Oversized One, Two and Three

 That was some wind we had the last two days. 20mph plus winds so I was off. Carol and I walked the dog downtown and then down to the Marina and boy was it ugly out there! But those winds dropped last night and this morning greeted us with only 3mph, sunny and cool temperatures in the high 40's, boy what a pretty day! I met Dick Conley and his crew, David Gray and Henry Ross, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early on a low and still outgoing tide. We eased around to the Sawpit bridge, anchored with the I=Pilot and David and Dick began drifting slip floats out the back baited up with live shrimp. They had a good number of drifts and did see some action - both hooked and landed legal sized Weakfish. (All fish caught today were released). Henry was  up on the bow tossing a DOA shrimp and picked up the loan Seatrout at that spot.

We then ran up the Intracoastal, up the Nassau and made our way to a drainage between two docks, where I thought it would be a sure thing to catch Seatrout. Dick and David were fishing jigs and live shrimp, Henry stayed with the DOA and...we didn't get a real bite. Ouch. We then ran down to Broward Island to fish it on the last of an outgoing. Here, we did get some action. All three anglers caught Seatrout tossing jigs or the DOA. Actually, the DOA produced pretty good. Throwing the shrimp though, David and Dick caught a feisty Redfish each. But then David had a strong bite, one that dug deep and ripped that drag. I must losing my touch - I didn't think it was going to be HUGE - "just" a nice Slot Red. But David proved me wrong. He worked it in patiently, brought it to the net, and landed an Oversized 30.75" Redfish. 

As we eased down the bank, drifting with the current, these three anglers put a good mess of Seatrout in the boat. There were a handful of keeper size, but we tossed them back. Then it was Dick's turn to battle the big fish. He had tossed up into a shadow, hooked up, and BAM! Big Fish On! Dick played it expertly - kept the pressure on, let it run, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed another Oversized Red that measured right at 28".  Boy what a fish!

We came back to fish a dock at Seymore's Pointe where Henry quickly put a Seatrout in the boat, but we were looking for Drum or Reds so we moved on. The final stop was at Spanish Drop, fishing some shell beds with the jigs and shrimp. Just when I thought the fish had had enough, Dick had made a coast up behind a shell bar and BAM!. There went the drag ripping again!  Another Big Fish on!  Dick battled it valiantly and soon worked in another Oversized Red, this one measuring in at 29". What a great way to wrap up a fishing trip! e had had beautiful weather and had put some big fish in the boat so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Tale of Two Halves

It was forecasted to be a nasty day and it didn't disappoint!  Overcast skies, sprinkling rain on occasion, and cooler temperatures greeted us at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp when I met Mark Averbuch and his fishing buddies Gerry Mathe and Paul Clark.  The good news was that the wind wasn't blowing so we made our way up the Nassau to make our first stop at a large drainage at Seymore's Pointe. We baited up live shrimp under fixed floats and got Mark out off the stern with his cast then Gerry out behind him. I was getting Paul set up and when I turned around I only saw one float - the other was missing!  Gerry started cranking and had the hookup and Fish On!  Gerry worked it to the boat expertly and landed a nice1 16.5" Flounder! Skunk off the boat!

What a great way to start a fishing trip but he excitement was short lived. All three anglers were getting good casts and good drifts but we had no real bites at that spot. We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and drifted floats there along the marsh grass, but to no avail We came back to Jackstaff "bank" and switched to jigs and live shrimp. Again, we were getting good casts but had no bites.

Back thru Horsehead we went and down to Nassauville where we fished between two docks. I had high hopes for Seatrout here, deep on the bottom, but after a dozen casts and no real bites I was beginning to worry. But perseverance paid off - Mark, fishing off the stern, found a "honey hole" and began to catch Seatrout, getting a bite on almost every cast.  He had figured out to slow his retrieve to almost zero, just taking up slack as the jig bounced along the bottom and when he felt the "tap", bam, he had a hookup. Paul picked up on the technique and began to put fish in the boat, then Gerry caught a few, too. All of these fish were in the 12-14" range but we did have one of keeper size (released). We probably could have stayed there and caught fish until we ran out of bait, but we moved on to seek bigger fish. 

