High Tide Redfish

We had a nice breezy morning today, fishing with Jim and Tawee Langston, starting our day fishing the last hour or so of an incoming tide. We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up to fish outside of Tiger Island with float rigs baited with live shrimp and mud minnows. The two anglers had bites right off and it didn't take long for them to begin to pick up hungry Seatrout. There wasn't a whole lot of size to them but that made it challenging to hook them up and I'd say it was an even "draw" with Jim and Tawee landing a handful and the Trout stealing a good number of baits! We ran
around and up into the Jolley River and found a bank to fish with oysters flooded underneath. Jim and Tawee were making great presentations, getting a few bites, then it paid off when Tawee had a strong hookup, FISH ON! She played the fish patiently as it made some strong runs, most of them up near the grass and over the oysters, but Tawee kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. Now that's a nice fish! Then Jim got in on the action and landed two of his own feisty Redfish, and then Tawee put another Slot Red in the boat. We worked the length of the bank then made one final run around to Bell River and fished a dock, switching to jigs and shrimp. Jim made it pay off when he had a strong bite. This fish was pulling hard and staying deep but Jim applied the pressure and worked the fish out from the dock and landed another Slot Redfish, a great way to wrap up another day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

They Were Huge

We had overcast skies all morning long but it made for some very comfortable fishing. I had met Smith Marks, his dad Tim and his brother-in-law Jonathan down at the City marina and we made a run north and into the Jolley River to fish the very first of an outgoing tide. We set up outside a marsh run out and got a few bites on live shrimp under floats, but no real takers. We then eased along the flooded marsh grass as the anglers tossed their shrimp and mud minnows to the edge. Jonathan "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and battled successfully a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark. Then Smith got in on the action when he tangled with a Ladyfish, and BOOM! While he was battling his high flying fish Tim had a strong hookup. This fish was pulling hard but not like the Shark and we thought for sure he had a nice Redfish. After patiently fighting the fish, Tim landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. Shortly after that Jonathan put another Red in the boat and Smith landed another of the Lady's. We fished at the mouth of a large creek, had a few bites, then eased up into the creek and again, a few bites, but no takers. We ran back to the mouth of Jolley, fished the "bank" and before we left the anglers caught a hungry Seatrout. We ran back to the dock and dropped Tim off and picked up Smith and Jonathan's wives - Kristin and Katie and then came back to Tiger to fish the logs. There wasn't a whole lot of action here but Katie had a couple of hookups, one being a nice Trout (actually huge) that she had to the boat, but it threw the hook. And on another occasion she hooked up with what had to have been a huge fish, but it too tossed the hook. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Texas Size Mangroves

I fished today with Bob Hampton and his son Jason and his wife Cally. They also had young angler Myles, Bob's grandson and nephew to Jason and Cally. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, headed up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff to fish the exposed oysters on a tide that had been going out for about 2 hours. Tossing jigs and shrimp, the anglers worked the bank and it wasn't long before Myles announced "Fish On" and he soon landed a nice keeper sized Flounder to "knock the skunk off" the boat. We continued to fish the bank and in a short while Cally had her first
fish, another keeper sized Flounder. We crossed over and fished a submerged sandbar and the anglers picked up a couple of Seatrout. First Jason, then Bob. Then a school of small shark must have come through and Cally landed one then Jason landed a couple. Jason also tangles with a high flying Ladyfish. We ran around to Nassau River and fished some docks and here things heated up.  Myles, Jason and Cally all three had hookups and all three threw the hooks! But they were not going to be denied. Myles put a nice Mangrove Snapper in the boat then Cally had a real strong hookup and, FISH ON! She battled the big fish valiantly  and despite the coaching, landed a nice feisty Redfish! Then Jason put another one in the boat and then another. Bob found a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.They had numerous bites but no real takers so we hit Bubblegum Reef briefly but had no bites. Our last stop was back at some docks and here they found the Mangroves Again. Jason put one in the boat then Bob wrapped it up with a "Texas Sized" Mangrove Snapper. It was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Two Slots and a Slam

