Good Call

The wind was blowing just a tad bit more this morning than forecasted - I had planned to hit Tyger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide but that west wind made me rethink the plan. So after meeting Patrick Davis and his son Joshua up at Old Town Bait and Tackle we made the run up Eagans Creek and found a dock to fish with jigs and live shrimp.

It wasn't long before Joshua "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked  up and landed a feisty Redfish. From then on it was "game on"!  The duo were catching one Redfish after the other - after picking thru the smaller Reds Patrick hooked up and expertly battled to the boat a nice 22" Slot Red. Shortly after that Joshua had the hookup and patiently played a Slot fish of his own to the net. Out of multiple Redfish caught I counted a total of four Slot fish brought in. We could have stayed there for a while and caught fish but we moved on for a change of scenery!

Our next stop was up at Soap Creek where we switched to float rigs and the live shrimp. Joshua had his float drift over a shell pointe and BAM! Float gone!  He caught up to it, lifted his rod and the circle hook set. After a nice fight Josh brought to the net another Redfish. After moving up to a large drainage the duo found that they could drift the floats back thru a ripple and catch hungry Seatrout. After landing a handful, we moved on.

We made a long run up the Bell River and set up on the back side of a dock, now back to tossing jigs and shrimp. I think Joushua's first cast was a hookup. He could feel the "bump, bump" and set the  hook - Seatrout. After getting  a few of those we moved in closer and with casts closer to the bank, they had hookups with Redfish. 

We tried a few spots over in Jolley River, drifting floats  up by the flooding marsh grass, but had no real bites. Although it was now a bit windy (we had a bumpy ride back), the sun was out and not a cloud in the sky so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

An Eight Slot Day at Amelia Island

 

That "hot" November fishing has continued on into December - boy we caught some fish today! I had met Henry Ross and David Gray down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and it was a beautiful morning - just a slight breeze, clear skies and comfortable 68 degree temperature. We made the run up the Nassau River to Seymore's Point and made our first stop at a dock. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp on a jig to the dock pilings on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour and a half.. It took a few casts but then David "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and battled to the boat a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. It wasn't "on fire" but the duo managed to catch a handful of those Drum, two more being of keeper size. 

We then ran down to Broward Island and set up to fish the bank as that tide was coming in. Tossing the jigs to the bank and letting the current take that bait down the river bottom paid off - they began to get small but feisty Redfish and another Drum or two. We dropped down the island about 50 feet and here things got crazy! They began to catch fish one after the other and a few times they had "double"  hookups. Ross had a strong bite and expertly played to the boat a Slot Redfish, then  David followed that up with a monster "Tournament" sized Red -26.75". They also caught another Drum or two, a small Sheepshead, and a few handfuls of small but feisty Redfish. BUT, we kept count of the Slot Reds that we caught, measuring before we tossed the back, and we got up to EIGHT Slot Reds for the day. One of those slot Reds we tagged ((GrayFishTagResearch.org  tag #  GFR62322)

Our next stop was back at Pumpkin Hill, drifting float rigs with the live shrimp. We were looking for Seatrout and got them, but the biggest was just under 15". After fishing Littlefield with the jigs for a bit, we ran thru Horsehead and fished the Jackstafff "bank" with the floats. The tide was within minutes of being high tide and the fish were having none of it, so we called it a day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Kinda Cool Fishing

 It was 40 degrees when I came over the south end bridge and launched down at Sawpit with plans to meet Jason Ash and his long time buddy Adam for a half day of fishing. It was clear and cold with not much wind blowing as we then made our way up the intercoastal to turn into the Nassau and make our first stop along Spanish Drop. The tide still had about45 minutes to hit bottom but the oysters were almost fully exposed - we went with jigs and live shrimp to work that first bank. There wasn't much action but we did have one Red on for just a bit - it boiled up near the bank, ripped some drag, and threw the hook. After moving up to a large drainage we had pretty much the same thing - not much of a bite, except one that didn't take. 

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's and here things heated up and the skunk was knocked off! Within a few minutes of fishing both Jason and Adam were hooking up with feisty Black "puppy" Drum - they were counting fish and ended u with a total catch of 10 with five of them being of keeper size. They also caught a handful of hungry Seatrout, and a grunt. 

