It looks like we'll have great weather all week, and today sure was a nice one! I met Jeff and Jinny Key down at Sawpit and today we ran up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and made our way further up a creek to toss float rigs with live shrimp to a large drainage. We didn't get any Trout bites like I expected but as we eased down the bank Jeff had a big fish slurp his bait, his float went slowly under and Fish On! and BAP! Fish Off! Boy was that disappointing.
We came back around to Pompano Point and drifted the floats and I think Jeff's first cast produced a Seatrout catch. And then he had another and another and another, one which was of keeper size. So much so that my hand towel was getting slimy. He put the first high flying Ladyfish of the year in the boat and then he had another strong take and Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and digging back into the oysters. But Jeff stayed with him, worked him patiently out then kept the pressure on until it was subdued and brought to the net - an oversized 28.5" Redfish. Boy what a fish and boy what a battle! This fish put Jeff in the running for Bragging Rights (scroll down the right side of this page for standings).
After going back to Jackstaff we set up on a point and fished with jigs. Jeff put a small Flounder in the boat then found some Trout out deep - he brought handful to the net, two of which were of keeper size.We ran thru Horsehead and fished some docks at Seymore's and here Jinny got on the board with a nice 18" Flounder catch, big enough to move her into 2nd place in the 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category. The duo also caught a few Mangrove Snapper, a Blue fish, and a small Sea Bass here.
We fished around at Nassauville and picked up a couple of small Flounder, then with just minutes to go, tried a new spot that I have been eyeing. - a long sandbar. We worked along the bar tossing a jig in hopes for another Flounder but when we saw a good "cut" running thru the bar we tossed a float rig and let it go and ...BAM! Big Fish On! And boy what an epic battle! That big fish was 50 yards away and in shallow water and across a sandbar. Jeff played it as patiently as anyone could as the fish rolled and boiled and ripped drag and boiled and rolled. He worked it slowly over the bar and to the net and laned another oversized 28" Redfish. What a way to cap off another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I guess the Chamber of Commerce ordered up a week of fine weather 'cause today was another outstandingly beautiful day! I met Derek Wilson and his fishing buddy Tim down at Sawpit and we made a quick run thru some early morning fog, up the Nassau and pulled up at Spanish Drop. I keep waiting for this stretch of river to a"turn on" but today was not the day. We worked to areas with float rigs on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours, but had no luck.
We then made our way around to the Back River and fished a stretch that has been good to me all week and today was no exception. We eased along the bank pitching the float rigs up to exposed oyster beds and letting it drift down the edge and we caught Redfish. The fish bite wasn't "on fire" but we did get 6-8 fish with two of them in the Slot range.
Eventually we moved back to some docks at Nassauville and here Tim put a Flounder in the boat, then we finished up down at Broward fishing an outgoing tide. Tim added a couple of Sheepshead to his catch total at the first spot. But when we moved down the island we worked it pretty good but had no luck. It had been a beautiful day and with two friends getting together to get in a day fishing we counted it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Just another beautiful day fishing here at Amelia Island! I had met John Raker and his mother Betty out at Goffinsville Park early and as we headed out the sun was already shining and we had just enough breeze that the sand gnats were not a problem. We made a short jump over to Back River and began fishing a stretch of exposed shell with float rigs and live shrimp. We had a Blue Fish catch to get things started and as we eased along John had a strong hookup and Big Fish On! John played it expertly and when we saw a couple of boils we knew it was a big Red. After a good battle John brought to the net a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish.
\Continuing on down the bank we saw a commotion and a wake move away from us. John made an excellent cast south of th wake, let his bait drift with the current back and BAM! Another big fish on! He played this one expertly and soon landed a 21.25" Slot Red.
We then came back and fished some docks at Nassauville where John put a small Flounder in the boat, then Betty brought a keeper sized Flounder to the net. Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe, fishing some dock pilings and here we had a flurry of action, catching a keeper sized Seatrout, a small Black "puppy" Drum, and a Betty reeled in a couple of feisty Redfish. She also patiently played to the boat a brilliant blue, Blue Crab!
After running down to Broward we worked the bank slowly, tossing jigs and live shrimp. It took a while but we began to get fish. Betty put two Slot Redfish in the boat, John added another, and they teamed up to catch a good handful of hungry Trout. John had kept count and we had caught 21 fish, and a Blue Crab, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Boy what a beautiful morning we had today! I met Tatum Nolan and her NEW fiancé Victor Jelici down at Sawpit Creek early and we made our way around to Sawpit bridge with slip floats and live shrimp, to no avail. I have fished with Tatum and Victor a few times in the past but this time they announced that they were newly engaged! We made our next stop at up Spanish Drop, fishing the exposed shell beds on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out to hit bottom. We worked along that bank and could see some bait movement up along the edge, but we had no real bites.
