Where's Your Rods?

There was only a slight breeze when Bob Blalock and I left the dock at Goffinsville Park and headed down the Nassau River. Although there was a bit of overcast skies, when we eased the throttle down on the north end of Broward Island I could tell that even the breeze was blocked by the island and I had this contented feeling that we were going to have a great start to a fishing day until Bob raised the question, "where's your rods?"  Oh lordy. I had left them in the truck. Ouch. We buzzed back to the ramp, I ran up to the truck and retrieved the rods - we surely needed them- then we headed back to Broward and set up outside an outflow to fish

with jigs and shrimp.

We had pretty good action, catching small Reds, small Trout, a small Black Drum and a small Flounder to quickly garner an "Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam". We worked the bank with jigs and caught a fish here and there, but nothing of any size.  The tide finally started back in so we moved up to the north end and within a few casts Bob had a good bite. This one was pulling drag and sure enough, when landed, turned out to be a nice 19" Slot fish.  We had few  more smaller fish before we headed back down the Nassau.

Our next stop was along some flooding oysters and here we had  short flurry of fish catches - a Red, a Croaker and a Catfish. After that we buzzed thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff. Bob was getting good drifts with a float rig and shrimp and it paid off. He landed a good 18" keeper sized Seatrout and a couple of hard fighting Jack Crevalle. All fish caught today were released (even the bloody Red - it lived in the live well for 3 hours and then swam off when released) We caught a bunch of fish once we had our rods and it made for a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Stroke of Billiance

We had a beautiful day this morning when I met Bob Blalock up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp - the weekend was over and the crowds diminished so I thought it'd be fun to fish "north" today. The tide was low and coming in so we made the quick run over to Tiger to fish the logs and we got some good bites right off fishing jigs and live shrimp - catching a couple of small Reds, small Croaker, a small Black Drum..and so on. We were about to leave but made one last effort at the north end of the island and BOOM!
Bob had a strong hookup, a good fight, and landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. He went back to the same bank and BOOM! Another Slot Redfish, this one at around 21".  Hanging around paid off.

After a short run up to the Jolley to fish the "bank",  turned in to the current (what little there was) and began working back with float rigs and live shrimp. Although we had a few nibbles, we had no real takers until we were back at the mouth and here Bob hooked up and
landed a couple of small but feisty Redfish. He also reeled up a corroded spinning reel!

Further up the Jolley we made a stop along some flooded grass and the conditions looked ripe for fishing catching!  Sure enough, after Bob had made an excellent cast with his float rig and live shrimp to a grass clump, he picked up a small but feisty Red, then another, then a Seatrout, then a Red. We worked up the bank and held at a point and I think it was Bob's first drift when his float disappeared with a vengeance and, Fish ON! He worked it patiently to the boat and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout. He went back to the same spot and something took his bait and kept going and going and GONE!  It only took a drift or two and BOOM! Big Fish On!  Bob fought it expertly and soon landed another Slot Red, this one measuring in at 23" - a very nice fish.

We made one last run back to Tiger, thru Tiger Basin and around to Bell River and set up alongside a point. Bob was drifting his shrimp up near the grass and picked up a feisty Red right off the bat. After that, he got one nibble after another, feeding shrimp to a "bait stealer" and just before we left Bob had a "Stroke of Brilliance". We had some mud minnows in the well and hadn't used them all day so Bob baited one up and pitched it close. He had a nibble again, reeled it up, tossed it back and WOW! Both Bob and I saw a huge copper flash come up and engulf his minnow and BIG BIG Fish on!  We couldn't believe that what we saw was a Red- it seemed so big. Bob took his time, fought it to the boat, after working it around not one, but two crab traps, and landed a big 31" Oversized Red - the 2nd biggest of year caught on the Anglers Mark and setting Bob up in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. Boy what a fish and a fight!

Action Packed Fishing

I met the Gasparini crew - Robin, Kathleen, Wendy and Harriet - down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning early and we made the quick run up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff on a low but incoming tide. We had three anglers forward tossing jigs and live shrimp while Harriet fished the stern with a float rig. I think it was first cast when Harriet's float disappeared, she hooked up, and landed a nice Redfish. Meanwhile, Robin had set the hook on a fat Seatrout. Now that's the way to start a day of fishing. It seemed we had non-stop action for over an hour fishing just one stretch of

water. There were two or three Bonnethead Shark hookups, battles, and "quick releases" at boat side. We had a couple of more Seatrout catches, a couple more "feisty Redfish" catches, then finally, after Kathleen had made an excellent cast to a grass pocket, BOOM! Big Redfish On!  She played it perfectly and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish.

