Honeymooners and Redfish Catching

I don't know if it's because they were newly wed, or if there was a "Georgia Mystique" going on, but what a morning of Redfish Catching we had today! I met honeymooners Jimmy and Sara Underwood at the south end boat ramp at 7am this morning. We had cloudy skies, but very little wind and thankfully, no rain. We headed back up to Jackstaff and warmed up the rods with some casting then eased up to the spot where we had had such good fishing last night. Sure enough, Jimmy hooked up with a feisty Redfish and brought 'em to the boat; Sara hooked up but lost one, then both were catching Redfish. Boom! Boom! Boom! Redfish on! They boated a number of slot sized Reds with the largest being just over 26" and 7lb's. At one time we had a double hookup with both anglers playing fish and the Captain (me) turning back and forth with the catch net to see who would need it first! They ended up pulling another 13 Redfish out of this hot spot. Jimmy also hooked up with a hard pulling 3' Bonnethead shark and he expertly fought it to the boat for viewing and then we turned it loose. The bite slowed when the tide turned so we hit a few more spots before calling it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Banner (rainy) Day of Big Redfish

The hurricane that passed through the Gulf heading to Texas must have thrown the foul weather our way; thunderstorms and rain showers forced us to cancel a Wednesday morning trip and when the forecast called for thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon, we called off Derek and Amy Baileys afternoon trip, too. The couple were in town from Cordele, Georgia and were really looking forward to a fishing trip so we agreed to meet at the south end boat ramp on Thursday afternoon, 4pm, to give it another try. We were met with severe thunderstorms so we waited them out in the parking lot and as they passed at 6pm decided to try to get in a couple of hours of fishing in the light drizzle. Donning ponchos, we headed up river to Jackstaff Creek and began a troll of the oyster beds, exposed almost completely with only about an hour of an outgoing tide left. 50 yards into fishing Derek hooked up with a feisty 16" Redfish and fought it to the boat and net. I thought to myself, "well that's nice, at least we caught a fish in this rain!" Boy was that an understatement (or thought)! Derek and Amy proceeded to catch Redfish almost non-stop for 2 hours, most of them in the slot or even larger, measuring 27", 28" and even 30'er that reached 10lbs!
Amy had one on that probably exceeded even that, fought it for 5-10 minutes, but then it gave a sharp tug and broke itself off. They ended up catching 12 Redfish in the one spot then we moved on to Nassau River to pick up one more slot Redfish. We eased up to the boat ramp just as the sun went down, and counted it as another great (but wet) day to be out on the water!

Sharks and more Sharks

Rachel Russel was in town with her husband Brent, their son Pat, and his girlfriend Jennifer, visiting Amelia Island from Alabama. We had arranged to do a backwater fishing trip this morning so we met at Atlantic Seafood at 7AM and headed up to Jolley River with the tide coming in. We began pitching the jig and shrimp combo up to the half exposed oyster beds and it wasn't long before the anglers were catching some pesky, but fun to catch Croakers. We trolled the oyster bank, eventually switching to live shrimp under a float and Jennifer hooked up with a nice, keeper sized Trout. Seconds later Rachel did the same, bringing hers to the boat and a waiting net. We moved on down the river to a large creek runout, anchored, and began to cast the float/shrimp rig and the jig and shrimp. Pat started the catching off by hooking up to a drag-ripping Bonnethead Shark. Pat fought the fish to the bow of the boat, under the anchor rope and then back to the stern. We netted this brute and got some pictures. Rachel took her turn with the Bonnetheads, then Brent hooked up one, too. We ran to Tiger Island and anchored up against the shore, taking advantage of the last of the shade, with Rosette Spoonbills roosting overhead. Rachel wrapped up the day with a nice Puppy Drum that fought like a bull. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Kids and Big Catches