After running way up the Nassau River we dipped into a creek and worked the bank with the jigs. I was expecting Redfish but I was beginning to think they were going to let me down. But Paul, casting to the "palm and pine" hooked up and Fish On!  He played it patiently and brought to the net a feisty Redfish. He went back to the same spot and BAM! Bigger fish on. This one was ripping drag, a sure sign it was in the Slot, and sure enough, after a good battle, Paul landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. We worked further down the bank until we hit marsh grass and with a little time to kill, we dropped back to the Palm and Pine and this did the trick. All three anglers began to get Reds. A couple were right at 17+", and one was in the Slot  at 20", and a couple were small but "feisty".(all Reds were released today) It was a good "grande finale" - the first half of the trip had started slow but the 2nd half we had finished strong so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Bragging Times Two

 

What a cold, windy and dreary day it was that greeted us when David Vice and his fishing Team Gary and Allen met me out at Goffinsville Park this morning.  For me, it was a toss up whether to try and fish today with winds forecasted to get up to 16mph. But I had a Plan! So we met and made a long run up and thru Horsehead, into the intra-coastal and up the river to make our first stop at a nice drainage in hopes of getting some Drum or Reds on the last of an outgoing tide - but we didn't have a bite on our jigs and live shrimp.  We ran further up the river and into a creek behind Piney Island and fished it for a bit but again, we had not a bite. I was beginning to think my "Plan" wasn't a very good one. 

We decided to come back towards the ramp and found a couple of docks we could fish with the jigs and this did the trick. Gary had the first reel bite but it didn't take, then Allen, after making an excellent cast, hooked up and expertly reeled in a hungry Seatrout. to "knock the skunk off".  From then on, we were caching fish, most all of them deep in 25-30' of water. We caught so many I was beginning to think we'd run out of bait. Gary got the hang of it and caught and landed a number of the Trout, a couple of which were of keeper size. He also put a keeper Weakfish in the boat. David, fishing off of the bow, caught one Trout after the other, with a keeper or two. He also put a keeper Whiting in the boat. 

Thinking that we may have a shot at some Drum, we ran up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some
pilings but we were back to no bites. We then made our way down to Broward Island just as the tide hit bottom. David got hot on the stern and brought in a Trout. He went back to the same spot and BAM! Fish On!  It was ripping a bit of drag and I mistakenly called "small Redfish", but boy was I wrong! Once that fish got out deep it began to "dig" and then ripped line up current, then back, then dug deep, then ran again. When David got it to the surface we saw that it was a huge Redfish. David played it perfectly, letting it run then working in, over and over, until he was able to ease him into the net to land a 1st Place standing in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament with a 32" Redfish. Boy what a fish!. 

From the same hole we had another hookup. Gary was on the rod this time- he fought it valiantly and brought it up from the bottom. It was fighting a bit "weird" and sure enough when Gary got it to the net we saw that it was a very nice 18" Sheepshead, big enough to kick off the Bragging Rights Sheepshead Category with a 1st place position. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Not minutes later young Allen worked in and landed the only Slot Redfish of the day-  a nice 20" fish. The trio of anglers caught another handful of Seatrout, two of which were of keeper size(those and the big Sheepshead were released - they had enough for dinner). We fished until the bait was gone then we headed back to the ramp can counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Beating The Drum

 

Oh what a pretty day we had today! It was kinda cool but only a "two layer" day, and the sun was out with no real wind- the water early was like glass. I had met Henry Ross and his son-in-law Devon down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made our way  up the intracoastal and then up the Nassau River to fish a dock at Seymore's Point on the very first of an incoming tide. As it turned out, we may have been early. Both anglers were making excellent casts to the pilings but we had not a single bite, not a one. We eased around teh corner to Nassauville and fished an outlet with a deeper drop off and this did the trick. Devon got hot early, I think it was his first cast and he had a hookup and played to the net a hungry Seatrout. He followed that up in quick order with a couple of more catches. Henry got things going and caught a hanful of the Trout too. Out of the 10 or 12 that we caught, one was of keeper size. 

