Adding Them Up

We didn't catch anything real big today, but if you added the variety of fish caught, it was almost like a marine biology class!  Flounder, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Mangrove Snapper, Croaker, Stingray, Catfish...I may have missed one!  Laura and Lane Outler and their son Landon fished with me this morning and after running over to Tiger Island we set up and pitched jigs and live shrimp to the downed logs on the last of an outgoing tide. Laura got things started off early and pulled into a commanding lead on the "fish count" - she caught a keeper sized Flounder and a feisty Redfish.

Then Lane took over and caught a Jack Crevalle and a Croaker. Then all three began to catch fish - Mangrove Snapper, feisty Redfish, more Flounder, another which was of keeper size.  We fished the island thoroughly then ran up to the Jolley and fished the "bank" as the tide was coming in. Lane put a healthy Seatrout in the boat, we caught  a few Croaker that were keepable, then we continued on up the
river.

Our final stop was fishing some cut-bait and that paid off with another Croaker or two, a Stingray caught by Laura, and a Catfish caught by Landon.  The clouds had blocked the sun most of the trip, we had a slight breeze and it made for another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Mangroves Save The Day

If fished with Suzanna Braun, her friend Garland and her son Michael yesterday morning, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had  low tide up at Seymore's Pointe at 7:30am so I made that our first stop to fish float rigs with live shrimp and mud minnows up near the rocks and the decision paid off with a good handful of Mangrove Snapper catches. All three anglers put fish in the boat but it was Garland who had the biggest of the year, one that measured right at 14".

I know that these fish don't compare to a Slot sized Redfish, but their a challenge to catch on a 3/0 circle hook and when you do get one over "keeper" size of 10", they put up a pretty good fight. You can keep 5 a piece (which we rarely do) and can get some palm sized filet's off of each to make for a good dinner.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island where we pitched to the logs on an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp and minnows.  We
picked up a couple of feisty Redfish and Michael hooked up with a hungry Seatrout.  After easing up to Pumpkin Hill we switched back to floats and tangled with a high flying Ladyfish. Although the morning started with some good action on the Mangroves, the latter part of the trip was a struggle to find some fish. But we had a good breeze blowing and were treated to flocks of birds taking off from the marsh as we passed by so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Mixing It Up

I wrapped a five day stretch up fishing with Bob Howe, meeting him down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We ran up the Nassau River, stopped at Spanish Drop and Bob began casting a topwater gurgler with a 7w TFO BVK fly rod. Bob was making excellent casts as we worked along the flooding marsh grass  but he had no takers. We fished up to a large marsh run out, switched to spin rod and live bait and BOOM! He had a hookup. Bob played it perfectly, worked the fish to the back of the boat, let it run, then landed a nice hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We fished down the bank with the spin gear and picked up a couple of high flying Ladyfish.

Our next stop was around at Pumpkin Hill. We stayed with the spin/bait combo and fished the flooding mud flats with live shrimp but had no luck. After fishing a couple of spots at Pumkin, we motored back and into Christopher Creek where Bob switched back to the fly rod, this time using a 8w TFO BVK with a slow sinking shrimp fly pattern. Again, Bob was making excellent casts to the marsh grass and rocks and had one fish chase his fly as he stripped it in, but it just didn't take it.

Our final stop was over at Seymore's Pointe, fishing the rocks for Mangrove Snapper but they just wouldn't cooperate. We tangled briefly with a Ladyfish then moved on around the corner. After fishing an outflow, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water and fishing hear at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fish'n For Keepers

We had another absolutely beautiful morning today when I met Kip McNeil, his dad Stephan, and their buddy mark up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The sun was out, we had a slight breeze, and a high and incoming tide. We made a quick run over to the Jolley River and set up to fish the "bank" with float rigs and live shrimp. Right off, Stephan hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish up near the bank then Mark followed that up with a large Bluefish catch. We worked along the bank and caught a couple of small Seatrout.

After moving further up the river with the tide we stopped and fish a small cove  and Stephan tangles with a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark which he landed expertly. We moved on up the river to Snook Creek and here Mark got in on the Shark action when he too hooked up landed a Bonnethead. As we eased along the bank we had bites here and there, caught a couple, then when Kip spotted a Redfish tailing up near the grass he made a pin point cast, waited patiently for the float to disappear and, BOOM! Fish on!  This fish boiled so we knew it was a Redfish then it went from bow to stern and out to deeper water. But Kip was up to the challenge and worked it to the boat to land a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish.

We came back to the outside of Tiger and fished some flooded oysters, caught a few Trout, then came back up to Tiger and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then a whole lot of Trout. Our last stop was back towards Jolley, fishing a marsh run out and here, after Mark had put a winning Stingray in the boat, Stephan found a few more Trout, one of which was of keeper size.  We had a caught a whole bunch of fish and had a few keepers so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Oversized Red Starts The Day

I fished this morning with Paul Clark and his longtime friend Dean, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a long run thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to set up near some flooded oyster beds on the last of an incoming tide. Both anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats and were getting "nibbles" hear and there, but no takers. I had just switched Paul to a mud minnow when his float disappeared and, BOOM! Float Gone and Fish On!  Paul played it perfectly, worked it out between some crab pot floats and got it into deeper water then the battle ensued.  The big fish went deep a few times, and I was calling "Shark" but when it rolled up behind the boat I was changing my tune!  Paul worked it to the boat patiently and soon landed a 29.75" oversized Redfish - boy what a fish!

