First Flounder of the Year

We couldn't have asked for a prettier morning today, clear skies, very little breeze and mild temperatures.  I had met Joe Price and his daughters Mary Ann and Ginny at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and we had headed north to fish the first of an incoming tide.  We started with jigs and shrimp and it wasn't long before Mary Ann had landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  We continued to fish and then Ginny had a good battle with a feisty Redfish which she landed.  We eventually fished some flooded oyster beds where both Ginny and Joe landed Bluefish.  At out last fishing spot Joe had a hookup and put the very first Flounder of the year in the boat - a 14" fish, putting him in first place of The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category! (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  This also gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the trip.  After a drive by of Cumberland Island to see some wild horses and Ft. Clinch, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

MIxing a Trip

Alisa Anderson set up a fishing trip this afternoon for her family and another family visiting Amelia Island this week.  I met Brock, his daughter Emily and son Jacob along with Alyssa's daughter Meredith down at the Atlantic Seafood dock on a high and outgoing tide.  We headed north to fish some flooded oyster beds with live shrimp under floats, but had no real bites. We made a move to fish deeper water with jigs and shrimp and this paid off as Emily was able to hookup and reel in a nice hungry Seatrout.  The anglers kept having their bait stolen but Brock figured it out and snagged a keeper sized Sheepshead.  Jacob followed it up with a Sheepshead of his own.  We made our last stop at Jolley River and as we eased along the bank of exposed oysters, Jacob hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We made a run back to the dock and changed passengers, this time taking Alyssa and the rest of her family for a boat tour of the historic and nature sites of Amelia Island and Cumberland Island. We were treated to multiple sightings of wild horses on Cumberland before we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Fish for a Windy Day

My afternoon trip began in kinda of a jumble.  I met Joshua and Chrissy Williams at the Atlantic Seafood dock after lunch and even though the morning trip had been fairly calm, the wind had picked up.  We made a run up Lanceford Creek but we had only been fishing for a short while when we realized that two young anglers were having engine trouble. So we threw them a rope and towed them down the river, the resumed fishing.  But the wind was blowing so hard we had to leave.  Our next stop was in Eagans Creek and although the anglers were getting nibbles, we had no real bites.  We made a run to Tiger Island and the wind was somewhat blocked and the fish bite began.  Both Chrissy and Joshua landed a good handful of feisty Redfish then Chrissy put a big 24" Slot Redfish in the boat!  We moved about 50 feet and caught Redfish, Sheepshead and Black "puppy" Drum.  We moved another 30 feet and had now real bites.  Back to our original spot, the anglers resumed catching feisty Redfish then Joshua took a turn at a big Redfish. He patiently played the fish and eventually landed a nice 25" Slot Red!  Even though the wind was blowing we were able to salvage a great day of fishing out on Amelia Island waters!

Walk Off Grand Slam

This morning we had some really nice weather with very little wind and clear skies.  I met Tavis White and his ball playing son Tommy down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we headed up to Jolley River to fish the very first of an outgoing tide at a marsh run out.  We were tossing live shrimp under floats but  had no takers.  Our next stop was up in a large creek and we switched to jigs and shrimp, but again no takers.  Our final stop in Jolly was at a sizable creek mouth but tossing the jig produced no bites.  The tide was getting down somewhat so we ran around to Tiger Island and here the fish catching heated up.  I think our first cast produced a hookup and young Tommy played it perfectly, landing a nice feisty Redfish.  From then on the two anglers caught a good few handful of fish - feisty Redfish, Seatrout and Black "puppy" Drum for a Slam, then a Sheepshead for a Grand Slam and finally a Weakfish for the "Walk Off Grand Slam"!  We also were treated to having a large Osprey perch overhead, keeping an eye on what we were catching!  The fishing started slow but ended with a bank and we counted it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

