At Least One Picture Worthy Fish

 Finally, some beautiful weather! I met Brian Roach down at Sawpit Creek this morning early. We had some store-bought live shrimp and we cast netted about a dozen finger mullet then we headed up the intercoastal then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop. We turned into the current and began to toss float rigs on an incoming tide that had only been coming in for a couple of hours but the oysters were already covered. Brian was getting good casts and good drifts and picked up a small Jack Crevalle and a hungry Seatrout. 

We bumped down to Twin Creeks and fished it pretty good with the floats, caught a small catfish, then moved on. Our next stop was up at a dock at Seymore's Pointe where we switched to a jig. Brian worked some pilings good and I made a few tosses, but we had no nibbles. After making the run down to Pumpkin Hill we drifted live shrimp long. This produced a couple of crabs!  But Brian went real long with a drift and when his float disappeared he lifted and let the circle hook set and fish On!  Brian played it patiently and we could tell it was a good fish. I saw it come out of the water once - Brian worked it in and landed a big Seatrout that measured right at 19" - a "picture worthy fish" for sure! 

We fished that area pretty good, then made our way over to some docks at Nassauville where Brian caught a feisty Mangrove - we had more nibbles, caught another Catfish, then moved on. We tried our hand at Seymore's Pointe, fishing the rocks with floats, got some nibbles, then switched to jigsaand got more nibbles. and another......Catfish! Ouch!

We had had a beautiful day and had caught some fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

In Between The Storms

 

You've probably heard, "be careful what you wish for" - just a month ago we were begging for rain and now it seems someone forgot to turn the spigot off! And last night the forecast called for 47% chance of rain today so we thought we'd be getting wet if we fished, but we were going anyway! Luckily when I got up to get the boat ready the forecast had changed to just 15% chance and that held, we didn't get a drop while fishing. 

I had met David Prezzano and his fishing buddies Jay and Mike down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp with a live well full of shrimp, and before they got there, I had casted for a few dozen finger mullet. We ran over to the intercoastal, up it, and then turned into the Nassau and made our way up for a short bit before turning into the current on the first of an incoming tide. I noted that even though it had been only coming in for an hour, it was already covering the shell. All three anglers began tossing jigs and shrimp and in just a few minutes Mike "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and expertly landed a feisty Redfish. He followed that up with a golden colored Whiting catch. 

The trio of anglers caught a couple of small Seatrout, a Catfish, a couple of Jack Crevalle, one of which put up a good battle for David, then Jay had a strange "thump" and, Fish On!  Jay played it patiently, worked it to the boat and when it came to the surface, we saw that it was a big Flounder. He eased it slowly to the net and we brought to the boat a nice 18" Flounder, boy what a fish!

We then made our way down to Pumpkin Hill, fished a stretch with float rigs, then moved around to a point and drifted that. David had gotten a good cast that took his bait along the grass and BAM! Another Big Fish On!  He kept that tension on and worked in, let it run, worked it in and I was thinking "Redfish" but when David got it to the boat and netted, we saw that it was a 20.5" Gator Trout, boy what a fish!

Jay added one more keeper sized Seatrout to the box and although we had a few bites after that, we had no takers. That tide had gotten up to flood stage and the fish must have been up in the marsh. But we had caught some "picture worthy fish", had a few in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Few Good Battles

 

I was back to work today, meeting the Kucsma fishing team up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. The tide still had about an hour to hit bottom so we made our way around and up to the Jolley River, then down to the MOA to set up for fishing jigs and mud minnows. We didn't count "skunk off" when Andrew hauled in a Sail Cat but we did when Eddie brought in a copper colored Redfish. The trio fished that spot pretty good and we had a few bites from feisty Reds, but then we moved on. 

Fishing across the way, working along a shell bed, we were just about to a small drainage thru the oysters when the fishing got real hot!  Andrew hooked up and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout - they each caught smaller Reds, and a few more smaller Reds, then Jason had a strong hookup and this one wasn't coming in until it had ripped a bit of drag out. Jason played it expertly and eventually landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish.

We came back to the mouth of the Jolley and worked the bank and again caught small Reds, here and there. Back up at Snook Creek we worked that bank and here Eddie got hot when he landed a couple of Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size.

