High Tides Make It Tough

 ..but the Trout did come thru for us this morning. I had met Sam Brown, his father Dennis, and Sam's girlfriend Tanley up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning with a tide that was high and still coming in. It was a beautiful morning as we eased out of Eagans Creek then made our way up and around to the Jolley River where we eased into the "bank" to toss float rigs and live shrimp. 

Each stop we made today we tended to get a Trout, but only one, or maybe two at each location. Dennis had the hot hand early and picked up a few to jump out into a lead but then Tanley began to press him when she caught one deep on a jig over in the Bell River. Back towards Fernandina we were back fishing floats and when Tanley put the biggest Trout of the day in the boat to tie up the standings, Dennis got back in the action and caught a couple to re-assume the lead!

Over in Lanceford Creek the tide had finally started out and after much perseverance, Sam got oni the board with a nice Seatrout catch. That high tide had made it difficult, but we had a beautiful day and we'd put a few fish in the boat so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Big One!

 

The Poon boys met me down at Sawpit Creek this morning for a half day of fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. Derek and his sons Zach and Tyler and I ran up the intercoastal, passed a huge flock of Rosette Spoonbills, dipped into Jackstaff and split of into a smaller creek just as the high tide began to move out. We were set up with mud minnows strung up under float rigs.  Zach  tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, and that was it.

After running thru Horsehead we headed down to Twin Creeks and fished the outgoing tide there, and again tangled with some Ladyfish. Our next stop was over at Back River, fishing a point of grass and here all three anglers got on the board. Tyler went long off the bow with a fine cast and hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. Zach followed that up with one of  his own.

 We trolled forward and the drifted back to the point. Derek had made a good cast. let his float drift down alongside a submerged shell bed and then his float slowly went under. I saw Derek smoothly take his slack up, lift his rod, and set the circle hook and Fish On!  I was thinking "another feisty Rat Redfish" but then that rod bent over and the drag began to sing and BIG Fish On!  And boy was it a battle! Derek couldn't have played it any better though and after a few good rolls, a few good drag ripping runs, Derek brought to the boat a nice Overisized 28.5" Redfish. 

After fishing there for a bit, we ran down to Spanish Drop and worked that bank where this trio of Anglers caught a few more Redfish, a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, and, more Ladyfish. We finished the day out at a dock at Seymore's Pointe where they added a couple of more keeper Mangroves, then we headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Banner Day and Busted Bragging Rights

They only come around once in a while but when you have one of those Banner Days, you have to make the best of it, and that's what this trio of anglers did today. I had met Jay Mathews and two of his adult kids Will and Becky down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. The tide was still coming in, especially way up near Broward Island. so we made the run up the intercoastal, turned west and cut thru Back River and made our way around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up drifting float rigs and live shrimp with the incoming current. It only took a few  minutes and we were on fish! This trio  caught one fish after the other - fat keeper sized Seatrout, hard fighting Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, more Trout, more Jacks, Flounder, and more Ladyfish. I think we were there for an hour and a half!

We finally moved around and fished some grassy patches and here Becky, after making an excellent cast, hooked up, battled and landed a nice Slot Redfish. Will followed that up with a hookup and battle with a large Bonnethead Shark. 

I had planned to head over to Jackstaff where we did pretty good yesterday but as we were passing a spot that I have had my eye on, I pulled up, turned into the current and we again went with the float rigs, drifted up by the grass. I knew that there was plenty of oyster shell submerged and we had the first of an outgoing tide and....BAM! They began to catch Redfish. All three anglers put Slot sized fish in the baot - Will, then Becky, then Jay. They kept going back to the same spot - BAM! Fish On! Will had a hookup and this one was BIG - it was ripping drag and heading north, so much so that we speculated it might be another Shark. But it came back, went to the shoreline, and finally boiled - Big Redfish. Will played it perfectly and after a long battle, landed a oversized 30" Redfish! This fish moved Will into First Place n the 2022 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

Not minutes later it was Becky's turn for the big fish. After hooking up her fish too ran like a freight train. But Becky applied the pressure and slowly worked it in, fought it thru multiple runs to the bottom, worked it up and after a good battle landed another oversized 28.25" Redfish, boy what a fish! We added one more Slot Redfish to the  catch and had a good handful of smaller "feisty" Redfish. caught.

