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.
We had a nice morning greet us when I met Glenn and Patty Langford up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park asthe sun came up. There was still about an hour of tide going out so we made a quick run over to Lanceford Creek and fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp...and got pecked, pecked, and pecked - just baitstealers. After just a short time we moved back around to Soap Creek and fished an exposed oyster bed and here we had a bit of success - Glenn hooked up and landed a couple of feisty Redfish.
As the tide came to a standstill we ran back around Tyger Island and up in behind the trees and began pitching to the shore. Both anglers were making excellent casts but the "baitstealers" were ever present. Patty did hookup and land her first Flounder and later Glenn outsmarted a hungry Sheepshead and brought it to the net.
We then ran back outside, up and around to the Jolley River and began fishing the "bank", back into the current. Again, a bunch of nibbles -luckily I had a handful of small mud minnows to supplement the shrimp- but Glenn did hookup and land a small Seatrout to round out a team Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Flounder, Sheepshead and Seatrout. At one time Glenn did catch a fish big enough to rip his drag. When it came out of the water I thought I saw "big Seatrout" but then it jumped again a time or two and we all knew it was a Ladyfish.
After fishing further up the Jolley with float rigs and minnows we hit our final stop around the corner in the upper Bell. Right off Glenn had a bump, set the hook, and caught and landed a Mangrove Snapper. We picked up a few more baitstealers before calling it a day. Tomorrow, if they got 'em, I'll be going with Minnows and maybe they'll stay on the hook longer! But we had some action, the weather was nice, so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be out on the water her at Amelia Island, Florida.
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.
I fished this morning with Matt Pollard and his brother-in-laws Rush and John. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made the short run up and over to the Nassau River and began fishing jigs and minnows to the run outs and oyster beds on the last few hours of an outgoing tide. We had numerous takes and a few near misses. Rush tangled with a high flying Ladyfish and John put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. We had a couple of small Flounder before we moved on.
Our next stop was down at Broward Island and boy was the bait getting busted! It was crazy how fish were feeding at the mouth of a creek and down the edges. This trio of anglers were making excellent casts and picked up a few fish - small but feisty Redfish, a small Seatrout, and a Mangrove Snapper. We then drifted with the current, still going out and here Matt had a strong bite, and Fish On! Matt was real patient with the fish, worked it slowly to the surface, and landed a nice 22.25" Slot Redfish. Only 10 minutes later he had another strong hookup. He played this fish
perfectly and brought to the net a 17" Redfish. Too small to keep, but it had 17 spots! We tossed it back and it will surely be big enough to take prize money home in the November AIGA Support Our Veterans Fishing Tournament!
We made our final stop back at Nassauville, fishing some rocks with float rigs and in short order, began to catch one Mangrove Snapper after another. We had plenty of bait and all three anglers added to the live well with Mangrove catches and they quickly "limited out". We headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
MANY MEN GO FISHING ALL OF THEIR LIVES WITHOUT KNOWING THAT IT IS NOT FISH THEY ARE AFTER - Henry David Thoreau
Sometimes the fish don't cooperate on some of our fishing trips but when a young couple with a young angler get a chance to get out on the water and experience some of our "salt life", memories are made none-the-less. Today I had Caleb and Callie Berryhill and their young daughter Molly meet me at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. There was a 24% chance of rain but we felt sure we could get out and get some fishing in.
After a quick run up the Nassau we stopped and fished a handful of marsh run outs on an outgoing tide but had no real luck, other than a high flying Ladyfish that Callie hooked up and landed. We fished some docks at Nassauville and caught one or two or three small Mangrove Snapper, then we made a run to Broward Island, only to pull up short at Pumpkin Hill as a rain storm passed us by. But it didn't pass us and came right over the top of us, soaking Caleb and I as Callie and Molly attempted to shelter under a rain jacket a beach towel. After it passed, we ran down to Broward, fished it for a good bit, but had no real luck. But Caleb did spot a Manatee hanging out beside a submerged stump which is always pretty cool to see.
Molly had been playing with the mud minnows for most of the day and having a good time at it but the sun had come back out and was wearing on all of us. We backed up to some dock pilings at our last stop and played cat and mouse with Mangrove Snapper then finally, Caleb had the strong bite and, Big Fish On! He applied the pressure and kept the fish away from the pilings, worked it out to deeper water, then patiently played it to the net - a Big 25.75" Slot Redfish, and boy was it thick!
