The Tide Got Right

We had another beautiful day that greeted us this morning, not a cloud in the sky and only a slight breeze as the sun  came up. I met Cory Relling and his father-in-law Keith down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made a run up and into the Nassau River with a few hours left on an outgoing tide. Our first stop was at a small marsh run out and even though the conditions looked perfect with bait getting busted all along the bait, we had no real luck other than picking up a hard fighting Stingray. We trolled the bank for a while then ran down to Broward Island to fish the logs as the tide got lower. Finally, Cory hooked up and hauled in a feisty Redfish. We were getting bites here and there but had no more takers so we ran back to Seymore's Pointe to fish Bubblegum Reef. Again, we had bites, but no takers. We hit another marsh run out and with the tide down and the oysters showing, this did the trick. The anglers had a good flurry of fish bites and fish catches, landing a handful of Redfish then Keith said he had a fish that hit and hit and hit his bait as he slowly worked it back, then it picked up the bait and ran with it. Keith set the hook and patiently worked in a nice keeper sized Flounder. Today was one of those days where I think the fish were there but the tide had to be just right for them to bite. But it still was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Slot Reds and a Grande Slam

I fished north of the island today, meeting Dennis Brown and his sons Jeb and Sam down at the City marina. We had about an hour and a half of an outgoing tide remaining so we ran over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp and mud minnows. I think it was Jeb's first cast and he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout! Now that 's the way to start a trip. We continued to fish - Dennis picked up a feisty Black Drum and Sam landed another Trout. We worked the docks up and down and was
about to leave when Sam had a strong bite and, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice Slot Sized Redfish. Then it was FISH ON! for a while! Sam had another Slot Redfish then Jeb got in on the action and landed the biggest of the day, a 24.5" Red. Dennis had a big one on too, but it through the hook after an extended battle, but he came back and got his Slot Red catch. We caught a keeper sized Flounder to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Seatrout, Black Drum, Red Drum and Flounder, and added a couple of smaller Reds, too. When the bite finally slowed we ran around and into the Jolley River, fished Snook Creek with no real bites (other than some Shark sitings) then we finished the day up at Jolley Bank, catching more fish. The trio of anglers landed Trout, Flounder, a whole bunch of small Reds, and then Jeb put another Slot Red into the  boat. Sam tangled twice with Lady Fish and somewhere in there Dennis tangled with a Jack Crevalle. It was a super "Fish Catching" day and another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wow! Fish Catching Day!

I fished north yesterday but went back to the south today, meeting John Ellington and his two sons Trey and Jason down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp. I had a baitwell slam full of live shrimp and mud minnows-about 11 dozen total-and we ran up and into the Nassau River with plans to fish the very last of an outgoing tide. The oysters were exposed, the current was running slow, the sun was just up and.....from the start these anglers were busy catching fish! They caught small flounder, keeper sized flounder, small Trout, keeper sized Trout, small Redfish, and a feisty Black
Drum (making it a "Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam"). John tangles with a Shark for a few minutes then Jason put a hard fighting Jack Crevalle in the boat then Trey hooked up with another big fish and finally, we had a nice Slot Redfish. They caught more Jacks, more Reds, more Trout, with a few of them being of keeper size, and more Flounder with a keeper sized one now and then. We blew through all 11 dozen shrimp with most of them being used on fish caught! Boy what a way to start the day. With just a few baits left we found a small pool and tossed out a minnow trap then eased
down the bank to continue fishing...and BOOM! Big Fish ON!  Trey put another Slot Redfish in the boat then they had another strong hookup. Jason was on the rod this time and he had to play this big fish patiently. After a good battle he landed a big 28" oversized Redfish, boy what a fish! While he was battling his fish John caught a released a just undersized one, too. We retrieved our bait trap and with another couple of dozen minnows, we were back in business. We fished the oysters for awhile longer, picked up another couple of fish, then hit some docks at Seymore's Pointe. After picking up one small Snapper we crossed over and fished some now submerged oysters. Trey added one more keeper Flounder before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Manatee Sighting Started The Day

