Mixed Bag

 

It was sort of a weird "fish catching day" today when I fished with Garland Clark and his son Kris. We had met down at the decrepit Sawpit Creek boat ramp early to beat the heat, then ran up the intracoastal to dip into Jackstaff and make our first stop at a new "cut" in the bank - it used to be lind with grass but it's washed thru. We could see the Flounder divots up on the exposed mud flat and we could see bait getting smashed along the edge, and as we fished we all three saw a nice Flounder coming flying out of the water chasing bait, but could we get them to take one of our offerings? Nope. But we did get a bite or two and had one close to the boat before we moved on. 

Our next few stops were over in the Nassau River fishing drainages. Garland knocked the skunk off when he hooked and expertly played to the net a nice keeper sized Flounder. Kris was fishing off the stern and tangled with a big high flying, hard fighting Ladyfish.  He had a nice hookup with a big Flounder that was almost to the boat before it thru the hook. We fished Seymore's for Mangrove Snapper, with no luck, then we fished Littlefield with jigs and this paid off for Kris when he hooked and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. 

We fished Pumpkin Hill on an extremely low tide and boy was it shallow! But Kris went out deep with a jigs and picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout.  Garland had a drag ripping bite that took him long - he worked it in slowly and soon boated a nice Black Tip Shark. Then we finished the day down at Broward Island  where we picked up one more Trout then Garland put a 14 Spot juvenile Red in the boat. 

7 In The Box or Flounder Flurry?

We were having a hard time coming up with the Report title for today, there were so many options to choose from: 7 In The Box?  Flounder Flurry? Slammed It? Fish at Every Spot?  You'll have to pick!  I had met Lee Warren and his grandson Noah and their friend David Vice out at Goffinsville Park this morning early and with a tide that had been falling for about 4 hours, we made a quick run down the Nassau to set up at a nice drainage and began to toss jigs and minnows to the exposed bank and drainage. It wasn't long before David hooked up and expertly boated a nice keeper sized Flounder. He added a keeper sized Seatrout to the box then hooked and patiently landed a big 19.5" Flounder to squeeze in to First Place in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We bounced down a hundred yards to the next drainage and again picked up fish. Noah hooked and landed a keeper sized Flounder then he expertly played a feisty Redfish to the boat to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Flounder, Seatrout and Redfish. We moved another 100 yards and again we caught fish- more Flounder. Our next stop was up at Bubblegum Reef - I haven't fished it in years - David and Lee were fishing forward off the bow near the Reef but we had a float rig going out back up near the shell bed and when it went under, Noah was on the rod. He brought it in slowly, lifting it up and reeling it down until he brought to the net a nice Slot Redfish, for the box. 

We fished Seymore's Point and lost the battle to what I think were Mangrove Snapper but David did haul in a Flounder to keep the streak going, then we finished up down at Broward Island fishing the jigs. Lee got on a hot streak, boating a keeper Flounder, a couple of small Flounders, and a hungry Seatrout. We had 5 Flounder in the box, a nice Seatrout and a Slot Redfish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Nice Box of Fish

 I wrapped my week up - have a great 4th of July weekend! Today I fished with the Braynard family, Scott and Jennifer and their adult sons Steve and David. We met early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made a quick run up the intracoastal and up the Nassau on slick water with clear skies - we had only a nice slight breeze all day. Our first stop was at Spanish Drop where we turned into the current and began to toss jigs and mud minnows to the still exposed shell bank. As we worked along we got a nibble or two then Scott hauled in a mangy Catfish! But he followed that up with a good hookup and successfully played a keeper sized Flounder to the boat. David followed that up with a keeper Flounder of his own and Scott finished the spot off with a Jack Crevalle battle to the net. 

We bounced own the bank, hitting drainages and drifting past them, finally switching to float rigs and the mud minnows, but we had limited success. 

