Water Like Glass

 After a day off I was back fishing today, meeting the Johnson crew- Nathan and Hanna, Michael and Cole. We were leaving the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early, the water was like glass, and heading up the Nassau River, all the way around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up to fish float rigs with live shrimp, finger mullet, and a few mud minnows. It wasn't long before they were catching fish - small but feisty Redfish. Nathan and Hanna seemed to have the hot hand early and they could do no wrong. reeling one fish in after another.  Nathan finally had a strong pull, hooked it up, and patiently played a Slot Redfish to the net. 

We made a run back down the Nassau to a large drainage and switched to jigs. The "demo" cast produced a keeper whiting then they were all catching fish. It seemed that Michael and Cole gravitated to the jig setup - they both put Redfish in the boat, their perseverance paying off. The group added a handful of hungry Seatrout to their catch total, Hannah picked up a Black "puppy" Drum, Michael reeled in a keeper sized Flounder, and they all caught some Catfish and Jack Crevalle. 

We fished Spanish Drop and again caught some fish, but the bite was slowing down. After running thru Horsehead and over to Jackstaff "bank" we fished it again with the jigs, added a few more fish to the catch total, then headed back to the ramp, counting as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Philosopher Fishes

 Another beautiful, if not hot, day of fishing today!  Boy it got hot!  I had met Beau Hopkins and his three kids Blakely, Chandler, and Brantley early up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and with a live well of mud minnows and the last 2 dozen live shrimp the shop had, we eased out of Eagans Creek. Our first stop was over in Lanceford Creek, fishing some dock pilings and Blakley started things off when she hooked up and landed the most exotic fish of the day, a Mudfish!

Shortly after that Chandler had a strong hookup - she battled it to the boat and landed a nice 18" Black "puppy" Drum, boy what a fish. Beau was at the stern and fishing the epxosed oysters over on the bank and when he had a good "bump", he set the hook and brought to the net an 18" Flounder. This fishing family had  start to a good mess of fish!

We had bounced a jigs and minnow off the dock  and when it hit the water BAM! Fish On! Brantely and his dad played it patiently and after a good fight brought to the boat an above average 19" Seatrout. The Hopkins team finished it off at this spot with one more keeper sized Flounder catch.

We then ran around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", had some nibbles, but no takers, so we moved on. It was about this time that the temperature was getting up there when Brantley's philosophical side came out. Some of the better insights were:

"Stupid things happen when you're having fun"

"We have the advantage, we've got a hook and a net"

"Sometimes fishing can be fun. Sometimes it's not fun"

We ran up and fished Snook Creek and here Beau got hot tossing a jig and getting some hungry Seatrout. We drifted some floats back at Tyger cut thru, then ended the day on the outside of Tyger, tossing the jigs. All anglers were getting bites and Beau did pull one small Flounder to boatside for quick release. We had caught some fish, had a few in the box, philosophized a bit, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Steady Catching

 

I fished with William and Dara Blalock this morning, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early. As we eased out of Eagans Creek we were greeted with some clear skies and just a slight breeze to make for a perfect day to get out on the water here at Amelia Island.  We had a "plan" and that was to make a long run up the intercoastal, over to the Jolly River and up the river to the MOA in time to fish the exposed oysters on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. Normally I just fish the MOA on the last of an outgoing tide but the last time William and Dara were here we fished it on a "first of incoming" and it paid off with some fish catches. And it paid off today, too!

This duo were making perfect casts to the shell and started off catching some small but feisty Redfish, then Dara hauled in a small Flounder. They picked up a Seatrout then William caught a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam. William also had a big fish bite right at the boat, but down deep. He worked it up and landed a huge Catfish!  But later,  to put some icing on the cake, William had a strong bite and after he set the hook and the drag began to rip, we were left speculating "Catfish? Jack? Shark?  No, it was a nice Slot Redfish! William worked it to the boat and landed a 22" Slot fish. 

We moved around to fish the outer edges of Snook Creek and boy was there a bunch of bait moving! I was feeling optimistic about that stretch but even though it looked real good, I think all we got was a small Redfish that Dara reeled in. 

