First Flattie Then Big Flattie

 

Even though the temperature gets up into the low 80's by afternoon, the mornings have a little cool nip in the air. It was the same when I met Bob and Kathy Miller down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning.  We made the 15 minute run up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and began tossing jigs and mud minnows to the exposed oysters on a low and still outgoing tide. Both anglers were getting good casts as we worked along the bank. Bob had a strange "bump", set the hook, and reeled in his first Flounder ever. We worked that bank, had numerous nibbles, then crossed over to fish a sandbar pointe. Bob was tossing out deep while Kathy fished the bow and pointe and it was Bob who had the hookup again, this time a hungry Seatrout.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to the Nassau and down to Spanish Drop and set up fishing a large outflow and boy was there a ton of bait. We eased along pitching those minnows, had a few nibbles, but it wasn't until we got alongside

a shell bank when the action picked up. Bob had a good bite, hooked up and reeled in a feisty Redfish then Kathy got on the board - she too had a Redfish.  Then both anglers were catching fish - Redfish, a few Seatrout, a Jack Crevalle, and some Ladyfish. We moved up the way and again had some good action catching fish. 

After sampling what some dock pilings had to offer (not much), we moved around to Nassauville and set up between two docks and pitched to the bank. We picked up a few Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size then Bob started reeling in a rock. But no! That rock was moving! Bob kept the pressure on and patiently brought it to the surface and to the net - a 21.25" Flounder, boy what a fish. It was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Go With Minnows

 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. 

Soupy Morning

 

When I met Jeff and Jess Kamenski up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp early this morning the fog had set in to form a "soup" for visibility. We eased way from the ramp with navigation lights on and made our way slowly down the intercoastal and up into Bell River. The plan was to fish live shrimp under float rigs for a bit until the tide got up and we could begin to look for tailing Reds in the grass.

After setting up along side a flooding point of oysters the two anglers began tossing their baits to the marsh grass and were getting good drifts and it paid off with catches of Seatrout, Ladyfish, and a few bait stealers. We then ran thru Tyger and around to the outside of the island and fished some more grass, again getting Seatrout. 

The tide had gotten up so we poked the bow into a likely flooded marsh and within minutes - there was a tail! Both Jess and I kept our eye on it while Jeff readied himself but it went under the

surface and never appeared again. We move around and checked out a number of flats and some of them looked just amazingly fishy, but we saw no more tails. 

As the tide turned we switched back to the floats, fished a grassy pointe, and picked up another Trout, a Croaker, and a Mangrove Snapper. Our last stop was up at "Jolley Bank", working along the edge and again found, you guessed it, Seatrout. Jeff had a couple of shots at some nice big Redfish - one ran thru a grassy island and broke off, the other one was on, played, brought to the boat, seen, and... threw the hook! Ouch.  I called it a "quirky" day, but maybe a better word would be eventful so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Found a Hot Spot

 I wrapped  my week up today fishing with the Ahrens family, Brian and Jennifer and their two anglers Henry and Oscar. I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we headed up the intercoastal as the sun came up. After turning in to Jackstaff then dipping in to an even smaller creek we set up at a large outflow, baited up live shrimp on float rigs and tossed them out and....BAM! Fish On! Oscar was on the rod and ready, hooked 'em  up and reeled in a nice feisty Redfish to start the day. Minutes later Brian hooked up and brought to the net a hungry Seatrout then Henry followed suit with a Trout of his own, fishing off the stern of the boat. 

We eased back into Jackstaff, worked along the bank with jigs and shrimp, lost a few shrimp to bait stealers, then moved on. After running thru Horsehead we fished a dock for just a minute or two but what breeze we had was blocked by the land mass and the "no-see-ums" were feasting on. With great reluctance, we pulled up and skedaddled!

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, working along and exposed oyster bank. We were having very little action, other than a baitstealer now and then but when we reached the end of the shell bed things heated up. Brian was on the bow and was "slaying" the feisty Redfish. Then Henry had a strong hookup and by the way it was pulling we knew he had a big one. Henry expertly played it to the boat and landed a big 20.5" Seatrout, boy what a fish! Oscar landed another Redfish, Jennifer brought one to the boat, Brian continued to hookup and land, then Henry, camping out at the stern, hand another good bite. He played it patiently and soon landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.

