Birthday Trip Fishing at Amelia Island

Birthday guy Frank WYTIAZ and his wife Joanne treated themselves to an Amelia Island Back Country fishing trip this  morning when I met them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We headed up the river and made a quick stop on the outside of Tiger to try some jigs and mud minnows at a large marsh run out in hopes of catching a Flounder...but we had no bites.

We then bumped around to the Jolly River, fished the "bank" with float rigs and live shrimp, and here Joanne tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish, Frank put a hungry Seatrout in the boat, and then a big Bluefish struck Joanne's
bait and she expertly brought it to the boat. We fished further up the river at Snook Creek, then at the MOA, then made a run around to some docks at Bell River, fishing, but to no avail.

The tide had hit bottom so we made the long run back to Tiger Island and fished the logs and here we had some good action.  The duo landed a couple of Redfish, one of which was in the Slot. Frank put a Flounder in the boat and both he and Joanne caught a handful of  Black "puppy" Drum to round out their Amelia Island Back Country "Grande" Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder and Drum. It was a beautiful day and a great way to celebrate a birthday here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Redfish Fishing at Amelia Island

We had another outstandingly beautiful morning today when I picked up John Raker at the Oyster
Bay Marina. We made a quick jump over to Eagans Creek and fished some docks with mud minnows and live shrimp on jigs. The first dock didn't produce a fish but when we moved down a dock or two it wasn't long before John was hooking up with feisty Redfish. He put two or three in the boat, most being just a wee bit under the Slot limit, then he had a stronger hookup that was ripping some drag. John worked it out away for the dock pilings expertly and we soon netted the first Slot Red of the day. After getting a couple of more of the smaller fish,  plus a small Black "puppy" Drum, then a keeper sized Drum, we headed over to Tiger Island.

The wind was picking up as we made the run but when we got to the island it was blocked. We had the whole spot to ourselves and fished up and down the island as the tide turned and started in. Every once in a while John would have a hookup. More feity Reds, then a Slot size, then a keeper sized Flounder, another Drum, a small Seatrout, and then BOOM! Big fish on. As John's drag ripped the  big fish cam out deep and the battle was on. The fish tried to stay deep but John worked it to the top, it boiled, then dove, then eventually came to the net, a 28.5" oversized Redfish! After pictures we released it to swim off. John added one more Slot Redfish before we moved on, calling it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Mixed Bag Fishing at Amelia Island

The spring like weather continued today when I fished with Brian Roach,  his son Michael, and their friend Jonah. I met them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and made a quick run over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings on the very first of an incoming tide.  The fish catching started off slow at the first dock even though Jonah "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch, but when we moved to the second dock the fishing got hot! Brian found some Redfish parallel to some pilings. He hooked up with one or

two before the two younger anglers moved in and caught a few of their own. Most were just a tad bit undersized but Jonah did find one in the slot size. Michael added Black "puppy" Drum to the catch before we moved on.  (We were fishing with live shrimp and mud minnows(

 

Our next stop was around at Tiger Island, fishing the logs. Michael notched an Amelia Island Back Country Slam with a keeper sized Flounder catch and Brian added another feisty Redfish.

 

We made the run up to the Jolley River, fished the bank, and even though we were tossing float rigs into the wind, Michael hooked up and landed Seatrout. After running further up the river and setting up with the wind behind our back, we found some good sized slot Redfish along the flooding marsh grass. Jonah landed one nice Slot fish then Michael followed that up with his own. We had good action most of the day, the sun was out, the humidity was down, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Warm Water Brings Hot Fishing at Amelia Island

It looks like we're getting back to "work" this week - I've had a handful of bookings. Today I fished with Trey Dennard, his GF Maria, and her son Mario, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. The tide was still going out so we bumped down to Broward Island and fished jigs and live shrimp up between the logs. Although we didn't find any big Redfish, the trio did hookup and land a handful of hungry Seatrout and it was Mario who "knocked the skunk off" with the first one. Trey wrapped it up
with the biggest, a 17" keeper fish.   We moved down the way as the tide started back in and here Trey put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat (one that had a gig hole thru and thru) and the team also landed another Trout or two.

