Two Guys Fish'n and a Redfish Battle

I had the pleasure of meeting and fishing with Cy Gray this morning, and a beautiful one it was. We left the Fernandina Beach City Marina at 7:30am with only a few clouds in the sky, very little wind, and the temperature already over 60. We made a couple of stops, anchoring to fish the oyster beds and marsh grass with live shrimp under a float rig but had no real bites. We eventually ended up behind Tiger Island and with the land mass blocking the breeze that had picked up we had a great setting for our first fish, a nice Sea Trout. Cy had cast his float rig up near the bank and as soon as it hit it was taken under; he set the hook and reeled the fish to the boat and net. We moved on to Lanceford creek and tried some docks, picking up more Trout, fished the Rayonier warehouse, then moved on south of Rayonier, trolling the marsh grass, pitching the float rig to the shore line. We hooked up with something big that took the bait like it was out for Sunday brunch, slow and easy, but when it realized that it was hooked the fight was on! Cy played the fish beautifully, allowing it to run, ripping drag, enough that I thought I may need to chase it down, then up to the boat, and then it bulled away for another run. On about its third visit to the boat the big Red decided another tact and went under the boat, but Cy was ready and dipped the rod into the water deep until the fish came back out and kept the pressure on. We eventually netted the nice 26" 7lb Redfish, snapped some pictures, and watched it swim back to the deep when we released it. Cy commented that the fish may be out of the "slot" next year and may get to live a long and happy life! We headed to the dock, counting it as a great morning to be out on the water!

Superstition Doesn't Pay Off

I don't consider myself a superstitious person but from time to time I think to myself, "it can't hurt"! If I see a penny laying on the sidewalk I pick it up and put it in my pocket. If I'm wearing a hat that's "catching fish", I continue to wear it until it let's me down. So Friday when one of my guests had the "hot rod" and could do no wrong, catching fish when her parents vacated a spot, I knew that I'd be using that rod in Saturday's Redfish Spot Tourny! On my trip to pick the boat up, 4:30 in the morning, I saw the first shooting star that I've seen in years! All things good were lining up! I met my buddy Don Hughes, we checked out, launched the boat and made a run up the inter coastal to Amelia Island to fish our "spots". At our first stop we had bites, Bluefish, then I hooked up with something heavy and hugging the bottom. I sure hoped it was a Redfish, but it just wasn't running, staying on the bottom as much as it could, and when we got it to the boat, a Stingray! OUCH. We hit spot after spot, picking up a nice Flounder at one, Trout and Bluefish at others, but no Redfish! We fished right on up to 1:30pm, the latest that we figured we could get back to the weigh-in, then called it a day, a great one to be on the water, even though we had no fish to weigh in. Congratulations to the winners, good job!

Trout Explosion

It was still raining when I came over the bridge at 6:30am
this morning and the wind was blowing the forecasted 13 knots, if not more, so you can imagine my trepidation as I made my way to the bait shop. But as the sun came up you could see the clouds being pushed offshore by the west winds. I met my guests, the Arnetts, David and Kim, with their two girls, Abbey and Bethany, at the City Marina boat ramp at 7:30am, live shrimp in the bait well and a "plan" to beat the wind. With other captain's launching their boats, we headed for Lanceford Creek and the shelter of the adjacent land mass, making our first stop at one of the docks, with the first of an outgoing tide. I anchored up, baited float rigs and the whole family was fishing. Abbey had a few bites then hooked up with a nice keeper sized Trout. Kim joined in with another Trout and then Abbey pulled in another. They had more hookups and even let Bethany reel in a few. We eventually moved to another dock and caught more Trout, with Kim pulling in a 19" one and Abbey fighting to the boat a 20" Trout. David joined in with a Black Drum then Abbey caught a Flounder. A few Blues were picked up in between. It was becoming more and more evident that Abbey had the "hot rod" - she could cast to spots that the others had vacated and soon would have a hookup! We moved to another spot - another Trout. As we moved on, my intentions were to go in behind Tiger Island, but the wind was kicking up white caps in the river so we turned in to Eagans Creek, idled in a short ways and anchored on the last of the outgoing tide. Before long, all were catching Trout with David adding to the "keeper" list, and Abbey, Bethany and Kim catching a few more.
Then Kim had her float disappear and knew right off that this fish was different - it pulled stronger and held to the bottom. She fought the fish like a pro and eventually got it to the net, a Redfish, just shy of the 18" mark. It had 11 spots, a possible prize winning fish in next years Spot Tournament! After catching a few more trout, we headed in with approximately 25-30 hookups for the day, another great one to be out on the water!