Back down the river, fishing a point with float rigs, things heated up. They caught a couple of small Reds along the right grass line, then they began to catch Seatrout. William hauled in a Trout that was a bit over 18" and Dara hauled in one that was right at 18". Dara also picked up a couple of Flounder just over a submerged shell bed. They had a good handful of smaller Trout too, but one which was of keeper size.

Our final stop was on the outside of Tyger, fishing a flooding bank with jigs and minnows. We found out that the cast had to be right up next to the grass, if not in the grass, and as you worked it out, BAM! Flounder Bite!  They had 5-6 Flounder caught along that stretch with a couple of them being of keeper size. The breeze had kept the heat off most of the morning and we marveled at the green marsh grass and shore birds feeding and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a 

 US Coast Guard licensed charter boat operator

New Species ID'd at Amelia Island

 FINALLY!  The weather let up and we were able to get out and fish! Monday: Cancelled, Tuesday: Cancelled, Wednesday: Cancelled, Thursday: moved to Friday afternoon. And so we fished this morning when I met Jeff and Jinny Key up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp, and with a live well full of live shrimp, we made our way up the creek to fish some dock pilings on an outgoing tide. Although it wasn't "on fire" both anglers caught small Black "puppy" Drum and couple of hungry Seatrout. We had at least one big breakoff but then Jinny, after making an excellent cast to some submerged oyster's, had a strong bite and Big Fish On!  She played it perfectly and soon brought to the net a big 20" Seatrout, big enough to move into the 2nd place slot of the 2023 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We then made the run up to Bell River and fished some more dock pilings. I think it was our first cast and Jinny had another big hookup. She fought it to the boat and landed the biggest Sheepshead of the year, one that measured at 16" and a fish to set the bar in the 2023 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Sheepshead Category!  Unfortunately the fish was renamed by Jinny a "Goathead" - possibly a new species in our backwater fishery.

After fishing a dock or two it was Jeff's turn to fight the big fish, tossing a jigs to the edge of dock he had a strong hookup and as it dug deep we knew it was a big fish. Jeff fought it valiantly and after a good battle landed a whopper of big Black "puppy" Drum.

We made a brief stop at the MOA, then made our way around to Tyger Island to fish the first of the incoming tide then headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. Jeff and Jinny reported a great Blackened Black Drum meal from Kitchen 251 later in the day. 

Fishing With Dad and Pappa

 We were able to squeeze in a fishing trip this morning, before the heavy rains rolled in after noon. I had met Cameron Beadle who had his son Roman and father-in-law Jason along as his fishing team!  We made a short run from Dee Dee Bartels and set up fishing some dock pilings on the last hour and half of the outgoing tide. We started slowed but built to a crescendo!  All three anglers began to catch fish - Roman was holding his own with the older anglers. They put a good handful of Black "puppy" Drum in the boat and another handful of feisty Redfish. 

The bite slowed so we made a long run up the river to fish some more docks at the very last of the outgoing tide. In short order they picked up a couple of keeper sized Seatrout then Cameron and Jason had a "double" - Jason brought his keeper Trout to the net but Cameron's was being a bit belligerent - it ripped some drag a couple of times but Cameron stayed patient and eventually landed a nice 19" Seatrout, boy what a fish! The trio added a couple of "early bird" Mangrove Snapper and a couple of keeper sized Whiting, then it was Roman who hooked up, battled valiantly, and landed the first Bonnethead Shark of the day!

Continuing on around, we set up on the outside of Tyger and fished the bank, but it was Jason who had the "hot rod" fishing out of the stern. He hooked up and landed a few Seatrout and then a feisty Bluefish. Roman moved back and was intently fishing when I saw him set the hook and, Fish On!  He fought it by himself and landed a big, Big Bluefish. Jason wrapped things up with the big fish of the day, a hard fought battle with a big Bonnethead and with that, we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wind and Cold Couldn't Stop These Anglers

 I do believe it was windier and colder today than yesterday - and it just never seemed to warm up, until we headed back to the dock!  I had met Steve Roark, his son-in-law Andrew, and grandson Max up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning and the wind was already kicking. But we braved the weather and made a run down the intercoastal with a plan to fish some dock pilings on a tide that was going out enough to where the oysters were beginning to show. 

