Quick Start to a Beautiful Day

What a great way to wrap up a great fishing week here at Amelia Island, Florida. I had met Jack Ciapriani out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp and we made the short jump down to Broward Island to catch the first of an incoming tide. The water was like glass, the sun was coming up and nature was coming alive at the island. Jack was tossing jigs and live shrimp and in short order he had a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat. He caught a couple of feisty Redfish as we worked the bank and later put a big Seatrout in the boat.

We eventually made the run back to Seymore's
Pointe and fished some dock pilings and flooding oyster beds, but we had no real bites - unless you count the Catfish and Toad fish! We dropped down the Nassau River and began fishing oyster beds with a float rig. Jack had tossed up into a shallow area and when his float slowly disappeared, he tightened his line and set the hook and, Fish On!  Sure enough, the unique bite signified a Flounder, and a keeper sized one at that!

We made one more stop down at Pumpkin Hill, tangled with a Bonnethead Shark, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

A Fishing Day Filled With Action

Even though there was some dark clouds hanging over south Georgia early this morning, our side was clear when I met the Jones group - Chris and his two son's Alex and Andrew, and Alex's girlfriend Susanna. The water was like glass as we made our way up to the Jolley River with plans to fish the incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. We picked a bank with an oyster shell bottom and began working up current, tossing the floats and baits up near the grass. Alex "knocked the skunk  off" when he
landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout, Chris pulled in a feisty Redfish, then young Andrew, manning the stern, hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

After running further up the river, we fished another flooding marsh line and the action got hotter. The anglers were catching Bonnethead Sharks then Susanna found another keeper sized Seatrout to reel in. Andrew and Alex had a "double" hookup with Seatrout and the group battled another couple of Sharks.

We came back to Tiger Island and got into some keeper sized Flounder. Susanna landed two, Andrew landed another, and Chris landed one, all of keeper size. After Chris tangles with a high flying Ladyfish, we moved on, running thru Tiger and around to Bell River.

We'd had a great day of weather - just a slight breeze and the Georgia clouds had crept over the state line and kept it overcast for most of the trip and even though it was almost mid day, the fish were still biting!  Alex and Susanna had a double up on Seatrout with Susanna's measuring to be the biggest of the day then both Andrew and Alex battled Shark to wrap the trip up. We caught fish at every spot and all four anglers put keeper sized fish in the boat, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Jack Be Nibble

Today marked my last trip out of Sawpit this week! I had met Chip Lobeck, his son Sullivan and his father-in-law Ron early this morning and we headed up the Nassau on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours. We made a quick stop at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and pitched the pilings with jigs and all three anglers "knocked the skunk" off, individually. Sullivan got on the board first with a nice Catfish catch, and while he was reeling it in, Chip boated a Croaker, and later Ron put a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum in the boat.

We crossed over to the mouth of Jackstaff, fished it thoroughly, then rounded the corner of the Nassau to fish some rocks. Young Sullivan had a few nibbles that took his bait, but he went back to the same spot and hooked up with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We then headed up the Nassau to fish Pumkin Hill. It took while, but finally Ron found a hungry Seatrout then we had some good action. Chip had something big swipe at his live shrimp on float a couple of times, then on the third attempt Chip hooked up. We

could tell right off that this was a bigger fish and sure enough, after a patient fight, Chip landed a nice 19" Seatrout. Shortly after that Ron, drifting his float long, had it disappear and he hooked up. It was a long haul but Ron worked it in and landed another big 19" Trout.

We fished Christopher Creek with no luck and made one final stop heading back down the Nassau. Ron boated a high flying Ladyfish, Sullivan put his second Jack Crevalle in the boat, then Chip hooked up with something big. I was calling "shark" as it headed deep, ripping drag, and dashing under the boat.  Chip worked it out from under the boat, played it perfectly, and landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish! Now that's the way to wrap up another day of fun fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Head Shaking Big

The perfect summer weather just keeps on coming! We've been having clear mornings with just a slight breeze and the thunderstorms hold off until later in the day. I met Frank Wytiaz and his long time buddy John down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the Nassau River on a tide that was still coming in for a couple of hours. No shrimp today for bait! But as you will see, the mud minnows did just fine! 

