New Seatrout Regulations

 

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) For immediate release: Feb. 4, 2026 Media contact: FWC Press Office, 850-488-4676, Media@MyFWC.com FWC approves holistic management approach for spotted seatrout At its February meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)  approved new management regions and  regulations for spotted seatrout as a part of FWC’s holistic regional management approach.  These new regulations will go into effect on April 1, 2026. The rule changes: Establish nine management regions for spotted seatrout. Establish regional regulations for recreational and commercial bag limits,slot limits and closed seasons. These regions and regulations are part of the FWC’s holistic management approach for  Florida's most popular inshore fisheries. This approach takes a more holistic view of the fishery by evaluating multiple metrics, including fishing, stakeholder experiences and environmental factors, at a smaller regional scale. It improves our understanding of regional differences in environmental conditions and stakeholder experiences and provides greater flexibility to address localized concerns. Panhandle Recreational Open season: March 1–Jan. 31. Closed season: February. Bag limit: Three fish per person. Slot limit: 15-19 inches. Over-slot allowance: One fish over-slot allowed per vessel or per person if fishing from shore. Commercial Open season: Jun. 1–Oct. 31. Closed season: 1–May 31. Bag limit: 50 fish (1 SPL);100 (≥2 SPLs). Slot limit: 15–24 inches. Big Bend Recreational Open season: Year-round. Closed season: None. Bag limit: Five fish per person. Slot limit: 15-19 inches. Over-slot allowance: One fish over-slot allowed per vessel or per person if fishing from shore. Commercial Open season: June 1–Oct. 31. Closed season: 1–May 31. Bag limit: 50 fish (1 SPL);100 (≥2 SPLs). Slot limit: 15–24 inches. Over-slot allowance: None.  Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast Recreational Open season: Year-round. Closed season: None. Bag limit: Three fish per person. Slot limit: 15-19 inches. Over-slot allowance: One fish over-slot allowed per vessel or per person if fishing from shore. Commercial Open season: June 1–Oct. 31. Closed season: 1–May 31. Bag limit: 50 fish (1 SPL);100 (≥2 SPLs). Slot limit: 15–24 inches. Over-slot allowance: None. Indian River Lagoon Recreational Open season: Jan.1–Oct. 31. Closed season: 1–Dec. 31. Bag limit: Two fish per person. Slot limit: 15-19 inches. Over-slot allowance: None. Commercial Open season: May 1–Sept. 30. Closed season: Oct. 1–April 30. Bag limit: 50 fish (1 SPL);100 (≥2 SPLs). Slot limit: 15–24 inches. Over-slot allowance: None. Northeast Recreational Open season: Year-round. Closed season: None. Bag limit: Three fish per person. Slot limit: 15-19 inches. Over-slot allowance: None. Commercial Open season: June 1–Nov. 30. Closed season: Dec. 1–May 31. Bag limit: 50 fish (1 SPL);100 (≥2 SPLs). Slot limit: 15–24 inches. Over-slot allowance: None. This innovative regional management strategy has been implemented for some of Florida’s most popular inshore species, including redfish and snook, and now spotted seatrout. This management approach has been met with strong support from stakeholders across the state. For the full Commission Meeting February 4-5 agenda and links to background reports, go to MyFWC.com/Commission and select “Commission Meetings.” For current spotted seatrout annual reviews, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “Spotted Seatrout.” These documents provide a summary of the management metrics in each new management region.

An Explosion of Fish Catching

 

Boy was it foggy this morning - as I was driving to the Sawpit Creek boat ramp I was concerned that we may have to just putter around to the bridge and fish until it lifted. But after launching we saw that we did have about a hundred yards of visibility, so after meeting Jason Ash and his college buddies Tom and Adam early, we made a cautious run up the intracoastal, and up the Nassau, all the way to Littlefield where we went with jigs and live shrimp in the last of an outgoing tide. The Baitstealers were out in force! They used 6-7 shrimp to catch one small Seatrout- we were blowing thru the bait quick to catch those few Trout, so we moved on.

