Neck and Neck

I had brothers Eric and Brent Courtney on the Anglers Mark this morning, along with their friends Alexandria and Jamie, with plans to fish the Horsehead area with a couple of hours of an incoming tide.  We had met at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff, setting up just off the marsh grass in range of the anglers float rigs and live finger mullet.  We had only been fishing just a short while when Brent hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.   I soon found out that the brothers had a friendly wager going as to who would

catch the most fish and who would catch the biggest.  Brent jumped out in the lead, landing another Seatrout and a high flying Ladyfish.  Then Eric picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and a Seatrout.  Alexandria also put a Jack in the boat.  We made a run around to fish Seymore's Pointe and here the action became fast a furious.  All four anglers were getting bites and they finally figured out the hook set and began to reel in fat Mangrove Snapper.  The two guys were calling out their count when Eric had a strong bite and a big Ladyfish came flying out of the water.  Eric kept the

pressure on and after a good acrobatic battle, landed the largest fish of the day.  But Brent kept catching fish and even though he and Eric stayed neck and neck in the fish count,  Brent came out on top with just a couple of more fish than Eric.  Alexandria picked up a couple of the Snapper and Jamie persevered and landed what had to have been the best fish of the day!   We made a run to Broward Island, fished some jigs for a while with no real bites, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Change Up

I needed to shake things up today so when I met Hunter Moore, his brother Heath and their friend Alex down at the Fernandina  Harbor Marina, we headed up the Bell River to fish a spot that I had never fished before.  I had passed it on the way back from a previous fishing trip and thought it's be a good spot to try on a high and incoming tide.  Once the guys got the float rigs unlimbered we baited up with live mud minnows and tossed them out to some grass clumps.  I believe it was Alex's first cast when he had a hookup!  He worked the fish patiently to the boat and we netted a nice Seatrout.  For about an hour we worked the area and the anglers had bites constantly both Hunter and Heath landed keeper sized Seatrout and all of them had some that were just shy of the 15" mark.  We hit one more spot in the Bell, made a pit stop for some more bait, then headed up to Jolley River.  We picked up a few feisty Redfish before making one last stop back at Tiger Island.  Hunter had the hot hand here and put two more Redfish in the boat while Alex added a Flounder to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Hard Fishing Nets a Big Flounder

I did a double yesterday, getting out on the water in the afternoon with John Greco.  We ran straight up to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide and right off John hooked up with a feisty Redfish.  I was thinking, "all right, here we go!"  But we fished and fished, had a few bites, but no takers so we ran back to fish the logs of Tiger Island.  We fished the pockets between the logs from one end of the island to the other, had a few nibbles, but no real takers, until after about an hour of fishing we had a weird bite and a hookup!  John worked the fish patiently up from the bottom and when it surfaced we saw that  it was a nice big 21" Flounder!  this fish puts John in 2nd place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We then made a run around to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings.  We picked up another small Flounder.  We fished some flooded oysters further up the creek then again ran around to fish the outside of Tiger.  Although it was some tough fishing both John and I agreed that it was a beautiful afternoon and a lot better than sitting behind a desk! With that, we counted it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Fish'n and a Tour

Yesterday morning I was able to get out on the water with Mike Polcari for a couple of hours of  fishing. We made our first stop just on the outside of Tiger Island on the very first of an outgoing tide.  Mike's first cast netted a nice Seatrout!  He was tossing a live mud minnow under a float rig , got a bite here and there, and landed two more hungry Seatrout. We made a run up to fish the Jolley Bank, this time fishing minnows on a jig, and Mike picked up a couple of feisty Redfish.  We then returned to the dock and picked up Mike's wife Susan and did a tour of the north end of Amelia Island.  We cruised Old Town Fernandina, Burbank Net Shop, Fort Clinch,  and Cumberland Island (and saw a few wild horses).  We eased up into Beach Creek and were treated to a variety of bird sightings including Egret, Blue Heron and Rosette Spoonbills.  After swinging by Tiger Island we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Slot Redfish Make the Day