I think it was the second cast when, BAM! Fish On!  And Max was on the rod with his dad providing moral support, they worked it to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish. That's the way to start a fishing trip! We fished that dock thoroughly and all three anglers had good bites and got to tangle with fish.
Andrew was getting some good casts up under the dock and it paid off. He had a really strong hookup and when his drag began to rip we knew it had some size. It "boiled" once and I mistakenly called it a Redfish - nope, after a patient battle Andrew landed a big  4lb+ Black "puppy" Drum.  Steve had had a good bite out deep and shortly afterwards an "errant" cast to the general area by Andrew produced a big 18" Seatrout.

The bite slowed so we made the long run up the Bell River and fished some docks on a still outgoing tide, then fished another to no avail, then made a short run over to the Jolley and set up to fish the MOA, again, to no avail. We then ran up the Jolly, headfirst into the wind, and made our way around to Tyger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide. Here, Steve hooked up out deep and landed a hungry Seatrout. Both Andrew and Max  outsmarted a couple of "baitstealers", then Andrew wrapped things up with one more Redfish catch. And as we headed back to the boat ramp, the sun came out and warmed things up so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

We Knocked It Out of the Park

 

I fished again today with Bob Blalock but this time we elected to do an afternoon trip and meet up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours as we made our way to our first spot in  homes of bettering our "catch" from yesterday. And boy did we!  We pulled up to a small drainage and began tossing live shrimp on a jig and Bob got things started with a small Flounder catch. Then he hooked up with a small Redfish, then another, then another, then another, then another... and it was "Game On"!  Then we had a good bite that ripped some drag - a bigger fish. Bob fought it patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice 25" Slot sized Redfish.

We caught fish for almost 2 hours!  Bob put a couple of smaller Slot fish in the boat (all fish but one flounder were released today), then he had another BIG bite. This fish was big and took Bob deep and stayed deep. There was some structure behind us  and it was close quarters with no room for maneuvering but Bob kept the pressure on, worked the fish up to the surface, and we saw it was a huge Black Drum! But the fish went deep again, ripping drag as it went so Bob had to patiently work back to the surface and we eventually landed a nice 25" Black 'puppy" Drum - caught on a size 1000 Florida Fishing Products reel - and the crowd went wild!

A while later Bob battled and landed another big Slot Redfish, this one measuring in at 26" - I think big enough to set the bar in the all new 2023 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category.

The bite finally slowed so we ran back towards Fernandina, fished some dock pilings, and caught 7-8 more feisty Redfish. We finished the day over at Tyger Island, working the bank with the jigs, and picked up a few more Redfish, a couple of small Black Drum, a small Seatrout and....one keeper sized Flounder. We headed back to the dock with the sun setting and we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

One After Another

 

Yesterday I fished with Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald out of Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We fished some docks at Nassauville where I was sure we'd have good success using jigs and live shrimp,  but all we picked up were a couple of Sea Bass and a "bait stealer". We then fished the Nassau River, tossing the jigs, but to no avail. But when we switched to float rigs we began to get some fish. The duo caught a couple of feisty Redfish and a good handful of Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size.

Today Dannie decided to stay home for some rest but Gregg brought along his father and his partner Ginnie and I met them at the Old Town Bait Shop ramp. We had a west wind still blowing so a quickly crossed over the intercoastal, hugged Tyger Island north and found some flooded marsh grass to fish with float rigs and live shrimp. But we had  no bites. We crossed over a creek and fished some more grass, and again, no bites. 

After running thru Tyger, around to the Bell and up Landsford we found a grassy island where Guy finally "knocked the skunk off" with a feisty Redfish catch. We fished that spot some more, moved over to a couple of more grassy islands, had some nibbles, then made a short run back to Soap Creek. There, we fished a large outflow with the floats, again, no bites, then we worked the bank for a bit, and again, no bites.  What the heck?

