The following Bait Shops Carry

Normally around Thanksgiving we have a short time slot when big flounder (5 to 10 pounds) move into our waters from offshore. My anglers caught flounder from 6 to 9 pounds before the wind blew in. Fish around oyster bars, creek mouths, and shell banks during a falling tide. Use a light-color paddle tail jig or live shrimp on a float rig to put one or more of these door mats on the dinner table.

The following Bait Shops Carry Live Sandfleas

Daytona - Port Orange

Fishing Shack  open at 5am  Call 386-788-2120

Donalds Bait Tackle Open at 6am Call 386-760-1871

New Smyrna Beach

Fishin Cove Open at 6am Call 386-428-6781

End of the Line Open at 6am Call 386-424-8244

Titusville

Captain Hooks Open at 5:30am Call 321-268-4646

Sabastain Inlet

Black Dog Bait Tackle Open at 5am Call 321-725-1200

Man Overboard Open at 7am Call 321-777-8860

ALL OTHER STORES SOUTH OF HERE ARE DONE SELLING LIVE FLEAS TILL THE FALL OF 2013

11-24-95

8-9-96

4-30-97

OFF FERNANDINA: St. Marys jetties still yielding goodsized Spanish mackerel. Wrecks also yielding good catches, including snapper and sea bass. A few barracuda spotted.

OFF MAYPORT: Surf has been good for whiting and bluefish. Party boats haven't been out much because of weather, but last trip produced lots of snapper and grouper. No sign of cobia.

Off St. Augustine: Lots of Spanish mackerel just outside the inlet. Few wahoo, tuna and lots of small dolphin being caught by trollers. No sign of beach cobia.

5-13-97

. At the Jax Beach Pier last week, Tim Sisler caught two 25-pound barracudas, Ronnie Waterman had nine flounder, Larry Finch had seven flounder, Beverly Chance totaled 80 whiting and Spncer Brogdan had 40 whiting. . . . Jack Kelly's Windy Day, with Jacksonville's Perry Penland Jr. and Rod Sullivan aboard, finished third overall in the light tackle team division of the recent Texaco Key West Classic out of Key West. Using 12pound test, the trio caught three tarpon and three permit. . . . Larry Fitzgerald had two drum and 15 whiting in the surf at Hanna Park. . . .

Best bet: Surf fishing, especially near Mayport and at Nassau Sound, has been outstanding. Plenty of whiting at the Sound and blues near Mayport. With a cold front expected to move into through area this weekend, things will slow.

Off Fernandina: Tarpon still being caught offshore. Catches of kingfish and barracuda still being reported. Grouper, snapper picking up. Lots of sharks.

Off Mayport: Whiting, blues in the surf. Party boats had nice catches of cobia, snapper, grouper and lots of small sharks. Plenty of bluefish but slow on whiting at the pier.

Off St. Augustine: Kings and small tuna on local wrecks. Whiting, blues in surf. Trout spotty, though there are lots of redfish and flounder. Some pompano also being caught.

10-21-97

10-28-97

11-4-97

PIER LIT UP - Fishing was strong at the Jacksonville Beach Pier this past week, and that could bode well for Friday night's Fish-O-Ree at the pier, which carries a $5,000 prize for the biggest legal fish caught.

The tournament, which benefits the North Florida Council of Boy Scouts of America, is from 6-11 p.m. The pier will close for regular customers at 5:30 p.m. to make way for those entered in the competition. Entry fee is $100 for adults, $50 for youths under 18. Top prize in the youth division is $1,000. For more information, call (904) 246-6001.

Whiting, bluefish, pompano and oversized redfish have been keeping anglers busy at the pier. Libby Jackson tallied over 100 whiting Wednesday. On Thursday, Jim Addy had 40 whiting, Jim Dohery caught 30, Albert Day had six pompano and 12 whiting, and Frank Phillips totaled 25 whiting and three pompano.

Among those releasing reds over 40 inches long at the pier last week were John Schlousner, Antonio Pratt, Charley Justice, Jesse Powell and Jeremy Schillo.

11-5-97

Off Mayport: Partyboat fishermen bringing in quality fish, including grouper to 20 pounds. Nice-size Spanish mackerel around Mayport jetties, and even at the pier yesterday.

Off St. Augustine: Inshore wrecks holding mostly undersized snappers and groupers. Some small kingfish, bonitos also on wrecks such as Pop Warner. Whiting, pompano in the surf.

11-6-97

Off Mayport: Partyboat fishermen bringing in quality fish, including grouper to 20 pounds. Nice-size Spanish mackerel around Mayport jetties, and even at the pier yesterday.

Off St. Augustine: Inshore wrecks holding mostly undersized snappers and groupers. Some small kingfish, bonitos also on wrecks such as Pop Warner. Whiting, pompano in the surf.

