A Trout Here. A Trout There.

I fished with the Pete Nolan group Friday morning - a group of guys who came down for a weekend of fishing here at Amelia Island. I took three anglers while Captain Jim Johnson took 2 and we headed our separate ways to fish the back waters of Amelia Island. I ran my guys around to the outside of Tiger Island and set up along some marsh grass on a high and incoming tide. A real high and incoming tide! Not the best of conditions, especially with the wind blowing 12-13 and forecasted rain showers, but these anglers
were game to get out on the water and fish.

They began making casts with their float rigs and live shrimp to the marsh grass and it wasn't long before we picked up a couple of Seatrout. I thought, "oh boy, here we go", but that was the extent of our catch. So we ran around behind Tiger, peeked at some flooding flats, then continued on around to Bell River, but to no avail. We buzzed back through Tiger and around and up to the Jolley River and fished some more grass and picked up another Trout.

Continuing on, we made a final stop in the upper reaches of Bell River, fishing some docks with jigs and here we found a couple of more trout down on the bottom. Although it was an overcast day with a wind blowing the water further up into the marsh, we made the best of it and were able to put a few fish in the boat, and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Six Good Reasons to Fish Amelia Island in the Fall

1)  The Weather is nicer!  Who wants to fish in the summer heat or the winter cold?  Sometimes we do, but if we had our choice it’d be fishing the mild days of spring and fall.  Summertime trips start early to try and beat the heat.  Even if you have just booked a half a day, by 10am it’s hot!  Booka fishing trip at Amelia Island this fall and enjoy mild temperatures and a great day of fishing.

2)  It’s less crowded on the water!  Most guides and charter boat captains have a plan in their heads about where they’re going to fish depending on what the tides are for the day.  Imagine making your first run to a spot, coming around the corner and there’s three boats sitting on the spot you had intended to fish!  The captain has to make a quick change of plans.  Most of us have other spots we can go to, but our first choice was just taken!  Fish Amelia Island in the fall and there are less anglers out on the water taking up those prime spots!

3) Less “baitstealers”, better fish!  During the summer months everything is biting, but that includes pinfish, perch, croaker, bonnethead shark, stingrays, etc.  You’ll get some quality fish like Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder, but you have to work through all of the “baitstealers”.  When the water temperature cools there are less trash fish to deal with and better overall fishing.

4) The Captain is less grumpy!  Can you imagine a captain’s attitude who has fished 25-30 trips in the hot months of July?  He’s going on very little sleep and each day is a blur.  There’s a very good chance his patience level is down a bit.   During the prime fall fishing months there are less visitors to the island, less trips, and the Captain is in a lot better mood and eager to fish.

5) The Captain is more flexible!  When a captain has 25-30 trips a month and is turning away 5 or so trips a week, there’s not a whole lot of room to be flexible.  He’s booked and there’s no window to work around your schedule.  But in the Fall, he’s not fishing every day and may be flexible in his schedule to accommodate your time.  You’ll find that he is more than happy to be flexible to get your trip booked.

6) Hotels and Resorts may have better rates.   The Spring Break and Summer tourist seasons have come and gone.  If you keep your eye open,  you may find better rates from the Amelia Island hotels and resorts.

And a bonus reason:

 It’s oyster roasting season!   When the first cold spells hit you know it’s time to fire up a fire pit and roast some oysters!  Break out the hot sauce, salteen crackers and the beverage of your choice and enjoy a great afternoon of standing around a fire and roasting oysters.

Contact Capt. Lawrence Piper and set up your fishing trip today!  lwpiper@comcast.net 904-557-1027

Visit www.TheAnglersMark.com for more information.

Grande Slam Kind Of Day

Wow what a pretty morning! And it only got better! I met Joanne and Frank Esch down at the Big Talbot Island Park, early, and we made the short run up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff to begin a slow creep along the marsh line on the very last of an outgoing tide. The two anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and making excellent casts to the still exposed oysters...and got nibbled, nibbled, nibbled and...nibbled. Baitstealers!  But finally, Joanne had a hookup and put a hungry Seatrout into the boat. We
crossed over and fished a sandbar/point and again, nibblers.

