We Got Soaked, and Caught Fish!

 

I was remiss in looking at the weather forecast - I noted that the wind was going to be a manageable 11mph but I didn't look at the rain forecast - and we paid for it! I had met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsivlle Park boat ramp right at a high tide and we made our way over and thru Horsehead to make our  first stop at Poteat Pointe with plans to drift float rigs and live shrimp. We had overcast skies and on occasion, just a slight mist, but the floats paid off when the duo began to pick up Seatrout. Most were just undersized but they did put one over 15" in the boat.

We then ran back thru Horsehead and over to a large drainage at Seymore's Pointe and again drifted the floats. Again, they caught Seatrout, most biting just as they passed over a submerged oyster bed. The sun came out and the temperature warmed and we were thinking "Rain"? Hah! After moving around the corner and down to Nassauville we switched to jigs and live shrimp and caught Seatrout deep in 20" of water. After getting another "just over 15" we were about to leave when William had a good strong thump and Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon landed the biggest Trout of the day, one that measured right at 18".

After a run down to Broward Island we fished a couple of spots deep with the jigs, caught a few more Trout, then Dara put a feisty Redfish in the boat and a wayward Flounder (the first on my boat in about a month) - she had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  There were some clouds building but we then made a long run further up the Nassau River and dipped into a creek and worked the bank thoroughly. This paid off when the duo began to hookup with Redfish. Most were in the17" range but we counted 5 Spot Reds caught (all Reds caught today were released)(I took the Trout home, thanks!). As we were fishing we could hear the wind beginning to roar, the temperature drop and then the rain came, and boy was it coming down! We all had rain coats on but our pants were soaked and water made it's way down into our boots. On the way back to the ramp it was blowing rain and it somehow made it down under my raincoat. I don't know about William and Dara but I was soaked! But we had stayed busy catching fish, down to the last shrimp, so as we eased up to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

And Then There Was a Big One

What we do to deserve all this nasty weather? We again had overcast skies and blowing winds when I met Henry Ross and his crew down at Sawpit Creek this morning. In addition to his son Stephen and daughter-in-law Ashley, they also had his granddaughter Mabry along for the catching! We made a run up the Nassau, all the way to Seymore's Point and set up outside a large outflow to drift float rigs and live shrimp. It took a few minutes but the anglers began to get some bites then Ashley had the first hookup and brought to the boat a hungry Seatrout -first fish of the day!  They added a few more Trout with Mabry hauling in a few, with one of them being the first "keeper" fish. 

The wind was blowing but not too bad and as we made our way around to Nassauville we were completely out of the wind and it was almost like fishing on a pond. Now fishing with jigs and shrimp we weren't getting too many bites until Stephen made is way to the bow and went up between some dock pilings and the rock bank. He felt a "thump, thump" then a bit of heaviness and set the hook and started a bonanza of Seatrout catching. Henry went in, hooked up and pulled out the lone Redfish while the rest of the crew caught Trout. They added one more keeper Trout before we moved on. 

We switched back to float rigs and fished a stretch of marsh grass at Back River - I was thinking we might get into some Reds, but no, it was a Seatrout kind of day (so far!). They caught a good handful drifting the floats along the bank, then we moved on. 

After running way up the Nassau we dipped into a creek and began to work a bank of down logs. About 10 minutes into pitching the bank Stephen found the "hot spot" and it was Fish On!  There were many times the jig and shrimp only had time to hit the bottom and BAM! Redfish on. I was netting fish, dehooking, measuring, netting fish, dehooking, measuring over and over again. Mabry was making her on casts and hooking up her own fish = Stephen was pitching in with the net, Ashley was pitching in baiting hooks - it was pandemonium! Most of the Reds were about 17" but every once in a while they caught one that was in the Slot. Once they reached their limit we kept track of the Slot fish caught and totaled 8 for the day. 

I had mentioned to Henry that we normally only caught small fish and small Slot fish in this creek but boy was I surprised when Ashley had a big bite and her drag began to rip. She worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, and eventually expertly played to the boat and big 25.5" Slot Red, the biggest fish of the day, boy what a fish. This group continued to catch fish until we were down to the scrubs of our bait and we left them biting. As we made our long way back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Crusty Weather Amelia Island Slam

We again had a forecast of some less than desirable weather and sure enough, we were greeted with overcast skies and blowing winds when I met the Paradise group down at Sawpit Creek- Raymond and Catherine, Harrison and Abby. But we had a plan to try and stay out of the wind as we ran up the Nassau River to fish a large outflow just north of Seymore's. These anglers began tossing float rigs and live shrimp and after just a few casts they had knocked the rust off and were catching fish. As the floats drifted over a submerged shell bed BAM! They'd have a hookup and would expertly bring in a hungry Seatrout. 

