Fishing the Exposed Oyster Beds

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Dale and Kay Bullard, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning. After a brief safety orientation, we headed up the intercoastal waterway to dip into Jackstaff Creek. The two anglers were tossing jigs and mud minnows to the exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide and had some good, strong bites. Both Kay and Dale had fish at the boat and both were good sized, but they threw the hook. We fished one bank then a sandbar and did "knock the skunk off" with a fat Seatrout. We ran through Horsehead and
over to Bubblegum Reef, fished it thoroughly, but only had a slimy Catfish. We motored north for a 100 yards and began pitching to the oysters and this did the trick. Dale had a strong hookup, played it patiently, and soon landed a keeper sized Sheepshead. And shortly after that he put a feisty Redfish in the boat. Going back to the same cut in the oysters, Dale had another big bite, and a bigger fish. He worked the big fish to the boat and kept he pressure on and soon landed a keeper sized Slot Redfish. We worked that bank then ran down to Broward Island to fish the incoming tide, which is usually the best. But the wind was coming right down alongside the island and kicking up mud along the bank and we had no bites. We made our last stop at Seymore's Pointe and "played chess" with the Mangrove Snapper, catching a good handful to round out an always fun trip fishing with the Bullards here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Trout Leads to Banner Day

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Dennis Brizzi and his buddy Hal today and boy what a beautiful one it was!  I met Dennis and Hal out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and we headed back up the Nassau River to fish the Horsehead area on the very first of an incoming tide.  I think it was the first fish of the day when Dennis had a hookup fishing a jig and live shrimp on the bottom over some old oyster shells and it was a big one! He fought it patiently - I was thinking big Jack Crevalle...or maybe a nice
Redfish...and it turned out to be a big fat Seatrout! Boy what a fish! We fished the area for a while and both Dennis and Hal caught some hard fighting Jack Crevalle's, added a Black "puppy" Drum and a big Catfish then we worked down the oyster bed, still tossing the live shrimp. Hal hooked up and landed two keeper sized Seatrout. There was all kinds of bait moving in as we eased along the oysters then Hal had a good hookup, a good fight and soon landed a Slot sized 20" Redfish. While he was fighting it I saw another blow out of the area. Later we saw two Redfish tails up near the marsh grass but just like yesterday, they wouldn't take our bait. We fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe then worked our way down the rocks and here the fish catching got fast and furious. The two anglers had switched to float rigs and live shrimp and took turns hauling in hard fighting Mangrove Snapper. They caught 'em until time to go! It was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Big Jacks Kick Things Off

We had a real pretty morning today -sunshine and just a slight breeze -that greeted us when I met Tony Pozniak and his buddy Chip down at the Big Talbot Island  Park boat ramp. After a quick safety orientation, we ran north and up the Nassau River to make our first stop at some old oyster banks as the tide was coming in. In just a few casts Tony had a strong hookup and, FISH ON!  This was a hard fighting fish but Tony kept the pressure on and let the rod do all the work. After a good battle he landed a nice Jack Crevalle. And minutes later at the stern Chip had a strong hook up and
another big FISH ON!  He too worked the fish patiently and after some good strong runs, he landed another of the big Jacks. We worked down the bank and the duo picked up a keeper sized Seathrout and found a hungry Black "puppy" Drum. We saw a number of Bonnethead Shark and came across two Redfish tailing up near the oysters but they wouldn't eat what we were tossing. We fished some dock pilings at Seymore's Pointe and landed a feisty Redfish before finding some rocks to fish and here the action got fast and furious. The two anglers played cat and mouse with some hungry Snapper and the anglers came out on top, putting nine keeper sized Snapper in the boat in addition to a number of smaller ones. We fished the mouth of Jackstaff as the day ended and although the conditions were perfect, the fish had stopped biting, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Variety Increases as The Water Warms

