice. Sheepshead and black drum are the main catch. Whiting, redfish, sharks, and trout round out a good day at the pier.
Dec 5, 2013
Warm weather and light wind have jump-started area anglers, and many have enjoyed good fishing over the last several days.
While several hot spots are offering some fast angling action, one of the best bets is surf fishing. It can be good almost anywhere along the coast, but Capt. Jim Johnson of Amelia Island Bait & Tackle says the south tip of Amelia Island (near Nassau Sound) has been excellent for black drum, whiting and weakfish (yellowmouth trout). A heavyweight 41-inch drum was caught there recently, though most drum weigh in the 2 to 4 pound class.
Excellent surf fishing also is available near St. Augustine, from Vilano Beach to the Gate station north of town. Surf water is 62 to 64 degrees, and good size whiting are being caught with shrimp baits in the clearing surf. Night action for whiting has been good, too, and slot-size redfish are being taken.
12-9-13
Wow is the best word to describe the November action. All three piers Jacksonville, St Augustine, and Flagler saw excellent catches as soon as the water temperature started to drop. This action should continue through December if the water temp stays above sixty degrees. Black Drum, whiting, and sheepshead will provide hot action as the temps cool. Good fresh dead shrimp is all you need to fill the cooler with these tasty fish. When targeting whiting I like to drop down in hook size from my normal 2/0 down to a #2.
This is the month that the “Bull ”whiting show up. These are actually a different species of whiting than the ones we catch all summer long. Below is a good website to go to see the difference between are normal Gulf Whiting, Sothern Kingfish, and Northern Kingfish. www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/ Kingfish.pdf
A great bait to catch these bigger, more aggressive Kingfish is belly strips. Belly strips from the other Whiting you just caught. It will stay on the hook ten times longer that shrimp and catch multiple fish with one bait. Cut them small about one half inch by one inch. Oh yeah, these Bull whiting have very sharp teeth unlike our normal warm weather whiting.
The surf has also been on fire with the drop in water temp. It dropped seven degrees in the first two weeks of November. The bait of choice has been sand fleas. They are hard to find in cool weather. If you want to track them down concentrate your efforts on steep, high impact, beaches with loose sand. You’ll find the best flea raking in Ponte Vedra or Flagler. A warm sunny afternoon will usually bring them to the surface so you can rake them. If you can’t gather fleas your best bet will be clams, crab knuckles, and fresh shrimp.
As long as the surf temperature stays above sixty degrees we will have good action throughout December. As in pier fishing if you want to catch more whiting scale your hook size down to a #2 circle hook. When that much larger Black Drum nails your bait just loosen the drag so you don’t straighten out the hook. Enjoy the fight! Check the surf temp before you go. If it drops below sixty stay home and tie rigs!
12-2-6, 2013 During this weeks warm weather. Reported the 11th for “last week”
During last week’s warm, calm weather, Johnson saw many large whiting caught at American Beach on Amelia Island during incoming tides.
12-10-13
The surf is clamming down and anglers are returning to the beaches. Folks fishing north of the Flagler Pier to Matanzas Inlet are catching whiting, black drum and bluefish. Pompano have moved farther south during the last few weeks. New Smyrna Beach is where they are now, but they may move back to our area if water temperatures climb higher.
12-11-13
During last week’s warm, calm weather, Johnson saw many large whiting caught at American Beach on Amelia Island during incoming tides.
12-12-13
SURF, PIERS: Pompano and whiting are the top catches in the surf. The piers are reporting consistent, but not frenzied, fishing activity. Rhonda Nelson at the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said the primary catch this week has been bluefish. “They've been catching black drum up to 18 inches, some pompano and a red here and there,” she said.
SURF, PIERS: Pompano and whiting are the top catches in the surf. The piers are reporting consistent, but not frenzied, fishing activity. Rhonda Nelson at the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said the primary catch this week has been bluefish. “They've been catching black drum up to 18 inches, some pompano and a red here and there,” she said.
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12-17-13
Anglers fishing the Flagler Beach bridge area are catching trout and snook on top water plugs at first light.
Flagler Pier anglers fishing out on the “T” are doing battle with over-sized reds. Use cut fish or live mullet for bait. Anglers fishing around the pilings with fiddler crabs are catching keeper sheepshead. Those using dead shrimp are taking home black drum for dinner. Whiting and bluefish are also being caught at the pier.
Surf fishing took a nose dive. The pompano did not return to our area and might be gone for the season. Whiting and blues, along with an occasional black drum, round out a day at the beach.