11-11-97

11-24-97

12-2-97

12-4-97

Bottomfishing's been good for partyboat anglers out 16-18 miles. Grouper and snapper have been hit and miss closer in. Whiting on small side in surf.

off st.aug

Kings still on inshore wrecks, but cold front could chase them. Scattered wahoo, tuna at the ledge. Good bottomfishing at 21 fathoms. Whiting in surf.

12-9-97

At the Jacksonville Beach Pier Tuesday, Johnny Cassara totaled 36 whiting and James Gregory had 32 whiting and a trout. . . . Mike and Nancy O'Grady caught four kingfish at Nine Mile. . . . David Knight and Ted Berry caught a 9 3/4 -pound flounder, a 26-inch redfish and three drum at the Mayport jetties. . . . Casting with light tackle, guide Fred Morrow and

OFF FERNANDINA

Comments: It has been days since anyone has looked offshore, so the fish - grouper, snapper, sea bass - should be hungry on the wrecks. Whiting at Nassau Sound.

OFF MAYPORT

Comments: Grouper may be fired up following the blow. Then again, it may take a couple of days. Water was filthy at pier yesterday, but it could clear by today.

OFF ST.AUG

Comments: Once the ocean settles, bottomfishing should be good at 21 fathoms. The kingfish may have moved out there, too. Whiting a good bet when surf is fishable.

1-10-98

For an hour or so, the three of us stared at unmoving rods, freshening baits and casting in different areas to no avail. Stealing glances down the beach, it was evident no one else was catching anything either. Misery loves company, especially among the whiting fraternity.

Then Mattox's rod tip was dancing, and he reeled in a 1-pound example of what we had come for. ''Let me show you something,'' he called to me. ''See which one he hit on?''

The surf bug had scored first. The shrimp on the bare hooks were untouched.

There was another lull, then Mattox caught a second whiting, and Bruce and I added a couple to the box. The bite was sporadic, but at least we were catching fish. A few nearby surfcasters, aware that we were on to something, eased closer to us. Others packed it in, gathering up surf spikes and empty buckets.

Although Mattox caught several fish on the shrimp-only hooks, the surf bug-shrimp combo easily held its own. In a few hours, we had a decent box of fish, probably 20 not counting the throwbacks, enough to draw oohs from a beachcombing tourist. The chartreuse and pearl surf bugs seemed to perform best, but Mattox and Bruce are still experimenting.

1-26-98

Winter limits the options for Northeast Florida saltwater anglers. Trout are out of season, and more often than not it's too bumpy offshore. Whiting and flounder are scarce, and sheepshead aren't exactly jumping in the boat.

OFF MAYPORT: Lots of sea bass coming aboard the King Neptune partyboat, along with a few legal groupers and snappers. Whiting hard to come by in the surf and at the pier.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Ocean's been too rough for most boats. The bottom fishing should still be productive at 21 fathoms. A few whiting north of St. Augustine, at the inlet and at Flagler Beach.

1-27-98

2-3-98

2-16-98

OFF FERNANDINA: Even the sea bass have slowed to a crawl on the wrecks off Fernandina Beach. Some whiting in Cumberland Sound, sheepshead at jetties.

OFF MAYPORT: Strong winds, heavy ground swell, stirred up bottom have severely limited offshore anglers. Surf fishing hasn't been any better - water's cold.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Mostly sea bass on the inshore wrecks. Bluewater has been good for wahoo, tuna when boats can go. Scattered whiting at St. Augustine Beach.

2-23-98

Robert Johnson and crew on the Jodie Lynn totaled six blackfins and a 25-pound red snapper Thursday out of St. Augustine. . . . William Carothers and crew caught 15 kingfish to 20 pounds Thursday at the Elton Bottom. . . . Carl Essig caught 42 whiting in the surf at Fernandina Beach Sunday. . . . Rick Hale had 30 whiting last Monday at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. . . . David Lackey had a number of sheepshead totaling 27 pounds in two hours Sunday morning at the Mayport north jetties. . . .

Off Fernandina: Bottom bumpers catching sea bass and a few grouper, but not much in the way of snapper. Fair numbers of whiting to 2 1/2 pounds in the surf at Amelia Island.

Off Mayport: Grouper, snapper spotty on the wrecks, but there are fair numbers of sea bass, beeliners, triggerfish. Whiting scarce. Some bluefish in surf at South Ponte Vedra.

Off St. Augustine: Wahoo, blackfin tuna at the ledge, but weather has made it tough to get there. Grouper, snapper should be holding at 21 fathoms. Whiting at St. Augustine Beach.

3-10-98

WHITING BITING - The whiting finally showed up big-time at the Jacksonville Beach Pier over the weekend, with more than 1,000 fish caught Sunday. Among the better catches Sunday were Jerry Drolet and Bob Belleville with 55; Jonathon Moran, 50; Allen Elder, 43; Robert Green, 45; Spencer Brogdan, 91; Rick Hale, 41; Robert Kemp, 47; and Derek Kirby, 82. Fishing slowed yesterday as the wind swung around into the southwest. 6-8th

Off Fernadina: The size is picking up some on sea bass caught on the local wrecks. Grouper and snapper are scattered. Whiting, bluefish in the surf.

