When It Rains It Pours

It's amazing how quickly a rain storm moves across the water! But more on that later!  I met the Ahrens family early this morning up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp, Brian and Jenifer and their two sons Henry and Oscar. We made a short jump across the river from the ramp and fished a submerged oyster bar on a high and incoming tide. The anglers were tossing float rigs with live shrimp and making excellent casts but we had no takers, other than "baitstealers". 

Further around Tiger we set up and it was young Henry that "knocked the skunk off" when
he hooked up and expertly reeled in a hard fighting Blue Fish. After we had crossed a creek and fished a point of grass, Brian put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. (All fish caught today were released). We then made the run thru Tiger Basin and around to Bell River and set up alongside some flooding marsh grass and here all of the anglers had action, catching hungry Seatrout.

The tide was just about to start out so our next stop was over in Lanceford Creek. And once that tide started out we had plenty of bites and a whole bunch of catches!  Henry quickly earned the name "Redfish King" after he hooked up, and in an epic battle, landed a big 25" Slot sized Redfish - with his dad on the net! Later, he found a hot spot and caught one feisty Redfish after the other.

I noticed that there was a rain storm headed our way and we discussed "running for it" but decided to stay, and boy did we get drenched!  But these anglers were game and after we went back to fishing Brian and Oscar began to catch Seatrout with Oscar "Big Trout Guy" putting  the biggest in the boat for the day. Then he had a strong hookup and as his drag sang I saw a Shark flash by, Fish On!  Oscar worked it to the boat to be netted, photographed, and released.  This whole time Jenifer was getting pictures and helping out around the boat, a big help to the Captain. We fished until we ran out of bait, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.