Patience Makes The Angler

Another beautiful  morning found The Anglers Mark down at Sawpit Creek, south of Amelia Island, meeting Danny Genther and Zack and Ben Ford to do some back water fishing.  We headed up to the Horsehead area to fish "Jackstaff Bank" and although we had a few nibbles, we had no real good bites -other than a Ladyfish encounter that Ben had.  We crossed and fished a point and here Zack knocked the "skunk" off, landing a fat and still  hungry Seatarout.  We then made a run around to Nassau River to fish the very last of the outgoing tide and first of the incoming.  This proved to be better fishing.  Ben landed a couple of Catfish, Danny landed a plump Snapper, then Zack upped the ante by tossing a live shrimp under a float to an exposed oyster bank, and got a  hook up!  Fish on!  He fought the fish patiently and let the rod do the work, wearing out and landing a nice 21 1/2" Seatrout.  Later, we were letting shrimp sit on the bottom with very little movement when we had a hookup again.  This time Ben managed the rod and he to patiently worked the fish.  We weren't thinking it was very big but as it got closer to the boat it made some good runs deep, but Ben kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice keeper sized 16" Black "puppy" Drum.  We picked up another Snapper, fished a shallow slew, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Bonnethead Two Step

Boy what a beautiful morning we had today!  I had met Zach Peyton and his dad, Bob down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp with plans to fish the Horsehead area on the last of an outgoing tide.  We had a good quantity of live shrimp and mud minnows to fish with our 1/4oz jigs.   Our first stop was at the mouth of Jackstaff and even though the conditions seemed perfect - a slight breeze, oysters showing, sunshine, outgoing tide-we struggled to get some bites.  We did pick up a small Seatrout and Black "puppy" Drum.  But then Zach had a strong hookup that bent his rod double and made the drag sing, "FISH ON"!  He fought the fish valiantly as the beast took him from bow to stern, from port to starboard, and then back to the stern, travelling under the boat a couple of times. Zach and the equipment were up to the task and eventually subdued a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark!  Shortly afterwards, he had a similar battle with the same results.  As the tide started in we made a move over to the Nassau River which turned out to be the prime ticket.  We all had some strong hookups, losing something big in some structure, then we hooked up again and landed a nice 18" keeper size Puppy Drum.  And only minutes later we had a another hookup and landed a 25" Slot Red!  And a short while later, another 26" Slot Red!  We picked up a couple of feisty Redfish then moved in close and actually got out of the boat to fish a shallow slew from an old oyster bank.  I think it was Zach's second cast when he hooked up!  I was yelling "I'm coming with the net" and Zach paced himself until I got there to help land a feisty Redfish.  We then made a run over to Broward Island where Bob caught another Slot Redfish, then a very nice keeper sized 16" Sheepshead.  The sun was getting up but we still had a little bait so we ran back to Jackstaff and tried some float rigs.  Bob rounded out our Amelia Island Grand Slam by catching a keeper Sized Seatrout then almost at the same time both he and Zach had strong hookups, FISH'(s) ON!  We had a double!  Zach's fish zipped north and Bob's fish zipped south.  Zach's fish went to starboard while Bob's fish went to port.  The two anglers were passing their rods over and under and around each other, doing the "Bonnethead Two Step"!  We saw both fish surface and it appeared Bob's was the largest which made sense  because it eventually got tired of the whole thing and broke itself off.  Zach kept up the fight with his fish and soon landed another big Bonnethead Shark.  With that, we called it a day, another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Perfect 10

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Allen Reeves and this time he brought along his adult sons Jason and Jeff to fish the back waters of Amelia Island.  Last year when I fished with Allen we had what I call a "banner day" - just non-stop action with some really nice fish.  I knew it was going to be hard to live up to a day like that but with the radio station's weather report this morning calling today a "Perfect 10", we knew it would be a great day, regardless.  We headed north to Jolley River to fish a large creek runout on the very last of an outgoing tide.  The conditions were almost perfect but all we could find were some pesky Croaker.  We made a run around to the MOA (Mother-of-All) spots and this did the trick. Jason didn't take long to have a hookup and land a nice hungry Seatrout, then Allen followed it up with one of his own, this one of keeper size.  He also landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and Jeff battled and subdued a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark.  We ran back to fish Jolley Bank and right off we had a double hookup!  Jeff had a Big fish on and then Jason did too.    But Jason's threw the hook while Jeff battled on. At first I thought it was a Shark, then when it rolled up I thought "Redfish"!  Jeff kept the pressure on, letting the rod do the work, then eventually landed a 21 3/4" Seatrout!  We fished on, catching a Jack Crevalle, another Seatrout, then another keeper sized Seatrout before heading over to fish the logs of Tiger Island.  Although we some good nibbles the fish just wernt' biting so we made a run and stop outside of Tiger where Allen landed one more Seatrout.  With that, we called it a day, a "perfect 10" to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big Trout a Day

