Young Man Big Fish

Local resident Mark Dennis had his brother David visiting Amelia Island along with David's grandson, JJ, so they took in an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday morning. The weather report had been calling for a large storm to roll through later in the day, but when we eased out of the City of Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina the skies were clear and there was very little wind -  perfect fishing conditions.  The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours and the oysters had covered, so we made a stop outside Tiger Island to fish with live shrimp under floats with our Shimano Sradic 2500 reels on 7' rods.  Both Mark and David had some hookups with smaller Trout and Blues, then Mark had a good strong bite and a battle on his hands.  But the big fish found the oysters and cut itself off, OUCH!  Not to be deterred, JJ continued to fish and when his float went under and the drag began to rip, we knew we had another big fish.  Together, grandad David and JJ worked the fish, fighting it from bow to stern and eventually we netted a Slot sized 25" Redfish!  Eventually we moved around to behind Tiger and began to fish with the jig/shrimp combo.  The anglers weren't getting much action, but JJ again found the big fish!  He had a strong hookup, his rod bent, and the fight was on!  He battled the fish, this time all by himself, and we netted a very large, 19" Flounder, putting JJ in a firm lead in the Flounder category of  The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament!  We moved on to the Jolley River where both David and Mark had hookups, long battles and releases of 3' Bonnethead Shark.  Mark rounded out the Amelia Island Backwater Slam by boating a keeper sized Seatrout, which wrapped up a great day to be on Amelia Island waters!

A Variety of Fish Catch'n

Jaime Maloney was visiting his in-laws here at Amelia Island so he scheduled a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark along with his kids Aidan and Maeda and his father-in-law Bill Cutler.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7:30 Friday morning and headed up to Tiger Island on the during the last two hours of an incoming tide.  Fishing the outside of some downed trees, Bill had a strong bite and a wild fight with a large Ladyfish.  The young anglers had good catches of small Flounder then Aiden hooked up with a hard fighting, keeper sized Sheepshead.  Maeda joined in with the "keeper" catching by reeling in a nice Seatrout.  Jaime added to the dinner fare when he pulled in a nice 16 1/5" Flounder that put him in a tie for first place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament, flounder category!  We moved on to the Jolley River where the anglers picked up a few more smaller Trout, a Sea Bass, and another Ladyfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Find Me a Redfish Please

Redfish have been few and far between this week so when my cousin, Jim Garner and his buddy Brad Anderson stepped on the boat yesterday afternoon at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp I was hoping we'd find some Redfish.  We made a run up the Nassau River just as the tide was turning and starting back in to fish Broward Island with jigs and shrimp and artificial grubs.  Brad hadn't fished in years but after a little warm up to get the rust off he was ready to go.  His first real cast was to some downed tree limbs and because I was just getting things arranged for a slow troll of the bank, I didn't see the hookup, but..... FISH ON!  And it was big one, too!  The drag screamed on his Shimano Stradic 2500 as the line ripped out and soon Brad was on the way from the bow to stern as the big fish headed out to deeper water.  Brad worked the fish up but this beast was having none of it and again headed deep with the drag ripping.  After a long battle we finally saw the big Redfish come to the surface and Brad pulled him in to the waiting net.  The fish measured 27 1/2", over the slot, so we snapped some pictures then released the fish, making sure it swam easily away.  Brad now holds the lead in The Anglers Mark 2012 Bragging Rights Tournament in the Redfish category!  What a great way to start a fishing day!  We worked the bank slowly and picked up a couple of small, but feisty Seatrout, then Jim had a good hookup on a jig and Temptation Bait chartreuse grub. He played the fish perfectly and we soon landed a nice 19" Seatrout.  The bite slowed so we headed back up the river to fish a few more spots.  Out from behind the island, we were exposed to the wind blowing 15-20 and it made it very difficult to fish. But the anglers persevered and continued to cast until the sun was setting.  We called it day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Trout Bite

Mike Eddins, his wife Erika and Mike's dad Phil made the trip yesterday morning to Amelia Island to fish the backwaters with me on The Anglers Mark.  The tide had just started out and the marsh grass was still flooded so we headed up to Jolley River to fish an outflow with float rigs and live shrimp.  Erika got the action started early by hooking up to a hard fighting Blue then she brought in a nice Seatrout.  Mike also added a Blue.  We fished a couple of more spots with the float rigs then switched to a jig/shrimp combo as the oysters began to show.  We had a good stretch of oysters that we fished and picked up another couple of Trout.  We made a move to Lanceford Creek and fished the docks where Mike found some larger keeper sized Trout out deep.  The anglers picked up a couple of those, found some smaller ones at another dock, then we headed in, counting it as another great day of fishing!

