First Casts

For his birthday, Rick and Lisa Alexander treated their son Danny and a couple of his friends, Nick and Tanner, to a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark at Amelia Island, Florida.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am with temperatures in the mid 60's and a stiff wind blowing, but these anglers were not to be deterred.  Heading up Lanceford Creek we found an area where the wind was blocked and baited up our jigs with live shrimp.  On the first cast, up near some pilings, we had a strong bite and Tanner reeled in a hard fighting Sheepshead - what a way to start the morning!  All the young anglers joined in and soon we were getting good bites.  Nick picked up an aggressive Snapper then Tanner's rod bent and, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly and brought to net a nice Redfish.  We moved to some more docks up Lanceford and Rick got in on the action by catching a Flounder, then Nick rounded out a sure-fire Amelia Island backcountry slam by picking up a Trout out in deeper water.   Danny was determined to get on the board and he wasn't to be denied!  He worked a jig/shrimp combo out from the docks and WHAM!  FISH ON!  He played the feisty Redfish like a pro and brought it to the net for pictures and released the biggest fish of the day.  We made one more stop up in Eagans Creek and Nick had the hot rod here, hooking up a couple times with "The Poor Man's Tarpon", thankfully releasing them at boatside.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the Amelia Island waters!

Football, Fishin and Friends

You just can't beat a great weekend of getting together with friends to do some fishing and attend a college football game.   Paul Damron and his friend Bill were looking forward to attending the football game tomorrow down in Gainesville pitting the Florida Gators against the Alabama Crimson Tide, but they starting off the weekend this morning fishing the beautiful backcountry waters of Amelia Island on The Anglers Mark.!  We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp on Big Talbot Island a little after 7am and headed up the intercoastal to fish the oyster lined banks of Jackstaff Creek on an incoming tide.  When Paul hooked up on a nice fish after about his third cast I thought, "here we go!".  He landed the fat Seatrout expertly, but even though the guys were making excellent casts, the rest of the stretch only produced high jumping Ladyfish - fun to catch - but not exactly great table fare.  We made a short stop at Seymore's Pointe then headed over to Broward Island, fishing the south end with the tide already up in the logs.  Paul had a strong hookup but the fish got up in the logs and broke off.  Later he hooked up and brought to the boat a nice Flounder.  Later, Bill had a good hookup and again, the fish tried to get up into the branches, but Bill kept the pressure on and pulled out a feisty slot Redfish, fighting all the way to the boat and net.  The tide was up and the grass was flooding so we headed back to Nassau River and on our second stop, just off the bow, was a tailing fish!  Bill tossed a "Fiddler in the Grass" fly at what turned out to be a Sheepshead but it wouldn't bite.  50 yards away we could see more tailing fish - a couple more Sheepshead and a huge Redfish wallowing around in the grass gorging itself.  We all piled out of the boat and waded over, Bill tossing flies and Paul using a weedless jig on spinner.  Both were making excellent casts and Bill reported that one of the Sheepshead followed the fly for a short while checking it out, but we had no takers.  We had a great time stalking fish as it was a beautiful flat with clear water, a great way to wrap up a day on Amelia Island waters!

Sundown Redfish

Capt. Dave Morrison was in Fernandina Beach operating the Army Corps of Engineers survey boat and after wrapping up a work day on the water, hooked up with me to end the day fishing the backwaters of Amelia Island! We left the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina on The Anglers Mark around 4pm and headed up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide. Dave had a number of hookups with high flying "Poor Man's Tarpon" Ladyfish, I had a few nibbles, but we didn't get any good bites like I had thought we would. I had fished earlier that morning with a young couple from Charlotte, NC and after dropping them off I went out on my own and fished a few hours and picked up 5-6 small Redfish on jig and shrimp combo's an the last of an outgoing tide. Now, the tide was excellent but we found no Redfish! We moved on up in to Jolley, fished a large creek and had no real bites, but we did find some finger mullet and we cast netted a dozen or so. The sun was working it's way down so we cranked the big Johnson and made a run to the backside of Tiger Island and after working the bank with our jig and artificial grubs, dropped an anchor at the south end of the island. Both Dave and I had some good bites on a finger mullet jigged to the bottom, but no hookup. Then, as Dave slowly worked his jig and mullet up the steep bottom, his rod tip began to bend. Dave patiently let the fish take the bait, then set the hook, FISH ON! And Wow what a fish! Dave worked the fish expertly, letting it take the drag, then working him back in, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, as the sun fell over the horizon, Dave got the fish boatside and we netted a 7lb 26 1/2" Redfish! What a way to wrap up a long day of fishing! With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day of fishing on Amelia Island waters!

Shark or Redfish?