Smorgasboard of Fish

I met Chad Hood and his son Alex at the southend ramp Tuesday afternoon with the tide a couple of hours short of high. We ran straight back to Broward Island where we had some good fishing earlier in the day and with the island blocking the SE wind that had picked up, we began fishing the bank, tossing live shrimp under a float up near the logs. Chad hooked up with a hard fighting Blue right off then as we got to the middle of the island I anchored up. Will got really accomplished at casting the bottom rig and in a short while had hooked up with a sneaky and hard to catch Sheepshead. We also had visitor, a Pilated Woodpecker that was pecking away at a dead pine tree searching for food. Chad continued to toss the shrimp/float combo and picked up a nice, fat, keeper sized Seatrout. With the tide peaking, we pulled and ran to Poteat Cut, anchoring at a creek run out, and fished it with the float rigs. Alex continued to toss the bottom rig and was rewarded with a large whiting. After another stop or two, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Big Red and Bigger Red

I fished with the Holloway family Tuesday morning, Sam and Keri, with their son Jack and daughter Caroline. Along on the trip was their friend Robert and his son Will. We left the South end ramp at 7:30am with not a cloud in the sky and only a slight breeze, just enough to keep the gnats off, and headed up Nassau River, stopping at "Bubblegum Reef", and anchoring. It wasn't long before Robert had hooked up with a hard fighting Blue, then Sam caught the bait-stealing thief, a Sheepshead. Jack joined in with a Stingray. We fished the docks at Seymore's Pointe where Keri picked up a nice Blue, then headed up river to Broward Island, hitting it just when the tide hit it's bottom. I started trolling the bank from the Southend and then anchored at a likely spot. Robert was casting Will's bottom rig up near the bank with a live shrimp as bait and as the tide started coming back in, Will hollered, "FISH" and he and Robert had a battle on their hands! They played the fish expertly and fought the fish to the boat, a 24" 5 1/2lb Redfish! Pictures were taken and the Red was released to be caught another day. We anchored at another likely spot and in a short while Sam hooked up on something big with a live shrimp under a float. The whole crew came alive as everyone realized that this fish was BIG. All eyes were peeled to catch a glimpse of the fish and Sam worked it patiently, bringing the fish to the waiting net that Robert manned, a 28", 7 3/4lb Redfish! We called it a day after that, noting that it was another great day to be out on the water!

Space Shuttles and Big Trout

As I was heading towards Amelia Island with the boat this morning I heard on the radio that a space shuttle would launch at 6:21am. The flag at Ron Anderson GMC was hanging limp with not even a breeze producing a ripple and when I approached the inter coastal bridge I had my eyes peeled to the south. Sure enough, right when I hit the foot of the bridge I picked up a large orange glow rising from the horizon, an awesome sight. If you heard a horn blowing and someone yelling, "Fly, Baby, Fly", that was me!

I met Mike Stanhope and his son, Bryce, at Atlantic Seafood later that morning and we headed over to Lanceford Creek on the last of an outgoing tide. Water temperatures have risen to 67-68 where we were fishing. Our first stop at a long and beautiful oyster bed produced no bites so we moved on to some of the docks in Lanceford. We anchored up just as the tide went slack and as it began to come back in, we started getting gentle bites. All of sudden one of those bites turned ferocious and we had a big trout on. Bryce played the fish expertly and eventually we netted a 20" Seatrout. We fished the dock for an hour with both anglers joining in on the action. Bryce hooked up and landed another 20" trout and Mike landed an 18" one, then they brought another keeper sized trout to the boat and a few undersized one. Mike was patient and allowed his float to drift up under the dock and soon hooked up with a hard fighting Redfish that we landed, photographed, and released. We hit a few more spots, had some "baitstealers", and then called it a morning..another great time out on the water!

Moons over Georgia

I had the pleasure of meeting and fishing with the O'Connell family yesterday afternoon: Pat and Robin, kids Ryan, Quintin, Courtney and Katherine visiting from Connecticut and taking in all the sights and experiences of Amelia Island. We ran to the mouth of Tiger Basin, anchored at a creek mouth and with four lines out it wasn't long before we had bites. Quintin was the first to hook up and had a good fight on his hands with an aggressive Blue fish. Mom grabbed the landing net and with superb teamwork, they landed the fish for a picture. Ryan was on the bow and soon proved to be the expert caster of the family as he dropped his float and bait near the shoreline. Just as I announced that we ought to move, Courtney yelled, "FISH ON" and it was pandemonium for a short while. With coaching coming from all corners of the boat, Courtney fought the fish and brought it to the net, a nice 18" Redfish! We snapped a few pictures and released "Mouthy" to be caught another day. We moved to a few more spots and eventually anchored in what I call "Snook Creek" (I caught a small snook there a few years ago). With the tide going out I expected some trout and we were rewarded when Katherine hooked up and reeled in a beautiful Seatrout, and promptly named it "Fishy". A break was in order so we did a short tour of Cumberland Island's Beach Creek in search of wild horses. Seeing none, a cruise down the coast produced the desired results and we broke out the binoculars to get a better view of a small herd. As the sun began to set and sightings of moons over Georgia, we called it day and headed in, counting it as a great day to be out on the water!