Our final stop was around at the outside of Tyger, sticking with the jigs. It was slow going but just after Eddie had announced "there were no fish here", BAM! Big Fish On! Andrew had hooked him up and the big fish had no intentions of coming to the boat. It was ripping drag and digging deep and it took Andrew around the bow a couple of times. Andrew kept the pressure on, worked it slowly in, let it run, worked it in, and finally landed a huge 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a battle!

Both Eddie and Andrew both put undersized Flounder in the boat, then Andrew added one more 19"Slot  Redfish to the catch, and with that, we called it a day, another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

2nd Chance

 I was out at Goffinsville again this morning, fishing with David Vice and his buddy Roland. The sun had just come up as we left the dock and made our way down the Nassau River, thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Point with plans to fish float rigs with live mud minnows and a handful of finger mullet. The duo had a couple of bites then Roland hooked up and landed a nice 18" keeper Seatrout.  Roland was hot early - in addition to the trout he caught a feisty Redfish, a Jack, and a couple of Ladyfish. 

But when his float disappeared and his drag began to rip we knew he had a big one on!  Roland worked it patiently and ....Fish OFF! Ouch! Boy that hurts. But he got a 2nd chance!  Roland had made a good cast up to a grassy point and BAM! Big Fish On!  This fish dug deep up shallow, boiled a time or two, then came out deep and took Roland from the bow to the stern, around the engine, back around the engine, and back once more. He played it perfectly and eventually landed a big 26.75" tournament Redfish, boy what a fish!

After fishing up and down that stretch and getting a couple of more fish we made our way back over to Jackstaff "bank". I eased along the bank as they tossed their float rigs. David was a good host and had been "laying back" but here he stepped up to catch a few. After making a good cast just above a small drainage, he let his float drift back and after it slowly went under, he tightened up and let the circle hook set. Later he said it felt like an oyster but then it began to fight. David brought it to the net and landed a keeper sized Flounder. He continued his catching ways, catching a couple of more feisty Redfish. As we moved up the bank Roland got back in on the action and found a few small Reds along the bank, but then one took it and ripped drag - this one was a bit bigger. Roland expertly played it and brought it in -a nice 19" Slot Redfish

We fished a stretch of bank at Back River, between a couple of docks at Nassauville, then finished up at Penny's Point, all to no avail. But we had a good box of fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
 

Po-tay-to's - Po- tah -to's

 

When I met Jeff Adams, his son Beau, and father-in-law Charlie up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp this morning I mentioned that I had live shrimp and mud minnows for bait and young Beau set me straight - Potayto's-Potahto's - it's all the same! And it pretty much was!

We eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run up the river, into the Jolley and all the round to the MOA and fished the first of an incoming tide. We debated whether Jeff's small perch catch counted as "knocking the skunk off" but when Beau hooked up and battled a big Catfish to the boat we knew that the skunk was surely off.  Jeff added a nice Whiting to the catch and they had a couple of Croakers caught, and another small Catfish.

We made our way back to the mouth of the Jolley, fished the "bank" and worked along it tossing the jigs and shrimp and minnows. The trio had a few good bites, no takers, but then Jeff, after making an excllent cast to the base of the oysters, had a hookup. This fish was ripping drag so we knew it had some size to it. He played it perfectly and after a good battle he laned a nice 21" Slot Redfish. 

Back up the Jolley we went and fished float rigs along a couple of banks, then we finished up fishing jits on the outside of Tyger. Both Charlie and Jeff landed Seatrout while Jeff put a couple of Flounder in the boat. We had caught a good handful of fish but as we finished up we could see a wall of rain and sure enough, we had to make our way thru it, but as we eased back into the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mother Of All Pays Off

 I was back up north for the first time in about a week, fishing with Bob Blalock out of Old Town Bait and
Tackle an a tide that still had about an hour to hit bottom. The water was like glass as we left the mouth of Eagans Creek and headed north and west up to the Jolley - we made a "Bee-line" for the MOA (mother-of-all) spot and set up with jigs and live shrimp and minnows.

