I went with straight mud minnows for the second day in a row when I met Ray Pinkston and his son Jack out at Goffinsville Park early this morning. And we had a plan: fish those minnows at the drainages along the Nassau River. We stuck to it for the most part and it paid off with some solid action. We deviated just a bit at the first spot, across from Goffinsville at Back River Point - we drifted minnows under a float along some shell that were just showing. I had to try it! Jack did get the skunk knocked off early when he hooked up and landed a 14" Flounder. This would be the story of the day - 14" Flounder!
We then ran down the Nassau and made a stop at Twin Creeks and switched to jigs for the rest of the morning. Every once in a while Jack would put a 14" Flounder in the boat. We lost count but for the day, he had about 7-8 and Ray added one - all undersized. The duo did catch a handful of Seatrout as we bounced down the river hitting drainages and they slowly put a bag together, getting four of keeper size.
Every once in a while another variety would slip in - a Blue, a Jack, a Whiting and a Catfish. But then, down at Spanish Drop, we fished up from a drainage, caught a few, but when we got to a submerged "bar" they began to get Redfish, one after another. Jack had a 21" 9-spot Red and they had a couple of other Slot sized fish, along with a whole handful of "almost" legal" Reds. They kept one of the Slots but released the rest.
Boy was it still, and hot! I broke out my floppy hat and a "cool rag" for the first time this year. But we had stayed fairly busy catching fish, had a few in the box for dinner, so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We went early today to beat the heat and it worked out pretty good. I had met Allen and Lavern Webb up at Old Town Bait and Tackle - they open at 6:00am - I was about 3rd in line- and as I was leaving there was a line out the door! Allen and Lavern and I pulled away from the dock at 6:30 and eased out of Eagans Creek and made a quick run up and around to the outside of Tyger. I went with mud minnows today, and they worked, kinda. Lavern had a quick hookup early and brought to the boat a nice Flounder for a quick boat-side release. After moving around the corner and working along Jolley "bank" Lavern had a good handful of Flounder catches and eventually got one that was of keepable size.
We fished a large drainage further up the Jolley, then moved on up to Snook Creek where Allen, fishing off the stern, had a good "thump" - he hooked it up and patiently brought to the boat a keeper sized Seatrout.
We fished the MOA at the last of an outgoing tide, then made the run back around to the Fernandina area, up Lanceford, and fished TM's spot. That sun had gotten up and it was getting hot but getting out early had paid off with a bit of action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished this morning with Jason Wells and his two younger kids Allison and Joah, meeting them out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp early. We made a short trip down and back up to the mouth of Back River to fish a stretch of oysters on a tide that had been going out for a few hours - the oysters were well exposed. I don't normally fish that stretch on a low tide but thought I'd give it a try, but now I know why - we didn't get much of a bite drifting the float rigs. But the two young anglers got a taste of the float rig and them being more difficult to cast, it was a good start. They both picked it up quickly and were making excellent casts and getting good drifts.
We made a short run down to a drainage on the Nassau and this paid off. Allison "knocked the skunk off" when, after making and excellent casts with a jig and live shrimp to some exposed oysters, she hooked up and expertly played to the net a feisty Redfish. Shortly after that she had another bite, this one stronger. Allison worked it patiently in and landed a big 17" Flounder. As we worked a few of those drainages Joah got in on the action - he reeled in a couple of Jacks, his own Flounder and a Catfish. Noah was getting some long casts and both he and Allison hung in there fishing, even when it got hotter later in the morning. And boy did it get hot!
We had caught a few fish, seen some Rosette Spoonbills and dolphin, and had a nice Flounder in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I was back to work today, fishing with Brian Roach and his son Mike after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made a short run up the Nassau River to Spanish Drop and began fishing a large outflow on a tide that still had a few hours to hit bottom. But the oysters we exposed and these two anglers began pitching to the edges with jigs and live shrimp. Things started a bit slow but they eventually had some good action catching hungry Seatrout, and a couple of small Reds. We bounced up the river, stopping at drainages and at each one they put fish in the boat - Trout, Reds, Ladyfish, Black "puppy" Drum, Flounder, Jacks, and ......Catfish. Brian did have one good hookup which he played patiently. I was calling "Flounder" the way it as digging deep but as Brian worked it to the surface we saw it was a nice Slot sized Redfish which he landed.
