Fishing Before the Blow

I met David Gaines, his son-in-law David and his grandson Braham up at the north end boat ramp this morning under overcast skies. One of my 5 "tips" to catching more fish here at Amelia Island is to have a plan ready the night before you fish - and we had a plan. The wind was blowing 8-9 but forecasted to pick up to 15-20 by noon so we made our first run over to the mouth of Bell River, put out a heavy rig in hopes of catching a shark, then tossed jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oyster banks on the last of an outgoing tide.
In short order young Braham put a Seatrout in the boat, then another one of keeper size (all fish caught today were either released or donated to a Veteran who's a neighbor of mine). Before you knew it, Braham had another hookup and landed a feisty Black "puppy' Drum. The adults picked up a couple of fish on their own then we pulled anchor and ran up the Bell to fish some docks. We were sheltered from the wind and  here Graham was drifting a Slip Float out the stern and found a nice keeper sized Whiting. The two David's each caught a Trout or two on the jigs. Our next stop was around at the MOA in the Jolley and again, a few more Trout on the jigs. The wind was picking up so we ran around to make our final stop behind Tiger and sure enough, the wind was blocked. We found that the Trout were holding out deep and the three anglers landed a good handful with a few of them of keeper size up to 18". To wraps things up, the trio had a good bite and, FISH ON! Graham was on the rod and he fought the big fish valiantly and despite the unwanted coaching from we three adults, he landed a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! When we came around the corner heading back to the ramp the wind had reached it's 20mph prediction and the river was kicking up, but with some good catches for the day, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Fish Come Late

The pretty days just keep on come'n and today was no different. I met the Fazio family, Chris and Halen and their kids Dane and Ashlyn down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning and the water was like glass as we headed up the Intercoastal Waterway to dip in at Jackstaff on the last of an outgoing tide. I set the anglers up with jigs and live shrimp and they began to  pitch to the bank as we eased up current. They were making excellent casts but we had no real bites the entire stretch. We bounced over, fished a sandbar pointe, then ran through
Horsehead to the other side and found some docks to fish. Although they weren't big, both Haden and Ashlyn put some Mangrove Snapper in the boat (they're back!) then Ashlyn had a good tug and landed a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum. We jumped over to Bubblegum Reef, fished it briefly, then ran down to Broward Island. Haden hooked up with a feisty Redfish which Dane expertly reeled in. We let the current drift us down the bank an again Haden had a bite, but this was a bigger fish. They tagged teamed the fish and after a good battle landed a nice 18" fat Seatrout. Moving further down the bank we had another bite and this was an even bigger fish. Dane was on the rod and he patiently played the fish, letting the rod do all the work and after a good battle landed a 24"+ Slot Sized Redfish. Boy what a fish! We made one last stop over at Pumpkin Hill and broke out the float rigs on an incoming tide. Within seconds these anglers were getting bites. We had a good flurry of Trout catching, but he sun was up and it was getting "summertime" hot, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Found a Trout Hole

I had the pleasure of fishing with Wes Methaney again, who brought along his brother Mike and nephew Evan. The high winds from yesterday had subsided and we had a beautiful morning to greet us down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up the Nassau River and fished an exposed oyster bed with jigs and live shrimp on the very first of an incoming tide...to no avail. No bites. Our next stop was up at Bubblegum Reef and with a perfect "first of the incoming tide", I had high expectations. But although the bite was
slow, Wes reeled in a hungry Mangrove Snapper (the first I've seen this year) then Evan caught a keeper sized Seatrout. We jumped over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and after fishing briefly, hooked up with nice fish. Evan played it patiently and after a good battle that took him from stern to bow and back to stern, he landed a nice 18" Black "puppy" Drum. Then uncle Wes put a feisty 4-spot Redfish in the boat. We fished a few docks then ran down to Broward Island and began working back against the tide. Both anglers caught Seatrout then Wes put a nice 19" Trout in the boat.
He followed that up with a big, big bite and after fighting the fish valiantly for a good while, the fish found a deep log and broke itself off, OUCH! We then ran back up the Nassau River, found some oysters to fish, caught nothing, and were just about to call it day when we tried one more flooded oyster bank with float rigs and live shrimp. This did the trick. They caught Trout after Trout after Trout with many of them being of keeper size up to 18". Although the fish were still biting, appointments were needing to be met, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Tackling The "Breezy" Conditions