I had met Matt Sedgwick and his son Luke down at the City marina this morning and as we left the dock Matt spotted a big Manatee swimming just ahead of us! We slowed down to a stop and let it move on out of the marina then we headed north and up to Tiger Island to fish the logs on the very first of an incoming tide. And a perfect tide it was...but we had no real bites. We ran out and around to the Jolley River, fished the Bank, and right off we had a bite. Luke worked the fish in patiently and landed a nice fat Seatrout. A
little later he had a Flounder hookup and got it to boatside for a "quick release". We ran around to Bell River, fished some docks, and a picked up a small Sea Bass. We came back closer to the marina, fished one flooding oyster beds with no luck then made one final stop outside of Tiger where Luke hauled in a feisty Redfish. It was a beautiful day, with sightings of Manatee, Dolphin and a ton of birds here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Flounder Kind Of Day

Boy what a beautiful morning!  I had met Bob McKee and his friend John down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning with clear skies and a slight breeze blowing. We made the long run up and around to Broward Island - I hadn't fished there in a while - but we had the first of an incoming tide which is the best for me.  Sure enough, when we got there bait was being popped along the shore. We had mud minnows to fish with on jigs and the two anglers began making their casts to the shoreline and slowly working them back. Within minutes John had a strong hookup -this was a nice
fish! He kept the pressure on and when he saw it heading for some tree limbs he tried to horse it out but the wily fish got around a limb and "pop", fish off! It woke us up though! Both anglers began to get bites and began to land fish. They had some small but feisty Reds, a "just undersized" Seatrout, a small Flounder, then Bob put a nice keeper sized Flounder in the boat. We worked up and down the island and picked up a few more fish then headed back towards the mouth of Nassau River to fish some oyster banks. The Flounder catching continued! Bob put a couple of bigger, keeper sized Flounder in the boat, then John followed that up with one of his own. The bite slowed a bit and just when I thought that we were through catching for the day, BOOM! FISH ON!  John had a strong hookup, one that stayed up near the shore for a good while, and I knew it was a bigger Redfish. He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. We bounce down the river and Bob put one more keeper sized Flounder in the boat. After fishing some docks briefly, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

You Never Know What You Are Going To Catch

I fished today with Josh Snow and his son Ben, with the trip being set up by Patrice Paton. We had arranged to meet down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning with plans to fish the first of an incoming tide. After a brief safety orientation, we ran up the Nassau River and made a stop at some exposed oyster beds, tossing live shrimp and jigs up current and slowly fishing them back...and....FISH ON!  First Cast! Ben was on the rod and patiently worked in a nice feisty Redfish! Both anglers began to fish
and landed a keeper sized Flounder and another Redfish or two. We ran further up the river, fished some more oysters, and found a Catfish and Sea Robin to add to the variety count. We eased over to some docks, fished the dock pilings and Josh quickly found the knack of catching small but feisty Mangrove Snapper. Ben landed a rather large Pinfish then another keeper sized Flounder before we went around the corner, switched to float rigs, and tangled with some bigger Mangrove Snapper. We made one final stop over at the mouth of Jackstaff where Josh landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to round out another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Quick Start to a Slam and Slot Red

After a great July 4th weekend, I was back to fishing today, this time with Dean Jensen and his two sons Elijah and Tyler. I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and we ran north and west up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a marsh point lined with old oysters and bordered by a small marsh runout. The had been coming in a few hours but we went with the jig rods, baited with lively mud minnows and tossed up current and near the shore. These young anglers could cast! All we had to do was take up the slack as the jig and minnow bounced down the river
bottom and in just a short while Elijah had a hookup and expertly reeled in a fat Seatrout!  Then Dean hooked up with a fish and when it fought funny I thought,...."hummm" and sure enough, a feisty Flounder. Then Elijah found another Trout and while he was bringing it to the boat Dean had a strong bite and, FISH ON!  Young Tyler jumped on the rod and began to work it slowly the to the boat. After a good battle, Tyler won out and landed a nice Slot Sized 22" Redfish, boy what a fish! We continued to fish the same spot and picked up a handful of Seatrout (and even had a double Trout hookup). After Dean briefly tangled with a Ladyfish, we ran over to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe, but had no bites. We ran down to fish Christopher Creek on the last of the incoming tide, then bounced back to Seymore's Pointe to see if the Mangrove Snapper were there. Both Dean and Elijah outwitted them and landed a couple of small ones, but we had no keeper sized bites. After a run through Horsehead we made one last stop to fish the marsh grass as the tide reached it's peak then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

