Quick Wake Up Call

 Back at it after a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, I met the Cordill family -Bryan and Leigh and their "birthday girl" Anna Beth - up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. As I was launching the boat, I was gifted with a Doe deer sighting off the side of the ramp! When the Cordill's arrived we headed north and west and over to the Jolley River, turned into the current and fished the "bank" with live shrimp under floats on a tide that had been coming in a few hours. The trio had a some nibbles here and there then Bryan's float disappeared with a vengeance and Fish On! At first it headed toward the grass and I was thinking "big Redfish" but then it headed north, then west, ripping drag as it went. Bryan followed it from the stern to the bow then fought it off the port side. The big fish went deep and hugged the bottom and we both agreed, "Shark"!  Bryan played it patiently and after a long battle on light tackle, boated a 4' Bonnethead Shark.

We moved further up the Jolley and turned into a bank and here Bryan picked up a hungry Seatrout, then it was Leigh's turn to fight the big fish. She had a good drift going along the flooded marsh grass then her float slowly eased under. Leigh tightened up her line, lifted the rod tip and let the circle hook do its job - She had a hookup!  This fish stayed up near the bank, then boiled so we knew it was a Redfish. Leigh expertly played the fish and soon landed a 20" Slot Sized Redfish.

Back towards the mouth, again fishing a flooded bank, it was Ann  Beth's turn
to fight a fish - this one a high flying Ladyfish. Anna Beth kept the pressure on and worked it to the net and landed it.  We fished the outside of Tyger with no real bites, then we fished over at Bell where we had a bite or two, but no takers, then we fished up in Lanceford. Anna Beth had gone in with a cast to a creek mouth - a small drainage - just beyond a crab trap float and when her float disappeared she lifted and had the fish on, but Oh No! - it wrapped around the float! We eased up and got the line around the float and Anna Beth landed another hungry Seatrout. Minutes later, working the bank, Leigh hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout to wrap things up. As we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hoping For an 8 Rabbit Day

Heading south this morning, after passing the three round-abouts at the Omni, I counted the rabbits on the side of the road from there to the bridge. Today was an "8 Rabbit Day". I wondered, "could that be a sign of how the fishing was going to be?"  Could 3 rabbits mean a "just OK" day? Could  6 rabbits be a pretty good day? It was EIGHT Rabbits I saw this morning!

I met Allen and Laverne Webb at Sawpit Creek and we headed up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau and ran up to a large drainage. Allen was on the bow tossing a topwater Zara Spook while Laverne followed him in with a float and live shrimp. Not much was going on but Laverne did pick up a couple of small Mangrove Snapper. 

We then ran thru Horsehead to the other side of Jackstaff, turned into a creek, and fished stretch of marsh grass on the high and outgoing tide, to no avail. We then fished Jackstaff for a bit and unfortunately the wind was picking up and made it tough to fish - but Allen did hookup and land a small Catfish. After running back thru the marsh (a shortcut), we pulled up at Seymore's Pointe and did battle with the Mangroves. The duo of anglers were getting bites on almost every cast, especially if they were near the rocks, so much so that I started breaking the shrimp in half. We left the area with two keeper sized fish in the box.

The wind was really kicking now - white caps were out in the river, so we headed down to Broward Island and sure enough we had calm waters. We switched to jig and shrimp and fished the bottom, working the bank, and finally Laverne had a strong hookup. She played the fish patiently and after a valiant battle, landed a nice 18" Black "puppy" Drum, boy what a fish!

As we headed back we were bucking the waves so we had to take our time to get back to the dock. Although the idea that seeing 8 Rabbits may equate to a banner day of fishing didn't pan out, we had some good views of wildlife, we caught some fish, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Good Bite, Felt Good

 After a miserable slow bite yesterday I was back fishing south today, meeting Eddie Byrd and Bob Kossman down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made the run up the intercoastal, turned in to Jackstaff, and dipped into a side creek to fish a marsh edge with a tide that had been going out for about an hour and a half. The two anglers were tossing float rigs and live shrimp to the bank. Eddie had made an excellent cast  up into a pocket and as his float drifted around a corner it disappeared. Eddie tightened the line up and let the circle hook do its job and Fish On! The fish fought for a little while up near the grass and we were thinking "surely Slot Redfish" but then it got out into a little deeper water, bulled down, and had its way for a while. It did boil up a time or two so we knew it was now a Redfish but the way it fought made us wonder, and sure enough, when Eddie brought it to the net, it was a 28.25" Oversized Redfish, but boy what a fish!

