top of page

WHAT'S BITING? 

Like many coastal fisheries what we are catching varies seasonally as many of these fish migrate along our coast or from inshore to offshore and vice versa for spawning. We have a great year round staple of Redfish, from giant breeding Bull Reds in the depths of the river to the juvenile and slot sized fish that reside in the miles and miles of estuaries and marshes where the species grows to maturity. Sea Trout, Flounder, Sheepshead, Tarpon, Cobia, Sharks, Snapper, Grouper, Wahoo, Mahi, Kingfish and Black Drum also frequent our waters on a more seasonal basis, no matter what time of year we always have fish to catch! No matter what your experience level we would love to put you on some fish! 

Redfish

Best Times: Year Round.

 

Redfish are the locals, they live in our waters year round and while you often hear about the fall spawn when the bulls are stacked up in the river there are actually resident fish that are always around. The marshes are the full time home of younger redfish until they reach sexual maturity at about 30 inches in length and move into deeper water. These young fish are an absolute blast to catch on light tackle or fly and will greedily inhale an artificial lure or fly if you can get the right one in front of them. While the fish are year round residents the rest of the food chain is seasonal so the types of lures we use to target them do vary with the bait migration patterns.

Sea Trout

Best Times: Fall - Spring

Our Sea Trout are also 
year round residents however they do move around seasonally more than the redfish do, the trout bite in the cooler months and spring is usually much better than the dog days of summer. 

Tarpon

Best Times: Summer

The ultimate saltwater gamefish make an annual migration along the Southeast Coast that brings them through our local waters each summer. We usually start seeing Tarpon arrive in May and the peak of the migration by June, with fish staying in our area through the fall Mullet run. We have both beachside fish that will stay on the bait pods and around the inlets as well as some fish that push upriver as far as Doctor's Lake. For anglers looking for the Silver King we are lucky to be in a relatively under pressured fishery that can be very rewarding for those that put the time in.

Sheepshead

Best Times: November - April.

​

The Saint Johns River is a major spawning location for these tasty striped crab crunchers.  ï»¿The smaller fish will come in droves when the first cold fronts start moving down in late October then in March the action really heats up as the breeder fish move off the nearshore wrecks and come into the river to spawn, March and April nearshore and in the river are your best chances at landing a 10lb plus trophy convict. For fly anglers the flood tide Sheepshead is an incredible challenge. We get a few shots at these picky fish and only average about one a season. It's incredibly rewarding to get the Sheepshead eat on the fly!  

​

Cobia

Best Times: April

​

Cobia are a personal favorite to target. Sight fishing the beach run is an incredible experience and I eagerly anticipate chasing them along the coast each April. The stars all have to align for a good day, sunny, light wind, exact water temperature, etc.. Most days you get a few good chances and then everything has to go right to make them count but when it does it is hard to beat. You will get to see giant Manta Rays cruising along the beach, some of them with Cobia cruising along their backs like fighter escorts around a World War II bomber. While the Manta Ray migration is for more experienced anglers who are commited to an entire day of sighfishing  any trip offshore from late April to mid June has a decent chance of seeing one swim up to the boat. 

​

Kingfish

Best Times: Summer​

​

​

It's hard to beat the sound of a reel dumping while a smoker King Mackeral cooks off line faster than most fish in the sea. We are lucky to have a great fishery on the nearshore wrecks from late May through early October most years. A few weeks of the year if the conditions get right we also have great fishery for bigger Kingfish on the beach only a couple miles offshore, while you get less bites fishing the beach that's where the bigger fish tend to be found.

Snapper and Grouper

Best Times: Year Round, Seasonal Harvest dates vary for Red Snapper ( 2 days in July) and Grouper (May 1-June 15)​

​

The bottom fishing in North East Florida is fantastic. You have to go a long ways to get to the areas that we like to fish with 50-70 mile one way trips being the norm but its very worth the run. I have fished all over the state and on average we catch bigger Mutton Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, and Grouper than anywhere else on the East Coast of Florida. Our Red Snapper population is extremely healthy nearshore and offshore and while catch and release only they are a very fun catch on conventional and we can also get them to the surface to cast flys too with the right conditions. 

Flounder

Best Times: Summer - Fall.

 

Flounder are Captain Chris's favorite inshore table fare, these fish are here year round but the migration of breeding big females occurs during the end of the summer and peaks around October. Smaller flounder can be caught year round in the creeks and estuaries. In the spring we frequently target Flounder offshore while waiting on the sun to get high enough to Cobia fish on the beach. 

bottom of page