Black drum, whiting dependable

Black drum, whiting dependable

SALTWAER: If you like catching bluefish in the 5- to 7-pound range, fish the surf at Ormond-by-the-Sea. Use live mullet fingerlings. Switch to shrimp or sand fleas to catch whiting, which also are there in numbers

4-1-04

There were some very nice catches of whiting at the County Pier, as in evidence by the bucket of 2-pounders that left the planks with Robert Brown. Darryl Lloyd (County Pier) added that Robert Lee Upson Jr. landed a 37-pound drum, and at least three others were hooked and lost.

No reports of Spanish mackerel or blues yet, but I suspect it will not be long. They were in the Flagler area before the weekly winds.

4-3-04

By The Times-Union
,

Spring has finally arrived, and with it came warm weather and fantastic fishing all week.

Black drum fishing seems to have taken center stage this week. Anglers have been catching puppy drum up to full-grown big boys, during the day and evening. The breakers at Nassau Sound, Main Beach, the south jetties and Cumberland Sound are the best bets for those big ones.

Jason Scott and crew caught and released seven drum on March 21 while fishing the breakers at Nassau Sound. They were using crab and shrimp fished on the bottom. On March 23, Jason caught and released 20 trout and two reds using topwater plugs along the Amelia River. All fish were caught on the outgoing tide while casting around exposed oyster bars.

Whiting fishing continued to be good all week. Surf fishing on Amelia Island's beaches, the George Crady Bridge, Fort Clinch Pier or by boat in the Nassau Sound or the Cumberland Sound has been great on the low tide through the incoming to high tide.

Joe Green and sons caught over 40 whiting on March 27 surf fishing along the south Amelia beaches. Travis Ewing also had a great catch, bringing in 16 bull whiting while surf fishing on Monday.

I prefer to use the fish finder rig, which consists of a sinker slide, 3-ounce pyramid sinker, and barrel swivel with an 18-inch leader to a No. 1 bait holder hook. I recommend peeling your shrimp when fishing for those tasty fun fish.

4-8-04

BILL SABO

Published Thursday, April 08, 2004

With winds and temperatures they way they have been lately you would think it was March rather than the second week of April. The fishing is not up to April standards yet, either.

The surf had its moments, but they were few and far between.

To the south, whiting, bluefish and even a few reds were caught in the Marineland region, but there wasn't anything to write home about.

Even the Internet reports from Flagler County and Canaveral National Seashore weren't optimistic.

There was hope for Spanish mackerel and pompano by now, but they're conspicuous by their absence.

Ron Joiner (County Pier) reported a few big drum at the planks along with a 7-foot lemon shark, and intermittent good runs of whiting, but nothing in the way of mackerel.

No large blues yet, but more small size ones.

4-10-04

4-11-04 Saint Aug

Weakest link continued to be the surf where only the longest of casts could find fish. Big blues started coming in this week. Whiting were in session further out where boats could get them.

Since the last full moon, fishing has been little short of outstanding. I did not hear one bad report from any place I called, any show I listened to, or any Internet report I read. The weakest link continued to be the surf, where only the longest of casts could find fish.

Whiting were somewhat in session farther out where boaters found them or in St. Augustine Inlet where Dave Privett (Oldest City Bait and Tackle) said that other boaters found them.

4-15-04

4-22-04

Offshore Mayport: More cobia being caught on the reefs. Quality snapper, grouper moving into shallower water. Lots of bait offshore. Whiting, drum, a few pompano in surf.

Offshore St. Augustine: Some kingfish on the wrecks. Dolphin, wahoo at the ledge. A few cobia reported off Matanzas Inlet. Whiting, a few pompano in the surf.

Some big blues at the Jetties and Manzaqnas. County pier, occasional runs of whiting. Big whiting at Villano pier on Saturday, along with intermiitent pompano and sharks.

