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. 

Wrapping up 2021 with a Grandfather, son, and grandson trip

 Where've I been?  Today was the only trip I fished in December!  I've been doing boat/trailer/trolling motor repairs AND building a storage shed. On the boat, I had the bow repaired, and a few new coats applied to the keel. I also cleaned out some old caulk where the gas tank was installed last year and put a nice, pretty bead down. I also replaced the flares, fire extinguisher and scrap leader container. Then I cleaned the whole inside, hatches and all!

The trailer had a bunk broken so I replaced that and then changed out the carpet on most of the bunks. The bow roller was what was causing the bow to get "chewed up", so I replaced that. One tire had a slow leak so I replaced it with a new one and repaired the old one for a spare. The right side trailer lights have been out for 4-5months so I doped that out and repaired it.

I was reminded the other day that my trolling motor had been acting up since last August!  I had dropped it off to Fish307 JAX and Christina overhauled the mechanical parts internally. I also purchased a new battery for the remote, cleaned the contacts and installed it. It purred today fishing!

I'm well on my way to having a nice 10'x20' shed built. It's framed up, house wrapped and dried in with felt paper, windows installed, storage shelving set up, rod racks installed. Roofing and wiring are planned for next week. Unfortunately the doors are on back order with the (next) estimated date of delivery January 17th, which means I can't complete the trim or begin the siding. Ouch.   

So I've been "out of pocket" this  month, but today I was able to get out out on the water with the Averbuch's - Mark, his son Jared, and grandson Max. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed up the intercoastal to dip in to Jackstaff then a side creek and set up at a large marsh drainage, fishing with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour.

It didn't take long before Mark hooked up and landed a small but hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off". We eased along a small grassy island with all three anglers making excellent casts and getting good drifts. Mark went up to another couple of small drainage's and when his float disappeared he resisted the urge to give it a hard set, but instead lifted and made contact, and, Fish On! I could tell right off that it was a nice fish by the way it dug deep and sure enough it finally realized it was hooked and took off, ripping drag as it went. That's when Max stepped in to help out - Mark handed off the rod and young Max played the big fish perfectly, keeping the pressure on and working it slowly to the boat. After a good battle he subdued the beast and brought it to the net - a nice Oversized 28" Redfish, boy what a fish.

We crossed the creek and fished a good stretch of bank with the floats, then we switched to jigs, had no luck, and moved on. After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at some docks over at Seymore's Pointe with plans to pitch to the pilings. All three were getting nibbles and finally it was Jared who had the big hookup. He got it out from the pilings then handed it off to Max who patiently brought it in - a big 18" Black "puppy" Drum. Just minutes later, after having made an excellent cast, Max hooked up with another nice fish. He played it to the boat and landed a 16" keeper sized Black Drum. 

Our next stop was around at some docks at Nassauville. Here, both Jared and Max landed Seatrout fishing deep, and a couple were of keeper size. We fished down at Broward Island and picked up a couple of small Trout, again in fairly deep water. Our final stop was back at Spanish Drop, fishing some shell banks with the jigs. Jared had just made a beautiful cast to the bank, about, two feet off of the shell and it paid off. BAM! He had a hookup. He expertly played it to the net and landed a keeper sized 18" Redfish. Although we only caught one fish along there, it was a good one and a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Last of the Outgoing, First of the Incoming

 

We had another beautiful day today when I met Mark Smith and his future neighbor Dan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The skies were clear and the sun was just coming up as we made the run up the Nassau River and around to Broward Island to set up at a large marsh run out with plans to pitch jigs and live shrimp. Dan was on the bow fishing the run out while Mark was on the stern pitching to a small cove and it as Mark who "knocked the skunk off" with a feisty Redfish catch. We worked along that bank and had a pretty good stretch of "fish catching" - the two anglers caught a good handful of Seatrout with a couple of them being of keeper size, then Mark put a Slot sized Redfish in the boat. We worked about half the island but the tide had come to a standstill, so we made a move.