Britt Caple and his wife, April were in town with their two sons Conner and Carter, visiting from Alabama. I met them at the Atlantic Seafood dock yesterday afternoon, in hopes that the afternoon heat would wind down and we could put the young guys on some fish. After suiting up in their life vests and a brief safety orientation, we made a run up to Jolley River as the tide hit its dead low. We anchored at a small creek run out with the intention of letting the young men get warmed up with the spinning outfits and then possibly moving on to some better spots. No need for that! My first instructional cast picked up a bite and then after turning the rods over to Conner and Carter, the bite was non-stop for 2+ hours!
I tried to guestimate how many Redfish they caught but it had to have been more than 20, most all of them "rat" reds, but Carter did hookup, and with the help of his father, hauled in a nice keeper sized, 23" 4lb Redfish! Both boys were catching fish: Redfish, Croakers, and Blues when Conner hooked up with something big that made a drag-ripping run! Conner fought the fish to the back of the boat, across the stern and back up to the bow with dad helping out along the way and mom snapping picturs. Eventually they subdued the fish and brought to the net a 3' Bonnethead Shark. We inspected the fish, photographed it, then tossed it back. The boys added a couple more Trout - keeper sized, more small Redfish, a few Flounder, and a small Black Tip Shark. A storm was brewing west of us and Carter, an aspiring weatherman, advised us that we may want to pull up and run, so we did! We made a stop at Tiger Island then came on in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

From Manatee's to Drum Fish

Saturday we wanted to beat the heat so I met up early with Dwight Payne and his son, Travis who were in town from Arkansas. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 6:30am before the bait shops opened and headed up to the Tiger Island area with top water's rigged and a tide still coming in. We started our troll with some oysters still showing and within minutes we realized we had company, a herd of sea cows lolling in the shallows! Both Dwight and Travis were making pin-point casts to the bank while the manatee's were just feet away on other side of he boat. At one time we had a couple of juveniles following the boat within a few feet. We had no strikes on the top waters so we eased out of the area, cranked the big engine, and ran to Jolley River. It wasn't long before the guys were picking up bites on some Gulp baits, catching Blues, Ladyfish, Croakers, Trout and some small Red's. As the tide reached it's high, we made a run back to Knute and Rose's Bait House on Eagans Creek and picked up 5 dozen live shrimp then we headed up Lanceford Creek to some docks.
Sure enough, when the tide turned the anglers started getting bites. Travis stayed in school of small Reds, feisty fighters all the way to the boat. Dwight picked up a couple and then something big took his jig/shrimp combo and the fight was on! Dwight exclaimed that the fish was wrapped on one of the pilings, then he worked him loose. Dwight fought the fish expertly to the boat and within sight - a nice 22" Black Drum...and then it broke off! OUCH! We continued to fish the dock for a while, picking up more reds, croaker, Puppy Drum and a nice whiting. But the sun was climbing and it was getting hot so we headed in, making one more stop at the Rayonier warehouse. I held the boat in place while Dwight and Travis pitched their baits (shrimp and Gulps)up to the pilings and soon they were hauling Puppy Drum and Flounder to the boat. The bite was excellent and Travis added a nice 18" Drum and a couple of keeper sized Flounder to the catch. What a way to end a fishing trip and a great day to be out on the water!

Boat Rides with 3 Beauties!

My daughter and granddaughter were in town so my wife and I launched the boat and went for a boat ride up to St. Marys, Georgia for a dinner at Trolley's. We got the granddaughter, Burgandy, outfitted in her life vest then we slowly headed up river. The cruise only takes about 15-20 minutes and the City of St. Mary's lets you dock for free at their public dock. There's just a short walk to the restaurant and you can eat in or outdoors. It was already about 7pm and there was a slight breeze and it had begun to cool so we went up the spiral staircase and ordered our meal outside. After dinner we cruised back but cut up in behind Tiger Island in search of Manatee's. The tide was peaking at it's highest and we puttered around Tiger to see some cranes and egrets roosting in the oak trees. On the way back I cut the engine and dropped the trolling motor to ease along the marsh grass. Just as the sun set we were treated to the sighting of some huge wakes and then some large hairy snouts poking out of the water. After visiting with the manatees we eased out to deeper water, flipped on the navigation lights and headed in, counting it as another great evening to be out on the water!

