Welcome Home!

Got the party started Friday at American Beach.  First line in one hour into the outgiong and nothing was happening.  The sea looked pretty good at first blush.  As the waves crashed onto the beach I saw nothing but blue-green.  Finally as we approached low tide I hooked up to a hardhead.  What?  Taking another look at the sea I could tell why.  It was dirty and I was shocked.  Nowhere in the forecast did I see anything about sustained east winds.  But there it was dirty as could be.

24 hours makes a big difference.

Packed the family up and made a breakfast stop at Dennys. Arrived at American Beach about an hour before high tide.  Set up a 9' Tica Dolphin short and the 10'6" Dolphin and 525 long.  Went about 60 yards south and set up 11' Lami and Blue Yonder long and 9' Dolphin short.  Everything was happening on the northern rods.  All keeper whiting and one bull whiting on the 525 long.  Short rods produced a lone lady fish and that was it.  Repositioned the southern rods with the rods to the north and then it happened. Pompano!    The 11' Lami went slack, telltale sign, I raced to the rod and raced to catch up to the hard charger making for the beach!  I think my yell woke the rest of the neighborhood.  16" measure to the fork!  Just as I was getting my picture taken the 525 bends over.  As I begin the fight it's obvious what it is.  It runs then stops, runs and stops; ray; a big one cause I'm not able to get him in quick to rebait my other rods for Pomps.  Finally I get him to the beach, get him cut loose and the bite dies.  A couple missed hits and that's it.

The fall run is here and it's gonna get better!  Just wish I had some more sandfleas!

Water Temp 10-8-10 21:00

Ft Pulaski, GA      75.4
Fernandina Beach  77.2
St. Augustine         77.5

Water Temp 10-8-10 00:45 AM

Ft. Pulaski, GA       75.0
Fernandina Beach   77.2
St. Augustine           75.9

Water Temps 10-7-2010 0001 AM

Ft. Pulaski GA     75.4
Fernandina, FL    77.5
St. Augustine,FL  75.7

Water Temps 10-6-2010 1:00 AM

Ft. Pulaski GA       - 76.8
Fernandina Beach  - 78.3 (offshore)
St. Augustine         - 76.6

Tracking the Pompano 10-5-10

Looks like undersized Pomps have shown up in NE FL.  Reports of catches from Vilano to Jax Beach.  Water temps are almost where they need to be to catch keepers.  The Fernandina weather bouy is reading 79.0 degrees water temp.  The St. Augustine bouy is actually showing 76.8  and up in Ft. Pulaski GA it reads 76.8 also.  Georgia anglers should be out after them now!  Anyday now and here in NE Fl we'll be able to put 'em in our coolers!  Happy Hunting!

October Plan

American Beach
Date             Sunrise          Tide
10/8            7:24am         3:46 PM    Low
10/9            7:25am         10:37 AM  High

10/16          7:30am         10:13 AM Low

Talbot Island
10/22           7:34am         8:17 AM High
10/23           7:35am         8:57 AM High

10/29           7:40am         7:11 AM Low
10/30            7:42am        8:16 AM Low

Tempting

Several years ago I was introduced to Sharking by a group that loves the sport.  I soon discovered it's a very popular sport all along the east and gulf coasts.  Most will fish at night.  Most will "yak" their baits out a few hundred yards in a kayak.  Every type of shark is caught from just a couple feet long to huge 12-15 ft monsters.

I went out and bought a 12' Ocean Master and Penn 545 reel to have a castable rig for catching sharks from the surf.  It's not gotten much use yet.  Just too busy to put everything together and go catch Sharks.  Then I learned that my Spinner Shark catch last year was a bit more than an accident.  I learned I was fishing in the right spot at the right time (tide and season).  With that new knowledge I decide to give it a shot again since the conditions were exactly like they were last year.  This time I encountered one of those monsters (big enough to make the encounter "no contest').

I know the fall migration is "everything".  All the fish that swim north in summer return to wamer water in the fall.  That includes a seemingly endless list of fish from Whiting to Pompano to King and Spanish Macs, to , Tarpon and Jacks; but it also includes Sharks.  There is only one species of Shark that I know that loves the colder northern waters and that would be Great Whites.

