Slowly Building a Mess of Fish

I had a three generation group of anglers today - Steve Buckley, his son-in-law Dave, and his grandson David. I met them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park at 10:30am with plans to fish the first of an outgoing tide. We made our first run over to the outside of Tiger Island (it's been good to me this week!) and set up within casting distance of some sparse marsh grass. The three anglers were tossing float rigs and mud minnows - no live shrimp today - and they were making excellent casts to the edge. it took a while but then Steve
had his float disappear with a vengeance and, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish. We fished the area thoroughly then crossed over to fish another flooded grass line, trolling along the edge and tossing our floats. Although the conditions were right with the water coming out of the marsh, we had no real bites. We picked up and ran up to the Jolley Rive and worked another shoreline. The anglers had a bite here and there but not takers. I switched young David to a jig and shrimp and he promptly picked up a nice Whiting to add to the box. We then ran further up the river to "Snook Creek" and within minutes Steve was putting another Slot Red in the boat, this one a nice 23" fish. He later tangled with a large Gar Fish that we got to the boat and broke off intentionally. We worked up the bank, tossing float rigs and then it was David's turn to tangle with a Slot Red. His float went under and he laid a gentle hookset on and, BOOM! FISH ON! The big fish was ripping drag but David was up to the task - he worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish. And shortly after that we had another hookup, an even bigger fish, but this one must have been slightly hooked because it threw the hook just into the battle. We made one last stop back at Tiger Island, picked up a small Redfish and a keeper sized Trout, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two Slots In A Row

I don't know who dialed up this beautiful weather but please keep it coming! I fished with Greg Bancroft today and the weather forecast predicted "calm" for the first few hours, and they were right! We left the north end boat ramp and headed over to Bell River to fish an oyster outcrop. Greg started with a fly rod and was making excellent casts to the spots that I suggested, but we just couldn't buy a bite. We switched to live shrimp under a float and picked up a small Trout and a keeper sized Flounder, then another small Trout. We ran through the marsh and over to the outside of Tiger and
fished the very last of an incoming tide - in fact it had come to a standstill. Just as it started out Greg's float disappeared and, FISH ON! It was a big fish and his drag was ripping. Greg kept the pressure on, played it patiently, and eventually landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish. Boy what a fish. After pictures, Greg went back to the same spot, got a good drift with his float, and BOOM! Another big fish on! He worked it expertly and after a good battle landed a bigger 25" Slot Red. He picked up a few more Reds, one more just in the Slot, then we eased over to another flooded marsh line. Although the conditions were perfect with the water come out of the grass, we had not bites. We then ran back through the marsh and over to the mouth of Lanceford Creek and fished a grass patch where we picked up one keeper sized Flounder. Our last stop was at some dock pilings up Lanceford and although we had one good bite that broke my leader off, our fish catching was over and we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Oversized Redfish Followed By a Tourney Red

The water was like glass today and even though we had almost no breeze, the bugs really didn't become a factor, thankfully! I met David Traul and his son Andrew at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and boat ramp and we made a short run over to the entrance of Bell River to fish some flooded oysters. Although the bite wasn't automatic, David picked up a keeper sized Seatrout, then Andrew hauled in an even bigger one. Then David had a weird bite that "bobbed" his float a few times and then he set the hook gently and
reeled in a hungry Flounder! We ran around to the outside of Tiger and fished some flooded marsh grass on a tide that was beginning to rip out. David hit the outside of some sparse grass and BOOM! BIG FISH ON!  This fish was ripping drag and had no intentions of being landed, but David kept the pressure on, handed the rod off to Andrew who worked it in a while, then they switched off again and wore out the beast. After a good battle the anglers landed a nice oversized Red Drum that measured in at 28.5". This fish put David squarely in 2nd placed in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings) We got some good pictures and released it to swim off. Boy what a fish! David went
back to the same area and within a minutes, BOOM! Another big fish on! He fought this fish patiently and young Andrew helped his dad by netting another big Red, this one "tourney sized" at 26.5". It was getting so shallow that the skeg of the engine was scraping bottom so we eased out of the area and bounced over to another shore line to fish the floats. After getting no bites, we picked up and ran over to Eagans Creek, fished some dock pilings and fished with both float rigs and jigs. Andrew was working a slip float on the outside of a dock and after picking up a couple of smaller Trout he hooked up a with a big one. He patiently worked the fish to the boat and landed the biggest Trout of the day, an nice 18" fish. David picked up another Slot Redfish, a smaller Red then a big 20" Black "puppy" Drum to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of  Seatrout, Red Drum, Flounder and Black Drum. After hitting one more spot where Andrew kept the  hot hand catching a couple of more Trout, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Buggy Slow Start Leads to Big Fish

