One Had To Go Back

 I was fishing south today after meeting Brad Lanier down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. And I was feeling pretty good about my choice for the first spot to hit, so we ran up the intercoastal and peeled off when we got to Poteat Cut and began to fish some expose oyster beds with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. We worked that area good, then moved around a point and fished it with jigs and float rigs but we didn't get what we could claim as a good nibble! Ouch. 

After running thru Horsehead I slowed at some docks at Seymore's but there was a boat where I wanted to be so we kept running all the way down to Spanish Drop and began to work another shell bank with the jig and this did the trick. Right off the bat, Brad picked up a couple of small Jacks, a small but feisty Redfish, and then he had a strong bite deep, set the hook, and Fish On!  Brad played it patiently and brought to the net a big 19.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish!

We worked along the bank and picked up another big Jack, tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, then
when we got to a large drainage we paused and fished it. Brad reeled in a surprising keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then a keeper sized Flounder, then we had an even bigger Flounder throw the hook at boatside. We switched to float rigs and mud minnows and began to catch Seatrout. On one drift a big fish crashed the bait, then hooked up and again, Fish On!  Brad fought it expertly and brought it in to the net, a 22.25" Trout - big enough to move Brad into a tie for first place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). With fairly rules, only one Seatrout over 19" per boat is allowed, so one of those fish had to go back!

A short run down to Pumpkin Hill where we drifted float rigs produced a lone Flounder. We fished the bank pretty good, moved around the pointe and drifted long a few times to pick up some small Seatrout, then we finished up over at Seymore's Pointe trying to outsmart some Mangroves. If you were keeping score we "lost" the battle but Brad did put  a handful of larger Mangroves n the box. And with that, we called it a day, another great one 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