This fall season my primary goal is to catch as many Pomps as I can including a family max in a single day (24).  But given the thrill of that brief encounter and that this is also the season for Sharks to be transiting through our area I'm tempted to bring the Shark rod on my trips.  On the days I want to stay stationary and not chase the Pomps up and down the beach I think I will cast the heavy gear in hopes of latching onto a 6+ foot shark.

If you want to learn how to target sharks these are the guys who are the experts, the Texas Sharkers
http://www.tx-sharkfishing.com/

The Bite is On!

Took a friend of mine fishing.  Had heard from another friend that the bite was hot at Nassau Sound last week.  Things change in a week.  Lots of rain to change the salinity in the river and cooler temps add up to a non-existent bite at the Crady bridge.  Didn't want to get skunked so packed up and headed up the road to American Beach.  It was much more windy than the day before but the water was still clean.  Lots of foam and crashing waves, very "drummy" loooking.  Used day old shrimp, frozen clam and cut mullet for bait.  Started catching almost immediately.  Blues, Whiting, even a lady fish.  Another friend reported catching a small Pomp in South Ponte Vedre.    Most of the whiting are just under keeper with a few keepers mixed in.  No bulls or northern king fish yet.  I expect the bite to remain hot for the next 4-8 weeks with more catches of Black and Red Drum, Bull Whiting, and Pompano later in the week!

Forget the Knife! Always bring the Gun!

Picked Leah up from school and headed out to American Beach.  The goal was to catch a Spinner Shark or two on the long rods and whatever else was biting on the short rods.  The action started out hot and stayed hot.  Surprised to find big blues here so soon.  Caught trout, blues and whiting.  Started at about 1pm and finished at 5pm.  On the long rods I made 50# wire rigs with 6/0 circles.  Was using live mullet for bait.  Wanted pinfish but my spot didn't produce any.  Conditions were blustery and it looked like there should be some Reds out there.  So on one of the short rods I switched from #1 circle's to 4/0 circles and baited with cut mullet and whole shrimp.  On the long rods I decided to switch to whiting heads as bait. 

I am keenly aware there are big creatures in the sea, but for some reason they slip our of my conciousness until I encounter them again; and usually the fight is over before it even starts.  Something powerful latched on to the 12' Ocean Master and 525, with the express intent of taking it out to sea.  I saw the rod go over suddenly and forcefully.  There was no bounce to the rod like there usually is when something big is struggling to take your gear home.  The rod went as far as it could go and the spike started to follow.  The spike was deep.  He had to displace a lot of sand to be getting the spike too.  It was about 40 yards from me and as I started to spriint everything snapped back to twelve o'clock.   That battle was over in 10 seconds.  I reeled it in to discover the wire had been chewed through.  Got a picture but the quality was poor.  The hook was gone.  The 6 foot leader shorter than it was before.  I put the rod back in the spike and stood stunned.  I actually had my guns with me, 10/0 thick J hooks on 135# 7 strand wire.  Just decided that that was more than I'd need for Spinners since I'd caught one last year on 50# mono.  We all know there's always the chance to latch into something more than what you're targeting.   All-in-all it was an excellent day!  The Fish Hunters caught fish and re-learned a lesson.

The Day is Here!

The beginning of serious Surf fishing season.  The plan is to fish hard and fish often over the next 6 weeks.  My primary target will be the Pompano but the hope is to catch a little of everything.  Early afternoon I'll head to Carlucci and sabiki some live pins then head up to Fernandina and see if I can't get a Spinner or two, while also tossing bottom rigs with fresh shrimp.

On Saturday I hope to catch up to a few buddies and fish the sound for Drum and Flounder and maybe some Spanish if they haven't left yet.  Plan to use blue crab quarters, shrimp, cut mullet and live mullet as well as jigging with Gulp minnows.

It's on!

Real Time Bouy Data

One of the keys to planning a fishing trip, going to the right place, bringing the right gear and knowing what to expect is knowing the weather where you're going.  I've added the NOAA near-real time bouy links to the page.  It can be found halfway down on the right.  Hope it helps you land more fish!

Tackle Direct Sale

Tackle direct has a close out sale going on  Close outs happen when the manufacturer discontinues the item, just about the best price you'll get.  Quantum Boca 20 for $80.  Penn Captiva for $30 though I am not a Captiva fan.  Most of it is the high-end stuff.  Pretty expensive $200-$450 range.

http://www.tackledirect.com/

Stalking the Elusive Pompano

They are not easy to find.  They are fast swimmers and are almost always on the move.  Most of us only get a few each time during the migration.  The key is not being stationary.  If we bring a bunch of gear and stay in one spot we may get lucky and get into a school, but generally we'll only catch a few as they pass us by.  You have to travel light and keep on moving until you find the school.  Then keep moving to stay with them.

