Trout and More Trout

Although the wind was kicking just a little bit yesterday, we had a great time fishing the back country waters of Amelia Island on The Anglers Mark.  I had met Brian Brannum, his girlfriend Chelsea, and Brian's brother Brad, at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach yesterday afternoon at 3pm.  We had a livewell full of live shrimp when we headed out.  I made a couple of stops to see if we could find any Redfish tailing on the last of an incoming tide, but there were none to be found.  We came out from behind Tiger Island and pulled up at a point of grass.  I was showing Chelsea how to jiggle the float rig on our first cast when, FISH ON!  She worked in a nice Seatrout!  The anglers got their float rigs out and continued to catch Trout after Trout - all of them just undersized, but we could have probably sat right there and caught as many as we wanted for the rest of the afternoon.  However, we decided to move and hit one more oyster flooded area before heading up to Jolley River to fish the flooded bank.  Again, the anglers found Seatrout.  These were just a little bit bigger and Chelsea landed a fat keeper sized one.  Both Brian and Brad hooked up with some larger, hard fighting Blues and Brad landed a big Ladyfish which I brought home for future bait.  Brian had switched to a Tempation Bait white fluke on a red-headed jig and was staying busy working the jig from the bank back to the boat and even commented that he was catching Trout that had bypassed the live shrimp the others were offering!  We fished a couple of more areas, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Jack and a Bunch of Fish

Oh what a beautiful morning!  We had very little wind and sunny skies when I met Andy Jack and his son Ryan at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp located at Big Talbot Island Park this morning.  We headed up the intracoastal waterway to begin fishing at the mouth of Jackstaff Creek on the very last of an incoming tide.  The two anglers were making excellent casts with some light tackle gear with topwater lures and were getting a number of "spits" and rolls at their baits, but had no real takers.  We ran through Jackstaff and down to the Spanish Drop area to fish a large runout just as the tide started out.  This proved to be just the ticket because both Ryan and Andy began to catch fish.  Ryan had a strong hookup and FISH ON!  He played the big fish perfectly - it ran like a shark, fought like a Red and shook like a Trout - and when he finally worked it up we saw that he had a large Jack Crevalle!  We took some pictures and released it then went back to fishing.  They were tossing float rigs with mud minnows and also were using the jig rigs with mud minnows and caught a good handful of Seatrout and another handful of Flounder, a couple of Ladyfish, and a few feisty Reds rounding at an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for both anglers.  Moving down the Nassau River to a jutting oyster banks, Ryan got into some feisty Redfish and caught one after another while his dad patiently picked up any slack at the stern of the boat.  We fished Bubblegum Reef and caught a couple of more Reds, hit Broward Island but had now real bites, then hit Bubblegum Reef one more time to catch some hungry Snapper.  After a day of fishing and catching, we headed in, counting it as another great day on Amelia Island waters!

Slammed with Flounder

I got to fish again today with Chuck Leshinsky and his sons Ryan, Aiden, and Nathan.  We met up at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City marina at 7am and headed up to the Tiger Island area to fish the very first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows under float rigs.  At the first location we had some nibbles, but no real bites so we re-positioned back a ways and the anglers then caught a few fish.  Chuck set the pace with a hungry Flounder, Seatrout and Snapper.  The others had some good bites, but we decided to move on up to the Jolley River and fish the still flooded oysters.  Ryan caught a nice Trout and later hooked up with what we thought was a big "oyster fish" on a jig and mud minnow fished at a creek mouth.  He was working it in patiently to detach his hook when it started pulling back!  FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly and we soon landed a very large 20" Flounder, putting him in first place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (see right column).   We moved on up the river, fishing the MOA (Mother of All) spots with no luck then held up at the mouth of Snook Creek which turned out to be the trick.  All of the anglers were catching fish:  Chuck rounded out his personal Amelia Island Back Country
Slam with a couple of Redfish and Nathan picked up his Back Country Slam, too, adding a the largest Seatrout of the day to the box.  Ryan had a number of Seatrout and Aiden seemed to find his own personal Trout hole and probably boated the most Trout.  We found a couple of more nice keeper sized Flounder then called it a day, another great one to be out on  Amelia Island waters!