4-25-04

For a number of weeks, the column focused on how poor the fishing was because it was in fact, poor. That was not a good time to be a columnist, and it was an even worse time to be a fisherman. But now the pendulum has swung.

5-13-04

Fishing was poor at the County Pier with one woman going eight hours without so much as a bite, according to Ernie (County Pier).

Much of what has been taking place in the surf was in the persona of catfish and small sharks.

5-20-04

5-27-04

6-20-04

7-4-04

Between the extended doldrums there were bites of whiting and even a few pompano.

Most of the surf has been quiet however with most of the interruptions coming in terms of small sharks.

7-8-04

7-31-04

Mark Lawing caught this 8.5-pound flounder from the George Crady Bridge on July 24. - Special

Flounder are being caught at Fort Clinch and Nassau Sound on the low incoming tide using live mud minnows or live finger mullet.

Fishing along the finger jetties at Fort Clinch and the south jetties, or along the pilings at the George Crady Bridge, has been producing flounder. The point at Nassau Sound is producing consistent numbers of flounder and whiting on the last of the outgoing and first of the incoming tides using mud minnows or live mullet.

9-18-04

When the ocean calms enough to surf fish Amelia Island's beaches, there will be plenty of whiting with a few pompano and trout mixed in. Best baits are fresh shrimp or mullet fished on the bottom beyond the breakers.

The Amelia by the Sea fishing pier reports whiting, trout and flounder being caught. Lure fishermen on the pier also have been having good luck with the pink gotcha plug with black dots for trout. This lure should be retrieved fast with a twitching motion. The gotcha plug is good from any bridge or pier because of the weight and erratic action it gives the angler.

The George Crady Fishing Pier anglers are reporting good numbers of reds, trout, black drum and whiting around the slack tide whether high or low. The pier anglers have been using fresh mullet, shrimp and crab fished on the bottom or with a float rig with a live shrimp.

10-7-04

Pompano was one species I did not anticipate this week, but numbers were good at Surfside Park, North Beach, Crescent Beach and near Matanzas. Trumping them, however, was a consistent and persistent bite of drum at the Matanzas Bridge. The word from Matanzas filtered into several bait shops and the County Pier, and it said that limit catches were a distinct possibility. A few flounder were also caught in the surf at Crescent Beach. A double-digit flounder was weighed at the Sea Love dock that was caught near the docks at Porpoise Point. Most Internet reports included at least one flounder more than 5 pounds to go with several smaller flatties.

10-9-04

Surf fishing along Amelia Island has been producing whiting, trout, flounder, puppy drum and redfish, with a few small pompano mixed in. Tony Salcines caught 10 whiting, one pompano, two drum and two redfish on fresh shrimp at the Nassau Sound. Donnie Sutton caught trout, whiting and pompano surf-fishing the south end of Amelia Island.

10-23-04

If we continue the cool mornings and mild weather, the fishing will only get better.

11-4-04

The numbers aren't huge, but there are quality fish in the surf, including eating-favorites pompano and big whiting. Some areas, like the south end of Amelia Island, have produced bluefish, speckled trout, redfish and Spanish mackerel.

St. Johns River/Jetties: Yellowmouth trout at White Shell, Fort Caroline. Mill Cove remains strong for redfish, trout. Lots of flounder around Mayport, along with sheepshead, big reds.

Offshore Fernandina: Snapper, sea bass on the nearshore wrecks. Beeliners at the 40 Mile Bottom. Bull reds, puppy drum and whiting around St. Marys inlet.

Offshore Mayport: Wahoo bite picking up offshore. Grouper as close in as 7-8 miles, and still plenty of snapper. Sea bass in close, beeliners in deep water.

Offshore St. Augustine: Wahoo, scattered sailfish at the ledge. Big grouper at 21 fathoms and deeper along with snapper. Some kingfish in 100 feet. Whiting, pompano in surf.

11-18-04

Pompano. Large ones and good numbers to boot. We usually see a run of pompano in the fall, even though not as many fishermen key on them this time of year. As best we can tell, these are the same fish that passed us going north in the spring.

