Find the Structure, Find the Fish

Mark McDonald and his two friends Kevin and Derrick were visiting Amelia Island for some R&R and contacted me to do some Amelia Island backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark.  We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp in downtown Fernandina Beach at daybreak and headed up to the docks on Lanceford Creek and anchored upstream from one.  It wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites then Derrick started off the catching with a live shrimp under a float rig. FISH ON!  He pulled in a nice Trout, then Mark hooked up to a feisty Redfish on a jig/shrimp combo.   From then on it was fish catch'n time as the trio reeled in Trout and Redfish almost non stop for an hour.  There was a couple of times when we had "doubles" and it was nice to see that a few of the Trout making keeper size, with one just a little over 19".  Kevin caught his share of Reds but also added a nice keeper sized flounder, the first I've seen in a while.  The bite eventually slowed so we moved on, hitting a 2-3 more areas of flooded oyster beds, but we had no luck.  Our last stop was behind Tiger Island and it wasn't long before the guys were catching fish again.  Redfish, Redfish, Trout, and Redfish was kinda how it went.  A couple of the Trout made keeper size.  We all noticed that both stops that produced fish were near some sort of structure.  With a full day of catching and fish in the box, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Slow Start ends in Big Finish

John Allan and his son, Andrew  had arranged an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark so we met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning.  Boy, what a beautiful morning it was!  The skies were clear, the temperatures were mild, and there was only a slight breeze.  We headed up the Nassau River, making a brief stop at Black Hammock to fish some dock pilings, with little luck.  Our next stop was at Leon's Spanish Drop where we anchored upstream of the run out.  Andrew was bumping a jig/shrimp combo while John fished the marsh grass with a live shrimp under a float and it wasn't long before John found a "sweet spot" and began hauling in Trout after Trout.  Andrew joined in with a float rig and he too began to catch Trout.  After a while we headed further up the river to Bubblegum Reef where the anglers caught a few Redfish, a Drum, and a Sheepshead.  Even with a few fish it still seemed kinda slow so we headed around to the mouth of  Jackstaff and fished the oyster lined banks. John added another fish to the Trout total, but that was it.  We hit one dock on the other end of Jackstaff where John pulled in a feisty Redfish, the we move on to Seymore's Pointe with the tide just starting to come back in.  This proved to be a good move as both John and Andrew caught Redfish after Redfish, one being a slot sized,  along with a few more Sheepshead.  Our last stop was Broward Island where the anglers caught a few more Redfish, a Sheepshead and then Andrew contributed to the dinner table with a nice keeper sized Trout.  With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Her First Fish - Ever!

Dave Johns was visiting Amelia Island from Ottawa, Canada with his family and arranged to take his two youngest daughters fishing on The Anglers Mark this morning.    We met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and launched with a whole slew of whiting fishermen heading to the Sound.  It was kinda of chilly but the young girls were ready to fish and they toughed it out as we headed up the Nassau River on an outgoing tide.  The oyster beds were already showing when we made our first stop at Leon's Spanish Drop and threw out live shrimp under a float rig and on 1/4oz jigs.  We fished the runout for a little while and having no real bites, pulled the anchor and move on up to Bubblegum Reef where we anchored and all three anglers tossed jigs and shrimp.  Young Grace was the first to hookup and had a tough battle on her hands, but she eventually brought to the net a nice 16" Redfish, her first ever fish!  Isabel joined in with another Redfish which she expertly played to the net and Dave persevered to catch a Trout.  We ran around and fished the mouth of Jackstaff in beautiful conditions, but we had no real bites, so we came back through the creek and headed to Broward Island where we anchored off of some of the downed trees.  The sun was up, the air had warmed and the gnats were out, but the anglers patience paid off as Grace added to her total by caching another feisty Redfish, this one with six spots!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Let the wind blow!

Tim Everett was visiting Amelia Island with his friends and family, Rob, Emma, and Dee,  all the way from Pennsylvania.  We had set a backcountry fishing trip up for today on The Anglers Mark and although the weather called for clear skies and warming to the mid 60's, it also called for wind 15-20mph. Ouch!  But Tim and his crew were game so we left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River, heading straight to Broward Island.  I knew the NW wind would make it tough fishing but I hoped that it wouldn't pick up until later in the morning.  The tide had just started in and we hadn't trolled for long when the anglers had a hookup and FISH ON!  We landed the nice Redfish for pictures then circled around and dropped anchor to fish the area and it's good we did because they picked up a few more Redfish, tossing their 1/4oz jigs tipped with live shrimp.  The wind was really whipping and the bite slowed so we headed back to the Nassauville bluffs and tried a few spots with the land mass breaking the wind and making fishing very nice. But we couldn't find any fish there!  So out into the wind we went, stopping at Bubblegum Reef to toss our jigs at the now covered oyster bar.  It wasn't but a few minutes before everyone was catching fish. Just when I would think that we wouldn't get any more bites, someone would hookup to a feisty, hard fighting Redfish.  Then, Rob caught a Seatrout and then the rest brought in 3 more.  We ended the day with about 10-12 Redfish and the 4 Trout, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Restaurant on the Water Opens

