Trout-rageous Fish'n

Can you think of any better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to plan a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip to start the holiday week off?  Probably not, so that's what Fred Fishel and his wife have done the last couple of years.  Fred had arranged a fishing trip with me, scheduled for today, so we met at the south end boat ramp (Talbot Island) at 1pm and headed up the Nassau River.  Fred couldn't have picked a better day with clear, sunny skies and the highs expected to reach 75 and only light winds expected.  The tide was still going out, slated to hit bottom around 2:45p, but the oyster beds were exposed so we started out pitching our 1/4oz jigs tipped with live shrimp.  It didn't take long for Fred to get warmed up and he soon began to boat Seatrout and a few Redfish to go along with them.  It was amazing to see how these fish were biting - the trout would peck, peck, peck - almost like the aggravating "bait stealer" pinfish, but then they'd take a good gulp and ...fish on!  Although there wasn't a whole lot of size to them, they were fun to catch, and there was plenty of catch'n!  The Redfish were totally different:  they would attack the bait ferociously and put up a fight that made you think that this was a slot fish for sure, only to find out that it was a Rat just feeling it's oats!  We hit a few spots in Nassau then headed around to the mouth of Jackstaff  for more of the same, plenty of Trout with a few Redfish.  At one point we were catching small Trout with almost every cast and decided to move on to see if we could find more of the same, but larger.  With daylight running out, we headed over to Broward Island to fish the shoreline cluttered with tree limbs and stumps.  Between sightings of Osprey, we had a few bites and then had a 16" Sheepshead chase a jig/shrimp to the boat before finally taking the bite and the fight was on!  We netted the fish, admired it's chompers, then released him to be caught another day.  The sun was setting and a full moon was rising so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Anniversary Fish'in

15 years ago I had the pleasure of attending Michael and Abby Stalvey's wedding and today I was honored to be present on their anniversay for an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip!  Mike and Abby couldn't have asked for a more picture-perfect day to celebrate their anniversary - it was cool, but not cold, very sunny and only a slight breeze.  We left the Fernandina Beach city marina promptly at 7:30am and headed up to Tiger Island to fish the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under Cajun Thunder floats.  We had a couple of bites then Mike hooked up with a feisty, hard fighting Redfish.  We eased along the shoreline, pitching the float rigs up near the grass and had a few bites, but no real takers.  After about 30 minutes we cranked the big engine and ran up to Jolley River, anchoring at a nice runout.  Abby's first cast produced a nice Seatrout, which she expertly fought to the boat and waiting net.  Then Mike got in on the action, catching Trout and Redfish.  Eventually we moved on up the river and found some good Trout action at another nice runout - both anglers were pulling in fish.  After a few hours of fishing we made a pit stop at Dee Dee Bartels to stretch our legs, then headed up into Eagans Creek where Abby really turned it on, catching Trout after Trout and putting a couple of nice keepers "in the box".  Mike joined in with a keeper Trout, too.  We fished the rockpile north of Jefferson Smurfit and the docks in Lanceford Creek and although the fish bite had slowed we all agreed that it was another great day to be out on the water - total fish count -(27) Trout, (5) Redfish, (6) Blue's!

Jacksonville Oyster Beds, to Reopen?

 The Jacksonville City Waterways Commission is looking at whether to reopen local oyster beds. See:  Jacksonville Oyster Beds to Reopen?  1st published in the Jacksonville Times Union.

Red Drum Assessment

From the Florida Guides Association:
FWC seeks input on possible changes to red drum rules.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is continuing a series of public workshops to review its analysis of the latest red drum (redfish) stock assessment and discuss possible red drum rule changes. In September, the FWC held red drum workshops in Panama City, Tallahassee and Cocoa.

The FWC wants to hear what people think about its proposals to create regional management areas for red drum and raise the daily bag limit from one fish to two per person in northern Florida. The Commission also wants to receive comment on possible red drum rule changes in southeastern Florida.

The FWC encourages interested people to attend the workshops, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. as follows:

Wednesday, Nov. 17

Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex
2295 Victoria Ave.
Fort Myers

Tuesday, Nov. 23
Jacksonville Public Library
Southeast Branch
10599 Deerwood Park Blvd.
Jacksonville

Monday, Dec. 13
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 Eighth Ave., S.E.
Karen A. Steidinger Auditorium
St. Petersburg

Tuesday, Dec. 14
City Hall Council Chambers
123 N.W. Hwy. 19
Crystal River
In addition, the Commission has scheduled a special red drum video workshop from 6-8 p.m. EST on Dec. 15, where people can attend at FWC offices in Tallahassee, Lakeland, Panama City (5-7 p.m. CST), West Palm Beach, Lake City, St. Petersburg, Ocala and Marathon, or participate by telephone. More information regarding the video workshop will be announced later this month.


Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in the workshops should advise the FWC at least five days prior to the workshop by calling 850-488-6411. If you are hearing- or speech-impaired, please contact the FWC using the Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (voice).

