Fishing the St. John’s River & Guana Lake Hosted by Thrifty Outdoors Capt. Jim Anderson

Mayport Bull Redfish

Fishing the St John’s River Where do I start? Maps & Charts Weather & Tides Tackle & Rigs Cast Nets Artificial or Live Bait Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs

Where Do I Start? Narrow down the options. 10% of the water holds 90% of the fish. Solicit local knowledge – tackle shops, newspaper & magazine articles. Spend time on the water

Maps & Charts Study maps such as satellite maps, Hot Spot & Florida Sportsman charts. Identify points, structure & drop offs. Make a list of locations to try. GPS – Great tool.

Weather & Tides Seasonal patterns Recent weather –rainfall, wind & temperature Tides - Fish like moving water. Refer to tide tables: Plan the time you want to fish based on tide & temperature. Fish the up current side of the structure

Tackle & Rigs 7’ medium action spinning rod with 2500 Shimano Stradic 7’ medium action baitcaster rod with Penn 930. Line – 20lb Power Pro Leader – 20lb Vanish fluorocarbon Hooks – 3/0 Octopus, ¼oz jig head

Cast Nets Use a good quality net: Hightider, Cracker, Calusa, Betts Minimum 6’ with 3/8” mesh Webbing needed for deep water Instructional videos Proper care – rinse, dry & store

Artificial or Live Bait? Artificials – Grub jigs, topwater lures, gold spoon & bucktails. Live Baits – Shrimp, crab, pogies & croaker Where do I find live bait? Doctors Inlet, Mandarin Point, Ortega River, crabbers. Be observant – Look for schools of bait on surface and on bottom with fishfinder.

Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs Many bridges in our area, all hold fish. Anchor on the up current side of the bridge. Use a float rig to drift bait back to the bridge. Keep it moving. Look for current eddies. Fish different areas of the bridge

Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs Docks – Moving water is the key. Old docks on/near points are prime. Anchor or pitch, your choice. Drift a live shrimp under dock using float rig or Cajun Thunder. Shellbeds near docks hold fish.

Bridges, Docks & Drop Offs Drop Offs – study charts to identify steep transitions, channel edges, etc. Fish will hold along these drop offs. Use a fishfinder rig to fish the bottom. Float rigs also work well drifting along the edge of the drop off.

Targeted Species Redfish Speckled & Yellowmouth Trout Flounder Black Drum Sheepshead Stripers Channel Cats

Fishing Guana Lake Guana Lake is a state park Managed by the FWC for waterfowl Know the regualtions: Winter closure, 10hp engine maximum Two ramps, Six Mile & at the dam Shallow lake, no tide, no oyster bars Best fishing March – November

Guana Tactics Artificals – gold spoon, topwater lures, grub jigs, swim shads, bucktails Live bait – shrimp, mullet, crab Look for areas holding bait Many fish are caught in open water Work shorelines early and late

Guana Tactics Cajun Thunder with live shrimp Jighead & live or fresh dead shrimp Look for firm bottom when fishing baits on the bottom.

Guana Lake 35” Redfish

Guana Lake Gator Trout

Guana Lake Flounder

St John’s Striper

St. John’s Redfish

St. John’s Channel Cat

St. John’s Black Drum

St. John’s Sheepshead

Questions?