After the Storm

High winds and rain cancelled my trip yesterday but we were able to get out on the water today.  I fished with Buddy and Beth Farrell this morning, leaving the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and heading around to fish the logs of Tiger Island with jigs and mud minnows.  We had some pretty good bites but no takers so we made a run through the marsh (the sound was still windy and choppy) and fished some flooded oyster beds with float rigs in Bell River.  Again, no real bites!  Our next stop was a grass patch in Lanceford Creek and this did the trick.  The duo were still tossing the float rigs
and Buddy "knocked the skunk off" by landing a hungry Seatrout.  He followed that up quickly with another then Beth got in on the action and landed a feisty Redfish then Buddy landed one, too.  They caught one or two more then we moved down the way to fish some flooded oysters and here they caught a few slashing Bluefish and Beth put another Redfish in the boat. Our next stop was down the Amelia River and even though we had a few nibbles, the water was way up in the grass, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Chasing a Float

I fished today with Rick Diggs and his two adult sons Rick and Todd.  We met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina and headed north up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows and shrimp at a large creek run out.  The anglers almost immediately began to get bites, catching a few bait stealers then a couple of feisty Redfish and tangling with some high flying Ladyfish.  But then young Rick hooked up and this fish was Big!  Rick played the fish patiently and perfectly and when we saw it roll and boil up near the marsh grass we knew it was a big Redfish.  But there's a reason those big Reds got big!  Sure enough, after a good but brief battle, the big fish must have buried the braided line down in the oysters and when it made another run, "POP", and it was gone with hook, line and float!  But then we saw the float moving around at the edge of the grass and we decided to try and track it down, grab it and land the fish.  But as we got close to it the float took off down the marsh grass and we could see it about a foot under the water.  We chased it for about 50 feet then it disappeared.  We decided to continue to fish and keep an eye out for the float.  The anglers picked up a couple of more fish then we saw the float 75 yards away!  We eased up to the float with a game plan:  I was going to get a running start then pull up the trolling motor.  Rick was going to reach down and grab the line and float and Todd was going to net the fish if it came to the surface.  But when Rick grabbed the float it came up with hook and line, and no fish!  We missed him twice!  We fished Jolley Bank and picked up another feisty Redfish then made a stop at Bell River to pick up one more Red before heading in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

First Fish BIG Fish

Friday morning I fished with the Felipe family - Ileanna and Giovanni and their adult kids Karel and Lauren, who were visiting Amelia Island and wanting to take in some back country fishing on
 The Anglers Mark.  We had met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead area to fish the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows under float rigs.  There wasn't a whole lot of movement at the peak of the tide and it took about 30-40 minutes to begin to even get bites.  But then Lauren had made an excellent cast up near the grass and soon her float disappeared
under the water.  Lauren lifted her rod tip firmly and FISH ON!  The big fish made a hard run along the grass line and as the rod bent over the drag zipped, zipped, zipped!  Lauren held on and when the fish began to tire she began to slowly work it in to the boat.  We had seen the big Redfish boil up near the bank and knew that it was going to be a nice fish and after the extended battle, we netted a big 29 3/4" oversized slot Redfish as the first fish put in the boat for the day!  Boy what a fish!  After measurement and photographs we made sure the fish swam away to live a longer life.  Shortly after that fish Ileanna had a strong hookup but this fish was having none of it and broke itself off in the oysters.  We fished another grass line and both Karel and Giovanni got in on the action, catching a few feisty Redfish and tangling with high flying Ladyfish.  Karel had a big Redfish on for a good battle but it too found a way to break the line.  Lauren found a couple of the feisty Reds too along the same stretch of marsh grass.  We ran around and fished Seymore's Pointe and Bubblegum Reef then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Celebrity Fishing