Where do you start searching?  Look for structure where there is the potential for "shifting sand".  It's been said Pomps are sight feeders who look in the sand for Crustaceans like sandfleas.  If there is a breaker that is crashing and churning up the sand it is uncovering these crustaceans to be eaten by fish that like them.  Those areas of shifting sand are the areas Pompano will feed.  Is there a sandbar being disturbed?  Are the waves crashing into a hole and stirring up the sand?  Is there a runout bringing sand back out to sea?  These areas not only move sand but also the creatures that Pompano love to eat.

Those are the same areas you need to put your bait.  To the left of it, to the right.  Directly in it, just beyond it and just before it.  Cast your baits, wait a few minutes and see what happens.  If you're getting nothing keep moving and try another promising area.

Another thing to keep in mind.  Here in Florida often fish will be right at your feet, especially at high tide.  Take a look at the picture of Hannah Park at the bottom of the page.  Notice there's a sand bar then dark colored water as you move closer to the beach.  That dark colored water is a big hole or trench the surf has carved into the beach.  Once the water rises to allow fish to cross over the sandbar they will fill that hole right up to your feet.  Don't be afraid to cast your bait 5 to 10 feet away. If you haven't already experience it you'll be surprised at the number and size of fish you'll catch right at your feet.

That's why I fish my rods in pairs, one long, one short.  The long rod is an 11-12 footer with a conventional reel (Blue yonder or 525mag) designed to get out beyond the breakers.  It comes in handy during that intermediate tide where you can't wade and the fish can't cross the bar to get in.  It also helps on days when the water is dirty in close and cleaner out to distance.  The short rod is 7-9' with a spinning reel.  Designed to cover the medium to short distance.  If I need to cast 75 yards or 5 yards I can do that with the spinner.


My plan this season is to bring four rods and a cooler on my wheelez cart, with just a very small bag for tackle.  I'm going to bait and cast two rods, one long, one short.  Then move 50 yards and cast the other two.  If nothing on the first set then I'll move them 50 yards beyond the second set.  I'll keep that "leap-frog" going til I either get tired of it or find the school.  Once I find the school I'll park all four rods together and my kids and I will hopefully be pretty busy getting our limit.

Can't wait, the day is approaching!

Closing in on the Magic Number

I get my weather information form the National Weather Service via NOAA.  I've found the closer you get to the date in question the more accurate the prediction is.  For those of us looking for the Pompano to hit our beaches it looks like the magic date will be around Oct 6-8th.  Air temps are going to take a plunge over the coming weekend.  We'll be going from mid 80's down to the high 70's, with night time temps dropping to the low 60's by Sunday.  The Magic number is water temp and we're looking for 78/77 degrees to start seeing the elusive fish.  Get your sandfleas if you can find them they should be getting scarce next week.  Get your gear ready.  The Pomps are almost here!!!  I'll be on American beach all day Oct 8th and 9th to start my hunt!

Tracking the Pompano 9-27-10

There is excellent news in the weather forecast.  Lots of overcast skies and lots of rain this week!  That means the sun won't be able to keep water temps high.  Noaa is even predicting a day time high of only 79 degrees a week from today!  This week water temperatures from southern North Carolina to St. Augustine remain the same, in the lower 80's.  Air temps in NE Florida will be as high as 85 deg during the day and 70 deg during the night this week, continuing a very slow steady decrease.  Winds will be mostly out of the south 8-15 kts, with a few days of light northeast winds.  Swells will be shallow 1-3 feet.  Expect LOTS of rain!  The rivers and creeks continue to be the hotspots for shore fishing.

Looks like the fishing is good up and down the coasts of the Carolinas and GA.   Lots of Reds from just under legal to over 30 inches.  The Black Drum are making a stronger showing as well.  Just a few Pompano in southern NC.  Sharks galore all over the place.  Primarily Spinner Sharks with a few other species mixed in.

