Northeast Fishing Forecast - Flagler To Fernandina Beach - Florida Sportsman (2024)

August 15, 2024 By Capt. Roger Bump

Fernandina Beach to Flagler Beach

Capt. Roger Bump covers inshore and offshore fishing in Northeast Florida from Fernandina Beach to Flagler Beach, including Jacksonville and Saint Augustine.

Action Spotter Podcast

Aug. 16-18 Report

Offshore

Water temps have dropped slightly and there appears to be large mullet schools running the beaches. Kingfish, tarpon and shark anglers should be running the beaches also looking for bait activity and predator activity. We are closing in on the last of summer just touching the fall of the year where a heavy feed is upon us.

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There will also be schools of pogies running the beaches building in numbers as they wait to get the call to migrate South. Anglers should have cast nets ready and rods rigged at a moment’s notice. If you happen to find an area full of bait and even better, notice the bait getting hammered by predators, you need to plan on getting baits in the water fast. Inlets are always top areas to look first but sometimes just searching further down the beaches can score. Some anglers have done well getting bait off the beach then heading out on offshore wrecks starting 10 miles out to as far as 30 miles out. This style of fishing may have you run into a bonus school of cobia. Better get your fix in now before the strong winds come in the fall and rule the ocean.

Inshore

Hurricane Debby dropped a lot of rain, which did two things to our forecast area. It lowered water temps and the abundance of freshwater pushed saltwater species down rivers. Those who fish inlet jetties have noticed an immediate improvement in fishing. Mullet schools are running up and down the shore lines and this in turn has attracted a wide variety of predators. If I could give one tip it would be find the bait which is finger mullet schools.

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The mullet could not be a better size averaging 3 inches in length. This is perfect bait for flounder , reds , trout , mangrove and others. Target docks , rock drop offs , sand bars , points , just about any ambush area is probably going to hold fish. Creek systems near ocean inlets will also be hotspots to target. Best lure selections would be any mullet imitator. The best time of the year to fish starts this weekend till mid October. No time to waste !

Good luck and be safe from your Captain

Capt. Roger Bump
(904)866-8055
Email Roger Bump
www.jacksonvillefishingtrips.com

PREVIOUS REPORTS

Aug. 9-11 Report

Offshore

Going to start off with: be careful before just running full throttle on the water whether inland or offshore. We just had days of high winds and lots of rain. There will be lots of floating debris on the water, some of them small and some of them large. Keep your eyes on where you’re heading. Kingfish and tarpon anglers will also have to keep their eyes on looking for bait. Before the storm there were some large pogie schools holding near major inlets, Nassau and St Mary’s river mouths. These schools were attracting tarpon and large kingfish which one particular kingfish won a major tournament last week. It’s the old saying “find the bait, you will find the fish.“ Searching for bait is always a gamble from the moment you exit the inlet into the ocean— “do I head North or do I head South?“ If you can team up with another boat you can cut your odds in two. Things we can learn from the past is this time of year is just a step away from the mullet run and pogie migration. Bait schools will build up inside 2 miles along the coast. Best bottom fishing will start in 100 feet and deeper. Possible schooling cobia on shallower wrecks with deeper wrecks better for trigger, vermilion and mangrove snapper.

Inshore

Just called B&M tackle at Mayport to find out if there were any bait stock issues and they told me they have everything any kind of angler would need from live shrimp, mud minnows, blue crab, to name a few. Mid-August after a storm should have lots of species of fish feeding. Look for Flounder to build in numbers from now until Oct. 15, when the season closes. This is a tricky time of year for bait selection because finger mullet are the bait of choice for larger flounder as we get closer to fall. Mud minnows are still a great choice right now for numbers rather than doormats. Redfish have been the most consistent fish to target and should continue their cooperative feeding ways through this weekend. Lure anglers will have great success using small swim baits and topwaters for redfish. Bait anglers flipping live shrimp should also do equally well if not better in catching redfish. Other species you may run into are jacks, lady fish, mangrove snapper, speckled and yellow trout . Bottom fishing dead shrimp is also picking up catching black drum, croakers and whiting. Overall the winds will be light and temps not as hot. Great excuse to go fishing. As always thanks for reading and take care from your Captain Roger Bump.

Capt. Roger Bump
(904)866-8055
Email Roger Bump
www.jacksonvillefishingtrips.com

Aug. 2-4 Report

Offshore

This weekend will have light to moderate onshore winds from the South, water temps in the high 80s. Pogie schools have been making appearances in surf areas near inlets. These baitfish schools have been attracting tarpon, kingfish and sharks early in the day.