We buzzed over to Spanish drop and fished jigs and float rigs. Maria put another keeper sized Flounder, Trey added a Redfish that was just under the legal limit, then all three were tangling with high flying Ladyfish that were sweeping in and attaching their shrimp.

Our next stop was some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we had no real bites, then we wrapped things up back towards Goffinsville and put two 10" Mangrove Snapper in the boat, the first of the year - and indication the water is getting warmer here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Reds and Big Fish

I fished with lady angler Ameera Yousif this morning, launching at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and heading up the Nassau River for a quick run to our first fishing spot in the Spanish Drop area. We should have known something was up - we began to get small bites right off, but no takers - so we were lulled to sleep when BOOM! Float Gone!  Ameera fought the fish patiently as it got back in the current and dug deep. But a couple of times it rolled up and flashed a huge tail and Ameera called it, "Big Redfish!" She worked it to the boat and landed a big Oversized 28.5" Redfish which we photographed and released.  We continued to fish that spot and it was some good action for a good
while. Ameera hooked up and landed her first Slot fish of the day, a 19" Red, then tangled with 2-3 big high flying Ladyfish. Then another Strong hookup - the drag was ripping and the rod was bent - but Ameera was up to the task and soon brought to the boat a big 25" Slot Redfish.  We added another one or two small Redfish to the catch, a small Seatrout (or two) and a small Jack Crevalle.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill. We had just eased into the shallow "pocket" and fished the current as it swept thru and BAM! Seatrout on! At the same time another float disappeared and this one was ripping drag. Ameera landed the trout then took the other rod and fought this big fish to the boat. It made a run or two then succumbed to the expert pressure as Ameera brought to the boat a 26.75", barely in the Slot, big Slot Redfish. We worked that area pretty good and finally put a couple of keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.

The final stop was back at Seymore's Pointe, still tossing float rigs with  mud minnows on the very last of an incoming tide. When Ameera's float disappeared we thought she may have hooked a freight train!  I wondered if maybe we had somehow loosened the drag earlier, but no, it was just a big fish! After a valiant fight, Ameera brought it to the boat and landed a big Jack Crevalle. She followed that up with a big Bluefish catch.  The sun was up, the humidity was down and the fish had been biting all morning so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

          

Two For Three at Amelia Island Fishing

I was able to get out fishing Sunday morning with Clint and Jean Davis after meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. We made our first run up to the Jolley River to get away from the congestion and sure enough, it sure was peaceful up there!  Clint got his live shrimp under a float in the water first, but Jean's had only settled in before she had a strong bite - the float was gone! But it was a quick hit and took the bait with no catch. We worked along the shore line, tossing up current and when we reached a point of marsh grass Clint's float
disappeared and, Fish On!  Clint worked it slowly to the boat and knocked the skunk off with a nice 19" Slot sized, 11 spot Redfish.

We came back to the mouth of the Jolley, fished the "bank", then ran back up the Jolley to fish some now exposed oysters with jigs and live shrimp. Jean was fishing out of the stern and letting her jig bounce down the river bottom to deeper water and felt a few "bumps" before hooking up and reeling in a big 18" Seatrout.  We then made our way around to Bell River and fished some dock pilings.  Jean kept up the hot hand, catching a Flounder and a Sheepshead to round out the duos Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder and Sheepshead. She also tangled with a big fish, had the hookup, but the wily fish made it's way to the dock pilings and broke us off.

It was a beautiful day, we had some fish in the  box, so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of The Month: Jazz Fest Crawfish (Shrimp) Monica

A friend of ours, Hugh John McDonald, visits New Orleans each year to attend the Jazz Festival and has always enjoyed a hearty plate of Crawfish Monica. He mentioned that he was going to be missing it this year with the COVID pandemic going on. It interested me, I googled it, and found a recipe at Crawfish.com that looked pretty good. I happened to have a pound or so of nice Mayport Shrimp so I used them instead....

