30 Redfish? Did you say 30 Redfish?

  I was a little concerned when I checked the weather last night for todays fishing trip. It called for a bit of wind at 11mph, rising to 16mph as the day progressed. But when I killed the alarm and looked at it again over my yogurt and granola it had dropped down to 8mph, rising to 14mph.  I met Will Hacker and his step father Doug up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp as the sun came up and we eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run over to Lanceford Creek to fish a grassy spot on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. The two anglers were getting nibbles and more nibbles on their float rigs and live shrimp, but no takers. We moved on over to  seawall and pitched to it and here they "knocked the skunk off" with a feisty Redfish catch. 

We then dropped back to Soap Creek and fished an oyster island. Doug was casting up alongside the island while Will went in behind it and both tactics paid off. Doug put a good handful of  hungry Seatrout in the boat and Will picked up another Redfish or two. But once that tide got down to where the shell were really showing the Reds turned on - both anglers began to catch Redfish, one after the other. Most were undersized but Doug put a couple of Slot sized fish in the boat. We probably could have stayed there for another hour but we were blowing thru out bait!

After a long run back down Lanceford, then up the Bell, we set up between two docks and switched to
jigs and shrimp. Will got hot on the stern of the boat and caught a handful of Seatrout and another Red, and a 16" Flounder (season closed today for a month and a half!)  Then he had a stronger bite and battled to the boat a big 18" Seatrout.  We made our way further up the Bell, into the Jolly, and stopped at JC's spot and now that predicted wind was kicking! I went right to the "honey hole" and it paid off - the duo caught a handful of small Redfish, then Doug had a strong bite and this one was ripping drag, Big Fish On! As he fought it Will yelled, "fish ON!" and he too had a big fish hooked up. Doug patiently played his to the net and landed a nice 23" Slot Red - I netted it, dumped it on the deck, then ran up and netted Will's - a Big 22" Seatrout! This puts Will in 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings)   We fished and caught more RedsIand a Black Drum for a Grand Slam) until we ran out of bait, then moved to artificial Z-Man baits and caught one more Redfish. I asked the guys how many Reds they thought we caught today and it was a consensus - "30 Redfish!"  

That wind was over 14 as we headed back - there were some serious white caps and we got sprayed a few times as we made our way to the dock, but we had caught a bunch of fish, had a few in the box, so we counted it as another great day fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Couple of Monster Reds Caught

Note: The last few days we've had the last of an outgoing tide and we've been getting Redfish at drainages and "cuts" between oyster beds - handfuls of small Reds, but sometimes some slots, and today, two Oversized Reds. Throwing jigs and live shrimp.

This morning I met Scott Jones and his fishing team made up of Ann and Meridee, meeting them early up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a well full of live shrimp as we made our way out of Eagans Creek, then we made a quick run up to the Jolley River to "get away from it all". The oysters were just beginning to show so we went with float rigs first, tossed up to about 4' out from the shell, then letting them drift. We were getting nibbles here and there but didn't have any real takers, so we moved on.

That was the ticket. Our next stop, JC's, was at a bend in the river and the shell was exposed so we went with jigs and the shrimp and began to get fish, especially when we got up to a "cut" between some oysters that was draining water out of the marsh. The trio of anglers combined to catch small but feisty Redfish, a couple of Seatrout, a small Flounder, a couple of small Sea Bass, a Puffer Fish!, a Croaker, a Grunt and then.....BAM! Ann had made a good cast to the shell and when it hit she said there was no mistaken, it was a big fish!  Ann played it perfectly and kept that pressure on and fought the big fish and after a long battle, landed an Oversized 27.75" Redfish, boy what a fish. And shortly after that it was Scott's turn to battle the big fish. His fish was ripping drag and took him from the bow to the stern, from starboard to port and back again. Scott fought it patiently and eventually landed another Oversized 32.25" Redfish - big enough to move him into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We fished that area thoroughly, then crossed over and fished the MOA where we picked up a couple of fish, then we made our way back to Tyger Island and fished the logs. I learned a new way to modify something today -its' called the "Sandwich Technique".  First you offer a compliment, then some constructive criticism, then you sandwich that with another compliment. Well today Meridee wasn't catching much, but she was making some excellent casts; she needed to be a bit more aggressive, but she persevered  (with a good attitude) and finally hooked up and put a fish in the boat! The Sandwich!  Ha! We had a beautiful day, caught a good variety of fish, had a couple of massive ones, so as we headed back to the ramp we called it a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Redfish Bonanza