Kevin and Katie Kriener were visiting Amelia Island, staying at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island and scheduled a 1/2 day backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday morning. We eased out of the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 7am and headed up river under overcast skies to stop just outside of Tiger Island to fish the flooding grass on an incoming tide with topwater lures.  The couple had only began casting few minutes when Kevin's lure was smashed and FISH ON!  He worked the big Trout to the boat expertly and we soon had our first fish of the day!  Katie joined in on the action by reeling in a feisty Redfish.  The tide was expected to flood the grass so we moved around behind Tiger and checked out a couple of areas, but we didn't see any Redfish tails the first couple of flats.  On our last stop we found what we were looking for, but they were Sheepshead tails!  Kevin and I eased over the side and waded to within casting distance but the Sheepshead were having nothing to do with our artificial baits!  Luckily, off in the distance, was a big 'ole Redfish tailing!  We waded carefully over and made our offering of bait, but this Redfish was on a mission and moved on.  Although we didn't have any hookups, it was a great day to experience this kind of fishing!  We saw Roseate Spoonbills, Storks, and Osprey behind the islands.  We then made a run up to Jolley River and as the tide turned and started out, the two anglers began to pick up Seatrout on live shrimp under floats.  Then Katie's rod bent and her float disappeared - she had a battle on her hands with the fish burrowing up in the grass to shake the hook, but Katie worked the feisty Redfish out and into the net for pictures and release.  A two foot Bonnethead Shark had been making passes at the boat and shortly after another float went under and the drag began to rip!  Shark ON?  Kevin fought the fish like a pro and worked him in.  The big fish fought back and pulled drag out but eventually Kevin subdued the fish and we netted a  24" Redfish!  What a catch!  We hit a few more spots, fishing with jig/shrimp combos, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big as a Watermelon

Fall is knocking on the door and the great weather we're having makes it the best time of year to be fishing Amelia Island backwaters!  Brett and Suzanne Nichols wanted to treat their son Andrew to a birthday fishing trip so they lined one up on The Anglers Mark yesterday morning.  Although weather forecasts called for possible rain in the afternoon, we couldn't have asked for a prettier morning.  We left the Fernandina Harbor Marina at 7am and headed up to Tiger Island to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  I had 4 rods rigged with Bomber Saltwater Grade float rigs with live shrimp "hangling" underneath and it wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites.  The Ladyfish were slashing baitfish and we had a number of them hookup, some of them throwing the hook, but some were caught and released.  Brett's father in law Logan picked up a feisty Redfish, Brett hauled in a Seatrout, and 10 year old Andrew warmed up with a larger Ladyfish.  It's amazing how with just 4 hours on the water a young angler like Andrew can gain so much experience and confidence!  He started out struggling with the spinning gear, but he persevered and by the end of the day he was "calling his shots" and making pinpoint casts to the oyster banks, impressing all of the adults.  I was watching him towards the end of the trip and I could tell he was intently working his jig waiting for the thump of a Redfish bite!  Our second stop was Jolley Bank and after working the entire stretch with no real bites we reached the large run out and started getting hookups.  Both Logan and Andrew had Redfish and Brett hooked up with a keeper sized Trout.  We fished Snook Creek and found that the Trout were hanging on the outside of a large oyster banks and all three anglers began to to pull in Trout after Trout after Trout.  The water level dropped to where we were having to pull Trout across the oysters, so we lowered the trolling motor and began to ease along their banks, this time switching to weighted swim baits fished on the bottom.  The anglers soon warmed to this method of fishing as there's not much better than bumping a jig on the bottom and feeling that tap-tap-tap BAM and Fish ON!  More Reds and Trout were caught, then we moved back to Jolley Bank to fish the now exposed oysters.  Logan hooked up with a nice Redfish and while he was fighting it Andrew yelled, FISH ON! and we had a double hookup with Grandad and Grandson fighting fish side by side!  Later, Andrew had a another hookup and his rod bent and drag ripped.  He played the fish perfectly, working it up off the bottom and as it came to the surface we saw a larger Flounder,  and as Grandad Logan proclaimed, "Big as a Watermelon"!  I made one attempt with the dip net, missed and the flounder got back around the swim ladder and broke itself off!  OUCH!  Boy what a fish!  But what a great way to spend the day, Father and Son and Grandad, fishing the great backcountry waters of Amelia Island!