It's Why They Call it Fishing

This morning I had Dick Miree and his friend Katheryn meet me at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp so that we could fish the Horsehead area on a high and falling tide.  We started off tossing float rigs with live shrimp up near the bank but had no real bites.  When we switched to a jig and shrimp we had a hookup on the first cast!  Go figure.  Katheryn patiently reeled in  nice hungry Seatrout. Later, Dick snagged a feisty Bluefish at a creek runout.  Even though the anglers were making excellent casts, we had no more bites so we made a run to the Nassau River and fished another large creek runout, but again, no bites.  Our next stop was some structure and even though the oysters were now showing, again, no real bites.  But Dick and Katheryn were patient and continued to give their all.  We made a run to Broward Island to fish the downed logs but the current was still ripping out fairly fast and made the fishing tough.  We stayed with it, had a bite or two, then hooked up to a nice fish, FISH ON!  Finally!  Katheryn worked the fish in slowly and after a good battle we netted a nice 19.5"  Slot Redfish.  Our perseverance had paid off!  It was a slow day of catching but a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.  And that's why they call it fishing!

"We Caught Everything"

That's what Nina Felice told an onlooker back at the dock after we came in from fishing this evening.  I had met her and her boyfriend Frank early this morning but the wind was blowing way too much so we moved the date to this afternoon.  Nina and Frank were celebrating Frank's birthday so I'm glad we got the fishing trip in!  The wind had died and the skies were clear, but it was very cool after a front had come through.  We headed north to fish some downed logs on the first of an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp.  We hadn't been fishing long when Frank hooked up and got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a nice Seatrout.  Then Nina reeled in a Trout and for a while there we had a good flurry of Seatrout and feisty Redfish bites.  It slowed so we moved about 50 feet but didn't have much luck.  Moving back to the original spot, the anglers again picked up some fish.  But when Frank's rod bent double and drag ripped out I knew we had a Big Fish!  Frank played the big fish patiently, even when it took him from the bow back to the stern and across the stern.  But then the wily fish burrowed into a submerged log and the line went taut and steady!  Oh No!  Once we figured what had happened, Frank gave the fish slack in hopes that the hook would hold and sure enough, the fish came free and the fight was back on!  In short order Frank landed the fish which measured at 28.5"!  Boy what battle!  This fish put Frank into 3rd place in my Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report for standings) . From then on the anglers caught fish.  Nina landed Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead and Drum while Frank land those four plus a fat female keeper sized  Weakfish which we photographed and released. Both anglers had the illusive Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  Before we wrapped it up, Frank hooked up with another big fish and soon landed a Slot Sized 22.5" Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Recipe of the Month: Shrimp in a Blanket

Editors Note:  This is some good stuff! One neighbor, after eating these, said he awoke in the middle of the night thinking about them!

1    lb Jumbo or Large Shrimp

1    Bag of fresh leaf spinach

1    Small container of Cream Cheese

1    Fresh Jalapeño pepper, sliced thin long ways into slivers

1    Pack bacon, cut into half or quarters

1    Jar Kraft original sweet BBQ sauce

1     Box toothpicks

Shell, devein and butterfly the shrimp.  Smear some Cream Cheese into the shrimp.

Lay a sliver of jalapeño on top of the cream cheese and fold shut.  Wrap the shrimp with one or two pieces of spinach.  Wrap a piece of bacon around the spinach/shrimp.   You can probably use a ¼ length of bacon because it stretches.  Skewer the bacon through with a toothpick and place in a 9”x11”  container.   When all the shrimp are prepared, pour the BBQ sauce over them and get them coated real good.  Grill and flip until the bacon is done.  Did I mention that this was some good stuff?

A Jack Crevalle in March?

We had a beautiful morning today as we headed out of the City marina and a good tide for fishing the back country of Amelia Island.  My guests, Matt Hutchins, his girlfriend Laura and her daughters Taylor and Haley were in town and looking to catch  some of our saltwater fish.  We made our way around to Tiger Island and began to toss jigs and shrimp to the exposed logs.  I was expecting instant hookups like we had last night but the fish had decided to play hard to get.  But eventually Matt knocked the skunk off the boat by landing a hungry Seatrout then Laura followed it up with another.  As we worked the bank it became apparent that these anglers were going to have to work for their fish and work they did!  Laura had made a good cast to a likely spot and when her rod doubled over and the drag sang I knew she had a good fish, FISH ON!  She fought the fish expertly and after a good battle, landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish.  Things were looking up!  We worked the bank north to south and south to north and the anglers picked up a feisty Redfish here and a hungry Seatrout there.  Laura again contributed to the box with a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.  The young girls were having a good time with the perch but pitched is taking turns as "netgirl" when Matt and Laura landed a fish.  Matt finally outsmarted and landed a Sheepshead which measured well over the keeper size.  And when his rod bent and drag sang I just knew he had his Slot Red.  This fish took Matt from one side of the boat to the other and after a patiently battle he brought it to surface, to find that it was an aggressive Jack Crevalle!   We continued to fish and catch until we ran out of shrimp, then had a short tour of Cumberland Island, Fort Clinch and Old Town to wrap up another great dayh to be out on Amelia Island waters!

