Recipe of the Month: Belly Meat Chowder

 My friend and  fishing buddy Daniel Rhodes chastised me one day while I was cleaning fish. Normally I filet them, then cut the rib and belly meat out and toss it to the Seagulls. "Piper, don't be throwing away that belly meat". I've got to admit there is a lot of meat in that portion so now when I'm cleaning fish for customers I'll sometimes save it if they don't want it. I bring it home and either cook it that night or freeze it noted as "Belly Meat". It makes great Fish Chowder. I  threw this together as a recipe:

4-8 pieces of "Belly/Rib" meat. I prefer Redfish because the bones are bigger, but in this batch I used                                                             about 8 pieces of  Redfish and Seatrout

24oz bag of Honey Gold (small) potatoes, chopped

2  small stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 of a small onion, chopped

2 handfuls of frozen corn

1  link of Sausage (I used Nettles Old Grandad Hot), chopped

1-2 T bacon grease

2 T butter

1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 C milk

1 tsp  Konricko seasoning, 

In a skillet, heat the bacon grease and cook the sausage for a bit, then add the celery, onions and corn. Cook until the sausage is browned, the onions begin to go translucent, and the celery begins to soften. Turn off heat.

Fill a large pot half full with water. As  you bring it to boil, drop the Redfish/Trout belly meat in and it will cook fairly quickly. When it turns white, take it out and let it cool, then add the potatoes and begin to boil them. While the potatoes are cooking, open a beer, and de-bone the fish!  As mentioned, Redfish have bigger rib bones and are easier to feel. Cook the potatoes until you can stick a fork thru them. Turn the heat off, drain most of the water, leaving about a cup. 

Add the sausage/onion/celery/corn mixture.

Add the butter, Heavy Whipping Cream, Milk, and Seasoning (may need to add more to taste).

Stir, turn heat back on and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn back down to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Crazy Difference In a Day

 It's crazy how one day you have outstanding fishing (yesterday) and the very next it falls off to be a grind to catch a fish! Today I met Dennis Abercrombie and his dad Jay out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. Again, it was a beautiful day, just a tad bit cool, and not much wind to begin with. We ran around and fished a larger outflow at Seymore's Pointe, and did have one hookup but a "shake off", then no real bites. We buzzed thru Horsehead and fished some pockets of grass on an outgoing tide with float rigs but got nary a nibble. We also fished the bank of Jackstaff for a bit with jigs and live shrimp to no avail. 

We went the short route thru the marsh and then down to Twin Creeks, staying with the jigs. No fish. Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop. We had fished about 3/4 of a long shell bank when finally, BAM! Jay was hooked up. He said he felt the fish 'bump" it a couple of times and he set the hook hard, Fish On!  Jay was up for a battle - the first fish of the day, and he played it perfectly. The big fish got behind the boat and into the fast moving current but Jay held fast, stayed patient, and eventually landed a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a battle!

Our next stop was up at Nassauville, fishing between two docks. We had caught a good handful of Seatrout here yesterday, but today? Not a bite.  We moved around and fished another dock and here Jay landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and a feisty Redfish. We stopped back by the previous dock to see if the change in tide made a difference and did pick up one more Seatrout. Although the fish caught quantity had been low, the quality had been good so as was we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It was a Struggle

We had another beautiful morning today when I met Tom and Christy Wigger and their two kids Tessa and Ryan up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. But I had warned them to wear long pants and long sleeves and sure enough, the Sand Gnats were out! We made our first stop over behind Tyger Island to fish the logs on an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp on the bottom. Although we had some nibbles here and there, we had not takers.

After running around (and blowing the Gnats off) to the Jolley River, we set up in to the current and fished the jigs out front and float rigs out back. Not getting any bites, we moved down to Snook Creek and went all floats. We had two quick bites and it was Tessa who had the first hookup. She worked it quickly to the boat and landed a nice hungry Seatrout - Skunk Off!

After a pit stop back at Dee Dee we continued on and over to the Bell River, fished a marsh pointe, then ran over to Soap Creek and fished a large outflow. Here, Tom got on the board with a Seatrout catch. 