I fished with Joe Gasper today, and he brought along his friend Adam and Adam's daughers Eliza and Megan. We met at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina and made our longest run out to Bell River to fish some docks with just a couple of hours left in an outgoing tide. The girls set up on the back of the boat and began tossing live shrimp on jigs. It took a few casts but then Megan had a strong hookup. She figured out how to lift the rod and reel down on this nice fish and after a good battle, landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. They all were getting bites then Adam put a nice Red in the boat then Megan followed that up with another Slot Red!  Adam had a bite that was a little different but he set the hook and landed a hungry Flounder. We made the run around to the Jolley River, stopped at the MOA spot and sparred with some Croaker, caught a few and then Eliza had a really strong hookup and, FISH ON!  The big fish took off towards the stern of the boat and, FISH OFF! It snapped the leader! After fishing for a while,  moved on down to the mouth of Jolley and again, the Croaker were present but Joe found a nice Seatrout to help claim an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout. Our last stop was behind Tiger Island and here Eliza's perseverance paid off when she landed a very nice Redfish on a jig and shrimp. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Good Summer Variety

I had the  pleasure of fishing again with Randy Hilyard and his two sons Ryan and Justin, fishing out of the City marina this morning with somewhat overcast skies and a slight breeze to make it very comfortable. We made our first stop behind Tiger Island as the tide reached its bottom and fished with jigs and live shrimp. Randy started things off fairly quickly when he landed a hard fighting Back "puppy" Drum. Then Ryan picked up a Seatrout and Justin
followed that up with a Flounder. We made the run up to Jolley Bank, fished the exposed oysters and Ryan caught his first Flounder ever just as we began our drift. Justin was making good casts and he hooked up and landed a nice sized Croaker. (The Croaker were ever present and somewhat of a nuisance). We moved up the river and Randy tangled with a high flying Ladyfish then Ryan put one more Croaker in the boat to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hard Fishing Pays Off

I fished this afternoon with Adam Garner and his two sons Jacob and Ryan, and Ryan's girlfriend Morgan, meeting them down at the Atlantic Seafood dock. We decided to run south, down the Horsehead area and fish some rocks for Mangrove Snapper. Sure enough, they were there and the anglers slowly put a "mess" in the box with a few of them approaching 14" in length.  Jacob added a keeper sized Flounder before we moved on, running around to the mouth of Jackstaff. Our first pass went way too fast - the wind pushed us along and we didn't have time to fish it so we turned
around and worked our way back. This paid off when Jacob put another keeper sized Flounder in the boat while Ryan tangled with a Ladyfish. Then Ryan had a strong hookup and a battle on his hands. He played the fish perfectly and soon landed a Slot sized 22" Redfish. Then Morgan put a Red in the boat, then Ryan put one in too. We hit one more spot then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Big Stingray and a Grande Slam

We had outstanding weather this morning, luckily with some overcast skies that kept things cool throughout most of the trip. I had met William Vickers and his son Jeff down at the City marina and we headed up to fish Tiger Island as the tide started in. Both anglers were making excellent casts and it paid off when Jeff hooked up and landed a nice Flounder. Then he had a strong hookup that ran deep and stayed deep! But Jeff was up to the game and played the big fish perfectly. After that first Flounder we were
all thinking "Door Matt Flounder" but after a good battle Jeff brought to the surface a big Stingray. But it was good fun landing the creature and the anglers kept on fishing. William put a feisty  Black "puppy" Drum in the boat and although we had some good bites later, we decided to run further north to the Jolley river and fish the "bank". William picked up a Seatrout to garner the duo an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of  Flounder, Black Drum and Seatrout then Jeff topped it off when he caught  nice Redfish, making it a "Grande" Slam. Jeff put a small Bonnethead Shark in the boat then we hit a couple of more spots before calling it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Father's Day Outing

We fished today, Darrell Evans, his two sons Grant and Clark, and grandad Richard. We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed north up the Nassau River to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe on the very first of an incoming tide.  We had a few bites then both Clark and Grant  hooked up with hard fighting Mangrove Snapper. After putting a few of them in the boat (and releasing them), we headed down to Broward Island.  Here, grandad got on the board when he landed a feisty Redfish then Clark upped him by putting a bigger one in the boat. Then grandad had a strong
bite that took him deep and ripped the line off the reel. We thought for sure we had a nice Redfish but after a good battle, we found it to be a nice Jack Crevalle. Our next stop was back at Jackstaff and here we had a strong flurry of bites. Grandad hooked up with something big that went from bow to stern and back then he handed the rod off to Clark he fought the fish back to the stern and back to the bow. After a hectic battle he landed a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark. Then Grant got hot, catching a Speckled Seatrout, a Black "puppy" Drum (which gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam) and then a big Jack Crevalle. Grandad wrapped things up when he put another Bonnethead Shark in the boat. After that, we called it a day , another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Shark Frenzy

