Celebrating Fathers Day

They had to put it off for a week, but Dave and his dad Mike got to "celebrate" Father's Day today fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. I met them out at Goffinsville Park early and we headed over to Pumpkin Hill to fish a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. It was still high enough to fish some float rigs up near the marsh so we baited up some live shrimp and eased along the bank. It didn't take long and Mike had a strong hookup and this one headed deep, ripping drag as it went. I guessed it right -  Shark - but it was still a good fight and woke all three of us up! We fished a few spots here and there then made a run.

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, working along a bank after switching to jigs and shrimp. We picked up a couple of Seatrout and Dave hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. We fished a couple of runouts and found a couple of hungry Seatrout at each.

We made our way up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and
things heated up a bit here. We had a couple of small Black "puppy" Drum  caught, then we had a good hookup and Mike worked to the boat a keeper sizes Sheepshead. Dave battled a Redfish to the boat, the biggest of the day, but just undersized.  We worked our way down Seymore's and fished a small cove in the rock bulkhead. I think it was Mike's first cast and Boom! Something hit it hard on the way down. Mike worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. After catching a couple of Toad fish, we moved on!

Our final stop was down at Broward Island, still fishing an outgoing tide that was being pushed by the West wind, and even though these two anglers were making excellent casts, we had no real bites, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Whole Lot Of Catching

The fish catch'n seemed to get better as the morning went along today. I had met Mike Moavero and his relatives, Tommy, Will and Jackson up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and with a low and still outgoing tide, we headed over to and up the Bell River. I had passed a stretch of bank that was lined with oysters yesterday and with the tide still gong out, I thought it would be a good start for our first spot. The anglers were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and as we worked along we seemed to spook some big fish that left wakes in the trail. But one must have hung around because after making a perfect cast Mike had his bait hit hard and, Fish On!  We could tell this was a big fish by the way it rolled up near the bank a few times and ripped some drag. But Mike kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. We continued along that bank and Tommy got in on the action and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

Continuing on up the Bell, we stopped at another likely spot and here Jackson heated up, catching a handful of small but fun to catch Seatrout. We went further up the Bell and fished some dock pilings. Here, things really heated up. They caught a handful of Black "puppy" Drum to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Flounder, Seatrout and Drum. Then Tommy snagged and landed a Sheepshead to make it a "Super Grande Slam", and Jackson finished it off with a keeper sized Seatrout.

Our next stop was around at the Jolley River, just east of the MOA, in a deep bend in the river, and still tossing jigs with the tide now coming in. The bite just got hotter! Will got on the board with a couple of Seatrout catches, one that was just a hair below the size limit, and then Mike hooked up and landed another keeper sized Flounder. Tommy had a strong bite, a hookup, and battled to the boat another nice Slot sized Redfish. All four anglers were catching Croaker, a couple that were big enough to throw in the box.  We finished the day down at Jolly Bank catching Golden Croaker, then we wrapped things up, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Flurry At The End

I fished with some young anglers, Kyle Smith and his brother-in-laws David and Braden, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning. We made a run over to and up the Bell River, stopping along some exposed oysters beds on the last of an outgoing tide. The trio of anglers were tossing live shrimp on jigs and making excellent casts and it paid off with a couple of hungry Seatrout catches.

We continued on around to some docks at Pirates Woods and fished a few of those docks thoroughly. We had just set up to fish when Braden spotted a small alligator cruising out into the river and keeping an eye on us. At one of the docks, Braden had made a good cast to a "cave" in  a mud bank and a fish took his bait and ran. Braden set the hook and worked to the boat a keeper sized Flounder.

We fished Jolley Bank with the jigs and about half way thru the run David switched to a float rig, fishing off the stern, and found a feisty Redfish to bring to the boat.  Again, Braden saw the wildlife, this time a huge Manatee out in the middle of the river. We continued on around to the outside of Tiger and here we had our most action of the day. All three anglers had switched to the float rig and used the last of our live shrimp before switching over to mud minnows. David hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout then Kyle did the same, bringing in another keeper sized Trout. Then David cast just north of a pocket, let his bait drift over a shell bed, and hooked up with another keeper sized Flounder which he brought to the net.

