Trout Galore!

Jordan Laycook and his relatives Andrew and Jeffrey were visiting Amelia Island for a family get-together and had arranged to do a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning and eased out of the City Marina, heading up to Lanceford Creek.  We've had a good 4 days of rain but today it was clear, but windy, so I thought the land masses of Oyster Bay and Blackrock would provide a wind break and they did!  Our first stop was the docks of  Lanceford Creek and it wasn't long before these anglers floats were disappearing with bites.  They guys caught the first Blues of the year and then began to hookup with Trout, dangling a live shrimp (courtesy of Amelia Bait and Tackle) under a float rig.   We probably boated 7-8 Trout then we moved around to the southern side of the dock where they picked up a few more Trout then Andrew had a hard bite and a fight was on!  He eventually brought to the net a feisty Redfish.  Later, he hooked up with another one, this one with (8) spots which would have brought a nice purse in the upcoming Spot Tournament!  We moved on to Tiger Island, this time exposed to the wind, but the guys persevered and Jordan hooked up to expertly fought to the boat a nice Redfish.  Jeffrey joined in by bringing in another Trout.  Our last stop was at Eagans Creek, but with no bites, we decided to head in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Times Union Redfish Roundup

Plan to fish the Times Union Redfish Roundup tournament on April 16, 2011.  This tournament is a great family event where whoever catches a legal Redfish with the most spots will win the first prize of $7500!
The tournament benefits the Safe Harbor Boys Home and is in its 11th year and will be held at the Sisters Creek/Jim King Boat Ramp.
Deadline for entries is April 8, 2011 at 6:30pm or 500 confirmed entries. Tournament is April 16, 2011, 7 a.m. - 2p.m. or Safe Light after 7a.m.  Cash prizes will be paid to the top 50 anglers. (Payout based on 500 paid entries.)
A mandatory meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at The Florida Times-Union building, 1 Riverside Ave, on Thursday April 14, 2011.
Entry Fee is $60.00 per boat.   If you can't make the tournament, give me a call and we'll launch The Anglers Mark!

Take a Kid Fishing!

Cody and Dakota's grandad Rob Metz was in town from Pennsylvania and he treated them to an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday.  We made our first stop at a grassy oyster bank on the east side of Tiger Island with all the anglers pitching float rigs with live shrimp hangling underneath.  It wasn't long before Cody noticed his float had disappeared so he set the hook and FISH ON!  He expertly reeled in a feisty Redfish that we netted, photographed and released.  A stop at Manatee Creek didn't produce so we moved on to behind Tiger Island, anchored, and bumped jig/shrimp combo's on the bottom.  The anglers perseverance paid off when both Rob and Cody hooked up with fish and we had a Double Redfish bite!   I thought we surely would have a mess of Redfish and although they had numerous bites, no real takers after that.  We moved on to the docks of Lanceford Creek and after anchoring the group all noted that they were getting bites almost instantly.  Rob felt a tap, tap and hooked up to a nice keeper sized Trout and the others caught some "baitstealers", but that was it.  We hit a few more spots with no real bites, but the weather was great and Rob got to spend quality time with is grandsons, so we counted it as another great day to be on the water!

Whiting Bite on the Beach Hot!

This from Nancy Hudson, fishing north of Main Beach, Fernandina Beach, Florida this week...
Hey Lawrence,


We went fishing again today after work about 30 mins before the tide changed. Fishing in the surf again with dead shrimp on the bottom at about 30 yards. Just like yesterday, the whiting bite was on from the second we threw out. We had 10 fish in less than 20 mins! We actually took our chairs with us and never did get a chance to sit down. Sometimes as soon as the hook hit the water we had a fish on. Doubled up 3 different times and had several that were bigger than average. The bite was constant until about an hour after the tide started coming in and then it just stopped. But we ended up with 38 and i believe we threw back 10 that were eating size but since we were catching so many we threw them back to catch again another day. We have fished 3 days since friday and in those three days we have a total of 94! I'm lovin it!!! Can't wait to get back out there tomorrow! Attached is todays pic.