 

With the weather getting better, and the tides not so high, the fish catching is getting....great!  I met Pete Nolan, his daughter Sydney and their friend Lyle down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning- we had clear skies, only a tad bit of wind, and it was just cool enough for a light jacket. We made a 12 minute run up the intracoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and began tossing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. All three anglers were getting good casts, and a few nibbles, but we had no takers. We crossed over the creek and fished a point, letting the jigs bounce along the edge and here Lyle "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. A Pod of dolphin were coming down the bank, so we moved on. 

We then ran thru Horsehead and then back down the Nassau to set up at large drainage and a Roseate
Spoonbill was fishing - the tide was still going out, and boy did things heat up! The trio started catching fish, one after the other -feisty Redfish, a couple of small Flounder (making it a Slam), then a couple of small Black Drum (Grand Slam). They stayed busy catching those small fish until Pete had one of those drag ripping bites and, Big Fish On!  Pete played it expertly and wore it out and brought to the boat a bulky 24" Slot Redfish. We fished until there was a lull, then as we talked about moving on they would get another bite and another fish, including a Bonnethead Shark and a big Jack Crevalle.  Lyle added another 22" Slot Red to the box before we finally moved. 

Down at Broward we were in deeper water but it didn't matter.  Fishing under the gaze of two Bald Eagles, we were tossing the jigs up current and letting it bounce down the river bottom deep paid off. Again, they got busy catching Redfish. Most were in the 16-17" range but Lyle added two more Slot Reds to his catch, one of which we had to toss back due to the limits. Our final stop was back down the Nassau, at Twin Creeks, with the tide coming in. It was slow going until Pete had a strong hookup. The drag was ripping so we knew it was a good fish. Pete worked it in patiently and soon landed another 22" Slot Red. Half of this fish's tail had been eaten off so we put itin the box and culled one of the others. 

We had some good action most of the morning, had beautiful weather, and had a few fish 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. 

Finally Some Decent Weather

 

After almost a weeks' worth of windy and rainy weather, we had a beautiful one today!  I had met Hank Prolog and his fishing buddies Ron and Harry down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and with the tide almost at the bottom, we ran up the intracoastal and then up the Nassau to make our first stop at a nice drainage with plans to pitch jigs and live shrimp. NOTE, even though it was right at low tide, the oysters were barely showing, 

Although we didn't get anything real big today, these anglers stayed with it and it paid off with some good action, here and there. We fished along the Nassau a few spots, then ran down to Broward and fished the last of the outgoing there, then up the river to a small creek, then back out to Pumpkin Hill where we switched to float rigs and the shrimp. We lost count of the small but feisty Redfish we caught - I guessed 8-9 Reds, and a small Trout, a small Flounder, a small Black Drum, a Catfish a handful of "baitstealers"  and a small Sea Bass, then finally Ron hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black Drum for ceviche! 

It had been a beautiful day and we had some action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Big Trout Makes The Day

 This crazy weather is making it difficult to get our trips in! Just like last week, there was a window of
opportunity yesterday where the winds died and the storms subsided so we got out for a beautiful day of fishing! I had met Garland Clark and his friend Susanna down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made our way up the intracoastal, turned up the Nassau and made our first stop at Twin Creeks to toss float rigs with live shrimp. 

Did I mention the huge tides we've been having? Well, the tide had only been coming in a couple of hours but the banks were already covered, with more to come! Susanna put the first fish in the boat, a high flying Ladyfish, and at the 2nd spot Garland boated a Weakfish, just undersized to keep. Down at Spanish Drop Susanna had a big bite that produced a drag ripping run, so much so that I called it a correctly - a "Shark!"  Susanna played it perfectly, letting it run, working it in, letting it run, then we chased it with the boat for a bit, then she brought it in. Boy what a fight!