Back down the Nassau, we pulled up at a drainage just as the tide was hitting bottom, fished it with the
jigs, to no avail, then we moved down to Spanish Drop and worked the exposed shell bank as the current began to shift. No bites at all. We then made our way back up river to Seymore's Pointe and fished a dock in hopes of a Black Drum but again, no real bites. I was beginning to wonder ....

Those docks looked so good we decided to work each one of them, easing in between them and pitching to the pilings. Tom hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout, then Adam hooked and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (Adam was using some live fiddler crabs and they paid off for him). Off the stern, Jason began to catch Sandtrout/Weakfish and found a "honey hole" - he was boating one on every cast - Tom was pitching in under a boat and started hauling out Redfish, one after the other. Adam had probably the biggest hooked up but this fish was smart and wrapped itself around a pilings and BAP, broke off. They picked up two more keeper sized Black Drum, another keeper sized Seatrout, then Tom hooked and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish - it was an explosion of fish catching!

We fished back at the original dock, all out of shrimp, but with a bucket of fiddlers. Adam had made an excellent cast and BAM! Fish On! He played it patiently to the net and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead to wrap things. They had put a "Super Grande Slam" in the boat - Seatrout, Weakfish, Red Drum, Black Drum and Sheepshead si as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Two Slams In The Backwater at Amelia Island

 I was finally back at it today and it was a good one to be fishing! Although it was a bit foggy as we left
Eagans Creek, there was enough visibility to run at half speed. I had Met David and Ellen Capps up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp as the sun was coming up and with the tide just starting in, we made our first stop down the river to fish some structure. The tide hadn't really started moving yet and maybe that was why we didn't get much of nibble on our jigs and live shrimp offering. But the spot was in the "plan" and we had to try it as we passed it heading south. 

After running over the top; of Horsehead we pulled up at Seymore's Point and fished some dock pilings and this did the trick. Both anglers were fishing off the stern, pitching up to the pilings and letting the bait fall and it was Dave who "knocked the skunk off" when a Seatrout followed his bait and out and Dave hooked it up. Then Ellen had a strong bite and with the fish digging deep we knew she had a nice fish. Ellen fought it expertly to the net and landed a keeper sized Black "Puppy" Durm. Dave added a couple of more hungry Seatrout to his catch total, then it was he who had the big bite - his drag was ripping and his rod was bent deep - Dave played it patiently and slowly worked to the net a big Black "puppy" Drum. Ellen hooked and released another one of those Seatrout.

We made our around Seymore's and down to Broward where we set up on the first of the incoming tide - normally ideal - but there wasn't much action but after dropping back 40' Ellen hooked up. It was a good battle that Ellen won - she boated a feisty Redfish to round out her Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Drum, Seatrout and Redfish. We moved south down the island and picked up one more Seatrout, then we ran way up the Nassau and pulled into a creek and worked the bank - Dave was on the bow and made an excellent cast and it paid off with a Redfish catch - He had his Slam! Just a bit further he hooked up again and this one was a bit bigger, it was pulling drag and putting a bend in that rod. Dave worked it in and landed a nice Slot Sized Redfish. The duo added one more Redfish along that bank before we called it a day. We had had very little wind, no rain, just a few bugs, and had caught some fish with a few of them being keepers so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island,Florida. 

Wrapping Up The Old Year With Some Great Fishing

 We wrapped up 2025 yesterday with some great fishing - although it was a bit cool at 35 degrees as we
left the Sawpit boat launch!  I had met Mark Averbuch, his son Jared and grandson Max early to get a fishing trip in the last day of the year - we ran up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop up at Seymor's Point - I lost my knit cap on the way and paid for it with a cold forehead those first few runs! Although the bite was not "one fire" as we drifted float rigs and live shrimp at a large drainage but Mark, fishing off the stern, did get the "skunk" off when he hooked and landed a hungry Seatrout then battled a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the boat. All fish caught today were released.

