After The Storm

 I was warned at the bait shop this morning that the rivers were muddy after the storm that passed thru the last couple of days but we had some nice weather today so Drew Tignanelli and I got out for some back country fishing here at Amelia Island. We met up at Dee Dee Bartels and boy was it a packed house with all the Red Snapper anglers getting out for the "mini season". Drew and I made the run around to Bell River and set up on a point of flooding oysters and began to drift float rigs and mud minnows. Drew got a couple of encouraging bites, but not takes, but when his float passed a marshy point and his float disappeared, Drew tightened up, let the circle hook set and, "skunk off the boat" with a nice Seatrout catch.

We moved over to Lanceford Creek and fished a marsh runout (the tide was still coming in) with the float rig. Drew worked the area thoroughly and just as we were about to leave he placed his bait right up against the marsh grass and, BAM! Seatrout caught and to the net. 

I was watching the clock and tide and when it hit high we made the run back thru Tyger and around to the outside of the island and set up just as the tide started out. In short order Drew put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and only minutes later had a strong bite. This one was ripping a bit of drag, but Drew kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We fished thru that area, crossed the creek and fished another marsh line, then moved on. 

After fishing further up Tyger with jig rods at a couple of drainages with jigs and the minnows where we had a few bites, but no takers, (we did note that the water was muddy/murkey) we jumped around to the Jolley River and worked the "bank" for a while. With time running out we moved up to a drainage, fished it with floats, then switched to jigs and minnows. The strategy paid off - Drew picked up two small but feisty Redfish, then he had a "strange" bite, hooked it up, and brought to the boat a keeper sized Flounder to round out his Amelia Island Back Country Slam - a great way to end a fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.