Their First Redfish(s)

I fished with Dan McPartland and his son, Conner Saturday morning. They were in town from Pennyslvania visiting Dans daughter whose husband just deployed on the submarine that we saw leave the area yesterday - what a coincidence! We fished a few exposed oyster beds on the first of an incoming tide, then tried a few docks in Lanceford Creek. At our third dock Dan hooked up with a hard fighting and feisty Redfish; he battled the fish for a few minutes and then handed the rod over to Conner so that he could get the feel of it. We landed the 18" Red, snapped a few pictures and then released it to be caught another day. After another stop or two we headed for Tiger Island and trolled the backside shore line, strewn with logs. The guys had a few nibbles then a aggresive hit on Connor's jig/shrimp combo and FISH ON! Conner played the fish perfectly to the boat and into the waiting net, a nice 17" Redfish! What a day of great fishing with some great guys!

Submarine and a Quick Start

I had the pleasure of fishing Friday with Barry Deming and his son, Brian, who were visiting from Ohio. We left the dock that afternoon with some nice sunshine and a brisk breeze, running to Tiger Island. We had the treat of seeing the procession of a submarine deploying along with it's tenders, gunboats and helicopters! We made our first stop at a creek mouth and while demonstrating how we hook up the live shrimp as bait I felt like I had a nibble on the 1st cast! We began a troll of the shoreline and in just a few minutes Brian had a nice trout on and into the boat! I thought to myself, "what a way to start a trip"! Both Brian and Barry were excellent anglers and their casting was dead on as we continued to hit spots around Tiger and up into the Jolley River. We had bites here and there and boated another Trout while enjoying the late afternoon sunshine, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Drumming in Nassau Sound

I had a day "off" so I got to go fishing with buddy Charlie Jones in his boat, the Tommyknocker. We had a bucket full of live blue crab and a pound of big fresh shrimp when we left the Holly Point boat ramp heading for the south end of Amelia Island. We ran through the sound, around the south end and up to the American Beach area to make our first drop in about 15' of water in the lake-like ocean. After about 45 minutes, no bites and the tide about to peak, we pulled anchor and ran back into Nassau Sound, up to the Middle Marsh area, again dropping anchor in about 15-20' of water. The tide had just started out and it wasn't long before we hooked up with a hard fighting 30lb Black Drum built with enough bull and stamina to make his Red cousin proud! But we had some serious tackle - a Penn 6500 on a stout rod with 25lb test line and a 40lb fluorocarbon test leader and after about a 10 minute battle, landed the fish and snapped this picture. We headed in with the sun headed down and only a slight breeze to our back, another great day to be out on the water!

Bombs Away in Nassau

If you're fishing the Horsehead area and happen to hookup with something that looks like a bomb you probably need to practice "catch and release"...and then get away as quickly as possible! See the News Leader story at HERE

Windy but Worth It

I fished with Tommy Hinson, son Brandon and their friend "JB" this afternoon and we enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine, even though we faced some tough conditions with winds in the 15-20+ knot range. Again, I might add! I've found that the month of March will tease you with some beautiful weather then challenge you with some winds that make even the experienced angler wince! We hit a number of spots - Spanish Drop, Bubble Gum Reef, Jackstaff, all on the last of an outgoing tide with 62 degree water temperature, then headed for Broward Island in hopes to enjoy fishing the incoming tide. However, the west wind blew and blew, keeping the tide and current pushing out. We made one pass of the entire island with only a few bites, then circled back and made another pass when Tommy finally hooked up with a nice Trout and then shortly after JB had a hookup. With the wind and current and downed trees, I even thought he may have had a snag, but he assured us that this was a FISH and and by the way the drag was ripping off and the pole was bending, we new he had a big fish. The fight took JB from the bow to the stern and from port to starboard, around the engine and after patiently wearing the fish out, we netted a slot sized
26" 6lb Redfish. We looped around and made another quick pass and Tommy hooked up with a hard fighting fish, played it perfectly, and boated the 17" Redfish. After a few more bites, and the sun beginning to fall, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Redfish Bite