We made quick stop at a oyster covered shoreline and began to work back against the current. Both Frank and John picked up a small Redfish each, then Frank added a hungry Seatrout and later, John tangled with a high flying Ladyfish.  The tide was still coming in so we buzzed down to Pumpkin Hill and set up along a bank to fish the float rigs and minnows. Again, the duo picked  up a couple of feisty Redfish, then Frank hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

John was drifting out of the back of the boat, letting his float and bait work along the shoreline and when his float disappeared, he tightened up, set the hook, and landed a very nice 19" Seatrout. That got things started! Frank followed his lead and he put a 21.5" Trout in the boat. Then John hooked up, successfully fought, and landed a Slot Redfish. Then, when Frank's float disappeared and he set the hook, he commented, "this is a big fish and it's shaking it's head" - and ripping drag, I might add. But Frank kept the pressure on and after a tense fight, landed a 24.25" BIG Gator Seatrout. Biggest of the year on the Angler's Mark and it lands Frank squarely in first place in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). The two anglers added two more 19" keeper Trout to their catch before the bite fell off.

We fished Seymore's Pointe briefly, had no real bites, then fished an large outflow where John wrapped things up with another Seatrout catch. It was a fine catching day, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Doubling Up

It seems like I've made Sawpit Creek my "home port"!  I met David Ehrler, his son Jack, and his dad Rich down at the south end ramp early this morning and we headed up the Nassau River and made the slightly longer run around to Pumkin Hill to set up with float rigs and minnows while David cast the fly rod off the stern. Neither live minnow or imitation shrimp fly picked up anything until we worked our way around to a point and BOOM! Both Rich and Jack had simultaneous hookups. They both reeled in a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off" and get a double, to boot!

We worked and edge in Pumkin, then ran over to Christopher Creek and switched to jigs. David had made an excellent cast to some rocks and after hookup, his drag began to sing. We knew it was a nice fish. David kept the pressure on and patiently worked it to the boat and landed a good Slot Redfish - his first. The tide was already going out so we skipped out of there and around to Seymore's Pointe.

I had made a "demo cast" and I as I handed the rod off, the float disappeared. Young Jack was on the rod and he fought the fish valiantly. The fish made a run or two but it was no match for Jack and he soon landed another nice Redfish.

We fished the Nassau River where David added a keeper sized Flounder to the catch, then he landed a Seatrout to round out his Amelia Island Back Country Slam, then Rich and Jack wrapped things up with another "double" this time hungry Seatrout. Everyone caught fish and we had some nice ones, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Out of the Park

After a day off and a good day of rest, I was back at it today, meeting Dana and Julie Simmons down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made the 15 minute run up to Jackstaff and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp with the tide still coming in. The first stretch of marsh didn't produce much but the second did. Between the two anglers, they caught a couple of hard fighting Jack Crevalle, a couple of Bonnethead Shark, and a Catfish.

We buzzed thru Horsehead and around to Pumpkin Hill and stuck with the float rigs for while. But when we got to a stretch of clear
bottom we switched to jigs and shrimp and within minutes, BOOM! Julie had a big fish on. She played it patiently and when we saw it flashed we all thought, "Slot Red", but as she worked it to the net we saw that it was a huge Seatrout, which we landed. It measured at 22", the biggest Trout caught to date on the Anglers Mark, knocking the competition "out of the park" to garner 1st Place in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  And shortly after that, Dana had a strong hookup. Again, I was thinking big Red, but when it never "boiled", I had some doubts. Dana fought it valiantly and eventually landed a massive Jack Crevalle. We worked the bank thoroughly, then headed out.

Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe, floating shrimp along some rocks and although we had nibbles, we had no takers.  We finished pitching jigs to dock pilings but were feeding the bait stealers, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Pick'n Up One Here and There

We fished an afternoon trip yesterday, meeting down at the south end ramp at 1pm with a tide that was about to hit bottom. I met George Youmans and his buddy William and we made the long run around to Broward Island on the Nassau. When we got there the SW wind was still pushing the water out but it was really low so we began to toss jigs and live shrimp and minnows up to the bank.  I don't think we got a real bite until the tide changed, but when it did, these two anglers picked up some fish. We didn't count the Toad fish as "skunk off the boat" but George's Seatrout sure counted! We worked up
and down the bank and caught a small Red or two, a small Sheepshead,  then William put a nice sized Seatrout in the boat -keeper size - but all fish caught today were released.