Our final stop was back around at a point on Bell River and here they caught a couple of more hungry Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bringing Them To The Boat

I was fishing north this morning, meeting Chris Jones, his wife Beth and their son Alex up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The tide had just hit bottom so we buzzed over to the back side of Tiger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp on the very first of an incoming tide. We worked the logs thoroughly but all we got was a small Mangrove Snapper that Chris hooked up with.

We then ran around to Jolley River, and fished the bank. The trio picked up a few small Seatrout then Beth had a strong hookup. She patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized 18" Seatrout. We picked up one or two more smaller trout before we moved on.

Our next stop was up just past Snook Creek. Alex was fishing a float out the stern but Beth and Chris stayed with the jig rod. Chris had a bite - it didn't fight much, but ran to the
boat, but then it powered deep and Chris had a fight on his hands. He played it perfectly though and after a good battle brought to the net a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark.

After fishing the outside of Tiger for just a brief bit, we came back inside of Tiger, fished a cut, then continued on around to Bell River and set up along side a pointe of grass that was flooding with water. This did the trick - we finally had some steady action. There were a couple of times that these anglers had some nice fish on but they'd throw the hook. But Beth had "stepped her game up" and when she had a hookup she kept the pressure on, fought a brief battle, then landed a big 21.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish! This fish moved Beth into 3rd place in the Angler's Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We fished a bit longer, landed a trout or two, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

All Around Good Day Fishing

We had a bit of b breeze this morning, but that made for some comfortable fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. I had met Paul Johnson and his son Henry down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and after making a short run up the Nassau River, we set up to fish with jigs and live shrimp along some exposed oysters at the bottom of an extreme low tide. These two anglers were making excellent casts and in a short time, it paid off when, BOOM!  Henry had a hookup that ripped the drag of his size 1000 reel. Henry played the fish perfectly as it took him from the bow of the boat to the stern and after a good battle, landed a nice 18"+ Slot Sized Redfish, one that we photographed and released.

We finished working that bank then ran up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to dock pilings. Paul had the first hookup -a big fish. He played it perfectly and soon landed a keeper sized 18" Black "puppy" Drum(this fish was released also).Henry followed that up with a couple of puppy
Drum catches of his  own.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island. We fished the north end for a bit then moved down to the south end. Here, Henry was fishing a large marsh runout and found two Stingray's to do battle with.  We then came up to Pumkin Hill and drifted float rigs along the flooding oyster beds. Paul had opened his bail and let his bait drift further back and this did the trick. He caught and landed a 19" Seatrout then followed that up with another keeper sized Trout. These two they took to Kitchen 251 for a great Amelia Island Backcountry lunch of fresh caught fish!

Big Jacks Make Way For Big Reds

We had another beautiful morning today when I met Darrell Holcomb and his brother-in-law Jim down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Most of the day stayed a little big cloudy and with an 8mph breeze, the day remained pleasant to fish.  We made a quick run up the Nassau and then turned into the current to begin tossing jigs and live shrimp to the still exposed oysters on the first of an incoming tide. Jim "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hungry Seatrout, then Darrell added one of his own. then Darrell had a strong hookup and a big fish fight ensued! Darrell kept the pressure on as the fish took him from port to starboard then it ran long and deep, but it was no contest - Darrell worked it to the boat and landed a huge Jack Crevalle.  We picked up another one or two Jacks before we made the run up to Seymore's Pointe.

Fishing some dock pilings, Darrell had put his bait up close and BOOM! right off, big fish on. He worked it to the boat
expertly and landed a nice 18" keeper sized Black Drum. Our next stop was back at Twin Creeks where we fished their mouths with float rigs and live shrimp to no avail. But as we drifted down the bank with the current we began to get fish. Darrell had a good bite that ripped his drag. He played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot sized 22" Redfish. He quickly followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder. Jim added a Redfish that was just an 1/8 undersized.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, still drifting floats and shrimp. Jim had made a cast over some flooded oysters and his circle hook snagged as it came across. But luckily it came looses with a tug and as it drifted past the oysters, BOOM! Big Fish one1. This fish was ripping drag and heading south and a good clip. I  wondered if it wasn't a smaller fish but I checked JIm's drag and it was fairly snug. We even chased the fish for a bit and as Jim worked it to the boat I saw it roll - Big Redfish!  Jim played it perfectly and soon brought to the net an oversized 29" Redfish!  We hit one more spot briefly then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Big Fish Rally