We buzzed thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill and set up along a flooding marsh line, the tide still coming in. All anglers

were now tossing float rigs, Kathleen out the back and sure enough, after a nice drift along the shoreline, BOOM! Big Trout in the boat! Robin was fishing the bow and picked up a couple of smaller Reds, Wendy and Harriet were getting good drifts and picked up a couple of smaller Reds, then again, Kathleen out the back, BOOM! A bigger 20" Seatrout caught and landed. After Wendy put a hard fighting Bonnethead in the boat, we headed back but made one more stop along down the Nassau River.

Robin was on the bow and got a good cast up to a marsh point and as it drifted by her float disappeared with a vengeance. She took up slack, lifted the rod, and let the circle hook do its job - Fish ON!  Robin played it patiently  and when it boiled up we knew it was another Slot Redfish. She fought it perfectly and soon landed a nice Slot Redfish. Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

One Last Stop

I was back at it today, fishing with my cousin Ryan Garner, his father-in-law Brian, and brother-in-law Blake, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. We made a short run up the Nassau River and made a stop alongside a flooding shell bank and began to toss float rigs up current.  It took a few minutes but finely, Blake "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  Brian quickly added a Catfish, then all three anglers got into some small but fun-to-catch Redfish.  The boated and released a good handful.

We ran further up the Nassau, stopped at Seymore's rocks, drifted them thoroughly, had not bites, and moved on.  Our next stop was down at Pumkin Hill and even though each angler was making excellent casts we only got a few nibbles, then Brian, fishing the stern, had his float disappear and , Fish ON!  He played it patiently and soon landed a big 20" Seatrout.

Our next stop was up in Christopher Creek where we switched to jigs and fished some docks....and found one feisty Redfish. We came back out, made a quick run down to Broward Island and fished with jigs and float rigs and I think we picked up one small Seatrout.  "If you're not catching fish, move!" So we did, back to Seymore's Pointe, with the tide just staring out. I'm pretty sure we saw at least two big boils from Redfish feeding but they wouldn't take our bait. The sun was up and it was getting hot but we decided to run thru Horsehead and over to Jackstaff.

After pulling up and putting the bow into the current, Blake had made an excellent cast to a shallow pocket and BOOM! Big Fish On!  He fought it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. Brian went to the same area and BOOM!  Another nice Slot Redfish. Ryan went to the same spot and BOOM! Another nice Slot Redfish! There were definitely a few smaller Reds caught in between and after the "trio".  It made for a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flounder Man

It would probably sound better if it was pronounced with an Arnold Schwarzenegger
accent...:Flounda Mann"....Mike's new name after today's fishing trip! I had met Steve Frost and his brother-in-law Mike down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. There weren't too many clouds in the sky, we had just a slight breeze, it seemed like the temperature was somewhat cooler, and there was definitely less humidity in the air -a perfect day to do some backwater fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

However, after we had run up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and fished for about 45
minutes, we only had a couple of small, but fat Seatrout to show for our efforts. We ran thru Jackstaff and fished a point of grass that seemed to be the perfect ambush pointe, but again, no real bites.

After dropping down the Nassau and fishing some flooded shell beds on the outgoing tide, Mike finally had a subtle bite, hooked up, and landed a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder. Steve got busy catching  some small but fun-to-catch Redish then Mike landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. At least we were getting some action. We moved up a ways, switched to jigs, and caught another couple of the small Reds. Steve was pitching forward on the stern and had found that he was getting his bites deeper as the bottom dropped off and after an excellent cast to his edge, BOOM! Big fish on! He fought the fish from the bow and down the starboard to the stern, around the stern, and back to the bow, keeping the pressure on, and after a good battle, landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish.

