Strong Start With Slot Red and Big Trout

"Breezy" is what the local weather forecasters like to call it. I always tell my customers that any wind over 10mph is going to be a "pain" but it's fishable, and that's what we had today with forecasted winds to be up around 12mph. But as it turned out, it was a very pleasant day to be out on the water, fishing with Don Norman and his dad, Don. We met out at Goffinsville Park early and with the tide still coming in, we eased on down to Broward Island to fish some downed logs before the water got up too. high. It wasn't long
before Don Sr. put a feisty Redfish on the boat, fishing with jigs and live shrimp then the younger Don put a nice  hungry Trout in the boat. He continued to pick up a handful of those small but hungry Trout then his Dad had strong hookup and, FISH ON! We could tell right off that this was going to be a big fish and it was. Don played the beast perfectly, keeping it out of the logs but staying patient. It went deep then ran to the stern and into the current to make it extra tough but after a good battle, Don landed a nice 24.5" Slot Red. And shortly after that Don Jr. had a good hookup and landed a big 18+" Seatrout. We fished the area thoroughly, picked up another Red and a couple of more Trout, then ran back to Christopher Creek. Here we had one Trout on a float rig. Our next stop was all the way over to the mouth of Jackstaff and the two anglers had a good run of catching smaller but hungry Trout.  Our last stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and although there were a bunch of nibblers, we no takers, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Ladies Day Out Fishing

We had the prettiest day of the week fishing today which made it just right for Karen Reimondo and her friends Kim, Valerie and Mary Ann who were visiting Amelia Island with 8 more of their lady friends. And these four were up for fishing so we met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and made a run north to fish outside of Tiger Island with float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. Typical of this time of year, the anglers had bites right off and picked up a couple of Seatrout and Bluefish. We fended off the baitstealers, caught one or two more fish, then ran up to Jolley
River and a large creek runout. After getting a bite here and there they landed a couple of more Seatrout then caught a few feisty Redfish. Valerie switched to a jig and shrimp and I think it was on her first cast when she had a strong hookup, FISH ON! This fish was big and made a strong run, heading for deep water. But Valerie was up to the challenge and after a good battle that took her around the boat a couple of times, she landed a nice 2'+ long Bonnethead Shark. Our last stop was back at the mouth of the Jolley and after catching one more Redfish, the bite slowed to nothing. All four anglers were making excellent casts at the end of the day and everyone had caught fish so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Late Season Shark

After a front came through the last couple of days, we had somewhat cooler weather to fish this morning. The skies were overcast, there was some fog and mist, but the forecast called for clearing skies later in the day. I had met the Pullen family, Ken and Kathy, their son Josh and his wife Julia, down at the City marina right at the peak of a high tide. We ran north to the outside of Tiger Island and the anglers began tossing live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs to the flooded marsh grass. I think the first couple
of casts caught Seatrout, with Julia "knocking the skunk off" the boat with the first one. They picked up a couple of more before the baitstealing Perch moved in. We crossed the river, fed the baitstealers, then Ken had a strong hookup, FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and running straight away from the boat, just like a Shark, which we haven't caught in a month or so. Ken played the big fish expertly and after a good battle, landed a 2'+ Black Tip Shark. We ran up to the Jolley River after that and fished a large creek mouth and here things heated up. They began to catch
Seatrout again then Julia put a feisty Redfish in the boat. Kathy got on the board with another Seatrout and she quietly caught one after the other. Julia was on fire with the feisty Reds then when we switched Josh to a jig to fish the bottom, he began to catch them, too. After one excellent cast to the bank he had a stronger hookup. This Redfish was somewhat bigger and after patiently playing the fish, Josh landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. We fished the area thoroughly, picked up a good two handfuls of Seatrout, a couple of more Reds, then we made one last stop back at Tiger Island to fish
deep around the logs. The anglers had a few bites then Ken landed a small Flounder to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Red Drum and Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wrapping up a week with Reds and Trout and Snapper

