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.