Good Variety For The Birthday Kid

 We helped celebrate Landon's birthday today with a back water fishing trip out of Sawpit Creek. I had met his grandfather Steve Locke and his son Justin and Justin's two boys Elliot and Landon early and we headed up the intracoastal then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop where we went with jigs and minnows on a tide that had been coming in a couple of hours. I'm not sure if we even got a bite along there. We then moved down to Twin Creeks and switched to float rigs and that did the trick - Justin hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off". Steve was fishing off the stern and tangled with a Ladyfish but it quickly threw the hook - then he hauled in a feisty Catfish and then, we moved on. 

Down at Pumpkin Hill we stayed with the floats and got immediate action. Steve had gotten in the first drift and it paid off - he was up close to the grass and his float disappeared with a vengeance and Big Fish On! Steve kept that bend in his rod and let it run and worked it in and let it run and worked it to the net. I was betting Slot Redfish but I would have lost - it turned out to be a big Jack Crevalle! We worked that area good - Landon got a nice Flounder then he picked up a small Black Tip Shark.

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe and these anglers played cat and mouse with the Mangrove Snapper, catching a few that measured to 8", so still no keeper sized ones. But Elliot, who had persevered to get his fish, finally had a strong hookup, and like yesterday I was thinking, "finally a big Mangrove", but nope, Elliot expertly played to the boat the only Redfish of the day caught!

After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at a "cut" at the mouth of Jackstaff and fished jigs and
floats. Landon added a Flounder to his catch total, then a small Seatrout from out deep, then his dad picked up another Mangrove on the float then wrapped things up with a......Needlefish! What a variety!  As we headed back to the ramp Landon helped with the throttle, Elliot took over the steering and we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Highlight Was The Tripletail

 

....or the hard fighting Jack Crevalle, or the Black Tip Shark, or the flurry of Flounder catches! The bite picked up as the day went along. I had met the Norton family - Robert and Katie and their "kids" Julia and Will - early, down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The tide still had a couple of hours of coming in so we made a quick stop at Twin Creeks and drifted float rigs with mud minnows with the incoming current. I wasn't expecting much but I thought for sure we'd get a few bites, but it wasn't much to brag about. Julia did tangle with a high flying Ladyfish which she released at the boat and then she battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the net for photograph and release - all fish caught today were released.

We then made our way down to Pumpkin Hill and I was expecting big things. We did have a stronger west wind blowing than what it has lately - the breeze felt good but our floats didn't cooperate.  We had no real bites on that first stretch. We moved around the point and drifted down that edge and had a little bit of excitement when Greg hooked up with a strong bite. I saw it come out of the water and nailed the ID - a Black Tip Shark - about the 4th we've caught in that general area this week. Greg played it expertly and brought it in to the net for a photograph.  After fishing Broward Island on the last of that incoming tide with jigs and minnows, to no avail, we moved on. 

The tide had started out back at Seymore's Pointe so we headed over there and drifted a large drainage with the floats and had good action sparring with the Mangrove Snapper. The group out smarted a few of them but the biggest was around 8" - we have yet to get a "keeper" sized Mangrove this year. I was about ready to leave when Julia hooked up and when I saw the rod bent I was thinking, "finally, a keeper Mangrove" but when it flashed near the boat we saw that it was a Tripletail! What a treat! I checked my notes and the last time we had one caught on my boat was June 2023. 

Our next stop, after running thru Horsehead, was over at the mouth of Jackstaff, tossing jigs to a "cut" int he grass and here we had a good Flounder Catch Flurry. Will led the way, catching three of the four with the biggest measuring 15". He picked up another keeper and a smaller one while Gloria added the fourth with a Flounder catch of her own. The bite had picked up as the tide went out, the breeze had stayed with us most of the morning and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Oversized Red and Plenty of Trout

 I was back to work today when I met Shawn Boggs and his daughters Mattie and Addison and their friend
Carlson down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The weather stayed nice all morning, except that last hour got kinda hot! We ran up the intracoastal, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where set up with float rigs and mud minnows, drifting them with the current on a high and incoming tide. We did a few drifts and had a couple of small bites then Mattie had a strong one - she caught up to her float and let the circle hook set and Fish On! She played it expertly to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout for photo and release All fish caught today were released. 

Carlson followed her fish up with a big one! He had gone up to the bank and was drifting within a few feet of the grass and when ti was adjacent to that first island, BAM! That drag was ripping! Carlson kept the pressure on, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a big Oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish. We moved around the point and worked that edge and picked up another Trout or two, then moved down to a grassy island where Addison patiently brought the first Flounder to the boat. 