This time they're moving south for the winter, giving us one more shot. Not as many as in the spring but they do tend to be bigger because they've had all summer to grow. Mixed in with those pompano were a few very nice whiting.

11-21-04 4 am

I've been catching lots of big whiting the last week in the Ponta Vedra Beach area the last few days.Not unusal to get 25 to 35 per tide. Large rays ( P.V. flounder) great to test your line(14lb) and your drags with.My reels will most likely need new ,or repaired drag washers after this weekend.Most fish are close up,so you do not need specailized tackle,very large fish are farther out.Tides don't make much difference,long as its running.Good fishin to all

We have been fishing further north in the hugonaut park. Whiting have been hitting both on the beach and in the st. johns river entrance. Yesterday we didn't catch any but weren't trying to. Caught a nice flounder in the st. johns and a couple of Black tips off the beach. All in all a good day. To me, shark steaks are probably the best eating of all the fish if properly cared for.

Fishing has been good for a couple of weeks.I caught some nice Pompano at Hugenot during to Fla Surf Casters surf fishing tourney on the 6th.As the water cools I usually start to go down Ponta Vedra and Vilano beach.If it gets real cold I might try Flagler Beach.Thats if I can't get any fish here,but that doesn't happen to many years.Last time it got in the 48,49 degree range was 2001 or 02.Plenty of nice Blues for smoking and fish dip right now too. Some are pretty nice size also.Hard to keep them from cutting your line when you're whiting fishing,fun all the same though.Good Fishin to All

11-25-04

Offshore St. Augustine: Sailfish, wahoo at the ledge. Lots of grouper, triggerfish offshore. Triggers, sea bass on inshore wrecks. Whiting, bluefish, pompano in the surf.

12-2-04

Water temperature's still mild enough for good action in the surf. Whiting have been available throughout the region, and their size has been impressive. The surf has also been holding bluefish and a few pompano and redfish.

BILL SABO

Published Thursday, December 02, 2004

The week had a little bit of everything to offer in the way of meteorology: winds from every direction, a little rain, warm and cool temperatures, flat seas and washing machines -- and a full moon to boot.

Fortunately none of the aforementioned aspects were severe, and fishing continued to be very good throughout the county.

Darryl Lloyd (County Pier) reported much improved catches of whiting and sheepshead at the county planks while citing the diminished numbers of pompano for their size. Pompano must be 11 inches in order to be legal, and he said that most were 12 to 14 inches. One guy had three over 16 inches and saw an 18 incher. Most anglers used fresh shrimp.

During various walks on North Beach, I espied some nice bull whiting and a few pompano in the buckets. Internet reports were better south of the county than they were to the north.

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is apparently home to legions of undersized trout and redfish.

Internet reports, Henry Miles (Devil's Elbow) and Brad Miller (Coastal Outdoors) all agreed that there are a lot of little fish out there waiting to grow up. Miles and Lloyd also added that the Matanzas Bridge and associated area is still a pretty starting point for legal trout.

Bill Kerr (St Augustine Charters) said that charter captain Bill Shuler (Heads and Tales) led his fares to some great catches over the weekend.

They had double-digit catches of trout three days in a row along with good numbers of reds, drum, bluefish and flounder. This is the time of year for school trout, and they are certainly here, albeit wanting in size.

Henry Miles noted that sheepshead took a turn for the better in terms of numbers but are not yet the big breeders that come later in winter.

12-4-04

Tony Salcines caught this 37-inch, 19-pound bull red Nov. 22. Special

There were many reports of good grouper fishing on the inshore reefs, bull whiting and pompano in the surf, and trout and redfish in the backwaters.

Anglers fishing north beach, Fort Clinch, Slider's access, Peter's Point and American Beach experienced excellent bull whiting fishing using fresh shrimp on the low to high tide. There were also reports of locals fishing as far south as Vilano Beach and St. Augustine.

