Slot Sized Redfish

I fished this afternoon with Will Carlton and his friend Shea out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. We met at 1pm and headed up to the Jolley River to fish a tide that has been going out for a couple of hours.  The two anglers started off with float rigs baited with live shrimp or mud minnows.  Although they had a few nibbles, there were no takers.  We made a short move to where some oysters were now exposed and switched to jigs and minnows.  It didn't take long and Shea had a strong hookup.  He played the fish perfectly and landed a feisty Redfish. We continued to fish the area and Shea must have had the hot rod because he picked up a couple more of these hard fighting fish.  Then Will got in on the action and had a good hookup.  But this fish was bigger and we knew it when it boiled up near the oysters, FISH ON!  Will kept the pressure on and played the big fish patiently and after a good battle that took him from starboard to port and back again, landed a nice Slot 24" Redfish!  The two anglers picked up a few more of these Redfish then we made a move back to the mouth of Jolley and fished a large creek runout.  Here Will put a keeper sized 16" Flounder in the boat.  We made our last stop at Tiger Island, fished a spot with no real bites, then made a move that put us on fish.  Both anglers were hooking up and fighting small but feisty Reds when Shea had a good hookup that put up more of a battle.  He'd caught enough of these fish today and he was ready and soon landed another Slot sized Redfish.  With that we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Tarpon Under the Moon

I had another "flood tide" fishing trip set up for this morning, this time with Dale Bullard who has fished with me a few times in the past.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock at sunrise and with a bright full moon overhead,  headed up to fish the outside of Tiger Island with topwater lures as the tide crept in.  There was a lot of bait action but we had no real takers on the mullet pattern.  As we were fishing some flooded oysters both Dale and I noticed something big was busting bait at the point of some marsh grass.  I had initially thought it was dolphin but when we we saw something long with pointed fins we knew they were Tarpon.  We dropped an anchor at the point and within minutes saw that the Tarpon were rolling and busting bait right behind the boat.  Dale was casting the largest top water lure I had and within minutes he had a strong (I mean STRONG) hookup, and FISH ON!  The big 70lb Tarpon came out of the water shook his head then dove deep.  Dale's rod bent over and the drag ripped out and... FISH OFF!  Boy that was exciting!  We continued to fish the pod and had a few fish look seriously at the lure but had  no more takers.  We began to check the flooded grass and even though conditions were perfect again, we saw no fish.  As we were motoring to another grass flat we could see fish striking in the river and seagulls were diving to pick up the pieces.  Dale grabbed the lure rod again and within a few casts was hooking up with hard fighting Bluefish.  He had one on and we're not sure if it was another Tarpon or a big Blue because it dove deep and snapped the 17lb leader!  Dale picked up a couple of more Blues then we continued on our way in search of Reds.  All of my grass flat spots looked amazingly perfect but there were no fish!  But we ended up having a good time out on the water and counted it as another great day of fishing at Amelia Island!

Experience Angler Comes Through with Big Redfish

I fished this afternoon with the Ahrens family, Brian and Jenifer and their young son Henry, and they also brought along Jenifer's grandfather Richard.  We left the City marina and headed up to Jolley river to fish an outgoing tide with the oysters already exposed.  I set up outside a large creek runout and the anglers began to toss out float rigs with mud minnows or shrimp. They almost immediately began to get bites but they turned out to be small saltwater Perch and then they picked up a couple of Croake and a couple of hungry Seatrout.   For a while there the breeze died down to nothing and it almost felt like August again!  We made a run back to Jolley "bank" and fished it with jigs and minnows and shrimp.  We thought we had a good shot a couple of times at a Bonnethead Shark but it just wouldn't eat what we were offering.  Then, at a marsh runout, Brian hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder.  Shortly after that we had a another bite and young Henry fought the fish.  He did an excellent job of reeling it in and landed another nice Flounder, just a tad bit bigger than his dads!  But Brian wasn't finished yet and pulled another Flounder out of the same spot!  After catching a Stingray we made a run around to Tiger "pirate" Island and fished the downed logs.  Things heated up hear.  Henry caught a nice feisty Redfish to garner the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Flounder and Redfish.  Henry followed that up with another keeper Flounder then Great Grand Dad Richard got in on the action.  And boy did he!  He had a strong hookup and this one bent his rod double, FISH ON!  He played the big fish patiently and as it dove deep and tried to go under the boat he applied some gently pressure and brought it back out.  The big fish made a couple of drag ripping runs but it was no match for Richard.  He brought the fish to the surface and we netted a big 24" Slot Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  We continued to fish the area and Brian landed a couple more feisty Redfish.
And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Redfish No Show

