St. Johns – June Fishing Report

Let’s start this with Mullet.  These silver beauties are starting to stack up in their usual haunts.  The wall and the piers are both a good bet.  Necessary equipment:  plastic bait, chum, floats and split-shot.  Also number four () or two (2) hooks and a live bait.  All you need is to get at it early, cause when they’re biting, it can become a shoulder-to-shoulder situation, so you best try it early!

Bream will be having a heyday under the docks and around pads.  Need bait:  fly rod poppers or crickets.  Also, you can probably use worms and do a minnow on them.  So give it a try and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Large mouth should be relating under cover, e.g., under docks, and at or in the deep drop mouth points and humps.  You can probably use lipless crank baits, plastic worms, or even top water early on towards evening.  So get to it.

Next are the Stripers and hybrids.  They’ll be cruising the deeper creeks and out in the main body of the River around the bridge pilings.  Shiners, lipless crank baits and large minnow imitations work well.  Also, a large Jig with a swim bait body has been known to abuse them.  So go do it.

Catfish are next on the catch parade.  These whiskered beauties are switching over to an evening or night bite as a rule.  You’ll still catch them in 6 to 10 feet of water during the day.  But ideally your best bet is in the evening and dark when they can come up and feed in the cool.  So you’ll need night crawlers or a shiner perhaps.  But try at least.

Croakers and the Weak fish will be around about now.  All that’s required is a bait shrimp and /or night crawlers.  General rule of thumb is bottom fishing near the channel or mile markers.  Moving tide seem to be the best.  And remember, if you catch a small croaker, cut him into bait and the Weak fish should be snacking it.  Go at it nad have a ball.

Now onto the Red fish.  These beauties will be eating up a storm, in the shallows and near drop offs.  Bait shrimp, crabs, plastic swim baits, jigs and even spinner bait will work.  Since we’ge got no grass to speak of, you’ll need to hunt for them.  So go to it and have fund.

Now lastly is the Shrimp.  It’s now legal and you can try to your heart’s content.  Reports have said that small shrimp are around, but you’ll only know if you go.  But please keep in mind that usually it starts up better in July and move on accordingly.  So good luck!

So, ’til next time, Keep your line wet and your lure movin’..–  Richard.