We continued to work along that bank and at a large drainage Bob hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder. We then motored (slowly) thru the marsh to the Nassau River and fished the eastern edge of Middle Marsh with jig, to no avail. We crossed over and fished Spanish Drop with float rigs but had no luck, but when we switched to jigs, BAM! We had a hookup and landed a feisty Redfish. Bob went back to the same spot and had a good, strong bite and, Big Fish On! I thought for sure it was going to be another big Redfish, but when it got out deep it dug down, and stayed down which led us to suspect a Shark. Sure enough, after a long and patient battle, Bob brought to the boat a 4' Bonnethead Shark, photographed and released.

Moving up to Seymore's Pointe we fished some docks and caught a good handful of Mangrove Snapper, a few which were of keeper size. Eddie battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat, had something big enough to rip some drag that came off, then we moved on. After fishing some rocks at Seymore's with float rigs, and getting a couple of small Mangroves, we move down the way, and tangles with a couple of Ladyfish.

Our last stop was back at Twin Creeks, fishing at almost a dead low tide with jigs. Eddie caught and landed a hungry Seatrout and Bob added another big Ladyfish to the catch, then we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Fat Snapper

 

I wrapped my week up fishing out at Goffinsville Park today. I met Joe Callow and his fishing buddies Jack and Larry early. We made a quick run down the Nassau and made  a stop at Spanish Drop and fished the exposed shell bank with jigs and live shrimp. All three anglers were getting good casts and although we had a nibble here and there, we had not takers.  

We moved up the  river a bit and fished a large runout, then move further up and fished Twin Creeks. We had been seeing Sharks cruising the bank and sure enough, Jake had a "take" and when he set the hook, ziipppp went his drag as the big fish headed East!  Jake went to the stern with the fish, then back to the bow then settled in for a long battle. He kept the pressure on, stayed patient, and eventually landed a nice Bonnethead Shark. Minutes later he also tangled with and landed a high flying "poor mans Tarpon" - a Ladyfish. 

Back at Symore's Pointe we fished some dock pilings and played cat and mouse with some bait stealers, then move around and fished some rocks at Nassauville. Again, Jake had the hot rod and put a rather large(for May) Mangrove Snapper in the boat. From then on all three anglers were trying their hand at catching the sneaky critters. We added another bigger Mangrove to the box before we moved on. 

After making the run down to Broward Island we worked it thoroughly with the jigs and live shrimp. We did have a few nibbles but no takers, so we moved on, coming back to some docks at Nassauville. Again, we found the Mangroves and added a couple more for a "Fish Taco" dinner. It had been a beautiful day out on the water and a great way for three friends to spend some time together so as we headed back  we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

New Spot One Fish

 It seemed like every time we moved to a new spot we either got a fish or had a bite. But only one!  I had met Mike and Linda McClane and their granddaughter Gabby up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning and we then ran up and around to the Jolley River and turned into the low incoming tide and began pitching live shrimp and jigs to the exposed oysters. We had a nibble here and there then Linda hooked up and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice keeper sized Seatrout catch. Mike tangled with a high flying Ladyfish and Gabby had a small Flounder to the boat before it threw the hook. 

We ran further up the Jolley and worked along some oysters. Gabby had her eye on a point of oysters and after making an excellent cast she had a strong bite and a hookup, Fish On! Gabby played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a 20" Slot sized Redfish. After finishing that stretch we moved on. 

Our next stop was back on the outside of Tyger where we fished a large drainage, then worked along a bank for a bit, still pitching jigs/shrimp, but to no avail. After running thru Tyger we cut into Bell River and set up alongside a flooding point. In short time, Mike, who was drifting "long" had his float disappear. He tightened up and let the circle hook do its job, and he had a hookup. He quickly reeled it in and landed another keeper sized Seatrout. And that was that! No more fish there.

After running over to Lanceford we eased up to another drainage (BM spot1).
Linda was drifting a float on the other side of a barely submerged oyster bed and wouldn't you know it. she had a big bight. This fish was ripping drag and heading up into the drainage- there's a good chance it was a big Redfish, but the line was going right over the oysters and BAP! Fish Off! Ouch!

We fished Soap Creek for just a few minutes but had only a nibble so we headed back to the dock, but with a few fish in the box, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Solid Slam

 

You'd think it was almost summer! When I launched at Goffinsville Park this morning the water was still and the sun was out and we soon found out that "summertime" fish were here! I met Jason Wells and his teenaged son Jackson early and we made the short run around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe to fish the very first of an incoming tide. Although I was lookin for Redfish or Drum, we(Jason)  found a couple of Mangrove Snapper instead!

