Puppy Drum?

I had arranged four boats to take a group taking a break from business yesterday morning.  I had Josh, Jim, John and Ken on my boat to do some light tackle, back country fishing.  We hit the logs of Tiger Island where Ken got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a hungry Seatrout.  Our next stop was Jolley Bank and here things heated up somewhat.  Jim hooked up and landed a nice multi-spot Redfish then Josh had a strong bite that ripped some drag out - FISH ON!  This fish put a good fight but Josh was up to the task and patiently worked the fish to the boat.  When it surfaced we all saw that it was a large Black "puppy" Drum that was about to leave the "puppy" stage!  We continued to fish the area, made a run to Bell River, and here John's patience and perseverance paid off when he put the final fish in the boat, a nice Seatrout.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Smorgasboard of Fish

I had the pleasure of fishing with Scott Carter and his two sons Sammy and Benny again this year.  We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and although the weather forecast called for 10-12 winds it looked to be an ideal day for fishing Amelia Island back waters!  We ran up the Nassau River, stopped at Twin Creeks and fished the bottom with jigs and shrimp. Both Benny and Sammy got on the board, landing a feisty Jack Crevalle and a nice Flounder, respectively.  We ran around to Jackstaff to fish and although not much was biting, a lone Spanish Mackerel took Scott's bait!  We made a run to Broward Island and fished the last of the outgoing tide.  Here things really heated up with the anglers landing Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead and Black "puppy" Drum making it a "Super Grand Slam" of a day!  The sun had come out and it had turned out to be another great day to be fishing Amelia Island's back waters!

Before the Storm

I fished again yesterday afternoon with the Keeley family -Don and Crystal and their two kids Ryan and Lauren.  Although the skies had been cloudy all day there was a growing build up of dark clouds to our west.  We ran up the Amelia River, eased into Jackstaff, and began to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  Young Ryan got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a nice fat Seatrout.  His mother Crystal soon added another one. After fishing a stretch of flooded oysters we ran around to fish the Twin Creeks in Nassau River.  Here things heated up with all the anglers getting in on the action.  Lauren had the most species, catching a Seatrout, Blue Fish, Jack Crevalle, and Perch.  Don added a few Seatrout to the mix.  But the storm had come closer and there was rumblings of lighting so we headed back to the ramp, and boy am I glad wew did!  Sitting in my truck I soon found there was hail falling along with the heavy rain.  After the rain, we got back on the water but it looked like chocolate milk it was so muddy - and no fish were biting.  But the earlier part of the trip had been successful so we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Fish'n With Eagles

What a stormy week!  After days of canceled trips due to wind and rain, I was able to get out on the water yesterday with Phillip Bechter and his son Marc.  We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and headed up the Nassau River to fish the first of an incoming tide.  I think we were a little late getting to Bubblegum Reef 'cause we had no real bites on our jig and shrimp combo.  But we made a run upriver to Broward Island and sure enough the tide was still going out!  Phillip and Marc began to work the bottom with their jigs and soon began to get fish - feisty Redfsh and hungry Seatrout. Then Phillip had a hookup that bent his rod a little more than the others and this fish had a little more fight in him.  After patiently playing the fish, Phillip landed a nice Slot 19.5" Redfish.  We continued to fish the area and were joined by a pair of majestic Bald Eagles who watched our every cast!  Phillip found a Sheepshead "honey hole" while Mark worked a likely spot, pulling a couple of Seatrout out and then a nice 14.5" Flounder that move him into first place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category.  Scroll down right side of this report for standings.  They added one Black "puppy" Drum to give them 5 species of game fish -Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, Sheepshead and Drum - an Amelia Island Back Country "Super" Slam!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout Attack