I fished this morning with the Prophater family, Kristen and Zach and their kids Wilder and Sawyer, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours so when we made our way up the Nassau River, we fished with float rigs and live shrimp to the bank. Zach struck right off when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout, then Wilder followed that up with a hungry Flounder.  Sawyer decided to go to a jig and shrimp on the bottom and it paid off with a couple of Catfish catches, one of which was pretty big!

We moved further up the Nassau and here Wilder put another Catfish in the boat and Sawyer added a keeper sized Whiting (all fish caught today were released). We then made our way on up to Seymore's Pointe and fished a marshy pointe. Kristen got hot, landing a couple of Mangrove Snapper, one of which was fairly large, then she tangled with high flying Ladyfish and brought it to the boat. Wilder had gone to the jig and shrimp, pitching back to some dock pilings, and here he caught two feisty Black "puppy" Drum.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill. We had caught a good handful of fish all morning long and as the team fished their floats up near the bank I was thinking that things "looked right" and, BOOM! Kristen's float had disappeared and when she tightened up on the line, the drag began to rip,and, Fish On!  This was a big fish! The fish boiled up near the bank a couple of times in shallow water but Kristen kept the pressure on and we worked it out to deeper water where the battle ensued. Although the fish ran deep a number of times it was no match for Kristen as she applied the pressure and slowly worked it to the net for landing. The fish measured right at 31.5", way oversized, but a great fish for a family picture.

We were about to wrap things up when Kristen was drifting her float across some submerged oysters and again, BOOM!  It wasn't quite as big and I was calling "smaller Redfish". Kristen handed the rod off to Sawyer who brought it to the boat, a BIG 23.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish. And with that ,we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

New Lure Finished

Just completed, handcrafted out of Heart Pine, $35 includes handcrafted stand:

Hot Morning Good Fishing with Friends

After an early morning run to St. Mary's, Ga to haul a kayaker participating in the Cross The Line Foundation fundraiser, I met Todd Johnson and his fishing buddy at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp for a mid-morning start. It was already getting warm but these two anglers were eager to get out on the water and enjoy spending some time fishing the back waters of Amelia Island.

We made a quick run over to the outside of Tiger Island and fished some marsh grass on the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under a fixed float. Although we didn't catch anything big we did "knock the skunk off" with a few hungry Seatrout catches. We then buzzed thru Tiger, around to Bell, and up the Lanceford to fish a small grassy island. Here, Brady hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder that went in the box.

After that we came back to Soap Creek, fished a run out, BOOM! Trout on!  It wasn't big but boy did it happen quick. We moved up the bank and both anglers found a small Redfish to tangle with, then Todd had a stronger hookup, one that pulled some drag, and after a good battle landed a Slot sized Redfish.

Back to Lanceford, fishing some docks and here Todd got into some small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum. Being a weekend there were tons of boats and anglers out on the water so we decided to make the long run up the Bell River and have the area to ourselves. We had just been fishing one set of dock pilings when Brady felt a "bump", set the hook, and hooked up with an even bigger Flounder to go into the box!

Our final stop was around in the Jolley, fishing the MOA. There was ton's of bait getting "popped" but they didn't like what we were presenting, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Redfsh On Beautiful Day

It was an absolutely gorgeous day this morning when I met Phil Nichols, his sons Sam and Ben and father-in-law Doc down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a long run up Middle River and around to Pumkin Hill and set up with float rigs and live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. The guys were making good casts to the bank and letting their baits drift with the current and Sam quickly "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. He followed that up with another then as Doc drifted his bait off the stern, his float slowly disappeared and BOOM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag, boiling up shallow, then it headed north, headed south and headed deep. Doc kept the pressure on and slowly worked it to the boat and finally, after a long battle, landed an oversized 31.5" Redfish, big enough to move him into a tie for third place in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We continued to fish the marsh grass and Phil and Ben got in on the action by catching and landing a Seatrout of their own. We then fished Spanish Drop for a while, move up and fished some more, then ran thru Horsehead to fish the entrance for a bit before calling it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Redfish Blow Out at Amelia Island