Seymore's Pointe where we fished a large drainage and had a short flurry of Mangrove Snapper caught.
All were short of the 10", but it was nice to see a handful caught.  We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we stuck with the float rigs on an outgoing tide. These anglers caught a couple of Seatrout with at least one being well above the keeper sized limit. We finished the day back in Jackstaff, fishing with jigs and here we had another keeper sized Flounder caught, and a couple of big (17-18.34") Seatrout caught. All had caught fish, we had some big ones, and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Boys Will Be Boys

We wrapped the week up fishing on a beautiful day! I had met my cousin Jim Garner, his brother in law Chipper and Chipper's kids Carter and Addie down at Sawpit Creek early this morning and after a quick safety orientation, we made our way up the intracoastal, all the way to Poteat Point where we went with float rigs and minnows and live shrimp. Those shrimp were almost worthless. I had thought I'd "mix it up" with some shrimp - I haven't fished with them in weeks, and now I knew why - the baitstealers had a field day. When later, I mentioned it to my wife she said (you dummy), "even I know you shouldn't be using shrimp this time of year". I could see she was thinking the "you dummy". 

Jim "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch and from then on all four anglers were getting bitesand fish. Jim and Addie found a nice Trout hole off the stern but Carter slipped in there a couple of times to get fish. Chipper was going up current from the bow and hooked and landed the only Redfish of the day. Addie put the first keeper Trout in the boat, a nice 17" fish.  We then came back to Jackstaff and fished a sand bar and I was expecting big things - we caught Trout there yesterday, but other than a feisty Black "puppy" Drum that Chipper caught,  we didn't get much else.. After running thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks we fished the outflow with jigs and the minnows and shrimp, again, to no avail. As there was a lull in the fish catching, we initiated the GPK Challenge - the biggest fish caught from now on would take home the prize! That thing changed hands five times!

The boys were trying hard to suppress their competitiveness, but Chipper set the standard quickly when he boated a 11.75" Seatrout. The GPK changed hands when Jim put a 12.5" Flounder in the boat, then later down at Broward Island Carter had a big hookup - he played the fish expertly and brought to the net a big 17" Flounder - the fish went into the box and the GPK went smoothly into his pocket! But it wasn't there long! His Uncle Jim was fishing off the stern, deep with a jigs and minnow and when he felt a strong thump and after a good hookset, he had a big Fish On!  Jim worked it in patiently and landed a big Oversized 20" Seatrout, boy what a fish! We were all thinking that that would surely take the prize but we were mistaken!

Our final stop was at Pumpkin Hill. They picked up a couple of smaller Trout then Carter tangled with a
nice Black Tip Shark and had him to the boat before the leader snapped, then it was Chipper's turn to battle a big fish. He worked it in, let it run, worked it closer, let it run, then brought to the net another Black Tip Shark that measured to the fork at 21.5" and the GPK was his! The back story was that while that Shark fight was going on, and the guys were competing for the GPK, the youngest angler - Addie was quietly reeling in another keeper Trout to take home to feed the family! We had caught a bunch of fish during the trip and had a few in the box and so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The "No-Doubters" Went In The Box

 We had a beautiful day to begin with today - a nice breeze and the water was like glass. I had met JeffAdams,his son Bo and his FIL Charlie down at Sawpit Creek early and after making a good run up the Nassau River to the mouth of Back River we set up with float rigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been going out for a few hours - the oysters were showing pretty good.  Jeff was on the bow and set the pace by catching a small but feisty Redfish, a hungry Seatrout, and a high-flying Ladyfish. Charlier was drifting long off the stern and it paid off when he too picked up a couple of Seatrout and then Bo got in on the action After fishing a grass line across the mouth of the river, to no avail, we moved on.

After running thru Horsehead and over to the mouth of Jackstaff we set up on a point where I thought for sure we'd get some Flounder by offering the jigs and minnows, but I thought wrong - not a bite. But we dropped back along the sandy point and fished the outside edges of the bar and this did the trick. Bo hooked up and landed a big Seatrout - a "No Doubter" when it came to measuring - the first fish in the box His grandfather was holding up the stern of the boat and found his own little "honey hole" of Seatrout - he caught a good handful a couple of which were keepers, and one of them was for sure a "No Doubter" - it measured right at 18".  Jeff kept the bow warm and hooked up a couple of Trout, too.

We ran back thru Horsehead and fished down the Nassau, first at Twin Creeks, then at a nice drainage -there was plenty of bait action but we had no real bites. We theorized that the heat was taking its toll on the fish  bite! But our last stop up at Pumpkin Hill paid off. Jeff had the hot hand here - he was fishing out from the shore and drifting a bit longer and landed hungry Trout, then a Ladyfish, then had his hook cut off, then he hooked and expertly played a nice Black Tip Shark to the boat. But boy was it getting hot! We had a mess of fish in the box and had some decent action throughout the morning so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Stayed Busy Catching

 

I wrapped my week up fishing out of Sawpit Creek this morning. I had met Kyle Townsend, his girlfriend Mica, and his sister Olivia early and after making our way up the intracoastal and dipping in to Jackstaff we began to toss jigs and mud minnows to a small oyster lined drainage. We had a few nibbles but no takers so we crossed the creek and fished an exposed point, but again, no takers. The tide was right at dead low and I think that was making for some slow fishing. But as we worked up along an edge Olivia "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Mangrove Snapper. Then it was Mica's turn - she had her rod bend over and after she set the hook, she got a few drag ripping pulls - Mica played it perfectly and soon boated a nice Jack Crevalle. 