12-19-13
Surf, Piers: The Flagler Beach Pier reports catches of blues, black drum, sheepshead and whiting.
Rhonda Nelson at Sunglow Pier also reports pompano, as well as black drum, whiting, blues and reds.
“A lot of people are using mullet,” she said. “The black drum have been coming in nice sizes — 20-to 22-inches.”
The Fishin' Hole's Bob Avens said whiting are being caught in the surf using shrimp.
12-24-13
The hottest action in the Intracoastal is the bluefish bite. For nearly non-stop action, fish around Matanzas Inlet. Slow-trolling a white or green paddle tail swim bait on a 3/8-ounce jig head will produce a hook up almost every time.
Sheepshead anglers are loading up on big fish. Use fiddler crabs for bait around local docks or bridges for best results.
The black drum bite is also strong. Fish any deep hole or creek channel using fresh shrimp with a small No. 1 hook. The reason for a small hook size is that you might catch whiting that are also moving into the waterway.
Anglers fishing the afternoon high tide are finding redfish back on the grass line. Fish the west bank as far back in the flats as you can get. This is the time of year to look for big trout in the same area.
Surf fishing is hit or miss. If you are at the right spot at the right time, you can load up your cooler with whiting or you might just catch one or two. Most of the fish are around 13 to 15 inches.
Bluefish, black drum and a few redfish are the main catches at Flagler Pier. Around the tides changes seems to be the best time to fish.
Dec. 22 was the first day of winter, but you couldn’t tell it by the 80-degree temperature we had that day. Look for a cold front to come through our area on Christmas morning, then temps should be back in the 70s through the rest the week.
The Intracoastal Waterway will have low tide at mid-morning over the weekend, with mid-afternoon low tide at the beach. This weekend will be a great time to try out that new fishing pole you got for Christmas.
12-26-13
URF, PIERS: Even though the ocean is “churning like a washing machine,” Sunglow Pier anglers have enjoyed a hearty, holiday catch. A spokeswoman at the Daytona Beach Shores landmark said fishermen are pulling up black drum, whiting, blues, redfish and pompano. Whiting and pompano are the primary catches for those fishing off the beach from New Smyrna up to St. Johns County.
12-27-13
Happy New Year 2014 and welcome to the outstanding surf fishing that the New Year offers on our Space Coast Beaches. This is the time of the year that brings new challenges to the surf angler in the form of cold fronts and northeast winds. The cold fronts are one thing but, the northeast winds can bring havoc to an otherwise nice fishing beach. With sea conditions hard to predict and larger waves pushed into shore by northeast winds, picking your day and time to fish can be a real task. But, during all that, surf anglers willing to make the extra effort can be rewarded. Pompano, whiting and bluefish are the winter staple and here in abundance for the angler willing to brave some chilly mornings and rough sea conditions. So bundle up and head out early to catch your first Florida pompano of the New Year.
Sand fleas are the prime bait for the pompano and always my first choice. Clams and shrimp follow as far as bait goes for whiting, drum and bonnethead sharks. Bluefish are ravenous eaters and will eat just about anything but, dearly love a chunk of finger mullet. So with the right baits and some favorable sea conditions anything is possible and generally happens during January.
If the bluefish are running there is no better beach sport than catching them on a single hook/lure rig in the surf. Casting rods (8-10 Ft) and gator spoons with treble hooks can be deadly in the surf. Anglers can also fish with live or chunked finger mullet and if they hook into an 18-20 inch bluefish they’re in for a real treat.
1-1-14
Surf fishing for whiting and bluefish has been outstanding during recent warm, calm weather. Good catches are reported from Matanzas Inlet to Fernandina Beach. Best action is during clear, incoming tides for those using fresh dead shrimp on the bottom.
1-9-14
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 5:35 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 5:58 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: It's down across the board thanks to the cold front that pushed through the area on Monday and Tuesday and sent the thermometer to the freezing mark in some areas. Those anglers casting from the beach having been nabbing whiting and bluefish. Some who have ventured well south of New Smyrna Beach have been rewarded with a nice pompano catch. It's the same story on all three area piers. “It's not been too prosperous around here when it comes to fish,” Sunglow Pier's Rhonda Nelson said. “We've seen a few whiting and blues and black drum here and there.” Nelson said the fish count is down because the cold weather kept many fishermen at home.
1-16-14
SURF, PIERS: Rhonda Nelson said anglers fishing off the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, are singing the blues, because the primary catch has been bluefish. “We have seen some sheepshead, pompano and whiting, but it's mostly blues,” she said. The Flagler Beach Pier reports catches of whiting, blues and black drum. In the surf, the primary catch has been whiting.