You may have noticed in the Reports that we've been catching fish the last few days but haven't been getting any "big" ones!  But today turned the tide on that subject!  I met Sal Digenario, his daughter Kasen and his nephew Logan down at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning and we headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island with float rigs and mud minnows on a high and outgoing tide.  As it has been, it wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites.  Kasen led the charge and landed a nice hungry
Seatrout.  We moved around to a creek inlet and Logan picked up a feisty Redfish.  We caught a couple of those then headed over to the Jolley River and again had some decent bites.  Sal got on the board with a hungry Bluefish then we moved back to the mouth of the river and began a slow troll of the marsh grass and now exposed oysters.  Almost immediately the anglers began to get bites.  They landed a couple of small Redfish then Sal had a strong hookup and this was a bigger fish, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice Slot Redfish!  Shortly after that Sal
put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat to round out the group's Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Kasen was staying neck-and-neck in the fish count total as we had a good bite for a while there.  We made one final stop around at the expose logs of Tiger and here Sal put one more Slot Redfish in the boat.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Variety of Fish

We had another beautiful morning today when I met Katie and Derrick McDaniel and Derrick's mom Reba down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina for an Amelia Island Back Country fishing trip.  We had a baitwell full of mud minnows and we headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island on a high and outgoing tide.  It didn't take long to begin getting bites and Derrick was quick to land a feisty Redfish, then another.  Reba got in on the action when she caught a hungry Seatrout.  The anglers had a good many small bites before we pulled the trolling motor up and headed up to fish a

large runout in the Jolley River.  Again we had a bunch of bites that cut the minnows in half (probably Blues) then the anglers tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish.  Derrick had the hot hand for the day and landed a couple of more feisty Redfish.  We moved down to fish Jolley Bank and Reba caught a nice keeper sized Whiting out deep, on a minnow!  We caught some more bait then headed around to fish some docks in Bell River.  Reba had a strong hookup that began to rip line out with no stopping in mind.  I got the boat turned around and headed in its direction but the big fish just kept on going and spooled the reel...and popped off!  We speculated that it was probably a big shark, but who knows?  With that, we called it a day, another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Strong Start to the Week

We started the week off with a strong start in the "fish catching category".  I was fishing with Ron Cerniglia and his son, Sam, again after having met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock here on Amelia Island.  We headed all the way up to fish a large outflow on the first of an outgoing tide with live minnows under float rigs.   I think the first cast we got a good bite and for about an hour and a half the anglers would catch a fish here and there.  Ron got things going with a feisty Redfish or two then Sam picked one up too. 
Both Ron and Sam landed some slashing Bluefish and then Ron put a very nice Seatrout in the boat.  We picked up a couple of more Redfish then moved back to fish Jolley Bank.  The conditions were almost perfect with the oysters beginning to show on the falling tide, very little wind, and slightly overcast.  But the fish weren't cooperating!  Luckily Sam was able to bail us out with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  We made our next stop around at the MOA.  Here, Ron had a good bite but no takers then Sam reeled in a feisty Redfish.  Dark clouds were forming and heading our way so we ran back to fish the small jetties at Fort Clinch.  But we had only been there a short time when we realized the rain storm was going to hit us so we ran for shelter and made it just in time to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island!

One Minnow One Slam

I wrapped my week up this morning fishing with Bob and Tom Owensby who brought along their wives Anne and Betty Lane,  for moral support, cheering squad, fly swatters, and all around good luck!  We ran up to Eagans Creek to fish the dock pilings with just a couple of hours of outgoing tide left.  The anglers were tossing mud minnows on jigs up to the dock pilings and even though it took a little longer than I expected for the bite to turn on, turn on it did!  Tom knocked the "skunk" off the boat with his first fish, a nice Slot Sized Redfish!  From then on the two fishermen picked up a fish

here and there - a lot of smaller Reds but a few in the Slot, three total, and a handful of hungry Seatrout.  The docks kept them busy and when the tide hit bottom we pulled up and ran around to fish the banks of Jolley River.  As I thought, we had a some good bites and both Tom and Bob landed umpteen fish.  The two had put 3 keeper sized Flounder in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for each of them but then Bob landed a Redfish, then a Trout, then a Flounder, all on one minnow to initiate a new category:  The One Minnow Slam!  But it wasn't all about Bob!  We had a great time on the water, landing some quality fish, and wrapped up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish Catch'n a Little Better