Dan stayed on the bow, fishing the jig, and hooked up with a keeper sized Weakfish then Mark caught and landed another Slot Red, then he had a strong hookup and this big fish stayed on the bottom, Fish On!  Mark played it patiently and slowly

worked it up, then it dove deep again making the drag sing. He worked it up again only to have it make more deep runs, but Mark was up to the task and eventually landed an Oversized 29" Redfish, boy what a fish!

We came back to Nassauville, stayed with the jigs, and here they picked up another Redfish, then Mark landed a 15"+ Flounder, big enough normally, but with a closed season, it went back to live another day!

Our final stop was down at Twin Creeks. Both Mark and Dan caught Seatrout drifting floats, then a feisty Redfish. We moved down to Spanish Drop and finished the day catching small but fun to catch Seatrout. As we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Weeding Thru The Ladyfish To Get Trout

I guess the Ladyfish are making one last run at it before the really cold weather gets here because we caught our fair share of them this morning! I had met Bruce Beauchamp and Dennis Schroeder down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp before sunup and we headed up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill and began drifting float rigs along a grass line on the last hour and a half of incoming tide. It wasn't long before we were getting bites...Dennis knocked the skunk off with a Seatrout catch then both he and Bruce were catching fish. Most of them were high flying Ladyfish but every once in a while they'd pick up a Seatrout.

We worked around the corner, fished a grassy island, then headed over to Seymore's Pointe just as the tide turned and started back out. There was a bunch of mullet on  the move but not much happening other than some Mangrove Snapper bites and catches.

After buzzing thru Horsehead we eased up into a creek and stayed with the float rigs. Bruce picked up a couple of Trout, had a strong bite up near some grass that broke off, then as we drifted back, Dennis had gone to the grass with a cast and had a good hookup. He brought it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.

We came back thru Horsehead to the Nassau, down to Spanish Drop and fished a nice drainage, this time switching to jigs and shrimp, and here we had some good action catching a good handful of Seatrout on the bottom. When that slowed we moved down the way, stuck with the jigs, and again caught fish. Dennis was on the stern and found a good "honey hole" where he caught a number of Trout. As we moved up, Bruce went close to the bank and to a submerged shell bottom and BAM! A stronger bite. Bruce expertly worked it in and landed a nice feisty Redfish. A few minutes again, he duplicated that with another Redfish catch. 

It was a beautiful morning, we had caught some fish and as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Illegal Tomorrow

 Another beautiful morning and awesome sunrise greeted us when I met Mark Dennis and his nephew James out at the Goffinsville Park.  We were loaded up with mud minnows and made a short run over to Pumpkin Hill and set up alongside some marsh grass on an outgoing tide. Mark began tossing his home made cork lure and James was on the stern drifting a float rig with the minnow - we worked it good but had not a nibble.  After moving around the corner and easing along another marsh line and this did the trick. James's float was drifting along then slowly began to go under, James tightened up his line, lifted this rod and set the hook and, fish on! James worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized 17" Seatrout to knock the skunk off. We worked along that stretch for a bit and again, James's float slowly went under, and again, he set the hook and brought to the boat a feisty Redfish. Dennis had been fishing a DOA Shrimp lure, working it across some oysters and, BAM, he had a hookup. Dennis played it patiently and soon landed another feisty Redfish.

We then moved down to Broward Island to fish under the watchful eye of a pair of Bald Eagles. Mark was casting up into a drainage and  BAM! Big Fish On! Mark was being real patient as it ran long and deep, keeping the pressure on and was well on his way to landing this big fish and BIP, fish off, it came unhooked! OUCH!  We decided to fall back with the current, fishing some pockets and I was just about ready to leave when James's rod bent double and his drag began to rip - a big fish for sure! James was up to the task, stayed the course and after a good battle landed a 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish!