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and this paid off with some good action. David went long with a float and picked up a hard fighting Flounder then Scott caught and expertly played a big 18" Seatrout. On queue, David drifted the grass and he too caught nice keeper sized Seatrout. Then it was Jennifers turn for the big battle - she had a strong hookup and that drag was ripping - she fought it valiantly as it made a couple of hard dashes, but she kept the pressure on and lifted it up, reeled it down, lifted it up and reeled it down until  she brought the beast to the net - a nice Jack Crevalle. 

We had some good bites here and there - Steve had a good drift really close the grass and caught the first Redfish of the day, a juvenile, but then he went long with a drift and BAM! Big fish on! He was so far back there that I thought for sure he'd get spooled quickly so we hit the trolling motor in high gear in reverse and back to it, all the while with Steve cranking in the slack as we went. We it "anchor" and let Steve battle the fish to the boat, a big 25.25" Redfish, boy what a fish. We had some good action at a couple of spots, had beautiful weather,

had seen birds, dolphin, and manatee, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Tourney Reds and Flounder Herd

 I fished with the Blalock's today, William and Dara, after meeting them out at Goffinsville Park early. The
tide was fairly high, still coming in, so we ran a bit down the Nassau River to "kill some time", making our first stop at Twin Creeks. We unlimbered the float rigs baited with live shrimp and mud minnows (the two anglers noted that they did better on the minnows as the day went on) and drifted the grass line as that tide continued to come in Dara had gone up into a little niche in the grass and after she saw here bait getting nibbled just a bit - it went under and she hooked it up! Fish On! She played expertly to the boat and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice 21" Slot Redfish.

We then ran back up the Nassau and fished a nice stretch of grass. William was on the stern and let his float go long, way long! It was almost out of sight when it disappeared under, and William tightened it up and let that circle hook set. He had a long haul back to the boat, but when we netted it we saw it was a nice 18" Seatrout. After moving up to a point of grass Dara had made an excellent cast to the bank and BAM! Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag and running deep, but Dara kept the pressure on and worked it patiently to the boat and landed a "Tournament sized" 26.25'" big Slot Red. And only minutes later, William went to the same spot with a pinpoint cast and BAM! Another big Redfish on!  William worked it in, let it run, worked it in and landed another Tourney Red, this one measuring right at 26". 

We fished Seymore's Pointe and picked up one Mangrove Snapper, ran to Poteat Point, then finished up back in Jackstaff where a mudflat dropped off to some deeper water. I had fished the same spot a week ago on a low tide and had noticed Flounder "divots" in the flat and sure enough these two caught Flounder for the next 30 minutes. I counted 8 brought to the boat with two them of keeper size. We had one come off at the boat and Dara hooked something big that ripped the drag for just a few seconds before it threw the hook. William went up the bank and picked up one more keeper sized Seatrout then 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. 

Bragging Rights Times Two

 Where have the fishing reports been? It's kinda hard to write reports when the fish "catching" has been almost non-existent! I fished four trips Monday thru Wednesday - we caught a few - Jacks, and Catfish, and Ladyfish, and maybe a few small Trout and small Flounder. Yesterday morning we did get into some Redfish and caught about 8 of them, but the biggest one was about 14"!

But today was a highlight, hence the report! I had met brothers Bob Miller and Jim Bergert down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made a good run up the intracoastal to make our first stop at Poteat Point. The tide had been going out for about an hour so we had time to drift the floats and it paid off. After getting a couple of good bites, Bob had gone up against the grass with a good cast and as it drifted along with the current, BAM! That float was gone! Bob quickly tightened up the slack and let the circle hook set and the fight was on. The big fish went deep, then came to the surface and rolled and we knew it was a big Redfish. Bob kept the pressure on and when the fish headed for the grass - it got in in for a just a bit- Bob gently teased it out and fought it to the net and landed a thick 22.75" Slot Redfish- the Big Fish Skunk was off!