Kenny and Aimee Lee were in town from Savannah with their brothers, Tyler and Adam and took in a fishing trip with me this morning. The weather report called for 16knot winds and we had that, then some, but the fishing party was up to the challenge so we left the south end boat ramp at 7:30am with the tide just beginning to fall. I thought the best plan would be to run to Broward Island in hopes that the land mass would block the wind but unfortunately it was still wreaking havoc with the boat positioning and casting. We tried a couple of spots before finding shelter at Seymore's point and it wasn't long before Tyler had hooked up to a nice fighting Redfish.















Tyler had cast his live shrimp under a weighted popping cork up near a dock and rocks and as it drifted with the tide, the Red took it and ran. We fished there a while longer then ran to Nassau Sound to join a dozen boats fishing for whiting. We boated a few then hit a couple of more spots, adding Sand Trout, Speckled Trout, and a few "baitstealers" to the species list. Even though the wind made for some difficult fishing, we all agreed that it was great to be out on the water!

Just Photographs

Whiting Biting

This morning I fished with Joyce Hanula, Joan Warren and son Max. We had the nicest morning that we've had in a long time with sunshine and just a slight breeze with a low tide estimated to arrive a little past 9am. We ran up to Jolley River and began a troll along the banks of exposed oyster beds. The conditions were perfect and after the anglers warmed up their casts were on target. We hit 3-4 spots in Jolley, all of them beautiful and I expected to have a hook-up at any time, but it was not to be. We eventually ran around to Tiger Island and again began a troll of the island with perfect conditions, but after two passes and some sand gnats beginning to pester us, we decided to head for the open waters of Cumberland Sound. Anchoring in 24' of water, the anglers dropped their pieces of peeled shrimp to the bottom and it wasn't long before all had hookups on nimble whiting. Max was keeping score and the crew ended up catching over 15 whiting for the short hour we were there. After a brief tour of Ft. Clinch and Old Town Fernandina we headed in to the marina counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Recipe of the Month: Stuffed Redfish Prosciutto

(4) 1/2" thick Redfish Fillets
(1) Package Prosciutto
(1) Cup small shrimp
(1) Can crabmeat
(1) Cup stuffing (I used cracker crumbs)
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 T Olive oil
1 t Konricko seasoning

Saute the onions, celery, bell pepper and Konricko in a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes then brown the shrimp slightly. Mix with crabmeat and stuffing and add a little water to get the mixture to hold together. Lay two slices of prosciutto on a cutting board the one fillet crosswise. Spread stuffing mix over fillet then make a "sandwich" with the other fillet. Wrap the prosciutto over the fillets and pin with a toothpick. Use anther slice of prosciutto to cover if necessary. Heat the skillet you used to saute the vegi's and place wraps in the skillet, browning on both sides. I covered the skillet to make sure the fillet's cooked through.

First Day of Spring and....Fish ON!

Carol and I launched The Anglers Mark at the Goffinsville boat ramp this morning just after sunup. It was still a cool 45 degrees with no clouds but the weather report called for a high in the low 70's. I noticed that the water had warmed to 57 degrees. What a beautiful day! We cruised down Nassau River with porpoises rolling on both sides, turned the corner at Seymore's Pointe, cut through Jackstaff, made a brief run up the Intercoastal and into a new creek that I have never fished before. More porpoises greeted us as we dropped the trolling motor to fish the oyster banks on the first of an incoming tide. We pitched our Sure Catch jigs tipped with live shrimp to the bank and had a few nibbles but no real bites. As we prepared to pull up the trolling motor we were treated to the sighting of four otters playing and rolling and cavorting across the creek. We watched them disappear up a runout then cranked the Big Johnson and ran back to Jackstaff. The tide was perfect as it creeped in and carried us up the creek. Again, we had a few nibbles but no takers so we pulled up and ran to the southern tip of Broward Island. Carol switched to a float rig with a live shrimp "hanglin" underneath and it wasn't long before she began to pickup bites that made her float disappear then she had one good one and had a fight on her hands...and it got off! Ouch! I had stayed with the jig/shrimp combo and had a couple of "bumps" then UMPH, a good bite, a good battle, and the fish won, getting off after a few runs. Darn it! We had another treat, this time the sighting of a pair of Bald Eagles; I thought they looked a little haggard and I realized that they may be new parents! The sand gnats declared war and Carol retreated to a makeshift tent under my foul weather jacket,