Oooohs and Aaaahs at the Boat Ramp

You know you've had a successful fishing trip when you're back at the boat ramp cleaning fish and the other anglers at the ramp are ooohing and aaahing about your catch! Brandi Manuel surprised her husband Todd with a fishing trip for his 40th birthday, bringing him to the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning for a 7:30am departure. We headed up river with the tide still going out, and not expected to hit bottom until 9:18. Like yesterday, the oyster lined banks of Nassau River were looking good, but today we had some good bites...and catches. Todd couldn't have started it off any better as he slowly bounced his jig/shrimp combo across the bottom because he soon hooked up and battled a big, fat 22" Flounder to the boat. After a nibble here and there Brandi got in on the action with a nice Puppy Drum and then she matched Todds big catch by hooking up to whopper of a Sheepshead, fighting it to the boat and a waiting net. As the tide hit bottom we cranked the big engine and ran to the mouth of Jackstaff and started our troll along the bank. Todd picked up a feisty Redfish, Brandi hooked a jumping Ladyfish, then Todd had his drag peeling with a Bonnethead Shark. We made a few passes of the first 100 yards of bank and both anglers hooked up with the Bonnetheads. Brandi had another go at a Ladyfish then she picked up another nice keeper flounder. Todd and I both were putting ice water-soaked towels on our necks by this time so we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

You Name It, We Caught It.

David Hull, his father Dennis, and his brother Oliver were in town for the week from Ohio and took in some backcountry fishing. We left the Sawpit Creek dock at about 7:15am, about an hour before low tide, and headed up Nassau River. I'd been noticing a nice bank of oysters along the river so we pulled up to give 'em a try as the tide bottomed out. The guys warmed up their casting, getting used to strange rods, and had a number of good bites, but no takers. We pulled up and ran to the mouth of Jackstaff just as the tide started back in and began easing along the bank, tossing the 1/4oz Sure Catch jigs baited with live shrimp up near the exposed oysters. The guys were making pin-point casts and it wasn't long before the action started with Dennis hooking up with a feisty Redfish then David caught something that we thought sure would be a bigger Red, but it turned out to be a hard fighting Jack. Then David caught another bigger Jack and then another Jack, even bigger than the first two! Oliver hooked up with a jumping, fighting Ladyfish then David had his drag ripping out and a battle on his hands. He soon landed a 2 1/2' Bonnethead Shark. Oliver brought in another Ladyfish and Dennis added a keeper sized Flounder to the fish variety. The bite ebbed so we headed for Broward Island to catch the incoming tide there. Even though the sun was now beating down, we had a quick bite - David hooked up on about his 2nd cast and worked to the boat a nice Sheepshead. David must have had the hot rod for the day because he added another large Sheepshead and a Redfish. We all commented on how the heat was coming on so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water.

Sandbars and Double Hookups

Today was an eventful day - my first ever "grounding" on a sandbar! I had picked up my guests, Ricky Williams and his sons Riley and Cooper, at the Sawpit boat ramp with a low tide bottoming out when we began our trip at 7:00am this morning. I had first headed up Nassau River but I changed my mind and decided to go up the Amelia so I did a u-turn and thought I had went out far enough to skirt the sand bar's between the two rivers. Anyway, we ran out of water. OUCH. Luckily, the tide was coming in and after about 15 minutes of pushing and rocking and some more pushing, we were on our way to our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff Creek. We made an initial pass, tossing jig's tipped with live shrimp and Ricky was the first to hook up with a hard fighting feisty Redfish. We made a second swipe and Riley got in on the action with a tough battle with a 3' Bonnethead Shark. At the same time we had a "double" hookup when Cooper tangled with a nice Seatrout which he eventually boated. We snapped a picture then turned back to Riley's muscle burning engagement with the shark. Although we were using light 10lb spinning gear, Riley played the beast beautifully and brought it to the net for a great picture with dad and brother.