We then ran down the Nassau to Spanish Drop and worked that bank - the shell were still barely showing, but had not luck until Jason hooked up and landed a couple of high flying Ladyfish. Jackson tangled with a Shark that eventually found its way around a crab float and broke off. 

After easing back to Twin Creeks, we switched to float rigs. Jason was on the
stern, drifting long and Jackson was on the bow, drifting across the mouths and BAM!, Jackson's float disappeared - he tightened up his line and let the circle hook set and, Fish On! Jackson played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish.  Jason fought and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle shortly afterwards, and a Bonnethead Shark.

We then fished back at Nassauville, between a couple of docks. I was expecting Mangrove Snapper for sure, but Jackson hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  Minutes later, Jason had made a cast up close to shore and within seconds he was "snagged" on something loose on the bottom. He began to work it slowly to the boat then we saw that the "snag" was shaking it's head and pulling back! Fish On! Jason brought it patiently to the boat and landed a keeper sized 17" Flounder!

Our next and final stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, drifting some flooded shell. The first stretch we had no real bites but we moved around the corner. Jason battle a big Bonnethead to the boat and added a keeper sized Seatrout. We also caught a small Catfish to add to the variety of the catch. With a solid Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder in the box, we headed back and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Eventful Day

We had another gorgeous fishing day out on the water here at Amelia Island. I had met Bob Blalock and his fishing team made up of brother and sister-in-law Tom and Martha up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early. We had a tide that had been coming in for a few hours and I wanted to fish some flooding oyster banks so we headed up to the Jolley River and turned into the "bank" to cast float rigs and live shrimp. We worked along that entire bank, the trio of anglers making excellent casts, and I don't think we had much more than a nibble, if that. Crazy.

I had passed a nice drainage on the outside of Tyger and had thought it would be a good day to fish it so we moved back around to it and switched to jigs  on the bottom. That particular drainage didn't produce a fish but as we eased along the shore line, heading back to Fernandina, we began to pick up fish.

 Bob "knocked the skunk off" and brought in a Seatrout then Martha, who had switched back float, had a strong hookup, and a after a good battle, successfully brought to the net a feisty Redfish.  Tom had a "Tap", set the hook, and landed a keeper sized Seatrout(all fish caught today were released), then Bob followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder. We worked that shoreline all the way around to Tyger Creek - catching Ladyfish, a Jack Crevalle, another keeper sized Seatrout, a smaller Redfish. At one point we saw some wakes up in a drainage, beyond a grassy island. Tom put his float and live shrimp over into a pocket and sure enough, BAM! He had a hookup. Although we would liked to have a bigger fish, this one was just the right size to pull over a shell bar and through some grass! Tom landed a nice feisty Redfish. 

We eventually ran thru Tyger and around to Bell and set up along a grassy point and fished the very(very) last of the incoming tide, which I believe shut down the fish bite. But we fished on, working along a grassy line. Bob saw a big wake move off from the grass and minutes later, after Martha had made a pinpoint cast to the spot, her float disappeared with a vengeance and her drag began to rip, Big Fish On! Bob and Tom got their line out of the water and soon we were out in the river battling the big fish. Martha was doing great, working the fish slowly to the boat, but alas, it made a sharp dive and, BAP, fish off! We felt comfortable the way it fought it was a Shark.

After hitting one more spot on the outside of Tyger we called it a day and counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

From Big To Bigger

 

What a great morning to start the week with! We had beautiful weather that greeted us out at Goffinsville Park when I met  Bob Blalock and his fishing crew - brother and sister-in-law Tom and Martha.  The tide was already covering the oysters and still coming in for a few hours so we headed over to the Spanish Drop area and eased along a flooded shell bank and began fishing with float rigs and live shrimp. All three anglers were getting good casts and good drifts but we had no luck until we reached the mouth of a drainage and Bob then tangled with a couple of high flying "poor mans Tarpon" - the Ladyfish. 

We motored back up the river, fished Twin Creeks for a bit, then I let the boat drift backwards with the current. Martha teased one up- a nice Seatrout, and had it to the boat before it threw the hook, then Tom went up to the same spot, got a good drift, and BAM! He had a hookup. He played it perfectly and brought to the boat and net a nice 19" Trout. As we drifted just a few feet back, Bob had found that he could toss back to a grass edge and there was a back current. On his second or third drift his float slowly went under. Bob tightened up and let the circle hook do it job and, Fish On!  He fought the fish expertly and brought to the net a Slot sized 21" Redfish.

