9 Spot Slot

 I wrapped up my week today fishing with the Jensen's, Dean and his sons Elijah and Tyler, meeting
them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early to try and "beat the heat". We made a quick run over to the outside of Tyger Island and set up along a grassy point to fish float rigs on the very first of an outgoing tide. It was another beautiful morning, sunshine, clear skies, and just a bit of breeze. With those conditions you'd have thought (hoped) the fish bite would be on fire but, all we did was have a quick tangle with Sharks and Ladyfish. After crossing over a creek we fished a shoreline and Dean did pick up a small but feisty Redfish. 

Around the outside of Tyger we went and made one stop at a drainage to pitch jigs and shrimp, then we continued on around to the Jolley, switched back to float rigs, and drifted the bank on that outgoing tide. In between Shark bites Elijah hooked up, expertly battled, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish - one that had 9 spots - a good fish in any Spot Tournament. We continued to ease along that bank and Dean patiently wore out the biggest Shark of the day, bringing it to the boat for photograph and release, then it was Tyler's turn to have the Redfish hookup. He had made an excellent cast to the bank and it paid off with a hookup. He played it perfectly and soon landed a 21.5" Slot Red.

We then moved up the river and pulled up at a large drainage that I used to fish 15 years ago, anchoring and bottom fishing out the back. But this time we positioned ourselves parallel to the bank and drifted those floats and it paid off. In addition to catching a couple of feisty Redfish, Dean hooked up and landed a real nice 18" Flounder. 

Further up the river we fished what evidently was a Shark haven- at one time we had a "double" going, then we ended the day at the MOA just as the oysters were beginning to show. Elijah  caught a couple of more small Redfish and Dead added a couple of Black "puppy" Drum. Somewhere along the way Dean had landed a Seatrout so the Drum made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam, and we chalked it up as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a 

 US Coast Guard licensed charter boat operator

Chamber of Commerce Fishing Day

 I met Danne Webb down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and boy what a beautiful day it was! Clear skies, sunshine, and just enough breeze to make it comfortable for a back water fishing trip. We made a long run up the intercoastal, up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill. I  had hoped that the tide would still be coming in but unfortunately it was a dead stop - our floats wouldn't drift, right or left. After fishing a bit along one shoreline we moved around the corner as the tide started out and this did the trick.  There was all kinds of "movement" along the shoreline and after a big commotion Danne made a good cast and within seconds we saw a Bonnethead tracking down his bait and BAM! Fish On!  I was impressed how patient Danne was with the fish fight and it paid off - he worked it in and landed a nice 4' Shark.

Just a few minutes later Danne battled another Shark to the boat for release, then after a good cast up to the grass line we saw his float slowly go under. Danne lifted his rod and let the circle hook set. I was guessing "Flounder" by the way that float went under but when he got it to the net we found it was a feisty Redfish. 

We motored down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and fished the mouth, then worked up along the bank to Athens Drop, now fishing a jig and shrimp. Again, there was movement everywhere - bait fish, and bull wakes, and shark fins, but we had no takers. Needing some action, we pulled up and headed to the docks at Seymore's where we set up current and pitched to the pilings. It only took seconds and we were hooking up on Mangrove Snapper. Most were of keeper size and we had a few right at 12" and we began to "cull" out the smaller ones. Then, after he had made an excellent cast, Danne had a stronger hookup and, Fish On!  He worked it out of the pilings, kept the pressure on, and landed a perfect sized 16" and good eating Sheepshead. 

With our Mangrove limit in the box, we decided to move around to the Nassauville side and fish some rocks with float rigs. Although we were a bit worked about "leaving fish to find fish", the move paid off. In addition to catching a few more bigger Mangroves we had a nice surprise:  While drifting or floats, we heard and saw a big fish "bust" up near the rocks. I had just handed off a baited rod to Danne and he made the perfect cast up from the bust, let it drift and BAM! Sure enough, it was a bigger and when he expertly brought it to the net we found it was a feisty Redfish. What good way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Fishing Tip Number Four

 If you go to my "Fishing Tips" page and scroll down you'll see there are a list of "5 Tips to Catch More Fish".  Number 4 is, "Move if  you're not catching fish!" Well, that applied today. I had met Walter Mann and  his uncle Bruce Johnsen up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and in line with Tip #1, I had a plan for the morning. We had a tide that had been going out for a few hours, enough so that the oysters were just beginning to show, so I made our way over to some dock pilings and set up current so that we could pitch jigs and live shrimp back to the pilings. We had a nibbles enough, but not even a good tug on the line. I moved us around the corner and we fished an exposed oyster island, and again, not hardly a nibble. We'd been fishing for over an hour and the "skunk" was still on the boat!

