Poor Man's Tarpon

I had the pleasure of fishing with Dale Bullard again, who brought along his high school and college buddy, Steve.  We met down at the City docks yesterday afternoon and made a run up to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp.  The conditions seemed perfect but it must have been just too hot cause all we did was feed the oysters and Croaker!  We then made a run to fish the logs of Tiger Island and here we picked up a couple of Sheepshead with Steve's being the largest and of keeper size.  We fished outside of Tiger over some now flooded oysters, had no luck then made a move further south and this did the trick.  By this time all of us were just looking for some action and we found it with a whole handful of 24" long high flying Ladyfish.  It was almost non stop action for about an hour with both anglers tangling with the acrobatic fish.  We then checked out some marshes as the tide was supposed to flood and even though there were a few spots that flooded, we saw no Redfish tailing.  One final stop at Temptation Cove produced a few bites and one very good hookup but it just wasn't to be.  We wrapped the trip up, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Grande Slam

I got to fish again with the Moore family again yesterday - Daniel and Donna and their kids Ansley and Landon.  This time we mixed it up, launching from the Atlantic Seafood dock down at the City marina and with picture perfect weather, headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on the first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were getting Croaker bites when Landon and Daniel finally hooked up,  boating a nice feisty Redfish. A little later Daniel had a strong bite and this fish was ready for a fight!  But he and Landon were up to the task and after a good battle, landed a big 18" Black "puppy" Drum!  We then made a run around to Tiger Island and here Ansley got in on the action, catching a hard fighting Redfish and then a fat keeper sized Seatrout.   Landon followed it by outsmarting the sneaky Sheepshead.   The Moore family now had an Amelia Island Grande Slam of  Redfish, Drum, Seatrout and Sheepshead.  We made a run up into Jolley River, sparred with the Croaker, then Daniel's patience paid off when he boated one more feisty Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Total Team Effort

We fished out of Fernandina Beach today, leaving the Atlantic Seafood dock and heading up to fish the Tiger Island logs on an outgoing tide.  I had Jim and Ronnie Voigt along who were visiting Amelia Island and staying at the beautiful  Elizabeth Pointe Lodge - an easy 5 minutes to the Marina.  Jim was tossing a fly and Ronnie was pitching a jig and shrimp with a spinning outfit.  We fished the logs thoroughly, had a few good bites, but only picked up a single fat Seatrout.  We then made a run up to Jolley River to fish "the Bank" on the last of an outgoing tide and this did the trick.  Jim picked up another hard hitting Seatrout, then a good Slot sized Redfish.  I was thinking "it'd be nice to get a Slam" when Jim hooked up on a good bite.  This fish fought differently than the rest and sure enough when Jim worked it to the surface we saw that it was a 16" keeper sized Flounder, giving these anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  All fish caught today were released to be caught another day!  We continued to fish the bank, caught another Trout, moved further up the river, caught another Trout, then move on around to the "Mother of All" spots where both anglers picked up Trout.  We made one last stop back at the Bank and after landing a couple of Rays were almost ready to call it a day.  I had tossed a jig and shrimp up near the bank and handed off to Ronnie who patiently fished it when BAM! FISH ON!  She fought the fish away from the oysters then handed it off to Jim who patiently played the fish.  It went deep, back to the stern then back around towards shore but Jim kept the pressure on and we eventually landed a big 26 1/2"  "Tournament" Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  And that was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing the back waters of Amelia Island!

Ladyfish, Jacks and a Big Red

I met the Moore family, Daniel and Donna along with their two kids Ansley and Landon down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning and we headed up to the Horsehead area to fish the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide.  We were fishing with jigs and shrimp, slow on the bottom and it took a while to get some bites.  It was one of the first days I've seen where there was a lot of bait movement up in the shallows and maybe  the fish had too much to eat!  But these anglers were patient and eventually young Ansley "got the skunk off the boat" and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  She followed that up with a high humping Ladyfish - the "poor mans Tarpon".  We fished the area for about an hour and half, had some bites, but no real takers, then headed around to the Nassau River to fish Bubblegum Reef.  Again, we had nibbles and luckily Ansley was doing her thing because she landed another Jack.   The rest of us had a good hookup or two, lost them, then Landon reeled in a couple of feisty Croaker.  We then made a run to Broward Island to fish the very last of an outgoing tide and once again, Ansley found a Ladyfish!  But shortly after, Daniel had a subtle nibble, a strong bite, and he set the hook, FISH ON!  He put young Landon on the rod and together they fought the fish away from the tree limbs, out into the deep water, then from bow to stern.  The big fish got into the current and gave a valiant fight but he was no match for the Moore family!  Ansley was "coaching 'em up" and Donna manned the catch net and they soon landed a big 26 3/4" "Tournament Red"!  Boy what a fish and boy what a fight!  The anglers added one more keeper sized Seatrout then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Clay Roberts Memorial Fishing Tournament