We fished between some docks at Littlefield, to no avail, then ran down to Broward Island and fished a severely low tide, starting on the south end and drifting with the still outgoing current. Not a bite. I knew that we had been getting most of our fish around shell beds but to not get a single bite on a low tide down at Broward was surprising.
After making a long run back to Nassauville and thru Horsehead we began working along some exposed shell on the first of an incoming tide. Mike picked up his Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. We had been being stalked by Bonnetheads and when Brian had a bite that began ripping drag and heading out deep behind the boat we both called "shark"! Brian worked it around the rear of the boat, fought it up off the bottom and we mentioned "I saw it", I began to wonder - normally those Bonnetheads don't come up until they're worn out. Brian fought it for another few minutes then he saw that it was a big Redfish! That will chance your attitude! He played it patiently and eventually landed a 26.25" Redfish, boy what a fish.
We fished over at Poteat Point then worked one other edge where Brian picked up one more Redfish with about 5 shrimp to spare, then we called it a day and headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
This morning I launched at Old Town Bait and Tackle and after a Bait Shop sausage and egg sandwich, made the run over to Oyster Bay to pick up David Vice, Robert Stettner and their fishing buddy Greg. We came back around Tyger and as we were heading up to the Jolley, we made a stop on the outside of Tyger, turned into the incoming current and began pitching jigs and live shrimp and minnows. In Davids first cast or two he had a hookup and landed feisty Flounder. We worked along that edge for a few hundred yards - the trio landed a couple of keeper sized Flounder, a couple of small Trout, a small Red, and then they battled some 4' Shark to the boat for photograph and release.
We then bounced around to the Jolley River and worked the "bank" and here, Robert, fishing off the stern and letting his float drift, picked up a nice 16" keeper Seatrout. We had a couple of more smaller Trout and a smaller Redfish. We moved on up the river to Tyger Cut and fished the point. Greg had a strong bite that ripped his drag - he fought it expertly, but this fish knew the ropes - it ran up to the shallow bank and cut itself off, boy what a fish1 We continued up to Snook Creek, worked that grass line and after David had made a good cast up to the grass line, BAM! If I was betting, I would have lost! The fish pulled some drag a few times and I was thinking "Redfish" but as David worked it to the net we saw it was a big Seatrout. David landed it and we measured it to just over 20"!
We worked that bank pretty good until the tide came to a standstill then we ran back to Tyger Island and set up at a drainage. All three anglers were getting bites - Seatrout, a small Red or two, some Jacks, then David, fishing off the bow, went forward alongside some submerged oysters and when his float disappeared and he tightened up to let that circle hook set, it was Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and digging deep and making runs. We felt sure it was a big Redfish - David played it patiently and worked it in to land a big "Tournament sized" Redfish that measured right at 26.75", boy what a fish! We had caught a good bunch of fish throughout the day, had a good mess in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished yesterday with the Frost's - Steve and Carron, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat rampearly, and good for that - the day turned out very still and hot! We ran up the Nassau and made our first stop at Twin Creeks to fish float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows on a tide that had been coming in a few hours. We worked that spot and hit a few more along the Nassau and it was Steve that had the hot hand early - he caught a couple of Trout, a small flounder, and then battled a nice Slot sized Redfish to the boat.
We fished down at Pumpkin Hill and both anglers were getting good drifts - we couldn't believe that they weren't getting bites but it seemed the fish had taken a siesta as the tide peaked. .We dropped back to Seymore's Pointe - Carron fishing the jigs while Steve and I tossed floats to the rocks, but again, no real bites.
After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point we worked a grassy bank as the tide started out. This time it was Carron who had the big bites. She first hooked up and battled to the boat a big 20.75" Seatrout - big enough to move her into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a Trout! Then as we worked forward she had a big bite on red hook baited with a mud minnow and the drag was ripping, Big Fish On! Carron took the fish across the bow, down the port side and around the stern a couple of times. She worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and eventually brought to the net an Oversized 29" Redfish! Shortly after that Steve battled a big fish, too. We were thinking another Redfish but then it made those tale-tale signs of digging deep and holding the bottom and sure enough, it was a Bonnethead Shark. We had some good catches, and great weather, albeit a bit hot, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I met the Pinkston boys out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning, Ray and his brothers Tommy and Jimmy. The tide still had a couple of hours of coming in so we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift floats and live shrimp with the incoming current along the flooding grass line. I was looking for Trout but all we found was one measly Croaker! We fished down the river a bit then made a move, running down the Nassau River to Twin Creeks and again anchored up to drift the slip floats.
