It rained all morning yesterday so I kept an eye on my Weather app to see what was in store for us to do an afternoon trip. As I pulled up to the bait shop at noon the skies were still ugly with dark clouds but the forecast called for clearing. I met Barb and Dennis Lockard up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park at 1pm and we headed over to Soap Creek with plans to fish float rigs and live shrimp as the tide fell. It had been going out for a few hours so I knew we wouldn't be on the floats for long!
Barb had the hot hand early. Dennis had gotten a good bite that stole his shrimp and Barb's float was following his on a long drift so she let it keep going and BAM! She had a hookup. After expertly reeling it in she landed a nice hungry Seatrout. We found that spot paid off a couple of times. We had a bite or two and Barb landed another Seatrout.
After moving up about 30 yards we fished some exposed oysters, first with the floats, then we switched to jigs and
shrimp. The switch paid off for Barb. She had made a close cast to the oysters and had a hung a bit, but when it came off, BOOM! She had a strong bite. This fish fought a bit more and sure enough, when she landed it, we saw it was a feisty Redfish.
Our next stop was over in Lanceford Creek, fishing some dock pilings. We had a bite or two but no takers. As we drifted outside of a dock, back towards a shell bank, Dennis went in close and finally had a the hookup he was looking for. Dennis played it perfectly and brought to the net another feisty Redfish.
We fished along Lanceford for a bit, waiting for the tide to hit bottom, then made the run around to Tyger Island. We worked up and down the island, pitching jigs to pockets among the stumps. The skies had cleared, the sun was out, and it had turned out to be a beautiful day. Dennis picked up three more Redfish and had a "double" on the third when Barb landed one of her own.
The day had started out gloomy but had ended well so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be out on the water and fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The temperature was in the 40's this morning but there were clear skies and very little wind and Sean Pattwell was "game" to go fishing, so we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and headed over to Tyger Island to fish some 4' water with float rigs and live shrimp. To be honest, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in our strategy but it was the only real strategy I could come up when dealt with a high tide. But we Endeavored to Persevere(Chief Dan George). That first stop was real pretty! The sun had come up and was shining on the trees and marsh of Tyger, but the fish didn't cooperate.
We made the run around and up to the Jolly River, fished the mouth of Snook Creek and again, no bites. After running thru the Jolly and around to the Bell, we fished between some docks with jigs and shrimp, deep on the bottom. IF I was a betting man, I would have lost a $1 because I would have bet it, sure we'd catch a fish here. We had one nibble but no takers, so we moved on.
Our final stop was over in Lanceford Creek, fishing some dock pilings. But now the tide had gotten down and sure enough, we began to get some hookups. We reeled in a Black "puppy" Drum, then a Channel Bass (vintage speak for Redfish) then Sean had a good bump, set the hook, and expertly landed a keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). We added two more Channel Bass to the catch total. Although the fish catching wasn't on fire, it was a beautiful day and a great one to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
After a winter of having boat fiberglass repairs done, trailer repairs done, I also had my Minnkota 112lb Terrova trolling motor overhauled and "tightened" up. I have noticed for years that while running down the river, and especially going over wakes, the trolling motor head has bounced a little too much. I have known that surely that can't be good for it, but I was reluctant to drill (more) holes in my deck and really didn't want another object on the deck and in the way. I you've fished with me you know that I can not stand tripping over something and like to keep my deck clear
After searching the internet I came across the StaYmo Shock Abosorber/Stabilizer. It doesn't drill to the deck, but instead fastens to the shaft of the trolling motor with a Velcro strap. The unit itself has a spring built in and the base is a "suction" type cup. I was worried that the StaYmo wouldn't work because me deck is checkered/non-skid but after trading Emails with them they assured me that it would work, it didn't need to suction.
They come in two sizes so you have to take a measurement of your installed trolling motor (I almost screwed up - I took my measurement with my boat cover on and it pushes my motor down, but luckily the unit I ordered was just right). It has some adjustments by removing a plastic nut and shifting a pin up or down. It's a 1-minute adjustment!
All you have to do after that is strap the Velcro over the shaft and done. While running down the river I noticed the StayMo acted as a shock absorber as we hit waves.
I had thought I would have to remove the unit at every stop but I decided to just run the shaft locking nut all the way up to where the StaYmo was strapped and operated the trolling motor with the StaYmo still strapped on. It looks a little goofy and I thought for sure the cable would wrap, but I didn't have an issue. The cable already get's caught on the locking nut on occasion so I assume it will catch on the StaYmo, but we'll see.
For me, this was the perfect shock absorber to get. I didn't have to drill holes, it supports my trolling motor shaft, and so far, I can leave it attached. Here's a very brief video running down the river.
After a super cold day yesterday, we had a warming trend for today and luckily, I had planned to meet Bill Rowlett at 1pm for an afternoon trip and it had warmed to the mid 60's. We met down at the Sawpit Creek Boat Ramp and headed up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff with plans to fish a tide that had been going out for a few hours. We went with float rigs, fishing in about 5 feet of water, and got...nuthin. After fishing a sandbar point with jig rods and again getting no bites, we ran thru Horsehead, over to the Nassau, and down to a large marsh run out.
