Ahoy, anglers! Captain Adam Morley here, back with another thrilling fishing report from the waters of Flagler County. This past week has been a rollercoaster ride of temperature spikes and drops, testing my skills and perseverance with every cast.
Let me tell you, folks, Mother Nature threw us a curveball with significant fluctuations in water temperatures. On Monday, the Matanzas River near the inlet was a balmy 70°, but come Wednesday, I was getting readings closer to 58° in the same spot. Talk about a shock to the system—for both the fish and yours truly!
Now, these wild temperature swings can make the fish a bit finicky, to say the least. It’s generally believed that such fluctuations can leave our aquatic friends feeling a bit uncomfortable, causing them to hit the pause button on feeding until they’ve had a chance to acclimate. But fear not, my fellow anglers, for even in the face of adversity, there were still fish to be caught!
First up on the highlight reel are the pompano, making their grand entrance on Flagler County beaches and beyond. From St. Johns to our very own shores, these silver speedsters are putting up a show, much to the delight of anglers near and far.
And let’s not forget about the surf, where a phenomenal Spanish Mackerel bite has been lighting up the scoreboard. Limits are being caught daily, with casting plugs in the surf proving to be the winning strategy for eager anglers.
But wait, there’s more! Trout have been making their presence known in deeper moving waters inshore, providing ample opportunities for those looking to hook into some speckled treasures.
As for the redfish, well, the bite may have been a bit slow for yours truly, but I did manage to put ol’ Charley onto a nice upper slot red. Sometimes, it’s not about the quantity but the quality of the catch, am I right?
And now, for the pièce de résistance—the story of the week, the talk of the town, the stuff of legends—the massive Bluefish that have descended upon our waters in numbers I’ve never seen in my 30+ years of fishing here. Just the other night, I reeled in four beasts over 30”, with the granddaddy of them all measuring in at a whopping 36”. A personal best for this Florida Man, indeed!
So there you have it, folks. Despite the ups and downs of temperature fluctuations, the fish are still biting, and the adventures on the water continue. Until next time, tight lines and smooth sailing.
Chris from Skinny Water Lures mentioned this week we are going to change it up a little.
We are going to talk about the tactics used for our Top 5 Finish in the Florida Redfish Series – Jacksonville stop this past weekend. It started off tough due to a low tide at 8am. Our plan was to push into the flats and work around the oyster beds and deep holes. That plan quickly changed as we attempted to paddle back into the flats, but it was already dead low tide as our kayaks ran ashore on the mud.
As I sat there pondering Plan B – thinking this tournament might be a bust – I looked over and noticed a small shrimp pop from the water’s edge. Then, a second and third shrimp jumped in that same area. I quickly grabbed my rod with a 3-inch Skinny Water Lures “Green Goblin” paddle tail and cast just past where the shrimp had jumped. As soon as the lure hit the water the fish-gods spoke and it was fish on!!
A redfish had just choked down the SWL lure and was now running straight towards me! I quickly reeled the slack line in and set the hook…talk about a quick adrenaline dump! I went from being beached on the mud to being hooked up to the possible tournament-winning fish! As the beast got close to my kayak, I attempted to grab the net but off he went, peeling drag from my Diawa Tatula bait caster. We played tug-of-war for a good 45 seconds before the big boy finally gave up. As I sat there trying to calm myself, I placed the fish on the board and couldn’t believe that I had just caught a 26.75 inch redfish. I quickly took my pictures, revived him back in the water, and went back to fishing.
As I stood there still in shock from battle I had just faced, I looked in the same spot and again noticed another shrimp jumping from the water. I quickly threw the same lure back in and BAM!! I was hooked up on fish number 2. Around and around the kayak I went in a fierce panic to get my second redfish into the boat knowing that this could possibly put me on the leader board. After a quick battle I had the second 21.75 inch redfish in the boat and was on the leader board.
The tournament started at 7:15am and I had both of the keeper redfish in my boat by 7:50am. As the tide changed, it allowed me to push back into the flats in order to fish my original game plan. I hooked into 5 other redfish at that point. As the hours counted down and I fiercely pushed to upgrade my smallest redfish catch, I slowly watched my first place standing get taken away by other talented anglers. The tournament finally came to an end. I had two redfish on the board and sat in 5th place. I also had the biggest legal redfish of the tournament!
Moral of the story: slow down – take a second to look around and notice the clues nature gives you to where the fish are. Also, don’t be afraid to go with plan B.