We couldn't have asked for a better day for fishing this morning:  just a touch of breeze and some scattered clouds that kept thing real nice out in the back water.  I was at the Atlantic Seafood dock early to meet Roland Langley who was visiting town to participate in the Amelia Island Great Southern Tailgate Cook Off as a Celebrity Judge in the events. Roland had along with him his two adult sons Aaron and Russell and after loading up, we headed out and north to fish the Jolley River during the first hour of an outgoing tide.  I had
the anglers tossing live mud minnows under float rigs up near the grass and it wasn't long before they began to get hookup.  Roland had the hot hand early and landed a few high flying Ladyfish, a couple of Jacks, and a Bluefish.  But the two younger anglers were not to be out done.  Aaron picked up a Jack while Russell landed a Blue and then a hard charging  Bonnethead Shark.  We continued to fish the area and although the trio were getting a few bites but no real takers until Russell's float disappeared and, FISH ON!  We knew right off it was a big fish the way his drag was ripping and
when it stayed up near the shore I felt pretty sure it was a big Redfish.  Russell played the fish patiently and worked it out deep where it bulled down then out, but Russell kept the pressure on and we eventually landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish!  We fished the mouth of Jolley and picked up a keeper sized Seatrout then Russell landed a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder.  He also had another Flounder to the boat but it flipped off at the last second.  Roland hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish along the same stretch.  We made our last stop at Tiger Island and here Aaron had had the hot rod.  Fishing near some logs he hooked up with a nice Redfish then later landed a keeper sized Flounder.  After Roland landed another Redfish we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

I Dropped the Ball

We had a beautiful morning today as I launched The Anglers Mark down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp.  Michael Allen, his dad John, and their friend Chuck met me at the ramp and we headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff to fish an outgoing tide with jigs and mud minnows. I took a little while to get rolling but we eventually began to get some bites.  Chuck first tangled with a couple of Ladyfish then landed a feisty Redfish.  Michael followed that up with a couple of Redfish, too, then landed a couple of Seatrout.   We ran around to the Nassau River, fished Twin Creeks,
had no real bites then hit Bubblegum Reef.  The anglers picked up a couple of Croakers then we fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe.  Michael boated a keeper sized Snapper then we made the run to Broward Island.  This did the trick!  We were only there for a few minutes when Chuck caught another small Redfish.  Then I thought I heard Michael yell, "Fish ON" but after I grabbed the net and looked at the water it was Chuck fighting a fish!  When mentioned that I thought Michael had the fish, he said, "I do have one!"  We had a double and I didn't even know it! So I went around the console to net Michael's Flounder but before I could get there, Fish OFF!  It was a nice, keeper sized Flounder, too!   But Chuck had worked his fish patiently to the boat and we soon netted a nice 20" Slot Redfish!  Shortly after that, though, Michael had another hookup and we got that Flounder in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder.  We fished the area for jut a little while longer then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

AIBC Slam

I fished out of the south end today, launching from the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp.  I had met Todd Billmire and his son Seth, their friends Trip and Andrew, for an Amelia Island back country fishing trip.  We headed up to fish Jackstaff Creek on the very first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were tossing mud minnows under float rigs as I eased along the flooded marsh grass.  Todd was fishing out of the stern of the boat and knocked the "skunk" off by
landing a nice feisty Redfish.  The anglers were getting a bite here and there but no real takers so we switched to jigs and minnows and made another pass.  It wasn't long before Todd, again fishing out of the stern, picked up a nice keeper sized Flounder.  A little while later his son Seth landed a hungry Seatrout to round out a Billmire Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout.    We made a run around to Seymore's Pointe, had some bites on the float rigs but the current was making it tough to fish so we jumped over to Twin Creeks to fish.  Again, some bites, but no takers.  Our final stop was at Broward Island and in just a short while Trip was on the board with a keeper sized Snapper.  The anglers picked up another Redfish or two then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island Waters.

