Fishing Heats Up With the Morning Temperature

I fished the south end today, meeting Chris and Teresa Gohlke down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp. We had an outgoing tide so I made the run around to Broward Island to fish the bottom of the tide. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp and  mud minnows and making excellent casts but we had no real bites other than the ever present "baitstealers". We ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished a dock on its east side, then the west, and finally Teresa "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a hungry Seatrout. We eased back to another dock and here things heated up. Teresa
landed a feisty Redfish then Chris got into the action when he had a strong hookup. He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 19" slot sized Redfish. Shortly after that he tossed up near a piling and almost immediately had a bite and FISH ON! He worked the fish away from the piling and brought it to the boat - a keeper sized Sheepshead!  These two anglers had tallied an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  But they were not finished. After they teamed up to get another Red or two, Teresa had a good bite and landed small (but hard fighting) Black "puppy" Drum to make it a "Grande Slam".  We ran over to fish Bubblegum Reef, had no bites down deep, then began drifting float rigs over near an old oyster bed. Chris picked up a Trout so we switched Teresa to a float rig and then both were getting bites and fish. They caught a good handful of Trout and a couple of Blue fish to round  out another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Start With Big Redfish

At least we can say that!  I had met Chris Pyle and his longtime friends John and Byron down at the City marina and we made our first run up to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs as the tide started back in. We had only fished for about 30 minutes when John had a strong hookup. He said he thought he was hung on a log at first but when it started pulling back he knew he had a big fish!  He played it perfectly and after a few good runs, he landed a nice 24" slot sized Redfish. Another angler was fishing ahead of us and
catching Trout on a slip float but we had no more luck (other than pesky baitstealing bites) so we made a run around to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings (and to get out of the increasing wind). The conditions were perfect but I don't believe we got a real bite. We fished Oyster Bay and here Chris landed a small Black "puppy" Drum but there were no other takers. The baitstealing yellow tail perch were robbing us blind so we ran over to Eagans Creek and stocked up on some mud minnows before heading up Bell River to fish the docks, and again be out of the wind. Things heated up somewhat with a handful of Seatrout caught then Byron put the last fish in the boat, a nice feisty Redfish. We fished a couple of spots in Jolley River but the wind was really whipping us so we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water at Amelia Island.

Fishing Got Hot This Afternoon

I fished a 2nd trip this afternoon, this time with Mark and Nilda Laurint and their son Brent. We left the City marina and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings with the tide going out. Fishing with jigs and live shrimp, Brent "knocked the skunk off" real fast when he landed a nice feisty Redfish. Then Mark found a keeper sized Flounder over by some submerged oysters. There were some guys fishing on the dock and that had two strong hookups while we there but both fish broke off, OUCH!  We had some nibbles here and there but no more takers so we ran around to Bell
River to fish some more dock structure. Fish catching heated up! Mark was putting Seatrout in the boat at the stern while Brent was catching them at the bow. Although many were small, they managed to put 2-3 keepers in the boat. Then Mark put his bait up near a piling and BOOM, FISH ON! He worked this bigger fish out from the dock and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. Brent switched to a slip float, a typical Trout rig, and he picked up a few Trout with that technique. We ran around to fish Tiger Island on the last of the outgoing tide. Mark pulled a couple of feisty Redfish out from a pocket then he had a strong bite - this was a big fish. Mark played it patiently and worked it to the boat so that we could net a 24" Slot Redfish. The trip picked up a few more keeper Trout then Nilda placed a perfect cast right up beside a log, and FISH ON! This too was a big fish. She kept the pressure on and valiantly fought and subdued the fish and we netted a "tournament sized" 26.75" Redfish, which placed Nilda in third place in the 2016 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We fished the area for a while longer then headed in, counting it as another outstanding day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

First Cast Big Trout

After a slow morning yesterday I was hoping we'd have better luck this morning. I met Tim Carson and his fiancé Jeanne down at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and we made our first run up to Tiger Island to fish a tide that had been incoming for almost two hours. Tim made his first cast back to an old palm stump and before we could get Jeanne out, BOOM! Tim had a fish on! He played the big fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 22" Seatrout - the biggest of the year on the Anglers Mark - putting Tim squarely in
the lead of the Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report for standings). From then on the two anglers had good action for almost two hours. Jeanne put a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum in the boat then both anglers picked up a couple of feisty Redfish. Then Jeanne hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout of her own, this one measuring at 18", and rounded out her very own Amelia Island Back Country Slam, and putting her in 2nd place of the Bragging Rights Tournament! We had a good handful of fish as we worked the island but when it slowed we moved to the outside of Tiger and fished some flooded oyster beds. We had no bites there so we ran back through Tiger Basin and over to Bell River to fish the tide as it swept in over some oysters. Again, no bites. Our last stop was over near Rayonier and even though we again had no more bites, we counted it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island, Florida  - especially the first two hours!