We had had an eventful day, ended up with a big fish, saw a Manatee, so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Boy what a beautiful day to come back to work to! I had been off for a few days but had a planned fishing trip this afternoon and boy was it beautiful! I met Shane and Janny Sims and their son Cooper down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River with sunny skies, just a slight breeze and temperatures in the low 70's.
We fished Spanish Drop with jigs and live shrimp, tossing to an exposed shell bank and it was Shane who "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch. He picked up another one deep, then Janny got in on the action and landed one herself. We fished Twin Creeks briefly, then moved on up to Athens Drop, then made the run up to some docks at Seymore's. Although the tide was still going out, the current was running in and the first stop down current produced nothing. But we moved around so that our jigs and shrimp could drift back to the pilings and this did the trick. Cooper had a strong bite and it was Fish On! He patiently worked the fish away from the pilings, battle it to the net, and landed a 18.5" Slot sized 20 Spot
Redfish - enough spots to take home money in our Amelia Island Guides Association Redfish Spot Tournament to be held this November! And moment later he had a stronger bite - Big Fish On! Again Cooper played it perfectly and put a nice 23" Slot Fish in the boat. Shane jumped in there and picked up another Redfish before we moved on. After fishing another dock or two we made a run.
Some of my guests know I "rate" my fishing trips as to the quality of our "fish catch" and so far the day was grading out around a "3" with 0 being the worst and 5 being the best.....
Our next stop was down at Broward Island with the tide still having about 30 minutes to low. Shrimp were jumping at the mouth of a runout but we had no takers until we fished a jig alongside a log and BAM, hookup and Redfish in the boat. We drifted a bit with the current and Shane outsmarted a Sheepshead, hooked it up and landed it to garner and Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Sheepshead.
The tide was coming to a stop so we moved down the way a bit, and began to drift with it. Cooper hooked up and landed a Slot Redfish, then had a bigger one on that threw the hook. Then Janny had a BIG hookup, the drag ripped, the fish went deep, and found a log to wrap around a break off. Double Ouch! But as we eased down the bank we must have gotten into a school because it was a bite on almost every cast. Both Janny and Cooper had hookups - we had a double! and both landed them - both Slot Redfish. Then Cooper had another bite and this one was big! He played it perfectly, worked it slowly, and soon netted an Oversized 27.5" Redfish - boy what a fish!
And with that, we called it a day - a Four in my book - and another great day to be on the water here at Amelia Island. The next time you're on the web or in need of some fishing shirts or hats check out a young entrepreneur'sFishing Apparel line at Coopers Fishing.
We had another nice morning today, albeit a bit foggy when we started. I had met Zach Peyton, his son Tyler, and his father Bob out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and we crept thru the fog to our first stop over at Pumpkin Hill with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp up near the marsh grass on a flooding tide. The trio of anglers were getting excellent drifts but all we got was a couple of nibbles. We fished further down that marsh line with the same results, then ran down to Broward Island and switched to jigs and shrimp. We fished both ends of the island on the last of an incoming tide but had the same results, no fish.
Our next stop was back at Pumpkin Hill but around the corner, in search of a "honey hole" and it was "Pop" who found it. As he drifted his float by a grassy island his float disappeared and he had a hookup! Fish On! Young Tyler was on the net and did an excellent job scooping up a nice Seatrout. Bob went back to the same area and had another hookup - the "skunk" was definitely off the boat.
We then ran up into Christopher Creek and fished a bit with the jigs, then came back out and ran around to Seymore's Pointe, setting up at the mouth of a bay and drifting the floats. Bob had another hookup and reeled in a Trout ,then Zach got in on the action and caught one too, this one of keeper size (all fish caught today were released). Then Bob hooked up and with Tyler's help, they reeled in another keeper sized Trout. After another hookup, we moved on down a line of docks and fished floats and jigs.
Our last stop was down at Twin Creeks, fishing jigs, and we found one more Seatrout. Young Tyler had helped with driving the boat, operating the trolling motor, netting fish, fetching bait, and releasing fish and he was casting his on spinning rod at the end of the trip. We headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Although it was a tad bit gloomy today when I met Philip and Al down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, thewind was holding steady at 10mph and it was forecast to get up into the high 60's today. The tide had been falling for about an hour as we headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a large outflow. Both anglers began tossing jigs and live shrimp up current and working it slowly back along the river bottom. Philip "knocked the skunk off" fairly quickly when he hooked up and landed a couple of hungry Seatrout.
