Good Week of Fishing after Engine Troubles

I spent about two agonizing weeks down with engine troubles but I was able to get back on the water this past Monday for a full week of fishing and we had some pretty good days out on the water. When asked, I tell people that we're catching fish and we're catching some good fish. We're not having one of those "banner days" where you just get bite after bite after bite, but we've managed to put together some nice trips and had a good time out on the water.


On Monday I fished with Mason Bishop and his buddy Brad and picked up some nice Seatrout fishing a high and still incoming tide. We dipped into Christopher Creek and Mason put a nice Slot Redfish in the boat. That high incoming tide has always been tough for me but I'm figuring it out!

The next day the tide was high just one hour later. Len Pelletier had his son Scott and grandson Kevin visiting. We met down at the South end at Sawpit Creek and fished mostly float rigs with shrimp and minnows. Young Kevin picked up a really nice Seatrout in addition to others.





I met Dennis and Carol West up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park on

Wednesday and we had a really good day of catching Seatrout on those higher tides.  You need to be up close to the grass, preferably drifting your bait over oysters and hit those ambush points.






I didn't fish on the 4th of July! I've got to where I don't fish any of
the holidays - the boat ramp is crazy enough as it is!  On Friday I met Dennis and Alicia Penick, their son Parker, and nephew Jack down at the south end. Having a later high tide seemed to help the fish catching! Parker got hot early, catching some nice Trout then Dan picked up a Slot Red over some shell. Jack made a pinpoint
cast to a marsh runout, we saw the fish take the bait, and BOOM! Big Fish on! Jack played it perfectly but that fish had dug it's nose down into the oysters and eventually, BAP! fish off! But Jack persevered and came back an picked up a nice Trout later in the trip.







We wrapped the week up yesterday with some BIG fish! I had met James and Meagan Broom up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and after making our fist stop over at Tiger Island where Meagan "knocked the  skunk off" with a Flounder catch, we made our way up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank". The duo caught a Trout, fishing jigs and minnows, then James had a strong bite and, Fish On!  It was ripping drag and I was thinking Redfish but when I saw it flash in the water I saw that it was a big Seatrout. James played it perfectly and soon landed a 21.5
each fish.  Just a tad bit later, BOOM! Bigger fish on!  This one went deep, ripped drag, stayed deep, and took some patience. But James was up to the task and battled a stout 26.5" "tournament Redfish" to the net, boy what fish. The duo later put a couple of keeper sized Flounder in the boat and Meagan wrapped things up with a keeper sized Seatrout.

Good Fish Bite Wraps The Week Up

I fished with Mike and Louise (Lou) Maguth this morning, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early. We had a heavy breeze blowing out of the south west so we headed over to Lanceford Creek with plans to fish a large outflow on the first of an outgoing tide. The two anglers began with float rigs and live shrimp. Even though the first cast produced a high flying Ladyfish, we didn't have any other real bites so we worked up the bank for a bit. There was a lot of bait action and I thought for sure we'd pick up a fish, but no - no fish. We dropped back and fished the first runout where
we had started - the tide had dropped just a bit - and this paid off. Lou hooked up and landed a nice 19" Seatrout, then she put another keeper sized Trout in the boat.

We moved around and fished some dock pilings and just when I thought it was to no avail - BOOM! Fish on!  Lou (the classiest dressed angler I've ever had on my boat) hooked up, battled and landed a big 24" Black Puppy Drum. Then she put another one in the boat. I was beginning to think Mike had just come along for the ride but I guess he decided to get busy - he caught a nice 22" Slot Redfish, then a keeper sized Black Drum, then another, bigger Slot Redfish. Before it was over they had landed 3 keeper sized Seatrout, 3 Slot sized Redfish, and 3 keeper sized Black Drum - and tossed back some smaller fish.

Things finally slowed so we made the long run around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank" Mike put one feisty Red in the boat then both anglers did battle with some 3' long Bonnethead Shark.

The Anglers Mark is going in the shop tomorrow for it's 100 hour service so it was a great way to wrap up a week of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Rain'n Fish

I fished with the Park boys - Grandad George, his son Matt, and grandson Joseph today, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning for a half day of fishing. We made the short run down to Lanceford Creek and set  up outside a nice run out on a tide that had been going out for a few hours - the oysters were already showing. It may have been the first cast, maybe the second when young Joseph hooked up and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch on a float rig with live shrimp as bait.  We had a few more Seatrout caught but although the bait fish were making a commotion, we had no other fish.

We moved around and fished some dock pilings and this did the trick. Matt was fishing out of the stern and that seemed to be the spot - he hooked up and expertly landed  an nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.

