The Elusive Redfish (Part 2)

We had another flood tide this morning and this time we were going after them with fly gear.  I had met Joe Cieslukowski down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina as the tide was still coming in so we headed up to the Jolley River to do some blind casting for warm up!  There was tons of finger mullet coming in with the tide and fish seemed to be striking them along the marsh grass but none would take the flies we offered them. I had Joe start out with light gurgler pattern, switched to a minnow pattern, then went to a sinking fly, but we had no bites.  The water was creeping into the grass so we made a run around to Tiger Basin and began to check the flats for Redfish.  It was a later tide than yesterday and not quite as high as it turned out, but we persevered and just as the tide peaked we began to see fish.  They had moved east from yesterday but we could hear them sucking fiddler crabs off the grass and we found them that way.  Their tails weren't rally up and waving but their backs would come out of the water along with their mouths.  Joe made some excellent casts but the fish were moving along so fast (I believe getting in their last mouthfuls of crabs before they moved out to deeper watear) and they just wouldn't eat our fly.  But Joe had discovered tailing Red flats fishing and began to see them before me.  We had a shot at 5-6 fish but had no takers but still counted it as another great day to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

Digging Them Out of The Grass

I fished early this morning with Sharla and Bruce Newkirk, meeting at the Atlantic Seafood dock and heading north to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide.  We had an arsenal of weapons - topwater lures, float rigs and mud minnows, jigs and plastic grubs and jigs and minnows!  We fished Jolley "bank" the whole stretch and even though there were fishing busting bait up near the grass we had no real bites other than a few spits at our top water lures, but Bruce did pick up a small hungry Bluefish.  We made a run back around an Gator Spoon and made some excellent casts but the fish didn't see it.  Then we began to see tails at the bow of the boat and at the stern!  Sharla got in on the action and both anglers were casting to tailing fish. But no takers!  We decided to back out and check the previous flat and as we sat there we could hear huge fish slurping in the distance and when we looked way out, about 75 yards away, we could see Big Redfish with their back out of the water! Sharla spotted another creeklet on the other side so we eased around the marsh with the trolling motor and up into the flat.  Sure enough, there were big fish still there.  Bruce made pinpoint cast with the spoon and BOOM! FISH ON!  He played the Slot Redfish perfectly and worked it to the boat and I almost had him with the net. Almost! The big fish made a run, rounded the bow and headed for thicker grass and deep water and BAP!  FISH OFF!  Oh man that hurt!   But Bruce was not to be denied!  We continued to see big Reds slurping bait and when a huge tail came into range, Bruce placed another gold Gator Spoon just off to the side of this fish and as he slowly reeled it in, BOOM! BIG FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly, applying some gentle pressure as it made some strong runs, but it was no match for Bruce and his tackle. After a good battle the fish was subdued and we netted a nice oversized 28 1/2" Redfish!  After a couple of pictures we released the fish back in the deeper creek and it swam away to be caught another day.  We checked out one more flat then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!
through Tiger Basin to fish the Bell River with the float rigs and minnows and in no time the two anglers landed fish.  First Bruce put a hungry Seatrout in the boat then Sharla had a hookup that seemed bigger.  She played the fish perfectly and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  She then followed that up with a feisty Redfish.  We fished the area for a while with high hopes but the bite had stopped as quickly as it began.  We ran back to Tiger Basin and with the marsh grass flooding, began to look for "tailing" Redfish.  Our first three flats produced nothing but on the fourth we could see a Redfish wallowing around even as we pulled up to the flat!  But in my excitement I got the boat too close and it was gone!  We eased up into a creeklet in the marsh and found another flooded flat and quickly spotted another tail!  Bruce was ready with a spinning rod and gold

