Mother Of All Pays Off

 

Finally, back to some beautiful days out on the water! I met Nick and Penny Tenpenny up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this morning and we had the sun coming up on a beautiful clear day. We ran over and up into Lanceford Creek, then into Soap and set up at a large marsh run out with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp. It didn't take long before Penny "knocked the skunk off" with a nice keeper sized Seatrout (the keeper fish we caught today were donated to a disabled veteran neighbor).  We fished that area thoroughly, had some bites here and there but no real takers, then we moved on. 

Our next stop was over at some dock son Lanceford, fishing jigs and minnows and shrimp. The "baitstealers" had me hopping baiting hooks but we had no real bites so on we went.  The oysters were beginning to show and as we were passing BM's hot spot I pulled up and we gave it a try. Nick had made an excellent cast to the shells with a float rig and when it disappeared he gently lifted his rod, set the hook and had a nice

feisty Redfish catch. The duo followed that up with another, bigger, keeper sized Redfish, then another smaller Trout or two. 

We then made the long run north, back past Tiger and around to the Jolley River where we pulled up and fished the "bank", to no avail. After running further up the river to Snook Creek we switched back to jigs and here Nick put a couple of more hungry Seatrout in the boat.  We fished further up the river, had no real luck and were about to call it day but the MOA was right there beckoning so we decided to make one more stop.  Fishing jigs and minnows, both Penney and Nick were making excellent casts. Nick and I could see a fish tailing up in the "pool"  so we eased up and fished the mouth of the horseshoe. Nick went in with a good cast to the mouth, let it fall and felt a gentle "bump". When the big fish bumped it again Nick set the hook and, BIG Fish On! This fish was ripping drag on the Florida Fishing Products size 1000CE reel but boy was it smooth!  Nick worked it away from the oysters then the fish went deep, ripping drag as it went, then it got back into the current. I let off the anchor on the Minnkota I-pilot and let the current take us along with the fish. After a good battle Nick landed a big Oversized 29.5" Redfish - boy what a way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

October Grande Slam at Amelia Island

 As we worked thru today we began to tally up a good mess of fish! I had met Jack Dickens and his fishing buddy Wally down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and as the sun came up we made the run up thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill. I was expecting the tide to be a bit higher even though it was going out and we may have "bumped bottom" as we left the Middle River and entered the Nassau! But we made it around to Pumpkin and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp to the shore line. The current really wasn't running much but it was fairly quick when Jack "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish. We moved around and into Pumpkin and again, Jack had the hookup up near shore and brought another Red to the boat, this one with 8 spots. 

Our next stop was down the Nassau at Spanish Drop. Wally got in on the action and boated a couple of feisty Reds and a small Trout or two. We moved up to Twin Creeks, had not a bite, then moved on up to Athens Drop where we again picked up a Red or two. 

We made the run back to Seymore's Pointe and set up current from some docks and here the action heated up. Wally put three keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum  in the boat, all caught on shrimp and jigs while Jack landed a keeper sized Weakfish. We played cat and mouse with the Mangrove Snapper then we had a strong hookup and, Fish On! Wally was on the rod and he patiently worked to the net a nice Slot sized Redfish. 

The tide had reached  bottom so we went back to Athens Drop and the move paid off. BOOM! Fish on - this time Jack was on the rod and he played it perfectly, landing another Slot sized Redfish. We picked up a keeper Trout out deep to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Weakfish, Black Drum, and Seatrout.....In the Box!

After fishing Spanish Drop for just a bit, we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

 

Naval Asset Protection

 

When I stepped out the door this morning at 5:45am it was drizzling rain but the forecast called for clearing by sunrise and they got it right! By the time I picked up some live shrimp and mud minnows and got launched up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park, there was no rain and the skies were clearing a bit. I met the Whitehurst family - Wes and Elizabeth and their two children Callie and Levi early and we headed north and west towards the Jolly River. I was rounding the north side of Tiger Island and I noticed Elizabeth was looking behind us intently so when I turned and took a look, there was a Coast Guard gun boat chasing us with blue lights on! "Uh Oh, what did I do?", I thought. But they just pulled up, asked where we were heading, and told us to stay out of the channel as there was a "Naval Asset" coming thru soon. Code speak for Submarine!