We buzzed through Horsehead and around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and this did the trick. Both anglers were fishing out of the stern and within minutes were catching fish. They caught a Trout or two, then both of them put a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the  boat. We also picked up a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. Frank added a keeper sized Seatrout.

We eased around and hit another dock and drifted float rigs along the rocks. After some bait got blown up near the shore and behind the boat, Joanne drifted a live shrimp thru the same spot. The float slowly disappeared, the hook was set and, FISH ON! This was a big fish! Joanne played it perfectly (and in the meantime Frank put another keeper sized Mangrove in the boat) and after a good battle she landed a big 21" Flounder! Boy what a fish! This fish puts Joanne in second place in the 2017 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings)  Then Frank made an excellent cast to the rocks, drifted slowly and BOOM! Another
big fish on! He worked it expertly to the boat and landed a nice 23" Slot sized Redfish.

After a short run down the Nassau River we fished a runout and a grass line and found a couple of Trout, a couple of feisty Redfish, and a few hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Then we hit Twin Creeks and drifted our float rigs across the mouths  and found what must have been a huge school of Seatrout. We caught one after the other after the other - most were 14.75", but Joanne and Frank found three more keeper sized fish. We left the biting! What a great way to end an excellent fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida

One Lucky Spot

The mornings are just getting better and better since Hurricane Maria passed way off in the Atlantic. Today I met Domenic Ferelli and his friend Bob up at the north end ramp and we made a quick run over to Lanceford Creek with a plan to fish some dock pilings (that was all that was left from Irma!) on a low and incoming tide. The two anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and even though the conditions were perfect, the fish didn't cooperate!

We came back and around the outside of Tiger and made a brief

stop at a small marsh run out, still tossing jigs and live shrimp, but here we had not even a nibble. We bounced around to the Jolley River and switched to float rigs with the live shrimp and we began to ease along a marsh line, facing into the current. Domenic and Bob were making excellent casts and figured out that they didn't have to make a pin point cast - they could just toss it up current and let the breeze and current move their baits up near the shoreline and BOOM! Redfish on! Bob knocked the skunk off with a feisty Red, then Domenic followed that up with a big 25" Slot sized fish. From then on they were catching Reds. Most of them were around 16", but once in while they added another Slot fish. We fished that shore for a good hour or so then moved on up the river to fish some more flooded oyster beds.

Although we couldn't match the success of the previous spot. we did have a couple of good bites that ripped some drag before throwing the hook.

After coming back to the outside of Tiger, Bob added another Redfish and both anglers tangled with some small Mangrove Snapper. One more spot produced a Spotted Seatrout before we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

First Black Drum In A While

The wind died down just a tad today and it made for a great day of fishing with the Dowling boys - Alton, Chris, Devon and Elijah. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early and headed over to Tiger Island with plans to pitch the logs with jigs and live shrimp.  It was ideal conditions, the tide had just started back in, and these anglers were making great casts, but the fish just didn't want to cooperate.  I think we got skunked there.

Our next stop was up in the Jolley River and we worked the "bank" with float rigs tossed up near the bank. Alton got things started when he had a good hookup, played it perfectly and with Elijah's help, landed a nice, fat and feisty Redfish. Shortly after that Devon added another, then Chris followed that up with another.

After running further up the river we found another bank that was now flooding with the incoming tide and this did the trick. Alton
had found a "honey hole" and began to catch one Red after the other. Then he had a bite and this fish began to rip drag - it wasn't coming to the boat. But Alton kept the pressure on. The big fish rolled up at the surface then Alton slowly worked it to the boat and landed a "Tournament sized" 26.75" Redfish - boy what a fish! We fished that area for while and had a good handful of smaller Reds.

We ran a back towards Fernandina, slipped thru Tiger and over to Bell River and set up at a point of grass. Alton caught the only Seatrout of the day and then Chris had a good hookup. Again, this fish wasn't coming to the boat. He fought it patiently, from bow to stern and from starboard to port and after a good battle, landed a handsome 18" Black "puppy" Drum. We had another Red or two, a handful of small Mangrove Snapper, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Working the Fly Rod

With another hurricane sweeping by way out in the Atlantic, Amelia Island had some winds blowing

today - what a time to get in some fly fishing, right? That was the plan when I met Patrick Seidensticker up at the north end ramp and with a couple of the long rods and some spin gear for back up, we headed over to Tiger to take advantage of  the trees to block the 10mph wind.

