Crazy Ending

I fished today with "soon to be neighbors" Wade Kirkland and Greg Bancroft, meeting them early up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp.  We headed north and west with plans to fish Tiger, but with the extremely low and turning tide, we had to creep in, but we made it. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp on 1/4oz jigs up to the bank, letting them fall, and fishing them slowly back. One of Greg's first casts produced a bump, a hookup and a fish - a nice feisty Black "puppy" Drum, and the skunk was off!

We worked up and down the bank, fishing the pockets and it was
then Wade's turn. He had a soft bump and then his line was "heavy". Wade slowly reeled it in and when it came to the surface, the fight began! Big Flounder!  Wade played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 18" Flounder! This fish put's Wade in first place in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings)  Then Greg landed a nice Redfish.  They had a Slam at the first spot! After fishing the area thoroughly, we moved on, making a run up to the Jolley River to fish the Bank.

The tide was still coming in but the oysters were showing so Wade

took the bow and fished a jig while Greg fished the stern with a float rig. Greg put another Redfish in the boat so Wade switched to a float rig and he too landed a nice Slot Redfish (this one was packed full of fiddler crabs, and still eating!).  Our next stop was further up the river at Snook Creek. We picked up another Slot Red and Greg landed the first Bonnethead of the year.

Our final stop was back at Bell River, fishing the flooding marsh grass and oyster beds. After Greg put another shark in the boat, drifting a live shrimp out the back, he had another hookup. Greg

worked the fish patiently in and landed a nice keeper size Seatrout (a Grande Slam). We were about to wrap things up when Wade's float disappeared with a vengeance! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and digging down to the bottom. It headed straight for the grass line then BAM! The line went tight and we all thought the fish had gotten ensnarled in some grass. Greg was getting his line in and then he and I saw another float back at the stern of the boat with a BIG Redfish attached...how could that be?

The big Redfish had headed for the grass after getting hooked, wrapped around some oysters, then headed out deep. It appeared the line and fish were up at the bank but in reality the fish was out by the boat! Just a little closer and I could have netted it! It made one more lunge and BAP! The 15# braid parted and the fish was gone! You gotta respect a fish that put's up a battle link that. It made a great ending to another outstanding day fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.