Fishing The NSFA Tournament with High School Buddies

 We've been getting together for about the last 5 years - my High School football teammates and yesterday
we fished the NSFA Rodeo Tournament. Tony French played linebacker our Senior year, Daniel "bubba" Rhodes anchored one side of the line at offensive tackle while I anchored the other side at tackle. A few years ago we lost teammate Raymond Keen who had fished with a couple of those years prior and we always miss him. 

We launched early out at Goffinsville Park and made a quick run over to Spanish Drop on the Nassau River and began pitching jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. We hit a bunch of spots that day - we fished from 6:30am to about 4pm and at least two of us were complaining about sore knees and ankles as the day wore on. Tony "knocked the skunk off" when he caught a keeper sized Flounder, and I followed that up later with another keeper Flounder. Neither were big enough to warrant running them to check in, but they did go in the box!

We fished a few spots up and down Nassau River and picked up a good amount of small Redfish and a couple of Slot sized Reds. One of those that Dan caught was of legal size and had 4 Spots, again, probably not enough  to run to check in. We ran thru Horsehead and fished Jackstaff "bank" and caught another handful of Reds, and Jacks. Throughout the day we battled a couple of Sharks to the boat and released. Fishing back in the Nassau we landed more Redfish  on float rigs now, over the oyster beds. We ended up catching 4 Slot Reds for the day - Dan had the biggest at 25". We had to release two due to bag limits.

Also caught  were TWO oversized Redfish! The first ended up measuring at 27.5", just a half inch over the size limit. You can imagine the excitement when you know you've got a BIG Redfish on in a Tournament. That happened twice - the 2nd was FAT and measured well about he Slot at 29.5". Oh well - we had a great time catching up and reminiscing about growing up and going to school at FBHS so as we headed back to the ramp we counted as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Scuttlebutt: Boat Ramp and Parking Under Fire From City

Charter Captain Jesse Stubbs has been leading the way lately to bring light to the absurdity of the City's management (and lack thereof) of our ONLY City boat ramp. He's uncovered some conflicts that may leave the City legally vulnerable as they attempt to develop our once working waterfront into Disney 2.0..

 

Signs, Signs Everywhere a Sign!

Conflict Between 24-Hour Ramp Access and Parking Restrictions

The City’s Comprehensive Plan designates this site as a .01 Boat Ramp Facility, a classification that requires adequate parking to support public water access. Moreover, the ramp itself is open 24 hours a day a policy that implies continuous, unrestricted access for boaters at all hours.

Yet under Ordinance 78-77, the City imposes restrictive parking hours (5am–7pm) and bans overnight parking of trailers without a permit a permit process which is neither visible nor accessible to the public. This creates a legal and functional contradiction:

How can 24 hour ramp use be offered if trailer parking disappears after 7pm?

This inconsistency:

• Undermines safe and reasonable boat launching and retrieval well before sunset, night or early morning

• Potentially violates the Florida Boating Improvement Program or FIND access requirements (if funding was involved) the .01 boat ramp facility list “adequate parking”

• Creates the appearance of policy manipulation to favor certain users such as commercial tour buses over local residents and recreational boaters.

This is a critical red flag: you can’t claim 24-hour public access and simultaneously restrict the very infrastructure needed to use it.

recommend appending this paragraph to the earlier drafted request for action, under a new section:

The City’s own policy contradiction must be resolved:

• The .01 Boat Ramp Facility designation mandates adequate and compatible parking infrastructure

• The ramp is open 24/7, yet boat trailer parking is prohibited overnight;

• No clear overnight permit process exists despite Ordinance 78-77(d) allowing it.

This incompatibility results in de facto denial of late night access for boaters especially for offshore fishermen, nighttime gigging and emergency users despite the ramp being technically “open.” If parking isn’t available when the ramp is, the access is functionally denied.

This may constitute a violation of both local planning code and the public trust doctrine.

Capt. Jesse Clyde Stubbs

We Found Some Trout

 I fished Friday with Bill Foran and his daughter Casey, meeting them up at Old Town Bait and Tackle
boat ramp. We made a quick run up and over to the Jolley River, turned into the  "bank" and worked back. Our first cast produced a bite and Fish On! That's the way you like to start a trip!  Casey expertly worked in a nice Flounder to kick the day off. 

