Overcast Made It Nice

I fished this morning with Jean Ann (Sofi) Sofinowski and her fishing buddy Carolyn, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had just a slight breeze and overcast skies which made for some very pleasant fishing. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours so we ran up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", working float rigs down the bank with live shrimp as the oysters were just beginning to show.  I think the first "demo" cast we had a bite, a hookup, and a Sofi reeled in a feisty Redfish! That's the way to start a trip!

We slowly worked along that bank and both anglers landed  a handful of small but fun to catch Redfish. The Sofi, working off the stern of the boat and we could tell this was a bigger fish - it stayed up close to shore for a bit, and then rolled. But Sofi kept the pressure on, worked it out from the oysters, played it perfectly, and landed a nice 21.5" Slot sized

Redfish. We picked up a few more fish, one of which was a hungry Seatrout with a spot that had no pigment!

Our next stop was on up the Jolley where we switched to jigs and picked up a couple of more fish. The MOA produced nothing so we continued on around to the Bell River and fished some docks. We did get some bites there, but not takers. We were running out of time and wanted to fish the Tiger Logs so we made the run. Carolyn put a Mangrove Snapper in the boat, we landed another Trout, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Watermelon or Chocolate Covered Steering Wheel?

What would YOU rather have to eat?  A piece of watermelon or a chocolate covered steering wheel?  That was one of he questions posed by  young Ava as her parents Chanterelle and John and her older sister Alexa fished the back waters of Amelia Island this morning. I think I picked watermelon.

 We had met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning and then ran over to Lanceford Creek and then up into Soap Creek to fish an outgoing tide with mud minnows (no shrimp today). It was a gamble - we do it every day - but it turned out not to be such a great one. These anglers were making excellent casts but we didn't get much more than a nibble.

We then bounced around to fish some docks  and this paid off. Chanterelle had put her bait out deep, between two pilings and she finally had a hookup, and, Fish ON!  This fish was pulling some drag and at first wrapped itself around a post. But Chanterelle kept the pressure on and when the fish came around we moved out to deeper water where Chanterelle played it expertly to the boat and landed a nice 21" Slot Sized Redfish.  We fished some more there,  moved up a couple of docks, then moved on.

Our next stop was around at Tiger Island where we had to creep in to the mouth at the last of an outgoing tide.  But we got around to the logs, still fishing jigs, and here had a hookup. Young Alexa reeled it in patiently and landed a keeper sized Flounder.  We then ran around to the Jolley River and fished the oysters as the tide started back in. John got on the board with a Flounder catch and a couple of Redfish catches. Chanterelle had switched to a float rig, drifting it along the edge, and picked up one more keeper sized Flounder.

We had seen dolphin, Rosette Spoonbills, Blue Heron's, Egrets, Osprey and wild horses on Cumberland Island and as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Breakout Monday

I was back down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp today, meeting the Gross family early - David and Kerry and their kids Madeline and Drew.  We met early and ran up the Nassau River to make a quick stop at Spanish Drop. There was bait getting popped everywhere and as soon as these anglers got their jigs and shrimp in the water they were catching fish.  Ladyfish, Ladyfish, Flounder, Ladyfish, Jack Crevalle, Flounder, Ladyfish, Flounder...boom, boom, boom! Madeline contributed one of the keeper Flounder, Drew put the only slot Redfish in the boat, then David added a couple of more keeper sized Flounder. Kerry got in on the action with a nice Jack Crevalle catch, a feisty Redfish catch, and a Seatrout catch. We
lost track  of all the fish we caught!

We moved up to Athens Drop with the tide still having about an hour or so to the bottom, fished jigs and shrimp and mud minnows and here, David hooked up with something big,  patiently fought it to the boat, and landed a big 22" Seatrout, a fish big enough to force a 2nd place tie in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We picked up another couple of fish before we moved on.