Catchin Fish Right Out of the Gate

Boy what a pretty morning!  I met Barb van Beyrer and her two kids Baylee and Cooper down at the Atlantic Seafood dock to fish the Amelia Island back waters on a high and falling tide.  We made our initial run up to Jolley River to fish a large creek outflow and almost immediately did the anglers begin to get bites!  Cooper put the first fish in the boat, a high flying Ladyfish and from then on all three anglers were catching fish.  They had a good handful of feisty Redfish, a Blue Fish, a couple of Ladyfish and Croaker.  Then, as Barb was reeling her float rig in, BOOM!  A nice fish took her mud
minnow and this time she new she had a good sized fish.  She worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout!  We continued to fish the area, had a lull, then found a marsh outflow and the Redfish bite picked up.  After landing another handful we made a run back to fish Jolley Bank.   Baylee got her line out first and it paid off.  As she was reeling it in she had a hookup and landed a keeper sized Flounder to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We fished the whole bank, had some good bites, found another Redfish or two, then Cooper

wrapped the day up by catching a couple of hungry Seatrout.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Tourney Champ

We went south today, fishing out of Big Talbot Island Park with plans to hit the Horsehead area on an outgoing tide.  I met Keith Yeager and his son Reece early and we headed north with cloudy skies and just a light wind.  The first bank we fished proved to be stubborn for the first 50 yards, producing no real bites.  But these two anglers were patient and soon to pick up fish.  After Keith landed a small but feisty 2-spot Redfish we decided to have an informal "Redfish Spot Tournament".  We found that the Reds were
holding at oyster humps and creek mouths and the two anglers landed a good handful of them.  Then Keith had a good hookup and boated a nice keepers sized Seatrout.  Young Reece caught his share of Reds but when he put a 4-spotter in the boat he took a commanding lead in the "Spot Tournament".  Keith landed a keeper sized Flounder then we ran around to Seymore's Pointe to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  I was expecting the Mangrove Snapper and they caught a couple, but when Keith's drag began to rip on a good fish, we had our doubts that it was a that big of a Snapper!  Sure
enough, after a patient battle, Keith landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish!  We then ran up to Broward Island where we picked up a couple of more Redfish and Reece reeled in another keeper sized Seatrout.   Our last stop was at Bubblegum Reef and again Reece found a Redfish.  With that we called it a day, proclaiming Reece the winner of the Redfish Spot Tournament with his 4-spotter!  It was another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Nothing Big But Catching Fish

I started the week off this morning fishing with Robert Smurthwaite and his wife Marcie, along with Robert's brother, Richard.  We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up to fish the Jolley River on the first of an incoming tide with mud minnows and jigs.  It's always cool when your demo cast catches a fish and that's what happened, a nice feisty Redfish!  We fished the oyster lined bank and the anglers traded turns catching small but feisty and fun to catch Redfish.  Richard caught a fish that turned out to be a  hungry Seatrout and as he worked it to the boat another bigger fish attacked it!  He had both on for a short while, landed the trout, which was scarred up, then released it hopefully to have a better day!  Darcie landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then we move on up the river to fish a large creek mouth.  We had a few good  bites but when we found a drainage area through some oysters they really began to catch the "rat" Reds.  We hit the MOA, picked up some finger mullet for bait, then ran back to fish the Tiger Logs.  The anglers had a few good bites, caught another couple of Redfish, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Flounder King

We had a beautiful morning again today - I commented that the river was like a lake it was so calm. I had met Steve and Debbie Kraman along with their son Seth down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we made the run up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and minnows.  We had only been fishing just a short while when Steve hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish.  Now that's the way to start a fishing trip!  From then on all three anglers were getting bites and hookups but it was Seth who was putting keeper sized fish in the boat.  He landed not one, but

two, nice 16" keeper sized Flounder and had a smaller one, too, which earned him the name, Flounder King.   Steve on the other hand was working on his Amelia Island Back Country Slam, catching a Seatrout to go along with the Reds that he had caught.   He also landed a really big Sail Cat(fish).  Debbie seemed to be adept at catching the Seatrout.  We worked the area for a good while, even switching to float rigs as the tide got up and put a few more fish in the boat.  We moved around to the mouth of Tiger and here Steve made it a Slam when he landed a keeper sized Flounder.  We picked up a couple of more Reds, another Seatrout, then headed around behind Tiger where Seth put one more Flounder in the boat. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Late Afternoon Fishing