I fished this afternoon with Michael Bresler, meeting him down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp with plans to run up the river to fish the Horsehead area. But our first stop was all the way down to Broward Island to catch the first of the incoming tide. Michael was tossing a fly rod early, an 8w set up with an Intermediate line and a shrimp like pattern. He was getting excellent loops and nailing shots up to the bank, in and around the logs, but we got no takers. After fishing the area thoroughly with the fly rod, we switched to mud minnows on a jig and BOOM!  Michael picked up
a Seatrout then a feisty Redfish on the first two casts! We worked up and down the logs, caught another Trout, then Michael put a nice Slot sized Redfish in the boat. Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and with the oysters flooded, we eased along the marsh grass, going back to the fly. Again we had no takers, and when we went to the live bait we found a couple of Seatrout. Our next stop was around the rocks of Seymore's and here Michael found big (for our backwaters) Mangrove Snapper. We ran through Horsehead, fished another marsh line, caught the biggest Trout of the day, then we wrapped it up as the sun was going down and counted it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Second Day of Trout Bite

Boy what a pretty morning we had today! I met Tandy Morton and his friend Tommy Zachary down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning and we headed way up the Nassau River to Broward Island to fish the last of an outgoing tide with live shrimp and mud minnows on jigs. It didn't take long before these two experienced anlgers were catching fish. Both of them found feisty Redfish and at least once they had a "double" hookup. They picked up a couple of small Flounder and a couple of more Reds before we ran back to Seymore's Pointe to fish a dock at the bottom of the tide. After working through some "baitstealers" and a small Mangrove Snapper, Tandy picked up a nice Black "puppy" Drum then Tommy found a keeper sized Seatrout (garnering the duo a "Grande Slam"). I think they caught another Trout or two there then we made our way over to Bubblegum Reef thinking that we'd fish some structure on the incoming tide. But the tide had never gotten down low enough so both anglers started tossing float rigs up near an old oyster bank and BOOM! FISH ON!  They caught Seatrout after Seatrout after Seatrout, most being undersized but every once in a while they landed a keeper sized one, with the biggest being 18". We fished until we ran out of bait, switched to jigs and plastic grubs, caught one or two, then called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Black Drum Make and Appearance

We had an outstandingly beautiful morning today to fish a low and incoming tide. I had picked Terry and Bonnie Hancock up at the Oyster Bay dock and we then returned north to fish Tiger Island with jigs and live shrimp as the tide stalled and came back in. On the first cast, BOOM, FISH ON! Bonnie reeled it in, a nice feisty Redfish. That's a great way to start a fishing trip! From then on it was working through the "baitstealers" with the shrimp. Every once in a while one of the two anglers would hookup and reel in another
feisty Red then Bonnie had a good hookup and this fish stayed deep. After a good battle she landed a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We continued to fish out some "freshly dead" shrimp I had then ran back to the bait shop to pick up a few dozen mud minnows. Back at Tiger we had a few more Reds then Terry put another keeper sized Black Drum in the boat, this one on a minnow. Our next stop was up at the Jolley River and with the oysters covered on the incoming tide, we switched to float rigs. Bonnie landed a hungry Seatrout which rounded out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Black Drum, and Trout then they began to get bite after bite and landed a good 15-20 Trout. It didn't matter whether they used minnows or live shrimp. About every 5-6 fish they landed (up to 14"), they got a "keeper" sized one with the biggest being 17".  There were also some nice Bluefish caught in there, too. It was a great way to wrap up a beautiful day to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Sunset Red-Fishing

My guests this afternoon, Mary Haskell and her nephew Bryan, were coming in from the airport and to save time, we met out at Goffinsville Park with plans to get in a late afternoon fishing trip. We had a high and outgoing tide so I made the run around and through Jackstaff to fish a still flooded oyster bank. I think it was one of Mary's first casts and she had a Trout hookup to "knock the skunk off" the boat. We fished the entire bank with shrimp and jigs and found one spot where some feisty Redfish were holding. Both Mary and Brian put a handful of these hard fighting fish in the
boat and once they had a double hookup and catch. Our next stop was back around at Seymore's Pointe and here it seemed the baitstealers had set up house. As  the sun was setting we made our way down to Broward Island and just as we thought the baitstealers had a second home, Bryan had a strong hookup and FISH ON! He played the big fish perfectly and even though it made its way back into the current, he took his time and eventually landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. We fished a while longer but it got so dark we could no longer see the bank, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fishing and Football and Fun

