Capt Dave Sipler's Sport Fishing
Jacksonville - Amelia Island Fla.
www.captdaves.com
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9/13 - Yellermouths.."the other tide runner".
Had Dave C. and friend Jay (from Michigan, I think) on board Saturday. Dave's local and fishes south of Jacksonville in the river. I always like having him on board, because he's excitable, like me. Jay a very accomplished angler was visiting, and came down from Amelia Island, where he was staying.
To start off, high tide was at 8am. Not exactly perfect for what I had planned. So we went to the jetties and anchored up on the south. It was a soup sandwich. Slop, choppy, and windy. From the S.E. But, they had their sea legs on and BIG METAL can handle it with no problems.
The bait stealers were so intense, it was one minute per shrimp. And the bait stealers were mangrove snappers, the most evil 4" fish we have. I wish they were worth $5.00 each and there was no limits at all on them. Then, there wouldn't be a single one left. They'd be fished out.
But, all of a sudden as I saw mullet spraying across the surface, then Dave hangs into a good fish that burned off drag. It was 5 pound Jacks. Then, Jay hooks up. The whole school's behind the boat and Dave and Jay catch two more.
Dave thinks like me. He says, "Two each, okay that's enough of them....let's go." All the while my hand was on the key switch, ready to start the engine myself and move on. We're on the smae page and in search for "boxers". (boxer's are fish that land in the fish box head first)
The tide was about dead high now, so I switched up gears and put a few jigs on some rods and went over to the north Jetty so the guys could pitch the ole Jig-N-Shrimp combo meals.
Not much was happening up in the rocks. But Jay hooks up a nice fat Black Margate. I should have taken a picture of it, but forgot. They're actually a really nice fish. Better than any Ringtailed Porgy, Croaker, or Jack. It was about 2 pounds or better. I said to Jay, "Now we need about a 5 gallon bucket of these and we'll have something." But as usual, we only catch one or two when they are around. Although I have seen folks catch a bucket full before.
The meat of Black Margate is similar to a Sheepshead or a small Drum...although it's a large Grunt. But desireable, for sure.
They have a gold eye, or could pass for a "pup" Drum to the unfamiliar.
There was plenty of small Croakers out in the sand off the rocks, and I was surprised the guys didn't score on a Red up in the rocks. Casting was tough though with 15 knots of S.E. winds blowing.
So we moved on because the tide finally turned.
Time to hunt TROUT!
Dave has all the Croakers you want just north of Green Cove Springs where he lives, so he didn't want any of those. And Jay was happy to hunt up anything. So we went and followed the same path I've been taking to intercept some GATOR sized Trout. Like yesterday's 6 pounder caught by Don M. from Pennsylvania.
But, it was a Saturday, the tide was and would be late.
Here's what I mean....
There's nothing like when I was out last Wednesday or even last Sunday. Low Water, was early in the morning. That's why we even struggled yesterday. The low water (low tide) was too late in the afternoon. I like leaving the dock, with slick water, nice and calm, and the tide low. Or will be low in an hour or so. That's how we catch them I.G. - GATOR Trout. (instantaneous gratification, I mean)
Those GATOR Trout in the first 5 minutes last week, we're on que. Because the water was quiet, and the light was low, and so is the water.
Saturday????? Well, the tide would be low late, like 3pm. The sun was high and HOT. And there was no such thing as the water being calm and quiet. The river traffic was very thick, if I was a giant Trout, I'd be waiting till midnight to go up along the banks to feed myself!!!
Weekends, what the hell can you do? Live with it in my case, I guess. And hope people understand what the deal is.
I've tried running way north, to an area where there's NO one anywhere. Yes, there is an area or two that even on a Saturday afternoon where there's no one around. I've seen it, yes.....it's like HEAVEN!!!!!!
But in today's world. No one will pay what it takes to fish there. Hell, no one wants to really pay for fishing the "hub" around Mayport on a Saturday. The fuel usage would be 3 times what I use now to go to this area I call "A weekend, Mecca". And I can't afford it myself to run up there and survey the areas and know it like I know my present area, I fish. It all comes down to economic factors, related to today's FUEL PRICES. I'd love to make twice what I do, and provide a weekend sanctuary charter. But that idea is just, "pie in the sky".
So, Dave, Jay and myself just worked along from spot to spot. Catching no Trout. I caught a small one, at one spot we tried. So about this time, the tide was finally getting LOW.
And when the going gets tough, the tough change Zip Codes! So I made a run. And when I get there, it was NO shock the places had 14 other boats fishing it. Croaker Strokers....or want to be's, it was hard to tell. Because I only saw the "regulars" catching. While the weekenders in the Ski boats just sat there.
Ya know, "boats attract boats.....Fish don't attract boats".
