Amelia Island Fishing Reports

Bragging Rights!

2012-02-01T18:15:00.001-05:00

It's a new year and it will take 12 long months to find out who has "The Anglers Mark"! I'll be measuring and weighing the biggest Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder this year and recording who is in the lead and at the end of the year we will award bragging rights to the winners. So far this year Michael Purser leads the Redfish category with a 26" 6lb Redfish and his fishing buddy Andy Hall leads the Seatrout category with a 22" 3lb fish. These were both some nice fish but it's a long year and the competition will be tough! Contact me to set up your Amelia Island backwater fishing trip today.

Great January Amelia Island Fishing

2012-01-24T20:56:00.003-05:00

Michael Purser and his friends Tim Ralston and Andy Hall were visiting Amelia Island along with their wives so the guys decided to take in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 9am with balmy 60 degree temperatures, no wind and a heavy fog. We eased out of the marina just as the high tide peaked and headed south, chugging along through the fog and relying on the GPS to get us to our first spot, which was a oyster flat, flooded with the tide. Although visibility was only about 75 yards, the guys could see the marsh grass and began tossing their float rigs with live shrimp up to the grass line. After about 15 or 20 minutes they guys had only had a few minor nibbles and I was beginning to wonder whether we should make a move when, BAM! Michael's float disappeared with a vengeance! He played the hard fighting fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 20" Black "Puppy" Drum. Then Tim got in on the action when his float went under and he had a BIG fight on his hands. We could see the fish rolling out in the fog, but Tim played the fish to the boat. But this big Red had grown through the slot for a reason and the wiley fish found his way to the transom and broke his self off on the propeller, OUCH! Andy joined in by catching another 20" drum, a couple of keeper sized Trout, one measuring close to 20", then Tim and Michael both caught and landed two 26" Redfish. As the bite slowed, we pulled anchor and slowly made our way over and up Lanceford Creek, motoring through the fog, with Dolphin jumping in the large wake, a great sight to see! We eventually made it to some docks, anchored, and began to fish a jig and shrimp combo. Michael picked up another Slot Red, then both he and Andy caught a couple of "rats". Tim was going deep and landed a few more Trout. Our last stop was behind Tiger Island and although we didn't have too many bites, Andy had one strong hookup, out deep, and after a good battle, landed another 26" Slot Red, wrapping up another great day to be out on the water!

Sawpit Boat Ramp Repairs Extended

2012-01-23T20:54:00.000-05:00

My wife and I stopped by the Sawpit Boat Ramp on Big Talbot Island yesterday to see if the repairs were completed and see that they have extended the time for the ramp to be closed until February 17th. They've installed a new bulkhead on the north side of the drive where the washout damaging the pavement, installed new decking where the bulkhead was installed, and paved the entire area. No work has been done on the old dock on the south side of the ramp.

Braving the Elements

2012-01-15T21:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning I fished with Leon and Sharon Freeman along with Charlie Jones, launching from the Goffinsville boat ramp just off the island. We pulled away from the dock shortly after 8am with clear skies, temperature in the low 30's and a wind picking up. Our first stop was Bubblegum Reef in the Horsehead area and we anchored at a drop off out from an old oyster bank. Fishing straight down, it wasn't long before we began to get bites and soon Sharon had a strong hookup, and FISH ON! She fought the big fish valiantly but it eventually found its way into some structure and cut itself off. OUCH! We continued to fish and soon began to catch some nice Puppy Drum (Black Drum), catching 5-6 of them with two in the keeper range, above 14". Leon picked up a few Sheepshead, too. Eventually the bite slowed and the wind had picked up to about 15mph making it somewhat uncomfortable so we pulled anchor and headed to the shelter of Christopher Creek where we picked up a Slot sized Redfish. We were pitching to the rocky shoreline hoping for a Trout to round out an Amelia Island Inshore Slam, but we didn't have a bite. However, one angler who had been trolling the creek slowly said that he had about 6 Trout with a couple being keeper sized. Back out in the wind and with NFL football playoffs due to be on soon, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Wilson Neck Boat Ramp offers access to Upper Nassau River

2012-01-11T09:31:00.002-05:00

I haven't launched from the Wilson Neck boat ramp in a few years but lately I've been considering a trip to the upper areas of the Nassau River for some personal "fun" Striper fishing so I paid a visit to the Wilson Neck Boat Ramp located in the south side of Yulee. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the County has improved the ramp and parking and have installed a nice floating dock. There is also handicap access, paved parking, and lighting. Using this ramp gives you access to Gardner Creek and to Nassau River near U.S. Highway 17, the RR trestle, and I-95 bridges.

This Nassau River area and the St. Mary's River, up around Crandall and White Oak, are known for their Striper fishing. I've been getting good reports of catches of Redfish, Drum and Trout in the upper Nassau River from Lofton Creek up to the bridges.

The ramp is tucked away in the Wilson Neck area of a Yulee residential area so here are some directions: Turn south on U.S. Highway 17 in Yulee and go 2.3 miles to a traffic light at Harts Road. Turn left on Harts Road and go 1.1 miles (you will go through a couple of "S" curves). Turn right on Wilson Neck Road and go just .2 miles to Lana S. Court. Turn left and go a block or two to Faye Road. Turn Right on Faye Road. Follow Faye Road down to the boat ramp and Gardner Creek. The ramp is just over 11 miles from Amelia Island.

Back to School

2012-01-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

If you live in the Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Jacksonville area then plan to sign up for Florida State College at Jacksonville's Amelia Island Backwater Fishing class! This should be a fun class to learn and share some fishing techniques, rigging, knot tying and more! I'm sure there will be some fishing stories told and at the last class we'll have a cookout. Can't beat that! The class will be Thursdays, beginning February 16-March 15, 6-8 p.m and will be held out at the Florida State College Betty P. Cook Nassau Center, Room T107.

Sheepshead Slam

2011-12-31T10:44:00.001-05:00

Dennis Thomsen and his family visited Amelia Island for the holidays and scheduled a backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. Dennis, his son Kendall, and granddaughter Andrea met me at the Atlantic Seafood dock at 1pm and we headed up to Lanceford Creek on the very first of an outgoing tide. At our first stop at some flooded oyster beds we fished with live shrimp under float rigs and soon began to catch Seatrout. All three anglers joined in on the action and ended up catching 8-10 Trout with a couple of them keeper sized. As the tide dropped we moved on to fish some dock pilings and the "catching" heated up. Andrea had the hot rod early and picked up a couple of feisty Redfish, Dennis caught a couple and then Andrea and Dennis had a double hookup! Kendall saw an opening and he too began to catch Redfish. The three anglers caught 12-15 Redfish with two of them in the Slot. The bite slowed so we made a run to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs and it wasn't long before we were catching fish again. The tide was now almost out and the Redfish were biting. Kendall was at the stern and had a strong hookup, FISH ON! This one was ripping drag and Kendall played it perfectly but as he fought the fish, Andrea had a hookup, another double! Andrea brought in her Redfish to be measured and released and soon we were able to net Kendall's 24" Sheepshead, rounding out an Amelia Island backwater Slam! The anglers caught about 8-10 Redfish here and Kendall added another, even larger Sheepshead and as the sun headed down, we called it another great day to be on the Amelia Island waters!

Amelia Island Christmas Fishing

2011-12-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were in town for Christmas so the day after Nathan and I found a little time to get out on Amelia Island waters and do some fishing. We also had their dog, Brindle with us. We waited until later in the day, launching around 11am at Atlantic Seafood on a high and falling tide and headed up to Eagans Creek to get shelter from a 10-15mph wind. We fished one new spot and had no bites so we headed over to Lanceford to fish the still flooded oyster beds. We weren't there long before we had a good hookup with a Redfish but after a brief battle it broke off on the oysters, OUCH! We did pick up a couple of small Trout. We found some docks to fish on the last of an outgoing tide and this was the ticket. Nathan hooked up with a feisty Redfish then I caught one, too. We ended up catching 5-6 Reds and Nathan had one in the Slot and he also picked up a hard fighting Puppy Drum. We ended the day at the Rayonier warehouse and caught some keeper sized Trout, then headed in, counting at as another great day to be on the water!

Aerobic Fishing

2011-12-22T19:41:00.003-05:00

The Creswell family was in town, visiting Amelia Island from the Houston area, and scheduled a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock with no clouds in the sky and with temperatures in the mid 60's, heading up the river to fish the outside of Tiger Island on the first of an incoming tide. There wasn't a whole lot of breeze and the anglers were able to toss their live shrimp under floats to the flooded oyster beds. We fished the area for a while and had no real bites. We moved on around to the mouth of Tiger Inlet and anchored and fished the float and shrimp rigs again, to no avail. Courtney and Morgan were not to be deterred and broke into an impromptu Aerobic session to liven things up! We ran up to Jolley River and fished a creek runout where Courtney broke the ice with a small but hungry Seatrout.. The little guy didn't have any friends along with him so we made one last stop in the area over at "The Mother of All" spots. We may need to change the name because nothing was biting. I was beginning to wonder what was going on as we made a long run back to Lanceford Creek with the oysters beginning to show. We switched to jig and shrimp rigs and it wasn't long before Morgan hooked up and had a good fish on the line, FISH ON! She played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a 19" Flounder. We made another stop at some dock pilings and here things heated up. All four anglers began to catch feisty Redfish (rounding out and inshore Slam) and then Morgan put the bread on the table with a large 26" Slot Redfish! We fished until the shrimp ran out then called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Triple Double

2011-12-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

Cary Sorensen was my fishing partner yesterday, visiting Amelia Island with the same group on business from Saturday's trip. Boy what a change in weather from the previous day! It was in the low 40's and even though the forecast had called for 5-10mph winds, it was blowing 10-15 out of the west. With that in mind, we made a change of plans and ran up Landsford Creek to get out of the wind and fish in comfort! Our first stop was at Oyster Bay and after anchoring we tossed some live shrimp on jigs up to some dock pilings. It was only a few minutes when UMPH! FISH ON! and we had a battle with a big fish on our hands! Unfortunately, the fish got up in the pilings and broke us off. Ouch. We continued to fish and Cary was putting his bait right at the pilings and it paid off. He hooked up with some feisty Redfish, one in the Slot, and played them perfectly to the boat. After about 5 Redfish the bite came to a complete and noticeable halt so we pulled anchor to head up Lanceford, still thinking about the big one that got away and wondering if we had missed our chance at a big fish. We dropped our anchor south of some dock pilings and began to fish them and the adjacent oysters as the tide continued to come in. Little did we know that we were in for some serious fast and furious fish'n and catch'n! WUMPH! FISH ON! Cary hooked up and fought to the boat a nice Slot 26" Redfish! WHUMPH! FISH ON! A Slot 23" Redfish. WHUMPH! WHUMPH! We've got a double! A 25" Redfish and a Rat! We got another double! A 26 1/2" Redfish and a 23" Slot Red. We were catching and releasing and catching Reds until I noticed that I was actually breathing hard trying to keep up with the excitement. We ended up catching (7) Reds in the 23" to 26" range, a few smaller Reds, but still in the Slot and a whole "mess" of Rat Reds. Boy what a day. The sun had come up and warmed us, along with the fish catch'n, and we wrapped it up, calling it one of the best days of Amelia Island fishing!

Dinner for 5

2011-12-19T08:56:00.001-05:00

Jeff Bailey and Mike Rugen were visiting Amelia Island on business and scheduled a backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. Saturday. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marine at 7:30am and boy what a beautiful day it was. The day started out with a cool mid-50 temperature, no wind, and gradually warmed to the high 70's. We headed up to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs, starting our 1st pass on the south end, tossing quarter ounce jigs with live shrimp up to the shoreline and bumping them back real slow. The tide had just started back in and it wasn't long before Mike hooked up and battled a feisty Redfish to the boat. He picked up another in the Slot a while later so we dropped the anchor and began to fish in earnest. Mike had the hot rod early and caught another couple of Reds but Jeff persevered and after both anglers lost shrimp to a "nibbler", Jeff hooked it up and pulled in a keeper sized Sheepshead and then added a couple of Redfish. After the bite slowed we pulled anchor and thinking that we may have missed a Red or two, we went back to the south end of the island and made a pass. It was a good thing we did because soon Jeff's rod bent and drag ripped, FISH ON! This Redfish was bigger and was taking drag and Jeff had a battle on his hands. He played the fish perfectly and after a couple of passes around the stern of the boat, we netted and nice 24" Slot Redfish! After another Red or two we moved on to the outside of Tiger to fish the now flooding oyster beds with float rigs and live shrimp and the anglers immediately began to catch Seatrout. Almost every cast produced a bite and every other produced a catch! These Trout were in the 12"-14" range and we probably could have sat there another couple of hours catching fish, but we were looking for something bigger. We moved to the south of Rayonier and with the water now completely covering the oysters, were able to fish a grass line where Mike picked up our final Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Number 7 and 8 on a Fly Rod

2011-12-16T21:00:00.001-05:00

I had a free day to fish before a weekend of "work" fishing so I launched The Anglers Mark this morning at Atlantic Seafood and ran up to Jolley River to, "Get away from it all"! The sun was just up, it was cool, but comfortable with a sweatshirt, and there was very little breeze. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours but the oysters were still showing so I started easing along the bank tossing a jig and shrimp to the oysters. I worked a good 75 yards of bank and had no bites! What's with that? My next stop was at some pilings on the outside of Tiger Island and again, no bites. I moved in to behind Tiger Island and began trolling against the incoming tide, fishing in and around the downed logs and tree stumps and...FISH ON! I picked up a slow biting, but hard fighting Redfish. After my second hookup I dropped the anchor and began to catch Redfish after Redfish and was having so much fun that I switched to a fly rod and after a few casts and strips, had a hookup. I went back and forth between the spinning rod and the fly rod. A few of the Reds were in the smaller range of the Slot but most were 16"-17". My next stop was on the outside of Tiger where I anchored and fished some flooded oyster beds with live shrimp under a float. I wasn't there long before the float disappeared and I had my first Trout of the day. The Trout were plentiful and I probably could have stayed there for a couple of hours catching 12"-14" Trout but I was hoping for a few a little bigger. My final stop was at Temptation Cove which was like glass with the light breeze coming out of the south blocked by a land mass. I tossed one float rig over near the marsh grass and one out behind the boat over some oyster beds and soon found it was difficult to man both rods! The Reds were up near the grass and each time I got my bait up close the float would soon began to start moving sideways then disappear and ...Big Fish On! The drag ripped out and a couple of times I could see the grass moving as the big Red tried to escape but I worked them in and netted them. Out behind the the boat, Trout were biting and this time I had a few get over the 15" mark which was kinda nice. A disabled military veteran neighbor had hinted about wanting some fresh fish so after the day was done I dropped him off a fillet of Redfish and some Trout fillets. What a great day to be out on the water!

Big Talbot Island/Sawpit Creek Boat Ramp Closed Temporarily

2011-12-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

The boat ramp and adjacent parking lot at Big Talbot Island at Sawpit Creek will be closed at least through January 9th for erosion stabilization work. I assume that one of the things they are fixing is the sinkhole in pavement down near the ramp. What's the chances of them putting in another floating dock on the south side of the ramp? That would be nice wouldn't it? To follow the construction schedule click here!

Angler Gift Samples

2011-12-08T22:00:00.001-05:00

Here are a few samples that are available for last minute Christmas gifts for the angler in your life! I have a whole lot more in stock so contact me and I'll send you pictures of the entire stock. I've got a whole bunch of flasks, a few journals, a couple of money clips, and a fly wallet.