It was crazy. Their was bait everywhere, moving around, getting "popped", rolled, and spit at  Wakes were moving in and around the oyster beds and we had a Tarpon rolling back behind us. Bob was making excellent casts and it soon paid off - he hooked up and landed a Slot Redfish.  After picking up a keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released), he had another strong bite -set the hook and, Fish On!  Bob played it perfectly as it bulled deep around the boat. It made a run towards the bow, then the stern, then under the boat, but Bob kept the pressure on and eventually landed another Slot Red, bigger than the first. 

We picked up a couple of more Reds, fished thru the change in tides, then moved on. Back around at Snook Creek we worked the bank but the wind had picked up and was pushing against the bank so we ran down to the the "bank", fished a runout and here Bob picked up another Redfish. WE fished the entire bank and had one small flounder to the boat for a quick release.

I had planned to fish the outside of Tyger but that NE wind was just a tad too much so we went around to the logs and fished them. Bob had two more Flounder bites, both just a bit undersized. Our final stop was over at Bell River where we added one more Seatrout to the fish catch total. The day had started out beautiful, we had some good action early, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing her at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Something Learned

 I wrapped up my week yesterday fishing with Kenny King and his friends John Raker and John's mother Betty, meeting them again out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp. 

Note: You never know when you'll be surprised at the boat ramp - a guy had backed his truck (no trailer/boat) down the ramp, got out, and was fishing from the ramp. When I pulled up I thought he was launching so I sat and waited for a while. When he didn't pull out I got out and checked -  sure enough he was just blocking the ramp and fishing. Crazy. 

We had a tide that was coming in for a couple of more hours so we ran across the river and went with float rigs up to the grass on that flooding tide. I was hoping we'd get  some reds up in those pockets but I don't think we had even a bite until Betty, fishing off the stern, had her float drifting over some submerged oysters. When the float went under she at first thought she might be hung up but that hang up started pulling back!  Betty played the fish expertly and brought to the net a nice 19.5" Flounder, big enough to secure 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

After fishing a good stretch along there we made a run down the Nassau and pulled up at Twin Creeks and drifted the floats again. Crazy how we were getting no bites, not even a baitstealer until John had a good take, and Fish On!  He fought it patiently, let it run, worked it up and soon landed a Slot 21" Redfish. Later he battled a 4' Bonnethead to the boat and then commented, "we've had three bites and three fish caught!"

We went over to Seymore's and tinkered with some Small Mangroves, then around the corner to do the
same and here Kenny put a fat Mangrove in the boat. There was also a Jack or two caught sometime in there.  After running thru Horsehead we fished Pompano Point and here Betty got busy catching fish off the stern. She was drifting here float/shrimp past a grassy corner and then down alongside it and BAM! She'd have a hookup. She added to the catch total with two more feisty Redfish. 

Our final stop, after running back thru Horsehead, was over at Back River, working an outgoing tide. The trio of angles were drifting on the outside of some shell beds that you could barely make out in the water. We had an epiphany - try tossing the float over the submerged shell bed and hope it's deep enough for the float to drift along he backside - they did!  Kenny had a good drift going - it snagged, then came off, and BAM!   Fish On!  Kenny played it to the boat and landed a nice 17.5" Flounder.  John tried it and he too got a good drift and BAM! He had a hookup. When he got his to the boat we found it was a small Black Tip Shark. Summer is here!  It was getting hot. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Enjoy What You Got

What a super beautiful day we had today!  I met Dennis Brizzi and his fishing crew Bob and Jeremy out at Goffinsville Park mid morning with plans to fish the first of an outgoing tide. It was still coming in at Goffinsville so we ran over to Pumpkin Hill and drifted float rigs and live shrimp along the flooding marsh line. 

As it turned out, we didn't "tear them up" today but with a somewhat cool temperature, sunshine, and a slight breeze, I could tell these anglers were enjoying being out on the water. Jeremy did have a good bite at that first stretch, and when we moved around the corner Dennis put a small Seatrout in the water, then Bob hooked up and played to the boat a nice 18" Seatrout, and then he had an epic battle with a 3' Bonnethead Shark, the first of the year. He played it patiently, fought it from Starboard to Port, from stern to bow, and back to stern, then settled in for the fight. It took a while on that light tackle but we eventually landed it for photograph and release. 

It was a real treat to be fishing under the watchful eye of a Bald Eagle setting on an shell bank. 

