# st augustine, crescent beach, flagler beach, tampa??



## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

I'm headed down to FL soon. Gonna be there for 2 weeks. Gonna bring a little bit of fishing gear. Will be in Tampa area for a couple of days and st augustine, crescent beach, flagler beach area the rest of the time. 

Would prefer surf fishing to pier fishing. Any recommendations? I like to fish crescent beach at the Matanzas Inlet. Looking for some other suggestions though? Are the piers in Flagler or st augustine any good? Jacksonville?


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

ok, I'll just try the surf near the condo and go over to crescent beach like usual


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

St Augustine pier is "okay" at best. Surf fishing in Flagler Beach is good, as a rule. Flagler pier usually good but haven't heard any reports from there lately. Ponte Vedra beach is also good for surf fishing. I have also seen some pretty good catches of reds off the beach at Anastasia state park at St Augustine, and the beach usually isn't that crowded. Probably would be worth the entry fee (pretty cheap) to give it a shot. There is a bay/inlet/tidal marsh on the left also, before you get to the ocean access, next to the road, that sometimes produces. If all else fails, come down to Daytona to Sun Glow pier, although there may be a ton of tourists next weekend because of the NASCAR race here. Larry


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

St augustine isnt the best pier, but usually at high tide right at the rocks, you can catch trout or a flounder.


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## budman (Mar 24, 2005)

The beaches from Ponte Vedra to Flagler are still producing a few pompano. Whiting are small with a few bulls mixed in, also a few trout and drum being caught. Good Luck.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

thanks all. I'm here and itching to try. I like to fish morning and sunset but the tides aren't gonna cooperate next week.


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## JaSla74 (Feb 2, 2011)

Vilano is my go-to. I prefer to fish by the jetties on the north side. Guana state park also has a good hole on the north side of the damn. Lots of flounder can be found there. With the full moon I imagine you'd have to get there super early as it'll most likely be packed. The park also has trails which lead over to the intercoastal. I made the trek through there one day (about a mile walk or so) & couldn't keep up with 3 rods. I caught a ton fish, but most weren't worth keeping. However, I was the only person out there that day & it was nice.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

HuskyMD said:


> thanks all. I'm here and itching to try. I like to fish morning and sunset but the tides aren't gonna cooperate next week.


No worries - Just fish. Tides aren't everything...

My job dictates my fishing schedule. I haven't paid attention to a tide in 10 years. I just go when I can.


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## myuo8o2 (Dec 23, 2007)

in Tampa, you may try Skyway Piers the likely place to catch a keeper blk grouper without a boat.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Yes, we went to Skyway last night. It was low tide yet the bridge was pretty full. Not many places to park. We were on the north side about half way - way past the bathroom but nowhere near the bait shop. The bait shop had no live shrimp. We tried squid, clams, and frozen shrimp. We caught toad fish, catfish, pinheads, and what I think were gray snapper. We tried fishing a pinfish live but had no takers. We tried pinfish strips but that only resulted in more oyster toads and catfish. 

The bite was pretty constant until a huge ray started flapping his wings all over near the pier. We fished from 9 PM to 12 AM or so. The kids were bored at that point, so we left. 

Not much to show for it, but it was fun and I'm glad I got to see what the Skyway pier is all about.


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Went surf fishing yesterday at Crescent Beach. High Tide was 4:15 so I fished from 2 to 5. There were mullet surfing the breakers everywhere but nothing was biting. After 3 hours and way too much sun i quit soaking bait, put on a large silver and blue crocodile spoon and casted it out close to the matanzas Inlet Bridge. Just ask i was about to give up something hitz it hard and started pulling out Line. After a drag adjustment i caught my first ever pompano. 14" to the fork. nice fish.
My 75 yr old gramps who lives here tried to say it was a blue. then he tried to say pomps are bony and no good for eating. thats funny cause i got 2 nice filets out of it.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

2 fillets? What about the rest of the fish:


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## eaglesfanguy (May 1, 2003)

solid7 said:


> 2 fillets? What about the rest of the fish:
> 
> View attachment 7793
> View attachment 7794


 Sure looks like a flounder to me........


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

eaglesfanguy said:


> Sure looks like a flounder to me........


You must catch some awfully funny looking flounders...

This is the "flounder" that I caught. If you look carefully, you'll even see that it's been tagged by a shark.


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## JaSla74 (Feb 2, 2011)

I was down at Matanzas & Crescent on Wednesday. Not a lot going on beach side (although I did get a few decent whiting), but the flounder & trout were hitting mud minnows hard at the inlet by the bridge.


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## myuo8o2 (Dec 23, 2007)

congrat for bony pomp. too bad you don't cook pomp as whole as the most flavor comes from the head.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

myuo8o2 said:


> congrat for bony pomp. too bad you don't cook pomp as whole as the most flavor comes from the head.


That's what I was trying to point out with my "flounder" pics 

The eyeballs are pretty tasty, too...


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

the one I caught had a very yellow tail. I didn't know the rest of the fish was good. sorry to filet it. I thought it was good though.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

HuskyMD said:


> the one I caught had a very yellow tail. I didn't know the rest of the fish was good. sorry to filet it. I thought it was good though.


Are you sure you didn't eat a Crevalle Jack? LOL


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

solid7 said:


> Are you sure you didn't eat a Crevalle Jack? LOL


OMG, I'm such a FL noob. Yes, after some research online and looking at the picture I took of the fish, it was a jack crevalle. That said, at least I didn't break the regulations accidentally and I did like the way it tasted.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

HuskyMD said:


> OMG, I'm such a FL noob. Yes, after some research online and looking at the picture I took of the fish, it was a jack crevalle. That said, at least I didn't break the regulations accidentally and I did like the way it tasted.


Oh boy... You're gonna get it now...


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Well, all I catch here are stripers, catfish, bluefish, spot, croakers, rays, skate, toadfish, etc. Occasionally I catch flounder or mahi or triggerfish (as in like once every couple of years). So, going down to Florida where there are so many species to catch, it shouldn't really be that much of a surprise that I wouldn't know what everything is. That said, yep, I'm sure I will get it...


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## budman (Mar 24, 2005)

I was gonna say that I have never seen a pomp hit a spoon, but, anything is possible.


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

Ive had a pomp hit my gotcha plug before.


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## myuo8o2 (Dec 23, 2007)

years ago when I was fishing at Angling Pier, most people used sans flea for pomps including myself. But one guy right besides me outfished the most others with a silver spoon, amazingly.


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