We had a nice morning today, albeit somewhat "buggy" with the sand gnats present. I met Andy and Gracie Wakeford along with their kids Victoria and Christian up at the north end boat ramp and we made run over and up Eagans Creek with plans to fish the flooded marsh grass on the very first of an outgoing tide. All four anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats and making excellent casts but we had absolutely zero takers. However, the gnats were having a field day at our expense. But these anglers were game and at our next stop at some docks pilings we began to get some fish.
Christian started off when he hooked up with a  nice fish that was ripping some drag. After playing the fish expertly, he landed a nice 19" Slot sized Redfish. Victoria picked up hungry Trout, Gracie added one, too. Then Andy hooked up. This fish was big too and wanted to get back in the pilings but Andy hauled him out and worked him to the boat, another 19" Slot Red. We continued to fish, picked up a keeper sized Trout, then it was Victoria's turn at a big Red. She fought it valiantly and after a good battle landed the biggest one of the morning, a nice 21" Redfish. When the bite slowed we made the long run around to the Jolley River and began fishing a deep bend with slip floats and live shrimp. By this time the breeze had picked up and blown the gnats away. Although the bite was slow, the ones we caught were big! Andy had his float disappear and after patiently working it to the boat, he landed a nice 21" Seatrout. And after moving to another dock, Victoria copied him - hers was just a tad over 20"- both nice Trout. We made one more stop back a Tiger Island where Christian got hot catching feisty Black "puppy" Drum and Gracie wrapped thing up when she landed a keeper sized Seatrout using a jig and shrimp fished slowly on the bottom. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Trout Beginning To Bite

We did a double boat group this morning - myself and Capt. Brian Soucy- with each of taking four guests out to the back waters of Amelia Island. I had Duane and Kim Drape and their kids Madeline and Jackson and we made our first run down the Amelia River with plans to fish some dock pilings on an outgoing tide using the traditional "slip float" Trout rig. We arrived after a cool run and began to drift our live shrimp off the stern of the Anglers Mark. It only took a few passes before the anglers began to have hookups-
Jackson put the first one in the boat then all four were catching fish. A good handful were of keeper size. When the bite slowed we switched to jig and shrimp and began to catch fish again. Jackson had a strong hookup and this one was really bending the rod. He valiantly fought it and eventually landed a nice 21" Seatrout, a fish that puts him squarely in first place in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament - Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report to see standings).  Kim put a couple of nice fish in the boat, Duane had Trout and then a really nice Sheepshead and a Whiting and Madeline, who was baiting her own hooks and making excellent casts, persevered and put a not-so-common Weakfish in the boat. As always, the fish quit biting so we made a run up to the Jolley River and fished some exposed oysters but the west wind was making things difficult so we dropped back to Tiger Island to wrap the day up. Kim came alive with a Bluefish and Trout catch then Duane wrapped things up with a the first and only Redfish catch of the day. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Spring Fishing

Although the mornings are still cool, it's warming up nicely as the day progresses. Today I met Jeff Dees up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and we made a quick run over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings with another outgoing tide. Jeff quickly landed a hungry Seatrout then I picked one up out deep. Then Jeff had a strong hookup and BAP! The leader broke. Darn it! But he went back to the same spot and within minutes had another good bite and FISH ON! Jeff expertly worked the fish away from the pilings and after a good battle landed a nice 20" Black "puppy" Drum. Now
that will wake you up! He went back to the same spot and BOOM! Another nice fish on. Another good battle and another 20" Drum in the boat. We picked up a couple of small Trout, then a keeper sized one then moved around to the other side of the dock and immediately picked up a feisty Redfish - there's the Slam! After catching a couple of more Trout we ran around to Bell River and fished some structure. We quickly picked up a small Sheepshead (Grande Slam) and a few Trout on the jigs we had been tossing all morning. But we experimented with a Trout Slip Float rig and got some live shrimp drifting near the bottom and Jeff began to pick up a Trout on almost every pass. And he began to put keeper after keeper in the boat. He reached his limit with the biggest being at 18" and we threw back a good handful of keeper sized fish after that. There was a Bluefish caught somewhere in that stretch.  We made one last stop over at Tiger Island, caught another feisty Redfish, then boom, boom, boom - three small but hard fighting Black Drum to finish off another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