Anytime the weather forecasters call for "breezy" conditions I know that it's gonna be a struggle out on the water - and that's what they predicted for today, and accurately so. I met Lou Alvarado and his son Joe up at the north end boat ramp early this morning and when we saw that the south west wind hadn't really kicked in yet, we headed over to Tiger Island to fish an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. These two anglers were making pin point casts and even though the river was kicked up with mud, they picked up a
couple of nice Seatrout. As the wind picked up we decided to run over to Lanceford Creek and sure enough, we were protected. Joe picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish were released today) and then he tangled with a nice Black "puppy" Drum. Lou had a strong bite and his drag began to rip and, FISH ON! This was a big fish. But it was up in the pilings and when the line "locked down" we know he was wrapped and sure enough, BAP! Fish Off. Lou is the leader in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament
-Redfish Category and this fish may have challenged it! After fishing Oyster Bay docks with no luck, we ran around to the mouth of Bell's River with plans to fish some flooded oyster beds but the wind was really kicking and there were white caps in the river. So we continued on around and found shelter up the river fishing some docks. Lou was on the jig still but Joe switched to a Slip Float rig and his first pass picked up a nice Trout. He continued with the technique and caught a few more Trout drifting a live shrimp deep along the bottom. Our last stop was around to the outside of Tiger but we had no more bites so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

First Fish Ever

We had another beautiful morning today, and I had the pleasure of fishing with Paul Landahl who brought along his friend Eileen. We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park and after a brief safety orientation, headed up the Nassau River to make the long run around to Broward Island. The conditions were perfect with an incoming tide creeping in as the anglers set up to toss jigs with live shrimp to the shoreline. We had a nibble here and there then a hookup and Paul landed a hungry Seatrout. Then we had a another bite, this one stronger, and Eileen was on the rod this time. She
patiently played the fish and soon landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout - a fish that she proclaimed to be the first fish she'd every caught! Now that's what I like to hear! We worked along the bank and just as we were preparing to move further north we had another good bite. Paul kept the pressure on, played it perfectly, and landed Slot sized Redfish. We finally did move up and were greeted with a Bald Eagle sighting. After fishing under the scrutiny of the Eagle, we made a run around to Seyomor's Pointe and fished some dock pilings, to no avail. We fished some rocks, some flooded
oysters -twice- but had no more bites. Even though the "catdching" was slow, we had a great day out on the waters of Amelia Island, Florida.

Perseverance Leads to Big Trout

We had a late high tide today so I met Emee Herbert and her friends Sarah, Ryanne and Meagan down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at noon with plans to fish the outgoing tide. I think the temperature got up close to 90 today so I may be going to shorts from now on! We ran up to the outside of Tiger and began fishing with float rigs and even though the anglers were making excellent casts, we had no real bites on our live shrimp and mud minnows. We ran up to Jolley River and fished the mouth of Snook Creek and again, no real bites. We dropped back and fished the mouth of the Jolley
and....no bites. OUCH!  These ladies were getting their baits in the right spot but the fish just were not biting. Our next stop was back at Tiger Island on the very last of an outgoing tide and we fished it and fished it and fished it. Finally, Meagan had a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout. Skunk off the boat! Then Ryan reeled in a rather large Perch. I was thinking, "here we go", but the fish just weren't cooperating. We bounced up and down the island and when Emee made a perfect cast to a fishing looking spot she was rewarded with a strong bite and FISH ON! She worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a big 20" Seatrout. Now that's perseverance! Emee picked up one more Perch before we called it a day. Although the fish just weren't biting much, the girls had a lot of laughs, learned a few things, and enjoyed a beautiful day out on the waters of Amelia Island, Florida.

Slowly Building a Mess of Fish

I had a three generation group of anglers today - Steve Buckley, his son-in-law Dave, and his grandson David. I met them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park at 10:30am with plans to fish the first of an outgoing tide. We made our first run over to the outside of Tiger Island (it's been good to me this week!) and set up within casting distance of some sparse marsh grass. The three anglers were tossing float rigs and mud minnows - no live shrimp today - and they were making excellent casts to the edge. it took a while but then Steve
had his float disappear with a vengeance and, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish. We fished the area thoroughly then crossed over to fish another flooded grass line, trolling along the edge and tossing our floats. Although the conditions were right with the water coming out of the marsh, we had no real bites. We picked up and ran up to the Jolley Rive and worked another shoreline. The anglers had a bite here and there but not takers. I switched young David to a jig and shrimp and he promptly picked up a nice Whiting to add to the box. We then ran further up the river to "Snook Creek" and within minutes Steve was putting another Slot Red in the boat, this one a nice 23" fish. He later tangled with a large Gar Fish that we got to the boat and broke off intentionally. We worked up the bank, tossing float rigs and then it was David's turn to tangle with a Slot Red. His float went under and he laid a gentle hookset on and, BOOM! FISH ON! The big fish was ripping drag but David was up to the task - he worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish. And shortly after that we had another hookup, an even bigger fish, but this one must have been slightly hooked because it threw the hook just into the battle. We made one last stop back at Tiger Island, picked up a small Redfish and a keeper sized Trout, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two Slots In A Row