Catherine, fishing off the bow, drifted close to a grass point that I knew had an oyster outcrop and she picked up a feisty Redfish then a hard fighting keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to round out and Amelia Island Back Country Slam. The group added a good handful of the smaller Seatrout then Harrison hauled in a keeper sized Trout. After running around to Nassauville and fishing Littlfield with jigs, to no avail, we made a long run up the Nassau to fish a small Creek.

As we worked along the bank Catherine hauled in a Seatrout, then she hooked up and landed a feisty
Redfish but as we worked along the bank I was thinking, "this is kinda slow". But then like a light switch, the bite turned on. Abby, who had persevered all day with her casting, had a strong hookup and this was ripping drag but the fish was no match for her "GenZi" - she worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. Raymond had been "coaching them up" and joined in as the key Netman -scooping them up when I was busy unhooking fish. The group added 3 more Slot Reds to get their limit and a whole bunch of the smaller "rat" Reds. 

Boy was it nasty running back -overcast, 17mph winds, whitecaps, and then a slight drizzle. But we had had some good action, had a good mess of fish in the box and as we eased up to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Playing Chess With The Wind

 Although the forecast called for sunny skies today(it was right), it also called for wind at 11mph, rising to 17mph as the trip progressed (it was right). But we had a plan! RULE#1:  Make a Plan!  I met Gregg and Dannie Fitgerald down at Sawpit Creek early this morning and it was a bit chilly. We ran up the intercoastal, cut thru Back River to cruise Black Hammock, then cut back across into the Nassau to make our way up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The two angles were making excellent casts to the dock pilings and it paid off - they hooked up and landed a couple of hungry Seatrout then a handful of just undersized Black "puppy" Drum, then finally, we had a keeper sized Seatrout. 

That wind NE was beginning to kick so we came around to Nassauville and fished Littlefield for a bit and here both anglers had a flurry of Seatrout catches. We were out of the wind there but when we ran down to Broward Island we were running in whitecaps. We set up deep and began tossing to the bank and were pleasantly surprised when Gregg battled a handful of feisty Redfish to the boat. They must not have gotten the message because when we moved up a ways those wind-produced waves were really smashing the bank and we didn't get another bite.

After running further up the Nassau we eased into a creek and worked the bank with the jigs. When we got to the "hot spot", sure enough it paid off and BAM! Fish on!  Gregg and Dannie traded off catching Redfish. Most were in the 17" range but every once in a while they'd haul in a Slot fish. We worked that bank until we hit another hot spot and for about45 minutes they caught fish. It seemed like one oin every cast. I was measuring the close ones and the Slot count crept up - 6 Slots, 7 Slots, 8 Slots, 9 Slots, 10 Slots and finally 11 Slots total, boy what a day! We had out maneuvered  the wind and found some areas to fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Good Call

The wind was blowing just a tad bit more this morning than forecasted - I had planned to hit Tyger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide but that west wind made me rethink the plan. So after meeting Patrick Davis and his son Joshua up at Old Town Bait and Tackle we made the run up Eagans Creek and found a dock to fish with jigs and live shrimp.

It wasn't long before Joshua "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked  up and landed a feisty Redfish. From then on it was "game on"!  The duo were catching one Redfish after the other - after picking thru the smaller Reds Patrick hooked up and expertly battled to the boat a nice 22" Slot Red. Shortly after that Joshua had the hookup and patiently played a Slot fish of his own to the net. Out of multiple Redfish caught I counted a total of four Slot fish brought in. We could have stayed there for a while and caught fish but we moved on for a change of scenery!

Our next stop was up at Soap Creek where we switched to float rigs and the live shrimp. Joshua had his float drift over a shell pointe and BAM! Float gone!  He caught up to it, lifted his rod and the circle hook set. After a nice fight Josh brought to the net another Redfish. After moving up to a large drainage the duo found that they could drift the floats back thru a ripple and catch hungry Seatrout. After landing a handful, we moved on.