The cool morning temperatures continued today, but the wind had died a bit making for some great fishing weather here at Amelia Island when I met the Yeager boys, Keith and his sons Reece and Reener, up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park. It was a high tide and just started out so we buzzed over to the outside of Tiger and fished a shallow area with oysters underneath. It didn't take long for Reece to "knock the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.  We fished a bit of that stretch and picked up a high flying Ladyfish before we moved across the way.




We trolled along a marsh line, tossing float rigs with live shrimp and
BOOM! Renner had a strong hookup. This fish was ripping drag and boiling up near the shore but Renner kept the pressure on, played it perfectly and brought a big 23" Slot Redfish to the net. From then on we were catching fish.  Reece put a Slot Red in the boat then Keith followed that up with one of his own. When that slowed we moved across a creek and Keith found another Slot Red up near the grass. We moved back across to the previous spot and, Fish ON!  Another Redfish or two!  Things finally slowed so we made the run thru Tiger, down the Bell, up Lanceford and into Soap Creek.

We had just set up and began tossing to the mouth of a large runout and the anglers had hookups. Seatrout this time, small, but fun to catch. After working up the bank to a small grass/oyster island, Keith had made a cast to the back side of it and Boom! Fish On - Another Slot Redfish. Both Renner and Reece had hookups and caught fish, too. We dropped back and fished the runout and here Keith hooked up and landed a big 18" Seatrout.

Our final stop was back at Bell River, working a bank, and here Renner took a turn and battling a Ladyfish to the boat. Reece had a brief encounter with a Shark before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

That Log Is Shaking His Head

I fished yesterday afternoon with the Blalock's, William and
Dara, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp on a low and incoming tide. We scooted across the river to Tiger Island and began fishing the logs with jigs and shrimp and mud minnows. The first fish caught was a small Flounder and as we worked along the bank, both anglers were tossing tight to the pockets, risking a hang up, but covering every nook and cranny. William had already snagged rather large limb and we pulled it in, hand over hand to dislodge the jig. Minutes later he went back to "V" in a log, let the jig and minnow drop, and felt a snag. He began to ease it towards the boat and the "log" began to shake it's head! Fish On!  William slowly worked it to the boat and we saw it was a huge Flounder. William took his time and eased it to the net - it was shaking its head the whole way - but we netted and brought it to the boat to measure at 23" - boy what a Flounder and big enough to take the lead in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings)

We worked along the bank and picked up another small Flounder, then it was Dara's turn to tangle with a nice Flounder. She worked it to the boat and landed a good 17" Flounder.  We fished up to a large oyster bed and we all noticed that the water was sweeping thru a cut and as the two anglers began to toss their baits forward, they had hookups.  Dara landed a feisty Redfish and William landed another couple of Flounder.

We fished across the way for a bit, then headed up to the Jolley. The wind had died as the afternoon waned and the conditions seemed almost perfect to be fishing. We fished 2-3 marsh lines, found some Brook Trout sized Seatrout, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

More Handcrafted Lures Finished

Black Drum Under the Docks

Back to "work" today, fishing with Trip and Rona Huey when I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. It was a tad bit chilly this morning as we ran up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to fish some flooded marsh grass on a  high and outgoing tide with live shrimp under floats.  We had a few nibbles and some good bites and Rona caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  We fished a couple of lines of marsh then we made the run back to Seymore's Pointe where we set up fishing some rocks with the float rigs. Rona landed a Mangrove Snapper then Trip had a good hookup, played it perfectly to the boat, and had a keeper size Flounder out of the water when it threw the hook! Ouch!

We moved around the corner and fished some docks  and again, had some good bites. Then finally, we had a strong hookup. Rona was on the rod and patiently worked to the boat and landed a nice 18" keeper sized Black Drum. We added to the catch another Mangrove, this one of keeper size.

