Warming Trend Brings a Better Bite

It's been slowly warming this week and the water temperatures are following - the first of the week we  had 57 degree back water temps and today it was up to 64. I had met Marchelle Duncan down at the Sawpit Creek ramp early this morning and we headed up the Nassau all the way to Christopher Creek with plans to fish some dock pilings on the last of an incoming tide. Marchelle was tossing a jig and live shrimp and making excellent casts as we worked around a deep bend but it took fishing some marsh grass in some
shallow water to get a bite, but a good one it was. Marchelle  hooked it up and landed a nice feisty  Redfish. We made one more pass and picked up another Red before heading out.

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe and here things heated up, fishing flooded oysters on the first of the outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp. I think the first cast produced a Seatrout and from then one we almost expected a bite on each drift. Right when I thought the bite was done the float would disappear
and Marchelle would be reeling in another. A few of these Trout were fat and keeper sized, but all fish caught today were released.

When things finally slowed we fished some more docks with floats, then more docks with jigs, and we did pick up another Red and a keeper sized Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We could see some rain clouds building and it was time to go so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Shark!

I also did an afternoon trip today, fishing with David Shuford and his two kids Allie and William. We left the north end boat ramp and headed over to Eagans Creek - the wind had picked up - and fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. It only took a short time before both David and Allie had put some fat Seatrout in the boat. Then William had  good bite, his drag ripped, and William had a nice fish on. He worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish. We picked up a couple of more Trout, then made a run up to Bell River.

We got up there as the tide was about to turn and it may have been on David's first cast that he caught another Trout. Allie added another to the catch and so did William. Then Allie had a big bite and FISH ON! This was a big fish!  She fought it for a while then David took over and patiently played the fish. And patience it took because it stayed on the bottom. I was thinking "surely a Drum" but when it finally came to the surface we saw that it was a Black Tip Shark - the first of the year! David worked it to the net and after pictures we sent it home. David added a keeper sized Trout to the
catch before we left.

Our next stop was "Jolley Bank", fishing the incoming tide with jigs and shrimp and minnows, but we had no bites, so we made one final stop at Tiger Island where William "Redfish" landed another Red Drum to wrap things up, and make it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

The Hunt For Fish

We had a another Amelia Island beautiful morning today for a our Spring Break visitors!  I met the Chou family, Edgar and Stella and their kids Catilyn and Conner up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and we then made a run over to Bell River to fish a flooding oyster bed on the last of an incoming tide. All four anglers were getting their casts up to the grass line but we had no real takers.

Our next stop was around to the outside of Tiger and after we set up over some flooded oysters we began to drift our floats and live shrimp along the marsh grass. Young Conner had let his drift a good 20 feet from the grass when he realized that his float was gone! He lifted up, began to reel, and the circle hook set and, Fish On!  He cranked him in and landed a nice fat Seatrout to "knock the skunk off"!  We fished that stretch, crossed over and fished a large outflow, then ran around and fished some flooded oysters in Lanceford, hit some docks in Lanceford (and caught only a baitstealer) then headed back to fish Tiger logs. The wind had picked up and we had company - four boats total with another scouting for a slot to fit  in!  We had to fish it  hard and it took a mud minnow to produce a nice Redfish that Catilyn handily reeled in.   It was a beautiful morning but the fish catching was kinda tough, but it still was a great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida

Bookend Slot Redfish

We had another beautiful day today when I met David Traul and his son Andrew up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp this early this morning. The tide was high and had just begun to go out so we slipped over to Tiger Island and fished the outside over some flooded oyster beds. We had only been casting for a short while when we saw Andrew's float begin to bob and go against the current! When it went under Andrew set the hook and, FISH ON! When it boiled to the surface we knew it was a nice sized fish. Andrew kept the pressure on, fought it valiantly, and soon landed a
Slot sized 20" Redfish!

We worked that marsh, had no more bites, then crossed the creek to fish another shoreline and here David hooked up and caught a nice feisty Redfish on the float.We bumped around to the backside of Tiger and fished a runout where a flock of birds were congregated, tossing jigs and dishing the bottom - but no bites.