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Big Fish Day

The Williams family was back in town this week and I got to fish with Ricky and his two sons Riley and Cooper. We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp on a high and just outgoing tide and ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Twin Creeks. I thought for sure we'd get a fish or two here, but not a bite! We skipped over to Seymore's Pointe and broke out the float rigs just to see a float go under! The trio of anglers tangled with small Mangrove Snapper and seeing that they weren't going to get any
bigger, we went back to some old oyster beds along the Nassau and this did the trick. Cooper knocked the skunk off with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum catch then all three anglers were putting fish in the boat. We had a couple of small Trout, Riley fought a nice Jack Crevalle, then Cooper hooked up and did battle with a big 40" Bonnethead Shark, which he landed. Someone caught a small Flounder then William had a good bite and fought to the boat a keeper sized 20" Slot Redfish. We continued to fish up and down the bank, picked a up a small Red or two, then Cooper had a big
bite and, FISH ON! After fighting that shark this fish was no match and Cooper landed another Slot Red, this one measuring at 23.5".  Somewhere in there William landed a keeper sized Flounder! We were about ready to leave when Riley had a big bite. His fish zinged across the shallow bar, ripping one way then coming back and ripping the other. But Riley was up to the task and after a long fight, landed a big 48" Bonnethead. Now that was a battle!  We ran up to the west of Bubblegum and fished the now exposed oysters but had no real bites other than an ugly old Toad fish! We made our last stop over at some docks, picked up a couple of small Snapper, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. Feeling blessed to be at the beach?  Check out Ricky's new website http://www.beachblessedlife.com/

One Shrimp One Shark

We fished the south end today, meeting at 7am down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. I had the pleasure of fishing again with Shawn Boggs and his son Jackson. We made the initial run up the Nassau River and made a stop at a marsh grass outcrop with some old oyster beds along side. We only had a few live shrimp and a couple of mud minnows but Jackson made the most of his first shrimp. After only one or two casts he had a strong hookup and FISH ON! This was a big fish and was ripping the drag as it ran like a freight train. But Jackson was up to the task and kept the pressure on as the
fish took him from the bow to the stern and back and forth across. We estimated it was a 10 minute battle and Jackson won it, landing a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark!  We went back to the same spot and shortly afterwards Jackson landed a hungry Flounder. He put a couple more smaller fish in the boat before we picked up and found a small creek to drop a minnow trap in. We fished the docks of Seymore's, landed a small handful of small Mangrove Snapper, then went back and got our trap which was loaded with mud minnows. Our next stop was around at Jackstaff but we had no bites there. We came back to the Nassau River side, fished some now exposed oysters, had a good strong hookup that eventually threw that hook and then made a stop at Bubblegum Reef where Shawn finally got on the board with a small Mangrove Snapper. We went back to the docks and Shawn got on a roll when he landed a nice keeper sized Flounder (and I picked one up too!) then we wrapped the day up with a "double" hookup of some nice 12" Snapper. We really had to work for fish today but we caught some and with being out on the water, that's what counts!

Steady Fish Catching

We had a beautiful day to fish this morning...I had met Mike Bennett, his daughter Michelle and his son-in-law Joey down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp with plans to run up into Horsehead, which is what we did. The tide had been going out for a few hours when we pulled up to a small outcrop of marsh grass and oysters. We had a live well full of live shrimp and mud minnows and the trio of anglers began to work the point with jigs and it wasn't long before Mike "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Then only minutes later, Joey pulled in a keeper sized
Flounder. Now that's the way to start off a fishing trip. They continued to fish the same spot, picked up a couple of small Redfish, then Michelle had a strong bite and, FISH ON! She fought the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a Slot sized 22.5" Redfish. They now had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam in the boat! We caught a few more fish there then bumped up a short distance, fished a run out, then ran further up the Nassau River to fish just west of Bubblegum Reef. Joey caught a Trout as we trolled up to the Reef. We anchored there for a while and the anglers