We then made our way down to Broward Island and fished the first of an incoming there. Again, Devon got hot - he caught a couple of small Redfish, then had a strong bite and as his drag ripped, we had a big Fish On!  Devon played it perfectly, let it run worked it in, let it run and finally brought to the net a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. The duo added a few more fish before we moved down about 40'. Again, they picked up a couple of smaller Redfish and a Trout or two. We then moved further down, turned nto the current and worked back and caught more Reds, a keeper sized Sheepshead, and a Trout or two. Before we left the area we decided to fish are first spot one more time, now that the tide was really coming in and it paid off. Devon added a nice 20" Slot Redfish to his catch total and Henry battled a big Black Drum to the net. He had a " Bragging Rights" Sheepshead to the surface but it shook the hook before I could get it netted. Net man has to be quicker!

After making the long run up the Nassau and dipping into a creek we worked it thoroughly and it paid off with another 8-10 Redfish caught, one of which was in the Slot. Although the first spot didn't produce, the rest did and we caught a "mess o' fish" so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mangroves Reds and Manatee

We did a mid morning trip today, meeting at 10:30am - High Tide up at Nassauville. I met James Tuten,

his brother Robert and Roberts daughter Katie down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the 15 minute run up to Semore's Pointe where we went with float rigs and live shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide - it was high!  It didn't take long before Robert "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. We dueled with those Snapper for a bit before we moved on. 

After running thru Horsehead we made our way over to Poteat Pointe. The tide was right, just starting out, but the wind had picked up as forecasted and it was blowing right in our face. All always say, when fishing floats, "get a natural drift in the zone"= we were getting the drift but the wind was blowing our baits away from the grass - we had no real bites. We then made our way over to a creek off of Jackstaff and worked it with the floats, again, no avail.

Back thru Horsehead we went, up the Nassau, and to some docks at Nassauville where James and Robert went to jigs and shrimp and Katie stuck with the float rig. She went to the rocks, making excellent casts and it paid off when her float disappeared. She lifted the rod and let the hook set and Fish On!  Katie worked it to the boat expertly and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. We stayed there until we got bored, boxing 10 keeper sized Mangroves, then moved on.

A short jump over and we were fishing Back River with floats. The tide was right but the drift was getting pushed off. We moved across the river and fished a bend and this did the trick. The current was strong enough to keep their baits up near the grass and it paid off with a good handful of feisty Redfish catches. While we were fishing we had a few small Manatee meander by, going downstream, then back up until they were hanging out right by the boat. 

We had had a beautiful weather, mostly sunny, and even though we had to deal with the wind, as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Punching Above Their Weight

 Another beautiful day, maybe the last before this next storm hits!  I met Glenn and Patti Langford up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning - the high had just hit bottom as we eased out of Eagans Creek and made our way up and around to the Jolley River. I turned into the "bank" just as the tide line moved past us and the two anglers began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oyster beds. We worked along for just a bit before Patti "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. She added a couple of more then Glenn began to get in on the action. When we reached the "hot spot" they really began to put fish in the boat. Most of the Reds were about 16", feisty and hard fighters - they were "punching above their weight" as Glenn described it! 

Lately, when we get into these schools of Rat Reds we'll eventually get one in the slot and sure enough, Patti had a strong hookup and, Fish On!  This one was ripping drag and digging deep but Patti kept the pressure on, worked it to the back of the boat and around the engine and back, and after a good battle landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We worked further up the bank, then dropped back down and again put a few smaller Reds in the boat, then Patti hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.

We left the fish biting and ran further up the river, just past Snook Creek, turned into the current and switched to float rigs. Both anglers were getting good drifts and again, when we reached the "hot spot", they began to get fish. There were at least three times when I yelled "we got a double" with both anglers fighting fish. Glenn had made a good cast up to a gap in some oysters and after just a few seconds we began to see his float bob, then move up current, and GONE!  Glen reeled in the slack, lifted the rod and let the circle hook set and, Big Fish On! It was ripping and digging and ripping!  Glenn played it expertly, worked it in, and eventually landed a big 25" golden copper Redfish, boy what a fish!

We left 'em biting again! We ran back down the Jolley, fished a point with the floats to no avail, then made our way around to the outside of Tyger and worked the bank on a higher incoming tide with jigs, in hopes for a Flounder. Unfortunately we caught no Flounder but Patti did battle a big Jack Crevalle to the net for release. Our final stop was around at Bell River, fishing another point and here Patti finished things up by battling a 4' Bonnethead to the boat. 