It seems like the fish bite is getting just a little better the last few days.  It may be due to the moon phase or the water being a little cooler, but we've had some pretty good trips lately.  I fished with Greg Adams, his son Chris, and their friend and work mate Kent today.  We met at the Altantic Seafood dock and headed up river to fish the dock pilings of Eagans Creek with jigs and mud minnows on the last of an outgoing tide.  It only took a few casts before the anglers were hooking up but the fish were big enough to burrow
back into the pilings and break themselves off!  But young Chris was up to the challenge and when he had a strong hookup he worked the big fish out and then patiently played it until he landed a nice Slot Redfish!  The two other anglers joined in and we caught fish for a good 2 hours - Redfish and some small Seatrout.  Many of the Reds were undersized but both Greg and Chris worked through them and were able to put a few more Slot Sized fish in the boat.  When the bite slowed we made a run up to the Jolley River and here Kent's rod heated up.  He was working the back of the boat and landed a good handful of feisty Redfish, a nice Seatrout, and a keeper sized Flounder to get his Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Both Greg and Chris picked up fish too.  It was a good stretch of water with plenty of bites but not too many in the keeper size.  We made one last stop at Tiger Island before heading in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Florida Halibut?

I think these two guys were playing hooky from work but they picked a great day to do it!   I had met Tom Gaslin and his buddy Steve Foss at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach and we headed north and up to the Jolley River to fish with mud minnows and shrimp and jigs on the first of an incoming tide.  We fished a good stretch without any bites until Steve had a good hookup and, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly on the light tackle TFO rod and Shimano Stradic 1000 reel.  The fish put up a good fight but Steve was up to it and landed a nice Slot Redfish.  We continued to fish the area and the bite picked up as the tide really began to come in.  The anglers landed a few small but feisty Redfish, tangled with some high flying Ladyfish, outsmarted a few Croaker, and then put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat.  We made a run around to Tiger Island and fished the downed logs with not a whole lot of action.  But we worked the area thoroughly and began to get a bite here and there.  Tom had a couple of just slightly undersized Reds, Steve picked up another in the Slot and just as we were about to leave Steve felt something walking off with his minnow.  He even pointed it out to Tom and I and as he tightened his line and set the hook, he had the fish!  But the fish must have had a big ego because it didn't seem to believe it was "caught"!  Steve worked the fish patiently and when it came to the surface, he said, "It's a Flounder", and then "IT'S BIG!"  It wasn't until we got it in the boat that the big 26.5" Flounder realized that it had been caught and began to go wild.  This fish put's Steve firmly in first place in the 2014 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  and is the biggest Flounder to date ever caught on the Anglers Mark!  Now that's the way to wrap up a fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida!
fishing.

The Beast Spooled Us

We had a great morning today to fish.  I could tell the humidity wasn't very high as I was hooking up and loading the boat.  I met Jim Petchar and his son Hunter down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made the run up Broward Island to make our first stop, fishing with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide.  The first spot wasn't so "hot".  The two anglers were working their baits perfectly but all we were able to catch were a couple of Croaker and a Catfish!  We then ran to Broward Island and here the
tide was still going out.  I think it was Jim's first cast up to the bank and BOOM! FISH ON!  This was a big fish!  It ran deep a couple of times and I was standing next to Jim watching the spool starting to show under the line!  We took a chance and tightened the drag just a bit and Jim worked it closer and closer to the boat.  It ran deep a couple of more times but Jim finally subdued the beast and we netted a nice 26.5"  "tournament" Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  We continued to fish the bank and Hunter landed a keeper sized Flounder, a feisty 9-spot Redfish and a couple of hungry Seatrout to claim his own Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Jim made it a "Grande Slam" when he put a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum in the boat.  They each picked up a couple of small Redfish then we made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and set up along the rocks to fish with float rigs and live shrimp.  It took a few minutes but when the Snapper turned on, boy did they turn on!  The two anglers landed one after another and after an hour of fishing had their limit of Snapper up to 16".  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Down to the Last Shrimp

