Battling The Elements

When you get absolutely no wind you'd think fishing would be perfect, right? That's what we had this morning down at Sawpit Creek, but the sand gnats almost carried us off! We eased away from the dock, did the safety orientation on the run, and made our way north to fish Bubblegum Reef on the first of an incoming tide. I had H. Chokshi and his wife May, along with their adult kids Jay and Monica tossing live shrimp and jigs and slowly bumping them back to the boat, but we had no bites, other than the gnats! We made a brief stop at Seymores Pointe, then tried to run down to Broward
Island. Again, the elements were making it a challenge: the fog was so dense I had to idle along at 5mph for 3/4 of the way. We finally came out of it and went full throttle to fish the island. It was Jay's first cast when BOOM! FISH ON! He played the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice Redfish. We had a really good flurry of fish catching for about an hour with everyone catching Reds and Seatrout. Monica reeled in both a red and Trout, and her dad Chokshi did, too. Jay put a Slot Red in the boat and May wrapped the trip up with the final Redfish. Even though the elements were against us, memories were made fishing here at Amelia Island!

Sheepshead Slam

We had another beautiful day today here at Amelia Island. I was fishing with Danny and Jill Elliott and their young anglers Tucker and Cora. We had met down at the Fernandina Harbor Marina early this morning and made a run up to Tiger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide. We started right off getting bites and it was a scramble to see who got the first fish in, with the title falling to Danny he put a really nice 18" Seatrout in the boat. From then on it
was a flurry of catching fish - both Tucker and Jill caught nice feisty Redfish then Cora reeled one in too. Danny picked up his Red then Cora rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when she outsmarted a sneaky Sheepshead. We continued to fish the area thoroughly, catching a good quantity of Reds and a handful of Seatrout and a 3lb Sheepshead.  We then we made the run up to Jolly River to fish the now flooded marsh line with float rigs. Although we missed a couple of fish, Danny was on his toes and caught a Red up near the grass.
Tucker was tossing a fly off the stern and was making some excellent casts but we had not takers. After hitting another couple of spots, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Multi Spot Redfish

Boy what a beautiful morning we had today! Almost zero wind, mild temperatures, and sunny skies. I met Mark Von Weihe and his two sons Max and Ryan down at the Atlantic Seafood dock almost at sunrise (with the time change) and after a brief safety orientation, headed north to fish Tiger Island as the tide came in. I think it was Ryan's first cast and we had a big fish on! But it was not to be this time so we got all three anglers rigged and fishing. Max got things going when he put the first feisty Redfish in the boat, then all three
anglers were catching Reds. Ryan picked up a hungry Seatrout then Mark put a keeper sized one in the boat. Almost every trip we find "multi-spot" Reds and today was no exception when Ryan landed an eleven spotter. We continued to fish the area, caught a good mess of Reds and a handful of Trout, then moved around to fish the flooded oysters with float rigs. Young Max had the binoculars out and was finding and naming bird life along the shore. We fished a few spots, had one more strong hookup and break off, then called it
a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Redfish Onslaught

We had sunny skies today but it was a little breezy when I met Curtis and Donna Cooper and their son Cash down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. We made a long run up to Bell a River in hopes that we'd find fish around some dock pilings. The anglers were making good casts, had a few bites, but only had one Seatrout. We moved around to fish the MOA (Mother of All) Spot, fished it thoroughly, and had no fish. Our next stop was Tiger Island and like it's been for months, it was Game On. Young Cash started things off almost immediately when he hooked up, battled, and
landed a nice Slot sized 24" Redfish! From then on, he and his dad traded reeling in smaller but feisty Redfish a and every once in awhile they'd put a Slot in the boat. Donna continued to be persistent and landed a Red and a Seatrout. Curtis added another 24" Red and a keeper sized Seatrout, along with some smaller ones. We had almost non-stop action for the last two hours of the trip making it another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Tournament Red First Cast

