# Need some halp in Jax.



## oOMPHOo (Dec 14, 2005)

Okay, I am new to fishing and fairly new to Jacksonville. I do not have a boat and I am stuck fishing from the land. I live on the northside, right next to the budweiser plant on Main St. I fish every single weekend, and 90% of the time I catch nothing but crabs, the times I do catch anything they are always black drum, and always to small to keep. I'm looking for new places to fish in Jacksonville, and some tips on what I am doing wrong. 

I switch up my fishing spots between:
* Trout River...on the old Main St. Bridge.
* Heckscher Drive...right beside the drawbridge
* and Broward River...just a small creek on
Main St.

I almost always use a bottom rig with a 2oz pyramid weight (depending on current), and a single arm. I usually fish with fresh dead shrimp, and I have tried cut squid with no luck. right now I am using eagle claw baitholder hooks. 

I try and fish the the incoming or outgoing tides wherever I am, but nothing seems to help me catch fish. 


Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank-You


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## AtlanticAngler (Oct 26, 2005)

*Jax beach pier!!*

Give her a try, catching some nice whiting and a flounder here and there with some mixed in blues and bull reds. Mike


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Live bait or lures. Use small tackle #10 test, etc. There's alot of trout, reds, and flounder up in those creeks. Also if you have the time and patience, sheepshead are alot of fun. You need fiddler crabs or sand fleas for those.


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## oOMPHOo (Dec 14, 2005)

I have heard lots of good things about the jax pier. I think I am going to go sunday and fish it. what times are best there, as far as the tides are concerned? and will live shrimp work out there or should i get mud minnows or something? thanks.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Welcome to P&S, 

I got two words for you....JAX PIER.

Plenty of room, nice folks, lots of fish. There is not much current, no matter the tide. This year I've seen kings, jacks, 'cudas, reds, whiting, pomps, trout, blues, flounder, sharks.....you name it. I do most of my fishing with fresh shrimp, and cut bait. I've also gotten into live bait fishing for kings as well. 

There are lots of nice fisherman who are regulars, and not a hell of a lot of touron trouble. It is a FISHING PIER and nothing else. I began fishing there this summer, and have made several fishing friends. I invite you to check out jacksonvillebeachpier.com Some good folks there as well.

You might also consider a short drive up the coast to Jekyll and St. Simons. Two piers with another being built, and a BUNCH of fishing bridges. There is a lot of fishing to be done within an hours drive of J-ville.

Stop by and see us on the Ga. board, spring will be here 'fore you know it!

Again, Welcome!
RR


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## oOMPHOo (Dec 14, 2005)

As long as the weather permits I will be at the pier sunday. I think I am going to fish live shrimp. Looks like the high tide is about 9:30 sunday morning, I will probably get there about 8:00 and fish the last of the incoming tide, and if I'm doing any good at all I'll stay and fish a bit of the outgoing tide as well. Wish me luck, and I'll keep you informed. Thanks for all the help!


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

When the crabs are eating bait, not much you can do but maybe use a float to keep the bait a couple feet off the bottom. If you're fishing in creeks, try some live mud minnows with a small egg sinker, drag them around for trout and flounder; crabs still grab them but not as fast as they grab dead bait.

Another option if you're going for a drive is Nassau sound, there's a bridge that's now a pier there and a beach where you can fish. Last report I heard they were catching whiting on dead shrimp and trout on live shrimp. 

Fort Clinch also has a pier on Amelia Island. There's some local fishing info on my web site at http://amelia-island-fishing.com. I haven't been out this week because the weather's been lousy here....


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## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

Railroader said:


> Welcome to P&S,
> 
> I got two words for you....JAX PIER.
> 
> ...


What Railroader said.

I took a short vacation to Mayport/Jax back in May from Orlando.

I fished the Jax Beach Pier as well as doing some boatless exploring north to Big and Little Talbot, the Nassau Sound Bridge and all the way up to Ft. Clinch.

I stayed in Atlantic Beach, so I just took the ferry across the river in Mayport to get going up north. Beats dealing with the Metro Jax traffic!


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## oOMPHOo (Dec 14, 2005)

Okay, so I ventured out to the pier sunday morning. I got there at about 8:30-8:45, and it had just stopped raining. I was somewhat prepared for the cold, but I was completely unprepared for the 30mph winds. I picked a spot and fished maybe 15 minutes, then I made my way to the end of the pier and found a little shelter from the wind huddled on a bench holding my pole. I lasted maybe an hour and gave up without a single bite. I didnt see anything caught the hour that I was there. I will try the pier again, but not in the cold.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

oomphoo, They have been geting bull whiting off the pier latley,you just gotta pick your days as you can stand the cold. Unfortunatly good whiting days usually coincide with nor'easters this time of year,either before or after the blow. Keep trying it,you'll run into them more often than not.


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## oOMPHOo (Dec 14, 2005)

I figured I'd dig up an old thread rather than start a new one. I went back out to the Pier this past saturday. (6/10) I went at 1:00 which was dead low tide, and fished until about 4:00 without a single bite. Went home showered, and decide to head back...lol. High tide was about 8:00 I got there at 6:45ish. I bought a sabiki rig for my light tackle rod, and hung it roght off the pier, and threw a bottom rig with a 4oz pyramid and 2 dead shrimp. Within 5 minutes I had something on the sabiki (I never figured out what kind of fish it was...bright silver almost completely square body....very flat head...fought like a champ). As I was pulling up the mystery fish I landed a 12" whiting on the bottom rig. I released both of those, and threw the rods back out. I fished until 10:00 when they kicked me off. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. I ended up with 2 sharks (Atlantic Sharpnose I think), mine were both about 15" - 18" long. The sharks must have been thick because I saw 8 of them pulled up from 7 - 10. Caught a few whiting, loads of bait on the sabiki, and the sharks. 

I'd have to rate this trip a 9 out of 10.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Probably a Lookdown on the sabiki....Been seeing lots of those lately...Strange lookin' feesh! They also pull pretty good for their size.

Glad you had a good time, but you gotta go more than TWICE A YEAR!!!!


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## oOMPHOo (Dec 14, 2005)

Railroader said:


> Probably a Lookdown on the sabiki....Been seeing lots of those lately...Strange lookin' feesh! They also pull pretty good for their size.
> 
> Glad you had a good time, but you gotta go more than TWICE A YEAR!!!!


It was a lookdown that I caught...I searched everywhere and couldn't identify it. thanks. 
I bought a 10ft jon boat a while back and tried the inshore fishing thing for a while, but I am way to tall for a small boat so I sold it. Now I am back to the piers. I really like Jax Pier, I plan on going back this coming saturday. There is also a private dock on Heckscher Dr. Right after the sideroad that leads to Joe Carlucci (sp?) boat ramp. It's an RV park's dock....I have had lots of luck there on black drum...they seem to stay thick around the dock. I'll be back on the pier though....

I'm on a mission to catch as many types of fish as possible, and as it stands right now I'm not very far along. 

I've caught:
Flounder
Sand Trout
Whiting
Black Drum
The lookdown
and the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark

I've never even seen a redfish in person, I really want one, and a Jack, a ladyfish, and a bluefish.


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