After running up the river a bit we fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp and here we finally "knocked the skunk off". Tatum reeled in a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum then she went back to the same spot and BAM! -Right off, had a hookup. She played it expertly to the net and landed a big 20.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish! This fish moved Tatum into 3rd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We added one more fish, a Jack Crevalle, before we moved on.
Our next stop was up the Nassau, fishing between two docks. The duo added a small Flounder then it was Victor's turn to battle the big fish. Had cast up shallow, let his bait fall down the river bottom, and in about 20' of water, Big Fish On! Victor played it patiently and after a good battle landed another 20.25" Seatrout to tie his future spouse in that Bragging Rights Tournament!
We came back and fished Bubblegum Reef and caught a Mangrove Snapper, then made our way down to Broward Island to fish the very last of that outgoing tide. They had a flurry of catching a small Seatrout, a small Flounder then Victor had a strong hookup. He fought it to the boat and landed Slot sized Redfish.
We had had good weather, caught some fish, and celebrated a new engagement with a fishing trip, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up today, fishing with Bob Kossman and Larry Westfall before they head north forthe summer. This was a a "Share-A-Trip" - contact me if you'd like to be added to the list. We met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp with a weather forecast that called for clear skies and 8mph west winds to start, increasing to 13mph. We made the long run up the Nassau and around to Broward Island and fished a stretch as the tide was still going out. I could tell right off that the water was real murky which didn't bode well for a our chances and sure enough, we had no bites. We moved down the way a bit and fished, trying to stall for the tide to turn around, but eventually we had to leave - that west wind, the murky waters, and no bites made it the smart thing to do.
We headed back to Seymore's Pointe, somewhat out of the wind, and found a dock to fish on that lower incoming tide, and this did the trick. The duo caught a few feisty Redfish, a keeper Seatrout that had only a few spots(I called it a weakfish initially) and Bob landed the 2nd Mangrove Snapper of the year while Larry put probably the biggest Black Sea Bass I've ever had caught in the boat.
After fishing back around at Nassauville with jigs and live shrimp and getting a couple of small trout, we came back around to Seymore's and fished float rigs now that the tide was up. No luck with them but Larry found that we could set up out deep and get Seatrout off the bottom, one of which was 17", and we also got a couple of Blues. By now that wind was kicking! I checked my weather App and saw that it was at 17mph! We had struggled to stay out of the wind, but it was a beautiful day and we had caught a few fish so was we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Storm a'coming tomorrow! But we the water was like glass this morning when I launched at Sawpit Creek and after meeting Allen Webb, we made a long run up the Nassau, all the way to Broward, and pulled up to fish jigs as the tide had been coming in for about an hour. It didn't take long and Allen was on a fish - he played it perfectly and landed a "just in the slot" Redfish. He also picked up a keeper sized Seatrout down deep with the jigs. We moved down the way and fished the bank close and this paid off with a couple of more feisty Redfish catches and a good handful of just undersized Sheepshead. After fishing down with the Bald Eagles, we moved on.
Our next stop was back at Nassauville, fishing between a couple of docks and here we had a handful of Seatrout caught, again, down deep, and also a Catfish. We then made the run way up the Nassau, and into a creek to fish a log lined bank. We both marveled at the beauty and peacefulness of the area, but I think we only had one bite that was a fish, and one Blue Crab that we brought to the boat.
Our final stop was back down the Nassau, around at Seymore's, fishing the last of an incoming tide with float rigs. We caught another small Trout or two, a Bluefish, and then our float disappeared with a vengeance. Allen fought it patiently, kept that rod bent while it ran and the drag ripped, and we both were guessing, "Redfish". But when Allen got it to the boat and I went to dip it, Boy What a Trout! We got it in the the boat and she measured right at 24.75". A whopper of a Trout -she just couldn't pass up one more shrimp for her morning meal! That fish moved Allen solidly into the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
We fished a bit more but the wind was now up so we headed back. We had a few good fish in the box, Bragging Rights in the bag, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Bob Blalock and I decided to squeeze in an afternoon trip, knowing that winds would probably be an issue. We met up at Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made the long run up the Bell to fish some docks with jigs and live shrimp.
Bob worked that first spot over really good but we didn't have a bite. But after moving in close and fishing back to some dock pilings, Bob's first cast produced a bite and, Fish On! He played it perfectly and brought to the net a Slot sized Redfish. That easy! But we fished those pilings thoroughly and only managed one more fish, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum.
