Big Shark on Light Tackle

I met Ken Alderfer and his two sons Kenny and J.D. yesterday morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp.  We ran up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead area to fish the very first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were fishing live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs and had a couple of bites but no takers.  We hit another stretch of flooded marsh grass as the tide started out and began to get some nibbles.  Ken picked up a small Redfish and then Kenny had a good bite up near the grass.  He played the fish perfectly and landed a slightly short but nice Redfish.  Later, J.D.

was fishing a jig on the bottom and had a strong hookup.  His rod bent double and the drag sang, FISH ON!  The big fish almost immediately went to the stern of the boat and ran deep.  I was pretty sure it was a shark the way it was running, but I've been wrong!  J.D.  patiently played the big fish that took us deep then shallow then ran up river then back down.  But J. D. kep the pressure on and after a good long battle he landed a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark.  We continued to fish the bank and Ken Sr. landed two hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  After making a stop at Twin Creeks with no luck,

we made a run down to Broward Island where the anglers picked up a few small-but-fun-to-catch Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Defending His Title

The Pleasant family were back in town  this week and I fished with them on Wednesday.  William and Shannon, their son Alex and friend Eli met me down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. Alex was last years winner of the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category with a 33.5" Redfish and was back to defend his title!  We headed north to fish the Jolley River on the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows under float rigs.   The anglers picked up a handful of small Redfish, a Bluefish, and
tangled with a couple of Ladyfish.  We fished further up the river at Snook Creek but had no real bites, then made a run around to Bell River.  Here, Alex put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and just as we were about to leave Eli hooked up and caught a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.  After a short break we fished the south end of the island, making our first stop at some structure to fish an incoming tide.  Shannon, Eli and William both put keeper sized Snapper in the boat while Alex landed a just-short Redfish.  We then ran to Broward Island to fish the downed logs.  I think it was
only a cast or two and BOOM, FISH ON!   Shanon had a good hookup,  played the fish patiently and put a 20" Slot Red in the boat. As we were de-hooking her fish, Eli followed that up with one of equal size.  The anglers eventually put one more Slot Red in the boat.  Alex was still working on his Big fish and he wasn't to be denied!  When his rod bent double and drag began to rip we knew he had a big one on!  He played the fish from bow to stern and back.  The fish ran deep but Alex kept the pressure on and after a long battle landed a 27"+ oversized Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  William was quietly fishing at the rear of the boat and caught a keeper sized Flounder, then another.  Alex followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder of his own.  The day had started out slow but wrapped up nicely with some great fishing here in the back waters of Amelia Island!

First, Biggest, Most, Prettiest and Most Unusual

I had the opportunity to fish with the Peterson family again, Mindy and Buddy and their two sons Jack and Ben.  They had a friendly wager going to with winners being recognized for the First fish caught, the Biggest fish caught, the Most fish caught and the Most Unusual fish caught.  While we were out there we added the "Prettiest" fish caught to the list!  Our first stop was at Manatee Cove and after the anglers had a few nibbles Jack knocked the "skunk off the boat" by landing a small Flounder, caught on a mud minnow under a float on a high and outgoing tide.  We then made a

run around to Jolley River and fished the "bank", switching to jigs and minnows.  This heated things up.  Buddy landed a feisty Redfish then Ben got on the board with a hungry Seatrout.  From then on it was neck and neck between Ben and Buddy as to who was going to get the most fish for the day, with the lead changing a few times throughout the trip.  Mindy caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle which was dubbed the Prettiest fish of the day.  But Ben was on fire and when he had a solid hookup we knew it was a bigger fish.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized Redfish!  Buddy picked up another Flounder to claim Most Unusual (siting fine print in the rule book over Jack's smaller Flounder).  The anglers fished the bank and landed a few more feisty Reds, another Trout, and a Croaker.  We moved further up the river, fished Snook Creek, but hand no real bites, moved around to the MOA and again, no real bites. But we picked up some finger mullet with the cast net and then made our last stop around at Bell River.  Here young Ben secured the "Most" and "Biggest" title by landing another Slot Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Knockin the Door Down on Bragging Rights

