After the Storm

Today was my first day back to fishing after hurricane Matthew came through. I hope all of you who are living on the east coast came through it OK. Chris Jones, his wife Beth and their son Andrew met me up at the Eagans Creek boat ramp next to Leaders and Sinkers bait shop this morning: The boat ramp at the City marina is gone (and thusly closed). But we were itching to get out on the water and see how the fishing is, and wouldn't you know it, the very last of  Nor'easter was passing through so we had some winds! We went fishing anyway! Our first stop was around at the
outside of Tiger Island and even though the wind was pushing us hard, and the tide was really high, Beth "knocked the skunk off" and landed a handful of hungry Seatrout on her float rig with live shrimp. We fished it as long as we could stand it then ran through Tiger Basin, around to Bell River, and over to Lanceford Creek to get out of the north wind. Chris picked up a feisty Redfish and Beth landed another Trout. We stopped off at some docks on Lanceford and young Andrew got on the board with a hungry Sea Bass catch. Our next stop was over at Soap Creek and here Chris caught a Trout while Andrew was the one to reel in another feisty Redfish. Although we had started at Eagans Creek, we ran back to it's shelter and fished the bank on past the boat ramp and Chris found a "honey hole" when he began to hookup with Seatrout, the biggest being 16".  Andrew found another Redfish, Chris caught one, then Beth did, too. Before we left we fished some docks in Eagans and here the anglers rounded out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam when Andrew fought to the boat an nice 17" Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be Back on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fighting Thru the Bait Stealers

Another beautiful morning greeted us today - not so much clear and sunny but, just a tad cooler, some crazy clouds, and a slight breeze to make for a good fishing morning. I had met Allen and Laverne Webb down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we had a bait well full of live shrimp, mud minnows being in scarce supply. After getting thru the no-wake zone we made a B-line for the Jolley River with plans to fish the "bank" on a tide that had been coming in for about 3 hours. Both Allen and Laverne were tossing float rigs with
the shrimp up near the marsh grass and immediately began to get bites. Unfortunately there were a ton of "bait stealers" - pin fish, small Snapper, Needle fish, etc. that constantly harassed us. But these anglers were ready to fish and we worked thru the junk fish to catch some nice fish. They picked up a Trout or two and landed a couple of the Mangrove Snapper then Allen had a strong hookup and finally, FISH ON! He played the big fish perfectly and patiently and was doing everything right when the big fish burrowed itself up into the grass cut itself off on the oysters, OUCH! That was a nice fish. But we kept on fishing! We move around to the north side of Tiger and here Laverne hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. We picked up another smaller Flounder then ran around to fish the outside of Tiger as the tide reached its peak. Again, the bait stealers were a pest but Allen fought through it and landed a nice, hard fighting, keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Our last stop was around at Bell River, again we dealt with the small fish, had some good bites, then called it a day, another great one to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Non Stop Action

For close to two hours, that is! I had met Brian and Amy Easley this afternoon down at the City docks with a pre-planned afternoon trip in mind, just to catch a lower tide. the strategy did the trick as we found at our first stop along Jolley Bank. the two anglers were tossing mud minnows under floats up to the exposed oysters on an outgoing tide, one that had been receding for about 4 hours. they almost immediately began to catch feisty Redfish. Brian was positioned perfectly out from where they were biting and he picked up a few before Amy got in on the action. Then she began to put
fish after fish in the boat. although most were slightly undersized, they were fun to catch and occasion they would land one that measured right at the slot. They had "double" hookups and landings more than once! Brian also caught a couple of keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (all fish were released today) and Amy landed a Mangove Snapper or two. Both anglers tangled with high flying Ladyfish, Amy snagged a large Gar, briefly, and she also put a Croaker in the boat. We fished the area, (twice!) then ran up to the MOA. Fishing with jigs now, Brian landed two more Reds and a
hard fighting Jack Crevalle and Amy added another Red. We made a final stop back at Tiger Island and the duo added another couple of Reds, another Snapper, and then rounded out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam when they put a Flounder in the boat. We were also treated to a Salt Marsh Mink sighting. The sun was going down so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