Our next stop was down the Nassau, all the way to Spanish Drop, and here we switched to jigs and the minnows. In short order James had hooked up and landed a nice 18" Flounder, a fish that will be illegal to keep tomorrow! We worked across a drainage and as we got to some oysters both anglers began to catch Seatrout, a bit out from the bank. James found a Redfish up close to the bank, then both anglers dueled with high flying Ladyfish.  We hopped up the river a few times, picked up a Trout, then wrapped up the day fishing for Mangrove Snapper. We had tangled with Redfish and Seatrout and Flounder and as we headed in, we counted it as another great day  to be 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. 

It Just Got Better

 

We head a really nice day this morning- there was just a slight breeze and we had a cloud cover for the whole day. The rain showers stayed off to the north of us and it made for a very pleasant day of fishing. I had met Paul Genn and his fishing buddy Jim out at the Goffinsville Park as the sun was coming up and we made the short trip over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill to fish the first of an outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp. 

We eased along the bank, tossing forward and picked up a couple of small but hungry Seatrout and a nice feisty Redfish. We also did battle with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  Our  next stop was back at the Spanish Drop area, fishing the mouth of Twin Creeks. It only took a cast or two and BAM! Jim had a hookup. This fish was digging deep, came under the boat, and headed down the river and I felt sure it was a Shark. Wrong. Luckily, Jim played it patiently, worked it up to the surface and to the boat and landed a big Oversized 30" Redfish! Boy what a fish. We did then catch a
couple of Bonnethead Sharks.

After easing down the river and fishing another marsh runout, to no avail, we moved further down and fished another. This did the trick. The tide was down a bit and we were able to fish jigs and shrimp and mud minnows. The Duo picked up a handful of small but feisty Redfish then Jim put a nice 23" Slot Red in the boat.  We also had a couple of Catfish and a small Jack. 

Our last stop was over at some docks at Nassauville with plans to finish the day out catching Mangrove Snapper. Although we did pick up a handful of keeper sized Mangroves, the highlight was Jim's 17" Black "puippy" Drum and then the third big Flounder of the week, one that measured right at 23.25". What a way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

It Was A First For Me

I've heard of anglers fighting fish and having a Shark attack the fish. I've had an angler hookup with anice Redfish on my boat, reel it in, and only half the fish be there. I've seen Dolphin "busting" bait up near the shore and even coming out of the water. But today was the first time I saw a Shark attacking Redfish up along the shoreline. I always thought it was the Dolphin that were the main predators.

I was fishing with Darryl and Tanya Gainsford, having met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. We had made short run up the Nassau River and stopped at Spanish Drop, turned into the tide that had just started in, and began tossing jigs and live shrimp to the bank. Darryl go things started off by hooking up and landing a hungry Flounder, then Tanya followed that up with a feisty Redfish catch. Both anglers then put a handful of those

smaller Reds in the boat before Darryl had the strong bite, a hookup, and his drag began to rip. Darryl fought the fish patiently and soon landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. (All fish caught today were released). Tanya also tangled with a couple of  Ladfish. We had done so well on the first pass we decided to do it again. This time we didn't have near the bites but we were seeing a lot of Sharks cruising the shore line. Then, behind us there was a commotion and we turned to look  you could see a 4-5' shark "bust" a Slot sized Redfish and it came out of the water and landed up on the bank of oysters! It then flopped back in, there was a commotion and then...the water was still.  We continued to fish and then Darryl commented, "here comes that Shark", and you could see it rapidly cruising the bank, then BAM! Another huge commotion, a Shark with a Redfish in its mouth, then a bobbing Redfish tail, then the Shark circled back and the tail slowly disappeared! It was really neat to see the wild in action! I'm going to assume that the Shark was not a Bonnethead-I've never seen them do that. 

We ran further up the river, fished a marsh runout, then continued on up to a dock to fish some pilings. Here the duo caught a couple of Mangrove Snapper and a Pinfish. We then headed down to Broward Island and set up out deep, pitching to the shore with a stump as our target. Darryl got hot and put a couple of Sheepshead in the boat, a Mangrove Snapper and a Redfish or two.