First Ever Fish is Slot Red

I had fished with Patrick and Michele Verner last November and we had an outstanding trip so today they brought along their two kids, Colette and Patrick for backcountry fishing trip here at Amelia Island.  The skies were still overcast and the wind had picked up a little but we still headed out, this time up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded oysters on the very last of a a high tide. We had been fishing for only a few minutes when Colette's float disappeared, her rod bent over, and the drag began to sing, FISH ON!  I didn't realize that she had never caught a fish before and you couldn't tell it as she fought the fish patiently.  I noticed that she did everything I advised her to do as she played the fish and we soon netted a nice 24" Slot Redfish!  What a way to start a fishing trip!  But we had no more real bites so we made a run around to the outside of Tiger Island as the tide was going out, and again, had no real bites.  We moved closer to the mouth of Tiger, fished two creek runouts, and still had no bites!  I was beginning to wonder was the fish "catching" going to end on just one nice fish?  NO!  The tide had gotten low so we moved around behind Tiger and this did the trick.  Our first cast with a jig and shrimp got a hookup.  Patrick #2  fought the fish easily and landed a feisty Redfish. For about an hour and a half the Verner anglers caught and landed fish.  There were too many feisty Redfish to count and a whole handful of Seatrout caught with four of them being of keeper size. The catching was so fast and furious we had to rely on "netman" Patrick #2 to get them in the boat!  They put two keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam then Colette caught a loan Weakfish to make it a "Grand Slam".  The sun had won out over the clouds, the wind was blocked by the land mass and it ended up being a beautiful day!  We topped it off with a drive by of Cumbeland Island to see the wild horses, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Fish Starts the Day

Under overcast skies this morning, I met Don Myers and his wife Susie down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp to do an Amelia Island back country fishing trip as part of Susie's birthday celebration.  We ran up the Nassau River to fish Bubblegum Reef on the very first of an incoming tide and weren't but about 10 minutes into the fishing when Don hooked up and, FISH ON!  This was a big fish and was not planning on coming to the boat!  But Don patiently worked the fish and after a battle from the bow to the stern and back to the bow, we landed a big 33" oversized Redfish that put Don squarely in the the lead of the

Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish category (scroll down right side of this report to see standings).  Later, Susie hauled in a nice hungry Seatrout.  We made a stop at Seymore's Pointe where Susie caught a feisty Redfish then we made a run to Broward Island where the "catching" heated up.  Both Susie and Don caught feisty Redfish then they landed a Slot sized one, too.   The anlers picked up aSeatrout and Sheepshead to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam and after making our last stop in Christopher Creek to pick up one last Red, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Discovering a New World

Boy what a gorgeous day out on the water!  The Deltuva family, Tony and Lynn and Andrew were in town for few days and took in an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We met at the City marina and headed up river to fish the middle of an incoming tide.  The structure was still showing so we baited up some jigs with live shrimp and fished the bottom slow.  Lynn was the first to hookup and she had a good battle on her hands.  But she played the fish patiently and we soon netted a nice keeper sized Black "Puppy" Drum.  Andrew followed that up with a feisty Redfish then Tony rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam by catching the sneaky, keeper sized Sheepshead !  We fished some flooded oyster beds and Lynn stepped the catch up to a "Grand Slam", landing a hungry Seatrout!  Moving to another flooded oyster, the anglers caught a couple of  snapping Bluefish before we headed over to Cumberland Island to view some wild horses.  We cruised Ft. Clinch and Old Town Fernandina as we were running to our last spot and as we rounded the river bend, there was  Columbus coming to discover America!  The replica ships were coming up the river to dock at Fernandina for a few day stay!  That was a great way to wrap up a day on Amelia Island waters!

