What Fish Are the Birds Feeding on in Northeast Florida Near Shore
It's one of those age-old beliefs that comes with a bonus: It's true!
This time of year around here, when the fishing takes on the feel of hard work, you need every advantage you can pull from the trusty Plano.
But all you need are your own eyeballs to catch a clue. Do you see birds on that nearby sandbar or mangrove cluster? If the answer is yes, you can also be reasonably sure about something you can't see: Fish below the water's surface.
"It's just one more often overlooked way to find fish," says Capt. Mike Vickers, who operates out of Hammock Bait & Tackle in Palm Coast.
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Gather 'round and listen up . . .
"We all know to look for birds diving on schools of baitfish," Capt. Mike begins. "What we overlook and ignore are the wading birds, working shallow structure and the banks. These birds are feeding on the same food as their attack-from-above brothers, and the size of the birds will tell us what they're feeding on."
Here's the cut-and-paste part . . .
"Large herons and egrets will be feeding on larger baitfish, crabs, and even small lizards and frogs, etc. Smaller birds are feeding on smaller baitfish, crabs, and shrimp.
"You have now located the bait and have a general idea of what and what size. The fish are close by."
Anyone second that motion?
"For me, it's wading birds," says another local guide, Capt. Billy Pettigrew (RedFishTails.com). "I look for multiple birds in an area, not just a single. Maybe two or three birds on a shoreline or in the creek, even across from each other.
"The exception is when I see a great egret or great blue heron. They're more territorial. The heron will run every other bird away from the area."
Stands to reason, same rules of nature apply in our freshwater playgrounds.
"When you're looking for schooling fish, yeah. If you see the birds start hitting the top of the water, you need to get over there," says Kerry McPherson, a St. Johns lifer who owns and operates the South Moon Fish Camp in Astor. "Stripers, schooling bass . . . the birds will help you find them."
The prettier birds might look like they're out there just to model for us and fill our phone's picture files. But with rare exceptions, if you see a bird near the water or wading in the water, it's eyeballing its next meal. And no, it doesn't matter if it just ate two minutes ago.
Halifax/Indian River
Best bet remains early and late, before and after that big orange ball crosses the sky and sends sweat dripping into spots where you didn't even know you had spots.
Too much info?
Those who can get to some dock lights at night are finding fish, and while it's not always an automatic, sometimes it's almost like "fish in a barrel."
Gene Lytwyn (Fishin' Hole, Daytona Beach) and Ike Leary (Granada Pier Bait & Tackle, Ormond Beach) are hearing of snook up and down the Halifax River, and the timing ain't bad.
The closed season for snook ends Sept. 1, but even then, you have to be careful.
First, you have to thread the needle with that slot limit of 28-32 inches. You're limited to one per day. And along with your fishing license, you need to get your snook permit from the FWC ($10 for a year), unless you're among those exempt from needing a license.
Surf
If you're itching for a fight, put a big hunk of cutbait on your biggest hook and toss it over the breakers toward the sharks.
If you want something to eat, downsize your gear and hope for whiting, since they're the best option for a while longer.
If you're just looking to kill time, see if you can find some of those still-in-hiding sandfleas. If you do, quickly put one on a hook and toss it eastward.
Flagler County
Whiting are also the best bet along the surflines, but a here-and-there trout, flounder or drum (red and black) has been mentioned.
The heat-tolerant mangrove snapper are still the best catch in the intracoastal after the sun comes up. The rest of the quality fish (flounder, reds, trout, etc.) remain harder work until the fever breaks.
St. Johns
Known for its quirky habit of flowing south to north, the St. Johns occasionally gets bullied into a southward flow. It happened early this week as weather and wind patterns pushed into the river's gaping mouth near Jacksonville.
"The water's been backing up, and that always kills the fish bite," says Kerry McPherson, who watches the ebbs and flows from his South Moon Fish Camp in Astor. "These fronts keep coming through, backing it up."
But, as Jessi crooned, storms never last.
"It backed up a couple days," Kerry said Thursday, "then it sat still yesterday, and turned around this morning. So the bite should pick back up."
Just in time for the weekend!
Hook, line and clicker
We want to see your most recent catch. Email your fish photos to ken.willis@news-jrnl.com.
Please include first and last name of angler(s), as well as type of fish (we're occasionally stumped). All are included with our online fishing report, and some occasionally make the print edition.
Source: https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/2022/08/19/looking-fish-let-those-birds-lead-you-angling-promised-land-snook-redfish-plano-palm-coast-st-johns/10331352002/
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