Fishing The High Tide

With the last of an incoming high tide today, my plan was to drift float rigs over a shell bottom with live shrimp for Seatrout. That didn't work, but it paid off with a handful of keeper sized Slot Redfish. I had met Estelle Wolfman and her friend Mike down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we cruised up the intercoastal, dipped into the Middle River and ran around to Pumpkin Hill and set up with those float rigs and live shrimp. The first stretch of bank produced no bites so we eased down another bank, working it close, then fished a grassy island where Mike "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout bite right up beside the grass. 

We were seeing movement here and there along the flooded grass just as the tide

peaked so we worked a bank slowly. I saw Mike's float slooooowlllly ease under - Mike tightened up, lifted his rod and let the circle hook do its work, Big Fish On!  Mike played it expertly and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We worked along that bank, turned a corner, and worked along another where Estelle had the same thing happen - Fish On! She played it expertly and brought a nice Redfish to the boat.  Working that flooded grass we picked up another handful of Redfish, two of which were of keeper size. 

Being so close to Broward Island we had to fish it, even though I don't like fishing it on a high tide. We passed under a pair of Bald Eagles, fished a drainage with jigs and Shrimp, and picked up a feisty Redfish up near the bank. Dropping back to fish a pointe, Mike hooked up and landed another feisty Redfish. 

Our final stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The duo of anglers tangled with "baitstealers" for a bit, then we headed back to the dock, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.