Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 3:30 PM
Subject: Fishing Report for Jacksonville, Florida for 10/14/02
New Inshore Bait Has Offshore Potential
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to make an offshore trip and using only artificial bait, I was pleasantly surprised.
We all met at Clapboard Creek Fish Camp, where I was able to have my morning fix "a yoo-hoo".
There is nothing like popping the top on an ice cold yoo-hoo early in the morning and feeling that cold, wet, refreshing taste run down your throat and splash down in the bottom of your stomach.
After that, I am ready for another day on the water in search of Mr. Fish.
Now that I was ready, I backed up to the boat, unloaded my normal arsenal of more rods and reels than I would need in a month of fishing. But you know, you can't have too many rods and reels. What if one were to malfunction, what if you wanted live bait on one and artificial on another. There is a multitude of reasons that you need more that just one or two outfits and as always I had brought several. I then loaded a small box of tackle, a lot less than I normally bring, but this was kind of a last minute trip and I didn't have time to get my normal boxes loaded with ten of everything that I own. So this was going to be a light trip, only one small Plano waterproof bag loaded with a few hooks, sinkers, swivels and some secret and not so secret artificial baits.
Now that we were ready, off we went. It had been way too long since I had been heading offshore and I was excited about having the chance to fish on such a nice day.
Oh, by the way, the weather man was wrong again. His forecast was for 5 to 7 foot seas and we were now at the end of the jetties and the ocean was 1 to 2 and real nice. What a job the weather man has, right about 15% of the time and I'll bet he/she gets a whole paycheck all of the time. It is a good thing that they are not paid on the percentage that they are right. I don't know, maybe that is how it should be. I bet they would be right more often if their pay depended on how often they were right with their prediction.
Enough about the weather persons and back to catching fish.
Our first stop was about eight or nine miles out on a small piece of bottom that Capt. Ron Gunter pulled from his book of numbers. We eased up to this spot, turned on the fish finder and gracious me, there was fish down there and I could barley hear them saying, "Jimmmmmie, here we are". Well, I had their number and was almost ready to send down the first of my secret baits. I slipped it on the Daiichi 5/0 circle wide hook and sent it down to the fish that were calling my name. As soon as the sinker hit bottom, I felt a definite THUMP and as bad as I wanted to SET the hook, I knew that if I just lifted up on the Shakespeare rod tip and started to turn the handle on my new Shakespeare TWMA30L reel, the no stretch Power Pro line would burry the hook in the fish. As I lifted up on the rod tip, I felt the fish pull back, so I turned the reel handle and up from the dark blue sea came something that was trying to get back to the bottom with great furry. After a few seconds, I could see color and it was the right color, black. A nice two pound sea bass and hanging from his mouth a secret bait. Now under most circumstances, I would not want to give out a secret bait as for fear of you all catching some fish that I might want, especially big fat two pound sea bass but what the heck. I had slipped an Exude Shrimp onto my hook. Yes a soft plastic. But not and ordinary soft plastic, a soft plastic with a scent and a scent embedded into the bait. A scent the kept secreting the scent for a long time, a scent the seemed to work because my two buddies were catching TR's (grunts) and I had a nice sea bass.
I put the fish in the box and back down I went, using the same bait as the first drop. This was another plus, I didn't have to re-bait my hook as the original bait was still on the hook. On the next drop, another THUMP and another fish pulling back as I turned the handle, up he came. Alright, something different, a grouper and still my buddies are catching grunts. I was about to start to act like I was BAD but I knew it wasn't me , it was the Exude Shrimp.
Exude Shrimp Lumiscent
See, this bait not only looked real but tasted better than real. I secretes an odor that is like having a small piece of chum in the water. And we all know that chum attracts fish.
By now Joe and Ron were looking around to see if I had left the pack of Exudes laying around so they might try one but, the pack was tucked safely away in my shirt pocket, where it was safe from their fingers. The next drop produced another grouper and the next after that a snapper. I think they had each caught a snapper, but I was definitely up, with more fish and NO GRUNTS.