Inshore Slam and Wildlife Bonanza

John Payne and his family was visiting Amelia Island from the Dallas, Texas area and treated his son Jacob to an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The  Anglers Mark.  We launched from Atlantic Seafood and headed south down the intercoastal and were treated with a few porpoise feeding on bait fish on our trip down.  We made our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff Creek and began trolling the oyster lined banks with about an hour of a falling tide left.  The conditions were near perfect with no clouds in the sky, temperatures near 75 and only a slight breeze to keep the gnats off.  But no fish!  We move on to the docks at Seymore's Pointe and fished the pilings as the tide continued to drop.  John and Jacob were patient and it soon paid off as both had hookups;  John started it off by hooking and playing a nice, keeper sized Trout then Jacob joined in when he made a nice cast to the pilings and had a feisty Redfish take the jig/shrimp combo.  He played the fish like an expert and we soon netted Jacob's first Redfish!  John made it a slam when he deftly hooked up with a keeper sized flounder to round out the Inshore Slam - Redfish, Trout and Flounder.  The tide had started in so we cranked the big Johnson and ran up the Nassau River to Broward Island and started trolling the log strewn bank.  It was a good move because John and Jacob were able to catch a few more Trout, Redfish, and another Flounder!  A Slam at both stops!  As we prepared to leave an Osprey made it's roost on one of the trees and we were able to motor the boat right underneath it.  On the run back to the dock John spotted a Bald Eagle perched on a channel marker, making this another great day to be on the water!

Find the Structure, Find the Fish

Mark McDonald and his two friends Kevin and Derrick were visiting Amelia Island for some R&R and contacted me to do some Amelia Island backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark.  We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp in downtown Fernandina Beach at daybreak and headed up to the docks on Lanceford Creek and anchored upstream from one.  It wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites then Derrick started off the catching with a live shrimp under a float rig. FISH ON!  He pulled in a nice Trout, then Mark hooked up to a feisty Redfish on a jig/shrimp combo.   From then on it was fish catch'n time as the trio reeled in Trout and Redfish almost non stop for an hour.  There was a couple of times when we had "doubles" and it was nice to see that a few of the Trout making keeper size, with one just a little over 19".  Kevin caught his share of Reds but also added a nice keeper sized flounder, the first I've seen in a while.  The bite eventually slowed so we moved on, hitting a 2-3 more areas of flooded oyster beds, but we had no luck.  Our last stop was behind Tiger Island and it wasn't long before the guys were catching fish again.  Redfish, Redfish, Trout, and Redfish was kinda how it went.  A couple of the Trout made keeper size.  We all noticed that both stops that produced fish were near some sort of structure.  With a full day of catching and fish in the box, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Slow Start ends in Big Finish

John Allan and his son, Andrew  had arranged an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark so we met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning.  Boy, what a beautiful morning it was!  The skies were clear, the temperatures were mild, and there was only a slight breeze.  We headed up the Nassau River, making a brief stop at Black Hammock to fish some dock pilings, with little luck.  Our next stop was at Leon's Spanish Drop where we anchored upstream of the run out.  Andrew was bumping a jig/shrimp combo while John fished the marsh grass with a live shrimp under a float and it wasn't long before John found a "sweet spot" and began hauling in Trout after Trout.  Andrew joined in with a float rig and he too began to catch Trout.  After a while we headed further up the river to Bubblegum Reef where the anglers caught a few Redfish, a Drum, and a Sheepshead.  Even with a few fish it still seemed kinda slow so we headed around to the mouth of  Jackstaff and fished the oyster lined banks. John added another fish to the Trout total, but that was it.  We hit one dock on the other end of Jackstaff where John pulled in a feisty Redfish, the we move on to Seymore's Pointe with the tide just starting to come back in.  This proved to be a good move as both John and Andrew caught Redfish after Redfish, one being a slot sized,  along with a few more Sheepshead.  Our last stop was Broward Island where the anglers caught a few more Redfish, a Sheepshead and then Andrew contributed to the dinner table with a nice keeper sized Trout.  With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Her First Fish - Ever!

