Fishing the St. John’s River & Guana Lake Hosted by Thrifty Outdoors Capt. Jim Anderson.
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Transcript of Fishing the St. John’s River & Guana Lake Hosted by Thrifty Outdoors Capt. Jim Anderson.
Fishing the St John’s River
• Where do I start?• Maps & Charts• Weather & Tides• Tackle & Rigs • Cast Nets• Artificial or Live Bait• Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs
Where Do I Start?
• Narrow down the options.• 10% of the water holds 90% of the
fish.• Solicit local knowledge – tackle
shops, newspaper & magazine articles.
• Spend time on the water
Maps & Charts
• Study maps such as satellite maps, Hot Spot & Florida Sportsman charts.
• Identify points, structure & drop offs.
• Make a list of locations to try.• GPS – Great tool.
Weather & Tides
• Seasonal patterns• Recent weather –rainfall, wind &
temperature• Tides - Fish like moving water. Refer to
tide tables: www.fishfactorchaters.com• Plan the time you want to fish based on
tide & temperature.• Fish the up current side of the structure
Tackle & Rigs
• 7’ medium action spinning rod with 2500 Shimano Stradic
• 7’ medium action baitcaster rod with Penn 930.
• Line – 20lb Power Pro• Leader – 20lb Vanish fluorocarbon• Hooks – 3/0 Octopus, ¼oz jig head
Cast Nets
• Use a good quality net: Hightider, Cracker, Calusa, Betts
• Minimum 6’ with 3/8” mesh• Webbing needed for deep water• Instructional videos• Proper care – rinse, dry & store
Artificial or Live Bait?
• Artificials – Grub jigs, topwater lures, gold spoon & bucktails.
• Live Baits – Shrimp, crab, pogies & croaker
• Where do I find live bait? Doctors Inlet, Mandarin Point, Ortega River, crabbers.
• Be observant – Look for schools of bait on surface and on bottom with fishfinder.
Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs
• Many bridges in our area, all hold fish.
• Anchor on the up current side of the bridge.
• Use a float rig to drift bait back to the bridge. Keep it moving.
• Look for current eddies.• Fish different areas of the bridge
Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs
• Docks – Moving water is the key. • Old docks on/near points are
prime.• Anchor or pitch, your choice.• Drift a live shrimp under dock
using float rig or Cajun Thunder.• Shellbeds near docks hold fish.
Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs
• Drop Offs – study charts to identify steep transitions, channel edges, etc.
• Fish will hold along these drop offs.• Use a fishfinder rig to fish the
bottom.• Float rigs also work well drifting
along the edge of the drop off.
Targeted Species
• Redfish• Speckled & Yellowmouth Trout• Flounder• Black Drum• Sheepshead• Stripers• Channel Cats
Fishing Guana Lake
• Guana Lake is a state park• Managed by the FWC for waterfowl• Know the regualtions: Winter
closure, 10hp engine maximum• Two ramps, Six Mile & at the dam• Shallow lake, no tide, no oyster bars• Best fishing March – November
Guana Tactics
• Artificals – gold spoon, topwater lures, grub jigs, swim shads, bucktails
• Live bait – shrimp, mullet, crab• Look for areas holding bait• Many fish are caught in open water• Work shorelines early and late
Guana Tactics
• Cajun Thunder with live shrimp• Jighead & live or fresh dead shrimp• Look for firm bottom when fishing
baits on the bottom.