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Mike Kaiser and his daughter Kathryn today who drove up from the Jacksonville area this morning.  We had timed the trip to coincide with the high and outgoing tide.  Our first run was all the way up to the Jolley River and this paid off.  The two anglers hadn't been fishing but a few minutes when they began to hookup with Seatrout!  Both anglers put keeper sized fish in the boat although all fish were put back to be caught another day.  When Kathryn's rod bent over and drag began to rip out I knew she had a nice fish, FISH ON!  She played the fish patiently and we eventually netted a nice fat 19.5" Seatrout!  This fish move her into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament-Trout Category! The two also put a good handful of feisty Redfish in the boat.  We fished Snook Creek for a while then ran back to Jolley Bank and although the bite wasn't as good as earlier, they picked up a couple of Trout and a Redfish.  Our last stop was at Tiger Island.  Both Mike and Kathryn were fishing hard and patiently and it paid off.  Every once in a while they'd land a Redfish or a Seatrout, then both of them put Sheepshead in the boat to round out their Amelia Island Backcountry Slam!  As the tide began to hit bottom the bite slowed so we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout on the Fly

You just can't beat the kind of weather we're having this week!  I had met Steve Cheis down at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning under clear skies and with just a slight breeze - the river was like a pond!  We headed up to the outside of Tiger Island and Steve tossed top water Gurgler with an 8w TFO Fly Rod.  He was making some excellent casts to the edge of the marsh grass and even though we were seeing some bait movement, he had no takers.  We then made a run up to Jolley River, did the same at one marsh run out with no luck then eased into a large creek, switching to a shrimp pattern on an intermediate line.  Steve

was tossing up current and slowly stripping the fly back and this did the trick!  He picked up a beautiful keeper sized Seatrout that put up a valiant fight for the fly rod.  We photographed and released this fish as we did with all others caught today.  We moved back to the mouth of Jolley, fishing deeper water, and switched to a float rig and live shrimp.  Steve picked up a few more Trout,  a few feisty Redfish, then a fish that bent his rod and made the drag sing!  This big fish put up a fight but Steve was up to the task and patiently worked the fish to the net, landing a nice 25" Slot Redfish!  We then made a stop behind Tiger Island, fishing with jigs and shrimp on the bottom.  Steve landed a good handful of Seatrout, a couple of Sheepshead to round out his Amelia Island Back Country Slam, and also had a couple of more feisty Redfish.  After hitting a few more oyster beds at dead low tide, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

The Fish Are Moving Out

Boy what a beautiful day we had today! Mark DePrimo and I fished early, leaving the dock at 7:30am and heading up to fish the outside of Tiger Island.  Mark was tossing a popping bug with an 8w fly rod and making good casts up to the marsh grass over flooded oysters.  But we had no takers so we moved around, tried it again, and still had no takers.  We made a stop behing Tiger Island, switched to shrimp on a jig, and soon Mark was hauling in a nice keeper sized Sheepshead- his first- and after pictures we released him.  Shortly after, Mark hooked up deep and landed a neat Weakfish!  But the fish weren't biting as much as weeks past so we made a run to the Jolley River to fish the oyster bars and here things heated it up.  Mark  was now tossing a float rig with live shrimp and had a good battle with an 18" Slot Redfish.  He then caught a Seatrout to round out his Amelia Island Back Country "Grand" Slam of Sheepshead, Weakfish, Redfish and Seatrout!  We worked the bank and Mark landed a few more Redfish and a few more Seatrout. We couldn't have ordered up a better day - another great one fishing Amelia Island waters!

Fishing with Lobsters

The local bait shop got a fresh batch of live local shrimp and the seemed like the size of lobsters!  I normally like a medium size shrimp for fishing with jigs but when a big one is all you have, then you go with it!  I met Wes Matheney at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning under cloudless skies and only a slight breeze. I've fished with Wes a couple of times before and he and I both were expecting a good fishing trip.  We headed north to fish Tiger Island as the tide dropped and we weren't disappointed.  The first couple of casts produced Trout with one or two in the keeper sized range - a great way to start a trip!  We worked

