Well, the Sheepshead bite hasn't exactly been gangbusters but thankfully, there are plenty of other species more than willing to stretch a line. Don't get me wrong, There are Sheepshead biting, and we managed to wrangle up a few but, the bite hasn't been consistent. Especially in the Inlet and around the usual St. Johns River haunts. The good news, the ones that have been chewing have been solid fish.
The Black Drum are still in the Inlet. The bite has been a little on the sporadic side but their here. They're averaging between 8 and 12 pounds and 16-30 inches. Focus on water depths around 45-80 feet on the inside tip of the north jetty. If you hit one of the two depths and get a goose egg, move to the other. The better tide has been the last half of the incoming.
The Trout bite has turned back on. You have to put your time in and work a lot of water but once you find them, you can get a limit relatively easily. On an average day, you can expect to land anywhere from 30 to 50 smaller Trout in the process of getting a limit. It's a lot of work but the fishing is productive and you'll find some decent fish. This week, we picked up a few in the low 20" range. I think 22" was the biggest. I'm finding the vast majority of mine between The Coast Guard Station and Blount Island. I can't get anymore specific than that without giving fishing spots away but if you know what to look for, the fishier areas are fairly simple to locate. If you don't, look for hard or shell bottom drop-offs. Sharp drop-offs are key and the Trout tend to sit in around 6-10 feet of water. Any area that funnels a large amount of fast moving water, like creek mouths, will hold Trout right now.
The Porgies are chewing big time in the Inlet. I catch mine on the tips of both the south and north tips. Primarily on the outside. Check both sides and pick the one with the cleanest water. both the incoming and outgoing are productive tides as long as there is plenty of clean ocean water in the areas. Never fish for them during a slack tide. They shut completely down. A #4 Mosquito Hook paired with a larger Split Shot is all you need, however, if you want to do it right, you'll want to set up a Crappy Cork rig. Refer to my last fish report for additional details on how to rig one of these.
The Black Sea Bass, specifically, legal Sea Bass, are chewing pretty good in the inlet right now. Both on the North and South 80 foot holes. Chicken Rigs and/or Dropper Rigs paired with chunked Blue Crab or cut bait are the ticket. Obviously, you can get these offshore, but for the inshore guys, these make a nice addition to a cooler full of Sheepshead and Black Drum as these guys are all caught in the same habitat. Throw in a few monster Bull Reds and you can be very productive and with minimal effort. Not to mention a huge savings in fuel.
Catch em up!
Florida inshore charter fishing. Jacksonville charter fishing. Mayport charter fishing.
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Danny Pardue