After a brief stop down at Spanish Drop we headed back to the ramp and counted it as an outstanding day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Heat Rising

Yesterday afternoon the forecast called for about a 50% chance of rain for this morning, but when I got up early it was down to about a 14%. We had already decided to chance it and it was all the better of a forecast. I met John Williams down at the south end ramp and he had his two kids, Hadden (8) and Ruth (6) along to help with the fishing!

We made a short trip up the intercoastal, then into the Nassau and began fishing a tide that had been going out for about 4-hours - the shell were showing. We began working a large drainage with jigs and live shrimp, and minnows but had no bites until we reached a corner of shell then John hooked up and, Fish On1  John played it perfectly - the fish fought up near the shore then headed down river but John was ready and followed it back to the stern. He patiently wore it out and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. 

Hadden moved up to the bow and began fishing the same spot and only minutes later he had a fish on. He had made an excellent cast and kept his line tight, felt the bump, set the hook and had a fish!  Hadden played it perfectly and soon landed a 20" Slot Redfish.

We moved down the river and fished Twin Creeks, had some bumps, but no takers, then we ran further up the Nassau and fished between two docks. Here, All three anglers boated some Mangrove Snapper, two of which were of keeper size. Young Ruth was casting on her own and was able to reel in one of these sneaky biters. We fished some pilings at another dock then made the run down to Broward and fished deep for a bit, to no avail. 

It had been getting hotter and hotter all morning but we made one last run thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff for a bit, then headed back with some cool breeze blowing. We had a few nice fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Surf Fishing Tip's Welcomed

 We had the best "non windy" day today when I fished with Eddie Byrd, Bob Kossman, and David
Beauchamp. We all met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, after pealing off shoes to wade from deck to dock on a super high tide! After running up the intercoastal, thru the Back River, and around to Pumpkin Hill we set up alongside a very flooded marsh grass and began drifting float rigs and live shrimp long. In just minutes Bob had "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch, then he followed that up when he landed a Bluefish.  Then Eddie "went long" and just past a grassy point his float went under with a vengeance and, Fish On!  He patiently brought it to the boat and net and landed a nice 17" Seatrout. David tangled with a high flying Ladyfish, the first of a good handful caught today.

We then made the run back to Seymore's Point and fished a large marsh drainage, drifting by a point of
grass, but had not a bite. We came back around and fished some rocks and here all three anglers played Cat-and-Mouse with Mangrove Snapper, and a handful of the Mangroves lost!

After running thru Horsehead we fished another drainage, picked up another Trout, then Eddie landed an "almost legal" Redfish, just shy of the 18". Back thru Horsehead we went and down to Spanish Drop for the final spot. Bob caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, David put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, then he battled a big Bonnethead Shark. This fish ran long and deep but David fought it patiently and eventually landed it for photograph and release. We had picked up some fish here and there, we hadn't had to fight the wind, so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Recipe of the Month: Belly Meat Chowder

 My friend and  fishing buddy Daniel Rhodes chastised me one day while I was cleaning fish. Normally I filet them, then cut the rib and belly meat out and toss it to the Seagulls. "Piper, don't be throwing away that belly meat". I've got to admit there is a lot of meat in that portion so now when I'm cleaning fish for customers I'll sometimes save it if they don't want it. I bring it home and either cook it that night or freeze it noted as "Belly Meat". It makes great Fish Chowder. I  threw this together as a recipe:

