Captain Jody Campbell Fishing Report   June 30, 2006

Fishing still continues to be fairly good but it's getting tougher.  For two weeks the Shell Point area was covered up with bait and I had some really fantastic charters.  On Monday there was bait everywhere and on Tuesday morning it was like somebody left the door open and everyone left.  The only bait anywhere was glass minnows.

Typically the place we have scallops is at Lanark Village and St. Marks.  A very few have been seen at Lanark and none at St. Marks.  Of course nobody has actually been in the water so they may be in the grass, dark side up.  We'll know more over the weekend.

Trout fishing continues to be fairly good.  Due to the large amounts of grass floating, topwater plugs and minnow type plugs are hard to use.  The Berkley Gulp continues to be a good bait under theCajun Thunder and the New Penny seems to be the hot color.

We were covered up with Spanish around Shell Point until Tuesday and they left with the bait.  They are still being caught in good numbers around Buoy 24, the Ochlockonee Shoals and Dog Island Reef.

Plenty of flounder are around the oyster bars and folks flounder gigging are doing extremely well.  There are plenty of mud minnows around and if you put one in front of a flounder he's gonna have a hard time resisting it.  Fish the holes around the bars where there is some current.  Sheepshead are also around the oyster bars.  I talked to a guy that was flounder gigging the other night and he counted over 60 sheepshead on one oyster bar.  Fiddler crabs or fresh shrimp on the bottom in the same area you will find the flounder.

Reds are being caught around the bars also with live minnows and gold spoons.  In the past two week sI have caught three reds on the flats off Piney Island in about 4 feet of water and until this year had never caught any reds on the flats.  Plenty are caught east of theLighthouse on the flats but there are rocks to hold them or attract them.  Where these fish were caught there was nothing but grass.  Thedocks around Lanark continue to hold reds on the high tides and the deep holes off the Gulf side of Dog Island are holding reds.  Look for some big bull reds to be caught at George Sikes Cut this time of year.

I have always heard about triple tail being caught around St.George and the Apalachicola River but now I am hearing more and more about them being caught around here.  Last week somebody caught one that weighed 17 pounds in our area.  The fish was hanging around a piling marking the channel and took a grub after repeated cast.  They like shade and the shade of a crab buoy is all that they need.

I saw more tarpon on Tuesday morning around Shell Point than I saw all of last year.  We have hooked three fishing for trout in the last week, landed one, fought one for an hour and lost one on the first jump.  Two fell for the Berkley Gulp and one ate a live greenie.  All were around 75 pounds and we were using light aaction trout rods rigged with 10 pound Power Pro.  Plenty are being seen at Turkey Point Shoals and Mud Cove should be holding some.

Grouper fishing seems to be best in about 65 feet of water with live pinfish.  Plenty of big kings are around and cobia are still being caught offshore and inshore.

It's gonna be a long weekend and plenty of folks are gonna be on the water.  Many of those don't know what they're doing so be careful.  Also watch the weather.  The afternoon thunderstorms have beem pretty wicked with lots of wind, rain and lightning.  Remember to leave that float plan before you head out.  Good luck and good fishing!  Have a safe and happy 4th of July.

- Captain Jody Campbell 

This article originally published on June 30, 2006.

Written by :

westmark

 

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