1-16-14
Randy Guy of Avid Angler in St. Augustine says good action for 1-pound class whiting has been available from the St. Augustine Fishing Pier, and in the surf north of the Ancient City. Sheepshead to 5 pounds are taking fiddler crabs soaked near bridges, pilings and jetty rocks in the Intracoastal area of St. Augustine. Plenty of 1-pound bluefish are in the area; bait, sea trout and flounder are scarce.
Jan 9
SURF, PIERS: It's down across the board thanks to the cold front that pushed through the area on Monday and Tuesday and sent the thermometer to the freezing mark in some areas. Those anglers casting from the beach having been nabbing whiting and bluefish. Some who have ventured well south of New Smyrna Beach have been rewarded with a nice pompano catch. It's the same story on all three area piers. “It's not been too prosperous around here when it comes to fish,” Sunglow Pier's Rhonda Nelson said. “We've seen a few whiting and blues and black drum here and there.” Nelson said the fish count is down because the cold weather kept many fishermen at home.
OFFSHORE: The phrase most
Jan 16
SURF, PIERS: Rhonda Nelson said anglers fishing off the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, are singing the blues, because the primary catch has been bluefish. “We have seen some sheepshead, pompano and whiting, but it's mostly blues,” she said. The Flagler Beach Pier reports catches of whiting, blues and black drum. In the surf, the primary catch has been whiting.
Jan23
SURF, PIERS: The Daytona Beach Pier has been busy this week, according to the Fishin’ Hole’s Gene Lytwyn. “They are getting a lot of bluefish,” he said. “They’re catching some black drum and sheepshead and the occasional trout.” At the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, Rhonda Nelson said the catch this week has been whiting and blues. “But not very many,” she said. The surf has offered anglers blues and whiting with a pompano here and there.
Feb 7
SURF, PIERS: Anglers are catching more than a breeze or a pint at Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, according to Rhonda Nelson. “It’s been a like seafood buffet,” Nelson said. “They’re catching whiting, sheepshead, black drum, pompano and small-sized sharks.” The anglers fishing the Flagler Beach Pier have been rewarded with whiting, flounder, black drum and bluefish. Whiting are the top catch in the surf with a bonus pompano here and there
Feb 13
SURF, PIERS: The pier bite has slowed down. Rhonda Nelson at the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores, said her regulars are catching puppy sharks and whiting of various sizes. The Flagler Beach Pier reports whiting, bluefish and a few black drum. The surf is fertile, according to Donald Parksey of Donald’s Bait & Tackle, Sea Bird Island. “They’ve been catching a lot of stuff off the beach,” he said. “Pompano, reds, black drum, jacks, whiting and little sharks.”
Provided By Capt. Jim Ricks
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 9:22 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 9:25 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: The action off the three area piers has quieted. A good example is the Daytona Beach Pier, where Gene Lytwyn, The Fishin’ Hole, downtown Daytona Beach, said the bite “has slowed up a bit.” Lytwyn said anglers are catching sheepshead, whiting, bluefish “and some trout on live shrimp floating a cork.” Along the surf, fishermen report a run of bull whiting and the occasional blue and pompano.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 11:17 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 11:43 a.m.
SURF, PIERS: Surfcasters are happy because a wave of pompano have made their way into our breakers. “Pompano and whiting, lots of pompano,” O'Donnell said. “They're catching more of them on sand fleas.” The Fishin' Hole, downtown Daytona, reports a steady bite of whiting and blues at the Daytona Beach Pier.
2-27 Lots of Whiting in the surf at Pontra Vedra
2-27-14
Lots of whiting and pompano when the water jumped to 65. Whiting and Blues at Daytona pier
3-2-14
Brogden caught a lot of whiting at the pier.
3-4-14
Caught 5 pomps in New Smyrna beach between 6 am and noon and 2 whiting 16”.
3-7-14
SURF, PIERS: All piers are reporting a predominant catch of whiting and bluefish this week. Anglers fishing off the Daytona Beach Pier are catching the occasional black drum. Those fishing in the surf are snagging the same kind of fish, although there are pompano hitting bait in New Smyrna Beach and south. “I’ve had several customers come back from the beach with 20 or more whiting,” said Gene Lytwyn. The blues have been very few over the past week. Obviously the spring run is not here yet.
3-12-14
Whiting are biting good at Flagler since the opening Saturday. “They have been slaying them in the evening after 5 pm.” There are a few flounder, black drum and pomps to 2.5 lbs.