We fished out of the Fernandina Harbor Marina today, fishing with Ray Greco and his two friends John and Chip.  The tide was coming in but the oysters were still showing so we headed around to fish the logs of Tiger Island with jigs and live shrimp.  The anglers had only been fishing for just a few minutes when John had a strong hookup and, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and as it ran towards some submerged limbs, gently steered it away to deeper water.  After a good battle he landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish - what a great way to start a fishing trip!  We fished the area for a while longer, had some good bites, caught a few hungry Seatrout, and a Black "puppy" Drum, then Chip landed a keeper sized Flounder to quickly round out an Amelia Island Back Country "Grande" Slam of
Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, and Drum.  As it turned out the trio of anglers had a friendly "tournament" going on to see who had the most fish for the day and they stayed neck-and-neck through out the trip.  We made a run up to Jolley River where Ray picked up another Seatrout early then they had a feisty Jack Crevalle.    We went up further into Jolley, caught a nice Croaker and a Seatrout, then made a final run to the outside of Tiger to fish the now flooded oysters and marsh grass.  The "tournament" was heating up as the day winded down.  Chip battled a nice Bonnethead Shark,  John picked up another Jack,  Ray got a Seatrout, then another Flounder.  It had come down to the wire and on the last Shrimp Ray caught another Flounder to claim the "Championship" for 2014!  And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Rainy Day Fishing

I had a trip set up this morning and as I hooked up the boat it was drizzling rain.  But the radar on my cell phone showed it clearing so I grabbed some live shrimp at the bait store and met Bob and Butch Solomon down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp.  We headed up to fish the Horsehead area on the last couple of hours of the incoming tide.  The first stretch of Marsh Grass produce a few good bites, with Bob landing the first fish, a hungry Seatrout and then he followed that up with a keeper sized Trout.  Both anglers had brief encounters with slashing Shark then Butch had a good

hookup.  We could tell this was a bigger fish and not a shark!  Butch played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice 20.25" big Seatrout!  We continued to fish the area, had some good bites, landed a small Jack Crevalle and a couple of Ladyfish, then headed around to fish the Nassau River and ran....right into a rain storm!  We all grabbed ponchos and rain jackets and settled in at Seymore's Pointe to fish the rocks with live shrimp under floats.  I took just a few minutes and then those floats started going under with almost every cast.  Once we got the hang of it we started landing fat Mangrove Snapper with many of them being of keeper size.  The ran came down in huge drops, sometimes steady, sometimes heavy, and always a drizzle. But these experienced anglers were here to fish and fish we did!  We went through all of our bait and had a nice box full of fish before we called it a day, another great (albeit wet) day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Flurry at the End

Ricky Williams was back at Amelia Island and had his two sons Riley and Cooper and a friend of theirs, Ian.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island just as the tide had halted coming in.  The anglers were tossing live mud minnows under floats and although we were seeing a lot of feeding activity, they had no real bites.  We moved on around to the mouth of Tiger and here the action picked up.  Cooper and Ricky found some hungry Seatrout back behind the boat and began to get
regular hook ups. We eased the boat back and the Trout action picked up.   We made a stop behind Tiger Island and on the first cast Ian was on the board with a nice Seatrout.  Although the anglers had some good bites there weren't any more fish to be had so we made a run around to the Jolley River to fish the now exposed oysters.  This did the trick because almost immediately all of the anglers were hooking up with fish.  Both Cooper and Ricky boated keeper sized Slot Redfish, Ian landed a keeper sized Flounder, and all of the anglers had Seatrout.  Both Cooper and
Riley picked up some keeper sized Flounder to give three of the anglers their own Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We fished the bank and had non stop action until time to head in and then counted it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island back waters!