FishFinder

I had the pleasure of fishing with the Neal family again on Friday morning, but this time we launched from the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island Park.  We left the ramp at 7:30am and headed up the Nassau River, making a stop at a large runout in the marsh.  The oysters were still covered, but the tide was going out and we fished with jigs on the bottom and a float rig.  We had no real bites we made a move back down the river to fish an oyster outcrop.  We found that if we fished a jig and shrimp combo down deep we would feel a subtle bite and could hookup with Seatrout.  Pinson IV (P4)  "the FishFinder", figured it out and got the catch going.  Later, we ran around to Jackstaff Creek and fished the now exposed oysters.  Pinson SR. had a hookup and an exciting fight with a high jumping "poor mans Tarpon" - a Ladyfish.  We found a sandbar to fish across and again the anglers found Trout, in deeper water, picking up our baits from the bottom.  Pinson added a Flounder to the catch.  At our last stop, P4  hooked up with a hard fighting Drum, then a Sheepshead to round out an Amelia Island Grand Slam of Seatrout, Flounder, Drum, and Sheepshead.

Shark Infested Waters

David Olson and his friend Linda planned a fishing trip with me this afternoon so we met at 2pm at the Atlantic Seafood and pointed The Anglers Mark to the backwaters of Amelia Island.  We had somewhat of wind, but it was a beautiful day to be out.  We made our first stop at a marsh run out on a high and outgoing tide.  We quickly dubbed Linda the knickname "fishfinder" because she seemed to have a knack for finding where the fish were!  She caught a couple of Seatrout  on a float rig with live shrimp then David joined in on the catching.   As we were holding the boat in a small creek, Linda's rod bent over and the line began to rip out, FISH ON!  She fought the fish perfectly and eventually subdued it, bringing a nice Bonnethead Shark to the boat for release.  After she fought another won to the boat, David hooked up with one, too, and played it expertly.  We stayed and caught a few more shark, then moved on to fish some now exposed oyster banks with jig/shrimp combos.  Later we moved to get out of the wind and fished some dock pilings on Lanceford Creek.  We boated a keeper sized flounder and a fat Seatrout, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be on Amelia Island waters!

Sundown Redfish

Pinson and Tina Neal were visiting Amelia Island, Florida again and along with their kids Landon and Pinson (P4), took in an afternoon fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City of Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina and headed downriver to fish a flooded oyster flat south of Rayonier pulp mill. The tide had been coming out for an hour or so, but the oysters were still flooded so we used a float rig.  We had no bites.  We made our next stop at the Lanceford Creek docks and although the conditions seemed to be getting right with the oysters beginning to show, we had very little action.....until Pinson Sr. hooked up with something big!  It acted like a concrete block, but every once in a while it would rip some drag, so we knew it had to be a "fish", right? He fought the fish perfectly and after a long battle, pulled up a very large Ray!  Landon then got in on the action and caught a nice keeper sized Flounder that put her in first place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament!  We made a run to Tiger Island where the logs were now showing.  P4 had a good fight with a nice Redfish.  Things were still slow so we moved on to the Jolley River and with the tide almost out, the anglers began to pick up fish.  Almost immediately they caught a couple of Redfish then a few Trout and Blues and then more Trout.  We made a second run of an oyster bank and Pinson and Landon had a "double" hookup with Redfish.  At the end of the evening we had a huge 4-5' Ray come swimming in from the year, up to the osyter bank, then turn and head right for the boat, almost bumping the engine!  It went under the boat and headed out to deeper water.  What a way to end a great day of fishing in Amelia Island waters!

