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