We had a full moon last night and a forecasted high flood tide this morning at 9:12am so I met James Machado at 7 and we headed out with a boat load of fly rods to hunt for tailing Redfish.  We were on time and immediately saw that some areas were flooding so we eased up and began to look for tails.  At the first spot we saw none so we crossed over to where some mullet were cruising the bank and James tossed a topwater lure until he had a hungry Seatrout explode on it and he hooked it up. We then got serious about the flood tide and hit flooded grass flat after flooded grass flat - to no avail.  Everywhere we looked seemed perfect conditions, but not a one did we see.  Luckily I had a good handful of mud minnows left over from yesterdays trip so we rigged up some float rigs and began to toss them to the edge of the flooded grass. You gotta do what you gotta do!  We soon began to get bites and when James' float went under with a surge we knew he had a decent fish on.  He played the fish perfectly and soon landed a nice 18" keeper sized Seatrout.  We fished the area for a while and we both had a couple of Seatrout and then James landed a feisty Redfish.  We made a short run to the mouth of a large creek and tossed the minnows again.  James had a few more Seatrout with one of them being of keeper size.  We also had a Redfish or two.  The weather was outstanding, the fishing peaceful, and it turned out to be a great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Afternoon Fishing Produces a Variety

I did an afternoon trip today, fishing out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. I had met Marty and Lois Peltzer after noon and we headed up to Tiger Island to fish the last hour or so of an outgoing tide.  We were tossing jigs and minnows and after just a short while Marty hooked up with a nice fish, played it perfectly, and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder.  Shortly after that we had another strong hookup and it fought bigger than it's size!  Lois reeled it in and when we netted it we saw that it was a small Grouper!  That's a first in a long while! We continued to fish the island and Marty landed a feisty Redfish then a hungry Seatrout to round out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder.  We then made a run around to Jolley River and fished the "bank" with jigs as the tide started back in.  There was tons of bait and we saw a big Bonnethead Shark cruising the oysters but it would have none of what we were offering.  We picked up another keeper sized Flounder and another Trout then ran further up the river to fish Snook Creek.  Although we had a few nibbles we had no real bites other than tangling with a high flying Ladyfish - the "poor mans Tarpon".  After cruising Cumberland Island to see some wild horses, we made one last stop outside of Tiger Island. Marty put one more Seatrout in the boat and we had another Ladyfish to wrap the day up,  another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Super Grand Slam for Young Lady Angler

I fished this afternoon with Kevin Flynn and his daughter Madelyn.  Again, the weather was super nice, warming to shirt sleeve temperatures and we had a slight breeze to help keep the bugs off.  We made a quick run up to Tiger Island to catch the first of an incoming tide.  I think it was Kevin's first cast when he had a strong hookup and a good deep diving battle.  He played the fish perfectly and patiently and after a good battle landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum - this is the first Drum in a long while.  We fished the logs thoroughly and a little late Maddy had a bite...we thought it got hung up in a downed log...but then it came free!  She worked the fish in to the boat and landed a keeper sized 16" Sheepshead, another first in a long while.  From the same spot Kevin had another strong bite and boated a 20" Slot Sized Redfish to give the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Drum, Sheepshead, and Redfish!  But these two anglers weren't finished!  They boated a couple of small Flounder to score a "Grand Slam", then we headed up to Jolley River to fish the "bank".  Within minutes Kevin's float disapeared and he had a good fight on his hands.  He played the big fish to the boat and we netted a nice 18" Seatrout.  Now they had a "Super Grande Slam"!  We fished the bank from south to north and just as we were about to leave Maddy had a strange bite.  She cranked the fish and it came to the surface it began to fight but it was too late and we netted a big 17"  Flounder!  We hit a couple of more spots, one in particular produce a good handful of Seatrout for Maddy, then we called it day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Flounder Bonanza

