I Could of Kissed "em

 I wrapped up a long, difficult week today fishing with the Hutchens brothers - that cold water has been tough on the "fish catching" totals. These guys, Tom and Bob were good anglers, and we fished some spots that looked absolutely beautiful - sunny skies, no wind to speak of, great casts, outstanding drifts, but there for a while it was looking like we were going to get skunked!  I can't remember the last time I've been skunked on a trip. It does happen once in a while, but not in a long while!

The good news is that the water temperature is rapidly rising with this warmer weather. Monday I was noting 42 degrees and today I saw some at 57 degrees. I had picked the Hutchens brothers up at Sawpit Creek and after running up the Nassau River we pulled up at Twin Creeks and drifted floats and mud minnows (no live shrimp today). I think the first drift Tom had a brief bite - the float disappeared, but there was no fish attached. We fished that good with the floats, then we ran up to Seymore's and fished a large drainage. I'll be brief- good casts, good drifts, no bites.  

  We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat point - good casts, good drifts, no bites.                                         We came back to Jackstaff  and fished - good casts, good drifts, no bites                                                       We ran back thru Horsehead and down to Nassauville and switched to jigs - good casts, no bites

We then ran up river and fished a small creek with the jigs. Again, Tom and Bob were getting good casts
to the bank. We fished it good, and just when the "skunk" was beginning to smell up the boat Bob had strong hookup and worked in a nice hungry Seatrout! I didn't know whether to kiss Bob or the Trout! We fished along, then began to drift back down with the current and when I heard Tom's drag ripping I thought it might be another hangup. But it was a Big fish and was pulling drag UP current. Tom kept the pressure on fought it back to the boat, played it perfectly and soon landed a "tournament" sized 26" Redfish, boy what a fish! We continued to drift with the current and then Bob had a strange "bump". He worked it in slowly and soon landed a nice keeper sized Flounder.

We had fished over 5 hours, had very few bites for the first 4 and half, but these anglers' perseverance paid off. It had been a beautiful day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Worked Up A Slam

 We had a beautiful day today with sunny skies, just a light breeze and temperatures rising when I met Zach Peyton and his son Tyler and their friend RC up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We eased out of Eagans Creek and made a short run over to the outside of Tyger Island where we set up with float rigs baited with live shrimp. We were getting good drifts along the marsh grass on the first of an outgoing tide and were hoping for a Seatrout or Redfish but we had not a nibble. 

We then ran thru Tyger, over to the Bell, down to Lanceford and made our way up it. It looked like there was an Outfitters convention going on at Crazy Mary's - it was surrounded, so we continued on around and fished a grass patch with the floats, to no avail. We fished Dave's Dock for just a bit, then made a short run over to Soap Creek and fished a large runout. I did have one good bite there - I missed it, dang it, then we fished on up the grass line a bit and but had no more bites.

These anglers were up for the challenge - we made a run back down Lanceford, then down the intercoastal to dip in behind Piney Island to fish some dock pilings as the oysters were just beginning to show, and this did the trick. After just a cast or two with a jig and shrimp we had a hookup. Tyler was on the rod - and he expertly worked it out from the pilings and to the boat to land a nice feisty Redfish, one that measured right at 17 7/8", just shy of Slot. We went back to the same spot and just minutes later had another strong bite. This fish tried to get around the pilings too. RC was on the rod nod now and he played it perfectly and brought to the net a nice Slot 22" Redfish. Minutes later, another "thump" and a hookup. Tyler was working it in but it was acting differently - when it dug deep I was wondering just what it was - Tyler worked it up and we netted a nice keeper sized 15" Flounder - we haven't seen a keeper Flounder in a while.

Our next stop was further down the intercoastal where we fished some structure deep with the jigs We had no bites so we moved on. We made a loooong run back up the river, up the Bell and over to some docks where we set up deep and tossed jigs up current. Zach got hot, hooking up a handful of Seatrout which he handed off to the boys to reel in. Those Trout rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout. These guys had to work for them (just like all week), but they stayed with it and had a few fish to take home for dinner so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Can't Fudge The Truth

 I could try and sprinkle sugar on it but the honest truth is the "fish catching" has been going down hill the last week since that severe cold. I talked to two anglers had the boat ramp and who confirmed it with their recent fishing trips - the fish just aren't biting. When I picked up some jigs from "Redfish Carl" this afternoon, he said he had ran up the St. Mary's and didn't get even a nibble. Water temp's were around 44 Monday, 46 yesterday, and 49 today - I'm guessing when they get into the 50's we will begin to get back to normal.