First Shark of the Year

Buddy and Mindy Peterson were in town with their kids Jack and Ben and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday morning.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7:30am and headed up to Jolley River to fish the incoming tide with jig/shrimp combo's.  The oysters were still showing and the anglers worked the bank, picking up a few feisty Seatrout.  We moved on up into the river, still fishing the oyster banks, and Mindy had strong hookup that began to rip the line off of her Shimano Stradic 1000 reel.  She fought the fish around the boat a couple of times and just as we thought we were going to see the fish, it would head for the bottom and Mindy would have to work it back in.  Eventually she won the battle and we netted a hefty Bonnethead Shark!   Buddy, Jack and Ben were able to pickup some Trout and Ben won the ugliest fish caught contest by reeling in a Stingray.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout Come Through

Andrew and Melanie Berlin were visiting Amelia Island again with their two sons, Ben and Daniel, and took in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City of Fernandina Harbor Marina at 2pm today and headed up to the Jolley River to fish an exposed oyster bank on an incoming tide.  Although the anglers had a few nibbles, we didn't pick up any fish, but as the tide began to cover the oysters we did have sightings of both Sheepshead and Trout swimming in the shallows.  We fished a few more spots in Jolley then headed over to the outside of Tiger to fish with float rigs over some flooded oysters.  This did the trick and both Daniel and Melanie were able to hookup with some fat, keeper sized Trout.   Ben was making excellent casts and Andrew picked up some Trout along the way.  We fished behind Tiger where Daniel had a strong hookup, but the fish found it's way into the downed trees and broke itself off.  After fishing south of Rayonier, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Gear Tip: Scrap Line Holder

I've had a couple of comments about my scrap line/leader holder.  It's a recycled cylinder that those drink mixes come in.  I cut an "X" across the top of the cap and whittled a hole.  Whenever I have a scrap piece of line I shove it down in this makeshift holder so that it doesn't blow out while the boat is running.  It fits perfectly in a coozie and then into a cup holder.

Wildlife Sightings Highlite of The Day

Scott and Jacquelyn O'Melia , along with their kids Palmer, Scottie, and Lady, were visiting Amelia Island again and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today. We headed out on a beautiful, sunny morning, but with stiff breeze.  On the way to our first spot on Lanceford Creek, we saw Dolphin rolling in the water and soon after anchoring Palmer spotted an awesome Bald Eagle cruising the shoreline.  We fished the docks of Lanceford but had very few bites so we headed up to Jolley River to fish the oyster banks.  We saw an Osprey looking for fish like we were!  5 year olds Scottie and Lady got to know the live shrimp real well and settled in to enjoy one of their first fishing trips.  Fishing behind Tiger Island we finally hooked up with a good bite and Palmer battled in a feisty Redfish.  While fishing Tiger we were treated to a sighting of a Sea Otter scampering along the shoreline.  As we left Tiger, we crossed over to Cumberland to view a small herd of wild horses, then made our way back to the marina, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Double Hookup on First Casts

Wade Dial and his son, Pearson fished with me on Sunday morning.  We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 7:30am and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings on an outgoing tide.  The oysters were just beginning to show so I set Pearson up with a float rig and live shrimp while Wade tossed a jig/shrimp combo.  We had just gotten their lines out when Wade's rod bent over and his drag began to rip out, FISH ON!  He handed the rod off to Pearson for the battle, then we saw that Pearson's float had disappeared!  Wade grabbed that rod and we had a "double" fish fight going on!  We landed Pearson's Slot Red then we got Wade's in for a "double" Redfish catch on the first cast of the day!  We continued to fish the falling tide and these anglers stayed busy, catching Redfish and keeper sized Seatrout for about two hours.  We moved on to Jolley River, caught a few Trout, then called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