If you want a Spinner target them at low tide.  Throw some live bait or chunk bait (I caught one on a half piece of shrimp on a 2/0 circle hook).  Use about a 4/0 - 6/0 circle hook with about 5-6ft of either 80# mono or 50# 7 strand wire as your leader.  It's best to have as much leader as you can because of the spectacular jumps Spinners make out of the water.  They can easily get wrapped around and part your leader from the main-line.  However, if you're casting from the Surf the longer your thick leader the shorter your casting distance.

I use a 7 turn and 3 inside wrap (modified) albright knot to attach my leader to the main-line.  I use to use a standard 10 wrap albright but it would fail occasionally.  Have not had a failure on the modified albright.   20# test is fine because your leader is the strength of the line.  Spinners normally run parallel to the beach and if that happens let him run with moderate drag.  You'll have to follow him up and down the beach.  If that initial run is out to sea you'll have to pay attention to the line on your spool and "feel" when you'll have to make him turn against the risk of losing him.  Your best hope with a shorter leader is for that circle hook to do it's job and latch in the corner of his mouth away from those teeth.  Also by keeping the line taunt you're hoping he won't get wrapped in your leader.  If he stops jumping and you've still got him the battle is yours.  You'll still have to work him in though.  Give it a try, Spinner are a very thrilling and fun catch!

Hooks

Searched a long time to find hooks that I would like. Tried going the cheap route.  Problem is that they rust too fast.  I make my own rigs and after one use the cheapies were done.  Had to make new rigs.  Owner and Gamakatsu hooks are better quality and don't rust quickly.  I've been able to get almost an entire year out of them.  I prefer the Gami's over the Owners because their Octopus Circle hooks have a little wider gap which helps hook up rate. Especially if you're letting rods just sit in sand spikes.
 
On my double bottom rigs I've always used 2/0 circle hooks, however I'd loose a lot of bites because smaller fish would just steal the bait.  Several months ago I heard that #4 circle hooks are best for whiting.   It is a small hook,  really small bait but great hook up rate.  There is a trade off with that small a hook.  You can't get a big enough bait to entice fish like slot reds and larger drum continuously.  Then there's the matter of fighting that size fish with that small of a hook.

I've now switched to #1 circle hooks to solve both problems of hook up rate with 10-12 inch whiting and slot Reds from the same rig.  It's a light wire hook so you still have to be careful with the bigger fish, but I think it'll do the job well consistently.

I also bought some Gulp Sandfleas in Natural color from Strikezone to try on the Pomps in a few weeks. We'll see how they work.

Anxious

I am not much of a summer Surf fisher here in NE Fl. It's mostly whiting unless you have a watercraft to get off the beach or back into the river and creeks.  I also enjoy "action" when I'm fishing.  Summer fishing is pretty slow.  Unless you use live bait from the surf or target sharks it's not very thrilling.  There's a lot of "wait" time.  In 90+ degree heat wait-time is not very fun.

Have not been able to travel like I want this summer to get into fish like I want to with our other priorities.  So I have not been able to fish as much as I would like this summer.  I was on the pier a couple time trying my hand at King fishing; but even that is a hurry up and wait proposition.

I've been "jonesing" for the fall migration now for a couple months.  In two weeks I get three consecutive four day weekends for the sole purpose of chasing the run.  Fourteen days to go and I'm starting to get worried.  I'm keeping an eye almost daily on water temps and air temps and the needles aren't moving very swiftly at all.  We've droppped from mid 90's to high 80's on airtemp, but the water temp is pretty much the same low 80's.  The greatest impact on water temp is the sun and right now the sun is keeping the dial steady.  It's looking more and more like the run is going to be much later than normal; closer to November than September.

Tracking the Pompano - 9-23-10

Unfortunately there are no new reports.  Looks like everyone is focused on work so we'll look again over the weekend to see who got out and what they got.  In the interim we'll just have to keep an eye on water temps.  We should start to see the scouts in our area when the water temp hits 78 degrees and the schools at 75/74 and lower.

Current Water Temps:
Tybee Island, GA 82
Jacksonville Beach, 83
St. Augustine 83

Part II - Where to find the best tackle deals Online

Online retailers.  There are a ton of them.  There are a few "prominent" chain/franchise retailers that get most of the buisness.  Those are actually the ones to avoid.  Cabelas and Bass Pro are hands down the most expensive when it comes to the products they offer.  If a manufacturer lists a product at a recommended price you can bet that price is exactly where those two retailers will list it.  However, the manufacturer is listing the price to drive customers to the retailers.  Some manufacturers will sell directly to the public and some don't.  They understand their business is driven by retailers selling to local customers.  The local retailer has to have the edge in pricing, which is why that recommended price is set to be higher than the retailers should be charging.  Not at Bass Pro and Cabelas.  They charge as much as they can get away with.  For example Cabelas and Bass Pro charge $160 for the new Shimano Baitrunner 4000D at Digital Dagger and Haddrells Point it's $139. 