The wind had picked up but not so bad that we couldn't try Pumpkin Hill and boy am I glad!  We had switched to float rigs and were tossing them up to the bank with live shrimp and getting some decent drifts. We had a few bites then Darryl's float slowly went under and started heading south. Darryl caught up the slack, lifted his rod and set the circle hook and, Big Fish On!  We knew it

was big. It didn't act like it thought it was caught and just bulled down. Darryl kept the pressure on, walked it around the boat to deep water, then back again, then up to the bow, then back to the stern, around the engine, and wore it out.  After a long and patient battle, Darryl brought to the net a big Oversized 30.5" Redfish for pictures and release. Boy what a fish! They picked up a couple of more smaller Reds, a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and a Catfish. Tanya put a 9-spot Redfish in the boat and then followed that up with the only Seatrout catch of the day, one that measured right at 17".  Although the skies were dreary and  overcast, as we headed in  we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Shark Fights and Nice Redfish

 We kicked the week off fishing down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp today when I met Doug Mackle and new residents Scott and Sandy Winstead for a half day of fishing. It was slightly overcast and we had a breeze of 8mph blowing which made for a good day of fishing. We headed up the intercoastal and dipped in to Jackstaff, turned into the current and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp on a mid-tide and incoming. I was a slight bit worried when I saw the "fullish" moon early this morning but the worry was all for naught - within minutes the trio of anglers were getting bites. Sandy kicked it off with a nice Mangrove Snapper catch then Scott and Doug joined in on the action catching a Ladyfish, feisty Redfish, Catfish, Jack Crevalle and Mangrove Snapper. 

Doug had made an excellent cast, up into a drainage, right beside a grassy point and when his float disappeared and the drag began to rip we speculated Shark or Big Redfish. This fish hung close, dug deep and when it boiled up we knew the answer - Big Redfish!  Doug played it patiently, worked it to the boat and brought to the net a nice 27.75" oversized Redfish, boy what a fish! Shortly after that he tangled with a big 4' Bonnethead Shark, won the battle, and we netted, photographed and released it.

We then ran thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill and set up at a marsh point. Sandy and Doug were drifting long down one side and Scott was drifting down the other. Sure enough, after passing a jut out of grass, BAM, Scott had a hookup. He expertly worked it to the boat and landed  a keeper sized Seatrout (photographed and released). He went back to the same spot, getting a good drift and BAM! Big Fish On!  I thought for sure it was going to be a Redfish but as it ripped drag off we both concluded, Shark. But it was a fun catch and after a good battle, Scott brought him to the net. 

The tide was at its peak so we ran over to Christopher Creek and fished the bend with jigs. We had been talking about some Snook catches we had in the past and there is a particular spot where we've caught 3-4 of them. Sandy had a shot it, then Doug had a shot at it, then Scott went in and BAM! A strong hookup.  This fish was pulling drag and as Scott applied the pressure I was thinking, "could it be a Snook?" Nope. Scott worked it to the boat and landed a beautiful copper colored 21" Slot Redfish.

Our last stop was down at Sawpit Creek. The wind had picked up, the sun had come out and the heat was coming on. Scott tangled with another Shark but this one wound itself around a crab pot and eventually broke off. But we had had a great day out on the water so we counted it as another good one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Perseverance or Was it the Red Hooks?

 We're having some really nice August mornings although it does get heated up as we get closer to noon, and today was no exception. I had met Bob Miller down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the long run up and around to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide. However, when we got there, the tide was still going out so we eased down to the other end and fished a large outflow with jigs and live shrimp. Bob did pick up one nice feisty Redfish before we moved on.  We made a stop up on the north end and fished it with jigs as the tide came in - the perfect time to be there, but to no avail.

We came back to the Spanish Drop area, fished a flooding oyster bed with float rigs and mud minnows then switched to jigs and worked a large runout, but again, to no avail. After hitting one more spot we moved up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings and here we did pick up a Croaker and small Mangrove Snapper.