First Cast Redfish Leads To Slam

It was another outstandingly beautiful day today! I met Jean and Mike Ryan-Fry up at the north end boat ramp and we made the short run around to Eagans Creek with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp - hitting the dock pilings. I did a couple of demo casts then handed the first rod over to Jean and BOOM! Fish ON! She worked it patiently to the boat and after a good fight, landed a nice 19.5" Slot Redfish! Now that's the way to start a fishing trip. Mike was tossing out into deeper water and
found a "honey hole" of hungry Seatrout. After wading through a good handful of them, he landed  nice keeper sized one. When the tide hit bottom the bite stopped so we made the run around to Tiger Island and began to fish the logs. It took until the tide started back in but then the fish began to bite. We picked up a couple of more Redfish and again, Mike found the Trout and had a good flurry of catches. After working the bank up and down we were just about to wrap things up when Jean had a strange bite. It didn't put up much of  fight until it got to the boat but by then it was too late - we netted a 16" keeper sized Flounder to round out he duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. After that we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Black Drum Are Here

Boy, what a pretty couple of days we've had since that Nor'easter blew thru. Today was really nice, with sunny skies, mild temperatures, and just slight breeze. I met Patrick Verner and his friend Paula down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at Noon and we headed up the Bell River with plans to fish a flooded oyster bar. But I miscalculated and the bar wasn't flooded, so we kept on going and around to Tiger Island and even though I don't like to fish it on a high tide, we made a stop and began tossing jigs and live shrimp. Wouldn't you know it, first cast, BOOM! Fish On!  It was a hungry Seatrout and it wasn't the first. Patrick began making excellent casts and we found that the Trout were hitting out deep in 25-35 foot of water. We caught a few good handfuls with a number of them of keeper size. At one time both anglers caught and landed keeper sized Trout. Paula landed a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum and later we found couple of feisty Redfish. When the bite finally slowed we made a tour of Cumberland Island to see some wild horses, crossed over to historic Fort Clinch, and cruised by Old Town on the way to our next fishing spot. We fished the mouth of Bell for just a while but the wind had picked up so went further into the back water and found some docks to fish. We caught another keeper sized Trout then Patrick put his bait right up into some pilings and had a strong hookup. This was a big fish. He worked it out of the pilings then kept the pressure on and eventually landed a nice 20" Black Drum. He went back to the same spot and a few cast later hooked up and landed an even bigger one. Not that's the way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Two Slams Make A Grande Slam

Or, Big Sheepshead Tops the Board.  We could give this report a number of titles. It was my first day back since the big Nor'easter blew thru, canceling four of my trips due to high winds. But today was beautiful, and only a tad bit cold. I met Bill Pepe and his son Dylan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made the run up the Nassau River with plans to fish some docks on the very first of an incoming tide.  Both anglers were making excellent casts to the pilings and it wasn't long before Bill had a subtle bite
and a hookup. He worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish. We worked the docks and both Bill and Dylan added a Redfish then we begin to bounce up and down the docks. Again, Bill had a subtle bite and as he tightened the line this one put up a fight, FISH ON! Bill applied the pressure to get him away from the pilings and after a good battle landed a big 19.25" Sheepshead, the biggest on the Anglers Mark this year (see Bragging Rights standings by scrolling down the right side of this report).  All fish were released today. We hit another dock, had a
good bite, but this fish was smart and made quick dash around the pilings threw the hook. Our next stop was down at Broward Island as the tide was coming in and worked some downed logs. We had no real bites so we began to slowly work up current and this did the trick. Bill found some Seatrout out deep and about half of them were of keeper size, and then some. This rounded out Bill's own Amelia Island Back Country Slam of a Redfish, Sheepshead and Seatrout. Dylan was  not to be outdone. He picked  up some nice Trout, too ( a couple of these were in the 17-18" range) then as we were preparing to leave, he had  "bump" on his bait and after waiting patiently, Dylan set the hook. It was a weird bite and a weird fight a sure enough, the fish turned out to be a nice keeper sized Flounder. Dylan had his Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder. Together the two anglers could claim a "Grande Slam". We made one more run over to and through Horsehead where we worked a now flooded marsh line. After adding one small Trout Bill hooked up.
He slowly worked the fish to the boat and just as we were about to net a big Flounder it threw the hook! OUCH! But we'd put a good handful of fish in the boat today and it was beautiful one at that so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Kind Of Day