We caught a couple more Redfish, another Trout and Ricky got his turn with a Bonnethead which we boated and got pictures of. Later, we were treated to another first of the year - a sighting of a large Tarpon rolling in Nassau River.The weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, but not even a breeze so by 11:30 it was super hot and we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water.

Gator's, Osprey's and Sea Turtles.

I took Bill Stahler and his family for a scenic tour yesterday afternoon. Although it was still in the high 80's, once we got on the water the sea breeze and bimini top helped keep us cool. We cruised Old Town and Fort Clinch then crossed over to Cumberland Island's southern tip to cruise it's shoreline and were treated to a sighting of wild horses with a colt. I had hoped for some manatees in Beach Creek but although we didn't see any we did come across an alligator - a first in the salt for me. He was about 4' and laying on the beach when we eased by. We crossed the channel back to Florida and trolled up into a creek to see striking fish feeding on the mullet schools. As we came around Tiger Island we saw two different Sea Turtle's rise to the surface and then had a large Osprey give us a fly over after leaving her roost in the Tiger Island trees. We headed back to the dock with the sun working it's way down, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Was it the Hat or the Tide Change?

I fished with Mark Laurint, his son Brent, and their friend Joe this morning, all from Jacksonville, out for a morning of fishing before the two recent High School graduates head off to further their education - Brent to Columbia University and Joe to the Merchant Marine Academy. We launched at about 7:15am and with the tide just at it's highest peak, ran straight to the docks on Lanceford Creek, easing up to position just a few minutes before the tide turned and started out. Joe got the action started by hooking up with a Trout that thrashed it's way to the boat and then the others joined in, catching a couple of hard fighting Redfish. The guys had swapped hats and then Brent hooked up with a fish that pulled a little harder and eventually fought to the boat a nice slot-sized Red.
Joe caught another keeper sized Trout and Mark added a flounder and another Redfish then Joe added a Redfish to the catch total and then a nice Whiting. The guys stayed busy catching fish for about two hours and totaled 5-6 Redfish, 4-5 Trout, 3 Black Drum, the flounder and a whiting. When the bite slowed we pulled up and ran to Jolley River, trolling the oyster banks and then anchoring at "Snook Creek" to try our luck with Bonnethead Shark. We had two hookups with Mark's fight being the longest, but the Shark must have found an oyster bed to cut himself off. After a brief stop at Tiger Island we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Early Morning Fly Fishing

I had a noon appointment and Joe Di Toro had stuff going on this afternoon, so the only window we had to fish was early this morning. Joe was in town with his wife, visiting from New York and was eager to notch a Redfish on a Flyrod so we met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 6am with the sun not yet up. We prepped the flyrods then headed up Nassau River, stopping at a creek runout in the Spanish Drop area. Joe unlimbered the fly rods, offering a larger popping fly at first on the top water, then switching to a weighted shrimp fly to bump the bottom. We had no strikes so we headed further up river, passing through Jackstaff to fish it's mouth and western shoreline. Joe was working hard, casting the shrimp fly then switching to a black rabbit fur-ish fly that we thought resembled a fiddler crab. The wind was 10mph with gusts to 12 and we had an outgoing current that swept the fly line and fly out of the target zone rather quickly, but Joe persevered and eventually was rewarded with a strong bite and after setting the hook with a good strip, the fight was on with a feisty Redfish! Joe worked the fish beautifully, letting the rod wear the fish out and we soon netted an 18" Redfish, snapped some pictures, and released the fish back to the river. We fished the bank further, switching to a 1/40z Sure Catch jig with a natural Gulp shrimp and Joe hooked up with another hard fighting Redfish, battling it to the boat, the net and after a picture, back to the river to be caught another day. After a brief stop at "Gnat" Island, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