I think we had the nicest day of the week with the weather Friday morning and it was great to get out on the water with two Georgia Bulldog fans - Lee Mathews and his buddy Vaughn -  who were visiting Amelia Island for the big game Saturday. We met early down at the City marina and headed north up to the Jolley River to fish the incoming tide that had already begun to cover the oysers. So the anglers went right to the float rigs, fishing live shrimp and mud minnows up near the bank. They had some early success,
catching some nice, hungry Seatrout. We moved further up the creek, picked up a Trout or two, then ran back to the outside of Tiger Island to fish the now flooded marsh grass. This was the same spot where we had some hot action the day earlier but today was exactly the opposite - no fish! After that we checked a few grass flats for Reds in the grass and even though it was flooded enough we saw  no tails. Our last stop was back at a grassy point. After we picked up a keeper sized Trout, Lee had a strong hookup and it was FISH ON! Did I say strong? This fish took off and didn't stop, ripping drag and taking the line right across a submerged oyster bed and, FISH OFF! Boy that hurt! But shortly after that, Lee, who was fishing a jig and shrimp along the edge of the submerged oyster bed, had another strong hookup. Lee forced the big fish away from the oysters then played it patiently. After the initial hookup at the bow of the boat, the fish took Lee to the Stern, port side, then around the engine, then to the starbord side. But Lee stayed with him and eventually landed the beast, a 33.5" oversized Redfish! Boy what a fish! And shortly after that the two anglers teamed up to catch another oversized Red (31.5")  that had a whopping 35 spots on it. These two fish smashed the Bragging Rights records, putting Lee in first place (and third) for the Anglers Mark Big fish catches (scroll down right side of this report for standings) Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island!

Trout Flash

The days have been getting prettier and prettier as the week has gone along and today was almost perfect. I had John Nuckolls and his friend Dick meet me down at the City marina just before sunrise and we headed up to fish Tiger Island as the tide was coming in. Although we got there with plenty of shoreline to fish, there wasn't much biting except a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum that Dick put in the boat (all fish were released today). We fished the area thoroughly but as the water got up we eased around to the outside of Tiger and found some flooding oyster beds with a ton of
bait moving through it. I think both anglers first casts produced fat, big, keeper sized Seatrout - around 18" each! For about another hour they had action, catching Seatrout from 14" on up to 18", all on live shrimp under a float. John had made a cast up to the marsh line and when his float went under and the drag began to rip, we knew this wasn't a Trout. He played the fish perfectly but today was not to be. The big fish got back into the current and BAP! the fish was gone. OUCH!  But he picked up another Redfish shortly after that and they had a couple of more Trout. The tide was high and in the grass so we poked the bow up into some likely flats and even though the water was high enough, we saw no tails. We hit one more flooded oyster bed and John landed another big Trout. After fishing one more spot we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Trout'n Reds

We waited for the bad weather to roll through this morning and met to fish this afternoon down at the Atlantic Seafood dock. Dennis Brizzi and his buddy Hal were ready to go so we headed north up to the outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooded oyster beds on a high and outgoing tide. The two anglers were tossing mud minnows under float rigs up near grass patches and things heated up fairly quickly. They put a good handful of Seatrout in the boat, along with a Bluefish and some baitstealing Perch. One of the Trout was of
keeper size, a nice 18"er.  We ran around and up to Jolley River to fish a large creek mouth and here the picked up a couple of Trout then they found some feisty Redfish to do battle with. We tried fishing back at the mouth of Jolley but the south wind was pushing the outgoing tide out creating a fast current that was a "pain" to fish. So, we ran around to Bell River, got out of the wind, switched to jigs, and picked up a couple of more Trout. Our last stop was back at Tiger Island and although the tide was almost perfect we had no real bites. But the skies had cleared and it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