We made our way around to the Jolley River and fished a stretch of bank with float rigs and even though  both anglers were getting some good casts and good drifts, We had nibbles but no takers and after about two hours of fishing, the "skunk" was beginning to waft over the boat.  I knew further up the river I could almost guarantee a Shark bite and with that "skunk" wafting, I headed that way. Sure enough, we did have a couple of quick Shark bites, but they were fast, furious, and the leaders broke almost immediately. Then, as if the sun had just come out, and after a great cast with his float rig, Bruce had his disappear and, First Fish On!  Bruce played it perfectly and battled to the boat a nice 22" Slot Redfish. And the Skunk was off. The Tide had turned. The sun came out. And I thought I heard some horns blaring! All fish caught today were released.

Bruce went back to the bank and picked up a hungry Seatrout then Walter, fishing from the stern picked up a Trout of his own to get on the board. We then moved around to the MOA and things got hot! Walter went to the shell bed and caught a couple of feisty Redfish then Bruce went to the bed and BAM! Big Fish On! He fought it perfectly and patiently and soon landed another 21" Slot Red.  Walter went up, let his jig bounce back into deeper water and BAM! Big Fish On!  He worked it slowly to the surface and to the net and landed an 18"+ sized Seatrout. Bruce went in and hooked up and landed a 19"+ Seatrout, then Walter finished things off with another big 18"+ Seatrout catch What a way to wrap up a Fun Florida Fishing trip, one of the Best, here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Tripletail Starts the Slam

 I woke up this morning to see the box score of the Florida/Lsu baseball World Series game and sure enough, my Gators got drubbed! They could have used a Grande Slam like we picked up today fishing!

I had met John Gaydac and his son Robbie and grandsons Gray and Cam down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early today and we made a fairly long run around to Pumpkin Hill and sat up to drift float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out a few hours (in retrospect, it had been going out a bit too much for us  to be at this spot, but I wanted to try it). We had just a nibble or two, so we began to work around a point and down alongside  some exposed shell and it was John who "knocked the skunk off" when he had a hookup. He played it perfectly and worked it to the boat and when I saw a gaping maw of a mouth, a bit yellow, I called it a "big Seatrout"! But as John brought it to the net we found that it was a nice sized Tripletail! Always a surprise! Coincidently we had recently caught a Tripletail within about 20 yards of this one a week or so ago. Robert also caught and landed a keeper sized Seatrout here (all fish caught today were released)

We then motored back down the Nassau to Spanish Drop, fished an exposed oyster edge, then eased up
the river to a large drainage. Here things picked up when these anglers caught a up a couple of Seatrout, Donnie hauled in a huge Catfish, and both Donnie and Robert battled some Bonnethead Sharks. They tangled with Ladyfish and boated a couple of Jack Crevalle and Robert put a nice Flounder in the boat to make it a Slam. I think we also had a small Redfish along there which made it a Grande Slam, but we improved on that later!

To wrap up the day we ran up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings and there both Donnie and Robert played cat and mouse with the Mangrove Snapper and caught a couple of keeper sized fish. We were about to wrap things up when we had a "bump", a bite, and Fish On! Donne was on the rod and played it expertly, keeping this big fish away from the engine. After a tense battle he landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. The young anglers, Gray and Cam had stayed with it throughout the morning with Gray improving on his casting while Cam "wrangled" the shrimp, keeping them in line, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Summertime Smorgasbord

 Forecasted to be a hot one today, and all week, and it was when that sun came out! I had met Bob
Kossman and his adult "kids" Marcie and Michael down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and as we headed out we had a bit of overcast skies which made for some pleasant fishing for most of the morning. We made our first run up the intercoastal and to Poteat Cut where we began fishing a shelf of oysters with jigs and live shrimp and it didn't take long to begin to get fish.