For more information regarding the FWC's management of red drum, including an upcoming online survey, go to MyFWC.com/RULESANDREGS and click on "fishing - saltwater."

Smoke on The Water

I fished the Nassau Sportsfishing Trout Tournament Saturday with two friends, Leon Freeman and Don Hughes.  We arrived at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp early, launching at 6:30 in order to make the check out at the City marina by 7:00am.  Even though the temperature was hovering around 39 degrees with the 17mph wind causing white caps and making it feel more like 30, we had good omens  having drawn the number one (actually number 201) boat, being the first at the boat ramp, and checking out first.  The tide was still coming in, expected to peek at around 9:00am, so we headed back up to Tiger Island to fish over some oyster beds with live shrimp under a float.  The frigid air blowing over the warmer water created a "Sea Smoke", prompting me to break out into the Deep Purple tune, "Smoke on the Water", to my angling companions chagrin!  Our first stop didn't produce any bites, but we made a quick run and another stop where we began to pick up some fish - first a small Redfish, then another, but then we had a good battle with a slot-sized Redfish and had "one in the box".  Leon was picking up some Trout at the front of the boat, then Don got in on the action with a Trout or two, and then he brought a keeper Trout to the boat and into the box; we were one Flounder away from a "Slam Entry"!  Then Don hooked up with something big and we were all pumped!  The fish ripped drag and was soon 50 yards from the boat. Don fought the fish from the bow to the stern, around the stern and back to the bow, and around again.  He eventually worked the fish to the boat before it dived and went under the boat, around the engine and then he began to submit.  As I saw the float and leader come out of the water I leaned over an put the net down in the water to get our trophy and...AAW MAN, a Bonnethead Shark!  I grabbed the leader, held it tight, and the shark broke off with the last laugh.  Leon suggested a move to a nearby spot that he had fished in the past and it paid off quickly.  Fishing over oysters near a grass bed we soon found Trout and had hookup after hookup.  Unfortunately, the fish were all 14 3/4", almost so that we commented that we were catching the same fish over and over!  We moved to behind Tiger Island and fished deep with jigs, then headed around through Bells River to the mouth of Lanceford, again fishing deep with jigs, but no real bites.  Finally, the tide had changed so we headed south, cutting through Horsehead and on to Spanish Drop to fish the runouts.  Here, we picked up another Redfish or two and a couple of Trout, but nothing of any size.  We fished jigs deep along the rocks of Nassauville then headed to Jackstaff to fish the now exposed oyster beds.  Knowing that we were one fish away from a "Slam" entry, I hit a spot or two where we had caught Flounder before and sure enough, Leon picked one up, but it was just shy of 12", and then I had an even littler one.  We did have one more hookup with a Redfish, but he was small and wouldn't have helped our cause.  Luckily, the weather had warmed somewhat so we ended the day enjoying fishing with friends and counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

Double, Double, Double

JB Renninger's brother-in-law Tim and his wife were visiting the area and being avid anglers, they decided to take in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip.  They couldn't have picked a better day because we had clear skies, almost no wind, mild temperatures and the tide was perfect with just a couple of hours left in an outgoing tide.  We got an early start and headed up to Jolley River to ease along the oyster lined river banks, tossing a jig/shrimp combo.  After only a few yards, Tim was hooked up with a hard fighting Blue, then he had another and another.  JB got in on the action with a hard bite and then the fight was on!  He eventually brought to the net a feisty Redfish, then both anglers were hooking up time after time and a number of times we'd yell, "we got a double" as both anglers had fish on!   JB hit the jackpot when he worked to the boat a nice 21" slot Redfish.  We hit a few more spots:  Sue's Flounder hole, and caught fish.  Snook Creek, and caught fish.  Mother-of-all, and caught fish.   Then we headed around to the Tiger Basin inlet where JB had a good bite, a hard fighting fish, but this one was different.  After a good battle, the fish was subdued and we soon netted a great 18" Flounder.  We also added a couple of more feisty Redfish and then another keeper sized Flounder.  We never even attempted to count the fish, but estimated it at about 25-30 Redfish, 6-8 Trout, 4-5 Blues and a few other species thrown in!   I had a feeling that the anglers had had enough of "catching", so we headed in and met their spouses to enjoy a much needed break at a downtown Fernandina  Beach restaurant, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Georgia/Florida Football....and Fish'n!