I wrapped last week up fishing with Mark Dennis, his brother David, and his nephew Jim. We met up at the north end boat ramp early Friday morning and ran over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under float rigs. David got thing started off when he caught a couple of hungry Seatrout. We then ran up to the Jolley River and fished a large creek outflow, had no luck, then eased into the creek and switched to jigs and shrimp on the bottom. But again, no real bites. After a short run around to Bell River and some docks we found some more Trout. Both David and Jim were fishing up current and they found Trout down on the bottom at around 15' deep. They were "almost legal" but then Jim had a good hookup and this one had some size to it. After working it expertly to the boat, he landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. We continued to fish the docks and all three anglers landed Trout. Dennis also put a feisty Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. We made a run around to Lanceford Creek, found another dock, and picked up one small Sea Bass. With the day getting long, we made one more stop back a the mouth of Bell River and wrapped up the day catching Trout on the jig casted up current. Of those, we had one more keeper Trout. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bragging Rights Busted

We had a second day of breezy conditions, even though we had a lot of sunshine. The back waters are obviously fishable, it just makes it tough to find fish, especially if you're going to try and stay out of the wind. I met Lou Alvarado down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made the run up the Nassau River and pulled in at some docks to fish the very last of an outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp. Lou was making excellent casts but the fish were  not cooperating. We worked 3-4 docks, pitching to the pilings
and finally we found one that was  holding some fish. After one good bite and short fight that ended with the fish throwing the hook, Lou went back to the same spot and after a few casts, he hooked up with a nice feisty Redfish that he worked patiently away from the pilings. We had one more good bite but no more takers so with a strong east wind beginning to blow, we headed down to Broward Island, and boy was it nice. The sun was up and it warming us nicely. We had just a slight breeze to contend with as we worked the bank. There were no real bites until the tide changed and started back in and then, almost like someone thru a switch, the fish began to bite. Lou put a couple of Seatrout in the boat, then a feisty Redfish, then small Flounder that rounded out his Slam. Then we had a gentle bite and BOOM! Fish ON!  Lou worked the fish and the longer the battle went the stronger (and bigger) the fish began to get. It just wouldn't come up off the bottom. But Lou kept the pressure on and slowly wore the big fish out and when it came to the surface we saw that it was a huge Red Drum. We got it netted and in the boat and measured it to be 30.5", an Anglers Mark Bragging Rights busting biggest Redfish of the year! (Scroll down right side for standings). Boy what a fish! We continued to work the bank and Lou had another strong bite - this time it was a big Trout out deep. We  picked up a couple of more fish -one was another Slot Redfish - then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Windy Day? No Problem

The wind was forecast to be 17-19mph today, and they were accurate! But with a game plan to try and stay out of it, I met Jim Garner and his brother-in-law up at the Dee Dee Bartels park and boat ramp early this morning and we made the short run to Tiger Island with a baitwell of live shrimp and the first of an incoming tide. You know it's going to be a good day when the "demo" cast picks up a fish, which it did! Then the two anglers began to make accurate casts to the pockets and it wasn't long before they were catching fish. They caught a good handful of Seatrout and a small
handful of Redfish. A couple of the Trout were of keeper size and one of the Reds was in the Slot. Then Jim had a strong bite out deep and when it ripped some drag we were thinking Redfish but it turned out to be a nice fat 19" Trout. We caught a few more then picked up another big Trout. Just before we left Jim had another big bite. This one was a Red, a big one, and it ripped line as it dove to the bottom. Jim kept the pressure on and worked it patiently to the boat and....BAP! The big Red made one more dash and it was off to freedom! OUCH!  We picked up and ran through the marsh and
over to Bell River to set up on a flooding oyster bank, with the wind really blowing.  Here, Jim was tossing a jig out from the bow and Greg was working a float rig back near some marsh grass. BOOM! Greg had an nice fish on. The drag ripped, but Greg was up to the task and worked in a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. He went back to the same spot and BOOM! Redfish. Jim was quickly switching over to the a float rig as Greg went back to the same spot and, BOOM! Redfish. Jim went in with his float and, BOOM! Redfish. Although there were a few undersized fish, there were jus as many Slot sized fish. Jim's next drift picked up another fish and this was a bigger one. He worked it to the boat and landed a nice 24" Slot fish. Both anglers picked up another fish or two then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Got Soaked But Caught Fish

