When we talked last night we agreed to touch base this morning as to whether we really wanted to get out and fish with forecasted rains. And when I launched it was dark and stormy and pretty much stayed that way the entire day - all around us - north and south and east and west - but we never got wet! I had met William and Dara Blalock up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made our way over to Tyger Island and set up on a corner of grass just as the tide started out.
We didn't know it at the time, but Dara's first cast was to set the tone for the rest of the day. BAM! She had a hookup on her float rig and mud minnow! She worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. They had a few nibbles after that, then we drifted down the bank with the tide and we were beginning to think that first fish "jinxed" us but we hit a pocket and William reeled in a keeper sized Flounder, then both he and Dara caught a handful of Redfish, one of which was a small Slot sized. Things were picking up.
Working around the corner we found that if we fished the back side of some grassy points, where there was a bit of current, we'd get fish. This duo of anglers caught another few Redfish, two were in the Slot, and they caught a good 4-5 Flounder, one of which was keeper size. We switched to jigs and minnows and caught fish along that entire bank. The bite seemed to be best on the higher outgoing tide.
Our next stop was around at Jolley Bank, Dara fishing the stern with the float rig and William fishing the bow with the jig - and it appeared that the jig was the trick - William put a few Redfish in the boat, and another Flounder. We ran up a ways and fished a point with the floats and caught a couple of Seatrout, then further up the river we fished a large drainage. Here, Dara got hot with the float rig, drifting it long to a bend and "rift" in the water and BAM! Redfish. Bam! Redfish. Bam! Redfish. William was on the bow and picked up another keeper sized Flounder (William was the Flounder King today).
That last spot was pretty good for action and it was going to be hard to top but little did we know we were in for a 'Grande Finale"! We made our way around to the MOA, and set up down current and almost immediately began to catch fish. Dara was hitting the top of the oyster bar with her jig and shrimp and was catching one Redfish after the other. William followed her to the bank and caught a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum, then went deep and caught a keeper sized Seatrout. Then both anglers were catching Redfish. I think we had at least three "double" hookups. We fished until we ran out of bait then William put a little piece of shrimp on for "one last cast" and BOOM! Big Fish On! William played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish.
We had a good handful of keeper sized fish but most were thrown back and a only a few kept for dinner. and as we headed back to the ramp, we finally had a sprinkle but we still counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
A Keeper Slam! I fished again this morning, meeting Glenn and Patti Lanford up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a short run up the creek and fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp - the tide had been coming in for about an hour. Glenn made short work of knocking the skunk off when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum - the first I've seen in months. Pattie had a Red to the boat but it threw the hook, then Glenn brought in another feisty Black Drum.
We made a way over to the Jolley River and fished the "bank", first with jigs where Patti fought to the net a feisty Redfish, then we switched to float rigs and picked up another couple of Redfish. They tangled with a couple of Jacks and Lady fish. After moving around to the outside of Tyger we went back to jigs and this did the trick. Glenn had a strong bite, hooked it up, and patiently fought
to the net a nice sized Flounder that measured right at 18". Both he and Pattie caught a few more smaller Flounder along that stretch. This duo of Nassau Sports Fishing Association anglers were looking for a "Slam" of Redfish, Flounder and Seatrout (to keep) and although we had a "slam" of sorts caught (Black Drum, Flounder, and Redfish), we only had one in the box!
Back up the Jolley we went to fish a flooded point of oysters. The bite started off slow and I was getting a bit worried but then they began to get bites. Pattie caught a feisty Redfish, then Jacks and Ladyfish, then a couple of Seatrout, then Glenn reeled in a nice 17" Seatrout, and then another 15'5" keeper sized Trout. So we ended up with the Flounder and Trout but were missing the Redfish for the "in the box Slam", but as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
...but just a fish battle! I had met Jack and Karina Drinkard, newlyweds, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and after running up the Intercoastal and dipping in to Jackstaff, we drifted with the last of an outgoing tide, tossing jigs and live shrimp. I think the "demo" cast produced a bite and a small Seatrout which Karina expertly reeled in.
