The 5 Basics

If you are into fishing and browse the internet in your free time you will notice one big thing: our space is dominated by companies and advertisers that want you to spend spend spend and get the latest and greatest.

One of the reasons I began paddle fishing is because of the simplicity. No need for expensive motors, trailers, dry storage, expensive vehicles, $ hundreds $ in gas to run offshore and the list goes on.

Even in the paddle fishing space there are things that are cool but a huge waste of money and unfortunately add stress to outings on the water: peddle drive boats, rod/reel combos that cost upwards for $300, live wells, power poles....

While these things have their place, my personal philosophy is that less is more. Here are 2 pics of my rig. A cooler simply lashed to the deck of my board, a broom stick to position myself in the mud, and a bait bucket.







I want to give the person looking to get into fishing our marshes a basic, and by no means complete list, of 5 things they need to catch fish.  This list assumes you have a paddle craft, life jacket, and whistle. 

1. Rod/Reel

 A medium action 7' rod/reel combo. I recommend the Penn Battle II combo. This thing is priced right at $100 and has a great warranty. The best price in town is at West Marine.

2. Braided Line

 Many people go overboard with the braided line in terms of what pound test they choose. 10 pound test is all that is needed for 99% of inshore fishing here in NE FL. I choose 10lb because of its castability, even with lighter jig heads. KastKing Fortis is the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

3. Fluorocarbon Leader. 

 I use a uni to uni knot to attach my braided line to my leader. Don't skimp and get a leader made out of anything else than fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon is invisible in the water and very resistant to oysters. 20lb or 25lb test is all you need.


4. Jig Heads

 Go to your local tackle shop and ask which brand they recommend....because there are a bunch. You don't need anything fancy, just 1/8 or 1/4 oz depending on how windy it is out (heavier for windier conditions).

5. Mud Minnows

These things are the caviar of the marsh....sea trout, reds, flounder, bluefish and the occasional sheepshead eat these things. If I had to pick ONE bait this is it. They are right around $3 a dozen, can be kept overnight in the garage, and stay alive all day while you are out in the water.

What are your thoughts? What would you add? What are YOUR 5 essentials?

-Josh Bond
352-217-6925
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Fishing Report 1/1-1/8

Happy New Year!

January is currently taking revenge on us as we experience our first cold front....or should I say "REAL" cold front. Today at my house we didn't get out of the 30s' until noon.

The fishing is about to change. When the water drops below 65 degrees all of the mullet move out of the creeks and into the river. Bait shops will no longer carry fresh live shrimp. Fish become sluggish.

No this isn't the fish-apocalypse, just a change of tactics!

On sunny days the mud flats will warm up significantly more than the areas around them, causing redfish to move onto them to get warm. When casting to them it is important to present the bait slowly and to be patient.

Redfish warming up on the flats won't be able to say no to mud minnows as well as quartered crab. My "go to" for artificial this time of year is a D.O.A. shrimp with glitter pattern worked slowly.





Quartered Crab




Yesterday morning I met up with a buddy and we fished in hellacious conditions- 25 mph winds/mid 40s. The water temp was right around 62 when we started but had dropped to the mid 50s' when we were done.



The fish were surprisingly aggressive. My guess is that they were having a "last supper" feast before the water temp dropped.








A Surprise Sheep. A first for us. 8lb 9oz Trophy!


As the cold fronts come and go hopefully we will get a few warm days where the fish get feisty. Until then tight lines!
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Fishing Report December 2016



This is a December Fishing Report in conjunction with www.Jaxpaddlesports.com


The departure of Fall and transition to Winter has been a smooth one on the First Coast. Years past we have had to battle early season cold fronts, strong winds, and higher than normal tides. This year has been different.

Nearly the entire month has been fishable with light winds, fog, and water temps ranging from 62-70, which are ideal conditions for a backcountry fishing trip.  The lighter winds have made long exposed paddles enjoyable and less of a burden.

Launching early to catch the tide


"Glassed out" 
Dolphins are a common occurrence in the ICW and St. Johns

Launching two hours before the predicted low of the area you are fishing is a solid strategy for finding fish. Low tide = the same amount of fish with less than half the water.

