Canada Drift Boat Fishing

Carol and I traveled to Canada last week to have our wedding ceremony and were able to get in some fishing the day after. We had set up a trip down the Bow River with guide Richard "Rocket" Miller who picked us up at the hotel Fairmont at Banff Springs at 2pm. Rocket works with Tightline Adventures located in Banff and had all the gear -flyrods, reels, flys, waders and boots ready to go and had in tow a Clackacraft drift boat. We had a short drive to the launching site where Rocket set out lounge chairs for us to put on our waders and boots. After a brief orienatation we began our drift down the river. Rocket instructed us to cast our Dry fly's up near the bank and coached me on "mending" the line before the current began to make the fly move in an unatural way. We also cast some weighted tips with Clouser Minnow flys where we were instructed to make our cast as close to the bank as possible then strip the line back, cast and strip, cast and strip. I had the most trouble with the heavier sinking flys with their weight giving me casting issues. With the Dry fly's I was able to work in some good casts on occasion with an occasional pile up or line Snafu. Rocket was patient and taught us a number of flyfishing tips, along with pointing out wildlife and interesting features on the shore. We fished until dusk with a planned ending at a couple of "flats" where we expected to see the Trout rising to feed on the many bugs fluttering over the water. Although we did see some rises, they didn't seem to be consistent and wouldn't take when we tossed our fly to the rise. For the day we ended up catching a few "elusive" Brown Trout and missing a few bites but had a great time and saw some beautiful scenery; we were treated to sightings of Bald Eagle, Beaver, Loon and other shore birds and had a coyote cross our path on the way back to the hotel. Another great day of fishing!

Picture of the Month: The Boat Goes First!

Girls Day Out

There's nothing like getting out on the water with a group of friends so John Norris hosted his two daughters Ashlan and Aubrey and their two friends Allison and Evelyn for a day of fishing the backcountry waters of Amelia Island. We left the dock promptly at 7:30am with just a light breeze and sunny skies to run up to Jolley River for a day of fishing. As a I mentioned to John, there's nothing special about the Jolley other than you see very little boat traffic - and I don't think we had a boat pass us all day, although one may have slipped by while we were fighting a fish! We anchored up at a small run out and it wasn't long before the girls were hooking up with fish. They started off with a "double" with one of the lady's fighting in a Ladyfish while another hooked up and brought a Flounder to the boat. All of the girls caught fish, with Croaker providing non-stop "bait stealing" action; some weren't so lucky as the girls got used to their ways and hooked up with a few. Excitement built when a Bonnethead shark swirled at the rear of the boat and sure enough found one of our live shrimp on a jig...and the fight was on! The lady's eventually boated a few of the shark, lost a few to break-offs, caught a couple of neat Stingray and then John wrapped it up with a nice Redfish. We made it back to the dock in time to beat the looming rainclouds and counted as another good "girls day out" on the water!

Fishin' till you run outa worms!

I met Frank Wright, his friend Mary Beth, and her grandson Jared at the south end boat ramp yesterday morning at 7:30 to take in some fishing on a beautiful day. Jared was visiting from Minneapolis on his summer break and had done some lobstering down in the Keys but hadn't gotten in much fishing. We ran up Middle River a ways, anchored at a runout and got our spinning rods unlimbered with some live shrimp under corks. With no bites on the last of an incoming tide, we pulled up and headed to Bubblegum Reef, anchored and switched to the jig and shrimp combo. Jared was first to boat a fish with a large Croaker. We ran up into Jackstaff, anchored and that's when the fishing began to heat up. The whole party hooked up with what turned out to be elusive and somewhat wiley Bonnethead Shark. With the tide beginning to go out we trolled the marsh grass and as the oysters began to show, we started getting bites and catching fish non-stop. Everyone joined in, catching 6-7 Redfish with Jared pulling in the largest; they also caught 5-6 Trout, a large Vemillion Snapper, Black Drum, Flounder and some hard fighting, poop slinging "poor mans Tarpon" - Lady Fish. After a few more line ripping runs from the Bonnetheads, a determined Jared hooked up and fought a 4' shark to the boat and into a waiting net. We snapped pictures and tossed the rascal back. As we continued to fish, Mary Beth volunteered to sew my catch net up where the shark had eatin a hole through it! We fished until we ran out of shrimp and left them biting, counting it another good day of fishing!

Non-Stop Fishin' Action

I fished with Ray and Jeff Goetze Tuesday morning and the fish bit from start to finish. Jeff will be starting back to Clemson University in a few weeks to begin his Senior year and the guys wanted to get in some fishing before heading back to their home in Greenville, S.C. We left the dock at 7:30 sharp and headed up to my favorite get-away spot, the Jolley River. Fishing the east side marsh grass on the last of an incoming tide we began to pick up Seatrout on our live shrimp under a cork. We anchored up at a runout and caught 6-7 trout, then pulled up and ran up to a larger creek mouth. Both Ray and Jeff hooked up with Bonnethead sharks; we had a few break off but the guys expertly played a few in and eventually boated a couple for pictures. Both Ray and Jeff were excellent casters and as the tide started out began to catch Trout (another 7-8), Redfish (4), Vermillion Snapper, Jacks, and a Stingray. Writing in my journal that evening I tried to count up the number of fish that we caught and arrived at about 30 - and we left them biting. A great day of father and son fishing!