One angler, who wished to remain anonymous, said he caught 25 bull whiting in less than an hour at the old Coast Guard Station at Vilano. His rig was the old fish-finder outfit -- a sinker slide with a pyramid sinker to a barrel swivel, with 20-pound fluorocarbon leader to a No. 1 baitholder hook.

I think surf fishing is enjoyable -- no boat to clean up!

12-25-04

In between cold fronts, when the weather permitted, there were good catches to be made by Amelia Island's anglers. Those using dead shrimp in the surf, fishing north beach, Slider's, Peter's Point and the Nassau Sound reported excellent catches of whiting, with some redfish mixed in. I like to pop the head off the shrimp, peel it, then fish with the meat. I prefer to use a 1/0 Eagle Claw bait holder hook with 20-pound fluorocarbon leader.

12-30-04

The surf is only now back to being fishable but earlier reports from the County Pier were not encouraging. Darryl Lloyd said although there was a running of the bulls, and numbers were not bad, the bite only lasted for a brief period and came almost exclusively on the southeast corner of the pier which tended to get crowded. He added that the most recent storm eroded more of the beach to the north of the planks. Which brings me to my next point

1-8-05

Surf and backwater anglers experienced exceptional catches through the Christmas and New Year's holidays thanks to the unusually pleasant weather we've been experiencing.

Steve Handwork caught nine bull whiting recently while using a new surf combo dropped off by Santa Claus. Steve was using fresh shrimp on the incoming tide. Pick out a slough and give that new Christmas combo a try.

Reports have been slow from the north end, but Slider's, Peter's Point and south all have been producing excellent catches of whiting.

1-15-05

1-20-05 WT 54, down 10 degrees from a week ago

Offshore Fernandina: Sea bass, mostly throwback snapper and grouper within 10 miles of the beach. No offshore reports this week. Whiting off beach at Nassau Sound.

Offshore Mayport: The last time anybody looked, the offshore snapper bite was still on, along with some grouper, beeliners, oversized redfish. Whiting at the new Jax Beach Pier.

Offshore St. Augustine: Wahoo, tuna should be at the ledge, but nobody's been lately. Bottomfishing good at 21 fathoms. Whiting reports from the surf have slowed a bit.

Unfishable Wednesday.. Very little to report

The weekend was horrible, the week was cold and the pattern doesn't look much better for this week. You can bet that the Super Bowl bigwigs and Chamber of Commerce people are starting to get a little antsy. Last weekend was not representative of what they have in mind for the big event. I don't think any of us want that.

The ocean was pretty unfishable until Wednesday, and Ron Joiner said it showed at the County Pier. I suspect there's more erosion along the beach, because judging by the debris on North Beach, some people are missing steps from dune walkovers. There was also an unusual number of clay mudballs washed up.

1-22-05

Whiting should continue to bite as the winds die down, especially on the low, incoming tides. Peeled shrimp, fished on the bottom, will probably be the best bait choice.

On two recent visits to the Jacksonville Beach Pier, Spencer Brogden tallied 80 whiting one day and 40 another. ... Capt. Scott Tait and his son, Evan, fished the waterway on Saturday before the wind blew up and caught 17 reds between 17-29 inches, 12 trout to 18 inches and a sheepshead on Sure Catch jigs and shrimp. ...

1-27-05

Offshore Mayport: Quite a few beeliners, some quality snapper on the offshore wrecks. Lots of sharks swimming around. Whiting have been the mainstay at Jax Beach Pier.

Sigh. So here we are for the second week (weak) in a row of poor fishing results. The good news is that it will get better as we head into spring, but the area is not likely to demonstrate to Super Bowl visitors that this is a great area to fish. On second thought, that might be a good thing.