After making our way down to Broward and setting up into the first of an incoming current the Redish bonanza began! They seemed to catch one after the other - Jason commented that he was getting a bite on every cast. Most of these fish were right at 17" but Adam did put a Slot in the boat. We moved down just 30 yards and BAM! Redfish On!  They again caught fish, one after the other. One keeper sized Seatrout was caught, it's mouth gorged with minnows. We moved down and fished with the Bald Eagles and picked up a few more Redfish, one of which was Slot Size.

We then made our way further up the Nassau and into a creek and worked the shallow bank. More Redfish were caught as we worked the bank, then Jason hooked up and fought to the boat the biggest Slot Red of the day. The duo had kept a fairly accurate "catch total" and as we headed out of that creek we finalized it with 37 fish caught for the day, not a bad way to spend a morning fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Bite On Every Cast

 Happy Thanksgiving to All - I hope you have a great holiday with friends and family!

I wrapped up a short week today fishing with Allen Webb, meeting him down at Sawpit Creekboat ramp. It had warmed a bit as the week progressed, and there was very little wind, and the first hour or so we had some dreary, cloudy skies. The tide had been going out for about an hour - Allen and I made our way up the Nassau River and fished a large outflow with float rigs and live shrimp, and an hour later, we noted that we had gotten a bite on every cast!  We didn't hookup 'em all up but we caught a bunch!  Mostly Seatrout, with one being a keeper, and a handful of Redfish, with one being of Slot size.

As the tide got down the bite finally did slow down so we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Pointe. Allen was making excellent casts forward to the grass and it paid off with Seatrout catches, with a couple of Redfish. As we moved up along the bank Allen pitched it to a point of grass, let it drift, and BAM! He had a hookup. This one was pulling big and digging deep, but shaking it's head and sure enough, when Allen brought it to the net, we saw it was a nice 18" Seatrout.

After fishing a submerged sandbar point over in Jackstaff we ran back thru Horsehead and down to Back River where we again "anchored" along a shell point. And things got real busy! Allen put a Trout in the boat then he started getting Redfish. He added another smaller Slot Red, then had a strong hookup that ripped drag, ran deep, ran south, then POOF, it threw the hook!  But Allen kept fishing and shortly had another strong bite, a strong battle with drag ripping, and this time he landed a nice 24" Slot Red.

We fished between docks at Nassauville then made our way over to Seymore's Pointe and finished up catching Seatrout, Black "puppy" Drum, and a fairly big Mangrove Snapper. The sun was now out, the skies were clear, we had a box full of fish, and as we made our way back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

And Just Like That..

 Bragging Rights Busted. I had met Scott Carter and his son Benny up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this
afternoon on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. We made our way over to Tyger Island and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp. Benny "knocked the skunk off" early with a Slot Redfish catch then Scott had a good "thump" and a hookup. He fought it to the boat and I was thinking "another Redfish" but it was hugging the deep bottom. He worked it up and landed a huge 22.5" Flounder - still out of season, but big enough to move into first place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We worked up and down the island and picked up a good handful of Seatrout -most caught out deep, and a few more Redfish, most caught up near the bank. We then made our way around to the Jolley River, turned into the current, and fished the "bank" with floats and live shrimp. They caught a good handful of Seatrout, and a couple of more Redfish (they ended the day with 2 Slot Reds and 3 keeper Trout). Scott battled a big Bonnethead Shark to the boat for photograph and release, and Benny hooked up and landed a Shark of his own. 

After running up the river we fished Snook Creek, caught a few Trout there, then moved back down to Tyer Cut. Benny stayed hot catching Seatrout, and they  added two more Shark to their catch total.  We were catching so many Seatrout I could sense some boredom coming on! The sun was heading down, there was only a slight breeze, the few clouds that we had had moved on, and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Steady Catch'n On a Beautiful Day

 Boy what a beautiful day we had - sunny skies, cool temps, and only a slight breeze. I had met Will
Middleton and his father-in-law Pete Brown down at Sawpit Creek and we headed up the intercoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours and the shell was showing as we eased along the bank tossing jigs and live shrimp. The duo had a few nibbles but no takers and I was beginning to wonder when, BAM! :Hookup! and BAM! a 2nd hookup -we had a double. Both anglers patiently brought to the boat a feisty Redfish and from then and for about an hour we were steady catching fish. Seatrout and Redfish - We had a couple of keeper sized Redfish and a few keeper sized Seatrout but all fish caught today were released. 