On top of the high prices those two retailers also have the highest shipping rates in the industry.  They charge on a "how much you buy" scale.  The more you buy the more you pay to have it shipped.  Most online retailers now charge a flat fee and if you buy at a certain level, usally $100 to $250 depending on the retailer, the shipping is free.  To be fair the high end guys only ship via UPS or Fedex.  The mom and pop outfits primarily use USPS priority mail.  That same Baitrunner D ships from Cabelas for $17 and $15 at Bass pro.  Two Day priority at Digital Dagger is about $8 or $9.  Out of your pocket we're talking $177 vs. $148.  That's a $29 difference for the same product.

One note:  If you want to buy from your local B&T (Bait & tackle) there is no shipping but do consider the sales tax.  Rounded to the nearest whole dollar it's $10 on $140 product and $11 on a $160 product at Floridas 7%.  Don't be afraid to negotiate either, but come armed with the knowledge of what it's selling for at the online stores.  If I were to go into a local B&T I would want to spend no more than $148 on the Baitrunner 4000D but would compromise on $155 because of convenice (I can get it today); and the relationship (I can go to them for advice and information).  So I'd say give it to me for $145 plus tax and you have a deal.  They'll usually agree, especially now in these tough economic times. They have to move product to stay in business. Consider what they paid for the product and what they're selling it for:  How do we know what they paid for it?  You can never truly know but you can get a really good idea by paying attention to prices of items that you notice are discontinued.

When a model is discontinued the price will drop and be at or very close to what the retailer paid for it.  They just want to sell it at cost instead of taking a loss.  The new ones are coming and they can't put the new and old side by side.  Just like buying a car when the new models come in it's the best time to get deals on the old models.  A few years ago Shimano discontinued a bunch of their reels and came out with new models.  I bought the discontinued Shimano Spheros FA which was being replaced by the FB.  It was being sold for $110 I got it for $60. I'm guessing but I believe the actual cost to the retailer was still $5-$20 less than that.  At $110 we're talking 50% mark-up.  There's definitely room to negotiate with your local B&T.

No single retailer offers the best prices across the board.  When you find a product you want definitely shop around.  The online retailer with the best prices on most gear across the board is Digital Dagger though you can't actually order online from them.  You have to find the product you want on their website and either email or call them to place your order.  They are a day or two or three slow in getting your order in the mail but if you can tolerate that then they are definitely a store to check everytime you want to buy fishing gear.

Other retailers that I would shop first are:

Tackle Direct - biggest thing about them is they will probably have what you're looking for.  Don't know how big they are but I can count on them to have it.  Their prices are fair, they will also have unbeatable deals from time to time.  I bought my 11' Lamiglas Surf King from them.  At Lamiglas it's $160 I got it a few years ago for $115 shipped.  Today it's $129 shipped.

James Tackle - the guy is very friendly, someone you'd enjoy fishing with, but sometimes forgetful and slow to do buisness with; but the prices are great.  They will also put your name or boat name on any rod for a flat $15.

East Coast Tackle - first time I ordered from them they were selling out of their home.   Very friendly and top notch service.  Got my rods quickly and it was around Christmas.

Alltackle can "almost" be placed in the same category as Bass Pro and Cabelas, however there are a few products that have substantial discounts.  I'm looking at getting a 12' Shimano Tiralejo Casting Rod for my birthday in April.  Most places are charging $350 plus shipping.  The Alltackle price is $330 shipped free.  Part of that is supply based on what these retailers sell to their local customers.  Limited supply higher price, sell a ton to the local people have a lower price.  Alltackle also has some hard to find items.  They have a highspeed mechanical spooler that is tough to find anywhere else.  If you have a lot of reels and don't want to pay or do the work to have each once spooled alltackle has it in stock (at $950).
Shop around for the gear that you like.  You'll start to find retailers that are more favorable for what you're buying.  You'll also save a bunch in the process!   Hope this helps keep more money in your wallet!