Spot Tournament Caddyshack Style

I had planned to fish in the Jacksonville Florida Times Union Redfish Spot Tournament this weekend with friends Tim Parker and Brian Knicley, so we fished on Friday to see if we could find some fish biting.  We met early at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River to fish the exposed oyster beds. It wasn't long before we were picking up a bunch of Trout and a few Reds here and there.  Tim and Brian were using Temptation Baits and were putting fish in the boat, while I was using live shrimp to catch some, too. Fishing was outstanding on Friday and the weather was beautiful.  We followed the same game plan on Saturday and left the Sisters Creek boat ramp to run north to Nassau River.  We picked up Trout again early and then added a couple of Redfish, with one in the Slot, but with only two spots.  A storm was rolling in and it began to rain heavily.  As it began to thunder I hooked up with a BIG fish and had a long and drawn out battle.  The lighting began to pop and crackle and the thunder boomed as we fought the fish around the boat and eventually landed it.  Tim noted that it had NO SPOTS, worth $500 if the first no-spot entry, but this one was way over the size limit, measuring at 33 1/2", so we returned him to the water.  We made run for cover and got out of the storm.  After the lighting passed we were able to get in some more fishing, albeit in the rain, and Brian had the hot rod going.  He hooked up with a couple of Trout, a small Red, a Puppy Drum then he had a strong hookup that ripped drag off his reel. FISH ON!  He battled the fish around the boat, from bow to stern and back to bow, then eventually wore it down and brought it to the net, a legal 26 1/2" Red with 5 spots!  We gave the fish some fresh water in the live well, pulled anchor, and made a run through the rain to check in.  Our fish gave us 30th place in the tournament but better than that, we took home some crazy fishing memories!

Redfish Along The Oyster Beds

Boy what a beautiful morning we had today - cool, hardly a breeze, and just a little fog to start the day. As I launched The Anglers Mark there were two shrimp boats anchored out from the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp.  The sun was just coming up and the boats had their lights on and were a peaceful sight.  I met Charlie McClain at 7:30am and we headed up to the Jolley River, taking it slow at times, because of the fog.  We started a troll against the new incoming tide and the oyster beds were fully exposed.  Our first pass of a 100 yard stretch didn't produce a bite, but I knew there had to be fish here so we hit the "jackrabbit" button on my new Minn Kota I-Pilot and ran downstream to make another pass.  We'd made it about half way up the bank when we began to get strong hookups with hard hitting Redfish.  We picked up a few rat reds and put a couple of small Slot Reds in the boat when all of sudden Charlie's rod bent and drag ripped - FISH ON!  He played the big Red perfectly and worked it from stern to bow and back to stern, with the big fish ripping line as it tried to shake the hook.  Eventually, Charlie wore the fish out and we soon netted a nice 24" Slot Redfish.  We picked up a few more smaller Reds, then made our way down the river, now tossing live shrimp under floats, and picked up a few hungry Seatrout.  We ended our catching by sight fishing for Redfish laying up in the  shallows.  With the sun to our backs we could see the Reds laying in wait for baitfish to swim by and we were able to get one of them to eat our shrimp on a jig.  After one more stop, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Redfish Wraps The Day Up

Tracy Smith, along with his daughter Tara and her grandmother, Lyn took in a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip this morning on The Anglers Mark.  And boy what a beautiful morning it was!  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was just cool enough and breezy enough to keep the sand gnats off of us.  We headed up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide and on our first pass of an oyster lined bank the anglers began to pick up fish.  Using light tackle gear and jigs tipped with live shrimp, they tossed to the base of the oysters, let it fall to the bottom, and slowly worked it back to the boat. BOOM!  FISH ON!   Both Tara and Lyn boated nice Seatrout with one in the keeper size then Tara reeled in a fiesty Redfish.  Tracy got in on the action and hooked up with a hard fighting fish and played a nice Slot sized Redfish to the net.  They added one more Slot Redfish then we moved on to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs.  The tide was already up and the fish just weren't biting so we moved out to the outside and tried our luck with live shrimp under float rigs.  Again, no hungry fish were found!  We made a run down the river to south of Rayonier mill and fished the now flooded oyster flat and marsh grass.  Even though the bite was not fast and furious, Tracy did hookup with a nice puppy drum and Lyn hauled in another Seatrout.  Then, just as we were about to wrap the day up, a float went under and the drag began to rip out, BIG FISH ON!  Tara fought the fish from bow to stern and back to bow and even though the fish made a couple of runs, Tara kept the tension on and we eventually netted a big 24" Slot Redfish.  What a way to end a great day out on Amelia Island waters!