We moved up the way a couple of times, fishing outflows, and picking up a Trout or two at each spot. Al had got in on the action and put a couple in the net, fishing off the stern.
Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fishing the pilings where I sure we'd get some Black Drum, but we fished to no avail. We moved down and fished a 2nd dock and this paid off with 2 nice feisty Redfish that Philip put in the boat.
After looping around Seymore's we rand down a ways and got in between two docks that had a drop off from 15' to 27'. This move paid off and "upped our average". Philip began hooking up with Trout up on the bow and Al found a couple of Weadfish out deep, both of them of keeper size. He also picked up a couple of Trout back there.
We finished up the day down at Broward Island, still fishing an outgoing tide, but had no real luck. But the sun had come out a couple of times, we were out on the water, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
My final day of fishing for the week was today - I've done 10 trips in 12 days and I'm ready for an extended break! My next booked trip is Monday November 30th, so check back in then!
Today I fished with Chuck Benton and his son Tom and boy was it a pretty morning as the sun came up! We met out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp and quickly scooted over to Pumpkin Hill to fish some float rigs with live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about 3 hours. The first stretch didn't produce a bite but we came back around a corner and as Chuck drifted his bait long, BOOM! He had a hookup. Chuck reeled it in patiently and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.
Our next stop was down at Broward Island, and as we eased along the tree line we spotted a magnificent Bald Eagle up in a dead pine tree. We set up at a large marsh run out, now pitching jigs and shrimp, and fairly quickly Tom was on the board with a Seatrout catch. Minutes later he reeled a feisty Redfish. We drifted back a bit, set up off from some stumps. Chuck made an excellent cast, let it go to the bottom and, BAM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and when it got back into the current it made for a good battle. But Chuck was up to the task, worked it patiently to the boat, and landed a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish. I think we picked up one more Red before the wind picked up and really started kicking up the water.
We buzzed back to Nassauville and found shelter out of the wind and fished the jigs to the rocks. It paid off! Chuck found a honey hole of Trout and caught a good handful, one of which was of keeper size. Tom put a couple of hungry Mangrove Snapper, and a small Sea Bass in the boat, then had a strong hookup. This fish was digging deep but Tom kept the pressure on and worked it to the surface and landed keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.
Our final stop was around at some docks where Tom topped off the trip with a Stingray catch. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We already knew that the forecast called for 12-13mph winds but when we got to the boat ramp this morning it was blowing 15-16 and increasing! But brothers Mark, John, and Kevin Adams were game to get out on the water so we made a plan to hit spots where we would be somewhat sheltered.
The first one was around at Eagans Creek - Mark and Kevin were tossing jigs and live shrimp up current to the bank and John was fishing a slip float out back. Mark had a couple of good bites and had one "ripping drag" for a bit but it thru the hook. Shortly after that Kevin hooked up and landed a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum.
We then ran down to Lanceford Creek and up into Soap and set up fishing fixed floats up near the shore. All three anglers were getting good drifts but with the current and a stiff wind, the fish didn't even have time to think about biting a bait as the float rigs blew by.
Our next stop was around on the back side of Black Rock and after fishing a small grassy island to no avail, and battered by the wind, we moved around into some real shelter, boy was it peaceful! With a change in conditions we picked up some good fish. Mark landed a nice feisty Redfish and then a Trout while Kevin and John tallied some Trout catches.
We could see rain coming around the corner and that, coupled with a long ride back right into the wind, prompted us to call it a day, and even though the weather was not so great, it was a good day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
With a 50% chance of rain forecast for today my guests and I had decided to take the chance and get out fishing today. I met Paul Clark and his fishing buddy Steve up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early and headed over to Tiger Island to fish the logs on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. Although we didn't tear them up, we did catch a couple of hungry Seatrout and a few feisty Redfish, a couple of which were right under the Slot size. We were fishing with jigs and live shrimp and minnows - the bait stealers are still here, so we gradually gravitated to the minnows more and more.