Ingredients:
1)  Pint of half-and-half   

3/4  Cup of parmesan cheese
1)   Cup of whipping cream
5)   Chopped green onions
1/2  Cup butter
4     Chopped garlic cloves
1/2  Bunch of parsley
1)   Pound of crawfish tails with fast (I used 2lbs of Mayport Shrimp)
       Salt and pepper to taste
       Cayenne pepper to taste
       Tony Chachere's to taste (I used Konriko)
1)   Pound Rotini (you can substitute Fettucine)

Directions:
1)  Cook pasta according to the directions on the package
2)  Drain, rinse under cool water and drain again thoroughly.
3)  Melt butter in a large pot on medium high heat.
4)  Sauté onions, garlic, and parsley for about 3 minutes
5)  Add the crawfish and sauté for another 2 minutes
     (Here, if using shrimp, I would saute them for 2-3 minutes then remove them from the pot with
      plans to add them back in when all is mixed with the pasta. If we left them in, they'd cook for
     17 minutes using this recipe, which is too long to be cooking shrimp, in my opinion.)
6)  Combine half-and-half and cream into pot and reduce to medium heat for about 10 minutes.
7)  Add seasonings - Cayenned, Konriko, Salt and Pepper) and reduce heat to low and stir until the
     sauce thickens and becomes a little creamy.
8)  In a large bowl (or the pot), toss the cooked pasta, sauce (and shrimp of your using it instead of
     Crawfish).
9)  Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
10) Add the parmesan cheese and stir

Serve immediately with French bread or garlic bread.  Pairs nicely with a dry white wine.

Beautiful Day On The Water

After a couple of weeks of downtime I was able to get out on the water yesterday with Tandy
Morton, our friend Chris Yarborough, and his son Conner. We met early out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp, launched and made a quick run over to Broward Island - the tide had been coming in for a few hours but I thought we'd give it a try while we were in the area. We were tossing jigs an live shrimp but the first spot produced no fish, not even a real bite, so we moved down the way, passing a pair of Bald Eagles, to set up on the outside of some logs. Things were looking pretty good but we still weren't getting any bites until, BOOM! Fish on.
Conner was on the rod and he patiently worked it to the boat and  net, a nice 18"+ Slot Redfish. Just a short while later Tandy put a hungry Seatrout in the boat.

We then ran back to the Spanish Drop area and set up along a marsh line. The tide was already up here, covering the oysters, so we switched to a fixed float rig baited with live shrimp. Tandy was on the bow casting forward while Conner took up the stern.  As we approached a "corner" we began to catch some fish. First, we had a nice 6-spot Slot Redfish, then we landed a couple of undersized Reds, one of which Conner hooked and landed.  Then Conner tangled with a Bonnethead Shark which he valiantly battled to the boat.  Then It was Tandy's turn for a big fish. He and I both were watching his float drift just a foot away from the grass when we saw his float ease under. Tandy took up the slack, lifted, and, Fish On! He battled the fish away from the oysters then handed off to Conner to do the heavy lifting! Conner worked it to the boat and landed a nice 24.25" Redfish. Boy what teamwork!

Our last stop was back at Pumpkin Hill. We were tossing the floats up into a shallow "bay" and letting them drift back and across a shell bed. There wasn't much action going on until Tandy had another strong bite. It was a big fish and we were all guessing what it was - it didn't look like a Red. Again, Tandy fought the fish out then handed it off to his team mate Conner who brought it to the net - a big 20" Seatrout -the biggest of the year on the Angler's Mark, and big enough to grab first place in the 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  We finished out that stretched, hit a small grass patch, but the tide had reached its peak and there were  no bites going on. So we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

EXLUSIVE INTERVEIW WITH NEW OWNERS OF AMELIA ISLAND BAIT AND TACKLE

 

I reached out to the new owners of the Amelia Island Bait and Tackle shop - the Bremer family and

we did a "virtual" interview. I've stopped in a couple of times and they've been hard at it, doing some Spring cleaning, re-organization and with the Virus issue, slowly easing in to life as bait shop owners!

    Can you give us a brief "Bio" of your family and how you decided to take the plunge and purchase the shop?