As we were heading back to the ramp we passed a big pod of porpoise who were just "lolling" along the bank, which was cool to see and made for a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

2 Fish 2 Slot Reds

 Although it was a beautiful morning, we had to do the "safety speech" on the run this morning to create some breeze and blow off the "No-Seeums". As I launched the boat I could feel them trying to crawl in when I opened my truck door! But in no time we were heading up the Nassau River, making one "pit stop" to toss out a minnow trap, then we continued on up to Seymore's Pointe to try our hand with jigs and live shrimp to the bank with the first of an incoming tide. Bob Kossman was on the bow while Eddie Byrd took up the stern on a "shared trip" they put together. In just a matter of 15 minutes Bob had a good bite. He set the hook and patiently played to the boat a nice Slot sized Redfish.

It was another 10-15 minutes and this time it was Eddie who had the hookup. We could tell right off that this was a big fish - it kept pulling towards the bank and ripping drag. I wondered if I had the drag set too loose but nope, it was just a big fish. Eddie worked it out away from the trees, then he settled in to a long battle which he eventually won, landing a thick 25.5" Slot sized Redfish. 

We ended up working that bank thoroughly with no more bites, then we picked  dock out to fish, first with the jigs and shrimp, then we switched to Slip Floats and live shrimp and this did the trick. The duo of anglers picked up a handfull of hungry Seatrout.

The wind had picked up but we fished between a couple of more docks down along Nassauville, then ran back to Pumpkin Hill to wrap things up fishing fixed Floats. We had seen some dolphin busting fish along the bank, and a Bald Eagle, and had a couple of fish in the box so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Great News For Area Anglers!

We've all heard about the re-opening of the bait and tackle shop up at Eagans Creek so I reached out to Amelia Island Bait and Tackle owner Nik Bremer to get the "scoop" on plans for the new Olde Towne Bait and Tackle...

 

What's planned for the shop? Anything new  or different than when it was Leaders and Sinkers?

The concept will be the same, a bait shop.  But we intend on widening the selection of bait options.  The goal is to have the largest selection of live bait in NE Florida, including Shrimp, muds, fids, blue crab, pinfish and croaker.  Inside will consist of last minute items and things that you would need on the water, Terminal tackle, lead, emergency boating supplies, ice, snacks, beverages, few spooled combos, sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses and a couple items of apparel to protect our guests from the sun.  

 

When do you plan to open?

The original goal was 3/1, but we have a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done.  So things are looking like 4/1 after we gut it and give it a new face lift including a new roof.  

What are expected hours?

We will have seasonal hours as of now.  But looking like 6am-5pm

 

Will folks still be able to use the boat ramp?

The boat ramp will remain open.  Many of people have asked about it being repaired and that is something that may come in the future.  We are putting our resources into getting the shop up to our standard and will work on other projects as we move forward.

 

Who will be running the shop?

Joe will be moving from Amelia Island Bait and Tackle up to the new location and will run the day to day operations up there.  

 

Will operating the new shop affect the existing shop?

Our current shop will remain exactly the same and will continue to focus on a wonderful tackle selection.

 

Other info

We will be building a fish cleaning station at the dock as an amenity for our paying customers.

 

 

Recipe of the Month: Seafood Dip

 

Seafood Dip

8oz    can crab meat

1.5lb  medium peeled, deveined local shrimp

          Konricko seasoning

1/8   Cup chopped green onion

¼      Cup chopped celery

12oz  (1.5package) cream cheese

8oz  container sour cream

1 tsp  Franks hot sauce

1 tsp  Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp  lemon juice

Peel and devein shrimp.  Toss in Konricko seasoning and brown in skillet.

Chop up shrimp into small nuggets. Chop celery and green onion. Mix all ingredients in bowl.

Taste and add Konricko, hot sauce, or Worcestershire as needed.

Let chill in refrigerator. Serve with crackers.

Trout Game

 

What beautiful weather we're having here at Amelia Island this week, and today was no different with clear skies, sunshine, and flat water! I met fishing buddies Tom Gaslin and Steve Foss out at Goffinsville Park early and we made a short run over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and set up along a stretch of flooding marsh grass with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp to the bank and drift them long with the current, and we did just that, and it paid off. Both anglers found that there was a "honey hole" back there and they caught hungry Seatrout, one after the other. We moved down the bank a bit and Steve again went long and again found Seatrout. When you're drifting long sometimes you build up a bunch of slack and it becomes a game when that float disappears- you have to slap the bail shut, crank like crazy to catch up and then lift the rod to have the circle hook set. You win some you lose some.