Moving on, muted accolades for inshore fishing go the whiting. The surf made it rough at first, but later settled down to allow sinker lead to be launched. There weren't many up for it with the low temperatures, but those who did fared pretty well in the surf, at least from Vilano on up through Guana, according to Don Pacetti (Kyle's Seafood). Darryl Lloyd (County Pier) qualified and quantified his report by saying that the planks had their moments. The moments were as few as the people fishing, but they were certainly worth it when they came together. It was clearly an improvement from a week earlier.

Henry Miles (Devil's Elbow) noted that Ray and Herman Dellinger caught 30 big whiting while fishing from a boat just outside the south jetty. Most boaters did not get out until Wednesday, so this number will probably go up as conditions allow. All Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) sites said that fishing for reds and trout was marginal.

2-3-05

St. Johns River/Jetties: Trout remain a strong bet in the St. Johns River, generally between the White Shell rocks and Navy base. Drum, scattered sheepshead at Mayport jetties.

Offshore Mayport: Plenty of sea bass within 12 miles, along with a few legal grouper and snapper. Whiting were biting yesterday morning at the Jax Beach Pier.

Offshore St. Augustine: No recent reports from the ledge, but the wahoo and tuna should be there when the weather settles down. Some bull whiting in the surf at Ponte Vedra.

Plenty of nothing.

Nasty weather hasn't only put an early-week chill on Super Bowl practices, but it's kept the county's fishing catches sparse.

Few positive catches were reported across the board, although warmer weather is on the horizon.

But for arguably the biggest week in Northeast Florida history, at least the early part of it, things have been downright nasty.

"It's pretty bleak, everybody is staying home (early this week)," said Tommy Vaughan of the Avid Angler.

Vaughan said the reported catches have been dwindling since last weekend, when a handful of trout, redfish, drum and a few flounder came out of the water.

2-8-04 Saint Aug

Although the west wind is bad for offshore fishing, it provides flat water near the beach. Several boaters took advantage of it to fish just offshore from the beach for whiting. There were very few in the surf, but outside the south jetty and along the beaches was pretty good. The Winner's Circle took home about 60, and Tommy Vaughan (Avid Angler) spoke with some fishermen who caught about 30 near the south Jetty.

2-10-05

Offshore St. Augustine:

Another week when no one has been able to get off shore. The bottom bite should be good at 21 fathoms. Whiting along the beaches.

And it wasn't just cold on Friday, it was nasty all week. We didn't get a respite until the weekend, at which time the ocean was still convulsive. There have been a couple of nice days since then, but as you read this we're back on the winter side of the street.

Reports were few and far between, but hope springs eternal, albeit less than widespread. As the seas calmed in the last two days, Ron Joiner (County Pier) said that whiting were making a comeback. The sizes weren't bad either. There will probably be some pretty good fishing, for what northerners refer to as kingfish and Carolinians call sea mullet, once we get a decent spell of weather.

2-17-05

Some of the larger fish, to two pounds, came from the surf in Crescent Beach and south according to Dan Pacetti (Kyle's Seafood).

Reports from the St. Johns County Pier indicated hit-and-miss moments that showed no pattern.

2-19-05

As Amelia Island anglers anticipate the approach of spring, the warmer temperatures give most anglers that long-awaited fever to wet a hook.

With warmer air temperatures, our water temperatures are still hovering around the low 50s, giving us tough fishing conditions. Most of us have had to change techniques to adjust for the cool waters, which have left most of the fish with lockjaw.

Anglers fishing the surf for bull whiting have had fair success on the low to high tide. There are a lot of small whiting mixed in with the bulls. Dead shrimp is still your best bet for whiting success. March is one of the best months for whiting fishing. As soon as the bite turns on, I will pass it on.

2-22-05

Matt Plant and Kenny Faxton caught 30 bull whiting while fishing at Guana Park on Sunday. Using peeled shrimp and pompano rigs, the two caught all their fish, which weighed between 1 1/2 and two pounds, in a two-hour span. ...