With winds projected to be well over 10 mph today, we almost didn't go. But go we did and it turned out to be one of those "banner" days! I had met Tom Gaslin and his buddy Steve Foss down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we headed up to fish Eagans Creek to stay out of the wind. The tide still had about an hour of going out so I set the two anglers up with jigs rods. Steve was out first and before we could even get Tom in the water we heard the ripping sound of a drag and Steve had a FISH ON! This big fish did not want to be caught, diving deep and driving back to some dock pilings. But Steve was up for this epic battle and after a good battle, he subdued this 26 7/8" "tourney red". Boy what a fish! The two anglers went back to the dock and caught fish after fish after fish. Many were small but feisty Reds, but every once in a while both anglers would put another Slot sized fish in the boat. But all good things must come to an end and when the bite slowed, we moved on to another dock, fished it for a while, then ran around to fish Tiger Island as the tide started back in. The fish "catching" was slow for just a few minutes, then like a light switch being flipped, the bite began. Redfish after Redfish were brought to the boat - then Tom battled another big Slot Red -and landed it. Then more Reds and a couple of Seatrout were caught. All together, Tom and Steve had six Slot Reds and umpteen smaller Reds - a really great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island!

Slot Red Caps Off a Good Day

I fished again this morning, this time with Wallace and Rebecca Kenny, fishing out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. We had a high tide just starting out so we made a run up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded oyster bars and marsh grass. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats but we had no bites. We then fished some dock pilings with jigs but I think the tide was still too high and even though we had a few bites, there were no takers. We
then made the run around to Tiger Island and within a few minutes we had a hookup. Rebecca had been fishing a jig and shrimp slowly on the bottom when she had a strong bite, and, FISH ON! She played the fish patiently to the boat and we netted a nice feisty Redfish, the first fish of the day. We had a good flurry of fish biting from then on. Wallace put a Seatrout in the boat, then a Redfish. Rebecca added another Seatrout then Wallace had a whole handful of Reds and Trout. Then we had a really strong hookup. This big fish did not want to come to the boat, especially when it got out deep and back in the current. But Wallace was patient, kept the pressure on, and slowly worked the big Red up. After a good battle we eventually netted a nice 25.5" Slot sized Redfish! Now that's a fish! After picking up a few more Reds and Trout, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Bragging Rights Busted

We finally had nice weather today and boy was it a good one to be out fishing here at Amelia Island. I met Brian Cochran and his dad Stan down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor marina. Although there were cloudy skies there was very little wind. We headed north to fish the Jolley River and after running a good ways up the river, stopped to fish a marsh runout with float rigs and live shrimp. The two anglers were making excellent casts but we had no takers. We then eased along a flooded marsh line and after good stretch Brian had a hookup and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice feisty
Redfish catch. We then moved up into a large creek, probed the bottom with jigs and shrimp, came back out and fished the shoreline, then made the run back to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs. As usual this time of year, this did the trick. Brian picked up a few more feisty Reds then his dad Stan had a stronger hookup. He battled the big fish a patiently and soon put a 22" Slot Red in the boat. Brian followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout then Stan found a good hole of Seatrout. We relocated, fished for just a short while, then Brian put a big 24" Slot Red in the boat. It wasn't but a few minutes later when he had another strong hookup, and FISH ON! We could tell right away that this was an even bigger fish - it didn't want to budge and ran at will, pulling against the drag. It came out deep, ran back towards the tree limbs then came out deep again. Brian kept the pressure on and after a long battle, landed an oversized 32" Big Redfish! This fish put Brian in first place in the Anglers Mark 2015 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish! We continued to fish the area, picked up maybe one more feisty Red, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Kinda Cool Today

Michael Purser and I had already postponed one fishing trip this week so when we saw a window of low winds predicted, he and I and is wife Robin made the plan to meet early this morning and squeeze in a fishing trip. It wasn't that the air temperature was that cold, but with the wind blowing, we knew we'd be in for some tough fishing conditions. But Both Michael and Robin were up for the challenge and it paid off. We made our first stop up in Eagans
Creek and the two anglers hadn't been fishing but for a short while when BOOM! Robin had a strong hookup. BOOM! Just like that. She worked the fish to the boat nonchalantly and before we knew it, she had a nice Slot sized Redfish in the boat. And just minutes later Michael got in on the action, landing another feisty Redfish. We found that his presentation had to be right up to a specific spot and if he got it there he was almost guaranteed a fish. Both he and Robin had a quick nibble on occasion and their bait was gone and finally Michael outsmarted the bait stealer and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead. In between Redfish he caught a nice 17" Seatrout to round out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Sheepshead and Seatrout. The bite slowed so we made the run into the wind and around to Tiger Island where we were somewhat sheltered and again the two anglers found a handful of feisty Redfish and one more Sheepshead, this one even bigger than the first. It was a cool, blustery day but we made the most out of it and it ended up being another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island!