We move around the corner and again found Seatrout up by a grass patch. Our next stop was at a large marsh drainage back at Seymore's Pointe. The duo found that they could toss their float up beyond a grassy pointe, let it drift around the corner and, BAM. Trout bite. We jumped around the dock and fished the grass line and here Tom got hot and picked up another handful of Trout, one of which was of keeper size. 

Our next stop was down the Nassau, again fishing a marsh drainage with jigs and shrimp, but we only picked up one small Seatrout. Moving further down to Spanish Drop, we worked some submerged shell banks, drifting with the current. We were almost ready to make another move when Steve had a strong bite, one that ripped his drag. He played it perfectly and landed a nice feisty Redfish. He picked up two more of those Reds and one of them made it into the Slot. 

Our final stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. We fished the pilings with the jigs and shrimp, had some nibbles, but not takers. We then worked along the docks, tossing jigs and picked up another Trout or two, then aa nice  18" Black "puppy" Drum. It had been a gorgeous day, we had some good fish catching action, so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Tides Didn't Affect The Fishing

 With a big NE storm that passed thru this past weekend, coupled with some "King" Tides, it was all over the news about Front Street flooding. When I launched this morning old dead marsh grass was piled up at the top of the boat ramp at Dee Dee Bartels, and one floating ramp was damaged from the high water.

I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddy Jason early with a tide that had been low at 5:30am, so it had been coming in for almost two hours. We ran up to the Jolley River, turned into the current and deployed some float rigs and live shrimp, working along a bank with the oysters already covered up. We fished for 30 minutes without a nibble and I was beginning to wonder if it might be nice to see a "baitstealer" when Jason hooked up and landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout. He then drifted long off the stern and began to pick up Trout, one after the other, and graciously offered to have Steve come back and join in, which he did. Both anglers caught Trout, one after the other, and most of them were 10-15' from the bank. 

Jason was getting another good drift when his float disappeared, he lifted the rod and set the hook and
this was a bigger fish. He played it patiently  and after a good battle brought to the net a big 20.5" Sheepshead, a fish that puts him squarely in to 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Sheepshead Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We eventually ran up the Jolly to Snook Creek and fished that bank and this was hot, too. Both anglers caught Redfish with a few of them being of keeper size. They also added another few keeper sized Seatrout.

Our next stop was on the outside of Tyger which didn't pan out, then we ran thru the creek and over to the Bell and set up alongside a grassy pointe where we picked up two more Seatrout. But the bite had slowed considerably and after one more spot we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Pompano In The Backwater

 

I fished south today, meeting Joe and Karen Szkardnik and their fishing buddy Bruce down at the Sawpit Creek boa ramp early for a backwater day of fishing here at Amelia Island. We made our longest run up the intercoastal, turned left into the Back River and run over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill to set up fishing with float rigs on the very last of an incoming tide. Karen had the hot hand first when she found a couple of hungry Seatrout long, past a grassy island. 

We eased around the corner and fished a grassy island, picked up another Trout or two, then Joe tangled with a Bonnethead Shark which we photographed and released, then he added a Bluefish to the box. Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe, fishing just north of a dock as the tide had started out and here Bruce got on the board with another Seatrout catch.  We fished between a couple of docks, drifting the grass, then move on. 

Our next stop was down at the Spanish Drop area and here we switched to jigs. Bruce found a feisty Redfish then Karen hooked up with something big that boiled as it was hooked, then headed north. Karen's drag was ripping as she inched to the bow of the boat then, BAP! Fish off! Ouch. But Karen was not to be deterred, pitched her jig up into the mouth of a run out, let it bounce down the bottom and had a hookup. When it flashed near the surface I guessed "Jack Crevalle" but when I netted it I saw it was a keeper sized Pompano - the first ever I've had caught on the Anglers Mark!

We moved down the way and fished a stretch where the shell was beginning to show and here we had our hottest action of the day. Karen and Joe began hooking up with feisty Redfish, then Joe put a Slot sized Red in the boat. Karen landed a Whiting. Then it was Bruce's turn for a big fish. He had a strong bite, set the hook, and expertly played to the net a nice 24" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish!