We had a beautiful morning today when I met Nick Ferguson and his friend Miranda and their friend Joe down at the City marina. We headed north to make our first stop at Tiger Island, fishing jigs and shrimp on the bottom as the tide came in. It was perfect conditions and as the anglers worked the bank Joe finally had a hookup and landed a nice Sheepshead. Later, Nick had a good bite and after fighting the fish patiently, landed a nice feisty Redfish. We then ran up to the Jolley River, fished the "bank",  fought off pesky Croaker,
then moved further up the river and into a large creek. It didn't take long for the bite to go off. Miranda was now on a float rig and when her line began to rip, we felt confident she had a shark. She played the fish patiently and as she battled it, Joe had a hookup at the stern and he too had a shark on. We had a double! They both did great and landed the two shark for pictures and release. From then on we had good bites with all three angles putting multiple shark in the boat, in addition to a hungry Seatrout which gave the trio and Amelia Island back country Slam of Sheepshead, Red Drum and
Seatrout. We made a run back to the outside of Tiger, fished a while, then eased in closer to Tiger where both Miranda and Joe had Seatrout catches. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Working Through The Croaker

We did an afternoon trip today, starting at 1pm and fishing an high and outgoing tide. I had Will Carlton and his friends Shay and Bob as we headed north up to the Jolley River to fish float rigs up near the marsh grass. We had very few bites but when we switched to jigs and shrimp we had bites almost immediately. But most were Croaker and it took a deft hand to catch them, which Shay proved to have. Bob put a small Sea Robin in the boat then we had one good hookup but it threw the hook at the boat so we moved further up into Jolley. Shay caught a small but feisty Bonnethead Shark then we moved around to the MOA where there
was tons of bait activity, but no fish bites. We made a stop at a dock in Bell River, had no bites, then made the long run around to Tiger Island. Shay landed a hungry Seatrout early then we fished the whole island, but again, the bite was slow. Then Shay had a strong hookup, fought the fish patiently, and landed a nice 18" Seatrout. Shortly after that Will hooked up he too had a good fight. But he played the fish perfectly and landed a keeper sized 17" Black "puppy" Drum. With that, we called it a day. As we left the area we were treated to a convoy of ships escorting a submarine through the channel.

Facebook Trout Blows Away Bragging Rights

I got my boat out of the shop just in time to keep the scheduled fishing trip today with Kyle and Amy Hess, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning. We ran up the Nassau River and began fishing an incoming tide with live shrimp under a dock. It didn't take long for Kyle to "knock the skunk off" when he battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and won! We moved around to another spot and got into some hungry Mangrove Snapper with a couple of them up to 14" in length which makes for
some nice fillets.  Kyle had put a couple in the boat when we saw Amy's float begin to wobble and when she hooked we thought for sure she had another big Snapper. The fish zipped from bow to stern and back again but Amy kept the pressure on. It ripped the drag a couple of times and we all wondered how big this Snapper really was. But when it broke the surface we saw that it was a huge Seatrout! Amy landed the big fish and when we measured it we found it to be 24.5" long, a "Facebook Worthy Fish" and it literally wiped out the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament trout, giving her first place to date! Boy what a fish! Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.  We continued to fish, picked up another few keeper sized Snapper, then ran down to fish Broward Island, even though it was almost completely high tide. We fished the downed logs with no luck but just as we were about to leave, Amy had another strong hookup and landed a nice 17" Seatrout. We made the run around and through Horsehead to fish Jackstaff as the tide started out and here Amy did battle one more time, landing a 22" Jack Crevalle. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Shark Fight!