We then ran back towards town and boy was the wind whipping, especially running into it. It's been fifteen years I think since I fished up near structure around Fernandina, but it was out of the wind, so we stuffed our pride, went against (my) grain, and fished it. And it paid off. Bob hooked and put a smaller Slot Red in the boat, then hooked and battled another - a "thick" 25"er, then put another smaller Slot in the boat. We worked along there for a good while, out of the wind, and got into a good handful of those Puppy Drum.
As the outgoing tide came to a standstill we made a final run over to Tyger Island, to fish the logs, and had to "putter" thru the shallows to get there, and when we did, we fished a good while and had only a few bites, but no real takers. But it ended a good fishing trip at a beautiful location so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished this morning with Leah and Brian Newsom and their grandson Caleb, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We put out 3 crabs traps on the way to the first stop, over at Tyger Island, but when we got there we began fishing jigs and live shrimp on an incoming tide. We didn't have a whole lot of action but we did snag a nice Flounder that Leah and Caleb teamed up to reel in.
Our next stop was up the Jolley, sticking with the jigs, fishing Snook Creek for a bit, to no avail, then we came out and drifted float rigs down the bank and here Brian had a strong hookup going long and expertly brought to the net a keeper sized Seatrout (eventually released). We had a few good bites along there then fished back at Tyger Cut with the floats, then made our way back around to the outside of Tyger.
Here we had good action catching Bluefish, putting a good handful in the boat. Leah did have one bite that took it all -float, leader and hook so we don't know what that was! We then checked the crab traps with Brian pulling them up and Caleb supervising, but we had no luck. Don't call me a Crabber! But we had a beautiful morning, had some action and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had a beautiful morning today when I met Chris Pyle and his fishing buddy John down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, and after running up the Nassau we pulled up at Pumpkin Hill Creek to try our hand with some float rigs and live shrimp, drifted down the bank with a high and incoming tide. It didn't work - I don't think we had a nibble. We then fished a point, doing the same thing down the other side, then dropped back and fished a grassy patch and, to no avail.
Our next stop was over in Christopher Creek at the last of that high tide, where we tossed jigs and the shrimp but had not a nibble. Once the tide was high we came back out and around to Seymore's Pointe, switched back to float rigs, and here our luck changed. Both anglers had good hookups and played to the boat some keeper sized Seatrout. We had a few "hungry" but small trout and we had probably the biggest of the day to the boat before it tossed the hook.
After running thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Point we tried the floats - no luck - then moved back to Jackstaff and fished a large drainage where we did pick up another Trout or two. Back thru Horsehead we went and down to some docks at Nassauville and again, our "action" picked up. John put another keeper Trout or two in the boat and Chris added another keeper or two. We had two small Flounder brought to the net, too.
Our final stop was back at Seymore's on a lower tide, fishing dock pilings with the jigs and we had a bit of action. John put a couple of Bluefish in the boat, another Trout and then we battled something big, had it to the boat, and again, hook thrown! Ouch. But these anglers had a a good handful of Seatrout in the box and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up fishing south, meeting the Williams family - John and Mary Margaret and their kids Hadden and Ruth down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. It was a bit cool as we ran up the Nassau and I made beeline for a large drainage knowing the tide had just started out. Sure enough, were were on fish almost from the start. These anglers were tossing float rigs with about a 3' leader and circle hook up beyond a grassy point, letting it naturally drift and BAM! Fish On! We caught a good handful of Seatrout, a couple were of keeper size, and Ruth reeled in an impressive 16" Sheepshead. We also had a few Bluefish caught, and few good fish that threw the hook.
Our next stop was around at some docks at Nassauville and here things started slow, but boy did they heat up. John found rhythm and began to feel the "bump" and set the hook and landed a number of Seatrout, one of which was right at 19.5", a fish big enough to move him into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). They also caught a couple of Flounder, one of which was of keeper sized. Then, as the fished deeper John hooked up and we both thought it may just be a clump of oysters, but then the rod bounced and the jigs ripped a
bit and we knew it was a big fish! Hadden jumped in and worked the rod - they fought it valiantly together, and after a good battle brought to the surface and to the net a Big 22" Doormat Flounder, boy what a fish. This fish moved John and Hadden into first place in the Bragging Rights Tournament.
We finished up fishing down at Broward Island on a tide that was still going out and here Mary Margaret put a nice feisty Redfish in the boat to wrap things up. We had a good handful of fish in the box, some Bragging Rights and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