Our next stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe, pitching up to the dock pilings with jigs. The two anglers landed a couple of Croaker, a couple of Black "puppy" Drum and another small Redfish. We worked some oyster beds in the Nassau then came back to fish some rocks at Seymore's Pointe, here fishing a float rig.  George was working the float good and soon hooked up with what I thought was going to be our first big Mangrove Snapper of the year. When his drag began to rip, I thought surely it was just loose, but it turned out that this was a bigger fish! George worked it patiently to the boat and landed a Slot sized 22" Redfish!

We ran thru Horse head, fished the "bank" with float rigs to wrap things up. William tangles with a high flying Ladyfish and George put a couple of more Trout in the boat. Even though it was in the middle of Summer and in the middle of the day, we caught fish, and we weren't working! So we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

A Plethora of Fish

We had a pretty day that greeted us this morning when I met Drenner Tinsley and his adult sons Miles and Blake down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. There was a slight breeze blowing as we headed up the intercoastal with plans to dip into Jackstaff and then further up a creek. The three anglers started out tossing float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows to some large marsh outflows on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours already. I don't think we had a nibble at that first spot so we moved across the creek and fished a marsh line. Drenner stayed with the float off the stern
while Blake and Miles began to fish jigs off the stern and we may have had a nibble or two then Blake hooked up and "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a fat Seatrout.

We crossed over to a submerged sandbar with all three anglers tossing jigs and it wasn't long before both Blake and Miles had hookups - we had a double!  Blake reeled in a feisty Redfish while Miles landed another Seatrout.

After running thru Horshead we made a stop at a likely dock and

here the action picked up.  Drenner got on the board when he landed a couple of Black "puppy" Drum then he put some rather large Croaker in the boat. Miles added a Drum then Drenner put a wayward Seabass in the boat.

We made a brief jaunt down to Broward Island. Miles hooked up with another Seatrout on his first cast - it hit just as his bait hit the bottom, but he wind was picking up, the current was still strong, and the fishing was really difficult. So we ran back to Seymore's Pointe and out of the wind and finished up when Miles caught a Flounder. We had a good variety of fish caught so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

First Fish Oversized!

We squeezed in a late afternoon trip yesterday, Mike DuBartell and I, meeting down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. At the time, we had partly cloudy skies and still some serious heat, but, it was time to fish! We headed up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff, first checking to see if the tide was going to get up for tailing Redfish (no) so we eased into a smaller creek and set up fishing with float rigs and live shrimp. The tide high and still coming in and even though Mike was getting excellent drifts, we had no real bites.

After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at some rocks at Seymore's Pointe, drifted the float, and again, no bites. Knowing that we had high water for a while, I thought it'd be a good idea to try Christopher Creek. After the short run we were tossing jigs and shrimp to the dock pilings and rocks. Mike noted that he had a bite or two, then he had strong bite and BAP! Leader broke!  But Mike kept at it and finally, BOOM! Big Fish On!  I thought it was odd that the fish boiled to the surface in 10" of water so quickly and even as quickly as Mike worked it to the boat. But when we saw that it was a huge Redfish I knew that the battle had just begun! Sure enough, the big fish began to make some surges to the bottom, but Mike kept the pressure on, working the fish left to right to left and he soon wore him out and landed an oversized 27.25" Redfish, boy what a fish! After pictures the fish was gently released to swim back to the depths. (All fish caught were released).

We worked the banks for a while, had some bites, landed another Slot Redfish, then moved on out of there before the tide dropped too much. We made another pit stop at the rock of Seymore's, had a few nibbles, and caught one "baitstealer" then we moved on down the Nassau River to fish some banks that were now beginning to expose oysters.

Mike was still tossing the jig rod, up current, and after one particular cast,  hooked up and landed a fat Seatrout.  He later tangled with a high flying Ladyfish. We had been keeping our eyes on the dark thunderstorms to the north of us and had having sprinkling rain for the last hour, but we never did get really wet, so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Islands, Florida.

BooKoodles

I met the Owensby's, Tom and Kevin, down at the south end early this morning - their first time fishing "south" from the many times that they have fished here at Amelia Island. It was a beautiful morning as we ran up the Nassau River with a couple of hours of the tide still going out. We stopped at a large marsh drainage and both anglers began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the bank. It took a while but when the "bite" began" they were catching bookoodles of fish. Many of the fish were juvenile Redfish but every once in a while they would get one that had some size. Then they'd tie into a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and have fun fighting that battle. A couple of Ladyfish were landed in the mix.