We continued on around to Jolley "bank", eased up and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp on an outgoing tide. All four of these anglers were making excellent casts and it was Wes who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. He followed that up with a nice Seatrout.  Elizabeth, Callie and Levi played cat and mouse with some "baitstealing" perch - and landed a handful. 

Our next stop was up at Snook Creek. The wind was at our backs and Callie had put one right up near the oysters. The story goes....when she saw her float get bumped, she tightened her line, gave it a twitch and when it slowly went under she patiently waited a second or two, then lifted her rod and set the hook, and Fish On! Callie played it perfectly, worked it slowly to the boat, and landed a fat and feisty Redfish.

Not minutes later, Wes - fishing a jig and minnow- had a bump and set the hook and Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag, not wanting to come in, boiled up, and ran some more. But Wes was up to the  task and played it perfectly. The big fish went from starboard side around to port then Wes brought it to Callie's waiting net, boy what a fish - a 24.5" Slot Redfish.

After fishing the outside of Tiger for a bit, we ran over to Lanceford Creek, fished "Bill's" spot, now with float rigs, and here Wes quickly picked up a keeper sized Seatrout and feisty Redfish. Elizabeth jumped in and landed a nice Seatrout.  We finished up over in Soap Creek, getting a nibble here and there but no takers, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Hot Action Fishing the Backwaters of Amelia Island

 Today was the prettiest day yet this week here at Amelia Island. We had clear skies (other than a tad bit of early fog), very little wind, and the sun came out and stayed out. I had met Sean Higginson and his son Judah down at the South end ramp and we headed up and over to the Nassau River, making our first stop at the Spanish Drop area. Both anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and making excellent casts and it payed off! Sean "knocked the skunk off" with a keeper sized Whiting (all fish caught today were released) then both he and Judah were catching fish. Judah was making his own casts and hooked up with a good handful of hungry Seatrout. We caught a "mess".  The also caught a couple of feisty Redfish, tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish, and had a potential Stingray to the boat. 

We buzzed down to Broward Island and Judah had a quick hookup with a Seatrout which he landed expertly. We also picked up a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. We worked that bank briefly as the tide hit bottom then we moved down the way to catch the
incoming. This paid off too. The duo picked up a couple of Reds and Trout and at one time had a "double" going (see video below0.

Our next stop, a brief one, was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we played cat and mouse with some Mangrove Snapper. We won once or twice but they won more than that! After running thru Horsehead we made one final stop along some flooded marsh grass, went to the float rigs and immediately caught a nice Trout which Juday brought to the boat like a pro. We made one final drift thinking "maybe another Trout" when, BOOM! That float disappeared with a vengeance! Sean was on the the rod and as it ripped drag there was nothing to do but hold on. Sean began to work him to the boat, let him run a time or two, pulled him out away from the submerged oysters and eventually brought to the net a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! And that's the way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Fish Bite Picking Up With Double Hookup

I fished with two experienced anglers this morning - BJ Fitzgerald and his son Carson and finally, after 3 days of  a slow fish bite, we had some pretty decent action. We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and "eased" up the river - there was some pretty dense fog so we couldn't run full tilt. But we got up the Nassau River a bit and made our first stop at the Spanish Drop area. The tide was right at the bottom so we began pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and began to get bites almost immediately. Carson got things started off catching a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then he added a handful of Seatrout.  BJ joined in on the catching and caught more Trout, then we had a couple of feisty Redfish come to the boat.

Carson had made an excellent cast to the bank and it only had time to sink before, BOOM, Big Fish On! Carson was playing it patiently (see video below) when, BOOM! BJ had a hookup - we had a double!  I was back and forth with the net trying to figure out which fish to net first. When we saw that BJ's was another nice Jack, we concentrated on Carson's - his was a big Redfish. Carson worked it to the boat and we netted a nice 24"+ Slot Red fish.

We worked that area thoroughly then made the run around and down to Broward Island, set up south due to the tide still going out, had a few bites, then moved north as the tide started back in. Here both anglers caught Redfish and Trout.