The water was like glass this morning as the sun came up with not a cloud in the sky. I met Jason Stallings and his team of anglers Trevor and Nicole, down at the City boat ramp and we headed  north to fish the outside of Tiger Island with float rigs as the tide was going out. Both anglers had bites right off but then Nicole's float went under for sure and she had a fish on! She reeled the fish in expertly and landed a nice Flounder to "knock the skunk off" the boat. We fished the area briefly but the oysters were already showing so we ran around to Jolley and up to a larger marsh run
out. Again we had some bites then Nicole had a strong bite, this time it was ripping line off the reel. Her dad jumped in to help then both kids were coaching as Jason played the fish as it ran down the river deep. He kept the pressure on and soon had the fish under control but  not subdued. After and extended battle, though, he was able to land a big 4' Bonnethead Shark. Trevor added a feisty Redfish to the catch before we picked up and ran back to the mouth of Jolley. Within a few casts both Jason and Trevor had a fish on at the same time - Ladyfish - the Poor Man's Tarpon. Jason's tossed
the hook but young Trevor stayed with his and landed it for a picture. We made our last stop at Bell River and here Trevor put both a Black Drum and a bigger Red Drum in the boat. This rounded out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Flounder, Redfish, and Black Drum, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Good Fish Catching Day

We just can't beat the weather we've been having lately. Cloud cover in the morning, a slight breeze and the thunderstorms hold off until late afternoon. I fished today with Chip Wildman,  his wife Bernie, and his daughter Maddie, launching from the south end boat ramp and running up the Amelia River to fish Jackstaff with the tide going out but the oysters still covered. The anglers started with float rigs and live shimp, tossing it to the marsh grass and letting it drift along with the current. It took a while but finally Chip had a
 good bite and a good fight, landing a nice Black "puppy" Drum. We had a few more bites, but no real takers, so we crossed over to fish a flooded sandbar and here the action picked up. The Seatrout were out deep on the other sided of the bar and the anglers found them - first Maddie reeled one in then Bernie caught one too. Chip had a strong bite that  took him from stern to bow and back to stern. I thought it was surely a shark but after a good battle, Chip landed a nice Jack Crevalle. They picked up a couple more Trout then we ran through Horsehead to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe.
Almost immediately the fish were biting. All three anglers caught Mangrove Snapper, a few were over 12" long, and they picked up a couple of more Puppy Drum. Our final stop was down at Broward Island and again they found some Seatrout out deep. Although there were fish busting bait up near a creek mouth, we couldn't get them to eat what we were offering, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fishing With The Grandparents

I still remember fishing with my Grandad, down at Lake Sante Fe north of Gainesville. We'd motored out into the middle of Little Lake, anchored, and dropped some minnows down to the bottom and caught some Crappie. Today I had Allen and Ann Richardson who had brought along their grandkids, Anna Claire and Walker and we met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Another nice day greeted us, just a little overcast and a nice breeze as we headed north up the Nassau River. We made our first stop at Twin Creeks and tossed both float rigs with live shrimp and jigs and live shrimp.
Ann Claire had one strong bite that broke the line, but other than that we had no takers. Our next stop was at dock at Seymore's Pointe and boy, it wasn't long before the two young anglers were catching fish. Walker "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hard biting Mangrove Snapper then Anna Claire hooked up with a big fish, fought it to the boat, and landed a nice 16" Sheepshead. From then on we had numerous bites, and catches! More Mangrove Snapper, and that seemed to get bigger as the morning wore on. We had a hungry Seatrout to the boat, and landed a couple of more Sheepshead and Black "puppy" Drum. Our next stop was down at Broward Island and I think it was the first casts when the two anglers had a double hookup! Walker put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat (all fish were released today) and Anna Claire had another Sheepshead. There were some thunder clouds sweeping towards us so we ran back closer to the boat ramp, made one more stop where Allen put another Black Drum in the boat, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Slow Start BIG Finish

We had an outstandingly beautiful day today, with just a slight breeze and some nice clouds overhead to keep the heat off. I met Russ and Denice Kesel and their two sons Noah and Sam down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning and we ran north up the Amelia River to fish Jackstaff on the very last of an outgoing tide. The anglers were tossing live shrimp and jigs and even though the conditions seemed just right for fish, we had only a few bites and no takers. We moved across the creek and fished a still flooded
sandbar and this heated things up just a little bit. Noah did the Captain a favor and 'knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice Seatrout then his dad put one in the boat then Noah followed it up with another. Russ tangled with and landed a small Bonnethead Shark and Denice caught a Stingray. We then ran through Horsehead and to Bubblegum Reef where again, the conditions seemed right but  we found only one Seatrout. We fished Twin Creeks briefly, had no luck and even though we had put a few fish in the boat up until now, it wasn't what I'd have called a "fish
catching day". But our last stop made all the difference. We had not been fishing some dock pilings for about a minute when Noah had a strong hookup, and FISH ON! He fought the fish in and out of the piling and after a good battle, landed a big Jack Crevalle. Then BOOM! FISH ON! Russ had a good hookup. His fish fought hard a deep and went from stern to bow and back before the crew landed a Tournament Sized 26.25" thick Redfish!  And shortly after that, FISH ON! It was Denice's turn at a big fish and she played it like a pro. Her fish ripped back and forth and fought doggedly but Denice kept the pressure on and landed a big 21" Sheepshead, big enough for her to squeeze into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2015 Bragging Rights Tournament -Sheepshead Caterogy (scroll down right side of this report for standings). Sam got in on the action, catching Black "puppy" Drum, and Sea Bass while Noah answered with a big Blue Fish and Redfish of his own. The anglers already had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Red Drum and Black Drum, but Russ capped it off when he put a small Flounder in the boat. We left 'em biting, calling it a day, another great one here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Fish Are Scattered