We worked up along the bank, tossing forward and with Jim on the bow, he had gone up to a point of grass and was letting his bait drift back (we were alternating between live shrimp and mud minnows) and he had his float disappear. Those earlier bites we'd had were good practice because Jim caught up to it quickly and it was his turn to have a big fish on! I almost thought it was a big Gar fish when I saw it flash in the water, long and fat, but as he worked it to the net I saw it was huge Seatrout. He successfully landed it and it measured right at 22.75", the biggest Trout of the year and it placed Jim squarely in first place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

But Jim wasn't finished. Just minutes later he had another hookup - he played it perfectly and soon
brought to the net a 21.75" Seatrout, good enough for 2nd Place in the Bragging Rights Tournament. Boy those were some nice fish! We hit a number of other spots for the rest of the morning - caught some small Reds, small Trout, tangled with Ladyfish, and caught the first Mangrove Snapper of the year (it measured about 8") which was a highlight for me! Then we called it day and as we headed back to the dock, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

She Was A Big Trout

 

I wrapped my week up fishing south with Howard McClure and his buddy Joe - we met at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a nice drainage. The two anglers were tossing jigs and mud minnows to the shore line and got some good hookups - they hauled in two keeper sized Flounder and a small Redfish. We moved up the way and fished Twin Creeks for a bit before we moved on. Our nest stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to the pilings. We weren't getting many bites, if any, until Howard said the felt a bump and when it got heavy he expertly set the hook and Big Fish On!  Howard played it patiently and after a good tattle he landed an oversized 20.25" Seatrout, big enough to land Howard in a tie for third place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament, Seatrout Category. Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.

We fished some rocks at Seymore's, had a bite or two, then made our way down to Pumpkin where we drifted the float rigs. On the first pass Joe had a drag ripping bite that quickly snapped the leader  and after that we picked up  a Ladyfish and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. There as a storm brewing north of us so we headed back to the ramp and called it another great day to be fishing at Amelia Island, Florida.

Finally, A Banner Day

 

It's been a good while that we've had one of those Banner Days of fish catching, but today earned that moniker. I had met the DeNight boys, Jeff and his brother Scott and his nephew Abraham out at Goffinsville Park and we made a quick run down to Broward Island on a tide that was still going out. We set up and began to toss jigs and mud minnows and it didn't take long before they were catching fish. Jeff had a big 26" Slot Red pretty early, then he and Scott teamed up with a "double", catching keeper sized Flounder and Trout, respectively. We dropped down the island with the tide and Scott got hot catching Slot Reds and became the self-proclaimed "Redfish Master".  To top that Jeff had put a few more  

Flounder in the boat and he took the title of "Flounda Man".  Abraham got on the board when he expertly hooked and landed a nice Flounder of his own. 

We fished back down the Nassau and caught more Flounder and more Reds, and tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, then we ended up back at Pumpkin Hill drifting floats. The trio added a Jack Crevalle to their species total, then Scott added another keeper Flounder to the box. He then went long with a drift, way long, and sure enough, hooked and landed the biggest Trout of the day, one that

measured right at 18".  The GPK had  been in contention all day but it was the young angler who took it home - Abraham went long too and when his float disappeared he tightened up and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On!  Abraham played it perfectly, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then patiently brought to the net a nice 24"  8-spot Redfish to wrap things up. We had ended up catching 6 Slot Reds, about 7-8 Flounder with 4 of them keepers, and we had two nice Seatrout 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. 

Flounder and Finally Some Slot Reds

 Short report today...did a "double" then an AIGA meeting this evening, reporting late...

I fished with Steve and Carron Frost this morning on a tide that was coming in. We fished the outside of
Tyger with jigs with minnows and shrimp, had no real luck, then ran up the Jolley and fished the "bank", then further up to Snook Creek. Along the way we had some pretty decent action, catching some small Flounder, small Seatrout, and small Jacks. The highlight was when Carron went into a small "cove" with a good cast and had a hookup, as she was bringing her keeper sized Flounder to the the net, Steve went to the same hole and BAM! He had a hookup and reeled in is own keeper Flounder. We caught a few more Trout, with one of them being of keeper size, and ended the day with a total of 7 Flounder caught. 