We finished the day back at Seymore's Pointe, had a few bites, caught a Mangrove and a Perch, then called it day and as  we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Georgia Florida Football And Fishing

 Most of my guests this week are in town for the annual Georgia-Florida football game being held inJacksonville Saturday. But today, my two guest anglers were here just for a few days of relaxation and some back water fishing. It just so happened that one pulled for those mangy Dawgs, and one pulled for the mighty Gators! I had met Tom Mathews and his longtime buddy up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early with a forecast of clear skies but increasing winds on a tide that had just started back in. We made a short run over to Tyger Island, slipped in behind it and began fishing the logs with jigs and live shrimp. We had  some nibbles then Tom hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead(all fish caught today were released). They caught a couple of Mangrove Snapper along that stretch then we moved on.

Our next stop was over at Lanceford Creek, fishing some dock pilings as the tide came in and this paid off. Gary kicked it off when he hooked up out deep and brought to the boat a fat Seatrout. Then both anglers were catching Redfish, a couple of
which were right at keeper size. They also caught Mangroves and another Sheepshead to add to the catch.

We moved around to Soap Creek and switched to float rigs, drifting live shrimp or mud minnows back behind the stern, thru a shute. Tom "went long" and when we couldn't find his float, he lifted the rod tip, set the hook, and had a fish on. He expertly brought it to the boat and landed a hungry Seatrout. He went back to the same place and this time when his float went under we thought we had a big Trout. Tom played it patiently and brought it to the net - a small Bonnethead Shark!

We fished further up Lanceford at a couple of spots but had not real bites but as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day top be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

In Search of Trout

 

Boy, those beautiful mornings just keep rolling in! Today I met Garland Clark and his fishing buddy Dennis up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp - it was clear with only a slight breeze, and cool enough for long sleeves but no need for a jacket. We headed south down the intercoastal, skirted Fenandina and headed up the Bell River to make our first stop alongside a grassy point with a tide high and still coming in for a few hours. 

                                                               Both anglers were tossing

float rigs and live shrimp and it paid off when Dennis hooked up and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch. Then Garland followed Dennis' float with his and hooked up with a keeper sized Seatrout. We worked that area pretty good and before we left Garland found another, even bigger, Seatrout that measured right at 18".

Our next stop was over in Lanceford Creek, fishing the mouth of a drainage and here Garland tangled with something big-it was ripping drag and bending the rod and..BAP! it found an oyster hump and broke off, OUCH! We went further up Lanceford and into Soap Creek and fished a bank with the floats and caught a handful of Seatrout. Dennis had the biggest one for a few seconds - it was thrashing and rolling- and, threw the hook! After continuing on up into Lanceford, we fished a grassy island, had some good nibbles, then Garland finally hooked one up and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead.

The tide had hit a standstill up in Lanceford so we made the run back to Bell, thru Tyger and around to the outside of Tyger to fish the first of an outgoing tide. We had baitstealers and Neeedlefish robbing us blind at the first spot so we crossed over and fished another stretch of grass. The duo caught a couple of Trout on the floats and we picked up one on a jig, fished deeper. We had had a beautiful day for fishing so as we headed in, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Grande Slam on a Beautiful Morning at Amelia Island

Just when I think the days can't get any prettier, we have a beautiful one like we had this morning. I had met Jack Larini and his girl friend Alexa down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp under clear skies and we left the dock just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. After a short run up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff we were fishing with float rigs and live shrimp. In short order Jack's float disappeared, he tightened up, and fish on! Jack brought it to the boat expertly and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). We fished that marsh run out for a bit and Jack added another Seatrout to his catch.

After crossing the creek we switched to jigs and shrimp and Alexa had just made her first cast when BAM, she had a hookup. She worked it to the boat and landed a Flounder (BTW, today starts the closed season on Flounder, thru November 30th). We continued along that bank for a bit, caught another

Trout, then moved on. 

We ran thru Horsehead, around to the Nassau, and checked a minnow trap (empty), then came back to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and fished the pilings with the jigs. Both anglers hooked up and landed a few Mangrove Snapper. Back down the Nassau we went, this time stopping at Twin Creeks. The tide was dropping and I thought for sure we'd have some action but, no, not much of anything.