Both Marcie and Bob had hookups right off and boated  some Seatrout, Marcie's being of keeper size (all fish caught today were released). We worked that bank and this trio of anglers tangled with Sharks and Jack Crevalle and a large Catfish. Note: Last week I had a Catfish fall out of the net and it's fin barely scratched my foot, just a faint nick, and boy, it burned for an hour! We moved over to the mouth of Jackstaff and fished that stretch and again, we had Shark battles, Catfish bites, and then Marcie, fishing a bit deeper, hooked up and landed a keeper sized, and a surprise, a Weakfish! Then Michael hooked up and brought to the boat the only Redfish of the day.

After running thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks we again worked a bank, and again, Shark bites and Jack Crevalle. A run up to some docks at Seymore's produced a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. The biggest few being right at 12". We finished the day fishing some rocks at around at Nassauville, and again caught one or two Mangroves. Typical of Summertime fishing in the back waters of Amelia Island, we had a smorgasbord of species caught so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

What Submarine?

I got to fish with my cousin today, Jim Garner, and his brother-in-law Chipper when they drove up from
Nacotee to meet me at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We eased out of Eagans Creek and headed over to Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings just as the tide hit dead low. We worked that dock pretty good and did pick up a handful of feisty Redfish , a Black "puppy" Drum, and a hungry Seatrout and finally Chipper did get a Red that got into the Slot.

We tried a couple of spots down the intercoastal but as we got close I could see that another Guide had beat us to it so we made the long run back around and up to the Jolley. On our way we were waylaid by one of those small Coast Guard inflatable gun boats, blue lights flashing so I slowed to allow them to catch up (hah!) he asked where we were going (the Jolley) and he yelled over some rules to follow as there was a pending submarine arrival. "OK" we yelled back, then he asked what was biting! "Redfish!"

We eased around the corner of the Jolley and fished the "bank" with float rigs and live shrimp and had a couple of Shark bites. We fished up at Snook Creek and again had Shark bites and tangled with a couple of Ladyfish. Back down the river we fished a grassy pointe and the action got pretty hot - a couple of Shark fights, a Jack fight, a Ladyfish tangle, then Chipper put another Slot Red in the boat, and Jim put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.  

As we came out of the Jolley we never saw a Submarine so we surmised the "Coastie" was just wanting a fishing report! And as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing hear at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Ain't Skeered of No Stinkin Rain

That's NOT what Paula Eldridge said when I spoke to her last night, but more like, "we don't mind a little rain" after I gave her the forecast of 45% chance for our trip this morning.  So we planned to meet up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp - Paula and her husband Dean and their sons Malachi and Josiah. And wouldn't  you know, when I got up this morning and looked at the forecast it was a whopping 85% chance of rain. I made sure my raincoat was packed! 

We left Old Town and eased up Eagans Creek to set up between two docks and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the base of pilings and on Malachi's second cast, BAM! Big Fish On!   (and that set the tone for the next two hours). Malachi played it like a pro and kept that pressure on, worked it up from the bottom, let it run, worked it in, and landed an Oversized 28.25" Redfish, boy what a fish!

From then on we were catching fish. Dean seemed to have the "hot" rod, landing a couple of nice Slot Redfish, a keeper sized Sheepshead, a small Black "puppy" Drum, and a hungry Seatrout to round out his Amelia Island Backcountry Grande Slam. Paula got in on the action and hooked up and landed another Slot Redfish and after Malachi put a nice Slot fish in the boat, they had their limit! We also picked up a a handful of Croaker and a couple of Stingray.

After making the run up to the Jolley River we tried to fish the "bank" and even though it was difficult going, Dean had his float disappear and after lifting his rod to hookup, the fight was on! He worked it to the boat perfectly and after a good battle landed another Slot Redfish.

Further up the Jolley we fished the inside of Snook Creek, tossing the anchor over in the grass and fishing off the stern and it was almost immediate that these anglers were beginning to get bites. It was Josiah's turn to have the "hot" rod. He hooked up and when his drag began to sing we knew it was a Shark. Josiah played it patiently and after a good battle landed a hard charging Bonnethead Shark. But he wasn't done. About every other cast he had a bite, a hookup, and landed more Shark.