Big Shark on Light Tackle

I met Ken Alderfer and his two sons Kenny and J.D. yesterday morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp.  We ran up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead area to fish the very first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were fishing live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs and had a couple of bites but no takers.  We hit another stretch of flooded marsh grass as the tide started out and began to get some nibbles.  Ken picked up a small Redfish and then Kenny had a good bite up near the grass.  He played the fish perfectly and landed a slightly short but nice Redfish.  Later, J.D.

was fishing a jig on the bottom and had a strong hookup.  His rod bent double and the drag sang, FISH ON!  The big fish almost immediately went to the stern of the boat and ran deep.  I was pretty sure it was a shark the way it was running, but I've been wrong!  J.D.  patiently played the big fish that took us deep then shallow then ran up river then back down.  But J. D. kep the pressure on and after a good long battle he landed a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark.  We continued to fish the bank and Ken Sr. landed two hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  After making a stop at Twin Creeks with no luck,

we made a run down to Broward Island where the anglers picked up a few small-but-fun-to-catch Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Defending His Title

The Pleasant family were back in town  this week and I fished with them on Wednesday.  William and Shannon, their son Alex and friend Eli met me down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. Alex was last years winner of the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category with a 33.5" Redfish and was back to defend his title!  We headed north to fish the Jolley River on the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows under float rigs.   The anglers picked up a handful of small Redfish, a Bluefish, and
tangled with a couple of Ladyfish.  We fished further up the river at Snook Creek but had no real bites, then made a run around to Bell River.  Here, Alex put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and just as we were about to leave Eli hooked up and caught a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.  After a short break we fished the south end of the island, making our first stop at some structure to fish an incoming tide.  Shannon, Eli and William both put keeper sized Snapper in the boat while Alex landed a just-short Redfish.  We then ran to Broward Island to fish the downed logs.  I think it was
only a cast or two and BOOM, FISH ON!   Shanon had a good hookup,  played the fish patiently and put a 20" Slot Red in the boat. As we were de-hooking her fish, Eli followed that up with one of equal size.  The anglers eventually put one more Slot Red in the boat.  Alex was still working on his Big fish and he wasn't to be denied!  When his rod bent double and drag began to rip we knew he had a big one on!  He played the fish from bow to stern and back.  The fish ran deep but Alex kept the pressure on and after a long battle landed a 27"+ oversized Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  William was quietly fishing at the rear of the boat and caught a keeper sized Flounder, then another.  Alex followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder of his own.  The day had started out slow but wrapped up nicely with some great fishing here in the back waters of Amelia Island!

First, Biggest, Most, Prettiest and Most Unusual

I had the opportunity to fish with the Peterson family again, Mindy and Buddy and their two sons Jack and Ben.  They had a friendly wager going to with winners being recognized for the First fish caught, the Biggest fish caught, the Most fish caught and the Most Unusual fish caught.  While we were out there we added the "Prettiest" fish caught to the list!  Our first stop was at Manatee Cove and after the anglers had a few nibbles Jack knocked the "skunk off the boat" by landing a small Flounder, caught on a mud minnow under a float on a high and outgoing tide.  We then made a

run around to Jolley River and fished the "bank", switching to jigs and minnows.  This heated things up.  Buddy landed a feisty Redfish then Ben got on the board with a hungry Seatrout.  From then on it was neck and neck between Ben and Buddy as to who was going to get the most fish for the day, with the lead changing a few times throughout the trip.  Mindy caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle which was dubbed the Prettiest fish of the day.  But Ben was on fire and when he had a solid hookup we knew it was a bigger fish.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized Redfish!  Buddy picked up another Flounder to claim Most Unusual (siting fine print in the rule book over Jack's smaller Flounder).  The anglers fished the bank and landed a few more feisty Reds, another Trout, and a Croaker.  We moved further up the river, fished Snook Creek, but hand no real bites, moved around to the MOA and again, no real bites. But we picked up some finger mullet with the cast net and then made our last stop around at Bell River.  Here young Ben secured the "Most" and "Biggest" title by landing another Slot Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Knockin the Door Down on Bragging Rights

