St. Augustine, Florida

On The Fly Saltwater

June 2024

Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs

The number of areas on the northeast coast of the Florida peninsula that offer wade fishing opportunities are rather limited. Fortunately, there is a stretch of water very near the oldest city in the nation that fits that bill.

The Salt Run is a lagoon off of the Matanzas River in St. Augustine. Boats entering the St. Augustine Inlet between Cape Francis on Conch Island to the south and Vilano Point to the north immediately pass by the mouth of the lagoon running to the south. The Salt Run then stretches for roughly 2.5 miles to it southern end in Anastasia State Park, with Bird Island separating it from the Atlantic Ocean.

From the stand point of wade fishing, that southern end offers the most abundant and accessible action for anglers on foot. In that area the bottom is compose mostly of sand, with a thin layer of mud on top. Overall, the bottom is firm enough to support wading, though you occasionally will hit softer spots. Mixed in and usually along the shore are oyster beds.

At the very end of the lagoon it splits into two fingers, with one running south and the other bending east toward the ocean. Both of these offer some good habitat, especially for finding redfish and flounder. The finger running south has a bit steeper drop off from the bank with oyster beds along it. It is possible to wade down the middle for a ways, casting toward both shores.

The small point between the two fingers also has some oyster shells, as does the southern shore of the finger heading out to the east. The firmest wading bottom in this eastern arm generally is found from 20 to 30 feet from shore.

Don’t expect very clear water this far back in the Salt Run, with the possible exception of during the winter. And, then you can expect some colder wading conditions as well.

If you are targeting seatrout, the best bet is look for the clearest water during moving tides. Those are likely to be on the incoming flow. The reds and flounder are much less picky and will get into the murkier regions.

Be aware that the Salt Run usually has plenty of rays laying on or patrolling the bottom. It is a good idea to practice the “stingray shuffle” when wading here. That basically means you slide your feet along, rather than raising them off the bottom to take steps. The one thing you want to avoid is planting your foot on a ray and pinning it to the bottom. That’s a sure way to provoke the critter into lashing out with its barb to ruin your day!

As a rule of thumb, the southern end of the Salt Run provides a morning fishery during the summer months. The best time for the trout is from first light until the sun appears. Usually, the redfish and flounder will turn on at this same time, but the action for those may last on past the sunrise. However, the higher the sun gets in these shallows, the less action you are likely to encounter.

Obviously, clouds and overcast can make the bite last longer. Those conditions don’t really make the fishing harder here, since it is not true sight casting. You may see some wakes being pushed in the shallows, but you are just as likely to simple hear the fish feeding as they chase bait.

That bait is going to be glass minnows or finger mullet, of which schools of both show up all the way to the end of the Salt Run. There also are small crabs in this area and some shrimp may show up. The area provides a regular buffet for the game fish.

Based on that information, finding your prey means targeting the areas with the forage. The reds, trout and flounder all will be around the baitfish schools. If you are not seeing a lot of that bait moving, then your best bet is to probe the waters around the oyster beds with crab or shrimp pattern flies.

A wide variety of fly patterns can work here, ranging from bushy redfish attractors to Clouser Minnows or any shrimp pattern. For the  most part, you’ll be casting to shallower water, so weighted flies are not necessary and chain bead eyes are best.

Besides the rays mentioned earlier, the Salt Run attracts other sea cretures and wildlife. Having juvenile sea turtles cruise close by is not unusual. A menagerie of shore birds is also likely to join you in wading the area.

Access to this southern end of the Salt Run is inside Anastasia State Park, so you have to pay a small fee to enter. Once past the entrance gate, just stay on Anastasia Park Road until you pass the Anastasia Watersport facility, where rental kayaks are available. A couple of hundred yard farther along the road a parking area appears on the left. From that point you can wade right into the south end of the Salt Run.