Patrick was making excellent casts, pitching a couple of weighted fly patterns up between the logs and stumps. He was making excellent casts but it was difficult to keep the fly down in the deep

water. We switched back ad forth from fly to spin (and live shrimp) and after he got few bumps on the shrimp he went back to the fly and BAM! Fish on! Patrick eased the fish in slowly with his line hand and soon landed a nice Seatrout.

We worked up and down the bank, switching from fly to spin and found a Slot sized Redfish, a smaller Red and then Patrick hooked up with what we thought was going to be another Trout. It came up to the surface and thrashed but Patrick kept the pressure on and when we netted the fish we were both surprised to see a Snook!  This is only the 5th Snook I've had landed on my boat in the twelve years I've been guiding here at Amelia Island.

We hit some docks over at Lanceford Creek, caught a couple of Mangrove Snapper, fished a grass patch and added a Seatrout, fished Bell River, and ended up Eagans Creek to try and get out of the increasing wind. Although the wind made it tough, we still counted it a another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Seatrout Surge

I had the pleasure of fishing with Bob Blalock again today, this time meeting him up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and boat ramp - early this morning. The water was calm with just a slight breeze but the forecast called for increasing winds, so we made a quick run over to Eagans Creek with plans to fish some dock pilings before the tide got up. Fishing jigs and live shrimp, it only took a few minutes before Bob was putting fish in the boat. As he slowly bounced his jig back from the pilings, he had a hookup and landed a

nice keeper sized Seatrout. From then on we had good action, landing a big handful of Seatrout with most being around 14" but we did add another keeper, and Bob also put some nice, feisty Redfish in the boat.

When that slowed we moved further up the creek and fished a flooding grass patch and added a couple of more Trout to the catch, caught on float rigs and live shrimp. We then ran around to fish Bell River, stayed with the float rigs, but found only a small Mangrove Snapper. We poked our bow into some flooding marsh grass but saw no Redfish Tails then eased around to the outside of Tiger and worked the marsh grass. Although we had no real bites as we got to flooded oyster bed, Bob made an excellent cast into the wind and BOOM! His float was gone! When the fish ripped some drag on Bob's reel we knew that it had some size to it. Bob played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot sized Redfish.

Our next and final stop was up the Jolley River and boy was the tide high, being pushed by the NE wind. We worked a bank slowly and Bob had his bait stolen a couple of times then he "tightened it up" and began to land Seatrout after Seatrout. They were short (14") and fat and put up an excellent fight. It was a great way to wrap up another day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Hurricane Blew In Some Good Fishing!

Now that every thing has settled down from hurricane Irma, I was able to get out on the water with Adam and Patty Garner this morning, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park on the north end of the island. There were a few logs in the river as we ran, some docks  up in the marsh and a boat here and there washed up on a sandbar.

We made our first stop over in Bell River with plans to fish a flooding oyster bar on the last of an incoming tide. Both Patty and

Adam were tossing live shrimp under a float and although we had a bite or two, there were no takers.  We started to run around to the outside of Tiger but saw that we had a really good flood tide happening so we put the bow of the boat into some flooded grass flats look for tailing Reds. The first two spots were vacant but the third was the charm!  I saw a small tail popping up now and then so Adam and I got out of the boat and began to wade slowly to the fish. But as we inched closer we began to see more tails and BIGGER tails - a couple were some huge Redfish!  We tossed a

gold weedless Gator Lure spoon to a fish here and there, spooked a couple, but had a few excellent shots that they just didn't eat. After a while the water got too deep to see any fish so we continued on around to the outside of Tiger and went back to the float rigs.

Patty was the first to strike, and strike big she did! She  had a strong hookup and her drag began to rip, FISH ON! This fish was heading to Georgia! But Patty kept the pressure on as we turned and gave chase and after a good battle she subdued the fish and we boated a

big 4' Bonnethead Shark. And shortly after Patty caught her breath she had a another strong hookup. She was an old pro by now handily landed a Slot Sized 21" Redfish!