but I "endeavored to persevere", switching to her vacated float rig and was soon rewarded with another strong bite and the fight was on! With me hollering "FISH ON" Carol came out of hibernation and grabbed the net, ready for the scoop. I had full confidence in the FINS Windtamer 15lb Olive braided line so I took my time working the fish to the boat where Carol scooped up what turned out to be a 26" fat Redfish! We continued to fish the log strewn bank with the float rigs and boated a few more Redfish, one being a keeper, and with our limit in the box and the gnats still swarming unmercifully, we pulled up and headed for the open water of Nassau Sound. The drum fishermen were out - I counted 12 boats at Black Hammock as we passed and when we got to the bridges I pulled up short, electing to fish on the west side. We could see through the pilings and estimated 25-30 boats on the ocean side fishing for whiting! We anchored in 25' of water off of Longpoint with only a few boats as neighbors and dropped our bottom rigs to the bottom with a small piece of peeled shrimp as bait. It wasn't long before we were catching whiting ourselves so we sat there and picnicked, listening to the radio, and catching some spring sunshine. We caught 23 whiting, all 12" and under, but had a awesome time, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Project Boat Named

I wanted to thank you all for the entries in the "name the boat" contest - we had 64 entries.


The "committee" met tonight at Shuckers in O'neal and in addition to celebrating a buddy's birthday, we went through the names and made a selection. My personal favorites were Marsh Madness and Water Mark. Other names that made the cut were Miss off the Mark, Pied Piper, Jitter Bug, Fish Finder, S.S. Piper, Legal Limit Hooker, and Breaking Wind. The winner was Piper's Pleasure submitted by Bud Hill. I'll be ordering the lettering in the next day or so to finish out the boat. Congratulations, Bud!

Not Fishing and Not Art but....

I finished a stool for my grandaughter, Burgandy. Normally I find it difficult to get through a project that doesn't have a fish on it, but this one was fun to do! See more pictures HERE.

Nassau Sport Fishing Association 12th Annual Drum Tournament

The Nassau Sport Fishing Association's 12th Annual Drum Tournament will be held from March 12th-April 18th. The big Black Drum are beginning to appear at the jetties and sounds just in time for the tournament. The neat thing about this tournament is that it's over a month long - if you can't fish one weekend, you can catch the next one. See their website for more information.

10th Annual Redfish Roundup

The 10th Annual Redfish Roundup sponsored by the Florida Times Union is right around the corner, slated for Saturday April 10th, 2010. Go to their website to get the sign up form and get it mailed in. This is a fun tournament for all the family, it's inexpensive, it's catch and release, and it benefits a good cause. Just think, you don't have to catch the biggest Redfish, just the one with the most spots!

Not as cold as in Minnasota

Local photographer Libby Wilkes hosted her son, George, his wife Barbara, and their daughter Mary Beth, all visiting this week from Minnesota. With temperatures warmer here than back home, they decided to take in some Amelia Island fishing. We left the North end boat ramp just as the rising tide peaked at 8:30am with a live well full of live shrimp and mud minnows. The wind was already blowing at about 8mph so we headed up Lanceford Creek in hopes that the wind would be blocked by the tree line, and it was. We tried anchoring and fishing the dock pilings and submerged oyster beds, then we trolled the docks, pitching a Sure Catch jig and live shrimp to the pilings. With no real bites, we moved back down the river to Oyster Bay's dock, eased back up in behind it and with the water draining from the marsh, soon began to get bites on our live shrimp under a float. Barbara had the hot rod with a number of bites and boated some nice Sea Trout. We fished behind Tiger Island, but with the West wind picking up, we were "challenged" from the start. Even thought the bite was slow we were treated to siting of dolphin, osprey, ibis and other shorebirds and as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

I Think I Invented a New Word

I've had a couple of fishing trips where I've used a word that I don't think is in a dictionary. It just comes out. It's probably caused by jittery nerves after meeting my guests for the first time and within about 15 minutes I'm explaining to them how to bait the live shrimp. When we get to the fishing site I show the guest the live shrimp and if we're using the float with leader combo I'll show them how to run the hook under the horn of the shrimp so that it can "Hangle". It's a cross between Hang and Dangle. Hangle!