the bank and picked up a Trout here and there then we had a strange bite and run.  This fish seemed to hang to the bottom and I at first thought "Flounder". But Wes patiently worked the fish up and we soon saw it was a big Sheepshead!  After landing it, we measured it to see that it was 20.25", putting Wes into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament!  Scroll down right side of this report for standings. We eventually made a run up to Jolley River to fish the exposed oyster banks and picked up a couple of Trout, one on a jig and one on float rig.  Wes was working the float rig up near the oysters and after seeing some activity, made a pin point cast to the spot.  Shortly after his float disappeared and, FISH ON!  And what a battle it was!  The big fish rolled up near the oysters, trying to dislodge the hook then made a couple of deep runs.  Then it headed back into the current taking Wes to the stern where it again made a few deep runs.  But Wes was patient and eventually wore the big Redfish out.  We netted the beast, measured it to 26.75" - a "Tournament Red", then released it.  Boy what a fish!  After hitting the MOA Spot and picking up one more keeper sized Trout, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Trout Top The Board

The storm passed through yesterday leaving today full of sunshine.  I had met Pete and Jane Woodward down at the City marina to fish the Amelia Island back waters celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.  There was somewhat of a westerly breeze so I figured we could get in a protected area and at least get in some fish catching early.  We headed up to Lanceford Creek to get behind the land mass and it was like fishing on a still lake.  It wasn't long before the anglers started catching fish, landing Seatrout with two being of keeper size and a good handful of feisty Redfish.  They put a few Sheepshead in the boat, with two being of keeper size, and noted their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Sheepshead.  But they also landed a small Black "puppy" Drum to make it a Grand Slam!  We eventually made a run to Tiger Island and although we were in the wind, we almost immediatley began to pick up fish.  They again had feisty Redfish, hungry Seatrout and Sheepshead.  Then Pete had a strong hookup and after a good battle, landed the biggest Seatrout of the year, a 21" fat beauty!  Jane wasn't going to be outdone and caught a 18" Black Drum and as we were about to wrap up, she too had a strong hookup, down deep on the bottom.  She worked the fish patiently and after  good battle landed THE biggest Seatrout of the year, a 23" hoss!  These two Trout put Jane and Pete in first and 2nd place of  the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category!  Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.  And with that, we called it a day!  Another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Everyone Catches Fish

I fished this morning with Michael Noxon and his two sons Max and Jack.  We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7:30am and headed up to the Horsehead area to fish a falling tide with jigs and shrimp.  The first stretch of flooded oysters that we fished produced one fat Seatrout that Michael landed, the second spot produced none, so we headed over to Broward Island knowing that the logs would be exposed.  We weren't there long before we began to get hookups.  Young Jack did an excellent job reeling in a feisty Redfish to start things off then all three anglers began to catch fish.  We had a good handful of feisty Redfish and hungry Seatrout, then Michael landed a Sheepshead to get their Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Max hooked up with a fish that ripped drag out and after a good battle landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish!  Michael reeled in a keeper sized Sheepshead and Jack put another feisty Redfish in the boat.  Michael made it a "Grand Slam" by outsmarting a Flounder, the 3rd caught in the last week.  Our last stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and Jack wrapped things up by catching a Seatrout on a float rig.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout Are Getting Bigger

I fished this afternoon with Paul Ricciardelli and his two sons Mike and Mathew, with the trip being set up by Paul's wife Elizabeth.  We headed out but the wind had picked up from this morning and made the first stop tough to fish our float rigs and live shrimp.  After no bites we moved around to behind Tiger Island and here things heated up.  Young Mike started things off right, hooking up with a big fish, FISH ON!  He worked it patiently and after the fish had taken him from bow to stern, landed a nice Slot Redfish measuring 22"!  The other anglers got in on the action as Paul landed a few Seatrout, one after the other and Mathew found some feisty Redfish to bring to the boat.  We moved up and down the island and as Mike fished deep he hooked up with bigger Trout, this one measuring 18.5" which puts him in first place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament-Trout Category!   They caught more Trout, a Black Drum, and a Sheepshead to also record an Amelia Island Back Country "grand slam".  We hit a couple of more spots but the NE wind eventually blew us off the water.  However, we counted it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Red to Start the Day