Our next stop was back along Nassauville where we fished some rocks. Carson stayed with the jig while BJ switched to a float. BJ hooked up and landed a couple of Mangrove Snapper and Carson picked up one on the jig. We fished some docks on around Seymore's, then fished some oyster beds along the Nassau using float rigs and picked up one more Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Had To Work For Them But We Caught 'Em

The weather was iffy for today as we kept track of the forecast last night but it got better and better and when I woke up this morning - just a slight breeze and minimal chance of rain! I met John Williamson and his father-in-law Dennis down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Spanish Drop. Even though low tide was around 7am the shell banks were already covering up so we went with float rigs and live shrimp, tossed to the bank and drifted naturally. 

We had nibbles here and there then Dennis "knocked" the skunk off with a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout catch (all fish caught today were released) then John followed that up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. With think that was also what Dennis hooked up to a bit later - his ripped drag and kept on going!

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we put a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat, played "chess" with a whole bunch more then we moved on. After buzzing down to Pumpkin Hill, again using the float rigs. Here we had a good flurry of catches - Seatrout and feisty Redfish. We caught most on live shrimp but did get a nice Red on a mud minnow. We bounced around the corner and picked up another Trout to add to the catch.

The final stop was up in Christopher Creek were we pitched jigs and minnows to the bank. There wasn't much happening - it was almost noon and the fish had quit biting so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Misting Rain

Well, it sure wasn't a "Chamber of Commerce" type of day out there fishing today! When I met Paul

Tenarvitz, his sister Sharon and her husband Ed up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park. We were the only trailer in the parking lot and the skies were misting rain and it stayed with us for most of the trip. But these folks hailed from Wisconsin and this kind of weather was a walk in the park for them! 

The NE wind was also an issue so I had a plan to run to different spots where we might be sheltered. The first was over behind Tiger where we fished jigs and live shrimp on the bottom and picked up a few baitstealing Mangrove Snapper and Croaker. We ran thru Tiger and fished in the Bell but had no real bites.

After fishing near Rayonier pipeline we ran down to Piney Island and fished some docks, again to no avail. Back up to Lanceford and into Soap Creek, this

time drifting floats on the last of an incoming tide and here we had our best action all morning. Both Paul and Ed put some hungry Seatrout in the boat while Sharon "coached 'em up".  Our final stop was on further up Lanceford, fishing a grassy island. The tide was up, the wind was up, and the sprinkle was coming down, so we called it a day and because we were fishing, another great one here at A

Dog Tail Distraction

 

We had another beautiful day this morning, clear cool and sunny. I had met Steve Locke and his fishing partner Jason Deig up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. I had planned to head over to Jolley River and fish the last couple of hours of an incoming tide, but there was NW breeze blowing that seemed just a bit stronger than the 8mph that was forecasted. So we headed south and into the Bell River, ran west, and set up along side a flooding oyster patch. Both anglers were tossing float rigs baited with live shrimp. Steve "knocked the skunk" off when he boated a hungry Seatrout, then he followed that up with a  couple of more. After fishing the other side of the mound, we moved on. 

Our next stop was around to the outside of Tiger Island, again fishing the float rigs. The first area produced no real bites so we moved across to "Manatee Cove" and here we got into some more small but hungry Trout.

 Back thru Tiger we went, down the Bell, up the Lanceford and into Soap Creek. The tide was stillcoming in and again, we found small Trout. Some where along there Jason had gotten on the board with some good catches. We fished further down Lanceford and when it appeared the tide had changed we moved further up the creek. There was a family out in the yard with a cute 3 year old girl and as they were watching us fish the young lady tugged on her puppy's tail. We all got a kick out of it but as we were watching Jason realized that his float was gone! He reeled up his slack, set the hook and, Fish On! We knew right off that it was of size because the drag was ripping. Jason had an audience and he didn't disappoint - he worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 21.5" Slot Redfish.

We backed out of there and fished a grassy island as the tide was easing out. Steve made an excellent cast, let his float drift close and, BOOM! Another big fish on!  Steve played it perfectly and brought to the net another Slot Red, this one measuring right at 22.5".  We fished that island pretty good and picked up a couple of "rat" Reds and battled another big one, but this time it won and broke the hook off!