We had had a beautiful day of fishing, had caught a bunch of Reds, had two in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Uptick In Redfish Bite

 

We waited to go until the top of the tide today, meeting at 9am out at Goffinsville Park.  John Raker and Kenny King met me at the dock and where we were the tide was still coming in. So we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill and drifted float rigs and live shrimp down a flooding marsh bank. We had not a single bite for that stretch but after we dropped back and fished a pocket and here John found a Slot Red on the back side of the pocket which he handily brought to the net. 

We then made a run back to Seymore's Point and fished a large drainage. The duo picked up a handful of Mangrove Snapper, four of which were of keeper size. Kenny battled a bigger fish for a bit but it thru the hook half way to the boat. Ouch.  After running thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Pointe we continued to fish the floats and it paid off. Kenny picked up a Jack Crevalle then as we eased along the grass we saw some movement up in a pocket. John made an excellent cast to the grass and the float slowly went under, and Fish On!  John played it perfectly and brought another Slot Red to the boat. He and Kenny both had good hookups later and added another Redish to the fish count. 

We moved around to Jackstaff and fished a creek and here Kenny got hot, adding a Redfish and Bluefish the catch count. John battled a FBPPB (Fat Bellied Probably Pregnant Bonnethead) worthy of some sort of Bragging Rights to the boat for photograph and release.

After running back thru Horsehead we headed down to Twin Creeks and fished it a bit with jigs and shrimp, then we moved down to a drainage and here Kenny expertly played a Slot Red to the boat while at the same town John landed a hungry Seatrout. We finished up over at Back River, fishing floats. Kenny caught a 11 Spot Redfish to wrap things up which made for another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Fish Bite Better Today

 

All week long we've had beautiful days, today included, but for the most part, we had to really work to get some fish in the boat. But today we had the beauty and we caught more fish!  I had met Robert Stettner and David Vice out at Goffinsville Park early and with a tide that had been coming in for about an hour, we made a quick run down to Broward Island and set up to fish jigs and live shrimp. After tossing the baits up close, we let the slow current slide the bait down the river bottom.

David got on the board first with a strong bite, a hookup and after playing it expertly, he landed a nice feisty Jack Crevalle. From then on the two were getting bites and fish. Robert racked up on some feisty Sheepshead, a good handful of them, then he added a "barely legal" Slot Redfish. David put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. We moved down just a bit and added a couple of more Sheepshead to the catch total.  After fishing further down the island for a bit, we moved on. 

Our next stop was over at some docks at Seymores where didn't get much more than a nibble, then we
made a short run down the Nasau to Twin Creeks and tossed some float rigs up current and had it drift across the mouths. In just a few casts Robert was hooked up and it was big! The drag was ripping at the big fish headed north, then it turned and headed out to deeper water. I made the mistake of calling it a shark, because after Robert expertly worked it to the boat we saw that it was a huge Redfish!  Robert played it patiently and after a good battle landed a 28.75" over sized Redfish which we photographed and released.  Boy what a fish! And shortly after that he went thru another huge battle to land a 3' Bonnethead Shark while David put another Seatrout  in the boat. 

We fished down at Spanish Drop for a bit where Robert put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat,  then headed back over to Back River, fished s stretch, then finished up at Pumpkin Hill. The duo landed a Bluefish, another Trout, then David, after making an excellent cast to a grassy point, had a his float dissapear with a vengeance and Fish On!  David fought it expertly to the boat and landed a big 18" Seatrout. After fishing around the corner for a bit we called it a day and headed back to the ramp counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

One Fish Per Spot

 It seemed like we were in line to get one fish per spot that we hit today. I had met Phil Bailey up at Old Town Bait and Tackle on another beautiful day and with a tide that had been coming in for about 4 hours, we ran over and up the Bell River to set up on a point with plans to toss float rigs to the grass. If it wasn't Phil's first cast, it was is 2nd and Fish On!  He played it to the boat and landed a hungry Seatrout. But after that, we had no luck. 

We then ran thru Tyger and around to the downed trees and  briefly fished some jigs deep, then continued on up to the Jolley River and fished a stretch of flooding marsh. We were seeing some big fish "smash" bait but none took our offerings. The next stop was up the river, fishing a point and again, within a cast or two, fish on!  This was a fat Seatrout that was right at legal size. And after that, no real bites.