Off Mayport: Good numbers of snappers have been recorded lately, along with bluefish in the 3-4-pound range on some of the reefs. A few whiting, bluefish at pier.

Off St. Augustine: Lots of snappers being caught at 21 fathoms. Wahoo slowed a bit Saturday at the ledge, the last time anybody looked. Scattered whiting, bluefish in surf.

Best bet: Bluefish to about 4 pounds have been hitting. There are scattered blues in the surf, and some concentrations of fish at St. Augustine inlet, Salt Run and Matanzas inlet. They'll hit live bait or just about anything shiny.

3-17-98

3-18-98

Times-Union outdoors editor

Best bet: Bluefish still the best thing going, all the way from the Amelia River to Matanzas Inlet to the local wrecks. Some of the blues in St. Augustine area are as big - 3-5 pounds - as they've been in years.

Off Fernandina: Sea bass have backed off some, but a few legal grouper and snapper are coming from FC, HH areas. Some wahoo at the ledge. Whiting on the beach.

Off Mayport: Bottomfishing generally good, with some quality grouper and snapper on the reefs, some huge sea bass and lots of pesky bluefish. Scattered whiting, blues in surf.

Off St. Augustine: Wahoo, tuna action slowed a bit at the Stream. A blue marlin was tagged over the weekend. Bluefish, some legal grouper on local wrecks. Blues, small whiting in surf.

3-23-98

TOP CATCHES - Dave Sipler and Joe Carramelli won the Jacksonville Offshore Sport Fishing Club's river tournament Saturday with a three-fish aggregate of 16 1/2 pounds, including a 7-pound redfish, a 5 1/2 -pound sheepshead and a 4-pound drum. . . . Tom Brooks and Gabe Ratliff combined for six flounder, six trout, five reds and two sheepshead in creeks off Fort George Tuesday. . . . At the Jacksonville Beach Pier, Doug Rabbiro and Jessica Hyatt had 30 whiting and Homer Dillard had 18. . . . Ray Morgan caught six sheepshead to 8 1/2 pounds at the Mayport jetties. . . .

Gary Jeter totaled more than 100 bluefish at Fort George inlet. . . . Wayne Austreng and Ray Jones caught two grouper to 13 pounds, three legal snapper and a bunch of sea bass Sunday out of Mayport. . . . Jonathon Moran, with 28 bluefish, was among a number of anglers catching their limit and more last week at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. Also at the pier, Jeff Campbell had a 6.5-pound sheepshead and Frenceschi Fanily totaled 48 whiting. . . . Howard Presson had eight reds and a flounder in the waterway near the Atlantic Bridge.

4-1-98

Redfish slow in Fernandina area, but Nassau River is holding some fish. Trout sporadic most everywhere. Whiting, bluefish in the surf.

Comments:

Trout scattered in waterway - no concentrations. Some schools of reds around, but many of the fish are small. A few flounder in creeks, bluefish here and there.

Jetties

Off Fernandina

Comments: Good numbers of sea bass but mostly throwback snappers, groupers on inshore wrecks. Bluefish, whiting in surf. Drum at St. Marys jetties, Nassau Sound.

Off Mayport

Comments: The ledge out of Mayport has produced some wahoo. Kings at Elton Bottom. Some nice snapper, sea bass on wrecks. Croakers, blues at pier.

Off St. Augustine

Comments:A few wahoo, dolphin at ledge. Good bottom action at 21 fathoms and sea bass on inshore wrecks. Mix of blues, whiting, a few jacks, pompano in surf.

4-13-98

At the Jacksonville Beach Pier last Monday, Iris Lees caught 12 whiting, five bluefish, a legal red, a legal black drum and a dozen throwbacks. Also at the pier last week, Spencer Brogdan had 78 whiting and a pompano, Mike Desen had 25 whiting, Homer Dillard caught 32 whiting, Mike Pearson added 29 whiting and Keith Harmon had 25 bluefish. . . . Tim Cutting caught two trout that totaled 5.04 pounds to win the Inshore Saltwater Anglers trout tournament Saturday out of Fernandina Beach. Jim Price was second at 4.98, and Randy Hartley finished third at 1.38. . . . 6^th to 10^th

4-16-98

OFF FERNANDINA: Big drum at St. Marys jetties, along with whiting, bluefish. Bottomfishing has been steady for grouper, snapper, sea bass on the wrecks.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: A wahoo or two at the Stream, a few kingfish around 100 feet. Grouper, snapper at 21 fathoms. Some pompano in the surf. A few small Spanish around inlet.

04-28-98

Brodgen had 11 Whiting 3 sheepshead and 1 drum in 2 days at the pier

4-30-98

JETTIES: Spanish at the end of the jetties. Lots of sheepshead and redfish at big and little jetties. Hodgepodge of fish at the Mayport rocks.