We fished Seymore's Pointe on the outgoing tide and here Dennis, after breaking off initially on a bigger fish, put a handful of Mangrove Snapper in the boat. After running thru Horsehead we fished Pompano Pointe, to no avail, then we fished over off of Jackstaff, a couple of spots, then back thru Horsehead we went. 

After a long run up the Nassau River we dipped into a creek and worked the bank and Jeremy persevered and hooked up and landed a nice Flounder. He also put two Blue Crab in the boat!  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, we had caught a few, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Storm Behind Us

 We had a pretty good thunderstorm come thru last evening, enough so that our dog, Jasper, was hunting security. It was still raining when I went to bed but when I got up this morning it had quit and we had just a breeze as I made my way to the bait shop. Afterwards I met Frank and Joanne Wytiaz down at Sawpit Creek and we made our way up the Back River on a high and still coming in tide to make our first stop around at Pumpkin Hill with plans to fish float rigs  and live shrimp. With the north wind at our back, both anglers were getting good casts to the flooding grass line and good drifts too, but it was to no avail, we only had a nibble or two. 

But when we inched around a point and drifted that side Joanne battled a nice Catfish to the boat then Frank battled a rather big Jack Crevalle to the net. We then got out of the wind that had picked up and ran over to Christopher Creek and worked the bend with jigs, but again, no luck.

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Point, fishing a large drainage with the float rigs and here we picked up a few Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size. (all fish caught today were released). Back around at Nassauville and back to fishing jigs deep, the two anglers picked up another Mangrove and Joanne put a couple of  Seatrout in the boat, one of which was of keeper size. 

The final stop, after running thru Horsehead, was over at Pompano Pointe, drifting the float rigs. It seemed the wind may have died and Frank and Joanne were getting good drifts but we only had a nibble or two. The sun had come out, it had cooled from yesterday, and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wind Made It A Challenge

 I wrapped my week up today, fishing with Bob Kossman and Larry Westfall before they head north forthe summer. This was a a "Share-A-Trip" - contact me if you'd like to be added to the list. We met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp with a weather forecast that called for clear skies and 8mph  west winds to start, increasing to 13mph. We made the long run up the Nassau and around to Broward Island and fished a stretch as the tide was still going out. I could tell right off that the water was real murky which didn't bode well for a our chances and sure enough, we had no bites. We moved down the way a bit and fished, trying to stall for the tide to turn around, but eventually we had to leave - that west wind, the murky waters, and no bites made it the smart thing to do. 

We headed back to Seymore's Pointe, somewhat out of the wind, and found a dock to fish on that lower incoming tide, and this did the trick. The duo caught a few feisty Redfish, a keeper Seatrout that had only a few spots(I called it a weakfish initially) and Bob landed the 2nd Mangrove Snapper of the year while Larry put probably the biggest Black Sea Bass I've ever had caught in the boat. 

After fishing back around at Nassauville with jigs and live shrimp and getting a couple of small trout, we came back around to Seymore's and fished float rigs now that the tide was up. No luck with them but Larry found that we could set up out deep and get Seatrout off the bottom,  one of which was 17", and we also got  a couple of Blues. By now that wind was kicking! I checked my weather App and saw that it was at 17mph!  We had struggled to stay out of the wind, but it was a beautiful day and we had caught a few fish so was we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Off Day Leads to Big Trout

 I had the day off and decided to get in some "fun" fishing before we had to batten down the hatches for the approaching storm.  After be first in line at the Amelia Island Bait and Tackle for some live shrimp, I headed down to Sawpit Creek boat ramp, launched, and ran up the Back River to hit a flooded point in the Nassau. Tossing float rigs and the live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide, I hit the Ladyfish jackpot! Every cast - BAM! The first couple of times I got excited when the float went under but then I got complacent.

Fishing the point, the tide was so high my float was drifting the wrong way but when it went under I reeled up a bit of slack and let the circle hook set and when it bent the rod a bit I thought, "well great, a nice little Redfish". I even remember giving complete slack as I reached behind the Yeti to grab the catch net but when I lifted the rod up I saw a huge Seatrout!  I got that line tight quick! And got that net under it and landed it - a big 21" Seatrout!

