Happy 4th of July

 ...and Happy 250th!  I hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend!

Nice Box of Fish

 I wrapped my week up - have a great 4th of July weekend! Today I fished with the Braynard family, Scott and Jennifer and their adult sons Steve and David. We met early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made a quick run up the intracoastal and up the Nassau on slick water with clear skies - we had only a nice slight breeze all day. Our first stop was at Spanish Drop where we turned into the current and began to toss jigs and mud minnows to the still exposed shell bank. As we worked along we got a nibble or two then Scott hauled in a mangy Catfish! But he followed that up with a good hookup and successfully played a keeper sized Flounder to the boat. David followed that up with a keeper Flounder of his own and Scott finished the spot off with a Jack Crevalle battle to the net. 

We bounced own the bank, hitting drainages and drifting past them, finally switching to float rigs and the mud minnows, but we had limited success. 

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and this paid off with some good action. David went long with a float and picked up a hard fighting Flounder then Scott caught and expertly played a big 18" Seatrout. On queue, David drifted the grass and he too caught nice keeper sized Seatrout. Then it was Jennifers turn for the big battle - she had a strong hookup and that drag was ripping - she fought it valiantly as it made a couple of hard dashes, but she kept the pressure on and lifted it up, reeled it down, lifted it up and reeled it down until  she brought the beast to the net - a nice Jack Crevalle. 

We had some good bites here and there - Steve had a good drift really close the grass and caught the first Redfish of the day, a juvenile, but then he went long with a drift and BAM! Big fish on! He was so far back there that I thought for sure he'd get spooled quickly so we hit the trolling motor in high gear in reverse and back to it, all the while with Steve cranking in the slack as we went. We it "anchor" and let Steve battle the fish to the boat, a big 25.25" Redfish, boy what a fish. We had some good action at a couple of spots, had beautiful weather,

had seen birds, dolphin, and manatee, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Tourney Reds and Flounder Herd

 I fished with the Blalock's today, William and Dara, after meeting them out at Goffinsville Park early. The
tide was fairly high, still coming in, so we ran a bit down the Nassau River to "kill some time", making our first stop at Twin Creeks. We unlimbered the float rigs baited with live shrimp and mud minnows (the two anglers noted that they did better on the minnows as the day went on) and drifted the grass line as that tide continued to come in Dara had gone up into a little niche in the grass and after she saw here bait getting nibbled just a bit - it went under and she hooked it up! Fish On! She played expertly to the boat and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice 21" Slot Redfish.

We then ran back up the Nassau and fished a nice stretch of grass. William was on the stern and let his float go long, way long! It was almost out of sight when it disappeared under, and William tightened it up and let that circle hook set. He had a long haul back to the boat, but when we netted it we saw it was a nice 18" Seatrout. After moving up to a point of grass Dara had made an excellent cast to the bank and BAM! Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag and running deep, but Dara kept the pressure on and worked it patiently to the boat and landed a "Tournament sized" 26.25'" big Slot Red. And only minutes later, William went to the same spot with a pinpoint cast and BAM! Another big Redfish on!  William worked it in, let it run, worked it in and landed another Tourney Red, this one measuring right at 26". 

We fished Seymore's Pointe and picked up one Mangrove Snapper, ran to Poteat Point, then finished up back in Jackstaff where a mudflat dropped off to some deeper water. I had fished the same spot a week ago on a low tide and had noticed Flounder "divots" in the flat and sure enough these two caught Flounder for the next 30 minutes. I counted 8 brought to the boat with two them of keeper size. We had one come off at the boat and Dara hooked something big that ripped the drag for just a few seconds before it threw the hook. William went up the bank and picked up one more keeper sized Seatrout then we called it a day and headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Bragging Rights Times Two

 Where have the fishing reports been? It's kinda hard to write reports when the fish "catching" has been almost non-existent! I fished four trips Monday thru Wednesday - we caught a few - Jacks, and Catfish, and Ladyfish, and maybe a few small Trout and small Flounder. Yesterday morning we did get into some Redfish and caught about 8 of them, but the biggest one was about 14"!

But today was a highlight, hence the report! I had met brothers Bob Miller and Jim Bergert down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made a good run up the intracoastal to make our first stop at Poteat Point. The tide had been going out for about an hour so we had time to drift the floats and it paid off. After getting a couple of good bites, Bob had gone up against the grass with a good cast and as it drifted along with the current, BAM! That float was gone! Bob quickly tightened up the slack and let the circle hook set and the fight was on. The big fish went deep, then came to the surface and rolled and we knew it was a big Redfish. Bob kept the pressure on and when the fish headed for the grass - it got in in for a just a bit- Bob gently teased it out and fought it to the net and landed a thick 22.75" Slot Redfish- the Big Fish Skunk was off!

