Capt. Bob Cosby
July 2, 2011
Jacksonville - Saltwater Fishing Report
The spanish mackerel are here and are ready willing and able to strike your glass minnow size spoon, jig, or fly. You can find them at the north jetty tip on the incoming tide. Sometimes they move up into the river and congregate at the little jetties.
Black tip and spinner sharks are following the shrimp boats. These are very strong and fast fish and will test your tackle and fitness level! I use about five feet of 200 lb test mono with a two foot section of wire wrapped to a 9/0 circle hook. A big dead pogie with its tail cut off is hard to beat as bait.The heavy mono is easy to handle boatside. After a few pictures, I just cut the wire close to the hook. I think the high carbon hooks will rust out in a few weeks. You don't want to put these fish in the boat.
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Pogie pods are still migrating by and are often in deeper water. The smaller pogies are better for the jetty redfish. Larger pogies are good for shark bait and trolling for kings. Speaking of king mackerel, they have not arrived in any significant numbers, which is bad news for the many tournaments still to be held. I did hear of a couple of kings being caught off the Jacksonville Beach pier.
Redfish are biting along the big jetty rocks, however, you have to search for them. The best bite is around the turn of the tides. Flounder fishing has picked up some in the ICW creeks, and along the jetties, though most are still fairly small. Speckled trout can be caught early and late on floating or lipped diving lures, and on popping or sliding corks and live shrimp after the day brightens up. Another effective way to catch trout is under dock lights at night.
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Click to Enlarge Photo
There are lots of ladyfish in the ICW and River. Cut ladyfish make good shark and bull redfish bait. Jack crevalle and bluefish can crash your party at any time.
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I've seen quite a few tarpon recently, both inside and at the tips of the jetties, and behind the shrimp boats. Usually the smaller tarpon hang out at the jetties until the mullet run in the fall when the big ones come in to feast on the big roe mullet. I'm ready to start targeting these big silver beauties. Chum fishing and searching the pogie pods are my favorite methods, though we often hook the smaller tarpon while jigging for reds inside the jetties.
Good fishing!
CAPT Bob Cosby