Boy what a pretty day we had today!  It was chilly enough to wear a fleece but there was only a slight breeze when I met Sean and Meagan Rosenquist down at the City docks at sunrise. The tide was high and just going out when we made our first stop outside of  Tiger Island.  I had Sean tossing a topwater lure up on the bow and Meagan was throwing a float rig with live shrimp and they almost immediately began to get hookups.  Trout were nailing the topwater lure and Meagan was hooking up with Trout, too.  We fished the area until the bite slowed then we made a run up to Jolley River and to the mouth of Snook Creek.  We had been fishing for just a short while when Meagan had a strong hookup and, FISH ON!  She played the big fish patiently and after good battle, landed a nice Slot 21" Redfish!  We fished for a short while longer, picked up another few smaller Reds and a couple of Trout, then we moved back to Jolley Bank, switching jigs.  Now Sean's rod heated up.  He landed a nice keeper sized 14" Flounder, then a 16" one, then his biggest, a nice 17" Flounder!  We had a few more Redfish and Trout then made a final stop back at Tiger Island.  Meagan got back on the board when she put another nice Flounder in the boat, a big 18" fish!  I think we had another Redfish or two, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Having the Hot Hand

I fished yesterday afternoon with Kevin Clickett and his son Jack.  We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock with a weather forecast of a slight chance of rain, with winds 10-12mph with gusts to 20.  But we had a game plan to fish on the lee side of a land mass so with that in mind we headed out and sure enough, our first stop was like fishing on a calm pond.  It turned out to be a beautiful morning with our float rigs out and the sun coming up, but we had no real bites for the first 45 minutes!  At our second stop we went to jigs and minnows to fish some dock pilings.  We had a few nibbles then

finally a strong hookup, FISH ON!  Young Jack played the big fish patiently and even though it made a couple of strong runs, he kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish!  If we're only going to get one fish in two hours then it's great to get a nice fish like that!  But these two anglers were not going to be denied.  We made a short run to a second spot, began to fish some more dock pilings and in a short instance, Jack had hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout.  Then we a had a good flurry of catching small but feisty Redfish.  Just before we left neither Kevin or I were getting any bites so Jack stepped up with the "hot hand", made a  cast, and landed one more Seatrout to his catch total.  We then ran around to Tiger Island through some fairly choppy water but when we got in behind the islands it wasn't too bad.  Kevin had a strange bite and hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  He then added one more feisty Redfish before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

First Cast Redfish

We had a beautiful morning today with slightly overcast skies and just a slight breeze.  I had met Greg and Julie Gerken down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp on an outgoing tide.  We headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff to fish a still flooded oyster bank with jigs an mud minnows.  I think it was Julie's first cast, a good one up to the marsh grass, and she had a hookup!  That's a great way to start a fishing trip.  She worked the fish in patiently and landed a nice feisty Redfish.  We worked the bank slowly and a
little later Greg got on the board when a hungry Seatrout tapped his jig and Greg hooked him up!  There was tons of bait in the creek but we didn't have near as many good bites as I had expected.  We then decided to make the long run to Broward Island and this did the trick.  We fished the deep water for just a short while then the anglers began to get hookups.  They landed a good handful of Seatrout, Redfish and then Julie put two nice Flounder in the boat to round out her personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  We worked the area thoroughly, getting more Trout and Reds, then made a quick run back to Bubblegum Reef to fish the last 15 minutes of the trip.  Julie had made a cast out deep and was working it back slowly when, BOOM! FISH ON!  We could tell right off this was a bigger fish as it was having nothing of being reeled in. But Julie kept the pressure on as the big fish dove deep went form starboard side to port side.  She patiently played the fish and we soon netted a nice 21" Slot sized Redfish!  Now that's the we to wrap up an Amelia Island fishing trip!