The afternoon trip had Brian Roach, his son Mike and his friend Mark - we again ran up the outside of Tyger and worked the bank with jigs -Mark "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice Flounder. We moved around to Jolley Bank and worked it and here Brian had a hard thump and set the hook. He battled a big Flounder to the boat - it measured right at 19" and put Brian in the lead of the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

And then the bottom fell out! Boy what a rain - we could see it coming from the west and it drenched us good! But it passed after a while and the wind calmed and it became very pleasant to fish. We ran up the river to JC's spot and worked the exposed oyster beds and it paid off - Brian hooked and landed a nice 22" Slot Red, then Mike followed that up with a big 21" Slot Red of his own.  It was a long day but we caught some fish so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Rebound Down South

 We elected to fish south this morning in hopes for some decent gamefish and the plan produced! Yesterday my anglers worked hard and caught a bunch of fish, but we had a few too many "junk" fish for my liking. I also added 2 dozen mud minnows to the arsenal. I picked up William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsville Park (I launched at Sawpit( and we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill to catch the last 30 minutes of the incoming tide Dara was on the stern drifting a float and shrimp long and William followed her off the bow and I think it may have been Williams first or second pass that he hooked up and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle. Dara was out ahead again with William following when we all saw William's line "Zip" back up stream and then his drag began to rip. I had the sinking feeling that he'd hooked up with a Bonnethead, but when it didn't run far my hopes rose. William fought it like it was going to be dinner and worked it to the surface, let it run, came back to the stern and worked it around the engine, then played it patiently - Dara saw that it was a huge Redfish!  He slowly brought it to the net and landed a 28.5" Oversized Redfish, big enough to take third place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. Boy what a fish. 

After fishing a point as the tide paused, we then made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage but didn't get a real bite. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and withing seconds she had a good hookup and as I was landing her keeper sized Seatrout, William hooked up and brought one in. We fished forward a bit and picked up another keeper Trout. We made a stop in Jackstaff and fished a sandy drop off and here Dara had that tell-tell "thump" - she set the hook expertly and brought to the net a nice 17" Flounder,(2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament) William followed that up with a Flounder catch of is own. Back thru Horsehead we went, over to Back River where we drifted floats at a couple of spots. 

We fished some docks at Nassauville and even thought the wind was beginning to kick up a bit, we
made our way down the Nassau and set up at a drainage to fish the now exposed oysters. William had a strong bite, battled it while the drag was ripping, then it was gone! Ouch. But Dara followed with a good cast to the same spot and, Big Fish ON!  This one was ripping drag too and it got back in the current and made a fight out of it. But Dara was up to the challenge and worked it to the boat patiently and soon landed a nice 25" Slot sized Redfish. I didn't know it but while she was fighting her fish William had a Flounder on hold at the side of the boat and it took advantage of the delay and thru the hook! We had some good battles today, had a few in the box, had thrown back a big one so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Fish So Big It Warranted A New Bragging Rights Category

 I knew that the Bragging Rights standings couldn't hold - we've had some big fish caught this year but
none of the Categories were headed by sizes that usually win for the year so I knew that sooner or later we'd get a big one. But first, we had a big one caught that I've never categorized - the big Black Drum. I think I've left it out because we could fish for those monsters in April and May and get 40,50, 60 pounders which would be tough to beat. But today we did get a 16 pound drum on my size 1000 reel and boy was it a battle!

I had met Fred and Chad Wammock up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early and we made along run up the Bell River to fish a deep bend with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. I was looking for Seatrout and the spot didn't disappoint - the duo caught a good handful of them, one of which was of keeper size. . They also picked up a couple of Catfish so when Fred had a strong bite that was digging deep hard I thought for sure it was just going to be a massive Catfish, dang it. Fred stayed with it and patiently wore the big fish out and eventually worked it up where we saw it was a huge Black Drum - so big that we couldn't even call it a "puppy" Drum! It measured 31" and weighed 16lbs on my Boga. I created a "Special Appearance" on my Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Board just for this fish! Scroll down the right side of this report for standings. 