Another option for boaters and anglers who want to stop and eat is the new Marker 13 Oasis located at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin.  The restaurant offers a wide variety of grilled foods and offers to "cook your catch",  up to 5lbs.  They're open Fridays thru Sundays and you can see their menu at http://www.marker13.com/ or contact them at 904-277-8466 or VHF Ch 16.  The Marina is located at ICW Marker 13, just north of the Shave Bridge.

New Dock Opens at Riverside Arts Market

While showing at the Riverside Arts Market this past weekend I was able to walk down to the river front and see the new dock that was installed.  I spoke to Jacksonville's Marina and Waterways Coordinator Captain Jim Suber about the dock.  He said the dock was 200' long and would be open to the public on Saturdays during the Riverside Arts Market.   Space is "first come, first serve", but they will allow rafting.  This would be a great outing in your boat, so come on down and plan to visit the Market!  For more information contact Capt. Suber at 904-630-0839 or jsuber@coj.net

Winter Discount Ends Soon, Spring Breakers Get Ready!

My Winter discount ends March 31st.  If you want to get in at the lower rate, please give me a call and we'll get out on a nice day.  The weather and water temperatures are warming up and the fish are biting.  We'll be catching Redfish, Whiting,  and Black Drum.  I see in my journal that Bald Eagles were hanging out at Broward Island.

For those of you who are visiting on Spring Break, please call early!  April's trips pick up and scheduling can be tough some times - I'd hate to miss fishing with you!  Redfish are biting and the Trout bite will be picking up along with some Blues and a few Flounder will be showing up.

Book a Trip. Win a Trip!

Plan to book a fishing trip or Eco/History tour with me this year and I will enter your name into a drawing for a free trip next year! I plan to have the drawing December 1st and will present you with a nice gift certificate to be used for a 1/2 day fishing trip for up to 3 anglers. You can use it in 2012 or give it away as a gift. All you have to do is go fishing with me this year and I'll add your name to the drawing.  You can contact me HERE. Thanks, and let's go fishing!

Great Day on Egans Creek Greenway

If I were a visitor to Amelia Island I would want to include in my itinerary a visit and walk on the Fernandina Beach Egans Creek Greenway!  I took a break from fishing on The Anglers Mark and joined my wife, her mother, sisters and niece for a walk on the Greenway yesterday and had a great time, seeing Cranes, Egrets, Osprey seeking their morning meal in the marshes.  The waterway's that paralleled the walk had turtles, mud-minnows and we even came across a 7' alligator sunning herself on the bank of a pond.  There's no cost to use the Greenway so plan to visit the Egans Creek Greenway when you're on Amelia Island

Goldfish Gang Track Elusive Redfish

Jaime Maloney, with his kids Aidan and Maeve, along with Jay Cutler and his kids Quintin and Emmy, were visiting Amelia Island and their mother/grandmother, a resident of the island, so they scheduled to take in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  They had come all the way from Massachusetts and were enjoying the great warm spell that we've had and as we launched the boat and headed up the Nassau River we saw that it was going to be a beautiful day.  To start with, anyway!  We got to Bubblegum Reef and baited some bottom rigs with shrimp and the kids soon had rods in hand, waiting for some nibbles.  It wasn't long before Emmy pulled in a nice Whiting and then Quintin had a good battle with a Stingray and shortly after Aidan hooked up with a Rock Bass.  The wind picked up some so we moved to Seymor's Point and attempted to anchor, but the current and wind were playing havoc with the effort so we made few pitches to the docks with a jig/shrimp combo then headed on up river.  Our last stop was at Broward Island where we anchored near shore and tossed out the bottom rigs.  It wasn't long before we were yelling, "FISH ON" and the Elusive Redfish were found!     Aidan and Maeve and Quintin and Emmy all had Redfish hookups and deftly brought the fish to the waiting net.  A couple of times we had "double hookups" and once we thought we had a "triple", but it actually was one Redfish and a Black Drum caught by two of the young anglers!  Emmy eventually hooked up and brought a 20" Redfish in for the dinner table.  The Dads had been super helpful throughout the whole trip, putting the kids fishing experience ahead of their own, but as we began to wind down - I actually was stowing away gear for the ride back - Jaime had a good bite and drag began to rip from his Shimano Stradic 1000, FISH ON!  He played the fish expertly, working it out from some tree limbs and we soon had a 24"  5lb+ Redfish in the boat to close out the day.  The wind was whipping up white caps by now so we headed back to the boat ramp, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Come visit me at the Riverside Arts Market

I've been accepted to show at the Riverside Arts Market on opening day, Saturday March 5th.  I'll have a few new pieces in addition to some of the stuff that I've already completed.  Please plan to stop by and say hello!  If I don't schedule any trips on Saturday's in the month of March I'll probably be at the Riverside Arts Market!  See you there!