We've had outstanding weather this week for fishing out of Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, Florida.  I met Bill Kennedy, his son Scott, and his son-in-law Ricky down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and as we ran north there was actually a cool tingle to the air and slightly overcast skies.  We made our first stop at Jolley Bank, fishing an outgoing tide,  and within minutes Ricky had knocked the "skunk" off, landing a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  From then on the anglers stayed busy catching small "rat" Reds, a
couple of small Trout, a Blue, a Jack Crevalle, and a Whiting,  then Bill added a keeper sized Flounder to the box.  He also picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout, too.  Scott had probably the biggest fish on for a short 15 seconds but there's a reason why it is big - it burrowed in the oysters and cut itself off!    We continued to fish Jolley Bank, catching a good handful of the small Redfish, then made a run around to Tiger Island.   Both Bill and Scott put bigger Redfish in the boat then Ricky had another hookup and when the fish stayed on the bottom we knew it was a big flounder.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a 20.25" Flounder, putting him in first place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category! (Scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We fished the whole area, picked up a couple of smaller Flounder, then another keeper sized Seatrout before we made one last stop at the Fort Clinch jetties.  Scott landed a few Rock Bass then Bill put a 16" Flounder in the boat.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Redfish Kept Getting Bigger

I fished this morning with Lisa Alexander, her son Danny and their friend Oleg.  I believe Oleg has traveled the furthest to fish with me, visiting Florida from Russia!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and headed up to the Jolley River to fish a large creek mouth with a few hours left in an outgoing tide.  The anglers were getting nibbles and Danny put the first fish in the boat, a small, but feisty Redfish.  We moved back to the mouth of Jolley and fished a long oyster bank.  Lisa landed another small Redfish, Oleg caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and then Lisa had a good battle with a

huge Seatrout that proved wily enough to avoid getting netted!  We also had a keeper sized Flounder to the boat and it too figured out to throw the hook!  Our next stop was at Tiger Island and after a slow start, the bite picked up to provide some really good action.  Danny put a good Redfish in the boat then he had another one on when Oleg's rod bent over and we had a double!  Both young anglers did great - we first netted Oleg's keeper sized Sheepshead then we landed Danny's slot sized Red.  We continued to fish the deep water, had another Flounder to the boat, caught a couple of small

Reds, then Oleg landed another slot Redfish.  Lisa wrapped it up with the biggest Sheepshead of the day.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Calm Sea's and a Slight Breeze

I was really looking forward to getting out on the water today - the weather called for slightly overcast skies, very little wind, and we had the last of an outgoing tide.  I met Russ Henry and two of his sons, James and Carter down at the City marina and after a brief safety orientation, we headed up Bell River to fish  some dock pilings.  The conditions were perfect and very quickly did James knock the "skunk" off by landing a small but feisty Redfish.  Carter put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat and another feisty Red. 
But there weren't any big fish biting so we headed around to the Jolley River and fished an oyster bank that had tons of bait surrounding it.  Again, Carter put a couple of feisty Reds in the boat.  We fished Snook Creek with no real bites then hit Jolley Bank as the tide started back in.  Things picked up somewhat with the anglers landing another Trout, another feisty Red, and Russ tangled with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  Finally, Carter's rod bent double and we knew we had a good fish on.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice Slot sized 20" Redfish!  We hit Tiger Island, had a few good bites, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Call it a Draw

The storm Arthur was off our coast today but the morning was beautiful with just a slight breeze.  I met Cory Freeman, his dad Glen and his son Carter down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we ran up the Nassau River to fish some structure on the first of an incoming tide.  I think Carter's first cast produced a hungry Croaker, then we had a few nibbles, then Cory hooked up with something big.  He played the fish patiently but unfortunately it just wasn't to be and the wiley fish threw the hook.  The anglers picked up a Catfish and a small Flounder before we left the spot to

fish some rocks along Seymore's Pointe.  This did the trick!  We were tossing shrimp under float rigs and almost every cast produced a bite from Mangrove Snapper.  All three anglers were catching fish with a number of them being of keeper size.  We threw back a good handful of smaller ones.  We didn't know it because we were sheltered behind the land mass but the wind had picked up.  When we  ran to Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide we found the wind was affecting our fishing and catching!.  After a good effort we ran back to fish the sunken barge in Nassau River and picked up a few more Snapper and an ugly Toad Fish.  We made our last stop in Jackstaff, fishing the now flooded oysters with floats and mud minnows.  Cory wrapped the day up by landing a hardfighting Jack Crevalle.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Back in the Saddle

The Anglers Mark was down for a week with engine issues.   I got it out of the shop yesterday and was chomping at the bit to get out on the water this morning with Patti and Brian Harnish and their neighbor John.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed north to fish the logs of Tiger Island on an incoming tide.  The bait shops had no live shrimp but I was able to procure some mud minnows so that was what the anglers tossed with the 1/4 oz jig.  We fished an open area for a good while with no real bites, eased
down to fish another and again had no bites then moved north to try one last spot. I was beginning to wonder if the fish were on a vacation when Brian had a subtle bite.  He set the hook firmly and when his rod bent double I knew he had a good FISH ON!  Brian worked the fish patiently to the boat but it dove deep and then went from starboard to port so Brian had to play the fish around the trolling motor.  Then the fish came back from port to starboard then from bow to stern!  But Brian was up for the  task having fished for Rock Fish back in Maryland and after a good battle we landed a nice Slot Sized 24.5" Redfish - Brian's first Red!  From then on the anglers caught a good handful of Redfish with John adding one that was right at the Slot size then they picked up a Flounder, a second, then John boated a nice keeper sized Flounder.  We fished the area for a little while longer, then headed up to Jolley River, switching to float rigs.  The anglers had a few bites, saw some big fish up in the shallows, but no real takers other than a hungry Seatrout that gave them an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder, and Seatrout.  After hitting one more spot on the outside of Tiger Island, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

These Girls are Anglers

It was nice fishing today with just a little over cast skies and a good breeze.  I had met Joe Gasper, Adam Blanning and Adam's daughters Eliza and Megan down at the City docks this morning and after a quick safety orientation, we headed north to fish Jolley River on the first of an outgoing tide.  We had just gotten started and even though the young ladies were just getting the hand of casting, we began to get bites!  After a few float disappeared young Eliza had a hookup and this was NOT a bait stealer! She fought the fish valiantly and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized

Redfish -her first fish ever!  Whoooeee!  We continued to fish and after just a short while her Dad Adam and Megan hooked up and together landed another nice Redfish.   Most of the fish were biting on live shrimp.  We continued to fish Jolley "bank", had some good bites, and Adam landed "the poor man's Tarpon" - a Ladyfish.  Then Megan hooked up and reeled in on her own the only Jack Crevalle of the day.  In between all of the fish caught the anglers landed a handful of pesky Croaker.  We fished Snook Creek, had some good bites, the moved around to Bell River to fish the last of the outgoing tide.  The conditions were perfect and I thought surely we'd have a good bite, but the sun was up, it was getting hot, and not much was biting.  But Eliza was on her game and after an excellent cast, had a nibble and she set the hook, FISH ON!  She worked the fish to the boat and we soon landed the Sneaky Sheepshead to our variety count.  With that catch, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!