50 Fish

After postponing our Tuesday trip due to rain, we were able to get out yesterday and had some fine weather to fish with the Cervino family - Nick and Tara and their daughters Lila and Julia. We met u at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and buzzed over to the Jolly River  and set up along the "bank", casting into the current with jigs and live shrimp. Non stop action. Boom! Fish on. Boom! Fish on. Boom! Fish on. Although most of the fish were not real big, it was great fun for the kids who caught Seatrout, Croaker, Red Drum, Black Drum, Pin Fish, Perch and Flounder. The bite did slow for just a tad as we
reached the point but after we had run up the river further it picked back up.

These anglers landed a nice Slot sized Redfish (all fish caught today were released) then the girls teamed up to battle an even bigger Slot Redfish. Tara was on the rod, Julia was on the reel, and Lila was doing the coaching and after a good battle they brought the 24" Slot Redfish to the net, boy what a fish fight!

We fished the outside of Tiger briefly and picked up a Trout and a couple of Flounder, then buzzed around and thru Tiger and over to Bell River, and again caught fish after fish. I guestimated that we had caught and released at least 50 fish which is great way for young anglers to experience fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Jean Jean The Fishing Machine

I had the pleasure of fishing again this week with the Davis's - Clint and Jean - meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and running up the Nassau River. I had intended to make it all the way down to Broward Island to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide, but those oyster beds along the Nassau were looking good so we pulled up, dropped the trolling motor, and began easing back against the current. Both anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and making excellent casts and although they got a nibble or two we didn't get a fish...until....Jean had a strong bite, a hookup, and BIG FISH ON! Hah!  She fought it patiently

(see below video) and after a good battle, landed an oversized 29.5" Redfish. Boy what a fish! After a photo, the fish was revived and released to swim off and multiply!  After Jean added a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to her catch, we moved on.

We fished the rocks at Seymore's Pointe to no avail, then ran down to Broward Island and fished deep. I think we may have picked up a small Croaker but that was it. Tip #3: when you're not catching fish, MOVE! So we did, back up the Nassau to Pumpkin Hill and this did the trick. Both Clint and Jean caught a few small but feisty Reds the Clint put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat, but keeper just barely so we tossed it back, then Jean did the same and her Flounder was about 16" so in the box it went. She also hooked up and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish.

After easing around the corner Clint finally had a "Big Fish Bite" -his drag ripped and his rod bent and he battled his fish to a standstill and soon landed a 2.5' Bonnethead Shark. The duo combined to also land a Whiting, a Weakfish, a few Trout, a Ladyfish, and a Black Drum -now that's a variety and it made for  great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Amelia Island Shark Week?

We launched under stormy skies this morning, but the rain storms seemed to be holding just along the beach and we were heading west from Sawpit Creek and gambled that we wouldn't get wet!  I had met the Godfrey family - Pat and David and their son Mark early and after the quick run up the the intercoastal and into Jackstaff, we turned the bow into the current and began working back on an incoming tide, tossing float rigs and live shrimp to the marsh grass. And wouldn't you know it, the first two casts produced
Seatrout!  Mark reeled the first one in, knocking the "skunk off" then David hooked up and reeled in a keeper sized fish. (All fish caught today were released). We fished the bank slowly and picked up a couple of Trout and Ladyfish then Pam tangled with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.

We ran thru Horsehead and around to Seymore's Pointe and stopped to fish some dock pilings briefly but the "baitstealers" were thick so
we continued on around to Pumpkin Hill. All three anglers were getting excellent drifts and even though we had some nibbles, we only picked up one more small Trout.   Just as we were about to leave, David's rod bent double and his drag began to rip and Fish On!  He fought the fish to a standstill and soon landed a nice Bonnethead Shark.

Our next stop was over in Christopher Creek, fishing dock pilings again with jigs and shrimp and again, bait stealers ran us off. We came back out of the creek and ran down the Nassau River and made our final stop at Twin Creeks. Mark was on the bow tossing to the mouths of the creeks and when he saw that his float was missing, he reeled up, came tight, and the circle hook did its job! BOOM! Big Fish On!  This fish was ripping drag so we kicked the trolling motor into high gear as Mark took up slack then it was a battle. Mark went from bow to stern and from starboard to port and kept the pressure on. Soon the 4' shark came to the surface and we grabbed it for pictures and release. Now that's the way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

I Don't See My Float

For someone who had trouble keeping up with where their float was, Sue Welch carried the day by ctching most of the big fish!  I had met her and her husband Lewis and their friend Jan down at the  Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and after the quick run up the intercoastal we eased into Jackstaff and began fishing back thru the current on the last of an incoming tide.  All three anglers were tossing floats and live shrimp to the flooded grass and we had good action for most of the stretch. They landed small but fun-to-catch Seatrout, a feisty Redfish or two, a small Black Tip
shark, and they tangled with a couple of bigger Shark that snapped the leader. Jan had a brief encounter with a big Redfish up in some sparse grass then Sue hooked up and landed a nice Slot 21" Redfish.

