What A Mess O' Fish

 I stepped out this morning and it was drizzling rain and the flag was flapping in the wind and I was
thinking we may be in for a "blustery" day. But after launching down at Sawpit Creek and meeting Ed AndrewLavage and his wife Madonna, the rain ended and the wind never increased. We made a long run up the Nassau and down to Broward Island and set up on the north end to pitch jigs and live shrimp on a tide that had just started back in - it wasn't a very low tide though, the banks were almost covered. The duo of anglers got bites right off then Madonna hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. Then both angles had good some good catches of feisty Redfish, and a couple of small Mangrove Snapper.

We moved down the island and set up under a pair of Bald Eagles and pitched the bank. Again, they were hooking up and landing Redfish. Ed commented that they seemed to be about 15' off the bank. They added a keeper sized Seatrout then Madonna went up close to the bank, behind a stump, and B AM! Bigger fish on! She played it perfectly and worked to the net the first Slot Red of the day, one that measured 21". Only a few minutes later, after going up to the same spot, BAM! BIGGER FISH ON! This one was really ripping drag. Madonna battled it like a pro -worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then slowly brought a bulky 25.5" Slot Red to the net. Boy what a fish.  The commotion must have scared everything away, so we moved on. 

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill, drifting floats. They caught a couple of small Seatrout and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We moved up to a point of grass and drifted the other side and this did the trick. Ed had made a good cast, gotten a good drift and when\ his float disappeared he tightened up and let the circle hook set. Ed played it patiently and landed a big 17" Seatrout. Both anglers drifted again and again and got more Seatrout, a couple of keeper size. Then Ed went back up close to the grass and had a Big hookup. This fish was ripping drag - it wasn't a Trout!  He played it for a good while, worked it in slowly, and landed a "tournament" sized 26.75" massive Redfish. Madonna got in some more drag ripping action when she hooked up and battle a Bonnethead Shark to the boat. 

We made a run over to Twin Creeks, drifted floats, added another Jack and a Bluefish to the cach total, then called it a day. As we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout'n

 I fished Friday running up to the annual Florida/Georgia football game - great weather for a great weekend!  I had met Brian Roach and his fishing buddy Jason down at Sawpit Creek. All week I had noted that the fish catching was really slow (non-existent) on the last of the incoming tide, which was what we had this day, so my "plan" was to run north up to a dock on the intercoastal and get there early before anyone beat us to it. Unfortunately, after the long run, there was a shore angler fishing off the dock in the "hole". Dang it. 

So ran back down the intercoastal and made it to Poteat Point and began to drift float rigs with live shrimp and luckily the Trout were biting. Brian got things started off and stayed hot catching a good handful of those "hungry" Seatrout, but we did get one that was of legal size. I noted that the water temperature was right at 74°. We moved over to Jackstaff and fished the "bank", working along it, and again picked up Seatrout. Jason got on the board, picking up a few Trout and a feisty Redfish. 

We then ran thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill to fish that last of the incoming tide. This hasn't worked too well during the first of the week but today it paid off. the duo stayed busy catching Trout, and a small Flounder for their Amelia Island  Backcountry Slam, and when we pulled up to the point and drifted the other side, I sensed a boredom with the Trout catching. Again, they weeded thru the shorts and picked up a keeper or two. After fishing the grass patch, we moved on.

Back to Seymore's Pointe to fish a large drainage. I can't remember if we got a Trout there but we had numerous "nibbles" that I felt sure were small Mangroves that won the battle (kinda like those mangy Dawgs did Saturday), and we moved on. Down the Nassau, stopping at Twin Creeks, we fished the two drainages. Both Brian and Jason were pitching to the "ripples" and it paid off with Trout catches. We may have added one more keeper sized fish here, and a couple of feisty Redfish

The final spot was at Spanish Drop, working the bank- More Trout, maybe another keeper (they ended the day with 5 keeper Trout, two were at 17") and another feisty Red or two. Brian battled a Bonnethead Shark to the boat before we headed back and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Weeding Thru The Trout

 Talking to Bob at the bait shop (Old Town Bait and Tackle) and comparing reports, we both agreed that there were a bunch of short Seatrout to be caught in the creeks and rivers. Then I met William and Dara Blalock early and we headed up and over to the Jolley River, turned into the "bank" and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp. The wind was so low we had an initial issue with the "no-see-ums" and as we worked the bank it looked good - it wasn't. We may have had one nibble but that was it. We dropped down the river and fished the point at Tyger Cut and noticed that we had almost zero current flow, and again, no bites. After moving up the river to Snook Creek and working that bank the two anglers did get into some hungry Seatrout, and by that time we were glad to have them. Although most were between 14"-4.75", we did get a keeper. 