We knew the wind would be blowing all morning at 10mph, with gusts, so we had made a plan to try and stay in behind a land mass to get our fishing in, and the plan worked, although we did have run thru the wind to get to where we were going. Our next stop was around at Littlefield where we pitched jigs and the shrimp and all three anglers began to get fish. They found that they had to fish those jigs sloooowww and when they felt a "bump", set the hook. Most were Seatrout just below the size limit but we did have a couple that would have met the size limit. Both Mark and grandson Max hauled in a Flounder each that were right at keeper size. The "baitstealers" began out-competing for our bait though, so we moved on.

After a long run up the Nassau we turned into a small creek and fished a log lined bank and here we found some Redfish. You got to work that bank its full stretch - I was expecting some bites where we started but as we got to the opposite end they began to hookup. I guestimated they caught 10 Redfish, most being right at 17 7/8", but we did get one that was right at 19". The sun had really warmed things up and we'd had pretty good action all morning so as we headed back to the ramp we counted is another great day to wrap up the year fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Came for the Catching

 I hope everyone had a great and Merry Christmas!  I was back fishing today with William and Dara
Blalock and boy what a crazy morning it was! Old Town Bait had run out of shrimp just as a I was pulling up so I made my way back south to Amelia Island Bait and Tackle and it seemed everyone with a boat was going fishing today - it was a zoo! But the staff at AIBT handled it with skilled efficiency - I was back on the road and back to Old Town to launch and meet the Blalock's. We eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run all the way up the Bell River where we pulled up at some docks and fished jigs and live shrimp deep on he first of an incoming tide. The duo had to weed thru the baitstealers but they put a good handful of Seatrout in the boat - most all were right at 14".  William hooked up and landed a feisty Sheepshead around one dock. We bounced down the docks and caught more Seatrout and one of them was of keeper sized, photographed and released.

We then motored over into the Jolley River and fished some still exposed shell beds with the jigs, then moved down to Tyger Cut and switched to floats. Both spots didn't produce a bite. On around the outside of Tyger, we worked the bank with jigs, William on the bow tossing forward while Dara worked the stern, fishing backwards and as Dara said, "she came for the catching" - she landed a good handful of Seatrout and an "almost legal" Flounder. 

We fished over at Bell River with the floats, Soap Creek with the floats where William landed the only Trout, then wrapped things up around the corner in Lanceford. The sun had shone all day, it had warmed nicely, and we had some good Trout action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Christmas Came Early

 After a howling windy day yesterday, today was "picture perfect" - zero winds, and sunshine when I met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsivlle Park. The sun had just come up, the tide had started in about an hour earlier, so we made short run up the Nassau River to try our luck with jigs and live shrimp at Broward Island. These two anglers are always getting good casts and today was  no exception - they were tossing their jigs baited with live shrimp to the bank and letting that incoming current bounce the bati down the river bottom, and it paid off!  Dara hooked up off the stern and expertly reeled in a hungry Seatrout - the skunk was off!  We worked along the bank for a bit and picked up a handful of Trout, two of which were of keeper size. We moved down to the other end, fished under the Eagles, and picked up another Trout or two, and  one feisty Sheepshead.

Our next stop was way up the river where we found a small creek to dip into and work a shallow bank. Right off, Dara hooked up and landed the first Redfish of the day, then William went in behind a tree hanging over the creek and BAM! He hooked up, then Dara hooked up, we had a "double". They both landed Redfish. We worked along and had another Double hookup or two, then they landed a few Slot sized Reds, then we hit another spot where they put more feisty Reds in the boat It was worth the run  up there!