We fished the rocks at Seymore's and here Mike put another keeper Flounder in the boat, along with a small Redfish. We wrapped up fishing some docks, tossing jigs, and when Mike felt a strange bump, he reeled tight, set the hook, and landed his biggest Flounder of the day, a nice 18" fish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Big Three

The Blalock's, William and Dara, are heading home, but not after squeezing in one more fishing trip in the backwaters of Amelia Island. I met them early this morning out at Goffinsville and we quickly made the run over to Pumkin Hill to fish an outgoing tide along some shell banks with float rigs an live shrimp. Both Dara and William were making excellent casts, the water was beautiful, the sun was coming up, there was a nice breeze, but the fish didn't cooperate, at all! We had no real bites.

Being in the area, we decided to bounce down to Broward Island. The current was ripping, which I don't much care for at that spot, but William took the bow and pitched a jig and shrimp to a large marsh run out while Dara fished a large stump with the jig. William "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hungry Seatrout. Dara was just getting a nibbler or two so she switched to a float rig and cast to some calm water next to the bank and that was all it took. She began to catch one Redfish after the other. While she was doing that William picked up a Sheepshead, and maybe another Trout, then as he let his jig bounce along
the bottom with the current, BOOM! Big Fish On!  Except Dara and I didn't think it was of much size, but when William said it was a nice fish, we made room for him. He fought the fish to the stern, kept the pressure on, and soon landed an oversized 28" Redfish!  After photo's, he went lowered him over the side and he was gone with a thrash.

Our next stop was back down the Nassau River, fishing some marsh runouts, and boy how things changed from yesterday. Although Dara landed a feisty Red or two, it was nothing like yesterdays dozens.  We moved up and fished some more shell beds off of Seymore's Pointe, then fished some docks at Seymore's where Dara caught some Croaker -on of which had some size to it - then we dropped back and fished an abandoned dock. Both anglers were working their jigs along the pilings when William had a strong hookup and BAP, fish gone! Ouch! We worked around to the other side, and just as we were about to move on, William was reeling his bait up
when a big fish hit and went deep. This fish was fighting hard and making hard lunges deep. But William was up to the task and after a good battle landed a big 19" Triple Tail! Whoo Whoo, we don't see those too often!

The sun was up and it was getting late in the morning but we decided to fish a few more docks and it paid off. Dara had just made a perfect cast along some free-standing pilings and had no takers but when William followed her in he had a hard THUMP, and a big Flounder came thrashing to the surface - it was BIG! William fought it to the boat and landed a 22" Doormatt Flounder - the biggest caught on the Anglers Mark this year and it places William squarely in the lead in the 2018 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

High School Reunion Fishing

I fished today with William Blalock and his old friends Bryan and Jeff, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. The tide still had a few hours of going out so we ran over to fish some dock pilings at Seymore's Pointe. It took just a few casts before all three anglers were hooking up. After getting a handful of Black "puppy" Drum, a handful of small but feisty Redfish, William finally had a bite that ripped some drag. It's crazy how a Redfish puts up such a fight when they get in the Slot size. William worked it to the net and landed a 20" Slot fish.

The tide was still going out so we ran down the Nassau River and set up alongside some exposed oysters and the fish catching really got hot. The trio were catching the feisty Reds, some hard fighting Jacks, and more feisty Reds. We moved up to a large marsh runout and again, catching on fire!  As we worked the bank I saw a large Flounder bust some bait and come out of the water. The shot was open and William took it and BOOM! Flounder On!  He played it patiently and landed a nice 18" keeper sized Flounder.

We moved back up to Seymore's, switched to float rigs, and with only minnows left in the bait well, began to work some structure. Jeff had found himself "boxed out" but he hit the perimeter his range, drifted up into a pocket, and hooked up with another nice fish. He worked it expertly to the boat and landed another nice 18" keeper sized Flounder. Things were slowing down, it was getting hot, but as we worked along the bank William's float disappeared and he had a hookup!  He fought it to the boat and landed another Slot Redfish.

It had been overcast all day, we'd gotten sprinkled on a couple of times, but the sun had come out and it turned out to be another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Spots Early

I had the pleasure of fishing with Joe Gasper, Adam Blanning and his girls Eliza and Meagan, again this year. It's really neat to see the kids grow up into young adults, and to continue to want to get out on the water and fish!  We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River with a tide that still had a couple of hours to go out. We set up along an exposed oyster bed and began to toss jigs and dead shrimp and minnows (no live shrimp today!) and it didn't take long before these anglers were putting fish in the boat. Eliza started it off with a nice Seatrout, Adam followed it up with a feisty Redfish and Meagan added a Red, too. They ended up catching a nice handful of the Redfish and a couple of Trout.

