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

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

2. Mayport Bull Redfish

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

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

14. 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

15. 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

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

17. Guana Lake 35” Redfish

18. Guana Lake Gator Trout

19. Guana Lake Flounder

20. St John’s Striper

21. St. John’s Redfish

22. St. John’s Redfish

23. St. John’s Channel Cat

24. St. John’s Black Drum

25. St. John’s Sheepshead

26. Questions? www.fishfactorcharters.com