We moved on up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and again, we had some good action. The duo landed a good handful of small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum, a couple of Croker and, a Catfish. We hit Bubblegum Reef briefly, picked another Catfish or two, another Croaker, and a golden colored Seatrout,  then bounced over to the rocks at Seymore's to try our luck with float rig. The tide was still going out and although these anglers were making excellent casts, we had no luck.

Our final stop was down at Broward Island and boy was the tide down....and STILL going out!  The water was a clear Coca-Cola color and almost all of the stobs were exposed. We worked almost the entire island, bait was everywhere, but we didn't have much luck. Although the bite slowed as the day warmed, we had some really good action early so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Redfish Boil

We had a beautiful day today, with almost no wind, clear skies, and sunshine! I met Jeff and Jess Kamenski up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park midmorning with plans to target tailing Redfish when the tide got a bit higher around noon. We made an initial run up to Jolley Bank and began working back against the current. Jess was on the bow tossing float rigs with live shrimp while Jeff unlimbered his fly casting arm. We worked the banks slowly while both anglers were making excellent casts, but we had no real bites. As we ended our run, Jeff switched to a float and shrimp, made a cast into shallow water, and we
all so a boil, his float disappeared, and Fish On! The fish came deep, Jeff's drag ripped, and we had a battle on our hands!  Jeff played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish!

We moved down the river and fished either side of Snook Creek. We had nibbles here and there then Jeff reeled in a large Gar Fish, then he battled a high flying Ladyfish. The tide was getting up and we had one more stop to make before we began to check the marsh for flooding so we made our way back to the outside of Tiger. Jess made a cast forward to some submerged oysters, her float disappeared and...no fish! But she was not to be denied and went back to the same spot and BOOM! She had a hookup! Jess played the fish perfectly and soon landed a keeper sized Seatrout (All fish caught today were released). Then Jeff had a strong hookup and his drag began to sing. And Sing. And Sing. Big Fish on!  But Jeff was up to the task and after a long battle, landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark.

We then began to check the marsh and even though the forecast called for a 7.0' high tide, there just was not enough water up in the grass. We checked 3-4 areas but it wasn't to be. We finished up fishing Bell River and here Jess hooked up with another nice Seatrout. Although we didn't have a chance to target tailing Reds, it was still another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Father's Day Fun

The Owensby's were back in town - Tom and his son Kevin and grandson Jake - and we fished the early morning here at Amelia Island. I met them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and with the tide just starting in, I thought it'd be best to start fishing the logs at Tiger, a perfect tide to fish. Although we did pick up some small fish - Trout, Drum, Flounder, and Reds (a Grande Slam!) the anglers spent most of their time feeding "baitstealers", getting a nibble on almost every cast. After fishing the bank up and down, we moved on.

Our next stop was up at Jolley Bank and after easing along, tossing up current with jigs and live shrimp and working a float rig out the back, we hit a "hot spot". Kevin put a big Seatrout in the boat, Jake added Redfish, then Tom had a strong bite, and Fish On!  He played the big fish patiently and when it ripped drag a few times we know he had a nice fish on. And when rolled we know it was a big Redfish!  After a good battle, Kevin netted the 23" Slot Fish.  We tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, added another Seatrout then moved on up the River.

Fishing Snook Creek, we didn't get a whole lot of bites but when Jake's float slowly went under, he lifted the rod to set the circle hook and caught a nice keeper sized Flounder. We went back to the outside of Tiger and fished the edge of a flooding oyster bed and BAM! Multiple hookups quick. Jake and Kevin landed Seatrout, once of which was of keeper size, Tom battled a Ladyfish, then he had a real battle with a Bonnethead Shark, then, like someone turned a light switch off, the bite was gone.

We made one final stop back at the mouth of Tiger and even though there was a lot of bait movement there wasn't much action, until Tom caught one last fish, a keeper sized Flounder. It took all trip but we slowly put together a "mess" of fish so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Action

I wrapped my week up fishing with David Foster and his friend Tim and Tim's son Mathew, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. The tide had been coming in for an hour or so but the oysters were still fully exposed and I though for sure some dock pilings would be holding fish. We ran up the Nassau River and set up current from a dock and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the pilings. Guess what - the Croaker are here! We picked up a few, a bait stealing Spot, a slimy Catfish, and had one feisty Redfish to the boat for a "quick release" - but no big fish.

