September is bull red month on the First Coast, and the first big schools have shown up at the mouth of the St. Johns right on schedule. Combine that with the mullet run pushing down the beach and the early flounder starting in the river, and Jacksonville is about to have its best month of the year.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting hardest this week is the bull redfish at the jetties, with fish from 25 to 40 pounds stacking up in the rocks and along the channel edges. Tarpon and big jack crevalle are on the mullet schools along the beach from Mayport down to Ponte Vedra. Flounder are starting to show in the river around the docks and rock piles, and they will only get better through October. Slot reds and trout are steady in the creeks of the Intracoastal, and kingfish are still nearshore on the reefs and wrecks.
Where to Find Them
The St. Johns jetties are the obvious spot for bull reds — fish the ends of both jetties and the channel edges inside on the last of the outgoing. Tarpon are along the beach in 10 to 20 feet, following the mullet. In the river, the docks at Mayport and the rock piles near Blount Island are holding flounder. The creeks off the Intracoastal from Palm Valley to Sisters Creek have slot reds and trout on the higher tides.
Tides & Conditions
Water temps in the river are in the mid-80s, and the first cooler mornings of the season are just starting to show. The outgoing tide at the jetties is the bull red tide, especially the last two hours. Northeast wind days push swell onto the beach and make the jetties sporty, so check the marine forecast. Tropical activity can change the whole picture in a day this time of year.
Tackle & Tactics
Bull reds at the jetties take a big chunk of cut mullet or a blue crab on a fish-finder rig with a 6/0 circle hook and 50-pound leader — use enough weight to hold in the current. Tarpon on the beach want a live mullet on a 7/0 circle hook. Flounder want a mud minnow or a finger mullet on a jig head bounced slowly on the bottom. Lighter tackle and a gold spoon or soft plastic handle the slot reds and trout in the creeks.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Mayport boat ramp, the Sisters Creek ramp on Heckscher Drive, the Joe Carlucci ramp on the Intracoastal in Palm Valley, and the Huguenot Park ramp. Fish are concentrating at the jetties for bull reds and along the beach for the tarpon-and-mullet show. Bull reds are almost always over the slot, so plan on releasing them — check current FWC regulations and the redfish rules for this zone before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
Big redfish in the jetty rocks will break you off if you fish them like slot reds. Lock the drag, use a rod with backbone, and turn the fish away from the rocks immediately. Hesitate for three seconds and the fish is in the boulders.
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