Plan to fish the Seventh Annual ClayRoberts Inshore Slam Fishing and Junior Angler Tournaments scheduled for Saturday June 14^th, 2014.  Clay's parents Gary and Terry Roberts founded In River Or Ocean (IROO)  in memory of their son Clay.  In River Or Ocean is dedicated to promoting the protection, restoration and rational management of all river and ocean resources, working as a steward of the waterways by providing educational opportunities regarding conservation and responsible use and care of our natural resources for this and future generations.

The ClayRoberts Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament has become a tradition for the fishing community on Father’s Day weekend and is fun for the whole family.
Clay’s two greatest passions in life were being on the water fishing, and spending time with his family and friends. The IROO strives to make sure that Clay’s tournament is an event the whole family will enjoy.  Whether people fish or not, they welcome them to come on out for the weigh-in and enjoy the food from Terry’s Kitchen.  It is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  They hope people will discover the magic that Clay found in our rivers an oceans.

Biggest Flounder to Date

We've had an outstanding run of good weather lately and my Minnesota guests Nick Cress and Marnie Brown were glad to have it!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide and headed north, making our first stop behind Tiger Island.  Nick was tossing a 7w and 8w fly rod and was making excellent casts to the exposed bank while Marnie was using a spinning outfit with live shrimp on a jig.  It appeared the fish liked the live stuff better because Marnie had good bites right off and landed a handful of hard fighting Sheepshead.  We worked the island back and forth, had a bite here and there, then had a subtle bite and hookup up, FISH ON!  Marnie played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 18" Flounder - the biggest we've had all year.  This fish puts Marnie in 1st place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  We fished for just a while longer, then headed up to Jolley River to fish the Bank.  Nick showed some real persistence with the fly rod, but the fish just weren't taking the flies.  Marnie had bites of small Croaker, caught a few, then we headed further up the river.  Our last stop was in Snook Creek and both Marnie and Nick boated hungry Seatrout.  Nick also caught a very nice Whiting.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

His First Redfish

If yesterday was pretty then today was outstandingly beautiful in the back waters of Amelia Island!  I fished with Ricky Weber, his son in law Patrick and grandson Taylor. We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach and headed north up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide.  We fished Jolley Bank with jigs and shrimp, with Ricky putting the first fish in the boat, a hungry Flounder. But even though the anglers had bites the entire length of the bank,  they landed only pesky Perch.  We ran further up the river, fished another bank with jigs, had no real bites, then switched to some float rigs, and BOOM!  Caught fish right off! Crazy.  Patrick had been the first to switch to the float and he picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  Then Taylor tried his hand with the float and he too put a Trout in the boat. Patrick landed a high jumping Ladyfish then Taylor took up a battle with a feisty Redfish - the first that he has ever caught.  We fished a large creek then headed over to Tiger Island to fish the logs on a high tide, which is something I don't normally do.  But the anglers had strong hookups, big fish that bent the rods double and caused the drag to sing, but this fish were wily and found their way back to the tree branches and broke themselves off.  Ricky did have a good hookup and landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead, giving the anglers an Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, and Sheepshead!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Most and Biggest