Jimmy was on the stern and after opening his bail, he let his float "go deep" and it paid off - his float disappeared, he slapped his bail, caught up to it, and had a hookup! Jimmy worked it in patiently and landed a nice 17" Seatrout. As it turned out, Tommy would be the Flounder Man today - he expertly landed three 14.75" of them in a row. As we worked down the bank Jimmy had another good bite, lifted to let the circle hook set, and Fish On! He worked it to the boat and landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish. After the crew caught one more just undersized Flounder, we moved on.
After running up to Seymore's and fishing a large outflow as the tide started out, to no avail, we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and again stuck with the floats. At first it was kinda slow but then Tommy picked up a feisty Redfish. I had switched Ray to a mud minnow and after he had cast up above a grassy point, BAM! Float Gone! And Ray had a battle on his hands! He fought the big fish out from the bank, over to the port side, down the gunwale, under the boat and back out into deeper water. The fish ran shallow then deep, but Ray kept the pressure on. He worked it slowly in and eventually landed an Oversized 29.75" bull of a Redfish, boy what a fish!
We stayed there and picked up two more Slot Redfish (to get their limit) and a handful of smaller ones. We then moved back over to Jackstaff and worked one area where the trio added one more Redfish to their catch. We fished Jackstaff "bank" but after a Catfish or two 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.
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I wrapped my week up fishing with the Verner boys, Patrick and his sons Bryan and Patrick and grandson James. We met early down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and then made a long run up the intracoastal, all the way up to Poteat Point where we set up to fish float rigs on a tide that had only been going out for about an hour. Using live shrimp as bait, the anglers drifted the marsh grass with the current and right off, the younger Patrick had a hook up off the stern - he played it perfectly and soon landed a nice hungry Seatrout. Bryan was on the bow and found a hard fighting Jack Crevalle that he worked to the boat, then he battled an even bigger one - we thought it might be a Redfish, but boy what a fight! Patrick SR fought a high flying Ladyfish to the boat then they teamed up to land a couple of Bluefish. Young James was "coaching them up" up well thought out suggestions.
After fishing across the river for a bit, to no avail, we ran thru Horsehead and then up the Nassau River to a point at Back River and sticking with the floats, we had good drifts, but no takers. Back down the river we came to Twin Creeks and they all switched to jigs. We fished that drainage then eased down to another drainage and here Patrick SR hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder. He put another Flounder in the boat, then a Jack Crevalle. After fishing Spanish Drop for a bit, we made the run up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings with the jigs. Again, it was Patrick Sr, teaching lessons, who hooked up and landed a nice 17" keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We fished along those docks and added a Pinfish, a Croaker and a Toad fish to the catch variety. James helped his dad work a couple of those fish in. Our final stop was around at Nassauville fishing some rocks - we fished floats and jigs, had plenty of bites but no takers, then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We went out of Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning, after meeting Joey Shiver, his son Casey, and son-in-law Brett early for a half day of fishing. We eased out of Eagans Creek then made a run up and around the outside to Tyger. I had all three anglers tossing jigs and live shrimp to a nice drainage in hopes for a Flounder, but all we had were nibbles. (for most of the day I was noting muddy water-it didn't bode well). We eased around to the mouth of the Jolley and worked the "bank" - here the trio of anglers, who were making excellent casts, caught a undersized Flounder then just about everything we didn't want - Pinfish, Croaker, Bluefish, and Catfish.
After running further up the Jolley. we fished another large drainage. Joey couldn't have had a better drift on his first cast, letting his line out and letting it drift closely down the shoreline. Casey and Brett followed him and all had good drifts, but no real bites. We moved up to Snook Creek, worked it with floats for a bit, then switched back to jigs and worked along the now exposed oysters. Casey picked up another nice Bluefish then Joey, fishing deep off the stern had a strong "thump" and after setting the hook, he patiently brough to the net a big 18"+ Seatrout. Finally! A nice fish!
