SURF & PIER
June is the month of the kings. King mackerel that is. The big pods of bait have shown up, and any day now, the big reels will be singing as the line rips out. Catching these big fish is the pinnacle of pier fishing. The most successful anglers use two rods at once. One is called the mud rod, and the other is the trolley rig rod. If you’ve never done this type of fishing it would behoove you to go to your favorite pier and watch and learn, before you buy any gear. Back in 2013 at the Jacksonville Beach pier, over 100 kings were caught. This type of trolley rig fishing also accounts for nice catches of barracuda, cobia, and sharks.
Along with the kings feasting on the abundance of bait, will be redfish and sea trout. There will also be nice catches of whiting and pompano in the shallow parts of the pier near the sand bars. Fresh dead shrimp and fresh clams will produce your best chance of having a fish fry.
In the surf, it is game on! All the species of shallow water fish are here. You can choose to bait and wait, or throw lures. Either way, you are going to get some action. When it comes to lures, you can’t go wrong with a sliver spoon, if the first trough is deep with fairly clean water. Lurking in the trough will be Spanish mackerel, bluefish, trout, and flounder. If you are on a shallower beach, like Jax or St Aug, then you are better off with a top water plug. Later in the month, don’t be surprised if a tarpon crashes your plug.
If you want to fill the cooler with some good eats, then bait and wait is the way to go. In the surf, the most effective tackle is a double dropper rig. 2/0 circle hooks will catch whiting, reds, blues, drum, pompano, and just about everything else that swims along the bar. FKS, (fresh killed shrimp), has proven itself to be the #1 bait. Get out there and have some fun before the dog days of summer kick in!