Recipe of the Month: Bourbon Bacon Scallops

Carol and I had these as appetizers at Sliders Seaside Grill at Fermandina Beach on Amelia Island. We liked them so I hunted up a recipe on recipezaar.com. I added some jumbo shrimp to the skewers:

(6) slices of bacon

(3) T minced green onions

(2) T Bourbon

(2) T Maple syrup

(1) T Soy Sauce

(1) T Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

24 large sea scallops

1lb jumbo shrimp

Heat a skillet and fry the bacon for 4-5 minutes, until limp and partially browned; remove from skillet, drain and set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine the green onions, bourbon, maple syrup, soy sauce, mustard, and pepper and stir well; remove about 2 Tablespoons of marinade and set aside. Add the sea scallops (and shrimp) to the marinade in the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Soak 6-8 bamboo skewers in a dish of water. After the scallops and shrimp have marinaded, wrap a piece of bacon around the scallop and then skewer. I alternated the shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops. Grill until the the bacon is crisp and the scallops are opaque; turn about half way through. Baste with the set aside marinade and serve.

Tail'in Reds

I have clients ask about when to fish for tailing Reds. The thing is the tide has to be high enough AND it needs to fall during the daylight hours. I try to target them if the tide gets to around a 6.7 height. With that in mind, September 18, 19, 20 and 21st have a high tide in the morning hours. We want to be on the marsh at least two hours before the high tide. If you like to throw a fly at tail'in Red's, it doesn't get much funner than this. If you don't flycast, we'll use spinning tackle with a weedless jig or spoon. Give me a call....we'll set it up. Don't forget your wading shoes!

Big Flounder and Manatee

Rick Larkin and his two sons, Andrew and Mathew, were in town from Virginia and wanted to get out on the water so I met them at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp at 7:30 with 6 dozen live shrimp. We ran up to the Jolley on the last of an outgoing tide and fished the mouth's eastern shore and immediately began to get "nibbles" - it wasn't long before Rick boated a Seatrout. We move on up into the river, catching Croaker, Seatrout and a small Redfish; shark were cruising the mudbanks and sure enough, Andrew hooked up with a hard running Bonnethead and fought it perfectly for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the shark decided to quit playing and with a jerk, broke off and went on his way! We tried the MOA briefly, then ran around to behind Tiger Island, fished just a short while and were treated to a Manatee cruising the shoreline; it swam by us underwater, then turned around and came back and passed us again. We all enjoyed watching it swim peacefully by. Shortly after it passed, Rick hooked up and yelled, "this one has some muscle" and the fight was on. He eventually fought a nice 23" fat flounder to the net so that we could snap some pictures and then release it. Our last stop was on the other side of Tiger; the sun was getting warm and although we only had a few more bites, we were able to watch a couple of more Manatee rolling in the shallows.

New Goffinsville Park and Boat Ramp Opens

The County held a ribbon cutting ceremony today with dignitaries opening the new Park to the public. The Goffinsville - Nassau River Park features a building that houses restrooms and a potential bait and tackle shop, a fishing pier, boat ramp with floating dock, covered picnic tables, a playground, bike/walk paths, boat trailer parking, plenty of trees, and long railed bulkhead for river veiwing. This is byfar the nicest County park to date. The area, known locally as Goffinsville, was originally a small community that grew up

around an oyster packing plant owned by Mr. Saul Goffin. His daughters made the property available to the County who along with help from the Trust for Public Lands, Florida Community Trust and the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, put together funding to have the park built. Grandaughter of Mr. Goffin, Ms. Doris Mellion was on hand to help with the ribbon cutting, along with Mr and Mrs. Charles Albert and Mr. and Mrs. Mallory Wilder, longtime residents of the area. Mr Daniel Salmon, County Parks and Recreation Director, who oversaw the construction and saw the project to completion, was also in the crowd along with his grandkids.

Directions to the Park: If you're visiting, you will need to leave Amelia Island on S.R. 200, crossing the bridge over the intercoastal. From the bridge, travel west 1.7 miles to the first traffic light. Turn left here on C.R. 107 and travel south 3.6 miles. Turn left into the Goffinsville - Nassau River Park.

Everybody catches fish!

Redfish, Black Drum, Bonnethead Shark, Black Tip Shark, Vermillion Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Stingray, Croaker, and Ladyfish! Today's fishing started out kinda slow although we had about the nicest weather that you could want: blue skies and only a light breeze, slick water and a day of fishing! The Koszut family, Greg and Kelli along with their daughter Shelby and son Grant, were in town from Indiana and wanted to get out on the water and experience Amelia Island fishing so we left the dock early and headed up to the Horsehead area. The first stop only produced a few nibbles but Greg did have something roll on a top water lure. We headed into Jackstaff Creek, anchored up in a bend and it wasn't long before Kelli hooked up and caught a nice Bonnethead and shortly after Greg pulled in a Stingray. We moved down the creek where Grant caught his first Jack then we crossed the creek, trolled the bank and Greg hooked up, played masterfully and boated a keeper sized Redfish. We anchored up and the whole family joined in with Shelby catching a Black Tip shark and a nice Redfish. Greg caught Snapper, Black Drum and some really big Bonnethead's. In fact everyone got to experience the ripping runs of the shark bites. Grant wrapped up the day with an entertaining catch of a hard fighting Lady Fish. What a great day out on the water!