I fished this afternoon with Kevin Hagan and his friends Cole and Johnny, fishing out of the Atlantic Seafood dock. We met mid- afternoon and headed north to fish outside of Tiger Island with float rigs and live shrimp on a high and outgoing tide. It didn't take long for Cole to find the "hot" rod - he was on the bow and tossing to the flooded marsh and began picking up small but feisty Seatrout. The others had bites but no takers so after fishing the area thoroughly we ran further up to Jolley River and to Snook Creek. The wind was at our backs and even though the anglers were making
excellent casts, we had no takers. We eased up into Snook Creek, fished some jigs and shrimp on the bottom, had a few bites, then ran back to the mouth of Jolley and back to the float rigs. Again, bites but no takers. Our final stop was around at Bell River and here we finished with some action. Johnny had stuck with the float rig and landed a Seatrout and then a feisty Redfish. Cole hauled up a Stingray then we bounced to another dock where Cole put another Redfish in the boat. The wind was whipping but the sun was out and even though the fish catching was scattered, it was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two Slot Reds

I fished this morning with Dennis Brizzi who had brought along his friend Hal. We met at the City  marina and headed up to Eagans Creek to fish the very last of an outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp. The anglers were getting pecks at their bait by bait stealers but  no much else until Hal had a strong bite and FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. We switched to another dock and Hal picked up another feisty Red. Our next stop was at Tiger Island where we had to ease over the sandbar at the entrance as the tide had just started back in. We fished the logs up and down picking up a small Black "puppy" Drum and a couple of Lady Fish. After running up to Jolley River to fish the "bank" we found a small Snapper, some pinfish, another Ladyfish and Dennis caught a nice, but small, Seatrout. Our last stop was over at Bell River and here we found another couple of puppy Drum and Dennis worked in one more keeper sized Redfish to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Flounder Getting a Tad Bigger

We had a beautiful morning today when I fished with the Nickel family - Eric and Ali and their young angler, Tanner. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Amelia River to fish Jackstaff Creek on the first of an incoming tide. The fish bite was kinda slow but every once in a while we'd have a good bite - first what I thought may have been a Shark, then another that seemed to be a Redfish. Then Eric knocked the skunk off when he landed a nice Seatrout. Ali tangled with a high flying Ladyfish before we made the run around to fish a dock at Seymore's Pointe.

We worked the pilings pretty good with jigs and dead shrimp and minnows then picked up and ran to "pirate island" and here things heated up. We had a strong hookup and young Tanner was on the rod quick then his dad jumped in to help. The fought the fish patiently and soon landed a slightly undersized Redfish. Then both Ali and Eric had hookups - we had a double! Ali got her fish to the boat and just before I netted a nice Sheepshead, it through the hook, OUCH! But Eric still had his own and it was big. He eventually landed a nice 18" Flounder that puts him in First Place in the Anglers Mark 2015 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).Shortly after that the Eric landed another keeper sized  Flounder and then young Tanner reeled in a small Flounder of his own. We made our last stop back at Seymore's Pointe and did battle with some small Mangrove Snapper and Ali's perseverance paid off when she put one in the boat! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Afternoon Trip Beats The Storms