The Elusive Redfish

We had overcast skies this morning but the rain was supposed to hold off to late afternoon so we went for a "tailing Redfish" trip during the high flood tides.  I had met Rick and Michele Lusk early this morning and after we had gone over some preliminary flood tide fly casting tips, headed north up to Tiger Basin in search of the elusive Redfish!  I think it was our third flat when we spotted a hungry Redfish, nose down with his tail out of the water.  We lowered the river anchor quietly, grabbed a fly rod, and .....the fish disappeared!  Well, darn it!  We saw it one more time but had no
chance to cast the fly.  We checked out another couple of flats then I dropped the trolling motor and eased way back into the marsh where we were right in the middle of a number of flooded grass flats.  This time both Rick and Michele saw a tail pop up right behind the boat.  Again, we had the fly rod ready but saw the tailing fish no more!  We decided to hit one more flat that has held fish in the past and sure enough, just as we eased up to the flooded grass - "there's a tail!"  This one was just out of range but wallowing around in the grass looking for food so both Rick and I eased over the side with fly rod in hand....and it disappeared! Double darn it!  We waited patiently for a while and when the tail popped up again we had a  couple of casts at it but no takers.  After a little fly casting practice in the grass we headed up Lanceford Creek and broke out some spinning gear rigged with float rigs then baited them up with live mud minnows.  It wasn't long before both anglers had fish.  Rick landed a hungry Blue then when his float went under a second time he new this one had some size to it.  He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  Shortly after that he put a feisty Redfish in the boat then Michele followed that up with one of her own.  We fished some docks before we left and the anglers caught a high flying Ladyfish and Rock Bass.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Light Tackle Shark

We had another beautiful day to be out fishing Amelia Island waters today.  I had met Henry Weiner down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina this morning and we made a short run around to the outside of Tiger Island to fish float rigs and live shrimp on an outgoing tide.  We set up at a larger creek run out and began to get bites almost immediately.  Except that's what they turned out to be, just bites. Baitstealers!  But Henry began to get hookups and each fish turned out to be a different species which was kinda neat.  We
fished the area for a while, moved around behind Tiger and fished a little more, picking up a keeper sized Flounder. We also saw some beautiful wildlife - a Rosette Spoonbill, Osprey and leaping Tarpon.   Our next stop was up to Jolley River where we fished another creek run out.  Here Henry landed a hungry Seatrout, a Ladyfish, a Blue fish which added to the variety.  He then picked up a couple of Feisty Redfish  to round out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam of Flounder, Seatrout and Redfish.  Then out of no where a big fish hit!  Henry's rod bent double and has line began to sing, FISH ON!  This big fish headed fast for deep water and I knew it was going to be a Shark.  Henry played the fish patiently, working it from starboard to port and from bow to stern.  The big fish went to the bottom a few times then began to surface as Henry applied the pressure.  After a good battle Henry landed a four foot Bonnethead Shark!  Our last stop was at Jolly Bank where caught a few more fish then called it a day,
another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Post Holiday Fishing Trip

The long weekend is over and I had the opportunity to fish with Ron and Eric Brown this morning, and boy what a pretty morning it was!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on the very last of an outgoing tide.  The anglers hadn't been fishing long with mud minnows and jigs when Eric hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish.  Knocking the "skunk" off the boat real early gave me high hopes for a "fish catching" day.  We fished a while longer and Eric put his Redfish in the boat and the friendly competition was on! 

Our next stop was Tiger Island and Eric went one up on his dad when he landed another Redfish then we made a run around to Jolley River to fish "the bank".  There was a flurry of bites with Ron landing another Redfish to tie it up then Eric put one in the boat to pull ahead.  But Ron was not to be outdone and found a nice keeper sized Flounder.  Eric tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish but they threw the hook right at the boat.  We fished Snook Creek with no real bites then moved around to the MOA as our last stop.  Just as we were about to pull up, Eric had a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout which put him in lead of the 2014 Brown's Vacation Fishing Tournament!  It also gave the duo an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Finally Some Slot Reds

