Oversized Red Slot Red Big Flounder

 I wrapped my week up fishing with Bill Redfield and his friends Elaine and Joel, meeting them out at Goffinville Park boat ramp. We had live shrimp, finger mullet, and a few mud minnows to fish with and they all caught fish. After leaving the ramp we ran over to Horsehead, thru it, and over to Poteat Point and set up to drift float rigs with the shrimp on a high outgoing tide. I think first cast produced a bite then we "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch. I was expecting some Redfish but we had none, but did get a small Jack and a high-flying Ladyfish. 

We moved back to fish Jackstaff "bank" and as I eased along with the trolling motor these anglers worked the bank good. Joel, fishing off the stern, had let his float "go long" and it paid off - he let the fish take his finger mullet, lifted to set the circle hook and, Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and went out deep - my first guess was a shark-but it wasn't a long run. Joel fought it patiently, up to the bow and back, and after a good battle landed an Oversized 29" Redfish, boy what a fish! We worked along there and got a couple of smaller Redfish and Joel battled a 3- shark to boatside, then we moved on.

Our next stop, after running back thru Horsehead, was over at Pumpkin Hill, drifting some now exposed oyster shell. We had a few bites but no takers. We made a short run across the mouth of  Back River and fished a bend in the marsh and this did the trick. Both Elaine and Joel picked up Slot Redfish "back in the ripple".  After motoring down the Nassau to Spanish Drop and working that bank, we moved up to a drainage and worked it with jigs and shrimp and minnows. Here, Joel had one of those odd "thumps", set the hook, and worked it slowly to the boat where we netted a big 18.5" Flounder.  We fished some docks up at Seymore's where Elaine put a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum n the boat. 

We tried float rigs at some rocks for Mangroves to no avail, then made a final run down to Broward Island. We could see Redfish busting bait along the shore but they wouldn't eat. Moving up to the "secret spot", we were able to get a small Sheepshead, then we had as strong bite - Bill was on the rod and he played it perfectly as the drag ripped. He worked it, let it run, worked it in, and soon landed the biggest Slot Red of the day, a nice 23" fish. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishng here at Amelia Island, Florida.