John Nuckolls and Dick Bloozer were down from Atlanta this weekend to take in the huge Georgia/Florida football game and being avid anglers, they set up an Amelia Island backcoutry fishing trip!  We left the south end dock at 7:30am, just before sunrise, and headed up the Nassau River to begin fishing the exposed oyster banks during the last hour of a falling tide.  Dick was tossing a jig/Gulp (white shrimp) and John was casting a jig/paddle tail plastic and it wasn't long before both fishermen were hooking up with Seatrout.  They stayed pretty busy with the Trout and every now and then hauled in a feisty Redfish or Bluefish and had a couple of "double" hookups.  Some of the Trout were keeper-sized but the anglers were more in to  the catching, so they released the fish to be caught another day.  We fished a couple of oyster outcrops in the Spanish Drop area then headed around to the mouth of Jackstaff and fished the bank as the tide began to creep back in.  The guys had a few good bites, but no real fish, so we headed up a small creek and found more Trout ranging from 12" to 18", then John hooked up with something that hunkered down, but he soon fought a nice 18" Flounder to the boat.  We moved around to Seymor's Point where Dick caught another fat Redfish on his first cast to the rocks.  Although we had a few more nibbles, nothing was biting, so we crossed the river to Bubblegum Reef and anchored between the now covered oyster bed and the wreck.  BOOM!  Trout on. BOOM!  Trout on.  BOOM!  Trout on!  The guys caught one fish after another for a few minutes then continued to pick off Trout in numbers for another 30 minutes.  The sun had risen high and our stomachs were grumbling, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Nothing Under 40"

 The windy conditions continued Saturday afternoon but my fishing party of Rob Eddy, Kristine Davis and their friends Jenny and Todd Underwood were not to be deterred.  We headed up to Jolley River with a great tide - the last of an outgoing - and began to fish the exposed oyster beds with the jig and shrimp combo.  We had only trolled a few yards and the anglers began to hookup with feisty, hard fighting Redfish.  The bite was fast and furious with a number of "double" hookups and even a "triple" of fish caught.  Rob, Kristine and Todd had caught fish, but Jenny was handicapped at the rear of the boat, so she had to persevere, which she did and soon boated a nice Redfish.  We anchored at the mouth of a small creek and more Reds and Trout were caught.  Then, Rob hooked up with something big and a battle was on!  He fought the fish expertly as the drag on the light tackle combo ripped out.  The fish went deep then went from the bow to the stern to deeper water.  Rob worked it in only to have the fish continue around the stern and back to the bow and shallow water, then it continued on around, heading deep again!  Rob was doing everything right, but the fish gave a small, crisp jerk, and broke itself off, never to be seen.  Ouch!  All anglers had caught plenty of fish, with me snapping away with the camera, but I had one angler proclaim that they only took pictures with fish over 40"!   We continued to fish Jolley, picking up a few more fish, then headed back to the shelter of Tiger Island.  The anglers caught another Red or two, then a Flounder to complete their Amelia Island Inshore Slam.  We hit a few more spots, but with the bite slowed, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Catch'n in the River and Off the Dock!

Will Steih was in town, visiting from Nashville with his wife to celebrate their 10th anniversary. While his wife was enjoying spa treatment at the Ritz, Will and I went to the backcountry to take in some Amelia Island fishing!  We left the south end Sawpit boat ramp at 2pm and headed up the Nassau River with the tide still going out.  Our first stop was at the Spanish Drop area;  the oysters were showing so Will began to toss a jig and shrimp combo to their base and it wasn't long before he was hooking up with feisty Trout with a couple of Redfish thrown in.  He was nailing so many Trout that I began to call him "Trout King"!  After hitting a few of the points at Spanish Drop we headed on around to the mouth of Jackstaff where Will continued his "trouting" ways,  hauling in a few more and then he boated a nice 17"er.  We fished a finger of a sandbar and Will hooked up, this time proclaiming that the tug felt different, and sure enough, he expertly landed a 17" Flounder, completing his Amelia Island Inshore Slam!  We tried a few more spots, but the bite had slowed so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water.  I walked up to the parking lot to get the truck and as I was backing down I could see Will hauling in another Flounder!  As I backed the boat in he hooked up with a Redfish and landed two more flounder while I loaded the boat.  What a way to end the day!

Too Many Fish to Count!

Anglers Terri Rumler and Bobby Carty were visiting Amelia Island for their annual "get away from it all" and took in a backcountry fishing trip with me.  The weather was beautiful with a high of 80, a slight breeze, and only a cloud or two in the sky.  We headed up to the Jolley River and reached our first spot to fish the exposed oyster banks.  The tide had been coming in for about an hour.  Terri and Bobby were tossing 1/4oz jigs with live shrimp and it wasn't long before both were catching fish!   Zip Ziiiiip Zip, the drags would go, another Redfish had attacked the bait and the anglers worked them to the boat.  Fishing and catching was fast a furious for an hour or two.  Bobby switched to Gulp baits and we soon found out that it didn't matter what color or style he used, the fish were biting anything that was tossed out.   In addition to Redfish, they caught Seatrout, Croaker, Snapper, and a small Puppy Drum.  Fish on! Fish on!,  we had a "double" and I was running back and forth to net each Redfish as we trolled the bank.  Eventually we moved on, coming back around to the mouth of Tiger Island, anchoring, and more fish were caught.  The bite slowed so we made one more stop at the eastern side of Tiger where we had a few bites and Terri found a couple of more Redfish.  With those in the boat, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!