After catching some nice finger mullet to supplement our bait, we fished Seymore's Pointe with float rigs for the Mangrove Snapper but had no luck. We then motored down to Broward Island with the tide still going out. We saw a Bald Eagle (to add to the numerous birds we'd seen today) then fished the bank, drifting backwards and slowly working our baits. David put another 20" Seatrout in the boat (released) then had a strong hookup out deep, and FISH ON! This was a big fish and luckily it came out deep where David gently applied the pressure, worked it up, fought it as it ran, then Drew netted the big Oversized 30.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!

We'd had good weather all morning, a slight breeze, some cloud cover, but it was serious sunshine now, so we called it a day and counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. Edit...and the family had a great fresh cooked fish dinner at Kitchen 251!

Adding Them Up

We didn't catch anything real big today, but if you added the variety of fish caught, it was almost like a marine biology class!  Flounder, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Mangrove Snapper, Croaker, Stingray, Catfish...I may have missed one!  Laura and Lane Outler and their son Landon fished with me this morning and after running over to Tiger Island we set up and pitched jigs and live shrimp to the downed logs on the last of an outgoing tide. Laura got things started off early and pulled into a commanding lead on the "fish count" - she caught a keeper sized Flounder and a feisty Redfish.

Then Lane took over and caught a Jack Crevalle and a Croaker. Then all three began to catch fish - Mangrove Snapper, feisty Redfish, more Flounder, another which was of keeper size.  We fished the island thoroughly then ran up to the Jolley and fished the "bank" as the tide was coming in. Lane put a healthy Seatrout in the boat, we caught  a few Croaker that were keepable, then we continued on up the
river.

Our final stop was fishing some cut-bait and that paid off with another Croaker or two, a Stingray caught by Laura, and a Catfish caught by Landon.  The clouds had blocked the sun most of the trip, we had a slight breeze and it made for another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Chasing the Prize

Back to "work" today, fishing out of Dee Dee Bartels Park where I met Mark and Jen Woodard and their daughter Lilli early this morning. We had a dead low tide so we scooted across the river and dipped into Tiger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp. Lilli's casting had improved since last month and she was really getting her bait up to the right spots. But it was her mom Jen who "knocked the skunk off" when she put a hungry Flounder in the boat, then added to that with a small Black "puppy" Drum.

 We fished up and down the bank and the three anglers caught more Drum, some small but feisty Redfish, a couple of Croaker, and a couple of more Flounder, one of which was of keeper size. Then Jen made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when she hooked up and landed a keeper sized
Sheepshead.

Our next stop was up at the Jolley where we ran way up the River and stayed with the jigs. We picked up another Redfish and a Whiting before we moved on to Snook Creek where we finally were skunked.

Coming back to the outside of Tiger, we fished some now flooded oysters to no avail, then buzzed thru Tiger and over to Bell where we setup for the final challenge. Lilli was vying for another GPK but it was dad who put the bigger fish-a Seatarout-  in the boat to take home the prize and bragging rights for another year. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Mangroves Save The Day

If fished with Suzanna Braun, her friend Garland and her son Michael yesterday morning, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had  low tide up at Seymore's Pointe at 7:30am so I made that our first stop to fish float rigs with live shrimp and mud minnows up near the rocks and the decision paid off with a good handful of Mangrove Snapper catches. All three anglers put fish in the boat but it was Garland who had the biggest of the year, one that measured right at 14".

I know that these fish don't compare to a Slot sized Redfish, but their a challenge to catch on a 3/0 circle hook and when you do get one over "keeper" size of 10", they put up a pretty good fight. You can keep 5 a piece (which we rarely do) and can get some palm sized filet's off of each to make for a good dinner.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island where we pitched to the logs on an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp and minnows.  We
picked up a couple of feisty Redfish and Michael hooked up with a hungry Seatrout.  After easing up to Pumpkin Hill we switched back to floats and tangled with a high flying Ladyfish. Although the morning started with some good action on the Mangroves, the latter part of the trip was a struggle to find some fish. But we had a good breeze blowing and were treated to flocks of birds taking off from the marsh as we passed by so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Redipe of the Month: Real Key Lime Pie

This one is easy!  You can get Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice at most grocery stores and the recipe is right on the back of the bottle!