After a long run up the Bell we stayed with the jigs, tossing them
forward and into the current, letting them fall to the bottom and be swept along and this garnered a few Seatrout. Andrew also caught another feisty Red up near some dock pilings. Our final stop was back at Tiger - the tide was down now- and as we worked along David made an excellent cast to a pocket with a jig and huge mud minnow. I saw the pole bend when the big fish hit, and after David set the hook with a firm "uumpf", the drag began to sing! Boy what a fish. There was a time when we think the fish had foun d some structure, but David kept the gentle pressure and it was free and still hooked.  David worked the fish up off the bottom and Andrew netted it, a "barely legal" 26 3/4" Slot Red to bookend with Andrew's earlier one, makin g it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A First For Two Anglers

After yesterday's nasty weather we were able to fish today and get in a trip for the visiting Lee family Mau-En and Linda and their two sons Jeremiah and Jodiah.  The winds were very conducive to fishing with just a slight breeze when we launched at the north end boat ramp so we cruised on over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish a large creek outpour on the first of an outgoing tide.  All four anglers were tossing float rigs with live shrimp to the flooded marsh grass but we had no takers. (We actually had zero fish caught today on a float rig).

We ran over to Soap Creek, fished some more float rigs, then stopped by a couple of docks on Lanceford and switched to jigs. At least we had a few "bumps" from the bait stealers. We then made the long run around to Bell River, fished some more docks, and finally, Mau-En had a hookup which he expertly landed - a nice keeper sized Seatrout. But from then on we only had nibblers so we kept on going, around to the Jolley River, switched back to floats with no luck, then we made our final stop back at Tiger.

It was young Jodiah who got hot when had a good bite, set the hook, and reeled in his very first fish, ever, a nice feisty Redfish!  He added another Redfish, the a Black "puppy" Drum then it was Linda's turn to catch her first fish, another nice Redfish.  Jeremiah was making excellent casts on his own but the fish thought it'd be best to get hooked by some first timers today! Jodiah put one more Black Drum in the boat, then Mau-En wrapped things up with a 5-spot Redfish catch. It turned out to be a beautiful day and another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Finishing With A Big Bang

I fished with the Johnson family again this morning - Todd and Debbie and their kids Betsy and

Oliver - meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp with plans to run over to Lanceford and fish the bottom of an outgoing tide.  But Soap Creek was looking pretty good so we dipped in and started tossing jigs and live shrimp to some exposed oysters. I don't think we got a bite!

Our next stop was way up Bell River and this did the trick. Todd got hot quick and put a couple of Trout in the boat, the first being a fat keeper sized fish (we eventually let it go) then Oliver got on the board with a Trout, and Betsy reeled one in, too. We worked the docks up and down and picked up a fish here and there until it appeared the tide was almost at a standstill.

We continued on, making a brief stop at the MOA to no avail, then hit Jolley Bank and fished it from point to creek and again, no bites.

The wind was picking up out of the west and even though there was a good chance fishing Tiger may be a bust, we headed there anyway because the tide was perfect as it had just started back in. Oliver cam alive, landing an "almost legal" Redfish, then a nice Whiting. Todd added a small Black "puppy" Drum to round out their Amelia Island Backcountry Slam" then we had a strong hookup and, BIG FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and not wanting to budge off the downed logs. But Oliver was up to the task and he patiently worked it to the boat, let it run, worked it to the boat, let it run and eventually landed a 26.75" "tournament" sized Redfish, boy what a fish. Now that's the way to wrap up another great day to be out on the water fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Fish'n With The Birds

Today was a 10 as far as the weather went, clear skies, a slight breeze, cool but warming, and the tide was right when I met Hugh Haston down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up the Nassau and elected to fish some docks on the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide. Although we didn't find any Redfish, Hugh did pick up a couple of Seatrout.

We buzzed down to Broward Island where a couple of Bald Eagles were hanging out and a Crane was stalking bait fish. Unfortunately the current was still ripping but we worked the shore anyway tossing live shrimp or mud minnows up to the bank and letting it bounce back naturally.  We didn't get any bites until the second pass when the current had slowed to a trickle and then we caught a handful of Red Drum with one of them being right at keeper size (we actually put him in the box as a "keeper" then later, after our enthusiasm had died down, re-measured and determine it was just a tad bit short).  Hugh really go the hang of hooking up those Trout and landed another good handful of them with  most being fat and right at 14 1/2".   He also caught a nice sized Whiting that hit a mud minnow!