Grandpa George lurked and.....

Matt put a keeper Seatrout in the boat, then another keeper Puppy Drum, then another keeper Trout...then George hooked up and, Fish On!  He played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish.  We also caught and released a couple of smaller Reds.

The tide had hit bottom so we pulled up the trolling motor and made the run back to Tiger Island to catch that incoming current. Although we didn't get much here we did pick up a feisty Redfish.

With just minutes left in the trip, we decided to make the short run up to the Jolley River and boy did this pay off- even though a couple of rain showers came thru. The trio combined to land two keeper sized Flounder- George landed one that was 18" to squeeze in to 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2019 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings), then he hooked up and landed a nice22" Slot Red- this one had some "shoulders" and put up a harder fight than his earlier 23"er.  Matt was on the net, Josephe was "coaching" so it was a team effort to land the fish and make it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Finally a Big Flounder - and a good day of fishing!

Todd Johnson and his college buddy Garrett met here at Amelia Island and took in a back country trip on the Anglers Mark this morning. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and scooted across the river to fish Tiger Island logs on the first of an incoming tide. We worked down the island tossing 1/4oz jigs with live shrimp and only had nibbles until Garrett pitched between two stumps. As he took up his slack he felt a "heaviness" and BOOM! Big fish on!  Garrett worked it to the boat as it dug deep, but he kept the pressure on and landed a big 20" Flounder - the biggest of the year on the Anglers
Mark - which set him up in first place of the 2019 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  That was the only fish we got at Tiger! Hah!

We cruised around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank" and things sure did heat up. Todd battled a big 25.25" Slot Red to the boat, Garrett added a couple of more keeper sized Flounder, and they both had a smaller Red or two. We fished Snook Creek and picked  up a nice sized Whiting then came back up the Jolley and picked up another couple of Slot Reds and keeper sized Flounder (5 in all).

In addition to some Jacks and a rare Cigar Fish, it turned out to be an outstanding day fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Redfish Wraps Up The Day

We had a beautiful morning when I met Jason and Becky Garner and their two kids Emily and
Stephen down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning. Not a cloud in the sky and only a slight breeze as we left the ramp and ran up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff Creek with plans to fish float rigs with live shrimp and mud minnows to the grass line on an incoming tide.

We had just got started when Stephen, fishing from the stern, had a hookup and landed a keeper sized Flounder to "knock the skunk off" quick! We fished along that first bank and both Stephen and Becky landed some feisty Jack Crevalle's.
After Jason battled a nice Slot sized Red to the boat we made a quick run thru Horsehead and back down the Nassau to fish some flooded shell beds.

A number of times we had strikes at our baits but no takers until Jason hooked up and landed an even bigger Jack Crevalle. Then Stephen put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. By this time Emily's casting had improved to where she was making excellent casts.   Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill where we fished some grassy islands. On our second pass Stephen had his float disappear and as he lifted his rod to let the circle hook set itself he hooked and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.

The tide was up so we were able to get into Christopher Creek. We worked some docks with jigs and shrimp and minnows but had no takers. As we approached some grass and branches Stephen made an excellent cast - pin point- and BOOM! Big Fish On! Stephen fought it perfectly as the big fish ran deep, keeping the pressure on. When the fish ran Stephen followed it to the stern and went from starboard to port and back to starboard again. After a good battle he landed a big oversized 28.25" Redfish - boy what a nice fish, and great one to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Click to See video here:
https://www.facebook.com/becky.j.garner.5/videos/10219548119399161/

#7 Spot is the Charm

Back to "work" today! I fished with Alan Richardson,  his son Mark and grandson Braden, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early. We made a quick run up to the Jolly River and started fishing the "bank", easing into an incoming tide with just a couple of hours to go before it was high. These anglers were tossing live shrimp and minnows under a float and we had a couple of good bites but no takers. We fished a couple of more spots in Jolley and only had one small "ladyfish" to show for it.

We came back to the outside of Tiger and fished
some flooded oysters and did find one nice 17" Seatrout that Braden reeled in expertly, but that was it! After fishing two more spots outside of Tiger and with only one more small Trout to show for it, we made a final run to spot #7 in hopes of finding some fish.