Kayakers come to town

Steve and Sharyn Bush visit the area every year, bringing their camper, kayaks, and dogs to stay at Fort Clinch State Park. They wanted to see some kayak accessible areas and also do some fishing so as we left the dock I pointed out the Tiger Islands and some fishing spots that they could try. We then ran up to....you guessed it, the Jolley River where we fished the east side of the inlet. It was a beautiful morning as the sun shone on the marsh grass, birds chirping, and light breeze. Steve hooked up to and fought to the net a nice "poor man's Tarpon" - a lady fish; it earned it's name as it thrashed to throw the hook. We had a few nibbles then picked up and ran up to a creek (I call it "Snook Creek" because that's where I caught a small Snook a few years ago). With a jig and shrimp on the bottom, it wasn't long before Sharyn had a fight on her hands with a 3' Bonnethead Shark. Althought we had some beautiful Roseatte Spoonbills as neighbors, we moved to outside of the creek where Sharon caught a small Redfish, Steve picked up a Vermillion Snapper, then Sharyn caught a larger Bonnethead. We made a stop at the MOA where Steve jigged up another shark then we ran to Tiger Island, fished the shore line with no real bites. We ended the day with a tour up Eagans Creek where Steve and Sharyn saw the opportunities for some kayak fishing.

Smorgasboard of Fish

Jo and Pat Devlin love to fish and having lived in the area for only a short while, said they only had one spot to fish and needed to see some new areas; it was Pat's birthday and so JO treated him to a day of fishing. With a high, falling tide, we left the dock Saturday morning and ran up to the Jolley River, one of my favorite areas to fish. Not only is it very scenic, there's very little boat traffic and plenty of areas to fish. We fished the eastern shore of the inlet with float rigs to unlimber then went up to a creek mouth where both anglers picked up some croaker then Jo hooked up to hard pulling stingray. Jo had the hot hand early, catching a nice Seatrout and two small Redfish. Pat hooked up to what had to have been a large Bonnethead shark that almost spooled the reel; Pat played him like a pro, but the shark must have found an oyster bed and got cut off. We anchored at the MOA spot, fought and lost another Shark, but otherwise had very few bites, then motored back Jolley and anchored at a small creek where we cast netted for finger mullet. We all noticed something coming out of the water on a mudflat and then realized that about a dozen Blue Crab were ambushing Grass Shrimp, so Pat eased the boat forward and I cast netted a few for bait.

We fished the mouth of Jolley, now with oyster beds showing and Jo caught a slimey but hard fighting Sail Cat. To end the day we ran to Lanceford Creek, fished a dock where Jo cranked in a Black Drum - caught on a piece of the Blue Crab!

Rat-a-tat-tat and a herd of Manatees

I had the pleasure to fish with Ken Broecker and his son Kyle this morning. They were visiting from Ohio and had tried to pick a day where the rain and storms might let up...and we almost made it. We left the City marina at 7:30 am and ran straight to Jolley River. After warming up a bit with the spinning rods, we started our troll along the marsh grass and it wasn't long before Kyle put the first fish in the boat, a nice trout. Ken hooked up with something big near a submerged oyster bank, fought it for a while, and it broke off. It didn't run like a shark and I'm sure it was a nice Redfish. We moved on up the river to a creek mouth, anchored, and picked up some "baitstealers". Unfortunately, a rain cloud moved in and we began to get wet, so we did our best to outrun the storm and ran to the east side of Tiger Island and anchored. We again picked up some baitstealers then Ken hooked up with a hard running Bonnethead shark which he fought to the boat to a waiting net. Dolphin and a "herd" of about 7-8 Manatee moved in, with a few swimming right under the boat. We also saw a neat plate-sized Sea Turtle and more shark. Off towards Cumberland Island it appeared the Coast Guard gun boats were practicing intercept manuevers on a "bad guy" boat, even firing off rounds to force it to stop. We all hoped that they were shooting blanks!

Blacktip Shark

The Loy family, Rick and Maureen, with their two sons Brendan and Sean, were in town from Orlando and took in a backwater fishing trip this morning. With rain forcast at 30% and increasing to 70% by noon, we were surprised to see clear skies when we left the dock. We ran to the mouth of Jackstaff, anchored, and unlimbered our spinning rods. It wasn't long before a jig tipped with shrimp enticed a Bonnethead shark and the whole family joined in taking turns cranking in the fish. The Loy's had done some crabbing yesterday and we were all excited to see an occasional Bluecrab crawling underwater on an old oyster bed next to the boat. It wasn't long before all of the guys were out of the boat and netting the crab to add to their catch from yesterday! One of the nettings produced a small "Pufferfish", too. We caught couple more shark, lost a few and moved on to "Bubblegum Reef" where Brendan hooked up with a Catfish while Maureen pulled in a keeper sized Croaker. Then something struck a bait furiously and Rick had a fight on his hands. With all the commotion, I called a "Ladyfish", but was proved wrong when we netted a nice Black Tip shark, which was a surprise as I haven't seen many of them in the backwater. The tide was almost completely high when we made our last stop at Broward Island, then we raced to the dock, beating the forecast thunderstorms just in time. What a great day out on the water with a smorgasboard of marine life to experience.

