Calling all St Johns river Jacksonville FL boaters

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Guest

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Hey all, moving to jax near Orange park in Feb. Love fishing up here in New york. Would love for someone to show me the ropes. I am looking for more of the salt water part. But any good bite will do. I fish off a 12 ft inflatable with a 15hp outboard so keeping up has never been an issue for me :). In NY, fished Ny bight aka Coney island flats and jamaica bay. Any info would be great. Thank you
 
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robert graham

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That 12ft. Inflatable may be a bit small for the St. John's River in and around Jacksonville....lots of heavy shipping traffic and strong currents. But there's plenty of saltwater/brackish creeks off the St. John's and the IWC for fishing....nice public ramps just across the river from Mayport Military area....After you've been in the area a while maybe drag your rig about 75 miles down to Welaka on the river...perfect for small boats/cruising...Ocklawaha River is beautiful!...Good Luck!
 
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Guest

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Thanks Robert, i will need need to check out the places your talking about. Is st johns river that bad. The interence to the nyc area from coney island flats has all those container carriers passing through and i did not find it an issue. I take 2-3ft white caps like nothing. Ive been in 4-8 mph currents and find it no issue if i decide to drift or achor up. A drift sock may even fix the issue. This really sucks.i will try to get my hands on the areas your talking about. If you have exact destination of blackrish river locations and ramps that would be awesome. Thank you all!!!
 
sphelps

sphelps

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All kinds of fishing around these parts ! North of the SJ up the ICW ya got Fernandina, Nassau Sounds, Ft George Inlet , And miles and miles of salt marshes and creeks ... Further south there Guana State Park ,Matanzas Inlet , St augustine .. And thats not counting all the places along the St Johns from the mouth of the river south .. Got a few fresh water lakes to the west of you also ..
Tune into 1010 AM early Saturday mornings and listen to some of the fishing shows that come on , All local stuff . I usually listen on my way to work .. :grumpy::lol:
How does the inflatable deal with oyster beds ...:D
I'm in North Jax area ..
Welcome to the Sunshine State !
 
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robert graham

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St. John's River is not that bad, but it can get busy and rough depending on shipping traffic and weather....just need to be aware but plenty of creeks and side channels to fish and enjoy in the area.....need to buy a nautical chart for Jacksonville area and study up on most convenient ramps for you. Brackish water is a mix of saltwater and freshwater, variable depending on distance from ocean and the tides. They catch lots of saltwater shrimp with cast nets 75 miles from Jacksonville in the Welaka area....There's so much to see and do down there you're gonna love it!....
 
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Guest

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sphelps said:
All kinds of fishing around these parts ! North of the SJ up the ICW ya got Fernandina, Nassau Sounds, Ft George Inlet , And miles and miles of salt marshes and creeks ... Further south there Guana State Park ,Matanzas Inlet , St augustine .. And thats not counting all the places along the St Johns from the mouth of the river south .. Got a few fresh water lakes to the west of you also ..
Tune into 1010 AM early Saturday mornings and listen to some of the fishing shows that come on , All local stuff . I usually listen on my way to work .. :grumpy::lol:
How does the inflatable deal with oyster beds ...:D
I'm in North Jax area ..
Welcome to the Sunshine State !
Click to expand...

sphelps said:
All kinds of fishing around these parts ! North of the SJ up the ICW ya got Fernandina, Nassau Sounds, Ft George Inlet , And miles and miles of salt marshes and creeks ... Further south there Guana State Park ,Matanzas Inlet , St augustine .. And thats not counting all the places along the St Johns from the mouth of the river south .. Got a few fresh water lakes to the west of you also ..
Tune into 1010 AM early Saturday mornings and listen to some of the fishing shows that come on , All local stuff . I usually listen on my way to work .. :grumpy::lol:
How does the inflatable deal with oyster beds ...:D
I'm in North Jax area ..
Welcome to the Sunshine State !
Click to expand...

That is some great info. 1010 wins will be programmed in :). Looks like i will be near the middleburg area. I have alot of researching to do based on your locations and Roberts. As per oyster beds?? Hmmm. Are those oysters catchable and edible? I see how they can cause damage to the boat but might have to be more careful then i would imagine. Hole in my boat is not to much of an issue as 3 parts are inflated seperately. If they cut though the floor my bilge pump might have to work some extra hours. Heres a little vid i made on the coney island flats. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eUmUcmH4tEg
 
sphelps

sphelps

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From the looks of the video you'll fit right in down here . Got flounder down here too ..
You'll have a ways to drive from Middleberg .. But if ya like salt water fishing ya moved to the right State !!
 
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robert graham

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I eat the oysters right off the beds, but limit my consumption during the colder/winter months like November thru February....I doubt you'll be running up on the oyster beds much, but you'll learn your way around quick enough.....Remember the Welaka/Ocklawaha River areas South as far as Sanford for great fishing and scenery....lots to do and see...overnight in the Astor area....
 
sphelps

sphelps

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I would never eat an oyster that wasn't cooked but then again don't care for them a whole lot .. :puke::lol:
Roberts right not to much to worry about . The best thing to do is ride around at lower tide and you can see where the beds are at .Make a note on your map that way ya wont run up on them at higher tides .. Ive never tried it but I hear when the sheepshead are running in the creek they will float a fiddler crab over the tops of the beds at high tide to catch em ..
Lots of guys use kayaks back in the creeks also .
Dang all this fish talk is making me want to go wet a line now... :fish2:
 
sphelps

sphelps

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I,m not positive but I think harvesting oysters for bait may be a no no ..
weimed , This area is basically in my back yard ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvS-7QTVLmc And about 20 mins or so, depending on how fast your boat goes ,from the Mayport jetties at the mouth of the SJ's ...
 
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Guest

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Man that sounds so good. I might buy a fishfinder with chart plotter to learn the ropes. Is February fishing still good there? I been doing some research and found that winter time is best time to go for those striped bass
 
sphelps

sphelps

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Yep they pretty much fish year round down here .. Fall is when the red drum/bass start grouping together ..
 
Sinistre1

Sinistre1

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May 18, 2010
Messages
298
Sounds like you are going to have a ball down there! Those sheepshead are VERY fun to catch think porgy on steroids and 5 times as wily!! And I forgot about throwing the cast net for shrimp you can actually eat!!!!!! Man I envy you.!!!
 
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