The summer pattern is settling in around Jacksonville. Offshore, the king mackerel bite has been the highlight, with fish from the beaches out to the ledges taking slow-trolled live menhaden and ribbonfish. The nearshore reefs and the area around the jetties have held the most consistent action on the cleaner water.
Inshore, redfish are working the creek mouths, oyster bars, and dock lines of the St. Johns and the backcountry, eating cut bait, live shrimp, and gold spoons. Spotted seatrout are holding on the deeper grass and around the bridges, with the early bite the most reliable as the water warms.
Flounder are filling back in around the jetties, dock pilings, and channel edges, and a finger mullet or mud minnow worked slow along the bottom is the proven approach. Mangrove snapper have stacked on the nearshore structure and offer fast action and good table fare.
Out front, scattered tarpon are beginning to show along the beaches and around the river mouth, an early sign of the migration to come. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are blitzing bait pods near the beaches and jetties through the day.
With water temperatures climbing, plan early trips and keep an eye on the afternoon storms. The king bite offshore and the redfish action in the river should both hold steady as June rolls on.