Destination: ICW between Beach Blvd. and Atlantic Blvd., Hogpen Creek, Hopkins Creek, Unnamed Creeks.
Directions: There are 3 public accesses to get to the creeks and water between Beach Blvd. and Atlantic Blvd – Dutton Island Preserve, Castaway Island Preserve (COJ), and the Beach Blvd public ramp (COJ) near Beach Marine. Castaway Island Preserve is on San Pablo Rd just north of Beach Blvd.
Description: Hogpen Creek and the Seven Pines Island area has excellent fishing. Across the ICW on the east side is Hopkins Creek which also has great fishing. The Jax Beach Wildlife Refuge has some nice creeks, and there are some of unnamed creeks that have some sensational water and they are marked C1-C6 on the map.
Difficulty: Moderate. You must embark on a somewhat significant paddle to get to the creeks of interest. If you launch from L1 or L2 to the south, it is relatively easy to proceed north on an outgoing tide, fish your desired locations, and paddle back south with the incoming tide. Of course, wind can make this difficult since the ICW is exposed, but anything under 15 knots is not much of a problem. The water in all the creeks is well-protected.
Closest Bait&Tackle Shop: Rick’s Bait&Tackle.
Launches: The three lanches are Dutton Island Preserve to the north, Castaway Preserve Island to the south (L1), and Beach Marine ramp to the south (L2). Palm Cove Marina is also to the south but I find access to be easier at the Beach Marine ramp. The Beach Marine ramp is the preferred launch simply because there is always plenty of water, facilities are excellent, plenty of secure parking, and access to bait shops. Castaway Island Preserve is nice but at low tide the canoe launch can have from 50-500 ft of mud between you and the launch. Dutton Island is a possibility to the north, however you will fish the incoming tide and return on the outgoing tide to make the paddle — in that situation you need to go all the way into the creeks to the grass since that is typically where reds go on high tide.
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