Come'n On Strong

We had another morning where the winds had died down overnight to make for some decent fishing weather - if you got out early! I had met Matt and Beth Price and their two sons Thomas and Mitchell down at the City marina and we headed north to the outside of Tiger Island to fish some still flooded oyster beds with float rigs and mud minnows.  I think the tide had already fallen too much because we snagged a little more than usual on the hidden oysters, but Matt was still able to pick up a hungry Seatrout. But that was it so we headed further up river and into the Jolley, all the
way up to Snook Creek, and fished the edges of the oysters that were beginning to show. Even though these anglers were making excellent casts,  we only had one more Trout that Mitchell reeled to the boat and "quick released". Our next stop was back at Tiger, switching to jigs and minnows. Young Thomas found a "honey hole" and pulled out a nice feisty Redfish. Then Mitchell went to the same spot and found another one, and I believe Matt went to the same area and picked up one, too. We fished up and down the bank and every once in a while they'd pick up another Redfish and on occasion a Seatrout. Then Mitchell had a strong hookup and, FISH ON! He played this big fish perfectly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. Then shortly after that his dad, Matt, topped that fish with a 21.5" Slot Red of his own!  Thomas was putting Reds in the boat, too and seemed to have the hot hand (he won the Most Fish Award) and Mitchell wrapped things up when he hooked up with another big Red, landing this one to measure at 22.5".  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Slot Reds Top The Trip

Finally the wind died down just a bit! I met David Niblett and his friend Vince Zappie down at the City marina early this morning and we headed over to Lanceford Creek to fish some docks on an outgoing tide. The two anglers were tossing jigs tipped with live mud minnows or shrimp to the dock pilings and were making some excellent casts, but the only thing that bit was a small Grouper but we counted that as "skunk off the boat"!  We ran around to fish Tiger Island and here things heated up. After fishing just a short
while we had a strong bite and FISH ON!  Vince fought the big fish patiently and after a good battle with multiple deep runs,  he landed a nice, barely legal, 26 7/8" Slot Redfish! Boy what a fish. A little later Vince followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder. Not to be outdone, David got in the action and put a Slot Red in the boat along with another keeper sized Flounder. They picked up a few small Seatrout and another Flounder before we headed up to the Jolley River to fish the exposed oyster beds. After just a short time, David had another strong bite! When it rolled up near the bank I knew that it was a big Redfish. The big fish made some strong runs up and down the  bank then went deep and into the current. But David kept he pressure on and landed a  nice 23" Slot Red. Although we had a few nibbles after that, there were no real bites (other than 'baitstealers") so we went back to Tiger to fish the incoming tide. They picked up a another Red, another Trout, and another Flounder. Our last stop was up in Eagans Creek and we finished the day catching small but aggressive Seatrout. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Catching Fish Despite The Wind

We've had an entire week of windy conditions and there is  no end in sight! Today was my second trip in the wind and my two anglers, Harry Purnell and his friend Larry Levy were game to go fishing. So we met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and ran up the Nassau River to fish Broward Island with jigs and mud minnows on a low and outgoing tide. It didn't take long  to get bites (I had one on the demo cast, but missed 'em!) and soon they were catching fish. Harry picked up a couple of feisty Redfish and Larry added a hungry Seatrout. We worked the bank and found a few more Redfish, one which was of keeper sized, and also a keeper sized Flounder, to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam at the first stop! After fishing the island thoroughly, we ran back through the chop to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Our first stop produced no real bites so we made a run back to the Nassauville area, sticking with the jigs, and found a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and another Seatrout. Our last stop, back at Seymore's Pointe (and out of the wind) produced no bites so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Bragging Rights Flounder