Bill was making excellent casts with his jig and shrimp combo and letting the current take his bait down the river bottom, but again, not a nibble! We moved up to Seymore's Pointe and fished a couple of docks. Bill had made a good toss up between some piling and the day had been going so slow up until now he and I both thought he was hung on the bottom...but then it began pulling back, and, Fish On! Bill played it perfectly and after a good battle, landed a nice feisty Redfish, Skunk Off The Boat!
We ran around the corner and down the Nassau to the rocks of Nassauville and fished between two docks. I knew that at the end of one dock there was steep decline in the river bottom, going from 15' to 30' out at the boat. We began tossing our jig and shrimp up to the shallower water and then let the current take it down the decline and BAM! We began to get hookups. Seatrout were laying down there in deeper water and with a subtle bite, they'd take the bait. Most of the fish were in the 14" range but we had a few that could have been "keepers"(all fish caught today were released). It was fun catching them and really took some finesse but Bill was up to the task. I had been fishing a bit also to increase our chances but eventually I was able to put my rod down and watch Bill catch fish. After about 17 fish, they were still biting, but we decided to move on for a change in scenery.
Our next stop was down at Broward Island. I knew the tide would be still going out, not ideal, but we made the best of it, working the bank. Bill put two more feisty Reds in the boat. The sun was heading down and the temperature was dropping, but it was a beautiful day and a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Boy was it pretty this morning when I came over the south end bridge to drop the boat at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. There was a bit of excitement first - a guy waved me down and said the transport boat that ran employees out to the dredge was bringing in an injured worker and ambulances were on the way. Sure enough, here came two fire trucks and an ambulance. They got the fellow off the boat and into the ambulance and off they went. I was able to get launched and be ready for when the Berquist family arrived - Evan and Laura and their kids Tim and Sasha.
We made the long run up and around to the Broward Island in hopes of fishing the first of an incoming tide, but it was well up already. But these anglers were ready to fish and began tossing jigs and live shrimp to the bank, letting it go to the bottom, and then letting the current take it along. We had a fished a bit and finally had a nibble and a hookup. Laura was on the rod and expertly brought tot he boat a feisty Sheepshead.
After easing down the island we found a spot to fish under a Bald Eagle and here it was Evan's turn to have the hookup which he played to the boat and landed - a hungry Seatrout. We moved down the way, had some nibbles, then moved on.
Our next stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. We were getting good casts to the dock pilings and were getting nibbles. I thought maybe more Sheepshead but then Evan snagged one and it turned out to be a baitstealing Perch. We moved on. After fishing some docks over along Nassauville, to no avail, we made the short run down to Pumpkin Hill. The tide was up, so we switched to float rigs and the live shrimp. By now, Tim was baiting all the hooks and Sasha was in charge of the net. Laura was getting a good drift and had her float disappear but it got her bait. Evan drifted thru but had not luck then Laura came back thru and BAM! This time she was ready, lifted her rod and set the hook. She worked it to the boat patiently and landed another nice Seatrout. Tim had an "eagle eye" and spotted porpoises all around us.
We fished Spanish Drop briefly but the tide had gotten really high and we had no luck, but as we headed in, the sun was shining, the temperature had warmed, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Where've I been? Today was the only trip I fished in December! I've been doing boat/trailer/trolling motor repairs AND building a storage shed. On the boat, I had the bow repaired, and a few new coats applied to the keel. I also cleaned out some old caulk where the gas tank was installed last year and put a nice, pretty bead down. I also replaced the flares, fire extinguisher and scrap leader container. Then I cleaned the whole inside, hatches and all!
The trailer had a bunk broken so I replaced that and then changed out the carpet on most of the bunks. The bow roller was what was causing the bow to get "chewed up", so I replaced that. One tire had a slow leak so I replaced it with a new one and repaired the old one for a spare. The right side trailer lights have been out for 4-5months so I doped that out and repaired it.
I was reminded the other day that my trolling motor had been acting up since last August! I had dropped it off to Fish307 JAX and Christina overhauled the mechanical parts internally. I also purchased a new battery for the remote, cleaned the contacts and installed it. It purred today fishing!
I'm well on my way to having a nice 10'x20' shed built. It's framed up, house wrapped and dried in with felt paper, windows installed, storage shelving set up, rod racks installed. Roofing and wiring are planned for next week. Unfortunately the doors are on back order with the (next) estimated date of delivery January 17th, which means I can't complete the trim or begin the siding. Ouch.
So I've been "out of pocket" this month, but today I was able to get out out on the water with the Averbuch's - Mark, his son Jared, and grandson Max. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the intercoastal to dip in to Jackstaff then a side creek and set up at a large marsh drainage, fishing with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour.
It didn't take long before Mark hooked up and landed a small but hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off". We eased along a small grassy island with all three anglers making excellent casts and getting good drifts. Mark went up to another couple of small drainage's and when his float disappeared he resisted the urge to give it a hard set, but instead lifted and made contact, and, Fish On! I could tell right off that it was a nice fish by the way it dug deep and sure enough it finally realized it was hooked and took off, ripping drag as it went. That's when Max stepped in to help out - Mark handed off the rod and young Max played the big fish perfectly, keeping the pressure on and working it slowly to the boat. After a good battle he subdued the beast and brought it to the net - a nice Oversized 28" Redfish, boy what a fish.
