:Handicapped from the Start

After I got the boat ready and was having a cup of coffee I saw AIBT's Facebook post that they were out of live shrimp and minnows and I knew we'd be a bit handicapped from the start. But I luckily I had some fresh frozen shrimp in the freeze, which I grabbed, and I loaded up with a quart of fiddler crabs at the bait shop and then met Doug Massey, his son Mark and grandson Evan up at the Old Town boat ramp.  And then Capt Jesse Scruggs gave me a dozen mud minnows, so we were set!

We headed out of Eagans and over to Tyger and set up off a point to fish float rigs and drifted the mud minnows across an oyster flat with the outgoing current. The trio of anglers were getting good drifts but if we had a nibble, it wasn't much.  We crossed over the creek and fished a corner of grass with the floats, but again, no bites.

After coming out of Tyger and around to the outside we did pull up at a drainage and switched to jigs and the minnows and worked it pretty good, to no avail.  The wind was supposed to start picking up and sure enough, it was as we headed around to the Jolley River and fished another drainage, this time with the floats, and again, no bites. Ouch.  We were two hours in to the trip and the skunk was still on the boat!

But our next stop was around at Bell River, fishing the jigs with everything we had -live minnows, fresh dead shrimp, and fiddler crabs and this did the trick. Just a few minutes in Evan "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. He followed that up with a small Sheepshead caught on one of the fiddlers, then Mark got in on the action and expertly played a keeper sized Trout to the net. After a good cast up into a pocket behind some pilings he had another good bite, a hookup, and fought to the boat a nice Slot sized Redfish

We were getting bites now with the tide down and we were blocked from the growing wind.  Doug found a couple of Trout that were almost legal, Evan garnered a type of Slam with a Black "puppy" Drum catch (Trout, Sheepshead, Drum) and then he wrapped things up with a Whiting catch. As we headed back to the ramp, and out from the land mass, we soon found that the wind was howling, but with some good fish catches, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Bang at the End

 I was wondering who was crazier, me or my guests for wanting to fish this morning, especially when I
stepped out of the house and it was pouring rain. I got the boat ready to go, came in for some coffee, and as I headed to the bait shop it was still raining, and they were surprised to see me or anyone else heading out to fish. But the forecast called for the rain to stop mid morning, so when I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddy Jason out at the Goffinsville boat ramp we all had on our rain gear, and we headed out.

The first stop was down at Broward Island, fishing jigs on the very last of an outgoing tide. The water was a bit muddy, which had me worried, but Steve soon knocked the skunk of when he hooked and landed a feisty Redfish. Jason followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout, then added another feisty Red to the catch total.  We picked up one or two more Reds and a Blue, fishing under the Bald Eagles, and we missed a couple of fish, too. 

We made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings, got a few nibbles, and Steve put another Trout in the boat.  After heading back around to some docks at Nassauville and here the water was calm with the wind blocked by the land mass. It took a few minutes but eventually both anglers began to get bites, and hookups. Steve took his chances up near a submerged log and caught another Red, a hard fighting Blue Fish, and then both he and Jason got in to some Flounder, catching and landing 5 of them with two being of keeper size. And we missed a few. 

Back Seymore's we switched to float rigs and they caught another Red, another Flounder, and another Blue Fish. On further around we fished a large drainage at the last of an incoming tide and this is when we had the Big Bang!  The duo began to get Seatrout of nice size, the biggest was 18.5" caught by Steve.  After Jason had made a cast that got him up alongside a grassy point, his float drifted and, BAM! Fish On!  He worked the fish out fairly quickly and we were thinking maybe a small Red, especially when it boiled, but then it began to rip drag with a vengeance and we knew it was big. There was a chance it may cut off on the shallow oysters but Jason stayed with it and finally brought to the net a big 26.5" "tournament" sized Redfish, boy what fish. They added a few more Trout to the boat, 6 keepers in all and of course there were a few that we missed. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as a wet fishing trip that turned out pretty good!

Chased Off

 I fished this morning with Glenn and Patti Langford, knowing we might get wet. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and  headed up the Nassau, all the way to Broward to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. The first spot we stopped at didn't produce anything but nibbles, but as we moved down the way we began to get bites. We had a good bite, a hookup and Glenn battled to the boat a nice Slot sized Redfish. Patti, fishing off the stern, and a good hookup and landed another Red, then Glenn hooked up and fought to the boat another Slot Red.  We put a couple of more feisty Reds in the boat before we moved on. 