Project Chance Redfish Trout Tourney

Plan to fish the Redfish and Trout Tournament to benefit Project Change on Saturday, March 26, 2011 in Fernandina Beach, Florida and help provide a service dog to a child with autism.  Pre-registration is $75 per boat up to 4 people until March 21, 2011.  Late registration is $100 after March 21st, payable at the Captain's Meeting.  Mandatory Captain's meeting is Friday, March 25, 2011 at the Dog Star Tavern, 10 N. Second Street, on Amelia Island.  Registration begins at 5pm.  Captain's meeting begins at 6pm.  Click here for Tournament Rules.  Contact Ryan Conner 904-415-0397 or BJ Szwedzinski 904-491-0414 for more information.

Let's Make it 20!

Dave McCartney was visiting Amelia Island with his wife this week and staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge;  the weather has been beautiful so Dave decided to take in a backcountry, light tackle fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We left the City marina at 1pm with sunny skies and brisk SW wind and headed up Lanceford Creek to use the land mass as a wind block.  At our first stop we anchored just south of a dock system and Dave began to pitch his mudminnow/jig combo up to the pilings, making expert casts.  It wasn't long before he hooked up and FISH ON!  He played the fish like a pro and we soon landed a feisty 17" Redfish.  We also tried some dead shrimp on the jig, but the mudminnows seemed to be their favorite because Dave caught fish after fish.  He figured out that sometimes a little patience was needed and you could watch as Dave waited for a good solid "bump" before he set the hook, bringing in another (6) Reds with one making the Slot.  As the bite slowed, we cranked The Anglers Mark and headed further up Lanceford Creek to another dock.  It took us a while to figure out where to locate the boat to stay out of the wind and have good casting position but once we got it right Dave was on fish again, catching Redfish after Redfish.  One hookup produced a stronger pull and the fish seemed to hunker down, bending the light tackle rod, but Dave played it perfectly and we soon netted a nice 20"+ Redfish, in the slot!  We had been keeping count and were nearing 20 fish when Dave had another hookup, this time the fish kept making short runs but when we finally netted him we had a nice 14" Black Drum.  At 20 fish we called it a day and headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Nassau Sport Fishing Association Drum Tournament

The 13th Annual Nassau Sport Fishing Drum Tournament will be held March 18, 2011 thru April 22, 2011 with cash prizes being awarded based on the number of entrants.  80% of total fees collected will be paid out in prizes with 50% to the winner, 30% to second place and 20% to third place.  The Tournament will also include a Tournament within a Tournament and all participating anglers will be eligible for a drawing at the awards program.  You must be present at the NSFA Social Meeting on April 27, 2011 when prizes will be awarded.

Entry fee is $40 per angler.  The Tournament within a Tournament (T-N-T) has a $10 entry fee.  Each angler that entered in the T-N-T will be entered in a drawing to be held at the end of the tournament.  The winner of the drawing will collect 100% of monies paid in T-N-T entry fees.

Captain's meeting will be held at KAC (Ten Acres) at 7:00pm, Friday March 18, 2011.  All Tournament anglers should attend.  The Tournament will start immediately after the Captain's meeting.  Registration will remain open until 8pm @ the Captain's meeting.

All fish must be weighed in at Leaders and Sinkers Bait Shop at Egans Creek between 7:00am and 5:00pm each day. There is a (1) fish per day, per angler limit eligible for weigh in. 

For more information contact Tournament Chairman Don Whitman @ 904-321-2800.