After making the run up to the Jolley River, we eased in and fished the "bank", sticking with the jigs, but had no real bites. We then ran further up the river, just past Snook Creek, and switched to float rigs and minnows. We slowly worked the oysters as the tide came in and just when Steve had a made a perfect cast up near the oysters we both saw his float ease under - Steve took up his slack and lifted the rod firmly to let the circle set and, Fish On! We could tell that this fish was big
because the drag was ripping and the fish was heading south! But Steve kept the pressure on and slowly worked it to the waiting net - a fish that turned out to be a 25.5" upper Slot Redfish, boy what a fish!
We came back around to Tiger, ran thru the marsh, and over to Bell River where we set up on a point of grass with the tide flooding over a big oyster bar. We weren't getting any bites but after one of our minnows drifted into a small pocket, BOOM! Big Fish On! Unfortunately the fish ran across the bar, around the corner, and is still going! We drifted some marsh after that and Paul hooked up and landed a nice Seatrout.
Our last stops were over in Lanceford Creek fishing a real high tide. We hit a couple of spots with no real bites then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
After two cancelled days of fishing due to high winds, and after looking at the forecast last night for today, we decided to get out and give it a try this morning. Unfortunately the forecast had changed just a tad and the wind was already at 16mph when I got up this morning. But I thought we could find a spot or two to find shelter so I drove down to Sawpit Creek to meet Dan Giffiths who brought along two of his kids, Daniella and Samuel.
We wanted to try our hand at some flood tide tailing Redfish later in the day but we started off with a run up to Seymore's Pointe...and out of the wind. Dan unlimbered the fly rod and tossed a slow sinking shrimp to the rocks while the young anglers threw spinning gear and mud minnows. On the first cast we had a bite and hookup! Samuel was on the rod and he expertly reeled in a...Grouper! It's not the first time we've caught Grouper in the back water - they're not real big but always a neat surprise.
Then Daniella got in on the action. She was making pin point casts and it paid off with some good Mangrove Snapper bites. She really had the hang of it and caught a good handful. Even though Dan was putting the fly right where the Mangroves were biting, he had no takers.
We headed down to Pumpkin Hill to see if we could get something bigger but we were now out in the wind and it made for some real uncomfortable fishing conditions. We worked our way back to Christopher Creek and saw that the grass was flooding. As we eased up to the grass, we were greeted with Redfish tails everywhere!
Dan had been making excellent casts up at Seymore's in some good shelter but here it was at true challenge. Just when you thought Dan had the perfect cast the wind would catch the line and blow it way off course. The times that the wind cooperated and the cast landed in the right spot, the fish didn't see it.
We moved around the flat a bit and approached it from a different angle. There were some small tails out there and some huge tails out there but are efforts were to no avail. We tried another spot, again the selection was limited to the shelter from the wind but by this time the water was seriously high and we saw no more tails. We were treated to a huge flock of birds - Egrets, Herons, Spoonbills, and Storks which made for a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
When I stepped out the door this morning at 5:45am it was drizzling rain but the forecast called for clearing by sunrise and they got it right! By the time I picked up some live shrimp and mud minnows and got launched up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park, there was no rain and the skies were clearing a bit. I met the Whitehurst family - Wes and Elizabeth and their two children Callie and Levi early and we headed north and west towards the Jolly River. I was rounding the north side of Tiger Island and I noticed Elizabeth was looking behind us intently so when I turned and took a look, there was a Coast Guard gun boat chasing us with blue lights on! "Uh Oh, what did I do?", I thought. But they just pulled up, asked where we were heading, and told us to stay out of the channel as there was a "Naval Asset" coming thru soon. Code speak for Submarine!
We continued on around to Jolley "bank", eased up and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp on an outgoing tide. All four of these anglers were making excellent casts and it was Wes who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. He followed that up with a nice Seatrout. Elizabeth, Callie and Levi played cat and mouse with some "baitstealing" perch - and landed a handful.
Our next stop was up at Snook Creek. The wind was at our backs and Callie had put one right up near the oysters. The story goes....when she saw her float get bumped, she tightened her line, gave it a twitch and when it slowly went under she patiently waited a second or two, then lifted her rod and set the hook, and Fish On! Callie played it perfectly, worked it slowly to the boat, and landed a fat and feisty Redfish.