Marlin Perkins Would be Proud

After two days of some serious rain the front finally moved through, just in time for me and Kurt Powell and his son Davis to get in some Amelia Island back country fishing yesterday afternoon.  There was a little more breeze than I liked and it stayed overcast but as the wind died the fish catching picked up.  We tried a couple of spots in Lanceford Creek with a high and outgoing tide and barely had a nibble.  We then made a short run to Tiger Island and as we pulled up Kurt spotted a majestic Bald Eagle perched in a tree top.  I almost wanted to start singing "America The Beautiful", but it would have ruined the moment, and possibly the whole trip!  The tide was down somewhat so we fished our jig/shrimp combo's slowly on the bottom and began to catch fish.  Davis knocked the skunk off by landing a feisty Redfish then we all joined in, picking up a Red here and and a Red there.  Later, Kurt landed a keeper sized Seatrout that he caught out deep, and he also caught a Sheepshead to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Sheepshead. Davis wasn't going to be outdone and put a Weakfish in the boat to complete the "Grand Slam".  We were seeing Jellyfish and Ray's floating by and had a couple of sightings of the resident Atlantic Saltmarsh Mink, which are being studied by the FWC.  As the afternoon wore on Kurt again pointed out something in the water and it looked to be a fairly large Alligator swimming up current away from the island.  Although I've seen gators over in Beach Creek at Cumberland Island, I've never seen one on our side of the river.  We picked up a few more Redfish then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Back in the Saddle

I had engine issues on my Tuesday trip and ended up hauling The Anglers Mark to the repair shop.  But I had the boat back Friday morning and luckily Paul and John Landahl had the paitence to wait on me and the boat to squeeze in a fishing trip before they headed back to Chicago.  We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at 1pm and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  Paul was working a jig and shrimp in deeper water and picked up a nice Seatrout.   When the tide changed we made a run around to Tiger Island and our "catching" picked up.  Both Paul and John caught a few Seatrout and we had some nice feisty Redfish.   Later we hit Jolley River then the Bell River where John landed the final and biggest Redfish. It sure was a beautiful day and a great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Knocked The Socks Off

That's what Charles Greenman did to the Bragging Rights Tournament leader board! I had met Charles and his son Will down at the Big Talbot Island State Park boat ramp on Sawpit Creek this morning with a baitwell full of live shrimp and we headed up the Nassau River to fish a creek outflow on an outgoing tide.  The oysters were just beginning to show. Will was tossing a live shrimp under a float and Charles was using a jig and shrimp combo up in the creek mouth.  But we had no real bites.  We moved around to fish a likely spot in Jackstaff, had no bites, then ran to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish the oyster lined banks.  Although the anglers felt like they were getting "nibbles", there were  no real bites here, either.  Ouch.  Our next stop was back in the Nassau River and the tide was really getting down.  We hit Bubblegum Reef and this proved to be the ticket.  We had a subtle  bump, an hookup, and Will was able to reel in his first ever Sheepshead, of keeper size.  Shortly after that another soft bump, a hookup and Will landed a nice keeper sized Black "Puppy Drum".    Then Charles got in on  the action.  He had a good bite and set the hook and had a the fish on, but then it really began to pull and we knew he had a FISH ON!  Boy what a battle.  Charles played the fish patiently, even when it got behind the boat and in the current and after slowly wearing him out, Charles landed the 32.25" oversized Redfish to take first place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We had another strong bite but a quick break off then Charles was at it again.  This fish went from bow to stern then took Charles to the bow, around the trolling motor and back to stern where he eventually subdued the big Redfish and landed it to be measured at 31", another oversized Red!  After one more  strong  bite, hookup and breakoff, we headed to Broward Island to fish the exposed logs, picking up a few feisty Redfish before calling it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Foggy Fishing

We got in some "fun" fishing yesterday, my wife and I and neighbors Carlie and Zach Peyton.  When we got to the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp we found that the whole river was "fogged in" with visibility about 50 yards.  But we launched anyway with navigation lights on and eased up the river to get in some sight seeing while waiting for the tide to get right.  I missed Fort Clinch on the first pass but we eventually picked it out through the fog, then we headed over to Cumberland Island and as we got to the Georgia side, the fog cleared to present a beautiful day!