Back down at the mouth of Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs and drifted the bank, on each side of the point, but got not much more than a nibble. Back down the Nassau and around to Seymore's Pointe -we set up on a large drainage and drifted the floats. The tide was just trying to start out and it was slow for a bit, then the duo caught a few feisty Redfish. Then Dara had strong bite and this one was ripping drag. I was worried that it would dig down deep across a visible oyster bed in front of us but she worked it across and landed a bulky 23" Slot Red.  William got in on the action when he battled to the boat a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We had made a cast and dropped the rod into a rod holder when William yelled "fish" - that rod was bent over and ripping drag. Dara scooped it up and battled another 23" Slot Red to the net. Boy what a beautiful day, and we topped it off with an early Christmas present of a box full of good eating fish, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Hug'n The Bank

After seeing the weather forecast last night I figured we'd be hug'n the bank today to keep out of the wind It wasn't expected to be too bad - up to 14mph but enough to make things interesting. I met Bob Kossman down at Sawpit Creek early and we made a run up the intracoastal, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had about 30 minutes to hit high.  That current was still creeping in as Bob tossed to the grass, opened his bail, and let it drift. It didnt' take but a drift or two and BAM! Fish ON! Bob cranked, and the fish swam to us, and he cranked and it swap to us and when it realized it was about to be landed it turned and ran and, Fish Off! Ouch! We fished that stetch for a while, fished around the corner for a bit, then moved on - no more takers. 

I had been stalling, waiting for the tide to change back at Seymore's Pointe, so as we eased up to a drainage there, sure enough, the tide was coming out. Bob was working that current and it paid off - it wasn't "on fire" but he caught fish, nice fish, slow and steady. He put a few keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, a handful of small but feisty Redfish, then a couple of Slot Redfish and a couple of Seatrout. Bob kept a few fish but threw back a couple of "keeper sized" fish.  Those Black Drum sure do pull!

We came back around Seymore's and down to Littlefield and went to jigs and the shrimp and like yesterday, caught Seatrout until we got tired of catching them. 99 percent were 14" but we did have one that was keepable - we tossed it back. But we did get a keeper sized Flounder. That West wind was blowing - we hugged that land mass, went back around to Seymore's and tried out hand at fishing the traditional Trout "slip floats" with some success. -we caught a handful of feisty Bluefish. DAVID NEASE/TANDY MORTON, if you are reading this, both Bob and I are not sold on the slip float technique - I'd rather be pitching a jig! But with that said, it was still a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Eighties Are Killing It

 Get up outa that Easy Chair!  Yesterday I had an 83-year old fishing with me and today, another 83-year
old fished on the Anglers  Mark - Betty Raker and her young son John. We met out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early on a tide that had just hit high. We made our way around to Seymore's Point and fished a large drainage with float rigs as that current started out. It started off slow but every now and then we got a bite. Betty started it off with a big battle - she fought and expertly landed a nice 17" Black "puppy" Drum, then she and John both hooked and landed a handful of feisty Redfish. After John landed another Drum, Betty hooked up and battled another keeper sized Drum to the net. 

We ran thru Horsehead and fished a point with jigs, deep, and here Betty brought to the net a small Flounder  - she had her Amelia Island Back Country Slam! We moved around to Poteat Point and fished floats and first cast John hooked an landed a hungry Seatrout - the had a Grande Slam! Back thru Horsehead we went and down to Nassauville, fishing between some docks with jigs, and we stayed busy catching hungry Seatrout - we guestimated about 18 fish caught, all in the 14.5" range, but one was of keeper size. 

Down at Broward we fished jigs deep and John did find one lone Seatrout, and back at Back River he caught another Trout. Most of the spots we fished today produced at least one fish, some produced a handful, some produced a lot, and the rain had held off so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Reds Over The Oyster Beds

 Fishing today - I met Macie Russell, her boyfriend Brennan, and Al Long up at the Old Town Bait and
Tackle boat ramp. The tide was just starting out so we headed over to the outside of Tyger and began to toss float rigs and live shrimp. Brennan got hot early when he found  some Reds up on a corner of grass - he expertly played a couple  to the net, one of which was of keeper size, but released. Macie stepped up and filled in when Brennan wasn't looking and BAM! Fish On! She worked the fish patiently to the net and landed a  nice 20" Slot Redfish. The duo added a couple of more Reds to the catch before we moved on. 

Just across the way we switched to jigs and fished 12' of water with shrimp and this paid off with a good flurry of fish catching. Al had been quite all morning but he got busy catching fish off the stern - he hooked and landed a good bunch of hard fighting Bluefish and a couple of hungry Seatrout. Both Macie and Brennan, fishing off the bow, figured those jigs and put fish in the boat. We probably could have stayed there and played with those Blues and Trout, but we moved on in hopes of bigger fish. 