"Slam" Fishing and Crashing Porpoise

David Langford was in town visiting from the Atlanta area and decided to take in a backcountry fishing trip with his young adult son, DK and his friend Thomas. We left the Atlantic Seafood at 7:30am sharp with only a slight breeze blowing and clear skies. The tide had hit bottom at around 7am so we had the first of an incoming to fish. Live shrimp are scarce on the Island this week so we baited up with Gulp mullet and some dead shrimp on the Sure Catch 1/4oz jig. We headed straight for Jolley River and began a slow troll of a long oyster bank, pitching our baits to the base of the oysters and slowly bouncing them back. The guys seemed to be having some bites so we made a 2nd run, but this time when DK felt the bump-bump bumping he set the hook to a feisty, hard fighting Redfish - the fight was one. DK played the fish perfectly and we soon netted the Red for a photograph and released it to be caught another day. We hit "Snook" Creek, had some bites, then tossed out some cut-up crab to sit on the bottom and it wasn't long before drag was ripping and DK had another fight on his hands. What was surely a Bonnethead Shark soon cut the line and made it to freedom. We were treated to some porpoise crashing the bank, chasing baitfish up on to the mudflats. We had a few Bonnethead breakoffs before David hooked up with one and successfully fought the sandpaper-skinned shark to the boat. The guys also caught a couple of "Puppy Drum" and another small Redfish at that location. We cranked up and ran to Tiger Island, fishing in the last of the day's shade where Thomas got in on the action, first catching another Drum and then hooking up with another hard fighting Redfish, playing it to the net like a pro. David closed out the day with a keeper sized Seatrout and with the sun clearing the trees, we called it another great day to be out on the water!

Fathers Day and Manatee's!

Coming up in June, I'm sure you won't forget Fathers Day! What's a better way to help dad celebrate his day than to send him out on the water for a relaxing day of fishing? I do all the work, provide the bait, tackle, rods, reels and fishing license - all he really needs is a hat and sunglasses. No hat? I'll include a special The Anglers Mark ball cap! I can produce a nice gift certificate and provide the ball cap for presentation on Father's Day, and then schedule a 1/2 day fishing trip at his convenience, just give me a call and we'll set it up!

I saw my first manatee's of the year the other day so now's the time to schedule a boat tour for your family or guests. In addition to the regular seating on The Anglers Mark I put a couple of nice deck chairs on board for your comfort and install my bimini top for some shade. During boat tours I can take up to (6) passengers with the first hour running $125 for the boat, then $75 per hour after that. Most tours average about (2) hours. There's a good chance we'll see the manatee up close and personal!

Tailing Sheepshead, Manatee, Drum and More

I had the pleasure of fishing this morning with Gordy and Kirsten Holland, who are regular visitors from the Atlanta area. We left the dock at Atlantic Seafood at 7:30am with only a slight breeze and clear skies and headed to the Tiger Island area. We started off tossing topwater lures but had no strikes. We did come across some Sheepshead tailing in the grass and Gordy tossed a jig/shrimp combo but had no takers. We crossed the river to what I call "manatee creek" and sure enough, had our first manatee sightings of the year, with two or three swimming by and checking us out. We fished behind Tiger Island at a full high tide (9am) then headed for Lanceford Creek to fish the docks.
The tide had just started out when Kirsten hooked up with something big that took drag; Kirsten fought the fish expertly, but the wiley fish must have known to stay up in the dock pilings and eventually broke itself off! OUCH! Later Gordy had the same thing happen - a nice hookup, a strong battle, drag ripping and then a break off in the dock pilings! Gordy said the fish were just "nibbling" on his shrimp so he tightened his drag and on the next nibble, set the hook and fought the fish out from the dock pilings. The fish tried it's best to stay on the bottom, but Gordy fought the fish to the boat and net, a 6lb 20"+ Black Drum! Both Gordy and Kirsten continued to offer there jig and shrimp up to the dock pilings and both pulled out some feisty Red Drum, too. We stopped at another dock and Kirsten added to the "Slam" with a keeper sized Seatrout. With that, we called it a day, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Morning Redfish