Dean put a couple of Catfish in the boat, one of them huge, and Malachi landed another fat Seatrout. After fishing back at Tyger Island, we headed in, suffering no more than a drop of two of rain all morning, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

He Did a 360

 

It looks like we may  be getting wet every  day this week, and today was no exception!  Mitch Bair and I  had  watched the weather forecast last evening and even this morning and it was looking "decent" for a fishing trip today, so I met Mitch and his son-in-law Will down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and as we headed up the intercoastal to turn into the Nassau River, the weather was nice! We pulled up at Spanish Drop and began pitch jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. We worked that first bank pretty good. Just as we were about to move on Mitch, fishing from the bow,  had a strong hookup and Big Fish On!  The fish raced up river taking Mitch down the port side to the stern, then it headed south taking him to Starboard, then headed east taking him back to the bow! Then it dug deep and stayed deep - a Shark for sure. Mitch kept the pressure on, played it patiently and eventually brought to the boat a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark, which we tossed back (all fish caught today were released).  And while we were dealing with the Shark, Will had quietly put a Jack Crevalle in the boat. 

We then ran down to Broward Island to catch the incoming tide there, and while cruising the island, we had a Bald Eagle sighting. We fished the island thoroughly but had no real bites, which surprised me just a bit.  After making the run back to Seymore's Pointe and fishing some dock pilings with jigs, the duo did pick up a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and a Bluefish.

Back up the Nassau we went, to Pumpkin Hill, and  now fishing float rigs, we began to see a bit of action with the tide up a bit. They caught another handful of Shark,  Will battled a nice 22" Slot Redfish to the net, Mitch hauled in a Flounder, and they also had another couple of Jack Crevalle and tangled with a Ladyfish. We had one more Slot Red right at the boat but it was not to be, which always helps to bring anglers back for another great day of fishing the back country here at Amelia Island, Florida

Fishing Can Be Wet

 

There were forecasted rains for today and when I met Russ Kesel and his sons Sam and Noah and Noah's girlfriend Alysa down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we could see the big dark clouds barreling to us. But we were all up for fishing so we headed p the intercoastal, then up the Nassau, and made our first stop at Spanish Drop. After turning in to the current that had just started moving in about an hour earlier, we began to pitch to the bank with jigs and live shrimp. We worked the entire bank of shell but only had a couple of nibbles. 

A drizzling rain had started and the  SW wind was kicking at about 12mph so we decided to run up toSeymore's Pointe and that solved the wind issue. Casting back to some dock pilings were were able to get a little bit of action when Russ and Sam boated a couple of small Mangrove Snapper and Alysa hooked up and landed a Catfish.

We fished some rocks at Nassauville and here all four anglers got on the board catching Mangrove Snapper, first on jigs, but then we found that we could float a piece of shrimp up by the rocks and catch them that way. Unfortunately they didn't have any size to them.

But our next stop down at Pumpkin Hill paid off. The rain had finally slacked off and the wind had dropped just a bit. We were fishing long with the floats drifting with the incoming tide and we began to get big bites. Alysa had her float going long and when her float disappeared and she got that "clicky thing" turned over, she had a hookup and a fight on her hands! Alysa played it perfectdly and soon landed a nice Jack Crevalle. After moving around the corner all anglers did battle with some Bonnethead Sharks and landed more than we lost. Then Russ had a good hookup and we were thinking "Shark, again", but this fish never made the long run. Russ stayed with it, worked it patiently in, and landed a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish. Then it was Alysa's turn to fight the big fish. After her float disappeared and she got that "clicky thing" closed, she worked it and landed a big 18" Seatrout.

We finished out the trip in that area, catching a couple of more Shark, some Ladyfish, and one more keeper sized Seatrout before we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

That Sweet Sound of Drag Ripping

 I fished with Chris Sneed and his fishing partner Chuck this morning, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours. There was almost zero wind so we made our way around the south end of Amelia to fish the small jettu while we were in the area.  There was another boat on the north end so we stayed on the south and tossed jigs and live shrimp and even though they reported some "bumps" we had no takers. 

After running up the Nassau River we stopped at Spanish Drop and worked the flooding shore line with float rigs and the shrimp. The sound of drags ripping as this duo hooked up and battled Bonnethead Shark  is still ringing in my ears! We had more than a handful of shark fights. But finally, Chuck had made a good toss to the grass line and as his float slowly went under he lifted his rod and let the circle hook set and Fish On! Chuck brought it to the boat and landed a respectable Flounder for the box.