Nice Boat for Sale

2011-12-06T17:18:00.002-05:00

For Sale, 1998, 17.6 Key West Stealth, flats boat, fully rig, Very Clean. New 2011, 115 Mercury Opimax, less than 80 hours, 3 year warranty, mounted on a 6 inch offset plate, with a spare SS 4 bladed pop. Motorguide Trolling Motor, 82 pound thrust Great White, 24 volt system, with a quick release mount. Power Pole, 6 foot, with new upgraded mounting bracket. Optima Batteries, 4 New 2011, Size D-31, cranking and trolling. Stiffy Push, Pole, 21 foot. New 2011 HumminBird # 560 death finder. 98 LoadMaster Boat Trailer,with I-beam aluminum construction, torsion axel, new tires, aluminum rims, and spare tire.

$10,500.00

Please call Capt. Russell Tharin at ph # 904-4914799.

Hunkered Down Redfish

2011-11-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

Joe Lukasik and his family were visiting the Jacksonville area for over this Thanksgiving week holiday so Joe and his two teenage sons, Alden and Christian, took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning. We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach at 7am and headed down the Amelia River to fish the still flooding oyster beds and marsh grass with some live shrimp under floats. The wind was blowing pretty good so we anchored and the anglers pitched their rigs up near the marsh grass. Alden was the first to hook up with a hungry Seatrout then Joe caught one, too. They went back and forth catching a few Trout with Joe landing a nice 19" one. Christian was feeling a little left out but not for long! We had a cork disappear and when Christian grabbed the rod the drag ripped out and the fight was on! He battled the fish for a while then all of a sudden the fight came to a halt. We even questioned whether Christian even had a fish in the first place! His line was tight but wasn't moving and Joe and I both wondered aloud that maybe he was just hung in the oysters. Well, he was hung but the fish was still attached, hunkered down tight in the oysters. Soon he came out and the battle was on again! Christian played the big Redfish perfectly and brought it to the net to be measured at 26", in the Slot. Later we fished Lanceford Creek in three spots and picked up a Trout or two then tried behind Tiger Island where there seemed to be an armada of fishing boats, then we headed over to Eagans Creek to get out of the wind. The anglers picked up a few more small Trout, then we made our last stop at some flooded oysters on the outside of Tiger Island on the first of an outgoing tide. There wasn't much going on until Joe's float was yanked under and then he too had a fish fight on his hands! He worked the fish in and to the net and we measured another nice Slot Redfish. The anglers perseverance had paid off and helped wrap up another great day of fishing on Amelia Island!

Sand Gnats for Breakfast

2011-11-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Ted and Bonnie Simendenger were visiting their daughter, Gracie and other family in Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning. Although it was a cool, there was no breeze at all and when we anchored at our first stop in Lanceford Creek, the sand gnats soon found us. But these anglers were game and we fished the area for awhile, picking up some hungry Seatrout on live shrimp floated over the flooded oyster beds. We moved to fish some of the Lanceford docks and it with the first cast we had a good Redfish hookup and Bonnie fought the fish perfectly to a waiting net. Then Gracie's float rig disappeared and the drag ripped out, FISH ON! She played the fish expertly and after a good battle, brought a Slot sized 23" Redfish to the net for pictures and release! The anglers picked up a few more Redfish and Ted added a few keeper sized Seatrout to the catch, but the gnats had overcome any fear of the bug repellant and Skin-so-Soft and we were all covered with the swarming critters! It was almost unbearable so we pulled anchor and left fish biting at this great fishing hole! We made a long run up to Jolley River and when we arrived we found that there was a nice breeze and NO GNATS! The shoreline looked real fishy with the oysters now exposed but the anglers worked an entire bank with their jig and shrimp combo with no real bites. We tried a creek run out and had no bites but on the next stop we found some good Redfishing! Ted was the first to hookup and he played the fish perfectly then all three anglers got in on the action, catching 7-8 more Redfish. At one time both Ted and Bonnie had a fish on and then Ted and Gracie had the double hookup, making for a great way to wrap up a day on Amelia Island waters!

Deep water Redfish

2011-11-22T17:26:00.001-05:00

Andy and Katrina Herrin were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this week and included an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. I met Andy and Katrina at the Goffinsville Park and Boat ramp yesterday afternoon at Noon and we immediately made a run to Broward Island to catch the first of an incoming tide. When we got there we found the tide was still trickling out so we started easing along the bank from the north end, against the tide, with the anglers pitching their jig/shrimp combo to the bank. Although Andy did have a strong bite, the fish didn't hookup and we had no other good bites until we reached the sound end of the island. The tide started back in so we anchored out from some tree limbs and Andy tossed a deep Trout rig up beyond the limbs and let the float drift with the current and, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and brought the feisty Redfish to the net. Andy had found a hot spot because for 30 minutes he could duplicate the same method and usually get a hookup. In addition to a few smaller Reds, Andy boated two Slot sized keeper Redfish and a couple of nice 18" Seatrout. Both Katrina and Andy had some of the smaller Trout, too. We trolled the south end of the island for a little while and had no real bites, so we made a run to Seymore's Pointe where Andy added a keeper sized Sheepshead to the well. Our day ended over at "Bubblegum Reef" with Katrina catching Seatrout until we ran out of bait, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Father Daughter Grandfather Fishing

2011-11-22T17:14:00.000-05:00

Jevon Anderson and his family was visiting Amelia Island for the Thanksgiving weekend and scheduled a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. Jevon and his young daughter, Ginger, along with grandad Tom met me at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7:00am and we headed up the Nassau River on a high and falling tide. We made our first stop at Spanish Drop and anchored to fish the nice creek run out with live shrimp under floats. Tom was the first to hookup with a lively Seatrout, which he played perfectly to the waiting net. The anglers picked up a couple of Trout there then we moved back down the river to fish an oyster outcrop to pick up a few more Trout. The anglers found that Ginger turned out to be the perfect fishing partner as she was more than eager to fetch a new live shrimp for her dad and grandad! We made a run to the mouth of Jackstaff and trolled the now exposed oysters and again, the anglers caught a couple more Trout along with a feisty Bluefish. Ginger commented that the "Bluefish" was actually green! We ended the day fishing the Longpointe docks but had no real bites, so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

SEC East Champs and Amelia Island Slam Fishing

2011-11-20T18:35:00.001-05:00

Tom Pool and his son, Jackson kicked off a great weekend by taking in a Georgia Bulldawg win between the hedges in Athens to secure the SEC East Championship, then they hopped in their car and made the trip to Amelia Island to take in some backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark. I met Tom and Jackson at the south end Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we headed up river to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish a high and falling tide with float rigs and live shrimp. The anglers were making excellent casts and were getting some action, but the trout seemed to be wary and would make hit and run attacks on our baits. This put us on our toes and we soon boated a couple of nice Seatrout. We tried our hand at Bubblegum Reef, picking up a handful of baitstealers, and then fished few of the oyster outcrops in Nassau River where we had a few bites but no takers. Our next stop was at Broward Island and although the tide was schedule to be low at Sawpit at around 9:45am, we still had an outgoing tide at Broward. We had only been trolling and pitching to the log strewn bank for a few minutes when Tom had strong bite and hookup, FISH ON! Not to be outdone and only seconds later, Jackson yelled, "FISH ON!" and we had a double hookup! Both anglers played their respective fish perfectly and we soon netted Tom's feisty Redfish then we had Jackson's in the boat, too. After some picture taking we released both fish to be caught another day. We continued to troll against the tide which was still going out at 11:30am. Jackson caught a another nice Seatrout and as we reached the southern end, Tom had a good hookup but the fish immediately headed for the logs and broke itself off! OUCH! But Tom went right back with his jig and shrimp combo, got a hookup and had a good fight on his hands. He handed the rod off to Jackon who completed the catch of a nice 15" Sheepshead, rounding out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam of Seatrout, Redfish, and Sheepshead. With that, we called it a day and headed in, counting it as another great day of Amelia Island fishing!

Redfish Bite on Fire

2011-11-15T11:33:00.000-05:00

Randall Cobb was visiting Amelia Island with his wife and scheduled a light tackle backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at the Fernandina Harbor Marina and headed up to Tiger Island to fish the outside oyster banks as the tide began to fall. I was somewhat surprised that we had no real bites on our live shrimp under floats, but the afternoon was young so we headed on up in to Tiger Basin. Randall switched to a jig and shrimp combo and began to pitch it to the exposed logs and FISH ON! His drag ripped on the Shimano 1000 reel and the 10lb braid held as Randall fought the 17" Redfish to the net. For the next hour Randall caught Redfish after Redfish, all in the 16"-17" range, just undersized, but fun to catch. We decided to ease on up the bank and then Randall had a really strong hookup and a battle on his hands. He fought the fish expertly and even when the fish got up into the downed logs, Randall held on and eventually the fish came out and once he was subdued, we netted an nice 23" Slot Red! We fished the area more and Randall picked up a keeper sized Sheepshead, some more Rat Reds, and then another strong bite, FISH ON! This time we pointed the trolling motor to deeper water and Randall had all of the water to fight the fish. When it came to the net we found that it was even bigger, a fat 24" Redfish! We eventually move on to Jolley River, hoping to find some Seatrout and we did, catching 10-12 trout, all undersized, but fun to catch, and they rounded out an Amelia Island Slam of Redfish, Sheepshead, and Trout for Randall. We headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island!

Pentanque and Fishing

2011-11-15T11:04:00.000-05:00

Anthony and Cindy Alejandro along with their friend Charlie were in town for the the 2011 Pentanque American Open and scheduled a day of fishing yesterday after playing in the weekend tournament. They were staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites for the tournament and it made it real convenient to participate in the event, enjoy the downtown area, and take in a fishing trip by just stepping out the back door and walking to the Marina! We left the dock at 7:30am and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the flooding grass and oyster beds with live shrimp under floats. The Seatrout were biting and all three anglers began to hookup with the hungry fish. We stayed there for about an hour, catching Trout after Trout, but they were all undersized so we headed over to "Temptation Cove" to see how the fish were biting there. I was a little surprised that we had very few bites as I had fished there this weekend and had done great. I was almost ready to leave when Alejandro's float went under, he set the hook, and FISH ON! He fought the fish perfectly and after an extended battle, brought to net and nice 24" Slot Sized Redfish! We caught one other undersized Red then move on to the outside of Tiger Island. The grass was flooded and the Trout bite was hot and this time there were "keeper" sized fish mixed in with the smaller ones. The anglers guestimated that they ended the day with about 40 Trout and almost a dozen of those were up to 17". Both Cindy and Charlie hooked up with feisty Redfish as well. With Trout and a Redfish to clean, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island!

Late Evening Fishing!

2011-11-15T10:29:00.002-05:00

Lee Williams, his wife Helen and their friends Caleb and Sondra Didriksen were visiting Amelia Island from Texas and took in an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Sawpit Creek Boat ramp Sunday afternoon at 2pm and headed up to the Horsehead area to fish the entrance of Jackstaff Creek on a high and outgoing tide. I anchored at a runout and the anglers unlimbered with some float rigs and live shrimp "hangling" and it wasn't long before they were all having hookups with Seatrout and Bluefish. The Blues were feisty but the Trout were just undersized so we moved across the creek to find that there were Trout, but still undersized. We made a run through the creek to the Nassau River and pulled up to troll the now exposed oyster banks with jigs and shrimp. The anglers had some good bites then Caleb's line went taunt and he had a strong hookup, FISH ON! he played the fish expertly and after a good battle, we netted a nice 21" Slot Redfish! We fished the area a 2nd time, had good bites, but no takers and then headed up river to make a pit stop at Goffinsville Park. Here we found that the FWC game wardens were writing citations for undersized Trout and there were a couple of glum faced teenagers on the receiving end! We made our last stop at Broward Island and even though we had no real bites, we were all treated to a nice sunset that cast a glow on the island. We headed in after dark counting it as another great day to be fishing on Amelia Island!

NSFA Backwater Tournament

2011-11-15T09:09:00.003-05:00

The Nassau Sports Fishing Association held their annual Backwater Tournament Saturday and I fished it with friends Tim Parker and Brian Nicely. Tim and I met Friday morning early to get out on the water and see if we could find some fish, and we did! Our first stop was at the Rayonier warehouses and we tried some jigs deep along with a live shrimp floated deep, but had no bites. We moved to a different spot and were really exposed to a 15-20mph wind, but this was where the fish were! We caught a number of Trout in the keeper sized range and had large Slot Redfish taking our shrimp under a float. We also had a 14" Flounder, so if the Tournament was on Friday, we'd have done good! Another spot produced fish, too, with Tim pulling in a nice 25" Slot Redfish, and we both added Seatrout. Saturday morning, day of the actual Tournament found us, along with Brian, launching at 5:30am, with very little wind. After checking in we made a bee-line to the spot where we had caught fish, and sure enough, BAM! Fish on! We caught Seatrout in the legal range until we didn't want any more and added Redfish up to 26 1/2" with all anglers pitching in. Brian was using Tim's Temptation Bait and was keeping up with the live bait catches. Tim picked up a Flounder but it was just undersized. "No Problem", we thought. It wasn't even 9:30am and we had a large Redfish, some decent Trout and we just needed a Flounder to enter the Slam category of the Tournament. It was not to be! We fished Tiger Island, Jolley River, Jefferson Smurfit, and Old Towne and could not find a Flounder. Ouch! But we all agreed that it was probably the best two days of fishing we had ever had and we went home satisfied that we had given it our all and had some great stories to tell, fishing with friends and catching fish!

We Didn't Even Try to Count 'em All.

2011-11-08T19:44:00.004-05:00

Martin Evans was visiting Amelia Island with his wife, Ruth and staying at Elizabeth Pointe Lodge. If you have never stayed at this oceanfront Bed and Breakfast, then you don't know what you're missing! The staff at Elizabeth Pointe Lodge give 5-Star service that rivals any high-end hotel or resort and it's only a bike ride away from Historic Fernandina Beach, Fort Clinch and all the restaurants, shopping and attractions that make Amelia Island such a wonderful place to visit. For more things to do or places to eat, see Amelia On The Water! Martin met me at the Fernandina Harbor Marina early this morning and we headed up Lanceford Creek to try and get out of the 15-20mph NNE winds on the first of an outgoing tide. I slipped around a land mass and anchored up to fish the marsh grass with live shrimp under floats. No kidding, on our first cast, after a few seconds, the float disappeared and FISH ON! Martin played the fish expertly and after an extensive battle with numerous drag ripping runs, we netted a 5lb, 25" Slot Redfish! The wind was blowing, but the sun was peaking out and the fishing was great! Martin landed another of the large Slot Reds, a few "Rat Reds" and we also had a couple of Seatrout. We moved on up the creek and anchored up to fish the still exposed oyster beds and boy what a spot! Martin caught Redfish after Redfish, most in the 16-18" range, but every once in a while he'd hookup with a "Big Un" and after a good fight, he'd bring to net another large Slot Redfish. On occasion he'd catch a Seatrout, most in the 14-15" range, but a "keeper" sized fish here and there. As the tide reached it's bottom the fishing slowed so we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

Wind? No Problem for this group!

2011-11-05T11:50:00.001-04:00

When Mills Gallivan and his wife Carol Anne, along with their friends Bill and Kathy Coates walked up to the boat ramp at Atlantic Seafood yesterday afternoon I gave them the same disclaimer I'd given that morning, "the wind's howling, but we can run west and get in behind a land mass, but that's where we'll be all day". These anglers were game and ready to have a great time out on the water, so we headed out, got a little wet crossing the river, but eventually found some protection from the wind. It was so nice that most of us shed wind jackets and enjoyed the sunshine! The fish were still biting and soon all the anglers were catching fish. We had a few keeper sized Seatrout and a whole bunch of 16-18" Redfish. With 12-15 fish caught and released and the bite slowing down, we made a move to the south, but to a spot still protected from the wind. Upon anchoring, the lines weren't out for more than a few minutes when floats started disappearing and the catching commenced again! Kathy was keeping an eagle eye on her float and was hauling in fish, but Carol Anne, Mills, and Bill joined her to catch their share, too. Then, Mills made a pin-point cast up by some marsh grass, his float disappeared, and the drag ripped out, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and after a good battle, brought to net a nice 24" Slot Redfish! Again, the group landed another 12-15 fish at this spot and the big slot Red rounded out another great day to be fishing on Amelia Island!