We continued on up the river and found some dock pilings, really exposed, and began pitching to them. Everyone caught fish! Joe started it off with a nice Black "puppy" Drum catch then Eliza had a strong hookup and, Fish On! She played it patiently and even though it made some strong runs to the pilings, she kept the pressure on and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish! Adam didn't have access to the pilings so he was casting deep and picked up a Trout then both Meagan and Eliza caught the Puppy Drum. Joe finished things up when he landed the biggest Trout of the day.

We later fished Broward Island on the first of an incoming tide but the wind had picked up and it made it difficult to fish. After making one more stop back at Twin Creeks and feeding some crabs, we called it  day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Good Backwater Fishing Continues

I fished with the Blalock's today, William and Dara, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this morning. We made a quick run over to Tiger but the tide was so low as we crept in we edged up on a sandbar, so we backed off and continued on around to the Jolley River. The tide was changing as we arrived and the bite was very  active. Both Dara and William hooked up with numerous small "feisty" Redfish then finally William had a good bump, set the hook, and Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We worked up the oyster lined bank and the two
anglers stayed steady catching fish. When Dara felt a strange thump, she gave it a second then set the hook on what turned out to be a keeper sized Flounder. She also added an "almost legal" Trout to her catch, too.

After an hour of fishing and the tide coming in we ran back to Tiger Island and fished the logs. Here it was Dara's turn to hookup and land a Slot Redfish. Both William and Dara put a handful of undersized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, along with there distant cousins, the Croaker. Before we left we had one more strange bump. Dara worked it to the boat and landed another keeper Trout.

We went back to the Jolley, fished float rigs, and picked up another few fish along the now flooding oysters. Our next stop was around at Bell River, fishing the incoming tide with the floats and live shrimp up by the marsh grass. William picked up a couple of hungry Trout then Dara picked a spot, made a pin point cast, and boom! Seatrout in the box!

Our last stop was around on the outside of Tiger where William fought a large Bonnethead to the boat and Dara battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. The sun was up, the breeze was down, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Two Slams and a Tarpon Fight

I was back to work today, fishing with the Yeager boys - dad Keith and his two sons Reece and Renner - meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning and heading over to Tiger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide. All three anglers began pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and although the first area didn't pay off, the second one did! Reece had made an excellent cast to a stump and BOOM! Fish On!  Reece played it perfectly and soon landed a nice Slot Redfish. Minutes after that Keith did the same, putting another, almost identical Red in the boat. Then we
had another hookup and Renner was on the rod and he too played it perfectly and landed a nice fat Redfish.

We worked up and down the bank, caught a few smaller Reds, a few Croaker, then Reece caught a keeper sized Flounder.  We then ran up to the Jolley River and began working the "bank" - Keith and Reece were sticking with the jig but Renner switched to a float rig off the stern and it payed off! He had a young Bonnethead chase his bait down, which he caught and landed expertly, then he put

another keeper sized Flounder in the boat.  The anglers landed a good handful of smaller Reds, and most were copper colored. Keith put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat then both Reece and Renner landed Trout, giving them both an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.

We made the run back and thru Tiger Basin and around to Bell River and began fishing a marsh point with float rigs. After getting a Trout or two, and running low on shrimp, Keith switched to a

Gulp Shrimp, Natural color. He was drifting the grass line when both saw his float disappear then line and float zipped to deeper water. I saw a fin or two and thought for sure it was a shark but then an 80# Tarpon came flying out of the water - BIG FISH ON!  And the 14# leader didn't break!  All Keith could do was hold on as we turned the Anglers Mark towards the fish and hit the JackRabbit button on the trolling motor remote and we began to chase him, trying to take in line on the Shimano Stradic 2500. Although the Tarpon came to the surface a couple of times, it stayed deep and slowly took line up current for the most part. I had the misconception that Keith might be able to wear it out but after a 25 minute "fight", sure enough, the big fish came out of the water and snapped the leader. Now that was surely a great way to wrap up some fun fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

No Skunking

I fished this morning with friend and neighbor Walter Simpson, celebrating his impending birthday. After stocking up on live shrimp we launched up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and then hopped across the river to fish some flooding oyster beds with float rigs and the lively shrimp. We had a few good bites and picked up a hungry Trout or two.