We fished around the corner briefly then made the run back to Seymore's Pointe where we set up and caught a good handful of Mangrove Snapper, a few of which were legal.  We then moved down to Spanish Drop and picked up a couple of Flounder, one of which was of keeper sized. I tried the new Athens Drop spot but I guess the guess Tuesday fished it out!  But we had had some action early in the morning, it was a beautiful day, so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Mixed Bag Makes a Mess 'O Fish Here at Amelia Island

We had an absolutely beautiful day that greeted us when I met Ben Windle and his fishing buddy Brad down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The sun was just coming up, we had a good breeze and not a cloud in the sky as we headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop along some exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide. The duo were pitching live shrimp on jigs to a marsh run out and in minutes, they both had Flounder hookups that they brought to the boat.  We also picked up a couple of feisty Redfish along the oyster beds. We fished a couple of those runouts then moved on up to fish some docks at Seymore's.

After picking up a small Mangrove and small Black Drum, we moved around to fish some rocks and here things really lit up. We caught one Mangrove Snapper after another with a few of them being of keeper size, the biggest being about 13" in length.  Although they're not real big, if you get a good
handful those palm sized filet's can be really good eating!

We run down to Broward Island after that, had at least two good hookups that released at boat side then we moved up to Pumpkin Hill to drift some floats over some shell bottom. This did the trick for the big fish - Ben hooked up, battled expertly, and landed a big 26.75" Slot sized Redfish.

The entire day we tangled with high flying Ladyfish and we wrapped the day up back along the Nassau at Spanish Drop when Brad battled two hard fighting Jack Crevalle, Ben put another Slot Red in the boat, and we had a couple of Croaker catches. It was getting hot but as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Drum City

I fished with Bob Blalock this morning, meeting him out at Goffinsville Park early with plans to fish the back waters of Amelia Island. We headed  north from the ramp to fish a particular dock but the owner was out doing some exercises so we kept on going as not to disturb him!  We picked another dock and Bob began tossing jigs and live shrimp to the pilings - he got a few nibbles but no takers - then, BOOM! He had a hookup. Bob played it to the boat and landed a nice18" Black "puppy" Drum. Fishing the pilings with shrimp paid off. Bob landed a good handful of the Drum, a couple of more "keeper" sized, some of which he threw  back. He also picked up some Croaker, some small Mangrove Snapper, a small Sheepshead, and a couple of small Seatrout.

We eased back around the corner and the exerciser was gone so we set up off of some rocks and began floating shrimp along the edge and began to get bites. You had to be on your toes but the Mangrove Snapper were feeding and Bob put 5 nice 12-13" fish in the boat before we moved on to find bigger fish.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing the first of an incoming tide, an ideal tide to be there. But the fish didn't get the message!  Bob landed a couple of small Mangrove's and a small Flounder but that was it. We made a final stop up at Pumpkin Hill, fishing the float rigs. We picked up a small Redfish then one drift we both saw something "pop" the float. Seconds later the float disappeared, Bob tightened up and the hook set and, Fish ON! He worked it patiently to the boat - we were thinking "Redfish" but when it came to the net we saw it was a large 22" Seatrout, big enough to move Bob into a 2nd place tie in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). That was a great fish to wrap up the day - a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Oversized Red Kicks It Off

I wrapped my week up fishing with the Caul's, Jason and his son Tommy, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran north and west and up the Middle River and made a stop half way up to fish some pockets with live shrimp under floats on the last of an incoming tide. I don't think we even had a nibble.

We continued on around to Pumpkin Hill and set up alongside a flooding marsh line, shallow with shell underneath. Jason was fishing the bow and Tommy took up the stern, drifting his float long down the grass and....BOOM! The float disappeared, Tommy tightened up and set the hook and, Fish On!  Boy what a fish. This one was big, ripping drag and boiling up and digging deep. But Tommy kept the pressure on, taking the fish(or maybe the fish was taking Tommy) from the stern to the bow and from Starboard to Port and back to the stern. After a long battle, Tommy landed a
big Oversized 28" Redfish - a good fish to "knock the skunk off" and get the day started!  Jason battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the net then Tommy put a hungry Seatrout in the boat.

Fishing further down Jason had made a good toss up into a "cove" and as it drifted across, BOOM! Another big fish. Jason played it perfectly and patiently and after a good battle landed a 26 and 15/16" Tournament Sized Redfish, boy what a fish.   We an island around the corner, had no luck, then moved on.

Our next stop was up in Christopher Creek, this time tossing jigs and live Shrimp.  Jason had made a perfect cast to the grass and within seconds he had a hookup. This one was a nice fish too - ripping drag and digging deep. But Jason worked it to the boat and landed another Slot Redfish.

