CLAY COUNTY – As the Thursday Night Workin’ Man’s Bass Fishing Tournament enters its 12th week, 43-year-old Justin Gilligan is only 27th among 30 fellow competitors. But he’s not worried.

Gilligan was born two hours south of Clay, and his ties kept him returning each summer. He moved to the area full-time at age 19.

With 10 weeks remaining in the tournament, the Lake Asbury resident is confident he can make a comeback, especially since he’s fished these waters for nearly 40 years.

Last week, he gave Clay Today a first-hand look at how the experienced fisherman perfects his craft of landing a trophy fish.

He crawled the waters of Doctors Inlet and Doctors Lake with a trolling motor and foot pedal, looking to “get bit,” a term Gilligan refers to when a fish hits his lure.

Lily pads on the rivers and creeks are some of his favorite places to cast the line.

Before making a cast, he surveyed the waters for his next catch.

“Always look to your right or left before casting. If you see that the wind isn’t blowing, but the lily pad is moving, that’s a bass,” he said.

While lily pads are one of Gilligan’s favorite places to fish, he is a keen observer that the Lowcountry landscape offers plenty of other cover and habitat for bass.

“See those cattails by the rocks? Look for anything that’s kind of different or out of the ordinary. Try to cast by the docks, the tree limbs or anything (that might support bass habitat),” Gilligan said.

When fishing during tournament season, time is of the essence, so Gilligan will quickly navigate the St. Johns River in search of a prized “black bass.

We fished Doctors Inlet, Gilligan pointing to bright, popping bubbles that could be mistaken for anything. But a catch could be just moments away.

If nothing bites, it’s on to the next spot. The clock is ticking.

And that’s exactly what happened.

“There’s some fish right there. Let’s hit that one last corner and get the hell out of here,” he said.

Then we were on to the next.

We caught two fish in Jacksonville’s Julington Creek, working purple and black worms and topwater frogs through lily pads.

“If it’s brackish water (the worms) are going to find a black bass. It’s just the color of it. I don’t know why they like purple and black. That’s just the way it is,” he said.

Frogs and worms aren’t the only weapons in his arsenal. He keeps at least 14 rods in his boat and tools necessary to succeed, like nets, tackle, scissors, knives and safety equipment.

Tying on a swimbait or a purple punch bug (resembling a crawfish) with four or

five aught hooks are top options. But there’s so much more.

“When it gets loud outside, you use a loud bait,” he said.

On windy days, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and jerk baits are top options. It allows the bass to hear better when the wind is howling, and water is being churned up.

There are plenty of other factors to consider, such as the tides. But above all, a fisherman’s presentation of the lure is of utmost importance.

“It’s all about presentation. Presentation is everything,” Gilligan said.

Reel in the lure at just the right speed. It will appear to bass as a bait fish swimming through its natural environment. He calls it “swimming true.”

“Your worm (or other) bait (needs) to be swimming true,” Gilligan said.

Those are just a couple of his tricks. He’s got plenty more. You’ll have to meet him to learn the rest. If you do, you’ll also hear his wide-ranging collection of fascinating stories on the water.

Gilligan is a product of the river and the coast. He remembers the topographical features of the St. Johns River and surrounding bodies of water by heart and knows each nook, cranny and fishing hole.

You can tell by the way he runs his boat.

Fishing is a family passion passed down to him by his uncles, Terry Smith and Thomas Pinckney Smith. He’s been launching out of Whitey’s Fish Camp for as long as he can remember.

Gilligan points, waves, and tells stories of other fishing legends who participate in the Workin’ Man’s Tournament.

“My uncle would tie the Jon boat to his hip, and he would just take us through the waters, wade fishing,” he said.

Outside of fishing, Gilligan also has plenty of stories to tell. He was a well-rounded athlete that played baseball, basketball, tennis and golf in high school, and when Gilligan wasn’t busy doing that or holding a rod in his hands, he surfed the Atlantic.

He was a talented tennis player who may have earned a collegiate scholarship. That was before he tore his rotator cuff at 16.

Gilligan privately performed agility and weight training for tennis at the same facility where the Orlando Magic practiced in the 1990s when he was in middle and high school.

He became acquaintances with many of the team’s stars during that time, including Anthony Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal.

Gilligan fondly recalled a story when the 7-foot-1, 305-pound O’Neal picked him up and held him 12 feet off the ground.

“(O’Neal) said, ‘Hey little buddy,’ and picked me up and (held) me way up in the air. I was freaking out,” he said.

Gilligan was in the drilling business for more than 10 years, advancing to a senior geotechnical driller. But after a severe neck injury in 2021, he’s been on worker’s compensation for the past two years. He plans to return soon. It’s a career he was passionate about and one where he could travel across the country.