3-14-14 Very small Blues arriving at Sunglow pier about 8”
3-18-14 A few blues to 16” reported at Flagler but not very ma ny. They have been small until today.
3-19-14 Just a few pretty small Blues
3-20-14 Action slowed some what at sunglow. Catching flounder AM, whiting and blues consistently in the day and some sheeps at night. Catch board at flagler reported bull whiting and blues. DBP reports whiting, blues, and some pomps. In the surf, whiting and the occ pomp.
3-22-14 The blues started hitting last week. Sounds like from the conv that the bite is good. There are whiting pomps, jacks, flounder and BD also. I asked how big they were, if they were a pound and she said, probably close. Sunglow
3-22-14 Called JAX. Whiting bite was good yesterday. Hasn’t turned on today yet. The blues are all fairly small still.
3-27-14 Nelson was chipper. In the last week, a few reds, sheeps, pomps, jacks, some black drum, blues and whiting. And some small flounder. Flagler reported sheeps, pomps and whiting while DBP
anglers reported a steady catch of whiting, blues, flounder, large sheeps, BD and Spanish.
4-3-04 Rhonda Nelson things are picking up, catching whiting, blues, pomps, sheeps and BD.
Flagler catching reports pomps, whiting, flounder and blues. DBP reports: a lot of the catch has been whiting and blues. But also some nice size flounder and a few sheeps. In the surf, whiting, blues and pomps, which are still think in the New Smyrna.
April 17, 2014
SURF, PIERS: Before the cold front pushed through Tuesday, fishing was good at the Sunglow Pier, Daytona Beach Shores. Rhonda Nelson, who is stationed at the pier, said anglers were catching masses of flounder, sheepshead, trout, whiting and pompano. “Then the wind and temperature change drove all the fish away,” she said. The Daytona Beach Pier was active, too, according to The Fishin’ Hole, downtown Daytona. Anglers were loading up on flounder, trout, black drum and Spanish mackerel. The Flagler Beach Pier completed the plank trifecta. The catch board read bluefish, Spanish mackerel, trout and small sharks. Off the beach in New Smyrna, Burkhead said anglers were dealing with a flurry of pompano.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: The inlet remains crammed full of Spanish mackerel along with a few redfish and bluefish. Fishermen are getting keeper-sized reds in the creeks and mango snapper in the main channel.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 9:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 9:12 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: Whiting continue to dominate the area catch board from Ponce Inlet to Matanzas Inlet. “Somebody rang the dinner bell somewhere and they’re feeding like crazy everywhere,” said Karen Miles at Devil’s Elbow Fish Camp in St. Johns County. Rhonda Nelson at Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores usually offers a detailed report. This week is was “Lots of whiting and a few spots.” The Flagler Beach Pier reports whiting as the main course with a dash of flounder and spots. The Fishin’ Hole in downtown Daytona Beach said the Daytona Beach Pier was flooded by whiting, including bulls up to 16 inches, plus a few redfish and a sheepshead here and there.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 3:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 7:42 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: Some think surf fishing is the most relaxing form of angling on the menu. For those who enjoy tossing a line off the beach, they've been rewarded this week with a steady bite of whiting, some flounder and redfish closer to Ponce Inlet. “It's been pretty good,” said David Rittweger at Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “The whiting are a pretty decent size,” he said. “The best catch is on the change of tide, or early morning, or late evening.” The catch has been more wide and varied at Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores. Those fishing from the planks have caught mangrove (mango) snapper, pompano, small sharks, sheepshead, whiting and flounder. The Daytona Beach Pier report, supplied by The Fishin' Hole in Daytona Beach, shows whiting, black drum and “a little bit of everything else.”
8-20-14 Unexpected run of whiting, piers are loaded with them. Some are small but some large too. Best and most consistent run of whiting since early spring
By Godwin Kelly
godwin@kelly.news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 11:41 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 11:44 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: “Fishing is pretty good,” said Tom Farnham, who was standing guard at Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “There is quite a bit of activity up and down the beach. Everybody is catching something. It’s amazing how many people are fishing right now.” And that sums up local fishing in general, but particularly from the beach. The Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores is reporting black drum, bluefish, reds and pompano, while Spanish mackerel has been the primary catch from the Daytona Beach Pier. The recent upsurge in surf fishing is due to mullet, which are migrating south for the winter.