I was part of a group charter today- 4 boats total- and I had Ryan, Clayton and Craig on the Anglers Mark. The skies were dark when we left the City marina and as we turned the corner to head north we could see the rain up ahead sweeping towards us. And right into the wall of rain we went! When we reached Tiger Island all four of us were soaked to the bone but we broke out the jig rods and live shrimp and began to fish. It was only a short time when Ryan had a strong bite up near a log and I was thinking "Redfish". It put up a good fight and when it came to the surface we saw that it was very
nice large Trout. As we were netting it Clayton had a hookup and, FISH ON! This was a big fish. Clayton played it patiently and a worked it to the boat and we netted a 23" Slot Sized 11-spot Redfish. Now that's the way to kick off a fishing trip! We fished on and caught another large Trout and another Slot sized Redfish. We fished the area thoroughly then made a run around to the outside of Tiger, set up with float rigs, fished them for a while, then continued on around to Bell River. After pulling up to some flooded oysters, the three anglers began to fish their live shrimp up near some marsh
grass and BOOM! Fish on - a Slot Redfish. BOOM! Fish on- another Slot Red. BOOM! Fish on - Craig got in the action and began to put Redfish in the boat. We had a couple of "double" hookups and ended up with 8-9 Redfish, most coming from the same spot. As the bite slowed we kicked around moving then Clayton went to a different spot and, FISH ON! This was a big fish, or at least it seemed. After a long and patient battle Clayton landed a 22" hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum. We made one final run around an up Lanceford Creek and wrapped the day up catching 12-14" hungry Seatrout and after that we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flounder Catches

Today was rather warm out on the water and after a slow last few days I was hoping for some better action. I met Marnie and Brian Bird down at the south end boat ramp this morning and we headed up the Nassau River and all the way around to Broward Island to catch a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours. The two anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp up current and slowly retrieving them. The first area produced no bites but when we re-positioned around some logs they had a flurry of Trout catches -
Marnie started it off with a couple then Brian added one of his own. We worked up and down, then moved further up the island and after a strange bite we had a hookup. Marnie worked it patiently to the boat and we netted a nice keeper sized Flounder. Then Brian had a good bite and landed a  keeper sized Seatrout. We eventually ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished some docks, and even though the conditions were right, we had no real bites. We backtracked to Christopher Creek fished some  structure, and Brian found another nice, keeper sized Flounder. Then he wrapped up an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam when he landed a nice Redfish that was right at Slot size. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Tough Fishing Continues

I've poled three other Captains and gotten the same answer: Fishing (catching) is kinda slow right now.  Most all blame it on the transition of the weather, winter to spring, and I tend to agree. We pushed yesterdays trip to 10:30am with plans to fish an outgoing tide. I met John Stevelinck and his two sons Johnny and Jake down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and into Jackstaff to make our first stop at a large outflow. Within a minute or two Jake had a bite which took his live shrimp then Johnny had a bite and hooked up with a nice hungry
Seatrout. You can't get a better start than that can you? Although we had a nibble or two, we had no more takers we crossed the creek and fished a bank, easing along with the trolling motor, and casting to the marsh grass. The wind was already a problem but these anglers were making excellent casts, but to no avail, we had no takers. We ran through the marsh and over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe with hopes to be out of the wind, but it was blowing too much out of the east and made things difficult. Johnny hooked up with a big Trout on a  jig and shrimp, had him the boat, and just before I netted him, he threw the hook. But Johnny went back and picked up another Trout. We fished the docks thoroughly and later Johnny found a nice feisty Redfish to land. Both the elder John and young Jake were making pinpoint casts and doing all the right things but it appeared it just wasn't going to be their day. We made a run down to Broward Island and here the wind was blocked and it made for some comfortable fishing, finally. We worked the logs and the drop offs and Johnny found one more Redfish, a "4-spotter" before we called it a day. We did see dolphin, Osprey and a pair of Bald Eagles and picked up a few fish, making it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Had a Plan