Our final stop was back at Soap Creek. Another grassy island had been exposed with the outgoing tide. We had just pulled up - I don't think Jason had time to even bait up - when Steve went in with a cast and BAM! Big Fish On!  This fish fight was a battle but Steve was up for it - he'd had some practice earlier - and he soon netted the biggest fish of the day, a 25" Slot Redfish.

Although most of the day was spent catching 14" Seatrout, the last 45 minutes sure made for some great fishing, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Keep to Catch Ratio

 

We had a front move thru last night that brought lots of rain, big winds, and cooler temperatures. When I stepped out this morning it was about 10-12 degrees cooler than yesterday - right at about 61. But the forecast called for just a  bit of wind left over and sunny skies so when I met Tim and Laura Wolfe down at the south end boat ramp early this morning they were raring to go. We ran up thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill and began to fish with float rigs and live shrimp, tossed up near the grass and left to drift naturally along the bank.  That first spot didn't produce anything but bait-stealing nibbles so we moved down a bit. Here, Tim, who was taking up the stern, had let his float and bait drift close to some small grass islands and when the float went under he was ready, set the hook, and brought to the boat a feisty Redfish.

We moved around and into Pumpkin and fished a couple of more grassy island. We thought we had spotted a Redfish roll up behind us as we were in a shallow flat but after Tim hooked up and easily brought a big fish to the boat we saw that it was an ugly Gar fish!

Our next stop was over at Christopher Creek, now fishing jigs on the bottom. We worked the docks and rocks and banks and both anglers were making excellent casts but we had no takers. After making a short run over to Seymore's Pointe we set up outside a grassy point as the tide changed and started out and again, not takers.

I had begun to get a bad feeling that the previous night's front was affecting the fish bite because even the bait stealers were taking a break! But we kept on fishing!  We ran down to Spanish Drop, worked that bank with float rigs, then switched back to the jigs, and Tim put another feisty Redfish in the boat. Back to the docks we went, now fishing the jigs, but to no avail. Back to Twin Creeks to squeeze in just a few more minutes and, BAM! Big Fish On!  Tim had a hookup on a jig and mud minnow. He played it perfectly but we both noticed that the big fish never made a decent run. I think that change in the weather had him confused! Tim was patient, worked it to the boat, and we netted a nice 25" Slot Redfish. Only minutes later Tim had another hookup and brought in a nice keeper sized Trout. 

Although we didn't catch a lot of fish, our  "keeper to catch ratio" was pretty good and with the nice weather, it made for another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

  

Before The Fog Lifted

I fished with the Lancaster team today, Justice and Chase and Mark, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early as the sun rose. We made the long run thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill and set up alongside some flooded marsh grass with the tide expected to hit high in just 30 minutes.  Chase was on the bow, Justice in the middle and Mark took up the stern - and the stern was where all the action was. Mark was letting his float rig drift with the current and picked up a handful of fish - Trout, Jack Crevalle, and Mangrove Snapper. 

We eased along and worked in and out of the little pockets and then Chase got on the board with a Trout catch. He later picked up a feisty Redfish.  We buzzed around the corner into Pumpkin and worked up to some grassy islands where Mark hooked up - he thought he may have had an oyster, but this one pulled back. He worked it thru some grass

and brought to the net a nice 17" keeper Flounder. Just as we netted it Chase put another Redfish in the boat. There had been a fog set in for a bit and it seemed we caught most of our fish before the fog lifted!

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe, fishing the corner of some grass as the tide started out and here Chase picked up a couple of Mangrove Snapper and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We ran down the Nassau and worked along some now exposed oysters, tossing jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows, to no avail.  

We went back to some docks at Seymore's, stuck with the jigs and played cat and mouse with some Snapper. But finally we had strong hookup, Fish On!  Justice graciously offered the rod to Chase who battled the big fish out from the dock pilings - that fish made a couple of runs to the pilings but Chase applied the pressure at the right time, and worked it out. After a good fight he landed a Slot sized 22" Redfish.

After running thru Horsehead and fishing briefly over at the mouth of Jackstaff we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.