The tide was still somewhat low so we ran down to Broward Island, fished the north end with jigs, then moved down to the south end and fished the logs. Tim had a hookup - dang it - just a Toad Fish - but we kept working the bank, tossing up current, and it paid off. Tim had a strong bite and we knew it was big when the drag began to rip. He played it perfectly and we soon landed a big Seatrout that was just shy of 20" -now that's a nice fish!  And shortly after that David hooked up and he too put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. We did land a small Redfish along the bank.

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill, drifting float rigs and shrimp along the marsh grass. David got hot, landing a Bonnethead Shark and a big Ladyfish - the "poor man's Tarpon". We had another couple of small Reds and a small Seatrout.  We fished Christopher Creek for a bit with jigs -and again, a small Red, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Jigs Got the Bigger Fish

We've been fishing the high and incoming tides this week and it was the same today when I met Justin and Jacqueline Bogle down at the south end ramp early this morning. We headed up the intercoastal and into Jackstaff with the plan to pitch float rigs up current  to the marsh grass. We had a good bite but the fish thru the  hook then later Jacqueline hooked up and landed a hard fighting Ladyfish - her first fish! We worked that bank thoroughly then ran thru Horsehead, over to the Nassau River and down to Pumpkin Hill where we set up along a flooding grass line.

This did the trick! Jacqueline began to get some fish - a couple of hungry Seatrout, a small but feisty Redfish, and even a persistent Blue Crab! Justin added a nice Whiting to the catch.   After moving around the point and switching Justin to a Jig and shrimp combo, he had a strong hookup and, Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon landed a nice 2' Bonnethead Shark.

The tide was up so we ran over to Christopher Creek and both anglers were now tossing the jigs. Again, we had a strong bite, and the drag began to rip. Justin kept the pressure on, worked it in slowly, and put a Slot sized 21" Red in the boat.

Our final stop was at Seymore's Pointe to check for Mangrove Snapper, but they just haven't arrived. What a crazy Spring we had. But we caught some fish earlier so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Nibbl'n Puppy Drum

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Tim Carson -  his birthday trip - and he brought along his step-son Cody and grandson BeBo to enjoy a great day out on the water here at Amelia Island. And a pretty morning it was! We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River with the tide still coming in. Our first couple of stops were at some marsh runouts (running in now!) and even though the trio were making excellent casts, we had no real bites.

We buzzed further up the Nassau and to Pumpkin Hill and this did the trick. Tim "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hungry Seatrout. Then Cody's rod got hot and he caught a couple of Black "puppy" Drum, a feisty Redfish, and a Ladyfish that wasn't so "high flying". Tim fished long and picked up a good keeper sized Seatrout before we moved on.

After dipping into Christopher Creek we went to jigs and shrimp
and now all three anglers got in to the action. BeBo and Cody teamed up to reel in  the biggest Redfish of the day - a six spotter - then BeBo, after making an excellent cast to the marsh line, hooked up and, Fish On! He worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice Black Drum. 

We fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe, then ran thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff, but the sun was up, it was getting "warm", so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Good Times Fishing

It's always great to get to fish with old high school friends and today I had the pleasure of fishing with Chuck Lynch, his father Buddy, and his son-in-law Matt. We met early up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and made a quick run over to Bell River to fish the last of an incoming tide with live shrimp under floats. It didn't take long and we were getting hookups - Seatrout that were just a tad bit undersized, but fun to catch. Although we saw Reds tailing up by the grass, we had no takers from them.

After running thru Tiger we pulled in on the outside of the Island
and boy were things hopping! There was a Sheepshead tailing by some sparse grass and on down the line a big 'ole Redfish tail was flopping around. The trio "got to it" and started catching fish! Chuck had a strong hookup - one that was ripping drag - but this fish didn't get big by being dumb! It pulled right under the boat and down into the oysters and BAP! Fish off! But Chuck went back to the grass and pulled out a nice feisty Redfish. Matt stayed on fire the entire trip. He put the first 3-4 "keepers" in the boat. First a big

bull Whiting, then a 17" Flounder. We worked the bank thoroughly and caught a couple of small Reds and Trout.