Eventually we moved up the river about a quarter mile, stuck with the jigs, and again caught a good handful of Seatrout. We then made or way around to Back River and switched to floats. Pete was on the stern and drifted long a couple of times and got fish both drifts. Will was on the stern - I saw something take his float under and it took off upstream. Will played it expertly and landed another keeper sized Trout.  We tried our luck over at some docks at Nassauville and this was the only place we got "skunked".

Around the corner at Seymore's Pointe we fished a dock and here they picked up Seatrout and a couple of Black 'puppy" Drum to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Drum. Our final stop was down at  Broward Island, working the bank on the last of an outgoing, first of an incoming, and again they caught fish. They wee working that bank pretty good and caught Redfish and Seatrout. We lost count of the fish we caught but estimated 4-5 Slot Reds, a good dozen of smaller Reds, 5-6 keeper sized Seatrout to 17", and a good dozen of smaller Trout. 

It had been a beautiful day to be fishing and a great day to be catching here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wind Couldn't Stop Us

 Boy what a temperature drop we had!  And with it came some strong winds - the forecast for this morning was 13mph at 7am but quickly rising to 17mph by 9am. But it was clear and sunny and the wind was out of the WNW and we had a plan!  I met Alex and Laura out at Goffinsville Park and as we left the dock we could see it was calm all along Nassauville rocks. We made our way down a ways and set up between two docks and began pitching jigs and live shrimp.

And the fish catching began!

Both Laura and Alex put some healthy Seatrout in the boat, many of keeper size and Laura added a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. Then Alex had a strange bite - he hooked it up and Big Fish On!  Alex kept the pressure on and worked it up off the bottom and when it came to the net we saw that it was a 19.5" Sheepshead - big enough to move into 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament - Sheepshead category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We threw back a whole bunch of small Trout. 

We then made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished a dock and here we got into some keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Alex and Laura caught one after another, with a Seatrout thrown in here and there, and Laura added another keeper Sheepshead.  They had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Sheepshead and Drum before we left.

Our final stop was up the Nassau and into a Creek and as we worked the bank Laura put the first Redfish in the boat (and made it a Grande Slam). They caught a couple more "feisty" Reds then Alex had a good bite -BAM!  Fish On!  He played it patiently, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a big 24" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish. 

Although it was a bit cool, it was very comfortable as we stayed out of the wind most of the morning and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bragging Rights Busted

 After debating whether to even fish today, and meeting under some dreary skies up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning, and easing down Eagans Creek with a fine mist on our faces, David and Michele Dannenfelser proceeded to have a pretty good day of fishing! We made our way over to the back side of Tyger and fished the logs - the first area produced only a nibble or two - but as we moved down the island and set up around a group of logs the bite got to hopp'n. David had made good cast over to the bank and within seconds, BAM!  He had a strong hookup. He battled it to the boat and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish that had a Georgia DNR tag on it. Michele got in on the action after she got the hang of fishing a jig and shrimp on the bottom and picked up a keeper sized Seatrout.  She then put their secoind (and limit) Slot Red in the boat.  We found out we could fish those jigs out deeper and get Seatrout and after getting a handful, we moved on. 

We made our way up and around to the Jolley River and turned into the "bank" and switched to float rigs and the live shrimp on that lower incoming tide. This was just the ticket. Getting our cast up near the bank was rewarded with Redfish bites. Most were smaller (but feisty) but  one was in the Slot which was released to swim off. Again, another handful of Trout were caught, a couple of keeper size. They kept a couple of Trout but began to release the rest. Further up the river at "Snook Creek" we stayed with the floats and again we were busy catching fish. The current was faster here and the Trout were biting, and there were  few Reds caught, too. 

Back down the river we made a stop at Tyger Cut and here David found he could drift back into a "ripple" and get Seatrout. After making a short stop further down the river and fishing some "fishy looking spots", to no avail, we moved on. 