So we made the run back to Egans Creek, and found some dock pilings to fish, switching to jigs and the shrimp. The "demo" cast produced a bite - we hooked up and Ginnie reeled in a Redfish. And from then on....it was one fish hookup after another!  Rat Red, Rat Red, Rat Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Rat Red, Rat Red, Black Drum, Rat Red, Black Drum, Rat Red, Rat Red, Slot Red, BIG REd, Rat Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Black Drum, Flounder, Slot Red, Slot Red, Rat Red, Rat Red -- We would have had to have a "clicker" to count them. But we did count the Slot fish and ended up with at least 10( there might have been a few that I didn't measure that were right at the 18" mark). We had numerous "double" hookups and ended the day with Guy and his Dad reeling in double Slot Redfish. As we eased back to the dock we counted it as another GREAT day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Cast Production

 

We had a temperature drop! When I launched this morning it was in the low 40's, and the 10mph wind made it seem even colder!  But the skies were clear and the forecast called for sunny all day so when I met Paul Lombardi down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we felt pretty good about a fishing trip.  I had talked to some shore anglers after I launched and they were picking up Seatrout on DOA shrimp, white with chartreuse tails(see video here) and one advised me to try the bride pilings before we left the area.

So Paul and I eased around there, turned into the current, and I tied on a white DOA (didn't have one with the chartreus tail) and Paul made his first cast up current, let it go to the bottom, kept his line tight, and began to let the current bounce it along the bottom and...BAM! He head a hookup!  Paul worked it to the boat patiently and landed a nice keeper sized 17" Seatrout - not a bad way to start the day!

Unfortunately that was the only fish we got there although we did get some bumps here and there. We left and headed up the intercoastal, turned west into the Nassau, and made our way up to an exposed shell bank on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. Paul worked the bank with live shrimp and jigs, only getting "bumps" and taps, then we moved up a couple of hundred yards and here we caught a couple of small Seatrout.

Our next stop was at some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fishing on almost a slack tide, but we got there in time for Paul to pull two keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum out, and a small but feisty Redfish. We eased around the corner and fished some rocks at Nassauville and here we caught a handful of small Mangrove Snapper, then a couple of small Seatrout, then we had a "bump" and a take and, Fish On!  Paul fought it expertly as it dug deep and stayed on the bottom and we began to speculate that it was a big Stingray, hoped that it was a huge Flounder, and finally settled in to wait as Paul worked it up from the bottom. As it came to the surface we saw that it was a large Redfish!  After netting the fish we measured it right at 26" - a big Slot Redfish!

The final stop was down at Broward Island, fishing the very last of an
outgoing tide, and this turned out to be the most productive spot of the day. We caught 7-8 feisty Redfish, a couple of small Seatrout, and then Paul rounded out his Amelia Island Grande Slam with a keeper sized Sheepshead catch. We had had some good catches, the sun was up, and the day was warming so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Hoping For an 8 Rabbit Day

Heading south this morning, after passing the three round-abouts at the Omni, I counted the rabbits on the side of the road from there to the bridge. Today was an "8 Rabbit Day". I wondered, "could that be a sign of how the fishing was going to be?"  Could 3 rabbits mean a "just OK" day? Could  6 rabbits be a pretty good day? It was EIGHT Rabbits I saw this morning!

I met Allen and Laverne Webb at Sawpit Creek and we headed up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau and ran up to a large drainage. Allen was on the bow tossing a topwater Zara Spook while Laverne followed him in with a float and live shrimp. Not much was going on but Laverne did pick up a couple of small Mangrove Snapper. 

We then ran thru Horsehead to the other side of Jackstaff, turned into a creek, and fished stretch of marsh grass on the high and outgoing tide, to no avail. We then fished Jackstaff for a bit and unfortunately the wind was picking up and made it tough to fish - but Allen did hookup and land a small Catfish. After running back thru the marsh (a shortcut), we pulled up at Seymore's Pointe and did battle with the Mangroves. The duo of anglers were getting bites on almost every cast, especially if they were near the rocks, so much so that I started breaking the shrimp in half. We left the area with two keeper sized fish in the box.

The wind was really kicking now - white caps were out in the river, so we headed down to Broward Island and sure enough we had calm waters. We switched to jig and shrimp and fished the bottom, working the bank, and finally Laverne had a strong hookup. She played the fish patiently and after a valiant battle, landed a nice 18" Black "puppy" Drum, boy what a fish!

