Two of Four Hot Spots

We're having beautiful mornings for fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. Today I met Mike McClane and  his granddaughter Gabby up at the Eagans Creek boat ramp and we headed out of the creek with a live well full of mud minnows (no live shrimp at any bait shop). We ran over to the outside of Tiger Island, fished some flooded marsh grass just as the tide had started out, and had good nibbles, but no takers.

We bounced over to fish a large creek mouth and BOOM! Abby had a hookup. She played the fish perfectly and soon landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. From then on it was Trout bite after Trout bite. Both Mike and Gabby took turns reeling in fish and although there wasn't a whole lot of size to them, they were fun to catch. While we were fishing we were treated to some manatee sightings, lolling around just 20 feet away.

We ran out and around and up to the Jolley River and all the way to Snook Creek, fished it thoroughly, but had no real bites.

Our final stop was back at the mouth of Jolley. Working a now exposed oyster bed, the anglers were tossing there float rigs and minnows up near the shore and they began to get Redfish. One after the other. Some minnows caught three fish. They didn't have a whole lot of size to them either, but they were fun to catch, too. Switchign to jigs, finally, Mike had a strange bite and he reeled in a keeper sized Flounder. Gabby added a Croaker and they wrapped up the day catching feisty Redfish. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flurry of Feisty Redfish

Happy July 4th! A day late! Back fishing, today with Chris Giella and his son Hunter, meeting them down at City marina early. We headed north and made our first stop outside of Tiger Island and began fishing the high and outgoing tide with float rigs and mud minnows. The two anglers were making excellent casts and we had a few bites, but none big enough to take the hook.

We ran up and around into the Jolley River and all the way up to Snook Creek and set up again with the float rigs. Again, no real

bites.  Our next stop was back at the mouth of the Jolley and finally, things heated up. Both Hunter and Chris began to get some feisty Redfish, one after the other, and the fish count climbed quickly. Hunter added a Croaker, Chris added a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and Hunter followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder. We actually left the fish biting to see if we could find something bigger!

We ran around to the MOA and first cast produced a large Catfish! I think we picked up one or two more feisty Reds, then we made one last stop back at Tiger Island where Hunter wrapped things up with another, even bigger, keeper sized Flounder. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Shark Fights at Amelia Island

The Jensen boys didn't get enough Saturday so they went again today! I met Dean Jensen and his two sons Elijah and Tyler at the Fernandina Beach City marina and we headed north to make our first stop outside of Tiger Island with plans to fish float rigs and live shrimp on a fairly high tide, going out. The three anglers got bites right off, but they were nibblers. After being treated to a manatee sighting, we moved on and up the coast.

We found a really nice marsh drainage and fished it with jigs and shrimp but I don't think we had a single bite. We then ran around  and into the Jolley River and went back to the float rigs. We finally picked up a couple of feisty Redfish.

Our next stop was back at the mouth of Jolley, fishing "Jensen Bank" and this did the trick. Elijah and his dad picked up a couple of the Redfish, Elijah put a hard fighting Jack Crevalle in the boat, then he added to that with a 24" Bonnethead Shark catch - a nice fight. Tyler was feeling a bit left out so when his older brother hooked up big, he handed it off to Tyler and the battle began!

It was a big shark- ripping the drag as it headed to deeper waters, but Tyler was up to the challenge and stayed with him. He worked the big fish to the surface a couple of times - it looked five foot long to me - but then it would run and take line with it. Finally, after a long fight, we got the big shark to the boat and broke him off - boy what a battle!

This must have woken Tyler up because from then on he was catching fish! Elijah matched him fish for fish and they both caught a bunch. We hit a couple of more spots, the bite dwindled to nothing, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Keeper Slam at Amelia Island

I fished north today, the first time in a good while, meeting my guests Allen and Lavern Webb at the  Atlantic Seafood dock. The tide had been going out for a few hours so we headed around to the outside of Tiger Island to make our first stop at a large marsh runout. We went with float rigs and some nice lively shrimp, but to no avail. Not even a bite!

We bounced around to the Jolley River and fished a bank of oysters that were beginning to show. The first few casts had our shrimp

nibbled off and I was thinking, "oh no, a baitstealer infestation!"  But nope, Allen had a strong bite, his float got sucked under, and FISH ON! This fish boiled up at the shore line a few times then got back in the current and headed north. But Allen kept the pressure on even though the drag was ripping. He got the big fish slowed down, worked him in slowly, and we soon netted a good 22" Slot sized Redfish!

