You may have noticed that hurricane Milton messed me up last week - 4-5 canceled trips! But I was back at it today and what a way to come back to work! My theory is that the fish are "gorging" themselves, getting ready for winter - the fish catching today was on fire - hands down the best trip I've had all year!
I had met Ann Mastroserio and her fishing crew Dave and Rich out at Goffinsville Park on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours and after running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point, we set up and drifted live shrimp under floats. Dave had the hot hand early, picking up one hungry Seatrout after another. Ann and Rich joined in catching a few then all heck broke loose! Rather than go into the gory details, this is how the morning went - recorded all the big fish....
Ann -24" Slot Redfish
Rich - 21.5" Seatrout (ties for third biggest this year on the Bragging Rights board) Dave - 26.5" "Tournament" Slot Redfish Rich -17" Seatrout Dave- 28.5" Oversized Redfish Dave-25.5" Slot Redfish Rich - 23.25: Slot Redfish Ann - 30.25" Monster Oversized Redfish Dave - 23" Slot Redfish Rich - 28.25" Oversized Redfish Ann - 25.75" Slot Redfish
There were numerous "rat Reds" caught during the day, a handful of hard fighting Jack Crevalle's caught, Dave got a Slam by putting a small Flounder in the boat and Rich got his Slam with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Crazy great fishing day here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It's just plain crazy how our public officials seem to disregard the tax paying boating public. City of Fernandina commissioners are moving ahead with a Waterfront Park that will severely limit boaters using the marina ramp. In the Nassau County, Dee Dee Bartels is dangerous to use when there is a west wind, and hazardous to your boat anytime you launch due to the disregard of the No Wake zone. Goffinsville Park is a nightmare to use when there is a swift outgoing current, and even those of us that launch and load everyday, our trailers take a beating there having to come in "hard" to beat the current.
And then there is Sawpit Creek boat ramp, down at Big Talbot Island. The south dock was damaged by a storm 7-8 years ago has been abandoned. The north floating dock was damaged over a year ago and there seems to be no repairs in in the foreseeable future. It appears the State is more interested in funding researchers and studies rather than insuring public access to their waters.
With all the taxes you pay, shouldn't we have better? You have to wonder if those managing this boat ramp even want the general public using it. What happens when another storm really damages it? Will it ever be repaired? Or will it just "go away"? Kinda like that south dock has been abandoned. I think we should all ask those officials that we pay to FIX the dang boat ramp. And while they are fixing it, improve it! Here's my idea:
Click on image to enlarge
1) The north floating dock needs to be repaired
2) An extension floating dock should be placed north running parallel with the bank
3) A new south floating dock needs to be installed to replace the old pilings
4) An extension floating dock should be placed south running parallel with the bank
5) The temporary parking area needs to be extended a few feet to accommodate vehicles unloading.
6) The right angle area needs to be paved to facilitate boat trailer turning
7) The landing area needs to be repaved
8) A No Wake zone needs to be instituted with signage installed.
Bob Blalock and I decided to squeeze in an afternoon trip, knowing that winds would probably be an issue. We met up at Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made the long run up the Bell to fish some docks with jigs and live shrimp.
Bob worked that first spot over really good but we didn't have a bite. But after moving in close and fishing back to some dock pilings, Bob's first cast produced a bite and, Fish On! He played it perfectly and brought to the net a Slot sized Redfish. That easy! But we fished those pilings thoroughly and only managed one more fish, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum.
We then ran back towards town and boy was the wind whipping, especially running into it. It's been fifteen years I think since I fished up near structure around Fernandina, but it was out of the wind, so we stuffed our pride, went against (my) grain, and fished it. And it paid off. Bob hooked and put a smaller Slot Red in the boat, then hooked and battled another - a "thick" 25"er, then put another smaller Slot in the boat. We worked along there for a good while, out of the wind, and got into a good handful of those Puppy Drum.
As the outgoing tide came to a standstill we made a final run over to Tyger Island, to fish the logs, and had to "putter" thru the shallows to get there, and when we did, we fished a good while and had only a few bites, but no real takers. But it ended a good fishing trip at a beautiful location 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 feeling a little uneasy when after hitting our first spot today and the weather seemed like it was going to be a factor in our success. I had met Todd Schroeder, his daughter Allana, and his dad Dennis up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning and we eased out of Eagans Creek with the nav lights on. That first stop was around at Tyger Island, thinking that the tide had only been coming in for a couple of hours and maybe the downed trees would still be showing but when we arrived the tide was already up and the North wind was blowing right down the pipe. When my first "demo" cast hung on a stump it went downhill from there. We moved up the island and fished deep but had no luck and moved on.
