It's About Time
It has finally happened, the fall bite is here at last.
Anyone that has fished northeast Florida knows, that the best fishing is in the fall, not that is not real good most of the year, but the fall is by far the best time. The fall fishing normally starts around the end of September or just after the first good nor'easter after September. Well, this year we had a nor'easter around the first of October, that blew for about three days. I just knew that this was it, the sign of the fall bite. After a week had passed and the fishing was still in the late summer pattern, I was wondering what had happened to the fall bite. Then another nor'easter had come and gone and we were still in the summer time pattern. What was going on? I talked to other longtime fisherman in this area and they all had mixed opinions. Some said lack of rain, some said too much wind, others said too much fresh water and the list went on. The bottom line was, the fish were not biting like they should be. This is just another example of the environment throwing us an occasional curve.
Well this weekend the fish were ON FIRE, in comparison to the past two months.
We started out on Saturday, fishing the usual way. The usual way for me, on the last of the outgoing in the creeks, is to use light spinning outfits and throw along the edges with a 1/4 ounce Jaw Jacker jig head with a shrimp or minnow on the hook.
I like to start at the mouth of the creek with my new MotorGuide Excel trolling motor down and on low, just enough to keep the boat going straight. I like to go with the tide, if, it is not moving too fast. The reason I like to go with the tide, if, it is moving slow, is, you can be a lot quieter if you only have to use the trolling motor to keep the boat parallel to the shoreline, rather than going against the current.
We had worked this creek from one end to the other, about 3/4 of a mile. We had seen several fish, but none of them were actively feeding and we had not had, even a hint of a strike. I was thinking about going to the jetties if the next 30 minutes did not get any better.
We were making our way out of this creek, heading toward a big flat, and I could see fish crashing baits. Mullet and shrimp were coming out of the water and fish were pushing wakes as they chased the bait. "Alright, these fish are catchable", I told my charter. The guy on the stern, tossed a Mr. Twister Exude Shrimp in the direction of the commotion and was immediately hooked up. Then, from the bow, came another bait, sailing in the direction of the commotion and he was hooked up. After a short battle, two nice trout came to the boat. I hollered, "Toss em back out there" and they once again tossed the jigs in the direction of the excited bait. The angler from the stern hollered, "I think I have something" I turned and with a great deal of excitement, said "wind like heck, I think you have a nice one". After a minute or three a nice red came to the boat and in he came to visit with us. I threw him on the ruler and he made the mark, longer than 18 inches but only by a little. I said "we will put him in the live well, just in case we catch another one, larger".
By now my angler on the front deck had made a cast to a waking fish and was hooked up. This was the first nice redfish that he had ever had on, and the fun was on. He was winding against the drag so fast that if I had been using monofilament instead of Power Pro, that reel would have been done for the day. As it was, with a little guidance from me, he angled the fish and after a few close moments near the boat, we managed to put a net on him. This one was quite a bit larger than the previous 18 and 1/2 inches. We worked this shoreline for a while longer, but no other fish wanted to play, so off to another flat we went.
The next area was far back in the creek, away from other boat traffic. These are generally the areas that I prefer. Places so far back in the woods that your guest wonder, which way back to civilization.
We started out working a very shallow part of this flat, maybe a little too shallow. The Motor Guide trolling motor was every now and then touching the bottom and every time it did a few fish waked from the boat noise. I gently eased out to a little deeper water and instructed my guys that they were going to have to reach down inside and make a long cast to get to the fish. No sooner than I got away from the shore, the angler on the bow was hooked up on another quality fish. This was nicer than the previous two and we were really having fun now, line screaming from the spool, the fish trying to come out of the water as it was so shallow he could not go any further down. After a few minutes the fish made it to the boat and in the net. Another quality fish to the boat and the morning was still young and the tide was just now getting right.
We eased along trying to fish the next area, but this next flat is difficult to fish on the low tide as the shoreline has a very gradual slope and a long way from shore it is so shallow that the trolling motor makes a big disturbance. I tried for a few feet and said the heck with this as I eased away from this area and toward a deeper shoreline. This next spot was the ticket, lots of fish, cruisers and feeding fish.
As we eased along, there was a fish pushing water about 50 feet from the boat and both the angler on the front deck and I saw this bad boy. I asked him to cast about ten feet in front of the wake and let the bait sit there. With the fluid motion of a pro, he cast the bait right in the spot that I wanted it. The next two seconds seemed like forever, it's amazing how much can go through your mind in two seconds, did the fish go past the bait or turn and go the other way, did the cast spook him. About the time the last though passed, we all knew what had happened. The fish exploded on the bait and the rod and reel were now feeling the brute strength of a northeast Florida creek red, that had only one thing on his mind, getting away from what had him. This fish used all of his power and cunning to try to get off of the hook. He ran to the back of the boat and then to the front. Around the trolling motor and then the bait bucket, then out toward the only oyster mound on the entire flat. I was not going to let him get to the mound and cut the line, so I kicked the trolling motor in high, told my anglers to hold on, got on the trolling motor and pulled the boat and fish out to deeper water. I then told the angler "he is ours now".
It has been about two minutes into the battle and my angler is rubbing his arm and saying things like "what have I got, how big must this fish be, do we have enough line on the reel". Most of these things I am used to hearing and have the same response for everyone. Don't worry, just keep a tight line and the rod tip bent.
We had now been angling this fish for about four minutes. I know you are probably reading this, saying to yourself, four minutes, that's not very long. But when the fish has run around my new Honda 225, the trolling motor, the bait bucket, headed toward the oyster mound and is now, just starting to show any sign of giving up, all the time the excitement of wondering if he is going to GET AWAY, is with you, four minutes is a long time to fight a fish in less than 1 1/2 feet of water.
By now I am wondering, just how big, is this fish. My angler is still working the fish and he is making good headway, getting the fish close to the boat and ready for me to get the net ready. The fish made one more pass by the boat and I reached out with the long handle net and scooped him up. In the boat he came, my angler was really excited now. This was a big fish, I thought by looking at his shoulders that he might be a little over the 27 inch maximum size limit. After a quick measurement he was only 25 1/2 inches. I had to measure him again, just to be sure. I then put the Bogga Grip ( a very nice tool that is used to securely hold a fish from it's mouth and weigh him) on him and he weighed 8 1/2 pounds. That's a big fish. Most fish in the 25 inch range only weigh about six pounds.
We worked this area catching about seven or eight more fish before the tide got too high for this type of fishing. We then headed for a high water spot where we trolled Sea Striker Trout Killers on lead head jigs to produce a few nice trout for the box.
This had been a very nice day on the water, we got to catch several nice fish and had a few to take home for the dinner table.
Upon return to the dock, I found out that this was the largest redfish that my angler had ever caught, this made me feel good. Another GREAT day on the water.
For charter information please call me at 904 757 7550 or email me at jim@hammondfishing.com. Don't forget to watch my TV show, every Tuesday at 7pm and Sundays at 8:30am on cable channel 7 in Jacksonville, Clay County and the Beaches and Thursdays at 7:30, Saturdays at 1:30 p.m., Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m pm on channel 22 and 2 in St. Augustine and St. Johns County.
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.
Don't forget to check out my website for other information on fishing this area, the products that I use and charter info at www.hammondfishing.com/.
Christmas is just around the corner and a gift certificate for a day with Capt. Jim might make a good present for someone. They start at only $225. I accept Visa and Master Card or your check.
Good Fishing
Capt. Jim Hammond
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Here is a nice creek red taken this weekend.
