2/7 fishing report
The next few days are looking like a favorable window for getting out on the water. The winds should back off for Friday and Saturday, while there will be some lingering groundswell the long period should make it nice for getting offshore too.
The Sheepshead bite continues to offer a reliable option for inshore anglers. I fished the rocks a couple days this week and we did well each trip. The bites steady on both Sand Fleas and Fiddler crabs. The key is just bouncing around until you find fish. If you aren’t getting bites keep moving. By moving I’m not talking about running to the opposite jetty, just slide down 50 feet or so, keep working away and you’ll find the fish. Make note of where you catch them, on what tide phase and you can repeat your success the next time.
All of our inshore fish species have areas they prefer on different water levels and tide phases, once you understand why they are sitting on a specific rock or dock you can then look for that pattern in other areas and often find productive new spots. For example there’s a couple places along both sides of the Mayport jetties where the rocks stick out just a bit farther than the rest of the wall. This creates an eddy and an ambush point that predator fish will use on both sides of the tide. They just change their orientation to the structure as it swings so they are facing into the current. When fishing heavy structure like the jetty you can sit on the up current side of the structure and let the water bring your baits back into the spot. This prevents lots of hang ups compared to sitting down current and casting up towards the fish, which allows the tide to push your bait into the rocks where your chances of getting it out are low.
The creeks reports have been a little slower this week with the lower water temperatures starting to put a damper on the Redfish activity. They are still schooled up but not feeding as aggressively as last month. For the flats and skinny water fish I would aim for afternoon trips to get them during the peak of the suns warmth and in the mornings target deeper creek holes in the bends and around docks. Capt. Joe Curtis reported the fishing was hot once you found a school in a deeper hole.
Offshore were looking at a decent opportunity to go both Friday and Saturday. Friday marks the first day of the Wahoo Shootout and with favorable conditions and a new moon I would expect to see some boats declaring already this weekend. The bites been good over the winter so far and should continue for the next couple months. The Mutton snapper have been chewing and our staples of Vermilion snapper and Triggerfish are a good bet to fill the box bottom fishing.
Closer to the beach we’re getting to the time for Sheepshead to start spawning and they’ll be stacked not just in the local inlets but on nearshore structure. The Sea Bass bite has been great on days you can make it out, most of the action will be in 70-90 feet of water but you might find a few closer in on areas with scratchy live bottom. The next few months are also prime time for nearshore Flounder fishing with most of the larger fish being out of the river right now.
As always wishing y’all tight lines, fair winds, and following seas going into the weekend! If you’re looking to book a charter, submit a photo, or have a report to share reach out to me directly at chris@fishjax.org or visit www.fishjaxcharters.com.
Herzen Andone with a nice Sheepshead we found while fishing the Mayport Jetties last weekend.
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