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop - again we had bites -then, as Trip drifted his float up near the grass, boom! He had a hookup. Trip worked it to the boat and landed a hard fighting Redfish, one that was just slightly under the slot size. The weather had warmed just a bit, we had caught some fish, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wildlife Spotting's Top The Morning

I wrapped my week up yesterday fishing with David Barnett and his son Brahm, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide. We made a run over to Soap Creek and set up along some exposed oyster beds and began pitching jigs and live shrimp upcurrent.  Both anglers were making excellent casts but we had no real bites.  As the sun rose we had a beautiful view of a Rosette Spoonbill working the bank. We then moved around to Lanceford Creek and worked some docks. Brahm did "knock the skunk off" when he outsmarted a feisty Sheepshead.

Our next stop was around at  Tiger Island. We had 2 dozen minnows also so we deployed them  and it paid off when Brahm hooked up and landed 3 Flounder, one of which was of keeper size(all fish caught today were released).  Switching back to shrimp he also was able to catch a couple of Black "puppy" Drum to round out a different kind of Amelia Island Back Country Slam - Sheepshead, Flounder and Drum.  It was here that David spotted something swimming in the water - a Salt Marsh Mink. It was making the journey from the island, west to the marsh and was swimming on the top of the water - made me day!



We fished the Jolley River on the first of an incoming tide, picked up a fish or two, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

The Hegler Fishing Team notched an "Amelia Island Backcountry Super Grande Slam" this morning when they boat a Black Drum, Seatrout, Flounder, Sheepshead and Redfish during the trip!  And they added to that catch a whole bunch of other species for a Marine Wildlife education for young Nolan.
We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the Nassau River to make an early stop at Spanish Drop. Although all three anglers were making excellent casts, we didn't have much more than a nibble.

We then ran up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and here things picked up. Robert's first cast produced a drag ripping run  that continued on thru the pilings....and kept going!  Then he and Rob boated a couple of feisty Black "puppy" Drum, then Rob had a hookup that ripped some drag. Luckily the fish stayed between the pilings and although it was on the other side of the dock, Rob worked it out. The fish made some high flying jumps and we both questioned "Black Bass"?  Hah!  No, when Rob worked it to the net we saw that it was a huge Blue Fish, big for the backwaters of Amelia Island. We fished a couple of more docks then made the run down to Broward Island where the tide was still going out.

Things picked up. Rob and Robert teamed up to land a handful of Seatrout, then they caught a keeper sized Flounder, a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and a feisty Sheepshead.  Robert finally hooked up with something that would "rip some drag". He worked it patiently to the boat and landed a Slot Sized Redfish. Nolan had been patiently fishing, hanging in there for a 7 year old, and it paid off. He was baiting his own hooks and making his own casts and, BOOM! Fish On! Nolan played the fish perfectly and worked it to the boat to land beautiful copper colored Redfish, boy what a fish.  I think the final fish caught for the day was an ugly 'ole Toad Fish, but with a good variety caught, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Jack Crevalle Takes The Big Fish Award

The Richardson's were in town for a break, Mark and his dad Allen and son Braden, and they decided to take in a half day of fishing here at Amelia Island. I met them early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a short run up the intercoastal and into the Nassau River, stopping at the Spanish Drop area to fish jigs and live shrimp along the expose oysters with a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out.

We had fished just a short time when Mark woke us all up with a shark hookup. He quickly handed it off to his son Braden to do the heavy lifting and Braden was playing it perfectly but the Shark had other plans - it ran fast and deep and BAP! Broke the leader.  That must have gotten Braden in the groove because he later hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout(all fish
caught today were released). Allen added a feisty Redfish to the catch total.

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Again, it was Braden with the big hookup. This fish took his bait and ran deep, away from the pilings so we followed it with the trolling motor as Braden took up slack. But then the fish dove deep, went east, went west and took us for a  ride as Braden battled it with the light tackle spin gear, size 1000 reel. The fish turned out to be no match for Braden who eventually subdued it and brought it to the net, a nice 5lb Jack Crevalle.  We went back to the dock where both Mark and Allen caught some Black "puppy" Drum then we had one huge bite that took the line up into the pilings and broke off.