This morning we fished out of Big Talbot Island Park.  I met Bob Funk and his son Brad, and daughter-in-law Tiffany at 7am and we headed up the Nassau River to beat the holiday crowd.  Our first stop was at Bubblegum Reef and although the tide was perfect -the first of the incoming- we caught no fish.  We then made a run to Broward Island and being further up the river, the tide was still going out.  The anglers were making pin point casts to the downed logs and it didn't take long before they began to get hookups.  They
were catching a pretty good mess of feisty Redfish then landed a couple of Seatrout.  As Tiffany worked her jig and mud minnow slowly out from the bank something big hit it out deep and, FISH ON!  She fought the fish patiently and despite the coaching landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish!  Bob got in on the Slot Red action a little later and put another one in the boat.  We continued to fish the area and just when we'd think the bite was over the trio would begin to catch more fish.  Brad seemed to have the hottest rod of the day and landed both Redfish and Seatrout regularly.  The sun was up and it was getting hot and the bait had run out so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Young Captain Puts Us on The Fish

I also fished yesterday afternoon, this time with Bill Gower and his grandson Aaron and Aaron's Uncle Jeff.  We again headed north to Jolley River to fish an outgoing tide with float rigs and live (kinda) shrimp and mud minnows.   Young Aaron almost immediately had a hookup and landed a nice feisty Redfish!  We had a really good flurry there for a while with all three anglers getting bites and hookups, landing Reds and Croaker and Perch.  We fished further up the river, had some nibbles, then dropped back to "Jolley Bank" and switched to jigs to fish the oyster beds.  We again had some

Redfish and you could almost count on a Croaker if your jig was baited with shrimp.  From here on Aaron wore the Captain's hat and guided the boat to our next stop behind Tiger Island to fish the deep waters.  They had some bites and it took a while but eventually they put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat. After that, Aaron took us in, driving the boat all the way to the marina, and with that, we called it  a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Lot's of Fish

We fished Saturday morning, the Buben family and I, leaving out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina to head north and fish the Jolley River area on an incoming tide.  We hit the "bank" first, fishing jigs and minnows and almost immediately began to get fish.  Both Hunter and Austin picked up feisty Redfish and their mom Lisa did too!  The group also landed  Seatrout, a big handful of Croaker, and then Ben landed a Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Austin had the weird fish of the day, a
Stingray.  We move up to Snook Creek and picked up a couple of more Redfish and Croaker then made our last stop outside of Tiger Island where Hunter wrapped up the trip with another feisty Redfish.  With that, we called it a morning, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Picture Perfect Weather

I'm pretty sure I heard on the radio this morning that we had a record low temperature for August and you sure could tell it out on the water.  I had met Phil and Rachel Shaw down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am and we headed up the river with just a slight breeze.  Boy did it feel good!  Our first stop was the Jolley River and the anglers began casting float rigs with live shrimp and mud minnows up to the edge of the marsh grass on an incoming tide.  It was only a few minutes when Phil hooked up and landed a nice Seatrout.  Then he caught another one!  He was getting good bites but Rachel was not to be out fished and she too had a hookup, this time landing a feisty Redfish.  The duo had some good bites for a while and landed a few more fish.  Before we left the area, Phil caught a stingray and had a Flounder to the boat while Rachel caught one more Redfish.  We ran further up the river and fished another bank.  The bait was really moving along the grass line and both Phil and Rachel were putting their baits up close but had no takers, until Phil's float disappeared and, FISH ON!  This was a bigger fish that put up a good battle, but Phil was patient and took his time landing the fish but land it he did, a nice fat keeper sized Seatrout!  We fished Snook Creek briefly, made a stop at Tiger Island and fished the jigs, then ran through the marsh to fish Bell River.  Phil again found some fish and they landed a couple of more Seatrout and Bluefish.  With that, we called it a dy, another great one to be fishing Amelia Isalnd waters!

After the Storm

High winds and rain cancelled my trip yesterday but we were able to get out on the water today.  I fished with Buddy and Beth Farrell this morning, leaving the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and heading around to fish the logs of Tiger Island with jigs and mud minnows.  We had some pretty good bites but no takers so we made a run through the marsh (the sound was still windy and choppy) and fished some flooded oyster beds with float rigs in Bell River.  Again, no real bites!  Our next stop was a grass patch in Lanceford Creek and this did the trick.  The duo were still tossing the float rigs
and Buddy "knocked the skunk off" by landing a hungry Seatrout.  He followed that up quickly with another then Beth got in on the action and landed a feisty Redfish then Buddy landed one, too.  They caught one or two more then we moved down the way to fish some flooded oysters and here they caught a few slashing Bluefish and Beth put another Redfish in the boat. Our next stop was down the Amelia River and even though we had a few nibbles, the water was way up in the grass, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Chasing a Float