I saw your report on bull Whiting at Micklers Landing in Jacksonville on Feb 22, 2005. I live in Dodge City, KS and want to try fishing in FL. Ive always fished the NC coast. Perhaps you have some helpful hints? Ive noticed that sometimes when the pier is quiet, you can still catch fish along the beaches.

Jonathan Finch National Weather Service Dodge City, KS

2-24-05

Janie Jones (Mike's Place) reported some excellent catches of whiting from the surf in front of the Reef, and Henry Miles (Devil's Elbow) had similar reports coming from boaters fishing near the State Road 312 Bridge.

2-26-05

The whiting fishing has turned on. From all the reports it has been a sure bet to put some fish on the table. The whiting have been in the inlets, rivers, surf and the bridges. Nassau Sound, St. Marys Inlet, Cumberland Sound, the Fort Clinch Pier and the George Crady Bridge areas have all been producing whiting.

When fishing the inlets or sounds, I prefer the last hour of the outgoing and the first hour of the incoming tides. Also, I like to fish the last hour of the incoming tide to high tide. I use just enough sinker to hold the bait on the bottom.

Fishing should be good all March.

Joe Green had 41 whiting at American Beach last week. Capt. Jason Scott and Blade Rayser report a catch of more than 220 whiting in one sitting at Nassau Sound.

3-2-05

These guys are there to relax, relieve stress and have an all-around good time, and most likely they're whiting fishing. This year is turning out to be a banner year for the tasty, fun-to-catch whiting. Anglers fishing the sounds, surf and rivers have had tremendous success. So far this year, we've had a phenomenal whiting bite.

Best bet

BILL SABO

Published Thursday, March 03, 2005

An Internet report cited some excellent catches of whiting at the Jax Beach pier on Saturday, and I noticed several boaters braving the weather on Saturday in St. Augustine Inlet, another whiting hot spot.

Unfortunately, the west winds had dirtied the water around the St. Augustine Pier up until Wednesday. Consequently, what had been a pretty good whiting run was shut down.

And speaking of the pier I think when our county administrators see the figures generated by the Jax Pier, they might realize that they blew it when the opportunity was there to extend our pier and make it as good or better when Jax didn't have one and Flagler's was badly damaged. It could have (and still could) have anchored an entire tourist area at St. Augustine Beach. Instead we got more golf courses, overcrowded boat ramps and less access to the beach. Sigh.

The ocean was fishable Wednesday, but I didn't have any reports at the time of this writing. Offshore activities experienced confused seas at best when winds changed direction almost daily, and Internet reports put the sea temperature at 70 degrees in about 750 feet of water. Prior to the latest blow surface trolling was slow, but bottom fishing was hot for big genuines and a variety of groupers including gray, red, scamp, hind and black.

3-5-05

Moving on, whiting fishermen had tremendous results last week and can expect the same luck this coming week. Anglers fishing by boat or on the bank reported catching whiting on the low incoming tide using dead shrimp on the bottom.

Capt. Ronnie Foster reported catching 110 whiting in a four-hour trip on the north end.

March 8, 2005

Recent catches at the Jacksonville Beach Pier included more than 100 whiting by Spencer Brogden and 35 whiting by James Potee. É

3-10-05

Whiting catches were at times blistering but like blisters they were in isolated areas and prone to popping pretty quick. The surf was the word with North Beach, Crescent, and Flagler being directly cited.

The County Pier was something of a mystery. Battling dirty waters induced by strong, west winds, the whiting bite was anything but consistent. The best that could be said according to Ron Joiner was a brief attack toward the evening during the outgoing tide. Other than that, it wasn't very good. History dictates that a longer pier would get it out past that shoreline mudline.

3-15-05

Guide Fred Morrow, Marvin Shaw and his son, Hal, combined for 15 sheepshead to 6 1/2 pounds on March 7 at the Mayport jetties. ... Leon Alten totaled 27 whiting last Tuesday at the Jacksonville Beach pier.