Todd and Oliver Johnson were back in town this weekend, specifically to get some father/son fishing time in. I met them at the City marina, just a short walk from their hotel room at the Hampton Inn and Suites and we headed north and up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Oliver was tossing mud minnows under a float and within a short time hooked up with a couple of hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We switched to jigs and minnows when the oysters began to show and he landed a nice keeper sized
Seatrout. Then his dad got in the action with a big Jack Crevalle battle and catch. We moved around and made a stop at the MOA (Mother of All) and both anglers found some feisty Redfish to land. We were about to move when Olive's rod bent double over and his drag began to rip - a big fish had bit his minnow out deep. But Oliver was up to the challenge and played the big fish like a pro, keeping he pressure on and letting the rod do all the work. After a good battle he landed a nice 24" fat Slot Sized Redfish, boy what a fish! Our last stop was around at Bell River and here the two anglers caught a few more Seatrout, and with that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I had the pleasure of fishing again with Dennis Brizzi and his buddy Hal today, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. There was a shortage of bait this morning so we started out with about a dozen mud minnows, tossed the cast net for a dozen finger mullet then ran down the river to toss out a minnow trap - then we went fishing! At the first stop at S;panish Drop Hal had a strong hookup that bent the rod, ripped the drag and broke the leader. Although things appeared to be getting right, we had no more bites so we moved down the river another bump or two. Dennis knocked
the skunk off with a keeper sized Flounder catch, then he tangled with a Lady Fish then both anglers put a few small but feisty Redfish in the boat. Then all heck broke loose! Hal had a strong bite, a good battle, and landed a nice 24" Slot Red. Then he put another Slot Red in the boat then Dennis got in on the action and landed a couple - they had 5 Slot Reds total, plus another handful of smaller rat Reds. Then Dennis had a big bite and his dragged ripped -his light tackle rod bent over and Dennis was in the fight of his life! But he was up to the task and after an extended battle, Dennis landed a thick 28" Oversized Redfish. We checked our minnow trap and had a couple of dozen minnows then moved on up the river, NE of Bubblegum Reef and began to work the now exposed oysters. Dennis landed a nice 14" Mangrove Snapper that was good fight then it was Hal's turn on a big fish. When he first hooked up we thought, "well this is nice fish", then when the big fish dug deep we knew it was going to be a fight. Hal kept the pressure on as the fish took him from bow to stern and after a good battle, he landed another 28" oversized Redfish. Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!
After a 5 day absence due to my boat needing service, I was back fishing today with Josh Thompson and his son Noah, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island park boat ramp this morning and running up the Amelia River to ease into Jackstaff and begin fishing on an outgoing tide. The oysters were already showing so the two anglers began to toss mud minnows on jigs up to the bank. It was a slow start but when things got going they began to catch some fish. Josh landed a feisty Redfish then Noah put an even bigger one in
the boat to "knock the skunk off". They picked up a handful of those feisty Redfish and when we found a sand bar edge Josh landed a hungry Seatrout. Then Noah had a strong bite - one that took him deep behind the boat, but Noah kept the pressure on and after a good fight, landed a big 'ole slimy Catfish! Then he put it's little brother in the boat, too! We ran through Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop and here things really heated up. Josh had a good bite and I thought, "another feisty Red", but then this one began to rip drag and, FISH ON! This was a big fish but Josh played it
patiently and after a prolonged battle, he landed a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish. By now I could tell that Noah was natural Angler and as we continued to fish the spot the two put another handful of small Reds in the boat, then Noah had a strange bite and hooked up and caught a small but keeper sized Flounder to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam (all fish were released today). Then Noah had a strong bite again. this was a big fish and ripped the drag but Noah applied just the right amount of pressure and after the fish went from bow to stern and from starboard to port and back up to the bow, he landed a nice, big Jack Crevalle, boy what a fish! We ran up and fished some docks briefly and Noah added a Mangrove Snapper to the catch, then we crossed over to some old oysters thinking we'd wrap up the trip and BOOM! Josh had another nice fish on. He worked it to the boat and landed Slot Red #2. After pictures and release with just a few minutes to go, BOOM! Josh was hooked up again. This one turned out to be an 11 spot, slot Red. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up today, fishing with Jake Dyal, his grandkids Lucius and Kinsey, and their aunt/cousin Kathryn. We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock (which was really hopping with outgoing charters) and headed up to the Jolley River to fish with a baitwell full of live shrimp and a few minnows. Three anglers were fishing while Kathyrn filled it as "first mate", baiting hooks and untangling lines. We began to get bites right off and it was Julius who "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a feisty Redfish. The baitstealers were out in full force but these anglers had the patience