We ran thru Horsehead and around to Seymore's Pointe and fished the rocks with the float rigs and the only fish caught was a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, which Sue landed handily. NO Mangrove Snapper all year! Crazy. I don't think the water temperature got hot

enough for them to show up in the back water.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and although both Lou and Jan had a couple of strong hookups, both broke off. Later, as we eased along an adjacent bank, Lou had had a good bite, lost his shrimp and Sue followed in with her cast. Boom! Fish on - a nice keeper sized Seatrout.

We made one more stop back in the Nassau River and here Jan's rod heated up. She was fishing a jig on the bottom and caught a couple of Stingray then  had a similar bite, reeled it in and landed a Flounder that was right at keeper size, but we released it. There was some real commotion up ahead and both Lou and Sue had switched back to float rigs and had good drifts going on when Sue realized that her float had disappeared. When she finally caught up to it her rod bent and her drag began to rip and, Big Fish On!  She fought it valiantly from bow to stern and after some good runs, landed a good Slot 24" Redfish! Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Grouper In The Backwater

Although last evenings forecast called for 50% chance of rain this morning, Clint and Jean Davis and I decided to chance it and fish anyway. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and headed south and around to the Bell River to fish some flooding oysters with float rigs and live shrimp. It didn't take long. Clint hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout right off the bat. The two anglers continued to drift floats along the marsh grass and caught a good handful of the small but -fun-to-catch Trout.

We ran thru Tiger and around to the outside and fished the very last of the incoming tide and had
numerous nibbles but no takers. Back thru Tiger we went and around to Lanceford Creek and here we had some good catches. Both Jean and Clint caught Trout then Jean landed a couple of feisty Redfish. Clint had a big one on - it was ripping drag- but it got up in the weeds and broke itself off. Ouch.  We fished some dock pilings in Lanceford for a bit but the tide was still high and we had no takers.

Our next stop was in Soap Creek and now the tide was going out. Clint was making excellent casts to a marsh runout and found a few Trout to add to the catch.  Our final stop was back at Tiger, fishing the logs and here Jean put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat which was photographed and released, then Clint had a hookup and a pretty good fight, only to reel in a small Grouper!  It's not the first time we've had a Grouper catch, but it's always neat to see. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish for Dinner

I fished with Keenan Bell and his grandfather Tom today, meeting them early this morning up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and heading north and west up to the outside of Tiger to fish the very first of an outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp and minnows. It only took a few casts and both anglers were catching some small, but hungry Seatrout. We also had a bunch of "baitstealers" swiping our baits!

We crossed the river and fished another marsh line and picked up a few more Seatrout and tangled with a Ladyfish or two.  After running
out and around and  up into the Jolley we made a stop upriver and fished another shore line. This did the trick. Keenan picked up a feisty Redfish then Tom hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.  We dropped back and fished the mouth of Jolley, caught a couple of more smaller Reds, then came back to the outside and tossed jigs and minnows in hopes for a Flounder, to no avail.

Our next stop was back at Tiger, but this time on the inside and although the tide was quite down, it was low enough to fish the "pockets". Tom hooked up right off with a feisty Redfish, Keenan added a small Flounder to the catch and they both combined to snag some pesky Croaker and Grunts.  We eased along the bank, working the logs, then had  good THUMP, and fish on!  Keenan worked it patiently to the boat and landed a big 19.5" Seatrout. We fished up and down and were about to leave but Tom was fishing right up to the end and it paid off! BOOM! Fish On!  He kept the pressure on, working it away from the logs then patiently brought it to the boat, landing a Slot sized 20" Redfish.

With a Drum, Seatrout and Redfish in the box, these two anglers had a good bag for a good dinner so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

The Redfish Stock Is Good

I fished with Bob Blalock this morning, meeting him out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early, and for a change, we eased around the
sandbar across the way and headed east in Middle River, making a stop at a likely looking marsh runout. Why?  The tide was going out, there was tons of bait, there were some oysters along the edge,  and the bottom dropped off to 16'. Bob began casting to the mouth of the runout with jigs and shrimp and minnows, and excellent casts they were, but I don't think we even had a nibble. We moved up the bank to another pretty runout and fished it with the same results. So much for experimentation!