(1)  9" Graham Cracker pie shell
(1)  14oz can condensed sweetened milk
(3)  Egg yolks - the whites are not used
1/2  Cup Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice and blend until smooth.  Pour filling into pie shell and bake  at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes then refrigerate. Just before serving, top with whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.

Mixing It Up

I wrapped a five day stretch up fishing with Bob Howe, meeting him down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We ran up the Nassau River, stopped at Spanish Drop and Bob began casting a topwater gurgler with a 7w TFO BVK fly rod. Bob was making excellent casts as we worked along the flooding marsh grass  but he had no takers. We fished up to a large marsh run out, switched to spin rod and live bait and BOOM! He had a hookup. Bob played it perfectly, worked the fish to the back of the boat, let it run, then landed a nice hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We fished down the bank with the spin gear and picked up a couple of high flying Ladyfish.

Our next stop was around at Pumpkin Hill. We stayed with the spin/bait combo and fished the flooding mud flats with live shrimp but had no luck. After fishing a couple of spots at Pumkin, we motored back and into Christopher Creek where Bob switched back to the fly rod, this time using a 8w TFO BVK with a slow sinking shrimp fly pattern. Again, Bob was making excellent casts to the marsh grass and rocks and had one fish chase his fly as he stripped it in, but it just didn't take it.

Our final stop was over at Seymore's Pointe, fishing the rocks for Mangrove Snapper but they just wouldn't cooperate. We tangled briefly with a Ladyfish then moved on around the corner. After fishing an outflow, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water and fishing hear at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish'n For Keepers

We had another absolutely beautiful morning today when I met Kip McNeil, his dad Stephan, and their buddy mark up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The sun was out, we had a slight breeze, and a high and incoming tide. We made a quick run over to the Jolley River and set up to fish the "bank" with float rigs and live shrimp. Right off, Stephan hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish up near the bank then Mark followed that up with a large Bluefish catch. We worked along the bank and caught a couple of small Seatrout.

After moving further up the river with the tide we stopped and fish a small cove  and Stephan tangles with a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark which he landed expertly. We moved on up the river to Snook Creek and here Mark got in on the Shark action when he too hooked up landed a Bonnethead. As we eased along the bank we had bites here and there, caught a couple, then when Kip spotted a Redfish tailing up near the grass he made a pin point cast, waited patiently for the float to disappear and, BOOM! Fish on!  This fish boiled so we knew it was a Redfish then it went from bow to stern and out to deeper water. But Kip was up to the challenge and worked it to the boat to land a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish.

We came back to the outside of Tiger and fished some flooded oysters, caught a few Trout, then came back up to Tiger and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then a whole lot of Trout. Our last stop was back towards Jolley, fishing a marsh run out and here, after Mark had put a winning Stingray in the boat, Stephan found a few more Trout, one of which was of keeper size.  We had a caught a whole bunch of fish and had a few keepers so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Not a Breeze

I fished with Doug Mackle, his granddaughter Montana, and her friend Thomas this  morning, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early with plans to fish the very last of an incoming tide, then the outgoing. We made a quick run over to the outside of Tiger and set up to fish the flooded marsh grass with float rigs and live shrimp, and minnows. We had pretty good action with Thomas "knocking the skunk" off the boat early with a hungry Seatrout catch.  The trio of anglers caught a good handful of Trout, a nice Jack Crevalle that Montana put in the boat, and a Mangrove Snapper.

We then ran around to Bell River and set up alongside a point as the tide began peak and picked up one more Trout. After running up Lanceford we fished a grassy island to no avail, then dropped back and fished some dock pilings. Thomas landed another Seatrout and a Mangrove Snapper then Doug had the strongest hook up for the day. He played it perfectly but the fish had some smarts and found something to wrap
around on the bottom and, BAP! Fish Off. Ouch.