After buzzing down to Broward Island and setting up off the logs with the tide still going out we got into some hot action. Braden caught a Slot Redfish, then the trio added a couple of more.  We picked up a couple of small Seatrout then began to work our way down the bank as the tide started back in.  Mark did battle with another huge Jack Crevalle. At the last spot Allen found a "honey hole" and reeled in a couple of Redfish, one of them being in the Slot. Then he had a strange bump, a hookup, and reeled in a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.  We caught fish at almost every stop so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

 

 

 

Foggy Morning Start at Amelia Island Fishing

I met Garth Snider and his son Landon down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and as we started up the intercoastal we had to go slow because the fog was socked in. But when I got up to the mouth of the Nassau I was able to see both marshes so we made a short run up to Spanish Drop where we began tossing jigs with live shrimp to the exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide.  Both of these anglers were excellent casters and were hitting the edge regularly. It was Garth who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up with something strong. The fish boiled at the shoreline so we knew it was a nice Redfish. Garth worked it patiently to the boat on the light tackle spinning gear and soon landed a Slot Redfish. We worked along the bank and Garth picked up a keeper sized Seatrout.

We continued on up the Nassau and tried our hand with float rigs along some rocks, hoping for Mangrove Snapper on the
dead low but we had not a nibble. I think all the fresh water that we've had from the rain has moved them on out. We buzzed down to Pumpkin Hill and fished some more oysters with the jigs then continued on down to Broward Island. The first spot only produced a hungry Croaker but after we moved on we had some good hookups. Landon was on the line and reeled in another, even bigger, Slot sized Red then Garth set the hook on a "nibble" and brought to the net a feisty Sheepshead. We added another hungry Seatrout to the catch before we moved on.

Heading back east we made another stop at Spanish Drop, fishing with the float rigs now that the oysters were covered. Just as we were about to leave, BOOM! Garth's float disappeared and his line began to rip across the water. He slowed it down then handed the rod off to Landon for the heavy lifting!  Landon played it like a pro and after a long battle landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Eventful Day Fishing At Amelia Island

Back to "work" today, fishing with Robert Hegler and his adult son Rob after meeting them up  at the Dee Dee Bartels Park with a tide that had started back in about an hour before we left the ramp. We made the quick run over to Tiger Island under overcast skies and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp and minnows.  Rob was using the shrimp and Robert was using the minnows and it seemed that Rob was getting more bites. He picked up a feisty Redfish, just undersized, then landed a bigger one that looked and felt like it was going to be a keeper, but it had a trick up its sleeve and "flipped" just as I was beginning to measure it and over it went! Ouch!  But these two anglers were not to be deterred. They picked up a couple of hungry Seatrtout then Robert, still tossing the minnow had a good thump and, Fish On! He slowly worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder.

We made the run up to Jolley River and fished the bank, staying with the jigs for a most of it. Rob had a hard bite and
a good battle and put a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum into the boat.  The duo had just tallied an Amelia Island Back Country "Grande" Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder and Black Drum.  We fished further up the river, had a few bites with one break off, then as we eased back to the mouth, it began to rain. Luckily, we were all prepared and pulled on rain gear. I had just pulled up to a good looking spot and Rob had made an excellent cast to a grassy island and, BOOM! In three foot of water the battle was on!  Rob worked the fish out over the oysters, got it deep, went from bow to stern, and eventually subdued and landed a big Oversized 28" Redfish. Boy what a fish!
We had another strong break off here before we moved on.

Our next stop was on the outside of Tiger fishing the now flooded oysters. We worked the bank thoroughly then buzzed thru Tiger to the Bell River and set up on a pointe for the final few minutes. We caught another small Trout and then the final bite of the day was a hard strike on Robert's line. he played it perfectly but it was not to be and threw the hook. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

 

Trout Bragging Rights Busted

The Gaslin boys cashed in a gift certificate Teresa had purchased earlier in the year and both of them were celebrating birthdays by fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. I met them out at Goffinsville Park and with a high and incoming tide, we decided to make a short run down to Spanish Drop and fish a bank that still had some oyster shells exposed. The duo were tossing mud minnows under floats and as we worked along the bank, they had numerous bites and nibble, but no takers. Finally, Sam "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up, battled hard, and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Things seemed to heat up after that - Tom had a strong bite and expertly landed a Slot sized Redfish. Then they landed another feisty Red, tangled with a Ladyfish, and caught another Jack.

