May 7th, 2008

Inshore/nearshore report Jacksonville area waters

The water has warmed to 70-72 degrees now and fishing has picked up.All we need is for the wind to give us a break. Lots of jacks have moved in so the blues,which are still here, finally have some competition for your expensive baits. Large ladyfish and spanish mackerel are fairly common catches, too. I'm catching smaller spanish trolling and the larger ones on live bait when targeting other species such as trout. All these fish are great fly rod fish.

 Speaking of trout, I've heard of an 11 and 10 pounder being caught recently, on lures and bait, respectively, They are hitting topwater and diving lures, as well as the always reliable live shrimp. Two to four pounders are common using the sliding float rig. If you catch a big one,which is most certainly a female, consider releasing it after a photo as your contribution to future fishing generations.

Redfish are around, though with all the tournaments and every day fishing pressure we have here in northeast Florida, it is sometimes difficult to find any. With the right bait you can usually hook a few at the jetty tips, weather permitting. Black drum are an occasional catch also, along with pompano and flounder. Keep your eyes open for triple tails, also. You just might stumble on to one hovering next to some floating object such as a crab trap float, etc.

May is migration time for the big rays and their escorts, the cobia. Recent reports have them south of Matansas, however, several days of south winds may have pushed them further north into our area. Its always wise to have a heavy spinning rig ready to cast a bait or lure to any sighted cobia. Try not to hook the ray!

Pogies  were abundant last week between St Augustine and Mayport. Hopefully, they will hang around for awhile as they are the "engine" that fuels much of our nearshore fishing.

Good fishing!

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