Our next stop was even further down the Nassau, this time fishing a small outflow, dodging a crab trap and here it was like someone opened the barn doors! Jack found a nice Seatrout drop back behind the boat and began to catch fish., one after the other. It was almost if Alexa couldn't make a cast without catching a feisty Redfish. Then she had a strong bite and her drag began to rip and this one was a big one! As you can see in the video below, she landed the Black "puppy"  Drum despite the coaching she was getting from Jack and myself!  Every once in a while jack would get a toss in to Alexa's Redfish Spot and he'd pick up one, too. I think we stayed at that one spot for over an hour catching fish.

We fished one more spot down the river but the sun was getting up and we were in the mid-day doldrums so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Soupy Morning

 

When I met Jeff and Jess Kamenski up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp early this morning the fog had set in to form a "soup" for visibility. We eased way from the ramp with navigation lights on and made our way slowly down the intercoastal and up into Bell River. The plan was to fish live shrimp under float rigs for a bit until the tide got up and we could begin to look for tailing Reds in the grass.

After setting up along side a flooding point of oysters the two anglers began tossing their baits to the marsh grass and were getting good drifts and it paid off with catches of Seatrout, Ladyfish, and a few bait stealers. We then ran thru Tyger and around to the outside of the island and fished some more grass, again getting Seatrout. 

The tide had gotten up so we poked the bow into a likely flooded marsh and within minutes - there was a tail! Both Jess and I kept our eye on it while Jeff readied himself but it went under the

surface and never appeared again. We move around and checked out a number of flats and some of them looked just amazingly fishy, but we saw no more tails. 

As the tide turned we switched back to the floats, fished a grassy pointe, and picked up another Trout, a Croaker, and a Mangrove Snapper. Our last stop was up at "Jolley Bank", working along the edge and again found, you guessed it, Seatrout. Jeff had a couple of shots at some nice big Redfish - one ran thru a grassy island and broke off, the other one was on, played, brought to the boat, seen, and... threw the hook! Ouch.  I called it a "quirky" day, but maybe a better word would be eventful so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Feeling LIke Fall

 

We've had a couple of days now where there has been a "nip" in he morning air and you can almost believe that Fall is really here. Except we are still seeing Rosette Spoonbills and catching Sharks and Mangrove Snappers! But it's only a matter of time! Today I met the Tuten trio, James and Joyce and their son William, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp as the sun came up. We made a short run up the intercoastal, in to the Nassau, and pulled up at a big marsh run out. The bait was moving and getting "popped" and we felt like we'd have some good action, and we did. Joyce "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch and James followed that up when he felt a strange bump - he let it have it for a second then set the hook and boom, he had a fish. James brought it to the boat patiently and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

We worked that bank for a while -Joyce picked up a feisty Jack Cravellle, James picked up another Trout, then it was William's turn to finally get in on the action. He had a strong hookup and when the drag began to rip we knew it was a decent fish. James played it perfectly and brought to the net a 21" Slot Redfish. Only minutes later he hooked up with another and brought it to the net, this one just undersized. After a few more fish, we moved on.

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. It may have been William's first cast and BAM, a hookup. William applied the pressure and got it out from the pilings, then slowly brought it to the net - a 15" Black "puppy" Drum.  The trio added a couple of small Mangrove Snapper to the catch before we moved on. 

We passed under a pair of Bald Eagles as we approached another marsh runout. Just these anglers began to fish we could see a big fish busting bait up near the edge. Both William and James went with their cast and BOOM! William had a big bite then, BOOM! James had a good bite - we had a double!  James worked his in and landed a feisty Redfish but William's fish was a bit more determined. William played it patiently as it got out into deeper water and dug deep but it was no match for William. After a good battle he landed a 24.5" beautiful copper colored Red which was photographed and released.

After fishing one more spot and getting a couple of more Mangroves, we made the run back to Seymore's, thru Horsehead and over to the mouth of Jackstaff where we finished up the day catching high flying Ladyfish on float rigs. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had had some good action so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Feeling the Chill

After a stormy night we woke up to a chill in the air. Someone told me that yesterday was the first day of Fall and today you could feel it. When I got to the boat ramp early this morning the wind was whipping a bit and luckily I listened to my inner brain "grab your fleece"! I was to meet Greg and Robyn Padgett up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and when they walked up we were ready to go. I had planned on running up to the Jolley River but hat 11mph west wind changed my mind so we headed south and over to Lanceford Creek to set up at a dock and fish jigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours.

