Snapper Bite Comes Alive

I had the pleasure of fishing with Steve Foss again, who this time brought along his daughters Stephanie and Katie, meeting me down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning for a run up the Amelia River to with plans to dip into Jackstaff and fish the very last of an outgoing tide. The conditions couldn't have been any better - early morning, eager anglers, a slight breeze, current slowing, bait moving everywhere...and we had no real bites! Ouch! We crossed over and fished a point and we did have one hookup but  the wily fish threw the hook. We ran through Horsehead and began fishing an old oyster bed as the tide started in and again, the conditions and tide were perfect, but no real bites. We headed down to Broward Island and fished the downed logs just as the tide changes down there. Steve had a Flounder on for a while and typical of a Flounder, it threw the hook right at the boat. We had one more strong bite and Stephanie patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish...Skunk Off The Boat! Whooeee! The sun was up and we were soaking towels in ice water to put on our necks. Luckily my new  Breakline Porlarized sunglasses were doing their job to protect my eyes!  We made a final stop back at Seymore's Pointe and fished some rocks with float rigs and the remainder of our live shrimp (which was a bunch!) And here, things heated up rather quickly. Both Katie and Stephanie were making excellent casts and all three anglers began to get bites and then began to hookup with hard fighting Mangrove Snapper. We had a couple of double hookups and a few of the Snapper measured to 14", which is a nice size for an Amelia Island back country Snapper. The trio landed a few handfuls of the Snapper and we fished until we ran out of bait, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Biggest, Most, and Most Variety

We had an outstandingly beautiful morning today when I met the White family, Joel and Brooke and their daughter Annibelle down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Although the bait shop was out of live bait, I had purchased some dead shrimp and we threw the cast net to get some minnows, then we ran up the Nassau River and made our first stop at Bubblegum Reef. It was Annibelle's first fishing outing and in minutes she was making excellent casts. We had some small nibbles but no takers so we eased over to some docks and began to pitch to the pilings. Annibelle had made a good
cast and was letting her shrimp sit when the rod tip bent over and FISH ON! She held on tight and with the help of her dad, began to work the big fish to the boat. After a good battle they landed a big Jack Crevalle that looked like it had been in a previous battle with a dolphin. We ran down to Broward Island where Joel picked up a feisty Black "puppy" Drum and we were treated to a sighting of a Bald Eagle. Our last stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and here Annibelle made a pinpoint cast to the "hot spot" and hooked up and landed all by herself a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. She also outsmarted a wiley Pinfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

LIke a Light Switch

I got to do a late afternoon trip today with Allen and Ann Richardson and their two grandkids Anna Claire and Walker. We met at the City docks at 3pm and made a long run up the Bell River to fish some docks with the tide about half way down. We had some huge live shrimp which we baited onto 1/4 oz jigs and began to toss to some dock pilings. The anglers were making good casts and we worked a few docks diligently, but we had no real bites. We then ran around and into the Jolley River, up to Snook Creek and
fished some now exposed oyster beds. Again, we worked the area thoroughly, but, no bites! So we are two hours into a fishing trip and no fish in the boat. But these anglers were patient and it paid off. Our next stop was over at Tiger Island with about an hour to go until dead low. It was like someone turned on a light switch. At our first spot we hooked up with a hard fighting Slot sized 20" Redfish then put a keeper sized 16" Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. (All fish were released to be caught another day) We fished up and down the island, landed a small but keeper sized Flounder to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Walker made a cast to a grassy shore line, bounced it off the bank, and caught another feisty Drum.  As we fished the logs Allen hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout to make it a "Grande Slam" then Anna Claire wrapped things up when she fought and landed the biggest Flounder of the year, a 20" flattie, putting her in first place in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Red Kicks Off The Day

I was wondering what the first day of fishing would be like after the tropical storm Colin came thru. I met Jim and Becky Jeffers and their "niece" Shelby down at the City docks with plans to run over to Eagans Creek to fish the docks on an incoming tide. There was just a slight breeze and a few clouds to make it a perfect morning for fishing. The three anglers were tossing live shrimp on 1/4oz jigs up to the dock pilings and were just getting small nibbles when Shelby hooked up and, BIG FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and trying to get up into the dock pilings but Shelby applied the
pressure and worked it out then kept the pressure on as she patiently worked it to the boat. After a protracted battle that took her from the bow to the stern and back to the bow, she landed a big 26.75" "Tournament Sized" Redfish, boy what a fish! We continued to work the docks, had another big hookup but this one threw the hook, then Jim had a good fight with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. Before we left the docks he also landed a keeper sized Flounder to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We ran over to Jolly River and her Shelby got back into the action when she hooked up and landed a 3' long Bonnethead Shark. We fished Jolley Bank with no success, other that getting treated to a Submarine sighting, then hit Tiger Island where Shelby landed another Shark, then wrapped the trip up with a tour of Cumberland Island to see the wild horses, Fort Clinch,  and Old Town. It turned out to be a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

The Best Sunglasses Ever!