OFF MAYPORT: Party boats report good catches of sea bass and beeliners and scamp grouper 21-23 pounds. Spanish and catfish at Pier. Blues, few whiting in the surf.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Spanish have arrived and are all along the beach line. Kings moving in but still spotty. Party boats taking good catches of snapper, grouper, sea bass.

10-6-98

10-27-98

11-4-98

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Bottomfishing good both inshore, offshore. Some kings on local wrecks. Dolphin, a few wahoo at Stream. Some big whiting south of Gate Station.

11-10-98 tue

Among the better catches at the Jacksonville Beach Pier last week: Spencer Brogdan, 52 whiting; Jim Addy, 50 whiting; Homer Dillard, 40 whiting; Joe Dube, 30 whiting; Don Hadden, 8 1/4 -pound drum; Max Michaels, three flounder to 4 1/2 pounds; Lily Jackson, two pompano, 16 whiting. . . . Gene Freeman tallied eight whiting, one red and a 5-pound sheepshead in the surf at Jacksonville Beach. . . . Jim Berry caught a 12-pound grouper Saturday out of Mayport. . . .

Donnie Wanstall and wife Carol were ready to call it a day after catching bluefish and whiting in the surf at Atlantic Beach recently. Carol made one last cast, sweetening her hook with a couple of dead shrimp.

Thirty minutes later, she hauled onto the beach a 42-inch redfish.

11-16-98

Wayne Mattox caught 27 whiting to 14 inches, a pompano and three bluefish on surf bugs tipped with shrimp Saturday at South Ponte Vedra

At the Jacksonville Beach Pier last week, Spencer Brogdan had 38 whiting, Homer Dillard caught 27 whiting and Delores Dworetsky had eight whiting and an 8 1/2 -pound drum. . . . William Carothers and crew on the Team Scream boat caught three dolphin and three kingfish at the Elton Bottom Monday. . . . Using shrimp on jigheads, guide Brent London, Bill McQuilkin and Rob Maggs combined for 45 reds to 24 inches, 18 trout to 23 inches, a 5 1/2 -pound sheepshead and a 4 1/2 -pound flounder in creeks north of St. Augustine. . . .

11-24-98

11-29-98

They wanted to know his secrets, and Pompano Ron wasn't shy about sharing some of them.

 Two almost identical species - a permit (top) and pompano - were caught at Vilano Beach last Saturday. Permit, the pompano's big brother, is an unusual prize in the Northeast Florida surf.- Joe Julavits/staff. Nov 14-22.

11-30-98

SALTWATER

ROBUST REDS - Nick Kelly and Matthew Riveria caught two redfish that measured 43 and 40 inches, a dozen whiting and two pompano at Nassau Sound Thursday. . . . Working the surf at South Ponte Vedra Wednesday, Wayne Mattox caught 19 whiting and released a 30-pound redfish. Caught on 12-pound test, the red ate a piece of shrimp on a small No. 2 hook. . . . At the Jax Beach Pier, Adam Aslanovici muscled in a 46-inch red and Paul Hinson caught a 40-incher. . . . Guide Les Sutton, Ray Lewis and Art, Tony and Joshua Elkins combined for four reds over 30 pounds, four sea bass and 17 whiting at the Fernandina jetties Monday. . . . Christopher Wood, 9, caught a 33-inch red in the St. Johns River near Blount Island.

TOP CATCHES - Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico out of Suwannee, Jacksonville's Jeff Morrow, Owen Wingate, Tom Gaddis and Howard Marshall totaled 23 grouper, 20 sea bass, a kingfish, a bonito and two flounder about 14 miles out in about 35 feet of water. . . . Robert Turman and two-man crew on the Deturmaned boat limited on Spanish mackerel and bluefish - 30 each - off the north Mayport jetties Sunday. . . . Bob Morris, Danny Hoey and Tom Kiska combined for 48 reds to 25 inches Saturday in the Sawpit Creek area. . . . Fishing out of Charlie's Fish Camp on the Nassau River, Greg Bell caught five striped bass between 4-8 pounds, a 19-inch trout and two redfish. . . .

12-1-98

ROBUST REDS - Nick Kelly and Matthew Riveria caught two redfish that measured 43 and 40 inches, a dozen whiting and two pompano at Nassau Sound Thursday. . . . Working the surf at South Ponte Vedra Wednesday, Wayne Mattox caught 19 whiting and released a 30-pound redfish. Caught on 12-pound test, the red ate a piece of shrimp on a small No. 2 hook. . . . At the Jax Beach Pier, Adam Aslanovici muscled in a 46-inch red and Paul Hinson caught a 40-incher. . . . Guide Les Sutton, Ray Lewis and Art, Tony and Joshua Elkins combined for four reds over 30 pounds, four sea bass and 17 whiting at the Fernandina jetties Monday. . . . Christopher Wood, 9, caught a 33-inch red in the St. Johns River near Blount Island.