The duo of anglers had nibbles, one after the other, but we only picked up a few bait stealers and a small Sheepshead. We then moved around the corner to Bolton's Bluff and here Robyn quickly picked up a keeper sized Seatrout on a float rig and live shrimp. (All fish caught today were released). But here was only one so we moved up and fished a small grassy island and here the action picked up. They caught a handful of Seatrout, a couple of
high flying Ladyfish and then Robyn hooked up and expertly reeled in a feisty Redfish. 

We then moved back up the creek, dipped in to Soap Creek and fished a stretch of grass, to no avail. After a brief run back to Bell River we laid parallel  to some more marsh and again, we found some Trout. The tide was almost at it's peak so we buzzed thru Tyger and around to the outside and just as we settled in we we felt the tide change. Bait was streaming by and was getting busted so we drifted out baits right along with it. Greg and Robyn caught Seatrout, a handful of Blues, Ladyfish, and a feisty Black "puppy" Drum.

The sun had come out, the skies had cleared and I was able to take the fleece off! As we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

It Just Got Better

 

We head a really nice day this morning- there was just a slight breeze and we had a cloud cover for the whole day. The rain showers stayed off to the north of us and it made for a very pleasant day of fishing. I had met Paul Genn and his fishing buddy Jim out at the Goffinsville Park as the sun was coming up and we made the short trip over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill to fish the first of an outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp. 

We eased along the bank, tossing forward and picked up a couple of small but hungry Seatrout and a nice feisty Redfish. We also did battle with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  Our  next stop was back at the Spanish Drop area, fishing the mouth of Twin Creeks. It only took a cast or two and BAM! Jim had a hookup. This fish was digging deep, came under the boat, and headed down the river and I felt sure it was a Shark. Wrong. Luckily, Jim played it patiently, worked it up to the surface and to the boat and landed a big Oversized 30" Redfish! Boy what a fish. We did then catch a
couple of Bonnethead Sharks.

After easing down the river and fishing another marsh runout, to no avail, we moved further down and fished another. This did the trick. The tide was down a bit and we were able to fish jigs and shrimp and mud minnows. The Duo picked up a handful of small but feisty Redfish then Jim put a nice 23" Slot Red in the boat.  We also had a couple of Catfish and a small Jack. 

Our last stop was over at some docks at Nassauville with plans to finish the day out catching Mangrove Snapper. Although we did pick up a handful of keeper sized Mangroves, the highlight was Jim's 17" Black "puippy" Drum and then the third big Flounder of the week, one that measured right at 23.25". What a way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

In Search Of Flounder

 

Yesterday we were just trying to catch a fish and ended up catching two nice Flounder. Today we had a special request to catch a Flounder and it was nip and tuck there for a while! I had met the Mitchell family - Ryan and Christina and their two children Lucy and Ryan IV out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp with a tide that still had about an hour or so of going out. We headed down to the Spanish Drop area and set up at a large outflow and began tossing jigs and shrimp.  It wasn't long before these anglers were catching fish. (Most of the time the adults did the casting and catching but then handed them off to the First and Second Mate to do the reeling in). We had a string of "junk" fish, but fun to catch - Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle.

When the tide changed we moved down the bank a bit and began fishing
some exposed oyster shell and sure enough, we had some good bites. Both Ryan and Christina reeled in a couple of feisty Redfish. Ryan picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout then they landed a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum to tally an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Drum.

We followed the tide in and ran around to Broward Island, fishing deeper with the jigs, and picked up some rather large Mangrove Snapper then a couple of more small Red's. Then Ryan had a "bump", hooked it up, and worked to the boat. Sheepshead to notch the "Grande Slam". After moving down the island we fished a small bend and here, after a long wait, Christina got her Flounder - a Super Grand Slam!

We finished the day back at Nassauville catching Mangrove Snapper and got enough for the family to take home and make some Snapper Taco's, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Kids Time To Shine

 

I wrapped the week up today fishing with two guys and their excited kids. I met Charlie Moye, his son Gray and his buddy Bo and Bo's daughter Blakely down at the  south end boat ramp early. It was a beautiful morning and a great time to get some kids out on the water fishing. We made run up thru Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill and set up along a flooded marsh line and started drifting floats and live shrimp with the current. We had a couple of quick "pecks" that stole our baits then their was a loud ripping noise and Charlie had a big one on! He was getting quite a lot of encouragement and coaching from both Gray and Blakely and he was up tot he task! I saw that his reel was getting thin so we "backed down" on the hard fighting fish as Charlie caught up to it then the battle was on. Charlie worked it patiently to the boat, let it run when it wanted to, worked it back, and eventually landed a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark. Boy what a fish!