All of my trips in December were focused on targeting redfish. Baits used were artificials, mud minnows, and live mullet on a "no brainer" rig.

Redfish get feisty and feed aggressively when the water is in the 60s. Redfish this time of year primarily congregate around  drop-offs, oyster beds, and ledges where they are waiting to ambush bait.





Mullet on a "no-brainer" rig


circle hook doing its job

 Here is a small sampling of the fish we have landed this month:




29" over slot











Taking the time to revive the fish after a fight ensures the fish's survival


















Wishing everyone tight lines. Be safe out there!

-Josh
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Gearin' Up

In October I will be doing the Chattajack 31- a 31.5mile paddle/race through the entirety of the Tennessee River Gorge. 

Last month I did a 10 mile race as a prelim to assess how out of shape I was, and the results were disturbing :(

I have since begun a regiment of running/paddling to start the slim down process. Here are some of my recent activities on Strava. 


 

I have spent this Sunday preparing some routes which should make training a bit more exciting. I am going to focus on 30 minute runs and 1 hour paddles during the week and then a long paddle on the weekend. Luckily Liz has been on board with helping with pickups so I can make one way paddles happen....way more interesting!


I'll try to update this blog as things happen....should be a thrill!
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Spring Break 2016

I am fortunate enough to teach in a county that gives the students/teachers the Friday before and the Monday after spring break off IN ADDITION to the week of spring break.

The Friday my break started by wife and I drove from JAX to Ocean Springs Mississippi for the "Battle on the Bayou" paddle craft race.  It was my first ever paddling race and it was a blast! It was also my first time in Mississippi so naturally, being the fatty that I am, I was looking forward to the food....lots of fried food and Bar-B-Q

The scene at the staging area. 



The "BOB" was a 10 mile race through the Mississippi Bayou that ended at The Shed Bar-B-Q and Blues Joint. I didn't finish first, but I did complete the race right around my goal of 2 hours and 30 minutes. 


After finishing the race Liz and I drove over to Marianna FL to Florida Caverns State Park to hang the hammocks for the night and hop on the first cave tour of the morning. The tour did not disappoint and was a nice stop on the way back home. 


We were back by Sunday and that allowed for an entire week FILLED with fishing....every. freekin'. day. 

Here are some pics of the fish I caught.....with 4 over slot reds!





I will refrain from posting the 20+ other pics of the slot fish, as the big ones are WAY more exciting. It was an AMAZING WEEK OF FISHING...I got lucky. 

Here are 2 videos that I took with my cell phone from the week:






It was a great week of fun....now time to get back to work. 
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Dupont or not to Dupont

This will be the second year in a row I took an escape after my band's MPA. It is nice after a busy few weeks to take some time to do something I enjoy that takes a little extra time and money.

On Thursday night I met my BBFL in Lake City (armpit of the south) and we drove to Brevard NC, arriving around 1:30am. This trip we decided to step it up a notch and take a break from camping and stay 3 nights using AirBnB....good choice!

We started riding on Friday, with our first set of trails totally just over 13 miles and climbing over 1000 ft.


Riding in FL can get our butt ready for the pounding, but not much can prepare you for the climbing! It usually takes an hour or so to get the blood flowing into your legs, but once it starts the climbs get easier. Besides a minor tumble these trails paid off with stunning views of NC:







Day 2 started fine, until my bike took a shit. Here is a picture I took of a waterfall before an hour long walk/coast downhill to the car:



And the ride details:



Luckily Dupont State Forest is close to Brevard (14 miles) and we were able to snag a rental bike (sweet $3000 full suspension!) for the remainder of the day. Big shout out to The Hub for their AWESOME and FRIENDLY service to help me out so far from home.

The remainder of the ride was insane, with 1500' of climbing and 2 BIG descents. Here is the ride map/elevation profile:



Brevard/Dupont was a success, and in my top 3 favorite riding destinations I have visited yet (Raccoon Mountain and the McKenzie River Trail are on my list too). As much fun as the $3000 bike was, I can't justify owning one here in flat FL.....Good times!
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