When things slowed we ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished some rocks, then wrapped up the day working an exposed shell bank. It was an outstandingly beautiful day an another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Nicer Temps Bring Slot Red

Although it was still cool this morning - low 40's- the wind wasn't blowing quite so much when I met Ken Norton and his daughters Christina and Elizabeth up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp, early.  We crossed over to Tiger Island and fished the logs on the first of an incoming and when Elizabeth had an immediate hookup and landed a nice Seatrout I thought for sure we were in for some good fishing at this spot. And Christina had one on for a short second but after that the good bites were few and far between.

So we cranked the big engine and ran around to fish some docks at Lanceford Creek and here things picked up. Ken started hooking up with feisty Redfish, then he boated a Slot sized fish, and added a couple more "almost keeper" Seatrout. Then Christina found a hot spot and went back to it with excellent casts, threading the needle between two pilings, and caught herself a good handful of Redfish and Trout.

When the bite slowed we ran back and fished Egans Creek bridge
on an incoming tide and although the sun was up, the wind was blocked, we had no good bites. But it had been a beautiful day, we caught some fish, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Cold Then Hot Then Cold

This crazy weather just can't make up it's mind! We get a nice warm spell and just when you think Spring has sprung, a front comes thru and we're back to cooler temperatures...like today! But we had clear skies and yesterdays 32mph winds were forecasted to be 10-12 so I met Cas Hans, Rick Mowery and Don Smallwood (a "shared" trip) up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The weather dudes were slightly off because it was really ripping out of the north west. I had wanted to fish Tiger Island on the first of an
incoming tide but we thought it'd be too difficult so we made our way around to Egans Creek and fished some nice dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp.

Don "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked and landed a feisty Redfish, then he landed another, then Cas had a big bite, his dragged ripped, and the big fish was in the pilings - to be caught another day.!  But Cas went back in and soon landed a couple of nice Redfish. Both he and Don landed Seatrout - in fact Don seemed to have the "hot hand" most of the morning. 

We worked down the docks, had very few bites, but when we hit an area with some still exposed oysters Don found some more Trout in 6-10' depressions.

Our next stop was over at Bell River where Rick got on the board with a Flounder catch and then a Seatrout catch. The Flounder made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the trio and when we wrapped the day up behind Tiger, Rick landed a Black "puppy" Drum to bump it to a Grande Slam. Rick got hot there at the end and put a good handful of feisty Reds in the boat, and Cas followed suit with a few of his own. The sun was up and had warmed things nicely so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Not Big But a Grande Slam

Another beautiful morning was predicted today when I met Doug Mackle and his longtime friend Kenny up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp. We shot across to Tiger and fished the logs and for the second day in a row, no real bites. We came out to the outside and fished the flooded oysters and here Kenny picked up a hungry Seatrout on a float rig.

We fished some oysters at Bell River with no luck then ran over to Lanceford Creek to get out of the increasing wind and here Kenny landed a Black Drum, Doug added a small Flounder, then Kenny hauled in a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish to

make it an Amelia Island Grand Slam. We fished further up Lanceford, tried Soap Creek (somewhere in there we got another Trout or two) and then ended up fishing Egans Creek on the first of an outgoing tide. Although we didn't get a whole lot of fish, we got a handful and while fishing with long time friends, you can always count it as a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Bite Picks Up A Tad

Hopefully the warmer weather will make that water temperature rise a bit and the bite will get better. It was warmer today and we had a little bit better success than yesterday. I had met Brian Cochran, his dad Stan, and his sister Katie down at the Amelia Island Marina but we ran back north with the intent to fish Tiger Island while the tide was still coming in, which we did. Although the three anglers had a few nibbles, we had  no takers.

We cruised back through Tiger and around to
Bell River and set up along side a flooded oyster bed and here both Katie and Stan had some good catches of Seatrout.  We worked the pointe good then made the run over to Lanceford Creek to set up along a small patch of grass. Again, we had a handful of Trout with one of them being of keeper size.