Tough Morning of Fishing

You just can't ever tell. We had a beautiful morning greet us today - clear skies, no wind, mild temperatures and I felt sure we'd have a good day of fish catching. My anglers - John Alexander, his son Nolan, and his dad Al all met me at the Atlantic Seafood dock - three generations of anglers. We headed up to Tiger Island to fish the logs on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours. We were tossing live shrimp on a jig and this trio were making excellent casts, but although we had few nibbles, there were no takers. We came back outside and fished the now flooded marsh line with float
rigs and here Nolan and I both saw a huge tail at the edge of the grass but it didn't eat what we were offering. We hit Nissen's spot and again no bites. I ran back through Tiger and around to Bell River and finally we had a hit - John knocked the skunk off with a nice hungry Seatrout catch. He picked up a few more as we worked the edge then Nolan picked one up too. We worked that area thoroughly then ran around to Lanceford Creek, fished a grass flat, then wrapped it up at one of the docks in Lanceford.  It was a beautiful day for three generations to get out on the water, albeit a slow fish catching day.

Late Start Windy Day Big Fish

I had a presentation to make today at the Oyster Bay Yacht Club but I was able to get out on the water late with Trey Dennard, his son Ivey and his friend Lydia. The wind had picked up which I knew would make fishing difficult but this trio was ready to get some fishing in. The tide was hitting bottom so we made our first stop at the small jetties off of Fort Clinch, fished jigs and live shrimp up to the shore line, and had zero bites! Oh well. We then ran over to Tiger Island and it was so shallow at the mouth I had to shut the big engine and troll in with the I-Pilot. Once we got into
deeper water we eased around and began fishing the downed logs. We got bites here and there but the wind was still kicking our butts but finally Trey "knocked the skunk" of when he landed a small Black "puppy" Drum. Then Lydia hooked up and after patiently playing the fish, landed a nice keeper size Drum. Trey followed that up with a keeper sized Drum of his own, then Ivey got in on the action and boated a hungry Seatrout. Lydia caught a feisty Redfish then Ivey had a strong bite and FISH ON! This was a big fish - ripping off line and taking Ivey to the stern of the boat. He played the fish perfectly and, FISH OFF! Ouch!  It threw the hook. But Ivey was  not to be deterred and went back to the same spot and shortly afterwards had another strong bite. This big fish ripped the line off the reel too, but Ivey kept the pressure on and after a good battle, landed a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish. We fished the area for a while longer and as the sun went down we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Three Slot Redfish BOOM!

Another beautiful morning greeted us today when I met Michael Huffer and his dad Ron down at the City marina. We had postponed the start time until 9am in order to catch the tide as it turned and started out. Our first stop was up Lanceford Creek to fish a flooded grass patch and even though we had a few bites, there were no takers. We fished a dock for a while and had "baitstealers" tease us then we headed over to Bell River and fished some flooded oysters. This did the trick - Michael found a hot spot and pulled three keeper sized Seatrout then his dad got in on the action and got
one too.  They caught a couple more small but hard fighting Trout then we ran on up the Bell to some docks. Ron and I fished out the stern at a dock system and had no real bites but Michael was tossing up current from the bow and found a couple of more Trout deep. We ran through the Jolley, stopped and fished some now exposed oysters, then made our final stop behind Tiger Island. Ron hauled in a feisty Redfish then Michael got real hot, landing three Slot Redfish in a row - all in the 23"-25" range. They added another couple of keeper sized Trout then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Keeper Fish Come Late

We couldn't have asked for a better day - forecast highs in the mid 70's, just a slight wind, and sunny skies greeted us this morning when I met Paul Haber and his longtime fishing buddy David out at the Goffinsville Park. The tide was right at high when we launched so we headed over to Horsehead, thru the marsh and set up fishing some flooded marsh grass with float rigs and live shrimp. And we fished. And we fished. Then we moved over to Jackstaff and switched to jigs and shrimp and finally David "knocked the skunk off" when he put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. But with few bites
happening, we decided to ran back thru the marsh and fish some docks. David was picking up a Trout here and there up near the marsh grass but we weren't having much luck on the jigs near some dock pilings. We repositioned and in just a few minutes Paul had a nice feisty Redfish on. We picked up a couple of more Reds and a couple of more Trout then made a brief stop at Twin Creeks (where we had no bites) before heading down to Broward Island. It wasn't an ideal tide - the current was really moving out - but these two anglers were able to handle it. Both were picking up small Trout out deep until Paul had a stronger than usual bite and a stronger than usual fight. He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 18" keeper sized Seatrout.  We worked downed logs and found a few more Redfish with two of them being of keeper size. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Kicking Off March at Amelia Island