Down on the south end of the island, fishing under the Bald Eagles, Patti found a hungry Seatrout to bring to the net. After fishing the mouth of Pumpkin Hill with float rigs and feeding a handful of "bait stealers', we moved on. Our next stop was way up the Nassau, into a creek where we fished some downed logs. Again, Glenn had a hookup but this time his line got wrapped around his reel - as I worked to get it unwrapped, Glenn brought to the boat another feisty Red, brought in hand over hand!

As we were heading back to the Nassauville area we could see the rain heading our way but we were prepared with rain jackets. Unfortunately we were not ready for the lighting!  We could see flashes of the lightning and when it began to crash closer to us we decided to "pull the plug" and make a run back to the ramp. But we had had a few hours of fishing and had a couple in the box so as we pulled up to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It Began and Ended With a Flurry

Boy what a wind we had yesterday! I had to cancel the trip with winds 17-20mph plus, but we thought we could get one in today. I met Derek Poon with his two sons Zach and Tylge down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and the wind had died down to a comfortable 8mph so we made the run up the Nassau and around to Broward to try and catch the incoming tide before it got too high. I think first cast we had a hookup - Zach was on the rod and he played it perfectly to the net - a feisty Redfish and first fish of the day!

Shortly after that "dad" got hot -Derek caught and landed a Slot Red, then a nice keeper sized Seatrout. We moved down the way and fished back a little bit, under a Bald Eagle, and here Derek hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder - he had a "Slam" in the box!

We then came back up to Pumpkin Hill and switched to float rigs. The wind had picked up and it was making it difficult to cast into the wind but we did our best and caught a couple of small Seatrout. After fishing a grass patch for a bit we moved on. 

Our next stop was between two docks, back to fishing the jigs and shrimp and although we didn't have much action, Tyler did put another Flounder in the boat. We now had some high winds AND a high tide and I was thinking we had probably did all we were going to be able to do but we tried one final spot around at Seymore's, still tossing the float rigs and boy was I wrong All three anglers began to get bites - Seatrout. They had a handful of smaller Trout but Derek added 4 more keeper fish to his tally, Zach added a keeper Trout to his count, and Tyler put a big Blue in the boat. 

When we got back to the ramp we had a mess o' fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Grande Slam and Upper Slot Red

 

I did  an afternoon trip today, meeting Nate Aron, his father Aaron, and his father-in-law Gil Langley up at Eagans Creek. The wind had died a little bit since this morning and as we eased out of the creek we had clear skies and sunshine!  We made our way over to behind Tyger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. The first area was kind of slow except for the bait stealers but when we moved down we began to get fish. 

The trio put a nice Redfish in the boat, some Trout,  then Gil hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. That made an Amelia Island Back Country Slam, then Nate had strange bite, worked it patiently to the boat, and landed a nice Flounder to make it a Grande Slam. Then Aaron had a strong bite and when it was ripping drag and digging deep we knew we had a big one. Aaron played it like a "Jim Brown" pro, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 25.5" Slot Redfish. We had some good action after that but when it slowed we moved on - running up to the Jolley. After trying our hand with some float rigs, to no avail, we ran up to Snook Creek and switched back to the jigs and caught a couple of Seatrout. 

Our final stop was around at Bell River and here we had a good uptick in catches - mostly Seatrout, but a small Black Drum also. It had warmed just a bit, we had fished in clear, sunny skies, and we had a couple of fish 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.

Wind and Cool Make for a Challenge

 When I stepped out side this morning in the dark to get the boat ready I was a bit surprised by the wind still kicking. I knew the forecast called for high winds overnight but I thought they were supposed to be done with by daylight. I went back in  and checked the weather and it was about right -14mph at the time, dropping to 12 as the morning progressed. So loaded up!

I met Dennis Adams, his son-in-law Danial, and nephew Ben up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and we eased out of Eagans and made the run north, into the wind) and around to the Jolley River.. Boy was it choppy!  We ran up the Jolley and found a large drainage to drift float rigs and live shrimp on the outgoing tide, but had no bites. Further up the Jolley, at Snook Creek we switched to jigs and this paid off. All three anglers began to get fish. Young Ben found him a "honey hole" off to the side and caught a good handful of hungry Seatrout. 