It was an absolutely beautiful day but there wasn't a lick of breeze out there today!

Our next stop was around in Soap Creek, fishing a large marsh runout where we had no luck. We fished along some oyster bars that were beginning to show, had some good bites, but nothing to show for it. After one final stop outside Tiger where we picked up one more Trout, we called it a day, another great on to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

A Pair of Catfish Bookend Variety at Amelia Island Fishing

I fished with the Mitchell family today, Ryan and Christina and their kids Lucy and Ryan IV, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early with plans to fish the last of an incoming tide in the marshes of Amelia Island. We made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill and set up alongside a flooding marsh line to drift float rigs and live shrimp along the edge.  Lucy "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Catfish!  This angling family then put a couple of high flying Ladyfish in the boat, then a Croaker, then young Ryan reeled in a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught
today were released).

 Then, after Ryan Sr had made an excellent cast to get a drift across a flooded oyster flat when, BOOM! Big Fish On!  Ryan kept the pressure on as the fish ripped across the flat for deeper water then handed the rod off to Christina and Ryan IV. They battled it up close to the boat then handed it off to Lucy to finish it off. Lucy worked it patiently to the boat and landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark!  It was true teamwork and it paid off with a nice fish, some pictures and release.

After a brief break back at Goffinsville, we moved on down to Seymore's Pointe and tossed the float rigs to some rocks and sure enough, the Mangrove Snapper were In House. All four anglers caught and released the sneaky Mangroves, all of which were released. We then fished down at Spanish Drop where Ryan and Lucy battled a Jack Crevalle to the net, then Ryan IV finished it off with a Catfish catch by trolling a minnow out the back. We had a good variety of fish caught which made for a great day of fishing with kids here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Oversized Red Starts The Day

I fished this morning with Paul Clark and his longtime friend Dean, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a long run thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to set up near some flooded oyster beds on the last of an incoming tide. Both anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats and were getting "nibbles" hear and there, but no takers. I had just switched Paul to a mud minnow when his float disappeared and, BOOM! Float Gone and Fish On!  Paul played it perfectly, worked it out between some crab pot floats and got it into deeper water then the battle ensued.  The big fish went deep a few times, and I was calling "Shark" but when it rolled up behind the boat I was changing my tune!  Paul worked it to the boat patiently and soon landed a 29.75" oversized Redfish - boy what a fish!

We fished around the corner briefly then made the run back to Seymore's Pointe where we set up and caught a good handful of Mangrove Snapper, a few of which were legal.  We then moved down to Spanish Drop and picked up a couple of Flounder, one of which was of keeper sized. I tried the new Athens Drop spot but I guess the guess Tuesday fished it out!  But we had had some action early in the morning, it was a beautiful day, so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Athens Drop

We nailed down a new spot today, Athens Drop, named after my guest anglers who are visiting from Athens, Georgia. I had met Jeremy Hobbs, his son Judah, and their friend Steven down at the Sawpit creek boat ramp and after making a short run up the Nassau River we stopped to fish Spanish Drop with jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows.  Judah kicked it off with a couple of feisty Redfish catches, a Seatrout catch, and a small Flounder catch. Then both Steven and Jeremy got in on the action, catching a few feisty Reds for themselves. We worked that bank thoroughly, caught a few more Reds, trout and
another small Flounder. Judah had a strong hookup, fought it to the boat patiently, and landed a nice Slot Redfish.

After moving up a bit we fished Twin Creeks where there was tons of bait getting "popped" then continued moving west and eased up along side a large shell bank that dropped off deep to 15' of water, the new "Athens Drop". Boom! Fish On!  a nice Slot Red was brought to the boat. Boom! Fish On!  Another Slot Red. Boom! Another Slot Red, Boom, Another Slot Red - we limited out on the Slot Redfish!  Jeremy decided to try a Gulp fluke and after he had bounced it off an oyster bed he had a strong hookup and brought to the boat a nice 18" Flounder.