We then ran around and up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", sticking with the float rigs. Walter reeled in a feisty Redfish and another few Trout and I landed a small but cool
Weakfish! We had a sort of Slam - Redfish, Seatrout, and Weakfish. I picked up a Croaker then, as we reached a shallow pocket, Walter made an excellent cast, waited patiently for his float to go under, then lifted the rod and set the circle hook on a keeper sized Flounder, which he worked patiently to the net. We counted it as a "Grande Slam"!

After running further up the Jolley we fished some  more flooding oysters and found another couple of Trout.  We came back to the outside of Tiger, fished it and landed a few, then cruised thru Horsehead and over to the Bell, caught a couple, then returned to the outside of Tiger, and caught a couple of more. The trip was highlighted with a Manatee sighting!  Although we didn't have a bunch of big fish we had action at every spot, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flurry At The End

I fished with the Thorton boys this morning...Rob and his sons Ford and Whit, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to fish the first of an incoming tide and I thought for sure we'd get some nice Seatrout like we did yesterday, but they were having none of our mud minnows. We did get some bites, however and Rob "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a feisty Redfish.

We ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished some rocks with the float rigs and had zero bites.  Our next stop was back at Christopher Creek, now 
working the jigs and we may have had a bump or two, but no takers. Back towards Seymore's and around thru Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff, then up into a creek, and tossing float rigs again on the first of an outgoing tide, and again, no takers. Ouch!

We crossed over and worked an oyster lined bank. We'd been fishing mud minnows all morning long but I had some left over "newly dead" shrimp so the boys began to fish them on jigs while their dad stayed with the minnow on a jigs.  It didn't take long for Ford to hookup and he expertly reeled in a nice Croaker. Then he followed that up with a feisty Catfish. Whit jumped in on the action and he too had a bite, a hookup, and a fish fight on his hands. He played the fish perfectly and soon landed a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. He then "called his shot", went to the mouth of a large marsh run-out and BOOM! Fish on. Whit worked the fish to the boat and put a keeper sized Flounder in the net.

Although things were a tad bit slow, these anglers stayed with it and were able to catch a few fish at the end of the  trip, making for another great day out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Girls Day Fishing At Amelia Island

It's not very often that I get a crew of lady anglers, but today, the "Miller Fishing Team" showed up at Sawpit Creek -Kathy, Sara, Lexi and Zoe - all ready to get out on the backwaters of Amelia Island and fish!  We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill to catch the last hour or so of an incoming tide, and it was a good move!

I think it was Sara's first or second drift with a float and live shrimp
along the flooding marsh grass when her float disappeared and, Fish On!  We could tell it was a nice fish by the way it put up a fight but Sara was patient and slowly worked it in, landing a nice 18" Seatrout. Not a drift or two later, she had another hookup and boated another keeper sized Trout (all fish caught today were released). Sara stayed hot at the stern of the boat when she put a handful of feisty and fun to catch Redfish in the boat. 

Kathy was fishing the stern and after getting a good drift away from
the boat she also had her float disappear and after hooking up, she fought the fish to the boat an landed another nice Trout. Sara added a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark before we left the area.  We cruised over to Christopher Creek, switched to jigs and shrimp and here Zoe got on the board when she caught a Redfish.

We then fished a few spots along the Nassau River, again with the jigs. Lexi was making excellent casts and it paid off when she
tangled with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. While she was battling the Jack, Sara hooked up and had the biggest fish of the day. She battled it valiantly and soon landed a 19" Sheepshead, big enough to land her in 2nd place in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Sheepshead Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We made one last run thru Horsehead, fished a few more minutes, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Knew It Would Happen

I met Mark Maron and his Dad, Mark down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and it was a beautiful day to be fishing! We ran up the Nassau, all the way to Seymore's Point, and began to fish structure with float rigs and mud minnows (no live shrimp today). Mike tangled with a Ladyfish and even though we  had a few more bites, we had not takers. The tide had almost hit it's peak so we ran further up the Nassau to fish Pumpkin Hill and here the tide was still coming in.