Father and Son and Amelia Island Fishing

Jonathan Mayer and his dad Bob were visiting Amelia Island with family and decided to take in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip with me on The Anglers Mark.  We picked a low, outgoing tide to fish yesterday afternoon, met at 2pm at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp, and headed up to Jolley River to fish the exposed oyster banks.  Although the tide was perfect, we had fairly stiff wind and after getting only  a few nibbles, picked up to run further up the river.  At the second stop we had more of the same, maybe a nibble here and there, but no takers.  However, these anglers were out to enjoy their time on the water and kept casting optimistically for that first good bite.  We made a move to behind Tiger island, starting a troll on the north end, and it wasn't long before the anglers optimism paid off.  Jonathan had a good hookup, played the fish perfectly, and we soon netted a hungry Flounder, a fish Jonathan was hoping to catch on this trip.  Not long after, Bob got in on the action by hooking up on  strong bite.  He worked the feisty fish to the boat and we netted a nice Redfish.  We fished the entire bank a couple of times but had no more action, so we pulled up and ran to Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings.  Jonathan did hookup with a fat Sea Bass, but the fish just weren't cooperating any more.  After another stop, and with a storm rolling in, we decided to call it an evening and headed in, counting it as another great day to be on Amelia Island waters!

Big Red Big Trout

Joe Pomilia had finished up a conference out at the Omni and scheduled a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip with me on The Anglers Mark. We met at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp on the north end of the island at 2pm yesterday and headed up to the Jolley River to fish the exposed oysters with a jig/shrimp combo. As we eased along the bank we began to get hookups and had one real strong one. FISH ON! Joe played the big fish expertly, working in gradually and we soon netted a huge, over the slot Redfish! After getting pictures we released the beast to the river. We continued to work the bank and Joe added another couple of Slot sized Redfish then he had a good hookup. You could see the fish shaking its head and when it got close to the boat we saw that this was a nice 21" Seatrout. We netted the fish, snapped some pictures, and released this fish also. The bite slowed so we hit another few spots, finding one more Red at some dock pilings. With the tide way up and the day getting long, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Reds Turn Hot on Oyster Beds

Dana Hannaford set up a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip with his friends Tommy and Robert yesterday, so we launched The Anglers Mark at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp on the north end of the island and headed over to Tiger to fish the first of an outgoing tide. The anglers were tossing live shrimp under float rigs and were making good casts to the marsh grass, but we had no real bites.  We headed up to Jolley River and fished a run out and found some hungry Seatrout.  Even though they were fun to catch, there wasn't a whole lot of size to them so we found an oyster lined bank to fish.  It wasn't long before Dana had a strong hookup and after a good, well fought battle, he worked in a nice 26" Slot Redfish!  We worked the bank, making two or three passes and Robert picked up some feisty Redfish along with a nice Slot red, all caught on Gulp shrimp. Tommy added a keeper sized Trout and a nice Slot red.   Later, the anglers picked up more feisty, but undersized Reds, but added another Slot to their catch.  As we were moving to Tiger Island, we were treated to a submarine sighting out in the river. We fished the downed logs behind Tiger and Tommy hooked up with another Slot Red, caught out deep, then added a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam.  With a good mess of fish in the box, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Weird Looking Redfish

My guests last night caught about 12-15 Redfish along with this weirdly faced Redfish (top left).

Small Trout to Big Redfish

Cy Yelk and his friends Jimmy Johnson and Bob Miller set up a Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday evening so we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp at 2pm to fish the first of a falling tide.  We made a run up to Jolley River and positioned the boat at a marsh run out and the anglers began to toss live shrimp under Cajun Thunder float rigs up to the grass line.  It wasn't long before they began to hookup with 14" Seatrout.  We edged along the grass and found one good run out that produced another 6-8 trout, then we moved on to "Snook Creek" and anchored.  We had no real bites there so we made run back to Jolley Bank and fished it's shoreline.  Jimmy had the hot rod here and pulled in two hard fighting, head shaking Trout along with a feisty Redfish, all on the float rigs.  We fished behind Tiger Island and picked up one Trout on a jig/plastic grub then we move on to Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings with a jig/shrimp combo.  Our first and second stops produce no real bites and I was beginning to wonder if we'd caught all that we were going to catch for the day.  But the tide was getting right, the sun was going down and, FISH ON!  The anglers began to hookup up with hard fighting Redfish and caught them non-stop for the next hour! The fish ranged from 17" on up into the slot with the two largest being 23" and just shy of the upper limit of 27".  This fish put Cy in the lead for largest Redfish in the 2012 Bragging Rights Tournament.   Twice we had double hook ups with fish being fought on both sides of the boat! We also boated 4-5 more Trout to 19", a couple of puppy Drum and a Sheepshead.  With four Trout and four Reds in the box and the sun going down, we headed in, counting it as another great day of Amelia Island fishing!

