While many of his competitors remember a St. Johns River thick with eelgrass, prior to the devastation of Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irma (2017), Buddy Gross only knows the current version — largely devoid of the lanky vegetation that once heavily concentrated bass.
While Gross admits he’d prefer to fish grass, he’s also really good at the offshore game. Fortunately, the St. Johns River offers plenty of that with a smattering of bass-friendly shell bars.
A Tennessee River stick, Gross knows his way around shell bars. Since Day 1 of this event, he has spent much of his time fishing these structures and, as of mid-morning, held in the top-20 with 20 pounds, 10 ounces.
Gross explained the key difference between St. Johns and Tennessee River shell bars: “The shell bars on the Tennessee River are farther offshore so they’re a post-spawn pattern. The ones on the St. Johns are closer to the bank, so the fish use them for pre and post-spawn.”
Always good to find a spot where you can catch ‘em coming and going.