We've had outstanding weather this week for fishing out of Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, Florida.  I met Bill Kennedy, his son Scott, and his son-in-law Ricky down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and as we ran north there was actually a cool tingle to the air and slightly overcast skies.  We made our first stop at Jolley Bank, fishing an outgoing tide,  and within minutes Ricky had knocked the "skunk" off, landing a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  From then on the anglers stayed busy catching small "rat" Reds, a
couple of small Trout, a Blue, a Jack Crevalle, and a Whiting,  then Bill added a keeper sized Flounder to the box.  He also picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout, too.  Scott had probably the biggest fish on for a short 15 seconds but there's a reason why it is big - it burrowed in the oysters and cut itself off!    We continued to fish Jolley Bank, catching a good handful of the small Redfish, then made a run around to Tiger Island.   Both Bill and Scott put bigger Redfish in the boat then Ricky had another hookup and when the fish stayed on the bottom we knew it was a big flounder.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a 20.25" Flounder, putting him in first place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category! (Scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We fished the whole area, picked up a couple of smaller Flounder, then another keeper sized Seatrout before we made one last stop at the Fort Clinch jetties.  Scott landed a few Rock Bass then Bill put a 16" Flounder in the boat.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Redfish Kept Getting Bigger

I fished this morning with Lisa Alexander, her son Danny and their friend Oleg.  I believe Oleg has traveled the furthest to fish with me, visiting Florida from Russia!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and headed up to the Jolley River to fish a large creek mouth with a few hours left in an outgoing tide.  The anglers were getting nibbles and Danny put the first fish in the boat, a small, but feisty Redfish.  We moved back to the mouth of Jolley and fished a long oyster bank.  Lisa landed another small Redfish, Oleg caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and then Lisa had a good battle with a

huge Seatrout that proved wily enough to avoid getting netted!  We also had a keeper sized Flounder to the boat and it too figured out to throw the hook!  Our next stop was at Tiger Island and after a slow start, the bite picked up to provide some really good action.  Danny put a good Redfish in the boat then he had another one on when Oleg's rod bent over and we had a double!  Both young anglers did great - we first netted Oleg's keeper sized Sheepshead then we landed Danny's slot sized Red.  We continued to fish the deep water, had another Flounder to the boat, caught a couple of small

Reds, then Oleg landed another slot Redfish.  Lisa wrapped it up with the biggest Sheepshead of the day.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Calm Sea's and a Slight Breeze

I was really looking forward to getting out on the water today - the weather called for slightly overcast skies, very little wind, and we had the last of an outgoing tide.  I met Russ Henry and two of his sons, James and Carter down at the City marina and after a brief safety orientation, we headed up Bell River to fish  some dock pilings.  The conditions were perfect and very quickly did James knock the "skunk" off by landing a small but feisty Redfish.  Carter put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat and another feisty Red. 
But there weren't any big fish biting so we headed around to the Jolley River and fished an oyster bank that had tons of bait surrounding it.  Again, Carter put a couple of feisty Reds in the boat.  We fished Snook Creek with no real bites then hit Jolley Bank as the tide started back in.  Things picked up somewhat with the anglers landing another Trout, another feisty Red, and Russ tangled with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  Finally, Carter's rod bent double and we knew we had a good fish on.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice Slot sized 20" Redfish!  We hit Tiger Island, had a few good bites, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Call it a Draw

The storm Arthur was off our coast today but the morning was beautiful with just a slight breeze.  I met Cory Freeman, his dad Glen and his son Carter down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we ran up the Nassau River to fish some structure on the first of an incoming tide.  I think Carter's first cast produced a hungry Croaker, then we had a few nibbles, then Cory hooked up with something big.  He played the fish patiently but unfortunately it just wasn't to be and the wiley fish threw the hook.  The anglers picked up a Catfish and a small Flounder before we left the spot to

fish some rocks along Seymore's Pointe.  This did the trick!  We were tossing shrimp under float rigs and almost every cast produced a bite from Mangrove Snapper.  All three anglers were catching fish with a number of them being of keeper size.  We threw back a good handful of smaller ones.  We didn't know it because we were sheltered behind the land mass but the wind had picked up.  When we  ran to Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide we found the wind was affecting our fishing and catching!.  After a good effort we ran back to fish the sunken barge in Nassau River and picked up a few more Snapper and an ugly Toad Fish.  We made our last stop in Jackstaff, fishing the now flooded oysters with floats and mud minnows.  Cory wrapped the day up by landing a hardfighting Jack Crevalle.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Back in the Saddle

