Taking The Kids Fishing

This morning I met Daniel Biolsi and his two young anglers George and Evelyn down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp on  a high and still incoming tide. We ran up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff and then further up a creek to fish the flooded grass with float rigs and live shrimp. It didn't take but a few minutes and young George had "knocked the skunk off" when he reeled in a nice Seatrout. And shortly after that his dad put one in the boat, too.
Young Evelyn was helping with the bait at first but she began to get more interested in the fishing and soon was reeling in the float rigs. We switched to jig rods when we got over to Jackstaff and although we didn't have too many bites, we did tangle with a Bonnethead Shark briefly. We then made the run around to Nassau River and went back to the float rigs and here things heated up. Both Daniel and George began to get bites and they each hauled in a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper (all fish were released today). Even Evelyn got in on the action. Her first fish was a pesky Pinfish but then she hooked up and reeled in a keeper sized Snapper, too. We finished the day fishing some docks with jigs and George wrapped it all up with another Snapper and a high flying Ladyfish - the "poor man's Tarpon". With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Typical Summer Time Back Water Fishing

We had a beautiful morning today, although the forecast had called for a 40% chance of rain, and a not a drop fell. We did have a few clouds and nice breeze that made for some great fishing weather here at Amelia Island. I had meet Kyle and Whitney Golden down at the City marina early this morning and we headed north to make our first stop outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooded oyster beds with live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs on the first of an outgoing tide. Almost immediately, the fish were biting. The
floats were going under one after the other and the two anglers put a few hungry Seatrout in the boat.  They also had to work through a bunch of "bait stealers". We ran up to Jolley River, fished the "bank" and here they caught a couple of small but feisty Redfish and then Whitney put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. We fished the bank thoroughly, then ran further up the Jolley to fish another marsh line with the oysters just beginning to show. Here, they both tangled with Ladyfish, the high flying "poor man's Tarpon" and then Kyle had a strong hookup that I would have bet would be a nice Redfish. He fought the fish for a second then handed the rod off to Whitney who played the fish patiently to the boat and landed a big 18.5" Seatrout. The picked up a couple of more fish then we ran around to Bell River to fish some dock pilings, Whitney quickly picked up a Flounder to round out her very own Amelia Island Back Country Slam then added a Stingray to wrap things up. After that, we headed in, counting it as another great summer day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

First Red and a Slot

An outstandingly beautiful day greeted  me and Froilan Esclusa, his dad, and his son (all Froilan's) when I met them down at Atlantic Seafood dock this morning. Another day with a slight breeze, not too hot, and not a cloud in the sky. We ran north once we got out of the no-wake zone and then eased into a small creek on the outside of Tiger Island. The three anglers were tossing live shrimp under float rigs and at first they had to fight off the baitstealing Perch, Pinfish, and small Snapper.  But then Grandad had a good hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout. The youngest Froilan landed a small Snapper then his dad put a fat Seatrout in the boat. We eased across the creek and here Froilan caught two feisty Redfish and Grandad quietly put another Seatrout in the boat. We made the run up to Jolley River, cast netted some finger mullet, then fished a grassy bank that had the oysters still flooded. Young Froilan had a strong bite and fought the fish perfectly, landing what I think was his first Redfish!  Shortly after that his dad had an even stronger bite, FISH ON! The big fish zipped the drag on the reel then charged deep, taking Froilan from bow to stern and from starboard to port. But he played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish!  We continued to fish the area then made the run around to Bell River to fish some docks. The anglers picked up a couple of keeper sized Croaker, then we headed back to the dock to pick up the rest of the family for a tour of Old Towne, Fort Clinch, Cumberland Island (yes, we saw wild horses) and Tiger Island then we wrapped it up, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Father Son and a Grande Slam