We then made the run thru Horsehead and down to Broward Island to catch the first of an incoming
tide. That first area didn't produce so we moved down the way to fish a drainage and this did the trick. Kyle's first cast produced a hungry Seatrout and from then on we were getting bites and fish. All three anglers had their share of catches - small but feisty Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. Kyle stepped into the role of "Flounder Man" - he had a good handful of them, mostly small but then we had a good one to the boat and I missed it with the net and it came off-Ouch! But Kyle was not to be deterred - he went back to the same spot and had a good hookup and this time we netted a good 16" keeper sized Flounder. 

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill, switching to float rigs and the minnows. I was getting a little nervous - I was counting on the spot to pay off but the first few drifts didn't produce. But then Kyle, after going way long with a drift, had a hookup - he brought it patiently to the boat and landed an Oversized 19.75" Seatrout, boy what a fish! They continued to get smaller fish -small Trout, small Reds, and they also tangled with Ladyfish, then after Olivia had drifted by a small "cove" a dozen time, she had the hookup and Fish On! Olivia fought it to the boat, keeping that pressure on and after a few rips of the drag, she brought to the net a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We finished up the day around the corner where they caught more Seatrout, Redfish and Ladyfish. Those last few stops produced good action, we had a couple of nice fish in the box and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Most of The Trout were Bigger

 

I kicked off the week fishing with Craig and Christina Jones this morning and we were in luck! The skies had a bit of cloud cover and with a slight breeze it was a very pleasant fishing day. We met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and with a tide that was already high and still coming in, we made the run up the intracoastal, then up Back River, skirting Black Hammock with a final stop up at Pumpkin Hill. The plan was to drift float rigs and mud minnows along the flooding marsh line. It didn't take long - just as few drifts, and BAM! Craig had a hookup that put a good bend in his rod. He played it perfectly and was bringing to the boat when Christina yelled, Fish On! We had a double! Craig his fish to the net- a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and shortly after Christina netted a hungry Seatrout. That was a good start! We had a few bites after that then we moved around the corner and drifted that side and had few bites. But we didn't have any takers until we floated with the current, tossing to the grass. Christina hooked up and landed a very nice 17" Flounder, then she caught an Oversized 19.5" Seatrout, then a keeper sized 17" Seatrout. 

When the tide hit the top we made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage, to no avail, then we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we had a couple of big bites - one we felt sure was a Redfish when we saw his huge tail during a short-lived fight - he got up in the oysters and broke it off, ouch! Back around at Jackstaff we fished another point and here Christina put another keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. We fished back at the Nassau River - Twin Creeks and down at Spanish Drop, caught a couple of fish, then finished the day at a new spot where Christina got her "Amelia Island Back Country Slam" - she caught a small but feisty Redfish. We had some great weather, a few fish 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.

Wearing The Gold Plate Off

 We've been initiating the "GPK Challenge" a lot the last few trips - I gotta get rid of them! Yesterday, after Cutler Averbuch put a small but feisty Redfish in the boat we used that fish to set the standard for the Challenge. Little did I know, the GPK changed hands so many times I thought the gold plating might wear off! Yes, I have to admit, the GPK's aren't solid gold -they are plated!

I had met Mark Averbuch and his son Cutler and grandson Harvey down at Sawpit Creek early and we made the run up the intracoastal and all the way up to Poteat Point where we went with float rigs and mud minnows. We were there about an hour late but I was hoping for a few fish on the outside of the oysters. Hoping didn't do me much good - I don't think we got a bite! We then moved over to Jackstaff and fished a cut where we have been getting Flounder all week and when Mark had a good bite and the big fish stayed deep I was thinking it was going to be a massive Flounder! But as he brought it to the surface we saw that is was a big ol ugly Gar Fish! We got it in the boat, de-hooked it, photographed and released it.

After running thru Horsehead and down the Nassau we made a stop at Twin Creeks and fished them
with jigs. Cutler put that 14" feisty Redfish in the boat to kick off the "GPK Challenge" - todays rules were "the biggest game fish" takes home the prize, Redfish, Flounder, Seatrout, Drum, Sheepshead, Tripletail, Snook were all up for grabs -Snook and Tripletail were mentioned as far fetched but we have caught them in NE Florida! Cutler confidently pocketed the GPK but it didn't stay there long - at the next stop Harvey had a good "thump" - he hooked it up and played to the net a keeper sized 14.5" Flounder (all fish caught today were released). The GPK changed hands. Then Cutler put a tad bit bigger Flounder in the boat and repossessed the GPK. We moved down that way and caught a couple of more Flounder of equal size (I counted a total of 4 that could have been kept),  then we moved on.

