BigBendFishing.Net

I got an invite from bigbendfishing.net headmaster (Tom Keels) to go fishing with Capt Ron Schurr from http://www.fishingnorthflorida.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; in Jacksonville, FL. A time and date was made and a plan was set in motion.

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.

Sounds like a good trip. Glad you guys had fun.
You guys fished today and tomorrow?
Jacksonville has a strange time frame.

Sweet trip. That was a pretty abrupt stop when ya'll were running the creek.

looks like fun fellas. that east coast fish'n is a little dif. ain't it.
his boat sure does have good breaks.

birddog wrote:Sweet trip. That was a pretty abrupt stop when ya'll were running the creek.

We deployed the sand brakes and stopped on a dime. That was "interesting". As Maxwell Smart says..."Missed it byyyyyyyyy that much."

I had fun man. Thanks to Capt. Ron for putting us on some fish in some tough conditions. Everyone should fish over there with him, or at least take an ECO-TOUR.

BTW a 17 inch trout from over there weighs every bit of 2 pounds. They will kick a 20" fishes azz over here.

Great report, Chalk. 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.

Wow, those are some great looking fish! The trout look real healthy, did you notice they don't have as many spots as our gulf trout?

Nice trip! Gold spoon is the ticket! 24 reds in 2 days for us last week on the spoon is proof!

Great trip guys! Potbelly trout . Need to teach Chalk how to hold a bird...he knows how to flip one.

No doubt that was a fun trip- and Chalk that is a stud flounder!!
Thanks Capt Ron for being a sponsor

Awsome!!!

Nice road trip fellas.

I sure do miss the East coast when it comes to flounder, nice fish!

Great trip, good fish, I'm jelous! Got to love the east coast. I was going to go to St. Auggie and fish with Dad and Lil Bro again this weekend since RCB is in VA but I am at home sick and miserable. But plan to be better and fish memorial day weekend.

Great trip fella.