As we headed back we were bucking the waves so we had to take our time to get back to the dock. Although the idea that seeing 8 Rabbits may equate to a banner day of fishing didn't pan out, we had some good views of wildlife, we caught some fish, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

It Had To Have Been The Green Bobber

Of  the three float rigs, 2 had orange bobbers and one had a green.  The green bobber caught the fish today. I had picked up Henry Ross and his neighbor and fishing buddy Rex at their dock at Crane Island early and we made the run north, all the way up to Bell River and around the back way to Tyger, then eased out front to fish the first of a very high outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp. The first stretch of flooded marsh grass didn't produce a bite but after we crossed over a creek and fished another stretch we got a few bites with the floats disappearing. Then, after Rex had a made pin  point cast to a grassy island his green float went under, he tightened up and let the circle hook do it's thing and  he had a hookup. He patiently brought to the boat and net a hungry Seatrout.  A few short minutes later, after going back to the same spot, Rex hooked up and battled to the boat a feisty Redfish.

We then buzzed back thru Tyger and around to Lanceford Creek, ran up it a ways, and fished a bulkhead then a grassy island with the floats, to no avail. We fished a few run outs up Soap Creek, them some docks back at Lanceford with jigs and shrimp, then we made a run south to Piney Island where we set up current from some docks with the jigs. Somewhere in that stretch Henry battled and netted a couple of high flying "poor man's tarpon" - the Ladyfish. 

We made one final stop, heading back to Crane Island, fishing a drainage and here Rex caught and landed a feisty Black Drum (garnering an Amelia Island Back Country Slam) and then he battled another, keeper sized Black Drum to the net, which we photographed and released. The wind had picked up the last hour or so of the trip which limited where we could fish, but as we wrapped day, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Such a Subtle Bite

 

We did a mid-morning trip today when I met Bill Main down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The tide had been going out for a few hours and when we arrived at our first spot off Jackstaff Creek, the oysters were still showing. But we went with float rigs and live shrimp at that spot and it paid off with a hungry Seatrout catch and a Flounder catch.

We crossed over and fished a bank with jigs and shrimp, had no bites, then moved on. After running thru Horsehead we fished some dock pilings and here had a bit of action. The fish were just giving us subtle bites and after we caught on to that we had some hookups. Bill expertly fought and landed a nice 18" Black "puppy" Drum then he put a nice Mangrove Snapper in the boat. 

After moving down the river we fished between a couple of more docks. Here, Bill caught and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder, another 18" Black Drum, and a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper (they're back!)

We fished Broward Island for a just a while and added a hungry Seatrout to the catch, then finished up at Spanish Drop with a Catfish catch! The wind had picked up and was kicking our butts so we headed back to the ramp, but with some nice catches throughout the morning, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Super Grande Slam Today

Although the weather forecast predicted fishable wind early today, it called for increasing force into the 20mph range, so all I hoped was it be able to get in an hour or two of fishing before we had to buck the wind, which would make for a small window to catch fish. I met Dan and Kay Jones down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal, cut thru Middle River, and made our way around to Pumpkin Hill and set up along a flooding marsh line on the last few hours of an incoming tide.  Both anglers were getting good drifts but it took a while to get some bites. Truth be told, I was getting a little worried that our "window" may not be very big to catch fish. But, slowly, the duo began to get bites, then hookups, and began to catch fish - hungry Seatrout, with a couple caught of keeper size (all fish caught today were released). Kay even reeled in a hard fighting Catfish that surprised us!

We eventually moved around and fished another bank, had not real bites, then moved down to Broward Island, checked out the Bald Eagle, then set up and fished the very last of the incoming tide. Wouldn't you know it, the first two bites were HUGE! Both Kay and Dan had strong hookups and drag ripping, rod bending fights but it was not to be - both fish threw the hook! Ouch. But these two anglers were not to be deterred and continued to fish, catching feisty Redfish, a keeper sized Sheepshead(to make it a Slam), and a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum(to make it a Grande Slam). We also had a fly-by from the Goodyear blimp!

I could tell out in the river the wind was kicking up so we made the run over to Nassauville and fished some rocks, and again had good action. Both Kay and Dan caught some "almost keeper sized" Mangrove Snapper, another Trout or two, another Catfish, and two Flounder, one of which was of keeper size, but also giving them that "Super Grande Slam" of Seatrout, Redfish, Sheepshead, Black Drum and Flounder.

Yep, the wind was really kicking around the corner, coming out of the north as we headed back, but with the wind at our backs, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

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. 

