Bringing Home The Bacon

I got to "fun fish" today with my buddy and high school team mate Tony French who had along with him his daughter Katy, recent High School graduate and future Armstrong College Alumni. The two were making a Florida swing before Katy goes off to college and after attending a reunion, that stopped in at Amelia Island for some back country fishing. 

I had picked up some mud minnows yesterday evening so we were able to get out on the water a tad bit earlier, launching at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and heading East for a change - there was very little wind and it was out of the South West, and we had a high tide - so we buzzed around the south end of Amelia and up to the the little jetty that runs parallel to the island.  Unfortunately(or for Katy, fortunately)  the jetty was swarming with porpoises. As the sun was coming up it was a great treat but it didn't help the fish bite one bit.

We then ran up the Nassau River and began fishing Tony's Bank with jigs and the minnows. Katy got out to hot start and "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch, then a feisty Redfish catch. She also put hard fighting Jack in the boat. We worked along that bank for a good while, working the bank with jigs and float rigs then moved on. 

After a short run we pulled up at Tony's Dock and fished it with the jigs and here things heated up. We picked up a couple of Mangrove Snapper, then Katy put a another Redfish in the boat. We boated a Shark that chased down a "skint mullet" and then had a brief battle with something big that headed NW, thru the dock pilings and, BAP! Fish off!

Our next stop was down at Tony's Island, fishing the logs. Tony and I each put a small Flounder in the boat then he expertly landed a Slot Sized Red. Later we had another Slot Redfish that we added to the catch. 

Our last stop was back at Tony's Pointe where we wrapped the day up catching our limit of 12" Mangrove Snapper. It was a great day to be out on the water with friends here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Happy 4th of July!

 I wrapped up my week fishing with Stan Jackson and his fishing buddies Wade and Barnie, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this  morning.  We made a run up to the Jolley River and set up along the "bank" to fish the last of an outgoing tide with jigs and Mud Minnows. In short order we had some action - Stan put a keeper sized Flounder in the  boat and  Barnie landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  Wade added another Flounder to the catch and Stan put a feisty Redfish in the boat.  After fishing further up the river at Snook Creek we made a run back towards Amelia.

The tide had started back in so we dipped in to behind Tyger and fished the logs. It was the ideal time to be there but the fish weren't having it.

We then ran around to the Bell River and set up along side a shell bank. Wade added a Seatrout to the catch and a small Sea Bass. Although we had rain clouds all around us, we only got wet once.  But it was a great way to start a 4th of July weekend so we

counted it as a good day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wrapped Up With a Limit

I fished this morning with Matt Pollard and his brother-in-laws Rush and John. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made the short run up and over to the Nassau River and began fishing jigs and minnows to the run outs and oyster beds on the last few hours of an outgoing tide. We had numerous takes and a few near misses. Rush tangled with a high flying Ladyfish and John put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. We had a couple of small Flounder before we moved on.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island and boy was the bait getting busted! It was crazy how fish were feeding at the mouth of a creek and down the edges. This trio of anglers were making excellent casts and picked up a few fish - small but feisty Redfish, a small Seatrout, and a Mangrove Snapper. We then drifted with the current, still going out and here Matt had a strong bite, and Fish On!  Matt was real patient with the fish, worked it slowly to the surface, and landed a nice 22.25" Slot Redfish. Only 10 minutes later he had another strong hookup. He played this fish

perfectly and brought to the net a 17" Redfish. Too small to keep, but it had 17 spots! We tossed it back and it will surely be big enough to take prize money home in the  November AIGA Support Our Veterans Fishing Tournament!

