The fish have not yet decided to quarantine and are still biting as well as they were before the world shut down. As of now, bait shops are still open, gas is cheap and people have time off. There have been plenty of people on the water and, with the extended school shut down, I think that will continue. Stay smart about fishing and it can be done safely while abiding by all the restrictions we are under. I’m not sure that will be the case should we get a red snapper season; the “social distancing” will be put to a test.
The beach fishing has been absolutely incredible this week. The whiting run is as good as it gets and the pompano are showing up with some black drum and redfish mixed in. The best time to go has been on incoming tides wherever you can find clean water. Fresh pieces of shrimp are the tried and true method but recently I’ve seen more and more people switching to Fishbites, a Sputnik sinker will keep your bait in position and you really don’t need a huge 11 foot surf rod, these fish are right in the breaks and the cuts. Take any spinning rod and reel you have in the 2500-6000 size and go have fun. Perfect way to spend some time with the kids and catch a mess of fish for dinner.
Offshore the nice weather window has been a relief to the center console crowd. From wahoo, tuna and mahi on the troll to cobia, sea bass, triggers and mutton snapper on the bottom it is wide open right now. Stay close and bottom fish or make the run you’ll be on fish either way. With the weather we are having the sailfish run should start any day now and I’ve heard of a few off St. Augustine already.
Inshore the spring is here, the redfish are moving into from the creeks out to the main banks. Jacks, bluefish and Spanish are pushing in waves with the first ones showing this week in the ICW. The Spanish are mostly small, I wouldn’t break out the Clark spoons yet but we are getting close. The sheepshead bite remains steady on the Jetty and all the way up the river. On the backside of the full moon a lot of the fish are spawned out but still seeing a few with row. The big trout are getting fired up and the water temps are screaming to throw top water in the mornings and evenings.
For any questions, to book a charter trip, or to send in a report and pictures of your catch to be featured in a future report send an email to Chris@fishjax.org.