A Little Bit of Everything

Local resident Mike Hickox treated his visiting daughter, Lacey and her boyfriend DJ to a Eco Tour/Fishing trip Friday afternoon.  It was a beautiful day to get out on the water so we met at Atlantic Seafood dock at 11:30am and eased out of the marina and no-wake zone on The Anglers Mark.   We headed out into Amelia River sound to view Fort Clinch from the water then cut across to the southern tip of Cumberland Island and broke out some binoculars to see a couple of wild horses on the grass flat.  Our next destination was Cumberland's Beach Creek and as soon as we rounded the first bend we were treated to a pod of porpoises cruising the shoreline and busting baitfish with one porpoise even coming out of the water onto the bank with it's meal grasped in it's mouth!   As we eased up the creek to the tree line we came across a small herd of horses grazing along the creek bank and we were able to inch in close for some pictures.  We checked them out for a while then cruised on up the creek to see an Osprey patrolling the sky.  As we were leaving, Lacey and DJ's young eyes spotted a newborn colt hiding behind one of the horses.  Finally we said, "let's go fishing" and headed over to Jolley River to pitch some jigs and shrimp to the exposed oyster banks.  We didn't get many bites and it was well past lunch time so we cranked the big engine and ran on up to St. Mary's for Crab Sandwiches, Fish Sandwiches and a Crab Cake salad! Boy were they good!   We found time to fit in another fishing stop behind Tiger Island and with the tide just starting back in, the fish bite had heated up.  Lacey hooked up and fought a nice 17" Redfish to the boat with DJ handling the net, then DJ got in on the action by picking up a Seatrout on his last cast.  We had a full day of touring and fishing so we headed in, calling it another great day to be out on the water!

Out of the Fog...Redfish!

Libby Wilkes was hosting her daughter Kap and her grandson Peter who were visiting Amelia Island from Minnesota.  Kap and Peter enjoy fishing for Walleye in the lakes of Minnesota, but wanted to take in some of the backcountry fishing that we have to offer.  We left the Big Talbot/Sawpit boat ramp at 1pm today with fog hovering all over the marsh and river.    Our first stop in The Anglers Mark was up in the Horsehead area where we dropped anchor to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  Both Kap and Peter were using bottom rigs with dead shrimp (there seems to be a shortage of live ones at the Amelia Island bait shops - call for availability) and it wasn't long before Kap had a hookup and a fish fight on her hands!  She expertly worked the Redfish to the boat and a waiting net for pictures and release.  We had a short visit from an FWC officer who checked our life vests and sound device, then we were catching fish again.  Peter pulled in a fairly large Stingray then he added a few Redfish to the count.  When the tide started back in, we moved to the dock at Seymor's Pointe, anchored, and again threw out bottom rigs.  The Redfish were biting and the anglers picked up another 7-8 fish.  The fog had move on, leaving us with a pleasant day with  mild tempertures so we counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

Kids have fun on the boat!

I participated in the Peck Head Start's annual Transportation Day Friday and had a great time.  The Staff at Head Start had arranged for fire trucks, ambulance's, police cars and a utility lift truck to be there, along with my boat, The Anglers Mark.  I take one spinning rod with a topwater lure, minus the hooks, along with a couple of youth life jackets and when the kids chaperone brings them around we put 2-3 up on the boat at a time.  Most want to try on the life jackets then we cast the lure out into the grass and let each one of them reel it in.  You would think that they had a 24" Redfish on by the way they crank it in!  This year we let the kids waiting there turn to run the net and that kept them busy, too.  I asked a few of the kids and they said it was the first time they had ever been on a boat.  Even though it wasn't in the water, we had a great time, another great day to be....in the boat!

Valentine's Day Special

Be the first to schedule a Valentine's fishing trip at my low winter rate and I'll include a nice ball cap with The Anglers Mark logo!  You're special Valentine will absolutley KNOW that you love them when they get a personalized gift certificate for a 1/2 day fishing trip in the backwaters of Amelia Island, Florida.  Give me a call and we'll make it happen!

Seatrout season closes

Per FWC regulations, the Seatrout season for North East Florida will be closed from February 1, 1011 through February 28, 2011, but will re-open March 1st.  Note that the Redfish are still biting along with some nice, keeper sized Black Drum.  Give me a call and will launch The Anglers Mark for a great day out on the water!

3 face charges for snook, red drum violations

FWC officers recently made a bust for illegal harvesting of Redfish and Snook in Brevard County, see:
3 face charges

Pink Gloves are the trick!

On the second day of their fishing weekend, Felecia Gant, her brother Ron, and their friend Pandra met me at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp, again at 1pm, to take in another Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip.  After getting an excellent report of a good fish bite from my friends Charlie Jones and Leon Freeman, we pointed The Anglers Mark straight for Bubblegum Reef and anchored just off the drop.

 The wind was really kicking up and the boat couldn't decide where to lie, but the anglers "endeavored to persevere" and we soon were catching fish.  Pandra had her pink gloves on and they must have brought her luck because she seemed to have the hot rod for the day, catching fish after fish.  Although the Redfish were just under slot size, they hit ferociously and put up some great fights.  The anglers also found some Black Drum, catching 4 in the keeper size with Ron pulling in the largest on a jig/shrimp combo.  Felecia caught her share of Reds on the jig and shrimp, while Pandra switched from shrimp, Trigger X shrimp, and the new Parker baits. 