Our final stop, after running thru Tyger and around to the Bell, and over to a point of grass, we eased up to it and began to toss the floats. When David's float disappeared and his line began to run and his drag began to rip I was thinking, "oh boy, this is big"!  It was ripping towards what I knew was shallow water and big humps of oysters so we crossed our fingers and hoped!  David was up to the challenge and was very patient, and he needed to be because this was going to be a long battle. He worked the fish in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, pulled it out from under the boat, let it run. Every time we thought it was going to come in it would see the boat and take off again, ripping drag. But David kept that pressure on, stayed patient, and eventually landed on Oversized 35.25" bull of a Redfish - just barely bigger than the biggest of the year, but big enough to take over first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Dawg Gone Good Fishing

 

Boy what a pretty day we had today - no real wind, temperature in the high 60's, and partly cloudy skies to greet us when I met Tim Parker and is son Wes out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp early.  And it was just a short run down the river to Broward Island where we set up to fish with jigs and live shrimp on  atide that was low and just coming in. Both Wes and Tim had bites then Tim had a take - he let him bite and then set the hook - the fish took off down the island and right into some tree branches! Ouch. Tim tried "sawing" him out of there, then released the bail in hopes he'd swim out - he did not. We moved the boat over close to shore and Tim worked him out and Fish On!  Tim played him expertly and eventually landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. After moving down the bank just a bit it was Wes's turn to battle the Slot Red- after he hooked him up he worked him slowly to the boat and we netted another nice fish.

We moved down the island and fished it back and picked up one more Slot Red before we moved on. Our next stop was back at some docks at Semore's Pointe, pitching the jigs and shrimp. The duo caught a good handful of Seatrout (1 or 2 of keeper size), a Black Drum, and a couple of small Sea Bass. We then ran thru Horsehead to Jackstaff "bank", switched to floats and drifted shrimp. Again, we got a good handful of Trout (maybe a keeper or two), and a couple of Bluefish. We then jumped around to Poteat Point and here Wes found a handful of Seatrout up over a shallow bar. 

Back thru Horsehead we came and down to Pumpkin Hill. Wes stayed hot tossing forward to get a few Trout (1 or 2 of keeper size), then we moved up to the point and drifted it, to no avail. But when we dropped back to a grassy island and worked back, they began to get Trout again. Tim had switched to his Patent Pending Temptation Bait grubs and they paid off big time. He matched Wes fish for fish tossing the artificial while Wes caught on the live Shrimp. We ended the day with their limit of 2 Slot Reds and 7 keeper Trout so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Slot Red Icing on a Grand Slam

 

I THGUGHT I was launching at Sawpit Creek this morning - when I got down there the tide was up so far - all the way to the bend in the curb- I turned around and headed back north to meet Glenn and Patti Langford up at Old Town Bait and  Tackle. The water was way up in the grass when we made way out of Eagans Creek and over to the outside of Tyger where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Although we had few good "nibbles" we had no real bites. After crossing over the creek to "Manatee Cove" we again tossed the float rigs and here the duo picked up some feisty Bluefish -one for each of them. We picked up the first of many small but fun to catch Seatrout, too. 

After that we ran thru Tyger, down the Bell, and up Lanceford, all the way up to some docks where we
again drifted the floats. Both Patti and Glenn had good hookups with those small Seatrout. We moved aro8und the corner and fished a bulkhead and Glenn had a good bite, had 'em on, but it let go and while he was baiting up Patti drifted thru the same stretch and BAM! Fish On!  I was thinking it was going to be a big Seatrout. Pattie played it perfectly and brought to the net a feisty Redfish.  We then moved over to a grassy Island -"Millie's Spot" and fished it good. After picking up a Trout or two, and after Glenn's float had drifted ust past the grass, FLOAT GONE!  Glenn caught up to it and it was Big Fish On!  This fish was ripping that drag and having none of coming it. I thought for sure it was up in the grass a couple of times and I hated to say it but I had to let Glenn know, we were REAL shallow and there were sharp oyster beds all underneath us. But Glenn stayed calm, played it patiently, let it run, worked it in, and after a good battle landed a big 26" Slot Redfish (it later weighed in at a bit over 6lbs). 

Our next stop was over at Soap Creek, fishing a large outflow. Both anglers put those small Seatrout in the boat (we caught a bunch throughout the day, but no keeper Trout). But as we moved up to a grassy island they both got busy catching Redfish. We found the cast had to be in just the right spot but if wew got it there. BAM! Fish On.

