Earlier this week the winds switched to the west and laid down the rough surf. This allowed anglers on the pier to get back to the business of catching fish, and that’s just what they did. Some big king mackerel were caught Tuesday and Wednesday. Kyle Maners brought one to the planks that measured 55” and weighed 39.06 lbs. James Hampton had a 34.11 lb king and Bob Burns caught one that weighed in at 17 lbs. The action off the pier should remain good as long as the winds hold off. Also look for a lot of boat activity around the pier Friday and Saturday due to the King Buster 400 Tournament being held out of St. Augustine. Anyone wishing to attend the weigh ins can go to the St. Augustine Municipal Marina located at 100 Avenida Menedez. As the month wears on look for tarpon to show up as they feed on the schools of pogys that begin to appear along the beaches.
The inshore fishing remains sporadic. One day you go out and you can find some good size fish and next you have to search hard to get a couple of decent fish. Last week I had Bill Ser, John Hamburger and E.Y. Walter out fishing. The trio had ladyfish, jacks, flounder, bluefish, redfish and trout with the two biggest weighing 3.08 lbs and 4.08 lbs. The following day Sumner Bryant and Dennis Voith worked hard to catch fish but Dennis had his first redfish in the flats, 22”. They also had some small black drum, jacks and mangrove snapper. Hopefully conditions will change now that the full moon is past and the winds have slowed some.
Here’s some news for anglers who like to fish the Everglades like I do. There is a proposal by Everglades National Park Management Plan that would limit combustion engines to water over 3 ft in the park. Water that is less than 3 ft will be able to be accessed by trolling motor, push pole, kayak or canoe. Because the majority of water in the everglades is less than 3 ft it would cut off a lot of fishing areas to boaters. There will be public workshops in south Florida discussing this proposal. For more information you can contact Fred Herling (Everglades National Park Planner) at 305-242-7704 or fred_herling@nps.gov.
Doug Towell at Jakes Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports reds being caught in the backwaters around Highbridge. Flounder some trout and a few snook are being caught in the ICW. Snook up to 37” are being caught at night around the bridges on the Tamoka River.
Roy Mattson at Roy’s Bait House reports that Donna Smith had a 26 ½” red from the surf and Steve Graulirts had 3 nice pompano on clams. On the ICW side Mike and Buddy Hanson had a 23” and 25 ½” redfish. On the freshwater side, 10 yr old Logan Johnson caught a 6 lb bass in the Royal Palm Canal in Palm Coast. Kenny Smith of Bunnell had 46 specks on live minnows at Dead Lake.
Photo: Bill Ser holds a 4½ lb trout he caught live lining a shrimp. The fish was released.
The inshore fishing remains sporadic. One day you go out and you can find some good size fish and next you have to search hard to get a couple of decent fish. Last week I had Bill Ser, John Hamburger and E.Y. Walter out fishing. The trio had ladyfish, jacks, flounder, bluefish, redfish and trout with the two biggest weighing 3.08 lbs and 4.08 lbs. The following day Sumner Bryant and Dennis Voith worked hard to catch fish but Dennis had his first redfish in the flats, 22”. They also had some small black drum, jacks and mangrove snapper. Hopefully conditions will change now that the full moon is past and the winds have slowed some.
Here’s some news for anglers who like to fish the Everglades like I do. There is a proposal by Everglades National Park Management Plan that would limit combustion engines to water over 3 ft in the park. Water that is less than 3 ft will be able to be accessed by trolling motor, push pole, kayak or canoe. Because the majority of water in the everglades is less than 3 ft it would cut off a lot of fishing areas to boaters. There will be public workshops in south Florida discussing this proposal. For more information you can contact Fred Herling (Everglades National Park Planner) at 305-242-7704 or fred_herling@nps.gov.
Doug Towell at Jakes Highbridge Bait and Tackle reports reds being caught in the backwaters around Highbridge. Flounder some trout and a few snook are being caught in the ICW. Snook up to 37” are being caught at night around the bridges on the Tamoka River.
Roy Mattson at Roy’s Bait House reports that Donna Smith had a 26 ½” red from the surf and Steve Graulirts had 3 nice pompano on clams. On the ICW side Mike and Buddy Hanson had a 23” and 25 ½” redfish. On the freshwater side, 10 yr old Logan Johnson caught a 6 lb bass in the Royal Palm Canal in Palm Coast. Kenny Smith of Bunnell had 46 specks on live minnows at Dead Lake.
Photo: Bill Ser holds a 4½ lb trout he caught live lining a shrimp. The fish was released.