Just Like Babe Ruth

The fishing seems to be getting better since all of the rain we had last week.  I met Jay Chincheck and his buddies Mark and Tim down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina this morning and we headed up to fish the logs of Tiger Island with about an hour left in a falling tide.  The anglers were tossing jigs and mud minnows and it may have been Tim's first cast when he had a strong bite and landed a nice Redfish!  Shortly after that he had an even bigger fish on.  He played the fish expertly but after a good battle the fish had other plans and ran up into the logs and cut itself off!  Then all three

anglers started catching fish.  Most all were feisty Redfish in the 15-17" range.  Jay had one Red that had 14 spots, a sure big money winner in the Spot Tournament when it grows another inch or two!  We worked the area thoroughly and just as we were about to leave, Mark had a good bite, and FISH ON!  He played the big fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish!  Then Jay followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder.  We hit our first spot one more time, picked up a few more Redfish then Mark put another keeper sized Flounder in the boat. We made

a run around to Jolley River, fished the bank where Tim put three Reds in the boat, then moved further up river to fish Snook Creek.  Again, Tim hooked up but this time it turned out to be a very nice 18" keeper sized Seatrout to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Trout.  Jay picked up another Trout shortly after that and Mark added a feisty Redfish.  We ran back to the marina, made a pit stop for lunch, then ran south to fish the Horsehead Area. Our first stop proved fruitless as it appears the Mangrove Snapper have gone.  Our second stop was up in Christopher Creek where Tim added another Redfish.  We were visited by a small alligator who seemed to have no fear of humans because he swam right up to the boat and hovered for a handout.  We then made a run down to Broward Island and even though the tide was way up we fished the logs anyway.  Jay spotted a small protected pocket and called his shot, just like Babe Ruth, "I'm getting a big fish in there", and made his cast perfectly.  A split second later he had a hookup and FISH ON!  This was a bigger fish and even though it headed for the logs, Jay worked it out and when he got it out deeper, played it patiently.  After a good battle, we landed another big 22" Slot Redfish!  We hit one more area, fished some float rigs, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Slammin Redfish

I fished this morning with Don and Bev Horton, who met me at the
Atlantic Seafood dock with plans to fish the very first of an incoming tide.  We made our first run up to the Jolley River and began to fish the exposed oysters of a long bank.  Here the tide still hadn't made up it's mind to start coming in but the two anglers warmed up, getting used to my light tackle spinning gear.  Just as the tide started in they began to catch fish on our jig and shrimp combo.  Bev tricked a "baitstealer" into biting her hook then she
really knocked the skunk off when she hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  From then on the two anglers landed fish after fish, mostly feisty Redfish which were a beautiful copper color.  But Don added a Flounder then Bev landed on of her own to tally her first Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder!  We worked the area thoroughly, switched to float rigs as the tide got up, and landed a few more Redfish.  We ran further up the river where Bev switched back to the jig rig.  She caught Reds on the jig while Don caught them on the float.  We ran back and through Tiger Creek to Bell River and fished a little more with the float rigs then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Rain Let Up

We've endured about a week of rain here at Amelia Island but the weather forecast called for only a 20% chance of rain this morning so Mike Gintoff, is buddy John Souter made the short drive from Elizabeth Pointe Lodge and met me down at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp to chance an early morning fishing trip.  As it turned out, we didn't get wet,  but the wind made it difficult for my boatmanship and the anglers fishing.  However, these two anglers had great attitudes and were up to the challenge!  We fished the docks of Lanceford Creek and even though we were out of the wind
and had a few bites, we had no takers so we made a run around to Tiger Island.  Here the two fished between the logs and eventually both picked up some nice, fat Seatrout.  We ran through Tiger Basin over to Bell River and set up behind a large flooded oyster bed and this did the trick.  Both anglers began to get hookups, landing a handful of Seatrout and then a few hard fighting Redfish.  When the bite slowed we hit one more spot, a small grass patch back at Lanceford Creek.  Mike picked up another Redfish and John battled an even larger Redfish but it was not to be.  The big fish got big for a reason and new all the tricks, it roiled to the surface then burrowed it's nose down in the oysters and cut itself off!  But we had a great time and even though the skies stayed overcast, it was another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Snapper Still Here