I had a "ladies day out" today, fishing with Teresa Gaslin and her friend Kim Bates, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp on a blustery day. It was a tossup whether to fish because of the win, but fish we did! Our first stop was over at the Long Pointe docks and after fishing a good stretch Teresa had a "thump" then her line went heavy. When she tightened her line and set the hook she was into a fish fight and after a nice battle, landed a keeper sized Flounder to "knock the skunk" off the boat! After fishing a 2nd dock we made
the run up Nassau River and found a dock to fish. I think it was the first cast and we had a hookup. Kim played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout. She went back to the same spot a few times more and when she thought she had snagged on the bottom, she stayed in "fish catching mode" and BOOM! IT WAS FISH ON! She played the fish like a pro and when it came to the top then made a mad dash to the bottom, Kim kept the pressure on and eventually landed a 21.5" Doormat Flounder which put here squarely in first place in the Anglers Mark 2015 Bragging Rights Tournament (flounder category-scroll down right side of this Report for standings). Boy what a fish! After hitting a second dock we moved around to fish Seymore's Pointe (and out of the wind). Kim put a feisty Redfish in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam then shortly after that Teresa had a strong hookup, and again, FISH ON! She played the fish perfectly and after a good battle and a couple of deep runs, Teresa landed a nice 21" Slot sized Redfish, another good fish! Our last stop was over in Jackstaff and although the tide was right for Seatrout, the wind was really buffeting us, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Quantity Counts

We had a beautiful crisp morning today, just a little chilly but sunshine and light winds and it was a great day to be out fishing here at Amelia Island. I met Victor Sherlock and his son Christopher down at the South End boat ramp as the sun came up and we headed up the Nassau River, making the long run to Broward Island to catch the first of an incoming tide. It was a good move because the two anglers began to get hookups almost immediately. Christopher knocked the skunk off when he landed a hungry Seatrout then both anglers put a couple of feisty Redfish in
the boat, including a 10-spotter that Christopher caught. They also had a good handful of Seatrout and Christopher rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when he put two Flounder in the boat, and almost a third! We fished the area for a while then ran back to the Horsehead area, switching to float rigs. I think it was our first cast and Victor hooked up with a Trout. But it was Christopher with the hot rod - he landed 5-6 Trout in one spot then picked up a handful as we eased along the now flooded shoreline.  They added a high flying Ladyfish and a few bait stealing Pinfish and Perch before we headed around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe to wrap the trip up fishing some docks. Although the bite had slowed to a standstill, the two anglers had a good quantity of fish catches to make it a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island.

Snakes, Crabs, Birds, Dolphin and Big Fish

I had the opportunity to fish this afternoon, too. Deborah White was treating her boyfriend Trent and her two kids Zoe and Broderick to an Amelia Island Back Country fishing trip so we met at the City dock, picked up some mud minnows, saw a handful of Osprey diving for fish and Dolphin cruising the tide line, then we headed up to fish the outside of Tiger on the first of an outgoing tide. After just a few casts Trent had a strong hookup and after working it patiently to the boat we saw that it was very nice 18" fat Flounder!
We worked the area thoroughly, picked up some baitstealers then Broderick landed a keeper sized Croaker and Trent put a feisty Redfish in the boat. We made a run up to Jolley River and fished some oyster beds both with the float rigs and jig rigs and even though the anglers had some good bites, we had no real takers. We also had a chance at netting a Blue Crab swimming by so we scooped it up, checked it out, then returned it to go on its way. Our last stop was back at Tiger Island but as we passing between Big and Little Tiger Trent spotted something in the water. We eased up
closer and saw that it was a HUGE Diamond Back Rattle Snake crossing between the two islands. We watched it slither up onto the mud and make its way towards the marsh grass. We fished the logs of Tiger and here things got hot! We had a strong hookup and young Broderick did an excellent job of working a big 23" Slot Redfish to the waiting net. Then Zoe caught not one, but two Slot Reds, 24" and 25" respectively with one of them having 11 Spots, a sure prize winner in any Spot Tournament. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Brute of a Redfish

What a nice day today! I fished this morning with Brent Berger, his son-in-law Ray, and grandson Caleb. We met down at the City marina and headed north to fish the logs of Tiger on an incoming tide, one that had been coming in for a few hours. The three anglers worked the entire island and only had a nibble here and there but just as we were about to leave, Brent had a strong hookup, and FISH ON! But it looked as if the fish had gotten off after the initial bite - NO, it was still on! Brent fought the big fish patiently and after multiple deep runs,  landed a thick 25" Slot Redfish, boy what
a fish! We fished the same spot a while longer then headed up to Jolley River to fish some flooding oyster beds. Caleb had a good hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout. We hit another area and had numerous bites, all small, landed a handful of baitstealers, then made our way back to the outside of Tiger. Here, the anglers had numerous bites, picking up a handful of small Trout, Needle Fish, and Perch, then Brent put two keeper sized Trout in the boat. We hit one more spot, caught a few more Trout, then headed back, counting at as another great morning to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Trout Bite Picks Up