Our last stop was over in Soap Creek and wouldn't you know it, we had our most success there. We were fishing behind a small grass island that had a big oyster bar behind that and then some deep water. As our floats and live shrimp drifted past the bar, BOOM! The Trout would take it. Although we only had one keeper fish, we guestimated that about 15 Trout were caught during the trip and with the beautiful weather, it made for a great day to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wondering If the Cold Weather Has Affected The Fish Catching

We had a beautiful morning today - clear skies, sunshine and only a slight breeze, but "cool", again, for the 3rd or 4th day in a row. I met Russ and Olga Figman down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River, making our first stop to fish some rocks along Seymore's Pointe.  We had only fished a short while with float rigs and live shrimp on an incoming tide when Russ's float disappeared and he had a fish on. He played it perfectly and soon landed a nice feisty Redfish.

But we had no bites after that so we continued on to Christopher Creek. The tide was still coming
in and we began tossing jigs and shrimp to some dock pilings. Both anglers were making excellent casts but we didn't have any takers until we got around to some marsh grass. Almost at the same time, Boom! Both had hookups. Olga caught her hungry Trout on a jig while Russ was working a float rig and Russ's fish ended  up being a nice keeper sized fish.  But again, no bites after that.

We fished docks along the Nassau River, docks back at Seymore's Pointe, docks along Black Hammock, the bridge at Sawpit and even Sawpit itself...to no avail.  The fish had just quit biting.
But it was a beautiful day and we did catch a few, so we called it a day, another great one to be fshing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Big Trout a Nice Surprise

The wind has finally subsided and today was an absolutely beautiful day to be out on the water!  I met Murray and Dan Bonitt down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and I thought it would be a great day to try our luck out at the small jetty on the south end of the island with a very light west wind blowing. Didn't work. We ran out and fished it briefly and even though the swells were not too bad, we had not a single bite on jigs and shrimp so we buzzed back around and headed to the backwaters.

Our first stop was up Christopher Creek and as we fished some docks the two anglers finally began to get some good bites. Dan was the first to strike when he landed a feisty Redfish (most all that were caught today will probably be in the Slot in another month!). He added another then his dad, Murray hooked up and landed. We worked our way around bend and got into a sweet spot when the two anglers caught and landed a handful of Reds, then Dan had a good bite, his drag ripped, and we thought, here's a Slot Red! But after Dan expertly worked it to the net, we found it to be a big 20" Seatrout, caught shallow over a mud flat!  This is the 2nd biggest Trout caught on the Anglers Mark and moves Dan into the 2018 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We caught another fish or two then headed out to fish a flooded grass line along the Nassau River with float rigs and live shrimp. Dan landed one trout before we moved on. Our next stop was around along some of those rocks that line the Nassau River and here, while Dan was fishing a fixed float, Murray switched to slip float and that proved to be the difference. Dan landed a good handful of Reds, fishing about 8' deep along the rocks.

Our final stop was around at Seymore's Pointe and we wrapped up the day, landing a good many Seatrout with two of them being of keeper size, one of which, caught by Murray, was right at 18" - a great fish catch to wrap up another good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Low Pressure High Pressure

I fished with Dwayne Craig and  his buddies Jeff and David two days in a row. They were on a "road trip" down from Illinois and I think they may have brought the latest cold spell with them! Yesterday it wasn't too cold but the wind was increasing from 9mph at start time with a forecast to 23mph (and they were right!)  David had noted that the barometric pressure was dropping which should have made for some great fishing and with overcast skies and  misty rain, we would have thought that the Trout would be on fire.

We fished Bell River, then behind Tiger, then ran back to Bell and
further up the river to fish some docks. Finally, we began to catch some Seatrout on jigs and live shrimp and the Jeff put a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat. We worked the docks thoroughly and caught a good couple of handfuls of 14" Seatrout. We came back to Lanceford Creek, fished some docks out of the ever increasing wind and somewhere in there Jeff added a keeper sized Weakfish. By the time we got back to the Dee Dee Bartels ramp, the west wind was kicking, enough so that it made it very dangerous to disembark
from the boat, but we made it!