We had an beautiful morning to fish today, sunshine and  slight breeze. I had met Colin Ah and his dad Robert down at the City marina and we made the run up to the Jolley River to fish an outgoing tide, tossing flies to begin with. Colin had a topwater gurgler fishing the bow while his dad was tossing a Clowser on an intermediate line. The conditions were right and the anglers were hitting their mark but the fish did not cooperate. We ran further up the Jolley and switched to spinning gear and live bait and after working some now exposed oysters, they both picked up some feisty Redfish. We fished the MOA then moved on around to the Bell River to fish some docks. Colin hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder (all fish were released today) then he made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when he caught a keeper sized Sheepshead. They had another Redfish or two then we moved to another dock. Here things heated up for a while when the two anglers had a good flurry of fish catching. Colin topped it all off and made it a "Grande" Slam when he reeled in a hungry Seatrout. We hit another oyster bank on the way back, tossed flies at Bonnethead Sharks and Gar, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Flounder Kicks It Off

If fished this morning with John Sykes and his two brother-in-laws, Shane and Derrick. We made the long run from Sawpit Creek boat ramp, up the Nassau River and to Broward Island with plans to fish the ougoing tide with jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. The anglers unlimbered the jig rods and began tossing to the bank, bouncing the jigs on the bottom as the current swept it along. We could see bait being busted along the edge and after a brief while, Derrick had a strong hookup and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. We had a few good bites after that but no real takers so we ran back to the Seymore's Pointe area and fished some docks. Here things heated up and all there anglers were putting fish in the boat. Shane had a good bite, set the hook and put a fat Mangrove Snapper in the boat. I believe he had another one then Derrick got on the board when he landed another big Snapper. Derrick and Shane were running neck and neck in the variety count, catching the Snapper, Flounder, etc. We fished Bubblegum Reef briefly but the wind had picked up and was proving difficult to fish in. We made our last stop over in Jacksaff and John wrapped the fishing up when he caught a feisty Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

We caught a Bunch

I fished again to day with Chris Sorah, his dad Ken, and his father-in-law Carroll. This time we met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River, running all the way to Broward Island to catch the last of the outgoing tide. This paid off as the anglers began to get bites right off. Ken hauled in a feisty Redfish, then another, then he picked up a hungry Seatrout. We had a another couple of small but fun to catch Trout then Chris had a strong hookup. He played the fish perfectly and landed a  nice
keeper sized 18" Seatrout. Then Ken followed that up with a fat Weakfish, which we haven't seen in a month or so. Already with a "Slam", Ken added to that with a Flounder. We then made the run back to the Horsehead area, fished Bubblegum Reef briefly, but had no real bites, then moved over to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe. And boy it got hot here! Ken had a strong bite and a good battle with a nice sized Jack Crevalle then they were all catching fish (Carroll was taking in the scenery, enjoying the excellent weather, and providing moral support) and soon they began to pick up keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, one after the other. Ken hauled in a small but hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum to round out a Super Grande Slam! I may have missed a species but we had a good time, left 'em biting, and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two That Got Away

I fished with Jim Petchar and his son Hunter again today,  this time meeting down at the City marina early this morning and heading out to Bell River to fish some docks on the very last of an outgoing tide. The two anglers fished them thoroughly with jigs and shrimp, mud minnows and later finger mullet and eventually picked up a small but feisty Redfish. We ran around to the Jolley River and had a pretty good stretch of fishing, landing small Reds, a couple of hungry Seatrout, some Croaker, a keeper sized Flounder and a few "baitstealers". Then Hunter had a strong hookup and I heard the drag "rip", FISH ON! But before either of us could react, Fish Off! Ouch, that was a big fish, but that's the way it goes some days. We fished a few areas in the Jolley then continued on around to Tiger Island. We had a few small bites then I saw Jim go risky and toss his jig up close to some logs and when he hooked up I could tell it was a big fish!  Jim did an excellent job of fighting the fish, trying not to horse him too much but still trying to work him away from the limbs. I thought had him there for a second but the big fish got to some branches and made a lunge, and Fish Off! Boy that was a nice fish!  I think I was more discouraged than Jim!  But it was a good fight and a beautiful day so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Shark Fight Wraps It Up