Adam had been filming and taking pictures and soon realized that he had better get on the ball! After we crossed over to Manatee Creek his rod heated up and he put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat then he too had a strong bite. Another big fish on! Adam played it expertly and worked the fish to the boat, landing another Slot 22" Redfish. We also picked up a smaller Red and a couple of smaller Mangrove Snapper.

Our last stop was up the Jolley River and although we didn't get many bites along the first bank we fished, we did see a wayward baby alligator (looking for a volunteer?) drifting down the river. We bounced across a creek mouth and found a "honey hole" of some Redfish. Adam pulled in 3-4 small but stout Reds out of one spot then Patty eased in with her cast and she too picked up a couple. Adam went further up the river and BOOM! Big Bite! Fish On! He played it patiently and put the third Slot Red in the boat, this one measuring at 25". The two tagged teamed a good handful of smaller Reds, sometimes getting double hookups, then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Mangrove Snapper Come Through

It appears today's trip may be my last before Hurricane Irma figures out which way she's going to head. I fished with Nick and Misty Irma, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and after run up the Nassau River we eased in to Pumpkin Hill with plans to fish the still flooding tide with float rigs and mud minnows.  Both anglers were making excellent casts and we got nibbles right off. Misty got things started when she snagged one of the pesky fish, a small 6" Mangrove Snapper. We found no Trout
along the edge but as we repositioned along another flooded marsh line, they began to get more bites. The small Snapper were still there but they also landed a couple of Ladyfish then Nick hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish.

Our next stop was over in Christopher Creek, taking advantage of the last of that incoming tide, and here we switched to jigs and minnows. We worked the rocks and docks and finally, Nick hooked

up and landed a small Flounder. We treated to the sight of a flock of Rosette Spoonbills roosting on a downed tree.

We came out of the creek and back to Seymores Pointe and began fishing some rocks with the float rigs again. Although the anglers got a nibble now and then it took a while to begin to catch fish. I had just suggested that we move on and BOOM! It was like someone flipped a switch. They began to catch big, keeper sized Mangrove's - up to 14" and once they got the technique down, landed enough to fill out their bag limit - now that's a mess of fish!

After running through Horsehead we fished a small creek off of Jackstaff and here Nick added a keeper sized Trout (note the damage a predator did to its tail) and rounded out his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Friends, Fishing and Football

Nothing like getting out of town and out on the water on the first NCAA football weekend. So friends Tripp Miller, Kevin and David all came in from Atlanta and spent the morning fishing with me before they took in some football games later in the evening. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and made a short run over to Tiger Island and fished the outside marsh grass as the tide turned out from a high.  The anglers were tossing mud minnows under float rigs and begin to get bites right off.
We picked up some high-flying Ladyfish and a couple of hungry

Seatrout.

We bounced around that area, caught more Ladyfish, a handful of Mangrove Snapper and another Trout or two then we ran up to the Jolley River and eased along the "bank" and found some feisty Redfish to tangle with.

Our last stop was further up the Jolley and as we eased along some now-exposed oysters, we began to pickup one Redfish after the

other. There wasn't a lot of size to them, but there were a bunch of 'em! It was fun to be catching and it made a great way to kick off the football season here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Snapper Infestation

Boy what a beautiful morning we had today. I had met Grant Hollenbeck and his son Alex down at the south end boat ramp and as we made our first run down to Pumpkin Hill the sun was coming p behind a large cloud and made an awesome view! There was only a slight breeze so the water was like glass and when the two anglers made their first cast with float rigs and mud minnows, you ought to know it, fish on! Alex worked it in and landed a hungry Seatrout!  I thought, "here we go"! And they caught fish for a good while,
except they were small Mangrove Snapper! It was crazy how many were present. We worked a bank good and may have picked up another Trout or two, but a lot of the Snapper.

We were so close to Broward Island so we popped down there, even thought it was still a fairly high tide, going out. We worked the bank with jigs and minnows, caught another couple of Snapper and then Grant put a feisty Redfish in the boat.