While we were fishing we had a neat wildlife sighting, a mink scavenging the shoreline, who stopped to check us out!  We eventually tried a couple of other spots, but the wind had picked up to what seemed a gale, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Big Reds

I was launching my boat, The Anglers Mark, this afternoon at Goffinsville Park when my longtime buddies Charlie Jones and Leon Freeman cruised by after a morning of fishing the Backcountry of Amelia Island.  They reported that they had fished the incoming tide since 7am at Bubblegum Reef, just beyond the drop off and had caught a mess of about 15 rat Reds, along with a number of slot and overside Big Reds.  They're shown here with their limit of slot Reds and a nice Black Drum which were biting, too.  Charlie and Leon reported that the bite has been on fire for the last 3 weeks.  Hey!  I know it's cold, but dress warm and plan to get out there...the fish are biting!

Overcast, Misty and Redfish Catch'n!

Felecia Gant and her friend Pandra were visiting Amelia Island from South Carolina along with Felecia's brother Ron Gant, in from Rhode Island.   They had scheduled a couple of days of fishing on The Anglers Mark so we met Friday at 1pm at the Atlantic Seafood dock.  It was somewhat cool, the skies were overcast and every once in a while we had a light rain, but this anglers were not to be deterred!  We eased out of the harbor with a falling tide and water temperatures around 49 degrees to hit our first spot, some exposed oyster beds near the mouth of Tiger Island.  Felecia was tossing a jig and live shrimp combo, Pandra had a jig and Ghost Grey Trigger X artificial shrimp, and Ron was fishing with a new Parker bait curly tail grub.  The anglers unlimbered their casting at the first few stops then we headed to Tiger Island to troll the log strewn bank.  We hadn't gone too far when Pandra had a hit, the drag ripped, and the fish was off, so we held the boat in place and all anglers cast to the barnacle encrusted branches of a downed tree.

Pandra again had a hookup and this time she set the hook and the fight was on!  She fought fish expertly and soon the feisty Redfish was brought to a waiting net.  From then on, the anglers soon found that by casting their baits right up to the branches would produce a strike, some almost as soon as they reached the bottom.  Felecia caught her share of Redfish and Ron joined in, too.  We estimated that their take was around 17 Redfish, all from the one spot!  The tide was about to start in so we cranked the big engine and headed over to the docks at Lanceford Creek.  After anchoring the anglers made their pitches to the base of the dock pilings and soon were rewarded with more hookups, aggressive Redfish fighting all the way to the boat.  They added 7-8 more fish to their total, but with the sun heading down and the temperature dropping we decided to head back in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Redfish School'in

I had a report called in from two buddies, Leon and Charlie, who fished the Horsehead area today.  They got out late morning and began fishing the first of an incoming tide.  We had a very sunny day today, but the water temperature was still holding at 49 degrees.  They ended up anchoring at Bubblegum Reef and fished deep to  catch their limit of slot Redfish.  Charlie said they started off catching Rat reds but they soon began to pick up fish in the slot (18"-27") and even had a few over the slot.  Leon guessed that they caught around 30 fish and could have had 70 if they'd have stayed longer.

Cold December adds to 2010 manatee death toll

For immediate release: January 5, 2011


Contact: Carli Segelson, 727-896-8626

Cold December adds to 2010 manatee death toll

Two periods of unusually cold weather in 2010 contributed to the number of manatee deaths for the year being more than double the yearly average of the past five years. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) documented 767 manatee carcasses in state waters in 2010.

The cold weather in Florida caused many of these deaths, with the “cold-stress” category accounting for 279 documented cases. Of these cold-related deaths, 244 occurred in the early part of the year and 35 occurred in December. Cold stress also contributed to the deaths of 21 of the 96 manatees in the “perinatal” or “newborn” category. In addition, it is likely the cold temperatures contributed to many of the 214 deaths in the “undetermined” category and the 68 deaths in the “unrecovered” category.

“The unusually high number of manatee deaths in 2010, including those caused by the two periods of cold weather, are of concern to the FWC,” said FWRI Director Gil McRae. “Over the next few years, the FWC will be relying heavily on monitoring programs to better understand any long-term implications for the manatee population. In the meantime, we will continue to work with our partners to enhance the availability of natural warm-water sites and to rescue manatees in distress.”

FWC researchers, managers and law enforcement staff work closely together to evaluate mortality data and identify necessary actions. Managers focus on actions that can reduce risks to manatees and protect foraging and warm-water habitats. The FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement, in cooperation with partner agencies, uses knowledge of local boating habits, well-posted speed zones and up-to-date manatee information as part of its on-the-water enforcement operations. Informing boaters about manatee conservation and enforcing manatee-protection zones is a priority for the FWC.