We tried our luck at a drainage up towards St. Mary's fishing jigs but had no bites, then we moved
around to the mouth of Jolley and switched back to floats and again, no luck. Further up the Jolley we fished JC's Spot with the jigs and again, no luck. Ouch. But then we motored further up the Jolley and around to the Bell where we fished a deep bend with the jigs and this paid off. We were tossing the jigs in 20' of water, letting the current bounce it along the bottom and would feel the "bump bump", and set the hook. Trout On!  The trio of anglers caught a handful of those Trout, one of which was of keeper size, one was fat but just short, and then Macie wrapped things up with another feisty Redfish catch. The wind had stayed down, it wasn't unbearably cold, and we had good action at 3 of 6 spots so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Zero to Sixty in about an Hour

 Finally, back to work today! And boy what a pretty day it was - sunshine, a bit cool, and no wind, water like glass! I met Frank and Joanne Wytiaz down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and we proceeded up the intracoastal, turned into the Nassau, and made a short run up to Spanish Drop where we started tossing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. That water was already way down- we could see banks of oysters that I haven't seen in a while, and I was expecting good fishing to kick things off. Boy was I wrong! We worked that first bank and only had a few nibbles, then moved up to a drainage and worked it - as we approached fish "blew out" of there - big wakes and I thought for sure we'd get a couple, but no, not a bite. We then moved up to Twin Creeks and worked that drainage as the tide began to hit bottom and finally Joanne "knocked the skunk off" with a nice feisty Redfish catch. 

We then ran further up the Nassau and fished some docks -the tide was still going out here - and fishing deeper, it paid off. The duo began to get Seatrout catches, one after the other, most in the 14" range, but every once in a while they would get a "keeper" sized Trout. We probably could have stayed there and caught fish but the tide had changed and had started back in and I had a spot in mind so we pulled up and made a short run. We backed the stern up to some pilings and began pitching to them and BAM! Fish On! Joanne had a good fish that was putting up a fight - she played it patiently and soon landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. And from then it was a flurry of action, catching those puppy Drum. A couple were up in the 20" size and about to lose their stripes. We ended up with 6 keeper Drum at that spot, and tossed back a handful of smaller ones.

Down the River we went to fish some structure on the first of an incoming tide. Joanne had the first
hookup but as the fish ripped drag, off it came. But Frank went in there and in short order had the strong hookup -he battled it expertly, letting it run, working it in, letting it run, and then he worked to the net a nice 25" Slot Redfish. We dropped back a little bit and continued ot fish and the duo hauled in another keeper sized Trout, another huge Black Drum, a couple of small but feisty Redfish, a nice keeper sized Sheepshead, and a small Flounder. We had started slow but boy did things take off when that tide changed, so as we headed back to the ramp with a big box of fish we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It Snowballed

 

A little bit cooler today - 46 heading to the ramp this morning, but clear skies and sunshine for  3/4 of the trip. I met Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald out at Goffinsville Park as the sun was coming up and with a tide that still had a long hour of coming in, we ran down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and tossed float rigs with live shrimp to the flooded grass line. Dannie was on the stern and she made good use of her drifts, picking up a good handful of hungry Seatrout, most in the 14" range. We then ran back up the Nassau to Pumpkin Hill and drifted the floats and again put those small Trout in the boat until finally, Gregg hooked up and landed a barely legal 15" Trout. But it was legal - I measured it three times!

We then came back to the Seymores Pointe area and fished a large drainage and this really kicked things off. The duo caught Seatrout, almost one after the other, but a couple were up to 17".  Dannie had to tangle with a school of Bluefish, which were fun to catch but we tossed them back. We then dropped down the grass line a bit and again caught fish. Gregg put a handful of small but feisty Redfish in the boat, another 17" Trout while Dannie tried out a jigs fished on the bottom. When that area slowed we moved back up to the original spot and this paid off again! Dannie hooked an landed a nice 16" Black "puppy" Drum, then she expertly battled another big Slot Redfish to the net. They added another couple of keeper Trout before we moved on.