We had a beautiful morning today, clear skies and sunny, a bit cool, but a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.  I met Verne Murray and his son--in-law Pete down at the City docks and headed up to Tiger Island to fish a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours.  The anglers tossed jigs and live shrimp to the deep bottom and had a few bites here and there before Verne knocked "the skunk off" by landing a hungry Seatrout.  We continued to fish the area, had some bites but no takers, then headed up to fish the Jolley River and Jolley Bank.  Again, they had bites, this time on float rigs with shrimp underneath, and eventually Verne picked up another Seatrout, this one somewhat fatter than the first.  Our next stop was further up Jolley where we fished the mouth of a creek then we eased into the creek. Verne again landed a Seatrout and Pete was beginning to feel the pressure of a potential "skunk" on the fishing trip!  But no, only moments after he switched to a jig/shrimp combo he had a subtle bite and even though we knew it was a fish it first seemed rather small but then the fish took off, FISH ON!  Now it began to fight, running off the stern for a good 40yards, ripping the drag and putting  a deep bend in the rod.  Then the fish went under the boat, around the stern and back to the bow.  It ran between the trolling motor and boat to where Pete had to pass the rod between the two, but he kept the pressure on and stayed with the fish.  After a couple of more trips around the boat Pete was able to tire the big fish out and we soon netted a 3 1/2' Bonnethead Shark!  Boy what a fight!  We fished the area for just a little while, hit one more spot, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Running Boggy Creek

Kevin and Jean Henson were back visiting Amelia Island with their daughter Jill and her fiance Jack and decided to take in the "Florida Swamp" fishing trip where we run way back up into Boggy Creek and fish for Bass and Bluegill.  It was a beautiful morning today when we launched from Nassau Landing and made the run.  The tide was right and although we didn't pick up any Bass both Jill and Jack caught some very colorful "Redbelly" Bream.  This fishing trip is ideal for Fly Fishers who want to experience the "real Florida". The fly rod is ideal for putting a small popping bug up near the cypress stumps or under neath a low lying branch.  Although there is a better chance of catching Bream rather than Bass, it's still a great way to get in some fly fishing while visiting Amelia Island.  I call it "southern Trout fishing"!

Stay at a Holiday Inn

"The Guys" came over from Lake Butler again this year, George Bowlin and his friends Jerry and Ray.  I met them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning and we headed over to the Horsehead area to fish the last hour of an incoming tide.  George was tossing a topwater lure while Jerry and Jay fished float rigs with live shrimp up near the grass.  It took awhile but they finally began to get some hookups.  Ray started it off by landing a hungry Jack Crevalle, and then he put a 2nd in the boat.  Then all the anglers began to catch fish - hard fighting Jack's and high jumping Ladyfish. I guess these two species have arrived in the back waters of Amelia Island.  But one of these three anglers evidently had stayed at a Holiday Inn recently - George - who had switched to a jig and shrimp - and had a big bite, BOOM! FISH ON!  This big fish immediately began to take line, making the drag sing.  It ran out deep then ran back up into the marsh, then headed right to the boat, making George think that he'd lost the fish!  But nope, it was still Fish On!  George fought the big fish patiently, from bow to stern and from starboard to port then landed the oversized 30.5" Redfish!  Wow what a fish!  We continued to fish the area, picking up more Jacks and Ladyfish, then made a run around to Broward Island to fish the downed logs.  The anglers had to work for them but they picked up two keeper sized Flounder, a couple of smaller ones, a feisty Redfish,  and found three keeper sized Sheepshead with Jerry landing the largest one.  We fished until we ran out of bait, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Flounder Are Here!

I fished yesterday afternoon with Joe Segraves and his son David and it was great to have them back after fishing with them back in 2010!  We first hit some docks up in Lanceford Creek first and even though the tide was right, the water was real muddy from a south east wind.  However, Joe was able to land a keeper sized Flounder and David put a Croaker in the boat. We headed around to Tiger Island and fished the first of an incoming tide.  Here, the anglers picked up a couple of keeper sized Seatrout, four feisty Redfish, two more keeper sized Flounder and a small Black "puppy" Drum which gave them their Amelia Island Back Country "Grande" Slam!  We made our last stop up in the Jolley River and had a good time catching high flying Ladyfish and hard fighting Jack Crevalle along with another hungry Seatrout.  Joe and David had to work for them but between the Flounder and Sheepshead, they had a great meal to take home!