Today I met this crew down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, with the temperature hovering just above 40. David reported that the barometer was now climbing, not such a good thing.  The tide had just started out so we flew up the Nassau River and dipped in to Christopher Creek and fished the deep bend. We had two good bites and hookups but they threw the hook. Then, as we got around to some docks, Jeff got hot and landed a few 17 3/4" Redfish. But the tide was going out so we got out of there so as not to get stranded.

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe and we fished float rigs over flooded oysters and jigs down at the base of pilings. David kept the skunk off of that spot when he landed a fat Seatrout. We bounced around the corner and fished some rocks. Dwayne got hot with a slip float, fished a little deeper than the other two, and landed 3-4 Reds. 

The final stop was down at Broward Island. The tide was still high and ripping out, not ideal, but we made the most of it and it was David who's perseverance paid off when he caught a big Trout down deep, on the bottom.  The sun was up, the temperature had warmed and even though we had only a few keeper fish, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Slow Start BIG Finish

It was another "Chamber of Commerce" weather day today when I met Pete Nolan, his daughter Tatum and her friend Victor down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We cruised up the Intercoastal on water that was like glass and turned in to Jackstaff to fish a still flooded bank with float rigs and jigs and live shrimp. The three anglers fished the bank thoroughly but we had no takers. After crossing over to fish a sandbar pointe and having no luck, we ran thru Horsehead and over to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe.

It was fairly slow fishing until finally, after Tatum had landed a small Bluefish, she and her dad simultaneously hooked up with two hungry Seatrout. Skunk was off the boat! We hit another dock on the rock side, fished the float rigs exclusively, and Victor go on the board with a nice feisty Redfish catch.

Our final stop was down at Broward Island. It took a while for the fish to begin to bite, but when things got going, the anglers landed a
good handful of them. Both Pete and Victor put "keeper sized" Trout in the boat while Tatum worked on the numbers. Then, just as we were about to wrap up, Victor thought he'd hooked a log but when it began to move an drip drag out, FISH ON!  This was a big fish and stayed deep for a good while. But Victor stayed in the battle and after a long fight, landed a big 29.5" Redfish. Boy what fish to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Spot Tourny Sure Winner

I fished today with Mike Perry and we got an earlier than usual start with the bait shop opening a tad bit early this morning. After getting our live shrimp we launched down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and ran up the Nassau River to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe with a few hours to go on an outgoing tide.

Mike was  making excellent casts to the base of some pilings and it didn't take long before he had "bump" on his jig and shrimp and he had a hookup. He neatly landed a nice fat Seatrout. We worked up
and down the docks and both of caught a handful of Trout with two being of keeper size. When things slowed we crossed the river and fished some exposed oyster beds and although we had abite or two, we had no takers.  So we ran further up Nassau and down a ways to fish some rocks along the Nassauville side and here we had multiple Redfish catches  floating a live shrimp along the rocks.

That slowed and after a short trip down to the Broward Island, we were back fishing, jigs and shrimp.
My hotspot was cold but we persevered and worked the bank and began to catch Trout. Then Mike had a strong bite, his drag ripped, and BIG FISH ON!  This was a big one - it ran deep a few times, ripping drag, but Mike kept the pressure on and worked it slowly to the boat. It ran deep again and made its way down current but Mike was up to the task and let the rod do the talking. After a good long battle, Mike landed a Tournament sized 26 1/2" Slot Redfish. And to top it off, it was loaded with spots! We counted a total of 28, a sure winner in most any Redfish Spot Tournament.

The Safe Harbor Boys Home Redfish Spot Tournament is fast approaching, to be held Saturday April 7th. Click Here for more information. Our Amelia Island Guides Association Redfish Spot Tournament is Saturday Sept. 8th and will be held at the Amelia Island Yacht club. Click Here for more information.

