Representing With Bragging Rights

 

I was out at Goffinsville today, meeting Kenny King and his fishing crew, John Raker and John's mother Betty early this morning. We had a bait well full of mud minnow, electing to go with no shrimp today, and we headed over to Pumpkin Hill to make our first stop on a tide that still was coming in for another 2  hours. We set up alongside a flooding shell bottom and drifted floats long - it took a good handful of drifts and I was beginning to wonder when Betty had a her float taken under. She slapped the bail shut, cranked her slack in and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On! Betty battled it to the boat and brought to the net a huge 22.25" Seatrout, a fish that moved her in to 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. 

We continued to fish and picked up another small Trout or two, a couple of nice hard fighting Jacks, a small Catfish, and a small Mangrove Snapper. After moving around the corner and fishing a stretch of flooded grass, Kenny had a good hookup, played it patiently, and brought in a keeper sized Seatrout. And just minutes later he had a strong bite. This was a big fish and Kenny played it perfectly. When he got it to the net we measured a 19.5" Seatrout, boy what a fish. But with the new rules, it had to go back!

After running thru Horsehead we fished a good looking stretch of marsh on the first of an outgoing tide. There were fish popping and rolling and moving but we managed only another Jack and a Ladyfish.  Back thru Horsehead we went, back up Nassau to Back River and fished some pockets and here John had the big bite. When it ripped some drag and boiled up near the grass we knew it was a big Redfish and sure enough, after a good battle, John brought to the net a nice 22" bulky Slot Redfish. The sun was up but so was the breeze and we had some nice fish in the box so as we headed in we counted it 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 and is a licensed US Coast Guard charter boat operator.