and began to get a nice fish now and then. Jake and Kinsey both had bites and the same time and we had a double! They expertly worked their fish in - Kindsey had a hungry Black "puppy" Drum and Jake had a Seatrout and they all had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We fished the bank for a good stretch then we ran further up Jolley and into Snook Creek and switched to jig rods and here Kinsey hooked up and caught a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout. Our next stop was back at the outside of Tiger Island and when Jake had strong bite that ripped his drag, we knew that this was a nice
fish. The big fish took him from the bow to the stern and around the engine. But Jake kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice, hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Shortly after that all the anglers began to get bites landing hungry Seatrout, pinfish and then they put wayward Weakfish in the boat! After one more stop we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I'm not a big fan of a high and incoming tide but when those are the cards your dealt, then you make the best of it, and that's what the Thomson family did this morning. I met Scott and Kimberly and their two sons Conner and Sawyer down at the City marina and we made a run up and around to the Jolley River with plans to fish the "bank" with float rigs baited with live shrimp and mud minnows. They began to get bites right off but it took awhile before a decent fish, one that Sawyer hooked up with and brought to the boat, a
feisty Jack Crevalle. And a little later he put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. Scott was patiently working the bank when he had a strong hookup, and this was a nice fish. It brought him from the bow to the stern but he kept the pressure on and expertly landed a nice Slot sized 20" Redfish. We ran further up the Jolley to Snook Creek, fished the outside and Conner got in on the action when he caught and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. We moved to the inside of the creek, switched to jigs and briefly hooked up with what surely was a Shark. After hooking a couple of baitstealers, we ran back to
the outside of Tiger Island, fished it thoroughly, landed a few Ladyfish, then finished up the day behind Tiger where Sawyer landed none other than a small Grouper! For me, that high and incoming tide is a tough one but these anglers stuck with it and were able to put a good handful of fish in the boat, making it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Back to work today! I met Edward Hadley and his son Cooper down at the south end and with the beautiful weather holding, we went fishing! After running north up the Intercoastal and dipping in to Jackstaff, we peeled off into a side creek and began fishing the flooded marsh grass on the last of an incoming tide. Both Edward and Cooper were tossing float rigs with live mud minnows up near the grass with Edward on the bow and Cooper at the stern and it was Cooper that picked up the first couple of fish, big, hard fighting Jack Crevalle. But Cooper was up to the fight and handily played
and landed some pretty big fish, for light tackle. Then Edward joined in when he too caught a big Jack. We crossed the creek and switched to jig and minnows and after a bit Edward had a strange bite, a hookup, and a sluggish fight. When it came to the surface we netted a nice keeper sized Flounder. We ran around to the Nassau River and fished some dock pilings and the two anglers "played chess" with some sneaky Mangrove Snapper. We called it a draw then ran east down the river to Twin Creeks. Here, things heated up as the tide started out. They landed a couple of feisty Redfish, a couple of Trout (to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam) and another small Flounder. We made one final stop down at Spanish Drop, picked up a couple of more Reds, a couple of more Trout, then Edward wrapped things up we he boated another keeper sized Flounder, making it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up yesterday morning, fishing with Stu and Audrey Secler and leaving out of the out City marina. We had a high and outgoing tide so we ran up and around to the outside of Tiger Island. Stu set up on the bow with a 7' rod and a topwater Heddon Zara Spook and Audrey fished the stern, tossing a float rig baited with a mud minnow. As we worked along a flooded marsh line Stu was picking up "spits" on his lure - they'd swipe at it but wouldn't take. He was expertly "walking the dog" and finally had