Dave Johns was visiting Amelia Island from Ottawa, Canada with his family and arranged to take his two youngest daughters fishing on The Anglers Mark this morning.    We met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and launched with a whole slew of whiting fishermen heading to the Sound.  It was kinda of chilly but the young girls were ready to fish and they toughed it out as we headed up the Nassau River on an outgoing tide.  The oyster beds were already showing when we made our first stop at Leon's Spanish Drop and threw out live shrimp under a float rig and on 1/4oz jigs.  We fished the runout for a little while and having no real bites, pulled the anchor and move on up to Bubblegum Reef where we anchored and all three anglers tossed jigs and shrimp.  Young Grace was the first to hookup and had a tough battle on her hands, but she eventually brought to the net a nice 16" Redfish, her first ever fish!  Isabel joined in with another Redfish which she expertly played to the net and Dave persevered to catch a Trout.  We ran around and fished the mouth of Jackstaff in beautiful conditions, but we had no real bites, so we came back through the creek and headed to Broward Island where we anchored off of some of the downed trees.  The sun was up, the air had warmed and the gnats were out, but the anglers patience paid off as Grace added to her total by caching another feisty Redfish, this one with six spots!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Let the wind blow!

Tim Everett was visiting Amelia Island with his friends and family, Rob, Emma, and Dee,  all the way from Pennsylvania.  We had set a backcountry fishing trip up for today on The Anglers Mark and although the weather called for clear skies and warming to the mid 60's, it also called for wind 15-20mph. Ouch!  But Tim and his crew were game so we left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River, heading straight to Broward Island.  I knew the NW wind would make it tough fishing but I hoped that it wouldn't pick up until later in the morning.  The tide had just started in and we hadn't trolled for long when the anglers had a hookup and FISH ON!  We landed the nice Redfish for pictures then circled around and dropped anchor to fish the area and it's good we did because they picked up a few more Redfish, tossing their 1/4oz jigs tipped with live shrimp.  The wind was really whipping and the bite slowed so we headed back to the Nassauville bluffs and tried a few spots with the land mass breaking the wind and making fishing very nice. But we couldn't find any fish there!  So out into the wind we went, stopping at Bubblegum Reef to toss our jigs at the now covered oyster bar.  It wasn't but a few minutes before everyone was catching fish. Just when I would think that we wouldn't get any more bites, someone would hookup to a feisty, hard fighting Redfish.  Then, Rob caught a Seatrout and then the rest brought in 3 more.  We ended the day with about 10-12 Redfish and the 4 Trout, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Restaurant on the Water Opens

Another option for boaters and anglers who want to stop and eat is the new Marker 13 Oasis located at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin.  The restaurant offers a wide variety of grilled foods and offers to "cook your catch",  up to 5lbs.  They're open Fridays thru Sundays and you can see their menu at http://www.marker13.com/ or contact them at 904-277-8466 or VHF Ch 16.  The Marina is located at ICW Marker 13, just north of the Shave Bridge.

New Dock Opens at Riverside Arts Market

While showing at the Riverside Arts Market this past weekend I was able to walk down to the river front and see the new dock that was installed.  I spoke to Jacksonville's Marina and Waterways Coordinator Captain Jim Suber about the dock.  He said the dock was 200' long and would be open to the public on Saturdays during the Riverside Arts Market.   Space is "first come, first serve", but they will allow rafting.  This would be a great outing in your boat, so come on down and plan to visit the Market!  For more information contact Capt. Suber at 904-630-0839 or jsuber@coj.net

Winter Discount Ends Soon, Spring Breakers Get Ready!

My Winter discount ends March 31st.  If you want to get in at the lower rate, please give me a call and we'll get out on a nice day.  The weather and water temperatures are warming up and the fish are biting.  We'll be catching Redfish, Whiting,  and Black Drum.  I see in my journal that Bald Eagles were hanging out at Broward Island.

For those of you who are visiting on Spring Break, please call early!  April's trips pick up and scheduling can be tough some times - I'd hate to miss fishing with you!  Redfish are biting and the Trout bite will be picking up along with some Blues and a few Flounder will be showing up.