I fished this morning with Cathy Raulerson and her friends Craig and Greg, meeting down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the marina and heading north to fish the logs of Tiger Island on the last of an incoming tide. We had live shrimp and minnows fished on jigs with the anglers tossing their bait up to the bank. At the first spot the had a few bites and at the second spot Cathy "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a nice hungry Seatrout. We moved around to the
outside of Tiger and this did the trick. All three anglers were getting bites and soon Craig and Cathy were trading turns landing small but fun to catch Seatrout with a couple of pinfish and perch thrown in. We decided to make the move up to Jolley River, fished one bank, had no bites, then moved further up the river and tried it again. The fish weren't cooperating so we made the run back, passing through Tiger and over to Bell River. Here, Craig put another Trout in the boat then he had a strong hookup, FISH ON! This was a big fish and ripped the drag out, first running up the boat, going deep then turning and coming back to the stern and it stayed deep. But Craig was up to the challenge and after a patient battle he soon landed a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark to wrap up another great day to be out on the water fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Smattering of Everything

I had the pleasure of fishing with Zach Peyton and his dad Bob again today, leaving out of the the City marina early this morning and heading south to fish the Horsehead area on the last few hours of an incoming tide. We eased up into a creek and began to toss live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs and things started out great when Bob had a strong bite and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle and shortly after that Zach caught a hungry Seatrout. We fished that bank thoroughly, had a few bites but no more takers, then crossed the creek to fish another bank but the fish weren't home. We made the run around to Nassau River, set up with heavy bottom rigs and began chumming with Pogies, hoping for  a Tarpon. After about 45 minutes we had nothing to show for it until Bob detected a bite, set the hook, and reeled in a small Hammerhead Shark. We ran down to Christopher Creek, fished some rocks with jigs and float rigs, then made our way back to Seymore's Pointe and back to float rigs. Here, things heated up - Zack put a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat then Bob added one, two. Bob tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish and managed to keep one on the hook for photograph and release. Our next stop was some docks on the north end of Seymore's and here both Bob and Zach landed Seatrout. Our final stop was back at Jackstaff and just as we were running out of bait, Zach had a strong bite. He played the big fish patiently and...then Bob had a hookup, we had a double! Zach worked his fish to the boat and landed a Slot sized Redfish then Bob put is in the boat, another Red. That was a great way to wrap up another good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

First Cast Trout

I fished this morning with David and Whitney Nofsinger and their two sons Harper and Willis, meeting down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and heading up the Amelia River to fish some flooded marsh grass on the last of an incoming tide. We had live shrimp this morning for bait, and mud minnows, too. Starting with the shrimp, the anglers tossed float rigs to the edge of the grass and on the first cast, BOOM! Fish on! Harper patiently reeled the fish in for pictures and release.  I believe we had Trout on the next couple
of casts, with Willis getting in on the action.  We fished a long stretch of bank, picked up a few more Trout and then Harper had a strong bite. This fish was pulling hard but Harper was up to the task and hauled in a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. And shortly after that David hooked up and this was even bigger. He played the fish patiently landed an even bigger Jack. We continued to fish and after making a perfect cast, Willis hooked up. It was fighting like a bigger Seatrout, and sure enough, he landed the biggest one of the day. We fished the bank at Jackstaff, followed that up fishing some docks at Seymore's where we had some bites but no takers, then wrapped up with a few casts at Spanish Drop. The morning had been overcast with a slight breeze which made for great day of fishing her at Amelia Island, Florids.

Shark Fight Makes the Trip

I had the pleasure of fishing with the Huffman family this morning, Michele and Robert and their two kids Ashlyn and Jackson. We had met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp at the peak of high tide and ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Twin Creeks. The anglers were tossing mud minnows under floats and jigs and minnows and even though the conditions looked right, we had  no real bites. We moved on up to Seymore's Pointe and here we had numerous bites but no takers! We bounced around to fish
some dock pilings and finally Robert had a hookup on jig and landed a nice Flounder. Skunk off the boat! Hooray! We ran through the marsh and fished the mouth of Jackstaff, easing along the bank tossing jigs and minnows and dead shrimp. We had a few bites then Robert felt a "thump" and then his line got heavy, and, Flounder on!  He played the fish patiently and soon landed the keeper sized fish. After crossing to a flooded sand bar and working it thoroughly we were about to wrap things up when ZIP, ZIP, ZIP - the drag began to rip. BIG FISH ON! Robert kept the pressure on and as the big fish ran it took him from bow to stern, from starboard to port, and then back to bow. It kept running off line so we chased it with the trolling motor and after along battle we were able to land a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark, boy what a fight! After pictures and release, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Hat and Howler Monkeys