High Tide Trout

We had our first cool morning today when I met Corey McKenzie and his dad Jimmy down at the Atlantic Seafood dock. The tide was about two thirds of the way in and still coming so we made our first run around to the outside of Tiger Island and began fishing with float rigs and a top water lure. Corey picked up a couple of Trout but there was nothing hitting Jimmy's lure so he switched to the float too, baited with mud minnows. Both anglers picked up a few Trout before the Ladyfish moved in and became a nuisance. We ran
around to the Jolley River and fished "the bank" and again, picked up a couple of hungry Trout. After fishing further up the Jolley, and then checking out some flooded grass, we ran back and around to the Bell River to fish some flooded oysters as the tide peaked. The two anglers had a fast flurry of Trout bites, the biggest of the day, then again, the Ladyfish moved in, and then, no more bites. Our last stop was around at Lanceford Creek, fishing some docks on the first of an outgoing tide with jigs and minnows. Corey had a hookup and we were all thinking "Redfish", but it turned out to be a rare-for-
our-area Cigar Fish, only the second one we've had on my boat. His dad followed that up with another Trout, caught on the bottom. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fast And Furious

We had some active anglers on the boat, Henry and Oscar who brought along their mom and dad, Jenifer and Bryan. We met down at the City marina and with a high tide that was still coming in, made the plan to run up Bell River and fish some flooding oyster beds with float rigs. We had both live shrimp and mud minnows and both caught fish. It was only minutes after we got the lines out when the young anglers began to catch fish. Both Henry and Oscar landed some high flying Ladyfish then Oscar put the first Seatrout in the boat. Mom was taking pictures but Brian was able to get a
line out and he put the first keeper fish in the boat, a nice 16" Seatrout. It was fast and furious fishing with Trout, Ladyfish, Snapper and Pinfish biting. Our next stop was around on Lanceford Creek to fish a grassy island and even though conditions were perfect for this spot, we had no real bites. On the way out we stopped at a dock to fish and here, Jenifer had tossed a bait out and she was the only one that caught a fish here, a hungry Seatrout. We ran through the marsh and around to the outside of Tiger. Again we had a few bites then Jenifer's float disappeared and, FISH ON! This
was a big fish and the drag on the reel was ripping but Jenifer kept the pressure on. The big fish went from one side of the boat to the other then from the bow to the stern but its struggle was to no avail - it had met its match! Jenifer reeled in a nice hard fighting Jack Crevalle. As we worked the bank, Bryan made an excellent cast between two grass patches and within seconds he had a fish on, and after good fight, landed a feisty Redfish. We made one last stop up in the Jolley River where Bryan added one more Redfish and Jenifer rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when she caught a keeper sized Flounder. After an in depth discussion with Oscar about dietary preferences, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fighting Off the Baitstealers

There was a shortage of mud minnows at the bait shop today so I went with live shrimp, and boy what a pain. I met Matt and Kaleena Kloepfer, her dad Mo, and his friend Joe down at the City marina early and we headed up to fish the outside of Tiger Island on a high and (just) outgoing tide. From the first cast we were getting bite, mostly "baitstealers", but on occasion they'd land a nice fish. Joe kicked things off, landing a hungry Seatrout, then all four anlgers followed that up with more, working through the baitstealers to get
a good fish. Kaleena put the first Redfish in the boat, a feisty one, then we pulled up and ran around to fish the Jolley "bank". We had a long flurry of fish catching - Matt landed a keeper sized Trout, Kaleena added a couple of more Reds, and Mo did battle with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Joe was quietly putting fish in the boat up on the bow. Every one caught fish! But we were burning through the bait so when we finished fishing that stretch of river, we ran back to the bait shop on Eagans Creek and purchased some minnows. Before we left the creek, we fished a large marsh run out
and caught two Flounder, one of keeper size, caught by Kaleena. With only  short time to fish, we ran over to fish the Tiger logs and although the sun was up and the fish catch had slowed, they were able to hookup two more flounder to round out another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Nice Fish All Around

I had the pleasure of fishing with Rob and Elizabeth Torregrossa again today, and after I met them down at the City marina, we made a run north to fish the outside of Tiger Island on the very first of an incoming tide. The two anglers were tossing mud minnows under float rigs and it wasn't long before they began to get fish. Elizabeth put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat and Rob hooked up a Needlefish, then battled with a hard fighting Blue. When he had a another strong bite in the same spot we thought for sure it was another Blue, but this one was ripping drag! I then thought his drag
might be too loose...but luckily Rob could feel that it was a big fish! He played it patiently and landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish! They picked up another Trout or two then we headed around to the Jolley River. After one brief stop on the way to fish a marsh run out, we turned the corner and set up fishing the "bank". Within minutes Elizabeth had a good bite. She kept the pressure on and landed a big 20" Seatrout! Rob immediately followed that up with a keeper sized Black Drum (all fish were released today) before we moved on further up the river to fish Snook Creek. Again, Rob landed two more Redfish. Our last stop was back at Tiger Island and we wrapped up the day by catching one Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum and Flounder. It was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Rain Showers Can't Dampen These Hot Anglers

