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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | Going on a family vacation down to Daytona Beach the second week of February. Thinking of taking a day or two to try some fishing. Never been there nor fished for the species around there. Looking for any suggestions for a DIY day but have been looking at guides as well. There's 5 of us but thinking it will just be me and the 16 yr old boy doing most of the fishing.
Thanks! |
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Posts: 427
| give jim ross at fine line fishing charters a call, you won't regret it. we have been with him a couple of times and have had an awesome time. might want to get ahold of him sooner than later because he books up.
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Posts: 114
| I would absolutely recommend bringing some gear with you. You can catch sharks off the beach (check the regulations, it's illegal in many areas to fish for them, but if you go in the early morning or at night no problems). It's illegal in Hilton Head, but we fish all day using cut mullet and catch a variety of fish including redfish, sharks, etc.
Daytona should also have a pier or two to fish from. I used a basic 9' Surf fishing rod with muskie spinning reel I bought for my wife a long time ago (5000 size spooled with 80 lb braid). I also used my 80 lb fluorocarbon leader material to create surf rigs with a 2-4 ounce weight depending on the tides. 5/0 Team Catfish Circle Hooks. It' s a lot of fun. Florida also has many other species of resident fish including Tarpon, Snook, etc. that you can catch from the beach. Also, cut some holders to use in the sand using 2" PVC pipe with an angle in the bottom, see video below
http://vid286.photobucket.com/albums/ll120/MuskieJim747/219825E8-AA...
[IMG]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll120/MuskieJim747/C51EF058-FF1E-4E5E-B4E3-074C85119163_zps8sbbojcf.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll120/MuskieJim747/6674602F-7802-451F-B848-FBA0964D479E_zpsb4khdjw7.jpg[/IMG]
Edited by MuskieJim 1/14/2015 8:24 AM
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Posts: 427
| If you are going to try pier fishing I would try the New Smyrna area. There is a pier at the base on one of the bridges going to New Smyrna that has some decent fishing at times. The piers on Daytona have been a total waste of time when I have been down there in the summer months. There is also a pier under the Dunlawton bridge that the locals use and I have been told it is good at time also but I have never tried it. Make sure that when you are there you eat at Bubba Gumps shrimp company. I love their New Orleans shrimp but just about everything they serve is very good. |
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Posts: 40
| If you're going for regular fish off the beach (Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, whiting, pompano, small sharks/rays) you can use fresh water gear, just make sure you don't let it get soaked in salt water and always rinse it down after using it. Buy PVC pipes to use as rod holders, cast your bait(shrimp) out between sandbars and wait. You can buy rigs at the bait store or I have found that even pickerel rigs work.
I saw someone above mention fishing for sharks. If you do that you'll need shark rods, reels, etc. Even muskie tackle will likely get spooled by even a 5 foot shark. |
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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | Appreciate the suggestions. Anyone fish the "main" pier or Sunglow? Or should I stick to some shoreline areas?
Again really appreciate the feedback.
Edit: I learned we are actually staying in Palm Coast just slight north of DB. Thought maybe that help spark some ideas.
Edited by Targa01 1/14/2015 9:05 PM
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Posts: 283
| This is a great thread, I am going down in early April and will check this stuff out too! |
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Posts: 427
| I have not been down there in the winter but in the summer the piers on the open ocean side have been a waste time. |
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Posts: 40
| Also fish the tides and dawn/dusk. I've seen 0 action all day turn into non stop action from an hour before sunset until an hour after. |
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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | So the only fishing we were able to do was a half day guided trip on the Matanza river. We were not able to pack any rods and after looking at buying or renting equipment, finding our own bait, licenses, and learning how to fish the areas a guided trip seemed well worth it. Went out with Cpt Brian from Palm Coast Fishing Thursday morning which it was windy and cold but he was able to find us some fish. My son was the hot hand and caught a number of keeper spotted trout and a few small red fish. I only caught a couple little red's myself. We made a move to find some Black Drum which we both caught one a piece in the 6-7# range. The Black drums put up a good fight on lighter tackle. Once the tide stopped moving the small fish were robbing bait like crazy. We ended up catching 12-15 fish total and kept 6.
Mananged to see dolphins come up next to the boat which was pretty cool. And we did a cruise by an old spanish fort on the river. Overall a great time and a new experience for the both of us. Both fish were excellent eating especially the trout. White fillets, not what you would expect with the types we get around here.
Really enjoyed the whole trip down to Florida. Liked it down there more than I expected. I will say after driving a total of 4000 miles for this vacation that there was WAY TO many people on their phones texting/searching while driving. They were literally going from line to line (double lanes), or rumble strip to rumble strip. I would finally pass when there was a chance to see them internet surfing and one lady (50'ish so not just the young) actually had a phone and i-Pad at the same time! Following behind them was like watching a completely wasted driving going down the road.
Definitely let's learn from others mistakes, take it to heart, and put down the phones while driving! I know I won't take any more chances no matter how 'small' of a task it is.
I will post pics once I get them off my phone. |
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![[IMG]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll120/MuskieJim747/C51EF058-FF1E-4E5E-B4E3-074C85119163_zps8sbbojcf.jpg[/IMG]](http://s286.photobucket.com/user/MuskieJim747/media/C51EF058-FF1E-4E5E-B4E3-074C85119163_zps8sbbojcf.jpg.html){kind=link}
![[IMG]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll120/MuskieJim747/6674602F-7802-451F-B848-FBA0964D479E_zpsb4khdjw7.jpg[/IMG]](http://s286.photobucket.com/user/MuskieJim747/media/6674602F-7802-451F-B848-FBA0964D479E_zpsb4khdjw7.jpg.html){kind=link}