caught a fat Catfish, a Jack Crevalle, and a couple of small Black "puppy" Drum. They also were able to put a few keeper sized Croaker in the boat. Our next stop was down at Broward Island where we picked up a couple of more Reds. We made our final stop back at Seymore's Pointe and tried our hand at catching Mangrove Snapper.  It was a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Slam And Sharks

I fished with Chris Jones and his "boys" this morning, Alex and Andrew and son in law John, meeting them down at the City marina. We eased through the no-wake zone and made a brief stop at the mouth of Bell River to fish some exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide. Young Andrew put the first fish in the boat, a hungry Croaker, but that was all that we caught. We ran around to Tiger Island, fished the logs thoroughly, had no bites, then ran up to the Jolley River. Alex's first cast produced a fat and still hungry
Seatrout and later Chris worked a feisty Flounder to the boat. Then Alex caught a slightly undersized Redfish and John added a Black "puppy" Drum to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We ran further up the Jolley, made a stop at Snook Creek as the tide started back in, and here John had a strong bite, and FISH ON! It was a big fish but John kept the pressure on and patiently worked it to the boat. After multiple runs and some serious patience, John landed a 3"+ Bonnethead Shark. During the commotion, Andrew caught and landed a nice Flounder. We made one more run around to Bell River Where Chris added to his catch when he landed a Seatrout then Alex wrapped things up by catching a feisty 2' Black Tip Shark. With that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Following The Almanac

I had the pleasure of fishing the afternoon with Louis Welch again who this time brought along his wife Sue. We met down at the City marina and eased through the No Wake Zone to fish some exposed oyster beds on the last of an outgoing tide. Bait was moving and fish were blasting and it wasn't long before Louis had put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. He then landed a small, but feisty Flounder. We ran down to Lanceford Creek, fished a dock, and here Sue put a Seatrout in the boat and Lou landed a hard fighting and "almost legal" Black "puppy" Drum.  Then we made a long run
around to Bell River and fished some docks. We had caught fish at each spot and the sun was getting lower, we had a breeze and things just seemed "fishy". Louis told me that he and Sue had checked the Farmer's Almanac and it said this afternoon was the time to fish! We picked up a hungry Seatrout off the docks and landed another Black Drum then bounced up to another dock. Louis put his jig and shrimp between two dock pilings and BOOM! BIG FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and staying deep and I thought for sure that he had a Bonnethead Shark. We worked our way out from the dock
pilings then Louis began to put the pressure on. I saw a big flash in the water with my Breakline Polarized sunglasses and was still thinking "shark" when it came to the surface and we saw that it was a massive Bull Redfish, measuring in at 31.5"! And boy was it thick! This fish puts Louis in 2nd place in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). After getting photographs and releasing it Louis went back to the same spot and with just a few casts, FISH ON! He worked this one to the boat a little quicker and we soon netted a nice 21" Slot Red, with 9 spots. We fished for a while longer, ran around and made a brief stop at the MOA, then continued on around to Tiger Island. After a cast or two we had a hookup - Louis worked it to the boat, and landed a fat 19" Flounder. This gave the duo an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam and again, put Louis in 2nd place in the Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category! We fished on and Sue got in on the action. She made an excellent cast to some logs, worked it slowly and BOOM! Another nice fish on! She played it patiently and soon landed a nice 19" Slot Red of her own. We fished the island thoroughly then headed in as the sun was getting low, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Trip Saving Mangrove Snapper