My anglers today, David Vice and his son Nathaniel, and Bob Kossman had to really work hard at it to get some fish in the boat. Nobody got skunked, but it was close! We all met out at Goffinsville Park and then made our way around to Seymore's Point to fish a large drainage. I keep thinking that this spot will eventually turn on.  These anglers were tossing float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows up current and letting their bobbers drift around the point. They were getting good drifts but had nary a nibble. We moved out and fished deep with jigs in a couple of spots, and again, no bites.

We then ran up the Nassau and dipped into a creek and worked it good. The drawback to these creeks are you lose a bunch of jigs to the submerged logs. It can get aggravating for the anglers but luckily they had me re-rigging! If your going to fish loggy areas I tell people, "learn a couple of knots that you can tie quickly" so you can get back to fishing. We had worked along for a good while and finally both Nathaniel and David had hookups, almost simultaneously. Nathaniel worked his patiently to the net and landed a feisty Redfish that measured 17 15/16" - almost legal! But David's fish proved to be a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  We continued to work the bank and Nathanial had another strong bite, played it perfectly and this time landed a nice Slot Redfish. We fished that stretch up and down and up and down then moved on. 

After fishing and shell line at Back River with floats to no avail we made our way back around to
Seymore's Pointe and this time fished some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp. They reported a few faint nibbles but no takers until Bob hooked up. He fought the fish perfectly and knocked the skunk completely off the boat when he landed a nice Redfish. We had to work all day for the fish that we got - they weren't 'jumping' into the boat, but it turned out to be a beautiful day and another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Water Temperature's Warming

 Those low 40's water temperatures are coming up a bit, today we had it at 47 degrees. I had met Pat Andreasen, his son-in-law Bryan and grandson Mason down at Sawpit Creek early this morning and we made our way up the Nassau River on the first of an outgoing tide with clear and soon to be sunny skies. That cold water we've had has stunted the "fish catching" and today was no different. The trio of anglers were making good casts with float rigs, drifting them over some submerged oysters but we had no luck at that first spot. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and again got good drifts, but to no avail, not a bite.

Back thru Horsehead we came and after stopping at Seyrmore's Pointe, we decided to set up out deep and toss jigs and live shrimp. We worked a few docks and finally Mason "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a Seatrout. We then made our way around to Nassauville and fished some docks with the jigs but again, no luck.

After a long run up the Nassau we fished some downed logs with the jigs. All three anglers put in the work and did catch up a handful of fish. Mason topped the board with two nice feisty Redfish and a keeper sized Seatrout. Bryan put a nice Redfish and a Seatrout in the boat. The sun had really started heating things up and I ended up peeling both layers of outwear off. It was a beautiful day, we had caught some fish, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Can't Beat the Beauty

 

I fished this morning with John Pellerin and his buddy visiting from Montana, another John. Although the sun was out when we met at 8:30 it stilled seemed awful cold, but that didn't last past the first run. We ran way up the Nassau and dipped into a creek and worked the bank on a tide that had been going out for about three hours. It was slow going but then John2 found a bit of a fishing whole when he hooked up and landed a couple of feisty Redfish. We moved down the bank an then John1 found his own fishing hole - he hauled in an "almost legal" Redfish then he had another subtle bite, set the hook and Fish On! This cold Redfish (the water temperature was 44) aren't putting up much of a fight - the just give up and come to the boat! Or maybe it knew it had met it's match? Anyway, John1 worked in a nice 23" Slot Redfish. 

We worked that bank thoroughly and John2 got another "almost legal" Redfish before we moved on. We made our way back down the river to some docks at Nassauville and here John2 caught a hungry Seatrout deep. We fished Spanish Drop for a bit, working a shell bank, to no avail, then we fished some docks up at Seymore's Point, again to no avail. Those fish are either so cold that they are just hunkering down or they have moved off to find warmer waters. We had some great sunshine and fished some beautiful areas so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Salvaged The Trip Big Time

 

Although it was a tad cold - about 34 degrees when I launched, the forecast called for winds at 10mph and sunny skies and the Weatherman nailed it. I had met Mark Averbuch and his fishing buddy Bill down at Sawpit Creek - we were all bundled for that first run and  when we pulled up to some docks at Nassauville we were out of the wind, exposed to the sun, and it was fairly comfortable fishing. Unfortunately the fish didn't cooperate. Both anglers were making excellent casts with their jigs but had few nibbles. Mark did "knock the skunk off" with a feisty Redfish catch.