I've did two "Amelia Island Back Country Fishing" presentations this month - one for the FWC Women's Fishing Clinic and the other for the Ocean Club members out at Amelia Island Plantation - and one of the first bits of advice I give is to have game plan ready before each fishing trip. We were blessed with a beautiful day yesterday but the wind was forecasted to be a steady 12 mph with even higher gusts. I always tell people that anything over 10mph is going to be a pain in the rear, and over 15mph - we should pick
another day. So today we had a plan! I met Tony Stubits and his son Troy up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp and with the wind blowing out of the west, we made a run over and up Lanceford Creek and sure enough, when we arrived, it was like fishing on a pond. The two anglers worked the dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp at the very bottom of an outgoing tide and even though they were makin excellent casts, we found only one hungry Seatrout. We bounced up and down the docks making the best of the calm waters, then made the long run back and up the Bell River to another set of
docks. Again, we were sheltered from the wind which made it comfortable to fish the pilings thoroughly, and we picked up a Trout or two and keeper sized Flounder. The wind had died just a bit so we ran around to the back side of Tiger Island and although we had no shelter, it was noticeable that the wind had slacked so we were able to fish the pockets along the shoreline. It wasn't long before Troy had a hookup and, FISH ON! We could tell the way the drag was ripping that this was a big fish. Troy kept the pressure on - we thought the fish got into the logs - but he pulled him out and worked him patiently to the boat. After a good battle Troy landed the fat 26" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! We continued to fish - Tony landed a nice feisty Redfish then hooked up and landed Black "puppy" Drum, which gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Seatrout, Flounder, Redfish, and Drum. Troy went back to his "honey hole" and picked up a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout. So even though we had some wind to contend with, we had a plan, and it paid off with a good handful of fish and some nice keeper sized ones, making it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bucket List and Trout

After a couple of days off due to bad weather we were back at it today, and even though the winds were predicted to be around 9mph, it was rather nice to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. I met Chris Allen down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and we headed over to fish the docks at Longpointe on a very extreme high tide. Chris was tossing jigs and live shrimp to the pilings and I could tell right off he was a good caster. He was making pin point shots but we worked a couple of docks to no avail. We made a run up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff and
then off a side creek to set up at a large marsh run out. Chris switched to a float rig and BOOM! Right off he had a nice Seatrout. And then, no more! We worked the bank slowly, tossing the float rig with live shrimp, but had no more bites. We crossed over the creek, fished another bank, switched to jigs, and picked up another Trout or two. After running through Horsehead we found some docks to fish, but before we went with the jig, we tossed the float up to some flooded oysters. This did the trick as Chris got into a good flurry of Seatrout. But he had a Redfish on his bucket list so we switched back to the jig and began to fish the pilings. The first dock produced none but shortly after moving the second dock, FISH ON! Chris played the fish patiently and soon landed his Redfish, one that was just at the Slot size. We bounced up and down the docks and picked up a couple of more Reds, lost one, then moved around the corner to fish the rocks at Seyomore's Pointe. Chris was back to the float rig, letting drift along the rocks, and wrapped up the trip catching his biggest Trout of the day. Of the handful of Trout caught today, a few of them have finally crept into keeper size range. All fish were released today. It was another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hats and Gnats

Paul Coughlin and I fished out of the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning - not such a pretty day - but the overcast sky was somewhat welcome to keep the sun off. Imagine that in February! I've been wondering if we aren't in some sort of transition period with the fish bite. Maybe the warming trend has the fish thinking it's spring and time to move out from the shelter of structure. At any rate, it's been a tad bit slow in the "catching" department - my anglers are working hard and catching fish, but we haven't had some of those "banner" days in a couple of weeks. Also, I'm not a superstitious guy, but I decided to change hats this morning in hopes that it would help!  We ran up the Amelia River and dipped into Jackstaff and started fishing a flooded bank with a float rig and live shrimp. With no real bites half way up the creek, we switched to jigs and shrimp, but had no luck on that either. We made the run through Horsehead and around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Sure enough, within minutes, Paul had a strong bite. He hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish that was just a hair short of the Slot. He had another good bite, this one bigger at the same spot, but he wiley fish tossed the hook. We worked up and down the docks and with no breeze the Sand Gnats found us and tried to carry us off. But we were up to the challenge and fished the docks thoroughly before making the run down to Broward Island. We fished the bank up close and out deep and but had no real bites until we dropped back north to fish the loggier area and BOOM! Paul had a fish on within minutes of the move. We had a nice flurry of fish catches here - feisty Redfish and one Seatrout. Our last stop was back at Bubblegum Reef where we played catch and release with some baitstealers. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Eaking Out A Redfish