one big enough to take it and he quickly landed a small, but hungry Seatrout. It was cool to see some topwater action! Audrey was getting bites too, but had no takers at the first stop. With the Fernandina Fishing Rodeo going on and the weekend anglers out in full force, I could tell that spots close to town were going to be taken so we ran up and around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank". Stu stuck with the lure for a while, had a few more smacks at it then switched to the float and minnow. Both he and Audrey began to pick up fish. Audrey landed a nice keeper sized Flounder (all fish were released today) and a couple of smaller ones. Stu put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat and some smaller ones', too. They both had feisty Redfish and some high flying Ladyfish. We ran further up into the river and switched to jigs and minnow now that the oysters were showing. The two anglers added another Redfish or two and a couple of Seatrout (rounding out a couple of Amelia Island Back Country Slams). Stu briefly tangled with a Bonnethead Shark - it took the bait, zipped across a shallow then made a hard turn and quickly separated the leader. With a little breeze blowing it made for another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished with the Struemph family, Ken and Lynn and their teenage anglers Brooke and Ross, meeting them at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and making our first run up and around to the Jolley River. The tide was still fairly high so they were tossing mud minnows under float rigs to the bank and letting it drift naturally along the shoreline. It wasn't long before all working hookup up. Ken "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a feisty Redfish then they were landing Reds and Seatrout and a Flounder now and then. Brooke put a keeper sized flounder in the boat and later Ken did
too. They tangles with a couple of Ladyfish and snagged a Snapper or two. We ran further up the Jolley, fished some now exposed oysters, and caught another couple of Reds and Trout and another keeper sized Flounder. We made a short stop at the MOA (Mother of All) and Ross landed a couple of feisty Reds. Our last stop was around at Bell River, fishing the docks and the anglers wrapped the day up putting two more Redfish in the boat and a Snapper, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Another beautiful morning greeted us today, and I was fishing with Robert Gibson, his buddy Rick and their grandsons Ashton and Luke. We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and made the run up the Nassau River. Today, the tide was still fairly high and I thought about going straight to Twin Creeks, but I just couldn't pass up the "hot spot" that had been doing us so well the last couple of weeks! So we pulled in and began tossing mud minnows up to the shoreline and fishing them back slowly. Even
though these anglers were getting bites it took a while to get a taker but after that, it was non stop catching for almost 3 hours! Both Luke and Ashton had strong hookups and battles with hard fighting Jack Crevalle, all four of the fishermen put Redfish after Redfish after feisty Redfish in the boat and every once in a while they'd land a hungry Seatrout. Then they caught 3 or 4 Flounder to round out a handful of "Amelia Island Back Country Slams". Luke started out with the "hot" rod then Robert pressed him with some outstanding fish catching runs of his own. Ashton methodically put fish in the boat then Rick had a strong hookup and patiently played to the boat a nice Slot Sized Redfish. We bounced up and down the bank, catching fish at will, moved further West and picked up a few more, and wrapped the day up with a nice keeper sized Trout. It was a great morning of friendly banner and a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We fished the south end again today where I met Michele and Robert Huffman and their kids Ashlyn and Jackson. Leaving the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, we made a short run up the Nassau River and made a stop at a marshy pointe on the very last of an outgoing tide. Robert and the kids were tossing jigs with minnows up current and letting them bounce down the river bottom and were getting plenty of bites, but no takers. But they continued to fish and soon Ashlyn's fishing rod heated up and she started landing fish. She "knocked the skunk off" when she put a hungry Seatrout in the boat
then she really focused and landed a couple of more. Jackson caught one of the Trout before we moved down to another point and here things really heated up. All three of the anglers were catching fish while Michele and I kept them baited. They caught a couple of keeper sized Seatrout and a good handful of feisty Redfish and two really hard fighting Jack Crevalle. As the day ended we realized that Ashlyn had caught the most fish, Jackson had caught a Redfish with the most spots (10), Michele was voted "Best First Mate", and with his last cast, Robert hooked up, played patiently, and landed the biggest fish of the day, a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish! Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!