We then made our way around to the Jolley River and fished the MOA, but didn't have much luck there. After crossing over to JC's spot we did better. Much better. We hadn't fished the exposed shell long when it was Chad's turn to have the big battle. This fish was ripping line and when it rolled a couple of times we new it was a big Redfish and boy was it. Chad stayed with it and worked it in patiently and soon landed a 32.25" Redfish, which tops the Bragging Rights Board for Redfish caught this year. 

We fished down at the Jolley Bank where the duo picked up another keeper Trout and a keeper Black "puppy" Drum. After dropping back and fishing Tyger Point with floats and getting another Trout or two, we ended the day back at Tyger logs where they topped off the day by catching a hungry Flounder for a Grande Slam - Seatrout, Redfish, Black Drum, and Flounder. We had a beautiful day, had s few fish in the box, had caught some big fish for memories and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

After the Flood

 

We were off for a couple of days enduring some serious rainfall which was much needed - I talked to a friend that said he had 5" of rain at his house! But we had clear skies today after an early morning fog - I had met Walter Mann and his fishing partner Bobby down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We eased up the intracoastal, made a run up thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp to fish the very last of an incoming tide. Bobby "knocked the skunk off" early with a feisty Bluefish catch and later we picked  up a small Jack Crevalle. We fished around the corner for a bit, then headed over to Seymore's Pointe where we caught the first of an outgoing tide - boy they were getting good drifts, the land mass blocked the breeze and it was almost ideal, except the fish didn't cooperate!

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we worked along the bank. Walter had the hot spot off the stern where he hooked up and landed a handful of Seatrout, a couple of which were of keeper size. He also battled a big Bonnethead shark to the boat where we quick released it. Back over in Jackstaff we picked up a couple of more Jacks, then we finished the day up back in the Nassau. The water was muddy from all that rain and the fish weren't' real hungry, but we caught a few and the sun was out so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Worked Up To a Grand Slam

 

I wrapped my week up fishing with Mark Caldwell and his fishing buddies John and Don when I met them up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning. We eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run over to Lanceford to fish some dock pilings on the last of an outgoing tide. The three anglers were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the pilings and getting good casts and we did pick up a couple of feisty Black "puppy" Drum. We then made our way back and around to the Tyger logs and worked the bank - Don hooked and landed a hungry Flounder, but after that we  had no real bites.

We then ran up to the Jolley River and turned into the bank and fished it with float rigs and the shrimp and this paid off - the trio tangled with a Ladyfish then John hooked and expertly battled a nice Slot sized Redfish to the boat - they had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We moved further up the river and fished at Snook Creek with the floats, then came back to Tyger Cut where they all joined in catching a few Seatrout to make it a Grande Slam. We ended the day around on the outside of Tyger and Mark wrapped things up battling a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. The day had been overcast all day, but the wind had held off, and we had some good action here and there so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Saved The Best For Last

 "We gotta work for 'em", is what I've been telling my guests when they step on the boat -we're catching some fish but they definitely aren't jumping in the boat! I met Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made a short run over to the Tyger logs to fish the first of an incoming tide in almost perfect conditions - the tide was right, we had very little wind, and it was just a bit overcast. Both anglers were making excellent casts with their jigs and live shrimp, pitching up between the logs and stumps, but the fish just werent' cooperating - Gregg did get a couple of palm sized Black "puppy" Drum. We then made the run out and around and up to the Jolley River and turned into the "bank" and worked those exposed oysters with the jigs but again, no real bites to brag about. 