12-3-98

OFF FERNANDINA: Kingfish to 25 pounds within 10 miles of the beach. In December, no less. KBY reef has been holding some kings along with mostly short grouper and snapper.

OFF MAYPORT: Lots of beeliners on the bottom, along with fair numbers of grouper, snapper. An occasional cobia. Kingfish at BR, TW. Oversized redfish at the Jax Beach Pier.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Pompano, whiting in surf along Anastasia Island. Sailfish, wahoo, tuna at the Stream. Fishermen at 21 fathoms finding grouper, snapper, beeliners.

12-15-98

POMPANO ON FLY - Surf casters have been enjoying the recent influx of pompano along the beaches and around area inlets, and now fly fishermen have gotten in on the fun.

Jacksonville's Tom Mitzlaff, who makes and sells the shallow-draft Mitzi Skiff, recently fished aboard one of his boats inside Nassau Sound with Kevin Fenn of ProTrim fishing accessories. Throwing flies, the pair caught three redfish, a whiting, a drum and four pompano - the latter a rare catch on fly in Northeast Florida.

One of the pomps was estimated at between 5-5 1/2 pounds.

''We were poling around on the flats and started seeing fish under us,'' Fenn said. ''Tom cast and hooked up with the mother of all pompano. To do that on a fly rod was unreal.''

Chip and Mike Wingo had nine reds to 25 inches and a 10-inch trout in the waterway Thursday. . . . Jerome Owens and Spencer Brogdan each caught and released redfish over 41 inches last week at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. Also at the pier, George Atelevich caught an estimated 100 whiting and two pompano, and Carolyn Goessner and William Memory combined for 50 whiting. . . . Larry Fitzgerald caught four redfish, two sheepshead and three drum from the bank under the Atlantic Boulevard bridge. . . .

12-21-98

At the Jacksonville Beach Pier, Linda Huck released a 40-inch red and John Magan turned back a 38-incher. Other pier catches included: Jerome Owens, 80 whiting; Charlie Miller, 20 whiting and two pompano; Spencer Brogdan, 25 whiting, three pompano and a sheepshead; George Atelevich, 35 whiting and two pompano. . . . Fishing Sisters Creek and Mayport jetties, Steve Ford had four sheepshead, three of them over 4 pounds each. . . .

12-24-98

OFF FERNANDINA: Lots of kingfish at the Brunswick Bottom. KBY reef producing snapper, sea bass. Oversized reds at St. Marys inlet. Whiting in the surf.

OFF MAYPORT: Still some grouper on inshore reefs. Oversized reds showing on the reefs, too. Lots of big beeliners around. Whiting, a few pompano in surf.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Kingfish, blackfin tuna at 21 fathoms, along with lots of bottomfish. Pompano fired up earlier this week at North Beach, along with whiting.

12-29-98

Greg Freeman caught 18 whiting and a flounder in the surf at Jacksonville Beach. . . . Bill Griffin totaled 20 whiting Tuesday in the surf near the crossroads. . . . Calvin Medford caught two 5 1/2 -pound flounder at the Mayport carrier basin. . . .

Frank Joura and crew on the Catch of the Day - Ray, Roy and Charlie Washington - had two grouper to 12 pounds, released six reds between 20-30 pounds and also caught a mix of sea bass, ringtail porgies and whitebone porgies at Montgomery's Reef Sunday. . . . At the Jacksonville Beach Pier last week, Spencer Brogdan caught 40 whiting one day and George Atelevich had 35 another. . . . Rick Thacker and Georgia outdoors writer Bill Jarrell combined for 40 trout - three of them 5-pounders - on artificials in the St. Johns River. . . .

12-31-98

OFF FERNANDINA: Oversized redfish providing catch-and-release action, both on the reefs and at the St. Marys jetties. Whiting at south end of Amelia Island.

OFF MAYPORT: Beeliners still making up the bulk of the bottom catch. Some keeper grouper, snapper and a few sea bass. Whiting at Hanna Park, Atlantic Beach.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: The magic number has been 21 fathoms for a mix of kingfish, wahoo, tuna and good bottomfishing. Whiting at St. Aug inlet. Pompano scarce.

1-12-99

At the Jacksonville Beach Pier last week, Roy Huff caught 35 whiting, Greg Wallis had 23, Tony Dimbo had 21, and Don Haskell brought in a 6.28-pound sheepshead.

OFF MAYPORT: Stringer fish - beeliners, sea bass, triggerfish - a good bet on the offshore reefs. Grouper, snapper hit and miss. Kingfish quiet. Scattered whiting in surf and at the pier.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Cobia, African pompano on structure about 33 miles out of St. Augustine. Stream should be holding some wahoo. Whiting in the surf, but many of them are small.

1-19-99

1-26-99

2-2-99

2-4-99

2-9-99

2-11-99

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Trolling at Stream picked up over the weekend for wahoo and tuna. Sea bass, big reds on inshore wrecks. Some big whiting, reds in

2-18-99

By Joe Julavits
Times-Union outdoors editor,

BEST BET: Good numbers of whiting, some more than 2 pounds, have been caught from boats around Black Hammock Island in 20-25 feet of water. Decent whiting reports have also come from Cumberland Sound and St. Augustine.