Beautiful Day to Fish

After a week of severe cold and strong winds, today turned out to be an outstanding day to be out on the water. I had met Jeff and Virginia Wood down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and we headed up the Nassau River to fish Bubblegum Reef as the tide was coming in. Although we had no bites here it was a good warm up! Our next stop was down at Broward Island where we had just enough of a breeze to keep the gnats off. Both Jeff and Virginia were making excellent casts and after a while they had a good
flurry of fish catching. They started it off with a "double" hookup of feisty Redfish then they picked up a few more of them. Virginia had made a cast and was working the jig/shrimp back slowly to the boat and caught a nice hungry Seatrout. We fished the area thouroughly then hit Christopher Creek where Jeff found another Redfish. After fishing Seymore's Pointe and then the mouth of Jackstaff, we called it a day, another great one to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big and Bigger

I fished this afternoon with Jeff Kantor, his wife Melinda, and their daughters Chelsey and Shoshana, leaving the docks around 1pm to fish the outgoing tide. We hit a marsh runout a short distance from the marina but had no real bites then we made the run around to Tiger to join a couple of other boats fishing the deep waters. Although the tide was looking good the anglers had to work at it to get a fish. Finally, Jeff knocked the "skunk" off the boat when he
landed a nice hungry Seatrout. But it must have been a scout because we found no more! We continued to work the available bank and after a while the bite turned on. Jeff found a feisty Redfish, then another, then another. The Melinda and Chelsey got in on the action and reeled in a couple themselves. Jeff had a stronger hookup and after a good battle, put a nice 23 1/2" big Slot Red in the boat. After some good action and the tide dropping fast, we made the run around to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings. This turned out to be a good move as Melinda hooked up and battled an even bigger 24 1/2" Slot Red. Although water tempertures hovered around 49 all day, the fishing was good which made for another great day here at Amelia Island!

Big Reds Out Deep

I fished this morning with Randall Lockhart and his girlfriend Chelsie, beginning early this morning with some pretty cold temperatures, but warming nicely as the day went on. We made our first stop at Tiger Island with as the tide had been coming in for a few hours and....BOOM, FISH ON...the first three casts! Randall was doing the catching at first but Chelsie stepped up to the challenge and began to put feisty Redfish in the boat, too. Randall was fishing his jig and shrimp slowly back to the boat and found a
big Slot Redfish out deep a couple of times. The couple ended up
with about a dozen feisty Reds and three Slot Reds to 24 1/2" before we moved on to fish the flooded oyster beds. The sun was up by now, the temperature was getting milder and we had very little wind. Even though we the fish were scarce around the marsh grass, it was still a great day to be fishing out on Amelia Island waters!

Ice on the Windshield

We fished yesterday morning, Tom Gaslin, his wife Teresa and I, meeting down at the City marina at 8am. Earlier I had to stop my truck in the dark and scrape the ice off the windshield to continue the drive to the boat, but I knew it was going to be a sunny day with no real wind predicted and even though my truck thermometer was showing 29, I new it would be a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island! Tom and Teresa were bundled up as recommended and we headed up to Egans Creek to do some dock piling fishing. The water temperature was just above 50, about 4 degrees cooler than a few days ago, and I think the fish were feeling it! Teresa had the hot rod and reeled in a hungry Seatrout and then a feisty Redfish. We made the run around to Tiger Island and fished the downed logs and almost immediately began to catch fish. More feisty Reds and Seatrout. We found that the Trout were out deep and would take a jig/shrimp but you had to fish it so slow, barely taking up the slack on your reel. The Trout bite was subtle, only a slight bump, and then a heaviness on the line. It was a cold but sunny day which made it a great time to be fishing here at Amelia Island!

