Fishing in Jacksonville, FL Guide

Last Updated on August 29, 2024 by Boatsetter Team

Just how good is the fishing in Jacksonville, FL? If you ever thought about learning how to start a fishing charter business, a good start would be moving here — the inshore and offshore fishing opportunities in Jacksonville are virtually limitless. Or, maybe you’re a bit more casual about your fishing and you’d merely like to rent a fishing boat for an afternoon of fun. Again, the sky is the limit when it comes to where you might go and what you might catch.

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Where to Fish: Best Jacksonville, FL Fishing Spots

There are literally countless places to go fishing in Jacksonville but they can be broken down into four main options.

 

The Atlantic Ocean

If you want to hunt big game like kingfish, cobia, and mahi-mahi, you’ll be heading east into the ocean. This type of fishing does require a seaworthy boat, specialized gear, and offshore fishing knowledge and experience. Since it’s a big endeavor, many anglers will book a fishing charter at least a few times before attempting a trip like this on their own.

 

Julington Creek

 

Julington Creek, a tributary of the St. Johns River, offers excellent fishing opportunities for both freshwater and saltwater species. This scenic waterway is known for its abundant largemouth bass, catfish, and panfish populations. As you move closer to the St. Johns River, you’ll find saltwater species like redfish and speckled trout. Spring and fall are particularly productive seasons for bass fishing, while summer brings good action for catfish. The creek’s diverse habitats, including submerged vegetation and docks, provide ideal structure for fish, making it a favorite among local anglers.

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Doctors Lake

Doctors Lake, a 3,400-acre body of water connected to the St. Johns River, is a prime fishing destination in the Jacksonville area. This lake is renowned for its excellent largemouth bass fishing, with many anglers pursuing trophy-sized catches. The lake also supports healthy populations of crappie, bluegill, and catfish. Spring and fall offer peak bass fishing, while summer nights can be productive for catfish. The lake’s numerous coves, submerged vegetation, and drop-offs provide diverse fishing opportunities for both boat and bank anglers.

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St. Johns River

While not a lake, the St. Johns River is an integral part of Jacksonville’s fishing scene and deserves mention. This massive river system offers diverse fishing opportunities, from freshwater species in its upper reaches to saltwater fish near its mouth. Anglers can target largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish in the freshwater sections, while the brackish areas yield redfish, speckled trout, and flounder. The river’s extensive shoreline, numerous tributaries, and varied structure provide year-round fishing action. Spring and fall are particularly productive for most species, but the St. Johns offers good fishing opportunities in every season.

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Kingsley Lake

Located about 40 miles southwest of Jacksonville, Kingsley Lake is a unique, nearly circular lake known for its excellent fishing. This 2,000-acre natural lake is popular among anglers for its largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill. The lake’s clear waters and sandy bottom create ideal conditions for sight fishing, especially for bedding bass in the spring. Summer offers good crappie fishing, while fall brings renewed bass activity. Kingsley Lake’s consistent depth and lack of significant vegetation make it a unique fishing experience compared to other Florida lakes.

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Mill Cove

Mill Cove, an expansive shallow water area connected to the St. Johns River, offers excellent inshore fishing opportunities. This brackish water environment is home to a variety of species including redfish, speckled trout, flounder, and sheepshead. The cove’s numerous oyster bars, grass flats, and deep holes provide diverse habitats that attract fish year-round. Spring and fall are prime seasons for redfish and trout, while summer can be productive for flounder. Mill Cove’s accessibility and productive waters make it a favorite spot for both novice and experienced anglers in the Jacksonville area.

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What to Fish for in Jacksonville, FL: Top Species List

In the ocean off Jacksonville, FL, you can hope to catch:

• Blackfin tuna (and occasionally yellowfin)
• Cobia
• Dolphinfish (also called mahi-mahi)
• Jacks
• King mackerel
• Reef fish (multiple species of snappers and groupers)
• Sailfish
• Sharks (multiple species)
• Spanish mackerel
• Tripletail
• Wahoo

In the St. Johns River and inlet, the species list includes:

• Black drum
• Flounder
• Crevalle Jacks
• Red drum
• Sheepshead
• Snappers (multiple species)
• Snook
• Speckled sea trout
• Tarpon

In freshwater venues, bass fishing in Jacksonville takes top honors. In fact, the brackish and freshwater areas of the St. Johns and the nearby Rodman Reservoir are bona fide largemouth bass trophy territory known to produce 10-plus-pound bass. Along with the bass, however, you can also catch:

• Catfish
• Crappie
• Sunfish

When is the best time to go fishing in Jacksonville, FL?

Fishing in Jacksonville, FL is a year-round event, but the species that will be biting at any given time of the year will change with the seasons. Many of the fish in the river and its associated waterways (such as speckled trout, redfish, and snappers), can be caught during just about any month. But many others, like tarpon and big black drum, are migratory.

• In general, during spring and fall, the migratory fish will appear and provide prime targets for a few months at a time. Yet some other fish, like sheepshead, bite best during the winter months and thin out when the weather gets warmer.
• Offshore is similar, though just about all of the different species migrate through at different times. Wahoo and blackfin, for example, are present year-round but peak during the cooler seasons, and the bite slacks off a bit during the summer.
• Mahi-mahi, on the other hand, often provide the hottest action during the spring and then taper off.
• King mackerel show up in the spring, bite through the summer, then become less prevalent when winter sets in once again.

What about the freshwater venues? There, none of the available species stop biting regardless of the season. Sure, spring and fall usually offer hotter action than the heat of summer or the middle of winter. But any month of the year can produce solid catches for freshwater fishing in Jacksonville, FL.

The bottom line is that there isn’t any time of year when fishing is poor in Jacksonville. The real question is, what species will be biting when you happen to be there?

Ready to go fishing in Jacksonville?

Again, we have to break the fisheries down into how you’ll fish in the ocean versus how you’ll fish in the St. Johns River and associated waterways, as very different tactics are applied between the two areas.

In the river…

• Most anglers either cast lures like soft plastics on jig heads, spoons, or plugs, with light tackle.
• Bait fishing is also quite popular and highly effective, often with shrimp or live baitfish.
• Shrimp are probably the all-around favorite, however, as just about any fish swimming in these waters enjoys eating them.

In the ocean…

• Trolling, kite fishing, and live baiting are all common tactics to apply when you’re going after pelagics.
• Most anglers who want to target reef and bottom fish or sharks will stick with bottom fishing with bait.

In truth, entire books have been written about any one of these species and all of the different ways one might specifically target them while fishing in these waters. Learning how to fish for tarpon is very different from learning how to fish for sailfish.

Hopefully, however, this fishing in Jacksonville guide has helped you narrow down your desired target. And whatever species or hotspot you might decide you’ll be focusing on, one thing is for sure: if you’ll be in Jacksonville, FL, there should be some serious fishing in store.

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