We then made our way around to Seymore's Point an fished some dock pilings. Not a nibble. I noted there that the water temperature was a bit over 41 degrees. It rose to 44 as we fished throughout the day. We bounced down the docks fishing two or three but had no real action until Bill hooked up and expertly landed another feisty Redfish. 

After making the run down to Broward Island we fished the last of an outgoing tide with the jigs and
fished a good stretch of the bank. Not a bite. So we were looking at 2 fish in about 2.5 hours - not a good ratio! We then made the long run further up the Nassau and dipped into a creek and fished it as the tide slowed to a stop. Finally, this duo of anglers began to get some fish, and some good ones. They ended up boating about 6 Slot Reds - one was 26" and one was 26.5", one was 22" and then Mark patiently played to the net a 29.25" Oversized Redfish - big enough to put him in 2nd place in the 2025 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Mark also added a keeper sized Sheepshead to the mix.

They added a good handful of small but fun to catch feisty Redfish. We had a slow start but a great finish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Setting The Bragging Rights Standard

 I had thought about putting Saturdays 26" and 25.5" fish on the Bragging Rights Board but I knew they would never stand thru the year. And today's fish proved it! I had met Gregg Fitgerald and his brother in law fishing partner John out at Goffinsville Park - it was 34 degrees on my truck thermometer when I launched and I could feel ice crunching under my boots on the boat deck. Unfortunately, the wind was forecasted to be blowing up to 12mph which can make a miserable day coupled with the cold, but these anglers were up for the challenge. We made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and that NW wind was blowing thru us as we set up on the first of an incoming tide to toss jigs and live shrimp to some dock pilings. I had hoped and expected to catch some Black "puppy" Drum but all we found were a handful of hungry Seatrout. 

We came back to Littlefield and fished the jigs deep and here we were out of the wind and we did pick up another handful of those small Seatrout - all of them were caught out in 27' of water. I noted that the water temperature was a little over 51 degrees.  We then made our way down to Broward Island and fished a few spots - one had a pair of Bald Eagles flying over. These anglers were making excellent casts but that wind was pounding into the shore and I think it negatively affected the bite. Gregg did hookup and land a keeper sized Black Drum.

After making a long run up the Nassau we eased into a creek and began to work back into the current. Out of the wind it was finally some pleasant fishing. The bite was a bit slower than in past trips but it was about to pay off. After getting one or two small but feisty Reds, Gregg had a strong bite that began ripping drag. I wasn't expecting a real big fish but this fish kept pulling south.  Gregg played it perfectly - he let it run, eased it away from some limbs a couple of times, worked it in, let it run, worked it in and slowly brought it to the boat. It had made some big rolls so we knew it was big but when it got closer we saw it was HUGE!  Greg eased it into the net and brought in a fish to set the Bragging Rights standard - a 31" oversized Redfish, boy what a fish.

We worked that bank thoroughly, twice. They tallied two Slot fish measuring to 25",  had a couple of smaller Slot fish, and had a good handful of nice feisty Redfish. The sun had come out, the wind had died just a tad and we had a live well of fish  in the boat so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Young and Old(er) Compete For Big Fish

 We were able to squeeze in a fishing trip yesterday morning before this bad weather came thru. I had
met Mark Averbuch, his son Cutler, and grandson Harvey down at Sawpit Creek early - there was absolutely no wind, but we did have some cloudy skies as we ran up the intercoastal, then up the Nassau to make our way to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. I was hoping for some Black "puppy" Drum on this first of an incoming tide, and they didn't disappoint!  "Poppa Doc" got hot early and hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Drum, then a Seatrout chased his live shrimp on a jig. Then Harvey jumped in on the action and caught another keeper sized Drum. Cutler hauled in another hungry Seatrout, then the anglers tallied 3 more keeper sized Drum - they were very subtle nibbles, and these anglers had to be ready to SET!

We then made our way down to Broward Island and fished the first of the incoming there. Mark hooked up and landed a nice 18" Seatrout, then Harvey, tossing to the outside of a tree branch, had a strong take. That fish hit hard and started ripping drag heading south!  I knew it was a big one, and soon Harvey did too! But he played it perfectly, let it run when it wanted to, worked it in, and soon landed a big 25.5" Redfish. Boy what a fish!  We worked that bank in a couple of spots and picked up a couple of smaller Reds and moved on. 