4-8 pieces of "Belly/Rib" meat. I prefer Redfish because the bones are bigger, but in this batch I used                                                             about 8 pieces of  Redfish and Seatrout

24oz bag of Honey Gold (small) potatoes, chopped

2  small stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 of a small onion, chopped

2 handfuls of frozen corn

1  link of Sausage (I used Nettles Old Grandad Hot), chopped

1-2 T bacon grease

2 T butter

1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 C milk

1 tsp  Konricko seasoning, 

In a skillet, heat the bacon grease and cook the sausage for a bit, then add the celery, onions and corn. Cook until the sausage is browned, the onions begin to go translucent, and the celery begins to soften. Turn off heat.

Fill a large pot half full with water. As  you bring it to boil, drop the Redfish/Trout belly meat in and it will cook fairly quickly. When it turns white, take it out and let it cool, then add the potatoes and begin to boil them. While the potatoes are cooking, open a beer, and de-bone the fish!  As mentioned, Redfish have bigger rib bones and are easier to feel. Cook the potatoes until you can stick a fork thru them. Turn the heat off, drain most of the water, leaving about a cup. 

Add the sausage/onion/celery/corn mixture.

Add the butter, Heavy Whipping Cream, Milk, and Seasoning (may need to add more to taste).

Stir, turn heat back on and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn back down to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Nice Amelia Island Back Country Slam

As it turned out, my trip today wrapped my week up. Forecasted winds are pretty high tomorrow so I won't be fishing. But today we were able to get in a good trip when I fished with Shelia " Redfish"  Davis and her brother Steve when I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made a quick run up the intercoastal, turned into Back River and ran around to Pumpkin Hill to fish the very last of a high and incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp. The NW wind that we had made it ideal keeping our baits up near the flooded grass bank and both anglers were getting good drifts, going long. Although there wasn't as much action as I had hoped for, Shelia did have a strong hookup - she played it patiently and brought to the boat a really nice 19" Seatrout!

We worked around the corner for a bit, fished a long side a Bald Eagle,  then ran back to Seymore's Pointe to fish a large marsh run out. Here, they had some bites, some nibbles, but no takers. We then ran down to Spanish Drop and fished a still flooded bank, then made our way back up to Nassauville and fished some docks. Here, using a jig, Steve got hot and mastered hooking up with Mangrove Snapper, a couple of which were of keeper size. Sheila added to the catch by landing a nice Flounder. 

After running thru Horsehead we eased into a side creek off of
Jackstaff and began working some exposed oysters. As we approached a small drainage surrounded by oysters I commented that we had caught a handful of Redfish in that spot. Shelia put a cast right up close and sure enough, her float slowly went under and off to angle. She tightened up her line and let the circle hook set and, Fish On!  We weren't sure if this was a small Red or a big one but when it took off and began ripping drag we knew it was a nice fish! Shelia fought it perfectly and after a good battle landed a big 24" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish! After photographs we released it to swim off.  That fish gave Shelia her Amelia Island Back Country Slam and made for a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe Of The Month (Top Secret): Redfish Couvillion

Secret Agent (TM007) infiltrated Louisiana last month to fish, visit friends, eat, and then he slipped out under the cover of darkness with a Secret Recipe of  Paul's Louisiana Redfish Couvillion (COO-be-yahn)! What a score!  It took some cajoling, some arm wrenching, and some libations to get that Secret Agent to divulge the recipe but finally, he reached the end of his endurance and gave it up!  Here it is:

1)  Catch some Redfish!  This batch I used two large Redfish filets.

Filet and season the cubed Redfish. "Paul" (not sure if that is his real name)  recommends Tony Chachere's, I used Konricko Creole Seasoning.

Make a dark pecan colored roux - equal parts oil and flour. I used two heaping Tablespoons of bacon grease, and two heaping Tablespoons of flour.

1 Medium onion, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 teaspoon of crushed garlic

1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 -3/4 box of chicken stock

parsley or green onion tops for garnish.