The sun was up, we were getting low on bait, but we decided to make one
more run, this time down nto Broward Island. After getting the trolling motor anchored they began to pitch jigs to the bank and here Brian rounded out an Amelia Island Grande Slam by catching a Flounder. We started off great and ended up getting some nice fish so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Making Progress

You just can't ask for better weather to be fishing here at Amelia Island. It's in the high 60's when we launch and gets up to the mid 80's by the time we return to the dock and each day there has a been a light breeze to keep the bugs off.  I met Tim and Laura Wolfe down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and as we turned the corner at the first channel marker, the sun was just coming up. We made the short run, dipped in to Jackstaff and began fishing an exposed oyster bank with jigs and live shrimp.  We had just fished a short way when Laura hooked up, and Tim did too - we had a double! They both brought their fish to the boat - Laura's was a nice Whiting and Tim's was a hungry Flounder. It was then that Laura reminded me that she didn't catch a fish with me last year, so we had made some progress!

We continued along that stretch and Tim hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. We then crossed over and fished a pointe that had a sandbar coming out to us and here Tim found some Seatrout out deep. Both he and Laura found that they could pitch up current, let their jig go to the bottom, keep the line tight and BAM! They'd have a hookup. They caught a good handful of Seatrout there, the biggest measuring at 14 3/4".

After running thru Horsehead we made a quick stop at a dock at Seymore's Pointe, stern to the pilings. The duo played cat and mouse with the Mangroves, won a few of the battles, and put a couple of keeper sized fish in the box. We then headed down to Broward Island and set up to fish a large marsh run out. Big fish were busting bait all up and down the bank. We fished it pretty good, picked up a couple of Mangroves, then Tim put another Redfish in the boat. We worked the island for a bit and picked up another couple of Mangroves, but not the big fish we were hoping for. 

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop working the oysters again, and here Laura added a Jack Crevalle to her catch total.  But the sun was up, we were down to our last bait, so we called it a day. Although we didn't have any huge fish, Laura had lost count of the number of fish she had caught so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Slow But Steady OR He Wore His Lucky Hat

 We had another beautiful morning today when I met my cousin Adam Garner and his wife Patty down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. The sun was just coming up as we turned into the intercoastal and made our way up thru the mouth of the Nassau River to make our first stop on a tide that was still going out. Adam and Patty began pitching jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows to a marsh runout as we eased along. Adam "knocked the skunk off" with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then went back to an oyster bank and picked up a feisty Redfish. I thought we were going to do pretty good along there but that was the extent of the fish catching. We hit two more spots along that edge, had only a few nibbles, then moved on.

The next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing another run out. We were hearing and seeing some huge fish busting bait up along the shoreline but they weren't taking our offerings. I let the anchor go on the trolling motor so the boat would drift with the current and we worked along the bank and that did the trick. Adam picked up a hungry Seatrout out deep, then went in with

a float rig and got a Mangrove Snapper, adjusted his lucky hat, went back to the jigs and BAM! Big Hookup. Adam played it perfectly, worked it patiently to the net, and landed a nice Slot Sized 21" Redfish.

We moved down the way and fished up near a stump and here Patty honed her hookup skills by catching a handful of Mangroves, one of which was of keeper size, then Adam let his jig slide down the river bottom and out deep he had another strong bite, a hookup, and he landed a nice 17.5" keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stop was back at some docks at Nassauville. We tangled with the ever present Mangroves and landed a few. Then Adam wrapped things up when he outsmarted a "nibbler", hooked and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead. Although the day hadn't been "on fire" we slowly put together a nice mess of fish so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Quick Start With The Trout

 We had a beautiful morning today when I met Barrett and Jo Blank and their son Jean out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. The sun was just coming up as we motored down the Nassau River, down to Spanish Drop, and began fishing a large marsh run out at almost dead low tide. Bait was getting busted as the trio of anglers made their first casts and wouldn't you know, it, BOOM! Fish On!  Boom, Fish On! Both Jean and Jo had hookups and after working them to the boat we netted a couple of nice Seatrout. Barrett, not to be outdone, had a quick hookup, too. Another Trout brought to the boat. We worked along that bank and caught a handful of more Seatrout, had a "drive by" by a Bonnethead Shark, then Barrett had a strong bite, a hookup, and expertly landed a keeper sized Black Drum.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island and here Jean got hot - he caught and landed a couple of Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size, then, after losing is bait to a nibbler, he was ready this time and BAM! Set the hook and big fish on!  Jean played it patiently and soon landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead.  After fishing another spot at the island to no avail, we ran back to Nassauville and fished between some docks, but only got some nibbles.