We fished Pumpkin Hill where Susanna fought another Bonnethead to the net, then we made our way back to Seymore's Pointe when the tide changed. You couldn't have asked for a better cast and better drift from Suzanna when I noted a grassy point that I wanted her to fish - as her float went by, BAM! Fish On!  I called this one wrong!  "REDFISH!:  This fish took the drag and ran east for a bit, then came back to the boat and headed north, but it was no match for Susanna - she kept that pressure on and brought it to the boat, and as it came in, I saw the mouth of a big Seatrout!  It measured at 20.5".

We wrapped up fishing over in Jackstaff and boy was that water up in the grass. The sun was shining, we had very little wind to deal with during the day, and we didn't get wet! So as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Squeezed One In

 That storm that passed way out in the Atlantic threw some wind and rain our way, enough so that I had to
cancel my Monday trip, and it looks like the wind will pick back up tomorrow thru the weekend, but there was a bit of a lull this morning so we squeezed a trip in. I met Tim and Laura Wolfe down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. It was still somewhat windy but not too much to keep us from fishing! We made our way up the intracoastal, then thru the Back River to make our first stop at a point where the high tide was running out (we noticed that it never did get real low today). Tim and Laura were tossing float rigs baited with mud minnows to the grass and letting them drift. They had a handful of nibbles - quick "takes" - and then they were able to hookup, with both landing a couple of Seatrout. One of those made "keeper" size.

We then ran up to Pumpkin Hill and fished the same way, drifting those floats. Tim had a strong hookup and battled it patiently and....it was off! Ouch! But when we pulled up to the point and drifted the other side he got busy, catching a few feisty Redfish, another Trout, and Ladyfish. The wind had picked up even more so we made a long run up the Nassau and fished a small creek where we were sheltered from the wind. 

Tim landed a small Flounder to round out his Slam, then later, he went to the "honey hole" with a perfect cast and found a good fight. He played it perfectly and brought to the net a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We came out of there and back to Nassauville and fished a drainage, to no avail, then made our way further down the Nassau, first stopping at Twin Creeks to toss the jigs and minnows, then further down at a drainage, which paid off, big time!  

Tim found that he could get his bait up into the creek and BAM! He'd have a hookup. I know I saw one that had barely hit the water before it got bit. He hauled in a good handful of small but feisty Reds, and then, just as we were getting ready to go, Big Fish On!  This fish wasn't coming in - we knew it was a big one. Tim fought it perfectly - let it run, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, until finally he wore it out and brought to the net a chunky 25"+ Redfish, boy what a fish!

We had beat the wind, caught some fish, had a few 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. 

'NUF Said

 Short and brief today - quite a banner day! 10 Slot Reds caught by Brian Roach, his son Mike, and their friend William Blalock. First of the incoming tide, tossing jigs and mud minnows to drainages and exposed shell banks. The first two hours was on fire. They added a good handful of smaller Reds, some Ladyfish, some Catfish, some small Flounder, then they finished the day with two keeper Flounder. Another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!  CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE

Slot One

Slot Two

Slot Three

Slot Four

Slot Five

Slot Six

Slot Seven

Slot Eight

Slot Nine

Slot 10 (a twelve spotter!)

Big 'un Right Off The Bat

 I was back down at the south end today, fishing with the Soper Team - Larry and his sons Garrett and Dustin. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp as the sun came up and made a long run up the Nassau to make our first stop at Broward Island. The tide still had a few minutes of going out so we set up on the south end and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the edge. It wasn't long before Larry "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up an landed a feisty Flounder. We were thinking that was pretty good! We saw some bait getting smashed over by a drainage so we worked over that way - Garrett had made a good cast to a point and BAM!  That drag was ripping!   Garrett kept the pressure on but all he could do was hold on to that 6'6" rod with the Florida Fishing Products size 1000 reel, spooled with 10lb braid. The big fish rolled a couple of times then dug deep out into the river but Garrett stayed with it and worked it to the boat to land and Oversized 29" Redfish, boy wat a fish!