Back to "work" today! I met Howard and Emilly Williams and their daughter Maddy down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning and with a clear sky and just a slight breeze, we shoved off and ran up the Nassau River. I had originally planned to run all the way to Broward Island but the tide was still going out so we made a stop at some exposed oysters and were fishing within 10 minutes of leaving the ramp. It took just a while for the anglers to get unwound and in a short time they were getting good bites, but
no takers. Then, like someone flipped a light switch, they began to pick up fish. Emilly got things rolling when she landed a feisty Redfish then Maddy hauled in a hard fighting Stingray then everyone was catching fish! This trio of anglers landed small but feisty Redfish, then some keeper sized Seatrout (all fish were released today), then a couple of Jack Crevalle, then some Blue Crab (they must have been really hungry because they hung on all the way into the boat), then Emilly had a big bite. I was thinking, "here's a Slot Redfish" as it pulled hard and deep. Emilly kept the
pressure on and after a patient battle, landed a big 20.5" Seatrout! Now that was a nice fish! We continued to catch fish for about two and half hours and probably could have stayed there longer but we decided for a change in scenery and ran down to Broward Island. Although the bite wasn't not as fast they caught a couple more Trout and a Redfish before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We wrapped the week up fishing out of the south end boat ramp where I met Mike and Emilly Lefler and their friends Sam and Ashley early this morning. My intentions were to make the long run to Broward Island but the tide would still be going out there so we made our first stop at an oyster outcrop along the Nassau River. We had a bait well full of mud minnows and four rods rigged with quarter ounce jigs and within minutes the anglers were pitching their bait up current and to the shoreline and letting it bounce down the river bottom as they kept their lines tight. It didn't take long and
they were hooking up with fish. Mike tangled with and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and minutes later they had a "triple" hookup - Mike and Emilly and Ashley all had fish on. All three expertly fought their fish and all three landed them, two Trout and a Redfish. Sam was patiently fishing on the bow and he got in on the action when he landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. It turned out that Flounder catching was his forte because he caught a handful of them today. We had good action, catching hungry Seatrout and feisty Redfish and we even had a large Catfish put in
the boat. But when the bite slowed we ran down to Broward Island and fished it's incoming tide. Emily and Ashley both had Redfish, Mike had Redfish, and Sam had Flounder. We made our last stop back at a marsh line along the Nassau River and Emilly wrapped things up by putting another hard fighting Jack in the boat. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I gambled this morning. I had about a dozen mud minnows left over from yesterday but I had a couple of fresh crabs and they've been making excellent bait for my minnow trap, so I skipped the bait shop and got down to the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early enough to launch and toss out my trap. In day's past I've been catching dozens of minnows within minutes but wouldn't you know it, I was only able to catch 1 MINNOW before my guests, Darrell Evans and his two sons Grant and Will, showed up! OUCH! We
ran up the Nassau River anyway, tossed out the trap at a small runout, then began to fish an oyster outcrop with the bait that we had. Darrell came to fish this morning and before we knew it, he had boated a feisty Redfish, a keeper sized Flounder (all fish were released today) and a hungry Seatrout to garner his very own Amelia Island Back Country Slam, within the first hour of fishing! The boys we fishing earnestly with jigs but just weren't getting the bites so when Grant asked if he could use a float rig, I knew it couldn't hurt. And it was a good call on Grant's part because within
minutes he had his float disappear and he had a good fight on his hands. After a good battle he landed a nice keeper sized 18" Seatrout. Will switched to a float rig and he too put a keeper sized Trout in the boat. We ran back to check our minnow trap and, no luck! But there was a ton of finger mullet milling around and with one cast we had enough bait to fish for two days! We ran up to Christopher Creek and fished the shore line, switching back to jigs tipped with the finger mullet and began to catch fish. Darrell picked up a couple of small but feisty Redfish then Grant had a good bite and, FISH ON! This was a big fish! Grant kept the pressure on and kept it away from some dock pilings and as the fish dug deep, Grant worked it patiently to the surface, and eventually landed a nice Slot sized 21" Redfish. Just a short while later, we had another big bite. Will was on the rod and he battled it valiantly. This fish was a big one but Will was up to the task after a good fight, he landed another 21" Red, boy what a fish! We worked our way out of Christopher then ran up to Seymore's Pointe to fish some docks, had no luck, then finished up over at the mouth of Jackstaff where Will wrapped things up with a ferocious battle with a large Jack Crevalle. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Plan to fish the Amelia Island Redfish Spot Tournament on September 17, 2016. This tournament is Amelia Island Guides Associationand will be hosted at the Amelia Island Marina (formerly Amelia Island Yacht Basin). A portion of the net proceeds will be donated to the Folds of Honor organization. All anglers fishing from boats, shore, docks, and Kayak are welcome to enter. There is a youth division with prizes and trophies. Food, beverages and live music will be on hand. Silent Auction and Raffle prizes. Captain's meeting is Friday September 16, 2013 beginning GET RULES AND ENTRY FORM HERE!