I fished today with Rick Diggs and his two adult sons Rick and Todd.  We met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina and headed north up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows and shrimp at a large creek run out.  The anglers almost immediately began to get bites, catching a few bait stealers then a couple of feisty Redfish and tangling with some high flying Ladyfish.  But then young Rick hooked up and this fish was Big!  Rick played the fish patiently and perfectly and when we saw it roll and boil up near the marsh grass we knew it was a big Redfish.  But there's a reason those big Reds got big!  Sure enough, after a good but brief battle, the big fish must have buried the braided line down in the oysters and when it made another run, "POP", and it was gone with hook, line and float!  But then we saw the float moving around at the edge of the grass and we decided to try and track it down, grab it and land the fish.  But as we got close to it the float took off down the marsh grass and we could see it about a foot under the water.  We chased it for about 50 feet then it disappeared.  We decided to continue to fish and keep an eye out for the float.  The anglers picked up a couple of more fish then we saw the float 75 yards away!  We eased up to the float with a game plan:  I was going to get a running start then pull up the trolling motor.  Rick was going to reach down and grab the line and float and Todd was going to net the fish if it came to the surface.  But when Rick grabbed the float it came up with hook and line, and no fish!  We missed him twice!  We fished Jolley Bank and picked up another feisty Redfish then made a stop at Bell River to pick up one more Red before heading in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

First Fish BIG Fish

Friday morning I fished with the Felipe family - Ileanna and Giovanni and their adult kids Karel and Lauren, who were visiting Amelia Island and wanting to take in some back country fishing on
 The Anglers Mark.  We had met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead area to fish the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows under float rigs.  There wasn't a whole lot of movement at the peak of the tide and it took about 30-40 minutes to begin to even get bites.  But then Lauren had made an excellent cast up near the grass and soon her float disappeared
under the water.  Lauren lifted her rod tip firmly and FISH ON!  The big fish made a hard run along the grass line and as the rod bent over the drag zipped, zipped, zipped!  Lauren held on and when the fish began to tire she began to slowly work it in to the boat.  We had seen the big Redfish boil up near the bank and knew that it was going to be a nice fish and after the extended battle, we netted a big 29 3/4" oversized slot Redfish as the first fish put in the boat for the day!  Boy what a fish!  After measurement and photographs we made sure the fish swam away to live a longer life.  Shortly after that fish Ileanna had a strong hookup but this fish was having none of it and broke itself off in the oysters.  We fished another grass line and both Karel and Giovanni got in on the action, catching a few feisty Redfish and tangling with high flying Ladyfish.  Karel had a big Redfish on for a good battle but it too found a way to break the line.  Lauren found a couple of the feisty Reds too along the same stretch of marsh grass.  We ran around and fished Seymore's Pointe and Bubblegum Reef then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Celebrity Fishing

We couldn't have asked for a better day for fishing this morning:  just a touch of breeze and some scattered clouds that kept thing real nice out in the back water.  I was at the Atlantic Seafood dock early to meet Roland Langley who was visiting town to participate in the Amelia Island Great Southern Tailgate Cook Off as a Celebrity Judge in the events. Roland had along with him his two adult sons Aaron and Russell and after loading up, we headed out and north to fish the Jolley River during the first hour of an outgoing tide.  I had
the anglers tossing live mud minnows under float rigs up near the grass and it wasn't long before they began to get hookup.  Roland had the hot hand early and landed a few high flying Ladyfish, a couple of Jacks, and a Bluefish.  But the two younger anglers were not to be out done.  Aaron picked up a Jack while Russell landed a Blue and then a hard charging  Bonnethead Shark.  We continued to fish the area and although the trio were getting a few bites but no real takers until Russell's float disappeared and, FISH ON!  We knew right off it was a big fish the way his drag was ripping and
when it stayed up near the shore I felt pretty sure it was a big Redfish.  Russell played the fish patiently and worked it out deep where it bulled down then out, but Russell kept the pressure on and we eventually landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish!  We fished the mouth of Jolley and picked up a keeper sized Seatrout then Russell landed a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder.  He also had another Flounder to the boat but it flipped off at the last second.  Roland hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish along the same stretch.  We made our last stop at Tiger Island and here Aaron had had the hot rod.  Fishing near some logs he hooked up with a nice Redfish then later landed a keeper sized Flounder.  After Roland landed another Redfish we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