Book a Trip. Win a Trip!

Plan to book a fishing trip or Eco/History tour with me this year and I will enter your name into a drawing for a free trip next year! I plan to have the drawing December 1st and will present you with a nice gift certificate to be used for a 1/2 day fishing trip for up to 3 anglers. You can use it in 2012 or give it away as a gift. All you have to do is go fishing with me this year and I'll add your name to the drawing.  You can contact me HERE. Thanks, and let's go fishing!

Great Day on Egans Creek Greenway

If I were a visitor to Amelia Island I would want to include in my itinerary a visit and walk on the Fernandina Beach Egans Creek Greenway!  I took a break from fishing on The Anglers Mark and joined my wife, her mother, sisters and niece for a walk on the Greenway yesterday and had a great time, seeing Cranes, Egrets, Osprey seeking their morning meal in the marshes.  The waterway's that paralleled the walk had turtles, mud-minnows and we even came across a 7' alligator sunning herself on the bank of a pond.  There's no cost to use the Greenway so plan to visit the Egans Creek Greenway when you're on Amelia Island

Goldfish Gang Track Elusive Redfish

Jaime Maloney, with his kids Aidan and Maeve, along with Jay Cutler and his kids Quintin and Emmy, were visiting Amelia Island and their mother/grandmother, a resident of the island, so they scheduled to take in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  They had come all the way from Massachusetts and were enjoying the great warm spell that we've had and as we launched the boat and headed up the Nassau River we saw that it was going to be a beautiful day.  To start with, anyway!  We got to Bubblegum Reef and baited some bottom rigs with shrimp and the kids soon had rods in hand, waiting for some nibbles.  It wasn't long before Emmy pulled in a nice Whiting and then Quintin had a good battle with a Stingray and shortly after Aidan hooked up with a Rock Bass.  The wind picked up some so we moved to Seymor's Point and attempted to anchor, but the current and wind were playing havoc with the effort so we made few pitches to the docks with a jig/shrimp combo then headed on up river.  Our last stop was at Broward Island where we anchored near shore and tossed out the bottom rigs.  It wasn't long before we were yelling, "FISH ON" and the Elusive Redfish were found!     Aidan and Maeve and Quintin and Emmy all had Redfish hookups and deftly brought the fish to the waiting net.  A couple of times we had "double hookups" and once we thought we had a "triple", but it actually was one Redfish and a Black Drum caught by two of the young anglers!  Emmy eventually hooked up and brought a 20" Redfish in for the dinner table.  The Dads had been super helpful throughout the whole trip, putting the kids fishing experience ahead of their own, but as we began to wind down - I actually was stowing away gear for the ride back - Jaime had a good bite and drag began to rip from his Shimano Stradic 1000, FISH ON!  He played the fish expertly, working it out from some tree limbs and we soon had a 24"  5lb+ Redfish in the boat to close out the day.  The wind was whipping up white caps by now so we headed back to the boat ramp, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Come visit me at the Riverside Arts Market

I've been accepted to show at the Riverside Arts Market on opening day, Saturday March 5th.  I'll have a few new pieces in addition to some of the stuff that I've already completed.  Please plan to stop by and say hello!  If I don't schedule any trips on Saturday's in the month of March I'll probably be at the Riverside Arts Market!  See you there!

Project Chance Redfish Trout Tourney

Plan to fish the Redfish and Trout Tournament to benefit Project Change on Saturday, March 26, 2011 in Fernandina Beach, Florida and help provide a service dog to a child with autism.  Pre-registration is $75 per boat up to 4 people until March 21, 2011.  Late registration is $100 after March 21st, payable at the Captain's Meeting.  Mandatory Captain's meeting is Friday, March 25, 2011 at the Dog Star Tavern, 10 N. Second Street, on Amelia Island.  Registration begins at 5pm.  Captain's meeting begins at 6pm.  Click here for Tournament Rules.  Contact Ryan Conner 904-415-0397 or BJ Szwedzinski 904-491-0414 for more information.

Let's Make it 20!