It was a guys trip, Grand dad Dave, son-in-laws Bruce and Chris, and grandson Griffin, all set up to fish the back waters of Amelia Island this morning on The Anglers Mark.  We met down at the Fernandina Harbor Marina and headed up to fish Jolley Bank on an incoming tide.  The wind was blowing out of the North East and keeping the stern of the boat out deep but we still worked the bank with the anglers on the bow having first shot at the fish.  Dave picked up the first fish, a nice keeper sized Seatrout, then he put a feisty Redfish in the boat.  Bruce hooked up and netted a high flying Ladyfish then we moved on up the river.  Again, Dave hooked up but this fish was Big! His rod bent over then the line went slack - but then bent again as the fish swam towards the boat then out to deep water, FISH ON!  Dave worked the fish patiently and after an extended battle, landed a 3' Bonnethead Shark on some real light tackle!  We fished that area and a large creek but had no real bites then made a run around to fish the logs of Tiger.  The bite was very slow but these anglers we patient and it paid off.  Chris outsmarted a hungry Sheepshead then Bruce picked up two keeper sized Whiting and just as the older anglers were beginning to poke Griffin, he hooked up!  This fish was giving him a battle and stayed deep but Griffin kept the pressure on and landed a nice 16" Flounder.  They continued to fish the bank and Bruce found another feisty Redfish.  We made the run around to Lanceford Creek to fish some docks and very quickly Dave had a hookup.  This was another big fish and we were all betting Redfish but it turned out to be a 19 1/2"  Seatrout.  After Griffin battled a huge stingray to the boat, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Three Generations

I had the opportunity to fish with Dave Howard and his son  Graham  Friday morning, and this time they brought along Dave's dad John to make it three generations fishing together!  There wasn't a lick of wind but the skies were slightly overcast so we had a beautiful morning to do some Amelia Island back country fishing. I pointed The Anglers Mark north and we headed straight to Jolley River to fish an incoming tide.  I had thought we may still have some oysters exposed but they were covered so the anglers began fishing with float rigs and live shrimp (and a left over minnow or two).  All three were getting bites but it took the older generation to "get the skunk off" the boat when John landed a nice Seatrout.  Young Graham followed it up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  There's was some good natured ribbing going on between the two older anglers and I think Graham learned a few things about fishing that he didn't know about his Dad and Grandad!   At one time John had a strong hookup that bent his rod over double and made the drag ZIP, ZIP, ZIP - a Bonnethead Shark had taken the bait and was running up river.  John played the fish expertly but it was having nothing to do with the light tackle we had offered and eventually broke itself off. 

We tangled with some Ladyfish then moved on up the river to fish a big marsh runout.  Again the anglers had bites, tangled with Ladyfish, then Dave's float disappeared and the drag began to rip, FISH ON!  The way the fish was fighting and his drag was ripping out, I thought for sure it was a Redfish but when Dave fought the fish to the boat we netted a big 22 1/2" Seatrout! This fish puts Dave into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).   We fished up a small creek where Mitchell picked up a Seatrout and Dave had a brief fight with another Shark, then we headed around to fish the outside of Tiger Island.  Dave caught a hungry Trout then we moved closer to the Tiger inlet and here John added another keeper sized Trout.  The anglers put a couple of Ladyfish in the net then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Sharks Prove Pesky

We had a beautiful morning and early afternoon to fish today and I had the pleasure to take Jack and Cynthia Holler along with their friend Tammy out on the back waters of Amelia Island.  We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River, ducking in to Jackstaff to fish the very first of an outgoing tide.  I started the anglers out with live shrimp under floats and even though we had a couple of good bites at the first stop, we had no takers.  We moved over to fish "Jackstaff Bank" and this did the trick.  All three started getting bites  and eventually Tammy got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a nice 18" keeper sized Seatrout.  All the anglers tangled with Ladyfish then Jack had a strong bite, his rod bent over, and the drag began to sing, FISH ON!  This fish went around the boat a couple of times but we used the rod to subdue the beast and we eventually surfaced a 4' Bonnethead Shark!  Cynthia then caught a nice hungry Seatrout then Jack did battle with another Bonnethead.  We made a run around to Nassau River and fished a runout, picking up another couple of Trout, fighting another couple of Ladyfish, tangling with another couple of Sharks and landing one undersized Flounder.  A storm was coming up so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Trout Rule the Day