After getting the roux ready, add onions, bell peppers, garlic and celery....cook until onions are clear. I added a little bit of the chicken stock while this was cooking (maybe I should have had more roux?)

Add diced tomatoes....Add jalapeno peppers and the shallots.

Add chicken stock to cover ingredients. Cook on low until there is an oil slick forming and peppers begin to soften (about 20-30 minutes). 

Bring to a boil and add the seasoned fish. Cook until is fish is done - it will go from opaque to white, just when the mixture comes to a light boil. You don't want to overcook it because the fish will breach up (you could still eat it but you want those chunks of Redfish!). 

I served this over some wild rice with some fried green tomatoes on the side. 

Garnish with Parsley or chopped Green Onion tops. 

Editors(that's me). Note: Chief Taste Tester (my wife Carol) commented that "if this is Cajun why isn't there some sausage in here?"  And I replied, "yes, and some shrimp!"  But I got to thinking, those two additions, plus some Okra would make it Gumbo!  This was very good to get those Redfish chunks and  not be overwhelmed or distracted by the other ingredients. Truth be told, I added some Franks Hot Sauce when I warmed it up for lunch as a leftover.

Crazy Difference In a Day

 It's crazy how one day you have outstanding fishing (yesterday) and the very next it falls off to be a grind to catch a fish! Today I met Dennis Abercrombie and his dad Jay out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. Again, it was a beautiful day, just a tad bit cool, and not much wind to begin with. We ran around and fished a larger outflow at Seymore's Pointe, and did have one hookup but a "shake off", then no real bites. We buzzed thru Horsehead and fished some pockets of grass on an outgoing tide with float rigs but got nary a nibble. We also fished the bank of Jackstaff for a bit with jigs and live shrimp to no avail. 

We went the short route thru the marsh and then down to Twin Creeks, staying with the jigs. No fish. Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop. We had fished about 3/4 of a long shell bank when finally, BAM! Jay was hooked up. He said he felt the fish 'bump" it a couple of times and he set the hook hard, Fish On!  Jay was up for a battle - the first fish of the day, and he played it perfectly. The big fish got behind the boat and into the fast moving current but Jay held fast, stayed patient, and eventually landed a nice 24" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a battle!

Our next stop was up at Nassauville, fishing between two docks. We had caught a good handful of Seatrout here yesterday, but today? Not a bite.  We moved around and fished another dock and here Jay landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and a feisty Redfish. We stopped back by the previous dock to see if the change in tide made a difference and did pick up one more Seatrout. Although the fish caught quantity had been low, the quality had been good so as was we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It was a Struggle

We had another beautiful morning today when I met Tom and Christy Wigger and their two kids Tessa and Ryan up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. But I had warned them to wear long pants and long sleeves and sure enough, the Sand Gnats were out! We made our first stop over behind Tyger Island to fish the logs on an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp on the bottom. Although we had some nibbles here and there, we had not takers.

After running around (and blowing the Gnats off) to the Jolley River, we set up in to the current and fished the jigs out front and float rigs out back. Not getting any bites, we moved down to Snook Creek and went all floats. We had two quick bites and it was Tessa who had the first hookup. She worked it quickly to the boat and landed a nice hungry Seatrout - Skunk Off!

After a pit stop back at Dee Dee we continued on and over to the Bell River, fished a marsh pointe, then ran over to Soap Creek and fished a large outflow. Here, Tom got on the board with a Seatrout catch. 

As we were heading back to the ramp we passed a big pod of porpoise who were just "lolling" along the bank, which was cool to see and made for a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Foggy Morning Oversized Redfish

 

I wasn't expecting the fog this morning but as I loaded the boat I knew right off we'd be dealing with it. When I met Mike Stanhope and his adult son Bryce up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park I had me NAV lights on and had plugged in my stern light (I haven't used it in over a year and hoped it would work - it did!) We slowly chugged across the river and back in behind Tiger to fish a tide that had been coming in for about 3 hours. That's not my favorite tide but we still had some bank to cast to.  Both anglers were making fine casts and we worked down the bank, pitching up between the logs and as we got to the other end it was Bryce who "knocked the skunk off" with a fat Seatrout catch.