After running thru Tyger Basin and over to Bell we set up between two docks and fished back to the pilings. Todd had two quick good bites and then he hooked up on the third - he played it patiently and brought to the boat a Slot Redfish to "knock the skunk" off. We sat there and tinkered with bait stealers but also caught Redfish. Allana did here share, hooking up and landing multiple Reds, one Slot that had 4 Spots. Granddad Dennis was stuck on the bow so I had him drifting a fixed float down the adjacent grass line. The next thing I new he had a hookup, a bend in his line and the drag was ripping. That drag ripping made me think it was a Redfish but then it started thrashing on the water and sure enough, we he landed it, it was a big 20.5" Seatrout - the biggest Trout of the year and big enough to move Dennis into first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). When the bite slowed, we bounced down the docks and found another Redfish or two.
We then moved around the corner and fished a bulkhead and Todd picked up the action. Fishing a fixed float in about 6' of water, he had his float disappear and, Fish On! Todd worked it expertly to the boat and landed a big 19" Seatrout, a fish big enough to move him in to 2nd place in the Bragging Rights Tournament. He added one more Trout to his catch total there.
The tide had gotten up really high and we tried a couple of other spots but had no real bites so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island Florida.
The weather forecast didn't change much from last night to this morning - temperatures in the high 40's but wind blowing from 9mph early getting up to 14mph and I knew it was going to be tough to get some fish. But the skies were clear and sunny so we had to give it a try. I met Bob Kossman and Frank Wytiaz who paired up for one of my "share-a-trips" (Email me and I'll add you to the list) with plans to fish a high and outgoing tide, so we put off the start time until 9am.
I ran over to the outside of Tyger and set up at the mouth of Manatee Creek and this duo of anglers began to toss float rigs and live shrimp to the flooded grass. The wind was whipping already from the north east and the outgoing current was ripping coming out of the marsh, but right off, Bob had a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout - skunk off the boat! He added a small Ladyfish that had forgotten to leave for the winter, and when we moved across the creek Frank added another Trout to the catch. We tried ducking in behind Tyger Island and switched to jigs but had no real bites on that high tide.
My plan was to make the run thru the wind and spray up and around to the Jolley River, work our way around to Bell River, then make our way back to the Fernandina area...but when I saw those whitecaps kicking when we came out from behind Tyger. I had second thoughts so we turned south and headed down the river to try and find some shelter behind a land mass. We did just that and eventually eased up to some dock pilings and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp.
For the next hour we caught fish, one after the other, almost every cast. After just one or two small but feisty Redfish, both Bob and Frank tangled with some big fish, only to have them break off. They were not to be deterred! Bob hooked up again and kept that pressure on and worked this big fish out from those pilings and from then on the fish was "had"! Bob played it perfectly and eventually landed a big 26.5" Slot Redfish. And just minutes later it was Franks turn. He had a strong hookup, applied some pressure and got that fish out to open water then worked it patiently to the net - a 25.5" bulky Redfish. They put a couple of more big ones in the boat and then caught handful's of smaller Redfish. When we finally left that spot we had counted 9 Slot Redfish caught.
Our next stop was back closer to Fernandina, again fishing some dock pilings. Although I was expecting another round of fish catching it didn't happen but finally Bob put a small but feisty Red in the boat. We were almost out of bait and were only getting nibbles until BAM! Bob had another big it and another Big Fish on! He worked that one up from the depths and to the net then Frank followed suite with another big Redfish catch of his on. These last two increased their "Slot" total to 11 for the day. As we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We wrapped up a great week of fishing today when I met Mark and Brent Laurint out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. And oh what a beautiful sunrise it was! Clear, cool, no wind and calm waters for us to fish! We made a short hop over to Back River and fished a grassy edge on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours - tossing float rigs and live shrimp up current and letting it drift along that edge. Mark knocked the skunk off when he hooked up and landed a feisty Bluefish, then the duo put another couple of fish in the boat - Bluefish and hungry Seatrout.]
We then ran down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and fished it a bit with the floats, jigs and bait,and a artificial shrimp, to no avail. As we eased forward I saw that oysters were beginning to show and with Mark and Brent making excellent casts it was only a matter of time until....Big Fish On! Mark said it was just a slight "bump" but when he set the hook he could tell it was big. It was ripping drag and I saw a couple of huge boils before I could get the GoPro on. Then it was battle on. Mark played it perfectly and went went from bow to stern Mark followed it, and around the engine, then back to the bow, then under the boat then back out - he played it like a pro and eventually brought to the net a bulky 25.5" big Redfish! Boy what a fight and boy what a fish!
After working that bank we made a short run up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fished them with jigs, and here we had a good flurry of fish catching. Brent was slowly establishing himself as the "Trout King", hooking up here and there, and we also had a couple of "baitstealers", and a small Sea Bass. And after making the move around to some docks at Nassauville, Brent put a couple of keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, fishing deep with the jigs.
We fished down at Broward Island and picked up one small Red, then Pumpkin Hill where we finished up with another feisty Red and a couple or Trout, one of which was of keeper size. We had a few fish in the box and it was a beautiful day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
