By Capt. David Lifka
mail@floridanewsline.com
April showers may bring more flowers, but best of all it’s time for flounder. Not only flounder, but many other species of fish that find their way down the St. Johns River this time of year.
Bridges and docks from downtown Jacksonville to Green Cove Springs are the most likely areas to locate this tasty favorite. Shrimp, jig heads tipped with shrimp, and even live finger mullet are all quality baits that can be used. Flounder can be caught at most any depth, but when fishing docks and bridge pilings, depths of about 15 feet or less might be more productive. Remember that the minimum size limit is now 14 inches with a daily bag limit of five per person.
Croaker is another species of fish that can be expected at any time in the river. This smaller cousin of the redfish is both plentiful and very good eating and should be plentiful all through the river during the upcoming months. Croaker make a great fish fry for friends and family as there are no restrictions to size and the bag limit can’t be over 100 pounds. Dead shrimp or even earthworms soaked on the bottom is all that is needed to catch this fish.
Yellowmouth trout, now referred to as weakfish, can show as early as April in our parts of the river. Since they are a little more finicky regarding the salinity of the river, rainfall amounts can speed up or delay their arrival. Shrimp, cut bait, or jig heads tipped with either, should be fished on the bottom in holes and near ledges. Weakfish make for another great fish fry catch as there is no size limit and a daily bag limit of 100 pounds per person.
If there was to be a kickoff month to our fishing season for the St. Johns, April would be most likely the month. With warmer weather and increasing water temperatures bait fish and their predators will definitely be on the increase. Flounder, croaker, and weak fish are just some of the species to be expected along with drum, sheepshead, and everyone’s favorite, the redfish and more.
While our saltwater fishing in the river is still on warm and waiting to get hot, our area’s freshwater fishing is already there. The bass bite has been strong in all our area freshwater locations, and it should continue into the summer. Surf fishing is also turned all the way up with whiting catches of 30 to 40 being reported.
Fishing Report: Freshwater fishing for bass continues to be very good, while fishing the beach for whiting seems to be at its best.
Whether you catch one, some or none, the family time spent fishing will last a lifetime.
Email your Catch of the Month photo to catchofthemonthpictures@gmail.com. Be sure to include the name of the person(s) in the photo, the name of the person who took the photo, the type of fish and date and location of the catch. We will select a photo each month for publication.