We crossed the creek and fished a good stretch of bank with the floats, then we switched to jigs, had no luck, and moved on. After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at some docks over at Seymore's Pointe with plans to pitch to the pilings. All three were getting nibbles and finally it was Jared who had the big hookup. He got it out from the pilings then handed it off to Max who patiently brought it in - a big 18" Black "puppy" Drum. Just minutes later, after having made an excellent cast, Max hooked up with another nice fish. He played it to the boat and landed a 16" keeper sized Black Drum.
Our next stop was around at some docks at Nassauville. Here, both Jared and Max landed Seatrout fishing deep, and a couple were of keeper size. We fished down at Broward Island and picked up a couple of small Trout, again in fairly deep water. Our final stop was back at Spanish Drop, fishing some shell banks with the jigs. Jared had just made a beautiful cast to the bank, about, two feet off of the shell and it paid off. BAM! He had a hookup. He expertly played it to the net and landed a keeper sized 18" Redfish. Although we only caught one fish along there, it was a good one and a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It was in the mid 40's when I launched this morning, clear skies and a 10mph wind that was forecasted to pick up as the day went on. I met Tom Hutchens, his brother Bob, and their friend Kevin down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River and down to Broward Island to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide...and the 10 mph wind! The trio of anglers were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and it wasn't long before we began to get some fish. Tom "knocked the skunk off with a nice, keeper sized Seatrout catch then Bob hooked up with some strong fish, and landed two 18" Black "puppy" Drum. We had another Trout or two before we moved down the island and fished under a Bald Eagle for a bit. No luck there, we moved on.
Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe but the wind had picked up and made for some difficult fishing. We came back around to the Nassauville side and we were sheltered from the wind, but the fish didn't cooperate!
It was drizzling rain when I launched yesterday. A dreary fog had set in and as I tied the boat up the rain increased enough to where I was scrambling for a rain jacket and I ended up sitting under the cabana until Freya Phillips and Ray pulled up. They had come prepared, with both wearing rains suites, head to toe, and it being Ray's birthday, we were going fishing one way or the other! So off we went and after making our first run up and into the Jolley River, we eased back into the tide that had been coming in for a few hours and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp. And the rain stopped and never rained again!
We worked the entire bank for about 30 minutes and we didn't get even a nibble. Not a bite, which I thought was strange. After running further up the Jolley we worked another bank and fairly quickly Ray "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch. I thought we might pick up a few more, but no. Then Ray saw a "tail" up in a pocket behind us so we dropped back and fished it. Freya was fishing within 6 feet of the boat when here float slowly went under. She tightened up the line, lifted her rod tip, and BAM! Her line began ripping out as her rod tip bent over, Big Fish On! Freya was on the bow but made here way back to the stern and luckily the big fish made for deeper water. Freya fought it from port to starboard and back again a few times. Just when we could see the float come to the surface the fish would dig deep again, ripping drag. But finally, Freya, who was getting double coached, brought the fish to the surface and landed an Oversized 32" Redfish which we photographed and released. This fish put Freya in third place in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings) Boy what a fish!
We fished the outside of Tyger in a couple of places to no avail, then motored thru Tyger and fished over in the Bell. Here, we got into some action. Both anglers caught Seatrout, one after another for a good bit. They were in the 12"-14.5" range, fun to catch, but all released. Our final stop was over in Soap Creek. We had a few bites as the tide turned and started back out, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped up my week fishing with Glenn and Patti Langford this morning. We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early, under cloudy skies, but warmer temperatures than the last few days. We made a long run up the intercoastal, over thru the Back River, into the Nassau, and down to Broward Island. It was a high and incoming tide but I wanted to try fishing the island deep. Both anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp to the bank, letting it fall down the bottom, and waited for the "bump". Patti "knocked the skunk off" when she had a strong hookup. She played it perfectly and landed a feisty Redfish. I though, "oh boy, here we go!" But nope, not another real bite. We moved down the island, passing a pair of Bald Eagles, and fished another stretch of the island, to no avail.
We motored back up the river and fished a shallow stretch of flooding bank, now floating live shrimp over the shell bottom and BAM! We had one hookup after another! It was almost every drift. Many of the Seatrout were 14-14.5" in length but we put a good handful of keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. Glenn had a
good drift going, right up beside the grass and when a fish took his bait with a vengeance and his drag ripped, we knew he had a bigger fish. Glenn fought it patiently as it boiled up a couple of times (Redfish) and then he brought it to the net, a 20" Slot Sized Redfish. After briefly fishing a grassy island we moved on.
Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe where we drifted live shrimp under a float along a couple of grass lines. Although we had a couple of good "takes', we landed no fish. After motoring down the Nassau, we fished the mouth of Twin Creeks, switching back to jigs. Patti hooked up quickly with another Seatrout. We landed a couple of more Trout as we worked the bank, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