I Dropped the Ball

We had a beautiful morning today as I launched The Anglers Mark down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp.  Michael Allen, his dad John, and their friend Chuck met me at the ramp and we headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff to fish an outgoing tide with jigs and mud minnows. I took a little while to get rolling but we eventually began to get some bites.  Chuck first tangled with a couple of Ladyfish then landed a feisty Redfish.  Michael followed that up with a couple of Redfish, too, then landed a couple of Seatrout.   We ran around to the Nassau River, fished Twin Creeks,
had no real bites then hit Bubblegum Reef.  The anglers picked up a couple of Croakers then we fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe.  Michael boated a keeper sized Snapper then we made the run to Broward Island.  This did the trick!  We were only there for a few minutes when Chuck caught another small Redfish.  Then I thought I heard Michael yell, "Fish ON" but after I grabbed the net and looked at the water it was Chuck fighting a fish!  When mentioned that I thought Michael had the fish, he said, "I do have one!"  We had a double and I didn't even know it! So I went around the console to net Michael's Flounder but before I could get there, Fish OFF!  It was a nice, keeper sized Flounder, too!   But Chuck had worked his fish patiently to the boat and we soon netted a nice 20" Slot Redfish!  Shortly after that, though, Michael had another hookup and we got that Flounder in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder.  We fished the area for jut a little while longer then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

AIBC Slam

I fished out of the south end today, launching from the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp.  I had met Todd Billmire and his son Seth, their friends Trip and Andrew, for an Amelia Island back country fishing trip.  We headed up to fish Jackstaff Creek on the very first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were tossing mud minnows under float rigs as I eased along the flooded marsh grass.  Todd was fishing out of the stern of the boat and knocked the "skunk" off by
landing a nice feisty Redfish.  The anglers were getting a bite here and there but no real takers so we switched to jigs and minnows and made another pass.  It wasn't long before Todd, again fishing out of the stern, picked up a nice keeper sized Flounder.  A little while later his son Seth landed a hungry Seatrout to round out a Billmire Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout.    We made a run around to Seymore's Pointe, had some bites on the float rigs but the current was making it tough to fish so we jumped over to Twin Creeks to fish.  Again, some bites, but no takers.  Our final stop was at Broward Island and in just a short while Trip was on the board with a keeper sized Snapper.  The anglers picked up another Redfish or two then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island Waters.

Catchin Fish Right Out of the Gate

Boy what a pretty morning!  I met Barb van Beyrer and her two kids Baylee and Cooper down at the Atlantic Seafood dock to fish the Amelia Island back waters on a high and falling tide.  We made our initial run up to Jolley River to fish a large creek outflow and almost immediately did the anglers begin to get bites!  Cooper put the first fish in the boat, a high flying Ladyfish and from then on all three anglers were catching fish.  They had a good handful of feisty Redfish, a Blue Fish, a couple of Ladyfish and Croaker.  Then, as Barb was reeling her float rig in, BOOM!  A nice fish took her mud
minnow and this time she new she had a good sized fish.  She worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout!  We continued to fish the area, had a lull, then found a marsh outflow and the Redfish bite picked up.  After landing another handful we made a run back to fish Jolley Bank.   Baylee got her line out first and it paid off.  As she was reeling it in she had a hookup and landed a keeper sized Flounder to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We fished the whole bank, had some good bites, found another Redfish or two, then Cooper

wrapped the day up by catching a couple of hungry Seatrout.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Tourney Champ

