Jacks Can Save the Day
Rain and wind have been common characteristics on recent fishing trips. Last Sunday was no exception. The rain cleared out early enough, but the day started with heavy NW winds that slowly shifted from the North. The chop on the Banana River made it less than comfortable anytime you were trying to move on the river. Fishing had been slow and I revealed this to my group of three anglers, Cliff, Ed, and Jeremy. Ed responded by saying "you probably always say that." Actually, with the wind as high as it was and the water stirred up and murky I just didn't want them to get their expectations to high.
The redfish were not willing to participate in our outing, but a few trout did. Still, the game saver was the Jack Crevalle. We got into a school of Jacks and immediately had a couple hookups. Ed was first, and then I think it was Jeremy, but his pulled off. Then Cliff's pole was bent over and he was working his first Jack to the boat.
Ed is showing off the first Jack in the picture below. You can see how rough the water was, and we were glad to have found some rod bending action.
We didn't accomplish a triple hookup, but we did have a couple of doubles to add to the excitement. Cliff is shown with one of his fish in the picture below. If you are like me, and as it turns out, like Cliff, Ed, and Jeremy, if it pulls hard it is a good fish and these Jacks were pulling what seemed to be extra hard on this windy day.
We were fishing live shrimp under popping corks when we first encountered the Jacks, but switched quickly to plastics to increase the fishing time by not having to re-bait after each fish fight. Color did not seem to matter. The Jacks were hungry and willing to eat almost anything we threw at them.
We lost track of how many Jacks we actually caught, but everyone had a chance to pull on several. There were also a few trout thrown into the mix as evidenced by the slot sized trout Jeremy is holding below.
In my humble opinion, Jacks are one of the most fun-filled fish you can catch. Pound-for-pound they will give you a better fight than many other fish we target. And don't forget, when summer rolls around again the big ones will be roaming just off the beach waiting to give some lucky angler the fight of his life. Just don't forget to beef up your tackle if you go in search of the big summer Jacks.
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Florida Sportsman Fishing Shows
There are two more Florida Sportsman Fishing Shows left this Fall. I will be manning the booth for the Florida Guides Association at both the Jacksonville and Orlando shows. The Jacksonville show will be held on November 8th and 9th and the Orlando how will be the following weekend on November 15 and 16.
Come by the booth and say hi if you are in the area.
That's what it's all about. Good fishin'.
Capt. Ron Presley