We sort of drifted off of this spot and after several attempts to find it we moved to another spot close by. As always, I was ready when Capt. Ron said "lines down" and I was the first to hit bottom. I had switched from a Lumiscent Exude Shrimp to an Exude Shrimp Gold Bream color.
This color seemed to be as effective as the first because I was immediately hooked up on another fish and he also did not want to come and see me. After a short battle, up came another grouper and once again hanging from his mouth a Daiichi 5/0 Circle Wide with an Exude Shrimp attached to the hook. One good thing about these baits, is they are tough enough to withstand the TR's pecking on them while you are waiting for a nice fish to come along. I used the same bait to catch five fish before it did not look like a shrimp. The entire time that it was resting near the bottom the TR's were giving it heck. Many times, the bait had small chunks bitten out of it and one a TR bit off the tail, but the scent kept on working, attracting the nicer fish.
We worked this area for a while and no more nice fish were we able to find so off we went to another spot.
The next spot was supposed to be loaded with vermilion snapper and their mouths were way to small to get the Exude Shrimp in it, so I switched to another great artificial bait, Fish Bites. I had one more pack of Fish Bites and I figured, what the heck, lets use um up. I also switched to a smaller hook, the Daiichi #1 circle wide. Vermillion snapper (beeliners) have small mouths and you need to use a bait and hook that will fit in their mouth or you won't get hooked up.
The first drop produced several nice beeliners and of course some grunts. We were drifting this spot and almost every drift produced a few nice beeliners. Fish Bites also is tough enough to let the TR's peck away while waiting on something nice. I sometimes caught three or four fish on one piece before it was nothing but the gauze.
Over all we managed to catch a few grouper, snapper and more vermilions than we needed. Not a bad day for artificial bait. If you do not have a few packs of each of these baits, you are missing out.
These will not spoil and the bottom line is the fish love them.
I have been using the Exude baits for about four months and have caught flounder, redfish, trout, grouper, snapper and seabass. The flounder love the Pumpkin Pepper/Silktreuse Tail and the Luminescent/Silktreuse Tail.
You can send off for a free catalog for Exude Baits to Mister Twister Catalog, write Mister Twister, PO Drawer 1152, Minden, LA 71058-1152. Or, visit us on the Web: www.mistertwister.com.
I have been using Fish Bites for over a year and there is not much that swims that I have not caught on this bait. Try Thrifty Bait and Tackle (904) 786-9080 on the westside or Clapboard Creek Fish Camp (904) 757-1423 on the northside for both of these fine baits.
Check out some of the fish that ate the Exude:
CHECK OUT MY NEW WEBSITE, I completely redesigned it, www.hammondfishing.com
I have secured a deal with Duval Ford Commercial and Fleet sales for all persons that call them and say that they watch my show or read my articles to get an unbelievable deal on any new Ford car or truck, when purchased from them. You will need to call 381-6558 and ask for Mike Tudor or go to www.duvalford.com. I just purchased a new truck and they saved me almost $8000.00 dollars.
Charter Information: Capt. Jim Hammond is an inshore saltwater charter guide in Jacksonville, Florida and can be reached to book a trip by calling 904 757 7550.
Moms and Dads: Remember mom and dad, spend some time with your sons and daughters taking them fishing and you will not be looking for them come Friday and Saturday nights, as they will be home in bed waiting to go the next day. (I am not just saying this because it sounds good. I MEAN IT, YOU WON'T BE LOOKING FOR THEM.)
Television Fishing Show:
Catch some local fishing action Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 8:30 am on cable channel 7 WTWN in Jacksonville, the Beaches and Clay County and Thursday nights at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 12:00 pm on channel 22 WQXT in St. Augustine and St. Johns County.
This report brought to you by 
and 
Good Fishing
Capt. Jim Hammond
jim@hammondfishing.com
http://www.hammondfishing.com
(904) 757-7550