After moving up north and fishing a couple of spots, and right before we left, Larry had a good "bump" and set the hook on a nice feisty Redfish.  We then made our way back down the Nassau to Twin Creeks where we stuck with the jigs and shrimp. Larry stayed with the hot hand when he hauled in a keeper sized Flounder to go in the box. We moved down to another drainage, fished it for a bit then moved further down to Spanish Drop and switched to float rigs. We had some good action at a point of grass, getting a small Red, a keeper sized Seatrout that Dustin hauled in, and a couple of Ladyfish.

Back  up the river we went, staying with the floats and this paid off. Dustin had a strong hookup after

getting a good drift along the grass and patiently worked to the boat a nice Slot Redfish. Garrett battled a Bonnethead Shark to the boat for photographs and release, and Dustin had another battle with a big Red, but alas, it was not to be! Fish Off! We wrapped the day up over in Jackstaff, working the bank with the floats, and fiddling with baitstealers and Ladyfish. But we had a good morning with great weather and had a few fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Lot's Of Action On A Beautiful Day

 Boy what a pretty day we had...sunshine, just a slight breeze, and mild temperatures. I had met Brian
Ahrens and his sons Henry and Oscar down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp on a tide that had just started in. We made a long run up the Nassau to make our first stop at Broward Island - it was a gamble but it paid off! Oscar had gone in first with a cast and Henry followed him in...Oscar must have "chummed him up" because Henry had a good bend in his rod and his line began to rip and Big Fish On!  Henry played him perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. Skunk off the boat! Early!

We caught a few fish at that first spot - Oscar reeled in a feisty Redfish and Brian hauled in a keepable
Croaker. We moved down a bit and fished then moved further down the island. Henry went off the stern and had a weird "thump", hooked  it up and brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder. We caught a couple of more fish there - Croaker, and a small Redfish, then moved on. 

Back down at Spanish Drop we worked a bank with the jigs, had a few nibbles, but when we switched to floats we got good action. The trio caught Jack Crevalle, Bluefish, Seatrout (these fish were fat but just undersized), and another Flounder. We then moved upriver to Twin Creeks and drifted the floats and it was Oscar's turn to get the big (and keeper fish). He hooked up and expertly landed another keeper sized Flounder. Brian battled what I thought was a Shark by the way it ran, ripping drag, but as he wore it out and brought it to the boat we saw it was a big Jack Crevalle.

We finished the day down at the "super secret spot" but the sun was up, it was getting a bit warm and the fish had gone on siesta. But as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Creeping Thru the Fog

 

We had almost zero wind this morning and clear skies, when we finally saw them! I had met Gordon Fowler and his fishing buddy Reid up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp just after sunrise and after easing out of Eagans Creek to the main river we hit some fog and had to creep over to our first spot - just off of Tyger Island. I think the first cast produced a bite - Reid worked it to the boat to land a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We had a few bite there then we moved on up and around Tyger, and boy did we have to creep along - visibility was so bad I had to rely on my Garmin to keep from running aground.

We made our way over to the Jolley River and turned into a slow incoming current and pitched float rigs and live shrimp. The two anglers were getting good casts and good drifts but with the slow current and dirty water we didn't get much. But after moving down to Tyger Cut and setting up along a submerged shell bar, we got some action. Gordon had switched to a fly rod and boy was he getting some good loops! Reid drifted in behind him with the float and began to get Seatrout, one of them was right at 17".  We caught the Trout, some Ladyfish, and Jack Crevalle.

Our next stop was up beyond Snook Creek where the duo fished the float rigs. Reid had made a good
cast up into a pocket and when a big fish swirled on his bait, and took it, it was time for a big battel. Reid's drag was ripping as the fish came out of that pocket and zipped across the stern. We all had to scramble to re-arrange ourselves. Reid stayed with the fish, worked it in, let it run, worked it in and  eventually he landed a nice 4" Bonnethead Shark which we photographed and released.

We fished that stretch pretty good, then came back to the outside of Tyger as the tide came to a standstill. We couldn't cast without a Needlefish tacking our bait! Our final stop Reid tried his hand using a jig rod and the shrimp and had numerous bites but no takers. The fog had finally lifted and we had sunshine! We had dealt with the fog, caught a few fish, and now had sunshine so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.