We fished three boats today with the Scott Jones group, meeting down at the City marina early with plans to fish the last couple of hours of the incoming tide. I had associates Dod and Larkin on my boat and we headed south down the intercoastal to fish the Horsehead area. Dod was slinging a fly and Larkin was using live shrimp under a float rig when we made our first stop at Twin Creeks. After one strong hookup and "quick release", Larkin hooked up again and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Dod was
making pinpoint casts, and some fairly long ones too, but he had no takers. We jumped over to Seymore's Pointe and here the action heated up.  Larkin landed one after the other Mangrove Snapper with a good handful being of keeper size. We found that Dod could put his fly right next to the live shrimp and the Snapper would eat the shrimp but not the fly. I think we went through 5 different flies and still had not takers, even though they would hit a shrimp each time. Darn it. We ran down to Christopher Creek, fished it thoroughly with no takers, then ran back and through Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Larkin landed a big Bluefish, tangles with a Lady fish, landed a hungry Seatarout and a small Flounder before we ran back to the docks of Seymore's Pointe to wrap up with a small but hard fighting juvenile Grouper. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Gettin The Boys Out Fishing

I fished with the Kenner family today, Kari and Shannon and their two young sons Mclain and Hudson, meeting them this morning down at the Atlantic Seafood dock with plans to fish the last of an incoming tide. Kari and Shannon are owners of the local business Waxhead Sun Defense products.  We ran north and made our first stop outside of Tiger Island and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp. Kari "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a high flying Ladyfish, the "poor man's Tarpon". We made our next stop further around Tiger and here both Mclain and Hudson got in on the action,
expertly reeling in a couple of hungry Seatrout. We fished the area thoroughly then ran through Tiger Basin and over to Bell River to set up alongside a grassy point with the tide still coming in. The anglers had some good bites here and picked up another Trout or two. Our next stop was over in Lanceford Creek and now that the tide had started out I was expecting some fish to bite for sure, and a few did! After getting a couple of smaller, hungry Trout and a couple of Pinfish, we had  a strong bite, strong enough to cause the drag to rip, and FISH ON! Mclain and Hudson teamed up on this one with Mac holding the rod while did the reeling. After a good battle they landed a nice keeper sized 18" Seatrout. We fished some oyster beds on the way back to the marina and had a big hookup, some drag that ripped, the big fish ran,  and a breakoff, OUCH! Kari wrapped it up when she landed a nice Black "puppy" Drum. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island waters.

We Squeezed in a Trip

After looking at the weather forecast last night we decided to move up a fishing trip today, going 30 minutes earlier and getting in some fishing before the rain storms came through. I met Robert Elarbee and his brother down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a run up the Nassau River in a slight amount of fog to fish some flooded marsh grass on the last of an incoming tide with live shrimp and float rigs. I think our first cast produced a nice 20" Seatrout! We fished the area pretty good and picked up another Trout, a nice Redfish, some Jack Crevalle's and a couple of Ladyfish. We then
worked the bank and Robert hooked up and landed a Big 22" Seatrout (putting him tied for first in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournement-Seatrout Category) Scroll down the right side of this report for standings. They then landed a fat 25" Slot Redfish before we headed over to Seymore's Pointe where we got into a mess of Mangrove Snapper, some of which were of keeper size. Our next stop was over in Jackstaff and here they had some good bites before Robert hauled in one more Slot Redfish. It was a good day of fishing with a good variety of keeper sized fish caught here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Picked Up a Few Reds

I fished this morning with Tandy Morton and his buddy Tommy, meeting them out at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin and then heading south and into Jackstaff to fish a large marsh runout on the first of an outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp. The two anglers had a small bite here and there but no takers so we eased along the marsh grass, pitching as we went. Tandy said he saw a big wake, tossed his bait and had a really strong hookup, FISH ON! And just seconds later, Tommy had a hookup, too. Then Tommy's came off, but he quickly  baited while Tandy was fighting his fish and went back to the marsh grass and had another hookup! We had a double. Tandy patiently landed his fish, a nice 25" Redfish then Tommy put his in the boat, another Slot sized 20" Red. We finished that bank, fished another, found a big Stingray and a Bonnethead Shark, then ran through Horsehead and to Seymore's Pointe. I wanted to see if the Mangrove Snapper were still here, and sure enough, they were. The two anglers landed a handful of them, but they're still only about 8-9" long, too little to keep. We fished some docks after that, had no real bites, then crossed and eased along and old oyster bed. Tommy got hot when he put a keeper sized Trout in the boat, a big Jack Crevalle, and a big Ladyfish. Tandy got in on the action when he went to a float rig and caught one more Slot Redfish. After picking up a small Black "puppy" Drum, some bad weather moved in so we ran north and counted it a another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Another Banner Day of Fishing