Cold Morning Heats Up with Big Fish

We knew it was going to be sunny and cold this morning and that there were 11mph winds forecast but that just made things a little more interesting. I met Tim and Jontelle Forbes down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7:30 this morning and with all three of us bundled up in layers, we headed out to fish the first of an incoming tide. Our first stop was at Tiger Island and it wasn't unusual for a fish to bite our jig and shrimp combo on the demo cast, which is what happened this morning! After that first fish the two anglers got busy and in no time were landing small, feisty and fun to catch Redfish measuring up to 17 3/4", just under the Slot size. We worked the entire island, finding Reds in most spots and then both Tim and Jontelle began to catch hungry Seatrout down deep. Every once in a while we were able to get into some sunshine and warm ourselves up. Jontelle spotted a huge Otter coming down to the shoreline to enter the water then she pointed out a majestic Bald Eagle that had landed in one of the oak trees to keep an eye on our catch. After we fished the area thoroughly, we made the run around to Eagans Creek and fished some dock pilings and boy was this the right move! I think it was Tim's first cast and BOOM! Big Fish On! He applied the pressure to keep the fish out of the pilings then played the fish patiently as it ran deep a number of times. But the fish was no match for Tim and after a good battle we netted a big "Tournament Redfish" that measured right at 26", just in the Slot. Tim went back to the same spot and again landed another big Slot Red and then he landed another! Finally there was a break for Jontelle to get her bait to the spot and she too had a strong hookup - and even stronger! Her fish fought hard and big but Jontelle worked it out of the structure, keeping the pressure on using her light tackle, and after long battle landed an Oversized 30 1/2" Redfish, putting her squarely in the lead of the 2015 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report to see standings). We continued to fish and I believe Tim and Jontelle had about 7 Slot Reds, the Oversized one, and we lost a couple of big ones to the pilings. We fished float rigs later over flooded oyster beds but had no real bites but as we headed in we knew we'd just had another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Beautiful January Day of Fishing

I fished this afternoon with Di Dier DeBruyn and his wife Dominque and his daughter Fran. Unlike yesterday, we had very little wind and it had warmed up nicely for our 1pm launch. We made our first stop a short distance up Bell River and the anglers tossed some float rigs with live shrimp on an outgoing tide with some oysters just beginning to show, but we had no takers. Our next stop was further up Bell River, this time fishing some dock pilings and after a good amount of fishing, Fran finely"knocked the skunk
off" and put a nice Seatrout in the boat. We continued to fish the area and may have picked up one or two fish, but they just weren't biting. We then made the long run around to Tiger Island and as usual this time of year, this did the trick. Almost immediately the fish began to bite. Di Dier put the first Redfish in the boat then all three anglers were catching fish. There was a nice flurry of fish catching, then things slowed down, but everyone in a while they'd get a hookup. Dominique was fishing deep and caught a nice keeper sized Seatrout and all three anglers caught Trout. We worked the bank thoroughly, picked up a few more fish, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Sunny Windy and Cold

Jim Nelms set up a couple of boats to fish with some of his associates while on business here at Amelia Island so we met today at the City marina with a plan to fish the back waters of Amelia Island. We had sunny skies but the wind was blowing 10-12mph with gusts over 15 and it was in the 50's which made for a tough day to be fishing. But it was sunny and these anglers were up for the challenge so I headed out with Kevin, Ryan and James on my
boat. We made a short run over to Lanceford Creek, fished some flooded oysters to no avail then fished some structure. Although we had a couple of good bites and "fish on" briefly, they threw the hook to be caught another day. We then made a fairly long run (right into the wind) around to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs at the middle of the outgoing tide. It didn't take long for Kevin to find some fish and he put one, two, three feisty Redfish in the boat right off the bat. Ryan jumped in and after a couple of casts, he too
hooked up, played the fish perfectly and landed another feisty Red. We moved up and down the bank and on the south end James got on the board when he found some small, but hungry Seatrout. He got the hang of fishing the jig and shrimp slowly on the bottom and caught five of the Trout. We moved back to the original spot, landed a couple of more feisty Reds, then James had a stronger hookup, FISH ON! He immediately pulled the fish away from the downed logs then patiently played it. We didn't think it was going to be real big but when it began to "pull drag", diving deep a couple of times. After a good battle, James landed a Slot sized 24.5" Redfish! We fished on then James had another strong hookup. This fish turned out to be even bigger! It made even stronger runs, tried to stay down deep, but James kept the pressure on and eventually landed an oversized 28" Redfish! Boy what a fish! We continued to fish the same spot and Kevin got in on the "Slot sized fish" catching when he put a nice 18.5" Red in the boat. What started out as a slow day turned out to be a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island!