For the first day of March we had a beautiful day. The weather report said "calm", sunny with temperatures getting up close to 80! I had met Russ and Olga Figman down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed north, all the way up and around to Broward Island to fish the downed logs on the last of an outgoing tide. It wasn't long before Olga "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a nice hungry Seatrout. We fished up and down, had some nibbles, then Russ hooked up and put a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat.
Although the conditions and tide were great, we didn't have the action that I was hoping for so we ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished some rocks, then moved around to fish a dock. Again, the conditions were great as we fished the first of an incoming tide, but the bite was kinda slow until Russ hooked up with a hard fighting fish. He played it perfectly and soon landed keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We fished another dock, picked up a feisty Redfish (giving the duo an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam) then Russ had strong bite and FISH ON!  He fought the fish expertly and after a good battle landed a Slot sized Redfish. We ran through Horsehead, fished the mouth of Jackstaff and found a good handful of Seatrout. Our last stop was back at Christopher Creek and we found one spot where the anglers landed 5-6 feisty Redfish which made for a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Amelia Island Fly Fishing Slam

We had a sunny day to greet us this morning, albeit with a slight wind that was expected to gain strength as the day wore on. I had met Cathy Case and here cousin Julie down at the City marina to get in a half day of fly fishing here at Amelia Island and with two 8w fly rods and a 7w rigged up, we headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded grass with a Clouser Minnow tied on a long leader. Cathy was making excellent casts to the grass but we had no takers so we eased back a ways to fish between two docks with an Intermediate line and a shrimp pattern. I think it was Cathy's second
cast when she had a hookup and after playing the fish perfectly, she landed a nice hungry Seatrout. She switched to the 7w which had a floating line but a long 9' leader and drifted her small Clouser Minnow deep, bumping it across the bottom and after a few casts she said she felt a strange "bump" then the line got heavy, then, FISH ON!  She worked the fish to the surface and we saw why it was a strange bite - it was a nice keeper sized Flounder! After fishing that area we made the run to fish Eagans Creek (and get out of the wind) but no fish cooperated here. Our final stop was over at Tiger Island, switching back to the rod with the Intermediate line and shrimp pattern. Cathy made an excellent cast up near a downed log and BOOM! BIG FISH ON! And it was a big one! She kept the pressure on, kept her rod up, but gave it some line as the big fish pulled. When it got back in the current Cathy followed it to the stern of the boat and took the battle to the fish which she soon landed - a Slot Sized 25" Red Fish, boy what a fish! We worked the island from one end to the other then called it a day, another great one to be caching an Amelia Island Back Country Slam!

Trout Bring Us Back

After a slow day yesterday I was looking forward to redeeming myself today! I met Jim Hanger and his son-in-law Steve and grandson Nathan down at the Atlantic Seafood dock. We had a live well full of live shrimp and mud minnows and with the tide getting low and still going out, we made our first stop up at Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings. The three anglers began making their casts to the pilings and after a short while they began to get bites then hookups. Most of the fish were out deep, on the bottom and
very subtle - a bump, bump, bump and a hookup. Steve got it going with a keeper sized Trout then Nathan hauled one in then Jim got in on the action when he boated a keeper sized Redfish. Then all three anglers were jockeying for position to get their casts up to the pilings and it was a fish catching time for a good while. After putting a few more keeper sized fish in the box along with a bunch of throw backs we ran around to Tiger Island to fish the incoming tide.  We had neighbors fishing but we were able to find some spots to fish.  Nathan added another keeper sized Trout and all three
anglers had fish.  As the fish bite slowed to a halt we decided to head in and count it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Work'n Hard for Fish

We had another sunny day today with clear skies, but somewhat cooler.  I had met Kyle and Racquel Rausch down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and with temperatures in the low 40's we were all bundled up and ready to go. We made the first run straight up the Nassau River, picked a dock to fish at Seymore's Pointe and worked the pilings on the very last of an outgoing tide...and had no real bites. We moved to the other side of the dock, fished it for a while...and had no real bites. Ouch! After a run through Horsehead we fished an exposed oyster bank thoroughly
with both anglers making excellent casts to the bank and again, no real bites! What's with this? The wind was picking up and I could see a good chop building out in Amelia River so we ran back through Horsehead and found a sheltered spot to fish the rocks along Seymore's Pointe. I think it was Kyle's first cast, an excellent one right up to the rocks, and BOOM! Fish on!  He played the fish perfectly and after nice battle landed feisty Redfish to knock the "skunk" off the boat.  I think I was happier than he was! But we had no more fish after that. We fished Broward Island briefly but the north wind was kicking our butts so we went over to Christopher Creek where I barely made through the mouth.  This time Kyle found a Redfish down deep and boated it with ease. He had a couple of more good bites, some drag ripped, but the fish threw the hook and after really working the area good, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Flurry of Fish Catch'n Early