Back to Pumpkin Hill, now fishing float rigs on a flooding tide and again, only
some nibbles. Although we had had some good action early, the fish must have decided to go in and watch some football! But it was a beautiful day and as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Big Trifecta

 Whenever you finish up a fishing trip having caught a 30.5" Redfish, a 23.5" Seatrout, and a 22.5" Flounder, you can feel assured that it was a pretty good day of fishing! That's a pretty big Amelia Island Back Country Slam!

I had met William and Dara Blalock out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early - the cloudy skies covered up the sunrise, but as we left the dock there was a pretty neat Moon Set. We headed over to Athens Drop and began easing along the marsh grass tossing float rigs and live shrimp on a high and incoming tide. We had good action, just not the action we wanted. Dara forgot to "take the trash out" to the can because that's what we caught for the first hour or so -trash:  hard fighting Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, and even a Catfish. We fished a couple of marsh run outs and did pick up one nice Seatrout.

After a short run down to Pumpkin Hill and setting up bow into the current, the duo of anglers began drifting their floats along the marsh grass and it wasn't long before both were into some fish. They caught a good handful of small but hungry Seatrout, maybe one or two that they could have kept, but didn't, then Dara's float disappeared with a vengeance and, Big Fish On! This fish was heading to Jacksonville and...William had a hookup, and another Big Fish On! The two did the tango, ducking under each other, passing their rods around each other, dipping around the engine, and both stayed hooked up. William brought his to the net first and landed a big Jack Crevalle, then Dara subdued hers and landed a big Oversized 30.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!

We fished that stretch for a while and caught a few more Trout and Ladyfish and a small but feisty Redfish. William had gone up just past a point of grass and BOOM! Float Gone. William kept the pressure on  and had his drag singing. He and I both were thinking "Slot Redfish" but then we saw the big fish roll at the surface and realized it was a huge Seatrout! William patiently worked it to the net and landed a big 23.5" Seatrout, a fish big enough to land him in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for a link to standings). 

After moving around the point and fishing a grassy

island and short stretch where we picked up a few more Seatrout, we were down to just a dozen live shrimp and decided to make the short run back to Nassauville where we set up between two docks and pitched jigs and shrimp. Just like we thought, there were some Mangrove Snapper there and the couple boated a few of keeper size for "Fish Tacos" later. Then Dara made an excellent cast up to the base of the rocks, felt the "bump", set the hook and, Fish On! She was real patient easing that big fish up from the bottom, brought it to the net slowly, and landed huge 22.5" Flounder, a fish big enough to land her in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for a link to standings). And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fall Back Plan

 It was raining when I launched this morning but let up just a  bit before my guests, Matt Park, his son Joseph, and his dad George met me up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park. I had just enough time to throw a cast net and get some (big) finger mullet to add to our 2lbs of dead shrimp - unfortunately the bait shop lost all its live shrimp to a power outage overnight. We had one strike against us! The rain passed by so we made a run over to Bell River and set up at a marsh point to fish with the tide already high and still coming in.

All three anglers were getting good casts and good drifts and had some bites - George picked up a couple of high flying Ladyfish and then outsmarted some sneaky baitstealing Perch. Matt did have something take his bait, take his hook, and keep going - probably a Shark. We tried to come back to the outside of Tyger but there were some serious rain storms inching in from the coast so we came back thru Tyger, down the Bell, passed a couple of river Shrimpers in Lanceford, and then cut in to Soap Creek, thinking the tide would have started out by now.

Nope, it was still coming in and it was high! Strike Two.