We then made our way around to the Bell River and stayed with the jigs and got good number of fish caught as that tide dropped - Seatrout, a small black drum, and a keeper sized Sheepshead. Our final stop was back at Lanceford Creek, fishing some docks. Although CM didn't pay off, we moved down a dock or two and BAM! Big Fish On!  Daniel was on the rod and played it perfectly, working it out from the pilings and brought him to the net lively - I almost missed him he was so green!  But after netting we measured it right at 25", a perfect Slot red to rap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Red Battled out From Dock Pilings

 We had what I thought was a good tide today - last of an outgoing, then first of an incoming. I had met Kristen Benton and her friend Quinton out at Goffinsville Park early - the skies were just a bit overcast and there was very little breeze, and we made our way around to Seymore's Pointe to set up current from some dock pilings and toss jigs and live shrimp to their base. Both anglers had "nibbles" but no real takers, other than a 'baitstealer" or two, but when I switched Quinton to a mud minnow, that must have done the trick! BAM! Big Fish On!

And unfortunately that big fish went straight thru the pilings and out the other side!  But Quinton was up to the task - he kept the pressure on and let that strong braid saw back and forth over the piling and when the fish came back to the middle he worked him thru - that fish didn't know who he was dealing with!  Quinton worked it in slowly and eventually landed a 26.875 fat Redfish - a sure "Champion" in any Tournament! Boy what a fish!

Kristen put a small Seabass in the boat and we had a small Trout catch before we moved on. Our next stop was back around at Nassauville where we tossed the jigs between two docks. The "demo" cast produced a Redfish bite that Kristen expertly brought to the boat. We also picked up a couple of more hungry Seatrout here.  After fishing some exposed shell banks down at Spanish Drop, to no avail, we moved up a few hundred yards and found one more Seatrout, out deep. 

Our final stop was down at Broward Island, working along the treelined bank. The first area we tried didn't produce anything, but 40' further down we got into a good Redfish bite. Kristen and Quinton took turns reeling in fish and a couple of times we had a "double" hookup - two Reds once, and a Red and Black "puppy" Drum a 2nd time. The added one skinny but Slot Red to the box then Kristen finished things up with another small Drum catch and a first of the season Mangrove Snapper. 

We had ended with a bank and had two nice Reds 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 

Trout Carry The Afternoon

 I fished this afternoon with Eric Stevens, meeting him up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a high and still coming in tide as we eased out of Eagans Creek and I wasn't feeling very confident in our prospects. We ran over to Lanceford Creek and fished between a couple of docks with float rigs and did pick up one Seatrout which got my hopes up...but then we had no more bites. After trying our luck around the corner at a grass patch, to no avail, we moved on. 

After running back down Lanceford, up the Bell, thru Horsehead and around to the outside of Tyger we set up on a corner of grass as the tide started out, and my confidence level was now up. Eric was making excellent casts and getting good drifts and I waited for the bite, and waited, and waited, again, to no avail. My confidence was shattered!

We then made the run up to the Jolley River and seeing another boater sitting on the spot I was heading to, we continued on around to the Bell and found some docks to fish. My demo cast with the jig  produced a bite and from then on we were catching fish. We worked thru a bunch of smaller fish but Eric got his limit in keeper sized Seatrout, and we thru back a couple that were of legal size.  Eric added a Redfish catch, a few Black Drum catches and a few "baitstealing" Perch. 

The afternoon had started real slow with that high tide but as it started out we had begun to get fish and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Barely Legal

 I fished with the Langfords this morining, Glenn and Patti, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had the first of an incoming tide so we made our way over to Tyger Island and fished the logs. An incoming tide, no wind, and just a few bugs made for what I thought were ideal conditions, but the fish didn't cooperate with the plan. They did catch a Bluefish and a small Flounder before we moved on. 

Our next stop was over at Lanceford Creek, fishing some docks, and this paid off. We worked a few different docks and picked up fish, caught on jigs and live shrimp. They put in the box two Redfish that measured a little over 18", a Seatrout that measured a little over 15", and a Black Drum that measured a little over 14" - all "Barely Legal", but keepers just the same.  They also had a few more smaller Redfish caught. 

We then fished the outside of Tyger in a couple of places with float rigs. We may have had a few bites, but no real takers. We had a handful of fish in the box and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Fl.orida. 