The tide was up pretty high now so we followed it back down

to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift floats down a long grass line. I had just got in an order of Eagle Claw 3/0 circle hooks in Red color - hooks I used to use but haven't been able to find in a long while.  Bob drifted long and picked up a couple of small but feisty Redfish then he had s strong bite and fish on!  The way it was fighting and ripping drag I guessed, "Slot Redfish"!  Bob played it patiently and slowly worked it to the boat and when it came to the net we saw that it was a huge Seatrout!  We netted it and it measured right at 23" - big enough to move Bob into 3rd place in the Angler's Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout category (scroll down the right side of this report for a link to standings). Boy what a fish!

We continued to "do the drift" and BAM, another fish on. Bob expertly brought it to the net and landed a 20" Trout. With the new rules, this one had to go back! We fished that edge for a while and caught another couple of feisty Reds and a small Trout. After easing around the corner and drifting by a pointe, BAM! Fish On!  Bob brought it in and it just came in under the 19" mark so in the box it went. The sun was up and the heat was on and time was out so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Quite a Mess of Fish

 

Fishing south again today, meeting William Vickers, his son Jeff and son-in-law Jacob down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. After a short run up the Nassau we stopped at Spanish Drop and fished the edges of an shell bank at the very bottom of a dead low. The trio of anglers were pitching 1/8oz jigs and mud minnows to the bank and both Jeff and Jacob had hookups of feisty Redfish. We then moved up the river to a marsh run out and threaded the needle between the bank and a crab trap. Again, they picked up a couple of feisty Reds. Then Jeff had a stronger bite and when his drag ripped, we new he had a bigger fish. After a good battle Jeff landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. Then it was Jacob's turn to fight a tough fish. After his hookup the fish went deep, dug down, and put up a good fight. Jacob worked it patiently to the boat and and landed a Jack Crevalle.

The tide had already turned so we made the run down to Broward Island, switching to 1/4oz jigs to get down a bit deeper, quicker. The strategy paid off. All three anglers began to catch fish. They each put a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat, Jeff landed three Sheepshead, one of which was of keeper size. Then Jacob had a strong bite and when the fish hugged the bottom we thought, maybe a Flounder. Sure enough, when he brought it to the surface, there was a nice 18" Flounder. William got on a roll and landed fish after fish, teaching lessons as he went. Both  Jeff and Jacob had Big fish on for a while, but the fish found there way back into a sunken tree and broke off. Ouch.

We moved down a bit and fished a large runout. Jeff found a couple of feisty Reds and Jacob picked up another keeper sized Flounder. We finished up the trip fishing a large runout around at Seymore's. They added another couple of Mangroves and then William battled a big Jack Crevalle to the net. After pictures and release, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Lorna's Spot

 

I met Andy and Lorna Anderson out at Goffinsville Park this morning for a half day of fishing. They had supported the Amelia Island Guides Association's fishing tournament in 2019 by purchasing a gift certificate for a fishing trip, and we really appreciate it!

We ran over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and began fishing with jigs and live shrimp and it wasn't long before Lorna zeroed in on "Lorna's Spot" and began to hookup with keeper sized Mangrove's. Andy squeeze her out a couple of times to catch a couple of his own. Lorna tangled with and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle before we moved on. 

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, still pitching the jigs on the last of an outgoing tide, but to no avail. We moved up to Athens Drop and here Andy got hot off the stern of the boat. Although the fish weren't edible, he caught and landed a Jack, Stingray, Catfish, Ladyfish, and then we did keep a nice Whiting he pulled in. 

We fished down at Broward Island on the first of an incoming tide which is an ideal tide, but the west wind was kicking up and and the water was murky and the fish didn't bite.  After coming back to Seymore's Pointe we set up with float rigs and limited out on Mangrove's, some of them right at 12", which made for a good mess of fish and a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Needed One of Those Counter Gadgets

 To kick off Memorial Day weekend (thank you all Veterans), I fished with the Beard boys, Russell and William and their friends Cooper and Luke, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early for a half day of fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. We ran up the Nassau and made our first stop at Spanish Drop at dead low and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oysters. I think it was Luke's first cast and he announced, "got one"!  He played it perfectly and reeled in a hungry Flounder. "That's One".  I didn't know it but the boys had made a friendly wager with their dads who were fishing in another boat out at Nassau Sound as to who would catch the most fish. Stay tuned. We worked that bank, then moved up to Athens Drop, fished it, then moved on.