We made a long run up the Bell River and set up on the back side of a dock, now back to tossing jigs and shrimp. I think Joushua's first cast was a hookup. He could feel the "bump, bump" and set the  hook - Seatrout. After getting  a few of those we moved in closer and with casts closer to the bank, they had hookups with Redfish. 

We tried a few spots over in Jolley River, drifting floats  up by the flooding marsh grass, but had no real bites. Although it was now a bit windy (we had a bumpy ride back), the sun was out and not a cloud in the sky so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

An Eight Slot Day at Amelia Island

 

That "hot" November fishing has continued on into December - boy we caught some fish today! I had met Henry Ross and David Gray down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and it was a beautiful morning - just a slight breeze, clear skies and comfortable 68 degree temperature. We made the run up the Nassau River to Seymore's Point and made our first stop at a dock. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp on a jig to the dock pilings on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour and a half.. It took a few casts but then David "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and battled to the boat a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. It wasn't "on fire" but the duo managed to catch a handful of those Drum, two more being of keeper size. 

We then ran down to Broward Island and set up to fish the bank as that tide was coming in. Tossing the jigs to the bank and letting the current take that bait down the river bottom paid off - they began to get small but feisty Redfish and another Drum or two. We dropped down the island about 50 feet and here things got crazy! They began to catch fish one after the other and a few times they had "double"  hookups. Ross had a strong bite and expertly played to the boat a Slot Redfish, then  David followed that up with a monster "Tournament" sized Red -26.75". They also caught another Drum or two, a small Sheepshead, and a few handfuls of small but feisty Redfish. BUT, we kept count of the Slot Reds that we caught, measuring before we tossed the back, and we got up to EIGHT Slot Reds for the day. One of those slot Reds we tagged ((GrayFishTagResearch.org  tag #  GFR62322)

Our next stop was back at Pumpkin Hill, drifting float rigs with the live shrimp. We were looking for Seatrout and got them, but the biggest was just under 15". After fishing Littlefield with the jigs for a bit, we ran thru Horsehead and fished the Jackstafff "bank" with the floats. The tide was within minutes of being high tide and the fish were having none of it, so we called it a day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Kinda Cool Fishing

 It was 40 degrees when I came over the south end bridge and launched down at Sawpit with plans to meet Jason Ash and his long time buddy Adam for a half day of fishing. It was clear and cold with not much wind blowing as we then made our way up the intercoastal to turn into the Nassau and make our first stop along Spanish Drop. The tide still had about45 minutes to hit bottom but the oysters were almost fully exposed - we went with jigs and live shrimp to work that first bank. There wasn't much action but we did have one Red on for just a bit - it boiled up near the bank, ripped some drag, and threw the hook. After moving up to a large drainage we had pretty much the same thing - not much of a bite, except one that didn't take. 

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's and here things heated up and the skunk was knocked off! Within a few minutes of fishing both Jason and Adam were hooking up with feisty Black "puppy" Drum - they were counting fish and ended u with a total catch of 10 with five of them being of keeper size. They also caught a handful of hungry Seatrout, and a grunt. 

After making our way down to Broward and setting up into the first of an incoming current the Redish bonanza began! They seemed to catch one after the other - Jason commented that he was getting a bite on every cast. Most of these fish were right at 17" but Adam did put a Slot in the boat. We moved down just 30 yards and BAM! Redfish On!  They again caught fish, one after the other. One keeper sized Seatrout was caught, it's mouth gorged with minnows. We moved down and fished with the Bald Eagles and picked up a few more Redfish, one of which was Slot Size.

We then made our way further up the Nassau and into a creek and worked the shallow bank. More Redfish were caught as we worked the bank, then Jason hooked up and fought to the boat the biggest Slot Red of the day. The duo had kept a fairly accurate "catch total" and as we headed out of that creek we finalized it with 37 fish caught for the day, not a bad way to spend a morning fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Correct Spin Casting Technique

 I saw this old graphic and saved it...some notes below the graphic corresponding to the numbered image....

1) Yes! two fingers in front of the base, two in back of it.

2) 6-12" from the jig, 6-12" from the stem of a float

3) Spin the reel to get the line just under the "pointer" finger - don't pull the line across the face of the reel.

4) When you grab the line with your pointer finger, just lay it on the tip - you don't have to grab it all the way up to the rod.

6) Practice this overhead, side arm, off shoulder, "underhanded". At the end of the cast the rod should be pointing to your target.

...and...use your "off hand" to stop the cast.

Here's a video