at 6pm, Amelia Island Marina.
being presented by the
We had another beautiful morning today when met Heather Floyd who had with here Josh and Larry, with plans to fish the last few hours of an incoming tide. We made our first and longest run up the Bell River and fished some docks pilings with jigs and mud minnows. I believe it was Larry's first cast along the outside of a dock when he had a hookup! He worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice Seatrout. Now that's the way to start out a fishing trip! We continued to fish the area and a little later Heather
had a good bite and a strong pull. I was thinking "slot Redfish" because it was fighting and staying deep. She worked it up from the bottom and we saw that it was a big Catfish, fun to catch but not so good to eat! Josh followed that up with a small Mangrove Snapper that he got to the surface. We ran around to the Jolley River and fished a couple of flooded grass lines with no real luck. Our next stop was on the outside of Tiger Island. We were getting some good bites - Heather picked up another Snapper and a Seatrout, Larry added another Trout then a nice keeper sized Trout, and Josh wrapped things up with a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Although I had some couple of dozen mud minnows left over from yesterday, I decided to try some live shrimp out today as I haven't used any in a while. Not a good idea. I was fishing with Wayne McKenzie and his two sons Walker and Peyton, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning, with a plan to run up the Amelia River and fish the mouth of Jackstaff. Last week I had fished live shrimp on a high tide and did pretty good. But today was different - the three anglers were casting expertly to the marsh grass and although we had a few nibblers, all
we managed to pick up (by Walker) was a small Catfish! We ran through Horsehead, dropped a minnow trap at Twin Creeks, then found a dock at Seymore's Point to fish, sticking with the live shrimp under floats. Each of the anglers caught a couple of Mangrove Snapper, but none of them keeper size (all fish were released today). Our next stop was over in Christopher Creek and here things picked up. Both Peyton and Wayne caught a couple of feisty Redfish then Peyton had a good bite and landed a nice Black "puppy" Drum. We continued to fish the creek and when Peyton hooked up again, we knew this was a bigger fish - it wasn't going to be reeled in. But Peyton kept the pressure on and patiently worked the fish to the boat and it turned out to be a nice 20" Slot Redfish. We ran down to Spanish Drop and fished the very first of the outgoing tide with jigs, tossing them up to a large Marsh Run out. I believe it was Wayne who boated a Flounder but that was about all there was at that spot. We finished out the trip fishing the docks back at Seymore's and here Walker nailed a nice keeper sized Flounder, making it a great way to wrap up a fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We kicked off the week fishing down at the south end where I met Eddie and Marci Simpson and their daughter, Jolea early this morning. Our first run was up the intercoastal and into Jackstaff where we found some flooded marsh grass with an hour and half of a tide still coming in. I had all three anglers on float rigs and live shrimp and as the began to fish they got a few bites. It wasn't long before we had a hookup and Jolea reeled in a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk" off the boat. We worked the marsh grass for a
while, crossed a creek and fished another bank, this time with jigs and minnows, then we ran around to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe. This got some action going! Both Eddie and Jolea were getting bites and hooking up with sneaky Mangrove Snapper and on occasion they'd reel in a keeper sized one(all fish were release today). Marci was providing support baiting hooks and keeping the anglers in the game. Jolea was making excellent casts with her forehand toss and then she began to make backcasts that rivaled her dad's! We were catching fish when we left this spot to find a better variety and headed down to Twin Creeks. Jolea fished a float rig, her outfit of choice, and Eddie fished a jig at the stern and both caught fish. Jolea picked up a hungry Seatrout and while she was reeling it in Eddie had a strong hookup and patiently played a feisty Redfish - a double catch. They picked up another Redfish or two then we moved down to Spanish Drop where Eddie rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when he had a weird bite, hooked up, and landed a keeper sized Flounder. We made one more stop back at Seymore's Pointe then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
I wrapped up my week today with a great fishing trip with Mike Snider, his son Ethan, and his father Danny. It was a beautiful day - when we got to the Jolley River I commented that it was so calm it was almost like fishing on a pond! We started working a flooded marsh line with float rigs baited with live shrimp and mud minnows. The tide had been going out for about 30 minutes and it was perfect conditions. And the anglers began to get bites right off, with both Mike and young Ethan fending off the "baitstealers" to