We went further up Jolley to Snook Creek and worked those exposed oysters, but no luck. After coming back down the Jolly to Tyger Cut we pulled up with some oysters still showing, but we went to float rigs and the live shrimp and that did the trick. Gregg found that he could toss it out a ways and let his float drift into shore and BAM! he'd have a hookup. Both he and Dannie caught and landed 8-10 hungry male Seatrout - they were grunting! But Dannie did have one strong hookup that had her drag ripping - the big fish ran up current and thrashed at the surface - I was thinking it was a Bonnethead until then, then it ripped drag coming back to the boat as Dannie took up slack. She played it perfectly and brought it to the boat where I could have gaffed it but we were releasing anyway, and eventually it broke off. 

Our next stop was on the outside of Tyger where we went back to the jigs and worked the incoming current. Dannie was on the bow and hooked an landed a keeper sized Flounder, then she battle a Slot sized Redish and was doing a good job but the fish threw the hook! Ouch.  Further up the bank she hooked and landed another, bigger, Flounder while Gregg hauled in one more hungry Seatrout. The wind had held off, we had caught about 15 fish, and had a couple 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. 

Lady's Rule The Flounder Bragging Rights Board

 Looks like we've got Chamber of Commerce weather this week -clear, cool, and sunny with only a slight breeze in the mornings. Today I met Alex and Laura Winter down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp (Goffinsville Park is closed) and we ran up the Nassau River to Seymore's Point with a plan to fish some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide. It wasn't a good plan. I'm not sure if we even got a legitimate nibble on our jigs and live shrimp. We then ran down to Broward Island to catch the first of the incoming there and were greeted by the Bald Eagles who kept a watchful eye over our fishing efforts. I think I heard them laughing - we didn't get a bite until Alex finally "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and expertly played to the net a feisty Redfish. 

We then made our way back down the river to Spanish Drop and switched to float rigs and on the first drift BAM! Laura had a hookup. She worked it in patiently and as it came to the net we saw that it was a big Flounder - it measured right at 18" and big enough to move Laura into the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder category. The sole occupants of that category are lady anglers! We had a good flurry of bites there - Laura picked up a 17" Seatrout and a couple of Ladyfish while Alex added a 16" Trout and battled to the boat a big 4' Bonnethead Shark. We finished up back at Pumpkin Hill drifting the floats then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Shark* of the Year and Trout Flurry

 

We had a beautiful day to kick off the week today - clear skies and only a bit of wind. After picking up Gary Yasuda, his son Allen, and David Vice out at Oyster Bay, we made the run over to the Tyger logs and fished jigs and live shrimp to the bank on a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours. We didnt' get a whole lot of bites, but Gary did "knock the skunk off" with a hungry Flounder bite-first fish of the day! We then ran around to the Jolly River and fished the "bank" with float rigs and the shrimp but didn't get much more than a nibble. After running up the Jolley to Snook Creek we worked that bank for a bit, then dipped inside and switched back to the jigs.

This did the trick when David hooked up with a strong fish - he was fishing on the bow but the fish took him around the stern, back up to the bow, then back to the stern. David played him expertly and after a good battle landed the first Shark* of the year - a 4 footer!

We drifted up the creek while I reset the trolling motor remote and while I was doing that David and Allen doubled teamed a hungry Seatrout to the net. We made our way back down the river and fished Tyger Cut with the floats and I believe it was first

cast and BAM! We had a hookup - a hungry Seatrout. Then all three anglers were catching fish - we had one "double" brough to the net and had another one hooked up. David found three nice keeper sized Trout in that bunch - both Gary and Allen contributed to the catch with Seatrout landings. We'd had a beautiful day, caught a good handful of fish, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Float Hot or Jig Hot?

 It looks like I wrapped my week up before our annual Shrimp Fest, fishing with Harry Purnell and his
fishing partner Terry. We met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the intracoastal, then up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to catch the last of an incoming tide. I had high hopes for this spot, knowing that some big Trout had been biting lately, and after Terry hooked and landed a Trout on his first or second drift, I was feeling good about the choice. BUT, so much for that - both anglers were getting good drifts along the flooding bank - we tried two other banks in that area, but no more fish. After motoring back to Seyomores Pointe and fishing a large drainage on the first of an outgoing tide, to no avail, we cut thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and stayed with the float rigs. Here, Teddy, fishing off the stern, hooked and battle a huge Ladyfish to the net, then he went back in and had a good bite  - he let the circle hook set and Fish On!  Teddy played it perfectly and soon landed a big 18" Seatrout.  He added a couple of smaller Trout to his catch on that float rig.

