St.John's River

[USSWillieNelson]

Headed down for a little last minute trip. Will be staying in the Fruit Cove Area. How far south do I need to go to start really getting into them? I usually just go to Rodman, but I want to expand my horizons a little bit this trip. Also, what's the news on Wild Shiners down there right now?

[joby1]

River is tuff right now. I would go to Harris chain, only about an hour and a half easy drive to Eustis from where you will be.

[Deadeye1]

The River hasn't been Right since Hurricane Irma.

[Casslaw]

The Harris chain had the BFL (400+ boats) and at least 3 other tournaments yesterday; I was in a 50 boat tourney, that chain is getting hammered right now!

[IndianOutlaw!]

Florida is $hit hole. Really sad what the FWC has done to our fishery

[Poppin' Frog]

The Harris chain had the BFL (400+ boats) and at least 3 other tournaments yesterday; I was in a 50 boat tourney, that chain is getting hammered right now!

Just wait two more weeks. Big bass tour will bring about 500 boats for 3 days.

[Casslaw]

Just wait two more weeks. Big bass tour will bring about 500 boats for 3 days.

I know this isn’t a popular opinion, and it makes perfect business sense, but I despise trails that follow our spawn.

Im starting to sound like Mauler!

[Manatee Mauler]

Between all the grass being sprayed, Tx's every weekend and just plain fisherman from all over the country this time of year, its wander a fish can even spawn. Don't get me wrong I fish Tx's and have since I was a kid 40 years ago but damn these fish need some help. Like closures for bass from Jan 15 through March 30th with exemptions for tx'S. I have seen hundreds of bass butchered at Camp Mack by yanks and Kentuckians. Most were caught via using shiners. Outlaw them chopping the heads off then you protect current and future spawning fish. Both fish in these stages are extremely vulnerable to pressure since they are up shallow where all the meat hunters are with their floats and shiners.

[HawkDriver]

Methtuckians? Fishin is fine up here, and no crowds...at least on Herrington

[Deadeye1]

Between all the grass being sprayed, Tx's every weekend and just plain fisherman from all over the country this time of year, its wander a fish can even spawn. Don't get me wrong I fish Tx's and have since I was a kid 40 years ago but damn these fish need some help. Like closures for bass from Jan 15 through March 30th with exemptions for tx'S. I have seen hundreds of bass butchered at Camp Mack by yanks and Kentuckians. Most were caught via using shiners. Outlaw them chopping the heads off then you protect current and future spawning fish. Both fish in these stages are extremely vulnerable to pressure since they are up shallow where all the meat hunters are with their floats and shiners.

Or better yet, No Fish (Bass) Allowed to be kept AT ALL during those times. That mean None in the Live Well either. If you want to hold a TX during that time it has to be Catch-Photo-Release. No more dragging a Bedding Female all over for 6 hrs only to be released 20 miles away from where she was bedding.

Hey if your really concerned about the Fish, go all in.

[Mickstix]

Or better yet, No Fish (Bass) Allowed to be kept AT ALL during those times. That mean None in the Live Well either. If you want to hold a TX during that time it has to be Catch-Photo-Release. No more dragging a Bedding Female all over for 6 hrs only to be released 20 miles away from where she was bedding.

Hey if your really concerned about the Fish, go all in.

I had an email a few days ago from FWC where they were implementing some kind of -off limits- for bass through sometime in Feb, iirc. It listed part of the Big O and a couple other counties/lakes, but none that I recognized. I deleted the email, then later went to the FWC site looking for it again to post, but can't find it on their site now.

[Deadeye1]

I had an email a few days ago from FWC where they were implementing some kind of -off limits- for bass through sometime in Feb, iirc. It listed part of the Big O and a couple other counties/lakes, but none that I recognized. I deleted the email, then later went to the FWC site looking for it again to post, but can't find it on their site now.

That was only for 3 Areas where the are Stocking Bass.

[Manatee Mauler]

Or better yet, No Fish (Bass) Allowed to be kept AT ALL during those times. That mean None in the Live Well either. If you want to hold a TX during that time it has to be Catch-Photo-Release. No more dragging a Bedding Female all over for 6 hrs only to be released 20 miles away from where she was bedding.

Hey if your really concerned about the Fish, go all in.

These fish caught during tx's are released and "recycled". I only mention a closure during the spawn to prevent cooler full of fillets going up north.

[HawkDriver]

It is still a mystery to me why on earth you’d go to Florida and eat nasty ass freshwater fish.

[JLeon77]

Headed down for a little last minute trip. Will be staying in the Fruit Cove Area. How far south do I need to go to start really getting into them? I usually just go to Rodman, but I want to expand my horizons a little bit this trip. Also, what's the news on Wild Shiners down there right now?

Sorry for all the negativity from the Florida folks, crowd seems to be a little jaded. That being said, the St Johns river is tough right now...You're gonna want to go as far south as you can. It's been a pretty cold winter so far and they are tough to get on a good bite. Probably be better off going to Toho, Harris or Headwaters. I'm sure I'll take some shit for this post, but I live on the St. Johns currently after moving down from your area and at least the water isn't frozen. All the FWC spraying has sucked too as they have been spraying the pads in some of the canals off the river which makes zero sense.

[Bassin Billy]

Heading down in a few weeks myself. Gonna get in a weekend before the elites arrive. Hope it warms up a little.