Not minutes later, Wes - fishing a jig and minnow- had a bump and set the hook and Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag, not wanting to come in, boiled up, and ran some more. But Wes was up to the task and played it perfectly. The big fish went from starboard side around to port then Wes brought it to Callie's waiting net, boy what a fish - a 24.5" Slot Redfish.
After fishing the outside of Tiger for a bit, we ran over to Lanceford Creek, fished "Bill's" spot, now with float rigs, and here Wes quickly picked up a keeper sized Seatrout and feisty Redfish. Elizabeth jumped in and landed a nice Seatrout. We finished up over in Soap Creek, getting a nibble here and there but no takers, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
I fished with two experienced anglers this morning - BJ Fitzgerald and his son Carson and finally, after 3 days of a slow fish bite, we had some pretty decent action. We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and "eased" up the river - there was some pretty dense fog so we couldn't run full tilt. But we got up the Nassau River a bit and made our first stop at the Spanish Drop area. The tide was right at the bottom so we began pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and began to get bites almost immediately. Carson got things started off catching a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then he added a handful of Seatrout. BJ joined in on the catching and caught more Trout, then we had a couple of feisty Redfish come to the boat.
Carson had made an excellent cast to the bank and it only had time to sink before, BOOM, Big Fish On! Carson was playing it patiently (see video below) when, BOOM! BJ had a hookup - we had a double! I was back and forth with the net trying to figure out which fish to net first. When we saw that BJ's was another nice Jack, we concentrated on Carson's - his was a big Redfish. Carson worked it to the boat and we netted a nice 24"+ Slot Red fish.
We worked that area thoroughly then made the run around and down to Broward Island, set up south due to the tide still going out, had a few bites, then moved north as the tide started back in. Here both anglers caught Redfish and Trout.
Our next stop was back along Nassauville where we fished some rocks. Carson stayed with the jig while BJ switched to a float. BJ hooked up and landed a couple of Mangrove Snapper and Carson picked up one on the jig. We fished some docks on around Seymore's, then fished some oyster beds along the Nassau using float rigs and picked up one more Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had another beautiful day this morning, clear cool and sunny. I had met Steve Locke and his fishing partner Jason Deig up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. I had planned to head over to Jolley River and fish the last couple of hours of an incoming tide, but there was NW breeze blowing that seemed just a bit stronger than the 8mph that was forecasted. So we headed south and into the Bell River, ran west, and set up along side a flooding oyster patch. Both anglers were tossing float rigs baited with live shrimp. Steve "knocked the skunk" off when he boated a hungry Seatrout, then he followed that up with a couple of more. After fishing the other side of the mound, we moved on.
Our next stop was around to the outside of Tiger Island, again fishing the float rigs. The first area produced no real bites so we moved across to "Manatee Cove" and here we got into some more small but hungry Trout.
Back thru Tiger we went, down the Bell, up the Lanceford and into Soap Creek. The tide was stillcoming in and again, we found small Trout. Some where along there Jason had gotten on the board with some good catches. We fished further down Lanceford and when it appeared the tide had changed we moved further up the creek. There was a family out in the yard with a cute 3 year old girl and as they were watching us fish the young lady tugged on her puppy's tail. We all got a kick out of it but as we were watching Jason realized that his float was gone! He reeled up his slack, set the hook and, Fish On! We knew right off that it was of size because the drag was ripping. Jason had an audience and he didn't disappoint - he worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 21.5" Slot Redfish.
We backed out of there and fished a grassy island as the tide was easing out. Steve made an excellent cast, let his float drift close and, BOOM! Another big fish on! Steve played it perfectly and brought to the net another Slot Red, this one measuring right at 22.5". We fished that island pretty good and picked up a couple of "rat" Reds and battled another big one, but this time it won and broke the hook off!
Our final stop was back at Soap Creek. Another grassy island had been exposed with the outgoing tide. We had just pulled up - I don't think Jason had time to even bait up - when Steve went in with a cast and BAM! Big Fish On! This fish fight was a battle but Steve was up for it - he'd had some practice earlier - and he soon netted the biggest fish of the day, a 25" Slot Redfish.
Although most of the day was spent catching 14" Seatrout, the last 45 minutes sure made for some great fishing, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished with the Duma team, today- Scott and his adult kids Will and Kate - meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours as we ran up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff, and then even further up a creek. This trio of anglers were tossing float rigs with live minnows up to a large runout and we did have a few nibbles at the first spot and then Kate "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed hard fighting Jack Crevalle.
