JETTIES:

With the cold, hard blow we had last week I thought for sure most of the sheepshead started their trek offshore for the warmer waters at the reefs. Usually when the water temperatures drop below 54 to 53 degrees that will happen but it's usually about the first part of February, not this early. For the first couple of days I was back on the water after the 25 knot winds and it was slow going on the sheepshead. Now they're biting quite a bit better again. Our water temperatures have been coming back up a degree or two here and there and that helps all types of fishing.

I'm anxious to see what's in store for us after these next two cold fronts heading our way.

Black drum, ring-tail porgies and whiting are your best bet going on now at the rocks. The black drum seem to like dead shrimp most of the time but we have been catching a few using cut blue crab here and there. Of course the whiting are biting dead shrimp and sand fleas and the ring-tails are hitting small pieces of dead shrimp on Sure Catch Jigs right in the rocks on the outgoing tides. The ring-tails are members of the porgie family just like a sheepshead. There are some sheepshead to be had but you do need to have patience and move around and try several spots until you start getting the bites. A few bull redfish and a couple slot-sized ones here and there when we locate the drum. Loads of small and a few nice pound to pound and a half sea bass out there also. Spotted trout are just outside the south jetty and they're hitting live shrimp on slip-float rigs pretty good this week.

  

CREEKS:

The redfish are schooling up like the usually do this time of the year so when you locate some on a mud flat there are usually from several up to 20 or so fish in that school. Cast your bait and you'll usually spook them then let it sit and they'll usually mill around and pick it up when they don't have to chase it. There are a few, but very few nice sized spotted trout up in the creeks. We need a lot more rain to bring these guys back up from south of downtown Jacksonville. Our good salinity line is way up the river right now. We're still seeing a couple flounder here and there but most have gone offshore for the winter. We'll start seeing more and more catches of them from the offshore guys.

  

RIVERS:

Yellow mouth trout and whiting are hitting better and better since our last cold front. Nice sized yellow mouth trout are being caught more this year than last. Last year there were some barely legal, (12" min.) but this year I'm seeing some 2 to 4 pounders and an occasional 5 pounder. Spotted trout along the grass lines and rock banks and it's better when you have a high tide early in the mornings. There are quite a few small ones but when we get more rain then the larger ones will be concentrated better along with the smaller ones. Black drum around the Dames Point Bridge area, the White Shell Rock area and the Little Jetties and sometimes there are some redfish mixed in.

  

SURF:

Whiting, bluefish and a couple pompano here and there. The whiting bite has really improved not only in numbers but also in size in the surf at the Gate Station area down across from Guana. There are some black drum also and seem to be when they come through and you catch one then you can limit out on them.

Remember to always make sure your trash doesn't blow out of your boat and be sure to take it back to the ramp where you launched. There are always trash cans and dumpster's waiting for you back at the ramps. Let's all work together and keep "our waterways" clean.

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