The two anglers were still fishing the float rigs, drifting their baits along he flooding grass line and I think we may have picked up one feisty Redfish along there. We ran over to Christopher Creek and switched to jigs, fished some dock pilings and rocks, and had just a few bites before one fish chanced our bait down and bit. Mark played it patiently to the boat and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.

We went back to fish some docks at Seymore's Pointe then ended up back down the Nassau, fishing oysters beds with floats on a now outgoing tide. The two anglers picked up a Trout or two, another small Red, tangled with another Ladyfish, then Mark finally hooked up with something big and, Fish On!  Mark played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. Whoo Whoo!

It was a beautiful day to be out on the water and a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Lot's of Action Leads to Keeper Fish

The Maron family was back in town - Mike and Shannon and their "kids" Libby, Haley and Troy. I met them early this morning up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and we ran over to the outside of Tiger to fish the very first of an outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp.  I think the first and second casts produced fish -Haley landed a keeper sized Seatrout and Troy put another hungry one in the boat, too.
We had a real good flurry of fish catching after that -small but fun-to-catch Trout, a shark, and a small Red or two.

Shannon was providing logistical support - providing sunscreen, ice waters, snacks, and quite encouragement.

After fishing a nice marsh runout further up the island with jigs and shrimp, and getting one nice Flounder to the edge of the boat, and the Flounder doing what they do best by throwing the hook at the boat, we continued on around to the Jolley and up to Snook Creek. Mike landed a small Red, we had another Shark hookup and a couple of other bites.

We dropped back and fished Jolley "bank" and here things heated up with keeper sized fish. Both Mike and Haley battled and landed Slot sized Redfish then Libby added to the table fare when she put a nice flatty Flounder in the boat. We had a couple of Trout, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum and another small Red or two.

We ended the day around at Tiger Island logs and Troy had a good flurry of catches before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Perseverance Pays Off

Back to "work" today...fishing with Hughes boys. I met Ted and his sons Webb and Charlie down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and after the brief safety orientation, we headed up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff. Ted was convalescing but the two young anglers were tossing float rigs and mud minnows (it's Monday - no live Shrimp!) up to the marsh run outs and making perfect casts and getting excellent drifts and....no real bites!  We fished the mouth of Jackstaff, switching to jigs eventually and even though we had a few nibbles, no takers.

After running thru Horsehead we fished an

ambush pointe with the float rigs and again, maybe a nibble or two, then Charlie had his bait literally chased down and engulfed - Shark on!  Charlie made short work of this fish and landed it easily for pictures and release. (All fish caught today were released) After easing around the corner and fishing some structure Charlie had made a good cast to the bank and when his float disappeared he took the slack up and set the hook and, Fish On!  He played it patiently to the net and landed a nice feisty Redfish.

We made the quick run down to Broward Island and went back to the jigs. Charlie landed a hungry Seatrout and finally, Webb's rod heated up!  He caught a handful of feisty Redfish and Seatrout and then he and Charlie teamed up on a "double" hookup, both reeling in Redfish.

Although things started out slow, both of these young anglers showed patience and their perseverance paid off with some fun fish catching action here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Young Anglers Top The Board

I wrapped my week up today fishing with the Rowland family, Michael and Heather and their two kids Jonah and Jesse. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and headed over to the Jolly River to fish the "bank" on an outgoing tide with jigs and minnows and live shrimp. We had been working up current for just a short while when Jonah, after making an excellent cast to the bank, had a strong hookup and, Fish On! Jonah played it perfectly, keeping the pressure on and working the big Redfish to the boat - we saw it "boil" a couple of times  - and we soon landed a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish. Skunk knocked off!

We continued to work the bank and picked up a couple of smaller Reds then Michael had a strange bite and a fish that wanted to stay on the bottom. He worked it slowly to the surface and we netted a keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today were released). Michael added a hungry Seatrout to wrap up an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout - and as he was fighting it Jesse had a hookup. She had made a pinpoint cast to the edge of the oysters and BOOM! Fish ON! She fought it valiantly and soon landed another Redfish that was right at Slot sized, boy what a fish!