As the tide started out I fished a couple of more spots with the floats and picked up some small Mangroves and Jacks, then moved down the Nassau and switched to jigs and shrimp and picked up a couple of small Seatrout, a couple of small Redfish, and then a big Bonnethead Shark. Moving further down I fished the back side of a submerged "bar" and caught one small Redfish after the other.  I'd had a fun day of fishing and had dinner for the evening (see next report) so as a I headed back to the ramp I counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

9 Spot Slot

 I wrapped up my week today fishing with the Jensen's, Dean and his sons Elijah and Tyler, meeting
them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early to try and "beat the heat". We made a quick run over to the outside of Tyger Island and set up along a grassy point to fish float rigs on the very first of an outgoing tide. It was another beautiful morning, sunshine, clear skies, and just a bit of breeze. With those conditions you'd have thought (hoped) the fish bite would be on fire but, all we did was have a quick tangle with Sharks and Ladyfish. After crossing over a creek we fished a shoreline and Dean did pick up a small but feisty Redfish. 

Around the outside of Tyger we went and made one stop at a drainage to pitch jigs and shrimp, then we continued on around to the Jolley, switched back to float rigs, and drifted the bank on that outgoing tide. In between Shark bites Elijah hooked up, expertly battled, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish - one that had 9 spots - a good fish in any Spot Tournament. We continued to ease along that bank and Dean patiently wore out the biggest Shark of the day, bringing it to the boat for photograph and release, then it was Tyler's turn to have the Redfish hookup. He had made an excellent cast to the bank and it paid off with a hookup. He played it perfectly and soon landed a 21.5" Slot Red.

We then moved up the river and pulled up at a large drainage that I used to fish 15 years ago, anchoring and bottom fishing out the back. But this time we positioned ourselves parallel to the bank and drifted those floats and it paid off. In addition to catching a couple of feisty Redfish, Dean hooked up and landed a real nice 18" Flounder. 

Further up the river we fished what evidently was a Shark haven- at one time we had a "double" going, then we ended the day at the MOA just as the oysters were beginning to show. Elijah  caught a couple of more small Redfish and Dead added a couple of Black "puppy" Drum. Somewhere along the way Dean had landed a Seatrout so the Drum made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam, and we chalked it up 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

We Rallied at the End

 

If you could have asked for the most perfect day to be fishing, today would have been it! Clear skies, sunshine, just a bit cool, and only a slight breeze - it was a "Chamber of Commerce" type morning when I met Bob Kossman and John Raker on a "share trip" kind of day down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a long run up the intercoastal, into Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill to set up along a flooding shell bottom on a high and still incoming tide. John was on the bow and Bob was on the stern and they couldn't have had better drifts with their float rigs and live shrimp but all we could produce was a nibble here and there.

We moved around a point, fished it a bit, then dropped back to a flooded grassy island where John quickly "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch. Whoop Whoop! Skunk off! We fished back around the corner, then made a run over to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large outflow and again, just nibbles. After running thru the marsh around to Jackstaff we fished another outflow thoroughly, but again to no avail. 

Back thru the marsh and down to Twin Creeks where we switched to jigs and shrimp. The duo of anglers didn't get any fish but Bob did have a strong bite right at the boat.

I was getting desperate so we decided to make the run up the Nassau to a small creek where we worked the bank with the jigs and it was a trip ending Rally!  John hooked up and landed a Seatrout, and at the same time Bob hooked up and battled a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. As we worked the bank John picked up a feisty Redfish, then another, then Bob had a a big bite and Fish On! He played it to the net and landed a Slot sized Redfish. We were almost ready to head back to the ramp when Bob had a hookup, a strange fight and sure enough, when he brought it to the net we had a keeper sized Flounder to round out a Grand Slam of Seatrout, Black Drum, Redfish and Flounder and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Slight Uptick in the Fish Catching

 We've had a rough week! That cold air seemed to put a real damper on the fish bite but today there was a slight uptick. Yesterday, I fished two trips and it was slooow going. We did catch a few trout in the morning with John Frederick and his buddy Dan Forche, but that was about it. That afternoon I fished with the Lafave family - Josh and Sally and their two sons and even though they had excellent attitudes and a strong character of Perseverance, we were only able to land a fat Whiting. Both trips we were limited to fishing mud minnows. 