April Grand Slam

The last few days we've had some good fishing conditions the first hour or so but then the wind picks up and makes it a challenge. We had the same trend today but not so much as to deter our fishing! I had met Rhett and Cam and their sons Holt and Landon down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and we made a quick run up the intercoastal, into the Nassau and made our first stop at Spanish Drop and began working an exposed shell bed with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before Cam hooked up and boated a hungry Flounder. Shortly after that Rhett had gone to the shell with an excellent cast and BAM! Big Fish On! He played it patiently, fought iit out into the current, then slowly brought it to the net - a nice fat 23" Slot Size Redfish. 

We made our next stop up between some docks at Goffinsville. Cam had pitched up behind some dock pilings, had a "bump", set the hook, and, Fish On! He brought it to the boat and landed a  keeper sized 17" Seatrout.  He picked up another Trout or two out of the same spot. After moving around the point, we fished some more dock pilings. Cam put a couple of more Trout in the boat, fishing deep from the bow, Rhett pulled a feisty Redfish out from the pilings, then Landon hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. 

Our next stop was down at Broward Island. Right off the bat, Rhett put a hungry Trout in the boat, but that was all to be had. We came back to Nassauville, fished the same docks, but this time on an incoming tide, and Landon got hot with a Flounder catch and a Seatrout Catch.

I can't say enough about how much I was impressed with the two young anglers on the boat. Both Holt and Landon were so very much respectful - from their firm handshake to start off the trip to their good attitudes and polite manners. They were both making excellent casts and making good effort the entire trip. They're going to make excellent anglers as they grow up.

We finished the trip fishing float rigs  and live shrimp over in Jackstaff but I think the fish had taken a "siesta" so we pulled up the trolling motor and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Last Spot Pays Off

Adopt the pace of nature;

her secret is patience.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The temperature was in the 40's this morning but there were clear skies and very little wind and Sean Pattwell was "game" to go fishing, so we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and headed over to Tyger Island to fish some 4' water with float rigs and live shrimp. To be honest, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in our strategy but it was the only real strategy I could come up when dealt with a high tide. But we Endeavored to Persevere(Chief Dan George). That first stop was real pretty! The sun had come up and was shining on the trees and marsh of Tyger, but the fish didn't cooperate.

We made the run around and up to the Jolly River, fished the mouth of Snook Creek and again, no bites. After running thru the Jolly and around to the Bell, we fished between some docks with jigs and shrimp, deep on the bottom. IF I was a betting man, I would have lost a $1 because I would have bet it, sure we'd catch a fish here. We had one nibble but no takers, so we moved on.

Our final stop was over in Lanceford Creek, fishing some dock pilings. But now the tide had gotten down and sure enough, we began to get some hookups. We reeled in a Black "puppy" Drum, then a Channel Bass (vintage speak for Redfish) then Sean had a good bump, set the hook, and expertly landed a keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). We added two more Channel Bass to the catch total. Although the fish catching wasn't on fire, it was a beautiful day and a great one to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

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. 

First Fish. Ever.

 Just when I thought we couldn't have had a prettier day on the water, we had today!  I had met Doug and Sandy Massey up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and we headed over to the outside of Tyger with the sun just up, hardly a breeze, and a brisk temperature to start the morning off. We eased up to a grass line and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp. We had a couple of quick bites early but no real takers. I notice a guy off to the north tossing a jig with some kinda of bait and he was nailing fish! Go figure.

After fishing across the creek along another grass line to no avail, we moved on. We made the run thru Tyger, around to the Bell, over to Lanceford and up into Soap Creek and pulled up to a large marsh drainage. I think it was Doug's first cast and BAM! The skunk was off! He reeled in a nice Seatrout. We worked that area pretty good and then it was Sandy's turn to hookup. She played it perfectly and reeled in another Seatrout - her fish fish caught ever! Now that's success! Both anglers caught more Trout and both caught feisty Redfish.

Our next stop was back up Lanceford where we stayed with the float rigs. We fished it briefly but had not bites, and moved on. We tried some dock pilings and this did the trick. In just a few minutes we were catching fish: Sheepshead, Flounder, Black Drum, and Redfish. A few of the Drum were of keeper size, we kept one but threw a few keeper sized fish back, then Doug had a strong hookup and this one was ripping drag. Doug kept the pressure on and expertly brought it to the net - a Slot sized 22" Redfish.