Redfish Bonanza

Tim and Emma Everett were making their annual visit to Amelia Island and set up an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip along with Emma's brother Rob and friend Ryan.  We met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina Friday at 2pm and headed up Landsford Creek to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  Using The Anglers Mark new Minn Kota I-Pilot 101lb trolling motor with built in GPS and compass, we "anchored" just south of a dock and began to toss our jig and shrimp combo.  The tide was extremely low - the lowest that I recall in a long time and I was wondering how it was going to affect the fishing when Tim yelled "FISH ON" and he had a battle on his hands. He played the slot sized Redfish to the boat and net and we measured it at 23" - not bad for the first fish of the day in less than 5 minutes!  The other anglers joined in and began to catch feisty, hard fighting Redfish, and more than once we had a "double" hookup.  Of the 12-15 Redfish, three ended up being in the Slot, but as the bite slowed, we made a move to behind Tiger Island to fish the first of the incoming tide.  I was somewhat surprised that we didn't find any Redfish, but we the anglers did pick up a couple of Trout, one measuring well over the 15" minimum size.  Our last stop was on the outside of Tiger Island, fishing the flooded oyster beds with float rigs, and Emma pulled in the last fish of the day, a hungry Trout.  With that, we headed in as the sun slipped down over the horizon, counting it as another great day to be on Amelia Island waters!

Rainy Day Fishing

Ken Wood and his son Nick had this morning as their only window of opportunity to fish so they made an early morning trip down from Jeckyll Island, Georgia to meet me at the City marina.  The weather forecast called for a light rain but only a slight breeze so we all packed rain gear and headed out to fish the backwaters of Amelia Island.  We made our first stop behind Tiger Island and fished the incoming tide with jigs and shrimp, tossed up near the downed logs.  It took awhile for the fish to begin to bite but once they did the anglers were busy for about 2  hours.  Ken had the hot rod early and hauled in two or three Redfish, then Nick got in on the action and caught a couple.  Ken was getting his way out deep and he had a couple of battles with some Slot sized Redfish that almost went too big!  Nick added a couple of Slot's and after we moved he picked up some keeper sized 18" plus Seatrout, caught on a Contender lure with twin red tails and a white body.  Ken wanted a Trout too and after making a long cast to the shoreline he hooked up and had a good battle with a 20" Trout that fought all the way back to the boat.  The bite slowed so we moved to the outside of Tiger Island, fished it with float rigs, then hit Temptation Cove and Lanceford Creek but didn't get much more than a nibble as the tide began to ebb.  We'd been rained on and swarmed with gnats, but as we headed in, we called it a great day to be fishing on Amelia Island waters!

Waiting on the Wind

Brent Gore and I postponed our scheduled Amelia Island backwater fishing trip from yesterday morning until the afternoon due to the high winds, gusting to 30mph.  We saw that they were going to die down by noon and the conditions would gradually get better as the afternoon wore on so we planned to meet down at the marina at 2pm.  Brent and his wife, Julie were in town celebrating their wedding anniversary and staying at the Blue Heron Inn, just a short walk to the marina.  By the time 2pm rolled around, Brent and I were both chomping at the bit to get out on the water and do some fishing.  The tide was still going out so we headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings and oyster beds and we hadn't been anchored long before we were hooking up with feisty Redfish.  A couple were more than feisty and turned out to be in the Slot size!  We landed about 7-8 fish, trolled an oyster bank at slack tide, then headed over to Tiger Island to catch the first of the incoming tide.  We found that the best tactic to catch fish was to fish our jig/shrimp combo slower than slow and we picked up a few more Reds, a fat, keeper sized Trout, and a couple of more hungry Trout.  Brett wrapped the day up by hooking up with a hard fighting fish and after expertly working the fish to the boat, we netted a nice 21" Slot Red!  With the sun going down, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Perseverance Pays Off