2-25-99

OFF FERNANDINA: Some oversized redfish on the inshore wrecks such as FA. Otherwise, its mostly sea bass. Best whiting reports have come from Cumberland Sound, Nassau Sound.

3-2-99

Action at the Jacksonville Beach Pier was slow over the weekend, but Vince Bradley and a friend caught 25 whiting and George Atlevtich had 50 whiting and two reds between 22 and 24 pounds last week. Spencer Borden also caught 45 whiting and two reds between 40 and 42 inches at the pier. . . . Guide Fred Morrow took Jim Padgett and John Edwards to the jetties on Saturday, and the group caught six reds and six sheepshead 5 1/2 -9 pounds. . . . Wally McCullough and Newel Hunter, flyfishing Clapboard Creek, caught a 22-inch redfish.

3-9-99

Among the whiting catches Sunday at the Jacksonville Beach Pier - Spencer Brogdan, 49; Victor Ramolete, 30; Mac McClain, 27; Jerome Owens, 21; and Jim Addy, 20. . . . Blake Harpster, 4, caught a redfish-trout-flounder slam in Sherman Creek. . . . Using 6-pound test line, guide Dave Sipler caught four whiting, four trout and three sheepshead that went 5, 6, and 7 pounds at the Mayport jetties Saturday. . .

SALTWATER

ICW NORTH OF ST. JOHNS: Whiting in Cumberland Sound and in Nassau River by Broward Islands. Redfish, trout mostly quiet. Some trout in the Fort George area.

ICW SOUTH OF ST. JOHNS: Not big numbers of trout in waterway, but size of fish is good. Reds scattered in creeks. More black drum, bluefish showing in waterway.

JETTIES: Yellowmouth trout at tip of south Mayport jetties and in carrier basin. Shrimp catching scattered but good-size sheepshead around the rocks.

OFF FERNANDINA: Sea bass, triggerfish, a few oversized redfish on the wrecks. Snapper action should be good at Brunswick Bottom. Sharks, drum at St. Marys jetties.

OFF MAYPORT: Lots of sea bass on the wrecks, along with some flounder. Some snapper around but not many grouper. Whiting sporadic at the pier.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: There was a strong tuna bite at the Stream over the weekend, along with some wahoo. Snapper biting at 21 fathoms. Whiting spotty along the beach.

3-16-99

Gene Gregory, Danny Casino and Dick Moon caught between 25-30 sheepshead to 8 pounds on wrecks out of Mayport. . . . Glen Borthwick had 25 whiting Saturday in the surf at Hanna Park. . . . Among the better whiting catches last week at the Jacksonville Beach Pier: Spencer Brogdan, 36; George Atelevich, 50; Bryan Kubasek, 55; Charlie Miller, 40; Oscar Gomez, 40; and Charlie Demming, 33. . . .

3-18-99

OFF FERNANDINA: Some oversized redfish on the wrecks and quite a few sea bass. Whiting in the surf - north end of Amelia Island has produced big whiting.

OFF MAYPORT: Snapper have slowed a bit, but still some legal fish around. Good numbers of sea bass. Scattered whiting in surf and at Jax Beach Pier.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Wahoo and blackfin tuna at the ledge. Good-size sea bass on the inshore wrecks. Some pompano reported in surf both north and south of St. Augustine.

3-25-99

BEST BET: No telling what you might catch at the Mayport jetties these days. The rocks have been holding a mixed bag of seatrout, sheepshead, redfish, whiting and bluefish. Some flounder have been caught outside the rocks.

ICW NORTH OF ST. JOHNS: Black drum in Cumberland Sound. Whiting inside Nassau Sound. Trout in Pumpkin Hill, Lofton creeks. Redfish have been off and on.

ICW SOUTH OF ST. JOHNS: More trout than reds coming from the waterway. Some reds schooled in the creeks. Flounder scattered, along with some bluefish in waterway.

JETTIES: Some quality seatrout have come from the jetties this week, along with sheepshead. Flounder in Chicopit Bay. Yellowmouth trout near little jetties.

OFF FERNANDINA: Sea bass, a few oversized redfish on close-in wrecks such as FA. A mix of whiting, yellowmouth trout, redfish, big black drum at St. Marys jetties.

OFF MAYPORT: Quite a few sea bass - RL area has been productive. Quality grouper, snapper have been scarce. A few more dolphin in deep water. Surf sporadic.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Bluewater on and off for wahoo, tuna, dolphin. Sea bass on inshore wrecks. Reports of a couple of Spanish mackerel at St. Aug inlet. A few pompano in surf.