The Maron's were back in town  this week, Mike and Shannon along with their "kids" Haley and Libby and Troy. We fished yesterday afternoon, meeting at the City marina and making our first run up to Tiger Island. But when we got there we found that there were already two boats fishing the area so we found a spot south of the island, fished it for a while, had few bites, then continued on to Jolley River. We started south of the "bank",  tossing mud minnows under floats to the bank, and worked the whole stretch with not a whole lot of luck. Then Haley, wearing her new "gilligan" hat,  tossed her bait to a small marsh runout an when her float disappeared we new she had the first fish of the day.When the drag began to rip we knew she had a big fish! She had fought it for a while before I got a video rolling and with her mom filming, Haley patiently worked the fish to the boat. It turned out to be a big, oversized 27.5" Redfish with nine spots, boy what a fish! After the
fish was photographed and released, Mike went back to the same spot, had a strong bite, missed it, then went back and caught another Redfish. Then Libby went in with her offering and I saw the float disappear then zip across the water, FISH ON! Libby played the fish like a pro and soon landed a nice, keeper sized Seatrout. The anglers picked up another Redfish here before we moved on up the river to fish another flooded marsh line. After working that bank thoroughly, we ran back to the outside of Tiger Island. Within seconds of getting the lines out, floats started disappearing regularly! Seatrout, Seatrout, Seatrout, Blue, Seatrout, Blue, Seatrout, Seatrout....It was over an hour of fish catching. They picked up one more keeper Trout and Troy added a couple that were just shy of the mark.  In order to get more distance in their cast, the Maron Trio had come up with a new technique which they dubbed the "Howler Monkey" cast.  It's kinda hard to describe so you'll have to watch the video!

MIxed Bag

I fished yesterday morning with the Stacey family, Arik and Libby and their son Adam. We made our first stop at Alligator Creek, fished an oyster lined bank and it didn't take long for Arik to put a nice Seatrout in the boat. When Adam had a strong bite we felt sure it was going to be a nice Redfish but it turned out to be a Sail Cat (fish). We ran around to fish some rocks at Seymore's Pointe, had a few bites, then Adam tangled with a high flying Ladyfish, the "poor man's Tarpon". We spotted a Redfish working the bank, tailing and
backing, as it cruised the rocks and marsh grass, but it wouldn't take what we were offering, which was mud minnows. Our last stop was down at Broward Island and here Adam's rod heated up here. He had a good hookup, played it patiently and landed a hungry Seatrout. Then he put a feisty Redfish in the boat then topped that one off with one bigger. We also had a keeper sized Flounder to the boat but it "self released". We had a good variety of fish and even picked up a blue crab as it swam by! With that, we called it  day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Young Angler Bears the Heat

And remarkably well! I fished with Mark Wimberley and his young son Zane today, leaving out of the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and running up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Twin Creeks to fish a high and outgoing tide. There was almost zero wind and we welcomed  a single cloud or two throughout the day. There was tons of bait coming out of the creeks and bigger fish were busting it but we had no real bites on our mud minnows under float rigs. We move on to fish some rocks at Seymore's Pointe in hopes to catch some Mangrove Snapper and after a short while we had a hookup and young Zane reeled in the first fish of the day. I commented to Mark that these Snapper were getting smarter because they robbed us from then on so we made a run around to Jackstaff and began tossing jigs and minnows. We had done about half the bank when Zane had a strong bite and, FISH ON! He worked the fish in, lifting it up and reeling down, and we soon netted a nice feisty Redfish. Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and here the action picked up, somewhat. Both Mark and Zane caught another handful of feisty Redfish then Mark had a hookup of a different kind. The fish came right out of the water and we saw right off it was a nice flounder. Mark fought the fish patiently to the boat and we netted a very nice 17.5" Flounder. We worked the dock thoroughly then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters. 