Can you believe 35 Redfish?

2011-11-05T11:24:00.001-04:00

When I met George Bowlin and his friend Ray at the Fernandina Harbor Marina yesterday morning there was a light mist and the wind was "howlin". We talked about our options and all I could come up with was to head to an island and get out of the westerly wind. We'd be there all day but hopefully we'd catch some fish. Boy that was an understatement! We suffered through the trip across the river but when we arrived we found that most of the wind was blocked so we anchored up and started fishing with live shrimp under floats. It wasn't long before both anglers were hauling in fish. I thought, well there's 3, 4, 5 Redfish and then they caught a couple of keeper sized Seatrout. Then things got fast and furious with a couple of "double" hookups and George and Ray were catching them as fast as I could get them de-hooked and back into the water! We were wondering if maybe we would catch at least 20 Redfish, but then the anglers easily surpassed that number and kept on going! We had a few "keeper" sized Reds, but on the low end of the slot and as the tide changed the count was up around 30 fish! We made a slight relocation to account for the incoming tide, picked up a few more smaller Reds, then Ray had strong hookup out in deeper water and a Big fish fight on his hands. This fish was wily and eventually found some structure to break itself off! OUCH! But Ray had found the big fish and George followed up with a good, strong hookup and this time he knew to keep the fish headed away from the structure. He fought the fish like a pro and brought to net a nice 25" Slot Redfish! Then Ray hooked up with another one and he too played the fish perfectly and landed another 25" Slot Red! They caught another of those big Reds and added a 18" keeper sized Black Drum to round out the trip with 35 Reds, 2 Seatrout, and one Black Drum! Boy what a great day of fish catching, especially when we almost canceled the trip!

Fishin is Dawg Gone Good!

2011-10-28T22:32:00.002-04:00

John Nuckolls and his friend Dick were visiting Amelia Island this weekend to attend the annual Florida/Georgia football game and pre-scheduled a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We met early at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City Marina and headed up Lanceford Creek with a baitwell of live shrimp, an armory of tackle, and a whole lot of hopes for a good fishing day! We anchored just south of a dock on an incoming tide and fished the already covered oyster beds with Dick throwing a jig and white Gulp Shrimp while John was tossed a a Strike King Spinner Bait and I was using a live shrimp under float. We all got bites and boated some nice, fat Seatrout, a small Redfish, and a Flounder. Our next stop was to the outside area of Tiger Island and as I trolled up to the spot John made a cast and had an immediate hookup and a good battle on his hands. He played the fish perfectly and we netted a keeper sized Trout. Both he and Dick caught a few more Trout and I picked up a couple, too. We made a brief stop behind Tiger to check the flooded grass, fish the log strewn bank, then headed up to Jolley River to fish the now flooded grass line. It wasn't long before we were hooking up with aggressive Trout and we again boated some keeper sized fish. Then John's float slunk under, he set the hook and FISH ON! This fish didn't give up as easily as the Trout and his drag ripped out, and John worked him back in and eventually brought to the net a 4.5lb Slot Sized Redfish! Dick stayed with the white Gulp Shrimp and he steadily picked up Trout. When the Trout began to get small we moved on to "Snook Creek" and anchored to fish the first of the outgoing tide. Again, we caught Trout, some of them keeper sized, and then Dick had a hookup that wanted to hang to the bottom. He played the fish like a pro and worked it to the boat and we soon netted a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder. He also picked up a Puppy Drum and I picked up hard fighting Bluefish. Our last stop around the corner produced a couple of more Trout and then we called it a day. The anglers estimated that they had caught about 40 fish this morning. The skies were overcast from time to time - we got sprinkled on once or twice, but the temperatures were great, there was very little wind, and the water was very clear. Although all fish were released, I tallied "keeper" sized fish of our 3-man bag limit of 15 Trout, one Slot Red, and two keeper sized Flounder. That's Dawg Gone good fishing! What a great way to hookup with fishing friends and spend time out on Amelia Island waters!

Doubling Up

2011-10-23T10:41:00.002-04:00

Kathryn Birmingham and her friend John Denton scheduled an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip yesterday afternoon on The Anglers Mark. We headed up the Nassau River and made a dash straight for Broward Island to catch the first of the incoming tide. It couldn't have been a better guess because the anglers immediately began to pick up Seatrout on a jig/shrimp combo. As we neared some downed logs Kathryn's rod bent and dragged ripped out, FISH ON! Then John yelled, FISH ON! and the couple had their first double of the day. Kathryn played her fish like a pro but the large fish was just too much for the tackle and broke off after a good fight, but John still had one on and he worked the fish in and we soon netted a nice 20" Flounder! We fished the log strewn shoreline for the next two hours and both Kathryn and John caught Redfish, Trout and even picked up another Flounder, nailing down an Amelia Island backcountry Slam. They had at least one, maybe two more "Double" hookups with both playing fish to the boat. Most of the Redfish measured to 17" with a couple within a hair of being Slot sized. We moved on to Seymore's point, anchored,and the anglers picked up a few more Redfish on live shrimp under floats, then we ran over to Jackstaff Creek and although we were now out in a wind that had picked up, Kathryn and John persevered and picked up a couple of more Trout. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Two Men and a Boat

2011-10-23T10:13:00.001-04:00

Kevin Gannon and his wife were visiting Amelia Island for the first time on vacation and Kevin arranged a backwater fishing trip with me on The Anglers Mark yesterday. We met early AM at the Sawpit Boat Ramp, Big Talbot Island Park, and headed up the intercoastal on a beautiful but cool morning. I thought I'd stop by a new spot a fellow captain had told me about so we eased up to the marsh grass and began casting a live shrimp under float on a still high, but outgoing, tide. We had no bites but the spot was looking good. As we motored out of the area the Captain (me) wasn't paying attention and soon realized we'd found ourselves on a mud bank! Folks, this doesn't happen too often, but fishing the backwater you're always bound to find an oyster bed or mud bank. I don't advertise that I offer complimentary exercise options but Kevin was soon given the opportunity to participate in a strenuous morning work out! We both were in the water up to our thighs at times and after 30 minutes of pushing and pulling and tugging and motoring we had the 3700lb boat floating in deep enough water to continue our fishing trip with both of us a little wet and muddy but ready to catch some fish! Kevin couldn't have been a better sport about the whole thing and with his great attitude it paid off because later we found a few Trout in Jackstaff Creek then after we moved around to Nassau River and fished some oyster outcrops the fishing got better. He hooked up and expertly played a Slot sized Redfish to the boat then picked up a keeper sized Flounder. When we reached one particular oyster outcrop he hooked up again, his drag ripped and after fighting the fish perfectly, we soon netted an even bigger Redfish. Kevin found that he could let his jig/shrimp combo fall into a hole outside the outcrop and when it did, BAM! FISH ON! His third Slot Red was the biggest, coming in at 25+ inches and on a 1000FH Shimano and light rod, that's a nice fish to end a trip with! Kevin also added another Flounder and a small Puppy Drum to round out a "Grande Slam" of inshore fish. We called it a day, and a memorable one at that! Another great day to be fishing on Amelia Island!

Becks Outboard Inc. to the rescue!

2011-10-21T19:39:00.001-04:00

After finishing my fishing trip this afternoon I went to load the boat on the trailer and the engine wouldn't even fire! OUCH. I had to use the trolling motor to get the boat up to the trailer and winch it up. The battery tested OK so I called Beck's Outboard Inc. located at 1257 Broward Road in Jacksonville, Florida and spoke to Charles who diagnosed the problem over the telephone with "sounds like you have a bad starter". He advised me to bring the boat to their shop and he could check it out so I headed over and sure enough, Charles made a quick test and determined the starter was bad. He removed the old starter and had a new one in stock to replace it - the test and repair was done in less than an hour! I'm sure they can't get you in and out like that all the time, but I really appreciate them making the effort to get me back in business - they saved the two trips that I have scheduled for tomorrow! Becks Outboard Inc. sells Evinrude engines 25hp and up and they service Johnson and Evinrude engines. They also have parts for those engines and trailer parts too! They're a family business and give excellent service and most importantly, they know what they're doing when it comes to servicing Johnson and Evinrude engines. Thanks Becks!

Logistical Slam

2011-10-21T19:25:00.001-04:00

Charles Odom and his workmate Dennis were visiting Sawgrass in Jacksonville on business and scheduled an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 8am and headed up the intercoastal to the mouth of Jackstaff Creek to fish the oyster banks on an outgoing tide with jig/shrimp combos. The guys were making excellent casts and soon began to pick up bites and eventually had some good strikes and hookups with hungry Seatrout. We crossed the creek and fished a sandy point and the action picked up, again with Seatrout hitting their presentations. We moved on to Nassau River where the bites continued and then Charles had a hard bite and fought the feisty Redfish to the boat. A couple of more Trout were caught then we headed up to Broward Island to wrap the trip up on the very last of an outgoing tide. Charles caught a small Flounder then his rod got really hot as he picked up a couple of keeper sized Trout. We were almost ready to head in when Charles felt a heavy weight on his line and he set the hook expertly - playing a good sized Flounder to the boat to nail down an Amelia Island backcountry slam! With that we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

A Perfect 10

2011-10-03T17:49:00.000-04:00

Bill and Joan Sank were visiting Amelia Island, Florida and staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge this week and scheduled a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. As I was coming over the bridge this morning the weatherlady on the radio said today was a Perfect 10 and she couldn't have nailed it better! I met Bill and Joan early, 7am, at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the docks and get out of the still present wind coming from a front that came through over the weekend. We anchored first south of a dock to fish the last of an outgoing tide and Joan was the first to hookup and boy what a fish it was! She worked the hard fighting fish to the boat and we netted a 20" Flounder! We tried the other side of the dock and had no real bites then headed on up the creek to try another dock system. This proved to be the ticket as both anglers began to catch fish and once, both had a hookup and we had an exciting "Double Hookup" going on! Joan's eventually threw the hook, but Bill played his feisty Redfish to the net for pictures and release. Then Joan had a strong bite, her rod bent, and the drag ripped out - Redfish ON! She fought the fish for a while and then Bill pitched in for a "teamwork" catch of a large, slot sized, 25" Redfish! Later, Joan cranked in another slot Red, then Bill got in on the action with his rod getting bent and drag ripped - he played the fish perfectly and we soon netted another 25" slot Red! Wow what a day! We even had a couple of hookups that were big fish that found a way to throw the hook, but the anglers still were not done. Bill caught a couple of more smaller, but feisty Redfish and then he caught a 15" Flounder. All fish were realeased to be caught by some other lucky angler! The weather was unbelievably great and the fishing was even better as the couple wrapped up another great day to be on Amelia Island waters!

Flounder on a Fly

2011-10-02T16:58:00.000-04:00

John Stewart was in town with his family attending a wedding and staying at The Residence Inn here on Amelia Island and he squeezed in a fly fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up Lanceford Creek with the air temperatures a cool 58 and wind blowing 10-14mph, but we felt like we could get out of the wind behind the land masses of the Blackrock area, and it worked. John was making excellent casts with the 8 weight rods to dock piling on the first of an incoming tide, but we just couldn't get a hookup. At our next stop, there were very good signs of fish feeding on the finger mullet staging to follow the tide up into the oysters so John patiently worked a shrimp fly across the bottom and FISH ON! He made a strip set and hooked up to a Flounder which he played perfectly to the boat and net for pictures and release. Although we had a couple of more bites we had no hookups so we made a move to run up to Tiger Island and fish the flooding oyster beds. Wrong move! The wind was really blowing and it would have been a terrible experience so we ducked back in to Eagans Creek to fish the creek mouths. Here, John had another hookup as a Trout chased down his black and green Clouser and he again fought the fish to the net for pictures and release. As we wrapped up the fishing, the sun was warming the day up, the wind was blocked and we were seeing Rosette Spoonbills, Cranes, Egrets, and Osprey - what a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

First Casts

2011-10-01T16:21:00.001-04:00

For his birthday, Rick and Lisa Alexander treated their son Danny and a couple of his friends, Nick and Tanner, to a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark at Amelia Island, Florida. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am with temperatures in the mid 60's and a stiff wind blowing, but these anglers were not to be deterred. Heading up Lanceford Creek we found an area where the wind was blocked and baited up our jigs with live shrimp. On the first cast, up near some pilings, we had a strong bite and Tanner reeled in a hard fighting Sheepshead - what a way to start the morning! All the young anglers joined in and soon we were getting good bites. Nick picked up an aggressive Snapper then Tanner's rod bent and, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and brought to net a nice Redfish. We moved to some more docks up Lanceford and Rick got in on the action by catching a Flounder, then Nick rounded out a sure-fire Amelia Island backcountry slam by picking up a Trout out in deeper water. Danny was determined to get on the board and he wasn't to be denied! He worked a jig/shrimp combo out from the docks and WHAM! FISH ON! He played the feisty Redfish like a pro and brought it to the net for pictures and released the biggest fish of the day. We made one more stop up in Eagans Creek and Nick had the hot rod here, hooking up a couple times with "The Poor Man's Tarpon", thankfully releasing them at boatside. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the Amelia Island waters!

Football, Fishin and Friends

2011-09-30T18:43:00.001-04:00

You just can't beat a great weekend of getting together with friends to do some fishing and attend a college football game. Paul Damron and his friend Bill were looking forward to attending the football game tomorrow down in Gainesville pitting the Florida Gators against the Alabama Crimson Tide, but they starting off the weekend this morning fishing the beautiful backcountry waters of Amelia Island on The Anglers Mark.! We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp on Big Talbot Island a little after 7am and headed up the intercoastal to fish the oyster lined banks of Jackstaff Creek on an incoming tide. When Paul hooked up on a nice fish after about his third cast I thought, "here we go!". He landed the fat Seatrout expertly, but even though the guys were making excellent casts, the rest of the stretch only produced high jumping Ladyfish - fun to catch - but not exactly great table fare. We made a short stop at Seymore's Pointe then headed over to Broward Island, fishing the south end with the tide already up in the logs. Paul had a strong hookup but the fish got up in the logs and broke off. Later he hooked up and brought to the boat a nice Flounder. Later, Bill had a good hookup and again, the fish tried to get up into the branches, but Bill kept the pressure on and pulled out a feisty slot Redfish, fighting all the way to the boat and net. The tide was up and the grass was flooding so we headed back to Nassau River and on our second stop, just off the bow, was a tailing fish! Bill tossed a "Fiddler in the Grass" fly at what turned out to be a Sheepshead but it wouldn't bite. 50 yards away we could see more tailing fish - a couple more Sheepshead and a huge Redfish wallowing around in the grass gorging itself. We all piled out of the boat and waded over, Bill tossing flies and Paul using a weedless jig on spinner. Both were making excellent casts and Bill reported that one of the Sheepshead followed the fly for a short while checking it out, but we had no takers. We had a great time stalking fish as it was a beautiful flat with clear water, a great way to wrap up a day on Amelia Island waters!