 There was one sole wild horse at the mouth of Beach Creek and after touring the creek we made a run to Jolley River to fish the very first of an incoming tide.  It was perfect conditions and although we seemed to be getting a few nibbles, we had no takers.  Our next stop was Tiger Island and here we had some good bites.  Carlie got the "skunk off the boat" by catching and landing a nice feisty Redfish, her first ever Redfish.  She then hook and landed up  a keeper sized Seatrout.  Zach and I were playing chess with "baitstealers" but Zach was patient and soon got in on the real action, landing a couple of feisty Redfish.  We watched the sun go down over the marsh then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Recipe of the Month: Mel's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

1/2   Cup Crunch Peanut Butter

¾   Cup  Milk

1    Box sugar free/fat free vanilla pudding mix

1    Box sugar free/fat free chocolate pudding mix

1    Fat Free Cool Whip

1     Redi made Lo Fat pie crust

        Semi Sweet dark chocolate for garnish.

Mix peanut butter, milk, and packet of vanilla pudding mix.  It will be soupy then will begin to firm up.

Spread into bottom of pie crust.  Mix chocolate pudding mix per directions and pour over peanut butter layer.  Let it firm up then spread Cool Whip over chocolate pudding mix.  Garnish with gratings of semi sweet dark chocolate.

First Red Big Red

Young Harrison Davis was chomping at the big to get out on the Amelia Island back waters this morning so when he and his dad Glen met me at the dock we wasted no time heading north on the first of an incoming tide.  It took only a few casts to hookup with a nice fish and Harrison reeled in his first Redfish ever!  What a great way to start out a fishing trip!  Then it was Glen's turn and this was a Big fish!  His rod bent double and the drag sang, FISH ON!  He played the big fish patiently and with Harrison on the catch net, they soon landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish!  Harrison had declared it a "catch and  release" day so all fish caught were returned to be caught another day.  From then on the anglers were getting bites and landed a good handful of Seatrout with one measuring to 18", placing Glen on the board of my Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  Harrison had quickly gotten the hang of the jig fishing and caught a few of the Trout and then caught and landed a Weakfish, something we haven't seen in a while. We also had a sighting of the resident Atlantic Salt Marsh Mink.  After the bite slowed we made our way around to another creek and Glen immediately began to catch fish, first a feisty Redfish then BOOM, a Big Redfish!  This fish took Glen from the bow to the stern and back and under but Glen worked the big fish like a pro and won this epic battle!  Harrison was on the net again and hoisted in the big 26.25" Redfish, putting Glen on the board of the Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category.  Glen ended up having the biggest fish but Harrison put more variety in the boat, landing Redfish, Seatrout, Weakfish and a hungry Black Drum.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Setting the Bar High

Bob Brumback and I debated about fishing this morning with weather reports calling for a good chance of rain and winds to gust 10-15mph.  But we figured we could get some fishing in before the bigger storms passed through so we met at the City marina and headed out with a baitwell full of live shrimp on the very first of an incoming tide.  We made our first stop and after I pointed out some pertinent landmarks, Bob made his first cast, a perfect one, and BAM!  FISH ON!  He played the big fish patiently and after some deep runs landed a nice 26.25" Redifsh!  Now that's the way to start a day!  He continued to fish and had hookup up after hookup.  His first four fish in the boat three slots and one oversized at 28", which put him firmly in the lead of my Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament, Redfsih Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  Bob picked up a couple of "feisty" Redfish then the Seatrout turned on and we landed a good handful of them with most 15"-18" long.  Then Bob had a strange bite and caught a keeper sized Sheepshead that rounded out his Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  After adding another keeper sized Sheepshead and a few more Trout, we headed over to a new spot where the big Redfish bite continued. Bob caught big Red after Big Red and had another handful of the "rat" Reds.  We kept track of the big ones and ended the day with a count of 8 Slot Redfish and one oversized Redfsih which set the bar high for future anglers on The Anglers Mark!  All told we probably had about 30 fish and all were released to be caught another day!