Pat Devlin and his friend, Lumpy Workman have fished around Florida together for years, and with Lumpy in town, they gave me a call and we went fishing! We left the Goffinsville boat ramp at 7:30am with the tide still needing a couple of hours to hit bottom. We ran through Jackstaff and with only a slight breeze, started our troll of the shoreline back up through the creek. The guys had a few bites and with only about 50 yards of fishing, Lumpy felt something pick up his jig/shrimp combo so he set the hook, and Fish On!. He knew right off that the fish was big so he kept the drag loose, playing the fish up to the boat, under the boat, and around the boat and then away from the boat! The FINNS braided line did it's job and eventually he brought the beast to submission and we netted an over sized Red that weighed over 10lbs and was just at 28" We fished the bank, getting a few more bites then headed to Bubblegum Reef where we picked up a few Jacks, a couple of Puppy Drum, a Sailcat, and a Trout. The tide hit low so we pulled up anchor and headed to Broward Island to finish the day with another couple of Drum. The sun warmed things up so we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Recipe of the Month: Maryland Crab Cakes

This Crab Cake recipe comes from Brandy Shirley of the Palm Coast restaurant JT's Crab Shack, also published in the Coastal Angler Magazine

(1)lb back fin crabmeat
(pasteurized can ok-$9 at Lofton Creek Seafood)
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Gently combine all and shape into 6 cakes and saute in a little oil. Top with a little mixer of 4oz Dijon, 4oz mayonnaise, 2oz Sriracha hot chili sauce, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic and the juice of 1/2 a lemon, mixed together.

Nassau County Boat Ramps made Accessible

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I launched from the Edwards Boat Ramp the other day. What I failed to mention was that the old dock was missing and site work was being done overlooking the ramp. I asked for information from the County and Tim Milligan, Assitant Director of the Nassau County Building Department replied back with this release:

"Nassau County retained the engineering services Gillette and Associates of Fernandina Beach for the design of both Edwards Road (Nassau Landing) and Wilson Neck to have a paved accessible parking with an accessible route (ADA compliant sidewalk) with a ramp to the new floating docks in order to make the boat ramps accessible for all. This allows mobility impaired individuals the opportunity to board a vessel. The work was bid out with the low bidder, SteMic Enterprises, Inc. of Fort Myers, Florida being awarded the contract for both locations.

Wilson Neck concrete has already been poured in place with Nassau Landing following close behind. The floating docks have been fabricated and are ready for shipment with the installation to begin as soon as they hit the ground. The boat ramps will remain open during most of the construction".

Boat Ride up Boggy Creek

I did a boat ride trip up Boggy Creek Saturday with Betty Smith, her daughter Ivey, and her Sister. We launched from Edwards Boat ramp and cruised up the creek, taking it easy, looking out for logs. We found that the old "Hump Back Bridge" had been rebuilt with concrete, to our disappointment - the old bridge was always a neat sight. But we had beautiful weather, a slight breeze and as we began to get back into the swamp we found wild roses blooming along with "swamp orchids", water lilies and other beautiful flowering plants. As we round one bend we trolled under a large birds nest and were greeted by a mother Osprey, chirping her warnings. Although we did not see any alligators or Skunkapes, we did see a swimming snake and basking turtles. We tied off and had a great picnic of "Dagwood" sandwiches, chips and dill pickle spears. The bugs weren't too bad and a good time was had by all, another great day to be out on the water.