Sundown Redfish

2011-09-28T09:24:00.004-04:00

Capt. Dave Morrison was in Fernandina Beach operating the Army Corps of Engineers survey boat and after wrapping up a work day on the water, hooked up with me to end the day fishing the backwaters of Amelia Island! We left the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina on The Anglers Mark around 4pm and headed up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide. Dave had a number of hookups with high flying "Poor Man's Tarpon" Ladyfish, I had a few nibbles, but we didn't get any good bites like I had thought we would. I had fished earlier that morning with a young couple from Charlotte, NC and after dropping them off I went out on my own and fished a few hours and picked up 5-6 small Redfish on jig and shrimp combo's an the last of an outgoing tide. Now, the tide was excellent but we found no Redfish! We moved on up in to Jolley, fished a large creek and had no real bites, but we did find some finger mullet and we cast netted a dozen or so. The sun was working it's way down so we cranked the big Johnson and made a run to the backside of Tiger Island and after working the bank with our jig and artificial grubs, dropped an anchor at the south end of the island. Both Dave and I had some good bites on a finger mullet jigged to the bottom, but no hookup. Then, as Dave slowly worked his jig and mullet up the steep bottom, his rod tip began to bend. Dave patiently let the fish take the bait, then set the hook, FISH ON! And Wow what a fish! Dave worked the fish expertly, letting it take the drag, then working him back in, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, as the sun fell over the horizon, Dave got the fish boatside and we netted a 7lb 26 1/2" Redfish! What a way to wrap up a long day of fishing! With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day of fishing on Amelia Island waters!

Shark or Redfish?

2011-09-28T09:02:00.001-04:00

Kevin and Katie Kriener were visiting Amelia Island, staying at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island and scheduled a 1/2 day backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday morning. We eased out of the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 7am and headed up river under overcast skies to stop just outside of Tiger Island to fish the flooding grass on an incoming tide with topwater lures. The couple had only began casting few minutes when Kevin's lure was smashed and FISH ON! He worked the big Trout to the boat expertly and we soon had our first fish of the day! Katie joined in on the action by reeling in a feisty Redfish. The tide was expected to flood the grass so we moved around behind Tiger and checked out a couple of areas, but we didn't see any Redfish tails the first couple of flats. On our last stop we found what we were looking for, but they were Sheepshead tails! Kevin and I eased over the side and waded to within casting distance but the Sheepshead were having nothing to do with our artificial baits! Luckily, off in the distance, was a big 'ole Redfish tailing! We waded carefully over and made our offering of bait, but this Redfish was on a mission and moved on. Although we didn't have any hookups, it was a great day to experience this kind of fishing! We saw Roseate Spoonbills, Storks, and Osprey behind the islands. We then made a run up to Jolley River and as the tide turned and started out, the two anglers began to pick up Seatrout on live shrimp under floats. Then Katie's rod bent and her float disappeared - she had a battle on her hands with the fish burrowing up in the grass to shake the hook, but Katie worked the feisty Redfish out and into the net for pictures and release. A two foot Bonnethead Shark had been making passes at the boat and shortly after another float went under and the drag began to rip! Shark ON? Kevin fought the fish like a pro and worked him in. The big fish fought back and pulled drag out but eventually Kevin subdued the fish and we netted a 24" Redfish! What a catch! We hit a few more spots, fishing with jig/shrimp combos, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big as a Watermelon

2011-09-25T11:11:00.002-04:00

Fall is knocking on the door and the great weather we're having makes it the best time of year to be fishing Amelia Island backwaters! Brett and Suzanne Nichols wanted to treat their son Andrew to a birthday fishing trip so they lined one up on The Anglers Mark yesterday morning. Although weather forecasts called for possible rain in the afternoon, we couldn't have asked for a prettier morning. We left the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 7am and headed up to Tiger Island to fish the first of an outgoing tide. I had 4 rods rigged with Bomber Saltwater Grade float rigs with live shrimp "hangling" underneath and it wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites. The Ladyfish were slashing baitfish and we had a number of them hookup, some of them throwing the hook, but some were caught and released. Brett's father in law Logan picked up a feisty Redfish, Brett hauled in a Seatrout, and 10 year old Andrew warmed up with a larger Ladyfish. It's amazing how with just 4 hours on the water a young angler like Andrew can gain so much experience and confidence! He started out struggling with the spinning gear, but he persevered and by the end of the day he was "calling his shots" and making pinpoint casts to the oyster banks, impressing all of the adults. I was watching him towards the end of the trip and I could tell he was intently working his jig waiting for the thump of a Redfish bite! Our second stop was Jolley Bank and after working the entire stretch with no real bites we reached the large run out and started getting hookups. Both Logan and Andrew had Redfish and Brett hooked up with a keeper sized Trout. We fished Snook Creek and found that the Trout were hanging on the outside of a large oyster banks and all three anglers began to to pull in Trout after Trout after Trout. The water level dropped to where we were having to pull Trout across the oysters, so we lowered the trolling motor and began to ease along their banks, this time switching to weighted swim baits fished on the bottom. The anglers soon warmed to this method of fishing as there's not much better than bumping a jig on the bottom and feeling that tap-tap-tap BAM and Fish ON! More Reds and Trout were caught, then we moved back to Jolley Bank to fish the now exposed oysters. Logan hooked up with a nice Redfish and while he was fighting it Andrew yelled, FISH ON! and we had a double hookup with Grandad and Grandson fighting fish side by side! Later, Andrew had a another hookup and his rod bent and drag ripped. He played the fish perfectly, working it up off the bottom and as it came to the surface we saw a larger Flounder, and as Grandad Logan proclaimed, "Big as a Watermelon"! I made one attempt with the dip net, missed and the flounder got back around the swim ladder and broke itself off! OUCH! Boy what a fish! But what a great way to spend the day, Father and Son and Grandad, fishing the great backcountry waters of Amelia Island!

Soaking It All In

2011-09-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

BJ Craig and his wife Jeannie were camping at Little Talbot Island State Park and scheduled a light tackle fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. BJ and Jeannie are old friends from Lake City, Florida and it was great to get re-acquainted and catch up things. We had originally scheduled a trip for Monday but when we reached the boat ramp the wind was howling, blowing a lot harder than the forcasted 10-12, more like 15-20! So we rescheduled for today, hoping to squeeze in some fishing before the afternoon rains and it turned out to be a good plan. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7am and headed up to the Horsehead area and Jackstaff Creek to troll the bank on an outgoing tide, tossing live shrimp under a float rig. It wasn't long before BJ had a hookup and he reeled in a nice Seatrout. We worked the bank twice, first with the float rigs and then with a jig/shrimp combo and picked up a few more Trout and a couple of high jumping Ladyfish. Our next stop was at Bubblegum Reef but we had no real bites so we moved on to some oyster outcrops at Spanish Drop using the jig/shrimp combo on the very last of the outgoing tide. This proved to be the trick because we had a "double hookup" almost immediately - a feisty Redfish on one rod, but Jeannie had something big, FISH ON! The fish ripped off drag and Jeannie battled the fish from stern to bow and back to stern, but the fish was having nothing to do with being "caught" and eventually broke itself off. OUCH! After BJ picked up a Redfish, we headed over to Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide where the anglers picked up a few more Trout and a couple of Flounder. The weather had been perfect with only a slight breeze and very little cloud cover but a rainstorm came up and soaked us good! We headed for the boat ramp and in so doing, found the clear skies again, so we anchored up at a creek mouth where BJ pulled in the biggest Trout of the day! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Team W

2011-09-18T12:27:00.003-04:00

Friends Tim and Wes Parker were in town for the Amelia Island Blues Festival this weekend and we had set up to do some Amelia Island backcountry fishing. Thursday afternoon we met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina and made a run up to the Lanceford Creek docks to fish the outgoing tide. I thought the timing was almost perfect with the oysters showing. Tim used one of his Temptation Baits, an artificial with a unique scenting process, and caught a fiesty Redfish and Wes was tossing a live shrimp under float, catching a couple of Trout. Although everything was "right", the fish just seemed slow to bite, so we headed up to the Jolley River for some real backwater fishing! The oyster beds were almost fully exposed and the bite seemed to pick up - we caught a 3-4 Redfish at the first stop and another Trout, then crossed the river to pick up another Red or two. Tim's Temptation Baits were catching as many fish, if not more and the neat thing about it was that he wasn't having to "re-bait" after every nibble like Wes and I! When the tide changed and started back in, we fished Jolley Bank, catching more hard biting Redfish. Then Wes's float went under with a vengeance and his rod bent, drag ripped and FISH ON! I thought for sure it was slot Red. But after Wes worked the fish expertly to the boat, letting it take drag as needed, the fish came to the surface and we all saw that it was a large Seatrout! Tim netted the fish for his son, "Team W"! Wow, what a fish! We eventually moved around to Tiger Island and wrapped up the evening with two Flounder, one of which would provide some exceptional fillets! The next morning I picked up Wes and his buddy James and we headed to the south end early, launching and motoring up to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide. Again, the tide and conditions were almost perfect and the two anglers were making excellent casts to the bank, working their jig and artificial Temptation Bait back slowly. On one cast, "Team W" Wes felt a strong "bump" just after his chartreuse Juicy Lucey hit the water and the fish followed it and bit strong, FISH ON! Wes worked the fish up off the bottom and into the net, a nice 19" Flounder! We had few bites along the bank but it just didn't seem to be a fish bite'n day so we move on to the Horsehead area where we picked up a few Trout on some artificial shrimp under float rigs. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Redfish Magic

2011-09-07T17:21:00.003-04:00

Paul and Janet Schmidt were visiting Amelia Island, Florida from Pittsburgh, PA and staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge. We met at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 7am this morning and Oh what a morning it was! The temperature was about 68, one of our first cool mornings and it was great to be out on the water! We pointed The Anglers Mark up Lanceford Creek, made our first stop at the docks, anchored, and began to toss live shrimp under a float rig up to the dock pilings on an outgoing tide. It wasn't long before both Paul and Janet were catching fish - Seatrout, Redfish, and even a small Grouper and Rock Bass. We had a strong hookup and Paul knew he had a larger fish - he played it perfectly (and casually) and then he teamed up with Janet who netted the fish while I videoed the catch! The bite slowed so we made a run up to Jolley River to a large creek runout and the Redfish bite resumed, along with another nice Trout that Janet caught. Our last stop was along the now oyster lined banks of the Jolley and when we approached an outflow, BOOM! Fish on! We caught one Redfish after another, twice having "Double" hookups, and had a great finale of caching fish. What a great day to be out on the Amelia Island waters!

High Jump'n and Hard Run'n

2011-09-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

Josh Weinberg and his aunt Karen were visiting the Amelia Island area and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. We met at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp at 7am with the tide having another hour or so of running out and headed over to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish the exposed oyster banks. We began a slow troll against the current and the anglers immediately began to get some bites. It wasn't long before both Josh and Karen were hooking up, first with high flying Ladyfish and then with hard fighting Jack's. The Ladyfish will do everything they can do to throw the hook and a lot of them succeeded, but the anglers were able to boat a few of them. It was a beautiful morning with some cloud cover and a slight breeze. We made a couple of passes of the bank, then headed over to Nassau River to fish some exposed oyster beds on the very last of the outgoing tide. Again, both anglers had some good bites, then Josh's rod bent and his drag ripped out, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and with Karen handling the landing net, they pulled in a nice 20" Slot Redfish! The tide had turned so we headed to Broward Island to fish the exposed logs and even though Josh and Karen were making excellent casts, the fish just didn't seem to be hungry. However, the scenery was beautiful, we had a few good bites, and we picked up a nice Flounder, then we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

Honeymoon Heats Up Quick!

2011-09-01T18:09:00.001-04:00

Mike and Katie Olsen were visiting Amelia Island this week for their honeymoon and scheduled a backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island Park at 7am and headed up the Nassau River, running directly to Broward Island to catch the incoming tide. When we got there it was still going out so I trolled the south end while the anglers cast their 1/4 jig with shrimp to the bank amidst the downed logs. I think it was Katie's third cast when she had a strong bite and her rod bent, FISH ON! She played the feisty fish expertly and we soon netted a nice Redfish. Mike joined in and caught one too, then the couple matched each other fish for fish, catching more Redfish with a Seatrout thrown in. We later fished the Seymore's Point docks, having some small bites, but no real good ones, then we made a run through Jackstaff to it's mouth and began a troll along the marsh grass, tossing live shrimp under float rigs. Both Katie and Mike had a few bites and then they got the hang of it and both landed fat Seatrout. The tide had gotten up into the grass and as I scanned a flat for tailing Reds, Mike enticed a Bonnethead Shark to take a jig/shrimp combo and the fight was on! The boat was grounded on a shell bed and as I worked to get it off, Mike fought the fish off the stern. We got the boat out into the creek then Mike went back and forth from starboard to port, line ripping out, and Mike working it back in, and eventually he subdued the beast! We netted the 2'+ shark for honeymoon pictures and release. After trying our luck at the Longpoint docks, and with none to be found, we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island water's!

Teaching a New Generation to Fish

2011-08-31T18:50:00.007-04:00

Written by Adam Coholan, an active angler and blogger out of New York who writes about the great outdoors and fishing and helps run web relations for Elliman Real Estate. You can reach him via email, or follow him on Twitter.

I have been fishing for many years, and I think the intense passion that I feel for it comes from my older cousin. He is just over ten years older than I am, and when he was in his twenties he always made a point to bring me along when he went fishing for bass, salmon and trout. Jeff is now married and has a few children, and he doesn’t have as much time to fish as he would like thanks to a promotion at work. To pay him back, I started taking his daughter Sarah fishing with me and I thought I’d share some of the main things I have learned from the experience:

Establish The Rules Right Away:
You need to realize that supervision must be given to children, especially when they are out on the water. I sat down with Sarah before we even left the car to make sure that we were on the same page. All of my rules taught her about safety and respect. As far as safety is concerned, we discussed how she needs to wear a lifejacket, how she should ask me to help her with anything involving hooks, and she agreed to tell me if there was a snag. The respect we talked about started with his showing respect and proper care for the equipment and also for nature; the goal, I told her, was to leave no trace of ourselves when the sunset.

Start with One Child:
I took Sarah and her two younger brothers with me one time; they wanted to go since Sarah told them we were having so much fun. It didn’t take me long to realize that three times as many kids wasn’t about to be three times as much fun. The two boys ran and splashed all around the creek and constantly picked on their sister. After that, I made it a point to bring them out one at a time until they developed the concentration and appreciation for the sport. Now I can take them all out as a group, and they’re so eager to actually fish they never bother each other unless it’s to joke who’s catch is bigger.

Do Not Forget To Have Fun:
You have to realize that there are days when you are just not going to get a bite, even though you are trying everything. We have all had this happen at some point. Most seasoned anglers live for that type of challenge, but young kids tend not to agree. They get antsy when the fish are nowhere to be found. If this happens, you need to be able to change your plan. You can go swimming, go for a hike, or do anything else to enjoy nature and help the kids appreciate being outside. Remember, you don’t want to discourage these future fisherman simply because you are feeling stubborn and you want to stay on the water.

I can think of nothing better than fishing with Sarah. When she gets a fish, I am more excited than when I get one. The odds are that someone taught you how to fish when you were a child. One of the best things that you can do is to give this gift to another child, passing on your knowledge and talents.