Chris and Lisa Bremer met and raised their family in Chicago.  Chris is from St. Louis MO, Lisa grew up in Keystone Heights, outside Gainesville.  They have been residents of the Island since 2009, Lisa introduced Chris to the Island on one of their trips to Florida to visit her family, he fell in love with it immediately.  They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren.  Their youngest, Nik and his wife Tyler live in LA.   

In early March, Chris logged onto Captain Lawrence Piper’s website to book a charter, who he had fished with prior during the holidays with Nik a few years ago.  He saw the posting that the Bait and Tackle shop was for sale.  Chris called Jim Johnson immediately to find the details, as Chris and Nik have both enjoyed fishing their entire lives.  They were taught by Chris’ uncle, “Uncle Johnny”, who lived in Hollywood, FL.  After speaking with Jim, Chris called Nik to ask if he was interested in pursing the opportunity.  Nik was excited but hesitant and needed to discuss with his wife Tyler.  Literally 2 days later, Nik and Tyler were both laid off from their jobs due to the COVID, the next day they flew to Jacksonville to check out the shop and speak to Jim. 

The rest is history, Jim and Sally turned the store over to the Bremer family on Saturday, March 28, the sale was completed on Thursday, April 9^th.  They are very excited to be part of the community and meeting all the locals who love fishing as much as they do.  

  Any immediate changes/improvements that you've done since taking over? 

When you stop by, you will notice they have reorganized the store a bit, moving the rods to the back and displaying the wide variety of reels they have in stock.  In addition, they will be giving the store a “face lift” with a fresh coat of paint.  They intend to continue carrying the products and bait Jim and Sally have carried and would like to expand their product line based on your needs.

 

Any additions/subtractions to the shop?

Not at this time, they have spent their time getting acquainted with the store, the inventory and their customers.  They intent on continuing and expanding the great service Jim and Sally have provided to the fishing community..

 Any future plans that you're contemplating?

In addition to expanding their product line to meet your needs, they would like to offer a “pre-order/pay” for bait on-line and have it ready for the Charter Captains in the morning, you won’t have to get out of your truck.  The thought is to set up a “drive through” bait pick up in the back of the shop where the bait can be put directly into your live well, there is more room to navigate a boat in the back than in the front parking lot.

They would like to offer on-line purchases for the Contender Lures, rigs and leaders made in house and use technology, to strengthen the store’s brand as well as offer value to their customers. 

Anything else that you'd like to get out to the public?

They will be holding a grand opening as soon as the “house lock down is released”.  Although business has been quieter than normal, it has offered the Bremers a chance to get to know their store and their customers.

Suspended Shrimp Fly part 2

Over the last couple of years I've been trying to tie a "shrimp fly" that looks somewhat natural AND will slowly sink thru the  water column. I've noticed when bait fishing that we catch many Seatrout and Redfish over oyster beds in shallow water by drifting a live shrimp under a float so if I can get a fly that will sink slowly then we should have a shot at the same fish on the fly rod. Here's the latest version.....

 

Clamp 1/0 hook on vise with hook up.

Tie on grey thread at eye and wrap back to bend.

Tie on 30# mono "eyes", blackened with Sharpie, melted

Tie on rubber "skirt" material as antennae, one on each side

Tie on Swedish Raccoon fur as "horn", splitting hook

Cut a piece of foam the length of hook, tie on at bend, then wrap forward to eye, and back to bend

   (this will supposedly add buoyancy).

Tie on plastic rattle on top of hook, up towards the eye. (this will hopefully add even more buoyancy,

    and a rattle).  Wrap thread back to bend of hook.

Tie on 1st set of barred Wiggle Legs. Wrap to middle, tie on another set, wrap to eye, tie on another

    set. Wrap back to bend of hook. Trim legs.

Tie on 1/2" Streamer Brush, natural color. Wrap thread forward to eye. Wrap Brush forward, over

   and around Wiggle Legs so that they still protrude, and tie off at eye.

Cut a small piece of foam with a triangular head and tie on as the "taiL' Hoping this will add more

    buoyancy. Whip finish and glue.