Goffinsville Park and Boat Ramp to open

A Grand Opening of Nassau County's newest park and boat ramp will be held Wednesday, July 22nd at 10:am at the park. Nassau County Building Maintenance and Parks & Recreation Director Daniel Salmon said there will be plenty of door prizes, snacks and drinks available and encourages folks to come out and bring their kids. The park contains hiking trails, the boat ramp, a fishing pier, floating dock, restrooms, six covered picnic tables. There is a building available for a vendor to sell bait and tackle and there is a possibility of having a security residence.

Recipe of the month: Sea Trout Sub

This recipe comes from Tim Parker, a Dawg fan, who hails from central Georgia, but frequents Amelia Island and its estuaries quite often...

Ingredients makes 4 subs:

4 trout fillets (no rib bones)

4 small sub buns

1/2 cup Panko (japanese style) bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Large egg

1/3 cup milk

small amount of butter or margarine

3 to 4 table spoons vegetable oil

Seasoning -salt or Konriko

Rinse fillets and pat dry, season with Konriko. Mix Panko breakcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a flat style bowl.

Dredge fillets in the egg/milk mixture, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Heat the vegetable oil and cook fillets 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. While the fillets are cooking, split sub rolls in half, and lightly spread a thin coat of butter on the inside portion. When the fish is done, set aside on paper towels to drain, lay sub rolls face down in same pan and let them brown slightly. Dress your sandwich how you like it! This one had mayonnaise, horseradish spread, lettuce, tomato and onion. Serve with fries, cole slaw...or eat two of the subs!

Croaker,Croaker,Croaker,Croaker, REDFISH!

I got to fish with Ted Szarzanowicz, his wife Michelle, and their kids Amanda and Mathew yesterday evening. I'd picked up some live, but sluggish shrimp so we headed to Tiger Island and trolled the bank. Although we had no real bites, we had a number of Blue Crab come cruising by, one of which I netted. We ran to Jolley River, pulled over to the east side as the tide reached it's bottom, and began to pitch our baits to the oyster beds. Michelle had the hot rod early and began to pick up Croaker after Croaker, some of which were of good eat'n size. Both she and Ted were tossing the jig and shrimp combo and Ted reeled in a few of the Croaker, too, and just when I began to wonder, he hooked up and expertly reeled in a nice 18" Redfish. There was plenty of bait in the river which turned out to be small shrimp after I cast a net; we moved up the river and anchored and soon after Amanda pulled in her Croaker. After a few more of those, we moved around to the MOA -"Mother of All" -spots where Ted caught a Flounder and a Trout, completing his "inshore slam". Matt manned a bottom rig with the crab that we had caught and had numerous bits. We stayed to watch a beautiful sunset and made it back to the marina right at dark. The Szarzonowicz family had great attitudes - I remember thinking, "boy these folks get along with each other real well", and were a pleasure to fish with.

Shaaaark!

David and Celeste Kraus were visiting from Kansas with their teenagers Aaron and Alijah and took in a fishing and sightseeing trip this morning. We left the dock a little before 8am and ran to Beach Creek on Cumberland to see if there were any manateee (none) and then we crossed to Jolley River to begin fishing. All of the Kraus family were excellent casters and began pitching their live shrimp under floats up to the grass. There was a high tide with the current still bringing water up the river and we didn't have many bites, so we cranked up and moved up to a runout and anchored. Although Aligjah had a nice hookup and run, the fish broke off and with no more real bites, we moved up to a larger creek runout and anchored. We were there for only a little while when Alijah hooked up again, this time with line ripping out and rod bent fully. She fought the fish for a long time then it broke off on the hidden oyster shells. Shortly after that, Aaron hooked up and fought his fish to the boat - a 3 1/2' long Bonnethead shark. We made a few attempts with the net then finally got the fish in the boat for pictures. A little while later David hooked up and expertly fought his fish from one side of the boat to the other then we netted another 3'+ Shark. We eventually moved on to Tiger Island, trolled the bank, then crossed back to Cumberland Island to check out the wild horses with some binoculars; then we cruised Fort Clinch and made it back to the dock in time for lunch. Not a whole lot of action, but some good quality action with hard running shark!

Big Catfish, Lots of Wildlife

Saturday afternoon I fished with the Maxwell family, in from Nebraska. Parents Andy and Teggy along with kids Riley and Rogan wanted to see some Florida wildlife; they brought along their cousin, Craig and his daughter, Maddy and we met at the south end boat ramp late in the day in an effort to beat the heat. We ran up to Jackstaff and anchored at a runout as the family practiced their casting then we moved further up the creek to a bend and anchored. It wasn't long before both Teggy and Craig had hooked up and fought to the boat two nice Stingray, to the delight of Rogan and Maddy. We trolled the bank for a while with a high tide pushing water into the grass, but saw now Redfish tails, then we cranked up and moved aroung to Bubblegum Reef where Teggy picked up a small croaker then a huge Sail Cat that made some nice drag-ripping runs. The kids saw plenty of bird life, fiddler crab, porpoise and jelly fish during the day. We ended the day with the sun going down at Broward Island with a pair of Osprey resting in a nearby tree and pairs of porpoise cruising along side the boat. What a great learning experience for the young ones to be out in the wilds of northeast Florida.

