Capt. Ron Presley invited me to hop on his 20ft Pathfinder to target some American and Hickory Shad in the St. Johns River. I’m always excited about targeting these fish not just for the fishing, but the scenery in the St. Johns.
Armed with ultra light spinning gear and a 5wt fly rod, Ron and I launched the boat on a beautiful crisp morning with light fog, setting a great mood in both of our minds.
Although it was a pretty short run to the fishing hole, the abundance of wildlife and scenery was amazing!
The Shad were not too active on top this day so it was tough to target with the fly rod. I did catch some small crappie and blue gill, and hooked a couple shad that popped off on the jumps on fly, but we mainly caught fish on bright colored Road Runners and D.O.A. Tiny TerrorEyz on ultra light spin tackle which made it a blast.
I plan on heading back out before the Shad Run ends mainly to enjoy the scenery and catching a few on the fly rod while I’m there.
-Capt. Willy Le
www.NativFlyCharters.com