Redfish Hole

Jim and Frank Klein were in town from Texas, visiting friends, and had scheduled a fishing trip for yesterday morning. We left the south end dock at 7:30am and ran up Nassau River, making our first stop at "Leon's Spot" - I anchored and the guys began to toss live shrimp under a float up to the runout. Jim hooked up with something big that gave him a good battle, but he played the fish to the boat, a huge Stingray. We pulled up and ran to the mouth of Jackstaff and began a slow troll along the exposed oyster lined banks as the tide finished dropping. Frank picked up a feisty Blue, they both had bites, then FISH ON! Frank boated an aggressive Redfish, then Jim, then Frank. We anchored up and the guys ended up catching (5) Reds in the one spot, then Frank had a bigger fish on, pulling drag and refusing to come to the boat. The FINS 10#lb Windtamer braided line held, as usual, and Frank fought the fish into submission and we netted a 20" Puppy Drum. We also had our first Bonnethead Shark of the year. We crossed the creek, picking up a small Trout, a few more bites, then Ran to Broward Island, trolling the bank on the very last of an outgoing tide. Frank caught a nice keeper-sized Trout on a red headed jig with white Gulp mullet, tipped also with a piece of shrimp, then Jim picked up another Redfish, our 6th of the day. With the sun now heating things up, we headed to the boat ramp, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Fly Fishing Opportunities

Save these dates on your calendar and give me a call for some tailing Redfish wading:
Saturday May 22, Monday May 24 and even Tuesday May 25. All of these high tides are in the late afternoon/evening; we'd leave the dock around 3pm. Wear some wading shoes.

Spanish Mackerel should be feeding on the Glass Minnows at Nassau Sound, best during a high falling tide in the morning. Best bets are the mornings of Saturday May 8, Sunday May 9, Monday May 10, Tuesday May 11, Wednesday May 12, Monday May 24, Tuesday May 25, Wednesday May 26, Thursday May 27.

I have the fly rods and flies, fishing license and bottled waters, all you need is a hat and sun glasses!

4 Guys Fishing

I had the pleasure of fishing this morning with Don Smith and his friends, Jerry, Norm and Don, all residents of Amelia Island. These guys were all good natured and seemed to really enjoy getting out on the water as the sun came up. The oyster lined banks of Sawpit Creek were looking good so we started off pitching our jig/shrimp combo to shore line, getting a few bites, but no takers. We did get the rust knocked off of our casting so we cranked the big engine and ran to the mouth of Jackstaff as the tide just started back in. We had some good bites, a few takers, but no fish boated when the 2nd Don hooked up with something big that fought out from the bank, headed to the stern of the boat, rolled and flipped, then headed down river, never to be seen again! OUCH! We moved on to Broward Island, fishing the log strewn shore line, again with the jig, and Jerry hooked up out deep, had a good fight on his hands, but eventually boating a nice, fat 19" Trout! There was a flurry of bites and a few more trout were caught. We made a couple of more stops but with the sun getting high and temperatures hitting the 90's, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Skunkape Sighting and Big Bluegill

Carol and I took the "Pleasure" up Lofton Creek for a test run the Friday of Shrimp Festival. Lofton Creek, north of S.R. 200 is a nice creek for small boats, canoes and kayaks. There's plenty of logs and overhanging trees, lots of swamp area, and it's easy to access with a nice boat ramp. We puttered up the creek, taking it easy because it's been years since I've been all the way up to Pages Dairy Road. There are more logs than I remember and the kicker bumped up and over a few. I'd gotten my camera out to take some pictures of the train trestle and I let the boat drift closer to shore to get a better angle. Just as the current carried us up against the swampy shoreline there was a loud roar and a hairy, vile smelling beast came out of the muck, rocking the boat violently, almost sending both Carol and I overboard, and me snapping pictures the whole time! A Skunkape! The 7' tall creature crashed the













palmettos and disappeared into the blackness of the swamp leaving us with hearts racing - we cranked the outboard and gunned it back towards the ramp, knowing that we had escaped with our lives! On our way back we passed a couple and their son, who were high-fiving after just fighting to the boat a feisty slab of a Bluegill. This picture that I took does not do it justice (just like the Skunkape picture), but if the fish was turned, you could see it was a huge Bluegill. They were about 200 yards north of the S.R. 200 bridge.