We fished Twin Creeks and beyond and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then we made the run around to Pumpkin Hill to drift the floats long on the last of that incoming tide. Again, Shark fights were the norm, but Chris did pick up a Seatrout on a pointe. Then, finally, some more drag ripping, but this fish stayed up close to the bank and when it boiled, we knew it was a big Red!  Chris played it patiently and after a good battle landed an oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!

After moving around the corner Chris had another hookup and I would have bet money it was a Flounder by the way it bit and fought. But as Chris worked it to the net we saw it was an uncommon Tripletail!

After that we fished Seymore's Pointe and caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a handful of Catfish, a couple of Ladyfish, a grunt, and a Jack Crevalle. It wasn't uncommon to hear those drags ripping so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Culling Times Two

 Most folks know that my "wind cutoff" is at 15mph. So when I got in from yesterday's morning trip and sat down for a "picnic" at Old Town Bait and  Tackle and checked my cell phone for the weather report for an afternoon trip and saw 19mph I was somewhat chagrined. But the weather was nice, just a bit overcast and the wind was out of the west so I enjoyed the lunch and waited for Michael Monroe and his fishing buddy Phil.

With that wind blowing we decided to stay in the shelter and made or way up Eagans Creek to fish jigs and live shrimp up near some dock pilings on the last of an outgoing tide. In just minutes Michael had a hookup, a good battle, and landed a 23" Slot Redfish! 2 hours later, 12 Slot Reds later, 25 fish later, I checked my watch and the fish bite had finally slowed. At one point we had 4 Slot Reds in the boat and then it hit me ( this being my 2nd trip, I was tired and it just didn't click), the limit was 1 per person!  So we culled fish and continued to cull. In addition to those Reds, Phil put a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat, and the duo had a good handful of small but fun to catch Black "puppy" Drum. We also had one "no spot" Redfish!

After that bonanza we made our way down the intercoastal, fished some rocks for just a bit, then continued on down to Seymore's Pointe to fish another dock. We caught fish again, one after the other - good eating Mangrove Snapper. Again, they caught their limit as we ran out of shrimp and we began to cull. I remembered that I had a handful of mud minnows left so we fished them and that's when we caught our biggest Mangroves! We had a long run back to Old Town and as we headed back we were able to reflect on what a great day of fishing we'd had here at Amelia Island, Florida

Big Battles Early

 I fished yesterday morning with Tom and Theresa Gaslin, who were taking in an Amelia Island Backcountry fishing trip to celebrate their new status as fist time grandparents, congratulations! Although the weather forecast improved from the night before with a small chance of rain, the wind stayed the same, hovering between 12-16mph. After meeting at Old Town Bait and Tackle we got started just at the tide reached its peak. Our first stop was over at Bell River, fishing a flooded shell point, and it didn't take long before Teresa was tangling with a couple of high flying Ladyfish. 

When the tide started out we made our way around to the outside of Tyger and here things heated up when Teresa got into an extended battle with a 4' Bonnethead Shark. She played it perfectly and patiently and got it up along side the boat for a "leader touch" and release. We then made a run up to the Jolly and Snook Creek where it was Toms turn to battle the big Bonnethead. Again, he fought it valiantly and got it up to the boat so we could release it. But then, as we made our way across the creek mouth, Tom had a good bite as his float disappeared with a vengeance and when his drag ripped and the fish stayed close to the shore, we knew it was a Redfish. Tom played it perfectly and soon landed a nice Redfish.

Our final stop was around at some docks in Bell River, fishing the pilings with jigs and shrimp. Although we had nibbles here and there, we had no takers so we headed back. We had had some serious action early and with thoughts of grandkids lingering, as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Sharks and Rays and Reds

 

It appears the thunderstorms were moving in early today but I was able to get out and fish this morning with Melody and Scott Norton and after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, we made the run up the intercoastal and thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we stationed ourselves alongside a flooded grass line right at high tide.