I don't know who dialed up this beautiful weather but please keep it coming! I fished with Greg Bancroft today and the weather forecast predicted "calm" for the first few hours, and they were right! We left the north end boat ramp and headed over to Bell River to fish an oyster outcrop. Greg started with a fly rod and was making excellent casts to the spots that I suggested, but we just couldn't buy a bite. We switched to live shrimp under a float and picked up a small Trout and a keeper sized Flounder, then another small Trout. We ran through the marsh and over to the outside of Tiger and
fished the very last of an incoming tide - in fact it had come to a standstill. Just as it started out Greg's float disappeared and, FISH ON! It was a big fish and his drag was ripping. Greg kept the pressure on, played it patiently, and eventually landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish. Boy what a fish. After pictures, Greg went back to the same spot, got a good drift with his float, and BOOM! Another big fish on! He worked it expertly and after a good battle landed a bigger 25" Slot Red. He picked up a few more Reds, one more just in the Slot, then we eased over to another flooded marsh line. Although the conditions were perfect with the water come out of the grass, we had not bites. We then ran back through the marsh and over to the mouth of Lanceford Creek and fished a grass patch where we picked up one keeper sized Flounder. Our last stop was at some dock pilings up Lanceford and although we had one good bite that broke my leader off, our fish catching was over and we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Oversized Redfish Followed By a Tourney Red

The water was like glass today and even though we had almost no breeze, the bugs really didn't become a factor, thankfully! I met David Traul and his son Andrew at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and boat ramp and we made a short run over to the entrance of Bell River to fish some flooded oysters. Although the bite wasn't automatic, David picked up a keeper sized Seatrout, then Andrew hauled in an even bigger one. Then David had a weird bite that "bobbed" his float a few times and then he set the hook gently and
reeled in a hungry Flounder! We ran around to the outside of Tiger and fished some flooded marsh grass on a tide that was beginning to rip out. David hit the outside of some sparse grass and BOOM! BIG FISH ON!  This fish was ripping drag and had no intentions of being landed, but David kept the pressure on, handed the rod off to Andrew who worked it in a while, then they switched off again and wore out the beast. After a good battle the anglers landed a nice oversized Red Drum that measured in at 28.5". This fish put David squarely in 2nd placed in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings) We got some good pictures and released it to swim off. Boy what a fish! David went
back to the same area and within a minutes, BOOM! Another big fish on! He fought this fish patiently and young Andrew helped his dad by netting another big Red, this one "tourney sized" at 26.5". It was getting so shallow that the skeg of the engine was scraping bottom so we eased out of the area and bounced over to another shore line to fish the floats. After getting no bites, we picked up and ran over to Eagans Creek, fished some dock pilings and fished with both float rigs and jigs. Andrew was working a slip float on the outside of a dock and after picking up a couple of smaller Trout he hooked up a with a big one. He patiently worked the fish to the boat and landed the biggest Trout of the day, an nice 18" fish. David picked up another Slot Redfish, a smaller Red then a big 20" Black "puppy" Drum to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of  Seatrout, Red Drum, Flounder and Black Drum. After hitting one more spot where Andrew kept the  hot hand catching a couple of more Trout, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Buggy Slow Start Leads to Big Fish

We had a nice morning today, albeit somewhat "buggy" with the sand gnats present. I met Andy and Gracie Wakeford along with their kids Victoria and Christian up at the north end boat ramp and we made run over and up Eagans Creek with plans to fish the flooded marsh grass on the very first of an outgoing tide. All four anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats and making excellent casts but we had absolutely zero takers. However, the gnats were having a field day at our expense. But these anglers were game and at our next stop at some docks pilings we began to get some fish.
Christian started off when he hooked up with a  nice fish that was ripping some drag. After playing the fish expertly, he landed a nice 19" Slot sized Redfish. Victoria picked up hungry Trout, Gracie added one, too. Then Andy hooked up. This fish was big too and wanted to get back in the pilings but Andy hauled him out and worked him to the boat, another 19" Slot Red. We continued to fish, picked up a keeper sized Trout, then it was Victoria's turn at a big Red. She fought it valiantly and after a good battle landed the biggest one of the morning, a nice 21" Redfish. When the bite slowed we made the long run around to the Jolley River and began fishing a deep bend with slip floats and live shrimp. By this time the breeze had picked up and blown the gnats away. Although the bite was slow, the ones we caught were big! Andy had his float disappear and after patiently working it to the boat, he landed a nice 21" Seatrout. And after moving to another dock, Victoria copied him - hers was just a tad over 20"- both nice Trout. We made one more stop back a Tiger Island where Christian got hot catching feisty Black "puppy" Drum and Gracie wrapped thing up when she landed a keeper sized Seatrout using a jig and shrimp fished slowly on the bottom. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.