Harry was fishing the same runs with his float but the fish were ignoring his bait! We made a move over to Jackstaff and fished a flooded sand bar, this time switching to jigs, and this made the difference for Harry - he felt a hard thump on the bottom, hooked it up, and brought another large Seatrout to the net. He was "on the board". After running back thru Horsehead and down to Littlefield we stayed with the jigs. Harry was fishing off the stern and caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle - the first of the year, and after we moved over to Twin Creeks he hooked and landed a "barely not legal" Flounder - it was 13.75" - nice but just a tad too short. We had to work for our fish today, but we had two nice fat Trout 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, Florda.

Win Some and Lose Some With Big Trout Today

 The weather was a but "grungier" this morning, misting when I picked up David Vice and his fishing
partner Greg over at Oyster Bay early. We headed back down Lanceford Creek and made our way up Bell and thru Tyger to make our first stop on the outside of Tyger to fish float rigs and live shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide. That first spot didn't produced, not a bite but after we crossed over the creek and began pitching we got bites right off. The duo of anglers landed a couple of small Seatrout, then David tangled with the first Ladyfish of the year, and boy were they big - I mistakenly called one a a small "Tarpon"- it looked like it had some girth and was high flying. Then David hooked up and battled a (now) oversized Seatrout to the net, measuring at 19.25", boy what a nice fish. 

We then made the run up to the Jolly River and worked the "bank" with the float rigs. It was Greg's turn to have the big battle - this fish took the live shrimp and ran, ripping drag. I was thinking "slot Redfish" as Greg battled it - but as he brought it to the boat we saw that it was a huge Seatrout. It made a couple of dashes and as I went to dip the net it made one last surge and "BAP", fish off! Ouch. We moved up the Jolley and fished a couple of spots, - Greg hooked and landed a hungry Flounder - then made our way over to the Bell River and switched to jigs. David had a strong "thump" under the boat and he expertly played a nice 20.25" to the net. This fish moved David into 3rd Place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. We ended the day fishing some dock pilings and here both Greg and David caught Black "puppy" Drum and Sheepshead to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Seatrout, Flounder, Black Drum and Sheepshead. As we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Do Your Work!

 

What a great week we are having - the weather is great and the fish catching seems to be picking up. Today I met David Bolton up at his place on Lanceford Creek and along with his grandkids Ruth and Michael, we made our way back around the corner to try some jig fishing up under some dock pilings on a tide that was going out and still had an hour or so of hitting bottom.  It didn't take long - we had a strong hookup and it was BIG! That fish followed the current up under the dock and kept going and with a BAP!, it was gone! But these anglers were not to be deterred. We went back under the dock with a cast and Ruth was on the rod and BAM! She had a good hookup. Ruth was tenacious - she worked it out with a vengeance and....the Michael had a hookup - we had a Double! It was pandemonium! Ruth played her fish experltty and soon landed a nice keeper sized Black Drum.  Then all the attention turned to Michael who was valiantly fighting his fish - he played it patiently and brought to the net a nice Slot sized Redfish. David and I were out of breath!