Further down the Nassau we went with jigs and the live shrimp, bumping them on the bottom, and got another handful of small Seatrout. The clouds had rolled in but we had fish in the box, some good action, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Weeding Thru Trout For Elusive Redfish

 

I was back to work today after a fine Thanksgiving break - I met Jeff and Ande DeNight and their friend Dan down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. It was cool and cloudy, a little windier than I expected, but that died down a bit as we began to fish. We had run up the intracoastal, then up Back River and over to the Nassau where we set up on a point to drift float rigs on a tide that was almost high. Dan was first in the water and it paid off with a nice Seatrout catch. Jeff followed that up with another Trout catch and we were off to a good start!  We drifted that area, then pulled up and fished down another stretch - had some bites, then we picked up and moved.

Back at Seymore's Pointe we stuck with floats and drifted with an outgoing tide and this did the trick. All three anglers began to get Seatrout. Ande joined in and found a "hot spot" and picked up a good handful of those Trout. The trio weeded thru some small ones but every once in a while we'd get a "keeper" sized fish, the biggest being right at 17".  After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point we worked a bank and here Dan, fishing off the stern, caught another couple of Seatrout. Jeff and Ande were making excellent casts forward into a pocket and getting good drifts but they had no takers. Back over in Jackstaff we switched to jigs and fished deep. Jeff had the hot rod, picking up another couple of Trout. 

We then ran back thru Horsehead, back down to Back River, fished a bank with the floats again, then ended our day back down the Nassau fishing the drainages with jigs and the live shrimp. Ande stayed with the float and got a Trout at Twin Creeks. We moved down to another drain and within a minute Jeff yelled, "Fish On" - his drag was ripping as the big fish boiled up. He handed the rod off to Ande to let her feel a big fish and she played the fish expertly, working it in, letting it run, working it in, until she brought to the net a "Tournament sized" bulky 26.5" Redfish, boy what a fish! We had good action with the Trout, some nice fish in the box, and a Big Fish battle so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Thankful the Fish Were Biting!

 Hoping everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Mabry stepped on the boat hoping that we'd catch at least a few fish today, and little did she know that we would have a banner day!  I met her, her father Stephen, her aunt Tessa, and her soon-to-be uncle Andy out at Goffinsville Park this morning right at low tide and by the time we got around to our first stop it had begun to creep in. The fish bite wasn't "on fire" like I had expected but we did get a couple of good fish - I think it was Tessa's 2nd or third cast and BAM! Her drag was ripping. Tessa hung with it, battled it valiantly, and soon brought to the net a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We soon found out that Stephen and Mabry had teamed up - Stephen would do the "hooking" and Mabry would do the reeling - he hooked up and she fought to the net a hungry Seatrout. We bounced up the river, fishing some dock pilings and here Andy got on the board - he had a good bite, set the hook expertly and in short order brought to the net a feisty Redfish.

Mabry didn't even need that help down at the next spot - the "super secret" one -we had just pulled up
and the whole crew was catching fish. Mabry had a strong bite and at first we didn't think it was such a big fish. She battled it as it ripped drag, worked it up, let it run, worked it up and then we saw that it was a BIG Redfish. Before the fish knew what had ahold of him, Mabry brought it to the net - a nice 26" Redfish! Stephen followed that up with another good hookup - he kept this one to himself and battled it patiently as it came out from the bank and around behind the engine. He stayed with it, wore it out, and landed another big Slot Redfish. At that spot and within 50 feet we caught fish, almost one after another and hit their 4 fish limit, then went over it -I counted 7 Slot Redfish caught!