Dave McCartney was visiting Amelia Island with his wife this week and staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge;  the weather has been beautiful so Dave decided to take in a backcountry, light tackle fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We left the City marina at 1pm with sunny skies and brisk SW wind and headed up Lanceford Creek to use the land mass as a wind block.  At our first stop we anchored just south of a dock system and Dave began to pitch his mudminnow/jig combo up to the pilings, making expert casts.  It wasn't long before he hooked up and FISH ON!  He played the fish like a pro and we soon landed a feisty 17" Redfish.  We also tried some dead shrimp on the jig, but the mudminnows seemed to be their favorite because Dave caught fish after fish.  He figured out that sometimes a little patience was needed and you could watch as Dave waited for a good solid "bump" before he set the hook, bringing in another (6) Reds with one making the Slot.  As the bite slowed, we cranked The Anglers Mark and headed further up Lanceford Creek to another dock.  It took us a while to figure out where to locate the boat to stay out of the wind and have good casting position but once we got it right Dave was on fish again, catching Redfish after Redfish.  One hookup produced a stronger pull and the fish seemed to hunker down, bending the light tackle rod, but Dave played it perfectly and we soon netted a nice 20"+ Redfish, in the slot!  We had been keeping count and were nearing 20 fish when Dave had another hookup, this time the fish kept making short runs but when we finally netted him we had a nice 14" Black Drum.  At 20 fish we called it a day and headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Nassau Sport Fishing Association Drum Tournament

The 13th Annual Nassau Sport Fishing Drum Tournament will be held March 18, 2011 thru April 22, 2011 with cash prizes being awarded based on the number of entrants.  80% of total fees collected will be paid out in prizes with 50% to the winner, 30% to second place and 20% to third place.  The Tournament will also include a Tournament within a Tournament and all participating anglers will be eligible for a drawing at the awards program.  You must be present at the NSFA Social Meeting on April 27, 2011 when prizes will be awarded.

Entry fee is $40 per angler.  The Tournament within a Tournament (T-N-T) has a $10 entry fee.  Each angler that entered in the T-N-T will be entered in a drawing to be held at the end of the tournament.  The winner of the drawing will collect 100% of monies paid in T-N-T entry fees.

Captain's meeting will be held at KAC (Ten Acres) at 7:00pm, Friday March 18, 2011.  All Tournament anglers should attend.  The Tournament will start immediately after the Captain's meeting.  Registration will remain open until 8pm @ the Captain's meeting.

All fish must be weighed in at Leaders and Sinkers Bait Shop at Egans Creek between 7:00am and 5:00pm each day. There is a (1) fish per day, per angler limit eligible for weigh in. 

For more information contact Tournament Chairman Don Whitman @ 904-321-2800.

A Little Bit of Everything

Local resident Mike Hickox treated his visiting daughter, Lacey and her boyfriend DJ to a Eco Tour/Fishing trip Friday afternoon.  It was a beautiful day to get out on the water so we met at Atlantic Seafood dock at 11:30am and eased out of the marina and no-wake zone on The Anglers Mark.   We headed out into Amelia River sound to view Fort Clinch from the water then cut across to the southern tip of Cumberland Island and broke out some binoculars to see a couple of wild horses on the grass flat.  Our next destination was Cumberland's Beach Creek and as soon as we rounded the first bend we were treated to a pod of porpoises cruising the shoreline and busting baitfish with one porpoise even coming out of the water onto the bank with it's meal grasped in it's mouth!   As we eased up the creek to the tree line we came across a small herd of horses grazing along the creek bank and we were able to inch in close for some pictures.  We checked them out for a while then cruised on up the creek to see an Osprey patrolling the sky.  As we were leaving, Lacey and DJ's young eyes spotted a newborn colt hiding behind one of the horses.  Finally we said, "let's go fishing" and headed over to Jolley River to pitch some jigs and shrimp to the exposed oyster banks.  We didn't get many bites and it was well past lunch time so we cranked the big engine and ran on up to St. Mary's for Crab Sandwiches, Fish Sandwiches and a Crab Cake salad! Boy were they good!   We found time to fit in another fishing stop behind Tiger Island and with the tide just starting back in, the fish bite had heated up.  Lacey hooked up and fought a nice 17" Redfish to the boat with DJ handling the net, then DJ got in on the action by picking up a Seatrout on his last cast.  We had a full day of touring and fishing so we headed in, calling it another great day to be out on the water!