Just minutes later Mike had followed Bryce in to the mouth of a small drainage and afterwards he said, "he bit it hard the minute it hit bottom", BAM! Big Fish On!  At first I thought I might have set the drag too loose - it was ripping deep and when Mike would work it up a  bit, down it would go again. He had a good long battle and then I realized, no, not a loose drag, but a big oversized Redfish. We eventually netted it, measured it at 29.25", photographed it and released it, boy what a fish, and big enough to move Mike into 1st Place in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We fished float rigs and live shrimp over at Bell River on a grassy point but had  few bites, then ran around to Soap Creek and stayed with the float rigs. Bryce picked up another Trout there. After fishing up Lanceford for a bit we decided to make the run south and after a 20 minute boat ride, were were fishing in Jackstaff Creek. We had a few bites, crossed the creek and switched back to jigs, and got a few pictures of a gaggle of White Pelicans, then ran thru Horsehead to fish at Seymore's Pointe. 

Here we had our most action, now fishing an outgoing tide, set up on a corner. Both anglers had a handful of catches of those Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size.

The sun had come out, the fog was gone, the temperature was up and as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing hear at Amelia Island, Florida.

Did Three Degrees Make a Difference?

Tom Hutchens and I made a decision to fish this morning rather than tomorrow morning and it paid off. Today's forecast called for just a slight breeze this morning but increasing winds to about 12mph at knock-off time. We meet down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made a quick run up the Nassau River. The tide had been coming in for about three hours and I thought for sure  we'd get some fish around some dock pilings at Seymore's Pointe. I'm glad I didn't bet on it! We fished the pilings thoroughly with jigs and live shrimp but had not a single bite.  I was thinking, "oh no, here we go again". The last few trips I've fished have been a struggle with water temperatures hovering around 53 degrees. Todays water was up to 56 so I had high hopes that the fishing would be better.

I don't normally fish Broward Island on a high and incoming tide due to the logs being a real pain, but I thought we may have a chance at some Seatrout fishing the falling river bottom so we made the run down there. Low and behold, the island was blocking any wind, enough to where the sand gnats were a bit

aggravating. We began tossing up to the bank and letting the jig/shrimp fall with the current. Sure enough, we'd get just a faint "BIP" and when we tightened the line we'd get a hookup, Tom soon had the hang of it and all-told, he boated a dozen Seatrout, or so.  We also had a good handful of feisty Redfish -undersized, but fun to catch, and a distinctly different kind of fight than the Seatrout. But then Tom hooked up and this fish was pulling hard, digging deep, and we thought for sure it was another of those smaller Reds. But when brought it to the net, we saw that it was a Big Seatrout, measuring in right at 20" and big enough to set the bar for this year's Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report and click on Bragging Rights link for standings(. 

We dropped back and fished another stretch and picked up Reds and Trout then had another strong hookup. Tom played it perfectly and eventually landed a nice 23.25" Slot Redfish. I was thinking, "this is another Bragging Rights "bar setter" but then we had ANOTHER big bite! This fish was pulling deep and had no intention of coming to the boat (see video below). That Florida Fishing Tackle Ospery 1000CE's drag was ripping smooth and Tom was patient, and evidently living right, and after a good battle, landed an Oversized  28.25" Redfish, Boy what a fish, and a now a Bragging Rights bar setter! We ended up getting Tom's legal limit of 5 keeper Trout then we move on.