We continued to fish the bank, got into some small but feisty

Redfish, then Allen put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat. Lavern followed that up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then she put a small Red in the boat, too. After we tangled with a Bonnethead Shark we moved on.

We ran up the river, fished snook creek, caught another couple of small Reds, then moved on around to the MOA. Switching to jigs, Allen got hot catching the small Redfish and just as we were about to leave, Lavern hooked up and expertly reeled in a fat keeper sized Seatrout. After one more stop back at Tiger Island, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Young Anglers Net Amelia Island Slam

After a day off I was back to "work", meeting Dean Jensen and his two sons Elijah and Tyler down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning. We had excellent weather - the slight breeze made it really comfortable to fish - and we made a quick run up the Amelia River and then ducked in at Jackstaff. We fished the bank with float rigs  with live shrimp and mud minnows on an outgoing tide.

Elijah got things started when he hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish then Tyler got on the board with a small Flounder. Dean added a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then Tyler went back to the well to get another Flounder, this one pretty big and keeper size!

We bounced across the creek and fished a flooded sandbar and within minutes began to get hookups. All three caught Seatrout, with Elijah putting a keeper sized one in the boat.  Our next stop was around at Twin Creeks and again, Elijah found a Redfish. We dropped down the river to fish an exposed shell bank and although it looked really good, we had no bites.

After a run down to Broward Island the anglers began to toss jigs and shrimp and minnows to the bank with the tide still going out. They picked up a couple of Mangrove Snapper, a small Redfish, and a hungry Seatrout.   We fished one more spot before heading in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Saving The Best For Last

We both agreed that it was an ideal day for fishing the backwaters of Amelia Island. I had met Jim Metternich down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and as we headed out we had overcast skies, just a slight breeze, a baitwell full of live shrimp and mud minnows, and a good tide to fish.

We headed up the Nassau River and made our first stop at Twin Creeks, starting with a float rig and live shrimp. And although we had a few nibbles, we had no real takers, and with the oysters

already showing, we switched to jigs for the rest of the day. Jim was making excellent casts, working the marsh run outs methodically and eventually he hooked up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. As we bounced down the river, fishing run outs, he later put a feisty Redfish in the boat.

We hit a couple of spots along the Nassau then ran down to Broward Island. Perfect conditions. And although Jim put a good handful of fun-to-catch Mangrove Snapper in the boat, the Redfish

that he caught didn't have a whole lot of size to them.

We decided to make a run and pulled up to an exposed shell bed. The boat was sitting in 5' of water as we worked along the bank and with just minutes to go in the trip, BOOM! Jim had a nice fish on. He played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a 22" Slot sized Redfish. Alright!  After pictures and release (all fish were released today), Jim made another toss or two to the bank and BOOM! Another big fish on! He worked this fish patiently to the boat and landed another 22" Slot sized Red, this one with 9 spots!  It would have placed second in the Amelia Island Guides Association Redfish Spot Tournament. Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Started Off Good

We fished this morning under overcast skies, but it was a bit cooler and with the slight breeze, it was some good fishing conditions. I met Darrell Evans and two of his sons Clark and Will down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made our first run up the Nassau River, stopping at some exposed oysters to fish the last hour of an outgoing tide.

The bait shop was out of all live bait! Ouch! But I had cast net for
about two dozen finger mullet after launching so the trio of anglers began to toss them on a jig up to the bank. Clark knocked the skunk off when he hooked and landed a keeper sized Flounder. Bumping up the river to a large twin runout, young Will hooked up with a  nice fish. He played it perfectly and after a good battle, landed an "almost legal" feisty Redfish.  And shortly after that, Darrell put another Flounder in the boat.

But we had gone thru our minnows, so we ran down to Broward Island and fished the first of an incoming tide with artificial grubs and minnows. We came pretty close to tossing every color in the box at them to no avail.  We were getting "bumps" but no takers as we worked the bank, up close and out deep but he fish just weren't having it.

We fished Pumkin Hill for a good while and finished up over in Jackstaff as the tide covered the oysters and although the fish catching had fallen off, we still counted it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Trout Then Big Redfish

Another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida! This morning I met Chris and Melanie Sorah and his dad Ken down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at the very bottom of an outgoing tide. We ran up the Amelia River and tucked in to Jackstaff to fish an exposed bank with mud minnows an live shrimp. We actually worked the bank up and back and picked up a good handful of small but feisty Redfish.