Flounder More Abundant

I fished with David Howard and his son Graham, who brought along his friend Nick. We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning and although the bait shop was out of live bait, they did scrounge up a few mud minnows. I purchased some dead shrimp and before we left Sawpit we had cast for some finger mullet and pinfish to complete a smorgasbord of bait to offer our quarry.We headed up the Amelia River, turned into Jackstaff, and began tossing jigs baited with the variety. Nick put a small Croaker in the boat then followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder.
Later, David hauled in a small Bonnethead Shark. We tossed the net for some more bait then ran around to fish Bubblegum Reef where Graham snagged a "Toad" fish, but not much was biting there. We hit a dock over at Seymore's and here we had a little more action. Graham hooked up and patiently played to the boat a six spot feisty Redfish then David hauled one in too. They picked up another Toad fish then we ran down to Broward Island to wrap things up with David landing a Slot sized Redfish and Graham finishing it off with a nice keeper sized Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

High Percentage of Keeper Sized Fish

I fished today with the Ron Brown and his family - his Mom and two sisters, Mary Beth and Robin. We had met down at City boat ramp and headed over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings just as the tide had ebbed. The anglers were tossing live mud minnows on jigs up to the pilings and although the bite was slow at first, Mary Beth finally had a hookup and landed a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish. Skunk off the boat! She followed that up with a couple of strong hookups but these fish were wiley and found their
way back into the pilings to break themselves off. Then Ron had a good hookup and after playing the fish patiently he soon landed another Slot sized Red. We fished the area thoroughly then made a run over to Tiger Island to fish the incoming tide.  Again, Mary Beth had a good hookup. This fish was big but it was having none of coming to the boat - we never saw it as it stayed deep and eventually broke off. Then Mom had a good bite and after a good fight we landed a nice feisty Redfish. Robin was being patient and fishing out deep when she had a different kinda bite. She worked the fish in and we netted a keeper sized 17" Seatrout. After fishing the island up and down we made a short tour of Cumberland Island, Fort Clinch, and Old Town before heading in. Although we didn't catch a whole lot of fish, or percentage of "keeper sized" fish was pretty high and made for another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters. 

Tough Winds But Still Caught Fish

The Mahan's were back in town, TJ with his son Riley and Harris with his daughter Kelli. They'd booked an Amelia Island back water fishing trip this afternoon so we met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp at 1pm and headed north up the Nassau River to fish the very first of an outgoing tide. Our first stop was at some rocks along Seymore's Pointe and even thought the anglers were making excellent casts, we had no real bites. We ran around to fish  Jackstaff and here things picked up somewhat. TJ "knocked the skunk off" when he battled and landed a 3' Bonnet Head Shark then
Kelli put an "almost legal" Seatrout in the boat. Harris hooked up and landed a nice 20" Slot Red and added a Seatrout. Then TJ caught a Red and a Trout. We were getting good bites and I felt like if we could have worked the bank a little more efficiently we would have put even more fish in the boat, but the wind was whipping us (in more ways than one) so we ran back through Horsehead to fish some docks along Seymore's Pointe and this got us out of the wind. I believe we picked up a small Flounder here, had a few more bites then we ran down to Broward Island to wrap things up with one more small but feisty Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one, albeit windy, to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Summer Time Fishing at Amelia Island

I had the pleasure of fishing with the Grimes family this morning - Bo and Tonya along with their two children Ira and Anna Belle. We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and under blue skies, we headed north up the Nassau River to fish some dock pilings on the very first of an incoming tide. It didn't take long - I think the first cast - and Bo had hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout! We continued to fish, had a strong hookup and breakoff, then Bo put a feisty Mangrove Snapper in the boat then Tonya
topped it with a large keeper sized Snapper of her own. Bo tussled with a Salt Water Catfish then we headed over to Broward Island. Here, Bo had a good hookup and landed a nice Slot Redfish and later Tonya added a keeper sized Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Big Flounder Tops Bragging Rights