The weather forecasters called for cloudy skies and very little wind today, and they got the wind prediction right! As it turned out it was clear, sunny skies for the fishing trip this morning when I met Stephanie Wren and her two sons Brandon and Logan down at the Atlantic Seafood dock on a high and incoming tide. We had a bait well full of fresh and fat mud minnows as we headed north to fish Jolley River and it's flooding marsh grass. Our first stretch of bank produced no real bites, much less a fish! So we headed further up
the river and after fishing for a short while Logan drifted his float and bait over a big oyster bed and had a strong hookup. He played the fish perfectly and soon landed a nice, keeper sized Seatrout. Brandon then drifted his bait further in, past a grassy point, and BOOM, FISH ON! He too worked the fish in patiently and landed an almost identical, keeper sized Trout (all fish were released today). We made a run back to the outside of Tiger, fished some flooded oyster beds, and picked up a couple more smaller Trout, a Bluefish, and some baitstealers. We crossed the river and as the tide
started out the fish bite picked up. All three anglers were getting bites and catching Trout. Stephanie put her first Trout in the boat and then followed it up with the biggest of the day. Both Brandon and Logan were catching fish but the water was running out from under us so we moved out to another spot. After getting another Trout on the float, I switched the two young anglers to jig rigs and minnows and right off they were catching fish. We picked up a handful more then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Snook at Amelia Island?

We couldn't have asked for a prettier day for fishing today...sunny skies, just a slight breeze, and temperatures in the high 60's to begin the day. I had met Marie George and her adult kids Claire and Colin down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at daybreak and we headed north to the Horsehead area to fish the last of an incoming tide. We were only a few casts into fishing with float rigs and live shrimp when Claire put a hungry Seatrout in the boat to "knock the skunk off". We continued to fish a flooded marsh line, first one stretch, then the other and although we had a few small bites, we
had no takers. But these anglers were not to be deterred and as we pulled up to our second spot in Christopher Creek, Claire had a good hookup and after a nice battle, landed a feisty Redfish on a jig and shrimp combo. Then after Marie had made and excellent cast to a grass patch, she too hooked up, FISH ON! She played the fish perfectly and landed another feisty Red. Colin got on the board, getting  a hookup on his jig and shrimp and as the fish came to the boat I saw that it was not a Redfish, but surely a Seatrout. He battled the fish patiently and when we netted it I saw that it was a
wayward Snook! This is only the second Snook I've had put in the boat in 10 years, both caught about the same time of the year. I noted that the water temperature was 74 degrees. We continued to fish the area then ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished some rocks with the float rigs and when the Mangrove Snapper turned on, all three anglers were pitting their skills against the sneaky fish. But they came out fairly well, putting about a dozen in the boat  before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Catching and Amelia Island Slam

We did an afternoon trip today, taking advantage of the last of an outgoing tide and the first of an incoming tide. Jim Rifkin, his wife Jane, along with their nephews Travon and Mikey, met me down at the City marina and we made our way up to the Jolley River to fish a bank with oysters beginning to show on that outgoing tide. Travon and Mikey were tossing jigs and minnows while Jim positioned himself on the back of the boat with a float rig. Mikey "knocked the skunk off" the boat when he landed a nice feisty Redfish then Jim followed that up with on of his own. We fished
the entire bank then ran further up the river where Travon expertly landed a keeper sized Seatrout. Mikey put a Seatrout in the boat too before we ran around to the MOA where things heated up, somewhat. Mikey landed another feisty Red then Travon put another Seatrout in the boat then Mikey had a strong hookup that took his jig and zipped through the water, heading to the bow, taking Mikey with him, then back to the stern, boy what a fight! But the big fish was having nothing of it and after a good battle, it made sharp turn and, BAP! Fish off! Ouch! We ran back to Tiger Island,
fished it thoroughly, then Mikey put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat to round out the angler's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. We worked down the  island and again, Mikey got his chance at a big fish, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and after a few strong runs deep, he landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish - now that's a nice fish! After putting one more Flounder in the boat we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Redfish Catching Heats Up

