Spring has sprung on the First Coast this week with temperatures in the 70s, sunshine and blooming peaches. Our average last freeze date is in the rear view for the winter and you can look forward to some of the hottest fishing of the year over the next couple months.
Inshore the Trout, Sheepshead, and Drum fishing are all getting into the sweet spot around this full moon, going into the next one look for spawning aggregations of these fish. The jetties at the inlets, inshore structure, and even nearshore reefs are all great areas to look for Sheepshead and Drum over the next few weeks.
The El Cheapo is this Saturday so expect to a find a crowd at all the community holes and at the ramps around the beaches. This is one of our larger inshore tournaments and is always a great time for the entire family. With divisions for kayakers, boaters, lady anglers and junior anglers there is a chance for everyone to win something! The captains meeting is Friday evening with on site registration open at 4pm and the rules meeting starting at 7pm followed by raffles at 7:30pm.
For trout look in the river and ICW for ambush points around areas you see lots of forage. The fish are looking to put on weight coming out of winter and making eggs, this makes for a great time to use artificial lures while covering water looking for those aggressive strikes gator trout are known for. Trout are a perfect target species if you enjoy throwing plastics, from topwater plugs, twitch baits, jerk baits, paddle tails, to buzz baits and bass worms a big trout can inhale about anything you can get in front of it. I was talking with our local trout “Sensei” Capt. Matt Chipperfield about some of our favorite lures this time of year. We both agreed that while the visual satisfaction of a topwater plug eat is the most exciting it’s hard to beat the Mirrolure MR17 and MR27 for putting larger fish in the boat.
If you prefer live baits then Shrimp, Mullet, and Croakers are all good bets for large trout. A float rig is one traditional method that still produces great fish every season. Set the bait depth by what you’re seeing on your screen. When you notice the baits shallow and can see it on the surface a Cajun thunder with 1-2 feet of leader is great. If the baits mid column a slip float with 5-6 feet before the hook is a better way to keep your offering in the strike zone. When you do luck into that Gator trout consider catch and release, the release over 20” initiative is helping preserve the genetics of the largest fish in the system.
Offshore the bites hot on the days that the weather has been cooperative enough to fish. This week saw some large Wahoo being caught with “Problem Solver” taking the lead in the Shootout with a 3 fish aggregate of 219.88 pounds anchored by a 99 pound fish. On the troll other than Wahoo a few Blackfins are being caught and we should start seeing some Sailfish and Mahi soon. The bottom fishing has been steady on the staples of Vermilion Snapper and Triggerfish. Capt. Oz of the Mayport Majesty reported a good bite inside 25 miles with a full boat last weekend and everyone hitting their limit of snapper.
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.
“Problem Solver” took the lead in the Shootout by boating this 99.14 pound monster of a Wahoo.
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