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Good day all! Hit the Aucilla yesterday with a friend. As we headed down river we noticed dead, or dieing Jacks all over the place. Only saw one dead trout. Anyone know what happened?

D cold man D cold

We saw several, too.

Other than the cold, can anyone think of what else it might be?

It's definitely the cold. I spoke to JR at his store recently and he mentioned the dead jacks in the river. The water temp dropped severely in that last cold snap around the first of Jan.

When I was growing up in Tampa, we used to fish the power plant outflow canals in the winter due to the warm water attracting the fish. When we only caught jacks and catfish, we learned to back away from the power plant a little to find cooler water. The jacks are real tolerant of heat, but can't handle the cold.

- Steve Stinson

It's the cold, they had a huge fish kill down in the keys, lots of snappers and baitfish died around the shallow water reefs.

Roger that. There was a guy down there scooping them up. His boat was almost ful. Those things aren't good to eat, wonder what he wanted them for.......

I've eat'n the yellow tail jacks...wasn't nothin wrong with them that I could tell.

Koenig wrote:Roger that. There was a guy down there scooping them up. His boat was almost ful. Those things aren't good to eat, wonder what he wanted them for.......

They make excellent chum

Jacks under 5 lbs are good eating,bigger than that they are strong tasting,the freeze did kill some trout and a few mullet.Most of the trout were caught in pot holes and gullys on the flats when the tide blew out and then the water temp dropped way down that night.

Oh, everything I have read puts them on the low end as far as food quality. Learn something new everyday, thanks mates!

Koenig wrote:Oh, everything I have read puts them on the low end as far as food quality. Learn something new everyday, thanks mates!

They are not going to eat as good as a fresh N. Fla Mullet but if the yankees want to eat them then that saves more of the good stuff for us.

Sir Reel is on the money. Yellow tail jacks are good eating. I'm pretty particular about the fish I'll eat, and I thought they were really good.

I've cooked them before- they have a sweet flavor. Very tasty.
You have to be willing to fight the Y Bones for the meat just like a northern pike.
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