Giving you the info you need. REDFISH, RED DRUM, EVEN IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER The most consistent “sport fish” during the hot summer months is the Redfish. They really don’t mind the 87 degree water temps. When fishing the shallow saltmarsh areas. I’ve been able to find them on both tides, high and low. But they aren’t everywhere. Just like me, they have their favorite hang-outs. Around shell bars, Oysterbeds, and creek mouths. The only problem I’m having is that we have so much bait around. Mullet are everywhere. And that’s our competition. I’ve been casting soft plastics on light 1/8th to 1/4 ounce jigheads. With hope my lure stands out enough with all the bait swimming around. Yeah, Redfish like the slower moving “crustaceans” such as crabs and shrimp. But so do the small bait stealer fish, too. You absolutely must wear polarized sunglasses, so you can see where the underwater structure is, so not to hang up on the oysterbeds, every cast. Being able to see underwater in the shallows is so essential. Look for the Redfish to get thicker and larger as fall approaches. And here in N.E. Florida that should start happening in September. As far as the BIG Bull Redfish, the ones we measure in pounds versus inches. It’s so funny. I can spot a rookie in a second on Youtube. They measure a Redfish, instead of weighing it. Around here, you can’t even keep one over 27 inches (tail pinched) so who really cares how long it was. It isn’t going in the cooler anyhow. It’s “sport fishing” for sure, just for the fun of it. And by October, it’s 100% go-time for the fish that go 20-40 pounds. It’s a “bait-n-wait” fishing. They’ll bite in the river. When our tidal current is just right. And generally speaking they want 30 feet over their head. It’s nothing I spend the whole day doing. Like I said, “it’s bait -n-wait fishing”. I’d say 90% of all my customers over the last 30 years have caught their largest fish of their life bottom fishing for these Bull Redfish. But at the same time, everyone wants fish to take home. So this is not going to be that fishing. We have to fish the shallower waters, casting baits in the saltmarsh for any “keepers”. I find it funny that after all these years, many customers have caught the latest fish of their lifetime, but then complain they have no Redfish to take home. I call that “looking a gift horse in the mouth.” Again, that’s why I don’t split days into all kinds of hours. Half days, ¾ days, Full days. For 30 years, I’ve offered a one price day, for up to 6 hours. Because you may want to try your hand at big Bull Redfish, before or after a day in the Marsh creeks. If you reserved a 1/2 day, which is 99% of the time just 4 hours. There may not be time or TIDE to do any other styles of Redfishing. And because I do a max. of 2 persons. It’s very easy to switch up and try different techniques and tackle. Besides, I fish shallow waters a lot, and we cast a lot, too. You don’t do that with groups of 3 or even 4. Keep that in mind when you book a day of inshore fishing. You’re not putting 4-6 people on a 17’ flats boat targeting Bonefish in the Florida Keys. And I've never seen a Bass boat with 4-6 people on it, fishing for Large mouths in a lake either. Just because it’s saltwater fishing, doesn’t make ‘’Redfish fishing’’ any different.

FIRST THING I'D DO, IS RESERVE MY DATE WELL AHEAD, WITH MY GUIDES RECOMMENDATIONS. -I'D ASK, "WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR?" -WHAT DO YOU RECCOMEND? -I'D WANT TO PASS ON MY "FISHING EXPERIENCE". -I'D BE HUMBLE. ESPECIALLY IF I HAVE NEVER FISHED N.E. FLORIDA BEFORE. - I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T TREAT MY FISHING DAY LIKE BOOKING A UBER TO TAKE ME TO THE NEAREST TAVERN OR RESTAURANT.

