# Need Help! Anybody know anything about the East Bay River?



## Fedzilla

I'm stationed at Hurlburt Field and live on HWY 87. My 5yr old son loves fishing, and I like to fish aswell, will love to fish once I know what I'm doing! I drive by the East bay river boat ramp twice a day, everyday. I recently bought a kayak to exercise with, and it just happened to be all rigged up to fish (bonus!). I've been trolling here for a little while trying to find out whats what. So far I've been told to use a popping cork with either real or artificial shrimp (bought them, but have yet to try them.) From what I've read, everyone seems to swear by GULPs, but what kind? I went by Wal-Mart and all they seem to have is Saltwater Gulp, is there a difference?Sorry for all the questions, but I'm really green at this, and my son loves it. But I've taken him out a few times and haven't caught anything but a small Blue crab that got off, other than that not even a nibble.:banghead


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## snakeawave

Hey I live near you on East bay in Holley I dont fish the river much but I do well in the bay with the 3" gulps (new penny coloris my fav.) If you just want to get him excited about catching fish use cut bait or dead shrimp small hook 15 lb flurocarbon leader tied to a small swivel with a small weightand you will catch catfish and croaker all day in the bayand maybe a red or trout.Also if you yak at night hit the dock lights with top water plugs or the gulps you will be suprised how different the bite is.


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## Fedzilla

Thanks for the info on the bay, I'll try it out in a week or so. I'm still a little new to the river and the yak, but sounds good! Yeah I tried the river again yesterday with my family, we just casted from the boat ramp. We didn't catch anything but some bug bites. There we a couple others there, and one had caught three small fish, I couldn't make them out or what he was using. They were probably trout, they look a little familiar (shape). I'm going to go try the sound today, over on Hurlburt, I saw a large school of minnows or some thing, getting torn up by some larger fish. Keeping my fingers crossed!


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## Tuna Man

One more thing....I don't know what kind of water the river has (saltwater/fresh/brackish)but remember the type of bait (what you are targeting) makes a difference on what type of license you need. If you target Reds/Trout with a saltwater license only you can't fish a rubber worm and keep Largemouth Bass. Also the other way around.That is my understanding about Florida. Could be wrong and if so. someone will correct me.


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## TWINKIE6816

Sorry, I can't help you with that river, but I think that is mostly salt - brackish water there! Tunaman is right about the license though! Just make sure what you are keeping matches the license you have! I will tell that I grew up in Kansas fishing for Bass and will tell you these rivers are incredibly difficult to figure out! The best advice I can give is to go at dawn or dusk and use plenty of Off! I have lived here for over 15 years but, only in the last year I have I started to go fishing! (my 3 old son loves it) So I am new to this as well! Good Luck, we too haven't caught anything during the daylight hours only at D and D! Something else you might try is the river that goes under 87, about 3 miles south of I-10! Either way good luck and I know it hard to keep a kids interest without any bites!


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## Jason

If you are using our yak, please be careful especially if new to it....And also wear your life jacket at all times and be VERY careful if you are using it at night!!! Ron is correct to make sure you have the appropriate license either salt or fresh water... Good luck in your ventures and keep that youngin' occupied with fishing and you won't go wrong.....:letsdrink


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## Fedzilla

Thanks for all the info guys, I already got the Sportsman License, which covers Saltwater, Freshwater, and Hunting, so I'm good to go there. I want to say the river is on the fresher side, I accidenting splashed myself in the face while in the yak last weekend and the water tasted fresh to me, might be a little brackish. Yeah I've been out on the yak a few times and wear all the safety equipment. Luckily the guy I bought my yak from alredy had it all set up to fish. The yak has a Lamp, anchor,rod holders, and storage in the bow, and on the stern. 

I did finally catch my first fish today, over in the sound. I was using a popping cork with a D.O.A. clear/gold specks shrimp. I caught a 15 1/2" speckled Trout on my son's, Spiderman rod! He was playing in the water, but ran up for a picture. All in all I had fun today. 

Thanks!


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## GreenF350

Haven't got a chance to get into the East River yet, but have had decent luck on Blackwater and more so in the Yellow River (Just up 87 from East River is where I usually put in. This time of year is tough for bass, but have been having the most luck on crankbaits and some topwater. Start when the sun comes up and head in by 10am unless you got the patience (or you are like me and just like having your line wet). My fishing partner has fished the East River before and said he caught a mess of red-eyed bass out of there. Good luck. I am still learning as I go to. Techniques are a little different here than what I am used to. (I am military too.)

-Aaron


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## Glastronix

The river is really fresh if you go up stream. And brackish downstream as you get closer to the bay. If you go far enough up the water gets really clear and you can see white sand bars. When I lived in navarre I messed around in east river a good bit. I have caught bream, bass, and gars up stream; and white trout and specks in the bay around the power lines. I used to take my kids boating up the river in the spring when the wind was too crazy for the sound. You will find much better fishing in the sound however, than you will in east bay or east river. As far as gulp goes, use the 3 inch new penny shrimp, or 5 inch new penny jerk shad.

Good luck


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## CCC

That is where I started fishing when I bought my little boat at the start of the summer, with no salt experience I had no plans but to fish the river, then I got into salt and haven't been back. I caught a few nice bass in there on split minnow lures with treble hooks. I ran a trot line once and all I caught was three HUGE alligator snapping turtles. It is a hard river to fish, fast moving at times, I would suggest finding a little cut off that is a little slower if you will be using lures.


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## Richard Bunyan

Tuna Man said:


> One more thing....I don't know what kind of water the river has (saltwater/fresh/brackish)but remember the type of bait (what you are targeting) makes a difference on what type of license you need. If you target Reds/Trout with a saltwater license only you can't fish a rubber worm and keep Largemouth Bass. Also the other way around.That is my understanding about Florida. Could be wrong and if so. someone will correct me.





Tuna Man said:


> One more thing....I don't know what kind of water the river has (saltwater/fresh/brackish)but remember the type of bait (what you are targeting) makes a difference on what type of license you need. If you target Reds/Trout with a saltwater license only you can't fish a rubber worm and keep Largemouth Bass. Also the other way around. That is my understanding about Florida. Could be wrong and if so. someone will correct me.


I lived in Holley about 1 1/2 miles west of the mouth of the east river from 1957 to 1975. The river has a layer of warm salt water about 6 to 8 feet down with fresh cold water on top in the summer. It is fed by cold clean clear fresh water springs on its entire length. and I don't know how far up stream the salt water intrusion goes, but I know for sure it goes as far turkey bluff, the only area of high ground area of high ground on the either bank once past the highway 87 bridge. bank. The water is stained reddish brown, like strong tea after a rain but clears up some distance above turkey bluff used to catch speckled trout in the winter in the lower river below the highway 87 bridge and have caught largemouth bass off the bridge. I have caught warmouth bass just above turkey bluff. there are also a lot of bream in the river. For bigger fish the power lines at the mouth of east bay river is great for silver trout in the summer and out in east bay you can catch larger tarpon around the schools of menhaden(pogies), also in the summer. If you can find moving water is the late summer and fall, you can catch redfish with live bait on a carolina rig.(a 1/0 hook on a 12 inch monofiliment leader with a small egg shaped slip sinker above the swivel.


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