We fished out of the South end today...there's not a lot of boat traffic and it was convenient for Shan Venable and his friends Bobby and Kirby to meet me there. We left the ramp and ran north up the Nassau River and with the tide just starting in, made our first stop at Bubblegum Reef. When Bobby had a strong hookup right off the bat, I was thinking, "allright! Here we go!"  He played the big fish patiently and after a good battle landed a....huge Catfish! It was a big one! Then he tangled with a Ladyfish and put a small Sea
Bass in the boat. We bounced over to some docks, fished the pilings briefly, then ran down to Broward Island. The anglers picked up a couple of small Redfish and "quick released" a Flounder at boat side. Although we had a few fish caught, it wasn't one of those days where the fish were just jumping in the boat, so we made our way back to the docks at Seymore's Pointe and set up with some float rigs. And here things got hot! The trio quickly began to put one nice Mangrove Snapper after the other in the boat. And most were 14"-15" in length, so some nice fish for our back waters. They had the catching down pat and after about an hour we limited out and moved on. Our next and final stop was over at the mouth of Jackstaff, tossing float rigs to the now flooded marsh grass. After fishing a good stretch Kirby had made a good cast to a sparse grassy area. I saw his float bob a couple of times then it slowly went under. Kirby quickly took in his slack, lifted the rod and firmly set the hook and, FISH ON! He fought the fish expertly to the boat and landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish to wrap up another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flounder Each Day

The beautiful weather continued today when I fished with Greg and Jodi Lane out of the Fernandina Beach City marina. We made our first stop up at Tiger Island, fished it thoroughly, and Jodi finally "knocked the skunk" off the boat when she landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. We ran up to the Jolly River and fished "the  bank" with float rigs but had no real bites. We came back to the outside of Tiger and stayed with the float rigs and here Jodi put a feisty Redfish in the boat then rounded out her very own Amelia Island Back Country Slam when she caught a hungry Seatrout. Greg put a
couple of Trout in the boat before we headed over to Bell River to fish a still flooding oyster bed. He had made an excellent cast and let his float drift naturally up to a grassy point and "BOOM", he had a fish on. He worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  We had a nice variety and a couple of keeper sized fish to round out another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Manatee Sightings

Today was the second day in a row that we've seen Manatee working the grass edge, and one was down at Sawpit Creek yesterday while today's was up around Tiger Island. I had met Joe Gasper, Adam Blanning and Adam's daughters Eliza and Megan at the City boat ramp with plans to make a run up to Tiger Island to catch the tide still coming in. The anglers were tossing shrimp and mud minnows on jigs to the pockets and even though it was an outstandingly beautiful morning...we had no bites! But we went to the outside of Tiger and switched to float rigs and they began to get fish almost immediately. Eliza was the first to hookup and it was a nice Trout. She worked it patiently to the boat and landed an 18" Seatrout (all fish were released today). Then all the anglers began to get hookups. Megan caught and reeled in a few Trout and Eliza added another couple. Adam had a Trout and also landed a Flounder. Then Joe had a strong hookup and the reel began to sing as line ripped out - this was a big fish! He fought the fish for a good while as it took him all the way around the boat. Joe let the rod do the work and after a good battle, brought to the boat a 4" Bonnethead Shark! We bounced across the river, stayed with the float rigs and Adam spotted a big mass, fins, and a nose -a Manatee working the grass. It's always fun to watch these gentle creatures and it's especially easy to see them in the water with my  Breakline Polarized sunglasses! We ran around to Bell River where Eliza landed a hard fighting Blue Fish and Adam put another Flounder in the boat, this one of keeper size. After one final stop we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Jack Crevalle On Light Tackle

We wrapped the week up fishing out of the Big Talbot Island Park where I met Paula and Dean Eldridge and their sons Malachi and Josiah. We had a little wind blowing already but we made the run up the Nassau River and made our first stop at Twin Creeks and began fishing with live shrimp under float rigs on the very first of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before Dean's float disappeared and he had a hookup!  He worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice hungry Seatrout. Then, shortly after that, I saw a splash at Josiah's float and it too disappeared and, FISH ON! Josiah
held on and began to work the fish in slowly. His mom jumped in and they teamed up on this big fish. It ran right then left and went under the boat a few times but they kept the pressure on and eventually landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, boy what a fight! After fishing there for a while we ran up to Seymore's Pointe and got out of the wind. Although we had a few bites we had no takers so we bounced around and hit a another dock. Here, the anglers got into some Mangrove Snapper and it was like playing "cat and  mouse" - the float would drift along, go under, and we had to be quick to hookup. But Malachi was up to the challenge and landed a handful of the sneaky fish. Dean put a nice keeper sized Snapper in the boat, too. We fished some more docks as the tide got down, ran through Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Her First Fish