Soaking It All In

BJ Craig and his wife Jeannie were camping at Little Talbot Island State Park and scheduled a light tackle fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today.  BJ and Jeannie are old friends from Lake City, Florida and it was great to get re-acquainted and catch up things.  We had originally scheduled a trip for Monday but when we reached the boat ramp the wind was howling, blowing a lot harder than the forcasted 10-12, more like 15-20!  So we rescheduled for today, hoping to squeeze in some fishing before the afternoon rains and it turned out to be a good plan.  We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 7am and headed up to the Horsehead area and Jackstaff Creek to troll the bank on an outgoing tide, tossing live shrimp under a float rig.  It wasn't long before BJ had a hookup and he reeled in a nice Seatrout.  We worked the bank twice, first with the float rigs and then with a jig/shrimp combo and picked up a few more Trout and a couple of high jumping Ladyfish.  Our next stop was at Bubblegum Reef but we had no real bites so we moved on to some oyster outcrops at Spanish Drop using the jig/shrimp combo on the very last of the outgoing tide.  This proved to be the trick because we had a "double hookup" almost immediately - a feisty Redfish on one rod, but Jeannie had something big, FISH ON!  The fish ripped off drag and Jeannie battled the fish from stern to bow and back to stern, but the fish was having nothing to do with being "caught" and eventually broke itself off. OUCH!  After BJ picked up a Redfish,  we headed over to Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide where the anglers picked up a few more Trout and a couple of Flounder.  The weather had been perfect with only a slight breeze and very little cloud cover but a rainstorm came up and soaked us good!  We headed for the boat ramp and in so doing, found the clear skies again, so we anchored up at a creek mouth where BJ pulled in the biggest Trout of the day!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Team W

Friends Tim and Wes Parker were in town for the Amelia Island Blues Festival this weekend and we had set up to do some Amelia Island backcountry fishing.  Thursday afternoon we met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina and made a run up to the Lanceford Creek docks to fish the outgoing tide.  I thought the timing was almost perfect with the oysters showing.  Tim used one of his Temptation Baits, an artificial with a unique scenting process,  and caught a fiesty Redfish and Wes was tossing a live shrimp under float, catching a couple of Trout.  Although everything was "right", the fish just seemed slow to bite, so we headed up to the Jolley River for some real backwater fishing!  The oyster beds were almost fully exposed and the bite seemed to pick up - we caught a 3-4 Redfish at the first stop and another Trout, then crossed the river to pick up another Red or two.  Tim's Temptation Baits were catching as many fish, if not more and the neat thing about it was that he wasn't having to "re-bait" after every nibble like Wes and I!  When the tide changed and started back in, we fished Jolley Bank, catching more hard biting Redfish.   Then Wes's float went under with a vengeance and his rod bent, drag ripped and FISH ON!  I thought for sure it was slot Red.  But after Wes worked the fish expertly to the boat, letting it take drag as needed, the fish came to the surface and we all saw that it was a large Seatrout!  Tim netted the fish for his son, "Team W"!  Wow, what a fish!  We eventually moved around to Tiger Island and wrapped up the evening with two Flounder, one of which would provide some exceptional fillets!  The next morning I picked up Wes and his buddy James and we headed to the south end early, launching and motoring up to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide.  Again, the tide and conditions were almost perfect and the two anglers were making excellent casts to the bank, working their jig and artificial Temptation Bait back slowly.  On one cast, "Team W" Wes felt a strong "bump" just after his chartreuse Juicy Lucey hit the water and the fish followed it and bit strong, FISH ON!  Wes worked the fish up off the bottom and into the net, a nice 19" Flounder!   We had  few bites along the bank but it just didn't seem to be a fish bite'n day so we move on to the Horsehead area where we picked up a few Trout on some artificial shrimp under float rigs.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water! 

Redfish Magic

Paul and Janet Schmidt were visiting Amelia Island, Florida from Pittsburgh, PA and staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge. We met at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 7am this morning and Oh what a morning it was! The temperature was about 68, one of our first cool mornings and it was great to be out on the water! We pointed The Anglers Mark up Lanceford Creek, made our first stop at the docks, anchored, and began to toss live shrimp under a float rig up to the dock pilings on an outgoing tide. It wasn't long before both Paul and Janet were catching fish - Seatrout, Redfish, and even a small Grouper and Rock Bass. We had a strong hookup and Paul knew he had a larger fish - he played it perfectly (and casually) and then he teamed up with Janet who netted the fish while I videoed the catch! The bite slowed so we made a run up to Jolley River to a large creek runout and the Redfish bite resumed, along with another nice Trout that Janet caught. Our last stop was along the now oyster lined banks of the Jolley and when we approached an outflow, BOOM! Fish on! We caught one Redfish after another, twice having "Double" hookups, and had a great finale of caching fish. What a great day to be out on the Amelia Island waters!