Birthday Fishing Trip

Mike and Steve Johnson took their dad Bud on a birthday fishing trip yesterday morning on The Anglers Mark.  We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  Mike tossed a top water lure while Bud and Steve fished with live shrimp under a float.  Steve got the "skunk off" by landing a hungry Seatrout then Bud hooked up and FISH ON!  His line and float ripped across the water as the big fish headed deep, bending Bud's rod over and making the drag sing!  But Bud was up to the the task and fought the fish patiently, run after run.  He eventually subdued the beast, a 3.5' Bonnethead Shark!  We later fished the MOA then ran back to Jolley Bank and here the action got hot.  Steve landed a keeper sized Seatrout then all the anlgers were catching Jack Crevalle and Ladyfish.  Every once in a while they'd pick up another Seatrout or a feisty Redfish, and added a Bluefish and Whiting, too. Mike added another Redfish and so did Bud.  We made our last stop at Tiger Island and again the anglers were on fire, landing 2 more keeper sized Seatrout, a couple of more Redfish, and two keeper sized Sheepsheads.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Shawn's Bank the Hot Ticket

I had a trip set  up today by Capt. Scott Stewart, fishing out of Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina, with a group here during a conference/business meeting.  We left the marina with Scott and Keli Backes and their friend Shawn and headed straight up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats and after a short while Keli had a strong hookup, FISH ON!  And boy what a fight the fish put up.  It ran strong and hard, away from shore, out from the bank, then dove deep. But Keli kept the pressure on and eventually subdued the beast - a 34" Bonnethead Shark!  Boy, that will wake you up!  We continued to fish and Scott's rod got hot. He landed a fat Seatrout and a feisty Redfish. We fished on up into a creek, then moved around to the MOA but had not luck at either.  Our next stop was back at Jolley Bank, now renamed Shawn's Bank because we hadn't fished long before Shawn started putting fish into the boat.  He started with a high jumping Ladyfish - the "poor man's Tarpon", then had a Jack Crevalle.  He made another cast to the bank and the minute his jig and shrimp hit the bottom, BOOM!  FISH ON!  He worked the fish patiently and eventually we landed a nice 18.5"  Slot Redfish!  Then all the anglers heated up, catching more Jack's, a Bluefish, a Whiting, another Redfish or two, and a handful of Seatrout.  We worked the bank, catching fish, hit one more spot, then called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Patience and Perseverance

That could have been our nicknames today.  And a beautiful day it was!  I had met Chet Johnston down at the City marina this morning with plans to fish the back waters of Amelia Island.  We headed up to the Jolley River to fish an outgoing tide with the oysters already fully exposed.  Chet started off with a float rig and live shrimp and after fishing 40 feet or so, had his float disappear and FISH ON!  He fought and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  But for another 30-40 minutes we had no fish, even though we had a few good bites.
We ran to Jolley Bank and fished it with jigs and shrimp and after fishing for  awhile, Chet landed a feisty Redfish.  So we were getting a fish here and there but it wasn't like we were overheating our reel drags! Our next stop was at Tiger logs and here the drags heated up!  Chet found his own Sheepshead hole, pulling out a couple of small ones then landed a couple of keeper sized ones.  We eased up the bank and got into some Flounder, again landing a couple of small ones and then a couple of keeper sized ones -one being 16.5" which put Chet at the top of the leaderboard in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder category. Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.   With a Trout, Redfish, Sheepshead and Flounder, Chet already had his Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam - but then he landed a hungry Puppy Drum to make it a "Super Grande Slam"!  We put two Jack Crevalle in the boat and a nice whiting, too.  Then Chet hooked up, the rod bent, and his drag ripped - another nice FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and when it headed to some downed limbs, pulled it out and away.  After a good battle we netted a nice 25" Slot Redfish!  We found another keeper sized Seatrout then headed over to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings.  Here, Chet added another keeper sized Seatrout and caught, landed and released a handful of feisty Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Swamp Life

I fished again today with Cathy Case and her cousin Julie, but this time we went off island to launch at Nassau Landing and run way back up in the swamps of Boggy Creek.  This was an all fly fishing day and we couldn't have asked for a better one.  There was clear skies, balmy temperatures, and just a slight enough breeze to keep any bugs away.  We got far enough up the creek to get into fresh water and cypress trees and Cathy began tossing an 8w with a popping bug.  She had a couple of rolls at it, switched then switched to a 5w with a popping bug and picked up a beautiful Red Belly.  We tried a number of flies and had a couple of hookups on a leach type fly.  Another Red Breast was caught on a popping bug then Cathy had a strong hookup on a 7w with the leach pattern.  This 22" fish put up a good fight and at first we thought it was a Catfish but when we got it in the boat we saw that it wasn't.  I had to do some research but it looks like a Mudfish/Bowfin - not the Bass we were looking for but still a good fight on a fly rod. We continued to fish but the sun had gotten up so we called it a day, another great one to be "off island" of Amelia!