It is recommended to have a pair of binoculars onboard to scout for diving birds from a distance as this most likely means large schools of pogies are in that area. The King of the Beach kingfish tournament will be held this weekend so plan ahead on boat ramps to use as boat traffic will be heavy. Offshore wrecks have been key for large kingfish the past couple of weekends but with the sudden appearance of bait off beaches that may change. Best bottom fishing starting in 100 feet with catches of cobia and as you head deeper better chances of trigger and mutton snapper.

Inshore

Redfish hold the top spot by taking top waters or wake baits early near grass lines. Some speckled trout also are taking surface lures but more likely on main waterway grass lines.

Flounder continue to take mud minnows or finger mullet on moving tides near creek mouths, rocks and docks. Flounder are scattered but should thicken in the next month or two depending on any low pressure weather systems that might move in. Mangrove snapper have been a consistent catch using small pieces of shrimp near heavy cover areas for example rocks, oysters, or docks. Up rivers St John’s and St Mary’s has seen black drum and croakers taking fresh dead shrimp anywhere between 5 and 12 feet of water. Look for channel edges with moving water for drum and croaker most likely a bridge for starters. Speaking of croakers, if you happen to be catching this fish in the 3- to 5-inch size keep a couple alive in a bait well so you can use them for bait. Have a larger rod handy (30-pound braid minimum) with a Carolina rig weighted at the minimum 1/2-ounce weight for live croaker. Using the croaker alive is a bonus because it will croak loudly underwater attracting predators of all sorts, and most likely redfish. Don’t forget your bug spray, sunscreen and drinking water.

Capt. Roger Bump
(904)866-8055
Email Roger Bump
www.jacksonvillefishingtrips.com

July 25-28 Report

Offshore

Where are the pogies? Some big kingfish have been caught this year but not without its challenges. Fishbites rep Scott Jones, who lives for the warm months of kingfish and tarpon, explains one important thing missing, pogy schools. They showed up early May then disappeared. Seasoned pros like Thomas Rady of Neptune Beach are leaving no stones unturned when it comes to alternative baits. Frozen ribbon fish, goggle eyes or “sabiki rig” jigging green backs are just a few examples. When bait gets scarce, I have heard of success using a blue runner or Jack crevalle. For the weekend angler, once you have bait, focus your search on wrecks starting 20 miles out and further. Be prepared to have a few run-ins with sharks, but there are also possible catches of cobia.

Definitely have a surface presentation mixed with baits dropped down using down riggers. Mixing in some bottom fishing on those deeper wrecks should add trigger, mutton, mangrove, and vermilion to the fish box.

Inshore

I want to take a moment and address the future of inshore fishing via new products that we all look forward to purchasing and using to improve our fishing experience. There are new lures, tackle and sonar options becoming available everyday and are somewhat overwhelming to choose from. My opinion for everyone is to try a little bit of everything and learn about trends on YouTube as much as possible. Glide, swim, wake, chatter, suspend presentations can be highly productive in our forecast area. There is not a better time than right now in experimenting with a wake bait over a standard walk-the-dog topwater for redfish or trout, especially early and late in the day. As the sun comes up, mix in some deeper techniques, using jigs or lip divers and focusing on depths between 5 and 12 feet. I prefer main waterways with current, not so much backwater and ditch areas. Flounder this time of year require a lot of moving and casting. Experiment with a small spinner bait, either arm style or underspin, adding a trailer (Fishbites, Gulp, soft plastic) in white or chartreuse. This is a great lure to cover water and get reaction strikes that may draw fish in from a couple feet. A small crankbait bounced on shallow rocks in a natural black/white color can often score on flounder and give a angler another option in getting a few more bites. The free rig using a tungsten weight gives an angler the advantage of getting more sensitivity using any style hook and getting presentations not achieved by other rigs. I personally use the free rig on any given day or fishing charter and with natural bait or artificial. In other words, don’t be afraid to try new things. The only negative right now in fishing our forecast area is the heat. Otherwise fish are biting and there may not be a better time to catch five or more different species. Have a great fishing weekend trying something new to catch a fish. I will try to add some specific new lures in future forecast reports.