OFF MAYPORT: Quite a few sea bass - RL area has been productive. Quality grouper, snapper have been scarce. A few more dolphin in deep water. Surf sporadic.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Bluewater on and off for wahoo, tuna, dolphin. Sea bass on inshore wrecks. Reports of a couple of Spanish mackerel at St. Aug inlet. A few pompano in surf.

3-30-99

BEST BET: Northeast winds have fired up the whiting at the Jacksonville Beach Pier, and there are also jack crevalle and bluefish to be had. Elsewhere in the surf, pompano have begun to show.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Tuna have slowed, but some wahoo, dolphin available at the Stream. Good snapper action in 21 fathoms. Whiting, blues, a few Spanish mackerel on beach.

4-6-99

4-8-99

BEST BET: Spring - or is this summer? - has sprung. The surf has been producing a mixed bag of pompano, whiting, jack crevalle, bluefish. More Spanish mackerel have been showing along the beach and at area inlets.

OFF MAYPORT: Amberjacks, a few cobia being caught on wrecks along with lots of beeliners and some snapper to 30 pounds. Whiting, pompano, bluefish in

surf.

4-15-99

OFF MAYPORT: Solid stringerfish catches on partyboats, along with few kingfish, snapper, grouper, jacks. Whiting, a few pompano and Spanish mackerel at pier.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Kingfish around 21 fathoms, along with a few tuna. Dolphin at Stream. Spanish around St. Aug inlet. Not much on cobia. Whiting, pompano sporadic.

4-15-99

Joaquim Guedes, known only as Brazil at the pier, had caught 69 whiting the day before but was lucky to have eight in the box this day. That's fishing. Guedes, who moved to Jacksonville from Brazil, fishes Thursdays and weekends at the pier and uses the time to bone up on his English.

Probably no one puts in more time or catches more fish than 19-year-old Spencer Brogden, who works part-time at the pier. A self-described pier rat, Brogden said that for every good fisherman on the pier, there are 10 bad ones. But he enjoys them all.

''I like the camaraderie,'' he said. ''They all know you, and they're always asking me where to fish. This time of year, I like a northeast wind, 15-20 knots. We kill the whiting.''

4-28-99

TOP CATCHES - Kevin Dietz caught a 78-pound black drum a week ago Sunday at the south jetties at Fernandina Beach. . . . Gene Aydlotte and Steve Quanne had 26 sheepshead and one striped bass last Friday. . . . Roger Lucco and Steve Cummings fished Sherman's Creek and caught eight reds, two trout and one flounder. . . . There also were some pompano catches at the Pier. Charlie Basco and Paul Sheppard each caught two and Jeff Campbell had a 3.75-pounder on Saturday. . . . Spencer Brogden had 11 whiting, three sheepshead and one drum in two days at the Pier.

FLOUNDER FLURRY - The flounder turned on in the last couple of days at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. Yesterday morning, George Atelevich caught a 9.16-pound doormat, and over the weekend Tommy Morgan caught two flounder over 5 pounds and Spencer Brogdan and Jonathon Moran combined for five from 3-5 pounds.

10-28-99

BEST BET: The red tide seems to be gone, and the water temperature is cooling. That should mean whiting, pompano and redfish in the surf. Last November was awesome for pompano. Also, the trout are due to turn on any day in the waterway.

OFF MAYPORT: The ocean has been sloppy, but when the partyboats have been able to go, they've been scoring on grouper, snapper, beeliners and amberjacks. Redfish in the surf.

OFF ST. AUGUSTINE: Bottomfishing has been outstanding for grouper, snapper at 21 fathoms. A few kingfish in 100 feet or so. The surf has been producing redfish, whiting, pompano.

11-18-99 JAX

Redfish are everywhere, especially in the creeks, but most are small. Whiting and scattered pompano on the beach when the surf calms down. Spotted trout in the waterway on low tide.

Sheepshead plentiful at the jetties, little jetties and at the point of the carrier basin. Lots of reds in the waterway, as well as trout. Drum are scattered, but bigger ones have been found in smaller creeks.

Bottom fishing OK when boats can get out. Catches of grouper, snapper, sea bass are numerous but small. Nice redfish and drum and lots of whiting near the jetties. Trout, redfish and flounder in the marsh area.

Lots of amberjacks and some cobia -- and even a king or two -- found 20-25 miles offshore. Scattered whiting and pompano in the surf. Trout, jacks and flounder closer in.

Amberjack, wahoo, dolphin, a few kings and plenty of snapper 20-30 miles out, though it has been too rough the past several days. Bull whiting in the surf, along with an occasional drum and redfish.

12-2-99

Grouper, snapper have been eating on the close-in wrecks when the boats can get there. Some kingfish around deeper wrecks. A handful of whiting in the surf.

12-14-99

12-26-99

Another bonus to fishing the surf is you never know what you'll catch. On our trip Tuesday morning, we caught -- in addition to 25-30 whiting -- a number of bluefish, a small pompano, a jack crevalle and a shark.

Not a single orange roughy, but the tourists were agog over the shark.