We fished Soap to no avail, other than bait stealers, then moved on up into Lanceford and fished a grassy island and a bulkhead, with no luck, then we made the decision to make a long run down to Nassauville, with Rally Caps turned, and try our hand with the Mangrove Snappers. The Rally Caps worked! As always, it's a challenge to catch those critters but it does hone your "set" skills! But Matt started it off with a 12" Grouper catch! Then we went thru the 2lbs of shrimp, playing Cat-and-Mouse with the Snapper, landed a bunch, and ended up keeping a good handful to 12 1/2".  Although we had to work for them, the rain had held off, we had a father/son/granddad fishing, so we counted it as another great day to be out on the water at here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Kids Time To Shine

 

I wrapped the week up today fishing with two guys and their excited kids. I met Charlie Moye, his son Gray and his buddy Bo and Bo's daughter Blakely down at the  south end boat ramp early. It was a beautiful morning and a great time to get some kids out on the water fishing. We made run up thru Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill and set up along a flooded marsh line and started drifting floats and live shrimp with the current. We had a couple of quick "pecks" that stole our baits then their was a loud ripping noise and Charlie had a big one on! He was getting quite a lot of encouragement and coaching from both Gray and Blakely and he was up tot he task! I saw that his reel was getting thin so we "backed down" on the hard fighting fish as Charlie caught up to it then the battle was on. Charlie worked it patiently to the boat, let it run when it wanted to, worked it back, and eventually landed a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark. Boy what a fish!

We came back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage, had a couple of bites, but no takers, then moved around to some rocks and set up to fish close with the float rigs. There was an explosion of excitement from the kids when the  dads began catching Mangrove Snapper. They put a good handful in the box and swopped off letting the kids catch and reel in some of their own. I was real impressed how they worked the kids in to the fishing experience. Both Blakely and Gray took turns netting fish, catching fish, supplying bait and "coaching" up their dads.

After getting a good dinner's worth of fish, we moved down the way and switched to jigs for the first time of the day and caught another good handful of the Mangroves.  Our last stop was down at Spanish Drop n hopes of bigger fish but all we hooked up was a couple of high flying Ladyfish and a  hard fighting Jack Crevalle. But it had  been an eventful day and we had some good action for the kids so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Flounder and Mangroves Go Together!

 

I was back to work today, fishing with Suzanna Braun and her son Michael after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. The wind was so still the sand gnats were back so we hurriedly left the dock and headed up the intercoastal to make our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff where we deployed jigs and live shrimp to the exposed shell bank. There was plenty of bait moving along the edges and both anglers were getting excellent casts and it was Suzanna who "knocked the skunk off" with a strange hookup. She eased it to the net and landed a nice keeper sized 17" Flounder.  She picked uip one more undersized Flounder then it was Michaels turn - he had made a good cast and the minute it hit bottom, BAM! He had a bite. Michael worked it patiently to the boat and landed another keeper sized Flounder.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to Spanish Drop to a large marsh runout and boy was there a ton of bait! But maybe too much! We eased along the bank, pitching our baits up to the

shell and slowly working them back. Both anglers caught a feisty Redfish or two along that stretch. We dropped back and cast net for some finger mullet, then moved on up to the next drainage. The duo tangled with Ladyfish, Michael picked up another small Flounder and a Jack Crevalle, then we decided to try our hand with the Mangroves. 

After switching to float rigs and getting their  baits up near the rocks it wasn't long before we had action. Suzanna was in the groove and caught some nice fish, the biggest coming in at 13". Michael was playing cat and mouse with the small ones but he hung in there and finally got one of keeper size. We blew thru the rest of our bait, but added a good handful of the 11-13" Snapper to the box, then headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Recipe of the Month: Crab Imperial

 By Julie Rothman with the Baltimore Sun: "A classic Maryland-style crab imperial should have very few ingredients and requires minimum seasoning. It is the crab meat that is the focus of the dish.  When working with crab meat, take care not to pull apart the lumps of meat and always use a fork when combining your ingredients. Never break apart or mash the crabmeat." 

Robert Shoffner writes:  "the accepted wisdom of the region(Maryland) : Crab cakes were to crab imperial what meatloaf was to prime rib. Considering crab imperial a superior dish to crab cakes reflects an understanding that the sweetness of jumbo lump crab is best appreciated in the simplest preparations. "

When my mother-in-law, Jean Hanna passed away, my wife found in her cupboards a set of milk white Glass Bake crab dishes, made by McKee Glass Company. They came in the white, clear, and red. Here's an article about the crab dishes and there is also a Deviled Crab recipe! Maybe we'll make that another month!  We stored them away for years but decided to break them out to re-create the classic Crab Imperial!  I "googled" Imperial Crab and picked the Phillips Company recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb Jumbo Lump Crab Meat

1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 egg

1 tsp Seafood Seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 oz Hellmann's mayonnaise (I read somewhere that Hellmann's is good for baking)

1 tsp melted butter

Combine all Crab Imperial ingredients (EXCEPT THE CRAB MEAT) in a medium mixing bowl and whip until smooth.