Good Trout Bite Early

 We had a very high and outgoing tide to fish when myself, Bob Kossman, and Larry Westfall made to it to our first spot this morning. We fishing  a large outflow up the Nassau River with float rigs and live shrimp. My 'demo" cast produced a bite (I missed him) but after that Bob and Larry stayed busy catching Trout. We missed a you but caught more than we missed. A few of them were of keeper size with two being right at 17" 

When the bite finally slowed, we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and fished a stretch but the wind in our face made it a bit difficult. We came back to Jackstaff and fished a run out but had no bites.

Back thru Horsehead we went and down to some docks at Nassauville and here Larry got hot fishing a jig deep. He picked up a handful of Trout, had a big fish rip drag and come off, then he hooked up and landed a big 18,5" Trout, big enough to kick off the 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament, Seatrout Category.(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We then fished Pumpkin Hill with the float rigs but had no luck then made our way up the Nassau and into a creek to fish the jigs. And here it was Bob's turn to get hot. He hooked up with a big fish that was ripping drag but it made its way under a log - we could feel it tugging and sawing back and forth when we pulled the line. We tried repositioning the boat, opening the bail, but to no avail - it finally broke off. 

But Bob was not to be deterred - he hooked up and landed a nice 20" Slot Red (no pic- accidently dropped it over the side!), but then he saved me and caught and landed another Slot Red. We added one more feisty Red before we called it a a day. And as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Cast Jinx?

 Usually when our first cast of day catches a Slot Redfish I'm thinking "that's a good start". That's what happened this morning after I met John Fredericks and Dan Forsch up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and we hit our first spot - some dock pilings down the Amelia River. We were fishing on a tide that still had a few hours to go out, tossing jigs and live shrimp and first cast, BAM! Fish on!  Dan worked him out from behind a piling, played it perfectly and soon landed a 19" Slot Redfish!

But after that we fished and fished and had only nibbles from the "bait stealers'. After trying another dock we found anglers fishing from the dock so we moved on. Our next stop was way up Bell River, fishing a bend in the river and here the "first fish jinx" was off!  Both Dan and Robert caught Seatrout - a good handful of 14" fish but they also landed a couple of keepersize. We also had one or two "big" ones get off. They also caught a handful of smaller Black "puppy" Drum. We worked up and down that bend for a while, then moved. 

A brief stop at the MOA, with oysters exposed, and the tide low and still going out, but again, no luck.

Our final stop was around at Tyger, fishing the first of an incoming tide. Again, both anglers caught fish - feisty Reds, and then Dan put a nice 25" Slot in the boat. He also found what must have been a school of 10" Puppy Drum. We fished a downed tree - Dan had made an excellent cast, let it fall down by the limbs and BAM! Big Fish On!  Dan worked it patiently and when it came to the surface we saw it was a big Sheepshead and when netted it measured right at 20" - big enough to move in to First Place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament, Sheepshead Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We had gradually built up a nice 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. 

The Legend Grows

 When he stepped out of the truck it was almost like all sound stopped - the seagulls quit screeching, the marsh wrens quit chirping and as the sun came up, the world stopped spinning as the  young angler made his way to the dock at Old Town Bait and Tackle. I don't know if I've ever seen such a slow, confident walk as he glided down the gangway in his camo fishing outfit, his knit hat pulled down to his eyebrows and his red bandana tied loosely around his weathered neck. I was thinking we might catch some fish today but I knew we would when The Legend quietly said, "Let's Fish".  

This was Bob Blalock, his son Robbie and their nephew Colin (The Legend). I met them yesterday out
at Goffinsville Park boat ramp as the sun came up and we motored quickly over to Broward Island and set up to fish a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours. We quickly found that we'd have to deal with "bait stealers' all day, but Robbie did find a nice keeper sized Seatrout out deep. 

We then ran further up the Nassau, dipped into a creek and fished jigs to a bank as the tide came in. This did the trick. All three anglers were catching fish, including the Legend. I believe we had 4 Slot Reds along with a some smaller ones.  We then made our way around to the other side of Seymore's Point and fished float rigs on a high and outgoing tide. This paid off too - the caught a good handful of hungry Seatrout as their floats came across and oyster bed.  We hit two more spots fishing the floats, but the tide was up and we had no action, 

Today, as mentioned, we met up at Old Town, eased up the creek and found some dock pilings to fish on an incoming tide. Both Robbie and Colin worked thru some Redfish and weeded out a couple of smaller, Slot Redfish. 