We made our final stop back at Nassauville, fishing some rocks with float rigs and in short order, began to catch one Mangrove Snapper after another. We had plenty of bait and all three anglers added to the live well with Mangrove catches and they quickly "limited out".  We headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Setting Up For Flounder

 I went with my gut this morning, purchasing only Mud Minnows for our bait of choice, and rigged my
rods with a light 1/8oz jig with plans to fish the last of an incoming tide. We have been getting a lot of Mangrove Snapper on the shrimp, but almost every day getting a Flounder, without targeting them. So when I met Jon Edwards and  his dad Dale out at the Goffinsville Park early today we had a plan of hitting marsh run outs as the tide dropped. We ran over to just east of Spanish Drop and turned into the tide and began to fish. In short order Dale "knocked the skunk off" with a Flounder catch. He added a high flyting Ladyfish then Jon heated up and caught a handful of Flounder, two of them being of keeper size.  We fished a few of those runouts and picked up more Flounder, a couple of "rat" Reds, and some more Ladyfish. 

When the tide started back in we hit some docks at Seymore's Pointe and caught Mangrove Snapper, a couple of which were of keeper size. 

Our final stop was down at Broward Island, fishing the first of an incoming tide down there. My go-to spot didn't produce but Jon reminded me that a previous trip we had done pretty good at a run out down the way so we made the move and it was a good one. Again, we caught a handful of Flounder then Jon had a strong hookup and this one was ripping some drag. Jon played it perfectly and boated a nice Slot Sized Redfish. We fished until we ran out of minnows and with the sun being up and it getting pretty hot, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

I'll Give Up My Switch

 

I fished with the Williams family this morning, Mark and Candi and their son Cash, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early. We made a quick run around to the Tyger logs and began fishing with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide - an ideal time to be there. But the fish didn't get the message. We worked all down the island and didn't get hardly a nibble but finally we had a good bite up between some logs and, Fish On! Young Cash was on the rod and he expertly reeled it in to the net - a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.

We then ran around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank" with the jigs but

had no real bites so we move further up into the Jolley and switched to float rigs along some flooding oyster beds. Not getting a bite there, we moved into a large creek, anchored, and switched back to the jigs on the bottom and this did the trick. In just a few short minutes Mark's line began to sing as the drag ripped and, Big Fish On!  Mark played it exceptionally well, letting it run when it wanted to, but slowly working it in to the boat. After a good battle he landed a nice 3' long Bonnethead Shark. Just minutes later it was Cash's turn to feel that big fish run. He was holding up nicely but the fish broke off within a minute. After one more of those Shark bites, we moved on. 

Our next stop was over in Bell River. Here, Both Mark and Candi caught Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size. We had numerous bites there but no more takers. Our final stop was back closer to town. Mark battled another Shark briefly then Candi put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. 

Cash went from learning to cast to casting it "a mile" and made the comment that he might just consider giving up his "Switch" (game controller) for fishing! That in itself made for a great day to be out on the water and fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Before We Knew It We Had a Mess of Fish!

 Boy was it gloomy this morning! There were thunderclouds all around us but the wind was forecasted to hold steady at 11mph so we agreed...let's go fishing! I met Brad Lanier, his father-in-law Jeff, and brother-in-law Will down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We headed up the intercoastal, dipped into Jackstaff then eased on further up into a creek and set up tossing float rigs and live shrimp on a high and incoming tide. We didn't get even a nibble. But we crossed back over to Jackstaff, worked along a bank and began to get some bites. Jeff picked up a high flying Ladyfish then Brad had a really strong bite. He set the hook, kept the pressure on and brought to the net a Big 22.25" Seatrout, big enough to move Brad into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We continued to work that bank then it was Jeff's turn for the big fish battle. His fish took him deep, headed west, then took Jeff around the boat a few times. But Jeff was up to the task and subdued the fish, bringing a big 4' Bonnethead Shark to the boat for pictures and release. We wrapped stretch up when Brad had pitched a jig forward, hooked up and, surprisingly caught a big Black "puppy" Drum. 