 I also fished this afternoon, getting out on the water with Robert Ballard and his son Zack.  We made a run up to the Jolley river to fish a stretch of exposed oysters on an outgoing tide.  Both Robert and Zach had a handful of fun to catch feisty Redfish, caught on mud minnows under a float and then on a jig.  Zach also had a good battle with a 2' Shark that he played perfectly but when he got it to the boat the shark was having none of getting landed and broke itself off.  We ran further up Jolley to Snook Creek, had no real bites, then moved on around to the MOA.  There was tons of bait

and fish busting it and we finally got a couple of Redfish to eat.  Both Robert and Zach tangled with high flying Ladyfish then we made a run to Tiger Island.  Here, Robert landed the biggest Redfish of the day but Zach again had a big "something" on!  He fought it perfectly, it ran deep, he kept the pressure on, but the hook pulled, darn it!  We continued to fish the area, caught a few more feisty Redfish, then called it an afternoon, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Trout Makes The Morning

I fished this morning with Rodney and Jodie Harris and their daughter Natalie, leaving out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am and heading north to fish Tiger Island.  We weren't getting a whole lot of action until Jodie had a good strong hookup and landed a very nice 17" Seatrout.  We continued to fish the area, had another hookup, and Natalie reeled in a keeper sized Flounder and then Rodney put a hard fighting Stingray in the boat.  Our next stop was up at Jolley River, fishing an incoming tide with the
oysters already covered.  We had great weather and a good tide but didn't get many real bites until Natalie's float disappeared and she had a hookup, FISH ON!  We saw a big tail thrash and boy what a fish!  Natalie kept the pressure on and after a good battle, landed a big 21 3/4" Seatrout!  We fished that spot thoroughly and Rodney landed a good handful of hungry Seatrout.  We fished further up the Jolley, hit the outside of Tiger Island, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Rally Caps

Mike Maron was back on Amelia Island along with his family and set up an Amelia Island Back Country The Anglers Mark this morning.  We did a "split" 3/4 day trip, taking along his daughter Libby and his son Troy for the first leg of the day.  We fished some docks at Lanceford Creek but had no real bites then made a stop outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooded oyster beds.   Our next stop was the logs of Tiger Island and luckily Troy put on his "rally cap".  After just a few minutes of fishing Mike had a good strong hookup and while he was fighting the fish, Libby
hooked up too!  We had a double!  Mike had to fight his fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a 20" Slot Redfish!  Libby landed her fish too, a hungry Seatrout.  We continued to fish the area and the anglers caught a few more feisty but smaller Redfish then we moved on over to Bell River where Libby caught a nice Seatrout and feisty Redfish.  We that, we called it a morning, somewhat slow, but still a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!
fishing trip on

We switched anglers back at the dock, this time taking on Mike's oldest daughter Haylea and her friend Amelia with plans to fish the last of an incoming tide.  After picking up a little more bait, we ran over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish some flooded oyster beds.  Amelia caught a Pinfish and Haylea reeled in a hungry Blue Fish but things weren't looking too good.  Mike and I made an "executive" decision to make a little longer run down south so away we went, and it paid off.  We made
it down to Seymore's Pointe in about 20 minutes, tossed some live shrimp and mud minnows under floats, and began catching fish!  They were Mangrove Snapper, with keeper fish anywhere between 10" and 16" and were fun to catch.  It was non stop action for about 1 1/2 hours on a high and outgoing tide and we fished until the bait well was empty, save a token few minnows.  With that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Big Jack