It was cool and "breezy" yet sunny this morning when I met Michelle McGee and her boyfriend William down at the Atlantic Seafood dock.  But we were ready for the cold and after the first run things began to heat up. Both Michelle and William were tossing jigs and live shrimp and it wasn't long before Michelle "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Then right after that William hooked up with hard fighting feisty Redfish and after patiently playing the fish, he worked him to the net. From
then on for about an hour the two anglers were catching fish. The landed a handful of Seatrout and about 6-7 total Redfish. We worked the area thoroughly then ran over to Bell River to fish a flooded oyster bank with float rigs and shrimp. After getting no real bites we made a longer run up to Lanceford Creek, fished a marsh lined shore and caught three more hungry Seatrout. Our last stop was further up Lanceford at a grass patch and again they found a few more Trout with William pulling in another, bigger, keeper sized one. The sun was up and things had warmed up nicely and we knew as we headed in that it is was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

Big Fish At End of Trip

After a nasty few days we had clear skies, albeit somewhat cool for an early morning trip today. I picked up Steve Jones and his associate Jake at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort and we made the short (6 minute) trip down to Big Talbot Island Park, launched and ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a likely dock on the first of an incoming tide. The anglers were tossing live shrimp and jigs to the dock pilings and even though the conditions were  good and these guys were spot on with their casting, we had very few bites. But Jake finally "knocked the skunk
off" when he had a strong bite, a hookup and after a good battle, landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead. We continued to fish the dock, moved around to the other side, had a few bites but no takers, so we left and ran down to Broward Island to fish the downed logs. After working the bank for a short while Jake had another hookup and landed a feisty Redfish. He went back to the same spot - just under a branch - and  had another hookup, another Red. Steve persevered and found a hungry Seatrout out deep then he too had a "bump" on his jig. He set the hook and found himself in a battle. He played the fish perfectly and landed another, but bigger, keeper sized Sheepshead. We ran back up the Nassau River and into a creek where we fished some marsh grass then began to work some rocks along the bank. Jake began to pick up Reds at the back of the boat and boated a few with a couple making it into the Slot (all fish were released today). Then he had a strong hookup and, FISH ON! This was a big fish. He played the fish patiently, letting the rod tip and drag do the work and after some deep runs he landed a big 26" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! We worked the rocks and some docks and had a good flurry with Steve Joining in to catch his Red and rounding out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Sheepshead, and Red Drum. Then Steve had a stronger than usual bite and when his drag began to rip we knew, FISH ON! Again!  It was a big one but it was no match for Steve and after a good battle he landed a 27.25" Oversized Redfish - now that's what we were looking for! We fished the area thoroughly and realized that the sun was up and was warming things nicely and as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Spot on a Cold Day

After two days of a windy front passing through we had clear skies but cold temperatures that greeted us this morning down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp. 31 degrees at launch time to be exact! But George Del Valle and I were both dressed for the cold and after the initial run to our first spot in Jackstaff, we knew the worst was over. George started off tossing live shrimp under a float rig on a high and outgoing tide. George was making excellent casts to the grass but we had not a single bite. We made the run through
Horsehead to find some dock pilings to fish with jigs and shrimp. Again, excellent casts produced on fish. We repositioned to the other side and I believe it was George's first cast and BOOM! FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle he landed a nice Slot Redfish. From then on, for about an hour, as long as George put his bait in the "Hot Spot", he'd have a hookup. And the fish got bigger, and bigger. George limited out on Slot Reds and we lost count around 10 (slots) and also caught and released a good handful of smaller "feisty" Rat Reds. Our last stop was down at Broward Island where we picked up one more small Red. The sun was up, the skies were clear, and as we ran back to the boat ramp we knew it was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