Our next stop was at some docks at Nassauville and here things picked up. Russell had made an excellent cast up between some pilings and it paid off. He had a hookup, a catch, and landed a nice 12" keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. We had a couple of more then William had a big bite and, Fish On!  He worked it to the boat and landed a 20" Slot Redfish. Shortly after that Cooper had a similar bite but his fish was smarter and headed immediately for the pilings, wrapped it self, and BAP! Fish Off.  We picked up a few more smaller Mangrove's then another keeper, then we moved on. 

After making the run down to Broward to fish the first of an incoming tide, we

fished it a bit but the wind had picked up and made conditions not ideal. We held a council. I asked the guys if their dads had specified how big the fish had to be to count in the "contest" and, no, it didn't matter. We only had so much bait but I felt pretty sure the Mangroves would be biting back at Nassauville so we went with that strategy - to catch as many as we can, even if we blew through our bait. 

After getting settled at the new spot, the anglers began to fish in earnest. It took a few minutes, more than I expected, but sure enough, when they began to bite they caught one fish after another. Cooper had quietly persevered and it paid off. He put a good handful of keeper Mangroves in the boat and all three of the others added some too. It was sort of difficult to keep up with the "tally" - we had  "double" hookups a few times and between that and netting and measuring we needed one of those counter gadgets to keep up with the count.  But all told, counting the Ladyfish and a Catfish caught, we zeroed in on 28 fish caught for the day, and boy what a great one it was to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Three Going On Four

 Boy what a beautiful day to come back to work to! I had been off for a few days but had a planned fishing trip this afternoon and boy was it beautiful! I met Shane and Janny Sims and their son Cooper down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River with sunny skies, just a slight breeze and temperatures in the low 70's. 

We fished Spanish Drop with jigs and live shrimp, tossing to an exposed shell bank and it was Shane who "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch. He picked up another one deep, then Janny got in on the action and landed one herself.  We fished Twin Creeks briefly, then moved on up to Athens Drop, then made the run up to some docks at Seymore's.  Although the tide was still going out, the current was running in and the first stop down current produced nothing. But we moved around so that our jigs and shrimp could drift back to the pilings and this did the trick.  Cooper had a strong bite and it was Fish On! He patiently worked the fish away from the pilings, battle it to the net, and landed a 18.5" Slot sized 20 Spot

Redfish - enough spots to take home money in our Amelia Island Guides Association Redfish Spot Tournament to be held this November! And moment later he had a stronger bite - Big Fish On! Again Cooper played it perfectly and put a nice 23" Slot Fish in the boat.  Shane jumped in there and picked up another Redfish before we moved on.  After fishing another dock or two we made a run.

Some of my guests know I "rate" my fishing trips as to the quality of our "fish catch" and so far the day was grading out around a "3" with 0 being the worst and 5 being the best.....

Our next stop was down at Broward Island with the tide still having about 30 minutes to low. Shrimp were jumping at the mouth of a runout but we had no takers until we fished a jig alongside a log and BAM, hookup and Redfish in the boat. We drifted a bit with the current and Shane outsmarted a Sheepshead, hooked it up and landed it to garner and Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Sheepshead.  

The tide was coming to a stop so we moved down the way a bit, and began to drift with it. Cooper hooked up and landed a Slot Redfish, then had a bigger one on that threw the hook. Then Janny had a BIG hookup, the drag ripped, the fish went deep, and found a log to wrap around a break off. Double Ouch! But as we eased down the bank we must have gotten into a school because it was a bite on almost every cast. Both Janny and Cooper had hookups - we had a double! and both landed them - both Slot Redfish. Then Cooper had another bite and this one was big! He played it perfectly, worked it slowly, and soon netted an Oversized 27.5" Redfish - boy what a fish!