I kicked the week off fishing with Tate Taylor and his three sons Julian, Bennett, and Trey.  We met at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead to fish a tide that was coming in and already covering the oysters.  I had two of the anglers forward tossing jigs and two on the back tossing float rigs, both with mud minnows as bait.  It took a while but every once in a while one of the quartet would remark that they had a bite, then it finally happened, FISH ON!  Julian had hooked
up with something big!  It ran kinda like a shark but it didn't.  It fought kinda like a big Redfish, but it didn't.  The big fish took Julian from stern, up the port side, around the bow, back to the stern and back to the bow.  But Julian kept the pressure on and fought the fish to the surface when we saw and netted a big Jack Crevalle - the biggest of the year on The Anglers Mark!   Now that's the way to "knock the skunk" off a boat!  We continued to fish and both Tate and Bennettelanded couple of feisty Redfish.  Trey tanlged with a high flying Ladyfish, then we moved around to Seymore's Pointe
and had a good time trying to outsmart some Mangrove Snapper.  All of the anglers had put fish in the boat except Trey but he kept on trying and his perseverance paid off!  He got the hang of it and put a couple of the fish in the boat.  The wind was playing havoc with my boatmanship so we made a run to Christopher Creek to fish the last of the incoming tide.  As we trolled the creek bank we were treated to a big Manatee coming up behind the boat and checking us out!  It took a few minutes but the anglers began to get bites and caught a few more Snapper on the float rigs but Julian had stuck with the jig and picked up three hungry Flounder, two which were of keeper size.   We fished all our bait so with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Neck and Neck

I had brothers Eric and Brent Courtney on the Anglers Mark this morning, along with their friends Alexandria and Jamie, with plans to fish the Horsehead area with a couple of hours of an incoming tide.  We had met at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff, setting up just off the marsh grass in range of the anglers float rigs and live finger mullet.  We had only been fishing just a short while when Brent hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.   I soon found out that the brothers had a friendly wager going as to who would

catch the most fish and who would catch the biggest.  Brent jumped out in the lead, landing another Seatrout and a high flying Ladyfish.  Then Eric picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and a Seatrout.  Alexandria also put a Jack in the boat.  We made a run around to fish Seymore's Pointe and here the action became fast a furious.  All four anglers were getting bites and they finally figured out the hook set and began to reel in fat Mangrove Snapper.  The two guys were calling out their count when Eric had a strong bite and a big Ladyfish came flying out of the water.  Eric kept the

pressure on and after a good acrobatic battle, landed the largest fish of the day.  But Brent kept catching fish and even though he and Eric stayed neck and neck in the fish count,  Brent came out on top with just a couple of more fish than Eric.  Alexandria picked up a couple of the Snapper and Jamie persevered and landed what had to have been the best fish of the day!   We made a run to Broward Island, fished some jigs for a while with no real bites, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Change Up

I needed to shake things up today so when I met Hunter Moore, his brother Heath and their friend Alex down at the Fernandina  Harbor Marina, we headed up the Bell River to fish a spot that I had never fished before.  I had passed it on the way back from a previous fishing trip and thought it's be a good spot to try on a high and incoming tide.  Once the guys got the float rigs unlimbered we baited up with live mud minnows and tossed them out to some grass clumps.  I believe it was Alex's first cast when he had a hookup!  He worked the fish patiently to the boat and we netted a nice Seatrout.  For about an hour we worked the area and the anglers had bites constantly both Hunter and Heath landed keeper sized Seatrout and all of them had some that were just shy of the 15" mark.  We hit one more spot in the Bell, made a pit stop for some more bait, then headed up to Jolley River.  We picked up a few feisty Redfish before making one last stop back at Tiger Island.  Hunter had the hot hand here and put two more Redfish in the boat while Alex added a Flounder to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Hard Fishing Nets a Big Flounder

I did a double yesterday, getting out on the water in the afternoon with John Greco.  We ran straight up to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide and right off John hooked up with a feisty Redfish.  I was thinking, "all right, here we go!"  But we fished and fished, had a few bites, but no takers so we ran back to fish the logs of Tiger Island.  We fished the pockets between the logs from one end of the island to the other, had a few nibbles, but no real takers, until after about an hour of fishing we had a weird bite and a hookup!  John worked the fish patiently up from the bottom and when it surfaced we saw that  it was a nice big 21" Flounder!  this fish puts John in 2nd place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We then made a run around to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings.  We picked up another small Flounder.  We fished some flooded oysters further up the creek then again ran around to fish the outside of Tiger.  Although it was some tough fishing both John and I agreed that it was a beautiful afternoon and a lot better than sitting behind a desk! With that, we counted it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Fish'n and a Tour