We dropped back to Jackstaff and worked the bank, switching to jigs and minnows. Again, it was Kate who had the hookup. She had pitched to a small drainage in the marsh, had a bump, set the hook and patiently worked in a keeper sized Flounder. Will followed that up with a Catfish catch!
We ran thru Horsehead, down the Nassau and pulled up at Spanish Drop to work that oyster bed. Up ahead of us a Dolphin was wreaking havoc on our intended target, but luckily he/she didn't get them all. We had a good flurry of catches - feisty Redfish and hungry Seatrout and another Jack.
Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. We had the stern to some pilings and were getting excellent casts to the pilings. Scott had went in between two, let it sit, and BOOM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and had no plans of coming in. But Scott played it expertly, let it run, worked it in, and landed an "almost too big" 26.875" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish! Then Will got in the action and landed a Trout that was just a tad bit short then he had another hookup and put a nice keeper sized Trout in the boat. Kate was fishing shallow and found a Mangrove Snapper hole - she caught 5-6 of those and at least two were of keeper size. We had a good well full of quality fish so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
We did a 2nd trip today with the Maron crew, this time Mike had his oldest daughter Haley, her friend Josh, and Mike's son Troy with him. We met again down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, but mixed it up just a bit. Our first stop was over at the Long Pointe docks, fishing jigs and mud minnows. Both Troy and Josh got on the board early - Josh with a feisty Redfish and Troy with a Jack Crevalle, and he had a keeper sized Flounder right to the boat.
After running up the Nassau River we fished a large marsh run out and here Troy started off hot, fishing the stern of the boat. He hooked up and landed another Jack, a Seatrout, and a Stingray. Haely got in on the action with a Ladyfish catch. They also had another feisty Redfish or two, and a couple of Trout. Mike had yet to put a fish in the boat, but I could tell he was just laying back. Drafting.
I didn't realize it but I had pumped my live well so full and the protective screen over the overflow was missing and....half our minnows swam down the tube to freedom! We were almost out of bait half way thru the trip. But I knew where there was a pool backed up on the back side of a shell bank (Twin Creeks) so we beached the boat, climbed to the shell bank, and netted a good amount of finger mullet and some that were 8" in length.
Our next stop was on up the river with plans to fish some dock pilings. Most of the Team were fishing live finger mullet. But I had also "fileted" the larger mullet and I had found out a year ago that the carcass of the mullet made a good bait - just the head, skeleton, guts, and tail. Mike was using the carcass, pitched to the pilings on a jig and, BAM! Big Fish On! Mike worked it patiently to the boat and landed a massive 25.25" Seatrout, a big enough fish to move him squarely into first place in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
Then Josh put a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout in the Boat, Haley added another one, then another. Josh caught a couple of Mangrove Snapper then BOOM! Haley had a big bite. This fish was ripping drag and headed right for the pilings. Here line "locked" down, but Haley kept her composure, held the pressure, and gently worked it out of the pilings. She then expertly worked it to the boat and landed a fast 28" Oversized Redfish! Only a few minutes later Mike had another big hookup - this one was ripping some drag too and I thought for sure it was a nice Slot Red. But as he worked it to the boat we saw that it was another massive Seatrout. When landed, it measured right at 25". Boy what a fish!
We fished Seymore's Pointe briefly with float rigs where Haley put a 12" Mangrove Snapper in the boat, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It was sad news to get that our friend and fishing buddy Raymond Keen passed away suddenly Saturday evening. He and I were "tied at the hip" thru out high school and many of us knew him from school and playing on the Fernandina Beach HIgh School Pirate football team together. A few years ago Tony French, Raymond, Daniel Rhodes and myself decided to re-unite on the "field" of fishing so we set up a back water trip here at Amelia Island. We had an outstanding time, caught many fish and planned to repeat the trip annually. We fished two more times together (Daniel missed last year due to a bad oyster he ate) but unfortunately, we had our last fishing time together with Raymond. Since his passing I've given a lot of thought to what drew me to Raymond as a friend. I think I recognized way back that Raymond had a "good heart" - he meant well, wanted to do the right thing, and didn't have any meaness within him. He was a good guy.