I fished this morning with Duncan Warren and boy what a beautiful morning we had!  Sunny skies as the sun came up and only a slight breeze made for a perfect day to fish here at Amelia Island.  We had met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff to fish the very last of an incoming tide.  It took just a little while to get bites but after tangling with a Ladyfish, Duncan put a nice Seatrout in the boat to knock the skunk off.  We had another couple of Seatrout along that
first stretch, a feisty Redfish, and another couple of Ladyfish.  We then fished another bank and here picked up a couple of more Seatrout (all of these on float rigs with live shrimp).  We then fished a creek run out, this time with a jig and shrimp.  Duncan was fishing the rig perfectly and when his line went tight he set the hook and hooked up with another hard fighting Redfish.  We made a run around to Seymore's Pointe to fish some rocks with the float rigs again and within minutes Duncan had a hookup!  This fish was fighting hard to get back in the rocks but Duncan worked him out patiently and put a nice keeper sized Vermillion Snapper in the boat.  For the next 45 minutes we had good bites and hookups and a few of them turned out to be about 16" - the biggest Snapper we've had all year.  I counted 8-10 Snapper that we put in the boat before the Needlefish began to get too pesky so we made a run to briefly fish Broward Island where we picked up one more Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Those Feisty Redfish

I fished again today with the Richardson men, Allen and his son
Mark and son-in-law Jason.  This time we met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in Fernandina  Beach and ran north to fish the Jolley River on the first of an outgoing tide.  The grass was still flooded and it took a while to get some bites but when they came, boy did we get some bites!  Jason was 2 for 2 starting things off, catching the first fish of both days, this time a hungry Seatrout, which he proved adept at!  We fished around a large creek mouth and as we got to the other side the fish caching heated up.  All three anglers began to catch fun to feisty Redfish - not a lot of size to them, but fun to catch.  These fish are ranging between 12"-16" in length and appear to be adding some girth.  Jason had one fish hit hard and break the braided line, taking hook, float and some line.  Twice we saw the float pop up near the grass so we made a plan to grab the float and net the fish in one swoop.  But the fish attached was having none of it.  On the second try we retrieved the float and hook, but no fish!  Mark was at the bow of the boat and when he had a stronger hookup we knew this was a bigger fish.  He played the fish perfectly and patiently and soon landed a nice Slot 22" Redfish.  We dropped back to fish Jolley Bank and again the fish catching heated up.  There was a few times where we had "double" hookups and almost a triple.  The anglers were landing Redfish, Ladyfish, Blues, Jack Crevalle, Perch and Jason added a keeper sized Seatrout.  Our last stop was over at Bell River, fishing some docks and here Allen put a nice Redfish in the boat and Jason added one more Seatrout. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Beautiful Day for Fishing

Today's weather was almost perfect!  It stayed sunny all morning,  we had very little breeze, and it didn't get too hot.  I had met Allen Richardson and his son Mark and son in law Jason down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp at 7am and we headed north up the Amelia River to fish Jackstaff on an outgoing tide.  I had mud minnows and live shrimp in the well and we used both under float rigs.  We had trolled the bank for about 25 yards, tossing to the marsh grass, when Jason had a hookup and the first fish of the day, a nice, feisty Redfish! Both he and Allen had found a spot and they

had a good flurry of catching these Redfish and then they added a Trout and a couple of Ladyfish to the catch.  Mark got in on the action and he too landed a couple of the Redfish. Before we left the area the anglers switched to jigs and Mark put a Seatrout in the boat.  We made a run around to the Nassau River and fished "Twin Creeks", with two of the anglers tossing jigs and Jason fishing a float rig along the marsh grass.  I think it was Mark's first cast and he hooked up with Redfish.  He went back to the spot, put another couple of Reds in the boat, then had a weird bite, but FISH ON!  He

worked the fish in patiently and put the first keeper fish in the boat, a nice Flounder.  This rounded out Mark's personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder.  We then made a run to Broward Island and even though it seemed conditions were just right, the fish weren't co-operating.  But Allen was able to manage a Seatrout then later Jason had a good hookup and put an nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