Reds and Snapper

Jerry and Cindy Huebner were visiting Amelia Island with their two young adults, Nate and Laura, and took in a back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning.  We had clear skies and almost no wind as we headed up to the Tiger Island area to fish the outgoing tide.  Although the anglers had some good bites on their live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs, we had no fish!  We headed up to the Jolley River to fish a large creek outflow and here the action picked up.  They started catching hungry Snapper then Cindy had a strong bite and FISH ON!  She played the fish perfectly to the boat and we saw that she had a large Bonnethead Shark, but netting the fish was not to be.  It made one last lunge and snapped the line and was gone. OUCH!  But the anglers continued to fish and soon were catching feisty Redfish, Croaker and more Snapper.   Nate had a good battle with a nice Black Tip Shark which he landed for pictures and release, then we trolled another oyster bank and Cindy picked up one too.  We had a few more Reds, Snapper and Croaker, then headed over to Lanceford Creek and the docks where Cindy got a nice 7-spot Redfish and Nate pulled one out, too.  We ended the fishing trip at the mouth of Lanceford where Nate picked up another Red and Laura had the biggest Snapper of the day.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Fish Bite Keeps us Busy

Nathalie Tungesvik had set up an Amelia Island back country fishing trip for her son Michael and cousin Philip.  We met Friday morning at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings on a falling tide.  We were fishing with a mix of live mud minnows and shrimp, tossing them on jigs up to the dock pilings.  The anglers had some good bites and picked up some hungry Snapper.  We did have one good Slot Red on and almost to the net when it threw the hook and left us staring at the water in disappointment, OUCH!  We headed up to the Jolley River and found a small creek outflow and here the action heated up.  Both Michael and Phillip caught a good handful of feisty Redfish and a few more Snapper.  At another long oyster bank, they again caught Reds, Snapper and Croaker and a hungry Trout.  After I dropped them off at the marina I went back out to get in some Fly Casting but the wind had picked up and was kicking my butt!  I did get to see a submarine heading out to see, which capped off another great day to be out on the water!

Rainy Day Reds

I got to fish again with Mike and Shannon Maron today and this time they brought along two of their kids, Libby and Troy.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp and headed up to Lanceford Creek with some cloudy skies on the last of an outgoing tide. As we were running up the river we got sprinkled on but when it quit I thought we'd be OK, but as we got anchored and started fishing, the rain started coming down.  I thought, "well darn", but then Libby caught at hungry Snapper on her first cast then Mike hooked up to something big and FISH ON!  The rain was coming down and was drenching us all but Mike played the fish to the boat and we had a nice Slot Red with his 2nd cast!  We got all of the rods into the water and it wasn't long before Shannon hooked up - the rod bent and the drag ripped out, FISH ON!  And then Troy yelled, "I got a fish" and we had a double going.  We landed Troy's Slot Red first then netted Shannon's for a double picture!  The rain continued for a while and after it quit we noticed the mud was flushing into our fishing hole and seemed to turn off the bite.  But Libby persevered out deep and hooked up with a couple of nice Seatrout, one of them well over keeper size.  We made run up to Jolley River as the tide turned and started back in and began to fish an oyster lined bank.  After fishing no more than a few minutes Mike had strong hookup and his fish took off.  We had to chase this fish with the rolling motor and even wondered if it was a shark but it just bulled down deep.  Mike played it perfectly and after a long battle he landed a 28 3/4" Redfish, putting him in second place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament for 2012.  We snapped some pictures then gently released the fish, making sure it swam away to be caught another day.  We continued to fish the bank and the anglers landed a few more feisty Redfish, hungry Seatrout, Snapper and Croaker.  Libby tried out a float rig and was quickly rewarded when her float disappeared and FISH ON!  This one acted like a Shark for sure and made a long run headed for deep water.  Libby patiently worked the fish in  and from one side of the boat to the other and after an extended battle, landed a 3 1/2' Bonnethead Shark.  Boy what a fight!  We stayed in the area and the anglers added more Trout (one a keeper size) and Mike rounded out the Amelia Island Back Country Slam by pulling in two nice, keeper sized Flounder.  With that, we called it a day, another great, albeit wet one on Amelia Island waters!

Finding the Honey Hole

Dan Amsinger was visiting Amelia Island and scheduled a back country fishing trip with me this morning on The Anglers Mark.  We met at Sawpit Creek boat ramp on Big Talbot Island and headed up the intracoastal to fish the Horsehead area on the last of an outgoing tide.  Tossing live shrimp on a jig, Dan had a nibble on his first bite and picked up a Seatrout on his second shrimp, not a bad way to start out the morning!  We eased along the bank and Dan was making excellent casts to the oysters and picked up a handful of Seatrout and a few feisty Redfish. He also had a couple of Ladyfish, a Snapper and a even stray Cat-fish. We made a short stop at Bubblegum Reef, this time tossing mud minnows and picked up a nice Snapper.  The tide had been coming in for a while so I headed to Broward Island to fish the logs and stumps.  Dan was pitching his bait to the shoreline and caught a few more small, but feisty Redfish, a nice Sheepshead and a hard fighting Puppy Drum, all in one area.  Casting to the same spot, he had a hard bite and,  FISH ON!  You always know it's a bigger fish when the rod bends, the drag rips out and the fish doesn't want to come to the boat!  Dan worked the fish perfectly and after a few deep runs, he brought to the net a nice Slot Redfish.  We worked the Honey Hole thouroughly, picked up a couple of more Trout, then Dan had another strong hookup, FISH ON, and I had a good hookup - we got a DOUBLE!  Dan played his fish to the boat, which turned out to be a nice keeper sized Sheepshead, then I grabbed the net and he worked the other fish in, another Slot Red.  After catching another Seatrout or two, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Backwater Offers Large Variety