Goodbye Irene

2011-08-28T17:24:00.002-04:00

Mike Langston and his family were visiting Amelia Island this week so he scheduled an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning. He brought along his son Scott, his son-in-law Rhett, and his brother-in-law Billy Pate and met me at the south end boat ramp at 7am. Hurricane Irene just passed off the coast but the skies were clear and there were just some remnants of wind. We headed up the intercoastal and cut in to Jackstaff to fish the flooded grass on the last couple of hours of an incoming tide. Our shrimp didn't seem to survive the trip but we used them anyway and it wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites, with Scott leading the way by hooking up the "poor man's Tarpon", a Ladyfish and then following that up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Bill and Mike added a couple of smaller Jack's and while Rhett was tossing a topwater lure, he had a nice roll on the plug bit it didn't bite. We moved further up into the Horsehead area and fished over a large expanse of flooded oysters but had no bites, so we headed over to Broward Island on the very last of the incoming, first of the outgoing tide. This is always tough fishing but the guys were making excellent casts up between the submerged logs and it paid off when Bill's float went under and he had a battle on his hands. He played the fish perfectly and brought to net a nice Redfish. Even though the tide was high, we switched Scott and Rhett to jig/shrimp combos' and it paid off. Scott hooked up first and played his Redfish expertly to the net. Mike switched to the jig/shrimp and on his second cast he had a strong hookup, fought it like a pro, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish! Rhett got in on the action by tossing his jig up between some limbs and, FISH ON! He worked the fish in and to the net for pictures and release and then Bill wrapped it all up when his float disappeared, his rod bent and a good battle ensued. He fought the fish to a standstill and we brought it aboard, another 23" Slot Redfish! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

59 Fish!

2011-08-24T20:53:00.001-04:00

Mike Maron and his wife Shannon were wrapping up a two week vacation here at Amelia Island and took in one more Amelia Island fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. I fished with Mike last week on the south end so today we met at Atlantic Seafood at 7am and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Things started a little slow but Mike was making great casts to the pilings and he soon picked up a small Trout and shortly after his cork went under again, but this time with a vengeance, and he had a good battle with a keeper sized Trout. Shannon had her camera out and was getting pictures of the amazing ecosystem, river shrimp boats, and wildlife, and the fishing! The baitstealers were thick, but Mike persevered and it paid off because after casting his live shrimp under a float to the pilings the cork disappeared again, the rod bent, and the drag ripped! FISH ON! He battled the fish expertly and we soon netted his first Slot Redfish of the day! We moved all the way around to the Jolley River and fished the MOA spot (Mother of All) and at first we had no real bites but we soon found some feisty Redfish up between the oysters and pulled 3-4 fish out. Our next stop was at the mouth of Snook Creek and it turned out to be a good move because Mike had 4 bites in the first four casts with a jig/shrimp combo, picking up a few more small Redfish and then he had a good bite, his drag ripped, the fish ran for deep water, we thought it might be a small shark, but no, Slot Redfish #2 of the day! Our last stop was Jolley Bank and as we began our troll against the current Mike tossed his shrimp/jig combo to a nice runout and soon felt a heavy pull on his line. He waited a few seconds and set the hook! The fish put a good fight, but Mike worked it in and we netted a keeper sized Flounder, rounding out the Amelia Island Inshore Slam! Shortly after he again had a strong hookup and brought in Slot Red #3 of the day! When I asked Mike and Shannon how many fish we had caught for the day, Mike said, "59 Fish", because it seemed like it! Not much later, Mike had another strong hookup and the fight was on, Big Time! He battled the fish around the stern and out to deep water and back again with drag ripping as the big fish made its runs. Shannon was on the video camera, The Anglers Mark's first, and Mike played it like a pro, bringing to net an oversized 8lb 29" Redfish! Wow, what a fish! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Flounder Getting Larger

2011-08-22T13:21:00.000-04:00

Shonda Warner and her friend, Ed, were visiting Amelia Island, staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, and took in a couple of backcountry fishing trips on The Anglers Mark. On Thursday morning we met at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp early, headed up to the Jolley River and Snook Creek and fished the exposed oyster banks on the last of an outgoing tide. The anglers started with 8w flyrods and #1 black Clouser's, casting to the base of the oysters. Both had hookups and caught fish before the sun got high and they switched to spinning tackle. Croakers, the ever present "baitstealers" of summer were in big supply, but the anglers persevered. We moved to Jolley Bank as the tide started in and Ed had a good battle with a feisty Redfish. The Sunday morning trip we again met at Atlantic Seafood but this time we headed down river to the Horsehead area and the mouth of Jackstaff Creek. The tide was going out but the oysters were well exposed so the anglers tossed a jig/Gulp combo to the shallows. It wasn't long before both anglers were getting good bites and Shonda picked up a nice Seatrout. Later, she made an excellent cast to the mouth of a runout, felt a heavy bite, waited a few seconds, and set the hook, FISH ON! She played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 18"+ Flounder. We hit a few spots in the Nassau River and as the tide began to turn, headed to Broward Island to fish the log strewn banks as the water came back in. This turned out to be a good move, because it wasn't long before Shonda had a good strong bite and began her battle with a Redfish When we landed the fish we saw that it was a beautiful dark copper color. Shonda picked up another, larger Redfish, then Ed got in on the action and hooked up one, too. He played it like a pro and we soon netted, photographed and released a nice Redfish. The sun was up and the ride back was to be long, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Three for Three

2011-08-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

Jacksonville Florida residents Mark and Nilda Laurint, along with their son Brent, made the trip over to Amelia Island for an afternoon of backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark. Brent has one more week before returning to college and this was a great way for the family to spend some quality time. We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 3pm and headed up to the outside of Tiger Island, fishing a flooded oyster bar on an outgoing tide with live shrimp under floats. The anglers had numerous bites from the summertime's everpresent "baitstealers", so we moved on to the docks of Lanceford Creek. The tide still wasn't down enough, and even though Mark had a nice Trout that I thought would get things rolling, no more quality bites were had. We made good run around to Jolley River and up to Snook Creek, anchoring and fishing jig and shrimp combos. The family had a few good bites, with Nilda catching a couple of Trout and Mark catching a large Bull Whiting and all the anglers hooked up with Croaker. The sun was inching down, the tide was really out by now, so we made one final stop at "Jolley Bank". Both Mark and Brent had their first casts in the water when Mark's rod bent, drag ripped, and FISH ON! Brent yelled, "FISH ON", too, and we had a double! Brent's was in first, a Croaker, but Mark's was putting up a fight and he was all around the stern and with pro-angler technique, Mark boated a slot sized Redfish! We got the boat lined up again and this time Nilda's rod bent and she had a battle on her hands! Despite un-needed coaching she was receiving, she did a great job of fighting the fish and brought to net an even larger, slot sized Red! Again, we lined the boat up and began our troll and then Brent has a hookup! This time his line rips out and we can tell that this fish is bigger. He played the fish perfectly and after a good battle, boated a nice 25" Slot Redfish! Wow, what a way to wrap up a fishing trip - three slot Reds in thirty minutes - and a great way to end the day out on the water!

Champion Angler

2011-08-22T10:25:00.002-04:00

Mike Simon was visiting Amelia Island last week so he planned an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip with his son Andrew on The Anglers Mark. We left the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp on the south end of the island at 7am and headed up the intercoastal to fish the mouth of Jackstaff on the last of an outgoing tide. The anglers were pitching the jig and shrimp combo and it wasn't long before Mike caught a feisty Redfish. Andrew was making his own casts and he caught a nice Jack Crevalle and he also battled another Redfish. As we passed a runout, Andrew made a cast to its mouth and as he began his reel in, his line went taunt and FISH ON! The fish made a strong run and Andrew held on with line ripping out and then his dad came to help and in a joint effort, fought the fish from port to starboard and back again. The big fish made three or four runs, but Andrew hung in there and he soon brought the large 4' Bonnethead to the boat for netting, pictures, and release! We crowned Andrew "Champion Angler" after that battle! We moved on to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide and Michael picked up three more Redfish on his jig and shrimp combo. The sun was up and getting hot, so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Beautiful Morning Slammed

2011-08-17T17:15:00.000-04:00

Mike Maron is visiting Amleia Island with his family on a much deserved vacation so he scheduled an Amelia Island fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We met at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning just before 7am, launched, and headed up the intercoastal to the mouth of Jackstaff. The tide had been coming in for about an hour and a half, but the oysters were still showing so we started easing along the bank with Mike tossing a 1/4 jig/shrimp combo. He had good bites the whole morning, picking up Ladyfish and Trout and then he had a hookup and his drag began to rip out, FISH ON! He fought the fish expertly and went around and 'round the boat a couple of times with him making up some line then the fish ripping it back out, and then...pop....fish off! Ouch. It must have caught the leader just right and popped itself off. Mike persevered and he soon had another battle on his hands, this time the fish succomed and Mike brought to the net a 3' Bonnethead Shark He had a couple more battles with the Shark's, one that spooled him and we added a Flounder in between. Later, fishing at the Semour Point docks, Mike had something nibbling his shrimp under a float and when he deftly set the hook, a good fight insued. Mike played it like a pro and we netted a quality keeper sized Sheepshead. With the day warming up, we made one last stop at Broward Island to fish the flooded logs and we picked up a Slot Redfish, more than rounding out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam of Trout, Flounder, Sheepshead, and Redfish! We called it a day, another great one to the on the water!

Fish On Fire

2011-08-14T13:23:00.001-04:00

Chuck Leshinsky was visiting the Jacksonville area with his family so he and his three sons Ryan, Aidan and Nathan, along with their Uncle John Orr, took in a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We loaded up with 7 dozen live shrimp, launched at 7am, and headed to an flooded oyster bar with the tide still coming in. It wasn't long before young Nathan had a strong hookup and he and his dad battled a hard fighting Blue to the net for pictures. After that, all the young anglers joined in, catching fish right after left. Ryan was making perfect casts to some flooded marsh grass and it paid off with quality catches of Seatrout. Aidan was getting in to the action, with help from his Uncle John, and boated multi-spotted Redfish and flashy Ladyfish. Both John and Chuck helped with the young guys (thanks!) and the bite was non-stop for about an hour and a half. We made a brief stop to "reload" with shrimp and then headed up the Jolley River to Snook Creek, anchored and fished our shrimp under float on the last of an incoming, first of an outgoing tide. It took awhile, but when the tide changed, the action picked up. Ryan had a quick breakoff on a Shark, then Adian's FINS braided line began to rip out and the fight was on! He had everyone scrabbling to get out of the way as the Shark took him from bow to stern and back again, causing the other anglers to duck and bob to get out of the way, but Aidan held on and with help from his dad, we soon boated a 3'+ Shark on the light tackle rig! Pictures were taken and the fish was released to be caught another day. Ryan was now tossing a jig/shrimp combo and he began to pick up Trout and had some nice sized Whiting, so John and Chuck switched too. Chuck's drag began to rip and he had his own Shark battle, fishing it like a pro, and he too brought it to the net for pictures. John topped off the day by catching one of the bigger Trout we've had in a while, a 24"er, caught at 10:30am! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Smoked Shrimp

2011-08-12T12:19:00.003-04:00

Here's a great Smoked Shrimp process, forwarded from my Dad!

Lake Lanier Spotted Bass

2011-08-08T17:00:00.002-04:00

We met friends Denise and Bill Sweeney and Judy Cardone up in North Georgia over the weekend to celebrate my wife's birthday and Bill and I were given a pass to take in some fishing at Lake Lanier Saturday with friend Tim Parker. Tim was gracious enough to meet us near the boat ramp with his bass boat and gear and all we had to do was show up. He launched the boat around 7am and headed north up the lake to a jut of rocks and instructed Bill and I how to fish the Texas rig worm that he had set up on light tackle. Tim got us fishing then showed us how it was done by setting the hook on a couple of nice Spotted Bass, fighting them to the boat like a pro for pictures and release. Bill got the hang of it early and soon began to feel the subtle bite, and he too set the hook, FISH ON! He played the fish expertly and brought to the boat another keeper sized Bass. It took me a while but later in the day I was fishing a "Rooster" spinner blade and had a hookup. It was all I could do, but after a tremendous battle, I landed one of the Spotted Bass, my first! We had a great day and Tim was a great host and guide - if you're ever up in the northern area of Lake Lanier, give me a call and I'll hook you up with Tim!

Weird Amelia Island Backcountry Fish

2011-08-08T12:23:00.001-04:00

The month of July proved to be a great month for fishing and I had a few trips where we were all surprised at what was at the end of the line! The Brian Deem family were fishing with me and in addition to other fish, landed what we called a "puffer fish" but according to Carole Neidig, Staff Scientist for Mote Marine Labratory, is a Striped Burrfish or also called a Spiny Boxfish (Chilomycterus schoepfii). They live in seagrass beds in bays and coastal lagoons and over shallow coastal reefs from Maine to Florida, although they are less common in the northern part of the range. They will puff up with air to increase their size when threatened.

Brian Shepley and his friend Jack Coward were fishing on The Anglers Mark and had a great day of catching and when Brian hooked up with a hard fighting fish we all thought, "Redfish". But when he eventually brought the fish to net we were surprised to see a Tripletail! The Atlantic Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) is found from Massachusetts to Bermuda to Argentina and is normally seen in open waters, but can be caught in sounds, bays, and esturaries. This was another first for The Anglers Mark!

Dan McBryan and his dad Lou picked up a very nice Flounder one day but Dan also landed a fish that I had never seen. Carole Neidig of Mote Marine also identified this one for us, a Lizard Fish (Synodus foetens) and is common in our waters. It is found both inshore and offshore but both are different species. The Offshore variety being much smaller. They are distributed throughout Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The Inshore Lizard fish is coastal. The Inshore Lizard Fish is larger than it's counterpart and is usually 15 to 16 inches in length. World Record is 2 lbs.

Double up on Shark

2011-08-03T17:26:00.001-04:00

The Reimer family - Joel and Jen and their two kids Michael and Meagan, were visiting Amelia Island all the way from Ohio and scheduled an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. We had a dead low tide to begin with and it had just started back in when we pulled up at the docks of Lanceford Creek and tossed out some live shrimp under floats. The anglers had numerous bites but no real takers other than a hungry Croaker so we pulled anchor and headed on up to the Jolley River and then trolled an oyster lined bank, tossing jig and shrimp combos. However, Meagan stuck with the float rig and she was the first to hookup with a lively Seatrout, bringing it to the net for pictures and release. Moving up into the river we found more "baitstealing" nibblers but then Jen had a strong hookup, her line ripped out, and FISH OFF! Ouch! Joel jigged up a Trout and then Jen jigged up a nice Flounder then Michael joined the action when his float rig disappeared and FISH ON! He fought the big fish expertly and back and forth the fish went until Michael subdued him and brought the big Bonnethead to the net for pictures. We ran back to Tiger Inlet and fished with the Manatee's but got no bites, saw some Osprey and Spoonbills, then hit a flooded oyster bank outside Tiger for our last stop. Meagan added a feisty Redfish, Michael picked up a fat Trout then Jen had another shot at a Shark - a Blacktip. She fought the fish from stern to bow with a partner Black Tip trailing the caught fish and in the middle of the battle Michael yelled "FISH ON" and his drag began to rip! The two anglers fought their respective fish with rods being passed over and under and the anglers trading places, bow to stern, stern to bow and when Jen's fish was brought to bay and held for pictures, Michael was left to his own battle briefly. Then we all joined in to see him finish the fight and bring to net a 3' Bonnethead. What a way to finish a fishing trip! We headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Life in the Backcountry

2011-08-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

Young Dan McBryan set up an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip today with his dad, Lou, while they were visiting the area. We made a plan to get started extra early, 6am, to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide. Our first stop was an oyster lined bank of the Jolley River and the guys were tossing 1/4 jigs with Gulp minnows and shrimp. Both anglers immediately began to get bites and soon Lou yelled, "fish on" and he reeled in a feisty Redfish. The baitstealers were nipping the tails off of the Gulps so we moved on up the river to a large creek where Dan worked his jig slowly along an oyster bank. He felt a heavy weight and expertly hooked up on a fish, playing it perfectly to the boat and we netted a good sized Flounder for pictures and release. He also caught a weird fish that we have yet to identify! Later in the morning we fished outside Tiger where we were joined by Manatee, then we went inside Tiger and were treated to a large number of Roseate Spoonbills roosting. The bite had slowed so we made one final stop outside Tiger at a flooded oyster bed and had Dolphin and Manatee cruising by, along with a large pod of Stingray. We eventually called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Catching the Blues

2011-08-01T13:38:00.000-04:00

Al Emerick treated his two sons Richard (RC) and Dylan to an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island with some topwater lures on a high and incoming tide. RC had the hot rod early and had a couple of "spits" at his popping lure and then he hooked up, catching a Blue then a Seatrout. Later, we dropped an anchor and fished the area with Shrimp under floats and all three anglers began to hookup, catching some rather larger Blues and another Trout. We fished the Jolley River with shrimp under floats and had hookups with Ladyfish and when we moved into a larger creek RC had his line ripped out by a Sharks. The first one broke itself off, but on the second we were able to maneuver the boat and RC battled it around and around, and around! He played the fish perfectly and we soon brought to the boat a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark for pictures and release. The sun had gotten high, and hot, and after one more stop with not much action, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Bunch of Catch'n

2011-08-01T13:25:00.000-04:00

Tyler and Sarah Bolick were visiting Amelia Island and took in an backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark Saturday. We met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am and headed up river to the outside of Tiger Island. The anglers were tossing topwater lures, had a few "spits", and Sarah hooked up a small Jack. We switched to shrimp under floats and both anglers began to catch slashing Blues, a small Redfish and Trout. We also had a keeper sized Flounder to the boat. We moved around to Snook Creek and Sarah had a big fish bite and her drag ripped out, FISH ON! She played the fish expertly and we soon netted a nice Bonnethead Shark. Later they picked up another Trout and when we moved on to an oyster bank that was now exposed, both Sarah and Tyler caught Blues, Trout, Croaker, Redfish and Ladyfish. At one point Sarah hooked up with what had to have been a Slot Red, her drag was rip, rip, ripping and she played it perfectly, but it was not to be. The fish through the hook, the Big One that got away! We had a great trip with a lot of catching and eventually called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

It's Not a Shark!

