** Lifetime Membership Awarded **
Mitch Fields awarded the Honary Lifetime Membership Award to Terry Lacoss, noted local fishing authority, at the NSFA membership social on April 23, 2025 at the conclusion of his talk on Redfish. For decades Terry has supported our club in his many endeavors with the News Leader and Florida Sportsman Magazine among countless others. Congratulations Terry! ____________________________________ __________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ LEARN ABOUT SINKERS ** THINGS YOU NEVER THOUGHT OF **
Ride the Wild Surf - Fixed Rig Sinkers By : John Givens, Member Distance Short shank sputniks cast further than long shank sputniks Sputniks are more aerodynamic and outcast pyramids and storm sinkers Short shank sputniks wobble more than long shank sputniks Adding hooks and baits significantly reduces distance so a single drop rig and a Carolina rig cast farther than a double drop rig You can set up to cast with pyramids on the sand, giving you more leverage to cast. You can’t set sputniks on the sand Side Notes - Distance A spinner with 15# braid casts just about as far as a baitcasters with 15# mono if the cast is 150 yards or less Due to the spiraling effect of a spinning reel a baitcaster goes farther into the wind A 150 yard cast with a double drop rig places you in the top 90% of casters For maximum distance, try a 3" snood tied to the eye of the sinker Holding Sputniks hold better than pyramids Storm sinkers hold better than pyramids 3 sided pyramids hold better than 4 sided pyramids Long shank sputniks typically hold better than short Shank sputniks, but you can mostly get around this by adjusting the tension on short shanks With a stronger hold you should get a better read/indication for the bite and a better hookup Sputniks can imbed into soft sand. A tong shank sputnik allows a better angle to pop out the sinker. Go 40 yards or so away from the center to free up the sinker In soft sand and/or strong currents, bring in your rig every·15 minutes so it doesn’t sink into the sand A 5oz sputnik holds better than an 5oz pyramid Miscellaneous Pyramids and storm sinkers are less expensive than sputniks. You can buy long shank sputniks from Amelia Bait and Tackle, RennWorks and the Sinker Guy. Fellow member Lyndon Godwin manufactures and sells short shank sputniks. SaltStrong has some new interesting long shank pyramids (Redfin Double Pyramid) and tail lift sputniks by (Redfin Planer Tail Sinker)While reeling in Long Shanks tend to tangle less than short shanks. If you are catching bonnet heads and especially catfish, you will probably need to replace your rigs occasionally Sputniks reel in/slide in smoother than pyramids which tend to bounce and can result in a lost fish You can move pyramids in the surf. You can't move sputniks without popping the wires. Moving rigs 5 or so turns of the reel every few minutes allows you to cover more ground and find the fish While the primary purpose of the sinker ls to hold, you will get the most distance by matching it to your rod and using whatever size loads best CAVEAT Most of this content is from seminars/webinars and conversations with extremely experienced surf fishermen, long cast contestants(1 USA and 1 world long cast champion) tournaments winners, sinker manufacturers (OK, the long shank manufacturer is. biased but may be accurate) and a little personal experience. The presenter has not tested all the content but believes some of it is true. As Marvin Leininger would say "Catchem Up!” Upcoming Meetings & Events
UPCOMING LOCAL FISHING TOURNAMENTS 42nd Annual Kingfish Tournament and Fishing Rodeo May 30, 2025 1 S. Front St N parking Lot Fernandina Harbor Marina Fernandina Beach FL 32034 For Sale by Member
News & Topic Forum Updates | If you have a catch you are proud of just send your pictures and the particulars to info@nsfafish.net and we'll post them to Facebook and Instagram !! __________________________________________________________ March Surf Fishing Seminar Attended by Eighty Four Wannabe Ace Anglers! ____________________________________________________________ spring Trout Fishing in Florida
The toughest fishing of the year is December through February, with water temperatures at their lowest, into the 40s and 50s. Most baitfish and shrimp, with seatrout in tow, move into the lower estuaries, river mouths and along the beach. Plenty of trout also are found along drop-offs of the Intracoastal Waterway connecting inlets and rivers. Still, some of the best fishing for the biggest winter trout can be found during the coldest weather. In December, good friend Mike Hayes of Jacksonville, my son Eric and I had a banner day out of St. Augustine. The air temperature was 40 at dawn, and a 15 mph wind made it nippy. By working drop-offs along the ICW with ¼-ounce jigs and 4-inch diving plugs, we tallied 40 fish, with many trout pushing 4 pounds, plus some bonus redfish to 5 pounds and flounder to 3 pounds. Those fish were holding along an ICW dropoff in six to 12 feet of water. But there are times in winter — usually during low tides in backwater mud-bottom tidal creeks and bays — where trout to 5 pounds and more feed in water just two to four feet deep. Jigs and slow-swimming plugs score well, and local anglers troll with electric motors and blister trout. Kayakers towing tandem grub jigs also catch lots of winter trout in six to 12 feet of water. Springtime Seatrout FishingMarch to April is big-trout time. Every year trout over the magic 10-pound mark are caught, and most of them are released. Smaller fish are better on the table, and lunkers are more valuable as spawning stock. Shallow coastal creeks feeding the ICW give up plenty of heavyweights, as do the inlet jetty rocks at Fernandina Beach, the mouth of the St. Johns River, and St. Augustine. Deep water near bridge abutments also produce giants in spring. Eddie Cabler, of Jacksonville, who makes custom jigs, caught and released three trout in April weighing 10 pounds or more. Guide Jeff Crabtree also has caught many northeast Florida trout over 10 pounds, as has Chris Holleman. Summer Seatrout Fishing Strategies
From May through September, bait stocks skyrocket, and with higher temperatures, fish scatter, often moving 30 miles and more up the St. Johns River, for example. Dawn, dusk and night fishing are most productive, anywhere bait is abundant. Hard-running tides are best, and deeper water — eight to 12 feet — is a key factor in locating trout. Submerged shell bars, important for holding feeding trout, also produce good catches of redfish and flounder. Almost any dock throughout the lower St. Johns River, St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach, and along much of the ICW, can be choice for summer trout, especially at night when lights draw bait. Fall Fishing for Speckled Seatrout
October through November is the height of the mullet and shrimp run, and where such baits are found en masse, trout and other game fish are nearby. The lower reaches of major rivers and inlets offer great fishing, and surf casters get into the action with trout and other species when mullet are moving along area beaches. One October morning, my wife, Chris, and son Eric and I fished docks at dawn for seatrout in the lower St. Johns River. We hit the fish and tide just right, and caught about 30 trout, plus two redfish and three flounder, and were back home by 10 a.m. I talked to two buddies that night at a party. Both had fished that morning too. One had caught a six-fish limit of seatrout from the surf while casting live shrimp from the Jacksonville Beach Pier. The other friend had fished Fort George Inlet from his kayak, and while he caught more flounder and redfish than trout, he still collected a limit of six fish to 3 pounds. Now that’s good fishing by any area standard and over a huge coastal region. Northeast Florida Seatrout Fishing Tips
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