Wow! You know how when you slip on a pair of new shoes and they just fit perfectly and

your feet go AAAHHH?  Or when you find a nice jacket and it fits just right and you think, "man this feels good"? Well that's how I felt when I slipped on my new pair of Breakline Polarized Sunglasses!  My eyes went "AAHHHH"!  Their polycarbonate lens make them very light on your face and I could tell immediately that my vision was crisp and clear and that my eyes were protected from the sun. My eyes actually relaxed! I spend over 200 days on the water a year and I've got to have a good pair of sunglasses. I went with the Cahaba in tortoise with a bronze lens and they look and feel great!

More from Breakline:
Breakline products are built to last and designed to improve your outdoor lifestyle. Through innovative polarized lens technology, you will see that we truly offer the best polarized sunglasses in the fishing and outdoor industry. Our Z-920 polarized lenses possess similar advantages to glass, such as scratch resistance and optimal clarity, but with the lower price of polycarbonate you get ultra lightweight sunglasses for a much better cost than glass! We challenge you to compare our polarized sunglasses to anyone else in the fishing industry. All our lenses have coatings to enhance your vision and product durability. Our lifetime warranty including loss prevention is revolutionary.

                                                Click on each picture and see the difference!

Without Breakline Sunglasses                                                                  With Breakline Sunglasses

Big Shark Fight Highlite of Trip

With plans to fish the calm before the storm, I met Dale and Charlotte Cathell down at the City marina this morning and after a brief safety orientation, we headed north to the outside of Tiger Island on the last of an incoming tide. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats to the flooding marsh grass and when Dale hooked up we knew immediately that it was a big fish - his drag ripped out as the fish went one way then the other. But Dale patiently applied the pressure, keeping his rod up and letting the
bend in the rod do all the work. We chased it a couple of times and as Dale worked it to the boat I could easily see with my new Breakline Sunglasses he had a big Bonnethead Shark - fun to catch! Dale worked it patiently to the boat and when it came along side we saw that it was a 4'+ Bonnethead Shark, fairly big for the light tackle that we use on the Anglers Mark. After releasing the fish we continued to work the marsh grass and Charlotte got on the board with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum catch. We crossed the creek and worked another bank and the two anglers had a good flurry of Seatrout catching. The tide was beginning to flood the grass so we spent some time hunting Redfish tails. Although there were plenty of mullet entering the grass, we saw only one Red tail and it didn't stay visible but for a few seconds. We ran through Tiger Basin and over to Bell River, fished some more flooding grass then wrapped up the day over in Lanceford Creek. It was a beautiful day to be out fishing here at Amelia Island. The "bite" wasn't on fire but it's always nice to be out on the water.

This Variety Included a Mystery Fish

We fished out of the Big Talbot Island park this morning - I met Jerry "Gator" Brown and his son Alex and son-in-law Brad early and we headed  up the Intercoastal and into Jackstaff to find a large runout just as the tide peaked at high. The three anglers were tossing live shrimp under float rigs to the grass line and even though they were making pin point casts, we had no real bites. We moved over and fished another bank, had a few nibbles, then fished a point of grass, switching to jigs and live shrimp. Both Jerry and Alex picked up some feisty Jack Crevalle, Brad tangled with a
Ladyfish then they landed a small Bonnethead Shark. Then I believe it was Alex who had a good bite, worked the fish up to the boat and landed.....a Mystery Fish! [now identified as a Stripped Burrfish]  One that I've never seen before. I'm guessing it's part of the Toad Fish family but this one was just like a slug, fat, with spines. I've emailed Mote Marine down in Tampa to get an ID. That's the neat thing about fishing salt water - you never know what you're going to pull up. We ran around to Nassau River, fished some docks to no avail, then hit Seymore's Pointe and got into the Magrove Snapper. All three anglers were working the float rigs and picking up a Snapper here and there. Jerry had one that was a little over 14",  the biggest so far this year. We worked some oyster beds and runouts and Jerry landed a keeper sized Flounder and then a Stingray to wrap up a great day to be out fishing the waters of Amelia Island, Florida.