1-11-00

2-3-00

Inshore south of the St. Johns River --Water temperature in waterway was a frigid 52 this week. Bluefish, some trout in St. Augustine area. Redfish have been sluggish.

St. Johns River/jetties--Black drum at White Shell Rocks, Dames Point. Fishing at the Mayport jetties has been slow, but warming trend could change that.

Offshore Fernandina--Reports of good-size sea bass at KBY reef and at Schultz's Bottom. Lots of bluefish off the beach at Nassau Sound, south end of Amelia Island.

Offshore Mayport--Sea bass, a few grouper around the MR area. The partyboats haven't fished in days because of the seas. Whiting have been slow along the beach.

Offshore St. Augustine--Current has been strong, but lots of snapper, some grouper at 21 fathoms. A 'hoo or two in blurwater. Whiting spotty in surf.

2-10-00

BEST BET

Inshore north of the St. Johns River- Bunches of redfish being seen, but not that many being caught. Trout good in Fernandina area. Whiting backed off some at Nassau Sound.

Inshore south of the St. Johns River- Water is warming in the waterway, which should fire up the redfish. Trout scattered in the waterway. Still lots of bluefish in the St. Augustine area.

2-17-00

Offshore Fernandina- The offshore bottom has been producing bunches of sea bass and a few grouper and snapper. Black drum remain a good bet at St. Marys jetties.

Offshore Mayport- Partyboats catching plenty of sea bass. Grouper and snapper fishing has been best in 100 feet or so of water. Whiting scattered along the beach.

Offshore St. Augustine- Stream so-so for tuna and wahoo recently. Grouper, snapper at 21 fathoms. Sea bass on the inshore wrecks. Whiting spotty in the surf.

3-9-00

Inshore north of the St. Johns River Whiting chewing at Nassau Sound, Fort George, along with some yellowmouth trout. Speckled trout so so. Redfishing is picking up in the creeks.

Sheepshead, a few reds at the Mayport jetties. Yellowmouth trout at carrier basin. Drum around Dames Point. Lots of whiting in the St. Johns.

Bonito at the Fernandina jetties. Bottomfishing has been lackluster. Jumbo black drum around south jetties and in breakers at Nassau Sound.

Grouper, snapper fishing fair on offshore wrecks. Inshore bottom has been slow. A few kings at BR and beyond. Good numbers of whiting in the surf.

Spanish mackerel showed at St. Aug inlet over the weekend. Stream fishing off and on for wahoo, tuna. Bottomfishing good at 23 fathoms.

10-12-00

Friday was a beautiful day and the angling reflected it.

10-19-00

The County Pier had its ups and downs, according to George Zajewski. The "ups" included brief runs of whiting and a surprising pompano bite at the end of the pier. Zajewski said he saw catches of seven and eight fish Saturday, and the sweet-tasting jacks were big.

10-27-00

Dennis Goldstein continued to find pompano in the St. Augustine bight area, and the silver jacks held their own at the County Pier throughout the week. Whiting reports were unexciting. Goldstein and Chuck Stearns also did well with the trout, and Tommy Vaughan said that Cliff Vaughan found more trout than he wanted while fishing the drop-off ledge of the ICW with artificial grubs.

11-16-00

The county pier got better as the month aged. Last week started off slow, but by Monday the Whiting were on the upswing according to George Zajewski.\

The County Pier got better as the month aged. Last week started off slow, but by Monday the whiting were on a definite upswing, according to George Zajewski.

Much of the previous activity was spent releasing oversized reds, some of which measured 40 inches. A nice touch was re-introduction of Spanish mackerel to the equation.

Zajewski added that they were pretty good sized, too.

11-23-00

Sheepshead at Mayport jetties and around Heckscher Drive bridges. A few legal trout in the St. Johns. Flounder spotty.

The last time anybody looked, local wrecks were holding snapper, sea bass and a few grouper. Some whiting on the beach.

Some of the best flounder fishing -- which is not saying much -- has come from the Vilano Pier area where Paul Dozier (Captain Hook's) reported a 12 pounder on Sunday. Most of the flatties were in the two-pound category, but the numbers there were as good as anywhere.

Reds continued to be a mystery despite some nice weather and water before Sunday afternoon.

George Zajewski (County Pier) said that one of the main staples at the county planks has been oversized red bass. He reported that several fish per day of 40 or more inches was the norm.

Speaking of which, George Pope put a chart on a local Internet fishing board (floridasurfishing.com) that indicates a red of 40 inches is 15 years old. The chart is at the end of the column. Much thanks to Mr. Pope.

As for the whiting, the word from the pier and Dave Privett (Oldest City Bait and Tackle) was inconsistency throughout the region. At times the fishing was very good, but it was equally poor at others. Some people found big fish, whereas others landed nothing but small. Some had a lot of small fish or just a few big fish. All agreed that the water was remarkably clear coming into the weekend.

11-29-00

Lots of keeper whiting in the surf at Saint Augustine at dusk. Published Sunday, December 3, 2000