Had to Work For 'em

 What a beautiful day!  We waited and went this afternoon - sunny skies, and it had warmed to shirtsleeves temperatures, and had just enough breeze to keep the gnats off. I met Eric Stevens and his fishing partner Gary out at Goffinsville Park and with a baitwell full of live shrimp, we left the dock and headed over to Seymore's Point and set up at a large drainage to fish float rigs and  the kicking shrimp. We were late. The outgoing tide had already gotten down to where our floats wouldn't float. But Eric, fishing off the stern, went long and did pick up a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off". We had a couple of more bites but no takers, so we moved on. 

We fished down the Nassau, hitting a couple of spots with jigs and the shrimp but we had not real bites. After coming back up the river we stopped between two docks at Nassauville and stuck with the jigs. Eric picked up a small Bluefish while Gary expertly landed a Flounder that was just a smidge undersized. All fish caught today were released. After running down to Broward Island we fished a drainage, then the bank, then another stretch with the jigs - it was beautiful fishing the island, but we had no real bites. 

It was time to run to the SSHH (Super Secret Honey Hole) - way up the Nassau, boy what a run! The tide was outgoing and it was getting low already with 2 hours to the bottom. We worked along the bank, pitching to the logs and brush and BAM! Gary had a strong bite. He played it patiently, working it in, letting it run, and brought a nice Slot Redfish to the net. We had some action! Shortly after that Eric hauled a feisty Red in then he went back to a brush pile and BAM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and it was a while before we knew it was subdued. Eric played it expertly and eventually landed a big Slot Redfish. We worked along that stretch - Gary hooked and landed another Seatrout, then the duo added another Redfish. 

I noticed the water temperatures fluctuated between 60, 69 and 64 degrees, depending on where we were fishing. These anglers had to work for 'em, but we ended up with a few nice fish, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Cruised To a Good Finish

 Another beautiful morning greeted us down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp when I met the "Crane Island Boys" -Dick Conley, David Gray, Henry Ross and his son Stephen. The gnats were swarming us at the ramp but after that initial run they weren't too bad. We eased up to Spanish Drop and worked the exposed shell bank on a tide that still had about an hour to hit bottom, tossing jigs and live shrimp - we worked that bank thoroughly but didn't get much more than a nibble. We then moved up the river a couple of hundred yards and hadn't been there more than a few minutes when David, fishing on the bow, had a hookup out deep and Big Fish On! That drag was ripping! The rest of the guys cleared out as he came from the bow to the stern and fought the big fish to a standstill, then brought it to the net - an Oversized 27.25" Redfish, boy what a fish! We moved further up the river to Twin Creeks and tossed it to and again, David had the hookup. This fish was ripping drag but after that Oversized fish it was no match for David and he expertly played the 20" Slot fish to the net.

Our next stop was up at Littlefield where we fished deep. Stephen and his dad were on the stern and
they had the hot rods here. They both put a handful of Seatrout in the boat, one or two which were of keeper size, then Stephen battled a deep digging Black "puppy" Drum, and won the battle to land the keeper fish. We then made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings as the tide started back in. At those pilings I think the only fish caught was another nice keeper sized Black Drum by Stephen, but David caught a Trout or two out deep. We then worked along the some docks, pitching as we went and got another Trout or two with some keepers mixed in.

The final stop was down at Broward Island where the CIB's caught another handful of Trout, a couple of small Reds, and Dick rounded out the "Super Grand Slam" by catching a small Flounder (the first I've seen in months) and a Sheepshead, added to the Black Drum, Redfish and Seatrout for the Super Grand Slam. We had started slow but built to a good finish and had a good mess of fish in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Jack in the Back (water)

 

Boy what a beautiful day today - it was in he high 60's when I launched at sunup and when it did come up there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Almost zero breeze did bring out the No-Seeums but we had spray for that! I met John Fredericks and his fishing buddy Dan Forsch down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the intracoastal and into the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop with a tide that was about an hour shy of being low. The two anglers went with jigs and live shrimp and pitched the bank as we eased into the slacking current. We had a handful of nibbles, and actually two good bites that ripped some drag and bent a rod, but they didn't take until John hooked up and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead to knock the skunk off. 

We bumped down the bank, fishing drainages and had bites but no takers, so we moved on. Our next
stop was up the Nassau where we fished between two docks and here the action picked up. Dan got hot fishing off the stern and hooked and landed a handful of Seatrout, caught deep, with one of them being of keeper size. Then he had s strong hookup and this fish was fighting erratically and Dan stayed with it. He worked it in and landed a keeper sized Spanish Mackerel.  We've caught a few Spanish Mackerel over the years, but not many, in the back water. 

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to some dock pilings - the trio fought and landed three Black "puppy" Drum, just undersized. Dan had one strong bite that wrapped around a piling and broke off, boy what a fish! We then motored down to Broward Island and fished a drainage waiting for the tide to turn down there and got some good action catching Seatrout deep again, and one of those was of keeper size.  We worked down the bank as the tide changed and both John and Dan put a Slot Red in the boat after expertly battling them to the net. We had slowly put a nice box of fish together so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Two Fat 24's

 

We had to creep thru the fob this morning, boy was it thick! I had met Doug Brossman and his fishing partner Hank Prolog down at Sawpit Creek, mid-morning, right at high tide. We had to ease up the intracoastal and up the Nassau to make our first stop up at Seymore's Pointe where we went with float rigs and live shrimp, pitched to a large drainage. I was somewhat encouraged, with the water temp at 60 degrees, the two anglers had some decent action catching Seatrout and a couple of small Blues. 

We then ran around the point and up the Nassau and drifted the floats over some shell beds, to no avail. Back down the river we came, to Twin Creeks, and again drifted the floats, with no luck. We briefly switched to jigs and the shrimp, had no bites, then came back up the river to fish between some docks at Nassauville and this did the trick with a handful of Seatrout catches. 

Down at Broward Island we fished deep with the jigs. Doug picked up a small Seatrout at a drainage, then we moved down the island, under the eye of the Bald Eagles and here we caught a couple of Redfish, one of which was in the slot.  After a good run up the Nassau we eased in to our final spot -the Super Duper Lucky Spot, and it fit the bill. The duo almost immediately began to get Redfish. They added four more Slot fish, with two of them measuring right at 24" and they also tossed back a handful of smaller "rat" Reds. Doug picked up a hard fighting keeper sized Black Drum to add to the catch total. 

The sun had come out and the fog was pretty much gone and we had some good action at a couple of spots so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amella Island, Florida.