Mabry, I think, was wore out. We dropped down the way and  worked a bank with the jigs and live shrimp and although it wasn't fast and furious we did have good action catching those feisty Redfish. At one time she did get back on the rod and her and her aunt Tessa teamed up for a "double" hookup of Redfish. Over at Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs, drifted with the current, and got another couple of small Trout and a couple of Bluefish. Stephen battled a Bonnethead shark for a bit before it broke off, Tessa battled a Bonnethead before it found its way to a crab pot rope and broke off, but Andy clinched it when he hooked up with a shark and showed it "what for" - he battled it to the boat  and landed a nice 3" fish - the biggest of the day- we photographed and released it. 

Mabry was hungry and it was time to go! We had a nice box of fish, had some really nice weather so as
we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Redfish Were Biting so We Moved On?

 Boy, we have been blessed with some beautiful weather the last few weeks and today was more of the
same -clear skies, very little wind, and warming temperatures as the day progressed. I met Allen Webb down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the Nassau to Seymore's Pointe to catch the first of an incoming tide. We set up current from some dock pilings and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp up underneath them and got bites right off. The fish were a little "nibbly" about it but Allen was able to snag a nice feisty Redfish, a hungry Seatrout, and a small Sea Bass out from there.

We then ran further up the Nassau and found some structure to fish and boy did this pay off!  Tossing to the bank and letting the incoming current bounce the bait down the bottom and BAM! We got fish! Allen was making excellent casts and hooked and landed Redfish. A few were in the 16"-17" size but he had one that would have been keeper right to the boat, but before I could net it, Fish Off! Ouch. But Allen was not to be deterred. We moved down a bit and went to the bank again and it was one Redfish after the other, with a nice keeper sized Slot Red thrown in. Allen also got his first Sheepshead to the net. We probably could have stayed there and caught those 17" Reds but we were blowing thru our bait, so we moved on, in hopes of bigger fish. Further down the way we caught another couple of feisty Redfish, then we moved on. 

After running down the Nassau, we stopped at Twin Creeks, a large drainage, then Spanish drop and fished that incoming tide - the oysters were already covered -but we had no real bites. Back up the Nassau we went where we set up at a point and drifted our floats snd this paid off, we were back in fish. Allen caught a good couple of handfuls of Seatrout, and battled three hard fighting Bluefish to the boat before we called it a day. Heading back to the ramp, with the sun shining, and the water like glass, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

High End Fly Reels For Sale

 Tibor saltwater fishing reels of various sizes for sale. All are in excellent condition, Satin Gold
color, right hand retrieve, and come with neoprene reel pouch. These exceptional reels retail from $800 to $1,000, and are sought after due to their very high quality and high resale value. The suggested prices are shown below, but seller is open to reasonable offers.  

1. 
   

1. TIBOR Riptide, $550 
2. TIBOR Pacific, $500
3. TIBOR Everglade, $450
4. TIBOR Gulfstream, $525
5. TIBOR Freestone, $600
6. Billy Pate (2), $500 each
7. Lamson Velocity, $200

If interested, contact Jim at yuledinafisher@yahoo.com.

A Triple, Five Slots, and One Oversized

 

I felt pretty confident this morning that we'd catch fish today, but I was thinking, "maybe a nice Redfish" and "surely a good handful of small Seatrout". As it's been all week, it was a beautiful day - sunny, no wind and just a cool nip in the morning that warmed to shirtsleeves temperature as the day went along. I met Henry Ross, Dick Conley and David Gray down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made a short run up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop at the Spanish Drop area. The tide was already fairly high - the oysters were pretty much covered- so we went with the float rigs and live shrimp. All three anglers were getting excellent casts and good drifts as we worked along a bank - we had a good number of "nibbles" but no takers until they picked up a small Seatrout. I let the boat drift back with the current to fish some flooded shell and this did the trick - Dick hooked up and expertly battled to the net a nice Slot Sized Redfish - and an 11 Spotter at that! Shortly after that he put the first keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.

We moved up the river to one large drainage and had no luck, then we moved on up to Twin Creeks and drifted across it's mouth. Henry had switched to a jig and the shrimp and picked up a couple of Seatrout, then as we drifted back with the current David found a "honey hole" and caught a couple of Slot sized Redfish. 