Whiting Bite Hot

I spoke with some anglers at the South End dock yesterday morning and they said they had caught a nice mess of whiting Monday afternoon in Nassau Sound. I met Don Combs, his daughter Sabrina, and father-in-law Karl at the south end ramp yesterday for some afternoon fishing. We ran to Simpsons creek, back in behind the island to get out of the wind and anchored up, fishing some bottom rigs. It wasn't long before Sabrina was on the board with a nice 12" Flounder. Eventually we moved on down Simpsons Creek, again fishing the bottom, with no real bites. We then made a run back to Gunnison Creek, fishing the mouth and then on up into the creek, tossing the jig/shrimp Combo with just a few bites. After fishing the docks of Long Pointe, we eased out into the Nassau river and dropped baits to the bottom and it wasn't long before all were catching Whiting and as the sun began to set, we called it a day and another great time to be out on the water!

Ladies Rule

I fished yesterday morning with Don and Diane Lloyd of the Austin,Texas area. We had a beautiful morning beginning with a little fog that burned off quickly with some sunshine. We ran up to the Horsehead area, fishing the oyster lined banks on the last of on outgoing tide with dressed jig heads and shrimp or mudminnows. With no real bites we moved on to the rocks of Seymour's Pointe fishing the pilings and rocks with a float rig and the jig combo. I'd have rather of been fishing the incoming tide there, but I think the wind that had picked up kept pushing the water out, so we ran further down to Broward Island for some nice conditions. It wasn't long before Diane hooked up, had a brief run, then lost a fish! Not to be deterred, Diane continued to cast her jig up near the structure and it paid off with another hookup and the battle was one. She played the fish perfectly and eventually boated a nice slot-sized 20" 4lb Redfish! We wrapped up the day fishing Broward Island and counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

Right Time Right Place, Right Jig?

I had a couple of fishing trips Saturday - the prettiest day we've had in a long time. There weren't any clouds in the sky and the wind was only about 3-4mph to begin with. I left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp with Julie Ryan and her husband, Art and we headed up to Jolley River to fish an incoming tide with the jig/shrimp and jig/mud minnow combo. The conditions were great and Julie and Art gave it the best effort that anyone could, but we had no bites - not even a nibble. We fished the concrete tepee at the mouth of Tiger Island for Sheepshead, tried the Fort Jetties and ended the day behind Tiger Island - with not a real bite to be had. It was great to get out on the water and spend some time with a wonderful couple.

I picked up Don, visiting with his friend from N. Illinois at 1pm and we headed off for another trip, this time stopping at the oyster beds across from the North end boat ramp. No bites. We fished Jolley again, this time on the outgoing tide and although we did pick up a Stingray, there were no more bites. We ran to Bell River to try to get out of the wind that was picking up and fished the docks, this time getting a few hits on our jigs, but no fish! Don's friend Judy called so we picked her up at the boat ramp and did a quick tour of Fort Clinch and Cumberland Island and decided to drop a line one more time behind Tiger Island, getting there about an hour and a half before sunset. I hooked Judy up with a live shrimp under a float and we positioned the bait up near a fallen tree; before Don and I could get baited up, FISH ON! Judy had a nice hookup, fought the fish nicely and brought it to the boat, a 25" 5 1/2 lb Redfish! After snapping pictures we all got baits in the water and for 30 minutes had significant bites, most on a black "dressed" jig baited with a mud minnow. Don had a good battle with a 26" 6lb Redfish, boated, photoed and released then he hooked up with a 18" Redfish and a nice Seatrout. I had tossed out a jig, too, and was amazed at how aggressive the fish were attacking the bait. Just before sundown the bite stopped so we pulled up anchor and called it another great day to be out on the water!

17lb Striper caught in Nassau River

David Hagins and Debby Portier report of great Striper fishing in the upper reaches of Nassau River. They've caught several over the last 2 months in the 8-17lb range with David hauling in this 17 lb'er last Tuesday afternoon. He was slow trolling at low tide with a YO-ZURI plug when he hooked up with the big fish and according to Debby, he may have had an "incident" where he was in and out of the boat while battling the fish! I haven't gotten the whole story but evidently David ended up a little wet, but still landed the fish. Debby calls David her "Striper King". David learned his Striper fishing techniques from his dad and employed them yesterday to pick up another nice fish, this one weighing in at 11 lbs!.

Trout Season Closed in February

Don't forget that Trout season is closed for the month of February in North East Florida. We can still fish for Redfish, Sheepshead and Black Drum though! We can catch the trout, but they just have to be released for another day of catching.