Jorge Noguera set up a last minute fishing trip here at Amelia Island while visiting his father, Jorge Sr. so we meet at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning under cloudy skies but with almost no wind.  We headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings and after only a few casts Jorge hooked up with a Big fish, FISH ON!  He played the big fish perfectly and patiently and after an extended battle that went around the boat a couple of times, landed a nice Slot Redfish measuring 25.5"!  What a way to start the day.  We picked up a couple of Seatrout, some smaller Reds, and then two hard pulling 19" Black "puppy" Drum.  When the bite slowed we made a run around to Tiger Island and here Jorge Sr. got on the board with a beautiful copper colored 22" Slot Red.  The duo added another keeper sized Drum and a 16" keeper sized Sheepshead in addition to a good handful of smaller Reds, Seatrout and Sheepshead.  It was a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters fishing with a father and son fishing team!

The Best Filet Knife Ever

I've gone through a number of filet knives over the last 8 years that I've been guiding with some of them being fairly expensive knives.  But after a few fishing trips and fish cleaning I've found that the edge of the blades begin to pit and can't be sharpened without putting them on a grinder.  However, my wife and I purchased a 9" filet knife from the Hammer Stahl booth during the Shrimp Festival last May and it's turned out to be an excellent knife.  I keep a sharpening steel in my captains bag and will swipe the knife a few times before I clean fish and it's as sharp as the day I purchased it.  In addition to being a sharp knife, it looks "sharp" too!
Now, if you enter a special code, you can get 15% off of any product purchased from Hammer Stahl.  Visit www.HammerStahl.com and enter the code "theanglersmark" at checkout.

First Fish and First Redfish

Blake and Karin Flood treated their daughters to their first fishing trip this afternoon, meeting me down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp.  The wind had picked up and I was a little apprehensive about it but these anglers were game!  We made a run up the Amelia River and fished a few creek run outs in Jackstaff.  Young Claire got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a hungry Bluefish, then Karin and Blake followed it up with Seatrout catches.  We ran around to Nassau River to fish the Twin Creeks but had no bites, got out of the wind at Seymore's Pointe for a while, then headed over to Broward Island after the tide had gotten down.  Here things immediately picked up.  Young Abigail landed her first fish caught ever - a feisty Redfish and then Karin had a strong bite.  Her rod bent over and the drag ripped out, FISH ON!  She fought the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a big 25.75" Slot Sized Redfish, her first Redfish ever!  The anglers continued to fish and picked up more Seatrout and Redfish with Blake getting both and then adding the second Flounder of the year, to round out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Everyone caught fish and as we headed in, the wind had subsided, and we counted it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Beautiful Day Fishing with your Daughter

I got to fish with Brent Malcom again today and this time he brought his teenage daughter Katie for the fishing trip.  We changed up the locale and met down at the Big Talbot Island Park ramp, which had them driving down from Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, to fish the very first of an incoming tide.  It was a beautiful morning as we headed up the Nassau River to fish some structure  with live shrimp on a jig.  I was expecting Redfish and when Brent hooked up and the drag sang I thought for sure it was a big Red.  Brent played the fish perfectly, slowly working it out and after a good battle landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead.  Katie hooked up and landed a keeper sized Whiting then Brent pulled in an even bigger Sheepshead.  We made a run to Broward Island and boy things heated up.  The anglers landed Seatrout (some of keeper size) and Redfish to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam and then they added a Black "puppy" Drum to make it a "Grand Slam"!  We hit Jackstaff on the way back and picked up a Seatrout then headed in, counting it another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Close Call