And with that, we called it a day - a Four in my book - and another great day to be on the water here at Amelia Island. The next time you're on the web or in need of some fishing shirts or hats check out a young entrepreneur's Fishing Apparel line at Coopers Fishing. 

Playing The Edges

After a couple of days of nasty weather we had a gorgeous day greet us this morning! Sunshine, clear skies and only a slight breeze and right about 50 degrees when I left the Dee Dee Bartels Park dock with Bob and CJ Bengston.  We flipped a coin - Tiger Logs or Lanceford Docks?  Then we headed over to Tiger Island and began fishing with jigs and live shrimp on the very first of the incoming tide. Both anglers were making excellent casts to the bank and letting their bait slide down the river bottom. We eased along teh bank and Bob had a brief hookup and the drag ripped and, fish off! Ouch. But he went back and minutes later it paid off with a hookup and Fish On! Bob played it perfectly and soon landed a big 26 1/2" "Tournament Sized" Redfish, right on the upper "edge" of being legal.

We continued down the bank and Bob added another Slot Redfish, this one with 7 spots  and legal at 18 1/2", just over the bottom "edge" of the Slot -he was playing the edges! As we worked back up the island both he and JC caught and landed a couple of "feisty" Reds, then it was CJ's turn to fight a big one! She had a good bite, set the hook then played it patiently to the boat and net. The fish measured at 23" - a  nice Redfish (all but one of these Slot Redfish were released).

After a run around to Lanceford Creek we fished some dock pilings where Bob outsmarted a feisty Sheepshead, then we fished Soap Creek with float rigs and picked up a handfull of hungry Seatrout. After fishing Bell River briefly, we made the run thru Horsehead, toured Cumberland Island and saw some wild horses, then the Fort, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Pop Finds the Honey Holes

 We had another nice morning today, albeit a bit foggy when we started. I had met Zach Peyton, his son Tyler, and his father Bob out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and we crept thru the fog to our first stop over at Pumpkin Hill with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp up near the marsh grass on a flooding tide. The trio of anglers were getting excellent drifts but all we got was a couple of nibbles. We fished further down that marsh line with the same results, then ran down to Broward Island and switched to jigs and shrimp. We fished both ends of the island on the last of an incoming tide but had the same results, no fish. 

Our next stop was back at Pumpkin Hill but around the corner, in search of a "honey hole" and it was "Pop" who found it. As he drifted his float by a grassy island his float disappeared and he had a hookup! Fish On!  Young Tyler was on the net and did an excellent job scooping up a nice Seatrout. Bob went back to the same area and had another hookup - the "skunk" was definitely off the boat. 

We then ran up into Christopher Creek and fished a bit with the jigs, then came back out and ran around to Seymore's Pointe, setting up at the mouth of a bay and drifting the floats. Bob had another hookup and reeled in a Trout ,then Zach got in on the action and caught one too, this one of keeper size (all fish caught today were released). Then Bob hooked up and with Tyler's help, they reeled in another keeper sized Trout. After another hookup, we moved on down a line of docks and fished floats and jigs.

Our last stop was down at Twin Creeks, fishing jigs, and we found one more Seatrout.  Young Tyler had helped with driving the boat, operating the trolling motor, netting fish, fetching bait, and releasing fish and he was casting his on spinning rod at the end of the trip. We headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

23, 24 and 25

I fished again with the Soper Team - dad Larry and his sons Garrett and Dustin, but this time meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. Although the skies weren't as clear, the temperature was pleasant and we had a slight breeze that promise to keep the "no-see-ums" off!  We headed over to the outside of Tiger and fished float rigs along the flooded marsh line. Little did we know that it was going to be tough fishing today, but that first stop produced no bites. After moving over and fishing Manatee Cove with the floats and getting no bites, we moved on. 