Stringray and Croaker Holes

Donald Lorton and his wife Lila, from Tennessee treated their grandson, Luke, to a fishing trip this morning. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7:30am and ran directly to the mouth of Jackstaff with a tide that high and about two hours going out, with oyster beds showing. We fished the bank and had a number of small bites, then went up the river and anchored in a bend. Luke pulled in a Jack Crevalle, then fought and worked three stingrays to the boat. We went around to Bubblegum Reef and anchored and began to immediately hook up with croaker after croaker. Both Donald and Luke had gotten proficient in casting the 1/4 ounce Sure Catch jigs, tipped with live shrimp and had some fun catching some fish. We made a final stop at Broward Island, but it had gotten so hot we eventually pulled up and ran to the "house". Luke learned a lot, catching a smorgasbord of sealife and had a great time out on the water with his grandparents. I remember to this day fishing for Crappie with my Grandfather on Lake Sante Fe and know that Luke will remember today's fishing trip, too.

Beat'n the heat with late afternoon fishing

With a heat wave pushing tempatures to the mid 90's, I scheduled a fishing trip with visitors Belinda and Don Pottorff for late afternoon yesterday. They were in from Kansas City on a work related trip and were eager to soak in some outdoor experiences along with the ambiance of Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach, Florida. When we left the dock at 4:30pm it was still hot so I cruised over to Cumberland Island and up Beach Creek in hopes that we'd see some manatee, but they were the smarter mammal and were hiding out somewhere cool! We left Cumberland, crossed Amelia River and cut our engine at the mouth of Jolley River. Throwing a live shrimp on a leader under a cork, Don was getting his casts up near the marsh grass with a tide high and going out. It wasn't long before his cork disappeared and Don boated a nice Speckled Sea Trout. We eased along the shore line for about 100 yards and he expertly hooked up and played a number of trout, with some of them in the 19", 2lb range. We went further up Jolley, anchored at the mouth of a creek and Don caught some more trout, a few keeper sized, but the rest rather small. We did hook up, catch, and release a hard fighting 2 1/2' Bonnet Head shark. Playing with the small trout and croaker was fun but we wanted more of the larger variety so we pulled up anchor and headed around to the "MOA" - Mother of All - spots, and sure enough, the trout were there! Don caught a couple more on the shrimp, then we switched to an all white Zara Spook topwater plug and had some fun watching the trout hit and miss and finally hook up. We ended the day as the sun was going down over the marsh and got back to the dock with just a little bit of daylight. This was one of my more "prolific" trips in a long while and makes me want to do some more late afternoon trips!

2nd Annual Clay Roberts Inshore Slam Tournament

Joe and Diane Warwick, owners of the Florida House Inn on Amelia Island, are supporters of the 2nd Annual Clay Roberts Inshore Slam Tournament so Joe, his son, Tanner and father-in-law Paul entered the Tournament and fished with me today. Fishing was to begin at "safe light" so we were out early, even before the bait shops opened. We launched from the south end and ran to the docks at Longpointe and anchored. It wasn't long before we had caught an undersized Red and Black drum and a few "bait stealers". We pulled up and headed up the river to Jackstaff and after trolling the bank for about 50 yards, Tanner yelled, "I got one" and started cranking the spinning reel. We adults were somewhat pessimistic and I even asked for the rod to see if it needed to be pulled loose from an oyster bed but when I felt the rod tip bend and the line rip out I handed it back to Tanner who reeled in a nice 18+" Redfish. We trolled on up the river, anchored at Bubblegum Reef, ran to Broward Island (now dubbed "Tarzan Island" and had a few nibbles hear and there with some croaker and small vermillion snapper in the boat, but no more line-ripping fish. It got so hot that we ended up runnning to the bridges over Nassau Sound to find some shade. Last year Tanner was a foot shorter and wasn't casting much but he's grown, is eager to learn and is well on his way to being an excellent angler.

Big Red, Big Trout

I fished with old friend Mike Stalvey, his son Michael and grandson "Bird" this morning and had a great day of fishing, catching up and swapping stories. They got in from Lake City last night for a planned day of fishing and after dining on seafood at the Crab Trap and getting to bed at decent time, we were up early this morning to be waiting at the bait shop to open for our live shrimp. We were in the water and running to Jolley River by 7am, began fishing and had only trolled a short distance when Michael hooked up and had a battle on his hands as the fish took drag, hunkered down, then took some more drag. When the fish rolled at the surface we knew we had a nice Redfish on the line and Michael expertly worked the fish, eventually bringing the 9.5 pound, 29" fish to the net. We snapped some pictures and released it to be caught another day. After all the excitement and "high-fives" we got lines back in the water and began inching along the grass line again, tossing live shrimp under Cajun Thunder's. Michael hooked up again, this time with a hard running, head shaking 19" trout; then Mike got in on the action with two more 18" trout, all hooked good and fighting mad. We eventually ran further up the river where Bird caught some croakers then we fished the docks on Bell River and were proud to see Bird's casting improve to the point where he was calling his spots and making pinpoint casts. Eventually, we wrapped up the day then headed home to some fried trout, cold slaw and baked beans. What a great way to "hook" up with old friends!