But I knew where we had gotten some fish two days ago so we moved on over to the Nassau River and fished some exposed oysters at Spanish Drop and this did the trick. As we worked along the bank Bob began to catch feisty Redfish, one after the other. He looked like he needed help so I joined in and we both caught fish, sometimes getting a "double" hookup. We also picked up one nice keeper sized Flounder, and tangled with some Ladyfish.

After fishing that bank we ran back to Pumpkin Hill and worked some exposed shell beds and picked up a Redfish or two. Bob added a Weakfish to the catch. We finished up the "formal" trip down at Broward Island, fishing the logs and we may have landed one or two fish.  The tide was down fairly low and it was time to head back, but I wanted to check out the mouth of Lofton Creek on a low tide so we made the short run and fished some of the dock pilings, to no avail. But there was a likely looking shell bed in sight and when we fished that we both picked up a couple of Redfish each. We both agreed that the stock and future of Red Drum in our area is alive and well!

Rock'n and Roll'n

I had a crazy crew today - Josh, Seth, and Arlee "Harley" Colman and their buddy Kyle. I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and from minute one you could tell they were there to have a good time. Luckily he fish cooperated!  We ran up the Nassau River and were fishing in 10 minutes, all four anglers tossing jigs and minnows and live shrimp the exposed oysters with the tide still falling for another few hours. It didn't take long and Arlee had "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a feisty Redfish then all
four anglers were catching fish. One after the other. Redfish, Redfish, Redfish, Redfish. All undersized, but fun to catch. Then Josh put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and Arlee followed that up with a nice keeper sized Flounder.







Our next stop was down at Broward Island, looking for bigger fish.

Although we didn't get any bigger, we did catch another good handful of smaller Reds and Trout. We eased around to Pumpkin Hill and here the bite picked back up. Seth was reeling in Seatrout on the bow and then Josh added a keeper sized Weakfish then Arlee joined in with another keeper sized Trout. Kyle got in on the action with a....Blue Crab catch!

We made one final run around and thru Horsehead and to the mouth of Jackstaff and began to work the bank on the first of an incoming

tide. It was kinda slow but Arlee did reel in a small Red. Just as we were about to leave Kyle followed Seth in to a slight indent and BOOM! Big fish on! It was the first time we had some drag rip'n and we knew it was bigger fish. Kyle played the fish expertly and soon landed a big 22" Slot Redfish! Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Schooling Reds

Bob Blalock and I fished yesterday morning, leaving out of the newly paved Dee Dee Bartels Park and heading over to Eagans Creek to fish some dock pilings right a the dead low tide. We were tossing jigs and mud minnows and it became apparent that we were in the midst of a large school of small "rat reds".  Bob could pitch his jig alongside some dock pilings and on almost every pass pick up a fun-to-catch Redfish. There just wasn't a whole lot of size to them. He also reeled in a couple of small Trout.

After we tired of catching we broke one of the
rules of fishing -leaving fish to find fish-but we wanted something bigger so we headed over to Tiger Island to fish the first of the incoming. This did the trick. Bob had made a perfect cast up in a pocket and BOOM! Bigger fish on! He played it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. We worked up and down the bank and this time Bob's catch came on the outside of some downed limbs - a keeper sized Flounder. We backtracked and fished the entire island and one more time - Big Fish On.  Bob brought it to the net and landed another 22" Redfish.

We made one final stop on the outside of Tiger, looking for Flounder, but ended up playing with some high flying Ladyfish. It was a beautiful day, and another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Kind Of Day

We commented that the morning couldn't be better with slightly overcast skies and a slight breeze when Dennis Brizzi, his buddy Hal O'dell and I left the Goffinsville boat ramp and headed south down to Broward Island. The tide was still going out when we eased up to the bank and the duo began tossing jigs and minnows to "fishy" looking spots. It was just a few minutes before both anglers were catching fish - small but "feisty" Redfish, hungry Seatrout and even a small Flounder the size of your hand. But after a fish had rolled the bank chasing bait, Dennis pitched to it and had a hard strike, a hookup, and a successful landing of a keeper sized Seatrout.