I was able to get down to the south end of the island this morning, meeting Brian, Claire and Robin Lucko at Sawpit Creek in Big Talbot Island Park.  We headed up the Nassau River to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp.  We had fished for a pretty good while  and had no real bites when Brian felt a "bump" then another - and he set the hook, FISH ON!  Boy this was a big fish!  He played the big fish perfectly and patiently but this big boy had been around the block a few times.  He kept heading for structure but Robin pulled him away.  The fish made one last push for freedom and found it's way into the structure, locking the line down and "bap", fish off!  Ouch.  But Robin's dad Brian went to the same spot (my buddies do that) and in short order hooked up again with a big fish.  It was almost the same battle with the big fish bulling to structure and again, snagging itself.  But this time Brian opened the bale, gave it some slack, and the fish swam out!  FISH ON!  Again.  Brian worked the fish patiently and eventually we landed a Big 31.5" Redfish that put Brian into 3rd place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category! Scroll down right side of this report for standings.  The fish bite turned off almost immediately with all the commotion so we made a run to Broward Island which turned out to be a good plan.  For a while the anglers got bite after bite, landing hungry Seatrout, feisty Redfish, and Sheepshead.  Claire had a good bite and when her rod bent and drag sang I knew this was a bigger fish.  She fought the fish out into deeper water and after a good battle we landed a Slot size Redfish!  We made one last stop and here Robin got in on the big fish, landing a Slot sized Red to wrap up another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout King

I fished this afternoon with Brent Malcolm and his son Willie out of the Atlantic Seafood launch.  We headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on the outgoing tide.  We hadn't been fishing long (his third cast) when Willie hooked up and played a nice Seatrout to the net!  Brent followed that up with a flurry of fish catching, landing three nice Redfish one after the other.  When the bite slowed we made a run around to Bell River to fish some more docks and again, Willie started it off by catching another Seatrout.  From then on we caught a good mess of fish - a handful of Seatrout and a big handful of Sheepshead which gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the day.  Willie also added a fat Catfish!  We fished Jolley River oyster beds  and although the tide was right, the weather was right, we had no real bites.  But it was a great day to be out on the water and we had some good catches for the day!

First Flounder of the Year

We couldn't have asked for a prettier morning today, clear skies, very little breeze and mild temperatures.  I had met Joe Price and his daughters Mary Ann and Ginny at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and we had headed north to fish the first of an incoming tide.  We started with jigs and shrimp and it wasn't long before Mary Ann had landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  We continued to fish and then Ginny had a good battle with a feisty Redfish which she landed.  We eventually fished some flooded oyster beds where both Ginny and Joe landed Bluefish.  At out last fishing spot Joe had a hookup and put the very first Flounder of the year in the boat - a 14" fish, putting him in first place of The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category! (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  This also gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the trip.  After a drive by of Cumberland Island to see some wild horses and Ft. Clinch, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

MIxing a Trip

Alisa Anderson set up a fishing trip this afternoon for her family and another family visiting Amelia Island this week.  I met Brock, his daughter Emily and son Jacob along with Alyssa's daughter Meredith down at the Atlantic Seafood dock on a high and outgoing tide.  We headed north to fish some flooded oyster beds with live shrimp under floats, but had no real bites. We made a move to fish deeper water with jigs and shrimp and this paid off as Emily was able to hookup and reel in a nice hungry Seatrout.  The anglers kept having their bait stolen but Brock figured it out and snagged a keeper sized Sheepshead.  Jacob followed it up with a Sheepshead of his own.  We made our last stop at Jolley River and as we eased along the bank of exposed oysters, Jacob hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We made a run back to the dock and changed passengers, this time taking Alyssa and the rest of her family for a boat tour of the historic and nature sites of Amelia Island and Cumberland Island. We were treated to multiple sightings of wild horses on Cumberland before we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Fish for a Windy Day

My afternoon trip began in kinda of a jumble.  I met Joshua and Chrissy Williams at the Atlantic Seafood dock after lunch and even though the morning trip had been fairly calm, the wind had picked up.  We made a run up Lanceford Creek but we had only been fishing for a short while when we realized that two young anglers were having engine trouble. So we threw them a rope and towed them down the river, the resumed fishing.  But the wind was blowing so hard we had to leave.  Our next stop was in Eagans Creek and although the anglers were getting nibbles, we had no real bites.  We made a run to Tiger Island and the wind was somewhat blocked and the fish bite began.  Both Chrissy and Joshua landed a good handful of feisty Redfish then Chrissy put a big 24" Slot Redfish in the boat!  We moved about 50 feet and caught Redfish, Sheepshead and Black "puppy" Drum.  We moved another 30 feet and had now real bites.  Back to our original spot, the anglers resumed catching feisty Redfish then Joshua took a turn at a big Redfish. He patiently played the fish and eventually landed a nice 25" Slot Red!  Even though the wind was blowing we were able to salvage a great day of fishing out on Amelia Island waters!

