We rang in the New Year in style at the Beverly Beach Campground and RV resort located very near Flagler Beach Florida. Our spot was located right on the sea wall overlooking the ocean. We had a pull-in spot so we could look out at the beach and ocean from our large front window. Really an incredible view.

We spent a week there and went on to the beach every opportunity we had. Unfortunately, the weather was not very cooperative as most days were cold and windy with some rain. We made the best of the couple of nice weather days we had and did some surf fishing.

My whole life, whenever I’ve been at the beach, there were always some guys surf fishing and I don’t recall ever seeing anyone catch a fish from the beach. I’ve always assumed it was like ice fishing, just a good excuse to tell the wife you were fishing while you were really out drinking beer with friends (with a fishing pole nearby). Well, I was proven wrong as we actually caught some fish.

The first day out we fished with frozen mullet on a fish finder rig. The water was calm and there were tons of pelicans actively feeding. There were also a fair number of dolphins that appeared to be feeding as well. After waiting a little, we got our first bite and it felt big. After reeling it in, we landed a small shark. I’m not sure what type of shark it was but is was about 24” long.

Not long after we got another bite and sure enough, it was another shark, about the same size as the first. Then maybe 10 minutes later, we had another bite but his time he cut our line before we could get him to shore. I’m not normally afraid of sharks but catching 3 sharks in 30 minutes makes me wonder how many bigger ones are out there. The weather was too cold for swimming so I didn’t have to worry about it.

A few days later the weather was OK so we decided to try again. This time we wanted to catch something we could eat. We were hoping to catch some Pompano which are known to be excellent table fare. I went to the local bait shop to get some live bait but they didn’t have any that day. I asked the owner what he would recommend and he said an artificial bait call Fish Bites (which is manufactured in St Augustine Florida) works great for Pompano. I figured he was just trying to sell me something but I figured what the heck, I’ll give it a try.

Fish Bites is a rubber-like ribbon that comes in several “flavors” including crab, clam, sand fleas and blood worm. He said the sand flea worked best for Pompano so I bought a pack.

Back at the beach we rigged up with a two hook Pompano rig with the Fish Bites bait. After a while, we got a bite and reeled in a Whiting which is also known as a Gulf Kingfish. He was about 12” and there is no minimum size or quantity regulation for them so we could have kept him but we decided to let him go, we were really hoping for a Pompano dinner. Over the next hour or so, we caught four Whiting and one Bluefish. All around 10”-12”. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any Pompano so it was chicken for dinner!

We’ve now move back inland a little to a cool little campground called Renegades on the River. The sites here are large and its very well landscaped and the best part is that it has a large Tiki Bar right on the St. Johns River that has live music 3-4 times per week. It’s very poplular with the motorcycle crowd and the tiki bar was packed when we arrived on Sunday. It also has a nice restaurant on site and a boat dock where you can rent boats. We hope the weather improves enough for us to rent a boat for a day or two while we are here so we can get out on the river. If not, I’ll be spending a lot of time in the Tiki Bar!