We then ran down the river to Piney Island, found some dock pilings to fish and the duo quickly put two keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, and then a nice 17" Sheepshead., which rounded out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish, Black Drum and Sheepshead. It had been a beautiful day, and although the wind had picked up, we had had some good action so as we headed  back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Hunt For Reds

 It was "Chamber of Commerce" weather today - clear, just a slight breeze to keep the bugs off, and just a bit cool as we ran down the river. I had met Ed Andrewlavage and his fishing buddy Chris down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and from there we made our way up the intercoastal and over to Poteat Cut to set up with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about 2 hours. Both anglers began to toss their baits forward and it wasn't long before they were getting bites. Ed had told me that he'd like to get some Redfish - didn't want any Seatrout - and wouldn't you know, we caught Trout. 

Chris got hot early and landed a few "hungry" one's before he put a keeper sized one in the boat - we photographed and released all Trout today. Then Ed began to get a few, fishing off the stern. They added a Bluefish to the catch before we moved on. Just around the corner, over at Jackstaff, we eased along the bank, just beyond the White Pelicans, and caught a few Trout. Chris went up close to the grass and had a hookup, one that pulled some drag and "rolled" and, Redfish On!  Chris played it perfectly and soon brought to the net a feisty Redfish. Only minutes later it was Eds turn to battle a feisty Red to the boat. 

We ran thru Horsehead and down to Back River and drifted a bank. Chris did pickup one Seatrout but that was it. We crossed the river and drifted the floats and again, a Trout or two. Chris did have something take his bait, and his leader, and his float, and we never saw it again! We then made our way down the Nassau and fished a large drainage. Again, a Seatrout catch, but not much else.

Our final stop was fishing some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Both anglers stayed busy either catching fish ore losing bait. They added another keeper Trout - the biggest of the day at 18.5", a keeper sized 16" Black "puppy" Drum, and 5 keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. I kept count of the "keeper" Trout that we threw back and it was five. We had some outstanding weather and some good action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

What A Mess O' Fish

 I stepped out this morning and it was drizzling rain and the flag was flapping in the wind and I was
thinking we may be in for a "blustery" day. But after launching down at Sawpit Creek and meeting Ed AndrewLavage and his wife Madonna, the rain ended and the wind never increased. We made a long run up the Nassau and down to Broward Island and set up on the north end to pitch jigs and live shrimp on a tide that had just started back in - it wasn't a very low tide though, the banks were almost covered. The duo of anglers got bites right off then Madonna hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. Then both angles had good some good catches of feisty Redfish, and a couple of small Mangrove Snapper.

We moved down the island and set up under a pair of Bald Eagles and pitched the bank. Again, they were hooking up and landing Redfish. Ed commented that they seemed to be about 15' off the bank. They added a keeper sized Seatrout then Madonna went up close to the bank, behind a stump, and B AM! Bigger fish on! She played it perfectly and worked to the net the first Slot Red of the day, one that measured 21". Only a few minutes later, after going up to the same spot, BAM! BIGGER FISH ON! This one was really ripping drag. Madonna battled it like a pro -worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then slowly brought a bulky 25.5" Slot Red to the net. Boy what a fish.  The commotion must have scared everything away, so we moved on. 

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill, drifting floats. They caught a couple of small Seatrout and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We moved up to a point of grass and drifted the other side and this did the trick. Ed had made a good cast, gotten a good drift and when\ his float disappeared he tightened up and let the circle hook set. Ed played it patiently and landed a big 17" Seatrout. Both anglers drifted again and again and got more Seatrout, a couple of keeper size. Then Ed went back up close to the grass and had a Big hookup. This fish was ripping drag - it wasn't a Trout!  He played it for a good while, worked it in slowly, and landed a "tournament" sized 26.75" massive Redfish. Madonna got in some more drag ripping action when she hooked up and battle a Bonnethead Shark to the boat. 

We made a run over to Twin Creeks, drifted floats, added another Jack and a Bluefish to the cach total, then called it a day. As we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout'n

 I fished Friday running up to the annual Florida/Georgia football game - great weather for a great weekend!  I had met Brian Roach and his fishing buddy Jason down at Sawpit Creek. All week I had noted that the fish catching was really slow (non-existent) on the last of the incoming tide, which was what we had this day, so my "plan" was to run north up to a dock on the intercoastal and get there early before anyone beat us to it. Unfortunately, after the long run, there was a shore angler fishing off the dock in the "hole". Dang it. 