We had an overcast sky this morning that made for some pleasant fishing down on the south end of the island today. I had met Don Norman and his dad, Don, down at the Goffinsville boat ramp and we ran back up the Nassau River to fish Broward Island as the tide reached its bottom. Younger Don knocked the skunk off when he landed a feisty Redfish and they may had one or two of them before the Don Sr. had a strong hookup, a good battle, and then he landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish.  Don Jr. put a hungry Flounder in the boat then Don Sr. added another Slot Red. Don Jr. seemed to have the
Seatrout's number, catching a good handful on a jig and mud minnow combo. As we fished a small creek, Don Sr. had a good hookup, a heavy weight, then ti began to fight. But Don was patient and after a good battle, landed  a nice 19.5" Flounder that put him in first place in the Anglers Mark 2015 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder category(scroll down right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish! After fishing the area thoroughly, we headed around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some docks. The anglers picked up on small Red then we hit a flooded oyster bank over at Jackstaff and landed one more Seatrout to wrap the day up, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Trout'n Blues

We luckily had an overcast day today because there was very little breeze, but it made for a great day to be out in the backwater. I fished with Greg Adams and his son Chris, along with Greg's workmate Kent and his son Sam., meeting them down at the City boat ramp. We made a run up into Lanceford Creek, fished some docks, and Chris knocked the skunk off with a hungry Seatrout catch. But that was all we got so we swung by some flooding oyster beds on the incoming tide and switched to float rigs. Here, the
action picked up with the anglers picking up a handful of Seatrout, a small Flounder and a "cigar fish".  We ran around through Tiger Basin and up to the Jolley River and again picked up a Trout or two and some Blue fish. Running further up the Jolley we found more Trout and Blues. Our last stop was back to Tiger, right at the peak of the high tide, and the fish catching was fast and furious - Trout and Blues and Trout and Blues. Kent put a "almost keeper sized one in the boat", then Chris followed that up with what surely was a keeper but the net man bumped him off! Then Sam followed that with a keeper sized Trout of his own. We fished until the bait well went dry then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Windy? Not a Problem!

A windy morning today was a little bit unusual for this time of year but it didn't hold this father and son fishing team back! I had met John Alexander and is dad Al down at the City marina and we headed up the Bell River to fish some flooded oyster beds with float rigs and live shrimp and minnows. John kicked things off when he landed a hungry Seatrout then he put a nice keeper sized one in the boat. Al was not to be outdone and he too caught a couple of Trout. We moved around to Lanceford Creek and fished a grass patch and
although the fish catching was not outstanding in quantity, it stood out in quality! Al had tossed  his bait up near the grass and when his float slowly went under - a tail-tail sign of a Redfish - he gently raised his rod, and FISH ON! You could tell Al's many years of fishing was paying off because he played the big fish perfectly and soon landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish! We fished the area thoroughly and had no more bites until Al's float again disappeared (in almost the same spot). I was thinking another Red but when Al worked him to the boat we saw it was a keeper sized Flounder, rounding out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We fished some docks at Lanceford, had a bite or two, then hit another dock at Oyster Bay where Al picked up one more Trout. After that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Somewhat Breezy Today

We had a stiffer breeze today which kinda helped with the heat. I Had met Bill Kennedy, his son Scott and son-in-law Ricky down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we headed up the Bell River to fish a flooded oyster bed with the tide still coming in. It took a while but Bill found a honey hole and pulled a few small, but hungry Seatrout out of it. We made a run through Tiger, around to Tiger Island and there were charter boats everywhere! So we kept going up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank". Here, both Scott and Bill found
Seatrout along the bank as they tossed mud minnows under floats up the the marsh grass. Scott landed a Bluefish as Ricky tangled with a Ladyfish. We moved further up the river, fished another line of marsh grass, tossing into the wind and then all of a sudden Ricky hooked up with a nice fish, then Scott did too! Both patiently worked their fish to the boat and each landed keeper sized Seatrout,. Shortly after that, Ricky's float disappeared up near the grass and, FISH ON! This was a much bigger fish. It zipped back and forth across the submerged oysters and once even ran up into the grass. But Ricky kept the pressure on  and worked it out. He played the fish back to the boat then it ran deep then around the bow. But after a good battle Ricky landed a nice 23" Slot sized Redfish. After fishing the area thoroughly we ran around to Bell River, fished some docks with jig rods and here Scott hooked up and landed another Slot Redfish. Ricky wrapped it up when he put another hungry Seatrout in the boat,. With that, we called it  day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