Tournament Win(able) Redfish

Another "Chamber of Commerce" day hear at Amelia Island.  You've got to appreciate these outstanding days to get out on Amelia Island's waters to do some back country fishing.  I had met Mike and Christina McGinley down at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning and we headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on an incoming tide.  I started both anglers off with jigs and Shrimp but when we switched Christina to a float rig and shrimp we were able to find some fish.  She'd let the float drift with the current right up to the pilings and sure enough, Black "puppy" Drum found the offering!  Then Christina hauled in a Slot sized Redfish and when it came out of the water we saw that it was loaded with spots!  The Redfish had 9 spots on one side and 7 on the other for a 16 spot legal Redfish that would have placed in the recent Safe Harbor Boys Home Redfish Spot Tournament!  We then made a run around to Tiger Island where Christina found a Seatrout to round out her own Back Country Slam and Mike tangled with an aggressive Jack Crevalle.  Our next stop was up at Jolley River bank and as the water began to cover the oysters the anglers picked up some nice fish - one time getting a double with Christina  catching another Trout and Mike landing a feisty Redfish.  After adding a couple of more Trout, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

20" Trout on a Fly

We started the week with a beautiful morning -sunshine, no wind and temperatures in the high 60's.  The plan was for Cathy Case and her cousin Julie to meet me at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and do some back water Amelia Island fishing with an emphasis on fly fishing.  We headed up the Amelia River and ducked into Jackstaff to fish the very first of an incoming tide.  Cathy was at the stern of the boat tossing a shrimp-like fly on an 8w outfit. We worked the whole bank one and half times and even though Cathy had a couple of hits, there were  no takers.  We made a run all the way to Broward Island to catch the incoming tide there but her Cathy switched to an intermediate line with a chartreuse/white Clouser and this paid off.  She had just made an excellent cast to some downed tree limbs, let the fly sink naturally and when she made her first strip, BOOM!  FISH ON! We could tell this was a nice fish but Cathy kept the pressure on, pulling the fish out of the tree limbs.  The fish ran deep, putting a big bow in the 8w Sage but it was no match for Cathy and we soon netted a fat 20" Seatrout!  After measuring and getting pictures we sent this beautiful fish back to the water to be caught another day.  We fished the area for a while, had some "bumps", then switched to bait and jigs for a break.  The moment we switched we began to get bites - Cathy caught a nice feisty Redfish and then hungry Seatrout for her Amelia Island Back Country Slam. She added another Sheepshead and then a fat keeper sized Seatrout before switching back to the fly to fish a nice run out with all kinds of bait action going on.  Sure enough, BOOM!  A fish hit her Gummy Minnow and streaked back up to the mouth of the creek and....FISH OFF!  It was not to be.  But it was all fun, another great time to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Working For Fish

We wrapped the week up today fishing the south end of the island and as predicted, we caught fish but had to work for them.  That's  how it's been all week.  I met Eric and Joanna Oestmann down at the Big Talbot Island Park ramp and headed up the Nassau River to fish the first of an incoming tide at Broward Island.  We were tossing jigs and live shrimp up near the downed logs and soon Eric had a strong hookup.  This fish put up a mighty fight and we we landed it found that it was a nice 19" fat Seatrout!  We worked the bank for an hour or so and picked up another fat Seatrout and a feisty Sheepshead.   We had a couple of ducks taking a bath and preening themselves as we fished.  Our next stop was at Christopher Creek and although the conditions were right the fish weren't biting.  We made a run around into Horsehead, fished a flooded oyster banks and here the action heated back up.  Eric landed another keeper Trout, picked up a few more smaller Trout, a hard fighting Jack Crevalle,  and both anglers had more good bites.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Moving The Goalposts