Sep 1, 2014
Mix of fish all well. Some bull whiting,
Oct 1, 2014
Fishing turned on this week and hasn’t stopped. Flagler pier. Blues Spanish drum flounder pomps
Oct 15
Pompano run started this week and everything else is doing well. The whitng are hot and occasional flounder
Oct 22. Wide variety. Whiting out there in numbers along with small pomps and just about everything else.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 11:18 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 11:23 a.m.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole located in downtown Daytona Beach said these bodies of water are fertile with a variety of fish, which are feeding at different times of the day. For instance, at the inlet in the early morning and evening, anglers are snapping up trout, snook and redfish. The reds are well over the slot limit. “In the daytime, they’re catching black drum, bluefish and mangrove snapper,” Lytwyn said. There’s a similar scenario in the river, where sheepshead and black drum are being caught around the metro bridges under the sun, while trout and snook are taking bait at night.
SURF, PIERS: Debra Cook had big news from the Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores. Cook said several cobia, up to 25 inches, had been pulled up, to the delight of plank anglers. In addition, there were black drum, mangrove snapper, pompano, sheepshead and flounder nabbed from the pier. The Daytona Beach Pier has enjoyed a nice run of sea trout. “They’re using popping corks with live mullet or shrimp,” Lytwyn said, adding there are some flounder, sheepshead and black drum under the structure. The primary fish being caught in the surf are whiting and pompano.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 9:29 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 9:51 a.m.
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SURF, PIERS: The cold front and accompanying wind were not favorable for surf casters, according to Tom Farnham of Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “Fishing off the beach has been kind of spotty this week,” he said. “Seeing some bluefish, small pompano.” Some redfish have been caught, but too big to keep. Farnham said surf fishing should pick up in the next week. The Sunglow Pier in the Shores has seen a solid week of fishing, according to Debra Cook, who said anglers are still catching cobia. Rounding out the catch have been jacks, pompano and reds. The Flagler Beach Pier had about the same report, only adding Spanish mackerel to its list.
By Godwin Kelly
godwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com
Published: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 5:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 12:31 p.m.
SURF, PIERS: Area piers are leading the charge this week when it comes to quality and quantity of fish. Debra Cook at the Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores reported a heavy catch of bluefish, whiting, reds, black drum, jacks, spadefish and flounder. Anglers fishing off the Daytona Beach Pier at the end of Main Street are catching “lots of black drum,” according to Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin’ Hole. “I’ve heard there were some big drum,” he said, adding there are bull whiting, blues and some flounder in the mix. The hottest planks are at the Flagler Beach Pier, where fishermen are pulling up flounder, spadefish, blues, whiting, black drum, pompano, mangrove snapper, trout and redfish, plus a flounder here and there. Meanwhile, those fishing off the beach are nabbing bluefish, whiting, some redfish and pompano, according to Tom Farnham at Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores.
PONCE INLET, HALIFAX RIVER: The area's two inlets are loaded with fish. The report from Ponce Inlet is more than encouraging as the holiday season begins. Jeff Burkhead at Fishin' Cove Bait & Tackle in New Smyrna Beach says the waterway is red hot. “Really big sheepshead,” he said. “They have moved into the inlet, up to 8 pounds.” They are joined by a hungry population of black drum and fat redfish. The river action varies from north to south. Around the Daytona Beach metro bridges, it's become a bit quiet, according to Gene Lytwyn at The Fishin' Hole. “They are catching quite a few drum at the International Speedway Boulevard bridge,” he said. “At night, customers are catching mostly trout and the occasional short snook.”
MATANZAS INLET, RIVER: “The inlet has been happening for a couple of weeks now,” reports Karen Miles at Devil's Elbow Fish Camp, located on the St. Johns County side of the inlet. “They are catching big black drum and sheepshead.” The bait of choice for these fish is fiddler crab.
SURF, PIERS: Surf fishing is down because of weather conditions, according to Tom Farnham at Your Rod & Reel in Daytona Beach Shores. “Fishing has been spotty,” he said. “We usually come out of these bad spots and head into a real good session.” All three piers are reporting various catches. Debra Cook at the Sunglow Pier in the Shores said over the last week the bite has included flounder, pompano, redfish, black drum and whiting. The Flagler Beach Pier has been busy with anglers hauling up black drum, sheepshead, bluefish, whiting and pompano. Lytwyn said the Daytona Beach Pier is yielding whiting, including some bulls, sheepshead and black drum.
Nov 19
Bluesfish, bull Whiting, Spanish, Flounder plus Reds over 28”. Big Black drum are all over the place in the surf zone, many 3 feet long and you have to use a net to being them up. Reds sheeps and quite a few pomps are being caught. Pomps hitting but not in record numbers. Should get better as water cools
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