The Rich Berlinghof family was in in town, visiting Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach all the way from Long Island, New York, and took in an backwater fishing charter with me as their guide on The Anglers Mark.  We met yesterday morning at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed down the river to fish the flooded oyster beds and marsh grass.  The tide had just turned at 9am and we were tossing live shrimp under floats.  There weren't many bites but young Conner did get us on the board with a nice Seatrout catch.  We made a stop outside Tiger Island where Emily got the hot rod, catching a number of Blue fish.  We moved around to behind Tiger Island where Rich and his wife Deneel picked up a feisty Redfish apiece.  Our next stop was the docks at Lanceford Creek and Deneel added a nice, keeper sized Seatrout, caught on a live shrimp, on the bottom.  After a short break and the tide getting down low we decided to head back to Tiger Island and anchor up off the downed logs.  This proved to be a good decision because it wasn't long before the whole family was catching Redfish.  Luke, Emily, Richie and Conner all caught a couple of Redfish and then Deneel had a strong hookup and after a good battle, landed a 25" 5lb Redfish!  While we were getting this big Red de-hooked,  Rich had a good bite and he too landed a Slot Redfish for a double!  The sun was going down and a light sprinkle had begun so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Amelia Island Backwater Grand Slam

The weather broke up a little this morning, just in time for me to get out on the water with Trey Dennard, his son IV (Eye Vee) and their friend, Gary Simms.  We left the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina just a little after 9am with the tide just beginning to turn and come back in.  Our first stop was behind Tiger Island and it was almost picture perfect with very little wind and the tide creeping in.  The anglers began to get some nibbles then Trey had a nibble nibble then a strong hookup, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly and soon brought a nice Sheepshead to the boat.  Shortly after he had another strong hookup but in seconds the big fish broke off. However, it wasn't long when IV had a good bite and he had a good fight on his hands, but he played the fish to the boat and we netted a nice 16" Flounder, putting IV on the board in my annual Bragging Rights Tournament! (See box at right for the leader board).  The bite slowed so we made a run to the Lanceford Creek docks and it turned out to be a good move when Gary had a strong hookup and after working the fish in, we had a feisty Redfish, Gary's first!  We repositioned and then all the anglers began to enjoy regular bites and the party ended up landing 4-5 feisty Redfish.  Then Gary caught another one, but this one put up a bigger fight and when landed turned out to be a nice 20" Slot Redfish.  Trey added another keeper sized fish by picking up the day's only Seatrout then Gary had something take his shrimp and he had a hard fight on his hands.  He played up from the depths and we soon saw that he had a large Sheepshead! Just as Trey netted the fish IV had a hookup and he too landed a Slot Redfish.  After fishing a couple of more spots of flooded oyster beds, we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

Bragging Rights!

It's a new year and it will take 12 long months to find out who has "The Anglers Mark"!  I'll be measuring and weighing the biggest Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder this year and recording who is in the lead and at the end of the year we will award bragging rights to the winners.  So far this year Michael Purser leads the Redfish category with a 26" 6lb Redfish and his fishing buddy Andy Hall leads the Seatrout category with a 22" 3lb fish.  These were both some nice fish but it's a long year and the competition will be tough!  Contact me to set up your Amelia Island backwater fishing trip today.

Great January Amelia Island Fishing

Michael Purser and his friends Tim Ralston and Andy Hall were visiting Amelia Island along with their wives  so the guys decided to take in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 9am with balmy 60 degree temperatures, no wind and a heavy fog.  We eased out of the marina just as the high tide peaked and headed south, chugging along through the fog and relying on the GPS to get us to our first spot, which was a oyster flat, flooded with the tide.  Although visibility was only about 75 yards, the guys could see the marsh grass and began tossing their float rigs with live shrimp up to the grass line. After about 15 or 20 minutes they guys had only had a few minor nibbles and I was beginning to wonder whether we should make a move when, BAM!  Michael's float disappeared with a vengeance!  He played the hard fighting fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 20" Black "Puppy" Drum.  Then Tim got in on the action when his float went under and he had a BIG fight on his hands.  We could see the fish rolling out in the fog, but Tim played the fish to the boat.  But this big Red had grown through the slot for a reason and the wiley fish found his way to the transom and broke his self off on the propeller, OUCH!  Andy joined in by catching another  20" drum,  a couple of keeper sized Trout, one measuring close to 20",  then Tim and Michael both caught and landed two 26" Redfish.  As the bite slowed, we pulled anchor and slowly made our way over and up Lanceford Creek, motoring through the fog, with Dolphin jumping in the large wake, a great sight to see!  We eventually made it to some docks, anchored, and began to fish a jig and shrimp combo.  Michael picked up another Slot Red,  then both he and Andy caught a couple of "rats". Tim was going deep and landed a few more Trout.  Our last stop was behind Tiger Island and although we didn't have too many bites, Andy had one strong hookup, out deep, and after a good battle, landed another 26" Slot Red, wrapping up another great day to be out on the water!