Today was a beautiful morning with just a slight breeze and very few clouds in the sky.  I met Thomas and Cindy Hinote down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina along with their two sons Bennett and Aiden.  We left the marina at 7am and headed up to Jolley River to fish the very first of an incoming tide with a bait well full of mud minnows.  After gettting warmed up we began to troll against the current, with the anglers tossing their baits to the exposed oyster beds.  Thomas got the hang of it early and began to catch a few hungry Seatrout and picked up a couple of feisty Redfish.  Bennett got in on the action and reeled in a couple of the Redfish too, with Cindy snapping pictures as the day progressed.  5 year old Aiden eventually was promoted to Main Bait Guy and also took on the duties as Net Man and did a great job at both tasks.  Thomas hooked up with a couple of high flying Ladyfish and eventually hung with one large one enough to get it to the net.  He also reeled in a Flounder to round out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  We fished behind Tiger Island with no real bites then moved outside to fish the flooding oyster beds.  Here, Bennett caught a hard fighting Blue and Thomas added a couple of Grey Snapper.  At our last stop the fish were in a feeding frenzy and the anglers added more Trout, Ladyfish, and Jacks.  Throughout the day they also had a few Croaker.  That adds up to at least 8 different species for a well rounded fishing trip!  We headed in counting it as a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Cocahoe Minnows Bait of Choice Lately

Cocahoe minnows is what my Lousiana guests called our mud minnows today.   We thought it would be funny if the next time I went in to the bait shop that I would ask for "Cocahoe Minnows" instead of the Muds.  Anyway, that's what we were using this afternoon.  I met Glen and Michelle Ernst along with their young adult children Phillip and Christina at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 3pm today and we headed up to Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings during the last hour of the falling tide.  The anglers were tossing the Cocahoe's up to the pilings and fishing them back slowly.  Christina was the first to hookup up with a feisty Redfish and Glen brought in a hungry Seatrout. We made a run up to the Jolley River and fished the first of an incoming tide, but the wind was blowing briskly and made it real tough for the anglers and for myself.  But they persevered and were able to pick up another couple of Redfish and they also caught some Croaker.  We made our last stop behind Tiger Island and Phillip found a nice Flounder hole, pulling out a couple in just a few minutes.  Christina had another Redfish or two, then with the sun heading down, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Quantity or Quality?

Cass Brewer and Ronnie Gaines were in town from the Atlanta area and scheduled an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark with me this morning.  We met down at the Big Talbot Island Boat Ramp at 7am and headed up the Nassau River with a live well full of mud minnows with the tide having been coming in for about 3 hours.  I ran straight to Broward Island and with the logs and stumps still showing,  Cass and Ronnie began tossing  their jig and minnow to the bank.  It was a beautiful morning with hardly any breeze and it wasn't long before  they began to hookup.  Or at least Ronnie began to hookup.  Fishing from the stern, he had hookup after hookup with feisty Redfish, fun to catch, but just undersized. He also had a hungry Seatrout.  Just when we were beginning to wonder if he and Cass needed to switch places, BAM,  FISH ON!  Cass's rod bent and drag ripped out, but he played the big fish perfectly and after a good battle with a couple of rolls, he landed a nice oversized 28" Redfish!  After pictures and measurement, we made sure the big fish swam off into the deep.  Ronnie picked up a couple more of Reds but the logs were becoming a pain so we pulled up and ran to Christopher Creek.  Cass went with a float rig and minnow while Ronnie stayed with the jig.  I also picked up a rod with a jig and for a while,  Ronnie and I were catching undersized Reds on almost every cast.  Cass wasn't gettting much action on the float rig but then, after a cast when his float dissapeared almost immediately and gain, FISH ON!  He played the fish to the boat expertly and we netted a nice 22" Slot Red!  We hit a couple of more spots but the sun was up and the heat was on, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!