High Jump'n and Hard Run'n

Josh Weinberg and his aunt Karen were visiting the Amelia Island area and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday.  We met at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp at 7am with the tide having another hour or so of running out and headed over to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish the exposed oyster banks.  We began a slow troll against the current and the anglers immediately began to get some bites.  It wasn't long before both Josh and Karen were hooking up, first with high flying Ladyfish and then with hard fighting Jack's.  The Ladyfish will do everything they can do to throw the hook and a lot of them succeeded, but the anglers were able to boat a few of them.  It was a beautiful morning with some cloud cover and a slight breeze.  We made a couple of passes of the bank, then headed over to Nassau River to fish some exposed oyster beds on the very last of the outgoing tide.  Again, both anglers had some good bites, then Josh's rod bent and his drag ripped out, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly and with Karen handling the landing net, they pulled in a nice 20" Slot Redfish!  The tide had turned so we headed to Broward Island to fish the exposed logs and even though Josh and Karen were making excellent casts, the fish just didn't seem to be hungry.  However, the scenery was beautiful, we had a few good bites, and we picked up a nice Flounder, then we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

Honeymoon Heats Up Quick!

Mike and Katie Olsen  were visiting Amelia Island this week for their honeymoon and scheduled a backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We met at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island Park at 7am and headed up the Nassau River, running directly to Broward Island to catch the incoming tide.  When we got there it was still going out so I trolled the south end while the anglers cast their 1/4 jig with shrimp to the bank amidst the downed logs.  I think it was Katie's third cast when she had a strong bite and her rod bent, FISH ON!  She played the feisty fish expertly and we soon netted a nice Redfish. Mike joined in and caught one too,  then the couple matched each other fish for fish, catching more Redfish with a Seatrout thrown in.  We later fished the Seymore's Point docks, having some small bites, but no real good ones, then we made a run through Jackstaff to it's mouth and began a troll along the marsh grass, tossing live shrimp under float rigs.  Both Katie and Mike had a few bites and then they got the hang of it and both landed fat Seatrout.  The tide had gotten up into the grass and as I scanned a flat for tailing Reds, Mike enticed a Bonnethead Shark to take a jig/shrimp combo and the fight was on!  The boat was grounded on a shell bed and as I worked to get it off, Mike fought the fish off the stern. We got the boat out into the creek then Mike went back and forth from starboard to port, line ripping out, and Mike working it back in, and eventually he subdued the beast!  We netted the 2'+ shark for honeymoon pictures and release.  After trying our luck at the Longpoint docks, and with none to be found, we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island water's!

Teaching a New Generation to Fish

 Written by Adam Coholan, an active angler and blogger out of New York who writes about the great outdoors and fishing and helps run web relations for Elliman Real Estate.  You can reach him via email, or follow him on Twitter.

I have been fishing for many years, and I think the intense passion that I feel for it comes from my older cousin. He is just over ten years older than I am, and when he was in his twenties he always made a point to bring me along when he went fishing for bass, salmon and trout. Jeff is now married and has a few children, and he doesn’t have as much time to fish as he would like thanks to a promotion at work. To pay him back, I started taking his daughter Sarah fishing with me and I thought I’d share some of the main things I have learned from the experience:

Establish The Rules Right Away:
You need to realize that supervision must be given to children, especially when they are out on the water. I sat down with Sarah before we even left the car to make sure that we were on the same page. All of my rules taught her about safety and respect. As far as safety is concerned, we discussed how she needs to wear a lifejacket, how she should ask me to help her with anything involving hooks, and she agreed to tell me if there was a snag. The respect we talked about started with his showing respect and proper care for the equipment and also for nature; the goal, I told her, was to leave no trace of ourselves when the sunset.

Start with One Child:
I took Sarah and her two younger brothers with me one time; they wanted to go since Sarah told them we were having so much fun. It didn’t take me long to realize that three times as many kids wasn’t about to be three times as much fun. The two boys ran and splashed all around the creek and constantly picked on their sister. After that, I made it a point to bring them out one at a time until they developed the concentration and appreciation for the sport. Now I can take them all out as a group, and they’re so eager to actually fish they never bother each other unless it’s to joke who’s catch is bigger.

Do Not Forget To Have Fun:
You have to realize that there are days when you are just not going to get a bite, even though you are trying everything. We have all had this happen at some point. Most seasoned anglers live for that type of challenge, but young kids tend not to agree. They get antsy when the fish are nowhere to be found. If this happens, you need to be able to change your plan. You can go swimming, go for a hike, or do anything else to enjoy nature and help the kids appreciate being outside. Remember, you don’t want to discourage these future fisherman simply because you are feeling stubborn and you want to stay on the water.

I can think of nothing better than fishing with Sarah. When she gets a fish, I am more excited than when I get one. The odds are that someone taught you how to fish when you were a child. One of the best things that you can do is to give this gift to another child, passing on your knowledge and talents.