The wind was kicking just a but it was coming over our backs so we were able to get some drifts and it paid off when Melody hooked up and  a battled a couple of high flying Ladyfish. We moved around the corner and fished it a bit but had no real bites. After running back down the Nassau and around to Seymore's Pointe we set  up at a large drainage and fished a point of grass with the floats. Scott got on the board with a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper catch (all fish caught today were released), and then we tangled with a few more of those.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to a small creek and began working the edge. When we got to a small run out Melody made a perfect cast to the mouth of it and this paid of in a big way! Her float disappeared and after lifting her rod and letting the circle hook set, Fish On!  Melody played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a Slot sized 19.5" Redfish. Scott was fishing off the stern and had let his float go long and as he started to reel it up, BAM! Big Fish On!  We were in for a long fight. The fish did "boil" up once by the grass and I was speculating "Big Redfish", but then it made a couple of drag ripping runs so I switched my guess to "Shark". We ended up chasing it down the river, had to work it out from behind an abandoned crab pot, then continued on with the battle. Scott stayed patient and eventually landed a nice Bonnethead Shark for photograph and release.

After fishing Poteat Cut for a bit, to no avail, we ran back thru Horsehead and fished some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp. The duo landed a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then we moved around to some docks at Nassauville. Melody had fished her jig out deep and when the rod bent we knew she had something big. Again, we had a big, long, battle. Melody stayed with it and an exhausting fight, landed a big Stingray.  Scott went in to the rocks and caught a 16" Flounder.

Kids and Sharks

 

We had a beautiful June morning today when I met Paul Johnson and his kids Henry and Grady up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. Sunshine and just enough  breeze to make it pleasant to fish the back waters of Amelia Island. We eased out of Egans Creek and made our way over to the outside of Tyger Island and set up off a point of grass to drift float rigs an live shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before we were getting fish. After a huge fish rolled on Henry's bait, he later hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. Then Paul hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish then a small Flounder. All three anglers tangled with high flying Ladyfish. 

We moved across the way and where we picked up a couple of more Trout. Our next stop was up the Jolley River, where we fished another point briefly and here Grady got on the board with a nice Seatrout catch. Further up the Jolly, at Snook Creek, Henry had a strong bite and when his drag began to rip we knew he had a big Shark on. Henry played it patiently and after a good battle landed a big Bonnethead Shark. We caught more Ladyfish, a keeper sized Flounder, another small Redfish, then it was Grady's turn to battle the big Shark. She fought it valiantly and after a good battle landed another Bonnethead Shark.

Around at the MOA we caught a couple of small (really small) Redfish then we made our way around to Bell River to fish some docks. Paul put a Catfish in the boat and Henry wrapped things up with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum catch. And with that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Count it as a Slam

 I fished with John Cipriani and  his fishing buddy John Givens this morning, and after meeting them out
at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp we made a quick run around to the other side of Seymore's Pointe with plans to drift float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. John was tossing the flat rig and had a few good bites before he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and at the stern, John G. was throwing an 1/8oz jig with a rootbeer Gulp Shrimp with a chartreuse tail. He said he had just made a cast and the minute it hit bottom a nice fish picked up and, Fish On!  John played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot sized Redfish.

We then ran thru Horsehead and fished up a small creek with the floats. We were seeing some good movement and had a couple of fish "tail" out in front of us but we had no takers. After jumping over to Poteat Cut and fishing a point, to no avail, we made the run back thru Horsehead.

Our next stop was down at Back River where we fished floats long and here John C. put a hungry Seatrout in the boat, and then, over at Spanish John G. hooked up and battled a feisty Jack Crevalle to the net. We fished one stretch of now exposed shell then moved up the Nassau and fished a drainage before making the run back to some docks at Seymore's. Here we played with the Mangrove Snapper, a couple of which were of keeper size, then we landed a small but fun to catch Flounder that rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.

We finished up the trip fishing between a couple of docks at Nassauville. Again, we caught a couple of Mangroves and then John C wrapped things up with another Flounder catch. Although we had to work for what we caught, we did catch! And so, as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Bite Warmed Up a Bit!

 I wrapped my week up fishing with the Portfleet's, Tim and Lori and their daughter Danielle. After meeting them early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Spanish Drop on a tide that had one hour to hit bottom. All three anglers were tossing jigs - Danielle and Lori baited with live shrimp and Tim fishing with a mud minnow. That first spot didn't produce nary a nibble so we moved on up to a large drainage. Danielle had made an excellent cast to the mouth of the drainage and almost immediately, BOOM! Fish On! She played it expertly to the boat and landed a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off".

We moved on up to Twin Creeks and fished the very last of that outgoing tide and here Tim had the strong hookup. He worked it to the boat and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Danielle valiantly battled a Shark for a long while then it was Tim's turn to battle one. He patiently played it and after  long fight, brought it to the boat for pictures and release. Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's and here the trio played cat and mouse with the Mangoves. All three caught them and contributed to the dinner box. 