Winter Time Grande Slam Fishing At Amelia Island

Boy it was cold this morning with temperatures hovering right at freezing when I launched at the City marina. But I had two anglers waiting for me at Oyster Bay so I ran up the river and when I eased up to the dock they were ready to go! We made the run to fish Eagans Creek on the last of an outgoing tide and after I found a likely dock to fish the two anglers began tossing live shrimp on a jig to the pilings. It wasn't long before Allen had a strong hookup and FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly, patiently working it to the boat and after a good battle landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. He
picked up a few more fish then Kenneth warmed up and began landing fish too, and adding to the "Slot Fish Total Count". They put a few more fish in the boat then they got into some Black "puppy" Drum with two of them being of keeper size, one that Kenneth caught was right at 20" - a nice fish! Allen caught a small but hungry Seatrout to make it an early Amelia Island Back Country Slam and after another Red or two we picked up and ran over to the Tiger Islands at the very first of the incoming tide. I thought it might take a while but  both Kenneth and Allen had hookup, we had the first of few "Double Hookups". Things really picked up  - Allen was catching Redfish on the bow and Kenneth found a spot where he put  three keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. Allen came back and added a fourth then went back to his "Redfish Hole".  The duo made it a "Grande Slam" when Kenneth found a Flounder out deep. They were also catching small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum out deep, too. We fished right up until we ran out of bait and tallied up that we had landed 11 Slot Reds (and released all but a few), 6-8 Black Drum, 6-7 Seatrout, and 1 Flounder. Now that's the way to fish here at Amelia Island!

Cold Hands Hot Fishing

I got to fish again with Bill Lavery and his buddy Joe today, meeting at the Atlantic Seafood dock, a convenient short walk from the Hampton Inn and Suites 50 yards away. It was still somewhat "cool" with the temperatures in the low 40's but we were all bundled up so we ran north to fish Tiger Island with the tide still low but coming in. Both anglers were fishing the jigs and live shrimp and within minutes we were in the fish! Bill hooked up and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish then both he and Joe were putting
fish in the boat. And they kept getting bigger!  They had a couple of 24" fish, a 25" and 26" fish, lost a few big ones, then Bill fought a nice oversized 28.5" Red to the boat. This kicks off our Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament with Bill in first place! We worked the bank thoroughly, catching Slot Reds and a good handful of undersized ones, and we also picked up a handful of Seatrout with two of them being of "keeper" size.  Most of the Reds were sent back to get even bigger but we kept count and totaled 9 Slot Reds, 1 oversized Red, and then the handful of smaller Redfish and the Seatrout. The only issue we had was keeping our hands warm!  We fished some flooded oyster beds after that and had zero bites but we all agreed that it was a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

Cold Day But Nice Day

We had the coldest day of fishing in a long time with temperatures in the high 30's when I launched down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp. But George Isaacson and his wife Margaret were not fazed, being "Mainers", and they were bundled and ready to go fishing. The sun was shining and there was only a slight breeze so when we hit our first spot we warmed up nicely. Margaret was tossing a jig and live shrimp back to some dock pilings and George was throwing a float rig with shrimp over some flooded oysters and it was George that "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice
hungry Seatrout. Then Margaret got in on the action and picked up a couple of Trout down deep. I think George followed that up with another Seatrout before we left and ran through Horsehead to fish some still flooded marsh grass. Both anglers were tossing the jigs and although they had a few bites there were no takers. We went back through Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks, fished the float rig up close and the jig out deep and again, no real bites. Our next stop was down at Broward Island and although the tide was still fairly high down there we got some fish. We had a good hookup and Margaret worked the fish in patiently. After a good battle she landed a beautiful feisty Redfish. Shortly after that George repeated the catch and he too put a Red in the boat. We worked the bank thoroughly and the two anglers picked up another Trout or two then George wrapped it up with one more Redfish making it another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Started With Trout Ended With Reds

David Thomas was in  town this week for business and they decided to take in some Amelia Island fishing before they started their work. I met David and his associate and friend Tom down at the City marina and we started our day mid morning with a high and outgoing tide. We had headed up to Eagans Creek to get out of the wind and this really helped but the two anglers had no real bites on their float rigs baited with live shrimp. We hit some dock pilings as the tide got down and it took a while but they began to pick up
some hungry Seatrout and then they really got the hang of it and hooked up regularly. Some of the Trout were of keeper size to 17" but we threw them all back to be caught another day. Then they had some stronger hookups and the fish fights ensued, FISH ON! The trick was to keep these big fish out of the dock pilings and I think it was a tie - David and Tom boated four Slot sized Reds to 24.5" and I think four other big Reds found their way into the pilings and broke themselves off.  There were a number of smaller "feisty" Reds caught. They also picked up two Black "puppy" Drum to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Red Drum and Black Drum. We ventured out into the wind to fish Tiger Island and even they we got buffeted around pretty good, they landed another small Redfish and one of the bigger Seatrout of the day, caught way down deep. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.