Fishing Jacksonville Marshes

Wednesday, January 16, 2013 Florida , Saltwater 1 Comments

Northeast Florida Grand Slam! I may not have wrangled up any monsters, but I caught the three fish I needed for my first grand slam anywhere, and all within 4 hours. The species: Redfish, Speckled Trout, and Southern Flounder. To top it off, I had never caught any of the three species previously. 

I went out with guide Rich Santos in his flats boat to the intercoastal waterway in Jacksonville, Florida. It was my first time fishing a salt water marsh and I have nothing but the best to say about Captain Santos. I will put a link up off to the side under the section guides I recommend. He was incredibly friendly, put me on fish, and has a wealth of knowledge regarding this fishery. Check him out next time you are in the area. 

Overall, I caught more than a dozen Speckled Trout, one Redfish, and one Flounder. I didn't catch the monster Redfish I was hoping for but there is always next time. As for tackle, we used a combination of  fly gear and conventional. Winds were up and it would have made fly fishing difficult at times and given my short amount of time on the water I opted for both approaches depending on the conditions. Caught fish on a Clouser Minnow and a jig rigged with a swimbait. Here are the pictures: 

2 1/2 lb Redfish. Caught off an Oysterbed.

Casting a Clouser to a hole with Speckled Trout.

First Speckled Trout on a Fly.