Sawpit Boat Ramp Repairs Extended

My wife and I stopped by the Sawpit Boat Ramp on Big Talbot Island yesterday to see if the repairs were completed and see that they have extended the time for the ramp to be closed until February 17th.  They've installed a new bulkhead on the north side of the drive where the washout damaging the pavement, installed new decking where the bulkhead was installed, and paved the entire area.  No work has been done on the old dock on the south side of the ramp.

Braving the Elements

Saturday morning I fished with Leon and Sharon Freeman along with Charlie Jones, launching from the Goffinsville boat ramp just off the island.  We pulled away from the dock shortly after 8am with clear skies, temperature in the low 30's and a wind picking up.  Our first stop was Bubblegum Reef in the Horsehead area and we anchored at a drop off out from an old oyster bank.  Fishing straight down, it wasn't long before we began to get bites and soon Sharon had a strong hookup, and FISH ON!  She fought the big fish valiantly but it eventually found its way into some structure and cut itself off. OUCH!   We continued to fish and soon began to catch some nice Puppy Drum (Black Drum), catching 5-6 of them with two in the keeper range, above 14".  Leon picked up a few Sheepshead, too.  Eventually the bite slowed and the wind had picked up to about 15mph making it somewhat uncomfortable so we pulled anchor and headed to the shelter of Christopher Creek where we picked up a Slot sized Redfish.  We were pitching to the rocky shoreline hoping for a Trout to round out an Amelia Island Inshore Slam, but we didn't have a bite.  However, one angler who had been trolling the creek slowly said that he had about 6 Trout with a couple being keeper sized.  Back out in the wind  and with NFL football playoffs due to be on soon, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Wilson Neck Boat Ramp offers access to Upper Nassau River

I haven't launched from the Wilson Neck boat ramp in a few years but lately I've been considering a trip to the upper areas of the Nassau River for some personal "fun" Striper fishing so I paid a visit to the Wilson Neck Boat Ramp located in the south side of Yulee.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the County has improved the ramp and parking and have installed a nice floating dock.  There is also handicap access, paved parking, and lighting.  Using this ramp gives you access to Gardner Creek and to Nassau River near U.S. Highway 17, the RR trestle, and I-95 bridges.

This Nassau River area and the St. Mary's River, up around Crandall and White Oak, are known for their Striper fishing.  I've been getting good reports of catches of Redfish, Drum and Trout in the upper Nassau River from Lofton Creek up to the bridges.

The ramp is tucked away in the Wilson Neck area of a Yulee residential area so here are some directions: Turn south on U.S. Highway 17 in Yulee and go 2.3 miles to a traffic light at Harts Road.  Turn left on Harts Road and go 1.1 miles (you will go through a couple of "S" curves).  Turn right on Wilson Neck Road and go just .2 miles to Lana S. Court.  Turn left and go a block or two to Faye Road.  Turn Right on Faye Road.  Follow Faye Road down to the boat ramp and Gardner Creek.  The ramp is just over 11 miles from Amelia Island.

Back to School

If you live in the Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Jacksonville area then plan to sign up for Florida State College at Jacksonville's Amelia Island Backwater Fishing class!  This should be a fun class to learn and share some fishing techniques, rigging, knot tying and more!  I'm sure there will be some fishing stories told and at the last class we'll have a cookout.  Can't beat that!  The class will be Thursdays, beginning February 16-March 15, 6-8 p.m and will be held out at the Florida State College Betty P. Cook Nassau Center, Room T107.