We fished Seymore's Pointe and caught a good handful of small Mangrove Snapper, then finished up over in Jackstaff before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Start Early

Fishing with the Scott family this morning, Justin and Julie and their sons Porter and Noah, aftermeeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had run up the Nassau River and made a quick stop at Spanish Drop to begin pitching live shrimp on jigs to the oysters that were beginning to show on an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before they were hooking up with feisty Redfish. Noah got it started with a catch then Porter, then Justin. We had a handful of those before Porter, on the bow, had a stronger hookup and, Fish ON!  Porter played it perfectly and fought it from the starboard side to the port, wore it out, and landed a nice 21" Slot sized
Redfish.  Julie took over the video duties while I netted the fish!  The fishing was so good we fished a bit of that stretch again and Justin added a keeper sized Flounder to the catch and then Porter put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.  Justin landed another keeper Flounder to top the box off.

We ran up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some docks, landed a small Mangrove Snapper then ran down to Pumpkin Hill and fished oysters. We fished the logs at Broward Island, the rocks back at Seymore's Pointe and the shell in Jackstaff but all we could do was feed the nibblers. It had been a good start for the day, we had some wonderful weather, so we still counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Mixed Bag Makes a Mess 'O Fish Here at Amelia Island

We had an absolutely beautiful day that greeted us when I met Ben Windle and his fishing buddy Brad down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The sun was just coming up, we had a good breeze and not a cloud in the sky as we headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop along some exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide. The duo were pitching live shrimp on jigs to a marsh run out and in minutes, they both had Flounder hookups that they brought to the boat.  We also picked up a couple of feisty Redfish along the oyster beds. We fished a couple of those runouts then moved on up to fish some docks at Seymore's.

After picking up a small Mangrove and small Black Drum, we moved around to fish some rocks and here things really lit up. We caught one Mangrove Snapper after another with a few of them being of keeper size, the biggest being about 13" in length.  Although they're not real big, if you get a good
handful those palm sized filet's can be really good eating!

We run down to Broward Island after that, had at least two good hookups that released at boat side then we moved up to Pumpkin Hill to drift some floats over some shell bottom. This did the trick for the big fish - Ben hooked up, battled expertly, and landed a big 26.75" Slot sized Redfish.

The entire day we tangled with high flying Ladyfish and we wrapped the day up back along the Nassau at Spanish Drop when Brad battled two hard fighting Jack Crevalle, Ben put another Slot Red in the boat, and we had a couple of Croaker catches. It was getting hot but as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two Big Reds in the Nassau

I was again fishing out of Sawpit Creek this morning, this time with Paul Deluca, his son Cole and
their friend Sean. We met early and headed up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff and begin fishing the exposed oysters with jigs and live shrimp on the very last of an outgoing tide. We worked up the creek, pitching to the bank, had a few nibbles, then Sean "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up, battled, and landed a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark. Cole had a good hookup at a large marsh run out but the fish ran directly to the boat, under it, and BAP! Fish off!

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to some docks to fish the piers with the jigs and shrimp. Sean caught a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (all fish caught today were released) and Cole put a feisty Mangrove Snapper in the boat.



After moving around
the corner to fish some rocks, the fish "catching" lit up and was on fire. All four anglers found the
hot spot and began to pull one Mangrove Snapper after another out of the "honey hole". The Snapper are BACK!  Many of these were 12-13" and would make some great fish filet's for a fry - again-all were released to be caught another day. When we tired of catching fish (crazy, huh?)  We moved on.

The next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing the first of an incoming. Fishing, not catching. I've about decided to give up on these islands for a while.








