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St. Augustine, FL

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  RyGuy525 
#1 ·
Im going down to St. Augustine, FL the last week in Febuary and was wondering what types of fishing oppurtunities i may have? If anyone has fished there or close to there i would love to hear about it! I wouldn't mind doing fishing for redfish or barracuda. If anyone knows of guides i could get in contact with that would be great! Thank you in advance
 
#2 ·
. . . I had on and lost one big snook (I never actually saw the fish, but it was so fast and powerful that that's about all it could have been), and one 3-5 pound redfish. My wife's mom lives in Bradenton and I fished the Braden River. I was casting a small Rapala-like lure under a bridge in Bradenton, and I didn't even know it was brackish. I later read that several guides bring their clients to this area and catch lots of redfish and snook.

I've also read about fishing the Indian River and the Banana River, both of which would be just an hour or south of where you are staying and you can catch all kinds of fish on spinning gear or even fly fishing tackle. You might try searching on Indian River, Banana River, Cape Canaveral, fishing, snook, redfish -- or some such words in any of the many search engines.

I'm quite certain that you could have some luck just wading around in one of those estuaries, but if you can afford it, a guide is probably always the best idea.

Good luck. I hope you latch onto some big redfish or snook during your trip down south.

Paul
 
#6 ·
RyGuy525....

My suggestion is to give www.floridasportsman.com a try. There is no relationship between the Florida site and "our" site here... but it is somewhat similar. They do also have a forum that is divided up into geographical areas.

I would suggest going to the main site and do a little "surfing" 1st to become familiar with the site.... and then diving into the Forums and doing a little reading... and searching on topics... and doing some more reading.

Here is the Northeast Florida Sportsman Forum.... Northeast Florida Sportsman Forum

After you have done all the searching... and reading.... by all means... sign up and ask a few questions if you have them.

I actually used to be a member of the Florida site before I found "our" site here... I used to frequent the "Florida Keys" forum!! As just like our site.... the people on the Florida site seem to be very helpful if you first do some research before you ask any questions.

Good Luck.... if you have any additional questions about the Florida site... feel free to ask.

By the way... the Florida Sportsman magazine is one of THE BEST fishing magazines on the market. I have been a subscriber for 7 or 8 years now... and I have learned TONS about fishing down there. I would see if you could do a search on past issues that have the St. Augustine area in them.

Don P.
 
#7 ·
Actully the end of Feb. is when the fishing starts picking up on the west side by Naples. The reason that time of the year can be tough is that it is kind of in between the cold and warm water fisheries. Kind of a transition time. But the sheepies and trout with an occasional black drum should be biting, along with whiting. At least that is the way it works on the south west side.Oh ya, Pompano's should be in also.
 
#8 ·
"My suggestion is to give www.floridasportsman.com a try."

I posted in the outings section that some guys may be willing to trade trips. I am also a member of that website and the guys seem very willing to have riders share in fuel cost. I usually check the Southeast since that is where my relatives live and the area that I fish when I visit. If you cordial I'm sure you'll find someone to take you fishing. Good luck and post the pictures from your trip.
 
#9 ·
Thank you for your help! I most deffinitly will post some pics when i come home. I just wish Febuary would come faster! Im gunna try ice fishing this year though and that should help the time go by
 
#10 ·
I was down there last february and fished with guide named Jim Anderson (904-686-4332) for $350 for 6 hour trip that turned out to be 8 hours. Nice guy and nice trip. We caught sheepies, trout and redfish out of his 22 ft bayranger with a 150 yamaha. We met at a ramp north of Auggie and went south till we got to some creeks that were putting out the water on a falling tide. Pretty much fished the turns and current breaks just like you would for steelies around here. My only thoughts were that we anchored a little far away from the spots. My casting was on the money but the other 2 guys were having trouble hitting the spots from that distance. maybe stealth was an issue.

The cold fronts were passing trough every few days. As it warmed the fishing would get started and get better everyday it got warmer. Then a front would come through and it would shut off. That is what you have to deal with at that time of year. We did get whiting fishing from shore in a few places on other days. As other have mentioned Florida sportsman.com is a good site. The talk there will get you pumped up.

This year I am going down a little earlier in Jan. Thinking about going farther south to get some warmer, better fishing weather. If I decide not to go further south I will be fishing with Jim. Sure sounds nice, flying down the waterway in the sun and warm in a 22 bayranger doesn't it.

We tried several approaches but live shrimp on a bobber set about 3 feet deep was the ticket. The trout sure tasted good. I talked to him a few days later and he said the fish got bigger and he caught more as the weather warmed. I might book a couple of trips with him every other day or so for a couple of days.
 
#14 ·
i'm from daytona beach. about 45 minutes south of st. aug. i can assure you, there is plenty of great flats fishing for reds this time of year. you weather is perfect to fish and you can wait until more like 1100am to get out rather than a hour before dawn as usual. also, bugs, which are a very serious issue, are at a minimim. recommended baits are fingerling mullet and live shrimp. topwater plugs always work on the flats.

on the freshwater, the st. johns river is also nearby. they have some of the best bass opportunities in the south. many times you'll see the river on espn hosting tournaments.

my best friend is an awesome guide out of daytona beach...'bout 45 min south. if you wanna talk to him, trust me, he's full of advice.
 
#16 ·
as a followup to my prior post...

if you are in a bit of deeper water and cant get the fish off the bottom, try texas rigs or lead head jigs with grub tail jerkbaits...they will wake up the lethargic bottom sitters.

also, try fishing arounf dock lights at night if possible. the night is a natural attractor of both baitfish and bugs...plus the warmth seems to attract game fish. i've always had good luck around dock lights. just be careful not to anger any dock owners.
 
#19 ·
I scheduled a trip with Capt Tony Bozzella March 2nd. He soundes like a great guy and i cant wait to fish with him. He told me this year is supposed to be a great year for trout!
 
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