Our next stop, after running way up the Nassau River, we worked a bank for about 75 yards. I was
beginning to think we may have made the run for nothing but then the trio began to get fish - Redfish! They took turns catching smaller "rat" Reds, but then every once in a while, they'd get a Slot 19" Red. There were multiple times we had "double hookups" and came close to triple hookups. At one point Mark had sole access to a gap up behind a stump and he took advantage of it, hooking up and reeling in multiple fish. But there was one that began ripping drag and ran up current - a big fish! Mark played it patiently and worked it to the boat to land a nice 26" Redfish to take Big Fish of the day honors.

I counted up that these anglers could have kept 5 Black Drum, one Seatrout and three Redfish but they elected to return all fish back except one for fish sandwiches!  The sun had actually peeked out a couple of times, it had never rained on us and we had good action most of the morning so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Starting the New Year Off Right

 

I had my first trip of 2025 this morning with Dennis Fritz and his son Douglas and grandson Ethan - we met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and boy what a pretty day it was, albeit a tad bit chilly! But all of us were layered up and we made a quick run up the Nassau to fish some dock pilings as Seymore's Ponte on a tide that had been coming in for about 2 hours. All three anglers were making good casts to the pilings, letting their jig and shrimp drop to the bottom and kept their lines tight - doing everything right - but we had not a single taker. Ouch. 

We then made our way down to Broward Island. The tide had now been coming in about three hours, the current was running a little bit faster than I like it, but these anglers were not to be deterred. I think Ethan was "laying back" because he let his dad and grandfather put a handful of fish in the boat before he started catching. Douglas accumulated a Slam - catching a Seatrout, Redfish, and Sheepshead while Dennis put a nice Slot Red in the boat. We fished a couple of spots along the island before we moved on. 

After running way up the Nassau River we eased into a small Creek and began to work the bank and here
Ethan decided to join the fun. He was making excellent casts and it paid off when he hooked up and landed a good handful of feisty Redfish then he added nice Slot Red to his catch. Both Douglas and Dennis caught handfuls of Reds and each had another Slot or two (I counted 6 Slot Reds caught total). Douglas also caught a small Sheepshead to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam. 

We ended the day back at Pumpkin Hill drifting floats -Douglas caught a couple of Seatrout and Dennis added one more Redfish to the catch total. The sun was shining bright, the skies were clear, it had warmed up, 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 Soaked, and Caught Fish!

 

I was remiss in looking at the weather forecast - I noted that the wind was going to be a manageable 11mph but I didn't look at the rain forecast - and we paid for it! I had met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsivlle Park boat ramp right at a high tide and we made our way over and thru Horsehead to make our  first stop at Poteat Pointe with plans to drift float rigs and live shrimp. We had overcast skies and on occasion, just a slight mist, but the floats paid off when the duo began to pick up Seatrout. Most were just undersized but they did put one over 15" in the boat.

We then ran back thru Horsehead and over to a large drainage at Seymore's Pointe and again drifted the floats. Again, they caught Seatrout, most biting just as they passed over a submerged oyster bed. The sun came out and the temperature warmed and we were thinking "Rain"? Hah! After moving around the corner and down to Nassauville we switched to jigs and live shrimp and caught Seatrout deep in 20" of water. After getting another "just over 15" we were about to leave when William had a good strong thump and Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon landed the biggest Trout of the day, one that measured right at 18".

After a run down to Broward Island we fished a couple of spots deep with the jigs, caught a few more Trout, then Dara put a feisty Redfish in the boat and a wayward Flounder (the first on my boat in about a month) - she had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  There were some clouds building but we then made a long run further up the Nassau River and dipped into a creek and worked the bank thoroughly. This paid off when the duo began to hookup with Redfish. Most were in the17" range but we counted 5 Spot Reds caught (all Reds caught today were released)(I took the Trout home, thanks!). As we were fishing we could hear the wind beginning to roar, the temperature drop and then the rain came, and boy was it coming down! We all had rain coats on but our pants were soaked and water made it's way down into our boots. On the way back to the ramp it was blowing rain and it somehow made it down under my raincoat. I don't know about William and Dara but I was soaked! But we had stayed busy catching fish, down to the last shrimp, so as we eased up to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.