To learn more about manatee conservation, go to MyFWC.com/Manatee. To view the 2010 preliminary mortality numbers as well as a Web article detailing the cold-related manatee die-off in early 2010, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/manatee and click on “Manatee Mortality Statistics.”

Florida residents can help manatees by purchasing the manatee specialty license plate, available at county tax collectors’ offices. The funds collected for these plates go directly to manatee research and conservation.

To report a dead or distressed manatee, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Fresh Water Table Fare

Honorary Captain Bud Hill reports that the fresh water fishing up at Kings Ferry on the St. Mary's river is doing just fine, thank you!  He recently fished one of his favorite spots the last 2 hours of an outgoing tide using worms and beetle spins to fish deep to catch this freshwater Grand Slam of Bass, Crappie, Redbellies, Bluegill, and Warmouth Perch!  Bud's an avid fly-fisherman but said nothing much hits the surface this time of year so he ended up catching everything but the Bass and Crappie on earthworms.  The Bass and Crappie took the Beetle Spins.

Year End Report and Off Season Projects

It's drizzling rain outside and below 50, which is actually warm compared to the last month and I'm itching to get out on the water! This was my 3rd full year as a Charter Captain and I feel like it was pretty good one. My trip count was up 66% over last year and going into the Fall I felt sure it was going to be even better. Unfortunatley, November and December were down from the previous year and I didn't do quite as well as I had hoped. December was a brutal month of cold weather and after a year or two of hard times, I can only think that folks decided to hunker down in doors and enjoy the holidays! Luckily I had some projects lined up and was able to stay busy. My mother had handsewn a quilt for me years back and I had used it so much over the years that it had become tattered in places. For our anniversay, my wife Carol found a local quilt lady to make repairs to the quilt and rather than use it we decided to retire it to display. We searched for a small quilt rack in the area antique stores but could only find large, bulky ones, so I made one! It fits perfectly in a corner at the top of our stairway. Our friends and neighbors Marg and Ted have wanted to rebuild their deck for years so they hired me to tear out the old one and build a new one. Marg had some ideas that she had collected from magazines so we came up with a plan to build the 28'x14' deck and use columns to support a cedar pergula. We added cedar railings and bench to finish it off.

Happy New Year at Marie Island

I started the New Year off right by fishing with Don and Kelly Tesiero and their kids, Trey and Marie, on  Saturday, New Year's day.  We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 8am after a brief safety orientation and headed up the Amelia River to the mouth of Tiger Island.  Dolphins were rolling in the river as we rounded the inlet at Tiger Island and we pulled up at a grassy point to drop anchor and unlimber our fishing lines. Both Trey and Marie proclaimed "no instruction needed" and they begin to cast their light spinning tackle to the shore line with a live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder float.  Bites were few and far between, with water temperature at 49 degrees,  so we pulled anchor and headed up to the Jolley River to fish some creek runouts.  Although we had a few bites, the fish just weren't eating so we headed back to Tiger Island, which last year we had renamed "Trey Island".  We anchored just off the bank and the kids were now casting 1/4oz jigs with shrimp to the shore line and downed trees.  Both kids were making good casts, but Marie put one right next to a log and before we knew it, she was yelling "FISH ON"!  She battled the 18" Redfish to the net for pictures and release, then she proclaimed the island was now "Marie Island"!  We all agreed that the name should stick....at least until next time!  To wrap up the trip we toured Cumberland Island and beach creek, seeing great Blue Herons roosting in the trees, then we eased along the south shore to spot some wild horses grazing in the marsh grass, before heading in to the dock, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Trout on Fire

Albert Hudson and his wife, Nancy fished today at Eagans Creek and Albert reported that the Trout bite was on fire!  He counted 30+ Trout hooked up with only 3-4 of those being undersized and the largest being 23"!  Albert and Nancy were fishing on the bottom with an egg sinker/fish finder rig using live mullet.  Albert said when the bite slowed he could "jig" the rig a little bit and that would produce a bite.  Hopefully the cold weather expected this week won't last too long and all of us can enjoy some of this fine Amelia Island Trout fishing!

WIN a fishing trip!

In my never ending effort to network, I'm offering my fishing friends a chance at a FREE 1/2 day backcountry fishing trip.  I'll provide the bait, tackle, rods, reels and fishing license for up to (3) anglers.  To "enter" this drawing, send me (3) THREE legitimate e-mail addresses of your friends or family who are interested in fishing.  I will add them to my distribution list for this "newsletter" blog.   You've probably noticed that I don't send any correspondence but once a month - the Amelia Island Fishing Report blog, so don't worry about me harassing them with any junk.  PLEASE let them know that I will be adding them to the list, and of course, they can always reply back to be removed.  Your name will go in a "pot" to be drawn for the free trip.  Once I reach 500 new names for the distribution list we will hold a drawing.  Thanks and good luck!