Further up the Jolley we fished a bend in the river and worked along some exposed shell. Again, Pinfish, and Croaker and even a small Sea Bass, then Brett, after tossing to a cut in the oysters had a strong bite and a hookup. He fought it expertly to the boat, let it run, worked it in, and landed a nice 21" 7-spot Redfish. After fishing the MOA for a while, we ran around to Bell River and fished some docks for a bit, then ran back, all the way around to the Tyger logs and worked them. Joey was making that stern work, he hauled in a Flounder, then Casey followed that up with another Flounder. I think that was the last fish of the day. These anglers had to work for the fish they caught today, but we had a few in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I uncovered the boat this morning in the rain, and it rained from the bait shop down to Sawpit, and it rained when John Foreman, his son Chase and grandson Nate and I ran up the intracoastal to make our first stop at Poteat Point. It rained for about two hours into the trip, but the fish were biting! I think John's first or second cast produced a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout (the only one caught today), then Chase had a strong hookup on his float rig with live shrimp, and the battle was on! And Chase was up to the battle - he played it perfectly, let it run ripping drag, worked it in, let it run and after a good fight landed an Oversized 28" Redfish, boy what a fish.
We worked that bank good - John hooked up and expertly landed a Slot sized Redfish and the trio caught a handful of smaller Reds. Then Chase was again in for the big battle, and this fish was a BIG! Chase fought it from one side of the boat to the other as it dug deep and headed down river but he turned, it worked it in, and wore it out and eventually landed an even bigger Oversized Redfish, this one measuring 29.25". We crossed the creek and fished that for a bit, then made our way around to Jackstaff "bank" and worked it with jigs and live shrimp. We may have picked up a Catfish or two.
After running thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to Twin Creeks we stayed with the jigs and fished there and a few other drainages. Chase picked up another Slot Redfish, Nate landed a feisty Sheepshead, then he and John tag teamed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark. John had a strange "thump", hooked it up and brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder, then further down the river it was Nate's turn to battle a big Slot Red. He played it perfectly, stuck with it, fought it in, and landed the biggest Slot Redfish of the day. We finished up fishing over at some docks where they caught a couple of Catfish before Chase hauled in the last keeper fish, a nice Flounder.
We had gotten wet, but caught big fish, and had a good mess in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had movement on the Bragging Rights board today - Flounder category. I had met Clint Davidson, his wife Kat, and her father Brian up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early this morning, and after easing out of Eagans Creek and running up to the intracoastal, we pulled in to a small drainage on the outside of Tyger to try our hand at catching some Flounder, and it paid off - after a few casts Brian had a good hookup and landed a nice Flounder.
After moving around to the Jolley River and working along the "bank", Kat had another good "bump", out deep - she set the hook and Fish On! Kat played it perfectly and soon landed a keeper sized Flounder. We worked along there for a bit, then ran further up the Jolley and fished a deep bend with the jigs. Here both Clint and Brian tangled with some hard fighting, deep diving Bonnethead Shark.
We puttered a short distance away to the MOA and began pitching the jigs. In just a short few minutes Clint was hooked up. This fish was ripping some drag and took Clint from the bow, back to the stern, around from starboard to port, then back up to the bow. He played it expertly and after a good battle landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. There was plenty of bait movement and a bunch of feeding fish but that was all we caught there. We fished back at Tyger logs, worked it good, then made a long run around to Lanceford Creek.
BM1 produced no fish - the wind and current was not working in our favor. We moved further up the creek, with minutes to go in the trip and Brian, fishing long with a float had decided to reel in and BAM! Big Fish On! Brian worked it in slowly, eased it up off the bottom and glided it into the net - a nice 19" Flounder, big enough to move in to first place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We had a few fish in the box, had had some decent action throughout the day, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is excited to announce the 2025 Seatrout Symposium, which will take place on August 27th at the Daytona Beach Hilton Oceanfront Resort in Daytona Beach, Florida.
This one-day event will bring together stakeholders, scientists, and fisheries managers for an in-depth look at the spotted seatrout fishery in Florida. Attendees will hear highlights from the newly completed FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute stock assessment for spotted seatrout, explore the critical role of habitat and water quality for this fishery, and share regional insights and perspectives on this popular recreational and commercial species in Florida.
This symposium also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the management of spotted seatrout. Building on the success of FWC’s holistic management strategies for redfish and snook, the FWC is now exploring a similar approach for spotted seatrout: use multiple metrics to manage on a smaller regional scale.
We invite all interested stakeholders to join the conversation shaping the future of this fishery.
Mark Your Calendar – Full Details Coming Soon
Registration instructions, hotel booking information, and full event details will be available soon. In the meantime, please visitMyFWC.com/SeatroutSymposium for the latest updates.
