Greetings from Tru Luvin Fishing and Hagan Coastal Outfitters. This blog provides you with a front row seat to what Domenic and Ron are seeing on the water in Northeast Florida from our kayaks, as we chase inshore saltwater species, primarily using artificial lures. From time to time, we will include bonus reports from tournaments and fishing trips around the region as we travel. We want to keep you informed of what is biting, what lures are working for us and what gear has been helping us get on the fish.
Overall Fishing Report
When the calendar flipped to April, the seasonal transition officially ended. We are now entrenched in the very productive and fun Spring inshore fishing season. Wind was still a factor at times, but the weather and water temperatures moderated to ideal conditions.
The team fished a lot in April in both the kayaks and the boat. Every trip produced fish and the catches only got better and stronger as the month progressed. We started off the month with slow fished twitch baits and ended focusing on topwater lures as the water temperatures settled into the 70s. One other weather factor that affected the fishing for us was the lack of rain.
On the negative side, we had to contend with wildfire smoke on the water at times. On the positive side, the lack of rainfall has left the St. John’s River very salty. With higher salinity, we found outstanding catches of the typical coastal fish we chase far down river. This made for some outstanding trips in areas we do not fish regularly.
In April, we hit the road with the Beavertail skiff in tow, headed to Punta Gorda on Florida’s gulf coast for a few days of fishing and the First Responder Games Inshore Fishing Tournament. It was great to fish in a tournament full of first responders and we enjoyed our time there. We fished new water to both of us and contended with very strong winds that limited us to fishing the wind protected sides of the banks and islands of Charlotte Harbor area. We found a healthy population of Snook down there with the Trout and Reds being a little more elusive. We lost a Snook, right next to the boat, in the final hour of the tournament that would have put us on the podium but that is just how it goes sometimes in tournament fishing. Congratulations to those who won.
The rest of the month was a mixture of boat and kayak trips in Northeast Florida with consistent results. We managed to catch fish on every trip, but the numbers and size of the fish got better and better as the month progressed. Topwater fishing, a favorite technique for Dom and Ron, fired up in April and sets the stage for a strong upcoming month of May for fishing inshore.
Tactics That Are Working
As mentioned earlier, we had very little rain in April and this left the salinity very high in the St. John’s River. We took advantage of that to focus more time that we normally do in different areas of the main river on both sides of the Buckman Bridge. We fished in both boats and kayaks.
Dom focused more time in the boat in open areas, while Ron spent more time in his Hobie kayaks fishing docks. Both tactics produced great results and multiple slams in April. A slam is a day with legal catches of Redfish, Trout and Flounder all on the same trip. We were both surprised by the number of Flounder we encountered, and all were legal size. Topwater produced multiple Trout over twenty inches and fishing near the docks produced good numbers of slot and over slot Redfish.
Here are a few of the lures that produced for us in April. When it came to topwater, the Mirrolure Mirromullet XL (26mr) produced really well in the early morning while the waters were calm. It has a streamlined and subtle presentation that tends to get just the right amount of attention without spooking the fish in calm conditions. The old standard Gulp Swimming Mullet in the four-inch size produced quality fish as always. This is one of those old school lures that just produces fish regardless of the season. You just change the weight of your jig head based on the conditions you are fishing.
Lastly, a newer lure we have been using is the ZMan Trout Trick Thick Trick. When you look at this lure in the package it does not look like much more than a stick bait with a little flexibility to it. We have been working with it a lot and it has been the top producer on many trips. It casts great into or with the wind and it lands softly. You can also skip this bait across the water’s surface if you are fishing around structure and need to get it into a tight window. This lure has been a top producer for us in this area along with our recent trips to both Crystal River and Punta Gorda. Tie one on if you have not given it a try yet. It has only been on the market about a year.
Lessons Learned
We noted earlier that nice fish have been caught near the docks of the main river on recent trips. These areas can really produce under the right conditions but fishing docks requires some technical skill in a kayak.
If you are going to fish them in a paddle kayak you should plan to stake out up current and cast toward the docks. Keep in mind that wind, current and fish will all pull you toward the docks and it can be difficult to navigate that quickly enough in a paddle kayak.
Even the best casters among us will get hung up at times as well and getting your line free can be an adventure. This type of fishing is much more effectively done in a pedal driven kayak so you can make continual adjustments to your kayak’s trajectory and placement as you fish.
Safety should always be your first concern on the water and this is a tactic best employed by experienced kayak fisherman.