We got the fish photographed, measured and in the live well, and baited up again, and Ruth handed me
the rod to cast and said, "do you work"! Hah! But the commotion of those big fish battles must have turned them off -we didn't get another bite. We then headed down the creek to the intracoastal, then down the river to fish some structure and again, we were met with some disappointment.  We hadn't been fishing for just a few minutes when Michael had another strong bite and this one was ripping some serious drag - all he could do was hold on until Poppa got up there to help him then they both were holding on unti lthe fish got into some pilings and broke off. It was Anglers 2,  Fish 2 on the score board. Michael hooked and battled a big Catfish to the net to make it Anglers 3, Fish 2.  We continued down the intracoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and set up fishing a sandy point with the jigs, but had no real bites. After running thru Horsehead we pulled up at a dock and made some casts, and the fish pulled ahead!  David had a good bite right off and the drag was ripping, and the fish kept going - Ouch. Then, I had tossed a bait up to the pilings and again, a strong bite. It too was ripping drag and I was calling for Michael to come help but we couldn't do anything with it - the fish wrapped around the pilings and broke off. Double Ouch. It was not Anglers 3 and Fish 4!

We made our way down to Broward Island and fished the edge pretty  good on the last of the outgoing tide. Although we were getting nibbles here and there we didn't get any real bites until Ruth felt a slight "bump" - she set the hook expertly and fought to the surface a nice keeper sized Flounder to tie up the "Fish Bowl" 4-to-4!   We had a "slam" in the box, had eaten a few snacks, and 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. 

A Slam For The Boston Boys

 

Luckily we are having some great weather this week. The fish "catching" is not on fire, but I can almost feel it trying to heat up. Today I met Dick Conley and his visiting from Boston son-in-law Hugh, and grandsons John and Paddy, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp mid-morning. We made the run up the intracoastal, up the Nassau, and made our way to our first stop at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we commenced to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the pilings on the first of an incoming tide. Unfortunately, all we got were nibbles. We then made our way down to  Broward Island and fished under a juvenile Bald Eagle, but again, only nibbles. We then made our way north and fished the island on the first of an incoming tide and this did the trick - Hugh "knocked the skunk off" with a nice hungry Seatrout catch. He also had a bite, then snagged then he and John worked out and landed an ugly old Toad Fish! Dick added a Flounder to the catch before we moved on. 

We ran back down the river to Twin Creeks and began drifting float rigs and live shrimp over the shell bottom - I think first cast got a bite, then they picked up another fat Trout. Paddy was on the stern drifting long and it paid off - his float disappeared, he set the hook and, Fish On!  Paddy fought it valiantly to the boat and landed a Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish., and it rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of  Seatrout, Flounder and Redfish. We fished down at Spanish Drop with the floats, then back up at Pumpkin Hill where we were watched diligently by one of the adult Bald Eagles. We had a beautiful day, had caught some fish, so as we headed back to the dock

we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Weather Swings

 

Yesterday we had high winds and dropping temperatures while today we had almost no wind, cooler, but real sunny- an ideal day. I met Henry Ross and his fishing crew Jon and Jeff, up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp. We eased down Eagans Creek and made our way over to the river, then  up it to fish some docks on the first of incoming tide. We were getting good casts up into the pilings but the fish either not hungry or not there. We then made our way over to Tyger Island and fished the downed logs and this paid off. Henry "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder, caught out deep. Shortly after that Jon had a strong bite, his dragged ripped a bit and Fish On! Jon played it  perfectly and soon landed an nice slot Redfish. We eased along the island and Henry got hot, hooking and landing a couple of Flounder, one of which was of keeper size. 

We came out from behind the island and ran up to Jolley River where we made a stop on the outside ofSnook Creek. The anglers switched to float rigs and were getting good drifts when Jeff saw his float disappear and the battle was on! This fish was ripping some drag and I thought for sure it was going to be a nice Slot Redfish but as Jeff worked it to the surface we saw it was a huge Trout. Jeff eased it to the net and landed a big 21.5" Trout, a fish big enough to mover Jeff into 1st Place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament- Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We moved back down the river to Tyger Cut and fished that with the floats and had a good flurry of Seatrout catches, one of which was of keeper size. 

Our final stop was on the outside of Tyger, fishing jigs, in hopes of some more Flounder. We didn't get them but Jeff did hookup and land a nice 1lb Whiting to go in the box. And with that, we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.