Calling For The Slam

 Amelia Island

I was back to work today, fishing south out of Sawpit Creek with Scott and Carron Frost. After meeting them early, we headed up the intercoastal, thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill and set  up fishing float rigs and live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. Carron kicked it off pretty quick with a couple of Bluefish catches, we had a breakoff or two, then Carron had a stong hookup. I was thinking it was a Redish by the way the drag was ripping -Carron kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat and I was still thinking "Redfish" until I saw it flash - a huge Seatrout!  We got it to the net and it measured right at 20", boy what a fish! Both anglers battled Bonnethead Sharks to the boat for photograph and release. 

We fished a large drainage down from Seymore's Pointe and had a some good bites. Scott hooked up and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. After running thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Point  we again drifted the floats. After a couple of good bites but no takes Carron then hooked up and the drag was ripping. She battled it to the boat and landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. Shortly after that she had another hookup, played it experlty, and landed a 2nd Slot 21" Redfish. Scott followed that up with a Redfish catch of his own, then he put a keeper sized Seatrout in the box. 

We fished the mouth of Jackstaff for a while then ran back thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks.
Scott and I both were kidding Carron that she hadn't caught a Flounder for a "Slam" when sure enought she had a slow take, a hookup, and when we saw that this fish was digging deep we felt sure it was a Flounder. And it was!  A nice 17" fish that went in the box. 

Our final stop was further down the river at Spanish Drop, working the bank and here Scott got hot, putting a couple of more Redfish in the boat - one bit the minute the bait hit the water. One of those fish was the third Slot Redfish of the day. We had caught some good fish, had a beautiful day, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Weren't Fishing, We Were Catching!

 It looks like I wrapped my week up fishing this morning with the Sparrow crew - Will, his kids Abigailand William, and his mother Nancy -meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a bait will full of live shrimp and frisky mud minnows as we eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run down the river to fish an exposed shell bank with jigs rods on a tide that still had about two hours to hit bottom. 

It didn't take long for Abigail to "knock the skunk off" with a nice Redfish catch, and from then on I stayed busy netting fish and bating hooks. All four anglers caught fish - Redfish and Flounder - we had at least one Slot Red along that stretch, and two keeper sized Flounder and we tossed back a good handful of smaller fish. 

As the bite slowed we ran further down the river and on around to the MOA (mother of all) spot and boy were we in for a surprise!  Abigail hooked and expertly battled to the boat another Slot Red. William landed a couple of keeper sized Seatrout. His dad Will hooked up with a monster and after a long battle landed an Oversized 29.75" Redfish (4th biggest of the year on the Anglers Mark). Nancy fought a nice Slot Redfish to the boat. Both Will and William brought Bonnethead Shark to the net for photograph and release. William tangled with

another Oversized Red that was having none of coming to the boat. It rolled and boiled and dug deep and eventually broke off. And to top things off, Will, after bumping his bait over a shell bed, and thinking he might have a shell until it began to pull back, yelled, "it's a fish", and boy was it!  Will patiently played it and worked it to the net to land a Doormat of a Flounder that measured at 21.5" - big enought to move Will in to 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We finished up around the corner tossing float rigs on an incoming tide and tangling with a handful ofBonnethead Shark and then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.