But today was a new day  when I met Glenn and Patti Lanford up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We headed out of Eagans Creek and made the run over to Soap Creek where we set up fishing float rigs and live shrimp and Glenn quickly knocked the skunk off with a hungry Seatrout catch. He followed that up with another.  After fishing some docks further up the creek we came back to the mouth of Lanceford and fished a run out and here Glenn put another Trout in the boat. 

Our next stop was down near Piney Island, fishing some dock pilings, but we had no luck. We moved further down the intercoastal and here Patti got on the board with feisty Redfish catch. Glenn added one as well. We moved up to a small drainage and again Patti put another Redfish in the net, and Glenn added another. 

Our final stop; was back at the mouth of Bell River and here Patti wrapped things up with a Bluefish catch and a Seatrout. Although we didn't "tear them up" we did have a bit of action, and it was a beautiful day so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Anyone Can Catch a Redfish

 Back south we went today when I met David Vide and his son Nathaniel out at the Goffinsville Park boat
ramp early.  The tide had been going out for about two hours but we made a quick run around to Seymores and set up tossing float rig up to a grassy point in hopes that we'd get a good drift with the current. It was kinda strange that we didn't have much current...and not much biting!

We then made a run down the Nassau to Spanish Drop, turned into the current (there was one here!) and worked the bank, tossing close the grass - we had no takers. But after moving up a couple of hundred yards to a drainage and switching to jigs and live shrimp, that did the trick. In fact, the "demo" cast produced a hookup which Nathaniel promptly reeled in. Then both he and David had hookups and landed a Seatrout. 

The tide had now been going out about three hours so we made a long run up  the Nassau and worked into a creek and began to work the edge with the jigs. Nathaniel got hot and put a couple of feisty Redfish in the boat, then both he and his dad caught Reds - we had a "double" a couple of times. Then as we worked up the bank Nathaniel hooked up and this one ripped some drag, then boiled, a bigger fish. Nathaniel played it perfectly and landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. He went back to the same spot with a couple of casts and put another Slot Redfish in the boat. With our limit in the boat, we headed back to Nassauville.

Fishing a drainage, David hooked up deep and landed another Trout, then we finished up back around at Seymore's where they picked up another couple of feisty Reds. The breeze had picked up and had thankfully  blown the Sand Gnats off so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Don't Try This at Home

Crazy weather today...from yesterday's forecast it looked like we would be able to squeeze a trip in today but when I got up it showed a 9mph wind early, increasing to 17 increasing to 20 increasing to 23! And that it did!  But I "had a plan" when Dara and William Blalock walked up at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp and so, we went for it!

After a 10 minute run around Seymore's, thru Alligator and up the intercoastal a bit we set up fishing some structure with jigs and live shrimp and sheltered by a land mass, we were oblivious to any impending wind. Both Dara and William began to get fish and caught 6-8 small but feisty Redfish and one small Flounder.  We also had a Salt Marsh Mink sighting. When that bite slowed we eased on up the intercoastal and turned into a creek with a stretch of docks that I though would surely be out of the wind ....and the plan crumbled - there was already another boat fishing the spot. Dang it. 

We then ran south, back to Nassauville, and set up fishing between a couple of docks and William hooked up and landed Redfish and a Seatrout. We also had an Osprey and a Bald Eagle sighting.  After moving around to Seymore's we fished a couple of docks, out of the wind, but to no avail.   I thought that Broward Island may be blocking the SW wind which had increased to the 20's and when we got down there it was somewhat blocked for a while. Dara too advantage of that and put another Redfish in the boat. But then the wind shifted and was blowing right "down the pipe" which made for some difficult fishing. 

I had been thinking about hitting a small creek that I hadn't fished in a while but knew that the tide was already down a good bit and I rarely go anywhere shallow in my boat on a low outgoing tide, but you know, what would Kirby do? Go for it! So we made a 10 minute run and eased up into the creek and sure enough in some places I was getting a reading of less than two feet, and the tide still had to go our another 2 hours. But we made it to our destination and began pitching the bank with the jigs (the bank was only about 4' deep, and when we got to one downed log, William went in with his initial cast but got snagged and while he re-baiting Dara went in with a perfect cast and BAM! Fish On!  She played it perfectly and brought to the net a nice Redfish. For the next 20 minutes the duo caught fish, one after the other with three of them being of Slot size (all fish caught today were released). 