Walk Off Grand Slam

This morning we had some really nice weather with very little wind and clear skies.  I met Tavis White and his ball playing son Tommy down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we headed up to Jolley River to fish the very first of an outgoing tide at a marsh run out.  We were tossing live shrimp under floats but  had no takers.  Our next stop was up in a large creek and we switched to jigs and shrimp, but again no takers.  Our final stop in Jolly was at a sizable creek mouth but tossing the jig produced no bites.  The tide was getting down somewhat so we ran around to Tiger Island and here the fish catching heated up.  I think our first cast produced a hookup and young Tommy played it perfectly, landing a nice feisty Redfish.  From then on the two anglers caught a good few handful of fish - feisty Redfish, Seatrout and Black "puppy" Drum for a Slam, then a Sheepshead for a Grand Slam and finally a Weakfish for the "Walk Off Grand Slam"!  We also were treated to having a large Osprey perch overhead, keeping an eye on what we were catching!  The fishing started slow but ended with a bank and we counted it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

It's Why They Call it Fishing

This morning I had Dick Miree and his friend Katheryn meet me at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp so that we could fish the Horsehead area on a high and falling tide.  We started off tossing float rigs with live shrimp up near the bank but had no real bites.  When we switched to a jig and shrimp we had a hookup on the first cast!  Go figure.  Katheryn patiently reeled in  nice hungry Seatrout. Later, Dick snagged a feisty Bluefish at a creek runout.  Even though the anglers were making excellent casts, we had no more bites so we made a run to the Nassau River and fished another large creek runout, but again, no bites.  Our next stop was some structure and even though the oysters were now showing, again, no real bites.  But Dick and Katheryn were patient and continued to give their all.  We made a run to Broward Island to fish the downed logs but the current was still ripping out fairly fast and made the fishing tough.  We stayed with it, had a bite or two, then hooked up to a nice fish, FISH ON!  Finally!  Katheryn worked the fish in slowly and after a good battle we netted a nice 19.5"  Slot Redfish.  Our perseverance had paid off!  It was a slow day of catching but a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.  And that's why they call it fishing!

"We Caught Everything"

That's what Nina Felice told an onlooker back at the dock after we came in from fishing this evening.  I had met her and her boyfriend Frank early this morning but the wind was blowing way too much so we moved the date to this afternoon.  Nina and Frank were celebrating Frank's birthday so I'm glad we got the fishing trip in!  The wind had died and the skies were clear, but it was very cool after a front had come through.  We headed north to fish some downed logs on the first of an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp.  We hadn't been fishing long when Frank hooked up and got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a nice Seatrout.  Then Nina reeled in a Trout and for a while there we had a good flurry of Seatrout and feisty Redfish bites.  It slowed so we moved about 50 feet but didn't have much luck.  Moving back to the original spot, the anglers again picked up some fish.  But when Frank's rod bent double and drag ripped out I knew we had a Big Fish!  Frank played the big fish patiently, even when it took him from the bow back to the stern and across the stern.  But then the wily fish burrowed into a submerged log and the line went taut and steady!  Oh No!  Once we figured what had happened, Frank gave the fish slack in hopes that the hook would hold and sure enough, the fish came free and the fight was back on!  In short order Frank landed the fish which measured at 28.5"!  Boy what battle!  This fish put Frank into 3rd place in my Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report for standings) . From then on the anglers caught fish.  Nina landed Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead and Drum while Frank land those four plus a fat female keeper sized  Weakfish which we photographed and released. Both anglers had the illusive Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  Before we wrapped it up, Frank hooked up with another big fish and soon landed a Slot Sized 22.5" Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Recipe of the Month: Shrimp in a Blanket

Editors Note:  This is some good stuff! One neighbor, after eating these, said he awoke in the middle of the night thinking about them!