After running thru Horsehead we went around Seymore's and headed down to Pumpkin Hill where we switched back to float rigs.  Brad found a keeper sized Flounder up in some spars marsh grass. Then trio tangled with a couple of Ladyfish then Will hooked up. He played the fish perfectly and as he was reeling in, Jeff hooked up - we had a double. Jeff's came in first, a hungry Seatrout, then Will brought his to the net - a nice keeper sized Seatrout. 

We moved around the corner and fished a grassy island and within minutes of casting Jeff put another, bigger, keeper sized Flounder in the boat. Then it was Will's turn to battle the big fish. He had made an excellent cast, got a good drift and BAM! The line began to sing as the big fish headed out of the shallows. Will kept his rod high the whole while and cleared all the submerged oysters then when the fish got deep Will kept the pressure on and played it perfectly. But, not unsual, the fish made a quick turn and, BAP, fish off! Whoa was us. 

If you're keeping track we had a huge Trout in the box, a big Black Drum, two keeper Flounder, andanother keeper Trout. But this trio of anglers weren't finished yet. We hit the "Mangrove Snapper" honey hole and limited out on Snapper. many of which were well over 12" in size. When we headed in we knew these guys would be eating good tonight so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

From Jacks To Mangroves

 

We had overcast skies today with forecasted winds picking up into the teens but Thompson Kurrie and his group- his son Cord and his friend Thomas -were ready to fish. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the intercoastal, thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up along side the flooding marsh with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp. We had just made the "demo" cast when Thompson's son Cord had a strong hookup and, Fish On!  This was a big fish but Cord was up to the task and fought it valiantly. He worked it to the boat, let it make it's runs, worked it back, and eventually landed a big Jack Crevalle. 

We eased along that bank and fished it thoroughly, got some bites but no takers, then moved around the corner and fished another stretch. Here,  Thomas had a good bite, a good set, and a hookup. Thomas brought it expertly to the net and landed another feisty Jack Crevalle. 

After fishing up in Christopher Creek with jigs, we came back out, ran down to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large outflow, then moved around the corner and began to put keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat.  The largest was just a tad bit over 12". That kept the trio busy for a while, then we finished up down the way catching a few more Mangrove on jigs. Even though it stayed overcast most of the day, and the wind had picked up, we still counted it as another great day to be out on the water and fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

June Super Grande Slam

 

After I met Craig and Paige Hungerford and their adult "kids" Reese and Halley we left the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp under cloudy skies, but it wasn't forecasted to rain until later in the afternoon. The tide still had about 30 minutes left to come in so we headed over to Bell River and set up along side some flooded oyster beds and marsh grass. We were seeing some fish busting bait at ambush points and finally Craig had the hookup and catch to "knock the skunk off" with a nice keeper sized Flounder catch. (all fish caught today were released). The tide came to a standstill, we fished it a bit, then moved on. 

After running thru Tyger we eased around to the outside and fished a grassy point that was "guaranteed"  and sure enough it paid off. We had seen fishing tailing up in the grass - it wasn't a Redfish -then Reese hooked up and worked the fish to the boat - a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. As we netted that fish Paige had a strong bite. Her drag "ripped" a few times but she kept the pressure on and soon landed a Slot sized Redfish. The family

had a Slam of Flounder, Black Drum and Redfish. Then it was Halley's turn. We all saw her float slowly going under' Halley reeled up any slack and as the float headed west she set the hook and, Big Fish On!  She and her dad teamed up for a 9 minute drag ripping battle. They'd work the fish to the boat only to have it take off and strip line. But they were patient and slowly worked it to the boat and landed  big 3"+ Bonnethead Shark, boy what a battle!

We then fished further up Tyger, switching to jigs, and Reese caught and landed a Flounder of his own. Moving around to the Jolley River we eased along he bank, back to fishing float rigs and Craig picked up a fat Seatrout, making it a Grande Slam, then our final stop was around at Bell River where we switched back to jigs. Halley wrapped things up with a a Sheepshead catch which made it an Amelia Island Super Grande Slam - a great way to end a good fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Chipped Our Way to a Bag of Fish

 I was back to work today, fishing with Darrell Holcomb and his brother-in-law Jim, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We had a high tide that was just starting out when we arrived at Seymore's Pointe and began fishing with float rigs and live shrimp. Both anglers were getting excellent tosses and it paid off with some strong bites, but we didn't have a "take" until Darrell's float had disappeared with a vengeance - he set the hook and, Fish On!  Darrell played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 19.5" Slot sized Redfish to "knock the skunk off". We fished that area them moved back a bit and caught one small Mangrove Snapper.

After moving around the corner to the Mangrove Snapper "honey hole" both anglers began to get bites on the floats and shrimp combo. Once they got the hand of it they were putting on Mangrove after another in the boat. Most were undersized, but the duo managed to "box" eight nice ones, with the biggest being right at 12" that Jim landed. 

We ran down to Pumpkin Hill and fished a marsh bank. Jim had a serious fight with a Bluefish that he handily won, and as we were netting it Darrell hooked up and landed hungry Seatrout. After he went back to the bank we both saw something big swirl at his float, we waited, and BOOM! Float gone. The fish made a short run south then turned around and came back, then went under the boat, then ran west, then went under the boat...but thru it all Darrell kept the pressure on and eventually battled the beast to the net, a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark. After fishing Broward for a bit we ran back to Seymore's to get out of the rising wind.

Her Jim added one more keeper Mangrove to the box and wrapped things up with a Flounder catch which was a great was to end a good day to be out on the waters here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Heck of a Halibut

 

I wrapped my week up today fishing with Chris Sneed and his fishing buddy Chuck, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had overcast skies, but no forecast for rain until possible late afternoon, and just a (very) slight breeze blowing. Our first stop was over on the outside of Tyger Island and the duo began pitching jigs and mud minnows to a marsh runout. I was expecting to maybe get a Flounder "bump" but it was a Seatrout that Chris picked up. He mentioned that he had never caught a Flounder and it'd be nice to do so (Stay Tuned!).

We then ran around to the Jolley Bank, fished the "bank", picked up a Croaker, then moved on up to Snook Creek where we got skunked. The tide was getting pretty low and as we pulled up to the MOA (Mother of All), there was a lot of movement, a bunch of bait, Sharks finning, and we even saw a "tail" that surely was a Redfish. But we had a bunch of bites but no takers. 

Our next stop was around at Bell River, fishing some dock pilings. We were flipping back and forth from live shrimp and mud minnows and here Chuck got hot and got some action. He hooked up and landed a feisty Black "puppy" Drum then he battled a nice Slot 20" Redfish to the net. The tide had hit bottom and was already coming back in back towards the ocean so we made along run.

I was heading south but decided to duck in at Piney Island and fish some docks. We made a few casts and Chuck added another Drum to his catch total. We continued South, down the intercoastal, thru Horsehead and around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some more docks. The duo caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper with two of them being of keeper size. After fishing another dock, we headed down to Broward Island and fished a good stretch. In a hundred yards of fishing we only got one bite. But boy, was it a good one!

Chris had pitched a "soggy" shrimp up to the bank, let it sink, and was slowly letting it fall down the bottom when he hung up. I said, "I think I've got a stick", as he drug it back to the boat. But then it began to pull back into the current and act like a fish. I was thinking, "he's got a knot of wood or an oyster", but then the it tugged like fish. Chris worked it up off the bottom and when it came to the surface we saw it was a HUGE Doormat of a Flounder!  Chris kept the pressure on, eased it towards the boat and I swooped in the the net! Boy What a Fish! We measured it to be 24.5", big enough to easily move into first place in the Angler Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category.(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We wrapped the day up back at Seymore's Pointe where we tossed float rigs to the rocks and caught our limit of Mangrove Snapper, a few of which measured at 12" - they're getting bigger! Then we headed north, counting it as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.