July’s “Best Bet”
Beat the Summer Heat and Catch Monster Speckled Trout at Night Under the Lighted Docks and Bright City Lights of Downtown Jacksonville!
By Terry Newsome
With average high temperatures exceeding 90 degrees (F,) July is the hottest month of the entire year! And if you are like most coastal anglers in Northeast Florida, the intense summer heat and unbearable humidity dictates that you limit your outdoor activities to the early morning or late afternoon hours! Fishing for speckled trout, redfish and flounder can be excellent in July. However, daytime fishing usually slows down significantly after 10:00AM as the temperature rises. Late afternoon fishing can be unpredictable (and dangerous) with the high-winds and lightening produced by severe thunderstorms. That’s why I prefer fishing at dawn during “first light.” Arriving at the bait shop at 5:00AM and slowly approaching my secret trout spot before daylight is one of my favorite “summer pattern” fishing strategies for catching speckled trout. In fact, BIG trout from 5 to 8 pounds (referred to locally as “Gator Trout”) usually turn-on at “first light” and aggressively feed during super low-light conditions.
Is it possible to catch a 10-pound monster trout here in Northeast Florida? According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission website, the official state record for Spotted Seatrout (speckled trout) is 17 pounds, 7 ounces! There is no closed season for trout and the “slot” size limit for Northeast Florida is: “more than 15 inches and less than 20 inches in total length.” You can possess one trout over 20 inches included in your daily bag limit (which is 6 trout per harvester per day.)
ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR CATCHING MONSTER TROUT
Is there a proven way to “beat the heat” of daytime fishing and still catch your limit of speckled trout this summer? Just ask my good friend Captain James Howard! James and I grew up together in the Arlington area of Jacksonville and have been fishing together since we were 9 years old! In recent years, James owned and operated a successful inshore fishing guide charter service specializing in catching speckled trout, redfish and flounder for corporate clients. I personally filmed and produced several TV fishing show segments with James as he is one of the most talented fishermen in Northeast Florida. Over the years, James developed several highly-effective fishing techniques and proven methods for catching monster speckled trout at night!
Once speckled trout settle into their summer feeding pattern, they begin to migrate from the Mayport, Sister’s Creek and Blount Island areas (with high salinity levels) up the lower St. Johns River to “brackish” water around downtown Jacksonville. This extremely deep and narrow section of the St. Johns River (near the Main Street Bridge, River Walk and Fuller Warren Bridge) provides the perfect “staging point” for oversized trout as they wait for the annual shrimp and mullet migration. “Gator trout love to ambush the baitfish, schools of small finger mullet and shrimp that are attracted to dock lights and the bright city lights of downtown Jacksonville” explains James, “…the bright lights shine down on the calm water surface creating greater visibility for gamefish and perfect ambush opportunities for big trout who lurk in the shadows.” In July, James likes to fish in “brackish” water (a mixture of saltwater coming in from the ocean and fresh water flowing north from the spring-fed St. John’s River.) Lower salinity levels during mid-summer feeding patterns can have a profound “triggering-effect” on feeding activity.
According to the NOAA, the salinity levels (amount of salt dissolved in a body of water) in the lower basin of the St. Johns River varies geographically depending on the area and local rainfall accumulations; (July averages about 6 inches of rain.) Salinity levels are measured in parts-per-thousand (ppt.) Ocean water salinity (at the tip of the Mayport Jetties) is about 35 ppt year-round. Downtown Jacksonville water salinity levels average about 11.40 ppt in July (brackish water;) whereas the Buckman Bridge/Orange Park salinity levels average about 2.9 ppt and the Shand’s Bridge near Green Cove Springs is considered “fresh water” and averages .081 year-round.
TROUT FISHING TIPS FROM CAPT. JAMES HOWARD (See Photo)
When it comes catching monster speckled trout at night under lighted docks and the bright city lights of downtown Jacksonville, Captain James Howard is one of the best! “I prefer to fish a few hours before daybreak and always fish the lighted docks close to an area with deep water of 30 feet or more nearby. Trout move from the cooler, deeper water into warmer, shallower water to feed… but feel secure knowing a deep-water retreat is nearby” says James, “…and I like to make long casts beyond the outer edge of the shadow line parallel to the lighted docks and work my way in. The current will push my lure closer to the docks as I work my lure through the lowest-light conditions first; then gradually work closer to the light source where visibility is best. With slow moving current, I also like to jig for trout UNDER the docks.” James catches most of his monster trout just off the bottom in 6 to 15 feet of water but also makes lure presentations at differ depth levels to locate quality fish. He uses 3” to 4” swimming soft plastics exclusively with a chartreus colored 3/8-ounce jig head. His favorite colors are Blue Moon (paddle-tail) and Electric Chicken!
James acknowledges that big trout can also be caught using hard-plastic baits including top-water lures, suspending twitch baits and jerk baits (but he does not like to use hard-baits at night with clients because of the treble hooks.) Effective hard baits include the MirrOlure 27MR XL Suspending Twitchbait (red-head and white body) and the Tim Horton Bomber Suspending Pro-Long A (4 5/8” length in Watermelon Pearl.) Quickly retrieve then pause and “twitch” for a few seconds before repeating. The big trout just can’t resist! The trout bite Downtown is on… so get out there and catch that 10-pound monster you have always dreamed of! Until next time, be safe and enjoy the great outdoors at night!
With over 25 years of corporate experience as a writer, director and producer, Terry Newsome has personally filmed and produced over 100 outdoor television shows and instructional fishing videos internationally. He is an avid coastal angler and is a former co-owner of Pine Island Fish Camp on the Intracoastal Waterway just north of St. Augustine, Florida.