We fished until the tide had started out then we made the run back to the outside of Tyger and set up on a point and here we had good action for a bit - hungry Seatrout, a couple of Bluefish, and a legal sized Flounder that we tossed back due to being out of season.  We added two more keeper Trout to the box. After running thru Tyger and down the Bell River, and up Lanceford Creek, we made our way to a grassy spot and worked it thoroughly. Dara hooked up almost immediately and expertly brought a feisty Redfish to the boat - it had 30 spots on it!  We released it, hopefully to be caught in the next AIGA Inshore Classic!  They caught another Trout or two, and another small Red before we moved on.

Fishing west of a dock both anglers were getting a nibble here and there when William's float slowly went under- he lifted the rod to set the circle hook and when the drag ripped a bit we were both hoping that finally we'd have a big Trout!  William worked it in slowly and it wasn't putting up much of fight until it got to the boat but then it got busy!  Th fish made a couple of runs up to the bow, underneath the boat, and back before William wore it out and landed a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish.

We finished up over at Soap Creek - fishing a drainage there was not shortage of those 14" Trout, then we moved up to a grassy island and picked up a couple more Redfish. We had started slow but had shad some good action with the Trout, and had a nice big Red in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida, 

One Red But It Was a Big One!

The difference in the weather from yesterday to today was like night and day! Beautiful - clear skies, sunshine, pleasant temperatures, and just a bit of wind to keep things interesting.  I had met John Raker and his fishing partner Robert out at Goffinsville Park at 8:30 to give the tide a chance to turn around. We made our first run around to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage with float rigs and live shrimp - the tide had just started out and the two anglers were getting slow drifts. It was only a matter of minutes before Robert had a hookup, he played it to the boat and landed a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off".  Then both anglers were dueling with Mangrove Snappers and did get one nice sized keeper. Then John went long with a drift and sure enough, after the float had crossed a submerged oyster bar, BAM! His float disappeared and fish on! John expertly reeled it in and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.

We than ran thru Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff and worked along the "bank". Here, we could barely discern the outgoing tide. But even with not much water flowing, they did catch a good handful of "just undersized" Seatrout. We fished up a small creek off of Jackstaff, to no avail, then made the short run over to Poteat Pointe and worked along that edge. Robert picked up another hungry Seatrout right off, then we had a lull, then the duo caught another handful of those small, almost legal, Seatrout, and one  more that was a keeper.  We saw a ripple off of a grassy point and John placed his cast just north of it, let it drift and BOOM!  Big Fish on! It was ripping drag and running down the grass line, then came out deep and dug down, then boiled ot the top. John kept the pressure on, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, then landed a "tournament" sized 26.75" Slot Red, boy what a fish! And it was what turned out to be the only Redfish of the day!

After running back thru Horsehead we made our way down to the Back River and fished a bend of grass. They picked up another handful of hungry Seatrout, but no Reds today, and no Flounder like yesterday. We finished  up over at Nassauville catching 12" Mangrove Snapper to round out a mess o' fish and another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Flounder Out of Season

 

It stayed dreary all day today - overcast, a bit windy, and somewhat cool. I had met William Blalock out at Goffinsville Park early and with it dark enough still to have the NAV lights on, we eased up river to fish Pumpkin Hill on a high and still incoming tide. I had hoped that we'd pick up some Seatrout - sometimes we do- but we had nary a bite all thru that last bit of tide.

We came back down the river and around to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage, now with the tide going out and this did the trick. William was making excellent casts to a point of grass and began to get bites right off. He hooked few up an brought to the boat some fat keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. He found that he could drift a little longer and get Seatrout. The first nice one came off at the boat but William brought the next one to the net, a 17" keeper Trout. He added a few more smaller Trout and a few more Mangroves to get his limit, before we moved on. 

After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Pointe we drifted the grass and again picked up
Seatrout. Most of them were small but we did get another keeper to add to the box. Back over at Jackstaff "Bank" we found more Seatrout and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and a feisty Redfish. We than ran back thru Horsehead and down to Back River and fished a bend and here we had some good action. "Hungry" Seatrout, then another of keeper size, another Jack Crevalle, and then, as William drifted his live shrimp close to the grass, he had a hookup. It wasn't fighting like the Redfish or the Trout or the Jack and we both guessed correctly - Flounder!  William expertly eased it to the boat and we netted a nice 18" fish. Unfortunately they are out of season so we photographed and released it. It may have been the next cast, or one or two afterwards when William had the same kind of bite, hooked it up, and brought to the net another big Flounder. 