Our next stop was down the river, fishing some structure and boy did this pay off!  Colin (The Legend) got off to a hot start and he put 2-3 feisty Redfish in the boat before Bob and Robbie could get unlimbered. Bob was on the bow and put a good handful of feisty Reds in the boat then Robbie went wild. He hooked up and played to the boat a Big 24" Slot Redfish, then followed that up with another big 23" Slot fish, then followed that up with a nice 17" Black "puppy" Drum.  

Colin was patiently fishing and landed two Flounder, one of which was of keeper size. Our final stop was over at Tyger where we added one more Seatrout to the catch. As we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Spot Two of Four Paid Off

 Oh what a beautiful morning! I met Joe Cutajar and his high school buddy Joe Auty down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and with sunshine and clear skies, we made our way up the Nassau River to make our first stop at some docks with plans to toss jigs and live shrimp to the pilings on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. Both anglers were making excellent casts but we didn't get much more than a bite.

We decided to make a long run way up in the Nassau to dip into a creek and fish that outgoing tide. We had probably fished about60 feet with no takers but then the duo began to get hookups to "knock the skunk off". They stayed busy catching one Redfish after another, a lot of smalls, a few that were just barely under 18", and we counted five that were in the Slot with the biggest being right at 22".  That was  a good stretch that made the day. 

After running back to the Nassauville area we fished a drainage with the jigs, but again, only a small bite or two. Our final stop was back at Broward Island on the very last of that outgoing tide, and Auty was able to hookup and land the only Trout of the day. The weather had been absolutely awesome so as we headed ack to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Beautiful Day Outstanding Fishing

I got out this morning, meeting Dick Conley, David Gray,and Henry Ross up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle as  the sun was coming up, and with a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. We eased up the creek and found a crusty dock to toss jigs and live shrimp too and it wasn't long before we were getting fish. David "knocked the skunk" off by picking up a Slot Redfish out of "door number 3" and from then on we were catching fish. He and Henry had a few fish in the boat and I was beginning to wonder if Dick was intentionally "laying back" and giving them a head start - was he even putting bait on his hook?  But then eventually he moved in with his cast and began to put fish in the boat, too. 

We all noticed that most of the fish were caught as the river bottom dropped off, in about 6' of water. The water temperature had warmed a bit since last week, up to 57 degrees. We caught fish for two hours and they caught their limit of Slot fish (1 apiece) and then we continued to count - we had about 6 Slot Reds there, the biggest being 24" .  They also added two keeper sized Black  "puppy" Drum to the catch. 

When it finally slowed we ran down the Amelia River and fished some structure and here the trio picked up 2-3 small but feisty Redfish. Back up the river came, and around to Tyger Island, fishing the logs, and did find one more feisty Red. 

Our final stop was over on the outside of Tyger and with the tide up, we eased in to some shallow water and switched to float rigs and the shrimp. I was hoping for a Trout or two to wrap things up  but was pleasantly surprised, they began to get Reds!  Most of them were small but we counted another 4 Slot Reds caught, the biggest being 23".  The sun was up, we had been shedding jackets, and we had a nice mess of fish in the boat so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

From Slow to a Good Mess

I must have read the forecast for today wrong last night - I saw it with temperatures in the mid 50's, partly
sunny, and only a slight breeze. When I met Ed and Madonna up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp it was in the 50's, just a slight breeze but no sun. Granted it was 7:15am, but we never saw the sun, and the wind picked up as the day went along until it was blowing as we headed back!

But we made our first stop over at some dock pilings on a tide that had been going out for a few hours, fishing jigs and live shrimp, and when Madonna reeled in a feisty Redfish that almost measured legal I thought sure we were going to "get busy".  But the current never seemed to pick up and the tide never got to where the oysters were showing and the fish never bit again!

We hit another dock down the river, fishing the jigs and here the oysters were showing and even though I felt like we were in the right spot at the right time, not a bite. Ouch. While we were in the area we decided to fish one more dock system and this paid off. 

Madonna got things going when she hooked up and landed a Slot Redfish, then caught another feisty Redfish. Then Ed hooked up - it was a heavy fish and even a bit "haughty" -it didn't put up a real big fight for what turned out to be a 26.5" Slot Red, and big enough to take first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament. The two anglers teamed up to catch a small Black "puppy" Drum, a small Seatrout and another Redfish or two.