So ran back down the intercoastal and made it to Poteat Point and began to drift float rigs with live shrimp and luckily the Trout were biting. Brian got things started off and stayed hot catching a good handful of those "hungry" Seatrout, but we did get one that was of legal size. I noted that the water temperature was right at 74°. We moved over to Jackstaff and fished the "bank", working along it, and again picked up Seatrout. Jason got on the board, picking up a few Trout and a feisty Redfish. 

We then ran thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill to fish that last of the incoming tide. This hasn't worked too well during the first of the week but today it paid off. the duo stayed busy catching Trout, and a small Flounder for their Amelia Island  Backcountry Slam, and when we pulled up to the point and drifted the other side, I sensed a boredom with the Trout catching. Again, they weeded thru the shorts and picked up a keeper or two. After fishing the grass patch, we moved on.

Back to Seymore's Pointe to fish a large drainage. I can't remember if we got a Trout there but we had numerous "nibbles" that I felt sure were small Mangroves that won the battle (kinda like those mangy Dawgs did Saturday), and we moved on. Down the Nassau, stopping at Twin Creeks, we fished the two drainages. Both Brian and Jason were pitching to the "ripples" and it paid off with Trout catches. We may have added one more keeper sized fish here, and a couple of feisty Redfish

The final spot was at Spanish Drop, working the bank- More Trout, maybe another keeper (they ended the day with 5 keeper Trout, two were at 17") and another feisty Red or two. Brian battled a Bonnethead Shark to the boat before we headed back and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Weeding Thru The Trout

 Talking to Bob at the bait shop (Old Town Bait and Tackle) and comparing reports, we both agreed that there were a bunch of short Seatrout to be caught in the creeks and rivers. Then I met William and Dara Blalock early and we headed up and over to the Jolley River, turned into the "bank" and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp. The wind was so low we had an initial issue with the "no-see-ums" and as we worked the bank it looked good - it wasn't. We may have had one nibble but that was it. We dropped down the river and fished the point at Tyger Cut and noticed that we had almost zero current flow, and again, no bites. After moving up the river to Snook Creek and working that bank the two anglers did get into some hungry Seatrout, and by that time we were glad to have them. Although most were between 14"-4.75", we did get a keeper. 

We fished until the tide had started out then we made the run back to the outside of Tyger and set up on a point and here we had good action for a bit - hungry Seatrout, a couple of Bluefish, and a legal sized Flounder that we tossed back due to being out of season.  We added two more keeper Trout to the box. After running thru Tyger and down the Bell River, and up Lanceford Creek, we made our way to a grassy spot and worked it thoroughly. Dara hooked up almost immediately and expertly brought a feisty Redfish to the boat - it had 30 spots on it!  We released it, hopefully to be caught in the next AIGA Inshore Classic!  They caught another Trout or two, and another small Red before we moved on.

Fishing west of a dock both anglers were getting a nibble here and there when William's float slowly went under- he lifted the rod to set the circle hook and when the drag ripped a bit we were both hoping that finally we'd have a big Trout!  William worked it in slowly and it wasn't putting up much of fight until it got to the boat but then it got busy!  Th fish made a couple of runs up to the bow, underneath the boat, and back before William wore it out and landed a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish.

We finished up over at Soap Creek - fishing a drainage there was not shortage of those 14" Trout, then we moved up to a grassy island and picked up a couple more Redfish. We had started slow but had shad some good action with the Trout, and had a nice big Red 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, 

One Red But It Was a Big One!

The difference in the weather from yesterday to today was like night and day! Beautiful - clear skies, sunshine, pleasant temperatures, and just a bit of wind to keep things interesting.  I had met John Raker and his fishing partner Robert out at Goffinsville Park at 8:30 to give the tide a chance to turn around. We made our first run around to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage with float rigs and live shrimp - the tide had just started out and the two anglers were getting slow drifts. It was only a matter of minutes before Robert had a hookup, he played it to the boat and landed a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off".  Then both anglers were dueling with Mangrove Snappers and did get one nice sized keeper. Then John went long with a drift and sure enough, after the float had crossed a submerged oyster bar, BAM! His float disappeared and fish on! John expertly reeled it in and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.