Further up the river, at Snook Creek, we worked the bank with the floats and picked up a feisty Bluefish,

then went inside and tossed jigs for a bit and barely had a nibble. The tide had hit high and was forecasted to be going out back towards Fernandina so we made our run back to the outside of Tyger and fished a corner and sure enough, BAM!  Phil had a hookup He fought it expertly to the boat and netted a nice Redfish. But other than a Needlefish catch, we had no more bites. After working a bank back out to the river, we called it a day and headed back to the boat ramp We had had a little bit of action, had been fishing on a beautiful day, so as we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Float 'em by the oysters

 I guess the Chamber of Commerce ordered up a week of fine weather 'cause today was another
outstandingly beautiful day!  I met Derek Wilson and his fishing buddy Tim down at Sawpit and we made a quick run thru some early morning fog, up the Nassau and pulled up at Spanish Drop. I keep waiting for this stretch of river to a"turn on" but today was not the day. We worked to areas with float rigs on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours, but had no luck. 

We then made our way around to the Back River and fished a stretch that has been good to me all week and today was no exception. We eased along the bank pitching the float rigs up to exposed oyster beds and letting it drift down the edge and we caught Redfish. The fish bite wasn't "on fire" but we did get 6-8 fish with two of them in the Slot range. 

Eventually we moved back to some docks at Nassauville and here Tim put a Flounder in the boat, then we finished up down at Broward fishing an outgoing tide. Tim added a couple of Sheepshead to his catch total at the first spot. But when we moved down the island we worked it pretty good but had no luck. It had been a beautiful day and with two friends getting together to get in a day fishing we counted it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Making the best with Fiddler Crabs

 The last thing I expected when walked in to the bait store this afternoon was for them to be (temporarily) out of live Shrimp AND Mud minnows. Oh lordy!  But they did have some fiddler crabs so I purchased a pint and a few packages of artificial baits and headed out to Goffinsville Park thinking we may be in for a long afternoon of fishing. I met William and Dara Blalock and their friends Brian and Janet Roach and we headed over to Broward Island to fish a tide that had been coming in for about an hour and half.

 I did have have some left over mud minnows so we used them and the crabs and it didn't take long before Janet "knocked the
skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. And just minutes later Dara had tossed back to a large drainage, had a bump, set the hook, and landed a keeper sized Flounder. 

We fished that area pretty good and caught a good handful of fish with William adding a keeper sized Seatrout to the box. The fiddler crabs were getting fish - Reds, a small Sheepshead, and even a Seatrout hit 'em.  We then ran way up the Nassau and dipped into a creek and fished the bank, alternating between the minnows and crabs and both caught fish. They added another keeper Flounder, another keeper Trout, and three small Slot Redfish to their catch. 

The wind had picked up as we came back down the river and fished Seymore's Pointe with float rigs, which produced nothing. But in behind the land mass, we were out of the wind and  it was pleasant fishing so we decided to work the docks with those crabs and it paid off. They caught Trout, a couple of feisty Redfish, then Brian topped things off with a good bite, and better fight, and he eventually landed the biggest Red of the day, a nice 23" Slot fish. We had made do with what we had and we had a nice box of fish so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Bang at the End

 I was wondering who was crazier, me or my guests for wanting to fish this morning, especially when I
stepped out of the house and it was pouring rain. I got the boat ready to go, came in for some coffee, and as I headed to the bait shop it was still raining, and they were surprised to see me or anyone else heading out to fish. But the forecast called for the rain to stop mid morning, so when I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddy Jason out at the Goffinsville boat ramp we all had on our rain gear, and we headed out.

The first stop was down at Broward Island, fishing jigs on the very last of an outgoing tide. The water was a bit muddy, which had me worried, but Steve soon knocked the skunk of when he hooked and landed a feisty Redfish. Jason followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout, then added another feisty Red to the catch total.  We picked up one or two more Reds and a Blue, fishing under the Bald Eagles, and we missed a couple of fish, too. 