Our next stop was back down the Nassau River at Spanish Drop and here things picked up. Grant was getting Seatrout out deep, just beyond a ripple, then Alex joined in -  making excellent casts to the

bank - and he too picked up a fish or two, one of which was a high flying Ladyfish. We bounced down the river and then eased along some exposed oysters and here we found a good handful of Redfish. Alex was working it good and landed a few, one after the other. Then Grant had a pretty strong bite and a hookup. He handed off to Alex who reeled in the biggest Snapper of the day! And with that, we called it, another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Crabbin for Fish

I was back up north today, fishing with Brooke Jordan, Mike, Jimmy and Christian under some overcast skies. We left the Dee Dee Bartels Park and headed over to Tiger Island, setting up outside at a grassy point and first cast, BOOM! We had a strong hookup. Jimmy was on the rod and worked in a nice keeper sized Seatrout! Now that's the way to start a day!

We were fishing live shrimp under floats on an outgoing tide and the action was pretty constant. Most fish weren't big but these anglers all caught fish - Redfish, Seatrout, Ladyfish, Mangrove Snapper and Bluefish. Young Christion was making excellent casts from the bow and landed a couple of Seatrout and a Red.  Before we left we filled the baitwell full of finger mullet (large fingers!) and then headed up to the Jolly River to fish the "bank". It was excellent conditions but the fish didn't cooperate until we reached a large marsh run out and Jimmy picked up a couple of Redfish.

Our next stop was up at the MOA and here Mike's rod heated up - he too caught a couple of Redfish. I had put out a few crab traps and one was here so Christian hauled it up and there was a big blue crab, a stone crab, and a stingray in it!  We picked up two more traps - one had two rays and the other was empty (we better not rely on crabbing for a living!) then we made one last stop at Tiger Island where the anglers wrapped up catching some rather sizable Croaker. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Copper Top

Back to "work" today! Yesterday was called off due to rain. I met John Feelisi and his fishing partner Bill down at the south end boat ramp very early - 6:30am - and we headed NW with, NO bait! I had rigged some top water lures and we tossed out a minnow trap as we passed a pool, then we made our way up to Seymores Pointe and began to fish some flooded oyster beds on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours.

Although the bite was not "on fire" John did pick up a feisty Jack Crevalle when it busted his mullet colored lure. Bill was tossing one of my Zara Spook Jr's - White w/ red head but he switched to a gold Rattletrap w/ an orange belly at the next stop at Spanish Drop and this did the trick. mHe was on fire! First, he tangled with some hard fighting Jack Crevalle's with a couple ripping drag, then he began to pickup Seatrout. He landed a couple of smalls, then a "keeper" size, then an even bigger Trout.  We bounced up and down the bank, cvaught a few fish then tossed a cast net and got some nice finger mullet.

Our next stop was back at Seymors Pointe, fishing the docks and both anglers put keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat. They weren't very big, but they made 10"!

We ran down to Broward Island, fished a run out and in short order John landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. After one good hookup that was surely a Slot Red that found it's way into some limbs and broke off, we eased down the Island, working the bank. Before we left, John picked up another Mangrove, then went back to a sandy beach and BOOM! Fish On! He worked the light tackle patiently and after a good battle landed dark copper colored Slot Redish - boy was it pretty! Note the old injury, probably a Dolphin bite.

After a brief stop at Pumpkin Hill, we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Gator Country

I wrapped up my week fishing with the Cervino family - Nick and Tara and their daughters Lila and Julia. We met down at the Big  Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning and then made the long run down to Broward Island to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide. All four anglers were tossing jig and mud minnows and within seconds were getting bites from small but feisty Mangrove Snapper. Lila "knocked the skunk off" when she landed one of them then every one was putting a fish in the boat - here and there.

We were looking for bigger fish so we eased down the island and set up again, but found the Snapper must be everywhere. The water was calm and da-dump. daaadump, daaaaaaadump - there was a gator just off the bow keeping an eye on us! He stayed with us the entire time we fished that spot. Finally, Nick had  good bite, a hookup and after he patiently played it to the boat, he landed a nice keeper sized Flounder.

We left the Gator and Broward Island and headed down river to

Pumpkin Hill and began fishing some flooding oysters with float rigs and minnows. We had to work our way past some Snapper then these anglers began to get fish. Seatrout after Seatrout after Seatrout. Many were just a tad bit undersized. Tara added a lone Sand Trout then Nick tangled with two hard fighting Jack Crevalle.
Lila was making excellent casts and Julia had picked up a rod and was making her own casts, too. She also kept everyone supplied with bait!

