April is a fantastic month for fishing here on the central St. Johns River. Not only is the weather great but fishing is good too. We are winding down on our speck (Crappie) season but just beginning our Bluegill and shell cracker season. The best method for catching these fish is to use live crickets fished under a small bobber against the shoreline cover or tree tops. Depending on the moon phase you can use live worms fished on the bottom of shell beds. You can also pitch beetle spins near cover and troll various small spinners and lures in open water, a 1/32 oz beetle spin black with yellow stripe is a classic lure to try. The limit on bluegill and shell cracker is 50 per person.
    This is an exciting month for bass fishing; we should see lots of schooling bass. In the early mornings look for pods of threadfin shad to hit the top of the water, this is a great time to use your favorite top water lures and jerk baits. Spinner baits will also work if you are using artificial. The best live bait will be the threadfin themselves or small wild river shiners. If the action slows down in the afternoon, try plastic worms in and around lily pads and shoreline cover.