We made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings, got a few nibbles, and Steve put another Trout in the boat.  After heading back around to some docks at Nassauville and here the water was calm with the wind blocked by the land mass. It took a few minutes but eventually both anglers began to get bites, and hookups. Steve took his chances up near a submerged log and caught another Red, a hard fighting Blue Fish, and then both he and Jason got in to some Flounder, catching and landing 5 of them with two being of keeper size. And we missed a few. 

Back Seymore's we switched to float rigs and they caught another Red, another Flounder, and another Blue Fish. On further around we fished a large drainage at the last of an incoming tide and this is when we had the Big Bang!  The duo began to get Seatrout of nice size, the biggest was 18.5" caught by Steve.  After Jason had made a cast that got him up alongside a grassy point, his float drifted and, BAM! Fish On!  He worked the fish out fairly quickly and we were thinking maybe a small Red, especially when it boiled, but then it began to rip drag with a vengeance and we knew it was big. There was a chance it may cut off on the shallow oysters but Jason stayed with it and finally brought to the net a big 26.5" "tournament" sized Redfish, boy what fish. They added a few more Trout to the boat, 6 keepers in all and of course there were a few that we missed. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as a wet fishing trip that turned out pretty good!

Grande Slam For The Day

 I fished with the Prolog's Hand and Mary and their daughter Mollie to day, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. And after running up the Nassau to our first stop at a dock at Seymore's I was feeling pretty confident that we were going to get in to some fish today. The tide was supposedly low and just starting in, and it was at this spot, but we struggled with bait stealers swiping our live shrimp off the jigs. We did outsmart a couple of them but had no luck with any bigger fish. 

Our next stop; was down at Broward Island and even though it had been "low tide" for about 45 minutes, it was still going out. We fished a good bit and dealt with the bait stealers again, then we moved on down the way and fished back. Here, we finally got into some fish - Mollie "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch. But again, that was it. 

Back up the island we went and now that the tide had begun to come in, we finally started catching.  Mary put a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat, then all three anglers were catching Redfish, one of which was in the Slot. Mary had a Seatrout catch which gave here an Amelia Islands Back Country Slam. When the bite slowed, we move on, heading back to Nassauville. 

Fishing between two docks we didn't get too much action, but Mary did have a strange bite, a hookup, and patiently brought to the net a almost legal Flounder to round out her very on Grande Slam. 

Our final stop was up the Nassau and into a Creek where we worked bank with logs. It was some finesse casting but they were up to it and caught a couple of Seatrout and Redfish. We had had a beautiful day and had pulled in some fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Steady Catch'n

 

I kicked off the week fishing with David Vice and his friends Robert and Henrietta, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp at sun  up. We made a quick run over to the Back River and set up to fish float rigs with mud minnows on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. It was only minutes when they began to get bites. David started it off with Seatrout, catching one after the other. Robert followed that up with some feisty Redfish catches then they were all catching fish. Redfish, Seatrout, Redfish, Redfish, Seatrout. Henrietta was on the stern and picked up a couple of her own.

We the ran down the Nassau and fished Spanish Drop, sticking with the float rigs and tangled with some Ladyfish, then moved up to a large drainage and caught more Redfish, more Seatrout, and Henrietta hooked and landed a keeper sized Flounder (released due to the closed season). We fished a dock later and caught a couple of Mangrove Snapper, a Whiting and a small Sea Bass. 

After fishing another dock where we caught a couple of more Mangroves, we made our way down to Broward Island on the last of the outgoing tide, but the wind had kicked up, and the bite fell off so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Good Variety, Good Fish at Amelia Island

 Although it was a bit overcast this morning, it made for a great day of fishing with only a slight breeze blowing. I had met Jonathan Valdez and his father-in-law Dan out at the Goffinsville Park on an "almost low" tide -it was still going out, so we went down a ways and fished between two docks with jigs and live shrimp. Both anglers had a "bump" now and then but it was Jonathan who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and battle a large Catfish to the net. We had a Salt Marsh Mink sighting there, too. 

We then ran down to Broward Island and set up to fish the still outgoing tide, under the watchful eye of a Bald Eagle. Both anglers were getting good casts to the exposed drop off and when we bot between two logs the action commenced. Dan hooked up  and when his drag began to rip we knew it had a bit of size. While he was battling that, Jonathan hooked up and brought to the net a feisty Black Drum. Dan patiently played his fish and soon landed a Slot Sized Redfish. And shortly after that he caught a keeper sized Seatrout.