Trout-rageous Fish'n

Can you think of any better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to plan a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip to start the holiday week off?  Probably not, so that's what Fred Fishel and his wife have done the last couple of years.  Fred had arranged a fishing trip with me, scheduled for today, so we met at the south end boat ramp (Talbot Island) at 1pm and headed up the Nassau River.  Fred couldn't have picked a better day with clear, sunny skies and the highs expected to reach 75 and only light winds expected.  The tide was still going out, slated to hit bottom around 2:45p, but the oyster beds were exposed so we started out pitching our 1/4oz jigs tipped with live shrimp.  It didn't take long for Fred to get warmed up and he soon began to boat Seatrout and a few Redfish to go along with them.  It was amazing to see how these fish were biting - the trout would peck, peck, peck - almost like the aggravating "bait stealer" pinfish, but then they'd take a good gulp and ...fish on!  Although there wasn't a whole lot of size to them, they were fun to catch, and there was plenty of catch'n!  The Redfish were totally different:  they would attack the bait ferociously and put up a fight that made you think that this was a slot fish for sure, only to find out that it was a Rat just feeling it's oats!  We hit a few spots in Nassau then headed around to the mouth of Jackstaff  for more of the same, plenty of Trout with a few Redfish.  At one point we were catching small Trout with almost every cast and decided to move on to see if we could find more of the same, but larger.  With daylight running out, we headed over to Broward Island to fish the shoreline cluttered with tree limbs and stumps.  Between sightings of Osprey, we had a few bites and then had a 16" Sheepshead chase a jig/shrimp to the boat before finally taking the bite and the fight was on!  We netted the fish, admired it's chompers, then released him to be caught another day.  The sun was setting and a full moon was rising so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Anniversary Fish'in

15 years ago I had the pleasure of attending Michael and Abby Stalvey's wedding and today I was honored to be present on their anniversay for an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip!  Mike and Abby couldn't have asked for a more picture-perfect day to celebrate their anniversary - it was cool, but not cold, very sunny and only a slight breeze.  We left the Fernandina Beach city marina promptly at 7:30am and headed up to Tiger Island to fish the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under Cajun Thunder floats.  We had a couple of bites then Mike hooked up with a feisty, hard fighting Redfish.  We eased along the shoreline, pitching the float rigs up near the grass and had a few bites, but no real takers.  After about 30 minutes we cranked the big engine and ran up to Jolley River, anchoring at a nice runout.  Abby's first cast produced a nice Seatrout, which she expertly fought to the boat and waiting net.  Then Mike got in on the action, catching Trout and Redfish.  Eventually we moved on up the river and found some good Trout action at another nice runout - both anglers were pulling in fish.  After a few hours of fishing we made a pit stop at Dee Dee Bartels to stretch our legs, then headed up into Eagans Creek where Abby really turned it on, catching Trout after Trout and putting a couple of nice keepers "in the box".  Mike joined in with a keeper Trout, too.  We fished the rockpile north of Jefferson Smurfit and the docks in Lanceford Creek and although the fish bite had slowed we all agreed that it was another great day to be out on the water - total fish count -(27) Trout, (5) Redfish, (6) Blue's!

Jacksonville Oyster Beds, to Reopen?

 The Jacksonville City Waterways Commission is looking at whether to reopen local oyster beds. See:  Jacksonville Oyster Beds to Reopen?  1st published in the Jacksonville Times Union.

Red Drum Assessment

From the Florida Guides Association:
FWC seeks input on possible changes to red drum rules.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is continuing a series of public workshops to review its analysis of the latest red drum (redfish) stock assessment and discuss possible red drum rule changes. In September, the FWC held red drum workshops in Panama City, Tallahassee and Cocoa.

The FWC wants to hear what people think about its proposals to create regional management areas for red drum and raise the daily bag limit from one fish to two per person in northern Florida. The Commission also wants to receive comment on possible red drum rule changes in southeastern Florida.

The FWC encourages interested people to attend the workshops, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. as follows:

Wednesday, Nov. 17

Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex
2295 Victoria Ave.
Fort Myers

Tuesday, Nov. 23
Jacksonville Public Library
Southeast Branch
10599 Deerwood Park Blvd.
Jacksonville

Monday, Dec. 13
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 Eighth Ave., S.E.
Karen A. Steidinger Auditorium
St. Petersburg

Tuesday, Dec. 14
City Hall Council Chambers
123 N.W. Hwy. 19
Crystal River
In addition, the Commission has scheduled a special red drum video workshop from 6-8 p.m. EST on Dec. 15, where people can attend at FWC offices in Tallahassee, Lakeland, Panama City (5-7 p.m. CST), West Palm Beach, Lake City, St. Petersburg, Ocala and Marathon, or participate by telephone. More information regarding the video workshop will be announced later this month.


Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in the workshops should advise the FWC at least five days prior to the workshop by calling 850-488-6411. If you are hearing- or speech-impaired, please contact the FWC using the Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (voice).

For more information regarding the FWC's management of red drum, including an upcoming online survey, go to MyFWC.com/RULESANDREGS and click on "fishing - saltwater."

Smoke on The Water

I fished the Nassau Sportsfishing Trout Tournament Saturday with two friends, Leon Freeman and Don Hughes.  We arrived at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp early, launching at 6:30 in order to make the check out at the City marina by 7:00am.  Even though the temperature was hovering around 39 degrees with the 17mph wind causing white caps and making it feel more like 30, we had good omens  having drawn the number one (actually number 201) boat, being the first at the boat ramp, and checking out first.  The tide was still coming in, expected to peek at around 9:00am, so we headed back up to Tiger Island to fish over some oyster beds with live shrimp under a float.  The frigid air blowing over the warmer water created a "Sea Smoke", prompting me to break out into the Deep Purple tune, "Smoke on the Water", to my angling companions chagrin!  Our first stop didn't produce any bites, but we made a quick run and another stop where we began to pick up some fish - first a small Redfish, then another, but then we had a good battle with a slot-sized Redfish and had "one in the box".  Leon was picking up some Trout at the front of the boat, then Don got in on the action with a Trout or two, and then he brought a keeper Trout to the boat and into the box; we were one Flounder away from a "Slam Entry"!  Then Don hooked up with something big and we were all pumped!  The fish ripped drag and was soon 50 yards from the boat. Don fought the fish from the bow to the stern, around the stern and back to the bow, and around again.  He eventually worked the fish to the boat before it dived and went under the boat, around the engine and then he began to submit.  As I saw the float and leader come out of the water I leaned over an put the net down in the water to get our trophy and...AAW MAN, a Bonnethead Shark!  I grabbed the leader, held it tight, and the shark broke off with the last laugh.  Leon suggested a move to a nearby spot that he had fished in the past and it paid off quickly.  Fishing over oysters near a grass bed we soon found Trout and had hookup after hookup.  Unfortunately, the fish were all 14 3/4", almost so that we commented that we were catching the same fish over and over!  We moved to behind Tiger Island and fished deep with jigs, then headed around through Bells River to the mouth of Lanceford, again fishing deep with jigs, but no real bites.  Finally, the tide had changed so we headed south, cutting through Horsehead and on to Spanish Drop to fish the runouts.  Here, we picked up another Redfish or two and a couple of Trout, but nothing of any size.  We fished jigs deep along the rocks of Nassauville then headed to Jackstaff to fish the now exposed oyster beds.  Knowing that we were one fish away from a "Slam" entry, I hit a spot or two where we had caught Flounder before and sure enough, Leon picked one up, but it was just shy of 12", and then I had an even littler one.  We did have one more hookup with a Redfish, but he was small and wouldn't have helped our cause.  Luckily, the weather had warmed somewhat so we ended the day enjoying fishing with friends and counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

Double, Double, Double

JB Renninger's brother-in-law Tim and his wife were visiting the area and being avid anglers, they decided to take in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip.  They couldn't have picked a better day because we had clear skies, almost no wind, mild temperatures and the tide was perfect with just a couple of hours left in an outgoing tide.  We got an early start and headed up to Jolley River to ease along the oyster lined river banks, tossing a jig/shrimp combo.  After only a few yards, Tim was hooked up with a hard fighting Blue, then he had another and another.  JB got in on the action with a hard bite and then the fight was on!  He eventually brought to the net a feisty Redfish, then both anglers were hooking up time after time and a number of times we'd yell, "we got a double" as both anglers had fish on!   JB hit the jackpot when he worked to the boat a nice 21" slot Redfish.  We hit a few more spots:  Sue's Flounder hole, and caught fish.  Snook Creek, and caught fish.  Mother-of-all, and caught fish.   Then we headed around to the Tiger Basin inlet where JB had a good bite, a hard fighting fish, but this one was different.  After a good battle, the fish was subdued and we soon netted a great 18" Flounder.  We also added a couple of more feisty Redfish and then another keeper sized Flounder.  We never even attempted to count the fish, but estimated it at about 25-30 Redfish, 6-8 Trout, 4-5 Blues and a few other species thrown in!   I had a feeling that the anglers had had enough of "catching", so we headed in and met their spouses to enjoy a much needed break at a downtown Fernandina  Beach restaurant, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!