We then made a run up river to the Super Secret Spot and drifted the floats as the tide got to its highest.We got busy catching those small Seatrout that I expected, a small Bonnethead Shark, then we had a bonanza of big Redfish caught!  The trio added 3 more Slot Reds - we had to cull a couple - then David had a strong bite that was really ripping drag. He played it patiently, worked it to the boat, and landed an Oversized 27.5" Redfish - boy what a fish! They also caught a good handful of small Reds that were quickly released.

Over at Seymore's Point the tide was going out. We pitched to a grassy point and it paid off almost immediately - they caught some more of those feisty Reds and Trout. Henry got hot with the keeper sized Seatrout and put a few more in the box. At one time all three anglers had a fish on! Our final stop was over at Poteat Pointe and although we didn't get anymore Reds, we did get another hungry Trout or two. We had a good mess in the box, the weather had been fantastic, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Three Doubles

 The beautiful days just keep coming! And good fishing, too!  Today I ran over to Oyster Bay to pick up David Vice and his neighbor and friend David Williamson as the sun was coming up. The tide was high and coming in - we eased out of their marina and ran back down Lanceford and up the Bell to set up on a point of grass with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp. There wasn't much current! We did get some drifts but they were slow, but we did get a few bites and caught a couple of small Seatrout. That was the story for the next couple of hours - small Trout

After running thru Tyger and around to the outside of Tyger we again tossed the float rigs and picked up another Trout or two, then a feisty Redfish. We made our way over to the Jolley River and worked the "bank" with the floats and caught a slimy Needlefish and a Bluefish. Further up the Jolley, as the tide started out, things picked up a bit. If we could have kept all the 14" Trout we caught we might have needed a bigger live well! But finally David W. hooked and landed a couple of keeper fish. 

Continuing on around thru the Jolley and into the Bell we eased up between two docks and switched to jigs and shrimp. David W. was on the stern, David V. was on the bow, tossing up close to the bank and letting it bounce down the bottom with the current and this paid off - there were at least three times when we had  "double" hookup - both anglers had fish on. David W. was going up to close to the bank and hooked and landed a few feisty Redfish, then he and David V. teamed up on the Seatrout, and they seemed to get bigger - we had a few that measured to 17". They slowly put a good box of fish together for dinner tonight.

After fishing a couple of places back near Oyster Bay we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout Guy and Redfish Guy

 Another beautiful day this morning, albeit a bit foggy -I had to run slow up the Back River to get to our first stop at Pumpkin Hill after meeting Walter Mann and his fishing buddy David down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. But when we arrived at Pumpkin it was clear enough to fish so we began drifting float rigs with live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of coming in. David knocked the skunk off AND the rust off when he hooked up and landed the first fish of the day - a hungry Seatrout. And for the next hour the duo caught Trout - we lost count - with the biggest being right at 14.75".  We moved around to three or four places, catching Trout. They were fun to catch but we had none in the box, so we moved on.

Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and this paid off. David was fishing off the stern and getting a good drift and he found a good Seatrout "honey hole" and boated a good handful of them with two of them being of keeper size. Walter was fishing off the bow and when he drifted by a grassy point he could almost count on Fish On!  His fish were feisty Redfish, the biggest being around 17" - fun to catch - one bent the stem of the float - but no keepers. 

We fished Littlefield for a bit, with no takers, then we then moved down the Nassau, stopped at Twin
Creeks and picked up one Trout on the float, then moved down to a large drainage and went back to jigs. The clock was ticking when Walter went up to some still covered oysters and when the fish hit we knew it was big - that drag was ripping!  It brought Walter from the bow back to the stern then dug deep and Walter had to be patient as he slowly worked it in, finally landing a bulky 25.5" Slot Redfish, boy what fish. David went to the same area with an excellent cast, had a strong take that ripped drag, but threw the  hook!  He went back and after a couple of casts had another good bite and Fish On!  David worked it in experlty and landed his first Redfish of the day and wrap things up. 

The day had turned out beautiful - it went from foggy to sunny, cool to comfortable, and we had a few good fish in the boat so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.