The wind was kicking a little bit out of the west and pushing us up against the bank so we ran further up the Jolley and tossed our floats and live shrimp on the outside of Snook Creek. The wind was blocked and the anglers were getting good casts, but we had no luck. After coming back to Tyger Cut we drifted the point and this did the trick. The duo hooked up and caught some keeper sized Seatrout then they battled Bonnethead Shark to the boat from photograph and release. They also caught and released a few hard fighting Jack Crevalle.

We finished up the morning fishing over at Bell River then headed back to the ramp with a box of Seatrout ready to be fileted, and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Ol Redfish

 After meeting Cary Bennett and his granddaughters Chloe and Zoe down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning, we made a quick run up the intracoastal to dip into Jackstaff, turn into the current that had just started in, and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp.  We worked a good stretch, the trio of anglers were making good casts, and finally Cary had a strong bite, a hookup, and after a patient fight, he landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. And then Chloe followed that up within minutes, expertly landing a 7-spot Redfish.

We then ran thru Horsehead and down to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide down there. Great tide to be there right? We fished three different areas and didn't have a real bite. Ouch. I was beginning to worry a bit. Running back towards Nassauville we passed one spot between two docks that I wanted to fish but a boat was sitting there, so we made our way on down to Seymore's Pointe where Cary and Chloe fished jigs out off the bow and Zoe took up a float rig to try her luck. Cary hooked up right off and landed a nice 17.5" Flounder and minutes later, after Zoe had had a couple of "taps" that took her float under and stole her bait, but then she hooked up! And boy what a fish! That drag was ripping as the big fish dug deep but Zoe was  up to the task. She lifted it up, reeled it in, let it run, lifted it up and reeled it in. After a long battle Zoe landed an Oversized 29.25" Redfish for photographs and release. Boy what a fish!

After making our way down the Nassau further to Twin Creeks and all three anglers went to float rigs.
Chloe had "gone long" with  her drift off the stern and Cary had just started a short drift when Chloe hooked up. She was battling her fish to the boat when Cary hooked up - we had a "double" both landed their fish - two keeper sized Seatrout. We then drifted down the bank with the current and caught fish. They added two more Slot Redfish, a couple of small ones, a couple of hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and Cary battled another wiey Big Redfish. We were already counting him in the boat when he dug shallow and popped the line. Ouch. 

We caught fish right up until time to leave and with about four dead shrimp left in the well, we called it day but as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Easy Shrimp Crab Chowder

 I was craving some Shrimp Chowder and after "googling" a few recipe's and getting the gist of what others were using, I threw this together. Most of the recipe's called for 1lb of Shrimp. I had 3lbs and used it all!  You know how you order something from a restaurant and get just a few shrimp? Why skimp if you're making it yourself!

2       Cups peeled and cubed potatoes.                                                                                                                              Put them in a large pot and boil until they begin to soften

2      Stalks celery, chopped                                                                                                                            1/2   Onion, chopped                                                                                                                                            1     teaspoon minced garlic                                                                                                                         1/2  stick butter                                                                                                                                                                            In a skillet melt butter, cook celery, onion and garlic until vegis begin to soften

Drain cooked potatoes, add 

1/2  stick butter                                                                                                                                                     4   Cups   seafood stock                                                                                                                                      1  Tablespoon Creole seasoning                                                                                                                     1    Cup fresh or frozen corn                                                                                                                               1    Cup heavy cream                                                                                                                                      2   cans 6oz crab                                                                                                                                              1     Teaspoon salt                                                                                                                                         1/2   Teaspoon paprika                                                                                                                                        

Bring to boil.  

Add   3lbs peeled and deveined shrimp.  Cook until shrimp turn pink (just a few minutes). Turn off and let rest for 20 minutes.                         