We ran down to Pumpkin Hill, drifted long with floats, battled a Shark, picked up a smaller Trout, caught a keeper sized Trout, then ran back to Seymore's at the very peak of the high tide. We worked some rocks with the floats and caught a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, then ran thru Horsehead to catch the first of an outgoing tide. 

Here, Martha had made a pin-point cast, just beyond a grassy island, and when her float disappeared she set the hook and in a text book manner, brought to the boat a hungry Seatrout.  We were about ready to wrap things but decided to "fish out" of the area so we worked a bank as we went. Bob had a strong bite that he hooked up but the fish (we thought a shark) is still heading to Tallahassee! So a few minutes later when Tom had a strong bite we were speculating Shark? But this big fish was staying up near the bank (why in the world would you even want to go to Tallahassee?) Tom kept the pressure on and battled the big fish from bow to stern and back, under the boat and back out and (despite Bob and mine's coaching) landed a big 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish! After quick photograph and release, we headed ack to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

They Ought To Call It Iron Man!

I just sent off a couple of Osprey CE Florida Fishing Products reels back for repair, refurbishment and cleaning and I got to thinking I'm still using one of the original Osprey's with no refurbishment needed.  I contacted Cael down at FFP to check the date of when I purchased that first pair of reels. One was a 2500 Osprey that I use on my 7' rods for float rigs and top water lures, and one was a 1000 Osprey that I use for on a 6'6" rod for jigs on the bottom. That 1000 is still going strong!

Cael let me know that I first purchased those in June of 2019!  I looked thru my records, did the math, and figured that I had fished that reel approximately 453 trips! Give or take a few trips. That's crazy. It has developed a nice patina and is still catching fish. See picture to right. I'm thinking about adding it to my "Vintage" fishing tackle collection!

When FFP came out with the Osprey CE's, I ordered six of them and installed them on all of my rods, replacing the Shimano Stradics I've used for years. As many of you know, my reels get severely abused - dropped on the deck, cranked while the drag is ripping, and on occasion, dipped in the river. That was a couple of years ago, at least, so the "newer" ones have 200-300 trips under their belt. 

Unfortunately I had to send two of the reels back recently (see dunking in the river) They hadn't lasted as long as that first one but they've more than passed my expectations on how long a reel should last before needing refurbishment. To send them back you complete a form and send it in with the reels. I don't know if they turn everyone's around as quick as they did mine, but I had them back in a short week. I was floored when I opened the box and found two "like new" reels. They were repaired and I could tell parts had been replaced. 

Each day after a finish a trip I rinse my rods and reels with fresh water. I take a long handled soft brush and dip it in a mixture of water and dish soap then wash the rods and reels thoroughly. I let them drip dry then turn them upside down and shake any excess water off before storing them for the next day. I've gotten in the habit of lubricating some of the exterior parts if I have to-restring the reels for whatever reason.

If you're wanting an alternative to those expensive Shimano Stradic reels, check out Florida Fishing
Products Osprey CE reels. Those 1000's? I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many oversized Redfish have been caught on my boat (and released) with one of them!

Surf Fishing Tip's Welcomed

 We had the best "non windy" day today when I fished with Eddie Byrd, Bob Kossman, and David
Beauchamp. We all met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, after pealing off shoes to wade from deck to dock on a super high tide! After running up the intercoastal, thru the Back River, and around to Pumpkin Hill we set up alongside a very flooded marsh grass and began drifting float rigs and live shrimp long. In just minutes Bob had "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch, then he followed that up when he landed a Bluefish.  Then Eddie "went long" and just past a grassy point his float went under with a vengeance and, Fish On!  He patiently brought it to the boat and net and landed a nice 17" Seatrout. David tangled with a high flying Ladyfish, the first of a good handful caught today.

We then made the run back to Seymore's Point and fished a large marsh drainage, drifting by a point of
grass, but had not a bite. We came back around and fished some rocks and here all three anglers played Cat-and-Mouse with Mangrove Snapper, and a handful of the Mangroves lost!

After running thru Horsehead we fished another drainage, picked up another Trout, then Eddie landed an "almost legal" Redfish, just shy of the 18". Back thru Horsehead we went and down to Spanish Drop for the final spot. Bob caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, David put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, then he battled a big Bonnethead Shark. This fish ran long and deep but David fought it patiently and eventually landed it for photograph and release. We had picked up some fish here and there, we hadn't had to fight the wind, so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.