Rusty Hook Trout

George Bowlin was back fishing Amelia Island back country waters with son-in-law Jerry and their friend Ray, all from the Lake Butler area.  We met early at the Atlantic Seafood dock down at the Fernandina Beach city marina and headed up to the Jolley River on the very last of an incoming tide.  The water was high and up in the grass but it was a still as a lake and these anglers were eager to catch some fish.  Ray was the first to hook up catching a high flying Ladyfish and then a hard biting
Blue on live shrimp under a float.  Then Jerry worked a mullet-like topwater over a submerged oyster bed and BAM!  FISH ON!  The Trout had hit the lure furiously and put up a good battle but Jerry brought the keeper sized Trout to the net.  George had been fishing with a red-headed Zara Spook Jr. and wasn't getting any bites so he also switched to a float/shrimp setup and landed a couple of smaller Trout and Ladyfish.  Jerry landed another keeper sized Trout, this one
a little bigger than the first, then we moved on up the Jolley to fish a marsh run-out, but we had no real bites.  We hit the MOA and although there was some fierce feeding up near the bank we had no bites we moved back around to Snook Creek and as we reached a grassy point, BOOM!  George had a ferocious blast at his topwater lure (that may have had some rusty hooks).  This was a big Trout and George played it patiently.  He soon landed a nice 21.5" Seatrout - his first saltwater fish on a topwater lure - and a fish that puts him in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Seatrout category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  Seconds later Ray hooked up and brought 18" Trout.  We moved back down to the mouth of Jolley and now the oysters were showing.  Ray had good strong hookups fishing the float rig and shrimp - had nice Trout to the boat and then and even nicer Redfish to the boat but they threw the hook as I began to net them. But Ray persevered and when his float disappeared a 3rd time he worked this fish in smoothly and we netted a nice 18" Redfish - the only Red in the boat all day.  We continued to work the bank and the anglers picked up a couple of more Redfish, small Trout and a Jack Crevalle then we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.