Goodbye Irene

Mike Langston and his family were visiting Amelia Island this week so he scheduled an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning.  He brought along his son Scott, his son-in-law Rhett, and his brother-in-law Billy Pate and met me at the south end boat ramp at 7am.  Hurricane Irene just passed off the coast but the skies were clear and there were just some remnants of wind. We headed up the intercoastal and cut in to Jackstaff to fish the flooded grass on the last couple of hours of an incoming tide.  Our shrimp didn't seem to survive the trip but we used them anyway and it wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites, with Scott leading the way by hooking up the "poor man's Tarpon", a Ladyfish and then following that up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  Bill and Mike added a couple of smaller Jack's and while Rhett was tossing a topwater lure, he had a nice roll on the plug bit it didn't bite.  We moved further up into the Horsehead area and fished over a large expanse of flooded oysters but had no bites, so we headed over to Broward Island on the very last of the incoming, first of the outgoing tide.  This is always tough fishing but the guys were making excellent casts up between the submerged logs and it paid off when Bill's float went under and he had a battle on his hands.  He played the fish perfectly and brought to net a nice Redfish.  Even though the tide was high, we switched Scott and Rhett to jig/shrimp combos' and it paid off.  Scott hooked up first and played his Redfish expertly to the net.  Mike switched to the jig/shrimp and on his second cast he had a strong hookup, fought it like a pro, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish!  Rhett got in on the action by tossing his jig up between some limbs and, FISH ON!  He worked the fish in and to the net for pictures and release and then Bill wrapped it all up when his float disappeared, his rod bent and a good battle ensued.  He fought the fish to a standstill and we brought it aboard, another 23" Slot Redfish!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!

59 Fish!

Mike Maron and his wife Shannon were wrapping up a two week vacation here at Amelia Island and took in one more Amelia Island fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  I fished with Mike last week on the south end so today we met at Atlantic Seafood at 7am and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  Things started a little slow but Mike was making great casts to the pilings and he soon picked up a small Trout and shortly after his cork went under again, but this time with a vengeance, and he had a good battle with a keeper sized Trout.  Shannon had her camera out and was getting pictures of the amazing ecosystem, river shrimp boats, and wildlife, and the fishing!  The baitstealers were thick, but Mike persevered and it paid off because after casting his live shrimp under a float to the pilings the cork disappeared again, the rod bent, and the drag ripped!  FISH ON!  He battled the fish expertly and we soon netted his first Slot Redfish of the day!  We moved all the way around to the Jolley River and fished the MOA spot (Mother of All) and at first we had no real bites but we soon found some feisty Redfish up between the oysters and pulled 3-4 fish out.  Our next stop was at the mouth of Snook Creek and it turned out to be a good move because Mike had 4 bites in the first four casts with a jig/shrimp combo, picking up a few more small Redfish and then he had a good bite, his drag ripped, the fish ran for deep water, we thought it might be a small shark, but no,  Slot Redfish #2 of the day!  Our last stop was Jolley Bank and as we began our troll against the current Mike tossed his shrimp/jig combo to a nice runout and soon felt a heavy pull on his line.  He waited a few seconds and set the hook!  The fish put a good fight, but Mike worked it in and we netted a keeper sized Flounder, rounding out the Amelia Island Inshore Slam!  Shortly after he again had a strong hookup and brought in Slot Red #3 of the day!  When I asked Mike and Shannon how many fish we had caught for the day, Mike said, "59 Fish", because it seemed like it!  Not much later, Mike had another strong hookup and the fight was on, Big Time!  He battled the fish around the stern and out to deep water and back again with drag ripping as the big fish made its runs.  Shannon was on the video camera, The Anglers Mark's first, and Mike played it like a pro, bringing to net an oversized 8lb 29" Redfish! Wow, what a fish!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Flounder Getting Larger