Trout and more Trout

Dean Gunderson was in town, visiting from the Atlanta area and new that his grandson Ian and Ian's parents Susan and Mike would like to catch some fish. Ian and Dean had caught a 3' shark off the pier at Amelia South yesterday and warned me that it would be a tough act to follow! I had procured some live shrimp so we headed up to Jolley River on a high, outgoing tide with no wind. We anchored up and it wasn't long before another large shark was chasing Ian's bait! He hooked up, had 'em for a while and the shark or an oyster cut the line. Not much later, Mike worked a nice trout to the boat. We ran around to the MOA, anchored, but had no bites. As we were passing the original spot we could now see the oysters and it looked so "fishy" we had to try it again. It was a good decision because everyone was able to join in on some action, catching trout after trout. Most were on the small side but we were able to put a couple of keepers in the boat. Ian had the most variety with a perch, croaker and black drum and expertly reeled them in. The highlite of the trip was watching a small sea turtle surface and work its way around the boat.

Arnett Family Fun Fishing

David and Kim Arnett of Douglas, Ga. were in town with their kids Abbey and Bethany and called for a fishing trip. They fish as a family at home and you could tell that they knew their way around a fishing rod! We left the southend boat ramp at Sawpit Creek at 8am, ran to the docks at Longpointe, anchored, tried a few casts and then moved on. We anchored at the mouth of Jackstaff, had no bites, but I noticed that both David and Kim were making some excellent casts and Abbey was doing a pretty good job, too. So we began to troll the marsh grass with the oysters just beginning to show on an outgoing tide. It wasn't long before Kim had a fish take her live shrimp the fight was on! I yelled "clear the way" and Kim fought the fish to the back of the boat and back to the middle and we netted a nice 6-spot 20" Redfish. We fished on up Jackstaff, moved on to "Bubblegum Reef" and dropped anchor again. We had only been there a few minutes before David spotted a bottom rig bouncing. Abbey eagerly grabbed the rod fought the fish to the boat and we netted not one, but TWO catfish: caught on one hook! The smaller cat had bit the hook while a larger one had gotten entagled in the line. As we tried to free the catfish Kim hooked up with another fish that put up a good fight, brought it to the boat and landed a fat 16" Trout. We tried one more stop at scenic Broward Island, but the sun was getting hot, and all of us were talking about the swimming pools and air conditioning that awaited us so we wrapped it up and came on in.

Recipe of the Month: Spanish Cornbread

From the desk of Lottie Garner....

(My Grandmother)

1/4 Cup Wesson Oil (1) Egg

1/2 Cup Buttermilk (1) Cup Cream Style Corn

(2) T. Sugar 1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese

(1) T. Chopped onion (1) T. Chopped Jalepeno

(1) Cup Self Rising Cornmeal

Mix ingredients together and pour into 8x12 pan (or one of these cool iron fish skillets!)

Bake 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Butter and eat!

Why fish with Cpt. Lawrence Piper?

As most of my local readers know, I'm fairly new to the Charter Captain scene. I've fished all of my life and have gotten into the business at a rather late age (52). I've run another service oriented business for the past 22 years and think it has prepared me for the charter fishing service. In addition to serving in a leadership capacity on some of the local non-profit boards such as the YMCA, Chamber of Commerce and Optimist Clubs, I've volunteered with youth organizations such as Little League softball coach, YMCA basketball coach and Swim Team judge. When my daughter graduated, married and moved to California to begin a life with the Marines, I saw it as my opportunity to "Do what I like, Like what I do". I mean, if I'm going to work all of my life, I might as well enjoy what I'm doing, right? But why fish with me?

I'm going to do my very best to provide professional service. I'm going to return your e-mails and phone calls and I'm going to be on time for our scheduled trip. If I need to pick you up or meet you at your personal dock, I'll do it. I'll do what I can to accomodate you. I won't knowingly break any boating or fishing laws and I'll have all required safety equipment on board. I won't ogle your wife or girlfriend and I'll do my darndest not to let a curse word slip. The boat will be clean, the rods will be rigged and the tackle will be ready. Nine times out of ten I'll have the bait before the trip starts or a plan for it. I'll also have a fishing plan based on the location we leave from, the tides and the weather. If you're a lefty I'll switch the rod handles and if you're a beginner I'll take the time to show you how to bait the hook and make your cast. If you don't want to bait the hook or remove the fish I'll do it for you! I'll have some ice waters and a few soda's on board and I'll require youth under 13 to have a life vest on, but tactfully let the child know that it's up to their parent to let them remove it once the boat is stopped and fishing has begun. I have a ton of patience and will rig and re-rig and re-re-rig as much as need be to keep you fishing. Most times I'll hand you a new rod and let you get back to fishing while I re-rig another one. I know that most folks want to catch fish when they hire a Charter and I'll take you to spots that have produced in the past given the tide that we're fishing. Most of the time my guests will catch some fish. Once in awhile they just arent't biting, and I honestly do feel bad about it. My soon-to-be wife, Carol, will tell you that I'm seriously bumbed if I have a day with no fish, but in the end, I know I'm going to do my very best to make sure your trip is a no-hassle experience. I know people are spending their hard-earned money while they're visiting and they want to just get away from it all so....click here to book a trip: Let's go fishing!

Why "The Anglers Mark" ?