I fished this afternoon with Margaret Lumos and her friends Diane and Butch on the last couple of  hours of an incoming tide.  The anglers were using jigs and shrimp and mud minnows and both were getting eaten.  We had made the run up to Jolley River to fish Jolley Bank and it wasn't long before Diane had hooked up with a hungry Seatrout.  I believe she caught one or two more then Margaret got "on the board" by landing another keeper sized Seatrout.  All the anglers had tangled with Ladyfish but it was Butch who put the first one in the boat.  Our next stop was up at Snook Creek and we had some pretty good bites with one being what looked to be a nice Redfish, but it threw the hook, OUCH!  We eased around to the MOA and before the GPS in the trolling motor could settle, Diane was catching fish!  She landed one, two then three Seatrout right off the bat!  While she was re-baiting, her brother Butch jumped in and picked up another Trout.  He also landed a feisty little Black "puppy" Drum.  We cast netted for some finger mullet then made the run back to the logs of Tiger and even though the tide was where I liked it, and even though the anglers had numerous bites, we had no takers.  After that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

Katie Teaching Lessons

John Crowley had set up a two boat fishing trip this morning with his workmates and The Anglers Mark hosted John and his friends Katie and Bill.  We headed up to fish the outside of Tiger Island on the last couple of hours of an incoming tide.  The anglers were tossing live shrimp and mud minnows under floats up near the flooded grass, but only had a couple of nibbles.  We then moved around closer to the mouth of Tiger Basin and set up outside of a creek run  out as the tide turned and started out.  Katie "got the skunk off" by landing a nice hungry Seatrout.and added another shortly afterwards. We ran around behind Tiger, fished the logs briefly, then headed up to Jolley River to fish the oysters at Snook Creek, but to no avail.  Our next stop was at Jolley Bank and this did the trick with Katie landing three more Seatrout, with two being of keeper size.  Bothe Bill and John had tangled with the Ladyfish and eventually Bill was able to keep one on the hook and land the acrobatic fish.  It was a beautiful morning and a great one to be fishing out on Amelia Island waters.

Ready for some Football!

I make it a point to try and not talk politics and college football on the boat.  Once in a while I get drawn in but I try and stay away from the topics.  BUT, truth be known I'm a Gator fan, graduating in 1983 from the University of Florida.  With that said, I've been getting Jeff Davis to do repair work on my rods, mostly replacing bad eyes and rod tips.  I visited his booth at a local marine/fishing show and he had a rod in Gator colors so I had him build a custom rod for me.  It's 6' long, medium action with  the split grip and down locking reel seat.  Jeff upgraded the eyes and did some Orange and Blue wraps, added a Gator logo and hand laid my name on the rod.  I added a brand new Shimano Stradic 1000FJ reel loaded with orange 10'b braid.  I'm ready for football!  Contact Jeff Davis at jake401@bellsouth.net to get your custom rod built.  CLICK ON PICTURES FOR CLOSE UPS!   I'm sure he'll do a Dawg or Nole if you ask him to!

Lucky $2 David

I had three generations fishing with me this morning - Aaron Self, his sons Isaac and David and their granddad Charlie Saunders.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the Fernandina Beach city marina and headed north, making a first stop outside of Tiger Island to fish float rigs with live mud minnows.  We had no real bites but the anglers were just warming up.  Grand dad Charlie let it be known that he had a few $2 bills back at the hotel for the first and 2nd fish brought to the boat and that lit a fire under the younger anglers.  We made a run up to the Jolley River, fished a small marsh run out, had a few decent bites, but  no takers.  We then move to a larger creek mouth and this was the ticket.  Young David earned his nickname "Lucky $2 David" when his float disappeared and a fish fight ensued!  David played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice Slot Redfish! Shortly after that he put a hungry Seatrout in the boat then landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  But the other anglers weren't to be denied and they soon got in on the action.  Isaac persevered and began to boat fish - first a hungry Seatrout then a nice Slot Redfish.  All of the anglers seemed to tangle with  the acrobatic Ladyfish but they all were throwing the hook before we could get them in the boat and get a picture!  We made our last stop back at Jolley Bank and again the fishing was fast and furious!  The anglers caught a couple of more feisty Redfish,  a couple of hungry Seatrout then Grand dad decided to show them how it was done.  He had a good hookup and patiently played his big fish, landing another Slot Redfish!  But Isaac was after the elusive Ladyfish and this time when his float disappeared and sliced through the water he kept the pressure on and quickly reeled in the "Poor Man's Tarpon", a Ladyfish for picture and release.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.