Shonda Warner and her friend, Ed, were visiting Amelia Island, staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, and took in a couple of backcountry fishing trips on The Anglers Mark.  On Thursday morning we met at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp early, headed up to the Jolley River and Snook Creek and fished the exposed oyster banks on the last of an outgoing tide.  The anglers started with 8w flyrods and #1 black Clouser's, casting to the base of the oysters.  Both had hookups and caught fish before the sun got high and they switched to spinning tackle.  Croakers, the ever present "baitstealers" of summer were in big supply, but the anglers persevered.  We moved to Jolley Bank as the tide started in and Ed had a good battle with a feisty Redfish.  The Sunday morning trip we again met at Atlantic Seafood but this time we headed down river to the Horsehead area and the mouth of Jackstaff Creek.  The tide was going out but the oysters were well exposed so the anglers tossed a jig/Gulp combo to the shallows.  It wasn't long before both anglers were getting good bites and Shonda picked up a nice Seatrout.  Later, she made an excellent cast to the mouth of a runout, felt a heavy bite, waited a few seconds, and set the hook, FISH ON!  She played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 18"+ Flounder.  We hit a few spots in the Nassau River and as the tide began to turn, headed to Broward Island to fish the log strewn banks as the water came back in.  This turned out to be a good move, because it wasn't long before Shonda had a good strong bite and began her battle with a Redfish  When we landed the fish we saw that it was a beautiful dark copper color.  Shonda picked up another, larger Redfish, then Ed got in on the action and hooked up one, too.  He played it like a pro and we soon netted, photographed and released a nice Redfish.  The sun was up and the ride back was to be long, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Three for Three

Jacksonville Florida residents Mark and Nilda Laurint, along with their son Brent, made the trip over to Amelia Island for an afternoon of backcountry fishing on The Anglers Mark.  Brent has one more week before returning to college and this was a great way for the family to spend some quality time.  We left the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 3pm and headed up to the outside of Tiger Island, fishing a flooded oyster bar on an outgoing tide with live shrimp under floats.  The anglers had numerous bites from the summertime's everpresent "baitstealers", so we moved on to the docks of Lanceford Creek.  The tide still wasn't down enough, and even though Mark had a nice Trout that I thought would get things rolling, no more quality bites were had.  We made good run around to Jolley River and up to Snook Creek, anchoring and  fishing jig and shrimp combos.  The family had a few good bites, with Nilda catching a couple of Trout and Mark catching a large Bull Whiting and all the anglers hooked up with Croaker.  The sun was inching down, the tide was really out by now, so we made one final stop at "Jolley Bank".  Both Mark and Brent had their first casts in the water when Mark's rod bent, drag ripped, and FISH ON!  Brent yelled, "FISH ON", too, and we had a double!  Brent's was in first, a Croaker, but Mark's was putting up a fight and he was all around the stern and with pro-angler technique, Mark boated a slot sized Redfish!  We got the boat lined up again and this time Nilda's rod bent and she had a battle on her hands!  Despite un-needed coaching she was receiving, she did a great job of fighting the fish and brought to net an even larger, slot sized Red!  Again, we lined the boat up and began our troll and then Brent has a hookup!  This time his line rips out and we can tell that this fish is bigger.  He played the fish perfectly and after a good battle, boated a nice 25" Slot Redfish! Wow, what a way to wrap up a fishing trip - three slot Reds in thirty minutes - and a great way to end the day out on the water!

Champion Angler

Mike Simon was visiting Amelia Island last week so he planned an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip with his son Andrew on The Anglers Mark.  We left the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp on the south end of the island at 7am and headed up the intercoastal to fish the mouth of Jackstaff on the last of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were pitching the jig and shrimp combo and it wasn't long before Mike caught a feisty Redfish.  Andrew was making his own casts and he caught a nice Jack Crevalle and he also battled another Redfish.  As we passed a runout, Andrew made a cast to its mouth and as he began his reel in, his line went taunt and FISH ON!  The fish made a strong run and Andrew held on with line ripping out and then his dad came to help and in a joint effort, fought the fish from port to starboard and back again.  The big fish made three or four runs, but Andrew hung in there and he soon brought the large 4' Bonnethead to the boat for netting, pictures, and release!  We crowned Andrew "Champion Angler" after that battle!  We moved on to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide and Michael picked up three more Redfish on his jig and shrimp combo.  The sun was up and getting hot, so we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Beautiful Morning Slammed

Mike Maron is visiting Amleia Island with his family on a much deserved vacation so he scheduled an Amelia Island fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We met at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning just before 7am, launched, and headed up the intercoastal to the mouth of Jackstaff.  The tide had been coming in for about an hour and a half, but the oysters were still showing so we started easing along the bank with Mike tossing a 1/4 jig/shrimp combo.  He had good bites the whole morning, picking up Ladyfish and Trout and then he had a hookup and his drag began to rip out, FISH ON!  He fought the fish expertly and went around and 'round the boat a couple of times with him making up some line then the fish ripping it back out, and then...pop....fish off!  Ouch.  It must have caught the leader just right and popped itself off. Mike persevered and he soon had another battle on his hands, this time the fish succomed and Mike brought to the net a 3' Bonnethead Shark  He had a couple more battles with the Shark's, one that spooled him and we added a Flounder in between.  Later, fishing at the Semour Point docks, Mike had something nibbling his shrimp under a float and when he deftly set the hook, a good fight insued.  Mike played it like a pro and we netted a quality keeper sized Sheepshead.  With the day warming up, we made one last stop at Broward Island to fish the flooded logs and we picked up a Slot Redfish, more than rounding out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam of Trout, Flounder, Sheepshead, and Redfish!  We called it a day, another great one to the on the water!