We had a early morning fishing trip set  up here at Amelia Island, set up by Mike Raiz who brought along his friends Steve, Bob and Jim.  We left the City marina and headed up to fish the logs of Tiger Island as the tide came in.  I had the anglers tossing jigs and shrimp and it didn't take long for Mike to knock the "skunk off" when he caught a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  A little while later Steve was fishing some downed logs but as his jig got out deep it was picked up and, FISH ON!  This fish was big and I thought surely it was a Redfish as it ripped the drag,

bending rod and heading deep.  But Steve kept the pressure on and when he finally brought it to the surface I confirmed it was Big!  A Redfish?  NO!  It was a the largest Seatrout to date caught on The Anglers Mark this year - a 23.75" sow!  This fish moved the goalposts, putting Steve squarely in the lead of The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout Category. (Scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We fished the island a while longer then headed up to Jolley River, this time fishing with live shrimp under floats.  Bob had made an excellent cast to the flooded marsh grass and as it drifted along a fat Trout took the bait.  Bob patiently worked the fish to the boat and the awaiting net.  We continued to fish Jolley, hitting a few spots, then headed over to the Bell River to wrap the day up, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Fish On

Another beautiful day greeted us this morning down at the City marina when I met Rachel Longcrier, Marcus, Patrick and Ashley for a day of Amelia Island back country fishing.  We headed up to the Jolley River to fish the very first of an outgoing tide using live shrimp and minnows under a float rig.  We had only been fishing short while when Rachel had a hookup and landed a nice hungry Seatrout.  But just after that Patrick too had a hookup and his was a nice 18" Trout of legal size.  We continued to fish Jolley Bank, had a few nibbles, but no takers so we headed further up the river.  The water was draining out of the marsh and at the outflows were where the anglers were getting bites.  Ashley got in on the action and landed a nice Seatrout.  All the anglers were making good casts to the marsh line but Patrick's happened to be at the right spot at the right time.  When his float disappeared and the rod bent double we knew he had a big fish, FISH ON!  He played the big fish patiently as it made deep run after deep run but Patrick kept the pressure on and after a good battle landed a 26.75"  "Tournament Redfish" - it'd have been a great one to enter into a Redfish Tournament!  Boy what a fish!  We continued to fish the area and later Patrick put another keeper sized Trout in the boat, caught on a jig and minnow fished deep.  We made a last run to Tiger Island logs where both Patrick and Marcus had good hookups then Ashley hooked up and landed a hungry Flounder to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Nice Slot Red Makes the Day

Repeat customer Charles Butler was home from Afghanistan and treated his two sons -Trey and Trenton -  to a morning of Amelia Island back country fishing today and he couldn't have picked a better day.  We went a little later due to an early high tide and headed up to Jolley River to fish an flooded oyster bank.  Although the conditions were perfect, the anglers had no real bites.  We ran further up the river and this did the trick.  We hadn't been fishing long when Charles tossed his live shrimp under a float up to a marsh run out and the float disappeared!  He played the feisty fish perfectly and landed a nice Redfish.  Shortly after that he put a hungry Seatrout in the boat.  Then he had a bite and had his shrimp robbed but then Trey had a good bite.  This fish bent his rod over and made the drag on the reel sing, FISH ON!  He worked the fish patiently to the boat and eventually landed a nice Slot 25.5" Redfish!  The same scenario happened shortly after that with Charles getting a nibble, then Trey hooking up with a nice fish!  He landed another Slot Red, this one 18.25" and we let the FWC officer measure this one as he had just pulled up as we were landing the fish!  He was legal!  Trenton got in on the action and caught another feisty Redfish.  The anglers picked up a couple of more fish then we made a run to Bell River where Charles put a handsized Sheepshead in the boat and Trenton landed a Croaker.  Then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

