Rookie asking for help, fishing St Marks

[o5523915]

hello everyone,

i am new to this site. After reading few posts, a lot of yall are great fishermen and enjoy sharing info with each other which is great! I am from South Florida and fish there a lot but due to school now I am here. I love fishing and I've never caught a redfish or trout before, from where I live down south we have snappers, pompanos, jacks, mackerels, cudas, groupers, snook, cobia etc and my personal favorite permit. But I would love to get into catching redfish they seem so beautiful and all over this area.

I don't have a boat and I prefer to not drive further than 2 hrs to catch a fish.. I think most ideal locations would be St Marks, Wakulla beach, and St' George Island? Could you guys recommend some good spots that I can fish from land for redfish and trouts (or other good eating fish for that matter) please? What fish can I catch during fall? And finaly question, for redfish, what's your favorite lure? I always topwater scaled sardine twitch bait down south and the cudas jacks snooks hit them like crazy.

I know yall are seasoned and fantastic anglers, I really appreciate your help if you can just provide me the right direction. Tight lines!

Thank you,
Mario

[procraftwes]

I'd suggest looking into a kayak. For pretty cheap it can allow you to FIND the fish you need to catch. Fishing from shore will limit what you can find. I've had better success catching redfish from shore than trout FWIW.

Another option would be a Gheenoe or a small flats boat. Use very little gas, lightweight for towing and easy to store... most importantly they are cheap. I'd bet you could find a decent used setup for the flats around $1,000 on craigslist.

For topwater a superspook will work and seems goto for most. This would be my choice over oyster beds and in very shallow water.

Catching trout is about the easiest thing you can do around here. A gulp shrimp under a popping cork will do the trick with very little effort. The problem is you won't find many in shallow water this time of year. I wen't fishing yesterday but was about a mile or 2 from shore(maybe more) in about 7' of water to find them.

[o5523915]

I'd suggest looking into a kayak. For pretty cheap it can allow you to FIND the fish you need to catch. Fishing from shore will limit what you can find. I've had better success catching redfish from shore than trout FWIW.

Another option would be a Gheenoe or a small flats boat. Use very little gas, lightweight for towing and easy to store... most importantly they are cheap. I'd bet you could find a decent used setup for the flats around $1,000 on craigslist.

For topwater a superspook will work and seems goto for most. This would be my choice over oyster beds and in very shallow water.

Catching trout is about the easiest thing you can do around here. A gulp shrimp under a popping cork will do the trick with very little effort. The problem is you won't find many in shallow water this time of year. I wen't fishing yesterday but was about a mile or 2 from shore(maybe more) in about 7' of water to find them.

thank you for your respond and they are quite helpful. Kayak seems to be a good idea since I am a student with limited budget. As far as location, do you have any good spots where i can fish from shore or wade the water to get a little closer to the redfish? What color/brand of superspook do you have the most success with around this area? Again thanks for your time.

[silverking]

Mario,
Welcome to the 'hood. You're going to enjoy the less-pressured pace of fishing up here, although snook and permit are unfortunately out of range (for the most part).

The shoreline in front of the St. Marks Lighthouse can be productive for wading, along with the oyster bars. The current can rip through the channel, however, and it's also a favorite spot for big bull sharks so be careful. Wakulla Beach, Bald Point and Alligator Harbor shoreline can also be good at times. It's the farthest distance, but SGI is the best opportunity. The bay side from the last pavilion to the East Pass tip can be very good for reds and trout, along with flounder, jacks, etc. Hard bottom and easy to wade. The sand bars off the East Pass tip can be fantastic, especially in the fall. Big reds, pompano, Spanish mackerel, etc. all cruise through. You have to pay an extra fee (or buy an annual pass if you decide to go a lot), but it's worth it.

The kayak suggestion would let you cover more water that can't be accessed by foot, like Hickory Mound, the Aucilla/Econfina/St. Marks Rivers, Lanark/Turkey Point, etc. Good deals can be found, but they don't last long. You have to act quick. Another option would be to rent a kayak a few times to see if it's a fit. Shields Marina and Wilderness Way/TnT Hideaway and St. Marks Outfitters all rent yaks. That's also a good way to figure out the style that works best for you (sit in vs. sit on top, paddle vs. pedal).