After fishing Broward we made our way back to Seymore's Pointe, then down to Spanish Drop where the duo tangled with high flying Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle. Then Jonathan, after just switching to a float rig and live shrimp, had his float disappear. He tightened up the line, lifted his rod and let the hook set and Fish On! Jonathan expertly brought it to the net and landed the feisty Redfish.  As we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Redfish On Fire #2

 I fished a "double" today and went out this afternoon. After having a super fine-Christmas-left-overs-ham-sandwich at the Old Town Bait and Tackle picnic tables I met Tim Parker and his son Wes with plans to try and duplicate this morning's trip. I knew it would be a struggle early with that high tide we were facing - we're just not getting any fish on the high with these cold waters (water temp was 46 this morning).  But we had a plan! We made a cold run all the way  up to the Jolley River where we eased into Snook Creek and broke out some jigs and live shrimp to fish a deep hole. Although we had a nibble or two we had not takers. We worked some grass with floats then moved up into a small creek as the tide started out and tossed the jigs again. No bites!

But the tide was beginning to move so we made a run around to Bell River and set up above a dock and here Wes "knocked the skunk off" by landing a keeper sized 17" Sheepshead. He then hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. I was feeling a bit better and sure enough we began to get more bites and more fish. This duo landed a couple of more Trout, one of which was keeper size, then they put a few feisty Redfish in the boat. 

The tide was really getting down so we made the run back to Eagans Creek and to the "hot dock". The  minute we were set up we began to get bites - one Redfish after the other. Most of them were 16"-17.75" but we had a few that were in the Slot, the biggest being just over 20".  We fished and caught until the sun was about to go down had to "leave them biting", but as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

One After Another

 

Yesterday I fished with Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald out of Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We fished some docks at Nassauville where I was sure we'd have good success using jigs and live shrimp,  but all we picked up were a couple of Sea Bass and a "bait stealer". We then fished the Nassau River, tossing the jigs, but to no avail. But when we switched to float rigs we began to get some fish. The duo caught a couple of feisty Redfish and a good handful of Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size.

Today Dannie decided to stay home for some rest but Gregg brought along his father and his partner Ginnie and I met them at the Old Town Bait Shop ramp. We had a west wind still blowing so a quickly crossed over the intercoastal, hugged Tyger Island north and found some flooded marsh grass to fish with float rigs and live shrimp. But we had  no bites. We crossed over a creek and fished some more grass, and again, no bites. 

After running thru Tyger, around to the Bell and up Landsford we found a grassy island where Guy finally "knocked the skunk off" with a feisty Redfish catch. We fished that spot some more, moved over to a couple of more grassy islands, had some nibbles, then made a short run back to Soap Creek. There, we fished a large outflow with the floats, again, no bites, then we worked the bank for a bit, and again, no bites.  What the heck?

So we made the run back to Egans Creek, and found some dock pilings to fish, switching to jigs and the shrimp. The "demo" cast produced a bite - we hooked up and Ginnie reeled in a Redfish. And from then on....it was one fish hookup after another!  Rat Red, Rat Red, Rat Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Rat Red, Rat Red, Black Drum, Rat Red, Black Drum, Rat Red, Rat Red, Slot Red, BIG REd, Rat Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Black Drum, Flounder, Slot Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Rat Red -- We would have had to have a "clicker" to count them. But we did count the Slot fish and ended up with at least 10( there might have been a few that I didn't measure that were right at the 18" mark). We had numerous "double" hookups and ended the day with Guy and his Dad reeling in double Slot Redfish. As we eased back to the dock we counted it as another GREAT day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Recipe of The Month: Redfish on the Halfshell

This recipe comes from one of my angler guests, William Blalock. His dad showed me pictures of the end product and it looked so good I had to track William down and get his recipe! 

2 large or 4 small red fish fillets on the half shell (skin left on one side)

Marinade:

1/4 cup- Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup- extra virgin olive oil

1/4-1/2 -teaspoon- cayenne pepper (to your likeness 🔥)

1/4 tsp - dried thyme

1 Tbsp - paprika

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 - sweet onion

1 - lemon

2 - whole garlic cloves

1 - bunch - parsley (approx. 1 TBS)

1/2- stick (unsalted/diced)- butter

- Lay red fish fillets in a bowl/ dish flesh side up.