Switching to Jigs Did the Trick

 We had a beautiful morning today to wrap up the week before the holiday weekend when I met John Raker and his mother Betty out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp. We eased north and around Seymore's Pointe and tried some float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. Both Betty and John were getting excellent drifts - we had a few - but not a single nibble. We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and continued with the drifts. We worked the point, the grass line and the pockets and again, not a nibble. 

After fishing across the creek, again with no bites, we ran back thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to Twin Creeks, turned into the outgoing current, and began tossing jigs and the live shrimp. It didn't take long for this to produce. Betty had made an excellent cast, worked it just a bit and BAM! She had a strong hookup, battled it to the boat, and landed a feisty Redfish.  The duo picked up another small Red, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum then Betty had another big bite. This fish boiled a couple of times so we knew it was a bigger Redfish. She played it patiently, let the drag rip a few times, worked it in, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. As we moved up the bank she had another strong bite, but this one took off like a freight train, leaving the shore and heading deep. Betty fought it from the starboard side to the port side, then fought it deep the brought it to the boat. I held the rod for a bit to make sure it was worn out good before we brought it into the boat for photograph and release.

Down the Nassau we moved and here the anglers hooked up and landed a couple of undersized Flounder. We fished Spanish Drop for a bit, fished Back River for a bit and other than a Catfish catch, that was it for the day. But we had a nice fish in the box and had beautiful weather so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Started Hot

We had a nice breezy morning today, just enough to keep it from getting hot. I had met David, Wanda and Charlie Morton up at Old Town Bait and Tackle on a tide that had been going out for about 2 hours. We eased out of Eagans Creek and made a short run over to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp. Wanda "knocked the skunk off" after she had tossed a float rig over towards shore and let it drift over some oysters. Her float got "nibbled" all the way across and we thought sure it was a "bait stealer" but then BAM! Float Gone! Wanda tightened up and let the circle hook set and had a nice hookup. She played it patiently to the boat and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.

David and Charlie were fishing off the stern with the jigs and after Charlie had made a pinpoint cast up under the dock he had a strong bite and Big Fish On!  Charlie played it perfectly, let it run, lifted it up, let it run, then worked it in and landed a big 20" Black Drum, boy what a fish. Minutes later he landed a nice feisty Redfish, then a couple more of smaller Drum, another hand sized Redfish with 6 spots, then a hungry Seatrout. Charlie had the hot rod at that spot.

We made a long run back around Tyger, up to the Jolley and turned into the "bank" and fished it with jigs from the bow and float rig off the stern.  Again, Wanda kicked things off when she hooked up and landed a small Flounder. Charlie then got busy, picking up another keeper sized Seatrout then a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Grande Slam - Black Drum, Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. On up the river he tangled with a Bonnethead Shark that eventually threw the hook. 

Around at the MOA we picked up a couple of Croaker, Wanda battled a Shark, then David brought a feisty Sheepshead to the boat. The bite had been better on the higher tide, which has been the norm the last few weeks, but we had caught fish, we had a few in the box, the weather was great so as we headed back to the rap we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florid.

Nine Fish Variety

 Another beautiful day, a smorgasbord of different back water fish caught: Redfish, Jack Crevalle, Black
Drum, Toad Fish, Sea Bass, Ladyfish, Shark, Flounder, and Seatrout. I had met Steve Locke and  his fishing buddies Jason and Scott out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning and we made a quick run down the Nassau to Spanish Drop and fished some exposed oysters right at the last of an outgoing tide. Justin got hot early and put a couple of feisty Redfish in the boat and a couple of Jacks were landed. 

We stopped at a dock at Seymore's Pointe and fished the pilings as the tide was starting in and here Scott got found his groove and landed a fat Sea Bass and a small Toad Fish. After running thru Horsehead and fishing the "bank" at Jackstaff things were kinda slow until the GPK upped the competition with Scott landing a Ladyfish to take the prize- then the trio got into some Redfish. Steve expertly battled a Slot Redfish to the net. We fished over at Poteat Pointe, to no avail, then made the run back thru Horsehead and down to Broward Island. We worked the bank slowly and Jason, after feeling that tale-tale "thump", set the hook and caught the only Flounder of the Day. Steve caught a small Bonnethead Shark off the stern then picked up his 2nd Slot Redfish.