We then made a pit stop at Seymore's Pointe to test for Mangrove Snapper - none were there or they weren't biting, then we buzzed on down to Pumpkin Hill. We fished  a couple of areas that were looking real good but had no bites. We then eased around a corner and fished a grassy island and, BOOM!, Same had a big fish on. It wasn't make runs like a Redfish but it just kept pulling hard. Sam kept the pressure on and eventually brought it to the net, a big 22" Seatrout - big enough to claim first place n the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We fished some more docks at Seymore's Pointe later then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

 

 

Recipe of the Month: Redfish Orleans

Up until a year or so ago there was a seafood restaurant in Jacksonville that Carol and I frequented and

on their menu they had a Blackened Flounder with Orleans topping. Boy was it good. When Carol and I caught a couple of Slot Reds the other day we brought the filet's home and I found a recipe at Robert St. Johns, a chef over in Mississippi, Redfish Orleans!  We cooked it the other night and it was as good as I hoped for:

Ingredients:
6                 Redfish Filets
1/2 cup      no-stick Grilling Marinade  for Seafood (New South Grilling) This is a whole 'nother  
                   recipe - I didn't do this, I just browned my filet's in real butter!
1  Tbsp       Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp        Black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup       Olive oil
3/4  lb         fresh Florida shrimp, peeled, deveined and washed
2/1/2 cups  mushrooms, sliced
2  tsp          Garlic, minced
3/4 cup       green onions, sliced
1/4 cup       Parsley, chopped, for garnish
1 can          crab meat I added this. You can't beat crab meat!
 1   cup        Creole cream sauce This is some good stuff! See Below:

Make the Creole Cream Sauce first!
2 Cups       Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp        Creole Seasoning I used Konriko
2 Tbsp        Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp        Hot sauce
1 tsp            Paprika

Place all ingredients in a double boiler over medium high heat and reduce by one third, until thickened.


You want to time the rest of this so that it all comes together about the same time.

Brush the fish filets with the marinade and refrigerate 20 minutes. Season fish with the kosher salt and black pepper.

Prepare the grill. Place the fish on direct medium high heat and cook 4-5 minutes. turn fish and cook another 4-5 minuets or until opaque in the center.

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Sauté shrimp for 2-3 minutes until they begin to turn pink. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add garlic and green onion and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add the Creole Cream Sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, stir in cheese.  Divide evenly and spoon over fish. Garnish with parsley.

Shark Week at Amelia Island

The wind "app" indicated 16mph winds at the boat ramp this morning but
it was sunny and clear so the Woodard family, Mark and Jen and their daughter Lilli were game to go fishing after a long and precocious last couple of months. We launched at Sawpit Creek and headed up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff and then moved further into the creek to set up with some float rigs and live shrimp. The tide had just started out and our first cast got a bite. Mark was on the rod, set the hook, and brought to the boat a nice keeper sized Seatrout. That's the way to start a fishing trip!  But after that, no fish!

We ran thru Horsehead, fished some docks at Seymore's. Fished some more docks at Seymore's, then ran down to Spanish Drop. Jen was fishing a jig
and shrimp here and right off, BOOM! Big fish on! Jen was using my size 1000 reel, 10lb braid, on a 6'6" rod and this made for a long and arduous battle. But Jen was up to the task and battled the big fish to the boat, and landed a 4'+ Bonnethead Shark. Boy what a fish fight!  Not to be outdone, Lilli hooked up and had a shark fight of her own. She wore the fish out then handed it over to her dad to finish it off - another nice Shark.

Jen stayed with the jig and shrimp on the bottom and picked up a couple of Whiting that went in the box, then we made the run down to Pumpkin Hill, and then to Broward Island to wrap things up. Although the wind buffeted us all day, we made the most of it and it turned out to be another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Capt. Lawrence Piper is a back country light tackle, fly fishing guide based out of Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and specializes in Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, Black Drum, and Sheepshead. If you’re looking for things to do a fun family outing or a day out with your angler friends,  then plan a Charter on The Anglers Mark.