If the last month was any indication of what Spring is going to be like, then we're going to have an outstanding season! It was an absolutely beautiful day today - the water was like glass as Brent Berger, his buddy Bill, and I ran from Sawpit Creek boat ramp over to the docks at Longpointe with plans to fish the pilings on an outgoing tide. The two anglers pitched to the posts with live shrimp and jigs but we had no real bites. We then ran up the Nassau River to fish some more docks, this time a tad bit shallower, and within minutes Brent hooked up and caught a nice Slot sized Redfish. But
he was a loan wolf...we bounced up and down the docks, picked up a Redfish here and there, then Brent put one more Slot sized one in the boat. We ran down to Broward Island and fished the logs but had no real bites. So we allowed the current to drift us backwards with both Brent and Bill pitching up current. Bill go on the board when he caught a hungry Seatrout, then I landed one, then Bill found a nice feisty Redfish up near the bank. We hit a couple of exposed shell beds on the way back but had no takers, but as pretty as the day was, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Ideal Day

It was a perfect 10 for the weather day - cool to start with, sunshine, and only a slight breeze, and warming to the 70's. I met Dave Speiwak and his buddy, Dave down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning and ran up the Nassau River to fish the very first of an incoming tide. Our plan was to follow the tide and hit spots as they got right. We fished Bubblegum Reef first with jigs and live shrimp, but had no real bites, then we jumped over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and  here we "knocked the skunk off" with a nice feisty Redfish catch. After landing a hungry Seatrout, and fishing the docks thoroughly, we ran over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill, caught a Trout, then continued on down to Broward Island to fish it as the tide caught up to us. Things picked up here. The two anglers put a few Redfish in the boat, one of them being in the Slot range and they landed a good handful of Seatrout. After fishing a number of spots, we ran back Seymores and fished the docks, this time to no avail. We trolled one flooded oyster bank along the Nassau River and picked up one Trout right off, but had no further bites. Our last stop was back at Christopher Creek. A quick Redfish catch started us off, then another, then we wrapped things up with the first keeper sized Seatrout of the day. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flounder Begins It. Big Red Ends It.

We waited for an afternoon tide yesterday when I met Dennis and Barb Lockart down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Although we had just a slight wind, the skies were overcast, but no rain was predicted. We made our first run up the Intercoastal and popped into Jackstaff with plans to fish the outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp. The two anglers began working the bank and after a short while Barb had a weird bite - FISH ON! She worked it patiently to the boat and low and behold, a nice keeper sized Flounder! That's the first Flounder we've had in weeks. And shortly after that Dennis
had a hookup and he too put a fish in the boat, a hungry Seatrout. We continued on up the bank, had very few nibbles, then crossed over to fish a submerged sandbar, again to no avail. After a quick run through Horsehead we set up current from some dock pilings and fished their bases with the jigs. The first dock produced nothing but not a few minutes after hitting the second one did we have a strong bite. But this fish was smart and wrapped itself around a piling and, FISH OFF! Darn it. Dennis went back to the same spot with an excellent cast and BOOM! Another fish on. He worked the
fish slowly to the boat and we landed an "almost legal" feisty Redfish. This gave the couple an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Flounder, Seatrout and Redfish. They picked up one or two more Reds at that dock then we worked our way down the line, fishing the pilings, but having no further luck. We made a run down to Broward Island which put us out of the wind that had been picking up and boy was it pretty - the wind was blocked, the sun was going down, the tide was getting just right....and the sand gnats swarmed us like a huge cavalry!  Barb picked up a hungry Seatrout on a slip float rig but the bugs were making it just too uncomfortable so we moved down the river and out from behind the land mass. We tried the float rigs, drifting them through some popping bait and with just a few minutes to go in the trip, worked a nice looking exposed oyster bar with 4-5 foot of water along the edge. With just a few casts, Dennis had a strong hookup. This was a bigger fish - the drag was ripping - but Dennis kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. As we were getting it de-hooked Barb had a strong hookup and again, FISH ON! And this was a big fish. Her's didn't come to the boat so readily, but she fought it valiantly and soon landed a "Tournament sized"  26.75" fat Redfish! Boy what a fish. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Amelia Island Birthday Treat

