Non Stop Bite

I hear cooler weather is coming in this weekend but today we had mild temperatures with a somewhat overcast sky and only a slight breeze, just enough to keep the bugs off and make for a great day of fishing! I had picked up Pamela Linker and her husband Richard down at the City marina and we headed over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide. I had live shrimp and mud minnows in the well and both seemed to do good. I think it was Pamela's first cast and after she had a "bump, bump,
bump", she set the hook and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Well whoever said that catching a fish on the first cast was bad luck, was wrong. Because from then until about an hour and a half later, these two anglers were putting fish in the boat. They worked one dock up and down, from shallow to deep, and caught a good dozen feisty Redfish with a Slot sized one also. Richard was picking his spots and picked up another keeper sized Trout along with a handful of smaller ones. He also put two hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. When the tide got up over the oysters the bite slowed so we picked up and made the long run around to the Jolley River with plans to toss float rigs to the now flooded oysters. Bad move. This produced no fish. Ouch. But we move on around to the outside of Tiger, picked up a couple of small Trout, then Pamela put another keeper Trout in the boat. We moved around to the Tiger logs and the duo added a small Trout, a small Mangrove Snapper, a nice Croaker, and small Flounder to the count. The Flounder gave them a "Grande Slam"! Our last stop was over in Bell River and again, a couple of more Trout. Although Hurricane Matthew messed the fishing up here at Amelia Island, the bite is picking up and making for some great fishing trips.

Uptick in Fish Catching

I've fished the last three days and today was the first where we at least had some "catching" going on. The river is full of silt and mud and grass, many of the bait shops had not been able to completely restock their live bait, and fish just haven't been biting. But today was better! I had met Jason and Sam Bojsa down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning...yes it's open...just the fixed dock and part of the wooden boardwalk roped off. We headed up the Nassau River, all the way to Seymore's Pointe and eased in to fish some still exposed oysters on a tide that had been coming in for an
hour or so. Both anglers were making excellent casts with jigs and shrimp  and after a short while Jason put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. We worked the bank slowly and Jason had another hookup, this time a feisty Redfish. We ran down Twin Creeks, switched to Float rigs with the shrimp and we put a handful of Seatrout in the boat and another Redfish or two. We bumped down the way and fished the now flooded marsh grass with floats and here we had a good flurry of Trout catches. Sam had picked up a couple of Trout, Jason caught a couple, then they had a "double" hookup. Both anglers landed Trout, but Sam's was the biggest, a nice 16" keeper sized fish (all fish were released today). And again, another Redfish. Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe to fish some rocks in hopes of landing a Mangrove Snapper, but they weren't home. We ran down to Christopher Creek, switched back to jigs, and Jason's perfect cast to a barely exposed stump produced another Redfish. Then they started picking up Mangrove Snapper. Sam proved adept at catching the sneaky fish and a couple were of keeper sized. We worked that bank thoroughly. We made a few stops on the way back to check out some flooded marsh grass in hopes of seeing some tailing Redfish but they just weren't any to be found, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Beautiful Morning Slow Bite

I fished again with Dennis Brizzi and his buddy Hal, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. With only a few ramps open after Hurricane Matthew came thru, it's good to have at least one undamaged! We met as the sun came up and boy what a beautiful morning it was. The tide was high and still coming in so we took advantage of that and ran around to fish Christopher Creek while we still had water. I believe it was Hal's first cast and he had a hookup - a feisty Mangrove Snapper - not much size him, but fun to
catch.  We caught a good handful of the Snapper then we eased around the creek looking for something bigger. The sun got a little higher and made for a really nice fishing experience, but the fish weren't cooperating. We made  around to Jackstaff and as we entered the creek we found a severe boating hazard left over from the storm (see pic) - a large pole stuck in the bottom with a beam attached. We got around it and ran through the creek and set up at a large marsh out flow and began fishing with our live shrimp under floats. I don't think we got a single bite as we worked that spot and a lengthy marsh line. We jumped over to the other side of the creek, switched to jigs and Hal immediately hooked up with a Seatrout. That seemed to do the trick and both anglers caught a handful of Seatrout. Our last stop was back at Nassau River, fishing some runouts, and even though the conditions were getting just right, we found just one feisty Redfish and another Trout or two. After giving it our best, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

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.