One of the most overlooked areas of fishing off of St. Augustine is the redfish by fly rod. There are not a lot of local guides for this sport yet, but with a good bay map, tide charts, and perhaps a local with you – stalking the redfish should prove to be a rewarding experience. Some of the “light tackle” charters would be glad to offer to take you to areas that are also suitable for fly fishing.

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) between Jacksonville and Ponce Inlet offers more than 100 miles of sheltered inshore fishing for trout and redfish. Founder and king mackerel become strong in May, and the St. Augustine area is home to bluefish, tarpon and Spanish mackerel.

Here is a guide reference: http://www.florida-fishing-guide.com/ .

An excellent site for fly fishing and light tackle is: http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com/additionalinfo_city_staugustine.htm .

Another good fly fishing guide service is: http://www.floridalighttacklecharters.com/additionalinfo_city_staugustine.htm . We both know, if there are redfish, if there are flats, point us in that direction and give us a tidal chart and we'll find them! Stalking redfish can equal a fly rod “by sight fishing” experience only second to bonefishing.

A report online at http://staugustine.com/stories/042204/fis_2278380.shtml by Bill Sabo tells of the following fishing report.

“I was walking along the beach the other day and the water felt 'cool' but not 'cold'. That was comforting after the extended winter we just experienced.

I was brought back to more somber thoughts however, when I realized that it was warmer this week than it was in most of July and much of August last year. Let's see where it goes from here. So far, so good. Over the last few weeks I've started with the offshore bottom fishing because it was so good (it still is excellent) but the inshore reports recently took such a turn for the better. So I'll kick off it with them.

Reds were almost everywhere in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and many anglers took advantage of the bite. The best part about the reports that I received was they were in the legal range (18 to 27 inches) for the most part. Brian Turnquist (Devil's Elbow) took a kayak across the ICW from the fish camp, and during 2.5 hours picked up eight reds, of which six were legal.

Fishing with live shrimp on jig head during the low tide change, he also had a few flounder. Turnquist said it was all "sight fishing."

Even the St. Johns River was invaded by the spotty drum as Vicki Thoms (Pacetti's) said that an unidentified fisherman released four reds that measured about 40 inches while fishing the area near the Shands Bridge . Those are big reds that far up the river. He did not catch any legal fish, but other boaters did check in with croakers. With the lack of rain, expect marine species to move farther up the slow moving stream.  Reds were also reported in the feeder creeks and ICW drop-offs throughout the county.

Somewhat surprisingly, trout were a mainstay in many of the reports as well. Bob Conroy (Mike's Place) noted that Fred and Glynda Seese had their limit of legals and released others. Glenn Laudenslager (Camachee Island Charters) wrote that big trout were caught to the south of St. Augustine near the State Road 312 Bridge, and I was surprised to see some shoreline anglers come back from Surfside Avenue with a stringer of trout that they caught during the height of an active Sunday afternoon. “

Of course, for those that have not found the joy of a fly rod, there are deep sea charters that will take you out into the “deep blue” for fishing. Pier fishing abounds in the area, as well as wade fishing in the bay. The Saint John's river is another favorite for fishing, and is just down the road. Fishing Central and Southern Parts of the St. John's . It flows North in open water. It has secluded acres where Fishing Central and Southern Parts of the St. John's . It flows North in open water. It has secluded acres where you can see Bald Eagles, Spanish Moss covered cypress trees and wild life of all types. Excellent bass fishing awaits you.

The joy of being in St. Augustine is the family has the lovely historic city to enjoy, great dining is all around, and you have fantastic fishing available. Please see my B & B page for some recommendations. Dining I have enjoyed recently in the area includes :

La Pentolla which can be checked out at http://www.lapentolarestaurant.com/

Harry's http://www.hookedonharrys.com/ ,

Outback Crab Shack just 15 minutes out of town http://www.gbronline.com/schneider/outback/directions.htm , and the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant on the bayfront at 12 Avenlda Menendez. There are many outstanding dining places all over the city, but these are some I have tried and recommend. Happy Traveling