HOT Amelia Island Fishing in February

A list minute trip proved to be successful this morning and with the temperatures getting up well into the 70's the fish catching was red hot, too!  I had met Didier De Bruyne at the Atlantic Seafood dock early this morning and we headed north to fish some structure as the tide was coming in.  Didier was tossing live shimp on a jig, fished on the bottom slowly and it wasn't long before he began to get bites and then hookups. He boated a nice keeper sized Seatrout early then a whole handful of feisty Redfish then a very nice keeper sized Sheepshead which put up a nice fight.  Then he had even a stronger bite and the battle was on!  Didier played the big fish expertly and eventually we netted a nice big 26.25" Redfish!  This fish put Didier into a tie for 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We continued to fish and continued to put them in the boat, adding a few more keeper sized Seatrout, another handful of smaller but feisty Redfish, another Slot Redfish (22") and a few more Sheepshead with one of those being about 20".  As the tide got up the bite slowed so we ran around to Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded oyster beds.  Even though it was absolutely calm and peaceful we had no real bites on our live shrimp under floats, so we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Red Tops a Slam

I had the opportunity to fish this afternoon too, and met Jerry Itzkoff and his friend Steve at the City marina at noon to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  We went slightly up Bell River and fished some flooded oysters with float rigs and live shrimp, but had no real bites.  Our next stop was outside of Tiger Island, again fishing float rigs, and again no bites!  We move on to deeper water and switched to jigs and this did the trick as Jerry picked up a nice fat keeper sized Seatrout.  We continued to fish the structure and had a few bites but then Jerry hooked up with a BIG fish, FISH ON!  He said it was just a subtle nibble but this fish was putting up a fight.  Jerry played the fish patiently and after an extended battle we netted a "Tournament Red", measuring in at 26.25"!  Boy what a fish! This fish put Jerry into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament(scroll down right side of this report for standings).   After fishing the area a little longer we made a run to fish Jolley Bank but had no real bites.  Our last stop was at some docks in Bell River and after getting one bite, Jerry hooked up and put in the boat a feisty Sheepshead to round out his personal Amelia Island back Country Slam.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

First Fish, Most Fish, Biggest Fish, Smallest Fish

I had met Jeff Kantor and his wife Melinda, along with their daughter Shona and her husband Travis down at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning to get in some Amelia Island back country fishing.  We had a tide midway from coming in so we headed north to fish some structure while it was still visible.  It happens a lot in the spring but it really helps when the "demo" cast with the jig and shrimp pics up a fish and that's what happened today!  Melinda worked the nice fish in, a keeper sized Seatrout.  From then on we had a good number of hookups with both Jeff, Melinda and Shona putting feisty Redfish in the boat.  The anglers jockeyed for position to hit the "hot spot" and we caught fish for about an hour and a half.  Travis finally elbowed his way in, had a few good bites, then, FISH ON!  This was a larger fish that didn't want to be caught but Travis played it perfectly and after a good battle we netted a 19.75" Sheepshead, which rounded out the groups Amelia Island Back Country Slam! This fish also put Travis in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category (scroll down right side of this report to see standings).  After picking up a couple of more Reds we moved out to fish some flooded oyster beds and Jeff caught the last two Seatrout of the day.  We all commented that each could claim title to "First Fish,  Most Fish, Biggest Fish, and Smallest Fish"!  We wrapped up the trip by touring Cumberland Island to see the wild horses, made a stop by Fort Clinch, and watched as a submarine was escorted into the channel.  What a great way to wrap up an Amelia Island fishing trip!

