and trout fishing in Guana Lake, which lies between Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine off of Highway A1A. I have become quite adept at hooking and landing these fierce fish in this brackish wonderland. I first fished Guana in 1986. Back then Dale Ball and I caught a few 10-pound black drum, some 2 and 3-pound reds, and a lot of small croakers.
Over the years, the lake has been improved (the water was deepened and a new dam built) and its fishery has developed into one of the most productive (yet vastly underutilized) in Northeast Florida.
As a result of these improvements, it is now much easier to catch some saltwater species of fish in Guana Lake which most people believe can only be found in the Intra-coastal Waterway, especially redfish and spotted seatrout.
Location, Location, Location
This is not to say that all you have to do is throw a line anywhere in the lake and you will catch a keeper red or trout. It took Dale and I about two years to learn just how and where to catch our fish.
At first, we tried to fish the lake as we would the Intra-coastal Waterway. That is, we fished as close to the grasses and other plants as we could, often in water only a few inches deep. We caught some reds, maybe four or five per seven-hour trip. And we were grateful! Some of these reds weighed five to six pounds.
Over time, we gradually began casting our baits further and further from the shore and from the grasses; we caught many more reds and trout in open water. And the fish got bigger and bigger. It was not unusual for us to catch 30 to 40 fish per trip (reds, trout, and black drum) in the summer and fall months in the mid-north section of the lake.
However, we found that the proximity of our baits to the vegetation was only one of the important variables. Where in the lake we fished also mattered. We found that the further south we went from the Six Mile Landing (SML) area (but not too far past the observation tower), the bigger fish we caught. We have caught very few large reds (over six pounds) at the southern end of the lake in the dam area or north of the SML launch canal. The bigger fish seem to prefer the areas situated within sight of the observation tower, located four miles north of the dam and 2 miles south of SML on the west side of the lake.
Time Of Day
The vast majority of our redfish and trout have been caught in the morning, from about 7 up until about 11AM, and from 4 to 10 PM. Rarely do we go fishing in Guana Lake in the middle of the day. Also, the tidal flow in the lake is so slight that we no longer pay attention to this variable.
Weather
Weather is the result of changes in barometric pressure. Lower pressure precedes rain. Higher pressure means fair weather. Stronger winds accompany passing fronts. We have found that periods of rapidly falling or rising pressure and periods of gradually rising pressure produce the most fish. In other words, as a rainstorm builds, hits, then passes, fishing can be furious.
We studied barometric pressure trends and discovered that the pressure almost always rises from about 6:00 AM until about 11:00 AM, falls during the afternoon, rises slowly again in the evening hours from about 3:00 until about 11:00 PM, then gradually falls again. The pressure rises and falls because of the daily rise and fall in the air temperature. As the air warms, its weight lessens and the pressure it produces lowers and vice versa. There is a lag between the warming and cooling of the air and the pressure changes, so it is not a direct relationship. Also, the passage of fronts has a profound effect upon barometric pressure levels.
Invariably, okay fishing occurred during the times when the pressure was steady (but not much higher than 30.15) and our best fishing was when the pressure was gradually rising AND just after a rainstorm when the pressure was rising quickly.
We found that the worst time to fish was when the pressure was falling gradually (usually between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM and the early morning hours from 11:00 PM until 4:00 AM). Of course, you would need to add one hour to each of these scenarios during daylight saving time.
We have found that these fishing success times hold true for most bodies of water, even those strongly affected by tides.
Equipment
After losing some nice reds in Guana, we switched from the traditional light tackle used by many freshwater Florida anglers to heavy duty catfish-type combos with closed-faced reels (Zebco Hawgs) and 20-pound test line. We lost fewer reds with these rigs and were better able to control their long, powerful runs.
It can be fun to catch an eight or nine pound red on 10-pound test line, but you are much more likely to lose it. If you use an average-sized combo, make sure you use at least 20-pound test line. We have caught black drum up to 26 pounds and reds up to 13 pounds in Guana and fully expect to catch even larger ones.
Baits
We have caught reds on live and dead shrimp, mud minnows, and cut bait. We now fish almost exclusively with dead shrimp because there is no need to pay more for live bait or to spend time catching it and/or keeping it alive. Almost all of our trout have been caught on dead shrimp (we don't often fish with minnows). Black drum bite on dead shrimp.
If we catch a crab or a small fish, such as a croaker or a ladyfish, we cut these up and use them as bait. Some of our biggest fish have been caught using these naturally occurring baits.
Methods
We bait our #3 silver saltwater hooks with a single 32-36 count shrimp purchased at a roadside stand or Publix (if the price is right), cast it out about 20-40 feet using no weight, rest the poles (two each) against the side of the boat, and wait for the fury to begin. If the wait exceeds more than a few minutes, we seriously consider moving. Logically, this is a sound strategy, because if both the fish and you are moving there is a greater likelihood the two of you will run into each other.
But there is another reason not to spend more than about fifteen minutes in any one spot. We have found that if the fish are biting, they will bite almost immediately, especially with four baits resting within a relatively small area. We repeat these relocations, moving 30 - 50 feet each time the fishing slows and remaining well away from the grasses. But our total fishing area for a single fishing trip is often no bigger than 2500 feet square.
More often than not, redfish and trout grab and run with your bait. In fact, we have lost several combos because we didn't secure them. Sometimes, probably when they don't feel they have to compete with other fish, the fish slip the shrimp into their mouths and just slowly swim away. If you watch your line carefully, you can spot this; your line will tighten then loosen as if a small fish is nibbling your bait. This action means the fish already has your bait and is probably swimming in such a direction as to not tighten your line. Reel in your slack quickly and set the hook.
Dale and I reel our lines in a few feet every couple of minutes. This serves three purposes. First, you can cover more area. Second, even though we are using dead bait, moving the bait attracts the attention of the fish. Third, it keeps the slack out of our lines, making it easier to spot a soft bite.
Another method we have often used is to allow our boat to drift along, powered by the wind. This is akin to trolling, except that we use dead shrimp. We face the wind and cast out or baits about thirty feet. We add a swivel to each line to prevent twisting. This method is most effective for locating schools of fish on slower fishing days (fair, steady barometric pressure).
Try these methods and I guarantee you that over time you will come to appreciate the great fishing Guana Lake has to offer.
Stu
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