Our final stop was back at Nassauville, fishing a drop off, and Tom again put one more Trout in the boat, this one on a jig and Contender Bait "Christmas Tree" grub. The wind was really whipping right now but we had a box full of fish and as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout On The Bottom

Kinda cool this morning! But the skies were clear, the sun was coming up and there was very little wind.Sean Pattwell and I had to move today's trip due to high winds on Friday and rain on Tuesday so we were chomping at the bit to get out on the water. As I ran to the first spot up the Nassau  River I noticed that the water temperature was 54 degrees. We pulled up a marsh run out on a tide that had been going out for a few hours and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp up to the mouth of the drainage, then let the current take the offering across the river bottom. We were fishing in about 12-15' of water, and had no bites.

We dropped back and fished a bank with exposed shell, working along the edge, now in about 10-12' of water but after working it thoroughly, we had not bites. OUCH.  Our next stop was up at the rocks along Nassauville, now pitching into 14' of water and letting the bait fall down thru 25' and this did the trick. Sean began to hookup out deep and catch Seatrrout. Although no fish were kept today, a couple of them were nice and fat and of keeper size. Sean also picked up one Redfish in the bunch.

After moving around to Seymore's Pointe and fishing some dock piling to no avail, we made the run down to Broward Island and set up fishing under the watchful eye of a Bald Eagle. The first stretch of fishing produced no bites but then, as the tide began to turn, we began to get bites. Sean had been pitching  his jig/shrimp combo up to the edge, then letting it fall until it was almost directly behind the boat in 20-25' of water and, TAP, TAP, TAP. Sean set the hook and would hookup. I was fishing some too and Sean was getting about 3 fish to my 1 - he was dialed in. These fish were fat and legal but we snapped pictures and tossed them back.

The sun was out, the skies were clear and as we left 'em biting, we headed back to the dock, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

 

 

Last Spot Pays Off

Adopt the pace of nature;

her secret is patience.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The temperature was in the 40's this morning but there were clear skies and very little wind and Sean Pattwell was "game" to go fishing, so we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and headed over to Tyger Island to fish some 4' water with float rigs and live shrimp. To be honest, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in our strategy but it was the only real strategy I could come up when dealt with a high tide. But we Endeavored to Persevere(Chief Dan George). That first stop was real pretty! The sun had come up and was shining on the trees and marsh of Tyger, but the fish didn't cooperate.

We made the run around and up to the Jolly River, fished the mouth of Snook Creek and again, no bites. After running thru the Jolly and around to the Bell, we fished between some docks with jigs and shrimp, deep on the bottom. IF I was a betting man, I would have lost a $1 because I would have bet it, sure we'd catch a fish here. We had one nibble but no takers, so we moved on.

Our final stop was over in Lanceford Creek, fishing some dock pilings. But now the tide had gotten down and sure enough, we began to get some hookups. We reeled in a Black "puppy" Drum, then a Channel Bass (vintage speak for Redfish) then Sean had a good bump, set the hook, and expertly landed a keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). We added two more Channel Bass to the catch total. Although the fish catching wasn't on fire, it was a beautiful day and a great one to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout Honey Hole

 After a super cold day yesterday, we had a warming trend for
today and luckily, I had planned to meet Bill Rowlett at 1pm for an afternoon trip and it had warmed to the mid 60's. We met down at the Sawpit Creek Boat Ramp and headed  up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff with plans to fish a tide that had been going out for a few hours. We went with float rigs, fishing in about 5 feet of water, and got...nuthin. After fishing a sandbar point with jig rods and again getting no bites, we ran thru Horsehead, over to the Nassau, and down to a large marsh run out.

Bill was making excellent casts with his jig and shrimp combo and letting the current take his bait down the river bottom, but again, not a nibble! We moved up to Seymore's Pointe and fished a couple of docks. Bill had made a good toss up between some piling and the day had been going so slow up until now he and I both thought he was hung on the bottom...but then it began pulling back, and, Fish On!  Bill played it perfectly and after a good battle, landed a nice feisty Redfish, Skunk Off The Boat!