We wrapped up the trip catching one Seatrout after the other, most in the 14" range, but we did pick up one more of keeper size. And with that, we called it  day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Baked Oysters from CCA

I saw this recipe come thru from a Coastal Conservation Association email and thought it looked good..
Featured Recipe: Simple Baked Oysters 

Ingredients OYSTERS: 2 dozen fresh, unshucked oysters 3 c rock or ice cream salt FILLING: 1 12 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed 4 strips bacon 1 c yellow onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 c celery, diced 1 stick salted butter ½ tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper 1 c panko bread crumbs 1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping Lemon wedges   Directions: OYSTERS: Preheat to 450 degrees F. Fill an ovenproof serving dish large enough for all the oysters with the rock salt. Nestle oysters in it as you shuck them. This will prevent them from tipping and also retains heat after removal from oven.   FILLING: Remove any excess water from the frozen spinach by wringing out with your hands over a strainer in the sink. Set aside. Chop bacon and add to a large skillet on medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels for later use. To same skillet with bacon grease add onion, garlic and celery and saute about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through. Turn heat to low and add butter. Stir until butter is melted then add salt, pepper, panko bread crumbs, grated cheese, spinach and cooked bacon bits. Remove from heat and combine all thoroughly until cheese is melted. Top each raw oyster with about 1 tablespoon of topping, then sprinkle each with grated Parmesan. Place serving dish of oysters in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown. TO SERVE: Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Big Start Hot Finish

March winds are really aggravating! But Tom Hardy and I had a plan and that was to meet early this morning when the winds were still right at 10mph and buzz over to Tiger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. We had only been set up for a short while and with Tom making excellent casts, BOOM! Redfish on. He played the feisty Red perfectly and after pictures, we tossed it back (all fish caught today were released).

Tom continued to fish the pockets, picked up a few fish, then
BOOM! BIG FISH ON! And boy what a fish! Tom had to gamble and "horse" the fish away from the downed limbs but once he got it out to deep water he could take his time, be patient and let the rod bend do all the work The big fish dug deep a good handful of times but Tom was up to the task and eventually landed a....2018....Anglers Mark.....Bragging
Rights.....Leaderboard....Oversized 33.25" Redfish!  Scroll down the right side of this report for standings. This was a huge fish to catch on light tackle spinning gear. It was photographed and

released.

We continued to fish the bank, catching a couple of more Reds, a few Seatrout, and one small Flounder before the west wind picked up and drove us away.  We fished a tad bit in Egans Creek, then ran up to Lanceford Creek and fished some docks, but had no luck at either place. We were protected from the wind in Lancford, but the fish weren't biting, so we ventured back out into the wind, running to Bell River to fish some flooded oyster beds. And things heated up!

The wind was howling but it was come from behind us so all Tom had to do wasto  toss his float rig accurately towards the grass and let the wind take it. He had some good drifts along the grass and it paid off with four more Redfish, a Seatrout and another Flounder, all in quick succession.  It was really blowing but we left the fish biting and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

4th Spot is the Charm

We had a cool morning today but it was fairly clear and we expected the sun to warm things  up. I was fishing with Bryce Mitchell and his friends Brady and Daniel and Jessica, meeting up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and heading over to Tiger Island to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide. The anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and it may have been Jessica's first cast when she hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. That was too easy! But it got tougher after that - we worked up and down the
bank and found, not a single Redfish! Very unusual. But Daniel outsmarted a couple of Black "puppy" Drum and Jessica added another keeper sized Trout.

We ran to Soap Creek and fished some piling with jigs but had no takers. We ran to Lanceford Creek and fished some flooding marsh grass, but had not takers. Our 4th stop was back at Bell River and here things got wild and crazy!  I think Bryce may have put a couple of small Redfish in the boat when Jessica, after letting here
float and shrimp drift into a small pocket, had a big boil on her bait and, BIG FISH ON! This fish was pulling deep and hard but Jessica kept the pressure on. She worked it in slowly and soon Daniel scooped it up, a 26.75" Tournament sized Redfish, boy what a fish!

We continued to work that shoreline and it was a feast. The group landed small but feisty sized Redfish, Bryce added a keeper sized Trout, Brady added a keeper sized Flounder (to make it a Amelia Island Grand Slam of Trout, Redfish, Black Drum and Flounder)
then both Jessica and Brady had strong hookups. They were side by side and both expertly reeled in some identical Slot sized 20" Redfish!  Then Bryce added another Slot fish. This was some hot fishing!  But things finally slowed, and after hitting two more quick spots we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

I'm Getting Tired of This Wind!