REPORT WITH BRETT FROM TENN. STARTED OUT WITH SMALL CREEK TROUT, MANY OF THEM AND SUPER SMALL REDFISH, AND POTATO CHIP SMALL FLOUNDER, LOADS OF FISH, ON GULP TWISTER TAILS I WANT TO USE UP. STEREO TYPICAL SUMMER ACTION. (LOADS OF FISH CAUGHT, MANY MANY SPECIES) JUST NOT ALOT OF ''KEEPERS'' IN STATE OF FLORIDA. ONLY 2 KEEPER FLOUNDER. MOVED AROUND, MANY LADYFISH IN THE RIVER, A FEW JACKS. ANY WHERE ALONG DOCKS OR ROCKS WITH FLOAT-RIGS & TINY ''LOCAL'' SHRIMP, MEANT BAIT -STEALERS GALORE. FLOAT-RIG FISHING IN DEEP SUMMER IS ALMOST A WASTE OF TIME WITH SHRIMP....MAY BE OK WITH WITH SMALL MULLET. BUT USUALLY DON'T HAVE "TIDE" TO WASTE CHASING DOWN 2" MULLET. I'M SURE ITS MUCH BETTER 30 MILES SOUTH, WHERE THE SALINITY IS PURE OCEAN WATER. BUT I DON'T LIVE/FISH, 30 MILES SOUTH. BY AFTERNOON, AND TIDE SCREAMING OUT OF THE CREEKS BRETT USED A LIVE ''SHRIMP-N-JIG COMBO MEAL'', AND A 23" TROUT LIKED THE MENU OFFERING. OF COURSE, IN THE COMMUNIST FISH STATE. WE LEFT FOR THE DOCK, WITH JUST 2 FLOUNDER IN THE FISH BAG, SINCE TROUT ARE RARE, (SARCASM) ENDANGERED SPECIES IN N.E. FLORIDA AND WE HAD TO RELEASE THIS TROPHY SIZED MALE FISH. NO FRIED TROUT SANDWICHES!

ITS ALWAYS "CALM" IN THE SALT MARSH CREEKS. FLOAT-RIGGIN'...aka: SLIP FLOAT AND A LIVE FRISKY SHRIMP. RELAX & FISH!

DAY 2 WITH THE "TRAVELLER" LEFT MAYPORT AT 1pm DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH 6 HRS OF A RISING TIDE AND NO BITES LIKE YESTERDAY. INSTEAD..."WE NEVER CAUGHT THE FIRST REDFISH?" NOT FROM A LACK OF TRYING, THATS FOR SURE. BUT, AS THE TIDE TURNED WE CAUGHT PLENTY OF TROUT, WITH 4 GOOD KEEPERS, AND LOTS OF FLOUNDER. AND 2 KEEPERS. THE SO-CALLED 5-10 KNOT WINDS UP IN THE CREEK WAS THE "JOKE ON US". IT WAS SUPER WINDY. BUT BEGGARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS. WE AT LEAST ONLY HAD TO WASTE, AND WE DID GETTING WAKE IN THE RIVER, 2 HRS OF THE HIGH TIDE, AND CAUGHT BASICALLY ZERO, STILL LOOKING FOR THOSE SCHOOLS OF YELLOWMOUTH TROUT ON PLACES WE CAUGHT THEM "EVERY YEAR THIS TIME, EXCEPT...THIS YEAR!!!" ANOTHER JOKE ON US. WE HAD A GOOD TIME UP IN THE SALTMARSH, AS THE DAY GOT LATER IT TURNED REALLY NICE. THE "NO REDFISH" THING WAS CONFUSING. BAIT EVERYWHERE AT DEAD LOW. BUT MY OLE SAYING STILL RINGS TRUE FOR BAZARO WORLD FLORIDA, "BAIT BAIT EVERYWHERE AND NO FISH TO EAT THEM". ON THE WAY OUT OF THE CREEK, WE SLOWLY DRIFTED SOME GIANT OYSTER MOUNDS LOOKING TO SEE IF REDFISH WERE AROUND. MAYBE THERE WAS. BUT THE TRAVELLER SAID, "I'M DONE", SO WE HEADED BACK TO MAYPORT BOAT RAMP TO MAKE THE DONUTS. TRAVELLER BOB DOESN'T DO THE INCESSANT HEAT THING OF SUMMER. HE'S NOT LIKE THE AVERAGE TOURIST. HE'S A TRUE ANGLER, ONE OF THE FEW I'VE HAD AS REPEAT CUSTOMERS. HEAT AND SWEATING HE KNOWS ISN'T THE FINEST FISHING IN JAX. SO THE NEXT TIME HE'S COMING WILL BE LATE OCTOBER OR EARLY NOVEMBER. THE "TRAVELLER" ONLY TRAVELS WHEN THE TEMP IS RIGHT. NEXT TIME HE VOWS WON'T BE ON RISING TIDE DAYS. THATS FOR SURE.

REDFISH, BE IT ON SHRIMP, MULLET, OR SOFT PLASTICS ARE THE MAIN SPECIES IN THE SALTMARSH. SPECIAL KIDS TRIPS (not offered here) ON EASTER SUNDAY. DEAD SHRIMP ON THE BOTTOM PRODUCED 2 BLACK DRUM, A SPECKLED TROUT, AND SEVERAL PINFISH FOR 2 LITTLE TOTS WITH DAD.