2010 Southeastern Fly Fishing Show

If you've ever thought about taking up Fly Fishing or if you're already a Fly Fishing Fanatic, you'll want to plan to attend the 2010 Southeastern Fly Fishing Show hosted by the Southeastern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers. This years show will be held at Unicoi State Park just outside of Helen, Georgia, nestled in the North Georgia Mountains. Unicoi is one of Georgia's most beloved State Parks where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy hiking, biking and access to some of the best fishing Georgia has to offer. There will be speakers, numerous educational programs, casting instruction and fly tying demonstration sessions with over 30 of the best fly tiers in the world. I've attended a couple of these shows and I can attest that the folks at these shows are the nicest Fly Fishers you'd ever want to meet. The Fly tiers are more than happy to show you their art and the Fly casters will help with every facet of your casting. There will be about 20 commercial fly fishing vendors exhibiting the latest fly fishing equipment and guide services. If you want to immerse yourself in two days of fly fishing stuff, plan to attend this show June 4-5, 2010. Visit the 2010 Southeastern Fly Fishing Show page for more details!

Big Red Deep

My daughter Ashley, her husband Nathan, and my new granddaughter Burgandy were in town over the weekend and I got to visit with the new baby! Nathan and I were able to get out for some fishing Saturday and even though the weather called for "partly cloudy" skies, we only saw the sun peak though the clouds a couple of times. The for casted winds were 7-11mph but most of the day seemed like 15mph+. We began the day trolling the Jackstaff banks and if we got close enough to the shoreline, the marsh grass blocked the wind, somewhat, but we were probably on top of the fish! We eventually pulled up and ran to Seymoure's Pointe, anchored out of the wind, and began to cast our baits up near the rocks and near a dock pilings. In a short while we had a hookup on a jig/shrimp combo fished deep in 10' of water. The big fish put up a good battle and made numerous runs but we wore him out and netted a 28" 9 lb Redfish. Another boat fishing nearby at the end of the dock was using fish-finder rigs on the bottom and caught a handful of puppy drum. We trolled the rocks for a while then called it a day, another great day to be on the water!

All Dressed Up and Ready for Action!

Sometimes the winter colds keeps me off the water so I spend my time getting tackle ready to go. These topwater lures had some rusty trebles that needed to be replaced. I "dressed" the rear trebles by locking them in my fly-tying vise and tying bucktail and flash on them. Pretty, huh? When the water temperature's warm I'll be ready for some topwater action!

Meal of the Month: Blackened Sheepshead

What do you do when you've got fresh Sheepshead fillets? Butter them up, toss them in Blackening seasons and sear them in a hot skillet! Serve them up with some fresh stir-fried vegis.

I named him Big Gulp, then let 'em go.

After suffering through about 10 days of sub-freezing temperatures and no fishing, I was about to go stir crazy. It was still on the cool side this morning when I launched at the North End, but the sun was coming up and there was only a slight breeze. I had acquired a smorgasbord of bait comprised of live shrimp, finger mullet and a hand full of fiddler crabs with the intention of trying some new spots. The tide was low and coming in so I quietly trolled some shallow areas near Tiger Island looking for any any Redfish wakes. The wakes I saw were HUGE, but made by dolphin as they pushed up into a creek, and then back out again. Finding some downed trees, I anchored up and experimented with live shrimp and fiddler crabs, either on a jig or under a float. I soon had a bite that took my shrimp under a float, so I quickly baited up and tossed it back to the same location. The cork disappeared and the fight was on! After a number of powerful pulls, the fish gave up and came to my waiting net, a 20" Sheepshead. I had no more real bites so I moved on and ended up down below Shave Bridge in a small creek. Again I anchored and used both jig and float rigs. The float rig was the ticket and I soon had a bite, and lost my shrimp. I tossed another to the same spot, hooked up, and boated another 18" Sheepshead. Thinking I might just catch a mess of Sheeps, I tossed another bait, saw my cork disappear and soon realized THIS was a fight! The fish "pulled drag" down the creek a few times, then crossed the creek and ran up into the marsh grass and as I worked him (or her?) out I saw it roll and it's tail came out of the water...a large Redfish! He went in and out of the grass trying to shake the hook but I kept the pressure on, eventually boating the fish, weighing in at 12lbs and measuring 31". On the way back to the ramp I was treated to a sighting of a larger Osprey perched on a dead tree. Now that's a great day out on the water!

Name the Project Boat and WIN!