After running further up the Jolley we stopped at Snook Creek and here Jesse's rod stayed hot as she put a couple of feisty Redfish in the boat. She was neck and neck in the "fish count" with her dad but then Michael got hot. He put 2-3 Croaker in the boat then a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum and now they had a "Grande Slam"! After easing around to the MOA Jonah caught his second breath and began to catch fish - a couple of feisty Reds and a Seatrout.

We fished Tiger logs briefly but the sun was up and it was getting hot so we did a short tour of the southern end of Cumberland and Ft. Clinch before calling it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Fish Wrap Things Up

You just never know when that big fish is going to hit!  I had been fishing with Todd Shcroeder and his dad Dennis all morning today - we caught a couple of small Seatrout over in Jackstaff, working jis and mud minnows on the bottom, and when we made it over to the Nassau River, fishing shell beds, Dennis picked up a nice keeper sized Flounder and they had a few "feisty" Redfish caught.  But, although the duo were making excellent casts and working the bank expertly, we just weren't getting any decent fish.

Our last stop was over at Seymore's Pointe where
we switched to float rigs and minnows (no shrimp today). We fished down the bank slowly and finally, Todd's float disappeared and when his drag ripped, we knew he had good fish. Todd worked it patiently to the boat and soon landed a Slot sized Redfish.  And shortly after that Dennis's float disappeared with a vengeance. Dennis caught up to it, set the hook and, Boom! Big Fish On!  He fought it to the boat and I was thinking, "another Slot Red", but know, as I netted it I saw that it was a huge Seatrout! Boy what a fish! Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Kinda Spooky

I fished yesterday morning with Alex and Jesse Deen, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and heading up the Nassau River to make a quick stop along a shell bed on an outgoing tide. The forecast had called for about 25% chance of rain...and I think it was all headed for the Nassau River! We had only been fishing for a few minutes, bait was getting busted, things were looking right, and Alex hooked up and had a good fight on his hands - a nice Jack Crevalle. But off across Amelia Island and heading our way was a couple of huge rainstorms so we pulled up and raced to Goffinsville with one of
them right on our stern, but we made it! After the storm had passed, we went back to that same edge and here Alex picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout.

Jesse's casting was on target and when we got to the next stop - some docks as Seymore's Pointe - she got in on the action. She landed a feisty Redfish and then a feisty Black "puppy" Drum and the duo added a small Croaker to the mix. With rainstorms all around, both Jesse and I commented that it looked "kinda spooky"!  We fished Broward Island for a good while where Jesse added another Redfish to her catch, then we came back to the Horsehead area to fish some structure with float rigs. Jesse had made an excellent cast and within seconds her float went under with a vengeance and, Fish On! She played the big fish expertly and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized Redfish, making it a great way to wrap up a "spooky" fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.

First and Third and Tied

We got an early start down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp when I met the Allen family, Cami and Glen and their son Walker. There was just a slight breeze as we ran up the intercoastal and made a stop at the mouth of Jackstaff. The trio of anglers were pitching jigs and mud minnows - no shrimp today on the very last of an outgoing tide, and boy was it low! We worked up the bank and it seemed like Glen was going to be the only one catching fish! He boated an ugly old Toad Fish, a Catfish, and a Whiting at that first stop, giving him a tally of three fish.

After buzzing thru Horsehead we fished some docks over at Seyomore's Pointe and here Walker hooked up and expertly reeled in a feisty Redfish. We bounced around the corner and began fishing float rigs along some structure and I think Cami's first cast produced a bite and , Big Fish On! She played it patiently to the boat and landed a big 23.5" Seatrout, big enough to put her in 2nd place in the Angler's Mark 2018 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. After battling a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to

the net, we moved down the way and again Cami had a strong hookup. This was a big fish! Cami worked it to the boat and landed a BIGGER 27" Seatrout - the biggest of the year on the Anglers Mark (and coincidently, tied for 2nd in the biggest ever on the Anglers Mark).
For Bragging Rights standings, scroll down the right side of this report. Cami now holds First and Third place in the Seatrout Category. This gave Cami a tally of three fish.

We fished Broward Island for a bit and here Walker got back on the board with another Redfish catch and as we fished Pumkin Hill, walker reeled in an aggressive Blue Crab! This was Walker's third catch of the day - the anglers were tied! So we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.