We went south today, fishing out of Big Talbot Island Park with plans to hit the Horsehead area on an outgoing tide.  I met Keith Yeager and his son Reece early and we headed north with cloudy skies and just a light wind.  The first bank we fished proved to be stubborn for the first 50 yards, producing no real bites.  But these two anglers were patient and soon to pick up fish.  After Keith landed a small but feisty 2-spot Redfish we decided to have an informal "Redfish Spot Tournament".  We found that the Reds were
holding at oyster humps and creek mouths and the two anglers landed a good handful of them.  Then Keith had a good hookup and boated a nice keepers sized Seatrout.  Young Reece caught his share of Reds but when he put a 4-spotter in the boat he took a commanding lead in the "Spot Tournament".  Keith landed a keeper sized Flounder then we ran around to Seymore's Pointe to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  I was expecting the Mangrove Snapper and they caught a couple, but when Keith's drag began to rip on a good fish, we had our doubts that it was a that big of a Snapper!  Sure
enough, after a patient battle, Keith landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish!  We then ran up to Broward Island where we picked up a couple of more Redfish and Reece reeled in another keeper sized Seatrout.   Our last stop was at Bubblegum Reef and again Reece found a Redfish.  With that we called it a day, proclaiming Reece the winner of the Redfish Spot Tournament with his 4-spotter!  It was another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Nothing Big But Catching Fish

I started the week off this morning fishing with Robert Smurthwaite and his wife Marcie, along with Robert's brother, Richard.  We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up to fish the Jolley River on the first of an incoming tide with mud minnows and jigs.  It's always cool when your demo cast catches a fish and that's what happened, a nice feisty Redfish!  We fished the oyster lined bank and the anglers traded turns catching small but feisty and fun to catch Redfish.  Richard caught a fish that turned out to be a  hungry Seatrout and as he worked it to the boat another bigger fish attacked it!  He had both on for a short while, landed the trout, which was scarred up, then released it hopefully to have a better day!  Darcie landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then we move on up the river to fish a large creek mouth.  We had a few good  bites but when we found a drainage area through some oysters they really began to catch the "rat" Reds.  We hit the MOA, picked up some finger mullet for bait, then ran back to fish the Tiger Logs.  The anglers had a few good bites, caught another couple of Redfish, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Flounder King

We had a beautiful morning again today - I commented that the river was like a lake it was so calm. I had met Steve and Debbie Kraman along with their son Seth down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we made the run up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and minnows.  We had only been fishing just a short while when Steve hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish.  Now that's the way to start a fishing trip!  From then on all three anglers were getting bites and hookups but it was Seth who was putting keeper sized fish in the boat.  He landed not one, but

two, nice 16" keeper sized Flounder and had a smaller one, too, which earned him the name, Flounder King.   Steve on the other hand was working on his Amelia Island Back Country Slam, catching a Seatrout to go along with the Reds that he had caught.   He also landed a really big Sail Cat(fish).  Debbie seemed to be adept at catching the Seatrout.  We worked the area for a good while, even switching to float rigs as the tide got up and put a few more fish in the boat.  We moved around to the mouth of Tiger and here Steve made it a Slam when he landed a keeper sized Flounder.  We picked up a couple of more Reds, another Seatrout, then headed around behind Tiger where Seth put one more Flounder in the boat. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Late Afternoon Fishing

 I also fished this afternoon, getting out on the water with Robert Ballard and his son Zack.  We made a run up to the Jolley river to fish a stretch of exposed oysters on an outgoing tide.  Both Robert and Zach had a handful of fun to catch feisty Redfish, caught on mud minnows under a float and then on a jig.  Zach also had a good battle with a 2' Shark that he played perfectly but when he got it to the boat the shark was having none of getting landed and broke itself off.  We ran further up Jolley to Snook Creek, had no real bites, then moved on around to the MOA.  There was tons of bait

and fish busting it and we finally got a couple of Redfish to eat.  Both Robert and Zach tangled with high flying Ladyfish then we made a run to Tiger Island.  Here, Robert landed the biggest Redfish of the day but Zach again had a big "something" on!  He fought it perfectly, it ran deep, he kept the pressure on, but the hook pulled, darn it!  We continued to fish the area, caught a few more feisty Redfish, then called it an afternoon, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Trout Makes The Morning