We then made a long run up to Tyger Island and fished the logs, working the bank with the jigs and here Ed added a keeper sized Sheepshead and Madonna added a keeper sized Seatrout. They also put another Sheepshead in the boat and a couple of Puppy Drum. 

We had started slow but as we headed back to the ramp busting thru wind and waves, we counted it as another great day of fishing with a good mess of fish in the box here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Brothers Team Up For Slam Apiece

42 degrees, clear, and no wind when I launched this morning down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp with plans to meet brothers Ray and Tommy Pinkston for a back country fishing trip. We made the run up the Nassau with a baitwell full of live shrimp and a few mud minnows left over from Friday. Our first stop was at a dock at Seymore's Pointe and both anglers began to expertly work the dock pilings with jigs and shrimp. It took a few casts but Tommy finally "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. I don't know what happened to this dock but it just is not producing any fish!

We then made our way down to Broward Island just in time to fish the first of an incoming tide. Ray was fishing off the bow, fishing up current while Tommy fished off the stern, letting his jig bounce down the river bottom with the current. I was getting a bit worried that we had no bites until Tommy had a sluggish, bite - he tightened up and set the hook and, Fish On!   I was thinking "small Slot"  as he battled it for the fist minute but when it made a couple of deep drag ripping runs I changed my mine. Tommy played it perfectly and eventually landed a bulky 26" Slot Red - the biggest one we've had in a couple of months, and big enough to set the bar in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings) Tommy also added a keeper sized Seatrout and a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to his catch and rounded out a  (type of) Amelia Island Back Country Slam.

After fishing down Broward for a good while, to no avail, we pulled up and ran. We did have a Bald Eagle sighting. 

Our next stop up the Nassau and into a creek where we worked the bank with the jigs. Ray had been "laying back" but he came alive here!  The both caught some small but feisty Reds, then Ray hooked up and battled to the boat a nice Slot Redfish. They added to more Slot's then Ray put a keeper sized Seatrout and then a keeper sized Flounder to round out his (type of) Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We also had a Salt Marsh Mink sighting. 

We fished a drainage on the way  back to the ramp but the tide was at its peak and we had not luck. But as as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island Florida. 

Under Pressure

With a scheduled oyster roast and fish fry planned for the next day, neighbors, Chris O'connor, Brian Parent and myself ventured out Friday to try to add some fish to the pot. I had saved up a trout or two or three, a couple of Reds, and a a good handful of Mangrove Snapper but we needed just a bit more for the twenty or so people that were to stop by. 

I met Chris and Brian out at Goffinsville Park  on a tide that still had a couple of ours to hit high, so we eased around to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and began to drift float rigs and live shrimp down the grass line. We all three were getting good drifts, up the by the grass, but we had no luck, not even a nibble. 

After running up the Nassau and dipping into a creek we switched to jigs and the live shrimp and began to slowly work the bank. About 10 casts into it Brian finally "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and expertly brought to the boat a feisty Redfish. We continued to work the bank and happened onto a "honey hole" - both Brian and Chris began to catch Redfish.  They each put a Slot Redfish in the boat and then we began to have to cull them. I counted 7 Slot Reds caught with the biggest being about 22".

In addition to one of those bigger Slot Reds caught, Chris also put a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum in the boat.   One of the Slot's we caught we tagged with a Gray FishTag Researach tag, ID#  GFR62484 When the bite finally slowed, right at the peak of high tide, we made the run back to the Seymore's Pointe area.

Fishing a large drainage on the first of the outgoing tides with the float rigs, we began to catch Seatrout. Brian and I caught the "dinks" but Chris put a nice 17" keeper trout in the boat and then followed that up with a keeper sized puppy Drum.  

I noted that we fished 6 spots that day, but only two of them produced fish, but they were prolific, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, F.lorida. 

From The Start

 Boy what a nasty start to a morning yesterday it was! It rained on me getting the boat ready, picking up the bait, and launching, and was still raining when Dennis Adams and his crew met me a the dock. He had his son in law Daniel and Daniel's dad Dan with him and as we pulled away from the dock at Old Town Bait and Tackle we were asking ourselves "did we rally want to do this?" But we all had rain jackets on and we made our way to the first spot, heads down and "ducking" the rain. And wouldn't you know, first cast with a jig and live shrimp on a tide that was almost at the bottom...BAM! Big fish on!  Dan was on the rod and fought it valiantly and did a good job but this fish had other plans - it dug down and around the pilings and BAP! Fish Off!

