Fast And Furious Beginning

 I met the McBride boys this morning down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp - Ragan, his father Rand, and his two sons Kellan and Cole. We made a quick run up the intracoastal and made our first stop at a large drainage marked by a whole herd of birds feeding in its flow. The first "demo" cast caught a feisty Redfish that Kellan expertly reeled in and the 2nd cast produced a strong bite. Cole was on the rod initially and it didn't "act" very big but then it started a long run and Cole was in for a battle. The big fish came out and went long and took the line thru the transducer and the engine - we had to open the bail and get the line out, and, OH Boy, we had been spooled! But the dumb fish didn't know any better so we the line free and chased it and Ragan took a turn working the fish up - he played it perfectly and we eventually boated a 4' Bonnethead Shark. That woke everybody up!

We fished that drainage and moved down and fished Spanish Drop and caught a variety of fish - Redfish, Seatrout, Jacks and Catfish and Ragan added a keeper sized Flounder to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. All fish caught today were released. We then made a move up to Seymore's Point where the team picked up a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, then Kellan had a good hookup on a live shrimp - he played it patiently and worked it to the net to land a feisty Black "puppy" Drum, makling it a "Grand Slam". Grandad Rand had been kinda quite, letting the boys fish, but he had a good hookup too. He worked it to the boat and landed keeper sized Seatrout.

After a run south we fished Broward Island for a bit but had no real takers, then we moved up to
Pumkin Hill to fish an incoming tide and here, Cole, fishing off the stern and going long, had is float disappear. He quickly slapped that bail shut and started cranking and Fish On!  He hauled it in and landed a hungry Seatrout. We fished both sides of the point, stopped back at Twin Creeks on the way back, then headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Right From The Start

 It seemed we were catching fish this morning right from the start! I had met Mark Averbuch and Paul
Clark down at Sawpit Creek early this morning and after a short run up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau, we made our first stop just north of Spanish Drop at a nice drainage that poured thru some oysters into fairly deep water (12'). We didn't have mud minnows today! Evidently there is a shortage, so I went with live shrimp and fortunately they were perfect sized mediums, and healthy! Although the bait stealers did cause some issues, not enough to curtail our fish catching! That first stop, within minutes, Paul had a strong bite and his rod bent and his drag ripped and Big Fish On! Paul played him perfectly as it ran from shore out, digging deep and...Mark hooked up with a big one - we had a Double! They both were doing and excellent job playing these big fish and....Paul's came off, dang it! That's twice in the last two trips we've had big Reds just come off and both times the anglers had that pressure on - they must have not been fully hooked. But Mark still had his own and this one cooperated and we eventually netted a nice 26.25" "tournament" Redfish. Paul came back and hooked up and landed a nice hungry Seatrout before we moved on. 

Our next stop was back at Spanish Drop, fishing the very first of an incoming tide and boy did we catch some fish - they put one feisty Redfish in the boat after another. Paul had some good battles with a Jack Crevalle and a Bonnethead Shark while Mark reeled up a Flounder to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Our next stop was up at Seymore's Pointe fishing some dock pilings. Mark hooked and landed a Black Drum to make it a Grande Slam, then Paul had a good hard thump and hooked it up. He played it perfectly and worked in a big 18.25" Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). After they snagged a handful of small Mangrove Snapper, we moved on. 

After running down to Broward Island and fishing one spot for a bit, we moved down a ways and fished a drainage and that did the trick. They caught a couple of feisty Redfish that were feeding on bait at the mouth of the drain, then as we moved down the island Paul had another strong take - we could tell, it was ripping drag and wasn't coming in! But Paul had other plans and he worked it to the boat expertly and soon landed a nice Slot sized 21" Redfish. We fished Pumpkin Hill with float rigs for a bit, but did I mention the wind? It had picked up to 14mph and was kicking us around and after Paul tangled with a couple of Ladyfish we decided to head back, but we had caught some good fish this morning and so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Had Some Drag Ripping Today

 The week is a wrap! We had great weather all week, clear days with a slight breeze which made for some pleasant fishing....up until about 10am! Today I fished with Mark Averbuch who had along his son Jared and grandson Max and we met down at Sawpit Creek. I decided to mix things up a bit so we ran up the intracoastal, all the way up to Poteat Point and went with float rigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been coming in for just a bit. I think Jared knocked the skunk off with a Seatrout catch then Max followed that up with a feisty Redfish catch. We worked the point pretty good, both sides, then moved on. 

Our next stop was over in Jackstaff, fishing another point and here Jared picked up a couple of Flounder, one of which was of keeper size (all fish caught today were released). Max caught a couple f Catfish that put up a good pull - one was big enough to rip some drag. Oh boy. He also battled a huge Redfish - we saw him boil up a couple of times. Max played him perfectly, from bow to stern and around the engine a couple of times and as I got the net ready..poof, he was gone! He threw the hook, dang it! Boy that hurt. Then it was Marks turn for the drag ripping...he battled a big Jack Crevalle to the net for photograph and release.

We then ran thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill and drifted the shoreline. That area has been a
little disappointing this week, other than one oversized Red caught on Tuesday, but not much after that. Jared did have a big fish take his bait hard and ripped out of there towards deeper water and we were hoping for another big Redfish but it was a big Jack Crevalle - fun to catch and a good battle. We worked around the corner and caught another couple of big Jacks with Max putting the biggest one in the boat, then Mark had a good thump and patiently played a nice 17" Seatrout to the boat. Boy was it getting hot! I had caught 4 finger mullet that morning and we had one out off the stern on the bottom and before we left we picked up a keeper sized Weakfish to top things off! We had some good action for the most part and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

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.