I grew up handgrabbing catfish in the mississippi river, fishing for bass since I can remember, caught many redfish as long as you are, and saw my first 20 ft manta ray have a 60 pound cobia floating on its back just this past month. We all share this same passion. We just want to catch a fish. And maybe, just maybe have the experience of a lifetime to boot. Fresh or salt I have enjoyed my FISHING to the fullest, and anything I can do to help someone else have as much fun as I have is what I'm about. wbanker my advice to you would be oak harbour, dutton island, icw from st,johns to jtb. And as mentioned before, hecksher has an arsenal of drop zones. oak harbour has some fish in it at all times. you can always catch something out there. good luck to you. I'm not trying to step on anybodies toes...I just want us to all be on the same side. This sight has been good to me and the people are generally nice and willing to help...oak harbour...solid.

I am a semi-newbie fishing here in Jacksonville,

I have been there 3 or 4 times now, sometimes I catch fish and some times I don't. I like the large area of fishable creeks and the bait store is close. However it does get crowded at times. The canoe trail seems to be less traveled.

There are always Stink Pots cruising around and some of them fly down the channels causing a ruckus. I usually beach my yak when fishing, but I would not advise getting out of it due to the 3 or 4 feet of muck your feet would sink in to.

As far as "Honey Holes" go, it is all up to the tides and where the fish want to be at any given time. I look for deep water during the low tide and try to approach it in a fishable manner. Then as the tide starts to come in, I move out to the main channels thinking the tide will bring in the bait and the fish. During an outgoing tide I find places where water is moving from a creek into the main channel.

I like OH because parking is good; there are no entry gates and the launch is clean and well maintained. I am going to wean off of OH and try some of the other launch sites, you never know till you try something new.

Well that is about all the advice this semi-newbie can provide without giving away my "honey holes" Just kidding.

_________________
Malibu Stealth 14
(The Mullet Mobile)

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step,
he's too old to go anywhere. -Billy Crystal

thanks again... i will try oak harbor soon, i have herd alot of that place... yesterda i went to simpsons creek with johnyaksjax and got a few reds... not the most exciting day of fishing but given that those reds were the first keeper fish that i caught in my kayak it made my day... but the more i get out there should help me catch more fish... but like i said, thanks again to everyone

_________________
the same reason we keep coming back, is the same reason we named it FISHING not CATCHING!!!
Tarpon 140

Hey...I resemble that remark! [/quote]

_________________
Malibu Kayak 2 arms hp, KeyWest 1720 Pro Flats 90 hp Merc. and FourWinns 1820 200 hp Mercruiser

Rusty, still awaiting my invite to fish from your stinkpot

_________________


Hobie Pro Angler 12

Great post! I think the biggest issue is not honey holes but the learning curve. A section that teaches how the tides work, what species bite best durring what tide/season/water clarity. Also how to find ambush points and how they relate to current movement and pictures that show what to look for. This helps find honey holes rather than giving them out. The map section does require some local knowledge I am a new comer to the first coast and to kayak fishing so I have experienced this first hand.

The problem I see to this is that there is no money in producing this information and it takes time and effort to take quality pictures and to write all this up. However to counter that, I would think that all of the commercial sponsors of this site sure as heck would not mind a sudden influx of kayak newbs flooding their stores wanting to buy a kayak or accessories that help them get started and continue to supply them as they progress in the sport.

With al that said I have to say that overall I have learned a lot abot kayakfishing from the reports and the people. It is something that is learned over time. With a little refinement of how the learning portion of the website is done I think we can all succeed and kayakfishing can thrive.

Go fishing with folks on the site and go out and find your own fishing holes. Its a feeling of power to have your own fishing spot.

Yeah, I really like where I fished with johnyaksjax this past sunday... john was very helpful in in showing me what to look for as ar ask jacksonvilles landscape goes... which is all I really need to learn... I know how to fish, but when u grow up in one part of the country fishing and then go to a totally new territory with different tide flows and lanscapes it can be like baitfish said and have a big learning curve... only time can allow that but the help I was given of a few solid spots to learn have helped so much... I don't want other peoples honey holes... I want my own, and finding them is as much a part of fishing as fishing itself... thanks to everyone who have made this post what it is and all the info that went along with that

_________________
the same reason we keep coming back, is the same reason we named it FISHING not CATCHING!!!
Tarpon 140

Let me re-phrase, go fishing with some other people on the site. Once you start catching upper slot fish, which should be very soon, then take johnyaksjax fishing, he could use the help.

_________________


Hobie Pro Angler 12

i stick to my original statement... i like where we fished and johnyaksjax was very helpful... regardless what ya"ll think of his fishing skills, that has nothing to do with my statement... he shoowed me a spot that I like...

_________________
the same reason we keep coming back, is the same reason we named it FISHING not CATCHING!!!
Tarpon 140

He definitely has skills.

question??? i have herd alot of guana lake and some of ya"ll have recomended that spot to me... my only questions is if six mile landind off of A1A is too far north to launch from.. i do understand that it is too far to paddle from that launch site to the dam, but is it worth launching at that site and fishing that marsh???

_________________
the same reason we keep coming back, is the same reason we named it FISHING not CATCHING!!!
Tarpon 140

Hey JSuber....Kyle does not yet know how much many of us "bust chops" in here....and ALWAYS in good sport and fun!!

Thanks for you "backhanded compliments"....and I ACTUALLY appreciate them!!! I probably spend more time on the water "teaching" than I do FISHING...but it is fun for me and many guys did that for me about 5 years ago!! Appreciated your comments....JYJ

PS: Kyle.....Please feel free to head back to the spots we visited, and please use good judgement sharing them with "lurkers"......your FRIENDS are fine with me!!

PS2: We need to hit some other spots also....

yeah john, im down with that... i sent you a PM.. and so far you are my only friend that fishes... all my other friends in jax play golf since that is what my college scholarship is for... thanks for the heads up though

_________________
the same reason we keep coming back, is the same reason we named it FISHING not CATCHING!!!
Tarpon 140