I fished this morning with Rodney and Jodie Harris and their daughter Natalie, leaving out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am and heading north to fish Tiger Island.  We weren't getting a whole lot of action until Jodie had a good strong hookup and landed a very nice 17" Seatrout.  We continued to fish the area, had another hookup, and Natalie reeled in a keeper sized Flounder and then Rodney put a hard fighting Stingray in the boat.  Our next stop was up at Jolley River, fishing an incoming tide with the
oysters already covered.  We had great weather and a good tide but didn't get many real bites until Natalie's float disappeared and she had a hookup, FISH ON!  We saw a big tail thrash and boy what a fish!  Natalie kept the pressure on and after a good battle, landed a big 21 3/4" Seatrout!  We fished that spot thoroughly and Rodney landed a good handful of hungry Seatrout.  We fished further up the Jolley, hit the outside of Tiger Island, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Rally Caps

Mike Maron was back on Amelia Island along with his family and set up an Amelia Island Back Country The Anglers Mark this morning.  We did a "split" 3/4 day trip, taking along his daughter Libby and his son Troy for the first leg of the day.  We fished some docks at Lanceford Creek but had no real bites then made a stop outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooded oyster beds.   Our next stop was the logs of Tiger Island and luckily Troy put on his "rally cap".  After just a few minutes of fishing Mike had a good strong hookup and while he was fighting the fish, Libby
hooked up too!  We had a double!  Mike had to fight his fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a 20" Slot Redfish!  Libby landed her fish too, a hungry Seatrout.  We continued to fish the area and the anglers caught a few more feisty but smaller Redfish then we moved on over to Bell River where Libby caught a nice Seatrout and feisty Redfish.  We that, we called it a morning, somewhat slow, but still a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!
fishing trip on

We switched anglers back at the dock, this time taking on Mike's oldest daughter Haylea and her friend Amelia with plans to fish the last of an incoming tide.  After picking up a little more bait, we ran over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooded oyster beds.  Amelia caught a Pinfish and Haylea reeled in a hungry Blue Fish but things weren't looking too good.  Mike and I made an "executive" decision to make a little longer run down south so away we went, and it paid off.  We made
it down to Seymore's Pointe in about 20 minutes, tossed some live shrimp and mud minnows under floats, and began catching fish!  They were Mangrove Snapper, with keeper fish anywhere between 10" and 16" and were fun to catch.  It was non stop action for about 1 1/2 hours on a high and outgoing tide and we fished until the bait well was empty, save a token few minnows.  With that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big Jack

I kicked the week off fishing with Tate Taylor and his three sons Julian, Bennett, and Trey.  We met at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead to fish a tide that was coming in and already covering the oysters.  I had two of the anglers forward tossing jigs and two on the back tossing float rigs, both with mud minnows as bait.  It took a while but every once in a while one of the quartet would remark that they had a bite, then it finally happened, FISH ON!  Julian had hooked
up with something big!  It ran kinda like a shark but it didn't.  It fought kinda like a big Redfish, but it didn't.  The big fish took Julian from stern, up the port side, around the bow, back to the stern and back to the bow.  But Julian kept the pressure on and fought the fish to the surface when we saw and netted a big Jack Crevalle - the biggest of the year on The Anglers Mark!   Now that's the way to "knock the skunk" off a boat!  We continued to fish and both Tate and Bennettelanded couple of feisty Redfish.  Trey tanlged with a high flying Ladyfish, then we moved around to Seymore's Pointe
and had a good time trying to outsmart some Mangrove Snapper.  All of the anglers had put fish in the boat except Trey but he kept on trying and his perseverance paid off!  He got the hang of it and put a couple of the fish in the boat.  The wind was playing havoc with my boatmanship so we made a run to Christopher Creek to fish the last of the incoming tide.  As we trolled the creek bank we were treated to a big Manatee coming up behind the boat and checking us out!  It took a few minutes but the anglers began to get bites and caught a few more Snapper on the float rigs but Julian had stuck with the jig and picked up three hungry Flounder, two which were of keeper size.   We fished all our bait so with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!