If I had to load a ditch bag with only three lures to survive on, I'd have a Super Spook Jr. or Rapala Skitterwalk in bone, a gold/glow DOA standard shrimp and a silver/red Aqua Dream spoon. You can catch most anything along our coast with those three.

For future reference, I teach the Flats Pro Seminars each February at Shields Marina in St. Marks. We cover everything from tackle to fish behavior/habitat, fishing spots, gear, etc. during the day-long class and we feed you and give away tons of stuff. I'll post the dates later this year in case you're interested in attending.

Good luck, have fun exploring new waters and be safe. Wading boots, shuffling your feet to spook stingrays and polarized amber sunglasses are a must.

Capt. Dave Lear

[Harmsway]

Mario, you should check out the FSU Fishing Club, or their website. They used to have a pretty good list of places to fish from shore. Join the club if you like beer.

[o5523915]

Mario,
Welcome to the 'hood. You're going to enjoy the less-pressured pace of fishing up here, although snook and permit are unfortunately out of range (for the most part).

The shoreline in front of the St. Marks Lighthouse can be productive for wading, along with the oyster bars. The current can rip through the channel, however, and it's also a favorite spot for big bull sharks so be careful. Wakulla Beach, Bald Point and Alligator Harbor shoreline can also be good at times. It's the farthest distance, but SGI is the best opportunity. The bay side from the last pavilion to the East Pass tip can be very good for reds and trout, along with flounder, jacks, etc. Hard bottom and easy to wade. The sand bars off the East Pass tip can be fantastic, especially in the fall. Big reds, pompano, Spanish mackerel, etc. all cruise through. You have to pay an extra fee (or buy an annual pass if you decide to go a lot), but it's worth it.

The kayak suggestion would let you cover more water that can't be accessed by foot, like Hickory Mound, the Aucilla/Econfina/St. Marks Rivers, Lanark/Turkey Point, etc. Good deals can be found, but they don't last long. You have to act quick. Another option would be to rent a kayak a few times to see if it's a fit. Shields Marina and Wilderness Way/TnT Hideaway and St. Marks Outfitters all rent yaks. That's also a good way to figure out the style that works best for you (sit in vs. sit on top, paddle vs. pedal).

If I had to load a ditch bag with only three lures to survive on, I'd have a Super Spook Jr. or Rapala Skitterwalk in bone, a gold/glow DOA standard shrimp and a silver/red Aqua Dream spoon. You can catch most anything along our coast with those three.

For future reference, I teach the Flats Pro Seminars each February at Shields Marina in St. Marks. We cover everything from tackle to fish behavior/habitat, fishing spots, gear, etc. during the day-long class and we feed you and give away tons of stuff. I'll post the dates later this year in case you're interested in attending.

Good luck, have fun exploring new waters and be safe. Wading boots, shuffling your feet to spook stingrays and polarized amber sunglasses are a must.

Capt. Dave Lear

thank you for your generous response! Your post def gave me lots lots of useful information. I was there Saturday just checking out the lighthouse and catch some blue crabs with friends. The area is beautiful and the fishermen there are also very nice. I can't wait to catch my first red. Also please post the class info, if I have time I will check it out. Again thank you for your generosity to share!

[o5523915]

Mario, you should check out the FSU Fishing Club, or their website. They used to have a pretty good list of places to fish from shore. Join the club if you like beer.

I googled FSUFISHING it seems like the website hasnt been updated for a while. I actually know Kyle Marsh (president according to webste) from undergrad. Do you have any other contact information?

[ertauber]

I am retired and fish mainly the mash sands, alligator point area and catch reds, blues, jacks, and mackeral on a regular basis. I always fish tuesdays and thursdays. I have a 17' bass tracker and if you are willing to share expenses I would love to show you around.