We worked the bank for a good while and picked up a good handful of the smaller Reds and Trout, then we ran back north, fished Bubblegum Reef for a few minutes, then continued on around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Although we didn't get much, we did get another small Red then Hal reeled in the biggest Trout of the day, one that measured 19.5".

The tide had started back in so we buzzed back to Broward Island to catch that incoming and it paid off. Dennis landed a small Redfish or two then BOOM! He hooked a bigger, keeper sized Trout and landed it. As I scooped it up Hal quietly commented, Fish On, and he too had a big fish. This one was ripping some drag and after patiently playing it to the boat, he landed  a good 20" Slot Redfish.

Our last stop was at Pumpkin Hill and here we landed a couple of smaller Trout then one more of keeper size.  All fish were caught on Mud minnows today. It made for a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Tug is The Drug

I fished with the Bernot group this morning, Chris and Marianna, Mike and Katie, meeting them up at the Eagans Creek boat ramp. We motored out of the creek (and past a small 'gator) then made the quick run around to Tiger Island and set up to fish the downed logs with mud minnows on jigs. It only took minutes and all four anglers were making excellent casts to the pockets. Although it was a tad bit slow, we worked the bank patiently and it paid off. Chris was the first to strike when he hooked up and landed a nice 19.75" Slot Redfish. Later we had a hookup and Marianna reeled in a keeper sized
Flounder. Then she went back to where we had seen a wake up near the bank and BOOM! Fish On! She played the fish perfectly and soon landed a big 21" Slot Redfish - her first fish - ever. 

We worked back down the bank and just as we were planning to leave, Mike had made a pin point cast to a downed long and when he felt the tug - and you know, the "Tug is the Drug", he set the hook and picked up another Slot Redfish. We left there and ran out and around to the Jolley River, switched to float rigs and worked the bank slowly as we trolled up current. Even though we were getting some excellent drifts, we only managed one small "feisty" Redfish, and maybe a small Croaker.  After easing around the corner we found a good marsh runout and switched back to the jigs. Katie got on the board with a keeper sized Flounder catch and Chris and Marianna doubled up with keeper Flounder catches of their own. The two couples added a handful of small Trout and another small Flounder.

We made another couple of stops and saw two manatee at two different locations, and added another Trout or two to the catch, before heading in and counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Nice Day Nice Trout

You just can't beat a summer day fishing here at Amelia Island when there's a slight breeze and
slightly overcast skies, and that's what we had this morning when I met Hugh Haston and David Martin down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. After we had made the run up Middle River and around to Broward Island, set up fishing off the bank, tossing jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows on the first of an incoming tide.

I think it was Hugh who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a feisty Black "puppy" Drum then the duo combined to catch a couple of small Redfish and a Croaker. We moved down the way and it was just a short time when David had made a cast to some bait that had been "popped" and he had a good hookup. After patiently playing the fish, David landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill, drifting floats and shrimp along some shell beds. Both Hugh and David landed Seatrout and Hugh fought and caught two Bonnethead Shark. We picked up one more keeper Trout along the way. After a brief stop at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we caught one more feisty Redfish, we buzzed thru Horsehead around to the mouth of Jackstaff and eased along the marsh grass. Hugh landed a couple of more Trout and then tangled with a "needlefish"! Hah!  The sun was up now and even though the breeze was still blowing, it was getting hot so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Back In Action

I had scheduled my boat to be in the shop for a week to get it's 100 hour service and to get the tilt and trip motor fixed but I was back at it today, fishing with long time friends Alex and Laura Winter, their daughter Kelly and her boyfriend Keenan.  We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the intercoastal and began fishing the mouth of Jackstaff with float rigs and live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide.  It didn't take long before all four anglers were making excellent casts and getting good drifts along the marsh line. They had a few nibbles here and there and finally it was Keenan
who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. But it didn't get much attention because Kelly had a strong bite and she was battling a Shark at the stern. But it made a quick rush and snapped the leader. We fished that bank fully and had a couple of Trout, another Shark bite and we picked  up one two small but feisty Reds.

We ran thru Horsehead and down to Pumkin Hill, still fishing an incoming tide and here Laura was the one with the big bite! Fish On!  The big fish took here bait and headed deep but Laura was up to the task and kept the pressure on, battling the fish around the stern of the boat and working it up to th surface for the catch, some quick pictures, and release. An epic battle!