Capt. Roger Bump
(904)866-8055
Email Roger Bump
www.jacksonvillefishingtrips.com

July 19-21 Report

Offshore

We might get some needed rain this weekend which will have little effect on fishing but may make temperatures more comfortable for anglers. This weekend the Sisters Creek boat ramp will host the Greater Jacksonville kingfish tournament which means no public use of the ramp and Mayport boat ramp will be packed, so plan accordingly. Water temps are in the high 80’s. This should hold larger Kings nearshore especially if you can find areas with bait. Bait on the other hand has been tough to find. Some reports have anglers catching pogies inside the mouth of the St. Mary’s river; otherwise pogies have been scarce to scattered. Bait options could be buying frozen ribbon fish or using sabiki rigs on nearshore wrecks to catch greenies. A lot of anglers like to slow troll inside five miles within sight of the beaches for kings but anglers using down riggers on wrecks outside 20 miles also scoring on big kingfish. Best bottom fishing starting on wrecks outside 30 miles or 120 feet.

Inshore

It’s been hot to say the least but if you can get past the sweat, there are plenty of species of fish biting. Redfish pushing wakes on the incoming tides will start both days. Sight fishing will be prime using small top waters or weedless soft plastics as fish try to move into the grass. Flounder hasn’t slowed a bit especially on main waterway banks just inside inlets. Best bait for flounder is a mud minnow on a jig head or slide weight with hook 1/8 to 1/4 ounce. Lure choices Gulp or Fishbites curly tails in white. Speckled trout also keeping up with the heavy feed trend taking topwaters or lip divers early and late in the day. Night fishing for trout also productive if you can find the right lights on a dock. I like any shrimp imitating lure for trout at night. Tarpon are also giving chances to anglers presenting the right retrieve with either a swim bait , grub , or fluke style bait. Mornings are best for tarpon but be advised these fish can be very challenging to catch or even get to bite. I always say, try everything especially if you can see them rolling over and over in the same spot. Small finger mullet can get the attention of any tarpon even fish pushing 150 plus. Study some tarpon knots , leaders and hooks. I myself constantly change my rigging for tarpon as I find every situation different. My best advice is try 40 lb leader to get bites and 80l lb leader to possibly catch one. Don’t get frustrated , determination is everything when it comes to tarpon. Best spots to look for tarpon are inlets and surf areas holding pogie schools.

Have a great weekend and stay cool.

Capt. Roger Bump
(904)866-8055
Email Roger Bump
www.jacksonvillefishingtrips.com

Updated July 11

Offshore

July 12th—this Friday—will be open for red snapper. That is one snapper per angler. Most wrecks from 5 miles out to 30 hold plenty of red snapper with the deeper wrecks starting in 80 ft holding the larger fish. Frozen squid or Boston Macks are standard bait for red snapper. Deeper wrecks starting in 120 feet are the best chances for trigger, mutton, mangrove and vermilion. Live bait has been a challenge the past month as pogy schools are scarce. Best bet for live-bait kingfish is to jig nearshore wrecks inside 10 miles with sabiki rigs. Kingfish live bait alternatives can be just about anything with a flash; jack crevelle, blue runners, lady fish, Spanish mackerel, mullet and Bonita. Frozen option is ribbon fish, which can be very effective but hard to find. Fishing for kings has been a mix of slow trolling beaches to down-rigging baits on wrecks as far out as 30 miles. I have been hearing success on both options.

Inshore

If you fish one of the main rivers in our Northeast Florida area, St John’s, St Mary’s, Nassau, then you might have noticed your fishing area has grown. Due to lack of rainfall, saltwater has crept up all those rivers where normally one would just catch freshwater largemouth bass. We are now experiencing a small amount of afternoon showers but it would take a lot of rainfall to washout the saltwater and move saltwater species. So, if you happen to be bass fishing in Palatka, St. John’s River or Thomas Creek, Nassau River or past the 95 bridge, St Mary’s River, don’t be surprised to catch a redfish or two.

Fishing overall has something for everyone.

Flounder are available to target with mud minnows or artificial fish bites and Gulp tails in white. Speckled trout are taking any soft plastic shrimp imitator, D.O.A., Vudu, or Tsunami great brands to try. If you’re trying to target trout or flounder you’re probably going to catch a redfish. Focus on main grass lines, docks, bridges, rocks in major waterways. In other words, avoid small creeks as water temps are hot and water movements mostly slack. In July, livebait preferences will change to live shrimp, which is not the easiest to keep alive in the hot weather. A frozen water bottle sealed can help cool your bait bucket water down and add life to your shrimp. If you’re not getting bites move to the next spot. Have a safe trip and don’t forget the bug spray and enjoy.

Capt. Roger Bump
(904)866-8055
Email Roger Bump
www.jacksonvillefishingtrips.com