I fished this afternoon with Tim Flusche and his dad Tim Sr. and his mom Peggy. We had scheduled to meet down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and although we had a good tide, we were somewhat concerned about the forecasted thunderstorms. But the skies were clear so we headed up the Amelia River and turned into Jackstaff to fish a flooded bank with the tide going out. I had all three anglers tossing live shrimp under a float and it was only a few minutes before Peggy "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a
nice Flounder. We continued fishing and Tim Jr. tangled with a high flying Ladyfish before we crossed the creek and fished a sandbar with jigs and shrimp. We had no real bites so we ran through Horsehead and around to Seymore's Pointe where all three anglers were getting bites. It took a while to get the hang of it but soon they landed a handful of hungry Mangrove Snapper. Our next stop was around the corner and here Tim Jr. picked up another Snapper on the jig. Our last stop was down at Broward Island. The wind was blocked which made for some very pleasant fishing conditions. The anglers were tossing jigs and shrimp and although they had some bites, we caught no fish. We did see a big Redfish smash bait up near the shore but it wouldn't take what we were offering. We eventually called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Shark Frenzy

I fished this morning with Jim Jeffers and his wife Becky who brought along their niece Hannah. We met at the City marina and headed north with clear skies and almost no breeze. Our first stop was on the outside of Tiger Island and I had the anglers tossing float rigs with live shrimp over flooded oyster beds on the last couple of hours of an incoming tide. It didn't take long before the trio began to get bites and soon Jim knocked the skunk off when he landed a hungry Seatrout. We had a good flurry of Trout catches with both Jim and Hannah reeling in a few each. Then Becky had a
good bite and a good battle which she soon won, landing a hard fighting Blue Fish. We fished the area a while longer then ran up to fish Jolley "bank", easing along the shore line tossing the float rigs. But the fish weren't home and we had no real bites. We ran further up into Jolley and into a large creek where we tossed the anchor into the marsh grass and began fishing the bottom with jigs and shrimp. Within minutes the angles were into Bonnethead Sharks! Jim was on the port side of the stern and was getting a bite almost every cast. The light 14# test just wasn't doing the job so I switched one of the float rigs to a jig setup, tied on a 17#lb leader, and this did the trick. After a good battle Jim patiently landed a nice Shark. We had a few more hookups then Becky put her Shark in the boat. In between both Hannah and Jim caught a couple of Black "puppy" Drum, then Hannah wrapped the trip up when she too landed a Shark. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

High and Incoming

The high and incoming tide is not my favorite tide to fish but when that's what you have you've got to make the best of it. That's what Billy Rowe and is two sons Cameron and Greg did today. We started off fishing the bank at Jackstaff and had a strong hookup with what I thought was a big Redfish on the 2nd or 3rd cast. Cameron fought the fish perfectly but it was not to be as the big fish threw the hook. OUCH! But we fished on and had some good hookups later. Billy knocked the skunk off when he landed a feisty
Jack Crevalle then he put a nice Slot Redfish in the boat. Cameron had a big bite and, FISH ON! This fish made some strong runs and I thought sure it was a big Shark but after a good battle we found it to be a large Jack Crevalle.  Greg got in on the action when he caught a nice multi-spotted Redfish. We crossed the creek, fished another stretch of flooded marsh grass, then ran through Horsehead to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe with jigs and shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide. The two anglers at the stern had no real bites but just as we were getting ready to move, on, Greg yelled,
"Fish On" and sure enough, he had a Redfish!  We hit some rocks along Seymore's and the action picked up drastically. I believe every Mangrove Snapper the trio caught were of keeper size (no fish were kept today) and one was the biggest I've seen in  while. It was a good way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Ethan's Snapper Bank

We had a beautiful morning here at Amelia Island, Florida today! I met Mike Snider and his son Ethan down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made a run up into Horsehead to fish the last hour of an incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp. It was slow going for a while but we finally had a hookup and Ethan reeled in a feisty Redfish. A little later he made a good cast to the flooded marsh grass and soon his float went under. We thought we had another Redfish but this one turned out to be a slimy old Catfish! We fished out that bank then hit another and although we
had a few nibbles, we had no takers. We made a run around to the Nassau River, fished Twin Creeks, and again had a few nibbles but no takers. Then Ethan experimented tossing a jig and shrimp out deep and when he felt a tug on his line he set the hook and caught a hungry Seatrout. Our next stop was at some rocks along Seymore's Pointe and it didn't take long to begin getting good bites. Ethan hauled in a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper then both anglers were catching fish. The bite was pretty steady for the rest of the trip. Ethan had a good hand at catching these sneaky fish so we dubbed the spot "Ethan's Snapper Bank". After landing a good handful of fish, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.