We had a beautiful day today, albeit somewhat windy when I met Kim Kowal and her husband Mark down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Kim was surprising Mark with a birthday fishing trip - he didn't know exactly what the gift was until they walked down to the ramp and I greeted them! Now THAT's a birthday surprise! It was blowing about 8-10 already with a forecast of 12mph to come so we headed up the Nassau River and got in behind a land mass at Seymore's Pointe and luckily we had a good tide - the last few
hours of an outgoing tide. We set up current of some dock pilings and Mark began pitching his jig and shrimp combo to their bases and it wasn't long before he had a hookup! He played the fish perfectly and within minutes we had the skunk off the boat with a feisty Redfish. He picked up one more then BOOM! Bigger fish on! This one had the "shoulders" to get back into the pilings but Mark kept the pressure on, eased him out, then wore him down patiently and landed  a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. And after that? No fish. We moved on down the docks and picked up a Redfish or two, fished another dock and picked up a hungry Seatrout, then hit the initial dock before we left and when Mark put his bait next to a piling it was immediately hit and, another big fish on. He worked it to the boat and soon landed another Slot Redfish. He caught another smaller Red then we ran down to fish Broward Island thinking the tide was about to hit bottom. Nope. The south wind was really pushing the water - it was muddy and rushing out - but we fished it anyway, but had no luck. We went back and fished some docks south of Goffinsville, had no bites, and wrapped things up at Bubblegum Reef. The sun was going down, the fish had quit biting, but as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

High Tide Big Red

I had the pleasure to fish again with Frontis Clark and he brought along his brother Greer and our plans to leave early to have a shot at some fish before the tide got too high on a morning when the setting moon looked full. We ran around and up the Bell River for just a short distance and fished some flooded oyster shells with live shrimp under a float. Frontis knocked the skunk off when he put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat. We bounced back to the outside of Tiger Island and fished the floats again, but even though we had a few nibbles, there were no good bites. We crossed over to
fish the outside of Little Tiger and just when I thought there would be no action, Frontis had a strong hookup, one that was ripping his drag, and just as he was getting in to the battle, FISH OFF! Darn it! I was going to head over to Lanceford Creek to fish the first of an outgoing tide but we made a stop at the Tiger logs and boy were the stumps flooded! But these two anglers were making excellent casts to the pockets and after a while Frontis had another strong bite and, FISH ON! He played it patiently and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We continued to fish - Greer picked up a Seatrout then he had a good bite and RIIIIP, his drag was singing. This was a big fish!  I eased the boat out away from the logs as Greer applied the pressure. The big fish made a few deep runs but Greer worked him up slowly from the bottom and we eventually landed a 26.75" fat "Tournament" sized Redfish. Boy what a fish. We had a good flurry of Trout catching with one of them of keeper size, then ran around to fish some flooded grass in Lanceford Creek. We had no real bites, so we called it a day, another beautiful one to be out on the water at Amelia Island, Florida.

Out of the Blue

Wow! Another beautiful day here at Amelia Island, Florida!  I met Jack Dickens, his wife Julie and his sister Sparkle up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp and we headed out with a live well full shrimp with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide. At our first stop, we worked some dock pilings and both Jack and Sparkle hooked up and landed some feisty Redfish. We made a long run up the Bell River and fished some more dock pilings but we found our fish our deep. Julie was working a slip float out the back and put a good handful of Seatrout in the boat while Jack and Sparkle tossed  jigs and shrimp up current and they too had some Trout. Our next stop around at the mouth of the Jolley produced no real bites. The tide was right with the oysters showing but the wind had picked up and was blowing out of the south and right down the river. We made one more run around to Tiger Island.  The three anglers were making excellent casts and almost immediately began to get bites. Most were "baitstealers" but they picked up a Trout or two and then, out of the blue, Jack had a strong bite and, FISH ON! We could tell this was a nice size fish with the way it dug deep and bent the rod, but Jack was up to the task and played the big fish perfectly. After a good battle he landed a "not so puppy" 20"  Black puppy Drum. Now that was a nice fish. And shortly after that Sparkle had a strong bite. She too played the fish perfectly and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We continued to fish for a while, picked up a small Trout or two, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.