We got out to fish this morning before the storms hit...kinda! I met Brian Severin and his daughters Rhegan and Maddi down at the City marina and we headed over to Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded marsh grass on the very first of an outgoing tide. The three anglers were tossing float rigs with live shrimp and I believe it was 7 year old Maddi's first cast when she had a nibble and her float went under. She reeled in her very first fish, a hungry Seatrout! We fished there for a while, had some bites, then moved around and
fished some dock pilings. We had bites and young Maddi put another fish in the boat, this one a Croaker. The wind was kicking up somewhat so we elected to stay behind the land mass and ran around to Bell River to hit some  more docks. Here, we switched to jigs and shrimp Rhegan got in on the action when she fought to the boat a nice Stingray. Then she hooked up and landed the biggest Trout of the day. We ran around to Tiger Island and had just begun to fish when the bottom dropped out and some rather large rain drops began to fall. We picked up and ran back, got soaked on the way, but counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Daylight Topwater Fishing

We had a plan, meet early and fish the very first of a falling tide with topwater lures. I met Kye Stepp, his brother in law Matt and his father in law Tommy "Big T", down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up to the Horsehead area to fish the grasslines. I could tell right off that these guys were anglers - they were calling their shots and making pinpoint casts to points and pockets. We worked a long stretch near Bubblegum Reef but had no real "spits" at the lures. We ran around to Jackstaff, fished another stretch and again, no bites.  I had a few shrimp left over from the day before so we switched to a jig and it wasn't long before Big T had a hookup. After patiently playing the fish, he landed a fat but hungry Seatrout. And shortly after that he landed another. We worked a bank with the jigs for a while, ran around and fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fished the "Snapper Hole" to use up all of our bait, then fished one more bank with jigs and plastic grubs. Although this trio of anglers fished it hard, the bite was slow, but it still was a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Summer Time Variety

I had the pleasure of fishing today again with Paul Landahl who brought along his friend Kathy, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp. We ran up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff and to a large marsh run out to begin fishing with float rigs and live shrimp.  The two anglers had only been fishing a short while when Paul had strong bite that bent his rod over and, FISH ON! We new it was a big fish when the drag kept ripping, but Paul kept the pressure on and soon the fish slowed. He fought it for a good while then landed a nice 4’ Bonnethead Shark. We fished that spot just a short while then jumped over and trolled another bank, to no avail. We crossed back and fished a point and here things heated up a bit. Kathy hooked up, using a jig fished deep, and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Then Paul followed that up with one of his own. We had a few good bites and after Kathy picked up a Shark of her won, we ran over to some docks at Seymore’s Pointe. Tossing jigs, both Paul and Kathy had some Mangrove Snapper bites. We bounced around to another dock where Paul tangles with a high flying Ladyfish, then Kathy found her groove and began to put legal sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat. She was even able to coerce a large Blue Crab into the boat! The sun was up and we were hot so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hard Work Pays Off

Back to work today! I had Zach Luckie, his young son Tate, and his father in law Tommy fishing with me today. We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City marina early this morning and made our initial run over to Egans Creek to fish some docks on the last of an outgoing tide. All three anglers began to get bites right off and then they landed a handful of "almost legal" Black "puppy" Drum. Tommy had a strong hookup and he and Tate valiantly fought the big fish for a good while. After a good battle they landed a fairly large Stingray. Zach had a good hookup and he and Tate
hauled in a keeper sized Flounder. We ran over to Tiger Island and fished the logs, picking up another Puppy Drum then Zach had a good bite and with a little help from Tate, they put a nice Slot Redfish in the boat. After working the island thoroughly, we ran up to the Jolley River, fished Snook Creek and Zach landed a small, but feisty Redfish. We bumped around to the MOA, Zach found another Puppy Drum, then we made our last stop over in Bell River. The bite had slowed to almost nothing when Zach made a "bounce" cast off of a dock and BOOM, FISH ON! He applied some pressure and kept the big fish out of the pilings then Tate jumped in and together they fought and landed a big Slot Redfish, rounding out and wrapping up another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Snapper Bite Comes Alive

I had the pleasure of fishing with Steve Foss again, who this time brought along his daughters Stephanie and Katie, meeting me down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning for a run up the Amelia River to with plans to dip into Jackstaff and fish the very last of an outgoing tide. The conditions couldn't have been any better - early morning, eager anglers, a slight breeze, current slowing, bait moving everywhere...and we had no real bites! Ouch! We crossed over and fished a point and we did have one hookup but  the wily fish threw the hook. We ran through Horsehead and began fishing an old oyster bed as the tide started in and again, the conditions and tide were perfect, but no real bites. We headed down to Broward Island and fished the downed logs just as the tide changes down there. Steve had a Flounder on for a while and typical of a Flounder, it threw the hook right at the boat. We had one more strong bite and Stephanie patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish...Skunk Off The Boat! Whooeee! The sun was up and we were soaking towels in ice water to put on our necks. Luckily my new  Breakline Porlarized sunglasses were doing their job to protect my eyes!  We made a final stop back at Seymore's Pointe and fished some rocks with float rigs and the remainder of our live shrimp (which was a bunch!) And here, things heated up rather quickly. Both Katie and Stephanie were making excellent casts and all three anglers began to get bites and then began to hookup with hard fighting Mangrove Snapper. We had a couple of double hookups and a few of the Snapper measured to 14", which is a nice size for an Amelia Island back country Snapper. The trio landed a few handfuls of the Snapper and we fished until we ran out of bait, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Biggest, Most, and Most Variety

We had an outstandingly beautiful morning today when I met the White family, Joel and Brooke and their daughter Annibelle down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Although the bait shop was out of live bait, I had purchased some dead shrimp and we threw the cast net to get some minnows, then we ran up the Nassau River and made our first stop at Bubblegum Reef. It was Annibelle's first fishing outing and in minutes she was making excellent casts. We had some small nibbles but no takers so we eased over to some docks and began to pitch to the pilings. Annibelle had made a good
cast and was letting her shrimp sit when the rod tip bent over and FISH ON! She held on tight and with the help of her dad, began to work the big fish to the boat. After a good battle they landed a big Jack Crevalle that looked like it had been in a previous battle with a dolphin. We ran down to Broward Island where Joel picked up a feisty Black "puppy" Drum and we were treated to a sighting of a Bald Eagle. Our last stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and here Annibelle made a pinpoint cast to the "hot spot" and hooked up and landed all by herself a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. She also outsmarted a wiley Pinfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

LIke a Light Switch

I got to do a late afternoon trip today with Allen and Ann Richardson and their two grandkids Anna Claire and Walker. We met at the City docks at 3pm and made a long run up the Bell River to fish some docks with the tide about half way down. We had some huge live shrimp which we baited onto 1/4 oz jigs and began to toss to some dock pilings. The anglers were making good casts and we worked a few docks diligently, but we had no real bites. We then ran around and into the Jolley River, up to Snook Creek and
fished some now exposed oyster beds. Again, we worked the area thoroughly, but, no bites! So we are two hours into a fishing trip and no fish in the boat. But these anglers were patient and it paid off. Our next stop was over at Tiger Island with about an hour to go until dead low. It was like someone turned on a light switch. At our first spot we hooked up with a hard fighting Slot sized 20" Redfish then put a keeper sized 16" Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. (All fish were released to be caught another day) We fished up and down the island, landed a small but keeper sized Flounder to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Walker made a cast to a grassy shore line, bounced it off the bank, and caught another feisty Drum.  As we fished the logs Allen hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout to make it a "Grande Slam" then Anna Claire wrapped things up when she fought and landed the biggest Flounder of the year, a 20" flattie, putting her in first place in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.