We left 'em biting  and another angler pulled in as we were leaving so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Surprise Surprise!

 I was back to work today after help put on our fishing Tournament over the weekend and boy was it a pretty day to be fishing! I met Dave Burkhart and his fishing buddies Robert and Ed up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and we then headed south down the intercoastal and then dipped into Lanceford Creek to pull up to a marsh runout on a high and incoming tide.

I was feeling pretty confident that we'd be catching fish today after a great week last week and then some good catches coming in to the tournament Saturday, but after fishing that first spot with float rigs and live shrimp for 15 minutes and not getting a nibble, I had a gnawing feeling that this might be the day that we might get "skunked". 

We ran further up into Lansford, turned into Soap and set up at another marsh drainage, fished it for a bit (no bites), then eased along the bank working it with each cast. Finally, these anglers began to get some bites then they caught a few Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size. We moved on around to some docks off of Lanceford and switched to jigs and this did the trick. Dave and Robert hooked up and brought to the boat some keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and Ed outsmarted four (yes four) Sheepshead! Then Dave went deep, to 15' of water, and had a strong bite and a battle ensued. He played it perfectly and eventually landed a 22" Slot Sized Redfish. Robert also put two undersized and out of season Flounder in the boat, and released.

Our next stop was up Bell River and I think the first cast with a jig produced a Seatrout. Then they were all catching, with a couple of more being of keeper size, and the biggest, right at 17", caught by Ed. Robert went to some structure and had his shrimp picked up and then his drag began to rip, Fish On! This was crazy. The fish ran hard up the river, then down the river, then up the river, then down the river. It kinda boiled up behind the boat and we all thought for sure it was big Redfish but when it finally came to the surface we saw that it was a Striped Bass (and Ed correctly identified it as a Hybrid). The first Striped Bass ever on my boat! Boy what a fish!

We fished Jolley "bank" for a bit, tangled with another big fish, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Veterans Day Blow Out

 We had another beautiful day when I met Dennis Ambercrombie and his dad Jay, a Veteran and an
angler. Little did we know that today would be one of those "banner" days, and it couldn't have come at a better time with today being Veterans Day! We made a short run from Goffinsvill Park down the Nassau River and set up at a marsh run out. The two anglers baited up and were fishing that drainage with about an hour left of an outgoing tide. I had turned my back to do something and BAM, Jay had a bite on that first cast and we were in for a battle! Jay played it patiently (watch the below video) - it took well over 6 minutes, but he was up to the task and eventually boated a Oversized 32.5" Redfish, a fish big enough to move him into 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report and click on Bragging Rights to see standings). Boy what fish! While he was fighting the Red Dennis had a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout!

We continued to fish that spot for a good 30 minutes and Jay was on fire catching  Seatrout out the back of the boat. We then moved down to Spanish Drop and fished some exposed shell banks. Jay picked up more Trout off the stern while Dennis found a couple of feisty Redfish.  After that we worked along some shell banks, pitching jigs and shrimp on the very last of the tide until it hit dead bottom. 

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and now the tide was coming in and it made a difference. Jay was fishing the stern and hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (all fish caught today were released), then Dennis followed that up with a Drum catch of his own. Then Jay had a slight "bump", set the hook, and reeled in a keeper sized Sheepshead! We had a good, brief flurry at that spot. We ran down along Nassauville and made one more stop and picked up a few more Trout and a small Sea Bass. 

The final stop was down at Broward Island and boy was it hot! Right off the bat, Jay began to catch keeper sized Seatrout, most all of them out deep in 20' of water. They picked up a small Red or two then after Dennis had made a good cast to a "beach", BAM! The minute it hit the water he had a big fish on. Jay expertly played the fish, kept the pressure on, and slowly worked it to the surface. I was thinking< "Big Red" but when it came up we saw that it was a huge Flounder! Dennis kept that line tight and eventually we netted a 23.35" Flounder, and we had another Abercrombie slide in to the Bragging Rights Tournament, this one big enough to move in to a tie for 2nd Place in the Flounder Category. Another great fish!

We fished that spot until we ran out of bait, catching one Seatrout after the other. I remember commenting that IF they had been keeping fish, they surely would have hit their limit! As we headed back to the dock we counted it as another  great day of catching here at Amelia Island, Florida.