First Shark of the Year

I fished this morning with Keith McFadden and his friend Tammy, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this  morning.  There was a little bit more breeze than I expected but it did keep the gnats (no-see-ums) off of us when we made our first stop up Jackstaff.  The duo were tossing live shrimp  under floats and had a few nibbles then Keith landed a keeper sized Whiting.  But when Tammy's float began to bob we thought it'd be another Whiting or maybe a Trout.  But it finally went under and when she tightened down on her line we realized it was a BIG fish!  FISH ON!  She fought the fish around the boat, from starboard to port and back again.  I was thinking Redfish but it never boiled up and stayed deep.  Tammy worked the fish patiently and after a good battle we saw that it was 3 1/2' Bonnethead Shark.  After landing the beast and getting pictures we tossed it back to be caught another day.  We fished Jackstaff Bank where Keith landed not one, but two keeper sized Flounder and a Seatrout.  We made a run around to Nassau River to fish the Twin Creeks but had no real bites then we ran up to Broward Island.  Boy, the wind had picked up out of the South and with the current running even harder it made the fishing tough.  But these anglers were game and managed to pull two Redfish and a Sheepshead out of the logs, rounding out their Amelia Island Back Country Grand Slam of Flounder, Seatrout, Redfish and Sheepshead. But they weren't done!  We made one last stop at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and Keith added to the pot by hooking up and landing a feisty Black Drum.  I guess that made it a "Super Grand Slam"!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Ryan Seatrout and the Redfish Kid

I fished today with Randy Hilyard and his two sons Ryan and Justin, meeting them at Atlantic Seafood and then making a run up to Jolley River to fish some flooded oyster beds with live shrimp under a float rig.
We hadn't  been fishing but a few minutes when Ryans float disappeared and he had a hookup!  Ryan worked the fish in to the net -a nice Seatrout.  Later he added another one and also had a feisty Redfish.  Justin got in on the action when his bait was taken and he hooked up with a hard fighting fish. He and his dad patiently played the fish and landed keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (all fish caught today were returned to the water to be caught another day).  We moved around to the MOA spot and again Ryan caught a Seatrout.  Their dad Randy was working with both boys and had them making excellent casts.  We made our last stop at Tiger Island.  Ryan had been catching most of the Seatrout and Justin turned out to be "the Redfish Kid" -landing a couple of more feisty Redfish garnering his own personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Drum.  Ryan put a hungry Sheepshead in the boat and got his Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Sheepshead. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

First Red Big Red

We had a beautiful morning down at the Big Talbot Island boat ramp when I met Lisa Cooper and her son Brendan for a day of Amelia Island back country fishing.  We headed up the Amelia River then cut in to Jackstaff to fish the still flooded oysters with live shrimp under a float.  It was about he first or second cast when Lisa's float disappeared and FISH ON!  But no, FISH OFF!  But Brendan went in right afterwards and his float disappeard too!  This time he had a good hookup and after playing the fish patiently, landed an nice keeper sized Flounder!  We continued to fish the area and both anglers landed hungry Seatrout.  Our next stop was at the Twin Creeks in Nassau River and although it looked promising, we had no real bites.  We then fished a still flooded Bubblegum Reef and had a few bites but no real takers.  Our next stop was the logs of Broward Island.  The current was really rushing out due to a SW wind but these anglers persevered.  Brendan was really working the bank and when he got the hang of the bite, hooked up and landed a sneaky Sheepshead to garner his Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  But he wasn't finished!  We fished and fished the downed logs and although we were getting nibbles we just weren't getting fish.  As we were about to leave Brendan made a final cast to the bank and as he slowly worked it back, BAM! FISH ON!  And boy was it a fish.  He patiently worked the fish even as it made a run deep then got back in the current to it's advantage.  When it came to the surface we all saw that it was a Big Redfish!  Brendan slowly worked it in and eventually landed the oversized 29.5" Redfish!  That's the way to wrap up an Amelia Island back country fishing trip!

Seatrout Make the Day

I had another group of guys yesterday afternoon and they too were taking a break from business.  We headed up to fish the flooded oyster beds outside of Tiger Island.  Jeff knocked the skunk off by landing a hungry Bluefish then Jason followed it up -putting a couple of more Blues in the boat and a Seatrout.  Then Chris found  a feisty Redfish up near the grass and brought it to the boat.  We made a run up to Jolley River and BOOM, BOOM!  Both Chris and Jason put fat keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, fishing live shrimp under floats.  We ran further up the river, had a tussle with a Gar fish, and picked up a another Trout.  Our last stop was back at Tiger Island logs and here things really heated up as the tide had dropped.  Both Jeff and Steve got in on the action, landing Sheepshead of keeper size and Steve also put a nice feisty Redfish in the boat.  Chris and Jason found some hungry keeper Sized Seatrout on the bottom to wrap up a beautiful late afternoon of fishing in the back waters of Amelia Island.