The Anglers Mark was down for a week with engine issues.   I got it out of the shop yesterday and was chomping at the bit to get out on the water this morning with Patti and Brian Harnish and their neighbor John.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed north to fish the logs of Tiger Island on an incoming tide.  The bait shops had no live shrimp but I was able to procure some mud minnows so that was what the anglers tossed with the 1/4 oz jig.  We fished an open area for a good while with no real bites, eased
down to fish another and again had no bites then moved north to try one last spot. I was beginning to wonder if the fish were on a vacation when Brian had a subtle bite.  He set the hook firmly and when his rod bent double I knew he had a good FISH ON!  Brian worked the fish patiently to the boat but it dove deep and then went from starboard to port so Brian had to play the fish around the trolling motor.  Then the fish came back from port to starboard then from bow to stern!  But Brian was up for the  task having fished for Rock Fish back in Maryland and after a good battle we landed a nice Slot Sized 24.5" Redfish - Brian's first Red!  From then on the anglers caught a good handful of Redfish with John adding one that was right at the Slot size then they picked up a Flounder, a second, then John boated a nice keeper sized Flounder.  We fished the area for a little while longer, then headed up to Jolley River, switching to float rigs.  The anglers had a few bites, saw some big fish up in the shallows, but no real takers other than a hungry Seatrout that gave them an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder, and Seatrout.  After hitting one more spot on the outside of Tiger Island, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

These Girls are Anglers

It was nice fishing today with just a little over cast skies and a good breeze.  I had met Joe Gasper, Adam Blanning and Adam's daughters Eliza and Megan down at the City docks this morning and after a quick safety orientation, we headed north to fish Jolley River on the first of an outgoing tide.  We had just gotten started and even though the young ladies were just getting the hand of casting, we began to get bites!  After a few float disappeared young Eliza had a hookup and this was NOT a bait stealer! She fought the fish valiantly and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized

Redfish -her first fish ever!  Whoooeee!  We continued to fish and after just a short while her Dad Adam and Megan hooked up and together landed another nice Redfish.   Most of the fish were biting on live shrimp.  We continued to fish Jolley "bank", had some good bites, and Adam landed "the poor man's Tarpon" - a Ladyfish.  Then Megan hooked up and reeled in on her own the only Jack Crevalle of the day.  In between all of the fish caught the anglers landed a handful of pesky Croaker.  We fished Snook Creek, had some good bites, the moved around to Bell River to fish the last of the outgoing tide.  The conditions were perfect and I thought surely we'd have a good bite, but the sun was up, it was getting hot, and not much was biting.  But Eliza was on her game and after an excellent cast, had a nibble and she set the hook, FISH ON!  She worked the fish to the boat and we soon landed the Sneaky Sheepshead to our variety count.  With that catch, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big Fish Saturday

We had a good one yesterday morning, fishing with Doug and Leslie Phillips, here at Amelia Island.  The couple were staying at the Blue Heron Inn, just a short walk to the marina and some great fishing!  We left the City dock at 7am and headed north to fish the logs of Tiger Island on an outgoing tide.  I think the first two casts produced fish, and maybe the 3rd!  Leslie hooked up with a Seatrout and Doug landed a nice feisty Redfish and from then on they were getting bites and landing fish.  Leslie must have found a
"puppy" Drum hole because she reeled in a few small ones then, BOOM!  FISH ON!  This fish was big and gave Leslie a fight but she was up to the challenge and played it beautifully.  The fish took her from the bow to the stern and from port to starboard then ran deep into the current.  But Leslie kept the pressure on and we soon landed a nice 23" Black (not so puppy) "puppy" Drum!  Wow what a fish!   We made a run around to the Jolley River, picked up a another Redfish, Seatrout and Ladyfish, then it was Doug who had the strong hookup.  His rod bent double and the drag on the 1000
Shimano began to sing as the line ripped out.  Doug too, was ready for the fight and this one seemed to last forever.  Doug was patient and let the rod do all the work and after a long battle, landed a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark!  Went further up the river to fish a large creek mouth and Leslie landed another feisty Redfish, then we made a run around to Bell River.  Leslie had caught a Trout or two then Doug had a strong hookup.  Another Battle!  Boy what a fish!  He fought this fish until it was subdued and landed a nice 26" Slot "Tournament" Redfish, wrapping up another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!