Must Be a Front

I fished a trip this afternoon with Mort Demott and his son Dan, leaving the City marina around 1:00pm to fish the Amelia Island backwaters on the very first of an incoming tide. I really like this tide and was expecting a better bite but as I mentioned to Mort, there must have been a changing weather pattern. But these two anglers were up to the challenge and persevered to put some fish in the boat. We fished behind Tiger for about an hour and found two small but feisty Redfish. We then made the long run around to Bell River to fish some dock pilings and here things picked up somewhat. I think Dan's first cast with a 1/4oz jig and grub netted him a nice Seatrout. Shortly after that Mort put one in the boat, too. At one time they had a double hookup. They continued to fish the area with artificial grubs and live shrimp and found a handful of Trout to add to their catch. We ran back towards the marina, made one stop at some still exposed oyster beds, then eased up into Eagans Creek to fish the marsh line. Although the bite was somewhat slow, it was still great to get out on Amelia Island waters and do some fishing!

Steady Catching

                                                  I fished again this afternoon, this time with Zach Feldkamp, who brought along his two friends Mark and John to fish the back waters of Amelia Island. The wind was still kicking out of the north east so we headed straight to Tiger Island and camped out there for a couple of hours. It took a little while but soon the anglers were catching fish. Mark started it off when he hooked up with a feisty Redfish. He added a couple of more then Zach put a Seatrout in the boat. John got the hang of it and put another Trout in the boat. The trio had to work at it but every once in a while they'd pick up a fish, fishing jigs and live shrimp slowly on the bottom. Then Mark had a strong hookup, FISH ON! This one wanted to pull some drag so we knew it was bigger. Mark played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized 24" Redfish! After picking up a few more Trout, we made a run around to Jolley River, fished some flooded oyster beds with float rigs, then continued on to the Bell
River to fish some docks. Here, Mark picked up another Redfish and Trout while John and Zach landed more Trout. The sun was going down and it was getting somewhat cool, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Grand Slam in January

This morning was pretty cool and we had winds up to 12mph but this Florida weather was nothing to deter a couple from Vermont! I met Nathan and Christine Tuttle down at the City boat ramp early this morning and we ran up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded marsh grass with float rigs and live shrimp, but the fish hadn't woken up yet! We fished some dock pilings at Oyster Bay, again with no real bites, then made a run around to fish Tiger Island as the tide dropped. This did the trip and soon Nathan had boated a nice
Redfish to get things rolling. He later added a Slot sized Red and picked up a Seatrout, too. Christine got in on the action and put a feisty Redfish in the boat then both anglers were catching fish. Nathan picked up a keeper sized Sheepshead and a little later landed an even larger one. We caught a handful of small Trout then surprisingly found a handsized Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country "Grand Slam" of Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead and Flounder. The sun had come up and the wind was blocked so we had another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island!

Big Reds For Bragging Rights

I fished this afternoon with Ryan Smith and his 4 year old son Owen. Although we'd had a cool morning, the sun was overhead and heating things up nicely. We made the short run to Tiger Island to fish an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp. The two anglers had only made a cast or two when Owen yelled that he had a fish, and he did! He worked the fish in and "knocked the skunk off" with the first fish of the day! Both Ryan and Owen caught feisty Redfish at
that first location then Ryan put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. We worked up and down the bank and then we found some Big fish! Owen had a strong bite and yelled FISH ON and  boy was it a fish! He and his dad fought the fish from stern to bow and back to stern and then the fish went deep, but the duo kept the pressure on. After a good battle  they landed a nice oversized 28" Redfish! We kept fishing, picked up some smaller feisty Redfish then the father/son team caught two Slot Redfish. Things slowed a bit, then BOOM! Another big fish on! Another monumental battle! But Ryan and Owen were up to the task, patiently playing the fish and eventually landed another oversized fish, this one measuring in at 29.5" and securing them top spot in the 2015 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament! (Scroll down right side of this report for standings). We enjoyed the beautiful day and wrapped it up when the two anglers landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Cold Morning Heats Up

It was about 43 degrees this morning when I met brothers Dale and Evan Stewart, but there were clear skies and we were all bundled in layers. We headed over to Eagans Creek to fish an outgoing tide with jigs and shrimp and it wasn't long before Dale "knocked the skunk" off with a nice Redfish. He landed another and then a hungry Seatrout. I think Evan was just spotting him a few fish but then he started putting some keeper sized fish in the boat. First he landed a nice 17" Seatrout and then he put a 22.5" Red in the boat.
We fished the area for a good while, landing a handful of more Reds then we made a run around to Tiger Island. The fish were biting here too! Dale had a strong bite and his rod bent double, FISH ON!  He played the big fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish, and this one had no spots! Although we weren't in the Spot Tournament, the fish placed Dale in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament! He then followed that up with the biggest Sheepshead to date, an 18"er. Somewhere during the trip Evan spotted an Atlantic Saltmarsh Mink scurrying
along the bank.  We fished the area thoroughly, catching a few more feisty Reds and hungry Seatrout, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island!

