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JETTY FISHING
(904)765-4936
E-mail Captain Vic at
See
interesting facts about the jetties below on
this page.
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Fish the mouth of the 310 mile long St. Johns River at the mighty Jacksonville / Mayport Jetties for legal sized & oversized redfish, black drum, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, sea bass, black margates, mangrove snapper, whiting, trout, sharks, tarpon, Virginia croakers, my personal jetty favorite the light biting - ferocious fighting sheepshead and many, many more!
Let Captain Vic teach YOU how to feel the bite and actually CATCH the elusive sheepshead. They are the striped ones in the photos on this page and the next fish below. One of the lightest biting fish to be such a scrapper in trying to get them to the boat!
VERY STRONG - VERY TASTY.
Jetties fishing is also good during the coldest winter months although fishing them depends greatly on the amount and direction of wind. Our best black drum, sheepshead, oversized redfish and whiting fishing is October through April, although we catch the same species year-round.
Mayport Naval Air Station is one of our Nation's main Navy bases in the country. See aircraft carriers, destroyers, missile frigates, all dock close to the mighty St. Johns River entrance to be at our country's defense immediately.
 
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FACTS
Our St. Johns River/Mayport Jetties, (actual name Jacksonville Harbor) was designed in 1879. The North jetty was completed in 1892 to a length of 10,930 feet & the South was extended in 1893 to a length of 11,300 feet. Both are considered completed in 1895.
Maintained
Channel Depth : 12.80M - 42 Ft
Latitude
: 30.40° Longitude
: -81.38°
Maintained Channel Width : 243.84M
- 800 Ft
Width Between Jetties : 487.70M
- 1600.1 Ft
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers originally used 1 to 6 ton granite stone to construct the massive breakwater. The principal method of construction was, placement of one to several courses (layers) of log and brush mattresses. Each layer was sunk and weighted down by placing one 12 to 15 inch thick layer of rip-rap stone. Once a firm foundation of mattresses was created, the remainder of the section geometry was built up with the larger sized stones. The original channel depth was maintained at 15' deep. Between 1897 & 1928 both jetties were raised 4.9' above mhw, repaired and the North was extended 2,070 seaward and the channel depth increased to 30' deep. 4 to 7 ton stones were used during this period. In 1930 repairs were made again and the height raised to 8' above mlw this time using stones averaging 6 to 8 tons with some weighing 10 tons. In 1934 the monolithic concrete cap was poured on top of the North jetty between stations 50+30 and 85+85 to keep the breakers close to shore from damaging on bad Noreasters. In 1938 the cap was widened. Repairs were made again in 1940 to 1941 by placing 1 to 6 ton stones. In 1961 and 1969 repairs were made and a study conducted in 1985 showed they are presently in need of rehabilitation to bring them up to previous designs. The Navy maintains a 42' channel depth to provide deep-water access to it's base at Mayport. Federal project depth is 38'.
Special thanks to artist Diane Peeble & the FWC for fish drawings.