1    lb Jumbo or Large Shrimp

1    Bag of fresh leaf spinach

1    Small container of Cream Cheese

1    Fresh Jalapeño pepper, sliced thin long ways into slivers

1    Pack bacon, cut into half or quarters

1    Jar Kraft original sweet BBQ sauce

1     Box toothpicks

Shell, devein and butterfly the shrimp.  Smear some Cream Cheese into the shrimp.

Lay a sliver of jalapeño on top of the cream cheese and fold shut.  Wrap the shrimp with one or two pieces of spinach.  Wrap a piece of bacon around the spinach/shrimp.   You can probably use a ¼ length of bacon because it stretches.  Skewer the bacon through with a toothpick and place in a 9”x11”  container.   When all the shrimp are prepared, pour the BBQ sauce over them and get them coated real good.  Grill and flip until the bacon is done.  Did I mention that this was some good stuff?

A Jack Crevalle in March?

We had a beautiful morning today as we headed out of the City marina and a good tide for fishing the back country of Amelia Island.  My guests, Matt Hutchins, his girlfriend Laura and her daughters Taylor and Haley were in town and looking to catch  some of our saltwater fish.  We made our way around to Tiger Island and began to toss jigs and shrimp to the exposed logs.  I was expecting instant hookups like we had last night but the fish had decided to play hard to get.  But eventually Matt knocked the skunk off the boat by landing a hungry Seatrout then Laura followed it up with another.  As we worked the bank it became apparent that these anglers were going to have to work for their fish and work they did!  Laura had made a good cast to a likely spot and when her rod doubled over and the drag sang I knew she had a good fish, FISH ON!  She fought the fish expertly and after a good battle, landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish.  Things were looking up!  We worked the bank north to south and south to north and the anglers picked up a feisty Redfish here and a hungry Seatrout there.  Laura again contributed to the box with a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.  The young girls were having a good time with the perch but pitched is taking turns as "netgirl" when Matt and Laura landed a fish.  Matt finally outsmarted and landed a Sheepshead which measured well over the keeper size.  And when his rod bent and drag sang I just knew he had his Slot Red.  This fish took Matt from one side of the boat to the other and after a patiently battle he brought it to surface, to find that it was an aggressive Jack Crevalle!   We continued to fish and catch until we ran out of shrimp, then had a short tour of Cumberland Island, Fort Clinch and Old Town to wrap up another great dayh to be out on Amelia Island waters!

First Ever Fish is Slot Red

I had fished with Patrick and Michele Verner last November and we had an outstanding trip so today they brought along their two kids, Colette and Patrick for backcountry fishing trip here at Amelia Island.  The skies were still overcast and the wind had picked up a little but we still headed out, this time up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded oysters on the very last of a a high tide. We had been fishing for only a few minutes when Colette's float disappeared, her rod bent over, and the drag began to sing, FISH ON!  I didn't realize that she had never caught a fish before and you couldn't tell it as she fought the fish patiently.  I noticed that she did everything I advised her to do as she played the fish and we soon netted a nice 24" Slot Redfish!  What a way to start a fishing trip!  But we had no more real bites so we made a run around to the outside of Tiger Island as the tide was going out, and again, had no real bites.  We moved closer to the mouth of Tiger, fished two creek runouts, and still had no bites!  I was beginning to wonder was the fish "catching" going to end on just one nice fish?  NO!  The tide had gotten low so we moved around behind Tiger and this did the trick.  Our first cast with a jig and shrimp got a hookup.  Patrick #2  fought the fish easily and landed a feisty Redfish. For about an hour and a half the Verner anglers caught and landed fish.  There were too many feisty Redfish to count and a whole handful of Seatrout caught with four of them being of keeper size. The catching was so fast and furious we had to rely on "netman" Patrick #2 to get them in the boat!  They put two keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam then Colette caught a loan Weakfish to make it a "Grand Slam".  The sun had won out over the clouds, the wind was blocked by the land mass and it ended up being a beautiful day!  We topped it off with a drive by of Cumbeland Island to see the wild horses, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!