Bite Picking up

 We had a little breeze and cloudy skies when I launched down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning.  I've fished the last few days but there wasn't much to brag about! We've had some extreme high tides in the morning and unless you're going to the jetties or fishing the flooded marsh for tailing Reds, finding fish in the backwater has been tough. But today I had some eager anglers, Joanne and Frank Wytiaz who had a whole lot of optimism, and it paid off. 

After running up the Nassau River we  pulled up to a dock with the intent of fishing the pilings before that tide got up and began pitching jigs and live shrimp to the structure. They immediately began to get nibbles, then picked up a couple of bait stealers, then Joanne had a strong hookup, played it perfectly, and reeled to the net a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.

Shortly after that we had a strong hookup and boy was this weird! Frank was on the rod and this big fish pulled deep. I was trying to guess what it was and couldn't imagine it being a Redfish, but boy was a I wrong. Frank fought it from bow to stern, around the engine, back around the engine, back to the bow and around the trolling motor, and then back. Finally, a big 'ole Redfish boiled up! Frank stayed patient and worked it to the net and landed a Oversized 32" Redfish, big enough to move him into second place in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

Then it was Joanne's time to fight the big fish. Her fish was digging deep too, ripping drag, so I guessed wrong again, thinking "Redfish". But after a good battle, which Joanne expertly fought, a big Jack Crevalle was brought to the net.

We around and fished between two docks with the jigs and caught a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, then we made our way down the Nassau and set up alongside a flooded shell bed to drift float rigs and shrimp. Joanne went long on her first drift and caught a Seatrout, then as we worked the bank they would pick up more Trout. After moving around the corner they continued the pattern of catching a Trout here and there.

After running back down the Nassau and thru Horsehead we fished an seriously flooded edge and here Frank added one more keeper sized Seatrout to the box. The wind had picked up a bit but the sun was trying to peek thru so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.