Both Alex and Laura landed another couple of Reds then we headed over to Christopher Creek to catch that high tide and we switched to jig rigs, with shrimp on the bottom. Kelly put a huge Blue Crab in the boat as we worked along some docks but when we got over to small lagoon things really heated up. Kelly had a strange bite and after she gave it a second or two, she set the hook expertly and had a hookup. She worked to the boat patiently and soon landed a nice 18" keeper sized Flounder. Only a minute later, Alex had the same bite and he too put a 17" keeper flounder in the boat. Alex worked the area thoroughly and landed a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum and another Redfish or two.

We made another couple of stops but the sun was up and it was getting rather warm, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

2nd Biggest....so far

Things are heating up in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. It was just this past Monday when Bob Blalock moved in to 2nd place with a 31" Oversized Red, but it was topped today, by a smidgeon, just four days later!  I had met Bart Mathews and his buddy Steve down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp with the tide low and still going out. We ran west and up the Nassau River and made our first stop along some shell beds and began to pitch jigs and mud minnows up current. We slowly worked the bank, had a few bites and picked up a small fish or two. After
hitting one more marsh runout, we moved on to some docks at Seymore's Pointe.

The two anglers were making excellent casts to the dock pilings and right off, Bart had a strong bite and, Fish ON!  But the fish quickly wrapped around a piling and, Fish OFF! Ouch, boy that hurts! They kept fishing and Steve hooked up and landed a large Croaker. We fished a few docks up the way and after Bart had one of his minnows stolen, he went back to the same spot, felt the bump, set the hook, and caught a nice keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today were released).

Our last stop was down at Broward Island and here, with the tide still going out, both anglers landed a handful of small but feisty Redfish. Bart was fishing a pocket between a stump and some limbs and his bait had gotten out deep when , BOOM! Fish On!  He worked it out from the trees and kept the pressure on as it made some deep, hard runs. It turned out it was bigger than we initially thought! But Bart was up to the task and eventually landed a big 31.5" Oversized Red which put Bart squarely in 2nd place in the Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  Boy what a fish! 

We fished up and down the island and not too long later Steve had a good hookup. He fought his fish to the boat and landed a nice Red that was just a tad bit undersized, but a beautiful copper color.  The sun was up, it was hot, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink

You know it's summertime when you catch just about every species that could be caught. That was today's highlight when I fished with the Smith Fishing Team - Mark and Katie and Zach. I had met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we ran up the intercoastal and began fishing the mouth of Jackstaff with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. Mark started things off with a WHITING catch, then Katie landed a big CATFISH, then Mark hooked up and landed a SEATROUT.  We crossed over the river and fished a sandbar point and here Katie landed a STINGRAY,
mark added a keeper sized FLOUNDER the Katie successfully fought a BONNETHEAD SHARK to the net.  Mark added another couple of hungry Seatrout to the catch.

We ran thru Horsehead and around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and fished some pilings with the jigs. Zach got on the board when he landed a feisty BLACK DRUM, and at the same time, Mark landed one, too.

We ran down to Broward Island and fished the logs and here Zach

hooked up and landed probably the biggest Redfish of the day. Then Katie caught a sneaky SHEEPSHEAD and Zach followed that up with one of his on. Katie finished that spot off with a Redfish and Trout catch of her on and Mark added a couple of Redfish.

Our last stop was along some flooding shell beds on the incoming tide and here Mark caught another Red and tangled with a high flying LADYFISH.  Although we didn't boat any real big fish, we had a good variety and it made for another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Biggest Fish Ever

It's great to do a "father/daughter" fishing trip and today I had Gary Krantz and his daughter Madison meet me down at the south end ramp, early.  After tossing the cast net for finger mullet, we made the run up the intercoastal and then into Jackstaff, turned into the incoming tide, and began to fish the bank with jigs and dead shrimp.  It only took Madison a few minutes and she was then making excellent casts. I saw that she had made one about 5 feet from the shore and it seemed like it had just hit the water when she had a big fish on!  She fought it to the boat an landed a big 18" Seatrout - the biggest fish
she'd ever caught!

We fished down the bank and both anglers landed a couple of feisty Redfish then Madison reeled in a small Flounder to claim and "Amelia Island Back Country Slam" of Seatrout, Redfish, and Flounder. She also netted some of her dad's catches.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide there. We didn't get a whole lot of bites until Gary had made a pinpoint cast to the bank, let it sank, then slowly worked it back and, BOOM! Big fish on!  He played it perfectly and soon landed a big 20" Seatrout. (All fish caught today were released).  We moved down the island, fished some logs and caught a couple of more Redfish. The sun was up, the island was blocking the breeze and with some nice catches under our belt, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.