We fished that spot out, used up all of our bait, then headed back to the ramp and counted it as another (albeit not so pretty) great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Split Trip Success

On occasion I get a group of more than 4 who want to go fishing and one option is to do a "split" trip -we go out with the first group and fish for 3 hours, then come back to the dock, unload, and reload with the 2nd group, and that's what we did today with the Matheney group. I met Greg and his two sons Rip and Warren down at Sawpit Creek on a tide that had hit the top and had just turned out. We ran up the Nassau to Seymore's Pointe and I believe it was the first drift with a float and live shrimp, BOOM! Fish On!  Rip was on the rod and brought it in expertly. From then and about an hour he and his brother

Warren were catching fish. They had a handful of Seatrout with a couple of "keeper" sized fish (all fish caught today were released), and Warren battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. The duo added a fesity Bluefish to their catch total before we moved on. 

After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and trying our luck, then back to a small side creek off of Jackstaff and getting no real bites, we ran back thru the Marsh and down to Back River where we set up to fish a pocket. Warren got the fish there, another keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stop was over at some docks at Nassauville where they tangled with some Mangrove Snapper, and outsmarted a few keeper sized fish. They picked up one more big Seatrout before we made the run back to the dock for the 2nd crew.

After getting Wes Metheney, his son Jack, and mother-in-law Pat on the boat, we ran back up the Nassau and around to Back River. Here, Wes picked up a feisty Redfish. We crossed the river and fished a bend and here it was Jack with the hot rod early. He was getting a feisty Redfish on just about every drift and began to practice his "lift up, reel down". Wes was on the bow and he was getting thoee small Reds too, but when his drag ripped on a long run we knew this one was bigger. That fish ran up current away from us, digging towards

the grass and boiling up in some shallow water. We almost needed to chase it but we were in too shallow of water to move forward!  But Wes kept the pressure on, turned him, and began to take up line. He worked it back ot the boat, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a nice 24.5", 18 spot Redfish.

After getting few more Reds there we moved across the river and fished some docks at Nassauville and here they caught a couple of handfuls of what could have been keeper Mangrove Snapper. We left them biting though, moved around to Seymore's Pointe and finished the day fishing dock, again getting keeper Mangroves, and a few small ones, and Jack wrapped it up with a Seatrout catch. 

We had had some good action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Got One Big One!

 

It looks like today may be the only day we get out this week (hopefully the winds die down later in the week - we'll see). This morning I meet Ed Birkett and his fishing partners Paul and Gary down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had pushed the start time to 8am with plans to fish the first of an outgoing tide. After running up the intercoastal we dipped into Jackstaff then eased in to a creek and set up at large drainage. The trio of anglers began tossing float rigs and live shrimp to the mouth and I was encouraged when Ed hooked up fairly quickly and brought to the boat a hungry Seatrout. Shortly after that he had a strong bite that ripped drag - it did seem to "boil" a bit on the surface and we were thinking "Redfish" but as he battled it to the boat and we saw the downward "tug, tug, tug" we changed our guess to "Jack" and sure enough, that's what it was. Fun to catch, but we threw it back. All three anglers had some good bites but no real takers, so we moved on.

After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at Seymore's Pointe and tossed to an outflow and had good action. The Mangrove Snapper are still here!  All three anglers caught keeper fish - they worked thru the small ones but ended up with 6 keeper fish in the box. Our next stop, after running down the Nassau, was at Spanish Drop where we worked the bank with the floats. Both Paul and Ed had strong hookups with what turned out to be feisty Redfish -small but fun to catch. 

Back up the Nassau we went, around to Back River where we fished a stretch with the floats and here we had really good action. Gary was on the stern and caught a couple of the Reds, Ed was midship and caught a few of the Reds, Paul was at the bow and caught a good handful of the Reds. They were all just undersized until Paul had one of those drag ripping bites. He played it perfectly, following it down from the bow then he applied the pressure, worked it in, and landed a bulky 25.5" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish!

They caught a good handful of the Reds there, and a couple of Seatrout, and luckily, a small Ladyfish! We were running low on bait so we slicked it up and iced it down for the next stop. After running back down the Nassau we set up at another drainage, switched to jigs tipped with cut Ladyfish and worked the bottom. Gary got a Flounder right off the bat, then added another couple of Redfish to his catch total. Ed and Paul added a couple of Reds then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Citrus Shrimp Tacos

This recipe comes from Olive Amelia, and establishment in downtown Fernandina Beach, 206 Centre Street It was very flavor able-I think I'll be prepping my shrimp "just to eat" with this marinade! Check out their Recipe page for ways to add more flavor to your meals..

