Day 1 – The Trip over: Left the Redneck Riviera and headed to Tallahassee to pick up Tom. Birddog meet up with me at Tom’s to give me a lil spending money. We chit chatted for a few moments then loaded our gear and headed east.
Arrived in Jacksonville around 3:00 and checked into the Hampton. Capt. Ron called and we meet him at his house, which was right around the corner. We headed to the ramp for an afternoon assault on the Jacksonville estuary.
Wind was blowing like I had the fly rod in the boat, but I didn’t. First stop resulted in some really fat trout. Tom caught several nice trout, as well Ron, I was being the gracious guest and letting them get some before I stepped up to the plate.
Tom with a nice trout and nice visor
Tom with another nice trout and visor
Tom with another nice trout
I finally decided to dangle my pinky in the water and enticed a nice trout to bite…look at the gut on that fish
Captain Ron got into the action with a nice football shaped trout
Tom catches another solid Jacksonville trout
The “Release”
We moved to a few other spots picking up a fish or two along the way. Capt Ron showed us around the area. We fished to dusk and into the night, finally calling it quits about 9:30 or so.
After loading the boat, Captain Ron recommended Mudville Grille in Jacksonville for a nice cool adult beverage and a bite to eat. I had a Patty Melt and a Yuengling on draft, man that was some awesome food. If you’re in Jacksonville you need to check out Mudville good food and great atmosphere. Tell them that Capt Ron Schurr sent you and ask Heather Isbell for some good fishing spots.
Day 2 – Gold Spoons Revenge: We met Captain Ron at the ramp at 0700 for another blitzkrieg on the salt marshes surrounding Jacksonville. Today’s foe was the willy redfish and anything else that wanted to bite.
First spot we pulled up on I pulled out my trusty piece of flat metal with a hook. Captain Ron gave me the stink eye, telling me I had to “Gulp’m to get’m here in Jacksonville.” I told him to sit back and watch…five or so casts into the morning, the line goes taught and the ever so familiar feeling of dead weight and then the head shake. I just smiled as Capt Ron netted the first red of the day.
Captain Ron looks at me and he says, “I hate you and your gold spoon.” We all bust out into laughter. I have been telling Captain Ron about the spoon for two years now. He says he can’t ever get them to bite the spoon, I told him he needs to believe. No sooner than I had caught the first red, I lock into another short red on the spoon, all Ron would do was chuckle. I told him it’s so easy a caveman could do it.
We ran through some bridges and into a maze of creeks and oyster bars. This place looks so fishy it would take a lifetime to fish all the fishy looking spots. We end up rolling through some creeks looking for some more reds. We fished some awesome looking spots, looking for something to pull our string.
I caught a nice fat trout.
Captain Ron managed a nice trout as well
Tom hooked up with a nice trout on a BiteABait
I took some video of us running through the maze of creeks.
And then this lil guy decided to fly into my line and got all tangled up.
Some more of the bird
We managed to catch the bird and unwrap it and send it away unharmed.
Then I thought I had locked into an oversized red, but it turned out to be a 6 lb flounder
Slippery flat fish was hard to hold
Thanks for the invite Tom; I had a blast look forward to doing it again.
Special thanks to Captain Ron Schurr for being a great sponsor to the website. I got to know Ron about two years ago. We talked on the phone a year before we ever met. I have fished with him twice and showed him how the gold spoon works, hopefully he will come around.
If you ever get over towards Jacksonville and want to catch some fish be sure to look up Capt. Ron Schurr (http://www.fishingnorthflorida.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). He will show you a good time no doubt about it.
_______________
I grew up in that area, and sure do miss those big east coast flatties. I never threw a spoon until I started fishing over here. 
. Need to teach Chalk how to hold a bird...he knows how to flip one.
But plan to be better and fish memorial day weekend. 