We than ran thru Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff and worked along the "bank". Here, we could barely discern the outgoing tide. But even with not much water flowing, they did catch a good handful of "just undersized" Seatrout. We fished up a small creek off of Jackstaff, to no avail, then made the short run over to Poteat Pointe and worked along that edge. Robert picked up another hungry Seatrout right off, then we had a lull, then the duo caught another handful of those small, almost legal, Seatrout, and one  more that was a keeper.  We saw a ripple off of a grassy point and John placed his cast just north of it, let it drift and BOOM!  Big Fish on! It was ripping drag and running down the grass line, then came out deep and dug down, then boiled ot the top. John kept the pressure on, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, then landed a "tournament" sized 26.75" Slot Red, boy what a fish! And it was what turned out to be the only Redfish of the day!

After running back thru Horsehead we made our way down to the Back River and fished a bend of grass. They picked up another handful of hungry Seatrout, but no Reds today, and no Flounder like yesterday. We finished  up over at Nassauville catching 12" Mangrove Snapper to round out a mess o' fish and another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Split Trip Success

On occasion I get a group of more than 4 who want to go fishing and one option is to do a "split" trip -we go out with the first group and fish for 3 hours, then come back to the dock, unload, and reload with the 2nd group, and that's what we did today with the Matheney group. I met Greg and his two sons Rip and Warren down at Sawpit Creek on a tide that had hit the top and had just turned out. We ran up the Nassau to Seymore's Pointe and I believe it was the first drift with a float and live shrimp, BOOM! Fish On!  Rip was on the rod and brought it in expertly. From then and about an hour he and his brother

Warren were catching fish. They had a handful of Seatrout with a couple of "keeper" sized fish (all fish caught today were released), and Warren battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. The duo added a fesity Bluefish to their catch total before we moved on. 

After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and trying our luck, then back to a small side creek off of Jackstaff and getting no real bites, we ran back thru the Marsh and down to Back River where we set up to fish a pocket. Warren got the fish there, another keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stop was over at some docks at Nassauville where they tangled with some Mangrove Snapper, and outsmarted a few keeper sized fish. They picked up one more big Seatrout before we made the run back to the dock for the 2nd crew.

After getting Wes Metheney, his son Jack, and mother-in-law Pat on the boat, we ran back up the Nassau and around to Back River. Here, Wes picked up a feisty Redfish. We crossed the river and fished a bend and here it was Jack with the hot rod early. He was getting a feisty Redfish on just about every drift and began to practice his "lift up, reel down". Wes was on the bow and he was getting thoee small Reds too, but when his drag ripped on a long run we knew this one was bigger. That fish ran up current away from us, digging towards

the grass and boiling up in some shallow water. We almost needed to chase it but we were in too shallow of water to move forward!  But Wes kept the pressure on, turned him, and began to take up line. He worked it back ot the boat, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a nice 24.5", 18 spot Redfish.

After getting few more Reds there we moved across the river and fished some docks at Nassauville and here they caught a couple of handfuls of what could have been keeper Mangrove Snapper. We left them biting though, moved around to Seymore's Pointe and finished the day fishing dock, again getting keeper Mangroves, and a few small ones, and Jack wrapped it up with a Seatrout catch. 

We had had some good action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Got One Big One!

 

It looks like today may be the only day we get out this week (hopefully the winds die down later in the week - we'll see). This morning I meet Ed Birkett and his fishing partners Paul and Gary down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had pushed the start time to 8am with plans to fish the first of an outgoing tide. After running up the intercoastal we dipped into Jackstaff then eased in to a creek and set up at large drainage. The trio of anglers began tossing float rigs and live shrimp to the mouth and I was encouraged when Ed hooked up fairly quickly and brought to the boat a hungry Seatrout. Shortly after that he had a strong bite that ripped drag - it did seem to "boil" a bit on the surface and we were thinking "Redfish" but as he battled it to the boat and we saw the downward "tug, tug, tug" we changed our guess to "Jack" and sure enough, that's what it was. Fun to catch, but we threw it back. All three anglers had some good bites but no real takers, so we moved on.