Well, the radar showed the rain storms off to the east, and heading north this morning and when I met Joe Godfrey, his son-in-law Cliff, and granddaughter Ansley down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp, the skies were clear as the sun came up. We ran up the Amelia River and dipped into Jackstaff and then into a creek to set up at a large outflow to fish with mud minnows and float rigs. Whoever said catching a fish on the first cast was bad luck didn't know this crew! We had just tossed out our first cast when Ansley's
float went under and when she lifted the rod, she had a fish on! She reeled in a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk" off the boat! We picked up a couple of more trout there, then crossed over to fish an oyster lined bank. I think we picked  one small Redfish and another Trout and after fishing a grassy point and landing another trout or two...the rain came! But we were all prepared with rain jackets and since there was no lighting, we continued to fish. Ansley was a true pioneer and hung right in there with us older anglers. When it slacked up we made a dash through Horsehead and over to the
Nassau River and down to Spanish Drop and here the fish catching really turned on. They all began to catch feisty Redfish then Cliff had a big bite and, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and patiently but it was not to be because after a hard run, the big fish threw the hook and FISH OFF! But Cliff was not to be deterred. He continued to fish the bank and within a few minutes he had another strong hookup. Again, Cliff worked the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice 25" Slot Sized Redfish!  Ansley was patiently fishing a float rig and when I saw her float go under I looked at her and she too had realized just in time that she had a big fish because it pulled her up off her seat and, another BIG FISH ON! She fought the fish along with her dad and they put another Slot Redfish in the boat. As we fished up and down the bank Joe added another couple of Reds then Cliff and Ansley teamed up a for a double hookup, catching two keeper sized Flounder (all fish were released today) and rounding out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Rounded Out a Good Trip

Tim and Jeanne Carson fished with me today, and although I've fished with them a couple of times, this was the first as a married couple! We met down at the City marina and made a long run up the Bell River to fish some docks on an outgoing tide. We had mud minnows and jigs and the two anglers were tossing them up by the pilings, letting them sink, and fishing them slowly back a ways. Although we had some nibble, there were no real bites, so we made a run around to Jolley River and fished some now exposed oysters. This did the trick - Tim picked up a small Seatrout then a feisty
Redfish. We bumped back around to the MOA (Mother of All) Spots and we had even more bites. Both Tim and Jeanne caught fish - a couple of fatter Redfish, and Jeanne put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. We went down to the mouth of the Jolley and fished the bank where Tim landed another Red and Jeanne added a Croaker to the catch. After fishing the outside of Tiger Island briefly, we made a our last stop behind Tiger. We hadn't fished long we had a strong bite and, FISH ON! Jeanne was on the rod and was fighting it patiently. Although the fish put up a valiant effort, Jeanne subdued it and eventually landed a big, hard fighting Jack Crevalle. And just a  minute or two later we had another strong bite. This time Tim was on the rod and it was fighting just like the Jack did. But as Tim worked it to the surface we saw that it was a Slot sized Redfish! He worked it slowly to the boat and we netted a nice 22" Redfish!  These anglers teamed up to land 3-4 small Flounder, rounding out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam) then Tim wrapped things up when he landed another keeper sized Seatrout. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Teamwork Lands Fish In Epic Battle

I had the pleasure of fishing with Jeff and Penny Parks and I met them down at the Big Talbot Island Park this morning with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide. It was a beautiful day as we ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a couple of marsh run outs. I think it was Jeff's 2nd cast when he had a hookup and as he got his fish to the boat - a keeper sized Flounder - Penny had a hookup and she landed one, too! We fished that stretch a while, picked up another Flounder, then moved down to another run out
where Jeff caught a feisty Redfish, and so did Penny. Penny put a hard fighting Jack Crevalle in the boat before we ran further up river to fish some fully exposed shell beds. The two anglers "worked 'em silly", but we had no real bites until we got up to Bubblegum Reef. Greg landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper then the fun really began. Penny had made an excellent cast between the reef and the shell bed. But I had my back to the cast when I heard her drag begin to sing, and FISH ON! I could tell this was a big fish. Penny applied the pressure and tried to pull the big fish away from the reef and I took the trolling motor off anchor and tried to move further away too, but it was to no avail...the fish got wrapped up in the reef! Well, we trolled right up to it, with me standing on the bow and watching the propeller get inches away from the structure while Penny handed it off the rod to Jeff who reached out and with the tip, unwrapped the line and when it was free....FISH BACK ON!  Penny took the rod back and the battle was on.  Luckily the big fish headed away from the reef and so did we!  This time it was a short battle and as Penny got the fish close to the boat, Jeff reached out and netted it, a nice 25 1/4" Slot Sized Redfish! Boy what a fight! We made one more stop down at Broward Island, had a few nibbles, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.