2011-08-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

Steve Silverman, his wife Gretchen and their two kids were visiting Amelia Island, Florida and scheduled a backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island Park and headed up the Nassau River, making our first stop at Leon's Drop. Jason was the first to hookup with a fish and his drag ripped out, FISH ON! He and his dad fought the fish to a standstill and we soon netted a nice Bonnethead Shark. The other three anglers joined in and had strong bites, drag ripping action and some good battles. Note that two of these battles ended with the fish winning - not from broken string or knots that gave, but from broken hooks! OUCH! We move on to Bubblegum Reef and CJ caught a fat Rock Bass, then we move on around to the mouth of Jackstaff to battle with Sharks. On one such bite, Steve had his drag ripping out so we maneuvered the boat and he battled the fish around and around, and around! We just knew it was another shark but when Steve finally subdued it, the whole group yelled, "It's not a shark!" We netted a very large Jack Crevalle, boy what a fight it put up! And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Shark after Shark after Shark

2011-08-01T12:47:00.001-04:00

Brian Deem was in visiting Amelia Island with his family and set up two backcountry fishing trips, one with his younger kids, and one with the older kids. We met Thursday afternoon for the first trip with the younger set and left the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 4pm on The Anglers Mark. Our first stop was outside Tiger Island and we were joined with a few manatee! The youngest, Noah, was the first to hookup and reel in a feisty Redfish. Fishing behind Tiger Island, Cameryn caught a couple of Croaker. We moved on up to Jolley River and things heated up with Riley and Noah, along with their Dad, fighting Bonnethead Sharks. Cameryn added a nice sized whiting to the catch. Our last stop was up a side creek off of Jolley and the trio of anglers had their hands full by catching one big Shark after another, and as the sun began to set, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

We met Saturday afternoon and this time Brian brought his to older sons, seasoned anglers Jordan and Hunter. We had chosen to meet at 3pm which was at the very bottom of an outgoing tide. The oysters were exposed and the three anglers were tossing jig and shrimp combos to their base and soon had some good hookups, with Jordan reeling in a couple of hard fighting Redfish and Brian battling a 2' Bonnethead Shark. We move around to Jolley River and fished the first of the incoming tide and all anglers had Redfish - Hunter picked up 4 on his own, Jordan added a couple more and Brian had a few, too. As the tide began to rise, the fishing slowed, so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Slot Reds lead to Slam

2011-08-01T11:16:00.001-04:00

Davis Norris and his friend Kevin were visiting Amelia Island with their families last week and they decided to take in an backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island with topwater lures. Although we had a couple of "spits" at the lures, we had no real bites. We moved around to the docks of Lanceford Creek when the tide started out and this proved to be the ticket because the guys began to get good bites and hookups on live shrimp under floats. They ended up catching 10-12 Redfish with at least 3 of those in the Slot. Davis hauled in a keeper sized flounder and they had a couple of small Trout. We eventually ran around to the Jolley River and fished an now exposed oyster bank and the guys caught another Slot Red, some smaller Reds, a keeper sized Trout to round out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam. We picked up a few more fish then called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Twin Slam

2011-07-26T17:46:00.000-04:00

An overcast day couldn't keep the Bill Steinauer family from fishing the backwaters of Amelia Island today. Bill and his wife Pam, along with their twin daughters met me at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning and we headed up river, stopping The Anglers Mark at a flooded shell bed. The anglers tossed live shrimp under floats and immediately began to get bites and soon boated a nice Bluefish, a neat Needlefish, a small Jack, and a whole host of other bait stealers! We ran on up to the Jolly River and anchored in a creek runout and again found a great deal of bait stealers, so we eased out to the mouth of the creek and WHAM! Bill had a good bite and caught a feisty Redfish. The move proved to be the ticket because the whole family joined in catching Redfish, a couple of Trout, and Bill added a Flounder to round out the Amelia Island Backcountry Slam. A number of Croaker were caught, too. We eventually moved around to Tiger Island where the Steinauer family added a couple of more Croakers and another Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Smorgasbord of Fish

2011-07-25T18:14:00.000-04:00

I've had a handful of trips the last couple of weeks that have started out slow but picked up with fish beginning to bite right up to the end. A lot of it has to do with how much the patience the anglers have and if they "endeavor to persevere"! Today was one of those days. I met Sam and Molly Pearson and their two kids Cassidy and Clay at the Big Talbot Island boat ramp, 7am, and we headed up the Nassau River for a morning of backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark. Our first stop was at Leon's Drop with the tide going out and the oysters not showing yet - perfect tide for the spot, but no bites. We headed around through Jackstaff and fished the bank and Clay did pick up a feisty Redfish with a live shrimp under float. We crossed the creek where Sam had a good battle with a Bonnethead Shark, but the Shark won and move on! Our next stop was at Bubblegum Reef and this time we broke out some bait casting bottom rigs. Cassidy had a rod bending, drag ripping hookup and, FISH ON! She and I battle the fish briefly then Sam jumped in and took over for a long battle which he won this time, and he brought to the boat a huge Stingray for pictures. That must have gotten things going because Sam started having good hookups on a jig/shrimp combos. He had a good strong bite, and played the fish perfectly, then handed the rod off to Clay who brought in a slot sized Redfish. Then Sam hooked up with another and this time handed it off to Cassidy, who brought in an even bigger slot Redfish. Sam was on a roll because he eventually boated a "Smorgasbord" of fish including a Sheepshead, Sea Bass, and Black Drum. Molly joined in and expertly reeled in the Sea Bass. Cassidy added one more Stingray to the mix. The sun was up and it was time to head in, so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

TripleTail leads off for Grand Slam

2011-07-25T17:39:00.000-04:00

Just when you think you've seen it all in the backcountry waters of Amelia Island a fish is caught that just boggles your mind! A few years ago I was fishing up in Jolley River which is northwest of Amelia Island and I had a hookup, a good feisty fight, and landed a small Snook, to my amazement! We've been having pretty good catches this summer of Redfish and we've been also catching a few Trout and Flounder, and once in a while a Sheepshead. But you can imagine my surprise when one of my customers caught a hard fighting fish that just didn't want to come to the boat and when we finally netted it, a TripleTail!
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Busted Net

2011-07-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

I keep telling myself that I'm going to quit trying to net Bonnethead Sharks. Today I learned my lesson when Parker Grow, his dad Bill and Parker's 4 1/2 year old son Crawford took in an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the boat ramp and the City's Fernandina Harbor Marina this morning around 7am and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the docks on an incoming tide. The oysters were almost covered, so we tossed a live shrimp under float up near the dock pilings. The anglers had few bites so we headed up to Jolley River; the oysters were now covered and the jig/shrimp combo wasn't working too well. We headed further up the river and anchored in a large creek and it wasn't long before Parker had a strong bite and his drag began to rip out, FISH ON! He had Crawford help him out and the two fought the fish perfectly, bringing it to the boat and wearing it out so that I could scoop him up with the catch net, but as soon as I began to drag this large Bonnethead up the net collapsed! I grabbed at the fish and the line broke. OUCH! But it was a great fight and provided some much needed excitement! We were in the right spot because it wasn't long before Bill had a nice shark on. He too played it perfectly and this time we grabbed the Shark and tossed him in the boat for pictures and release. We caught a couple more shark and had a good mess of Croaker to go with them. The wind had picked up and was really blowing and after a couple of brief stops we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Saltwater Fishing 101

2011-07-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

Michael and Loraine Belcon were visiting Amelia Island with their two sons Michael and Max and decided to take in an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp and headed up to the outside of Tiger Island, dropped anchor and fished the covered oyster beds with a live shrimp under float. Although we had numerous bites, there were no takers, so we pulled up and ran to Jolley River to fish a large creek mouth. It wasn't long before all the anglers were getting bites then Michael Sr. had a good bite on a jig/shrimp combo and his drag ripped out, FISH ON! He fought the fish expertly, the FINS Braided line held, and after a long battle we netted a nice Bonnethead Shark for pictures an release. Moments later, Michael Jr. had a good bite and his drag began to rip out too! He fought the fish from bow to stern and back to bow and we again netted a large Bonnethead, took pictures and released it. We went back to the inside of Tiger Island where the anglers again had bites with Michael Jr. catching a couple of Croaker while his dad had something nice almost to the boat, but it threw the hook, OUCH! We eventually move to the outside of Tiger and the bite really picked up at almost full high tide. Max landed a very big Blue and the group added a few more Blues, Croaker, Pin Fish, Trout and Black Drum before we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

No Steak Tonight

2011-07-25T17:35:00.000-04:00

Gordon Duff was visiting Amelia Island again and treated his two grandsons Ethan and Vincent to an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at the City Marina and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island. We began a troll along the flooded beach where bait was getting popped and Ethan tossed a topwater lure, "walking the dog" expertly. I was throwing a smaller popping lure and we both had numerous hits but no takers. We anchored up at a grassy area and tossed out live shrimp under floats and it wasn't long before both young men were catching fish. We boated a number of Redfish to 17", Ethan added a couple of Trout, and of course, the summer time ever present Bluefish. Our next stop was at the docks of Lanceford where we had a few bites and picked up a nice Flounder, completing early the Amelia Island Inshore Slam! We ran up to Jolley Bank and fished the now exposed oysters and Ethan worked the bank with a jig/Gulp Shrimp and again caught a couple of Redfish, just under sized. At out last stop, the current was running out of a large creek and we had a good hard bite up near the oysters and FISH ON! Vincent cranked the reel, I held the Rod, Grandad took pictures, and Ethan netted the Big fish for a team effort in boating a nice 22" Slot Redfish for dinner tonight! After that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

ShaaarkRed!

2011-07-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

Jason Carr set up an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip with his father-in-law Tommy and his brother-in-law Dave on The Anglers Mark this morning. We got an early start, leaving the City of Fernandina Beach marina a little before 7am and headed up to the Jolley River to "Sues Spot" where the guys began to warm up with the jig/live shrimp combo. It didn't take long before all of them were getting bites along the exposed oyster beds and we soon began to net feisty Redfish. We move on up to "Snook Creek" and again the anglers found Redfish and a couple of fat Seatrout, along with a few Rock Bass. The tide turned and started back in so we ran back to the mouth of Jolley and fished the oyster banks and again their were Reds to be caught. We all spotted a Bonnethead Shark cruising the edge and Tommy made a perfect cast in front of the fish, waited patiently and hooked 'em up! FISH ON! He had a good battle on his hands with drag ripping out on occasion, but these anglers were after Redfish so we contemplated breaking the shark off when all of a sudden the fish rolled and we then knew that it was a slot Redfish that had beaten the Shark to the bait! Tommy played the fish perfectly and we soon netted the big Red. We made another stop at Tiger Island where Jason found his on hole of Redfish, boating three in a row on the live shrimp, one of which was right at the slot. The temperatures had warmed and after one more stop we called it a day, another great one to be on the water

Grand Slam Leads to Homerun

2011-07-25T17:30:00.000-04:00

Local resident Andy Herrin had worked non-stop at his job since last Christmas and when he finally got 4 days off he "got away from it all" and went fishing, with his two sons, Colton and Kyler. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock early this morning and pointed The Anglers Mark up to the Jolley River with a couple hours left of a falling tide. The oyster banks were well exposed and the anglers wasted no time, hooking up to some feisty Redfish in between hungry Croaker. At our second stop Andy added a Seatrout and not long after completed his Amelia Island Inshore Slam by pulling in a Flounder. Both Colton and Kyler added Redfish, and of course, the pesky Croaker. When the tide changed we headed to the mouth of Jolley to fish the oyster lined bank and again found Croaker and other "baitstealers". We had a good flurry of bites when Kyler had a strong bite. He played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a keeper sized Trout. Then it was Andy's turn with a rod bending fish - his turned out to be strong pulling Black Drum, adding to his Slam and then he hit a home run when he had another strong bite, a good battle, and we netted a nice Slot sized 21" Redfish. Colton got in on the action with the biggest fish - a 3' Bonnethead Shark - and fought it like a pro until he decided to break it off. We hit a couple of more spots, saw some manatee, and then headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

3 Before 8

2011-07-25T17:28:00.000-04:00

Tim Schiefflin and his family were visiting Amelia Island again this summer so Tim treated his two sons Eli and Ian to an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock promptly at 7am and headed up the Lanceford Creek to fish the docks on an outgoing tide. The oysters had just begin to show as we anchored and pitched a live shrimp under float up near the dock pilings and FISH ON! First Cast! Eli played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a Slot sized Redfish! All the anglers got in on the action and began to catch Redfish after Redfish and before 8am they had three Slot Reds in the boat! The Reds were up near the oyster beds and Ian soon found that he could cast his bait up near them and let it drift along and he'd soon have a bite. By the time we left Lanceford they had boated 13 Redfish and 6 of them were slot sized! We made a run up to the Jolley River and fished an oyster lined bank with jig and shrimp combos. Tim added the biggest Redfish, boating a nice 22"er and then Ian hooked up with a Trout on an artificial minnow. After moving to creek runout, Eli had a good battle with a 2' Black Tip Shark and Ian caught another Trout. The sun got up so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Big Redfish leads to Slam

2011-07-25T17:27:00.000-04:00

Amanda Hammonds was visiting Amelia Island with her family and boyfriend and decided to take in a an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the boat ramp at 7am sharp and headed up to Lanceford Creek to fish the docks on a high, outgoing tide. The oysters were still covered so we tossed out live shrimp under floats, drifting them up near the dock pilings. First cast, Amanda's brother hooked up with a nice Trout! All the anglers caught bait stealer, after bait stealer, after bait stealer. Ouch. But as the tide dropped Amanda had a strong bite and soon realized that this wasn't a bait stealer! The big Redfish put up a tremendous fight and after a prolonged, drag ripping battle, found it's way back into the pilings and cut itself off! The Big One that got away! However, shortly after Amanda's brother had a good hookup and played the fish to the boat where we netted a nice 23" Redfish. Amanda boated a Flounder and the rest of the anglers caught a few more smaller Red's, then we headed over to Tiger Island where they caught a couple of more smaller Redfish. We headed up to Jolley River and began a troll of Jolley Bank and again they caught some small Reds then boated two keeper sized Flounder. After hitting one more spot, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Fly Tying Contest

2011-07-13T11:32:00.000-04:00

For all the fly tyers out there, here's an interesting contest: Tie a fly that looks like the space shuttle Atlantis! Get more information here

