When I stepped out the door this morning at 5:45am it was drizzling rain but the forecast called for clearing by sunrise and they got it right! By the time I picked up some live shrimp and mud minnows and got launched up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park, there was no rain and the skies were clearing a bit. I met the Whitehurst family - Wes and Elizabeth and their two children Callie and Levi early and we headed north and west towards the Jolly River. I was rounding the north side of Tiger Island and I noticed Elizabeth was looking behind us intently so when I turned and took a look, there was a Coast Guard gun boat chasing us with blue lights on! "Uh Oh, what did I do?", I thought. But they just pulled up, asked where we were heading, and told us to stay out of the channel as there was a "Naval Asset" coming thru soon. Code speak for Submarine!
We continued on around to Jolley "bank", eased up and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp on an outgoing tide. All four of these anglers were making excellent casts and it was Wes who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. He followed that up with a nice Seatrout. Elizabeth, Callie and Levi played cat and mouse with some "baitstealing" perch - and landed a handful.
Our next stop was up at Snook Creek. The wind was at our backs and Callie had put one right up near the oysters. The story goes....when she saw her float get bumped, she tightened her line, gave it a twitch and when it slowly went under she patiently waited a second or two, then lifted her rod and set the hook, and Fish On! Callie played it perfectly, worked it slowly to the boat, and landed a fat and feisty Redfish.
Not minutes later, Wes - fishing a jig and minnow- had a bump and set the hook and Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag, not wanting to come in, boiled up, and ran some more. But Wes was up to the task and played it perfectly. The big fish went from starboard side around to port then Wes brought it to Callie's waiting net, boy what a fish - a 24.5" Slot Redfish.
After fishing the outside of Tiger for a bit, we ran over to Lanceford Creek, fished "Bill's" spot, now with float rigs, and here Wes quickly picked up a keeper sized Seatrout and feisty Redfish. Elizabeth jumped in and landed a nice Seatrout. We finished up over in Soap Creek, getting a nibble here and there but no takers, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
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