We moved north to Pumpkin Hill. Now drifting floats, both Sean and Cole hooked up and landed some high flying Ladyfish, then Cole had his float disappear, he hooked up, played it perfectly, and landed a nice feisty Redfish. Then it was Paul's turn for a Redfish. He was drifting his float up
close and each time his bait caught on the bottom he'd pull it off and, BOOM! Big Fish On! This fish boiled a couple of times up near shore -a Big Redfish - then finally worked its way out deep. But the crabbers have the bank lined with traps and floats and sure enough Paul's fish wrapped the line around the float. Luckily, that braided  line is strong so we inched back to the float, flipped it over the line, and, Fish (back) On! Paul expertly played the fish and brought it to the boat, an Oversized 29" Redfish - boy what a fish.

After fishing down the bank a bit, we moved back to where we started and again, BOOM! Big Fish On! Paul had another one. This time Paul was able to bring it out past the crab traps, play it like a pro, and land a 26 15/16" Tournament Sized Redfish - another nice fish. With two big Reds landed in the last 20 minutes of the trip, it was a great way to wrap up an outstanding fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.

 

Drum City

I fished with Bob Blalock this morning, meeting him out at Goffinsville Park early with plans to fish the back waters of Amelia Island. We headed  north from the ramp to fish a particular dock but the owner was out doing some exercises so we kept on going as not to disturb him!  We picked another dock and Bob began tossing jigs and live shrimp to the pilings - he got a few nibbles but no takers - then, BOOM! He had a hookup. Bob played it to the boat and landed a nice18" Black "puppy" Drum. Fishing the pilings with shrimp paid off. Bob landed a good handful of the Drum, a couple of more "keeper" sized, some of which he threw  back. He also picked up some Croaker, some small Mangrove Snapper, a small Sheepshead, and a couple of small Seatrout.

We eased back around the corner and the exerciser was gone so we set up off of some rocks and began floating shrimp along the edge and began to get bites. You had to be on your toes but the Mangrove Snapper were feeding and Bob put 5 nice 12-13" fish in the boat before we moved on to find bigger fish.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing the first of an incoming tide, an ideal tide to be there. But the fish didn't get the message!  Bob landed a couple of small Mangrove's and a small Flounder but that was it. We made a final stop up at Pumpkin Hill, fishing the float rigs. We picked up a small Redfish then one drift we both saw something "pop" the float. Seconds later the float disappeared, Bob tightened up and the hook set and, Fish ON! He worked it patiently to the boat - we were thinking "Redfish" but when it came to the net we saw it was a large 22" Seatrout, big enough to move Bob into a 2nd place tie in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). That was a great fish to wrap up the day - a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Croaker Croaker Croaker

I fished with the Hynote crew - Tom and his son Bennett, and his brother-in-law Chris and his daughter Briana, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this morning. We made a long run up and into the Jolley River to an exposed oyster bank on a low and incoming tide - a place that I had done really well a week ago on a similar tide. All four anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and making excellent casts. They were all getting bites but no real takers. Finally, Bennett hooked up and reeled in a Croaker. Then Briana did the same, reeling in an even bigger Croaker. The anglers caught and landed a good handful of those - I don't think the Reds and Trout and Flounder even had a chance!

We ran back to the mouth of the Jolley and fished the "bank" and here Briana hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish, then we landed another. Chris got on the board with a Seatrout catch before we moved back up the river. We fished up at Snook Creek with float rigs, then came back north. As we eased up to a pocket, Briana had made an excellent cast up between two grassy islands and BOOM! Fish on! She fought it valiantly but the fish cut the line on some oysters. Ouch. Then Tom had the same thing happen, BOOM! Big Fish on!  Then, BAP! fish off!  Boy oh boy. Finally, Bennett stepped up, hooked up,  and brought to the boat a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish

Our next stop was around to the outside of Tiger where we landed a small Seatrout or two, then we finished up over at Bell River, again with a Trout catch. The wind had picked up, the storm clouds were rolling in, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

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Oversized Red Kicks It Off

I wrapped my week up fishing with the Caul's, Jason and his son Tommy, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran north and west and up the Middle River and made a stop half way up to fish some pockets with live shrimp under floats on the last of an incoming tide. I don't think we even had a nibble.