Our next stop was down at Broward Island and boy was it pretty! Not much wind today and it made it easy to work along the edge pitching. We had a few good bites and then Danielle took advantage of one of them and hooked up and landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.

I was timing the trip to end up at one of my Mangrove Snapper holes but as we were passing Pumpkin Hill I thought it might be fun to fish some float rigs, so we set up alongside a flooding shell bank and began to drift floats long with live shrimp and boy did it pay off! Right off Lori hooked up and brought to the boat another 17" keeper sized Seatrout and from then on these anglers were catching fish. We'd have a drag screaming run from a Shark Bite, then another. Danielle hooked up and while her Shark was ripping off to the west, Lori hooked up with a big fish too. As we were getting Danielle's fish to the boat I saw Lori's fish "boil" a few times and knew it was a big Redfish. After Danielle's shark was photographed and released all attention turned to Lori and her epic battle. She stayed patient, kept the pressure on, and eventually hauled in an 29.25" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish. 

We caught a couple of more Sharks, another Jack Crevalle, and another feisty Redfish before we called it a day, and as we were heading back, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Grassberg Sightings!

 I fished south today, meeting Allen Richardson and his grandson Walker early at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made the run up the intercoastal and around to Poteat Cut to fish jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. Both anglers were getting good casts, we had some nibbles, but no real takers. After fishing one drainage over in Jackstaff, we made the run thru Horsehead and fished some docks at Seymore's.

Walker had the first hookup and a good battle it was! He played the fish perfectly and after a hard fought battle landed a nice Jack Crevalle. And just a short time later, he put a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat.  As we were leaving we passed a huge mass of seagrass floating on an incoming tide. I had a friend tell me he had scene one recently up in the Jolley.

We ran down to Broward Island and attempted to fish that stretch but the SW wind was kicking up the mud and we had no real bites. Back to Nassauville we went where we tangled with Mangrove Snapper and ended up putting a good handful of keeper fish in the box.

We finished up fishing Spanish Drop and here Allen finished things off with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum catch. Although the wind was a bit unexpected, we had some action here and there, and Grandad was getting to fish with Grandson, so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Shark Battles

I did a quick trip this afternoon with Tom Pool and his wife Terri, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp. We ran over to the outside of Tyger and fished with float rigs on a tide that had been going out for just a bit and it paid off - Tom hooked up and landed Seatrout. We ran up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank" with the float rigs. Tom was getting excellent drifts and again, it paid off -his float slowly went under and he had a hookup!

Tom was playing the fish expertly and I had already grabbed the net  when I saw that it was a nice Redfish and just when Tom said, "I gotta get a picture of this"....fish off! Ouch!

But he wasn't to be deterred. We ran on up the Jolley and fished both sides Snook Creek and each side Tom battled a Bonnethead Shark, landing both of them for pictures and release. We tried our hand with the jigs at the MOA, then at a drainage on the outside of Tyger then toured Cumberland Island, Fort Clinch and Old Town before heading back to the ramp and counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida  

Hot Off The Stern

 I fished this morning with the Keller group- Tom Keller and his son-in-law Andrew and grandson Bryson. After meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp we made our longest run up to the Jolley River and all the way up to the MOA where we set up to toss jigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. After Tom put a small Croaker in the boat Bryson had a strong hookup and boy was his drag ripping! I was quite impressed how he handled the big fish, keeping his rod up  and working it down as he fought the fish. Bryson battled it from the bow to the stern and from port to starboard and was playing it as patiently as anyone could when....BAP! Fish Off!

We came back a ways to Snook Creek and worked the edge with the jig and here Tom got hot fishing off the stern. He caught and landed hard fighting Jack Crevalle then after a weird bump and setting the hook, Tom brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder. We worked along that bank still and Tom put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and a large Bluefish.   Then it was Andrew's turn to battle the big shark. He fought it expertly and let it run and wear itself out and eventually landed a nice Bonnethead Shark

After moving even further back to the mouth of the Jolley we fished the "bank", then moved back to that cut thru Tyger Basin where we set up fishing floats and the live shrimp. Tom caught a Jack and another couple of Trout off the stern then Bryson, who had persevered the whole trip, found a Trout hole and caught and landed a couple of fat Trout.

