6/19/24
It’s been a windy week on the water with gusts in the 25kt range since Monday and the beatings expected to continue until morale improves. Offshore has been closed to everyone for the entire week. The rivers gone from the cleanest water we’ve seen in years back to its usual sediment stained self. The ICW was your best bet at finding some wind protection all week but early morning high tides have made for less than ideal fishing windows. Overall it’s been a rough week to be on the water but a good opportunity to do some mid season maintenance and gear prep for the rest of the summer.
Big news for local offshore anglers is that our federal fishery managers have once again dropped the ball on Red Snapper Management and decided that we will get a whopping one day season this year in the Atlantic. Even more concerning from the feds is a proposal to shut down all bottom fishing in the South Atlantic. It’s almost insulting that this proposal is a result of what the feds claim is the estimated impact of recreational Red Snapper fishing, despite admitting at the same meeting their own data shows the regions Red Snapper stock is at higher levels then anyone’s seen in our lifetimes.
The Council has completely failed in managing this fishery and over the last few years has destroyed any trust between the fishing industry and regulators. I would encourage all local anglers to make sure your voice is heard, reach out to your elected representatives and submit public comments to South Atlantic Marine Fisheries. At this point it seems like our best hope is the state expanding its management zone out into federal waters similar to the Gulf. It’s hard to see any scenario where the current status quo changes under federal management when federal agencies are actively working to further restrict recreational fishing, despite healthy fish stocks and the huge economic impact of fishing on our economy in Florida.
Inshore the summer pattern is settling in, the waters heating up and the best windows to fish are shifting towards that early morning and sunset cycle. Midday look for action a little deeper in the water column. The Mangrove Snapper bite has been steady and makes for a good way to bend a rod and catch a tasty meal. For anyone getting the kids out fishing this week looking for Mangos is likely your best bet. Find somewhere ideally with a little wind protection and good structure; rocks, rocks, bulkheads, bridges can all be productive. I like to keep it simple with a 1/4 oz jig head and a piece of fresh shrimp, if you can’t find live shrimp then mud minnows and finger mullet work too and will get some of those bigger inshore mangos to bite plus increase the odds of a Red picking you up as well.
For the weekend we might get a reprieve from the wind but keep an eye on the buoys and the charts if you plan on heading offshore. It looks like there may be some potential for the bigger boats but it takes a day or two for the seas to relax after a sustained blow like we’ve had this week. Even if we get calm winds you can expect some lingering swells into Sunday and likely next week.
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.
Carlos and Scott with sons Carlos Jr, Evan, Kai, and Riley all got some Vermilion snapper action on our bay boat trip out of Mayport. Riley got lucky on a party grounds Mutton while Carlos Jr. got to tag his first Cobia.
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