We worked along that bank until the tide changed and picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and a solitary Catfish. After running thru Horsehead we made our way down to Spanish Drop and began to fish into the incoming current, sticking with the jigs. The new fishing team hooked up and landed a couple of feisty Redfish, another Jack or two, and tangled with a couple of Ladyfish. Then Jack had a strong hookup up near the bank and when it made a big run I was thinking "big Redfish" but then, after a good few minutes it settled to the bottom and it had me guessing Shark.. but it never made that long run. I was hoping for a massive Flounder but it would have been huge! Jack couldn't have been more patient and fought it expertly, working it slowly, letting it run deep, and working it up again. Finally, after a good thirty minute battle, he was able to bring to the net a huge Stingray which we photographed and released. Boy what a battle!
We went back to that stretch and fished it again and here Katrina brought in dinner - a keeper sized Flounder and a keeper sized Seatrout. We then ran down to Broward Island and fished it with jigs where they added a couple of Mangrove Snapper to the catch and we finished the day drifting floats at Pumpkin Hill, catching some huge high flying Ladyfish. We had some good action thru out the day and as we headed back to the boat ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I had the Wytiaz's fishing today, Frank and Joanne, and we met up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early. After running up and around and into the Jolley River we turned into the current at the "bank" and began fishing back to the pointe with float rigs and mud minnows on a high and still incoming tide. The two anglers were making excellent casts to the grass, letting it drift along the marsh line and in just a while we had hookups of small Seatrout and Ladyfish. Then, after Joanne had got a cast close, I heard her drag begin to rip and, Big Fish On! And boy was it a battle! This fish was doing its best to stay up in the grass and over the oysters. It boiled up a time or two, then I saw a huge tail and confirmed it was a massive Redfish! Joanne hung with it and began to work it out from the edge and when she got it out deep I felt sure we had it. She kept the pressure on during numerous runs, worked it close, let it run, then after a long and epic battle, brought to the net an oversized 35.5" Redfish, big enough to move Joanne into a solid lead in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!
We then moved up the river and set up a point and drifted the float rigs and had a quick flurry of catches- Seatrout, Jacks, and Ladyfish. Joanne added a keeper sized 16" Seatrout to the catch. We moved further up the river and fished back into the current and here Frank got hot, real hot! He caught a couple of feisty Redfish up close to the grass, then Joanne added one, then Frank had a strong hookup and, Fish On! He played it perfectly, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish.
The tide had come to a standstill so we ran back to the outside of Tyger and fished a point as the now outgoing tide swept by. Again, we caught a couple of small Trout, small Reds, then a small Flounder, then Frank put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat and an 18" Seatrout.
Our final stop was around the corner, fishing a sand bottom for Flounder, but Frank found another nice Slot Redfish, this one measuring right at 21". They landed another small Flounder and Seatrout before we headed back to the dock and as we made the run, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and is a licensed US Coast Guard charter boat operator.
I fished with Mark Smith this morning and he had along with him his fishing buddy Dan. We met out at Goffinsville Park and headed down the Nassau River to the Spanish Drop area and then turned into the outgoing current to pitch jigs and mud minnows to the exposed shell bank. I kinda thought we might get some Flounder at the drainages and sure enough we did. Mark had a good hookup, worked it slowly to the boat, and landed a nice 18" Flounder. We had a another couple of small Flounder then it was Dan's turn to hookup and land a keeper sized Flounder.
But I was expecting some Redfish along that stretch and they never materialized. We moved up and fished another drainage, landed a couple of Catfish, then moved on. We fished some docks up at Seymore's and lost a whole bunch of minnows to what I suspected were small Mangrove Snapper (Mark did hookup and land one).
After running down to Broward Island we worked a bank on the last of an outgoing tide there and Mark did find a wayward Redfish to add to the catch. We had some nice weather, a good bit of breeze and with a couple of keeper Flounder in the box, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and is a licensed US Coast Guard charter boat operator.
Back to work today, fishing out of Old Town Bait and Tackle after meeting Joseph Segraves and his son David early. We headed up to the Jolley River - all the way up to a point where I hoped to fish the last of an incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp. We had excellent conditions with an overcast sky but the current was already at a standstill - Joseph and David made good casts but he float just sat there like on a stagnate pond! We eased along the bank for just a minute or two and Joseph did "knock the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch, then we moved on.
After running back to the outside of Tyger and setting up on a point, the tide and current had started out now and the moved paid off. Joseph was on the bow and began to get fish - small Redfish and some Jacks while David was on the stern and picked up a Jack, then had his leader quickly snapped by a lurking Shark. Then Joseph had a strong bite and when his drag began to rip we knew it was big. Joseph played it perfectly - it ran north, boiled a few times so we new it was a big Red, but Joseph worked it to the boat and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish.
We fished jigs on the outside of Tyger, at a nice drainage, and here Joseph put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.
Back up to the Jolley we went and fished the "bank", now on an outgoing tide. Both David and Joseph caught fish - a good handful of those small but feisty Redfish. As Joseph and I had our heads turned watching Davids drift I heard the faint "click" of a float going down, yelled, and Joseph set the hook and again, Big Fish On! This fish tried to run up current for just a second then thought better of it, and came back with the current. Joseph had to crank to catch up to it, and he did, and then the battle was back at the stern. Joseph worked it an an landed an even bigger 23" Slot Redfish.
The duo had a small Flounder catch then David had one of those funky bites, hooked it up, and brought to the boat a keeper sized 16" Flounder to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam in the box. After fishing another drainage where we had a few more of those feisty Reds caught, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a back country fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and is a US Coast Guard licensed charter boat operator.
I fished with Justin Palmore and his two sons Will and Bentley this morning, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made a long run up the intercoastal and made our way over to Poteat Cut to set up along some exposed oyster beds on an outgoing tide that still had a few hours to hit bottom. We had good action early catching a couple of small but feisty Redfish, a Seatrout, and a big Catfish.
We then made our way over to the mouth of Jackstaff and worked that bank with jigs and live shrimp and here Will hooked up and expertly landed a nice 17" Flounder to go in the box. And just a bit up the way Justin had a hookup and he too put a 17" Flounder in the box.
After running thru Horsehead we made our way down to some docks at Nassauville and fished jigs and minnows, dueling with the Mangrove Snapper. Both Will and Bentley had hookups and Will put a rather large one in the box. Justin outsmarted a good handful of those Mangroves and the trio added a couple of small Flounder. But then Bentley, fishing on his own, had a good "bump", set the hook like a pro, and reeled his own keeper sized Flounder.
We finished the day down at Spanish Drop, fishing a bend of oysters on the first of an incoming tide and had good action from Redfish bites. Will had a strong hookup, played it patiently, and landed a Slot sized 13 spot Redfish to wrap things up, and as we headed back to the dock, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide and Charter boat operator in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida
Our weather pattern has been holding the last few weeks...great early morning, sometimes even overcast like today, with just a slight breeze, then some sunshine, then the heat comes on by about 10am. And the fish bite has been similar. I met Grant Gressman and his son Colton along with Grant's dad Charlie out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and we headed down to Spanish Drop to fish the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide. We baited jigs with live shrimp and began pitching to the exposed shell bank as we eased into the current. And it wasn't long before we were catching fish, First a couple of Jacks, then we got into some feisty "Rat" Reds, and caught one after another. Grant had the hot hand initially but the other two anglers joined in on the catch. Grant caught a Seatrout and a Black Drum to round at his personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam.
We moved up to a large drainage and fished it and here Charlie hooked up out deep and landed the firstkeeper fish, a nice Seatrout. Colton had a strong bite and fought it expertly to the boat to land the largest Jack Crevalle of the day. Then, when Grant's rod bent over, we questioned what he had on the line. I was thinking a big Catfish but when it came to the surface I saw that it was a HUGE Flounder and it was all I could do to get the catch net under it's nose and bring it to the boat - a 22" Flounder, the biggest of the year and big enough to smash into First Place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category. Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.
We fished a dock at Seymore's Pointe briefly, added a Mangrove Snapper to the box, then made a run down to Broward Island where we added another Flounder to the catch. Our last stop was back at some docks at Nassauville where Colton hooked up and landed a nice 16" Flounder, a keeper, then all three anglers dueled the Mangroves, winning a few and losing a few, but adding to the box another good handful of keeper fish. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
I met Keenan Bell, his grandfather Tom and uncles Tommy and Ricky out at Goffinsville Park early this morning. There was a tide still coming in so we made our way over to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift floats long, baited with live shrimp and mud minnows. (Note, the shrimp seemed to do better than the minnows today). Ricky did pick up a small Jack Crevalle fairly quickly but it was Keenan who "made the headline" when he hooked up. It didn't seem like much but then as he worked it in patiently it began to rip drag and put up a battle. Keenan stayed with it and soon brought to he net a 20.5" Big Trout, boy what a fish!(and tied for 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament) We continued to fish that bank and caught a couple of more Jacks, tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish and experienced a couple of quick rips and breakoffs from Shark.
Moving down the way, Tommy, fishing out of the stern, hooked up and landed a small Flounder, and we had another quick rip from a Shark bite.
We then came back to Horsehead, ran thru, and around to Poteat Cut and set up again along a marsh line. Tom drifted long and caught a hungry Seatrout and then we also got another Jack or two. Moving back into Jackstaff, we worked another bank and this paid off. Ricky had made a good cast to a point of grass that had some oyster shell extending from it and just as he began to reel it back in, BAM! Big Fish On! Ricky played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 20" Slot sized Redfish.
We fished Twin Creeks for a bit and picked up a couple of small Redfish then fished then Tom had a good hookup, patiently brought it to the boat, and landed a keeper sized Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. Tommy had a strong bite, played it beautifully, and landed the only Bonnethead of the day. We wrapped the day up fishing some rocks at Nassauville and put a good handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat, and then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
Croaker, Redfish, Jack Crevalle, Stingray, Ladyfish(kinda), Bluefish, Flounder, Whiting, Catfish,Toadfish and a Seabass. I think I got them all. 11 different species caught today! I had met Jen and Ted Hessing and their kids Adele and Henry up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early this morning. We made a run up to the outside of Tyger and fished a drainage with jigs and shrimp and minnows. Jen caught the FIRST FISH, a Whiting to get things started. We eased around into Jolley River and fished the "bank" with float rigs and here we had some good action.
Henry hooked up and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, the PRETTIEST FISH, and Jen followed it uip with another sharp toothed fish, a Bluefish. Ted caught a couple of small Flounder then he put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat. They tangled with a couple of high flying Ladyfish
We then ran up the river to the MOA and here, we had more good action. The family of anglers caught a good handful of feisty Redfish then Adele, after making an excellent cast, hooked up and FISH ON! She hung with it even though it was ripping drag and had a bend in her pole and after a good battle landed the BIGGEST FISH of the day, a huge Sail Catfish. Jen boated a couple of deep digging Stingray, and they also landed a keeper sized Croaker to add to their catch. Ted put another, bigger, keeper sized Flounder nt he box before we left.
Our final stop was back at some rocks at Fernandina. Jen came close to matching the Prettiest Fish when she landed a magenta throated SeaBass, and to wrap things up, Ted hooked up and landed another , even bigger, Flounder to claim the MOST FISH caught for the day. As we headed back, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
I fished with the Sleeth brothers this morning, Brad and Jared, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early. We had a tide that was still going out for a couple of hours so the "plan" was to motor down the Nassau, turn into the current at Spanish Drop, and fish back along the exposed oysters, tossing jigs and live shrimp and minnows. Brad was on the bow tossing the shrimp while Jared took up the stern tossing mud minnows and all told, they were about even on the "catch rate".
Brad "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up out deep, and after playing it perfectly, brought to the net a keeper sized Weakfish (Yellow Mouth Trout, Sand Trout). We worked along the bank and both anglers hauled in some small but feisty Redfish. We also tangled with some Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle and a Catfish.. After moving up to a large drainage, we added another couple of small Reds and a couple of hungry Seatrout (which made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam).
We then moved up to Twin Creeks and here we could see the bait getting busted and Jared zeroed in to a small pocket and pulled out a couple of keeper sized Flounder - we now had a Grande Slam! Working up the bank just a little bit further and it was Brad's turn for the big fish. He had a strong hookup and as the fish got out deeper it began to rip some drag. I was "negative Nellie", thinking it was just another big Catfish but when it flashed to the surface we saw that it was a nice Slot Redfish. Brad kept the pressure on, played it perfectly, and landed the 21" Slot Red.
We fished a dock at Seymores and pulled out one keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then made our way down to Broward Island to catch the first of an incoming tide. Which was a waste - we didn't get a real bite. We then moved up to Pumpkin Hill and fished it thoroughly and had some good action catching small "Rat" Reds, and a handful of Seatrout. We had stayed busy with action for the most part so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
I fished with my son-in-law Nathan Taylor and friend Michael Silver this morning. We launched out at Goffinsville Park and made a short run down to Spanish Drop to turn into the current and toss jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oysters on the very last of the outgoing tide. Nathan "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. Michael followed that up with hard fighting Jack Crevalle catch and then when we reached corner that had a submerged "bar", the duo of anglers began to catch feisty Redfish.
We moved up to a large drainage and here Michael put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat and we picked up a couple of more Seatrout out deep. We then fished some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide and although not much was biting , we did catch a small Croaker. After running thru Horsehead and fishing the mouth of Jackstaff with the jigs, we came back thru and set up to fish some rocks with float rigs and pieces of shrimp. And almost immediately, we were putting keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the box. We caught fish until this duo reached their 5-a-piece limit, then we culled a couple, then we moved on.
Our final stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, drifting floats long. Nathan caught another Seatrout here and Michael tangled with a big Ladyfish.
During the trip both anglers had brief battles with Sharks but we did land one for a quick release. The breeze had blown all day and we had some good action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
I wrapped up my week today fishing with the Jensen's, Dean and his sons Elijah and Tyler, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early to try and "beat the heat". We made a quick run over to the outside of Tyger Island and set up along a grassy point to fish float rigs on the very first of an outgoing tide. It was another beautiful morning, sunshine, clear skies, and just a bit of breeze. With those conditions you'd have thought (hoped) the fish bite would be on fire but, all we did was have a quick tangle with Sharks and Ladyfish. After crossing over a creek we fished a shoreline and Dean did pick up a small but feisty Redfish.
Around the outside of Tyger we went and made one stop at a drainage to pitch jigs and shrimp, then we continued on around to the Jolley, switched back to float rigs, and drifted the bank on that outgoing tide. In between Shark bites Elijah hooked up, expertly battled, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish - one that had 9 spots - a good fish in any Spot Tournament. We continued to ease along that bank and Dean patiently wore out the biggest Shark of the day, bringing it to the boat for photograph and release, then it was Tyler's turn to have the Redfish hookup. He had made an excellent cast to the bank and it paid off with a hookup. He played it perfectly and soon landed a 21.5" Slot Red.
We then moved up the river and pulled up at a large drainage that I used to fish 15 years ago, anchoring and bottom fishing out the back. But this time we positioned ourselves parallel to the bank and drifted those floats and it paid off. In addition to catching a couple of feisty Redfish, Dean hooked up and landed a real nice 18" Flounder.
Further up the river we fished what evidently was a Shark haven- at one time we had a "double" going, then we ended the day at the MOA just as the oysters were beginning to show. Elijah caught a couple of more small Redfish and Dead added a couple of Black "puppy" Drum. Somewhere along the way Dean had landed a Seatrout so the Drum made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam, and we chalked it up as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
It looks like we may be getting wet every day this week, and today was no exception! Mitch Bair and I had watched the weather forecast last evening and even this morning and it was looking "decent" for a fishing trip today, so I met Mitch and his son-in-law Will down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and as we headed up the intercoastal to turn into the Nassau River, the weather was nice! We pulled up at Spanish Drop and began pitch jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. We worked that first bank pretty good. Just as we were about to move on Mitch, fishing from the bow, had a strong hookup and Big Fish On! The fish raced up river taking Mitch down the port side to the stern, then it headed south taking him to Starboard, then headed east taking him back to the bow! Then it dug deep and stayed deep - a Shark for sure. Mitch kept the pressure on, played it patiently and eventually brought to the boat a nice 4' Bonnethead Shark, which we tossed back (all fish caught today were released). And while we were dealing with the Shark, Will had quietly put a Jack Crevalle in the boat.
We then ran down to Broward Island to catch the incoming tide there, and while cruising the island, we had a Bald Eagle sighting. We fished the island thoroughly but had no real bites, which surprised me just a bit. After making the run back to Seymore's Pointe and fishing some dock pilings with jigs, the duo did pick up a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and a Bluefish.
Back up the Nassau we went, to Pumpkin Hill, and now fishing float rigs, we began to see a bit of action with the tide up a bit. They caught another handful of Shark, Will battled a nice 22" Slot Redfish to the net, Mitch hauled in a Flounder, and they also had another couple of Jack Crevalle and tangled with a Ladyfish. We had one more Slot Red right at the boat but it was not to be, which always helps to bring anglers back for another great day of fishing the back country here at Amelia Island, Florida
I fished with Chris Sneed and his fishing partner Chuck this morning, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours. There was almost zero wind so we made our way around the south end of Amelia to fish the small jettu while we were in the area. There was another boat on the north end so we stayed on the south and tossed jigs and live shrimp and even though they reported some "bumps" we had no takers.
After running up the Nassau River we stopped at Spanish Drop and worked the flooding shore line with float rigs and the shrimp. The sound of drags ripping as this duo hooked up and battled Bonnethead Shark is still ringing in my ears! We had more than a handful of shark fights. But finally, Chuck had made a good toss to the grass line and as his float slowly went under he lifted his rod and let the circle hook set and Fish On! Chuck brought it to the boat and landed a respectable Flounder for the box.
We fished Twin Creeks and beyond and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then we made the run around to Pumpkin Hill to drift the floats long on the last of that incoming tide. Again, Shark fights were the norm, but Chris did pick up a Seatrout on a pointe. Then, finally, some more drag ripping, but this fish stayed up close to the bank and when it boiled, we knew it was a big Red! Chris played it patiently and after a good battle landed an oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!
After moving around the corner Chris had another hookup and I would have bet money it was a Flounder by the way it bit and fought. But as Chris worked it to the net we saw it was an uncommon Tripletail!
After that we fished Seymore's Pointe and caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a handful of Catfish, a couple of Ladyfish, a grunt, and a Jack Crevalle. It wasn't uncommon to hear those drags ripping so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It appears the thunderstorms were moving in early today but I was able to get out and fish this morning with Melody and Scott Norton and after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, we made the run up the intercoastal and thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we stationed ourselves alongside a flooded grass line right at high tide.
The wind was kicking just a but it was coming over our backs so we were able to get some drifts and it paid off when Melody hooked up and a battled a couple of high flying Ladyfish. We moved around the corner and fished it a bit but had no real bites. After running back down the Nassau and around to Seymore's Pointe we set up at a large drainage and fished a point of grass with the floats. Scott got on the board with a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper catch (all fish caught today were released), and then we tangled with a few more of those.
We then ran thru Horsehead and around to a small creek and began working the edge. When we got to a small run out Melody made a perfect cast to the mouth of it and this paid of in a big way! Her float disappeared and after lifting her rod and letting the circle hook set, Fish On! Melody played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a Slot sized 19.5" Redfish. Scott was fishing off the stern and had let his float go long and as he started to reel it up, BAM! Big Fish On! We were in for a long fight. The fish did "boil" up once by the grass and I was speculating "Big Redfish", but then it made a couple of drag ripping runs so I switched my guess to "Shark". We ended up chasing it down the river, had to work it out from behind an abandoned crab pot, then continued on with the battle. Scott stayed patient and eventually landed a nice Bonnethead Shark for photograph and release.
After fishing Poteat Cut for a bit, to no avail, we ran back thru Horsehead and fished some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp. The duo landed a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then we moved around to some docks at Nassauville. Melody had fished her jig out deep and when the rod bent we knew she had something big. Again, we had a big, long, battle. Melody stayed with it and an exhausting fight, landed a big Stingray. Scott went in to the rocks and caught a 16" Flounder.
I finished my week up fishing with Howard McClure and his fishing buddy Joe. I met them early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and even though we had some forecasted winds to get up around 14mph, we were eager to get out into the backwaters and get some fishing done. After making a 15 minute run up the intercoastal, thru Back River on a high and incoming tide, and around to Pumpkin Hill, we set up to drift float rigs. And the first casts paid off! Joe was on the stern and had a good bite, lifted the rod, and set the circle hook. He was playing it to the boat when Howard had a hookup on his first cast! Joe landed his, a hungry Seatrout, and Howard landed his, a feisty Jack Crevalle.
Shortly after that Joe had another hookup. This fish was ripping some drag and fighting somewhat like a Redfish, but then it got out deep and began to shake and when Joe battled it to the surface we netted a big Jack Crevalle. We fished Pumpkin Hill pretty good, moving around a bit, getting a few bites, then we made a run around to Seymore's Pointe.
Again, tossing float rigs, drifting them by a grassy point, the two anglers had a few small bites, but no takers. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and fished into the wind. We had had not real bites and I was beginning to wonder when Joe, fishing off the stern and up near some flooded marsh grass, had his float slowly go under. I was already thinking "Flounder" and as Joe worked it to the boat It was confirmed, a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today were released).
We jumped over to Jackstaff and fished a large drainage and here it was Howard's turn to battle a nice Jack Crevalle, which he did expertly. Then he went back with a cast to the grassy point of an island and we both saw something hit his bait with a vengeance and his float disappeared sideways and, Fish On! Howard played the big fish perfectly and after a good battle landed a Slot Sized Redfish to garner this duo of anglers an Amelia Island Back Water Slam.
We finished the day back at Nassauville, out of the wind, and getting some good "Mangrove Snapper Action". Again, all fish were released today but they had probably 6-7 keeper sized Mangroves they could have kept. They're getting bigger as the water warms. We had had some good action and as we headed back to the ramp we co8unted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Today was one of those windy, dreary days when you just hope you catch a fish with the tough conditions considered. I had met Brian Roach and his son Michael and friend Lee down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and as we were running to our first spot the wind was already kicking a bit. But we made our way around to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift float rigs and live shrimp along the bank. All three anglers had good drifts but we had no real takers. We eased up to a point of grass ad fished the other side and drifted back and it wasn't long before Lee "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up ad landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout
After moving down a to a grassy island that just had the tips of grass showing on a very hide tide, we had few nibbles, but no takers....until Michael had made an excellent cast over to some far marsh grass. When his float disappeared he quickly caught up the slack and let the circle hook set and, Big Fish On! I have to admit I didn't intentionally mean to slur the fish but at first I thought it was a small Shark. Michael kept the pressure on as the big fish took him from the bow up to the stern and around as it ripped drag heading East. He slowly worked it in and when I saw a tail thrash the surface my "guess" of a shark began to look pretty bad. The big fish came to the surface a couple of times and all we could see was a tail and then I became more confident it was a big Redfish! Michael confirmed that when he brought to the net an Oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!
We worked along the bank, back to the original point where we had begun the day at and as Brian released his bail to get a longer drift, he had a hookup and brought to the net another keeper sized Seatrout. A short run over to Seymore's Pointe where we fished a large drainage as the tide started out produced nothing but a few nibbles. Then, thru Horsehead we went and around to Poteat Cut, but again, no real bites.
After running thru Horsehead we fished a point at Poteat Cut, than came back to Jackstaff and fished some drainages. Brian had made a good toss to the mouth of one of those drainages and when his float disappear he lifted the rod and let the circle hook set. It was a strong fish but wasn't putting up much of a fight and we found out why when Brian brought to the net a big 20" Flounder! This fish moved Brian into a tie for First Place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
We finished the day fishing some docks with jigs and shrimp and rounded out a good box of "keepers" with Mangrove Snapper catches. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had another Bragging Rights entry burst onto the scene today, the 2nd in consecutive days! I had met Don Frank and his fishing partner Paul up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and after making our way out of Eagans, we made a short run over and up to the Bell River where we set up to toss float rigs and live shrimp The tide still had about an hour or two to come in. Both anglers were getting good casts and good drifts and had a couple of nibbles and then Paul had a Shark bite that headed west, and kept going!
After moving around to the other side of a flooded oyster point and trying our luck there, we made the short run over to Lanceford Creek and fished a small drainage and here things picked up. Don was going up just beyond a point of grass with his cast and it paid off with two keeper sized Seatrout catches. Then Paul had a hookup and this one was pulling a bit harder and sure enough, after expertly playing it, he landed nice 18" Seatrout.
We then ran thru Tyger Basin around to the outside and set up fishing a point of grass as the tide started out. The two anglers had a few nibbles but no takers but then we started seeing some rather large tails flapping at us! I'm pretty sure they were Sheepshead. We got some good casts to them but they just wouldn't eat our shrimp. Then Don made an excellent cast right where they were tailing and when his float slowly went under I knew we had a nice fish. But this fish just stayed deep, didn't thrash much at all, and didn't make any hard runs so I was beginning to wonder and....when it came to the surface we saw that it was a Door Mat Flounder! After netting it and photographs we found that it was right at 20" which move Don securely into First Place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category, boy what a fish! (scroll down the right side of this report for standings)
We fished up the Jolley River for a bit, had no real luck, but as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