We had a beautiful morning today at Amelia Island, and the fishing was great too! I had met Pete Nolan and his friends Eric and Henry down at the City ramp and we headed up the Bell River to fish some flooded oyster beds just as the tide started out. The three anglers were getting bites on live shrimp and mud minnows (the minnows turned out to be the best bait) and picked up a good handful of Seatrout, along with another handful of "baitstealers".  We ran around to the outside of Tiger Island as the current picked
up and again found hungry Seatrout biting. Then, Henry said he had subtle bite, his float disappeared, and FISH ON! He played the big fish patiently as the drag ripped out and after a go od battle, landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. We ran up to Jolley River, fished a large creek runout and picked up some more Trout. Then Eric landed another Redfish before we moved back to the mouth of Jolley, fishing the "bank" with the oysters still covered.  All three anglers began landing Redfish! Eric and Henry combined for double hookups-twice!  Henry put another Slot 18" Red in the boat then it was Pete's turn to hook a big one, and boy was it big! This big fish tried to stay up by the bank but Pete worked him out. Then it ran deep up near the bow then it got back in the current behind the boat. But Pete kept the pressure on, stayed patient, and after a good battle landed a big oversized 28" Redfish. What a battle! Then Pete followed that up with another 22" Slot Red. We ended the trip catching feisty Reds  that measured just under the slot, a great way to end a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish Battles

We had a another nice morning greet us when I met Andrew Malen and his fried Katie down at the Atlantic Seafood dock today. We had postponed the trip until 8am to let the tide get started out and our first stop was at some flooded oysters on the outside of Tiger with the two anglers fishing float rigs and live shrimp. The baitstealers were in force but both Andrew and Katie landed a handful of Seatrout. We ran around to Jolley River and up to a large creek outflow where both anglers again put some Trout in the boat, including a nice 18" keeper sized one. Katie made an excellent cast
to the flooded grass and added a feisty Redfish to the catch. Then Andrew had a strong hookup, his drag ripped, he fought it patiently and, POOF, the fish was gone - it threw the hook! Shortly after that Katie had an even stronger hookup. This big fish took here around the stern and engine then up to the bow and around the trolling motor. Katie expertly worked the fish to the boat and there it was -a BIG Redfish!  But with one last quick turn, POP, the line parted and the fish was gone - the big one that got away!  We continued to fish, picked up a couple of more fish, then as the wind picked up, ran around to and behind Tiger Island and switched to jigs. Andrew caught a couple of Flounder here to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam, then we made one last stop up in Eagans Creek where they caught a good handful of Trout and another keeper sized Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bigger Trout

We had some nice weather this morning, for a change, and it was great to get out on the water with Barry and Matt Shelor to fish the south end of the island. We had some extreme high tides last week and I thought that was past, but as I launched two hours after the high, water was still way up in the grass. But we were set up with float rigs and as we ran north to the Horsehead area we felt comfortable we'd be catching some fish! Our first spot was up a small creek and here the two anglers had a couple of good bites but
no takers. We moved back into a larger creek with both Barry and Matt tossing their floats and live shrimp to the bank and BOOM! Barry's float disappeared with a vengeance, FISH ON! I was thinking "Redfish" the way it was bending the rod but as Barry worked it slowly to the boat we saw that it was a big Seatrout. He played it patiently and soon landed a nice 20" Trout!  Matt got in on the action, landing a Ladyfish then a couple of fat Seatrout, then Barry put another big one in the boat, this one at 18", then Matt put a keeper sized 16" trout in the boat. I had Matt switch to a jig/shrimp combo and he caught a couple of fish on that, too. We ran around to Seymore's Pointe, fished some rocks with little success, then moved around to a dock where we picked a up a few small Mangrove Snapper and a feisty Redfish. Our last stop was down at Broward Island and it was a good last stop! Both Matt and Barry caught a few Seatrout, a couple of Redfish, with one of Matt's being right at Slot Size, then Barry landed a Sheepshead to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.