These Ladies Can Fish

I fished this morning with Lisa Duke and her visiting childhood friends Mary and Jan.  We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock with the tide going out with a couple of hours to go so we headed up to fish the Tiger Island logs with jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows.  We hadn't been fishing long when Jan picked up a hungry Croaker then a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off" the boat!  We fished the island south then north and all three anglers put Redfish in the boat.  Then Lisa had a strong hookup, and...
FISH ON!  This fish was pulling drag and we could tell right of that it was bigger.  But Lisa played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish! We continued to fish the island and the trio put a Seatrout and a Sheepshead in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Sheepeshead.  Then Mary had a strong hookup but here line went slack and we thought she'd lost it but then all of a sudden a huge Ladyfish came out of the water right at the boat!  There was a lot of yelling (screaming) going on but I stood fast and netted the high flying fish!  As it hit the deck both Lisa and Jan yelled, "Fish on!" and they too had fish!  They both fought their fish expertly and soon Lisa put a keeper size Flounder (a Grande Slam)  in the boat and Jan landed another Redfish.  When the bite slowed we made our way to Jolley Bank and fished the first of an incoming tide.  Here the anglers stayed pretty busy catching  Redfish, Seatrout, Croaker, Catfish, and Perch while tangling again and again with Ladyfish.  We ran out of bait just as we were ready to wrap up so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Elusive Redfish (Part 2)

We had another flood tide this morning and this time we were going after them with fly gear.  I had met Joe Cieslukowski down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina as the tide was still coming in so we headed up to the Jolley River to do some blind casting for warm up!  There was tons of finger mullet coming in with the tide and fish seemed to be striking them along the marsh grass but none would take the flies we offered them. I had Joe start out with light gurgler pattern, switched to a minnow pattern, then went to a sinking fly, but we had no bites.  The water was creeping into the grass so we made a run around to Tiger Basin and began to check the flats for Redfish.  It was a later tide than yesterday and not quite as high as it turned out, but we persevered and just as the tide peaked we began to see fish.  They had moved east from yesterday but we could hear them sucking fiddler crabs off the grass and we found them that way.  Their tails weren't rally up and waving but their backs would come out of the water along with their mouths.  Joe made some excellent casts but the fish were moving along so fast (I believe getting in their last mouthfuls of crabs before they moved out to deeper watear) and they just wouldn't eat our fly.  But Joe had discovered tailing Red flats fishing and began to see them before me.  We had a shot at 5-6 fish but had no takers but still counted it as another great day to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

Digging Them Out of The Grass

I fished early this morning with Sharla and Bruce Newkirk, meeting at the Atlantic Seafood dock and heading north to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide.  We had an arsenal of weapons - topwater lures, float rigs and mud minnows, jigs and plastic grubs and jigs and minnows!  We fished Jolley "bank" the whole stretch and even though there were fishing busting bait up near the grass we had no real bites other than a few spits at our top water lures, but Bruce did pick up a small hungry Bluefish.  We made a run back around an Gator Spoon and made some excellent casts but the fish didn't see it.  Then we began to see tails at the bow of the boat and at the stern!  Sharla got in on the action and both anglers were casting to tailing fish. But no takers!  We decided to back out and check the previous flat and as we sat there we could hear huge fish slurping in the distance and when we looked way out, about 75 yards away, we could see Big Redfish with their back out of the water! Sharla spotted another creeklet on the other side so we eased around the marsh with the trolling motor and up into the flat.  Sure enough, there were big fish still there.  Bruce made pinpoint cast with the spoon and BOOM! FISH ON!  He played the Slot Redfish perfectly and worked it to the boat and I almost had him with the net. Almost! The big fish made a run, rounded the bow and headed for thicker grass and deep water and BAP!  FISH OFF!  Oh man that hurt!   But Bruce was not to be denied!  We continued to see big Reds slurping bait and when a huge tail came into range, Bruce placed another gold Gator Spoon just off to the side of this fish and as he slowly reeled it in, BOOM! BIG FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly, applying some gentle pressure as it made some strong runs, but it was no match for Bruce and his tackle. After a good battle the fish was subdued and we netted a nice oversized 28 1/2" Redfish!  After a couple of pictures we released the fish back in the deeper creek and it swam away to be caught another day.  We checked out one more flat then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!
through Tiger Basin to fish the Bell River with the float rigs and minnows and in no time the two anglers landed fish.  First Bruce put a hungry Seatrout in the boat then Sharla had a hookup that seemed bigger.  She played the fish perfectly and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  She then followed that up with a feisty Redfish.  We fished the area for a while with high hopes but the bite had stopped as quickly as it began.  We ran back to Tiger Basin and with the marsh grass flooding, began to look for "tailing" Redfish.  Our first three flats produced nothing but on the fourth we could see a Redfish wallowing around even as we pulled up to the flat!  But in my excitement I got the boat too close and it was gone!  We eased up into a creeklet in the marsh and found another flooded flat and quickly spotted another tail!  Bruce was ready with a spinning rod and gold