In a seperate mixing bowl, add the crab meat and pour Imperial mixture over crab meat.

Blend all ingredients together by tossing very gently in order to avoid breaking delicate crab lump meat.

This recipe filled eight (8) of the Glass Bake crab dishes perfectly! Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

Imperial Topping:

3 oz Hellman's mayonnaise

1 oz half and half

1/2 tsp seafood seasoning

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Pinch of paparika

1/4 cup shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese

Combine all the topping ingredients (EXCEPT THE PAPRIKA AND SHREDDED CHEESE) in a medium mixing bowl and whip until smooth.

After the Imperials are finished baking, remove from oven and switch oven to broil.

Top each dish of crab with the imperial topping. Sprinkly some paprika on each, then add some of the shredded cheese. 

Place in broiler to finish off until cheese has melted and Imperials start to brown. DON'T  WALK AWAY FROM IT! KEEP AN EYE ON IT!

Serve with toasted baguettes or crackers.

 

Flounder Queen

 

Luckily today we had just a bit of breeze so it wasn't quite as hot as it was yesterday. When we came in from fishing around 11am today there were a couple of anglers launching to start there day and with it being so hot I  thought "crazy", but I guess if that's when you can go, more power to them!

I had met Frank Wytiaz and his wife Joanne down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we headed up the intercoastal and got just north of Jackstaff and fished some marsh runouts that looked really good. It was a high and outgoing tide, but it It was very shallow, over some shell banks, and I thought for sure we'd catch some fish, but no, only a small Ladyfish. We then came back around and into Jackstaff and fished a stretch of bank and here we had some good, steady action. Both Joanne and Frank hooked up and landed  a handful of feisty, fun to catch Redfish. They also had a couple of small Jacks, then Frank put a fairly big (12" Mangrove Snapper in the boat. We switched from float rigs to jigs and it wasn't long before Joanne had a "bump", set the hook, and expertly landed a keeper sized Flounder. We worked that bank pretty good and picked up a few more fish, one being a small Flounder that Joanna caught.

After running thru Horsehead and over into the Nassau we set up between two docks and stuck with the jigs and shrimp. Sure enough, we were in to the Mangrove Snapper. We'd lose 5-6 shrimp, then catch a fish. Lose 5-6 shrimp, and catch a fish.  A few of them were very nice size and went in the box! We did have a good thump on one bite and with Joanne on the reel, she worked in another keeper sized Flounder!

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop, fishing jigs as the oysters were exposed on a falling tide. There was a ton of bait moving and I thought for sure we'd have some action but we theorized that it was just too hot. As  Frank said, "the bait is there, the fish are there, but it's just too hot and they're not eating!".  I packed a towel with ice on my neck and we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island,  Florida. 

I Called It A Shark

 Boy was it a hot one today! By the time we got back to the dock I was drenched with sweat, but for mostof the day it was fairly nice and a great one for fishing. I had met Mark Dennis and his friend Greg and Greg's teenagers Jacob and Carter out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early. The tide was high but almost at a standstill so we ran over to Pumkpin Hill and began working a grassy bank with float rigs and live shrimp. They were getting a bite or two but it was Carter who "knocked the skunk off" with a feisty Redfish catch. We fished that stretch, then down one more bank before we moved on.

Our next stop was over at Nassauville where we switched to jigs and shrimp and this got the action going. We began to get Mangrove Snapper bites and everyone joined in on the catching. They also caught a couple of small Sea Bass. A number of the Snapper were small but we did get a good handful of legal ones to throw in the box. We broke one of the basic rules of fishing, "don't leave fish to find fish" but we wanted some bigger fish, so we moved on. 

After a short run down to Spanish Drop we set up off a large marsh run out and man was there a lot of bait moving. We picked up a couple of Stingray's then Jacob had a good "bump". He set the hook and worked it expertly to the boat and landed a nice 17" Flounder. Greg battled a Bonnethead Shark for a

few minutes then Jacob picked up another feisty Redfish. When Greg had another strong hookup the big fish dug deep and I mistakenly called it "another Shark". But Greg didn't care and battled it from bow to stern, keeping the pressure on as it went deep behind the boat. I still thought it was a shark until it boiled up between the boat and the bank and we saw that beautiful copper color- Big Redfish On! Greg worked it patiently and soon brought it to the net - a bulky 25.5" Slot Redfish. Boy what a fish.