We finished the day up at Pumpkin Hill with a couple of Seatrout catches, both caught on a float with live shrimp. We had a fairly busy day catching a variety of fish and with a couple of Slot Reds in the box, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Keep To Catch Ratio Pretty Good

Another pretty morning, thankfully -clear skies, mild temperature and just a slight breeze. I met Pete Nolan and his fishing buddy Jeff down at Sawpit Creek and with a baitwell full of live shrimp we made the run up the intracoastal, made a veer into Jackstaff and turned into the incoming current with plans to fish the "bank" with jigs. The tide had been coming in about an hour and the oyster shell were still showing. The duo began to pitch their casts up behind a oyster hump and it paid off - they hooked up with a couple of Slot sized Redfish. We worked down the  bank and picked up a couple of more Reds and began to cull those that we had in the box.  Jeff added a keeper Whiting to the catch - our "keep to catch ratio" was pretty high!

We made a short run over to Poteat Point and Pete almost immediately caught a Seatrout under a float rig, but that was about it. After running thru Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop we stuck with the floats and picked up a small but feisty Jack Crevalle and a high flying Ladyfish. There was a long and ferocious battle with a Bonnethead Shark that was brought to the boat for a "leader touch" and release.

After a run down to Pumpkin Hill produced another Ladyfish catch we wrapped things over at Seymore's Pointe hoping for Seatrout, but dealt a Catfish catch. It had been a beautiful day, we had started out strong, had a few keeper 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. 

The Kid

 Boy what a beautiful morning we had after a weekend of rain and last nights downpour. I had met Jeff and Cindy Patrick up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made a short run up to the outside of Tyger Island, turned into the current on a tide that had been coming in a few hours, and started tossing jig and live shrimp to the mud bank. It took a while and I was beginning to wonder, but then Jeff hooked up with a hard fighting and brought it to the boat. Luckily it was a bit productive - the duo caught a couple or three Reds along there a keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught this morning were released), and a Flounder to round out a Slam. 

We fished Jolley "bank" for a bit with floats to no avail, then moved up to Tyger Cut and fished over a submerged shell bank. I think Jeff's first cast and drift produced another keeper sized Seatrout. He picked up another then both he and Cindy boated some small but feisty Bonnethead Sharks. After moving up to Snook Creek and fishing it a bit we ran back to the outside of Tyger to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Jeff battled briefly with (we think was) a shark but it's still heading north, with a float marker hanging out of its mouth.  We finished the morning over at Soap Creek drifting floats, then headed back, counting it as another beautiful morning fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

In basketball the call them a "ringer";  some call them a "secret weapon". But this afternoon we called him....The Kid. After a quick Bait Shop lunch, I made my way over to Oyster Bay and picked up Lee Warren, his grandson Noah, and their friend David Vice - we made a quick stop over at Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on a tide that had been going out about 3 hours. David hooked up and handed off his rod to Noah to expertly reel in a hungry Seatrout, then a small but feisty Sea Bass. 

We made along run back down Lanceford then up the Bell to fish some more dock pilings. Here, Noah began making  his own casts and it paid off - he hooked  up a brough to the boat a hungry Seatrout and two croaking Croakers. We fished a 2nd dock them moved on. Our next stop was over in the Jolley River where we worked one shoreline with exposed oysters, to no avail.

But then we moved over to the MOA and fished those oyster mounds. Noah had a made an excellent cast off the stern, let it sink to the bottom, felt the "bump" and set the hook and BIG FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and going deep and taking the line from starboard to port and back again. Lee was helping out with the rod lift while Noah worked it off the bottom with the reel and after long battle he landed  huge 27.5" Black Drum (on a size 1000 reel, 6'6'" rod), boy what a battle. Warred battled a Catfish to the boat before we moved on. 

After running back to Tyger Island, we fished the logs. Both Warren and David put Trout in the boat. Then again, Noah (The Kid) had another strong bite. That line was ripping out and the fish was heading north, but Noah, with Warren's help, kept the pressure on. It was a long battle and hard fought but the duo won it and soon boated a big 4' Bonnethead Shark. We were all worn out after that but as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.