I moved on in to the mix and slid my anchor over. I surprised myself, how perfectly I anchored in amongst the crowd, right where I wanted to be. I told Dave and Jay, "up here is usually Specks, pointing ahead of us where another boat was staked out. And behind us is usually Yellowmouth Trout....but I have caught both here at the same time, also. And big Specks too! "
Actually, I don't want to give away the spot. Because in the spring, I have sat here and caught 20 Trout all 18" to 24" and could hardly box my own limit of 5 because they were mostly over 20 inches. But then again that was "me", fishing on the perfect weekday.
Dave and Jay pitched their floats out and let them drift back to a hump behind us, and I.G. - instantaneous gratification! Double headers on big fat Yellowmouth Trout.
"FINALLY", I yelled. And from here on out, it was a slaughter of Yellowmouths just like we get into at the jetties in the winter and spring time. We kept them at 15 to 16 inches and above. And the "above" was 21 to 22 inchers! In no time we had our boat limit. And as I stood with the net in hand, waiting for the next one, I started to see all the other boats start moving away. Usually it's the opposite. Usually they all come over and horn in on ya'. People leaving a perfect tide?
Dave and Jay fished every last live shrimp we had left and even used bits & pieces off the floor and at the bottom of the live well to catch a few more just for fun. These yellermouths, were on fire and BIG.
I'll admit, even though I love my Speckled Trout, especially for filleting and eating. The Yellowmouths (weakfish) sure do pull harder, and act like Piranha's when schooled up. Which sure makes for some fast and furious action.
We headed back against the wind, and through the slop and chop of boat and tug wakes to the boat ramp. And I'll tell you one more time. I'm sure glad I don't have a flat bottomed boat. Because we steamed full speed and never came off the throttle through it all for a solid 8 miles, till we reached the boat ramp. I love my boat, and you will too. It fishes us places no other 26 footer will, and at the same time no amount of sea or slop effects it.
I'm a "tide runner", one of the nick names for the fish I like to pursue is "tide runner". But then again when we left this morning I didn't think the box of Trout we'd have at the end of the day would have been Yellowmouth Trout.
But I'm glad they were there, chilly out. Waiting on us to arrive.
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9/12 - The Two Don's
There's not anything more fun than leaving the dock at HIGH tide, then running to your spot that was also every "Croaker Charter's", same spot too. Then, sit around waiting for the dang tide to turn! Well, I say sit around.....what I really mean is watch live shrimp get burned up on bullshit bites from 1/2 pound Pinfish and 3" Mangrove Snapper, by your "participants".
Heck, at least it was float-rig fishing practice for the two Don's. Don M. and his dad, Don Sr.
Dead high tide. Not my favorite time of the day. But what can you do, leave later and then have possible boats on your spot when you get there?
So we worked through it. And when the tide finally started to fall. We got what we came for....
T-Rex sized T-rout. (I'm jumping ahead here...let me go back.)
Don Jr. landed trout #1. And I was ready for the Croaker onslaught. But the guys only caught a handful. And they were really big. Again we had 14 inchers, "oh so worthy of meeting Mr. Zaterain".
The bite wasn't "on fire" by no means. And it hasn't been, since we've had the SE-EAST winds.
I've been tracking it. Remember, my saying. "East winds and a falling tide no matter where I'm fishing is like going against the grain of the wood."
I stepped in each time the guys looked to be struggling a bit, and caught Trout each time. So to prove they are there. Float-rig fishing isn't hard, when the fish are chewing, and it's hard when the fish are not. BUT....details matter, no matter what the fish are acting like.
I only took this one photo, and it's all I wanted. I wanted either Don, to catch a whopper, a Gator, a big trout. As I have been doing since last Wednesday (with the exception of this past Tuesday).
And that's when Don Sr. hooked a big fish, that ate his shrimp and immediately came to the surface splashing and frothing the surface.
Weighing in at 6 pounds and measuring 25 inches
it was "the fish" I was hoping for when we left the dock.
We finished up this spot with a half dozen Trout from 16" to the 25 incher. And a dozen Croakers, and one big Mangrove.
So off to do some bottom fishing for a big Red.
But wow, was that a chore in the afternoon east winds. It was all wrong, no matter where I tried.
I'll just leave it at that. Frustrating, yes!
I'll be trying something different tomorrow morning....Saturday's high tide.
I really hate it when we get in the funk of 15 knot SE-EAST winds day after day.
At least it's been dead calm in the river till about 10am.
The two Don's really learned the in's and out's of float fishing, were heavily challenged and scored on some good fish. It's always a good day when we catch a big Trout like this one, in my book, plus go home with a nice bag of "fish fry" groceries.
I'm not counting, but that's at least 6, 5 pounder's or better in the last 4 trips.
Not bad.
I haven't mentioned this in awhile. Now two years old, I still cannot discribe to you how well my BlackLab Marine 26CC fishes. This boat is not an aluminum novelty boat. It's truely a charter fisherman or serious fisherman's dream. From the roomy deck, durability, fish cleaning table, ride and even my electronics, the shallow draft, and especially the rough water stability, the list goes on and on. This is my all-time, dream machine. And with good tools, comes good fishing.
I welcome you aboard anytime, to see for yourself why I love it.
