Jacksonville - St. John River - Pacetti's - Trout Creek

 WORK, WEATHER AND THE HOLIDAYS

. . . have kept me off the water so I'm posting a trip my brother and I took this past April. I originally posted the trip at JaxKayakFishing.Com so for some of you it may be redundant.

Northeast Florida is an easy drive from South Georgia. Looking at these pictures I want to go again . . . . soon.

PACETTI'S MARINA

Pacetti's Marina was started in 1929 by Joseph Pacetti as his personal hunting and fishing camp. He later developed it into a commercial enterprise. Today it is a combination fish camp, marina and RV park. In the picture below you can see the fish camp located along CR 13 and Trout Creek which empties into the St. John River (seen in the background upper left).

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Trout Creek is freshwater but because of its proximity to the St. John River it receives tidal flow so saltwater fish may also be caught. It was named after the large mouth bass that are abundant here. In the early 20th century bass were called freshwater trout.

There are two launch points here at the CR 13 bridge. Pacetti's is $2 and across the creek is a park where launching is free. We paid the $2 because the free launch site appeared steeper than I wanted to deal with. The picture below is Pacetti's and across the creek you can see the entrance to the free site in the upper left corner.














From this launch site we headed to the right and under the bridge toward the St. John. 

In South Georgia we would call this a river.  I guess compared to the St. John it's a creek.














In the above picture we're past the bridge and you can see the mouth of the creek on the horizon as it enters Palmo Cove which is part of the St. John.

And below progressing into the St. John out in Palmo Cove.















You can't tell it from the above picture but the swells were about a foot high.  Enough to throw this little minnow into the cup holder of my Trident 13.  He later became bait.














Since we were geared up with jigs and beetle spins for panfish we headed back.  Here at the mouth is a sign making Trout Creek a "No Wake Zone" which makes it much better for kayaking compared to some of the other areas.















This area is beautiful and provides a great day on the water whether or not you catch fish.




This tree had been toppled exposing its root system.  The height was well over our heads.

This dock had running water, sink and a cutting board for a great place to clean fish and relax.  But I don't think we were welcome.

A small creek feeding Trout Creek.  Fishy looking?

I had my head, arms and neck covered real well but I really wish I had put some sunscreen on my legs.  I really paid for that mistake!

 




Well, at least my brother wasn't skunked.  Only thing I caught was that minnow that was thrown in my cup holder while we were out in the St. John.
















Interactive Map


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LINKS
Current Georgia river levels: Real Time Georgia Streamflow
Solunar Tables for your zip code: HERE
Rigging your kayak: Captain Dick
Interactive map by Angling Technologies: HERE

FORUMS
Georgia Kayak Fishing
Georgia River Fishing
Jax Kayak Fishing
Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing (you might need to be registered to view this one)

FLY FISHING RESOURCES
Fly Fishing West Georgia
Books and DVD by George Roberts:
Master the Cast
Fly Fisherman's Guide to Saltwater Naturals and Their Imitation
Saltwater Casting - 10 Steps to Distance and Power (DVD)

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If you are a resident of Georgia and like to fish from a kayak I recommend becoming a supporting member of the Georgia Kayak Fishing Association located at GeorgiaKayakFishing.com.