We came back to the outside of Tyger, ran thru to Bell and fished a couple of spots (Tom got a Jack over here too), then we wrapped up back at the outside of Tyger where Andrew finished off the trip with another Bonnethead Shark catch. We had had some good action and had a couple of fish in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted  it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wrapping Up With a Slam

I finished my week up fishing with Howard McClure and his fishing buddy Joe. I met them early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and even though we had some forecasted winds to get up around 14mph, we were eager to get out into the backwaters and get some fishing done. After making a 15 minute run up the intercoastal, thru Back River on a high and incoming tide, and around to Pumpkin Hill, we set up to drift float rigs. And the first casts paid off! Joe was on the stern and had a good bite, lifted the rod, and set the circle hook. He was playing it to the boat when Howard had a hookup on his first cast! Joe landed his, a hungry Seatrout, and Howard landed his, a feisty Jack Crevalle. 

Shortly after that Joe had another hookup. This fish was ripping some drag and fighting somewhat like a Redfish, but then it got out deep and began to shake and when Joe battled it to the surface we netted a big Jack Crevalle. We fished Pumpkin Hill pretty good, moving around a bit, getting a few bites, then we made a run around to Seymore's Pointe.

Again, tossing float rigs, drifting them by a grassy point, the two anglers had a few small bites, but no
takers. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and fished into the wind. We had had not real bites and I was beginning to wonder when Joe, fishing off the stern and up near some flooded marsh grass, had his float slowly go under. I was already thinking "Flounder" and as Joe worked it to the boat It was confirmed, a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today were released). 

We jumped over to Jackstaff and fished a large drainage and here it was Howard's turn to battle a nice Jack Crevalle, which he did expertly. Then he went back with a cast to the grassy point of an island and we both saw something hit  his bait with a vengeance and his float disappeared sideways and, Fish On!  Howard played the big fish perfectly and after a good battle landed a Slot Sized Redfish to garner this duo of anglers an Amelia Island Back Water Slam. 

We finished the day back at Nassauville, out of the wind, and getting some good "Mangrove Snapper Action". Again, all fish were released today but they had probably 6-7 keeper sized Mangroves they could have kept. They're getting bigger as the water warms. We had had some good action and as we headed back to the ramp we co8unted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Few Nice Surprises

 

Today was one of those windy, dreary days when you just hope you catch a fish with the tough conditions considered. I had met Brian Roach and his son Michael and friend Lee down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and as we were running to our first spot the wind was already kicking a bit. But we made our way around to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift float rigs and live shrimp along the bank. All three anglers had good drifts but we had no real takers. We eased up to a point of grass ad fished the other side and drifted back and it wasn't long before Lee "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up ad landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout

After moving down a to a grassy island that just had the tips of grass showing on a very hide tide, we had few nibbles, but no takers....until Michael had made an excellent cast over to some far marsh grass. When his float disappeared he quickly caught up the slack and let the circle hook set and, Big Fish On!  I have to admit I didn't intentionally mean to slur the fish but at first I thought it was a small Shark. Michael kept the pressure on as the big fish took him from the bow up to the stern and around as it ripped drag heading East. He slowly worked it in and when I saw a tail thrash the surface my "guess" of a shark  began to look pretty  bad. The big fish came to the surface a couple of times and all we could see was a tail and then I became more confident it was a big Redfish! Michael confirmed that when he brought to the net an Oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!

We worked along the bank, back to the original point where we had begun the day at and as Brian released his bail to get a longer drift, he had a hookup and brought to the net another keeper sized Seatrout. A short run over to Seymore's Pointe where we fished a large drainage as the tide started out produced nothing but a few nibbles. Then, thru Horsehead we went and around to Poteat Cut, but again, no real bites.

After running thru Horsehead we fished a point at Poteat Cut, than came back to Jackstaff and fished some drainages. Brian  had made a good toss to the mouth of one of those drainages and when his float disappear he lifted the rod and let the circle hook set. It was a strong fish but wasn't putting up much of a fight and we found out why when Brian brought to the net a big 20" Flounder! This fish moved Brian into a tie for First Place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down the right side  of this report for standings).

We finished the day fishing some docks with jigs and shrimp and rounded out a good box of "keepers" with Mangrove Snapper catches. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.