Limiting Out In January

Yesterday was so beautiful and I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't have a fishing trip so when Di Dier De Bruyne called and wanted to get some fishing in this morning I was super ready! I met him down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at sunrise and we headed south to fish the Amelia Island back waters with live shrimp and jigs and float rigs. It took about20 minutes but then the fish began to bite on the last of an incoming tide. Di Dier was patiently fishing
the jig slow in about 10 foot of water when he had a strong hookup and after a good "head shaking battle", landed and nice keeper sized Seatrout. He then got into a mess of keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and landed one after the other. Before the day was done he had his limit of five in the boat. We added another good handful of Trout with three more in the keeper range, and we also had 10-15 Redfish. One of those was a bruiser, measuring in at 25", a perfect Slot Red to give Di Dier an Amelia Island Back Counry slam of Seatrout, Drum and Redfish. We fished the area for about 3 hours, never having to move because the bite was so good, then made one stop on the way back to the marina. It was a nice sunny day and a great time to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

Wind Can't Deter These Anglers

You could say that it was a beautiful day today, warm - shirtsleeve weather, partly cloudy. But the wind that was forecast for up to 12mph was all that, and more. I met Yale Miller, his wife Hillary and their friend Chris down at the City docks this morning,  holding off to 9am to fish the outgoing tide. We made a run up Lanceford Creek to fish "Millie's Spot" with float rigs and live shrimp, but had no takers. Our next stop was Oyster Bay docks and even though we immediately got bites, they turned out to be bait stealing Perch. The
wind was kicking so we cut through the back side of Bell River to Tiger Island and began fishing deep with jigs and shrimp. Just like yesterday, this did the trick. Yale knocked "the skunk off" when he hooked up deep with a keeper sized Seatrout. I think I was happier than he was to see a fish in the boat! Then all three anglers began to get bites.  Chris, dubbed the "Redfish Kid", found a Redfish hole and zeroed in on it, catching one each time he got his cast pin pointed.  Yale was on the bow and picked up Seatrout and a Redfish now and then.  Hilary was making good casts, stayed with it, and
caught a Redfish and then put the biggest Seatrout of the day into the boat. After Chris landed a Sheepshead to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Sheepshead, he then found a bigger Red, fighting it to the boat patiently and we soon netted an nice 18 1/2" Slot Red. Hillary had a strong hookup, played the fish to the boat and just before we netted what appeared to be a huge 24" fish....it slung the hook and swam off to be caught another day! The anglers picked up a few more fish then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

18 Spots On a Redfish

My first trip of 2015 was today with Doug Mackle, his son Doug, and their friend Stan. We met down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina right at high tide and headed up Bell River with some live shrimp. The three anglers tossed float rigs to some flooded marsh grass but had no takers. We made a run to the outside of Tiger Island, again tossing float rigs, and again, had no takers. We decided to go deep and made a stop at Tiger Island and this did the
trick. Right off Doug Jr. had a good bite, a strong run, but the big fish headed for some downed limbs and broke itself off. But it wasn't long before both Doug and Stan had hooked up again and landed fish. Doug put a hungry Seatrout in the boat and Stan battled a feisty Redfish to the net. For a good hour or so the anglers got bites, catching Seatrout and Reds.  Doug Sr. got in on the action and put a keeper sized Trout in the boat then Stan put a keeper sized Redfish in the boat. We continued to fish the area. moving 40 yards or so, here and there, and Doug Jr. found a keeper sized Flounder to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. Doug Jr. had another hookup, another Redfish and this time we saw that he had put a 18 spot Redfish in the boat, a serious "money" fish if fishing in the Spot Tournament. When the bite slowed we made a run up to Jolley River to fish the exposed oysters and even though conditions were right, we had no real bites. But we had a great time in some great weather, another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!