Fish On Fire

Chuck Leshinsky was visiting the Jacksonville area with his family so he and his three sons Ryan, Aidan and Nathan, along with their Uncle John Orr, took in a Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We loaded up with 7 dozen live shrimp, launched at 7am,  and headed to an flooded oyster bar with the tide still coming in.  It wasn't long before young Nathan had a strong hookup and he and his dad battled a hard fighting Blue to the net for pictures.  After that, all the young anglers joined in, catching fish right after left. Ryan was making perfect casts to some flooded marsh grass and it paid off with quality catches of Seatrout.  Aidan was getting in to the action, with help from his Uncle John, and boated multi-spotted Redfish and flashy Ladyfish.  Both John and Chuck helped with the young guys (thanks!) and the bite was non-stop for about an hour and a half.  We made a brief stop to "reload" with shrimp and then headed up the Jolley River to Snook Creek, anchored and fished our shrimp under float on the last of an incoming, first of an outgoing tide.  It took awhile, but when the tide changed, the action picked up.  Ryan had a quick breakoff on a Shark, then Adian's FINS braided line began to rip out and the fight was on!  He had everyone scrabbling to get out of the way as the Shark took him from bow to stern and back again, causing the other anglers to duck and bob to get out of the way, but Aidan held on and with help from his dad, we soon boated a 3'+ Shark on the light tackle rig!  Pictures were taken and the fish was released to be caught another day.  Ryan was now tossing a jig/shrimp combo and he began to pick up Trout and had some nice sized Whiting, so John and Chuck switched too.  Chuck's drag began to rip and he had his own Shark battle, fishing it like a pro, and he too brought it to the net for pictures.  John topped off the day by catching one of the bigger Trout we've had in a while, a 24"er, caught at 10:30am!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Smoked Shrimp

Here's a great Smoked Shrimp process, forwarded from my Dad!

Lake Lanier Spotted Bass

We met friends Denise and Bill Sweeney and Judy Cardone up in North Georgia over the weekend to celebrate my wife's birthday and Bill and I were given a pass to take in some fishing at Lake Lanier Saturday with friend Tim Parker.  Tim was gracious enough to meet us near the boat ramp with his bass boat and gear and all we had to do was show up.  He launched the boat around 7am and headed north up the lake to a jut of rocks and instructed Bill and I how to fish the Texas rig worm that he had set up on light tackle.  Tim got us fishing then showed us how it was done by setting the hook on a couple of nice Spotted Bass, fighting them to the boat like a pro for pictures and release.  Bill got the hang of it early and soon began to feel the subtle bite, and he too set the hook, FISH ON!  He played the fish expertly and brought to the boat another keeper sized Bass.  It took me a while but later in the day I was fishing a "Rooster" spinner blade and had a hookup.  It was all I could do, but after a tremendous battle, I landed one of the Spotted Bass,   my first!  We had a great day and Tim was a great host and guide - if you're ever up in the northern area of Lake Lanier, give me a call and I'll hook you up with Tim!

Weird Amelia Island Backcountry Fish

The month of July proved to be a great month for fishing and I had a few trips where we were all surprised at what was at the end of the line!  The Brian Deem family were fishing with me and in addition to other fish, landed what we called a "puffer fish" but according to Carole Neidig, Staff Scientist for Mote Marine Labratory,  is a Striped Burrfish or also called a Spiny Boxfish (Chilomycterus schoepfii). They live in seagrass beds in bays and coastal lagoons and over shallow coastal reefs from Maine to Florida, although they are less common in the northern part of the range. They will puff up with air to increase their size when threatened.

Brian Shepley and his friend Jack Coward were fishing on The Anglers Mark and had a great day of catching and when Brian hooked up with a hard fighting fish we all thought, "Redfish".  But when he eventually brought the fish to net we were surprised to see a Tripletail!  The Atlantic Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis)  is found from Massachusetts to Bermuda to Argentina and is normally seen in open waters, but can be caught in sounds, bays, and esturaries.  This was another first for The Anglers Mark!

Dan McBryan and his dad Lou picked up a very nice Flounder one day but Dan also landed a fish that I had never seen. Carole Neidig of Mote Marine also identified this one for us, a Lizard Fish (Synodus foetens) and is common in our waters. It is found both inshore and offshore but both are different species. The Offshore variety being much smaller. They are distributed throughout Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The Inshore Lizard fish is coastal. The Inshore Lizard Fish is larger than it's counterpart and is usually 15 to 16 inches in length. World Record is 2 lbs.