BOOM! Yes, there were fish!  I can't remember who started it off but all three anglers began to put fish in the boat. They landed 3-4 keeper Trout (we only kept a total of 2 fish) and then they began to get nice Slot sized Redfish. Braden had 2-3 that were over 20", Mark had a couple of Slots and a short 12-spotter, and Allen landed a few Reds and Trout. It was our 7th spot of the day and turned out to be a "game winner" for making it a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Crusty Rod

I fished with Dennis Brizzi and his buddy Hal O'Dell today, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. The tide was still coming in just a bit so we bounced over to Pumpkin Hill and fished a "grass patch" with float rigs and live shrimp and minnows. It was slow going for a while as we drifted over a shallow flat but then we came back out to deeper water and as Hal started to retrieve his bait, BOOM! Big fish on!  Hal worked it to the boat patiently and landed a fat 23" Seatrout - a big enough fish to move him into a tie for first place in the 2019 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the
right side of this report for standings). 

We fished that area for a while and landed a couple of Redfish, one of which was of keeper size, another smaller Trout, and Hal did battle with an even bigger fish than the first Trout- this one ripped drag, made a couple of runs, then dove under the boat and BAP! Fish Off! Ouch.

We later fished Seymore's Pointe rocks but had no bites, then went around the corner and picked up a Seatrout or two. After fishing down at Spanish Drop where Dennis landed a Trout, a Flounder, and a Jack Crevalle, we went back to Pumpkin Hill to try our luck with jigs on a lower tide. Although both anglers had some good bites, we had no luck until we were just about to leave and Hal hooked  up with something big, worked it to the boat, and landed an crusty old rod and reel combo! And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Mixed Bag

I fished with the Humphries guys today, JR, Chad, Aiden and Nolan - meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made the run up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff to begin tossing jigs and minnows and live shrimp to the exposed oysters with a few hour left of an outgoing tide. JR, Chad and Aiden were pitching the jigs and Nolan was drifting  a float out of the stern and it was Chad who "knocked the skunk off" with the hookup and catch of a big Bluefish. He followed that up with a landing of a keeper sized Flounder then it was Aiden's turn to get in on the catching.

After tangling with an aggressive Jack Crevalle, Aiden was on the bow fishing the down side of a sandbar and found a couple of hungry Seatrout that took his jig and shrimp. We then buzzed thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to fish some run outs and oyster beds.  Aiden hauled in nice "almost legal" legal Redfish then Logan hooked up and battled another to the boat.

Our next stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The first dock didn't produce anything. But just as we pulled up to the 2nd one, Aiden made a perfect cast and BOOM! Fish On! He worked it patiently to the boat and soon landed a nice 19" 10 Spot Redfish - one for dinner!  We briefly fished Broward Island on the last of the outgoing tide but had absolutely no bites but it was a beautiful day so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish'n Fun

I've fished with Wes Matheney for a number of year now but today he brought along his son Jack to give him a little exposure to some Amelia Island back country fishing. After meeting up at Dee Dee Bartels Park we made the short run to the outside of Tiger and fished some jigs and mud minnows at a large outflow. Although we had a "bump" or two, we had no takers so we eased around to Jolley Bank.

I was trolling into the last of an outgoing tide, Wes was pitching the jigs and minnows, and Jack was arranging "families" of grubs on the bow deck when Wes hooked  up and hauled in

the first fish, a Flounder of keeper size (All fish caught today were released). We worked slowly along the bank and picked up a nice slot sized Redfish, then we landed another, even bigger Flounder.  After tangling with a feisty Jack Crevalle, we made a move up the river.

We had worked the oysters at the mouth of Snook Creek and saw some sharks cruising the bank but we hadn't had much luck until Wes's line begin to rip and, Fish On! We new this was a bigger Redfish when it boiled at the shoreline. Wes kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat, and soon landed a nice 22.5" Slot Red.

We fished a little bit at Tiger Island then the sun really got up and we decided to head on in and let Jack enjoy the rest of his day at the pool! It was great day to be out on the water and introduce a young future angler to fishing.

Flounder Are Biting

I had the pleasure of fishing with Wes Matheney who was in town with his family again this year. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made a short trip up the  Nassau River to begin fishing some marsh run outs and exposed oysters. Today was the first day I purchased mud minnows for bait and boy did it pay off!

Wes hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder right off (all fish caught today were released) then he had a bigger one to the boat and not uncommonly, it threw the hook. Ouch! But it didn't matter because Wes found a few more that he landed- all of keeper size-  not massively big but definitely good enough for table fare!

When Wes had  a strong hookup and his drag began to rip and the fish didn't budge off the bank we knew he had a big Redfish on. Wes fought it expertly and patiently worked it to the boat. After a long battle he landed a big oversized 32.5" Redfish- too big to keep- but good enough to squeeze in to 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2019 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  This fish had a recent wound from what must have been a dolphin attack. He was having bad week, but he swamp off to the depths when we released him.

Wes picked up a couple of Slot Reds, a couple of small Reds and had another keeper sized Flounder down at Broward Island, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.