Crystal River fishing charter – jack crevalle!

In this article I will cover a Crystal River fishing charter for jack crevalle. Jack crevalle, also known as “jacks”, are a very hard fighting inshore saltwater species. They are found throughout the world in temperate environments. Jack crevalle are often encountered in large schools. In most cases, finding them results in catching; jacks are generally not at all fussy.

Here on the west coast of Florida, jacks have a seasonal pattern. In the warmer months, jack crevalle school up and feed on the shallow flats off the mouth of Crystal River. They forage on the bars and grass flats, feeding on bait fish and crustaceans. As it cools off, jacks move up into the river and it’s smaller tributaries. This is the time of year that I run my Crystal River jack crevalle fishing charters.

My name is Capt Jim Klopfer and I offer clients a variety of fishing charter options. I recently moved to Inverness, Florida from Sarasota. I hit the local rivers and lakes for bass and bream. I also fish Crystal River for jacks and snook. In both cases, I use a 15′ Siesta Skiff. It is wide and stable and is a good platform for fishing these protected waters.

Crystal River jack crevalle fishing charter

Anglers desiring to catch a large, hard-fighting fish will enjoy a Crystal River jack crevalle fishing charter. Jacks are aggressive, voracious feeders and will readily take a fly or lure. I rarely use live bait. Lures and flies allow anglers to cover a lot of water in search of fish. They also appeal to the aggressive nature of jack crevalle.

I begin my Crystal River jack crevalle fishing charters from the Fort Island Trail boat ramp. It is an excellent facility that is centrally located on Crystal River near the mouth of the Salt River. There is plenty of parking, rest rooms, picnic tables and even a fishing pier.

I use both spinning and fly tackle on my Crystal River fishing charters. Both methods are productive and fun. In some cases, anglers are sight casting to fish feeding on the surface. We call these “breaking fish”. A hookup is virtually guaranteed. Bind casting likely spots such as points, oyster bars, holes, docks, seawalls, and bridges will also produce fish.

Fly fishing for Crystal River jack crevalle

I really enjoy fly fishing for jack crevalle! They are a terrific game fish. Jacks give fly anglers the opportunity to catch a big fish without needing great skills. Super long accurate casts are usually not required. Since the fish run large, I opt for an 8wt or 9wt outfit. This can handle the fish as well as casting heavy flies, at times dealing with wind. An intermediate sink tip like with a 9 foot leader works well.

Fly choice is pretty straight forward. I like to use a bait fish pattern such as a Clouser Minnow or Crystal Minnow. 1/0 is a good size and I use a stout hook. All white and chartreuse over white are good choices. The best technique is to cast the fly out, allow it to sink several seconds, and then strip the fly in aggressively, with a short pause between strips. Jacks hit hard and will often set the hook themselves. At times I will go with a floating line and surface fly.

Spin fishing for jack crevalle

While fly fishing is great fun and a bit more challenging, anglers casting lures will catch a lot of jack crevalle. I use medium spinning tackle with a 7′ rod and 2500 series reel. The reels are spooled up with 20 lb braided line and a 30″ piece of 30 lb flourocarbon leaded. This outfit is light enough to cast for hours while stout enough to handle a good fish. I can provide baitcasting tackle for anglers who prefer to cast them.

I use two lures for 90% of my jack crevelle fishing. These are a Rapala X Rap Extreme Action Slashbait in size (08) or (10) in pilchard or white and a 5″ Gulp Jerk Shad on a 1/8 ounce jig head. The hook on the jig head needs to be stout to hold these large jack crevalle. I will use topwater plugs at times as well. Nothing is more exciting than a blowup on a surface lure!

The fishing technique is not complicated. As I ease the boat along the shoreline, anglers cast their lures out and retrieve them back in. The same spots that produce for fly anglers work for conventional anglers as well. Oyster bars and mangrove shorelines that drop off quickly into deeper water are prime spots. Points are prime spots. Any structure such as docks, bridges, seawalls, and trees will hold fish.

Trolling plugs is a productive technique for jack crevalle. It is also a great way to cover a lot of water when the fish are difficult to locate, while giving my clients a break from casting. Shallow diving plugs such as the Rapala X Rap work very well. For the most part, I avoid trolling jigs as this often results in line twist.

Other species caught on Crystal River jack crevalle fishing charters

Anglers targeting jack crevalle in Crystal River will also catch other inshore saltwater species as well as occasionally freshwater fish, depending on how far upriver we go. Snook also migrate up into rivers in the winter, seeking escape from the harsh winters on the flats. Redfish like cool water, but will still be found along bars in the river. Mangrove snapper will be taken on a jig or smaller plug. Up in the headwaters, largemouth bass will even be caught alongside snook.

In conclusion, this article on Crystal River jack crevalle fishing charters will give anglers an idea of what to expect on this type of trip!