We made a pit stop at a large marsh run out and pitched some jigs and mud minnows on the now outgoing tide. but had no luck. Our next stop was way up the Jolley River and again Matt came thru when he hooked up and landed a big 22" Slot Redfish. After battling a 4' Shark on light tackle we made our way along the bank. Somewhere along there we caught a Black "puppy" Drum  and another Red or two.

Jolley Bank was looking good so we eased along it. The oysters still were not showing so we stayed with float rigs. Matt put another Slot Red in the boat and Chuck added a keeper sized Seatrout. We had some good bites along the way and landed another couple of feisty Reds.

Our final stop was back at Tiger, fishing the logs, and here Buddy got on the board with a Redfish catch of his own. It was a great day to get out on the water and do some fishing with friends and family here at Amelia Island, Florida.

No Mangrove's Yet

After a good day off I was back to "work" today, meeting Jim Kotopka and his buddy Mike down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We buzzed up the river and made our first stop off a feeder creek of the intercoastal and fished with float rigs and live shrimp. Although we had a small shark irritate our bait, he wouldn't take it. We ran thru the marsh and made a stop over at Seymore's Pointe where Jim "knocked the skunk off" by quickly landing a feisty Redfish.

After fishing that spot a while we moved down
the Nassau River to fish some marsh runouts on the outgoing tide. We had stayed with float rigs but the minute Mike switched to a jig, he picked up a hungry Seatrout!  We had some strong bites that broke the leader at the 2nd runout but it was the 3rd that heated things up. Jim picked up a couple of fish quick - a feisty Redfish then a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then Mike had good bite, his drag began to sing and, Fish On! Mike played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a 22" Slot sized Redfish. Only seconds later they both had hookups - we had a double - and they both reeled in some nice Reds.

The tide had gotten down so we went back to Seymore's to fish some dock pilings and here Jim found a "honey hole" loaded with Black "puppy" Drum.  The fish were only 12-13.5" in size, but were fun to catch. Mike was able to inch over and pick up a few Drum of his own. We moved over one dock and found a keeper sized Flounder out deep, which was a bit unusual.

Our last stop was at my traditional Mangrove Snapper hole but they still haven't made it in yet, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Grande Slam Keepers

We could tell that it was a tad bit cooler this morning (nowhere near cold, just cooler) and with some cloud cover it made for a very pleasant fishing morning. I met Jeff and Penny Parks down at the south end ramp and we ran up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff and then even further up into a creek. Both anglers were tossing float rigs on a high and outgoing tide and even though all three of us spotted a tailing Redfish up near the marsh grass, we had not takers.

After dropping back to fish the mouth of Jackstaff, we worked the bank thoroughly, we

Penny manning the stern and fishing a float rig while Jeff took the bow and tossed a jig and shrimp. Again, no takers. But after we had crossed the creek and fished a submerged sandbar, and after Penny had switched to a jig herself, she had a hookup. She worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.

We ran thru Horsehead and around to some docks and set up-current from the pilings. Penny and Jeff were both dropping their jigs up near the pilings and it paid off. First, Jeff had a strong bite and, Fish On!  It was a ripping drag and digging deep but Jeff kept the pressure on and slowly worked it to the net, a nice 22" Black "puppy" Drum. Then the duo landed a couple of Redfish, one of them being in the Slot, then Penny reeled in a fat keeper sized Flounder, giving them an Amelia Island Grande Slam of Seatrout, Redfish, Black Drum and Flounder.

Our next stop was some rocks over at Seymore's Pointe but we had not luck so we ran down to Broward Island and fished the logs on the last of an outgoing tide. We wrapped the trip up catching three small Redfish, another Black Drum and a Seatrout. It was a great way to finish up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Great Fishing Sandwiched In

You just can't beat this "Chamber of Commerce" type morning weather we've been having! Today I met Jeff and Penny Parks up at the north end. The tide had been going out for a few hours so we made a quick run up and around to the outside of Tiger Island with plans to fish a nice marsh run out with jigs and live shrimp. Both anglers started off making excellent casts, fished them slow, but we had not takers.