We've been getting together for about the last 5 years - my High School football teammates and yesterday we fished the NSFA Rodeo Tournament. Tony French played linebacker our Senior year, Daniel "bubba" Rhodes anchored one side of the line at offensive tackle while I anchored the other side at tackle. A few years ago we lost teammate Raymond Keen who had fished with a couple of those years prior and we always miss him.
We launched early out at Goffinsville Park and made a quick run over to Spanish Drop on the Nassau River and began pitching jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. We hit a bunch of spots that day - we fished from 6:30am to about 4pm and at least two of us were complaining about sore knees and ankles as the day wore on. Tony "knocked the skunk off" when he caught a keeper sized Flounder, and I followed that up later with another keeper Flounder. Neither were big enough to warrant running them to check in, but they did go in the box!
We fished a few spots up and down Nassau River and picked up a good amount of small Redfish and a couple of Slot sized Reds. One of those that Dan caught was of legal size and had 4 Spots, again, probably not enough to run to check in. We ran thru Horsehead and fished Jackstaff "bank" and caught another handful of Reds, and Jacks. Throughout the day we battled a couple of Sharks to the boat and released. Fishing back in the Nassau we landed more Redfish on float rigs now, over the oyster beds. We ended up catching 4 Slot Reds for the day - Dan had the biggest at 25". We had to release two due to bag limits.
Also caught were TWO oversized Redfish! The first ended up measuring at 27.5", just a half inch over the size limit. You can imagine the excitement when you know you've got a BIG Redfish on in a Tournament. That happened twice - the 2nd was FAT and measured well about he Slot at 29.5". Oh well - we had a great time catching up and reminiscing about growing up and going to school at FBHS so as we headed back to the ramp we counted as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Charter Captain Jesse Stubbs has been leading the way lately to bring light to the absurdity of the City's management (and lack thereof) of our ONLY City boat ramp. He's uncovered some conflicts that may leave the City legally vulnerable as they attempt to develop our once working waterfront into Disney 2.0..
Signs, Signs Everywhere a Sign!
Conflict Between 24-Hour Ramp Access and Parking Restrictions
The City’s Comprehensive Plan designates this site as a .01 Boat Ramp Facility, a classification that requires adequate parking to support public water access. Moreover, the ramp itself is open 24 hours a day a policy that implies continuous, unrestricted access for boaters at all hours.
Yet under Ordinance 78-77, the City imposes restrictive parking hours (5am–7pm) and bans overnight parking of trailers without a permit a permit process which is neither visible nor accessible to the public. This creates a legal and functional contradiction:
How can 24 hour ramp use be offered if trailer parking disappears after 7pm?
This inconsistency:
• Undermines safe and reasonable boat launching and retrieval well before sunset, night or early morning
• Potentially violates the Florida Boating Improvement Program or FIND access requirements (if funding was involved) the .01 boat ramp facility list “adequate parking”
• Creates the appearance of policy manipulation to favor certain users such as commercial tour buses over local residents and recreational boaters.
This is a critical red flag: you can’t claim 24-hour public access and simultaneously restrict the very infrastructure needed to use it.
recommend appending this paragraph to the earlier drafted request for action, under a new section:
The City’s own policy contradiction must be resolved:
• The .01 Boat Ramp Facility designation mandates adequate and compatible parking infrastructure
• The ramp is open 24/7, yet boat trailer parking is prohibited overnight;
• No clear overnight permit process exists despite Ordinance 78-77(d) allowing it.
This incompatibility results in de facto denial of late night access for boaters especially for offshore fishermen, nighttime gigging and emergency users despite the ramp being technically “open.” If parking isn’t available when the ramp is, the access is functionally denied.
This may constitute a violation of both local planning code and the public trust doctrine.
I fished Friday with Bill Foran and his daughter Casey, meeting them up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a quick run up and over to the Jolley River, turned into the "bank" and worked back. Our first cast produced a bite and Fish On! That's the way you like to start a trip! Casey expertly worked in a nice Flounder to kick the day off.
The wind was kicking a little bit out of the west and pushing us up against the bank so we ran further up the Jolley and tossed our floats and live shrimp on the outside of Snook Creek. The wind was blocked and the anglers were getting good casts, but we had no luck. After coming back to Tyger Cut we drifted the point and this did the trick. The duo hooked up and caught some keeper sized Seatrout then they battled Bonnethead Shark to the boat from photograph and release. They also caught and released a few hard fighting Jack Crevalle.
We finished up the morning fishing over at Bell River then headed back to the ramp with a box of Seatrout ready to be fileted, and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