We worked up along the bank, tossing forward and with Jim on the bow, he had gone up to a point of grass and was letting his bait drift back (we were alternating between live shrimp and mud minnows) and he had his float disappear. Those earlier bites we'd had were good practice because Jim caught up to it quickly and it was his turn to have a big fish on! I almost thought it was a big Gar fish when I saw it flash in the water, long and fat, but as he worked it to the net I saw it was huge Seatrout. He successfully landed it and it measured right at 22.75", the biggest Trout of the year and it placed Jim squarely in first place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

But Jim wasn't finished. Just minutes later he had another hookup - he played it perfectly and soon
brought to the net a 21.75" Seatrout, good enough for 2nd Place in the Bragging Rights Tournament. Boy those were some nice fish! We hit a number of other spots for the rest of the morning - caught some small Reds, small Trout, tangled with Ladyfish, and caught the first Mangrove Snapper of the year (it measured about 8") which was a highlight for me! Then we called it day and as we headed back to the dock, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

She Was A Big Trout

 

I wrapped my week up fishing south with Howard McClure and his buddy Joe - we met at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a nice drainage. The two anglers were tossing jigs and mud minnows to the shore line and got some good hookups - they hauled in two keeper sized Flounder and a small Redfish. We moved up the way and fished Twin Creeks for a bit before we moved on. Our nest stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to the pilings. We weren't getting many bites, if any, until Howard said the felt a bump and when it got heavy he expertly set the hook and Big Fish On!  Howard played it patiently and after a good tattle he landed an oversized 20.25" Seatrout, big enough to land Howard in a tie for third place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament, Seatrout Category. Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.

We fished some rocks at Seymore's, had a bite or two, then made our way down to Pumpkin where we drifted the float rigs. On the first pass Joe had a drag ripping bite that quickly snapped the leader  and after that we picked up  a Ladyfish and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. There as a storm brewing north of us so we headed back to the ramp and called it another great day to be fishing at Amelia Island, Florida.

Finally, A Banner Day

 

It's been a good while that we've had one of those Banner Days of fish catching, but today earned that moniker. I had met the DeNight boys, Jeff and his brother Scott and his nephew Abraham out at Goffinsville Park and we made a quick run down to Broward Island on a tide that was still going out. We set up and began to toss jigs and mud minnows and it didn't take long before they were catching fish. Jeff had a big 26" Slot Red pretty early, then he and Scott teamed up with a "double", catching keeper sized Flounder and Trout, respectively. We dropped down the island with the tide and Scott got hot catching Slot Reds and became the self-proclaimed "Redfish Master".  To top that Jeff had put a few more  

Flounder in the boat and he took the title of "Flounda Man".  Abraham got on the board when he expertly hooked and landed a nice Flounder of his own. 

We fished back down the Nassau and caught more Flounder and more Reds, and tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, then we ended up back at Pumpkin Hill drifting floats. The trio added a Jack Crevalle to their species total, then Scott added another keeper Flounder to the box. He then went long with a drift, way long, and sure enough, hooked and landed the biggest Trout of the day, one that

measured right at 18".  The GPK had  been in contention all day but it was the young angler who took it home - Abraham went long too and when his float disappeared he tightened up and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On!  Abraham played it perfectly, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then patiently brought to the net a nice 24"  8-spot Redfish to wrap things up. We had ended up catching 6 Slot Reds, about 7-8 Flounder with 4 of them keepers, and we had two nice Seatrout in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Jacks Show Up

 It was kind of a weird day today - overcast and breezy and the water was chopped up and muddy, but itwas comfortable for the most part with the sun blocked. I had met Glenn and Patti Langford down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made quick run up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop where we went with jig rods and mud minnows tossed to the bank...and didn't get a single real bite. After running up to Seymore's Point we fished some dock pilings with some left over live Shrimp and Glenn did outsmart and hooked up and landed a small Grunt.

We then came back down the Nassau and fished Twin Creeks with floats and may have had a nibble or two but no takers. Back up the Nassau we went and fished small point of grass, and again, no takers. It wasn't looking good for the fish catching today! But Glenn and Patti persevered and when we got to the next spot at Pumpkin Hill we got some bites. Patti had her float go under and boy did it take off! She kept that rod bent and worked it in closer to the boat before it made went deep again. She got it close, let it run, got it close, and let it run before bringing to the net the biggest Jack Crevalle we've had on the boat all year.  Then Glenn had drifted close to a grassy island and when it went under Glenn tightened up and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag right off and it boiled up and we knew it was a big Redfish. Glenn worked it slowly to the boat and it came in steadily until it saw the boat then it made a few strong dashes to deeper water. But Glenn kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice 26" Redfish. Patti had another huge battle with an even bigger Jack Crevalle before we  moved on.

We fished around the corner, down the bank, then back at the Tourney Red spot before we called it day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Flounder and Finally Some Slot Reds

 Short report today...did a "double" then an AIGA meeting this evening, reporting late...