Out of the Fog...Redfish!

Libby Wilkes was hosting her daughter Kap and her grandson Peter who were visiting Amelia Island from Minnesota.  Kap and Peter enjoy fishing for Walleye in the lakes of Minnesota, but wanted to take in some of the backcountry fishing that we have to offer.  We left the Big Talbot/Sawpit boat ramp at 1pm today with fog hovering all over the marsh and river.    Our first stop in The Anglers Mark was up in the Horsehead area where we dropped anchor to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  Both Kap and Peter were using bottom rigs with dead shrimp (there seems to be a shortage of live ones at the Amelia Island bait shops - call for availability) and it wasn't long before Kap had a hookup and a fish fight on her hands!  She expertly worked the Redfish to the boat and a waiting net for pictures and release.  We had a short visit from an FWC officer who checked our life vests and sound device, then we were catching fish again.  Peter pulled in a fairly large Stingray then he added a few Redfish to the count.  When the tide started back in, we moved to the dock at Seymor's Pointe, anchored, and again threw out bottom rigs.  The Redfish were biting and the anglers picked up another 7-8 fish.  The fog had move on, leaving us with a pleasant day with  mild tempertures so we counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

Kids have fun on the boat!

I participated in the Peck Head Start's annual Transportation Day Friday and had a great time.  The Staff at Head Start had arranged for fire trucks, ambulance's, police cars and a utility lift truck to be there, along with my boat, The Anglers Mark.  I take one spinning rod with a topwater lure, minus the hooks, along with a couple of youth life jackets and when the kids chaperone brings them around we put 2-3 up on the boat at a time.  Most want to try on the life jackets then we cast the lure out into the grass and let each one of them reel it in.  You would think that they had a 24" Redfish on by the way they crank it in!  This year we let the kids waiting there turn to run the net and that kept them busy, too.  I asked a few of the kids and they said it was the first time they had ever been on a boat.  Even though it wasn't in the water, we had a great time, another great day to be....in the boat!

Valentine's Day Special

Be the first to schedule a Valentine's fishing trip at my low winter rate and I'll include a nice ball cap with The Anglers Mark logo!  You're special Valentine will absolutley KNOW that you love them when they get a personalized gift certificate for a 1/2 day fishing trip in the backwaters of Amelia Island, Florida.  Give me a call and we'll make it happen!

Seatrout season closes

Per FWC regulations, the Seatrout season for North East Florida will be closed from February 1, 1011 through February 28, 2011, but will re-open March 1st.  Note that the Redfish are still biting along with some nice, keeper sized Black Drum.  Give me a call and will launch The Anglers Mark for a great day out on the water!

3 face charges for snook, red drum violations

FWC officers recently made a bust for illegal harvesting of Redfish and Snook in Brevard County, see:
3 face charges

Pink Gloves are the trick!

On the second day of their fishing weekend, Felecia Gant, her brother Ron, and their friend Pandra met me at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp, again at 1pm, to take in another Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip.  After getting an excellent report of a good fish bite from my friends Charlie Jones and Leon Freeman, we pointed The Anglers Mark straight for Bubblegum Reef and anchored just off the drop.

 The wind was really kicking up and the boat couldn't decide where to lie, but the anglers "endeavored to persevere" and we soon were catching fish.  Pandra had her pink gloves on and they must have brought her luck because she seemed to have the hot rod for the day, catching fish after fish.  Although the Redfish were just under slot size, they hit ferociously and put up some great fights.  The anglers also found some Black Drum, catching 4 in the keeper size with Ron pulling in the largest on a jig/shrimp combo.  Felecia caught her share of Reds on the jig and shrimp, while Pandra switched from shrimp, Trigger X shrimp, and the new Parker baits. 

While we were fishing we had a neat wildlife sighting, a mink scavenging the shoreline, who stopped to check us out!  We eventually tried a couple of other spots, but the wind had picked up to what seemed a gale, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Big Reds

I was launching my boat, The Anglers Mark, this afternoon at Goffinsville Park when my longtime buddies Charlie Jones and Leon Freeman cruised by after a morning of fishing the Backcountry of Amelia Island.  They reported that they had fished the incoming tide since 7am at Bubblegum Reef, just beyond the drop off and had caught a mess of about 15 rat Reds, along with a number of slot and overside Big Reds.  They're shown here with their limit of slot Reds and a nice Black Drum which were biting, too.  Charlie and Leon reported that the bite has been on fire for the last 3 weeks.  Hey!  I know it's cold, but dress warm and plan to get out there...the fish are biting!

Overcast, Misty and Redfish Catch'n!

Felecia Gant and her friend Pandra were visiting Amelia Island from South Carolina along with Felecia's brother Ron Gant, in from Rhode Island.   They had scheduled a couple of days of fishing on The Anglers Mark so we met Friday at 1pm at the Atlantic Seafood dock.  It was somewhat cool, the skies were overcast and every once in a while we had a light rain, but this anglers were not to be deterred!  We eased out of the harbor with a falling tide and water temperatures around 49 degrees to hit our first spot, some exposed oyster beds near the mouth of Tiger Island.  Felecia was tossing a jig and live shrimp combo, Pandra had a jig and Ghost Grey Trigger X artificial shrimp, and Ron was fishing with a new Parker bait curly tail grub.  The anglers unlimbered their casting at the first few stops then we headed to Tiger Island to troll the log strewn bank.  We hadn't gone too far when Pandra had a hit, the drag ripped, and the fish was off, so we held the boat in place and all anglers cast to the barnacle encrusted branches of a downed tree.

Pandra again had a hookup and this time she set the hook and the fight was on!  She fought fish expertly and soon the feisty Redfish was brought to a waiting net.  From then on, the anglers soon found that by casting their baits right up to the branches would produce a strike, some almost as soon as they reached the bottom.  Felecia caught her share of Redfish and Ron joined in, too.  We estimated that their take was around 17 Redfish, all from the one spot!  The tide was about to start in so we cranked the big engine and headed over to the docks at Lanceford Creek.  After anchoring the anglers made their pitches to the base of the dock pilings and soon were rewarded with more hookups, aggressive Redfish fighting all the way to the boat.  They added 7-8 more fish to their total, but with the sun heading down and the temperature dropping we decided to head back in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Redfish School'in

I had a report called in from two buddies, Leon and Charlie, who fished the Horsehead area today.  They got out late morning and began fishing the first of an incoming tide.  We had a very sunny day today, but the water temperature was still holding at 49 degrees.  They ended up anchoring at Bubblegum Reef and fished deep to  catch their limit of slot Redfish.  Charlie said they started off catching Rat reds but they soon began to pick up fish in the slot (18"-27") and even had a few over the slot.  Leon guessed that they caught around 30 fish and could have had 70 if they'd have stayed longer.

Cold December adds to 2010 manatee death toll

For immediate release: January 5, 2011


Contact: Carli Segelson, 727-896-8626

Cold December adds to 2010 manatee death toll

Two periods of unusually cold weather in 2010 contributed to the number of manatee deaths for the year being more than double the yearly average of the past five years. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) documented 767 manatee carcasses in state waters in 2010.

The cold weather in Florida caused many of these deaths, with the “cold-stress” category accounting for 279 documented cases. Of these cold-related deaths, 244 occurred in the early part of the year and 35 occurred in December. Cold stress also contributed to the deaths of 21 of the 96 manatees in the “perinatal” or “newborn” category. In addition, it is likely the cold temperatures contributed to many of the 214 deaths in the “undetermined” category and the 68 deaths in the “unrecovered” category.

“The unusually high number of manatee deaths in 2010, including those caused by the two periods of cold weather, are of concern to the FWC,” said FWRI Director Gil McRae. “Over the next few years, the FWC will be relying heavily on monitoring programs to better understand any long-term implications for the manatee population. In the meantime, we will continue to work with our partners to enhance the availability of natural warm-water sites and to rescue manatees in distress.”

FWC researchers, managers and law enforcement staff work closely together to evaluate mortality data and identify necessary actions. Managers focus on actions that can reduce risks to manatees and protect foraging and warm-water habitats. The FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement, in cooperation with partner agencies, uses knowledge of local boating habits, well-posted speed zones and up-to-date manatee information as part of its on-the-water enforcement operations. Informing boaters about manatee conservation and enforcing manatee-protection zones is a priority for the FWC.

To learn more about manatee conservation, go to MyFWC.com/Manatee. To view the 2010 preliminary mortality numbers as well as a Web article detailing the cold-related manatee die-off in early 2010, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/manatee and click on “Manatee Mortality Statistics.”

Florida residents can help manatees by purchasing the manatee specialty license plate, available at county tax collectors’ offices. The funds collected for these plates go directly to manatee research and conservation.

To report a dead or distressed manatee, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Fresh Water Table Fare

Honorary Captain Bud Hill reports that the fresh water fishing up at Kings Ferry on the St. Mary's river is doing just fine, thank you!  He recently fished one of his favorite spots the last 2 hours of an outgoing tide using worms and beetle spins to fish deep to catch this freshwater Grand Slam of Bass, Crappie, Redbellies, Bluegill, and Warmouth Perch!  Bud's an avid fly-fisherman but said nothing much hits the surface this time of year so he ended up catching everything but the Bass and Crappie on earthworms.  The Bass and Crappie took the Beetle Spins.

Year End Report and Off Season Projects

It's drizzling rain outside and below 50, which is actually warm compared to the last month and I'm itching to get out on the water! This was my 3rd full year as a Charter Captain and I feel like it was pretty good one. My trip count was up 66% over last year and going into the Fall I felt sure it was going to be even better. Unfortunatley, November and December were down from the previous year and I didn't do quite as well as I had hoped. December was a brutal month of cold weather and after a year or two of hard times, I can only think that folks decided to hunker down in doors and enjoy the holidays! Luckily I had some projects lined up and was able to stay busy. My mother had handsewn a quilt for me years back and I had used it so much over the years that it had become tattered in places. For our anniversay, my wife Carol found a local quilt lady to make repairs to the quilt and rather than use it we decided to retire it to display. We searched for a small quilt rack in the area antique stores but could only find large, bulky ones, so I made one! It fits perfectly in a corner at the top of our stairway. Our friends and neighbors Marg and Ted have wanted to rebuild their deck for years so they hired me to tear out the old one and build a new one. Marg had some ideas that she had collected from magazines so we came up with a plan to build the 28'x14' deck and use columns to support a cedar pergula. We added cedar railings and bench to finish it off.

Happy New Year at Marie Island

I started the New Year off right by fishing with Don and Kelly Tesiero and their kids, Trey and Marie, on  Saturday, New Year's day.  We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 8am after a brief safety orientation and headed up the Amelia River to the mouth of Tiger Island.  Dolphins were rolling in the river as we rounded the inlet at Tiger Island and we pulled up at a grassy point to drop anchor and unlimber our fishing lines. Both Trey and Marie proclaimed "no instruction needed" and they begin to cast their light spinning tackle to the shore line with a live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder float.  Bites were few and far between, with water temperature at 49 degrees,  so we pulled anchor and headed up to the Jolley River to fish some creek runouts.  Although we had a few bites, the fish just weren't eating so we headed back to Tiger Island, which last year we had renamed "Trey Island".  We anchored just off the bank and the kids were now casting 1/4oz jigs with shrimp to the shore line and downed trees.  Both kids were making good casts, but Marie put one right next to a log and before we knew it, she was yelling "FISH ON"!  She battled the 18" Redfish to the net for pictures and release, then she proclaimed the island was now "Marie Island"!  We all agreed that the name should stick....at least until next time!  To wrap up the trip we toured Cumberland Island and beach creek, seeing great Blue Herons roosting in the trees, then we eased along the south shore to spot some wild horses grazing in the marsh grass, before heading in to the dock, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!