The name came from nothing spectacular, but people ask. A number of years ago I took two employees fishing with me. The "senior" employee, Dylan, had fished with me a number of times. He was quite competitive, a pretty good angler, and caught fish on occasion, just like the rest of us. The new guy, David, came from southern California -a different culture- and was new to north Florida salt water fishing. The two worked together during the week and bantered back and forth constantly during their work day, trying to one-up each other on every task or subject. We had just launched at the Bait House on Eagans Creek and were trolling towards the river, tossing live shrimp under a float up into the grass when the new guy, David, hooked up with a trout. I was happy to see him catch a fish and was amused when the bantering between the two began. David boated another trout and then another and then another while Dylan watched almost helplessly. The dagger was finally driven home when David proclaimed to Dylan, "I've got the Mark of an Angler...and you don't!" I thought it was funny at the time to see the more experienced angler humbled somewhat, but upon reflection, it was just what I was looking for. To some, the fishing experience is not just about catching fish, but getting out on the water, seeing a manatee's snout blow out of the water, kicking back on your leather chair with an adult beverage while you rig up the rods for the following day, making your sandwiches the night before, tossing a good tight loop on the flyrod, catching a fish on a fly you tied, teaching a young one how to cast, even feeling the crispness of your fishing shirt as you put it on in the morning, leaving early to have bacon, eggs and grits at the Huddle House, having a fish fry with your friends, cutting across the water as the sun rises and last but not least, feeling the heavy tug on your line as a Redfish chomps down on your bait. To me, fishing is more than catching fish. I don't think I was born with the "Mark" but I've sure grown into it!

Coopers gone fish'in

Jimmy Cooper, his two sons Mitchell and Jake, and grandfather "Coop" fished with me yesterday. We had beautiful weather, a very light breeze and sunshine. We crossed the marina and stopped at the long oyster bed at Lanceford Creek. Mitchell and Jake had never used a spinning outfit so we got in some practice casts with live shrimp on Sure Catch jigs and before long they were getting some bites with Jimmy getting the first fish in the boat, a Jack Crevalle. We ran around to Tiger Island and anchored up and shortly Mitchell was reeling in a nice flounder. Jake joined in on the action with a couple of croaker and we also caught a vermillion snapper. The tide was starting back in so we used the trolling motor to get us through the cut to Bell River and ran to the docks on Lanceford Creek. We ended the day here with Jimmy reeling in a "puppy drum" and then a Sheepshead. Mitchell and Jake's casting had improved throughout the day so that they were beginning to make pin-point casts. What a great way to be out on the water with a Grandfather, son, and two fine young men.

In search of Manatee

When Bob Tidball from the Addison House on Amelia Island called and said he had some guests who'd like to do an eco-tour and see some manatee I joked that normally I couldn't gaurantee seeing manatee but maybe I'd let a few out of their cages! I met Buddy and Shannon Barnes at the City docks and we crossed the river to one of my first go-to spots for tailing Reds. The tide wasn't quite high enough for Reds in the grass, but we did see two Horseshoe Crab cruising along. We eased through the cut from Bell River to Tiger Basin, cruised Tiger Island and saw some birdlife, then crossed over to Cumberland Island and up into Beach Creek. I thought I saw a tail flap up ahead and sure enough, we found a family of three manatee munching on the grass. We slowly lowered an anchor and watched the family for 30 minutes as they had their lunch. I get as excited as my guests at seeing the manatee and I realized that I was hogging the prime picture taking position on the bow so I relinquished the spot to Buddy and Shannon! After a while we cruised further up the creek and saw a racoon cutting through the marsh grass; we all thought it was unusual to see a raccoon out in the middle of the afternoon. As we left Cumberland we eased along the south shore and found a herd of horses grazing in the marsh, then we crossed to see historic Fort Clinch to wrap up the trip. After I dropped Buddy and Shannon off, I went back to Cumberland to get the manatee back in their cages!

Salt Water Fishing License Required for Shorebound Anglers

Effective August 1, 2009, many Florida residents who were previously exempt from purchasing a saltwater fishing license will be required to purchase a saltwater fishing license before fishing from the shore or a pier, bridge or jetty attached to the shore, unless they are a member of a group* that is still exempted from the license requirements. Read more....

Boat Fire at City Marina

Boat fire kills dog, takes all
By Angela Daughtry, News-Leader
City and county firefighters battle a yacht fire at the city marina Monday night, above and below, before a crowd of onlookers. The boat was a total loss. Photos by Robert Fiege/News-Leader. Read more here...

Shark infested waters!

Capt. Ron Presley of Cocoa Beach, Florida was visiting Amelia Island with his wife so he and I were able to get out on the water this morning. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7:30am and eased across the harbor to fish a long oyster bank at Lanceford Creek. It was a clear, beautiful morning with only a slight breeze. We had a few nibbles, but no hook ups so we cruised through the marsh to Tiger Island. Again, just a few nibbles, but no takers. We picked up and ran to Jolley River, fished the east bank, then on up to one of the creeks that branch off. It wasn't long before Ron's drag was singing with a large fish ripping line off. He fought it expertly to the boat, and into the net. We snapped pictures of the nice, Bonnet Head shark and then slid him back into the creek. We hooked up with a few more of these hard fighting fish then moved on. Although the next few stops didn't produce any real bites, it was good to get out with Ron and trade "Charter stories". Thanks Ron, see you on your next trip!.