Slot Redfish Makes the Day

We rescheduled Saturday's afternoon trip to this morning due to wind issues.  I met Nick Peet and his girlfriend Julia at Atlantic Seafood early this morning and even though it was somewhat chilly, there was only a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky.  We hit "Temptation Cove" south of Rayonier on the last of an incoming tide but had no real bites on live shrimp under a float then we headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded oyster beds but again, no real bites.  Moving back up the river we fished  a couple of docks with jigs and shrimp then eased along a grass line, back to tossing float rigs in 4' of water.  With almost two hours into the fishing trip and no real bites I was  glad to see Julia's float go under and her rod bend - we got a fish!  Whooeee!  Julia played the fish perfectly and as I was about to net this keeper sized Trout, Nick hooked up and he had a fish on, too!  Nick worked his bigger Trout to the boat and we netted it for a "double Trout" picture.  We made a run around to Tiger Island, fished some more flooded oysters, then moved into Tiger Basin to switch back to jigs and fish on the bottom.  I think Nick's first cast produced a nice feisty Redfish!  And on his 2nd cast, boom!  Redfish.  Julia elbowed Nick out of the way and put her bait up near the structure and in a few short seconds, FISH ON!  This was a bigger fish and took some patience to work it in and Julia did great.  After a good battle we netted a nice 21.5" Slot Redfish, Julia's first ever.  This fish moved Jilia into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfsih Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We continued to fish the area and in addtion to the anglers catching a few more of the Reds on jigs and shimp, Nick picked up one on a weighted chartreuse plastic shrimp.   The sun had warmed things up as we headed in, so we counted it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Three Casts, Three Redfish

Come on Spring!  When Cheryl and Richard Freshour and I left the dock this morning at 11am the water temperature was 49!  But we had some good sunshine and very little wind.  We made our way north to fish the outgoing tide.  The oysters hadn't started showing but both Cheryl and Richard started off tossing jigs and shrimp, fishing the bottom real slow.  On Richard's first cast had a nice hookup with a feisty Redfish!  2nd cast?  Hookup!  3rd cast?  Hookup!  You can't hardly beat a start like that.  That's not only knocking the skunk off the boat but giving it a good boot in the rear, too!  From then on both anglers had good hookups with feisty Redfish.  Cheryl hooked up with one and this time the drag sang, FISH ON!  She played the big  fish patiently but it was a wiley old fish and eventually found some structure to cut the line, OUCH!  But later, Richard had a  big one and the fight was on!  He played the fish from the stern of the boat, to the bow, and back to the stern.   The big fish ran deep and hugged the bottom but Richard kept the pressure on.  After a long battle Richard subdued the beast and we finally netted a Big 26.75' Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  This fish put Richard firmly in 1st place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament, Redfish Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  Not long after this fish was releasead, BOOM!  FISH ON!  Another Big Redfish!  Richard again fought this fish to the net, a nice 26.5" Redfish!  We continued to fish the area and picked up a few more feisty Reds then Cheryl landed the only two Seatrout of the day, caught in 30' of water, on the bottom.  We hit a couple of more spots but the bite was over so we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

We Got a Double! A Triple!

When you've got February days that are forecast to get into the low 70's and with only slight breezes, what do you do?  Go Fishing! This morning I met Mike and Ann Austin down at the City marina along with Mike's sister Susan and her husband Tom.  We headed out of the marina with sunny skies, no wind, and a tide that had been dropping for a couple of hours.  Our first stop was up Lanceford Creek and the anglers were tossing live shrimp n 1/4oz jigs.  It took a little while but the bite turned on.  Tom knocked the "skunk" off the boat by hooking up and landing a nice keepr sized Sheepshead.  Both both Ann and Susan and then Tom added some fiesty Redfish to the catch.  We relocated and Mike's rod heated up as he landed two nice Red's.  Tom was fishing deep and it wasn't long before he put the first Seatrout that we've had in a couple of weeks into the boat.  We made a run around to Tiger Island and here the anglers had good catches of Seatrout.  Most were caught deep in 25'30' of water, on the bottom.  At one point Susan yelled, "I got a bite", then Ann added "me too"!  We had a double hookup but as they were fighting their fish, Tom yelled, "fish on"! And we had a triple hookup!
What a great way to wrap up a beautiful fishing day at Amelia Island, Florida!

From Fog to Fish

Who would have thought we'd have such a beautiful afternoon just a few days from one of the worst stormsthat hit the southeast in years?  I met Michael Purser and his wife Robin at the Atlantic Seafood dock this afternoon with plans to fish the outgoing tide.  With only a slight breeze and temperatures in the 70's we headed north and surprisingly, we had to navigate some dense fog to get to our first spot - a marsh outflow just outside of Tiger Island.  The anglers started off tossing live shrimp under a float on water like glass, but had now real bites.  We then attempted three new spots but the recreational anglers were out in force

this beautiful day so we ran way back into Bell River to get some solitude.  It took lot of casting but Robin and Michael's patience paid off when Robin hooked up with a nice feisty Redfish that was just under the Slot.  A little later she put another one in the boat, identical size.  But the third time was the charm and we all knew this fish was big!  Robin worked the fish patiently (and despite Michael and my coaching) soon landed a nice Big 21.25" Sheepshead!  Boy what a fish!  Both the Redfish and Sheepshead put Robin in the standings of the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We made a couple of more stops then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Recipe of the Month: Lo Country Boil