Yesterday morning I was able to get out on the water with Mike Polcari for a couple of hours of  fishing. We made our first stop just on the outside of Tiger Island on the very first of an outgoing tide.  Mike's first cast netted a nice Seatrout!  He was tossing a live mud minnow under a float rig , got a bite here and there, and landed two more hungry Seatrout. We made a run up to fish the Jolley Bank, this time fishing minnows on a jig, and Mike picked up a couple of feisty Redfish.  We then returned to the dock and picked up Mike's wife Susan and did a tour of the north end of Amelia Island.  We cruised Old Town Fernandina, Burbank Net Shop, Fort Clinch,  and Cumberland Island (and saw a few wild horses).  We eased up into Beach Creek and were treated to a variety of bird sightings including Egret, Blue Heron and Rosette Spoonbills.  After swinging by Tiger Island we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Slot Redfish Make the Day

You may have noticed in the Reports that we've been catching fish the last few days but haven't been getting any "big" ones!  But today turned the tide on that subject!  I met Sal Digenario, his daughter Kasen and his nephew Logan down at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning and we headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island with float rigs and mud minnows on a high and outgoing tide.  As it has been, it wasn't long before the anglers were getting bites.  Kasen led the charge and landed a nice hungry
Seatrout.  We moved around to a creek inlet and Logan picked up a feisty Redfish.  We caught a couple of those then headed over to the Jolley River and again had some decent bites.  Sal got on the board with a hungry Bluefish then we moved back to the mouth of the river and began a slow troll of the marsh grass and now exposed oysters.  Almost immediately the anglers began to get bites.  They landed a couple of small Redfish then Sal had a strong hookup and this was a bigger fish, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice Slot Redfish!  Shortly after that Sal
put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat to round out the group's Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Kasen was staying neck-and-neck in the fish count total as we had a good bite for a while there.  We made one final stop around at the expose logs of Tiger and here Sal put one more Slot Redfish in the boat.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Variety of Fish

We had another beautiful morning today when I met Katie and Derrick McDaniel and Derrick's mom Reba down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina for an Amelia Island Back Country fishing trip.  We had a baitwell full of mud minnows and we headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island on a high and outgoing tide.  It didn't take long to begin getting bites and Derrick was quick to land a feisty Redfish, then another.  Reba got in on the action when she caught a hungry Seatrout.  The anglers had a good many small bites before we pulled the trolling motor up and headed up to fish a

large runout in the Jolley River.  Again we had a bunch of bites that cut the minnows in half (probably Blues) then the anglers tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish.  Derrick had the hot hand for the day and landed a couple of more feisty Redfish.  We moved down to fish Jolley Bank and Reba caught a nice keeper sized Whiting out deep, on a minnow!  We caught some more bait then headed around to fish some docks in Bell River.  Reba had a strong hookup that began to rip line out with no stopping in mind.  I got the boat turned around and headed in its direction but the big fish just kept on going and spooled the reel...and popped off!  We speculated that it was probably a big shark, but who knows?  With that, we called it a day, another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Strong Start to the Week

We started the week off with a strong start in the "fish catching category".  I was fishing with Ron Cerniglia and his son, Sam, again after having met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock here on Amelia Island.  We headed all the way up to fish a large outflow on the first of an outgoing tide with live minnows under float rigs.   I think the first cast we got a good bite and for about an hour and a half the anglers would catch a fish here and there.  Ron got things going with a feisty Redfish or two then Sam picked one up too. 
Both Ron and Sam landed some slashing Bluefish and then Ron put a very nice Seatrout in the boat.  We picked up a couple of more Redfish then moved back to fish Jolley Bank.  The conditions were almost perfect with the oysters beginning to show on the falling tide, very little wind, and slightly overcast.  But the fish weren't cooperating!  Luckily Sam was able to bail us out with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  We made our next stop around at the MOA.  Here, Ron had a good bite but no takers then Sam reeled in a feisty Redfish.  Dark clouds were forming and heading our way so we ran back to fish the small jetties at Fort Clinch.  But we had only been there a short time when we realized the rain storm was going to hit us so we ran for shelter and made it just in time to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island!