It Was A Hot One

Although we had another beautiful morning today, it got kinda hot as the day wore on!  I met Cory Relling and his father-in-law Keith down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and with a bait well full of live shrimp and mud minnows, we headed up the Nassau River to fish some rocks along Seymore's Pointe on the very first of an outgoing tide. The two anglers were tossing float rigs up near the rocks and almost immediately were getting bites. And they got bites. And they got bites.  I thought sure there would be some Mangrove Snapper here but finally Cory snagged one and it was a Pinfish! So we pulled up and headed over to Jackstaff, still tossing float rigs, and here they began to get some fish. Cory put a hungry Seatrout in the boat then Keith added a feisty Redfish. Then Cory added another Trout then Keith added another Redfish. We tangled with a Ladyfish briefly and then Cory landed a small Bonnethead Shark. We ran around to Nassau River and found a dock to fish and again we had some decent bites. Cory caught a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper then Keith put a 17" keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. They caught a couple of smaller Redfish then Keith put a nice Slot sized in the boat to wrap up another great (but hot) day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish Catch'n Picking Up

You can't beat these beautiful mornings we're having here at Amelia Island. I had met Rusty and Staci Byrd and their adult kids Austin and Elizabeth, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning. We had clear skies and a slight breeze (which lasted all morning) as we headed up the Amelia River to fish Jackstaff on an outgoing tide. The oysters were just starting to show but we started with float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. There wasn't much biting these but when we switched to jigs the anglers started
getting bites immediately. Austin knocked the skunk off when he landed a feisty Redfish then Rusty put a rather large Ladyfish in the boat after a high flying battle. We fished the deep side of a sandbar and here things heated up. Both Austin and Rusty were hooking up with 14" Seatrout so Staci and Elizabeth picked up a rod and caught some, too!  Rusty added hard fighting Jack Crevalle then a Flounder  and Austin hauled in a small Stingray. We actually left the Seatrout biting, gambling that we might find something bigger. The gamble paid off as we set up off a dock over at Seymore's Pointe: The whole family was hooking up with Mangrove Snapper, small Redfish, Flounder and then Rusty had a bite that ripped some drag on his reel, FISH ON! He played the big fish patiently and soon landed a nice 19" Seatrout. Shortly after that Austin hooked up with what was probably the biggest fish of the day, but this big fish was having none of it and went right through the pilings, broke the leader, and kept going! We made  final stop at Broward Island, caught another keeper sized Flounder and a small Red, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Snapper Action

We had another beautiful morning here at Amelia Island. I had met Matt Sedgwick and his son Luke down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made a run up the Nassau River to fish Twin Creeks with float rigs and live shrimp. We did get one bite but I believe the tide had already gone out too much so after a few minutes of fishing, we continued on to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe. There was a lot of "bait busting" action going on and soon Matt had hooked up with a high flying Ladyfish. Luke
took over and worked the big Lady in and soon landed it for a picture and release. I was expecting Mangrove Snapper here but we didn't get a one so we moved around to fish some dock pilings and this did the trip. Both Luke and Matt had some good bites and landed a good handful of Mangroves up to about 14" in size. Our next stop was down at Broward Island and here we picked up a feisty Redfish. There was tons of bait in the water and all kinds of fish smashing the bait. Luke had one fish that he found right up in the logs. He got the hookup but this fish was smart and stayed in the structure until the leader broke. We made one more stop over in Jackstaff then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.