When the bite slowed we made a u-turn and puttered out of there - a few times I had to raise the engine and I could feel the hull skimming over mud - but we made it out and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Cool and Clear For Trout and Redfish

 We fished out of Dee Dee Bartels Park today when I met Mark Averbuch and his son Cutler and grandson Harvey early this morning. It was still in the 30's but there were clear skies and the river was alike a lake. The tide still had a couple of hours of going to out to hit bottom so we made a long run up the Bell River to fish a deep bank with jigs and live shrimp. It didn't take long before Mark "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout - and he was out deep. Then Cutler was fishing the outside of a dock and he too had a hard bite and a hookup - he landed another nice Seatrout. But it was Harvey who had the Redfish catch - after making a good cast to the pilings he felt the "bump", set the hook and Fish On! As you can see in the video, the fish was no match for Harvey who expertly brought it to the net. 

We another dock along there, to no avail, then made a run over into the Jolley where we fished the MOA on the last of the ougoing tide, then we continued on around to behind Tyger Island and fished deep with the jigs. Again, no real bites.

Our final stop was over at Eagans Creek where we set up current from a dock and here the action turned on. All three anglers caught Redfish - about 7-10 in all. We had a couple of breakoffs but these anglers went right back in there and picked up another one. The sun was up, the temperature was now up into the 50's and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Seatrout Bite Made the Day

 I fished Friday morning with Dennis Adams, his son-in-law Daniel, and Daniel's dad Dan, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and boy what a pretty morning we had! Sunshine, clear skies, and just a very little breeze. So I made the first run up to the Jolley River where we turned into the incoming current and fished float rigs with live shrimp. These three anglers were getting excellent casts up to the flooding marsh grass, but we had no takers.

We ran further up the river and fished a bank and in just a few minutes Dan had a strong take. He reeled down, lifted the rod and let the circle hook set and Fish On! Dan worked it tot he boat expertly and landed a nice feisty Redfish. And just a minute later Dennis went to the same spot and BAM! He had a strong hookup too. He brought it n and released it right at the boat!

The tide was really high and almost to the to so we came back to Tyger, ran thru ad around to the Bell, and set up on a point to drift the floats, but had no bites. Our next stop was over at Soap Creek and here we had a some good action. We moved up and down the bank, picking up a Trout here and there, then we found one spot that seemed to hold them. All three anglers caught and landed Seatrout.

Our final stop was over at some docks at Lanceford and here Dennis picked up a nice sized Whiting. We had had some mild temperatures, some great sunshine and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Getting Away From It All Today

 

Fishing north again today, I flipped a coin this morning - fish the docks up Lanceford or stay away from civilization. Heads one and after I picked up Craig and Paula Rutledge and their friend Brent, we headed over to fish the backside of Tyger on the first of an incoming tide. The trio of anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp, letting it fall in the deep water, and retrieving it slowly. They were getting good casts but all we got were "nibbles", here and there. 

The sun was up and we had clear skies and a nice little breeze as we came out of Tyger and rounded around to the Jolley River where we set up fishing the "bank". Craig "knocked the skunk off" when he boated a small flounder then he hooked up and gallantly battled what I believe was a shark, but eventually it tired of playing with us, broke off, and went on it's way. He then had a good bite on his jig, up near the oyster banks, and Fish ON!  Craig played it expertly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. Paula, fishing from the stern, had seen a swirl up near the bank, made her cast just to the side, let it sit and when her line tightened she set the hook and, Fish On! She patiently brought it to the boat and landed a beautiful Seatrout. 

We ran further up the river and fished Snook Creek thoroughly, to no avail. Our next stop was back around
at Tyger, now fishing the outside with float rigs and here Craig and Brent tangled with the high flying "poor mans Tarpon" - Ladyfish. Paula added another Seatrout catch to the board, then we moved on, stopping at a flooding point up Bell River, briefly, then we moved on.

Our final stop was up Lanceford Creek, then into Soap where we fished a flooded shell/grass island with float rigs. Craig had a float drifting between the island and the marsh and as the float slipped under Craig tightened up his line, lifted the rod and let the circle hook set and had another good fish on. He played it perfectly - I thought it was a small Red, but when brought it to the surface and to the net we saw that it was another 21" Slot sized Redfish, which made for a good way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.