One Minnow One Slam

I wrapped my week up this morning fishing with Bob and Tom Owensby who brought along their wives Anne and Betty Lane,  for moral support, cheering squad, fly swatters, and all around good luck!  We ran up to Eagans Creek to fish the dock pilings with just a couple of hours of outgoing tide left.  The anglers were tossing mud minnows on jigs up to the dock pilings and even though it took a little longer than I expected for the bite to turn on, turn on it did!  Tom knocked the "skunk" off the boat with his first fish, a nice Slot Sized Redfish!  From then on the two fishermen picked up a fish

here and there - a lot of smaller Reds but a few in the Slot, three total, and a handful of hungry Seatrout.  The docks kept them busy and when the tide hit bottom we pulled up and ran around to fish the banks of Jolley River.  As I thought, we had a some good bites and both Tom and Bob landed umpteen fish.  The two had put 3 keeper sized Flounder in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for each of them but then Bob landed a Redfish, then a Trout, then a Flounder, all on one minnow to initiate a new category:  The One Minnow Slam!  But it wasn't all about Bob!  We had a great time on the water, landing some quality fish, and wrapped up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish Catch'n a Little Better

It seems like the fish bite is getting just a little better the last few days.  It may be due to the moon phase or the water being a little cooler, but we've had some pretty good trips lately.  I fished with Greg Adams, his son Chris, and their friend and work mate Kent today.  We met at the Altantic Seafood dock and headed up river to fish the dock pilings of Eagans Creek with jigs and mud minnows on the last of an outgoing tide.  It only took a few casts before the anglers were hooking up but the fish were big enough to burrow
back into the pilings and break themselves off!  But young Chris was up to the challenge and when he had a strong hookup he worked the big fish out and then patiently played it until he landed a nice Slot Redfish!  The two other anglers joined in and we caught fish for a good 2 hours - Redfish and some small Seatrout.  Many of the Reds were undersized but both Greg and Chris worked through them and were able to put a few more Slot Sized fish in the boat.  When the bite slowed we made a run up to the Jolley River and here Kent's rod heated up.  He was working the back of the boat and landed a good handful of feisty Redfish, a nice Seatrout, and a keeper sized Flounder to get his Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Both Greg and Chris picked up fish too.  It was a good stretch of water with plenty of bites but not too many in the keeper size.  We made one last stop at Tiger Island before heading in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Florida Halibut?

I think these two guys were playing hooky from work but they picked a great day to do it!   I had met Tom Gaslin and his buddy Steve Foss at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach and we headed north and up to the Jolley River to fish with mud minnows and shrimp and jigs on the first of an incoming tide.  We fished a good stretch without any bites until Steve had a good hookup and, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly on the light tackle TFO rod and Shimano Stradic 1000 reel.  The fish put up a good fight but Steve was up to it and landed a nice Slot Redfish.  We continued to fish the area and the bite picked up as the tide really began to come in.  The anglers landed a few small but feisty Redfish, tangled with some high flying Ladyfish, outsmarted a few Croaker, and then put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat.  We made a run around to Tiger Island and fished the downed logs with not a whole lot of action.  But we worked the area thoroughly and began to get a bite here and there.  Tom had a couple of just slightly undersized Reds, Steve picked up another in the Slot and just as we were about to leave Steve felt something walking off with his minnow.  He even pointed it out to Tom and I and as he tightened his line and set the hook, he had the fish!  But the fish must have had a big ego because it didn't seem to believe it was "caught"!  Steve worked the fish patiently and when it came to the surface, he said, "It's a Flounder", and then "IT'S BIG!"  It wasn't until we got it in the boat that the big 26.5" Flounder realized that it had been caught and began to go wild.  This fish put's Steve firmly in first place in the 2014 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  and is the biggest Flounder to date ever caught on the Anglers Mark!  Now that's the way to wrap up a fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida!
fishing.