Not to be deterred, all three anglers began to pitch to the pilings and we caught fish non-stop; Red Drum, Black Drum and an occasional Seatrout. After going thru a good number of fish, they ended up with two Slot Redfish and a couple of keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. When the bite slowed we moved out to the outside of the dock and Daniel found a "honey hole" of the Black Drum. He said he'd feel a subtle "bump" and would lift his rod to set the hook. Before we left the trio had added a good handful of those keeper sized Drum to their catch total.

We then made our way around to the back side of Tyger and fished the logs on the first of an incoming tide. It was slow going for a while until we got into the thick of the logs  and then all three began to catch fish. Redfish  and Seatrout and Dan put a nice sized Seabass in the boat. We ran out of bait catching fish so we switched over to artificial baits to finish out the trip and it was Dennis who put the first fish in the boat - a Flounder, caught on a Fish Bite shrimp pattern.

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

The Grande Finale

When we talked last night we agreed to touch base this morning as to whether we really wanted to get out and fish with forecasted rains. And when I launched it was dark and stormy and pretty much stayed that way the entire day - all around us - north and south and east and west - but we never got wet! I had met William and Dara Blalock up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made our way over to Tyger Island and set up on a corner of grass just as the tide started out. 

We didn't know it at the time, but Dara's first cast was to set the tone for the rest of the day. BAM! She had a hookup on her float rig and mud minnow! She worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. They had a few nibbles after that, then we drifted down the bank with the tide and we were beginning to think that first fish "jinxed" us but we hit a pocket and William reeled in a keeper sized Flounder, then both he and Dara caught a handful of Redfish, one of which was a small Slot sized. Things were picking up. 

Working around the corner we found that if we fished the back side of some grassy points, where there was a bit of current, we'd get fish. This duo of anglers caught another few Redfish, two were in the Slot, and they caught a good 4-5 Flounder, one of which was keeper size. We switched to jigs and minnows and caught fish along that entire bank. The bite seemed to be best on the higher outgoing tide.

Our next stop was around at Jolley Bank, Dara fishing the stern with the float rig and William fishing the bow with the jig - and it appeared that the jig was the trick - William put a few Redfish in the boat, and another Flounder. We ran up a ways and fished a point with the floats and caught a couple of Seatrout, then further up the river we fished a large drainage. Here, Dara got hot with the float rig, drifting it long to a bend and "rift" in the water and BAM! Redfish. Bam! Redfish. Bam! Redfish. William was on the bow and picked up another keeper sized Flounder (William was the Flounder King today). 

That last spot was pretty good for action  and it was going to be hard to top but little did we know we were in for a 'Grande Finale"! We made our way around to the MOA, and set up down current and almost immediately began to catch fish. Dara was hitting the top of the oyster bar with her jig and shrimp and was catching one Redfish after the other. William followed her to the bank and caught a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum, then went deep and caught a keeper sized Seatrout. Then both anglers were catching Redfish. I think we had at least three "double" hookups. We fished until we ran out of bait then William put a little piece of shrimp on for "one last cast" and BOOM! Big Fish On! William played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish. 

We had a good handful of keeper sized fish but most were thrown back and a only a few kept for dinner. and as we headed back to the ramp, we finally had a sprinkle but we still counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Recipe of the Month: Garlic Parmesan Crusted Fish

 I fished with the Coffey's a couple of weeks ago and we got to talking recipes and Tracy B described what sounded like a good one. They caught some fish and planned to use it so I asked if they could send it to me and here it is..Tracy B Coffey's.....

Garlic Parmesan Crusted Fish

6 Fish filets

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 big cloves of freshly minced garlic

Juice of half a lemon

Parsley

1- 11 x9 baking dish

Step 1- preheat oven to 425. Rub 1 tbsp of oil on fish so the seasoning will stick better and season fish with salt and pepper.

Step 2- on a separate plate combine Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and pinch more of salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the mixture and press into it so the mixture covers.

Step 3-place the fish in the baking dish and sprinkle a little more of the Parmesan/crumb mixture over the top of the fish. Then squeeze the juice from half the lemon over the top of the fish.

Step 4- bake fish till flaky or 20-25 minutes. The breadcrumbs should be a little browned. Finally, sprinkle some parsley overtop and serve.