The Waterbug project boat is coming along, finally. I had to postpone putting the final coats of paint on it with all of the below freezing weather that we've had lately. The bow plate and seats are mounted, a hatch cover is made and attached for the bait/dry well and I've found a Evinrude 15hp engine to power it. I still have a few things to do such as complete the trailer wiring, mount some rod holders, come up with a trolling motor mount and put on the pin striping...and give "it" a name! If you have any ideas, send them to me and I'll include them in the options that the "Executive Committee" will choose from. If your entry is chosen I'll provide an Anglers Mark cap, your choice of one of my leather covered flasks or journals, and a goody bag of tackle that I've put together. Get your entry in by the end of February for it to be considered. Here's some info that might help: It's a 15'Waterbug, I'll fish it in shallow salt water and fresh water creeks and lakes. I'll be fishing for Redfish, Trout, Flounder, Drum and bream and bass. I'll be using light tackle or fly rods. My wife's name is Carol, my daughter's name is Ashley, my grandaughter's name is Burgandy. I have two dogs, Bear and Andy. I'll fish mostly out of Amelia Island, but I'm planning some fly fishing trips around Florida. My favorite beer (for now) is Bud Light Lime. The boat's been passed around a lot (one member of the Executive Committee has already suggested a name but it's unprintable and got nixed). Feel free to use any Lawrenceisms. I do leather work, fishing related. I'm a proud member of the Gator Nation. My Charter Boat is The Anglers Mark. Good luck!

Head Start for Kids

I participated in the Peck Head Start "Transportation Day" oganized by Ms. Jay Velez, a Family Support Specialist. Ms. Velez had vehicles from Emergency Services, Fernandina Beach Police Departments, Tow Services, Taxi and a number of others, 10 in all. The kids were between 3 and 5 and seemed to really enjoy climbing on The Anglers Mark. Each got to try on the youth life vests that they would be required to wear (under 13 yrs old) while the boat is under way. I also had a couple of spinning rods with topwater lures, hooks removed. I would toss the lure out and let them sit in the bass seat and reel the lure back in. You would have thought they had the biggest fish on in their lives! It was fast a furious with a staff person handing up two kids at a time, tour the boat, try on a vest, reel in a lure, take the vest off, then hand them off to the staff person. I had a great time and hope to get invited back next year. Another great day in a boat...although not on the water!

Picture of the Month: Huge Striper

Valentine's Special saves you THOUSAND$!

With Valentine's day as the next big holiday I wanted to remind all of you who want to find the perfect gift for the angler in your life. You better believe that your angler would like nothing more than to get out on the water, enjoy some beautiful sunshine and fresh air, see wildlife and feel the tug of fish ripping out line. Seriously, I've had spouses call or email me to say that they haven't seen their significant other more relaxed in years after they've taken in one of my fishing trips. Give me a call and we'll set it up! I'll produce a nice, personalized Gift Certificate; my 1/2 day rate is reduced to $300.00 through February. Just think, rather than spend THOUSANDS on boat payments, gas, oil, insurance, boat supplies, boat storage, tackle, and bait you can send your spouse/friend fishing a couple of times a year! Let 'em get away from it all and send 'em fishing!

From Football to Fishing

Peter Pray from the Atlanta area was in town to see FSU and Bobby Bowden's great game and extended his visit to get in some Amelia Island fishing. Although the air temperature was in the mid 30's, he and I both were dressed warmly and with the sun shining, we left the dock around 10am. It was a high tide, just starting out and we had a wind blowing 15-20mph, so we headed to Lanceford Creek for some protection. Peter warmed up and was tossing a jig/grub to the dock pilings as we trolled by. With no real bites, we pulled up and tried another dock system, but anglers had staked it out (and were pulling in trout left and right), so we moved on. We fished some run outs along the intercoastal, motored down to "Poteat cut" and anchored at a run out, spending a short time sharing some tasty Publix sandwiches that Peter had brought, then we moved on to Jackstaff, switching to a buctail jig tipped with mud minnows. The wind was really cranking now and my trolling motor was straining against the wind and current. We attempted to fish the rocks at Seymour's Pointe but the anchor continued to pull, so we trolled the docks. With bites few and far between we pulled up and ran back up the intercoastal, stopping at Rayonier's warehouse. After only a few casts of his jig/grub, Peter had a couple of good bites on the bottom, then UMPH, the fight was on! Peter played the fish like a pro and eventually boated a nice, fat 20" Trout. We also picked up a nice 18" Redfish from up in the pilings on one of the bucktail jigs tipped with a shrimp. This was some fairly tough fishing, but Peter stuck with it and prevailed. Other than the wind, it was a beautiful day to be out on the water.

Striper Fishing Hot in the St. Mary's and Nassau

Veteran angler Bud Hill reports that his son Skip and grandson Dustin Hill were fishing with jerk baits in the St. Mary's River yesterday and pulled in 10 nice Stripers up to 8lbs. A neighbor of mine reported that he and a fishing buddy fished the Nassau up near the I-95 bridge, trolling and fishing the runouts and pulled in 5 Stripers. He mentioned that the fish were striking up top rather than deep.