Hunt for Reds

2011-07-06T19:38:00.001-04:00

Chris Clark, his "almost 8" son, Hunt, and Hunt's grandfather Vance Hefner were visiting Amelia Island and took in an Amelia Island fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am sharp and headed up to the Jolley River for some backcountry fishing. Our first stop was at a small runout as the tide reached it's bottom and the anglers warmed up by tossing shrimp and jig combos. They had a few bites and Vance broke the ice with a Croaker and when the tide started back in we pulled anchor and began trolling the oyster lined banks. A few more bites later and a couple of more croakers, a small Redfish, then we had a strong bite and drag ripped out! Hunt and his dad worked the fish together and they soon boated a nice 17 3/4" Redfish. We had a couple of more good Redfish bites but they shook the hook so we moved on up the river to a nice creek. We had only trolled a few minutes when WHAM! FISH ON! Again, Hunt and Chris fought the fish, playing it perfectly and as the big Red got close to the boat, Chris netted it and brought it in, a slot sized 23" Redfish! We moved on up into the creek and anchored and the anglers each had a shot at fighting and catching Bonnethead Sharks then Chris picked up his 2nd Flounder and Vance topped off the Amelia Island Inshore Slam with a nice Seatrout. We made one more stop at the outside of Tiger Island and the guys fought a couple of more shark and Chris added another Flounder, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Fish Lost, Fish Gained

2011-07-05T17:47:00.001-04:00

John Spagna, his son Anthony, and family were visiting Amelia Island and scheduled an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7am this morning and headed up the Nassau River to catch the last few minutes of an outgoing tide. We picked an oyster outcrop and dropped the trolling motor to quietly ease along, both anglers pitching 1/8 oz jigs with live shrimp. They each had some bites then John had a hard bite and then the fight was on! Then off! The Redfish threw the hook! At the next outcrop of oysters John had an even harder bite and this time he expertly fought the Redfish for a minute or so and...fish OFF! The line broke. OUCH! But John was not to be deterred. We fished the docks at Seymore's Pointe and as the tide started in, headed for Broward Island where bait was being busted on the south end of the island. After trolling just a minute or two both anglers commented that they were getting bites, then John hooked up and brought in a nice Seatrout. Shortly after he had another strong bite and this time everything held and he got his Redfish! Anthony joined in on the action, getting a subtle bite, then his line felt heavy and he set the hook on a nice keeper sized Flounder. John added a Flounder to complete his Amelia Island Inshore Slam then Anthony upped the ante by hooking up and bringing to the net an even bigger Flounder. All of these fish were mixed in with a number of hungry Croaker! We ran to Jackstaff and fished the now flooded oysters, but the fish had decided to take a break so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Mom Puts Fish In The Boat

2011-07-04T16:13:00.001-04:00

Scott O'melia and his son Palmer fished with me again this morning on The Anglers Mark and this time they brought Scott's wife and Palmer's mother, Jacquelyn. Palmer was an old pro with the boat and new where all the hatches, life vests, and bait wells were and was eager to point them out to his mom. The tide had been coming in for about an hour as we left the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up to the Jolley River. We anchored at a small runout and tossed shrimp on jigs to the still exposed oysters. The anglers warmed up by catching a couple of hungry Croaker. We moved on up into Jolley and I was able to cast net a few dozen perfectly sized finger mullet. This did the trick and soon everyone was getting bites. Scott and Palmer caught Blues and Croaker while Jacquelyn had some good hookups and fought to the net a couple of nice Seatrout. Once, her line tightened and the drag began to rip out, FISH ON! She fought the fish for a while but it must have gotten across an oyster bed because it broke off after a few minute battle, OUCH! We eventually moved down to Tiger Island, saw a few Sea Turtles surfacing and caught a few more Croaker, Blues and Trout. We moved to the front of Tiger and Jacquelyn again had a brief battle with an unwilling large fish, again getting broke off. But she persevered and as we trolled the beach where hundreds of mullet were milling, Jacquelyn had another good bite and she cranked in a nice 17" Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Cuyler's Hot Spot

2011-06-28T21:14:00.000-04:00

Dan Daughtry, his 8 year old son Cuyler, and Dan's dad Jim were all treated to a Father's Day Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark by Dan's wife, Ginger. We left the City marina at 7am sharp and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island. The tide was high and just starting out so we tossed out some live shrimp under floats. Fish were biting and Jim began to hook up with aggressive Blue fish. We moved on to the mouth of Tiger, anchored and soon were joined by a family of Manatee. You can't beat fishing out one side of the boat while Manatee are rolling around on the other! Cuyler began to catch fish and we soon found that he had the hot rod because he began to yell, "I got a fish" each time he hooked up. He caught a Redfish, a couple of Trout and Blues. We proclaimed the area Cuylers Hot Spot!

Later we ran up to Jolley River and fished a large run out. The Hot Rod switched to Grandad Jim who caught a nice Trout and then had a strong hookup and his drag ripped out. Jim played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice Bonnethead Shark. Fishing the banks of Jolley, Jim added another Redfish to his catch and later Dan hooked up with Redfish and Trout, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Montana meets North Florida Slam

2011-06-27T20:13:00.000-04:00

One of my old college buddies, Dave Bolton was in town and treated his daughter Katie and her fiance Mike to an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. It was a beautiful morning with just a slight breeze and a few clouds to keep the heat off. The young Katie and Mike were visiting from Montana and it was Mike's first time in Florida. We left the boat ramp at 7am sharp and headed up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Evidently the bait shops had sold out of their live shrimp over the weekend so we were using dead shrimp and artificial grubs and minnows. Katie started things off by catching some Blues and then Mike had a few bites of small trout and blues, all on the dead shrimp. But David was having some good bites on a plastic minnow, caught a couple of small Trout, and then had one that ripped his drag, and, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and soon boated a nice 17" Trout. We moved on down the river and anchored at a runout where all three anglers immediately began to catch fish. They were catching small Trout, Croakers and had a couple of small Reds until Mike added a keeper sized Flounder, completing his North Florida Slam. But he wasn't finished yet! We began a troll of the now exposed oysters and it wasn't long before Mike had a strong hookup and a good fight on his hands. The fish ripped drag and stubbornly stayed deep, but Mike played the fish like a pro and after a few minutes he wore it down and brought the 21" Redfish to the waiting net. We hit the docks at Lanceford creek where Mike picked up another small Redfish and all three anglers had good bites, but the sun was up so we called it a day, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Beautiful Amelia Island

2011-06-26T17:04:00.001-04:00

It doesn't get much better than leaving the dock early in the morning with the sun coming up, a slight breeze, and not a cloud in the sky! Fred Fishel took in an Amelia Island fishing charter on The Anglers Mark this morning and we got an early start, leaving the dock at 7am and heading up the Nassau River for some backcountry fishing. We made our first stop at "Leon's Spot" with the tide having been going out for about an hour and half. We had a few nibbles on our live shrimp under floats, but no takers so we headed on up to Bubblegum Reef where again we had a few bumps on our shrimp, but no takers. Fred was going to have to work for his fish! Our next stop at a marsh grass point in Jackstaff proved to be the ticket because we picked up a couple of Seatrout. Fred was making excellent casts and as we trolled the banks of Jackstaff with the oysters now exposed, Fred caught a couple more Trout and a nice Flounder. We hit a couple of more spots then made a run to Broward Island where Fred picked up another Trout as the tide was reaching bottom, then we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

2011-06-23T17:57:00.001-04:00

"Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee"! The quote from Muhammad Ali summed up how I felt like this morning! Yesterday's smoke had put a pall on the fishing and on my trip to the boat ramp I told myself to "get after it, boy"! Luckily, my two guest anglers were as eager to catch some fish as I was. Barry Shelor and his son Matt met me at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning at 7am and we headed up the Nassau River, with not much sign of the smoke, and a high, falling tide. The plan was to fish as many spots as we could and not linger at any that weren't producing fish. We eased up to "Leon's Spot" and Barry began to toss a jig/shrimp combo while Matt used a live shrimp under float. Both had some pretty good bites when Barry's rod bent and he had a good fight on his hands. These experienced anglers know what to do and Barry played the fish perfectly into the net. Note in the picture that this large Sheepshead was missing a chunk out of its back! We hit Bubblegum Reef with no bites, then a few oyster beds in to Jackstaff both anglers caught Sharks. After running through Jackstaff we fished the point of a sandbar and Barry found a nice Seatrout so we anchored. Both anglers caught a couple of Trout, then we trolled the oyster lined bank of Jackstaff, but had no bites. The sun was getting up, but the tide was right so we made a run to Broward Island and slowly eased along it's log strewn bank. Again, both anglers had good hookups and we ended up catching 4-5 feisty Redfish to 18". Barry caught a Flounder to complete an inshore "Grand Slam" of Sheepshead, Trout, Redfish and Flounder. After that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Huge Stingray Boated

2011-06-23T17:44:00.000-04:00

Jerry Owens was visiting Amelia Island and arranged an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday with his niece, Andrea. We left the South End boat ramp at 7am sharp and headed over to the docks at Longpointe to fish the last of an outgoing tide. About half way through the troll, Jerry made a picture perfect cast up into the pilings and just as it hit the bottom he had a strong hookup. As he cranked the reel he commented that it felt like a concrete block on the end of his line! He fought the fish perfectly on the light tackle rig and we soon netted for inspection a huge Butterfly Stingray (ID courtesy of MOTE Marine in Tampa area). We fished the Jackstaff area then Bubblegum Reef where Andrea caught her own Atlantic Stingray. While fishing the docks of Seymor's Pointe the anglers picked up a few Rock Bass and even a small Grouper. The breeze had brought in a fog of smoke from the fires so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

The Bite got Better and Better

2011-06-21T20:39:00.002-04:00

Ricky Williams was visiting Amelia Island with his family this week and treated his two sons Riley and Cooper to a morning of Amelia Island backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning at 7am sharp and headed up the Nassau River, skirting sandbars as the tide began its last hour of runout. We made our first stop at a small creek on Nassau River and the anglers began to toss their jig/shrimp combo to the oyster lined banks. Riley made a good cast into the creek mouth and immediately had a strong hookup and after playing the fish perfectly, landed a nice 18" Flounder. We hit a few creek runouts then ran over to the docks of Nassauville where the Ladyfish were pounding baitfish. All of the anglers had good hookups and landings of the "Poor Mans Tarpon", and Cooper landed the largest of them all.. Riley tossed a shrimp under float to the rocks and it quickly dissapeared and he had a good fight with a feisty Redfish. There were more good bites there but no real takers so we headed up to Broward Island to fish the perfect incoming tide. Riley's first cast produced a good Redfish and for the next hour the anglers were catching fish. They caught a number of just short Reds then Riley had a strong bite and FISH ON! He played the fish like a pro and landed a nice slot sized Redfish. After a couple more Reds, Ricky had a strong hookup and eventually landed another Slot Red and while we were getting pictures, Riley had a hookup! Another Slot Red! We fished the island for a while then headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

One Shy of a Big Slam

2011-06-20T21:02:00.003-04:00

Allan and Charmaine Wendroff, residents of Amelia Island, took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip this afternoon. The winds had shifted and the smoke from the Okefenokee fires had been pushed back to the west as we left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 3pm. We headed over to Tiger Island and fished the log strewn bank as the tide began to drop from a 1pm high. We tied up to a downed tree and fished back to some sunken tree branches with live shrimp on jigs and floats. Both Charmaine and Allan had good bites and soon Allan had what felt like a concrete block on his line, but it was pulling back! He played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 20" Flounder! We fished the entire bank, having a few bites, then headed up to Jolley River to a nice creek run-out. The mullet were schooling and fish were feeding and soon Charmaine had a good bite. She fought what turned out to be a big Trout to the boat and we almost had it netted when it made one final flip and threw the hook! OUCH! Luckily, not long after, Allan had a good bite and he eventually brought to the boat a nice 20" Trout. He also had a line ripping run after a strong bite and the fish came out of the water a couple of times. I knew it wasn't a Bonnethead and was hoping it was a huge Trout, but when Allan finally subdued it we found it to be a nice Black Tip Shark! We fished another spot with no luck then headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Early Morning Artificials

2011-06-20T11:41:00.001-04:00

Michael Furhman was in town with other relatives and treated his two sons Zachary and Austin to a early morning day of Amelia Island backcountry fishing. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 6am and headed up to the Jolley River to catch the very last of an outgoing tide. Trolling the oyster lined banks, the anglers were tossing jigs with weighted swim baits and Gulp shrimp. We had a few bites and it wasn't long before Michael had a hookup and reeled in a nice Seatrout. We cruised the same bank as the tide started back in then move on up the river where we saw numerous Shark, but had no takers. Michael again had a hookup and caught another nice SeaTrout. After a few passes of a creek run out we headed back to the Tiger Islands, fishing the log strewn bank. We didn't have any takers along there and eventually called it a day, heading in to get the anglers back in time for breakfast with the family, but counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Father's Day Surprise

2011-06-19T16:57:00.002-04:00

Candace Carter, her sister-in-law Heather, and her mother-in-law set up a surprise Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip today for their husbands. They rousted them out of bed early and had them at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp by 7am. We headed up the Amelia River and started an easy troll of the exposed oyster beds as the tide began to ebb. Using a jig/shrimp combo, Clifford was first to break the ice and hooked up with a nice Seatrout. Al had a couple of hookups with the "Poor Mans Tarpon" - Ladyfish and landed them expertly. Rashad grew quiet. As the tide started in, we cranked the big Johnson and ran around to the Nassau River and the south end of Broward Island. Al caught a feisty Redfish and Clifford had a nice Trout. And Rashad grew quieter. But then Rashad's rod bent and his drag ripped out and FISH ON! He had a good fight with the fish hunkering down deep then rolling on the surface and he played the fish like a pro and we soon landed a nice 25" 5lb Redfish! Game On! Clifford hooked up with a big one, too and played it for a minute or so until the fish got into the tree limbs and broke itself off. Rashad added a 16" Trout to the fish box then he had another powerful hookup and another big fish! He fought it to the boat and we soon netted another 26" Slot sized Redfish. Things slowed down so we headed back, stopping at a couple of run-outs where Clifford caught another Trout and then Al had something take his live shrimp under a float and FISH ON! His drag ripped out and the fish kept going until Al slowed him down and then the battle ensued. 15 minutes later Al landed a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark on the light tackle rod/reel combo. We took pictures, released the fish, then headed in, counting it as another great Father's Day to be out on the water!

Big Lucky

2011-06-16T22:20:00.000-04:00

Scott Omelia was visiting relatives on Amelia Island so he treated his 7 year old son Palmer to a morning of backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark. We had some severe thunderstorms last night and there was lingering wind and overcast skies as we headed up the Nassau River with a tide high and still coming in. We made our first stop at a small creek and tossed out some live shrimp under floats. It wasn't long before Palmer's float disappeared and his drag began to rip out! FISH ON! He held on tight and then his dad pitched in and they fought the fish around the boat a couple of times before we landed a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark for pictures and release. Shortly after Palmer dubbed the rod he was using "Big Lucky"! We hit another spot with know real bites then headed over to Broward Island to fish the flooded logs and limbs. Although we were still using the float rigs, we also tossed out a jig and shrimp combo and it that turned out to be the trick because Palmer soon had a hookup and pulled in his first feisty Redfish. He went back to the same spot and a little later had a hard bite and another fight on his hands. I was retreiving the net when I heard him yell, "it's a Big Redfish" and then we saw it roll up behind the boat. He cranked the fish in and we netted a nice 19", 3lb Redfish for pictures and release. We tried a couple of more spots then headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Florida House Inn Brings Back Homestyle Lunch

2011-06-13T19:15:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of eating lunch at the Florida House Inn today and it was there "grand re-offering" of the home style lunch! The wonderful Florida House Inn staff brought out homemade meatloaf and fried chicken, along with biscuits and jam, succotash, stewed squash, collard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy, iced tea and topped it off with a blueberry cobbler and ice cream! WOW! It was a great meal and even nicer was that I got to meet some great people that I'd have never had met if I hadn't sat down at their table. Innkeepers Emily and Karen Saltmarsh and their staff were gracious hosts, it was a warm atmosphere, and the food was delicious! Lunch will be served 7 days a week from 11:30am to 3pm.