We had burned through a lot of bait at the Mangrove spot and we eventually ran out, but the bait fish were still at the run out so we dropped back and

tossed a net and got a couple dozen nice finger mullet, then we move up to another drainage and fished it to wrap things up. I had commented that we hadn't seen a Trout earlier so it was nice to see Mark hookup off the stern in deeper water. He played it patiently and brought to the boat a nice keeper sized Seatrout to round out the team's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Gator Country

 

Another perfect day for fishing this morning greeted us when I met Derek Poon and his sons Zach and Tyler down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had clear skies and only a slight breeze as we left the dock and headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Spanish Drop with plans to fish float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been coming in a couple of hours. As we got the baits out in the water and I started easing along the bank, Tyler had his float in a nice drift and as it slowly went under he raised the rod to set the hook and First Fish On! Tyler cranked it in and landed a nice hungry Flounder to "knock the skunk off".

Only minutes later Derek's float disappeared and the drag started screaming then there was a big boil up near the bank. the fish ran east for a bit then came back and wrapped up all the lines and boy did we have a mess! But Derek kept his cool while I got the other two and cut and cleared away then the battle was on. Derek kept the pressure on, let the big fish run, but slowly worked it in and finally we lifted in a big 4' long Bonnethead Shark, boy what a fight! After that commotion, the fish were scarce, so we moved on. 

We made a run down to Broward and on the way saw a big Gator slither off a shell bank. We fished some jigs for a bit but the fish were having none of it so we eased back to Pumpkin Hill and went back to the float rigs and this did the trick. I think it was Zach's first drift when his float disappeared and after he caught up the slack by reeling extra fast the fight ensued! This fish was big!  Zach's drag was ripping and the fish took him from the stern of the boat around to port and up to the bow then back to the stern. The big fish dove under the boat, headed for the engine, headed for the trolling motor, but all the while Zach was working it!  I was helping for a bit but turned it completely over to him and he did outstanding and finally brought the big fish to the net - a 30" Oversized Redfish!

Derek picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then Zach added another feisty Redfish then Derek added a Catfish to the fish count. We moved around the corner and the trio added a couple of keeper sized Seatrout. Derek battled a couple of smaller Shark to the net and then a bigger Jack Crevalle. 

Our last stop was back at Seymore's Pointe at the "Mangrove Snapper Hole" and here all thee anglers put Snapper in the boat. Tyler was taking up the stern and making excellent casts and he landed a couple of the Snapper. Zach was on the bow and he put a keeper sized fish in the boat. The sun had gotten up, we had some fish in the boat, we had some good memories, so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia  Island, Florida. 

First, Biggest and Most

Boy did the weather folks get today wrong! I looked at the forecast last night AND this morning and therewas only a slight chance of rain forecasted. NOT! I met Tim Carson, his daughter Monica and his grandson Mathew out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning and there were some serious clowds around us and we could see rain storms off in the distance. But this trio of anglers were here to fish so we jumped down the Broward Island to take advantage of a first of an incoming tide.

We were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and in only minutes Mathew had a good bite. He set the hook expertly and reeled in the first fish of the day, a hungry Seatrout. Then Grandpa Tim got in the action. He boated two, hard fighting, keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We then moved down the way, fished under a Bald Eagle, and here Monica got on the board with a feisty Redfish catch. Mathew went to the same spot and he too caught a feisty Redfish. Tim landed a Stingray that we hoped would be a Flounder and also put an ugly Toad fish in the boat. 

Our next stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Although we didn't get any big fish, Tim and Mathew both put a Croaker in the boat.  We moved down to Spanish Drop and fished a higher tide with float rigs and shrimp. Monica had managed her float to the mouth of a small creek and when it disappeared she was ready to strike and lifted her rod to set the circle hook and Big Fish On! Monica played it perfectly and after a long battle landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark.