We made one last stop back at Spanish Drop and Tara wrapped

things up with another Flounder catch. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

 

Getting A Fish Here and There

We have surely been blessed with some beautiful mornings lately! And today was one of them. I met Steve Schaetzel, his son Tim and his future son-in-law Rob down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and as we headed up the intercoastal there were dolphin rolling up as the sun came up. We made it up to Jackstaff, ran up a ways and then turned into the current to fish an incoming tide with jigs and mud minnows. As we worked the bank Tim "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a feisty Redfish. He followed that up
with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then Rob put another Red in the boat. They all three tangled with high flying Ladyfish before we pulled and made the run through Horsehead and around to the Nassau River.

Tide was up and the marsh grass was beginning to flood so we switched to float rigs and made our casts up near the grass, letting them drift naturally along the shoreline. After a bite here and there, Steve's float disappeared and, FISH ON! This was a bigger fish - one that ripped some drag and after putting up a good fight up near shore it headed deep and took Steve from bow to stern, port to starboard. He kept the pressure on and played it patiently. After  good battle, Steve landed a nice (and bigger) Jack Crevalle.

We made a stop at Seymore's Pointe and played cat and mouse with some small Mangrove Snapper then ran down to Pumpkin Hill and again, more small Mangrove Snapper. Our last stop was over at Christopher Creek where we worked some docks with the jigs again. After Rob and Tim put a couple of Snapper in the boat, Steve finished up with another feisty Redfish. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Jack Invasion

What a great way to wrap a week up fishing with friends and neighbors Mark and Nilda Laurint and their son, Brent, visiting home from New York!  We  met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River, making the long run around to Pumpkin Hill to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  I had float rigs ready but I also had one topwater rig ready to go, too. The trio began fishing the marsh line and within a short minute, they were getting bites.

Nilda was the first to get on the board when her float disappeared - she was ready and quickly lifted the rod tip and set the circle hook.
She patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish were released today). We worked along the bank and our presentations began to get attacked by hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Brent put a couple in the boat, Nilda added a couple, then Mark got in on the action. One of Brent's was on the topwater lure out in front of the boat. That's a great thrill to see a big fish nail that lure!

After a neat show of dolphin soaring out of the water behind the
boat, we headed back down the Nassau and worked some oyster  banks with minnows and jigs. Nilda had retired her rod to take in the beauty of the ecosystem but Mark and Brent worked the bank thoroughly.  They each added a handful of feisty Redfish to the catch, a couple of Trout, and Mark rounded out his Slam with a Flounder catch. They also tangled with Ladyfish and landed a few Mangrove Snapper.

We bounced down the Nassau, hitting spots, and added a few more fish until they just wouldn't bite anymore. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Early Morning Top Water Action

We started todays trip low in bait - just what had left over from yesterday, but my guests, brothers Chris and Britt Daniel, also brought along a couple of rods, rigged with top water lures. We made the long run up the Nassau River (with a short pit stop to throw out a minnow trap) and made our way around to Pumpkin Hill with a plan to fish an a tide that had started out an hour or so ago.

Chris was tossing  a top water and Britt tossed one of my float rigs with a minnow and I think it was Britt's first cast and BOOM! Keeper sized Seatrout on!. We made another few pitches, picked up another Trout or two, then began to work the bank. They changed rods and when something big rolled up on bait behind us, Chris cast directly from bow, over the boat and behing the stern and BOOM! His lure was engulfed. He played it patiently and soon landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. The picked up another Trout on the lure, found a feisty Red or two, then we ran back down the Nassau River to fish Spanish Drop.

We had for bait: left over mud minnows, some finger mullet that we had cast for, and some barely-alive miniature Pogey's and I think all three put a fish in the boat. Working some now exposed oysters, the two brothers caught a few more Trout and Reds, a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, a keeper sized Flounder, and a Catfish. At our last stop they picked one more Trout letting their jig and finger mullet fall through the water column, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Bite On Every Cast

You just can't beat these beautiful days for fishing here at Amelia Island! I met Paul Amos and his girlfriend Laura down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the Amelia River to make our first stop in at Jackstaff Creek. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours so we started off with jigs and mud minnows, tossing up current. In just a short time Laura had a hookup and landed a keeper sized Seatrout to "knock the skunk off" the boat! All fish caught today were released.