Tony came in from middle Georgia last night for the service this afternoon. We put out an invite out to Daniel but he had to work with such short notice. So Tony and I went fishing, partly to honor Raymond with one more fishing trip, and partly to get out and enjoy a day of fun fishing for ourselves!
We launched out at Goffinsville early and made the short run over to Broward Island. The tide was still going out, but was due to stop at anytime. I found out early that Tony's "strategy" was to catch fish quick and keep me busy netting fish and keep my bait out of the water! He landed a couple of feisty Redfish, a keeper sized Flounder, and a Jack before I could even wet a hook! Finally I hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. From then on we were catching fish -Raymond really would have enjoyed it! More small Reds and keeper sized Flounder. I went in between two logs and hooked up and landed a nice Slot sized 21" Redfish. We worked down the bank for hour or so, then moved on north.
Now knowing Tony's strategy, I had a jig baited and ready to go, and tossed it to the bank, let it drop, and, BOOM! Big Fish On! It was a good battle but we won it and landed an oversized 28.5" Redfish.
Our next stop was back down the Nassau River where we fished the flooding grass with float rigs. We added to the catch a couple more of keeper sized Flounder. We hit Seymore's Pointe to try for Mangrove Snapper, then made one final run down to Pumkin Hill.
I picked up a small Jack Crevalle then Tony, drifting his float up close to the grass, hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. It had been hot the last hour and we were really feeling it but Tony gave it one more drift, this time baited with a mud minnows, and BOOM! Big Fish On! The drag was ripping and the fish was digging deep then it came up and boiled and we new it was a big Redfish. Tony played it perfectly, fought it valiantly, and soon landed another Big Oversized 30" Redfish, boy what a fish! And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, and a good time to remember our friend Raymond Keen.
We had another beautiful day today when I met Russell Beard and his two sons Russell and William up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park. The sun was out, we only had a slight breeze and there weren't but a handful of boat trailers in the parking lot. We made the short run up to the Jolley River and set up fishing the bank with float rigs and live shrimp. I could tell that I was going to have an easy day when I saw that these three guys were anglers and could make the casts. But the fish weren't cooperating, other than a flounder that William got right up to the boat.
But after running further up the Jolley, just past Snook Creek, things picked up. The trio landed Jack Crevalle, Seatrout, Mangrove Snapper and then William hooked up, battled, played perfectly, and landed a nice Bonnethead Shark. Russell The Younger hooked up and landed a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. No Cap. We then came back towards the mouth of the Jolley, fished it briefly, then continued on.
Our next stop was on the outside of Tiger where Russell Sr. Battled a huge
Bonnethead (for our light tackle). Russell was zeroing in on the fish and credited the "positive energy" he was sending down the line! Moving further closer to the mouth of Tiger, we fished some flooded oysters, then both Russell Sr. and I saw a Flounder bust some bait, coming out of the water. Russell made an excellent cast with a mud minnow as bait, waited a bit, then saw his float begin to move off. Russell tightened the line, set the hook, and Fish On! Russell worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized Flounder.
The final stop was around in Bell River. Although the action wasn't much, Russell The Younger did put one Mangrove Snapper in the boat to claim the GPK. It was a beautiful day and a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
I fished this morning with Jean Ann (Sofi) Sofinowski and her fishing buddy Carolyn, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had just a slight breeze and overcast skies which made for some very pleasant fishing. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours so we ran up to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", working float rigs down the bank with live shrimp as the oysters were just beginning to show. I think the first "demo" cast we had a bite, a hookup, and a Sofi reeled in a feisty Redfish! That's the way to start a trip!
We slowly worked along that bank and both anglers landed a handful of small but fun to catch Redfish. The Sofi, working off the stern of the boat and we could tell this was a bigger fish - it stayed up close to shore for a bit, and then rolled. But Sofi kept the pressure on, worked it out from the oysters, played it perfectly, and landed a nice 21.5" Slot sized
Redfish. We picked up a few more fish, one of which was a hungry Seatrout with a spot that had no pigment!
Our next stop was on up the Jolley where we switched to jigs and picked up a couple of more fish. The MOA produced nothing so we continued on around to the Bell River and fished some docks. We did get some bites there, but not takers. We were running out of time and wanted to fish the Tiger Logs so we made the run. Carolyn put a Mangrove Snapper in the boat, we landed another Trout, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