Double up on Shark

The Reimer family - Joel and Jen and their two kids Michael and Meagan, were visiting Amelia Island all the way from Ohio and scheduled an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today.  We had a dead low tide to begin with and it had just started back in when we pulled up at the docks of Lanceford Creek and tossed out some live shrimp under floats.  The anglers had numerous bites but no real takers other than a hungry Croaker so we pulled anchor and headed on up to the Jolley River and then trolled an oyster lined bank, tossing jig and shrimp combos.  However, Meagan stuck with the float rig and she was the first to hookup with a lively Seatrout, bringing it to the net for pictures and release.  Moving up into the river we found more "baitstealing" nibblers but then Jen had a strong hookup, her line ripped out, and FISH OFF! Ouch!  Joel jigged up a Trout and then Jen jigged up a nice Flounder then Michael joined the action when his float rig disappeared and FISH ON!  He fought the big fish expertly and back and forth the fish went until Michael subdued him and brought the big Bonnethead to the net for pictures.  We ran back to Tiger Inlet and fished with the Manatee's but got no bites, saw some Osprey and Spoonbills, then hit a flooded oyster bank outside Tiger for our last stop.  Meagan added a feisty Redfish, Michael picked up a fat Trout then Jen had another shot at a Shark - a Blacktip.  She fought the fish from stern to bow with a partner Black Tip trailing the caught fish and in the middle of the battle Michael yelled "FISH ON" and his drag began to rip!  The two anglers fought their respective fish with rods being passed over and under and the anglers trading places, bow to stern, stern to bow and when Jen's fish was brought to bay and held for pictures, Michael was left to his own battle briefly.  Then we all joined in to see him finish the fight and bring to net a 3' Bonnethead.  What a way to finish a fishing trip!  We headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water!

Life in the Backcountry

Young Dan McBryan set up an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip today with  his dad, Lou, while they were visiting the area.  We made a plan to get started extra early, 6am, to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide.  Our first stop was an oyster lined bank of the Jolley River and the guys were tossing 1/4 jigs with Gulp minnows and shrimp.  Both anglers immediately began to get bites and soon Lou yelled, "fish on" and he reeled in a feisty Redfish.   The baitstealers were nipping the tails off of the Gulps so we moved on up the river to a large creek where Dan worked his jig slowly along  an oyster bank.  He felt a heavy weight and expertly hooked up on a fish, playing it perfectly to the boat and we netted a good sized Flounder for pictures and release.  He also caught a weird fish that we have yet to identify!  Later in the morning we fished outside Tiger where we were joined by Manatee, then we went inside Tiger and were treated to a large number of Roseate Spoonbills roosting.  The bite had slowed so we made one final stop outside Tiger at a flooded oyster bed and had Dolphin and Manatee cruising by, along with a large pod of Stingray.  We eventually called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Catching the Blues

Al Emerick treated his two sons Richard (RC) and Dylan to an Amelia Island backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday.  We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island with some topwater lures on a high and incoming tide. RC had the hot rod early and had a couple of "spits" at his popping lure and then he hooked up, catching a Blue then a Seatrout.  Later, we dropped an anchor and fished the area with Shrimp under floats and all three anglers began to hookup, catching some rather larger Blues and another Trout.  We fished the Jolley River with shrimp under floats and had hookups with Ladyfish and when we moved into a larger creek RC had his line ripped out by a Sharks.  The first one broke itself off, but on the second we were able to maneuver the boat and RC battled it around and around, and around!  He played the fish perfectly and we soon brought to the boat a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark for pictures and release.  The sun had gotten high, and hot, and after one more stop with not much action, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!

Bunch of Catch'n

Tyler and Sarah Bolick were visiting Amelia Island and took in an backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark Saturday.  We met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am and headed up river to the outside of Tiger Island.  The anglers were tossing topwater lures, had a few "spits", and Sarah hooked up a small Jack.  We switched to shrimp under floats and both anglers began to catch slashing Blues, a small Redfish and Trout.  We also had a keeper sized Flounder to the boat.  We moved around to Snook Creek and Sarah had a big fish bite and her drag ripped out, FISH ON!  She played the fish expertly and we soon netted a nice Bonnethead Shark.  Later they picked up another Trout and when we moved on to an oyster bank that was now exposed, both Sarah and Tyler caught Blues, Trout, Croaker, Redfish and Ladyfish. At one point Sarah hooked up with what had to have been a Slot Red, her drag was rip, rip, ripping and she played it perfectly, but it was not to be.  The fish through the hook, the Big One that got away!  We had a great trip with a lot of catching and eventually called it a day, another great one to be on the water!