We ran around the corner and down the Nassau to the rocks of Nassauville and fished between two docks. I knew that at the end of one dock there was steep decline in the river bottom, going from 15' to 30' out at the boat. We began tossing our jig and shrimp up to the shallower water and then let the current take it down the decline and BAM! We began to get hookups. Seatrout were laying down there in deeper water and with a subtle bite, they'd take the bait. Most of the fish were in the 14" range but we had a few that could have been "keepers"(all fish caught today were released). It was fun catching them and really took some finesse but Bill was up to the task. I had been fishing a bit also to increase our chances but eventually I was able to put my rod down and watch Bill catch fish. After about 17 fish, they were still biting, but we decided to move on for a change in scenery.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island. I knew the tide would be still going out, not ideal, but we made the best of it, working the bank. Bill put two more feisty Reds in the boat. The sun was heading down and the temperature was dropping, but it was a beautiful day and a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Seafood Dip

 

Seafood Dip

8oz    can crab meat

1.5lb  medium peeled, deveined local shrimp

          Konricko seasoning

1/8   Cup chopped green onion

¼      Cup chopped celery

12oz  (1.5package) cream cheese

8oz  container sour cream

1 tsp  Franks hot sauce

1 tsp  Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp  lemon juice

Peel and devein shrimp.  Toss in Konricko seasoning and brown in skillet.

Chop up shrimp into small nuggets. Chop celery and green onion. Mix all ingredients in bowl.

Taste and add Konricko, hot sauce, or Worcestershire as needed.

Let chill in refrigerator. Serve with crackers.

Worthwhile Braving The Nasty Weather

 

It was drizzling rain when I launched yesterday. A dreary fog had set in and as I tied the boat up the rain increased enough to where I was scrambling for a rain jacket and I ended up sitting under the cabana until Freya Phillips and Ray pulled up. They had come prepared, with both wearing rains suites, head to toe, and it being Ray's birthday, we were going fishing one way or the other!  So off we went and after making our first run up and into the Jolley River, we eased back into the tide that had been coming in for a few hours and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp. And the rain stopped and never rained again!

We worked the entire bank for about 30 minutes and we didn't get even a nibble. Not a bite, which I thought was strange. After running further up the Jolley we worked another bank and fairly quickly Ray "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch.  I thought we might pick up a few more, but no. Then Ray saw a "tail" up in a pocket behind us so we dropped back and fished it. Freya was fishing within 6 feet of the boat when here float slowly went under. She tightened up the line, lifted her rod tip, and BAM! Her line began ripping out as her rod tip bent over, Big Fish On!  Freya was on the bow but made here way back to the stern and luckily the big fish made for deeper water. Freya fought it from port to starboard and back again a few times. Just when we could see the float come to the surface the fish would dig deep again, ripping drag. But finally, Freya, who was getting double coached, brought the fish to the surface and landed an Oversized 32" Redfish which we photographed and released. This fish put Freya in third place in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings) Boy what a fish!

We fished the outside of Tyger in a couple of places to no avail, then motored thru Tyger and fished over in the Bell. Here, we got into some action. Both anglers caught Seatrout, one after another for a good bit. They were in the 12"-14.5" range, fun to catch, but all released. Our final stop was over in Soap Creek. We had a few bites as the tide turned and started back out, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Found 'Em

 I wrapped  up my week fishing with Glenn and Patti Langford this morning. We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early,  under cloudy skies, but warmer temperatures than the last few days. We made a long run up the intercoastal, over thru the Back River, into the Nassau, and down to Broward Island. It was a high and incoming tide but I wanted to try fishing the island deep. Both anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp to the bank, letting it fall down the bottom, and waited for the "bump". Patti "knocked the skunk off" when she had a strong hookup. She played it perfectly and landed a feisty Redfish. I though, "oh boy, here we go!"  But nope, not another real bite. We moved down the island, passing a pair of Bald Eagles, and fished another stretch of the island, to no avail.