After running back to Pumpkin Hill we set up again to fish the floats. I think

it was Mathew's first drift when his float disappeared and he set the hook. Mathew expertly worked it to the boat and landed a nice 18.5" Seatrout, giving him the Most Seatrout caught for the day, and the Biggest Seatrout caught for the day. We had a few more bites. picked up one more feisty Red, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Taking A Bow

 Another beautiful morning greeted us today when I met the Latino family - Pete and Robin and their kids Marin and Jake - down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp.  I haven't fished down there in over a week and was looking forward to seeing how the "bite" was. We made a run up the intercoastal just as the tide was starting out and pulled into Jackstaff to begin fishing a large outflow with float rigs and live shrimp.

First cast -boom! We weren't ready for it - it was the "demo" cast. I think it was a shark and it came rushing right to the boat, turned and BAP! Fish Off. Second cast-BAM! Big fish on, again, another shark. This one Marin fought valiantly and had it up to the boat before again, it made a sharp turn and BAP! Fish off!  We were "0" for two!

But these anglers were up for the game and as we eased along the banks of Jackstaff tossing floats it was Jake who "knocked the skunk off" with nice hookup. He expertly worked it to the boat and landed a nice Redfish that came in just under the 18"

mark.  We fished on and Robin got on the board with a hungry Seatrout catch. Jake was the "Redfish Guy" today and landed another feisty one before we move on. 

The tide was still somewhat high so we made what I thought would be a brief stop at Seymore's Pointe to fish the rocks. I wasn't sure if the Mangroves would be there but it only took a couple of casts to find out! Those floats started disappearing and it was a whole lot of catching going on. Robin was encouraging the family and all three of the others were putting fish on the boat. Marin had taken up the stern and found her own little "honey hole" and put most of the "keepers" in the box, the biggest being right at 12". At the end of the trip she took a bow, knowing she would be feeding the family later!  Both Pete and Jake added some keepers of their own, too. 

Our last stop was down at Spanish Drop, now fishing exposed oysters with jigs and shrimp and minnows. Jake stayed the busiest, catching a feisty Jack, a couple of Reds, and a Stingray. The breeze had kept blowing all morning, we had some clouds to block the sun, and we had some good eating Mangrove Snapper in the box so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Happy 4th of July!

 I wrapped up my week fishing with Stan Jackson and his fishing buddies Wade and Barnie, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this  morning.  We made a run up to the Jolley River and set up along the "bank" to fish the last of an outgoing tide with jigs and Mud Minnows. In short order we had some action - Stan put a keeper sized Flounder in the  boat and  Barnie landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  Wade added another Flounder to the catch and Stan put a feisty Redfish in the boat.  After fishing further up the river at Snook Creek we made a run back towards Amelia.

The tide had started back in so we dipped in to behind Tyger and fished the logs. It was the ideal time to be there but the fish weren't having it.

We then ran around to the Bell River and set up along side a shell bank. Wade added a Seatrout to the catch and a small Sea Bass. Although we had rain clouds all around us, we only got wet once.  But it was a great way to start a 4th of July weekend so we

counted it as a good day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wrapped Up With a Limit

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. 

I'll Give Up My Switch

 

I fished with the Williams family this morning, Mark and Candi and their son Cash, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early. We made a quick run around to the Tyger logs and began fishing with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide - an ideal time to be there. But the fish didn't get the message. We worked all down the island and didn't get hardly a nibble but finally we had a good bite up between some logs and, Fish On! Young Cash was on the rod and he expertly reeled it in to the net - a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.

We then ran around to the Jolley River and fished the "bank" with the jigs but

had no real bites so we move further up into the Jolley and switched to float rigs along some flooding oyster beds. Not getting a bite there, we moved into a large creek, anchored, and switched back to the jigs on the bottom and this did the trick. In just a few short minutes Mark's line began to sing as the drag ripped and, Big Fish On!  Mark played it exceptionally well, letting it run when it wanted to, but slowly working it in to the boat. After a good battle he landed a nice 3' long Bonnethead Shark. Just minutes later it was Cash's turn to feel that big fish run. He was holding up nicely but the fish broke off within a minute. After one more of those Shark bites, we moved on. 

Our next stop was over in Bell River. Here, Both Mark and Candi caught Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size. We had numerous bites there but no more takers. Our final stop was back closer to town. Mark battled another Shark briefly then Candi put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. 

Cash went from learning to cast to casting it "a mile" and made the comment that he might just consider giving up his "Switch" (game controller) for fishing! That in itself made for a great day to be out on the water and fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.