Today was absolutely beautiful out on the water, but the high winds made it very difficult to fish  and catch fish successfully. When we have high winds predicted I make a plan to find areas that will be protected  and that tends to work, somewhat, but if the fish aren't there you're stuck with, "now what?

I met Eddie Okeefe and his work associates, Scott and Kerry,  down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp under clear skies and ripping 18mph winds. We busted through the north wind heading up the Nassau

River and made a our first stop on the outside of Seymore's Pointe and started tossing float rigs with live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. It didn't take long before Eddie had a hookup and patiently worked in a nice feisty Redfish. Piece of cake, right?  We continued to fish and not a few minutes later Eddie had another hookup and landed an even bigger Redfish, this one in the Slot. So thirty minutes, two Redfish, not bad, right?  We worked up and down the bank but had no more bites so we continued on down to Christopher Creek.

Here we switched to jigs and shimp, working the bank, the rocks and the docks. All three anglers were making excellent casts, working their baits slowly, but had no takers as we slowly trolled around the bank. We then fished our way out of Christopher, still getting no bites, then headed back towards Goffinsville to make a stop at the old sunken barge. Finally, Kerry had a bite and neatly landed a keeper sized Seatrout (all of the fish were released today). When we had no more bites, we moved around the Point and into the wind, fished some submerged oyster beds briefly, then headed over to Amelia City to wrap up the day  out of the wind, but with no real bites.

Although the wind made for a not-so-good fish catching day, it was still a great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida

Extreme Low Tide Causes Issues

I also fished yesterday afternoon, meeting Dick Miree and Katherine at the north ramp on the last of the outgoing tide. We made the long run up the Bell River and fished some docks with jigs and live shrimp. The current was still ripping, blown even faster by the wind and even though we had a bite or two, we had no takers. We continued on, around into the Jolley and made stops at three different banks of oyster beds on the very last of the outgoing tide.  I don’t know if I have ever seen the tide so low. We had no real bites.

 

When the tide hit bottom we went around to the mouth of Tiger and tried to enter but the water was too shallow and we couldn’t get in to fish that first of the incoming tide. So we changed our plans and went over to Eagans Creek and fished some structure, which paid off. Katherine landed the first fish of the day, a feisty Redfish. We put a couple of those in the boat, a small Trout or two, and did battle with a huge Seatrout that was wiley enough to throw the hook right at the boat! Boy what a fish!

 

The tide had come in a bit so we ran back to Tiger, slowed for a passing submarine, then made our way to the backside to fish the logs. Both Katherine and Dick put some “almost big enough” Redfish in the boat and both landed a couple of Black “puppy” Drum. The last two stops and submarine viewing saved the day and made for a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Water Warming Jack Crevalle Are Here!

We’ve had high winds forcast the last couple of days and we faced more of the same today when I met Keith and Annette Sawyer up at the Dee Dee Bartels park boat ramp this morning. But we had a plan and we stuck to it….for a while! Our first stop was over at the outside of Tiger Island and the land mass blocked the NW wind. Both Annette and Keith were making excellent casts to the flooded marsh grass on a high and incoming tide…but we had no takers.

 

We ran through Tiger and around to Bell River and set up a long a grassy point and in short order Annette “knocked the skunk off” when she landed a nice fat Seatrout. Keith followed that up with an even bigger Trout, this one of keeper size.  We ran up Lanceford Creek, fished a small grass island and here Annette got hot! She landed five more Trout, one here, one there, one here.  We were about half way through our trip and were running out of options to stay out of the wind so we decided to make a long run south to where I had gotten some big Trout yesterday.

 

It didn’t take but about 15 minutes and we were fishing. Keith was getting good casts and good drifts and when his float shot under with a vengeance, Keith set the hook and, FISH ON! This was a big fish! Keith played it patiently and let the big fish run, even as it made a dash under the boat. We were both thinking “big Red” at first, but then I saw a yellow-white flash….and Keith soon subdued a big hard fighting Jack Crevalle – the first of the year. But we had no Trout so we moved on.

 

Bouncing around the corner, we set up with floats along the bank and Keith continued his hot streak. He landed one keeper sized Slot Redfish and a whole handful of others that were just a hair undersized. It made for a great way to  finish another day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.