Shrimp Fest Puppy Drum

My daughter Ashley, her husband Nathan, and granddaughter Burgandy were in town today and through the weekend for Shrimp Fest. Nathan and I were able to get out on the water today, launching late after I took care of things on my to-do list. We picked up live shrimp at the Bait House, launched at the North end and headed to Tiger Island just as the tide peaked at high. We fished a half a dozen spots, using live shrimp under a float, live shrimp on a jig, and shrimp on the bottom, only to have a few nibbles. Eventually we headed out to the north jettie, anchored, and it wasn't long before Nathan felt a bump on his rod, had a hookup and a fight on his hands. The fish went up and down the length of the boat, showing itself once, and we thought we either had a sheepshead or drum. Nathan expertly worked the fish to the boat and we netted a nice 20"+ 4 lb Black Drum. We moved out from the jetties, dropped anchor, and fished on the bottom for whiting for a while, then headed in to take in the Shrimp Festival Parade. The weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, cool but not cold, with a slight breeze, a great day to be out on the water!

Free Wooden Sailboat to a Good Home

Nan Kavanaugh wants a good home for this delightful wooden sailboat that is on a custom trailer. The boat and trailer are free to someone who wants a project and is good with woodworking. I've seen this boat up close and she has a lot of character. Here is a little history on her...The boat is named Little M. It was built as a sister boat to a large boat called the Margaret for a wealthy family who lived in New York. The builders, The Albury Brothers have been building boats for over 200 years on Man-o-War Cay in the Bahamas. They built the boat in 1951 by eye on the beach. Ms. Kavanaugh actually spoke to one of the Albury family who remembers their uncle working on it. She is a 23 ft sloop, gaff rig. Please contact Nan at
nanrk2@gmail.com for more information.

Winners Journal Finished

I finally finished the "Name the Boat" contest winner's journal. Bud Hill of Kings Ferry won the contest and selected a journal as his prize. This is the first journal that I've used a double loop lacing around the edges. The lace was a natural leather so I antiqued it. See more pieces at the GALLERY

How About some Local Oysters?

A recent article in our Fernandina Beach News Leader touched on a subject that I'm often asked about when guests are on my boat: Can you harvest the oysters for consumption? I've heard about the studies that have been done that point to "contamination" as the reason why we can't harvest our local oysters, but I've also talked to some folks in the commercial fishing industry and they've pointed to "politics" as the reason why our beds are closed. I bought oysters this year, ranging between $32 and $35 a bushell, well up from the $22/bushell a few years ago. My vote is to open up the oyster beds around Amelia Island to recreational oyster pickers! Read the News Leader article by Angela Daughtry HERE

Beautiful Weather and a "Slam"

Patton Kline was visiting the Island for a business trip and decided to squeeze in some fishing before his meetings started. We left the South end boat ramp at 7:30 this morning with very little wind and a nice cloud cover. Our first stop was the bridges at Sawpit Creek and even though Patton had a few hits at his red head jig and sparkle grub there were no real takers so we headed up to Jackstaff to take advantage of the incoming tide. We had trolled the bank for less than 50 yards with Patton pitching a jig/shrimp offering to the bank, bumping it back, and UMPH, FISH ON! Patton commented that the fish hit aggressively, then it hunkered down and put up a strong fight. The 10lb FINNS Windtamer braid held up as usual and Patton worked the 20" 3lb Redfish to the boat and the waiting net. We snapped a few pictures and then released it to the river. We eventually moved on to Broward Island and although the tide, wind, and time of day were almost perfect, we had no real bites. Coming back to Bubblegum Reef, we were soon anchored and it wasn't long before we were getting hits on the jig/shrimp combo and then Patton hooked up with a Seatrout. He found a "honey hole" at the bow of the boat and caught a few more Trout, a few Bluefish, and even had a Sheepshead chase the bait to the boat. We moved down the river, anchored and Patton completed his "Slam" with a stealthy Flounder that took a live shrimp under a float. We headed in around noon, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!