We came back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage, had a couple of bites, but no takers, then moved around to some rocks and set up to fish close with the float rigs. There was an explosion of excitement from the kids when the  dads began catching Mangrove Snapper. They put a good handful in the box and swopped off letting the kids catch and reel in some of their own. I was real impressed how they worked the kids in to the fishing experience. Both Blakely and Gray took turns netting fish, catching fish, supplying bait and "coaching" up their dads.

After getting a good dinner's worth of fish, we moved down the way and switched to jigs for the first time of the day and caught another good handful of the Mangroves.  Our last stop was down at Spanish Drop n hopes of bigger fish but all we hooked up was a couple of high flying Ladyfish and a  hard fighting Jack Crevalle. But it had  been an eventful day and we had some good action for the kids so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Had To Work For 'em But We Caught 'em

 When I saw the weather last night I was a little concerned about rain, but when I woke up this morning the forecast was a bit better. There was some wind that was going to pick up as the day went along but it was definitely fishable! I met Bob Miller and his fishing partner Lee down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. There was just a slight breeze of 8mph and an ugly horizon south of us but I checked the radar and it all looked good for where we were going to be fishing. We ran up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and then into a smaller creek to fish a large marsh run out. The duo of anglers were tossing float rigs and live shrimp and getting good drifts and.....not a bite!

We crossed back over to Jackstaff, worked a bank with the floats for a bit, then switched to jigs and shrimp and we did tangle with a couple of high flying Ladfish, and a Catfish. Not a good start!

After running thru Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop we

stayed with the jigs and baited them up with some Mud Minnows. This helped out the "catch ratio". Lee hooked up and expertly landed a keeper sized 17" Flounder that went in the box. We eased along that bank and another and both anglers caught a feisty Redfish or two. The wind was picking up a bit  so we made the run up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and here we caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a small Trout, and a small Sea Bass. 

We tried fishing down along Nassauville but the boat wasn't holding so we dropped back and fished some more dock pilings. Bob was hot on the stern, doing battle with the Mangroves and putting a keeper in the boat now and then. Lee pitched deep with a jig and shrimp and hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  These two anglers had to work for their fish but after a half day of fishing they had a mice "mess" of fish in the box so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Where Did The Drum Come From?

 I fished with Hugh and Jan Hunter today. who were visiting the island and celebrating their much deserved retirement. Although the weather forecast called for about a 60% chance of rain, we planned to go anyway! I met them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and we headed north and west, over to the Jolley River and set up alongside some exposed oyster beds on the first of an incoming tide. We eased along the bank, pitching jigs and live shrimp with Jan on the bow and Hugh taking up the stern. At first I thought we were in "Croakerville" because that's all we caught the first few fish that came to the boat. Then Jan had a strong hookup and after playing the fish patiently, she brought to the net a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Then her and Hugh traded catches and landing a handful of Black Drum. Then the both put a couple of feisty Redfish in the boat then Jan added a keeper sized Seatrout to the catch.

We ran further up the Jolley, switched to float rigs and now we were in "Baitstealerville" - perch and more perch and small Mangrove Snapper.  With no big fish biting, we ran back, around the Tyger Island and up in behind them to fish the logs. Jan pulled out another Black Drum and we had numerous bites. As we drifted along, pitching to the bank, and now around at the marsh grass, Jan had a strong bite and her drag ripped, Fish On! But within secondsd, Fish Off! Ouch. But only a cast or two later she had a another big hookup and this one she worked to the net to land a nice 17" Seatrout.  After running thru and over to the Bell River we set up alongside some flooded shell beds. Hugh found a hot spot off the stern and put a couple hungry Seatrout in the boat, then Jan, who had put a nice cast up behind a grassy island, had her float "bob", then sit there. After a while she reeled it in and seemed like she might have an oyster shell. But the "shell" started pulling back and she realized she had a fish on. Jan worked it slowly to the boat and we netted a Flounder to give the couple an Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum and Flounder. 

We wrapped up fishing over at Lanceford Creek, fishing the last of the incoming tide and finished things off with a couple of small Jack Crevalle bites then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.