Our next stop was over in the Bell River, fishing a pointe of grass, and again, no bites. Then around to Lanceford Creek to fish a seawall and a grassy island to no avail . Finally, after stopping at a dock and trying a jig and shrimp on a tide that had been falling for about an hour, we had a hookup!!  Dustin was on the rod and said the big fish slammed it!  He played it perfectly, even when the fish got up in the pilings, and he patiently worked out to a waiting net.

This nice Slot Red turned out to be 25" which added to their catch yesterday of a 23" Red and a 24" Red!

We moved around to Soap Creek where Garrett picked up a hungry Seatrout, then switch back to floats that produced nothing. Larry casually put a "baitstealer" in the boat before we called it a day, a rather slow one, but still a great day to be out on the water at Amelia island.  

Zero to Sixty

Boy what a beautiful morning we had today. It was sunshine, warming and just a slight breeze when a met Adam Mizell and his son Witt out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp for a "birthday" trip for Adam set up by his wife Carrie. We made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill and fished a dead high tide with float rigs and live shrimp....and didn't get a bite. We eased around the corner and continued with the float rigs and again....no bites. Ouch.

After making the run to Seymore's Pointe we set up on the outside of an oyster bed where the water was beginning to come out of a bay as the tide started out, drifting the floats, and again, no bites. I eased back to fish some dock pilings where Witt began pitching jigs and shrimp. But Adam had stayed with the float and it paid off when his rod bent and his drag ripped, Fish On! I was thinking a small Redfish they way it was pulling but it turned out to be a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout. Skunk off the Boat! Then Witt hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. He went back to the dock with an excellent cast and BOOM!                                                                      Big Fish On! Witt played it perfectly and after a good battle                                                                         landed a 18" Black "puppy" Drum.

We bounced down a dock or two and fished some more pilings. Witt landed another Drum and Adam doubled up with a feisty Redfish catch. Then Adam had another strong hookup and put a 21" Slot Redfish in the boat. He followed that up with another keeper sized Black Drum. Although we had started slow we had picked up speed fast!

Our next stop was down a Spanish Drop, fishing some exposed shell with the jig and shrimp. As we got to the end of a stretch I commented about the big oversized Red we had caught last week there and not minutes later, BOOM! Adam had a hookup. We knew the fish was big because it stayed deep, ripped drag, boiled once or twice then got back in the current and went long. But Adam was up to the challenge and patiently worked it to the boat where Witt did an expert net job to put it in the boat, boy what a catch - a 28" oversized Redfish, big enough to move Adam into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

After working another bank where Adam picked up a keeper sized Flounder (and an Amelia Island Back Country Slam), we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Beginning With A Bang

 What a weather swing! We went from the low 40's to the 60's in just a day, which made for pleasantweather fishing today, until the wind picked up. I had met Frank Boehm, Jack Severson and their friend Steve down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and we made a quick run up the Nassau River. The tide still had about 45 minutes of going out so we set up alongside some exposed oysters and began pitching jigs and shrimp up current. We worked along for about 40 feet and after Steve had made a cast up near the shore he said he felt his jig come over an oyster and BOOM! Big Fish On! Steve played it perfectly. He kept the pressure on, let the light rod wear the fish out, then followed it to the stern of the boat as the big fish got deeper and into the current. Then around the engine he went, over to the port side and the fish dug deep. But Steve was up to the challenge and patiently brought to the net an oversized 28.5" Redfish, a fish big enough for Steve to claim 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  After picking up one more feisty Redfish, we moved on. Just up the shore, Jack put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. 

Our next stop was up by docks at Seymore's Pointe as the tide started back in. Although we didn't get a
single Drum bite, Frank found a keeper sized Weakfish out deep. (All fish caught today were released). We then ran down to Broward Island and fished it thoroughly. Jack caught another Seatrout but that was about it. We did have a Bald Eagle watching over us for a bit.  After we fished Nassauville Rocks(the wind was really racking us here)  and up in Christopher Creek we called it day. The sun had come out and it was nice to see some clear skies for a change, so we called it another great day to be out on the water and fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.