pick up fish. Mike was reeling in the small but feisty Redfish and Ethan was hooking up with hungry Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size. Danny was getting bites and persisted and soon got in on the action, landing a nice fat Trout of his own, then he went for variety and put a high flying Ladyfish in the boat and then a feisty Bluefish. It was fast and furious for a while with a "double" catch in there somewhere. We moved on up to "Snook Creek", fished another grass line, then we move in to the creek and switched to jigs. They landed a small pinfish or two and a small Croaker, then
we got out the cast net and picked up some more bait. Our next and final stop was around at Bell River, fishing some docks, and right off Mike hooked up with a Flounder. We bounced up and down the docks and found a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum which Ethan expertly reeled in. We continued to fish, had bites, then had a strong hookup and, FISH ON! Ethan was on the rod and despite the coaching from Dad, Grandad and the Guide, he patiently reeled in a nice 22" Slot Redfish! Danny went back to the same spot and in short while had a very good bite. He and Ethan teamed up on this one and reeled in the biggest Trout of the day. It had gotten real hot and we were at the bottom of our bait inventory, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The weather pattern is holding all week...beautiful mornings, no clouds, and a slight breeze. Then by 10am, it's getting pretty hot! I met Greg Adams and his son Chris, along with their friend Kent down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we ran up the Nassau River to Seymore's Pointe to catch a high and just outgoing tide. We fished float rigs with mud minnows in hopes of getting some keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. The fish were there and all three anglers put some of the sneaky critters in the boat, but they didn't have much size to them. We ran back down Nassau and
found a bump out in the marsh grass and switched to jigs and minnows. There a few nibbles here and there then Chris had a strange bite, one that just hung on until it got to the surface, then he made short work of landing a nice keeper sized Flounder. The three angles picked up a small handful of short but feisty Redfish here and there, landed a couple of small Flounder, then we ran back to some docks at Seymore's. Kent had his "Slot Arm" working and we picked up a couple of more Reds and a Flounder. Then, after we had set up in a tight squeeze between two docks, Greg had cast up under some pilings and while he was fishing, turned to hand his sunglasses to Chris and, BOOM! FISH ON! And a one handed hook up! This was a big fish and it was trying it's best to stay up in the pilings. The boat was squeezed in between the docks and I was having a terrible time trying to get out to deeper water and keep the fish away from the pilings, but Greg gambled and applied some serious pressure and...we were out! But as I was getting out the fish decided to do the same and it went under the boat with me pushing the boat right over the top of it! All we could do was hope the braid and fluorocarbon leader held as Greg leaned out and tried to keep the fish off the keel. It was a good battle. Greg did an outstanding job and luckily the tackle held and he eventually landed a fat 25" Slot Redfish. Boy what a mad scramble! We fished the docks for a while, hit Broward Island, made one more stop at some now exposed oysters, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island water.
We had another beautiful day today. The skies were clear as the sun came up and we had a slight breeze the entire day. I had the pleasure of fishing again with Mark Richardson, his dad Allen, and his son Braden. We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and I had a bait well full of mud minnows. We ran up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff with plans to fish a long edge of still flooded marsh grass. I started all three anglers off with float rigs with the plan to toss their bait up near the grass and let it drift
naturally along the bank. They worked those for a good 30 minutes and had no real bites. When Mark switched to a jig and minnow he got a bite real quick, a nice keeper sized Flounder that Braden reeled in. We continued to fish and when Marked picked up a 17" keeper sized Trout, all three anglers switched to the jigs! Young Braden made an excellent cast and hooked up and caught a feisty Catfish. We ran around to Seymore's Pointe, fished some rocks and picked up a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, then ran down the Nassau River and fished some now exposed oysters. They had a another weird bite...Braden was on the rod...and after a good fight he landed the largest Flounder of the day. They put one more small Flounder in the boat and a couple of hard fighting Jack Crevalle before we headed down to Broward Island. The conditions were looking right but the bite was slow until a fish chased our bait out from some tree limbs and, FISH ON! Braden played the fish patiently..it took him from the bow to the stern but he kept the pressure on and after an extended battle, landed a Slot 21" Redfish, which ended up being a great way to wrap up a great fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.