We then made the long run down to Broward Island with plans to

fish the first of an incoming tide. At first we had to fight off some pesky 6" Mangrove Snapper. But then we picked up Redfish that was a tad bit bigger then Chris had a good, strong bite and, FISH ON! He played the big fish patiently, drag ripping, and after a good battle landed a big 21.5" Seatrout, boy what a fish! Then he put another keeper sized Trout in the boat.

We were just about to leave the area when his dad, Ken, hooked up. This was a big, big fish! We could hear it laughing at our light tackle. But Ken would have the last laugh. He kept the pressure on, took his time, and after a long, long fight, landed an oversized 31" Redfish! Check out that size 1000 reel in the video below! Note how that trolling motor plays a big part in landing this mighty fish! This fish garners Ken 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We made a stop at Pumpkin Hill where Chris put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat to round out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Melanie had already put a few Redfish and Trout in the boat and added a Croaker to her variety.  After one more brief stop, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

BOOM! Big Trout. BOOM! Big Trout.

Back to work this morning! We had an outstanding day forecast, slightly overcast and a very light breeze for the morning. I met Wyman Bethea and his two sons Cameron and Corey down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River to make a quick stop at some exposed shell beds. The three anglers began making casts (excellent ones, I might add) up to the bank. They were all getting nibbles but it was Wyman who put a
high flying Ladyfish then a feisty Redfish in the boat. And not much else after that!

We made the run down to Broward to take advantage of that early incoming tide and this was the trick. After fishing a large marsh run out and getting nibbled a bunch, we dropped back and fished some downed trees. BOOM! Corey had a strong hookup. This was a big fish. He played it perfectly as the drag ripped and soon netted a nice 21.25" Seatrout. Man what a fish! He followed that up with another Trout then his dad went into the hole and BOOM! Big fish on again! Wyman worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a

nice 22" Seatrout, a fish that puts him in third place in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We continued to fish the "hot spot" and pulled a couple of more keeper sized Trout of it, and also had some small Mangrove Snapper.  We bounced down the island, fished to no avail, then hit the north end where Wyman caught an "almost legal" Redfish.

Our next stop was back at Pumpkin Hill. The trio landed a couple of small Reds then the Trout bite got hot again and they landed a couple more keeper sized ones, a nice keeper sized Sandtrout. Cameron had persevered and added a Trout or two and had another Sandtrout right to the boat. We had gotten low on shrimp so we switched to plastic grubs. Finally, Wyman had a strong bite and, FISH ON! He played it perfectly and landed the first Slot Redfish of the day.

We made one last stop of the day back at Seymore's Pointe. Cameron found a "honey hole" for catching nice Croaker then his dad wrapped things up with one more Slot Redfish catch. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

What's Better? A Slot Red or a Weakfish Catch?

I had the pleasure of fishing yesterday afternoon with George Youmans, his son Gus and Gus's friend Mary, meeting them down at the south end boat ramp shortly after noon. We had  a smorgasbord of bait - live shrimp, mud minnows, finger mullet and some huge frozen shrimp when we started fishing in the Nassau River on an outgoing tide.

It was Mary who "knocked the skunk" off the boat, rather early, when she hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. George followed

that up with another Red that was just a tad bit undersized. Of course, it went back to grow a little bit! In fact, all fish caught today were released. We continued to work the bank and then Gus had a strong hookup. We could tell this was a bigger fish by the way it ripped the drag. Gus kept the pressure on and after a good battle landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish.

We then ran around to Pumpkin Hill and fished some exposed oysters. Both Mary and George put some hard fighting Jack

Crevalle in the boat and George landed another feisty Redfish. We made a brief stop down at Broward Island where Gus caught another Red, then we wrapped things up fishing back at the Horsehead area.

We had worked along an exposed oyster bank a good stretch, all the way up to Bubblegum Reef. George fished the inside of the reef while Gus and Mary fished the outside. Gus had a bump, set the hook and when the fish came to the surface we all thought "Seatrout" - but no, it was a Weakfish/Sandtrout/Yellowmouth Trout! That's cool!  What a great way to wrap up another day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.