We bounced around and into the Jolley River, fished some just-exposed oysters with float rigs and live shrimp and boy did things heat
up! Penny got things going when she hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish then both anglers were catching fish, and nice ones at that!  Jeff was fishing the stern and letting his bail stay open, he was able to get a good, long drift along the shoreline and, BOOM! Fish On! A Slot Redfish. Penny was fishing the bow and tossing up current to get her drift and, BOOM! Fish On!  A Slot Redfish. We ended up culling a couple of the smaller ones after we reached our limit.

Then Jeff had another strong bite, a hookup, and he commented that the fish was shaking it's head, a tad bit different feel than the Redfish. Sure
enough, Jeff landed a big 19.5" Seatrout. We caught and released couple of undersized Reds, an undersized Black "puppy" Drum then when the bite fell off, we moved on up into the Jolley. There was plenty of bait action at the MOA, but we had not takers.

The tide had hit bottom back nearer Fernandina so we ran back and fished the logs of Tiger. It was perfect conditions, the right tide, but the sun was up and the heat was on! Penny did hookup with the only Flounder of the day, but true to its nature, it thru the hook right at boatside.

Although the fishing was slow early and late, we had some really good action in between, so we counted as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Slam Time

I had the Thomas boys fishing with me today - Clay and his three sons Carter, Grady and Logan. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River under clear skies, just a slight breeze and with an outgoing tide. The oyster shells were just beginning to show when we made our first stop at Twin Creeks and all four anglers began to toss float rigs baited with live shrimp up current and across the mouths of the outflow, getting good, natural drifts. But it was to no avail. We had no real bites.

We dropped back and fished a stretch of shells and here young
Logan "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and tangled with a "poor man's Tarpon" - a Ladyfish. I normally say it was "high flying" but I don't think it jumped once!  We moved up 75 yards, fished another outflow, then decided to continue west and fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe, and this did the trick.

Everybody was catching fish! I think they all landed at least one Black "puppy" Drum, with Grady leading the way, then Carter had

a strong hookup, his drag ripped, and Fish ON!  He played the big fish patiently and soon landed a big Jack Crevalle. Clay followed that up with another big Jack of his own. All totaled, we had a good handful of the Puppy Drum, but all were just a tad bit undersized.

Our final stop was down at Broward Island and we fished almost the entire stretch. Clay and Carter landed some small Redfish, then Clay and Grady had a double hookup. Each played their fish perfectly and landed them. Clay had a hungry Seatrout and Grady had a Redfish that was just smidgen undersized so both were tossed back.  With the Black Drum, Seatrout, and Redfish, they had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Finally, Clay had a good hookup and we could tell this was a bigger fish. He worked it to the boat and Grady netted the nice 18" keeper sized Seatrout.

We had a lot of action and it was such a beautiful day, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Saving The Best For Last

The winds died down to almost nothing this morning which made for a great day to get two young anglers out on the Amelia Island back waters. I met Jody Miller and his two young sons Wyatt and William up at the Dee Dee Bartels park boat ramp. After a brief safety orientation, we ran up and around to the backside of Tiger with plans to fish the logs on a first of an incoming tide. It was ideal conditions and these anglers were fishing their jigs and live shrimp expertly, but we had no takers, other than a puny pinfish! Crazy! I would have thought we would have had some nice fish, but that's fishing!

We ran up to the Jolley River, all the way up to Snook Creek, and fished some exposed oyster beds with float rigs and live shrimp and again, no real bites. We dropped back to the mouth of the Jolley, fished a large marsh run out, and I think it was Jody's first cast - his float slowly disappeared and he had a hookup. With the help of his crew, they successfully reeled in a nice 18.5" Flounder, big enough to land them in first place in the Anglers Mark 2018 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  We fished on up the bank, had  few nibbles, but no takers.

Our next stop was back around at Tiger, thru Tiger basin, and around to Bell River, again fishing with float rigs. Wyatt picked up a feisty Bonnethead Shark here, but other than that, no real bites.

The final stop was back at the outside of Tiger and with 15 minutes to go in the trip, the fish "catching" heated up considerably! Jody  began to hookup with Seatrout, one after the other. His two young anglers jumped in and helped reel a few in, net a few, release a few and we caught fish until we ran out of bait. Although the first handful of Trout were "shorts", they seemed to get bigger as the catching went on with a few making it into the keeper sized range. It was a great way to wrap up a nice fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.