I fished with Steve and Carron Frost this morning on a tide that was coming in. We fished the outside of
Tyger with jigs with minnows and shrimp, had no real luck, then ran up the Jolley and fished the "bank", then further up to Snook Creek. Along the way we had some pretty decent action, catching some small Flounder, small Seatrout, and small Jacks. The highlight was when Carron went into a small "cove" with a good cast and had a hookup, as she was bringing her keeper sized Flounder to the the net, Steve went to the same hole and BAM! He had a hookup and reeled in is own keeper Flounder. We caught a few more Trout, with one of them being of keeper size, and ended the day with a total of 7 Flounder caught. 

The afternoon trip had Brian Roach, his son Mike and his friend Mark - we again ran up the outside of Tyger and worked the bank with jigs -Mark "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice Flounder. We moved around to Jolley Bank and worked it and here Brian had a hard thump and set the hook. He battled a big Flounder to the boat - it measured right at 19" and put Brian in the lead of the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

And then the bottom fell out! Boy what a rain - we could see it coming from the west and it drenched us good! But it passed after a while and the wind calmed and it became very pleasant to fish. We ran up the river to JC's spot and worked the exposed oyster beds and it paid off - Brian hooked and landed a nice 22" Slot Red, then Mike followed that up with a big 21" Slot Red of his own.  It was a long day but we caught some fish so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Nice Breeze and Pleasant Fishing

 I kicked off the week with a trip out of the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp after meeting Chanterelle and John Damer and their daughter Ava early this morning. We eased out of Eagans Creek then made our way up and around to the Jolley River where we made our first stop at Tyger Cut with plans to drift float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows on a tide that still had about an hour and a half of coming in.  Ava kicked things off with the hot fishing rod - she hooked up and brought to the net a fine Croaker, then she battled a hungry Seatrout to the boat. John hooked and landed a Trout while we there, and we had a few more good bites before we moved on. After dropping back to Jolley "bank" and working it pretty good- we had another Trout and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then John had a bite - it bumped is bait, then came back and BAM! big fish on! The drag was ripping and the big fish put up a good fight - it had John scrambling from stern to bow and back to stern - the ladies cleared the deck and the fight settled in for a tug of war, which John eventually won when he landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark for photograph and release.

Back at the outside of Tyger we fished the first of an outgoing tide with the float rigs, had some nibbles, but no takers then we crossed over the creek and worked that bank. Again, just a few nibbles, but then John had a good hookup - he expertly played it the net and landed a hefty keeper sized Flounder.  We moved back up the island and fished a large drainage and here all three anglers got in on the action. Chanterelle hooked and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle and a hungry Seatrout - Ava put another Trout in the boat, then John added another keeper sized Flounder to the box. We'd had a nice breeze all day, there had been some action here and there, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Recipe of the Month: An 1870's Recipe for Oyster Fritters

 I was reading a book, The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky - it's a very interesting story about the history of oysters and oystering and oyster houses in New York City beginning when native Americans lived there, then the Dutch, then the British, and finally we Americans. There are many recipe's in the book and when I reached an easy one I decided to make it, but first the back story from the book...

"Juliet Corson was born in the Roxbury section of Boston in 1841 and opened the Free Training School for Women at age thirty-three, before she learned how to cook. She hired a French chef, thought to have been the celebrated Pierre Blot. Two years later she was living on St. Mark's Place in Manhattan giving cooking classes in her home. She called her classes the New York Cooking School and had one thousand students a year. In everything Corson did, she addressed social conscience. The New York Cooking School tried to charge enormous fees to the rich while asking only a nickel a lesson for the middle class. The poor could attend for free. When New York's economy declined in the 1870's, she self -published controversial pamphlets such as "Fifteen cent dinners for Families of Six" and "How can we live if we are moderately poor". One of her numerous cookbooks, titled Meals for the Million: The People's Cookbook, has eight oyster recipes including this one for oyster fritters, a popular inexpensive dish because it could be made with the smallest, lowest-grade shucked oysters:

    The oysters should be examined for bits of shell, and their liquor strained (I used two 8oz containers of oysters (Pacific) from Winn Dixie. They were huge! I cut them into quarters) 

    Then make a batter by mixing two cupfuls of flour, the yelk [sic] of one raw egg, a tablespoon of salad oil (I used Olive Oil), a dust of cayenne pepper, and sufficient oyster liquor to make the batter just thick enough to sustain the drops from the mixing spoon; (the liquor from the oyster containers was not enough to make the batter so I added some whole milk)

    Plenty of fat should now be heated until it is smoking;(I used about 3" of peanut oil, heated to 375 degrees). The white of the egg should be beaten stiff and gently stirred into the batter when the fat is hot, together with the oysters, either whole or chopped, and it should be put in the hot fat by large spoonful, and fried brown; the fritters when done should be laid on brown paper for a moment to free them from grease (I used a paper towel) and then served.

NOTE: I probably wouldn't make this again, Hah!  As the book alludes to, it was a good recipe for poorer folks, so they could have filled up on flour we had a difficult time tasting the Oysters.  If I was going to make another fritter, I think I'd google a Cajun style recipe - one that had more flavor, and made with Corn Meal. Or maybe just lightly batter the whole oyster and fry it so you get the oyster flavor and texture.