Get ready to elevate Taco Tuesday to a whole new level with Citrus Shrimp Tacos! Bursting with bright flavors and fresh ingredients, these tacos are a fiesta for your taste buds.

Shrimp Marinade:

• 
  1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined
  
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar
•  3 tbsp. Salt Sisters Key West Seafood Rub

Avocado Mash:

• 1 – 2 avocados
• Dash of sea salt
•  2 tsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar

Avocado Mash Directions:

1. In a bowl, mash the avocados.
2. Sprinkle salt to taste and drizzle the Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar.
3. Mix together.

Slaw Ingredients:

•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 cups purple & green cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
•  1 tbsp. Savannah Bee Orange Blossom Honey
•  3 tsp. Salt Sisters Key West Seafood Rub

Slaw Prep:

1. Combine and allow it to marinate for a few hours or overnight for the best flavor!

Directions:

• Prepare your shrimp by patting them dry with paper towels.
•  Season shrimp with the Key West Seasoning, Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil, and Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar.
• Marinade shrimp for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
•  Heat 2 tbsp. of Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the marinated shrimp to the pan.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Assembly:

1. Warm tortillas for the best results.
2. Take a warm tortilla and spread the avocado mash.
3. Place your shrimp, then top with the slaw.
4. Finish with chopped cilantro.

One bite and you will be picturing yourself on an island in paradise!

Big Reds In The Backwater

 You may have noticed that hurricane Milton messed me up last week - 4-5 canceled trips! But I was back at it today and what a way to come back to work! My theory is that the fish are "gorging" themselves, getting ready for winter - the fish catching today was on fire - hands down the best trip I've had all year!

I had met Ann Mastroserio and her fishing crew Dave and Rich out at Goffinsville Park on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours and after running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point, we set up and drifted live shrimp under floats. Dave had the hot hand early, picking up one hungry Seatrout after another. Ann and Rich joined in catching a few then all heck broke loose! Rather than go into the gory details, this is how the morning went - recorded all the big fish....

Ann -24"  Slot Redfish  

   Rich - 21.5" Seatrout (ties for third biggest this year on the Bragging Rights board)                                       Dave - 26.5"  "Tournament" Slot Redfish                                                                                                            Rich -17" Seatrout                                                                                                                                            Dave- 28.5" Oversized Redfish                                                                                                                        Dave-25.5" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                Rich - 23.25: Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                        Ann - 30.25" Monster Oversized Redfish                                                                                                    Dave - 23" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                     Rich - 28.25" Oversized Redfish                                                                                                                       Ann - 25.75" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                            

There were numerous "rat Reds" caught during the day, a handful of hard fighting Jack Crevalle's caught, Dave got a Slam by putting a small Flounder in the boat and Rich got his Slam with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Crazy great fishing day here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Jack Makes the Day

 We launched this  morning down at Sawpit under some really eerie skies -dark clouds as the sun came up- we were expecting rain but luckily never got it!  I had met Todd Johnson and his son Oliver early and we made a short run up and over to Spanish Drop n the Nassau, turned into a tide that had been coming in for a few hours, and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp. We worked the bank up to a drainage and as we got there the two anglers began to get fish. Todd was on the stern and had his float disappear and the drag started ripping then Oliver's float sunk and Fish On! We had a double! Both anglers moved around the boat as needed, working them in slowly, and then landed a Jack apiece, right at the same size.

We continued to work the bank and when Oliver's rod bent and his drag began to rip and the fish kept going I was thinking "shark"!  We had to chase the fish for Oliver to catch up his line - he worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and after a good battle landed what I think was the biggest Jack Crevalle of the year, and maybe ever, caught on the Anglers Mark. 

As we reached a point of grass Todd was casting beyond it and letting his float sweep around and this paid off with numerous feisty Redfish catches. He picked up one nice keeper sized Seatrout, then battled a big Red (it was a one sided battle - the fish bulled up into the grass, wrapped itself, and broke off) Ouch.  We then ran over to Pumpkin Hill and drifted the marsh grass where Oliver hooked, battled, and landed a 3' Bonnethead Shark. We fished three other areas there around Pumpkin Hill, but had nary a nibble. 

Needing some action, we made a stop between two docks at Nassauville and here they tangled with the Mangrove Snapper. When we left, the score was about 20-5, the Mangroves winning, but we had those five in the box. We jumped around to Seymore's Point, drifted the floats, and picked up one more keeper sized Mangrove, then finished up over at Poteat Pointe. The weather had actually been great, we had some good action early and late, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.