We worked up the bank and both Paul and Laura began to put fish in the boat. They landed a handful of Trout, a good handful of feisty Redfish, another keeper sized Trout by Paul, a Ladyfish, and a bunch of.....Bluecrab! The last few days they've been really aggressive and latch on to the minnow and hold on all the way into the boat! We have to pull them off forcibly.  Paul also caught a Flounder to round out his Amelia Island Back Country Slam.

We ran around to the Nassau River and down to the Spanish Drop area and again began fishing upcurrent. We were getting good bites and putting a whole bunch of fish in the boat. At one pointe Paul commented that he was getting a bite or a fish on almost every cast! More Reds and Trout and Mangrove Snapper and Jack Crevalle.

Our last stop was up the river, just past Bubblegum Reef. Although the bite had slowed, they put a couple of more Trout in the boat. Paul had at least two fish that ripped some serious drag before throwing the hook - it'll be another day when we catch those! And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Slot Redfish Highlights Day

I'm becoming a regular down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat launch! Today I met Michael Boone and two local anglers Rick and Don who all had agreed to "share" a trip, and it worked out great! We met at 7am and made our way up the intercoastal to dip in and begin fishing along the bank of Jackstaff, tossing jigs and mud minnows. It was somewhat of a slow start but when the fish began to bite, all three anglers began to put fish in the boat.

The bow seemed to be the hot spot and Don started it off, catching a  few feisty Redfish and a couple of Trout. He then put a good sized keeper Trout in the boat. Rick fought and landed a big Catfish, then all three were landing fish. We fished the bank slowly caught a few small Trout, then Michael added a multi-spotted Redfish. Throughout the day the anglers tangles with high flying Ladyfish. Multiple Blue Crab were landed! Hah! 

We ran through Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop and fished the exposed oysters during the last hour or so of a falling tide. Again, feisty Redfish, Trout and then Don put a nice 18" Flounder in the boat. We had lost count of how many of the feisty Reds we'd caught when Don had  strong bite and his drag ripped. I knew it was big when it stayed up near the bank and rolled once - a big Redfish! Don played it perfectly and after a long and patient battle, landed a big 24.5" Slot Redfish. Now that's a nice fish!

We bounced up to a runout, caught a few more reds and Trout, then finished off up near Bubblegum Reef before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Hot Finish

Back to work today after a short day off! I met Richard Heinsohn and his brother-in-law Chris out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning and we made the quick run down to Broward Island to fish the last of an outgoing tide. We had a bait well full of mud minnows and an arsenal of jig rods. These two anglers started right off making excellent casts to the downed logs and it wasn't long before they had put a hungry Seatrout in the boat.

They added a feisty Redfish or two then Chris had a strange bump,

a heavy line, and a hookup. He patiently reeled in a keeper sized Flounder.  Although the island was looking "right", the bite just wasn't happening so we headed back down the river.

Our next stop was at Spanish Drop and here things began to pick up. The tide was still going out and Richard and Chris put Reds, Trout, Catfish and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, - landed by Richard -in the boat. We worked that bank for a while, then moved up 500 yards and fished a marsh run-out, and repeated with multiple catches of fish. One of the Trout landed by Chris was right at 18" - a nice fish. All fish caught today were released.

When the tide stalled we made the short run up to Bubblgum Reef, fished it briefly with no luck, then bounced over to Seymour's Pointe to fish a couple of docks. We picked up a couple of Mangrove Snapper but not much else. The sun was getting up and it was getting "warm" but we had one last stop to make down at Pumpkin Hill.

Although the oyster we're still almost fully exposed, we switched to float rigs and tossed them up current. Again, a few Mangroves, but not much more until we set up on the shallower side of a grass point. Then things got hot. Both Richard and Chris began to catch Reds and Trout. The trick was to get the bait 4-6' from the bank and let it naturally drift along with the current, and BOOM! Fish On! What a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida