Scuttlebutt: Boaters Under Seige Part 1

Last week a firestorm swept thru the Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island Community. One of the City
commissioners appeared to conspire with a former commissioner, now turned "journalist blogger", to imply that a Member of the Marina Advisory Board had suggested closing our only City boat ramp down at the Marina. Under that pretext, he's asked the Community Redevelopment Board to take up the subject and make a recommendation to the City. I wouldn't doubt that the CRAAB's recommendation is already pre-determined. Mentioned in the article is the use of a "study" where they may rely on a past count of boaters using the ramp. This is the same kind of thing that ousted ex City Manger Dale Martin used to try. These guys think we're stupid. The City has gradually squeezed the parking for the Marina. They close it completely for the annual Pentanque championship, and close it for other events like the Shrimp Fest. It will probably be closed for the upcoming dredging.  Of course the usage is down. The City is hampering usage of the ramp. This end game has always been to close the ramp.

Looking back a bit, you would think that the ex-Commissioner, now turned journalist wanna-be, would have gotten the message when he lost re-election. Stuff like this is one of reasons why he lost. Very sleazy the way they went about it. The present Commissioner is on his way out due to Term Limits, thankfully. Often seen as the Commissioner who promoted having Pentanque Courts down at the Marina, this guy seems bound and determined to eradicate the historical use and quaintness of our Marina. The City has for years been struggling with the need for parking spaces and this Commissioner sees the elimination of the boat ramp as a way to pick up parking spaces. Ironically, installation of his pet Pentanque Courts removed some of the parking! 

There's all kinds of theories as to what's behind this. The proposed two story restaurant to replace Atlantic Seafood will need parking and surely they view the boat ramp itself as an obstacle. But the bigger picture that long time residents  point to is the never ending push by past and present Commissioners is to build a "Waterfront Park" down at the Marina. It's like their legacy depends on the "Disneyfication" of our waterfront. Each time there is a new Commission, a study will come out. And in those study's the draftsmen will have a kids playground. A Music venue. A memorial to the Shrimpers. And Pentanque Courts. The only thing they've yet to add is a waterslide or Pickleball courts. These planners play the same game - they feel like they have to have enough recreational usages to get support for their plan.  And then the plan is presented and residents get up in arms (not literally) and protest against it. 

There's a reason why and Commissioners haven't figured it out why the public protests. THEY ARE BAD PLANS. As mentioned, they are trying to make the Marina Disney World 1.2  My gut tells me that either the Commissioners or planners or both are only talking to people close to them, or  they are listening to well meaning activists that go to the discussions sessions, and they get their input and think that is what the whole community wants. 

Just my opinion, but not having a City boat ramp is absurd.  For a coastal City, on an island, surrounded by water with hundreds if not thousands of boaters, to shirk their duty as Commissioners and not provide a boat ramp is a shameful thought. If they really think about it, they surely don't want to hang their political futures or (possibly) brief legacies on a decision to remove our only boat ramp. 

Here's what they need to do:   Clean up and beautify what's there. Maybe add some landscaping.  Keep the boat ramp where it is OR provide another City ramp nearby. Dedicate an area (north? where Shrimp boats can come in and unload their catch.. Have a viewing stand/dock where people could watch the process. Have a seafood market where people could purchase fresh shrimp, right off the boat.  Move the Pentanque Courts - they have no business down at the Marina. 

Say NO to a music venue. If it's not used weekly it's a waste and will be taken over by dust, cobwebs and dirt daubers. IF it's used weekly, then the ensuing traffic snarl will be reminiscent of the 4th of July fireworks -EVERY WEEKEND!

Say NO to a kids playground.  The City has numerous parks with kids playgrounds. We don't need another. There's grass there. Bring a Frisbee or a wiffleball, or a soccer ball if you want' 'em to play. That south, grassy area is a great place for small craft festivals, fishing tournaments or other quarterly events. Bam. Done.

Note, the present Commissioner who is pushing this has always appeared to be a vindictive dude. He does do his research, however. If he wants to dig dirt up on me he'll find that my wife and I are NOT City residents. Our homestead (and voting) is in Jacksonville. But we do own a home on south 5th Street and with that, pay some serious taxes. Carol and I were both born and raised in Fernandina Beach. We went to high school here, played sports, and were involved in service clubs here. I've operated my Charter Boat business (yes, sir, it is a Small Business) for 18 years out of Fernandina.. Before that, 23 years in another small business servicing Fernandina and Nassau County. I served on numerous non-profit Boards, coached in the local YMCA basketball leagues, and volunteered hours for the local swim team. We've got equity in this community even though our primary residence is in Jacksonville, we feel like we have some skin in the game. Hands Off our boat ramp.

From Slow to a Good Mess

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patience Is A Virtue...

I've heard!  Patience paid off today. I had met Bob Kossman and Frank Wytiaz who were sharing a trip
today, meeting them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and then we headed up the Nassau River and when we reached Seymore's Point the tide had just started in. Again, being hard headed, I tried the "dock" and again, not much biting. Frank did "knock the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch on a jig and mud minnow. 

We then ran up the Nassau and fished Broward Island where the tide was still going out. We worked the bank pretty good, then hit another spot as the tide started to change. I had thought about advising the guys that we needed to be patient - last week they didn't start biting until the tide stated back in. But I kept my lips zipped for some reason. Both Frank and Bob were making excellent casts but were getting no bites, not even a nibble. I could feel the doubt creeping in to the back of my brain but then Frank had a hard bite and a drag ripping run and...fish off! We decided to give it a little bit more time and then BAM!  Bob had a strong hookup and this fish was ripping drag and digging deep and ripping drag  and boiling to the surface and digging deep - Bob stayed with it, worked it patiently and eventually landed a big 22" Black "puppy" Drum, boy what a fish. And minutes later it was Franks turn - he expertly battled a big 25.5" 7-spot Redfish to the  net. And minutes later Bob fought and landed a nice 18" Sheepshead. We had one  more big fish take the bait but this one managed to throw the hook, too. I'm going to note Franks Redfish as 2nd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament and Bobs Sheepshead setting the standard with 1st place in the Sheepshead Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

Our next stop was up the Nassau and into a shallow creek where we turned into the current and began to fish back. Although the bite wasn't "on fire", Frank did manage to put another Slot Redfish in the boat while Bob landed a Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Super Slam (Black Drum, Sheepshead, Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder).

We hit a couple of other spots as the tide got higher, drifting floats along the marsh grass but there was nothing to be had, so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Brothers Team Up For Slam Apiece

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

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

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

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

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

Six out'a Seven ain't Bad

 I don't know why when I was checking the weather last night I was more concerned about the wind forecasted at 13-15mph, and not the temperature drop - I should have  been watching both!  I figured if I met Mark Averbuch , his son Cutler, and grandson Harvey down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we we could run into that West wind up to the Nassauville area and find some shelter. About half way thru the trip I realized the temperature was dropping!  But we made the best of it, kinda of.

We got to some docks at Seymore's and sure enough, the wind was blocked. I had the three anglers tossing jigs and live shrimp. All three were getting nibbles, and a few took the shrimp heads, but we had no real bites. We made our way around the corner and fished between another couple of docks, but again no real bites.  I was beginning to get just a tad bit worried.  We were about 2 and a half hours into the trip and not  a single fish to the boat.

But that's the way it is when you're playing chess with the wind. You can find places to fish out of the wind but if the fish aren't there, or are not biting, then you are out of luck. You gotta move. So we made a good run up the Nassau and then up a creek to fish some shallow structure of downed logs. We paid the price, losing a good handful of jigs, but finally, FINALY, BAM! Cutler had a hookup and after expertly playing it to the boat, he landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We didn't have time to celebrate too long because Harvey had a strong bite and after setting the hook he expertly brought to the net a bigger Slot Red, this one with 10 spots. 

Cutler went back to the  "honey hole" and pulled out two more Slot Reds. I could tell the empathy was oozing out of Cutler and Harvey for "Poppa Doc" who was patiently fishing from the stern- he hadn't had a bite, but then his perseverance paid off - he put Slot fish number 5 and number 6 in the boat, that last one being the biggest of the day, then Cutler wrapped it up with a feisty, slightly undersized Red. Six Slot Reds out of Seven caught wasn't too shabby!

We fished a large outflow back at Seymore's with float rigs, still out of the wind, but to no avail, then we finally ventured out in to the wind to try some jigs deep at a drainage, and that drove us in! The wind was kicking and the temperatures had dropped. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Winter Maintenance and Repairs

 I intentionally didn't book any fishing trips last week and knowing that January is traditionally slow for bookings, a had been planning for months to do a complete re-wire of the Anglers Mark. A new switch panel was ordered from New Wire Marine and I have been gathering other supplies - marine wire, terminals, and connectors.

The re-wire was none to soon - the last few trips in December all of my switches began to fail and the GPS/Fishfinder and VHS Radio got to where they would not power up. I began the re-wire on New Years Eve and finished it up Friday afternoon. All of the old wiring was pulled out and new installed; new terminals, ground bus, and fuse block installed.

NEW to the boat - a permanent aerator for the front bait well; the existing rear aerator is now run thru a switch - I don't have to clamp the leads to the battery anymore. There's a new 40 amp breaker between the battery and the new terminals;  a new courtesy light up at the bow; and I finally installed a gas vent out the hull of the boat (it's been missing a couple of years). Here's a short video of the final wiring...

 

2023: It's a Wrap with a Cold Send Off

 

Those high winds subsided over night but left us with clear skies and a 37 degree temperature this
morning when I met Mark Averbuch, his on Jared and grandson Max down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The winds were expected to pick up later in the day so we had to go early, but it paid off anyway! All of us were wrapped up with layers as we made our way up the intercoastal  and then up the Nassau to make our first stop along a shell bank at Spanish Drop.

 

Fishing with jigs I was hoping that these anglers would pick up some Seatrout out deeper, and
maybe have a shot at a Redfish up close, but "hope" wasn't cutting it - we had no real bites. Rather than try another shell bank we headed on up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings and here we were getting some bites, but no takers. It wasn't until we pulled out a bit and began making long casts to the shore that we began to get hookups. They weren't very big but we were glad to be catching Seatrout on the  jigs.

Our next stop was around at Littlefield's, still tossing  jigs and live shrimp on that incoming tide and we did have a couple of good bites.

I knew the wind was picking up so we made our way up the river and into a creek where we turned into the current and began working back and right off, BAM! Jared had a hookup. He played it perfectly but as he brought it to the boat it thru the hook, OUCH!  But he was not to be deterred. As we worked the bank they began to get fish, here and there, feisty Redfish, but fun to catch. Then Jared put a nice keeper sized Red in the boat then we hit one spot and it was like the gates were opened!  

I counted at least 3 "double hookups" that they had and even though Jared and Mark were putting fish in the boat, Max was hanging right in there with them. He even began to call it "easy" to hookup and fight the fish to the net. The trio caught their limit in Slot Redfish and threw back a couple of more  in the Slot. Jared added a keeper sized Seatrout and on the last a bait, a big mud minnow, Max landed the final fish, a hungry Seatrout. 

We had had a cold morning and a slow start, and a hot finish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Cool Fishing

 The high and incoming tide has been haunting me all week and we have been postponing trips until mid morning but today the wind was high and getting worse as the day wore on, so we went early, and with temperatures in the 40's, it was kinda "cool".  But John Beall and his son Brian were dressed for the weather and we had a plan to try to run to spots that would be out of the wind. 

We fished some dock pilings early  but didn't get much of a nibble, then we switched to float rigs and drifted over the flooding oysters and this did the trick. Brian got hot early - he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout, a small but feisty Redfish, then a keeper sized Flounder, then a couple of smaller Trout. We hit another couple of areas along that stretch and although we were out of the wind, we weren't getting any action. 

After pulling in to Soap Creek we worked along the bank and here John "knocked his skunk off". He began to pick up Seatrout over a submerged sandbar and after Brian followed him, he too began to gt Trout. Although they weren't very big they provided some good practice for later on! 

I was killing time, waiting on that tide to change so we stopped over in Bell River and fished a point
with the float but boy that wind was kicking our butts! It was now or never so we headed over to the outside of Tyger, found some shelter, and fished a point of grass, and BAM! Fish On!  BAM! Fish on! BAM! Fish On! They started tying in to Redfish and caught them one after the other. Many were "feisty" Reds, but we we counted 8 Slot Reds caught, along with a good handful of "almost legal" and a few handfuls of the smaller fish. 

Although it was somewhat cold, and the wind made it challenging, as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Could Have Been Snow

 

It was such a nasty day yesterday if it had been colder we may have had snow! We still had a high and incoming tide in the morning so we postponed the trip until 11am when I met William and Dara Blalock out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. The tide had just started out so we ran around Seymore's and set up on a point to toss float rigs and live shrimp and Dara's first cast produced a hungry Seatrout. The duo dabbled with those small but hungry Trout for a bit, then we moved on. 

After running thru Jackstaff and around to Poteat Cut we set up again along a marsh line and drifted the floats as we worked along the bank, tossing the floats, but I don't think we got a single bite. But we dropped back to a point and switched to jigs and shrimp and that did the trick, picking up another handful of Seatrout.  We then ran back to Jackstaff and up a creek and switched back to the floats, but to no avail. 

Back thru Jackstaff we went and down to Littlefields and here we scored deep with the jigs - Dara found some Seatrout at about 15' deep then she and William landed a few, some of which were of keeper size(all fish caught today were released).

The tide was getting down just a bit so we made a run up the Nassau and dipped into a shallow creek
and worked the log lined bank. We didn't "tear them up" but we managed to get about 6 Redfish with about 4 of them being in the Slot range.  We did tag one Slot Red and will be sending it in to Gray FishTag Research TAG ID GFR62479

Although it had been a dreary day, and we had gotten misted on a few times, as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day  to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Fish Math Added Up

 I sure hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday! I was glad  to be back in hopes of working off some of that great food I ate!  We had a high and incoming tide this morning so we put off meeting until 10am. That's when William and Dara Blalock and I left the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and headed down the creek with plans to fish the first of an outgoing tide. We made our way over to Tyger Island and set up on a corner as the current swept around. Both William and Dara were making excellent casts and it too a few minutes to find the "hot spot" but boy did they!  And yes, I began to work off some of that food I ate!  They caught Redfish non-stop for about 45 minutes, fishing fixed float rigs with about a 3' leader and live shrimp. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...and....BOOM! 3/4 of the fish were smaller "rat" Reds but a good handful of them were in the Slot, the biggest being about 21" caught by Dara. All of the Redfish were released.

When things slowed we made our way down the intercoastal and dipped into a small creek to try our hand with jigs and the shrimp, up by some dock pilings. I was about to "lose a dollar" when Dara saved me and hauled in a nice Slot Redfish. Then William had a good strange "bump", set the hook, and brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder. Although this spot wasn't as productive as I had hoped, we did put two good fish in the boat!  

But Dara had been eyeing a drainage behind us - it all added up - good current pouring out of the marsh and a funnel between a bank of marsh grass and a large, now exposed, oyster bed. She did a bit of "Fish Math" and suggested we give it a try, so we switched back to the floats and began tossing up current in the drainage and it paid off big time! Both Dara and William began to get keeper sized Seatrout, then a couple of Reds, then William hooked up and battled the biggest Red of the day to the net, for photograph and release.   This new spot, right next to a pretty good old spot, went in the back pocket for future use!

After fishing Soap Creek for just a bit, and the mouth of Bell, we called it day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Flurry Redfish Flurry

 Boy what a storm we had yesterday! My wife and I went out to Main Beach yesterday to watch the waves
kicking up and it was crazy. Crazier were the surfers catching the waves!  But the wind was supposed to die down this morning, and it did somewhat -when I launched the weather app was showing 17mph out of the west, which made me cringe just a bit!  But I met Mark Smith and his brother in law Ryan down at Sawpit Creek and we had a plan to try and stay out of the wind.

We first ran up to Seymore's Pointe and pulled up to a dock on the very first of an incoming tide, and sure enough, it was very calm. Unfortunately the fish didn't cooperate!  We may have had a nibble or two, but we had no takers. We then move around and up the Nassau to a couple of other docks  and began to toss jigs and live shrimp on a tide that seemed to still be going out, and we soon found some fish. Ryan got hot, fishing off the stern and hooked and landed a good number of small but hungry Seatrout. Not to be outdone, Mark, on the bow, hooked up and landed a few Mangrove Snapper (odd that they are still here), one of which was of keeper size. He also found a few Trout to bring to the net. 

Our next stop was down at Broward Island, and after working the bank in a couple of spots, we found one Seatrout to take the bait.

The wind was still kicking but we had some beautiful skies, and some Bald Eagles hanging out above us. The tide was getting up a bit and rather than got to float rigs we decided to run up a shallow creek and try our luck with the jigs, and be out of the wind, and the plan paid off. 

As we worked the bank the duo began to catch Redfish at all the likely spots. As per the norm, they weren't real big, but probably about four of them were in the Slot, the biggest being around 20". But they others were fun to catch on our light tackle and we guestimated we had about 12 Redfish caught, so 10 released, and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Amorous Bald Eagle, One Legged Herons, and Redfish

 I probably sound like a broken record but the weather has been playing havoc in the fishing trips. But today ae decided to squeeze in a trip before the predicted 4-6" rains came thru. I met Tom Kretschmar and his son Sam down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made a beeline all the way around to Broward Island to take advantage of a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. The duo were tossing jigs and live shrimp at the first spot - we might have had a nibble, but no takers.

After moving down the island and turning into the current we began to work the bank slowly and this paid off. Tom knocked the skunk off when he hooked up and landed a sizable Whiting, then Sam had a strong bite battled to the boat a feisty Redfish.  Up above us was a pair of Bald Eagles getting "amorous" -  they had no shame!

They picked up another Red or two, then a Seatrout, then a Flounder to round out their Amelia Island backcountry slam. We then made a short run back to Nassauville and fished between two docks, again with the jigs and here Tom got hoy catching hungry Seatrout. After coming back to Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs and worked a flooding grass bank. Tom had a big one on for a bit but is as Sam who landed another Seatrout.

The tide was really getting up and rather than fish the grass we elected to run to the shelter of a creek and just a minute after we pulled up, Sam had a hookup. He played it expertly to the boat and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout. We worked the entire bank, Tom on the bow and Sam at the stern. After Tom fished a small pocket Sam went in and Bam! Fish on! He brought it to the net and landed a feisty Red. He then followed that up with another. Again, sitting overhead we saw a Heron that looked like it only had one leg! Eventually it unfolded the other.

But the last pocket we hit was all Tom. He and Sam could go in side by side and the fish would eat
Tom's. He pulled out 4 Slot Reds and a couple of smaller Reds. And with that 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.

I Was Hoping For The Best

 The weather forecast didn't change much from last night to this morning - temperatures in the high 40's but wind blowing from 9mph early getting up to 14mph and I knew it was going to be tough to get some fish. But the skies were clear and sunny so we had to give it a try. I met Bob Kossman and Frank Wytiaz who paired up for one of my "share-a-trips" (Email me and I'll add you to the list) with plans to fish a high and outgoing tide, so we put off the start time until 9am. 

I ran over to the outside of Tyger and set up at the mouth of Manatee Creek and this duo of anglers began to toss float rigs and live shrimp to the flooded grass. The wind was whipping already from the north east and the outgoing current was ripping coming out of the marsh, but right off, Bob had a hookup  and landed a hungry Seatrout - skunk off the boat! He added a small Ladyfish that had forgotten to leave for the winter, and when we moved across the creek Frank added another Trout to the catch. We tried ducking in behind Tyger Island and switched to jigs but had no real bites on that high tide. 

My plan was to make the run thru the wind and spray up and around to the Jolley River, work our way around to Bell River, then make our way back to the Fernandina area...but when I saw those whitecaps kicking when we came out from behind Tyger. I had second thoughts  so we turned south and headed down the river to try and find some shelter behind a land mass. We did just that and eventually eased up to some dock pilings and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp.

For the next hour we caught fish, one after the other, almost every cast. After just one or two small but feisty Redfish, both Bob and Frank tangled with some big fish, only to have them break off. They were not to be deterred!  Bob hooked up again and kept  that pressure on and worked this big fish out from those pilings and from then on the fish was "had"! Bob played it perfectly and eventually landed a big 26.5" Slot Redfish. And just minutes later it was Franks turn. He had a strong hookup, applied some pressure and got that fish out to open water then worked it patiently to the net - a 25.5" bulky Redfish. They put a couple of more big ones in the boat and then caught handful's of smaller Redfish. When we finally left that spot we had counted 9 Slot Redfish caught. 

Our next stop was back closer to Fernandina, again fishing some dock pilings. Although I was expecting another round of fish catching it didn't happen but finally Bob put a small but feisty Red in the boat. We were almost out of bait and were only getting nibbles until BAM! Bob had another big it and another Big Fish on! He worked that one up from the depths and to the net then Frank followed suite with another big Redfish catch of his on. These last two increased their "Slot" total to 11 for the day. 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 Makes It a Wrap

We wrapped up a great week of fishing today when I met Mark and Brent Laurint out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. And oh what a beautiful sunrise it was! Clear, cool, no wind and calm waters for us to fish! We made a short hop over to Back River and fished a grassy edge on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours - tossing float rigs and live shrimp up current and letting it drift along that edge. Mark knocked the skunk off when he hooked up and landed a feisty Bluefish, then the duo put another couple of fish in the boat - Bluefish and hungry Seatrout.]

We then ran down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and fished it a bit with the floats, jigs and bait,and a artificial shrimp, to no avail. As we eased forward I saw that oysters were beginning to show and with Mark and Brent making excellent casts it was only a matter of time until....Big Fish On! Mark said it was just a slight "bump" but when he set the hook he could tell it was big. It was ripping drag and I saw a couple of huge boils before I could get the GoPro on. Then it was battle on.   Mark played it perfectly and went went from bow to stern Mark followed it, and around the engine, then back to the bow, then under the boat then back out - he played it like a pro and eventually brought to the net a bulky 25.5" big Redfish! Boy what a fight and boy what a fish!

After working that bank we made a short run up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fished them with
jigs, and here we had a good flurry of fish catching. Brent was slowly establishing himself as the "Trout King", hooking up here and there, and we also had a couple of "baitstealers", and a small Sea Bass. And after making the move around to some docks at Nassauville, Brent put a couple of keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, fishing deep with the jigs. 

We fished down at Broward Island and picked up one small Red, then Pumpkin Hill where we finished up with another feisty Red and a couple or Trout, one of which was of keeper size. We had a few fish in the box and it was a beautiful day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Boat Flippin

 

We didn't flip the 12 Slot Reds we caught into the boat, but we did a whole lot of "boat flippin" of smaller fish!  What a beautiful day we had today! Sunshine, clear skies, no wind, and just a bit cool when I met Bob Blalock, his son Robbie, and nephew Collin up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a short run up the creek and began fishing some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had about three hours to go out - the oysters were just beginning to show. First cast produced a bite and a hookup but we lost it on the handoff but then on, for the rest of the 4  hour trip, it was Fish On!

Almost non-stop action - we had about 100 shrimp and I'd guestimate we caught fish on half of them and managed a "Super Grande Slam" of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum, Sheepshead and Flounder.  As mentioned, we counted 12 of the Reds to be in the Slot. Three of those were 26.5", 26'5" and 26.75".  We kept 6 keeper sized Seatrout, a couple of nice Sheepshead, and a big Black "puppy" Drum. And threw back umpteen smaller "ittty bitty" fish. 

13yo Collin was on fire was exhibiting sure signs of Mark of an Angler. Having fished "all his life", he was making excellent casts and tuned in to the bite, the hookset and then he played the fish like a pro, and all with a good attitude! We figured that he had the most fish caught for the day and the most Slot Reds, while Robbie had the biggest Redfish and only Flounder. Bob put the biggest Black Drum and Sheepshead in the boat. We had multiple "double" hookups and one "triple" when all three anglers had a fish on at one time.  It was an unbelievable crazy day of a catching a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Redfish Galore and a Super Slam

 I fished with John Raker and his buddy John this morning. With the last of an outgoing tide, we decided to fish some dock pilings up Eagans Creek and bow was it some hot fishing for a little over an hour! We were tossing live shrimp on a jig and it was one fish right after the other. John had kicked it off with a keeper Seatrout catch then it was Redfish, Redfish, Redfish and more Redfish. Most of them were smaller "feisty" Redfish, but we did end up with five in the Slot.

When things finally slowed we made the run over to Tyger Island and fished the logs with the jigs. John put a feisty red in the boat, they added another keeper sized Black Drum, then Robert had a "bump" up near a downed cedar and , Fish On!  Robert fought it up from the depths and brought to the net a nice 16" Sheepshead, big enough to move into a tie for First Place in the 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Sheepshead Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings)  And minutes later John hooked up and put a 13.5" Sheepshead in the boat to take 3rd place in the tournament! After Robert landed another feisty Black "puppy" Drum, we moved on.

Our next stop was up in the Jolley River where we switched to float rigs and the live shrimp. Although we had a few nibbles we had no real bites, which was a bit disappointing - it was such a pretty morning! But we finished the day around on the outside of Tyger, switching  back to jigs, and it paid off. Both John and Robert started out catching hungry Seatrout then they both had strong bites. John's tossed the hook but Roberts stayed on. He played it perfectly and brought to the net the3 biggest Slot Red of the day(#6). Then John had a weird "thump" - he let him have it, then set the hook, played it patiently, and brought to the net a nice 17" Flounder to round out the duo's "Super Grande Slam"  of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum. Sheepshead and Flounder. Robert wrapped things up with one more Slot Red catch -number seven for the day! Note we tagged this last slot redfish, see Gray FishTag Research GFR62477

And with that, we called it a day and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Last One Before Thanksgiving!

 

I fished yesterday morning with Jim Russell and his dad Doug, meeting them up down at the decrepit Sawpit Creek boat ramp. There was a front passing thru and the forecast called for a bunch of rain but when we launched it had improved to a slight chance but a whole bunch of wind coming out of the South and South east.

We made our way up the intercoastal, all the way to Poteat Cut, and broke out our float rigs, baited with live shrimp and began to fish on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. And wouldn't you know it, first cast, BAM! Float Gone!  Doug worked it to the boat and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch! First cast, first fish will brighten a fishing trip up in a hurry! We stayed there for a bit and picked up another couple of Trout.

After making a short run over to Jackstaff we fished a nice drainage with the floats but the water was beginning to run out from under us so we made another move. We ran thru Horsehead and around to Seymore's Point to fish a dock and switched to jigs and the live Shrimp and this paid off. Jim got hot up on the bow and caught a good handful of Seatrout down on the bottom in about 8' of water. Doug, fishing off the stern found a couple of his scraps! As we moved on we got a little rain drizzle but it quit the moment we put our rain jackets on!

We fished another couple of docks to no avail, then ran up the Nassau and fished Littlefield and picked up
one more trout. Back down the Nassau to Spanish Drop and sticking with the jigs tossed to the now exposed oysters...again, no luck. But after moving up to a drainage and tossing the jigs we had a nice flurry of catches.

Doug had gone up close to the bank and when he felt a good "thump" he set the hook, and, Fish On!  Doug played it perfectly and worked it slowly to the boat and landed a nice Slot Sized Redfish. Jim picked up a Seatrout from the bow then Doug had another good thump, this time out a little deeper. He worked this one to the net and landed another feisty Redfish. We tagged this fish with a Gray Fish Tag Research tag, click here to follow.  I think we picked up one Trout before 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, Florid.

Recipe of the Month: Cast Iron Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

 From the Southern Cast Iron Magazine, Summer 2016, Hoffman Media

 6-8 Cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 8 medium peaches)

1 1/2 Cups fresh blueberries

1/4 Cup bourbon

2/3 Cup + 1 tsp sugar, divided (1/3cup, 1/3 cup, 1 tsp)

2 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Vanilla Ice Cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, bourbon, 1/3 Cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in cold butter with forks until mixture is crumbly. Add cream, stirring gently just until dough forms. 

Spoon fruit mixture into 10” cast iron skillet; top with crumbled dough. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp sugar.

Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Casting and Catching

 I fished yesterday afternoon and even though the rain had passed us by, we had a bit of wind to deal with. But Chris Bremer and his grandson Matteo were "game" to go fishing! We left the Old Town Bait and Tackle dock and headed up to the Jolley River to fish float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that was still coming it. We worked a flooded grass bank for just a bit and it was Chris who "knocked the skunk off", hooking up with a couple of Redfish and a Seatrout. Matteo helped him out with the reeling in part!

We then ran up the Jolley and turned into the current and fished another stretch with the floats and picked up one more Trout, then we ran around to the Bell River and switched to Jigs. We caught one Mangrove Snapper, and moved on. 

Our next stop was up Lanceford, again fishing floats and here  things heated up a bit. Chris caught and landed a couple then Matteo found a hot spot off the stern of the boat. He was making excellent casts which paid off when he hooked up and expertly reeled in a couple of his own Seatrout. 

We had to "work for 'em" but that we did and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

From The Start

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

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

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

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