Big Red and lot's of Spots

I fished Sunday afternoon with Jeff Fuchs who was visiting from West Palm Beach with his family and staying at the Ritz Carlton. We left the south end dock around 2pm and had the last of the outgoing tide to fish. Our first stop was at the mouth of Jackstaff Creek up at Horsehead and boy what a way to start! Jeff was an excellent caster and was pinpointing his Sure Catch jig and shrimp bait to the base of the oyters; we had only trolled the bank for about 50 yards when he hooked up to a big fish, fought it to the boat....and it broke off! OUCH! He hooked up with another briefly - it got off, then he hooked up again and fought this large 27", 6lb, 25-spot Redfish to the net (17 spots won the Redfish Spot Tournament in Jax last month). We were both huffing and puffing with excitement. I eased the boat up to the same spot and UMPFF! Fish on! Jeff boated a 18", 2lb Red. We again eased up to the "spot" and Jeff hooked up again, but this time he yelled, "It's bigger than the 1st". After a long battle, Jeff led the large 30", 9 1/2lb Redfish into the net. Like the others, we snapped some pictures and released this beautiful fish to fight another day. We eventually cast netted some finger mullet and picked up a nice Jack Crevalle, a small trout and then ended the day as the sun began to fall with a fat 19" Trout at Broward Island. What a great day of fishing!

The Bait is here! The bait is here!

I fished yesterday afternoon with my buddy, Charlie Jones. He's been off all week and picked me up at the Holley Pointe boat ramp. It was dead low and as we rounded the first bend in Christopher Creek we could see pods of finger mullet along the bank. Charlie positioned the boat while I tossed the cast net and we eventually had 2-3 dozen finger mullet along with a couple of dollar sized crabs. We ran to Broward Island to get out of the wind (will it ever stop blowing?) and trolled up the north end, casting our fresh baits and Sure Catch Jigs up to the shoreline. I hooked up fairly quickly - the fish came to the top of the water, rolled and came off! When I got my bait in, it was intact, so I'm still trying to figure that one out. A little later we eached hooked up, bringing in some nice, fat trout. We caught some more and lost a few, but ended the day with some really good fishing.

Fishing and Sightseeing

We had friends Bill and Denise Sweeney in from Maryland to take in the Shrimp Festival and decided to get out in the boat for a few hours on Friday. We launched from the north end boat ramp around 8am and had a baitwell full of live shrimp; the tide was low at 9am. Our first stop was on the east side of Jolley River, fishing the oyster beds with Sure Catch jigs and live shrimp. We had a few nibbles, but moved up the river to some of the creeks as the tide began to inch back in. The wind picked up so we ran to the docks on Bell River. Again, we had a few bites, some that wanted to take, but never hooked up. With the sun getting high and hot, we made a run by Tiger Island and over to Cumberland for some sightseeing and came upon a small herd of horses with a couple of new foals. Out by noon and on to some Seafood!

County Approves No Wake Zone

By Ryan Smith, Fernandina Beach News-Leader

The Nassau County Commission passed an ordinance Monday creating a no-wake zone in the waters around the North End Boat Ramp. The zone, in which boaters will have to cruise at idle speed, will extend 500 feet north and 500 feet south of the boat ramp. However, some locals don't think it goes far enough, and the commission agreed to investigate extending the zone.
Read more....

Recipe of The Month: Shrimp and New Potato Stew

Another recipe from The Cooks Encyclopedia of Four Ingredient Cooking by Joanna Farrow:

1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes, scrubbed

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

12 ounce jar (or can) tomato and chili sauce

11 ounces peeled shrimp

(I added some chopped celery, Vidalia onion, crushed garlic and corn)

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water, boiling the water for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain and return to pan.

(I browned the garlic in some olive oil, and added the celery and onion, ) then

Finely chop half of the cilantro and add to the pan with the tomato and chili sauce and 6 tablespoons of water (I forgot the water). Bring to boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the shrimp and cook a few more minutes until they are cooked. Spoon into bowl and sprinke with remaining cilantro pieces.

Sure Catch Jigs - Pro Style

Sure Catch Jigs now has a "Pro Style" jig that has two collars formed onto the jig. You can choose between the standard "Bait" jig or go with the Pro Style. I've found that the Pro Style works just fine with live shrimp and mullet AND you can use them to fish with artificals, such as the popular Gulp products. When you slide the Gulp onto the jig and push it up and over the collars, the artificial is held securely so you don't have to reposition the bait after each cast. Ask for the Pro Style Sure Catch Jig's at your local bait and tackle store!

Fish Bite Turning On

Carol and I were able to get out and do some fishing yesterday afternoon. We launched at the Holley Pointe boat ramp, which was slam full of boaters, and eased across the Nassau River to fish some run-outs. We still had a couple of hours of the outgoing tide and didn't have any real bites so we anchored up at Broward Island and picnicked until the tide slowed. As it reached slack Carol hooked up to a nice, fat 2lb trout that agressivley took her Sure Catch jig with a Gulp root-beer colored mullet. We caught a few more trout and a keeper sized flounder. All of the fish hit aggressively. The water temperature was 73 degrees, up 5 degrees from last week. As we motored into Christopher Creek we noticed some good signs of bait fish along the marsh grass. It looks like the fishing is going to start heating up!