Trout, Blues, Ladyfish, Redfish

2011-06-10T08:15:00.000-04:00

Jon Han and his wife Marilyn, along with their kids David and Grace, were in town visiting Amelia Island, all the way from Pittsburgh, PA and took in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock early and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some docks on the last of an outgoing tide. Although we had a few nibbles, no fish actually wanted our live shrimp on jigs and under floats! So we pulled up anchor and ran up to the Jolley River to fish the very last of the tide. When we began to troll the oyster lined banks, the family began to pick up fish. Grace had the hot rod at first and she caught some ferocious Blues and jumping Ladyfish. Marilyn joined in and picked up a nice Seatrout. Fishing in the back of the boat, Jon had multiple hookups with Ladyfish. We moved spots as the tide started in and had great oyster bank to fish and very little wind. David's rod turned hot and he began to catch fish, putting a nice Blue in the boat and hooking up with Ladyfish. Then we had a strong bite and David worked a feisty Redfish in to the boat with Grace handling the net. Later, David was working his jig back to the boat and POW!, FISH ON! This fish had some size and he played it perfectly to Grace's waiting net - a fat 18" Trout! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Smokey day on Amelia Island waters

2011-06-05T19:47:00.002-04:00

Greg Metcalfe and his wife Diane along with friends John and Erin, all from Calgary, Canada were visiting Amelia Island and scheduled a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock promptly at 7am and headed up to the Jolley River to catch the tide as it just started in. I lowered the trolling motor and began to ease along the exposed oyster banks as the anglers tossed their jig/shrimp combo to the shallows. It wasn't long before Erin had hooked up with a jumping Ladyfish and John hauled in a snapping Bluefish. All the anglers had bites, but we didn't get a whole lot of hook ups. We headed on up the river to the MOA and fished, again getting bites here and there until John hooked up with a juvenile Redfish and brought it to the boat. About this time heavy smoke rolled in from the fires at the Okefenokee Swamp and I began to wonder if we would even be able to navigate! Be we fished on and our next stop was outside the Tiger Islands and this turned out to be the ticket. Diane caught an nice Seatrout, Gary and John caught Blues, then BIG FISH ON! Erin's drag began to scream and she held on tight as the line ripped out. She fought the fish for a number of minutes before it got tired of playing and spooled the reel until the leader snapped! Shortly after Diane had a good hookup and FISH ON! Another drag ripping run and Diane had a fight on her hands. She also had a good battle until the fish crossed an oyster bed and cut itself off! OUCH! Gary saved the day when he had a strong hookup, a good battle, and then boated a nice 2' Bonnethead Shark. With that, we called it a day, another great day to be on the water!

Pandemonium!

2011-06-03T17:38:00.000-04:00

Barbara and Mike Van Beyrer and their kids Bailey and Cooper were visiting Amelia Island from Charleston, S.C. and took in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the City of Fernandina Beach marina on a rising tide at 7am this morning and headed up the river to the Tiger Islands. Our first stop found the tide almost covering the oysters so the anglers tossed out live shrimp under Cajun Thunder floats. It wasn't long before it was pandemonium with hookups happening right and left. Cooper had the hot rod at first, catching a nice Seatrout and then a Bluefish. Then Bailey yelled, "I got one" and her drag began to scream, line running out, and out, and out...and POP, fish gone! But it wasn't long before she had another on and again, the drag screamed as the line ran out. This time she cranked it in and then Barbara joined the fight and the two of them went 'round and 'round the boat with the rest of us moving bait buckets, nets, seats and rods. Barbara fought the fish like a pro and after a 15 minute battle we netted a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark for pictures and tossed him back in. Mike had a number of hookups and then brought to the boat a feisty "poor man's Tarpon" - the Ladyfish. The anglers had a number of hookups, cut-offs, saw a manna ray, and caught more Blues. Then Mike had a strong hookup, again the drag screamed, and he had a fight on his hands. He played the fish perfectly and we boated another Bonnethead. Cooper wrapped up the catching when he had a good bite and this time it didn't run like a shark, but made it's stand in one location. He worked the fish in and his dad netted a great 19" slot sized Redfish! We hit a few more spots, had some nibbles here and there, then called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Double Trouble

2011-06-02T21:28:00.000-04:00

Tom and Jean Priola, along with their grandaughters Jackie and Taylor, were visiting Amelia Island from New Jersey and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7am and headed up the Nassau River, making our first stop at Bubblegum Reef. We got our float rigs with live shrimp out and the anglers were soon getting bites, having their floats dissapear on occasion. Jean was reeling hers in and had it almost to the boat when her float took off and the line began to rip out! While she was fighting that large fish another float went under and we had a "double" fish fight going on! The smaller fish turned out to be a Ladyfish and Jean's turned out to be a nice 2'+ Bonnethead Shark. We eventually headed on up to Broward Island, tied off to a limb and fished in the shade of the island. The girls caught a couple of nice SeaTrout, Tom had something to the boat and Jean hooked up again with something big! She fought the fish (I'm pretty sure it was a Redfish - it rolled up a couple of times) but as she got it close to the boat it broke itself off on some logs- the Big One that got away! The sun was up so we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Must have been the Lucky Shirt

2011-06-02T21:09:00.002-04:00

Greg Melasky and his wife were visiting Amelia Island from Texas and Greg decided to take in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. I had a baitwell of live shrimp and mud minnows so we made our first stop at the docks of Long Pointe and eased along the docks with Greg pitching his minnow up to the pilings. We did have one good bite but what probably was a flounder turned it lose. We then headed up Nassau River and a made a couple of stops along the exposed oyster beds as the tide turned and began to come in. The weather was great but the wind made it almost impossible to work the bank the way we wanted and we had no real bites. Greg had mentioned that he had on his lucky shirt and with a couple of hours of fishing under our belts and no fish, I was beginning to wonder! We made a run to Broward Island's south end, turned the bow into the wind and current and began to work the long strewn bank and ....FISH ON! Greg had a strong hookup and then he fought the fish expertly, even though it was doggedly trying to throw the hook. We eventually netted a nice 22" slot Redfish. Not long after that Greg had another strong hookup, this one out deeper and shaking it's head. Greg, an accomplished angler, again played the fish beautifully and we netted a 20"+ Seatrout. NOTE that I almost titled this report "Keeper Streak" because Greg went on to catch three more nice Seatrout in the 18"-20" range before dropping down to some undersized fish. We ended the day tossing topwater lures over the now flooded oyster beds and Greg saw more action by hooking up to a large Ladyfish and having his lure rolled on by something of size, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Big Shark Makes the Day

2011-05-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

The Calhoun family, Melissa and Wally, along with their two sons, Wade and Alex, took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. We made our first stop along the shores of Tiger Island and Wally was the first to pick up a Trout, then Melissa hauled in the ferocious predator, a Bluefish. We made another stop around the corner where the whole family caught Trout. We made a run up to Jolley River to fish an large creek runout and Wally added to the species list by catching a Flounder and a Ladyfish. Fishing a jig/shrimp combo on the bottom, Wally hooked up with a large fish that made the drag on his reel scream and he played the fish perfectly. He got what turned out to be a Shark to the boat a couple of times and just when we thought the fish had tired, it broke off with a snap! Wow, what a disappointment! But the anglers were not to be deterred and persevered, soon hooking up with another large fish. This time Wally fought the fish around the boat and after period of time, wore the fish out which we promptly netted and tossed to the deck for pictures and examination! This topped of the day, another great one to be out on the water!

Big Trout Bottom Fish

2011-05-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

Gordon Duff of Tifton, Georgia treated his grandson Ethan to a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. We made our first stop outside of Tiger Island, fishing the grass line just as the tide had started out. It wasn't long before the anglers were hooking up to Seatrout, albeit just undersized. We made a quick stop behind the island with no real bites then headed up to Jolley River to fish a large creek runout. Ethan was manning a rod with heavy jig tipped with shrimp in hopes that we'd pick up a shark. The rod tip jerked and Ethan grabbed the rod only to have it make a deep bend and the drag began to scream as the fish made a run. He fought the fish perfectly while I prepared the net and made my plan to toss the shark onto the deck of the boat when Ethan yelled, "TROUT"! He finished the battle and we netted a very nice 22" 3.5lb Seatrout. Later we had a huge Ray come out of the water as all three of us were looking out to the river and what an awesome site it was! We finished the day fishing 1/4oz jigs and shrimp along the oyster beds and picked up two feisty Redfish, then called it another great day to be on the water!

Father and Son Fishing Trip

2011-05-29T22:11:00.001-04:00

Rick and Josh Weinberg took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip this Memorial Day weekend on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up the river, making our first stop at a flooded oyster bed outside Tiger Island. We didn't have any takers of our live shrimp under float, so we made our way around to the mouth of Tiger and fished some more oyster beds, picking up a few Seatrout. We were treated to a Manatee cruising by as we fished. Fishing behind Tiger island produced a feisty Redfish, still using shrimp under a float, then we headed up to the Jolley River where the guys caught another couple of Redfish. On further up the river, Josh had a strong hookup and he soon had a good fight on his hands. He fought the fish perfectly and we boated a nice Shark for pictures and release. It was a beautiful day to start off the Memorial Day weekend, another great one to be out on the water!

9.9 on the Great Day to Be Fishing Scale

2011-05-21T08:22:00.000-04:00

Jimmy Hill of Statesboro, Georgia was visiting Amelia Island with his son Alex, a Pre-Med student taking a break from his studies. We met at the Sawpit Boat Ramp at 7am just as the tide was hitting bottom and headed straight for Broward Island to fish the incoming tide. We couldn't have asked for a better day as the temperature was still mild, no clouds and just a very little wind. There were patches of fog but that soon burned off as the sun came up. We started our troll along the log strewn island and it wasn't long before Alex had a firm hit on his 1/8 oz jig/live shrimp combo and the fight was on! Alex played the fish perfectly and we soon netted the feisty Redfish. Later, Jimmy hooked up with another Redfish and had a good battle. We made a second pass of the island and when Jimmy yelled FISH ON, Alex responded with FISH ON, too! After the second pass we ran back to Seymore's Pointe where the first cast of a live shrimp under a float produced a strong hookup that Alex played perfectly, but the fish must have found one of the rocks to break off on. Not to be deterred, Alex found another bite up near a dock piling and this time he prevailed, pulling in another Redfish. We tried our luck at Bubble Gum Reef, then ran through Jackstaff to fish it's mouth where Jimmy briefly fought a Ladyfish, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Nebraska Slam

2011-05-18T08:13:00.000-04:00

Don and Peggy Brown were visiting Amelia Island with their two kids, Matt and Madeline and scheduled a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. The Nebraska family and I met at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp and headed up to Tiger Island for the last two hours of the incoming tide. We baited up some live shrimp under popping corks and tossed them out...FISH ON! Madeline had only had her float out for a minute and she had a hookup and a fish fight on her hands! She played the fish beautifully and we soon netted a 20+ inch Trout! Peggy joined in by catching a couple of Bluefish then we headed around to the backside of Tiger. The wind had picked up and the air temperature was uncommonly cool but the anglers perservered and Matt's patience paid off because he soon landed a nice keeper sized 16" Flounder. The tide reached it's peak so we headed to the docks of Lanceford Creek and although the tide was still pushing in somewhat, Don found a feisty Redfish to battle with, completing the Brown Family Slam, and Peggy hooked up with a nice Trout. Our last stop was further up Lanceford and the family boated more Trout with Matt adding to the cooler another nice Flounder. With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Saltwater Variety

2011-05-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

Ricky Anderson and his friend Lisa arrived at Amelia Island on a motorcycle and wanted to take in some backcountry Amelia Island fishing during Ricky's first visit to Florida. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 2pm on The Anglers Mark and headed up to the docks of Lanceford Creek on the first of an outgoing tide. The water temperature has dropped from last week to 72, but it hasn't affected the excellent fishing. We anchored just south of a dock and tossed our live shrimp under Cajun Thunder floats to the pilings and like this morning, first cast, FISH ON! Lisa played the fish expertly and we soon landed a nice Redfish for pictures. More casts to the pilings produced more Redfish with a couple pushing the Slot size and the anglers totaled 5-6 fish in about 30-45 minutes. We eventually ran around to behind Tiger Island where they caught more Red's and Trout then Ricky hooked up with something big - it rolled and flashed and we both thought "BIG TROUT", but when he successfully fought it to the net we found it to be a very nice Sheepshead! We cruised Cumberland Island to view some wild horses then we move on up to the Jolley River and trolled the oyster banks - the wind died down and it turned out to be perfect fishing weather. Ricky caught a Ladyfish that landed itself with one of its jumps and we ended the day catching Trout on the jig/shrimp combo at dead low tide and headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

First Cast, FISH ON!

2011-05-06T23:18:00.000-04:00

Pete Parsons and his family were in town for a family reunion so he and his relatives Foster and Bob planned a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7:30 this morning with overcast skies and a brisk breeze. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours so we headed up to the docks of Lanceford Creek and anchored up-current for some easy casting to the pilings. Pete's Uncle Foster was the first to get a live shrimp in the water and as he played the line out to allow his bait to drift to the pilings and, FISH ON! The other guys hadn't had a chance to get their rods unlimbered and Foster was playing a hard-fighting Redfish to the waiting net and pictures. We fished the docks and had few bites after that and the SE wind was picking up so we headed to the shelter of Tiger Island and anchored in a good spot to present our baits. Foster must have had a "hot" rod early because he soon boated a larger SeaTrout then Bob got in on the action by catching Trout and we also picked up a nice Flounder to complete our "Inshore Slam". We moved on up to Jolley River where Bob hooked up and fought some hard jumping Ladyfish then the trio added a couple of more Trout. We ended the day fishing a larger creek where Foster heated up his rod again, boating keeper sized Trout, one after another. Bob had Trout, too, then Pete hooked up with a fish that caused his reel to scream and the fight was on! Pete fought the fish expertly and soon tired the 2 1/2'+ Shark and we tossed it in to the boat for pictures. Then Pete added another Trout to wrap things up, and we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

The Gato Roared!

2011-04-28T22:52:00.001-04:00

I had the pleasure of fishing again this morning with Pinson and Tina Neal and their two kids P4 and Landon. We had seen that severe thunderstorms were due to hit the area around noon so we planned to leave the Fernandina Beach Marina at 7am, just after the tide had peaked and started out. We headed The Anglers Mark up Lanceford creek to fish the docks with live shrimp under floats. I noted that the wind hadn't started yet and it was really nice conditions. Tina started things off right by hooking up with a hard fighting keeper sized 18" Trout and brought it to the boat expertly. P4 did the same, hooking and catching a nice Trout. We moved on to another dock and it turned out to be the right move as all anglers began to catch feisty Redfish after Redfish, boating about 7-8 fish in all in about an hour. Both Landon and Pinson hooked up for a "double" Redfish, causing Landon to exclaim, "let the Gato Roar!" Then Pinson tossed a quarter ounce jig with shrimp out deeper and soon had his rod bent with something bigger than the earlier Reds. He played the fish perfectly, pulling it out from around the pilings and landed a 20" slot Redfish. The wind was picking up so we headed to Tiger Island but it offered no shelter and we had no bites. Our next stop was Jolley River where P4 got a small shark to the boat, but we had no other real bites after that. We caught some finger mullet and made one more stop at a creek runout where Tina added to the box another keeper sized Trout caught on one of the finger mullet fished deep on a jig and with that, we wrapped up the day, counting it as another great day to be out on the water.