- Pour marinade ingredients over the fillets, rub in

well, and set aside.

- Thin slice the onion, garlic, and half of a lemon.

- Squeeze the reserved half a lemon over the fish.

- Lay the thin sliced onion and garlic over the fish

and allow the fillets to marinade for 30 minutes.

- Preheat your grill to medium heat, and place the

fillets on the grill flesh side down, reserving the

sliced onions and garlic. (We sear ours on the

blackstone, then transfer to the Green egg).

- After the flesh side has nice color and grill

marks, turn the fillets flesh side up, and add the

reserved onion and garlic slices from earlier.

- Once fish has been cooking for a total of about 20 minutes, place a cast iron
sauce pan on the grill.

- Add in butter. Once it is half way melted, remove the pan from the grill and add parsley. Stir.

- Season sauce with sea salt to taste and a squeeze of lemon.

- Remove the red fish from the grill and pour sauce over the top.  Garnish the top of the fillets with thin sliced lemon, and enjoy!

* this is adapted from The BBQ

Solid Lead

We had an uncharacteristic(for the week) forecast for some winds today, 11-14mph which ended up being correct, and made for some challenging fishing. But we persevered, fished, and ended up with a fairly decent day of "fish catching".

I had met the Latino family down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. Pete and Robin and their kids Marin and Jake were eager to get out on the water so we headed up the Nassau River and all the way around to Middle Marsh where we set up alongside some flooded marsh grass on a tide that had been going out for about two hours. I had fished this spot only once before but we had caught a nice Slot Redfish there. I wasn't feeling real confident when I

saw the west wind murkying up the water. Marin and Jake were out first with their casts, Marin on the stern and Jake on the bow and I think it was Jake's first drift when he had a hookup and a nice fish on! Jake fought the fish valiantly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish! That's the way to start a day! We fished that spot a bit, moved up to Pumpkin Hill and fished some edges there, then moved on. As I figured, that west wind was really making some mud along the shore.

We came back to Nassauville and tried to fish some rocks with the floats but the current was ripping so we moved around and fished some dock pilings, now out of the wind. Robin was helping out, coaching and encouraging as the other trio of anglers began to do battle with Mangrove Snapper. I think I'd have to say that Marin was making the best casts of all, but little did I now that Jake was keeping count of the fish caught! At one point he announced the total and with a solid lead, sat down to take a break from the action.

Pete finally had a solid hookup and this one was pulling some drag - no Mangrove this time. He played it patiently and soon brought to the net a nice 18" keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. He and Marin caught Mangroves until it was time to leave and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Heat Rising

Yesterday afternoon the forecast called for about a 50% chance of rain for this morning, but when I got up early it was down to about a 14%. We had already decided to chance it and it was all the better of a forecast. I met John Williams down at the south end ramp and he had his two kids, Hadden (8) and Ruth (6) along to help with the fishing!

We made a short trip up the intercoastal, then into the Nassau and began fishing a tide that had been going out for about 4-hours - the shell were showing. We began working a large drainage with jigs and live shrimp, and minnows but had no bites until we reached a corner of shell then John hooked up and, Fish On1  John played it perfectly - the fish fought up near the shore then headed down river but John was ready and followed it back to the stern. He patiently wore it out and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. 

Hadden moved up to the bow and began fishing the same spot and only minutes later he had a fish on. He had made an excellent cast and kept his line tight, felt the bump, set the hook and had a fish!  Hadden played it perfectly and soon landed a 20" Slot Redfish.

We moved down the river and fished Twin Creeks, had some bumps, but no takers, then we ran further up the Nassau and fished between two docks. Here, All three anglers boated some Mangrove Snapper, two of which were of keeper size. Young Ruth was casting on her own and was able to reel in one of these sneaky biters. We fished some pilings at another dock then made the run down to Broward and fished deep for a bit, to no avail. 

It had been getting hotter and hotter all morning but we made one last run thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff for a bit, then headed back with some cool breeze blowing. We had a few nice fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.