The last few days we had some negative low tides and I have been fishing a point where on that low tide I saw that there was "grass like" coral growing about 30 feet from shore. I never new it was there but realized that may be why we catch Seatrout in the area on a high incoming tide. But we had a almost dead low now so we stayed out a ways and tossed float rigs up near the coral "grass" and boy did it pay off! Mark hooked up and his drag was ripping - the fish charging deep off the stern and while he was fighting it Cutler hooked up and his drag was ripping - we had a double! Both anglers fought their fish expertly - Mark got his in - a 19" Slot Red, but before he could actually get his hands on the GPK, Cutler boated his and it measured right at 19.5"! A few minutes later Cutler had another hookup - this one was even bigger. He played it patiently and soon brought to the boat a nice 22" Slot Red....and the GPK stayed with him for the rest of the trip. The only other fish caught in the last few minutes was a monster of a Gar fish!

We had a nice breeze all morning, a cloud cover that kept the heat down, and some good catches during the day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Flounder Got Bigger

 Our first stop produced 3 keeper fish! I had met Cindy Gray who was hosting two of her grandsons, Alex and Henry, for a fishing trip this morning. We met down at Sawpit Creek early and made the run up the intracoastal then in to Jackstaff to make our first stop at a overflow - the tide was dropping and as we fished the mud flat began to appear. The anglers were tossing mud minnows on a  jig and Cindy kicked it off when she hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder. She then battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. (We tossed that back). We worked around a point and Henry got on the board when he hooked and landed another keeper sized Flounder, just a big bigger than his grandmothers. Before we left we moved back to our original position and here, fishing deep, Cindy hooked up and expertly played to the net a nice fat keeper Seatrout. 3 in the box at the first spot - not bad!

We ran thru Horsehead and then down the Nassau River with plans to hit the drainages as the tide ran out, and it paid off. We caught a few smaller Flounder then it was Alex's time to get on the board. He felt a bump, set the hook and Fish ON!  He played it expertly to the boat and landed the biggest Flounder of the day, one that measured right at 18" - a fish that put him in a tie for 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Henry had seen a Shark cruising the bank, put his bait out in front of it and BAM! That fish was ripping drag - it took Henry from the stern to the bow and from the starboard side then the port and then it headed south and BAP, fish off! Those Bonnetheads sometimes thumb their noses at our light tackle. 

There was a lull in the catching so we initiated the "GPK" challenge for the "first Redfish caught" and
that did the trick - Alex hooked up and landed a small but feisty Redfish. We ran down to Broward Island and fished the last of an outgoing tide, to no avail, then finished up at Pumpkin Hill. For the  last two days the tide has been extremely low and for the first time I've seen some coral like grass about 20' out from the bank -no wonder we get Seatrout there on high and incoming tides! We worked along that edge thinking surely there would be some fish along there and sure enough, BAM! Alex's drag was ripping! He played it perfectly - it rolled and we knew it was a Redfish - he worked it in and netted a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We had a good box full of fish, the weather had been beautiful and so as we headed back to the ramp we countedit as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mixed Bag

 

It was sort of a weird "fish catching day" today when I fished with Garland Clark and his son Kris. We had met down at the decrepit Sawpit Creek boat ramp early to beat the heat, then ran up the intracoastal to dip into Jackstaff and make our first stop at a new "cut" in the bank - it used to be lind with grass but it's washed thru. We could see the Flounder divots up on the exposed mud flat and we could see bait getting smashed along the edge, and as we fished we all three saw a nice Flounder coming flying out of the water chasing bait, but could we get them to take one of our offerings? Nope. But we did get a bite or two and had one close to the boat before we moved on. 

Our next few stops were over in the Nassau River fishing drainages. Garland knocked the skunk off when he hooked and expertly played to the net a nice keeper sized Flounder. Kris was fishing off the stern and tangled with a big high flying, hard fighting Ladyfish.  He had a nice hookup with a big Flounder that was almost to the boat before it thru the hook. We fished Seymore's for Mangrove Snapper, with no luck, then we fished Littlefield with jigs and this paid off for Kris when he hooked and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. 

We fished Pumpkin Hill on an extremely low tide and boy was it shallow! But Kris went out deep with a jigs and picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout.  Garland had a drag ripping bite that took him long - he worked it in slowly and soon boated a nice Black Tip Shark. Then we finished the day down at Broward Island  where we picked up one more Trout then Garland put a 14 Spot juvenile Red in the boat.