I was asked to cook up a pot of Lo Country Boil today for a group of 25!  I don't know if the temperature got over 40 today so it was some great comfort food to sit down to.  This was one batch:

4      T  Old Bay Seasoning

2     Cap fulls Zatarains liquid seasoning

1/2  Stick butter

8      lbs small red potatoes

3      16 oz smoked sausage (fully cooked)  cut into 1 inch pieces

4      Medium Onions quartered through root stem

10    Ears corn,  halved

2      Lemons  quartered

4      lbs shrimp

(This actually took  about 1hr 45 minutes from when fire was lit till done.  Maybe because it was so cold outside!)

Add water,  seasonings, butter,  to large pot of water filled half full .                                   

Bring to a rolling boil.

Add potatoes and sausage, lemons and cook   10-15  minutes                                               

Add Onions ,  cook  5 minutes                                                                      

Add corn,  cook    10 minutes                                                                                                    

Add Shrimp,  cook 3-5 minutes.  Don’t overcook                                                                

Drain and serve.

Fun Amelia Island Fishing

The low tide was scheduled for around 1:50pm so Frank Bioteau and I planned to meet at the City marina at 1pm to get in some Amelia Island back country fishing.  It was cool enough for a light jacket but there was very little breeze and the sun was breaking through some slightly overcast skies as we headed out the marina and ran up Lanceford Creek to fish the exposed oyster beds.  It was a good pick because we hadn't been fishing long before Frank began to pick up some feisty Redfish.  He encouraged me to join in so I picked up one of my light spinning outfits and began to catch some fish too.  We had a good handful of Redfish and a Trout or two before we picked up and ran around to Tiger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide.  Again, feisty Redfish and a couple of Seatrout.  Frank added a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum and  I had a a couple of keeper sized Sheepshead -rounding out an Amelia Island Back Country Grand Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Drum and Sheepshead!  We made a run up to the Jolley River where we picked up a couple more Redfish and Seatrout then made  our last stop on the big loop at Bell River.  Again, Redfish and Seatrout.  By this time the breeze had dropped to almost nothing making the water almost like a mirror as the sun began to go down.  What a fun fishing trip and a great way to spend the day out on Amelia Island waters!

Beautiful Day and Big Sheepshead

Boy what a storm we had last night!  The rain came down in buckets but when the sun came up it was cool and sunny with just a slight breeze.  I picked Jim Gaddy up at the Ritz Carlton, boat in tow, and we headed down to the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, launched, and ran up the Amelia River and in to the Horsehead area to fish an outgoing tide.  The oysters were just showing so Jim started off tossing a live shrimp under a float but quickly switched to an artificial jig and then alternated between that and a jig/shrimp combo.  As the sun rose higher we knew it was going to be a beautiful day out on the water.  We fished the banks of Jackstaff as the water dropped and had no real bites then we made a run over to the Nassau River, fished a spot, and also had no real bites.  Our next stop was down at Broward Island which we fished a good hour as the tides swept the shoreline.  Jim was quick on the rod and did pick up a couple of pesky "baitstealers".  We made a run back east and began to fish the now exposed oyster beds.  Jim commented that he had a weird bite then his rod bent double, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently as his drag sang and when it came to the surface we saw that it was a BIG Sheepshead!  Jim worked the fish to the boat and even though the fish looked defeated, he was playing possum!  As I went to net the fish it made one last dash and BAP, Fish Off! Ouch!  But we weren't to be detered.  Shortly after that we had another weird bite and again the rod bent. Sure enough as Jim worked it to the surface we saw it was another Big Sheepshead.  This time we made sure the beast was subdued and after netting it we measured it to 21.25", a very nice Sheepshead!   As the tide came in we worked the rocks at Seymore's Pointe and caught 2 feisty Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!