Big Sheepshead Blows Away Bragging Rights

With less than two weeks left in the year for guest anglers on the Anglers Mark to vie for bragging rights for the biggest fish caught during the year, we had a huge Sheepshead caught today that landed in first place for the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament! 

I had met Tom and Kelli Middleton down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and after running up the intercoastal to deep into Jackstaff we set up at a large marsh outflow and began tossing live shrimp under floats on a high and outgoing tide. Although we had a nibble or
two we had no takers so we eased forward with plans to fish a marsh bank. We had only move thirty yards when both anglers began to get bites, then hookups, and then Seatrout catches. It was a good flurry of catching then Kelli had a good bite and this time her drag began to rip. I was a little concerned that I had set the drag to light and that a decent Trout was ripping the line out, but boy was I mistaken! Kelli played the fish perfectly and a after a good battle, landed a big 21.25" Sheepshead and garnered 1st place in my Bragging Rights Tournament. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

After fishing that bank we moved back into Jackstaff and worked another bank  and here Tom put the first Redfish in the boat. We picked up another Trout or two before we made the run thru Horsehead and over to some docks. Although we had no real bites on jigs and shrimp around the pilings, we again picked up another Red up near the marsh grass.

Our next stop was down at the Spanish Drop area and here we stuck with the jig rods. Tom was makin excellent casts to another marsh run out and after he had a hard "bump", he set the hook and, Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon landed the first Slot Redfish of the day. He went back to the same spot and after a couple of casts, he picked up another nice Redfish.  After fishing one more shell lined bank in that area we made a final run down to Broward Island, still fishing the outgoing tide, which had gotten down pretty low, and the fish catching got hot!

Tom's first cast between some limbs produced a feisty Redfish then he found a "honey hole" that produced a couple of keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and a couple of keeper sized Sheepshead. Kelli got in on the action and picked up another Slot Redfish to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.