After a long month of having to work for our fish, we've finally had some pretty good fishing days lately. I fished with Ryan and Jack Garner along with their friend Tom, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. We made a run through Horsehead and set up to fish the mouth of Jackstaff. Ryan had a topwater lure, Jack had a jig and shrimp and Tom took the stern with a float rig and shrimp. We fished a good stretch of bank but it was Tom who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up
and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. All three anglers switched to jigs when fished a point of grass and Tom hooked up with a hard fighting fish, then Ryan did too, we had a double! Both played their fish patiently and eventually landed some nice Jack Crevalles. Before we left Tom landed a keeper sized Seatrout. We made our next stop over at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and here the fish catching really heated up. The trio put a good handful of Mangrove Snapper in the boat, Ryan added a Sheepshead, Tom got a feisty Redfish (making it a Grande Slam of Flounder, Trout, Sheepshead,
and Redfish) then Jack had a super strong bite, and FISH ON!  This was a big fish and took him from bow to stern and from starboard to port and back to the bow, and around again. It was a hard fighting fish but Jack kept the pressure on. After a good fight he landed a huge Jack Crevalle, one of the biggest landed on the Anglers Mark to date. We worked a few docks and picked up another Redfish or two, with one of them being of keeper size, then we crossed over to fish Bubblegum Reef. We had no real bites there but as we worked  down an old oyster bed Tom hooked up and landed another Slot Redfish. Then it was Ryan's turn at a big fish and we knew right off it was a big Red when it boiled up near shore. Ryan was real patient with the fish and let the rod do all the work and after a good battle, landed a "tourney sized" 26.75" Redfish, boy what a fish! We hit a couple of more shell outcrops, picked up another Redfish and a handful of Ladyfish, then wrapped the day up with a long battle with a 4' Bonnethead Shark. Now that's the way to end a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Fast Start, Good Variety, and a Slam

Charles Land and his friend Mike drove down late last night for an early morning fishing trip and we all were greeted with a beautiful day to wind down and get some fishing in here at Amelia Island. I met them at the City dock and we headed over to Eagans Creek to fish the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before Mike "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. The two anglers had some good bites for a good while, landing another Trout or two then Charles had a strange bite up near some oysters. This was a nice fish and
Charles kept the pressure on, working it patiently to the boat - and landed a keeper sized 18.25" Flounder, a big enough fish to move him into first place in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  Mike had an even bigger bite up under some pilings but there was no stopping this fish - it went through the pilings and broke itself off - it didn't get big by being stupid! We worked an oyster lined bank and Mike picked up another keeper sized Trout then he found a keeper sized Flounder of his own.  Our next stop was over at Tiger Island and within minutes of fishing Mike found a feisty 3-spot Redfish to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam and they also reeled in a small Black "puppy" Drum to make it a "grande" Slam! Our final stop was up at Jolley River and here they tangled with some large Ladyfish, the poor man's Tarpon. Charles put one more Trout in the boat then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Going South For Big Fish

We switched it up today, fishing out of Goffinsville Park out in Nassauville. I met local resident Jeff Shiver early and we made our first stop down at Broward Island with plans to fish the downed logs with jigs and live shrimp. We worked the area thoroughly for about an hour but had no real bites, even though the conditions were right and it was a beautiful morning.  Our next stop was back at Horsehead, fishing some exposed old oysters and structure and this did the trick. Jeff started it off by hooking up and landing a
large Jack Crevalle - fun to catch - but not necessarily good to eat - unless you were on a deserted island! Shortly after that we had a strong bite and after a good battle, landed a thick 26" Slot Sized Redfish. And minutes later Jeff had another strong bite - he played it patiently and let the rod do all the work - and slowly worked in a big 21.5" Sheepshead, a fish that puts Jeff in a commanding lead in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament - Sheepshead category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  Then he hooked up and played an even bigger Redfish, this one measuring in at 26.5", a "Tournament Red"!  We continued to fish the oyster bed and picked up a couple of more small but feisty Redfish then we moved over to fish some docks. The bite was almost immediate. Jeff reeled in some keeper sized Mangrove Snapper (the first of the year) and we also landed a 16" keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.  After putting a good handful of the Snapper in, we moved over to another dock and BOOM! Another fish bite. Jeff put two more keeper sized Redfish and a couple of Snapper. Our last stop was fishing some rocks at Seymore's Pointe and again, Mangrove Snapper. It was a great day, almost a ":banner day", to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fishing With The Dogs

We had another beautiful day today when I met Rick Cardinal and his son Zach down at the City marina. They brought along their two dogs for the ride and boy were they well behaved! We ran up to Tiger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp and just like yesterday, first cast, BOOM, Fish on! Zach patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout! We fished the island up and down and the two anglers added a couple of Black "puppy" Drum then Rick had a strong bite that ripped his drag. He worked the feisty fish away from the logs
and soon landed a 9 spot Red Drum. They picked up another Trout or two then we ran around to fish Jolley River and the "bank", easing along the still exposed oyster beds, still tossing the jigs and shrimp Although both anglers were making excellent casts, we had no real bites so we continued on around to the Bell River to fish some docks. Tossing along side a floating dock we had a strange bite -Zach fought it patiently as it tried to go under the boat -and kept the pressure on, letting the rod to the work. After a good battle, he landed a big Stingray - not great to eat but fun to catch! We
worked up the dock and with Rick fishing out of the bow, Zach took the stern and that turned out to be the best choice. He found his own "honey hole" and began to hookup Trout on the bottom. A couple of them were of keeper size and a few were toss backs. The dogs were having a good time checking all of the fish out, and even the bait, but we called it a day - another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Work'n On A Slam

We couldn't have had a better morning -weather-wise, than today. Mild temperatures, slight breeze, and just a few clouds greeted me as I met Brad Phipps, his son-in-law Sam, and Sam's dad Steve down at the City marina. We made a run up to Tiger Island and I think it was Sam's first or second cast with a jig and live shrimp when he hooked up with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum.  And we thought "OK, here we go!"  It wasn't a wild bite that followed but the anglers did get some good nibbles. Sam added another Puppy
Drum then we made a run up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", this time tossing float rigs from the bow while Brad unlimbered a fly rod at the stern. Brad started with a black sinking "fiddler" imitation then switched to a brown "gurgler", but had no takers - but the live shrimp didn't either! We ran further up into Jolley and eventually into Snook Creek, and again had bites then Brad had a strange bite and sure enough, after patiently playing it to the boat, he landed a keeper sized Flounder . We continued on around to Bell River and here Sam made it a Slam when he landed
a hungry Seatrout. Brad made an excellent cast with his jig and shrimp combo up under a dock and he said he felt the fish follow the bait out, bite and he had a hookup. This turned out to be and even bigger Flounder. Our final stop was around at the mouth of Bell River and both Steve and Sam landed some nice Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe Of The Month: Kathy's Boiled Shrimp

I grew up in Fernandina Beach which is also known as "the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry" and I've eaten a whole bunch of boiled shrimp, cooked by myself and others. But the best boiled shrimp I've ever had is cooked by my sister Kathy and I finally got her recipe and here it is!

3lbs fresh, cleaned, deveined WILD CAUGHT shrimp
Two bottles or cans of beer
About 1/2 cup of ketchup
1tsp or so of salt
2 bay leaves
Water

Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water, add all ingredients except shrimp. When the water starts to boil, add shrimp. Cook about two minutes, test a shrimp - if not translucent anymore, maybe cook one more minute. Don't overcook!  Drain shrimp into colander. Chill until ready to eat.  Enjoy!

Jack Attack

Even though the weather forecast called for high winds today, it also called for sunny skies and mild temperatures so, we went fishing!  I met the Stein group, Zach and Emily, along with Joe and Ellina, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp for an early morning run up the Amelia River with plans to dip into a small creek and fish float rigs and live shrimp on an outgoing tide. The wind was already over 10mph and rising, but these anglers were game and were slinging their rigs into the wind. We had one good bite at the
first stop before we crossed over he creek and eased along the shoreline. Zach had made a good cast up near the grass line when his float disappeared and, FISH ON!  This was a hard fighting fish and ripped some drag out, then it took Zach from the stern to the bow and around the trolling motor. But Zach kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice Jack Crevalle. Boy that was a fight! We ran through Horsehead and over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The ladies stayed with the float rigs while Zach and Joe took the stern and tossed jigs. Again, Zach hooked up, had a crazy battle, and landed another Jack. After he put one more of these hard

fighting fish in the boat, we began to work down the dock line. Ellina had a good bite and she too did the cirle around the boat, fighting a big fish. She played the fish perfectly and landed another big Jack Crevalle.  Zach went back to the float rig and worked the grass line while the others tossed jigs. He lost a couple of shrimp to nibblers then when his float went under again he was ready and firmly lifted his rod tip, and FISH ON!  This was a nice fish but wasn't making the runs like the Jacks. Zach worked the fish in patiently and landed a nice Slot sized 22" Redfish. Now that's a nice
(edible) fish! We thought we might fish on the other side of Seymore's  but the wind was really blowing. But we stayed long enough for Joe to get one cast up near the rocks and even as we were getting ready to leave he hooked up with a float rig and had his rod bend double. Joe kept the pressure on and slowly worked the fish in and eventually landed a nice feisty Redfish. We left that area right after that and went back to the other side of Seymore's and here Emily put the biggest fish of the day in the boat. It was another hard running, drag ripping fish and had no plans to be caught but Emily had it's number. Even though it wrapped itself around a piling, she kept the pressure on and after we got the rod handed around the piling she worked it out into deeper water and landed another big Jack,  now that was a battle! With that, we called it a day, another great (albeit windy) one to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

Monstrous Battle Nets Big Bonnethead

I fished today with the Pro Link group and I had Maria, Amiad, Luann and Bill on my boat. We had a pretty stiff wind blowing out of the south west so we made our first run over to Lanceford Creek with plans to fish some dock pilings. All four anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and we had some good luck there. Luann knocked the skunk off when she landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout (all fish were released today) then Amiad followed that up with a hungry Seatrout. We skipped down a dock and Amiad put a hard fighting Hammerhead Shark in the boat - only a few have been
caught on the Anlger's Mark. We made the long run down to Bell River and fished some more docks. All the anglers were getting nibbles then Amiad had a strong bite on the outside of a dock and FISH ON! He patiently worked the fish to the boat and we landed a nice 20" Seatrout. Our next and final stop was over in the Jolley River and here things really heated up. After all had a few nibbles, Maria had a strong hookup and her line went ZIP, ZIP, ZIP...a big fish on. She fought the fish hard, worked it to the boat and after a long battle that took her from bow to stern and from port to starboard...and back again, she finally got it boat side and we saw that it was a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark. But it was not to be. The shark made one final charge and snapped the line, OUCH! We got the lines back in the water and on Luann's first cast, FISH ON! Her line too zipped out and her rod bent double, another Shark. Luann put up a valiant fight and worked and worked and go the fish near enough to the boat for me to grab it and we all gave a cheer, fish landed!  After a nice group pic we released the Bonnethead to be caught another day. With that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Got a Slam

I was back in the saddle today after a long Shrimp Festival weekend and had the pleasure of fishing with Jeff and Lori Anderson who I met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp on the first of an outgoing tide. We made the run up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff to fish some still exposed oysters with mud minnows. Jeff was on the bow tossing a jig and Lori took the stern using a float rig. We eased along the bank and I think it was the first marsh runout when Jeff had a subtle bite - he tightened his line, waited,
and set the hook - FISH ON! I guessed what it was and after Jeff patiently played it to the boat my guess was confirmed, a nice keeper sized Flounder. And skunk off the boat! We fished one stretch, jumped over and fished a grassy point and after a few casts Jeff had another hookup, this one a fat keeper sized Seatrout. We made the run through Horsehead, set up current from a dock and began to toss jigs back to the pilings. Again, Jeff had the lucky rod and he hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish to round out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Lori was making excellent casts and getting a bite here and there but It just was not meant to be her day in the "fish catching" category. We fished Bubblegum Reef, Broward Island and another spot or two - had some good bites, but no takers, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Great Fishing to Wrap The Week Up

We've had great fishing weather all the week and for the most part, the fish have cooperated!  Reggie Mason had lined up an early morning trip today so he sent his daughter Khaliah, her boyfriend Jake, and their friends Herbert and Robert to fish the back waters of Amelia Island on the Angler's Mark. We launched out of the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp and headed over to Tiger Island to fish the very first of an incoming tide. Herbert started things off by landing a nice keeper sized Seatrout then all the anglers joined in. Both Jake and Khaliah landed some feisty Black "puppy" Drum then Jake had
a strong hookup, a good battle, and after expertly playing the fish, landed a nice 19" Slot sized Redfish! We fished the island up and down, picked up another smaller but feisty Trout, then made the run over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings.  Jake and Robert stayed with the jig and shrimp combo while Khaliah and Herbert fished deep slip floats drifted by some docks. Both had bites from time to time then Khaliah hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  Fishing the dock pilings with jigs produced another
strong hookup - this time Robert was on the rod and he worked in another Slot Sized Redfish. We eased down the docks with the tide and when Khaliah's float drifted by the end of one and went down, she lifted her rod, set the hook and FISH ON! This was a big fish and it was ripping drag!  But it was no match for Khaliah and she applied the pressure, keeping her rod tip up and slowly working the fish in. After a good battle she brought to the boat and landed a fat
20" Seatrout, man what a fish! We worked further down and Jake's rod heated up when he landed a couple of smaller but hungry Seatrout. Our last stop was over at the Jolley River and even though I thought the bite would be better, Khaliah did wrap things up by catching one more Trout with minutes to spare, making it another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Big Trout Tops Slot Red

We had another beautiful morning to greet us today when I met Matt Kloepfer, his fiancé Kaleena, and his parents Allen and Jane down at the Atlantic Seafood dock to do a half day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. On a tip from Capt. Jim Johnson owner of Amelia Island Bait and Tackle, we made the run over to Eagans Creek and fished some dock pilings deep - I had two anglers drifting slip floats with live shrimp and two anglers tossing jigs and shrimp to the bottom. It didn't take long before we started getting
bites. Both Kaleena and Jane had hookups but the fish threw the hooks then Allen had a strong bite, and FISH ON! He fought it for a while before teaming up with Jane and they both worked it to the boat - a shark! After Matt put a Toad Fish in the boat he had another strong bite and again, FISH ON! Matt played the fish perfectly and patiently and soon landed a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish. Now we're fishing! We had a few more good bites as we bounced up and down the docks then Kaleena hooked up. This was a big fish! Her drag was ripping and the line was shaking and we all
felt comfortable it was a big Trout. She worked it slowly to the boat and sure enough, once landed, the big Trout measured to 22" putting Kaleena tied for first place in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament -Trout category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish! We continued to fish the area and picked up a few more smaller Trout, then we ran around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", picking up more Trout here and there. Matt added another keeper Trout while Allen slowly built a commanding lead in the "quantity" of fish caught, as he continued to work the jig. We made our final stop over at the outside of Tiger and again found a fish or two, all Trout. With that, we wrapped it up and called it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two Casts Two Fish

I had the pleasure of fishing with Rod Chin and his daughter Amelia (who happens to have an island named after her) this morning and a fine one it was. We had just a slight breeze that kept the sand gnats off and nothing but sunshine to fish all morning with. We made our first stop at Tiger Island and then  baited up with live shrimp on jigs. The first cast produced  a nice, keeper sized Sheepshead, which Rod and Amelia teamed up to bring in.  Then on the second cast, Rod hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Now that's the way to start a fishing trip out. We fished
the area thoroughly, had a few good bites, but no takers, then we ran up to Jolley River to fish the "bank" with live shrimp under floats on the incoming tide.  It was perfect conditions but kinda slow until we got ready to leave then the duo landed another Trout. Our next stop was back to the outside of Tiger and again, we caught a Trout or two, and also had a visit from the FWC checking licenses! Our final stop was around at Bell River and here Amelia reeled in a Seatrout of her own, all by her self! It was a beautiful day and another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Trip

I fished another group trip, this time with just three boats running, and I had three anglers who met me down at the City marina. We ran north and into Tiger Basin to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. We had fished just a short while when Bill hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Shortly after that Colin put a Trout in the  boat, too. The tide got up so we moved around to the outside of Tiger and switched to float rigs and had a real good flurry of Trout catching, with one more of them
being of keeper size. Kim got in on the action and landed a nice Trout of her own. We hit another flooded marsh bank outside of Tiger, had no real bites, then ran thru Tiger over to Bell River fished a point of grass, and here Kim hooked up and landed the biggest Trout of the day. We had another Trout or two or three then ran over to Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded grass islands. The trio of anglers wrapped the day up by landing another couple of Trout, with one more being in the keeper sized range.

Not One But Two Snook at Amelia Island!

If I told you that the only two fish that came in the boat today here at Amelia Island were Snook would you believe me? Well believe me, because that's what we had today! I had the pleasure of fishing with Doug Mackle and his son Doug, and Doug jr's two daughters "Orange Sunglasses and Blue Shirt". We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp with an absolutely beautiful morning to greet us. Our first run was up the Nassau River to fish some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide. We had just a few nibble but no takers so we ran through Horsehead to fish the mouth of Jackstaff. Here
we had some really good bites and at least two strong "takes" - enough to have the drag sing, but both broke off during the battle. No telling what they were but my gut tells me they had some sharp teeth - maybe Jack Crevalle's, or small shark, or feisty Blue fish. We hit a couple of area's around Jackstaff then made the run down to Christopher Creek. Here, the angler's patience paid off. Doug had a nice bite, a hookup, and a good fight but he soon landed a .....Snook!  This was the third Snook I've had on the Anglers Mark since I've been guiding. We fished up and down the bank, came back to the original spot and, BOOM! Doug had another good bite and...another Snook!  Number 2 for the day and number 4 for the boat.  You just never can tell what you're going to catch here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Come Alive Part Two

I fished again this afternoon, this time running a trip as part of a group of 5 boats taking 16 people fishing. In my group I had Nick, his two kids Austin and Annabelle and his brother Michael, a very able crew! We headed up to Tiger Island with plans to fish the outside but there were a lot of boats out this afternoon so we eased inside and set up to fish the downed logs with jigs and shrimp on a falling tide.We didn't get any Redfish bites up close but the anglers picked up some nice Trout out deeper. Both Austin and Annabelle reeled in some fish. We fished the area for a good while then ran out and around and up to the Jolley River to fish some exposed oyster bars. The area looked good but we had no bites so we slipped around to fish the MOA, but again no real bites. Kinda slow right? Our next stop was back at Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings and this did the trick! I believe it was Nicks first cast and BOOM! FISH ON! He and Annabelle worked the fish in patiently and soon landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. From then on the anglers were catching fish down on the bottom with jigs and shrimp. They got enough for a meal then began to throw even keeper sized fish back. Austin added a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum to the catch total before we headed in, counting it as another great afternoon to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Trout Come Alive Part One

I fished with Tim Ayers again today, along with his son Andrew and his dad Stan, so a three generation fishing trip! We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and headed north and up to the outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooding oyster beds with live shrimp under floats. Tim "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice keeper sized Trout, then both Andrew and Stan landed one each, too. We fished that area for a while, had  few bites, but no takers then crossed over to fish another area, and had no real luck.
We ran through Tiger and around to Bell River and again set up to fish the edge of some flooding marsh grass, and again, no real bites. Our next stop was over in Lanceford Creek and this did the trick. Tim made a long cast to the other side of small grass island and had a strong bite and, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice big Seatrout. From then on it was a fish catching time.  Both Stan and Andrew landed big Trout and all three landed smaller Trout, then they added a few more big ones (to 18").  Andrew had a weired bite and after a good battle, landed a Bonnethead Shark. We had a good stretch of Trout catching there for a while and it was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.