Beautiful Day and Keeper Slam

I had the pleasure of fishing today again with Michael and Robin Purser, meeting them down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City marina early and heading north to fish the outside of Tiger on the first of an outgoing tide...and a beautiful morning!  Both anglers were tossing float rigs and live shrimp and after a short while Robin picked up keeper sized Flounder to "knock the skunk" off the boat. We fished a couple of areas there and after Michael picked up a hungry Seatrout, we ran up to the Jolley River and began trolling
along the bank, tossing the float rigs. Again, after only a few minutes Robin's float disappeared and, FISH ON! This was a bigger fish that was ripping some drag but Robin kept the pressure on and after a good battle landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. And after that, no fish for the next 75 yards! We ran further up Jolley, fished some exposed oyster bars, then eased around to the MOA, still tossing float rigs. But when I switched Michael to a jig and shrimp, he got bites, landed a couple of Croaker, then had a stronger bite. This one was giving him some pull but he played it patiently and landed a
nice keeper sized Seatrout. Our next stop was around at Bell River to fish some docks. I believe it was Robin's first cast and BOOM! Big Fish On! This was even a bigger fish than before and it took a while to slowly work it to the boat, but Robin was up to the task and soon landed another 23" Slot Redfish. The two anglers had one more big bite but it threw the hook and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Four Foot Shark on a Size 1000 Reel

I wrapped my week up today fishing with Laura Abel and her friend Paul, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp with plans to fish thru the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide. We ran up the intercoastal and made our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff. Paul was on the bow tossing a jig and live shrimp and Laura was at the stern fishing a float rig up near the recently exposed oysters. We worked along one bank but had no bites then crossed to a point of grass that tapers to a sandbar. Both anglers were fishing the jig and both picked up some hungry Seatrout. After
that we ran thru Horsehead and over to the Nassau River and fished a dock to no avail. Crossing the river, we found some old exposed oysters and within a few minutes Paul had a strong hookup and FISH ON! He patiently played the fish and even though it got back in the current, he worked it slowly to the boat and eventually landed a nice Slot Sized 21" Redfish. We continued to work along the bank and later saw a big Bonnethead cruising the oysters....and minutes later a hookup! The drag sang as line ripped out but Paul kept the rod up and bent, keeping pressure on the fish. It was a long battle on the light Shimano Stradic 1000 but it held  up and Paul brought the 4 foot shark to the boat. Now that was a battle! We worked the bank thoroughly then made a run down to Broward Island to fish the very last of the outgoing tide. All of the longs were exposed but the west wind was kicking up the water and  making it real muddy and we had no bites. Our last stop was at Seymore's Pointe and both Laura and Paul tangled with some sneaky Mangrove Snapper. The won some and lost some!  And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Call It A Bull Red. On Light Tackle.

I fished again with Doug Mackle, who treated his grandkids Sebastion and Montana to a morning of fishing on The Anglers Mark. We met down at the City marina and ran up to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings on the last of an outgoing tide. We has some live shrimp today and started off with jigs, fished slowly on the bottom. It didn't take long before both of the young anglers had a hookup and FISH-S ON!  And after a couple of massive runs, FISH OFF! Now that was a wake up call! We continued to fish and
had another hookup, this one not so big, and Montana reeled in a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. We bounced up and down the docks and when the tide started back in, Doug picked up a small but hard tugging Redfish. Then Sebastion had a good hookup. He played the fish patiently and after a good battle put a Slot 21" Redfish in the boat. Then Doug found one too, another Slot Redfish. And then BOOM! Big Fish ON! Sebastion was on the rod and boy this was a big fish! He fought the fish valiantly, from shallow water to deep water. From port to starboard and from stern to bow. The big fish
ran deep and stayed deep but as Sebastion applied the pressure we saw a big Red roll up and knew that this was a massive fish. After an extended battle, he landed a big 34.25" Redfish, moving him well in to first place in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We continued to fish and Montana began to establish herself as the "variety of fish" catcher. She landed another Black Drum and then a Shark or two. At our next stop we picked up a big Bonnethead Shark and Montana put a Ladyfish in the boat. And at the nest stop she found both a Bluefish and a Seatrout to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Black Drum and Seatrout. After one more stop  we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.