We motored back up the river and fished a shallow stretch of flooding bank, now floating live shrimp over the shell bottom and BAM! We had one hookup after another!  It was almost every drift. Many of the Seatrout were 14-14.5" in length but we put a good handful of keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. Glenn had a

good drift going, right up beside the grass and when a fish took his bait with a vengeance and his drag ripped, we knew he had a bigger fish. Glenn fought it patiently as it boiled up a couple of times (Redfish) and then he brought it to the net, a 20" Slot Sized Redfish. After briefly fishing a grassy island we moved on.

Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe where we drifted live shrimp under a float along a couple of grass lines. Although we had a couple of good "takes', we landed no fish. After motoring down the Nassau, we fished the mouth of  Twin Creeks, switching back to jigs. Patti hooked up quickly with another Seatrout. We landed a couple of more Trout as we worked the bank, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout Game

 

What beautiful weather we're having here at Amelia Island this week, and today was no different with clear skies, sunshine, and flat water! I met fishing buddies Tom Gaslin and Steve Foss out at Goffinsville Park early and we made a short run over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and set up along a stretch of flooding marsh grass with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp to the bank and drift them long with the current, and we did just that, and it paid off. Both anglers found that there was a "honey hole" back there and they caught hungry Seatrout, one after the other. We moved down the bank a bit and Steve again went long and again found Seatrout. When you're drifting long sometimes you build up a bunch of slack and it becomes a game when that float disappears- you have to slap the bail shut, crank like crazy to catch up and then lift the rod to have the circle hook set. You win some you lose some.

We move around the corner and again found Seatrout up by a grass patch. Our next stop was at a large marsh drainage back at Seymore's Pointe. The duo found that they could toss their float up beyond a grassy pointe, let it drift around the corner and, BAM. Trout bite. We jumped around the dock and fished the grass line and here Tom got hot and picked up another handful of Trout, one of which was of keeper size. 

Our next stop was down the Nassau, again fishing a marsh drainage with jigs and shrimp, but we only picked up one small Seatrout. Moving further down to Spanish Drop, we worked some submerged shell banks, drifting with the current. We were almost ready to make another move when Steve had a strong bite, one that ripped his drag. He played it perfectly and landed a nice feisty Redfish. He picked up two more of those Reds and one of them made it into the Slot. 

Our final stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. We fished the pilings with the jigs and shrimp, had some nibbles, but not takers. We then worked along the docks, tossing jigs and picked up another Trout or two, then aa nice  18" Black "puppy" Drum. It had been a gorgeous day, we had some good fish catching action, so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Good Move

 Although the storm passed thru over the weekend it left lingering winds thru Monday so Karen and Jerry Thompson and I decided to move the trip to this afternoon, and it was a good move. We only had a slight breeze blowing and the sun was shining bright which made for a very pleasant afternoon on the water hre at Amelia Island. We made  quick run over to the outside of Tyger to fish a marsh line as the tide started out. I thought we were really going to take off when Jerry hooked up and landed a fat, keeper sized Seatrout right off the bat. But bites after that were few and far between. We fished there then crossed the creek and fished another couple of spots but to no avail.

Our next stop was up at the Jolley River, fishing a stretch of bank and here Jerry got hot and caught a handful of Seatrout. We worked up and down that bank and picked up Trout. Karen got in on the action and landed her first fish, a Seatrout.

We moved up the river, staying with the float rigs and here Jerry had a strong bite, one that ripped some drag. He kept the pressure on and worked in a nice keeper sized Redfish.   

Our final stop was around at Bell River, fishing some docks with jigs. Karen was on he bow and began to hookup with Seatrout. Jerry, at the stern, found one back by some dock pilings.  We move down the river a bit and pitched to an old boat ramp and here we found two or three Redfish. It had been a beautiful day and we had caught some nice fish so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.