The Elusive Redfish

We had overcast skies this morning but the rain was supposed to hold off to late afternoon so we went for a "tailing Redfish" trip during the high flood tides.  I had met Rick and Michele Lusk early this morning and after we had gone over some preliminary flood tide fly casting tips, headed north up to Tiger Basin in search of the elusive Redfish!  I think it was our third flat when we spotted a hungry Redfish, nose down with his tail out of the water.  We lowered the river anchor quietly, grabbed a fly rod, and .....the fish disappeared!  Well, darn it!  We saw it one more time but had no
chance to cast the fly.  We checked out another couple of flats then I dropped the trolling motor and eased way back into the marsh where we were right in the middle of a number of flooded grass flats.  This time both Rick and Michele saw a tail pop up right behind the boat.  Again, we had the fly rod ready but saw the tailing fish no more!  We decided to hit one more flat that has held fish in the past and sure enough, just as we eased up to the flooded grass - "there's a tail!"  This one was just out of range but wallowing around in the grass looking for food so both Rick and I eased over the side with fly rod in hand....and it disappeared! Double darn it!  We waited patiently for a while and when the tail popped up again we had a  couple of casts at it but no takers.  After a little fly casting practice in the grass we headed up Lanceford Creek and broke out some spinning gear rigged with float rigs then baited them up with live mud minnows.  It wasn't long before both anglers had fish.  Rick landed a hungry Blue then when his float went under a second time he new this one had some size to it.  He played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  Shortly after that he put a feisty Redfish in the boat then Michele followed that up with one of her own.  We fished some docks before we left and the anglers caught a high flying Ladyfish and Rock Bass.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Light Tackle Shark

We had another beautiful day to be out fishing Amelia Island waters today.  I had met Henry Weiner down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina this morning and we made a short run around to the outside of Tiger Island to fish float rigs and live shrimp on an outgoing tide.  We set up at a larger creek run out and began to get bites almost immediately.  Except that's what they turned out to be, just bites. Baitstealers!  But Henry began to get hookups and each fish turned out to be a different species which was kinda neat.  We
fished the area for a while, moved around behind Tiger and fished a little more, picking up a keeper sized Flounder. We also saw some beautiful wildlife - a Rosette Spoonbill, Osprey and leaping Tarpon.   Our next stop was up to Jolley River where we fished another creek run out.  Here Henry landed a hungry Seatrout, a Ladyfish, a Blue fish which added to the variety.  He then picked up a couple of Feisty Redfish  to round out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam of Flounder, Seatrout and Redfish.  Then out of no where a big fish hit!  Henry's rod bent double and has line began to sing, FISH ON!  This big fish headed fast for deep water and I knew it was going to be a Shark.  Henry played the fish patiently, working it from starboard to port and from bow to stern.  The big fish went to the bottom a few times then began to surface as Henry applied the pressure.  After a good battle Henry landed a four foot Bonnethead Shark!  Our last stop was at Jolly Bank where caught a few more fish then called it a day,
another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Post Holiday Fishing Trip

The long weekend is over and I had the opportunity to fish with Ron and Eric Brown this morning, and boy what a pretty morning it was!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on the very last of an outgoing tide.  The anglers hadn't been fishing long with mud minnows and jigs when Eric hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish.  Knocking the "skunk" off the boat real early gave me high hopes for a "fish catching" day.  We fished a while longer and Eric put his Redfish in the boat and the friendly competition was on! 

Our next stop was Tiger Island and Eric went one up on his dad when he landed another Redfish then we made a run around to Jolley River to fish "the bank".  There was a flurry of bites with Ron landing another Redfish to tie it up then Eric put one in the boat to pull ahead.  But Ron was not to be outdone and found a nice keeper sized Flounder.  Eric tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish but they threw the hook right at the boat.  We fished Snook Creek with no real bites then moved around to the MOA as our last stop.  Just as we were about to pull up, Eric had a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout which put him in lead of the 2014 Brown's Vacation Fishing Tournament!  It also gave the duo an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Finally Some Slot Reds

This morning we fished out of Big Talbot Island Park.  I met Bob Funk and his son Brad, and daughter-in-law Tiffany at 7am and we headed up the Nassau River to beat the holiday crowd.  Our first stop was at Bubblegum Reef and although the tide was perfect -the first of the incoming- we caught no fish.  We then made a run to Broward Island and being further up the river, the tide was still going out.  The anglers were making pin point casts to the downed logs and it didn't take long before they began to get hookups.  They
were catching a pretty good mess of feisty Redfish then landed a couple of Seatrout.  As Tiffany worked her jig and mud minnow slowly out from the bank something big hit it out deep and, FISH ON!  She fought the fish patiently and despite the coaching landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish!  Bob got in on the Slot Red action a little later and put another one in the boat.  We continued to fish the area and just when we'd think the bite was over the trio would begin to catch more fish.  Brad seemed to have the hottest rod of the day and landed both Redfish and Seatrout regularly.  The sun was up and it was getting hot and the bait had run out so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Young Captain Puts Us on The Fish

I also fished yesterday afternoon, this time with Bill Gower and his grandson Aaron and Aaron's Uncle Jeff.  We again headed north to Jolley River to fish an outgoing tide with float rigs and live (kinda) shrimp and mud minnows.   Young Aaron almost immediately had a hookup and landed a nice feisty Redfish!  We had a really good flurry there for a while with all three anglers getting bites and hookups, landing Reds and Croaker and Perch.  We fished further up the river, had some nibbles, then dropped back to "Jolley Bank" and switched to jigs to fish the oyster beds.  We again had some

Redfish and you could almost count on a Croaker if your jig was baited with shrimp.  From here on Aaron wore the Captain's hat and guided the boat to our next stop behind Tiger Island to fish the deep waters.  They had some bites and it took a while but eventually they put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat. After that, Aaron took us in, driving the boat all the way to the marina, and with that, we called it  a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Lot's of Fish

We fished Saturday morning, the Buben family and I, leaving out of the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina to head north and fish the Jolley River area on an incoming tide.  We hit the "bank" first, fishing jigs and minnows and almost immediately began to get fish.  Both Hunter and Austin picked up feisty Redfish and their mom Lisa did too!  The group also landed  Seatrout, a big handful of Croaker, and then Ben landed a Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Austin had the weird fish of the day, a
Stingray.  We move up to Snook Creek and picked up a couple of more Redfish and Croaker then made our last stop outside of Tiger Island where Hunter wrapped up the trip with another feisty Redfish.  With that, we called it a morning, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Picture Perfect Weather

I'm pretty sure I heard on the radio this morning that we had a record low temperature for August and you sure could tell it out on the water.  I had met Phil and Rachel Shaw down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina at 7am and we headed up the river with just a slight breeze.  Boy did it feel good!  Our first stop was the Jolley River and the anglers began casting float rigs with live shrimp and mud minnows up to the edge of the marsh grass on an incoming tide.  It was only a few minutes when Phil hooked up and landed a nice Seatrout.  Then he caught another one!  He was getting good bites but Rachel was not to be out fished and she too had a hookup, this time landing a feisty Redfish.  The duo had some good bites for a while and landed a few more fish.  Before we left the area, Phil caught a stingray and had a Flounder to the boat while Rachel caught one more Redfish.  We ran further up the river and fished another bank.  The bait was really moving along the grass line and both Phil and Rachel were putting their baits up close but had no takers, until Phil's float disappeared and, FISH ON!  This was a bigger fish that put up a good battle, but Phil was patient and took his time landing the fish but land it he did, a nice fat keeper sized Seatrout!  We fished Snook Creek briefly, made a stop at Tiger Island and fished the jigs, then ran through the marsh to fish Bell River.  Phil again found some fish and they landed a couple of more Seatrout and Bluefish.  With that, we called it a dy, another great one to be fishing Amelia Isalnd waters!