After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at Seymore's Pointe and tossed to an outflow and had good action. The Mangrove Snapper are still here!  All three anglers caught keeper fish - they worked thru the small ones but ended up with 6 keeper fish in the box. Our next stop, after running down the Nassau, was at Spanish Drop where we worked the bank with the floats. Both Paul and Ed had strong hookups with what turned out to be feisty Redfish -small but fun to catch. 

Back up the Nassau we went, around to Back River where we fished a stretch with the floats and here we had really good action. Gary was on the stern and caught a couple of the Reds, Ed was midship and caught a few of the Reds, Paul was at the bow and caught a good handful of the Reds. They were all just undersized until Paul had one of those drag ripping bites. He played it perfectly, following it down from the bow then he applied the pressure, worked it in, and landed a bulky 25.5" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish!

They caught a good handful of the Reds there, and a couple of Seatrout, and luckily, a small Ladyfish! We were running low on bait so we slicked it up and iced it down for the next stop. After running back down the Nassau we set up at another drainage, switched to jigs tipped with cut Ladyfish and worked the bottom. Gary got a Flounder right off the bat, then added another couple of Redfish to his catch total. Ed and Paul added a couple of Reds then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Citrus Shrimp Tacos

This recipe comes from Olive Amelia, and establishment in downtown Fernandina Beach, 206 Centre Street It was very flavor able-I think I'll be prepping my shrimp "just to eat" with this marinade! Check out their Recipe page for ways to add more flavor to your meals..

Get ready to elevate Taco Tuesday to a whole new level with Citrus Shrimp Tacos! Bursting with bright flavors and fresh ingredients, these tacos are a fiesta for your taste buds.

Shrimp Marinade:

• 
  1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined
  
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar
•  3 tbsp. Salt Sisters Key West Seafood Rub

Avocado Mash:

• 1 – 2 avocados
• Dash of sea salt
•  2 tsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar

Avocado Mash Directions:

1. In a bowl, mash the avocados.
2. Sprinkle salt to taste and drizzle the Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar.
3. Mix together.

Slaw Ingredients:

•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
•  2 tbsp. Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 cups purple & green cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
•  1 tbsp. Savannah Bee Orange Blossom Honey
•  3 tsp. Salt Sisters Key West Seafood Rub

Slaw Prep:

1. Combine and allow it to marinate for a few hours or overnight for the best flavor!

Directions:

• Prepare your shrimp by patting them dry with paper towels.
•  Season shrimp with the Key West Seasoning, Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil, and Olive Amelia Key Lime Balsamic Vinegar.
• Marinade shrimp for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
•  Heat 2 tbsp. of Olive Amelia Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the marinated shrimp to the pan.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Assembly:

1. Warm tortillas for the best results.
2. Take a warm tortilla and spread the avocado mash.
3. Place your shrimp, then top with the slaw.
4. Finish with chopped cilantro.

One bite and you will be picturing yourself on an island in paradise!

Big Reds In The Backwater

 You may have noticed that hurricane Milton messed me up last week - 4-5 canceled trips! But I was back at it today and what a way to come back to work! My theory is that the fish are "gorging" themselves, getting ready for winter - the fish catching today was on fire - hands down the best trip I've had all year!

I had met Ann Mastroserio and her fishing crew Dave and Rich out at Goffinsville Park on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours and after running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point, we set up and drifted live shrimp under floats. Dave had the hot hand early, picking up one hungry Seatrout after another. Ann and Rich joined in catching a few then all heck broke loose! Rather than go into the gory details, this is how the morning went - recorded all the big fish....

Ann -24"  Slot Redfish  

   Rich - 21.5" Seatrout (ties for third biggest this year on the Bragging Rights board)                                       Dave - 26.5"  "Tournament" Slot Redfish                                                                                                            Rich -17" Seatrout                                                                                                                                            Dave- 28.5" Oversized Redfish                                                                                                                        Dave-25.5" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                Rich - 23.25: Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                        Ann - 30.25" Monster Oversized Redfish                                                                                                    Dave - 23" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                     Rich - 28.25" Oversized Redfish                                                                                                                       Ann - 25.75" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                            

There were numerous "rat Reds" caught during the day, a handful of hard fighting Jack Crevalle's caught, Dave got a Slam by putting a small Flounder in the boat and Rich got his Slam with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Crazy great fishing day here at Amelia Island, Florida.