We continued on around to Pumpkin Hill and set up alongside a flooding marsh line, shallow with shell underneath. Jason was fishing the bow and Tommy took up the stern, drifting his float long down the grass and....BOOM! The float disappeared, Tommy tightened up and set the hook and, Fish On!  Boy what a fish. This one was big, ripping drag and boiling up and digging deep. But Tommy kept the pressure on, taking the fish(or maybe the fish was taking Tommy) from the stern to the bow and from Starboard to Port and back to the stern. After a long battle, Tommy landed a
big Oversized 28" Redfish - a good fish to "knock the skunk off" and get the day started!  Jason battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the net then Tommy put a hungry Seatrout in the boat.

Fishing further down Jason had made a good toss up into a "cove" and as it drifted across, BOOM! Another big fish. Jason played it perfectly and patiently and after a good battle landed a 26 and 15/16" Tournament Sized Redfish, boy what a fish.   We an island around the corner, had no luck, then moved on.

Our next stop was up in Christopher Creek, this time tossing jigs and live Shrimp.  Jason had made a perfect cast to the grass and within seconds he had a hookup. This one was a nice fish too - ripping drag and digging deep. But Jason worked it to the boat and landed another Slot Redfish.

As we were passing Seymore's Pointe we stopped and fished some rocks and it paid off. Tommy got hot again and landed a good handful of Mangrove Snapper. After fishing Twin Creeks with jigs for a  bit, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wake Up Call

I fished today with father and son team Ken and Jaxon Kerr, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early for a half day of fishing the backwaters of Amelia Island. We ran up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill, set up at a grassy island, and tossed float rigs with live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. All we got was a couple of nibbles.

We moved around and cruised a grass line, pitching as we went and still, no real bites. But finally, Jason's float disappeared and after he caught up his slack he set the hook and had a good strong fish on. Jason played it perfectly, worked it around the stern and back, and eventually landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. The fish had caught us sleeping but we were awake now!  Only minutes later Jason followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout and Ken reeled in a beautiful Blue Crab!

Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe where we fished
a marsh drainage, then we moved in and fished some dock pilings. Ken hooked up and landed a Mangrove Snapper and we then added another keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stops were down Twin Creeks, then at Spanish Drop. After landing an ugly 'ole Toad Fish, Ken felt a "bump", hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder then Jason tangled with a high flying Ladyfish that quickly threw the hook. We'd had a good breeze all day that kept the heat down but with the sun up it was still getting hot so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Catch'n Eaters Here At Amelia Island, Florida

It seemed just a tad bit cooler this morning when I met the Williams family -John and Mary Margaret and their two young anglers Hadden and Ruth, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had clear skies and nice breeze blowing as we headed west and up the Middle River and over to Pumpkin Hill to set up at a grassy island to begin pitching live shrimp under floats. We had a nibble here and there and when John hooked up I thought we might have a decent fish but it was just a short Mangrove Snapper - not the "Eater" that Hadden was looking for!

We move around the corner and down a ways and not the tide was starting out. I think John's first cast to the backside of a small drainage produced a bite and, Fish ON!  John and Hadden worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 22" Slot sized "Eater" Redfish! We eased down that bank and again John had a hookup. This fish was big and ripping drag and running deep. It took John from the bow to the stern where we had a standoff for a while before John was able to work it to the boat and land an oversized 27"+ Redfish - good for pictures and release.  We continued to fish and after John had put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, he hooked up and landed another big fish. He and Hadden fought it valiantly and soon brought to the net a "Tournament Size" 26.75" Slot fish, boy what a fish.

After a short pit stop at Goffinsville we ran down to Twin Creeks, fished with jigs and shrimp and mud minnows and here the family put a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark in the boat, a couple of Jack Crevalle, a keeper sized Flounder, a small Flounder, and Mary Margaret got on the board with an exciting Stingray catch. Somewhere there was a pretty Blue Crab caught!  Ruth was helping out giving encouragement to all the anglers.

We finished up at Spanish drop with one more keeper sized Flounder catch before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.