As we were passing Seymore's Pointe we stopped and fished some rocks and it paid off. Tommy got hot again and landed a good handful of Mangrove Snapper. After fishing Twin Creeks with jigs for a  bit, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wake Up Call

I fished today with father and son team Ken and Jaxon Kerr, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early for a half day of fishing the backwaters of Amelia Island. We ran up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill, set up at a grassy island, and tossed float rigs with live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. All we got was a couple of nibbles.

We moved around and cruised a grass line, pitching as we went and still, no real bites. But finally, Jason's float disappeared and after he caught up his slack he set the hook and had a good strong fish on. Jason played it perfectly, worked it around the stern and back, and eventually landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. The fish had caught us sleeping but we were awake now!  Only minutes later Jason followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout and Ken reeled in a beautiful Blue Crab!

Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe where we fished
a marsh drainage, then we moved in and fished some dock pilings. Ken hooked up and landed a Mangrove Snapper and we then added another keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stops were down Twin Creeks, then at Spanish Drop. After landing an ugly 'ole Toad Fish, Ken felt a "bump", hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder then Jason tangled with a high flying Ladyfish that quickly threw the hook. We'd had a good breeze all day that kept the heat down but with the sun up it was still getting hot so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Catch'n Eaters Here At Amelia Island, Florida

It seemed just a tad bit cooler this morning when I met the Williams family -John and Mary Margaret and their two young anglers Hadden and Ruth, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had clear skies and nice breeze blowing as we headed west and up the Middle River and over to Pumpkin Hill to set up at a grassy island to begin pitching live shrimp under floats. We had a nibble here and there and when John hooked up I thought we might have a decent fish but it was just a short Mangrove Snapper - not the "Eater" that Hadden was looking for!

We move around the corner and down a ways and not the tide was starting out. I think John's first cast to the backside of a small drainage produced a bite and, Fish ON!  John and Hadden worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice 22" Slot sized "Eater" Redfish! We eased down that bank and again John had a hookup. This fish was big and ripping drag and running deep. It took John from the bow to the stern where we had a standoff for a while before John was able to work it to the boat and land an oversized 27"+ Redfish - good for pictures and release.  We continued to fish and after John had put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, he hooked up and landed another big fish. He and Hadden fought it valiantly and soon brought to the net a "Tournament Size" 26.75" Slot fish, boy what a fish.

After a short pit stop at Goffinsville we ran down to Twin Creeks, fished with jigs and shrimp and mud minnows and here the family put a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark in the boat, a couple of Jack Crevalle, a keeper sized Flounder, a small Flounder, and Mary Margaret got on the board with an exciting Stingray catch. Somewhere there was a pretty Blue Crab caught!  Ruth was helping out giving encouragement to all the anglers.

We finished up at Spanish drop with one more keeper sized Flounder catch before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Whole Lot Of Catching

The fish catch'n seemed to get better as the morning went along today. I had met Mike Moavero and his relatives, Tommy, Will and Jackson up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and with a low and still outgoing tide, we headed over to and up the Bell River. I had passed a stretch of bank that was lined with oysters yesterday and with the tide still gong out, I thought it would be a good start for our first spot. The anglers were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and as we worked along we seemed to spook some big fish that left wakes in the trail. But one must have hung around because after making a perfect cast Mike had his bait hit hard and, Fish On!  We could tell this was a big fish by the way it rolled up near the bank a few times and ripped some drag. But Mike kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. We continued along that bank and Tommy got in on the action and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

Continuing on up the Bell, we stopped at another likely spot and here Jackson heated up, catching a handful of small but fun to catch Seatrout. We went further up the Bell and fished some dock pilings. Here, things really heated up. They caught a handful of Black "puppy" Drum to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Flounder, Seatrout and Drum. Then Tommy snagged and landed a Sheepshead to make it a "Super Grande Slam", and Jackson finished it off with a keeper sized Seatrout.

Our next stop was around at the Jolley River, just east of the MOA, in a deep bend in the river, and still tossing jigs with the tide now coming in. The bite just got hotter! Will got on the board with a couple of Seatrout catches, one that was just a hair below the size limit, and then Mike hooked up and landed another keeper sized Flounder. Tommy had a strong bite, a hookup, and battled to the boat another nice Slot sized Redfish. All four anglers were catching Croaker, a couple that were big enough to throw in the box.  We finished the day down at Jolly Bank catching Golden Croaker, then we wrapped things up, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Flurry At The End

I fished with some young anglers, Kyle Smith and his brother-in-laws David and Braden, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning. We made a run over to and up the Bell River, stopping along some exposed oysters beds on the last of an outgoing tide. The trio of anglers were tossing live shrimp on jigs and making excellent casts and it paid off with a couple of hungry Seatrout catches.

We continued on around to some docks at Pirates Woods and fished a few of those docks thoroughly. We had just set up to fish when Braden spotted a small alligator cruising out into the river and keeping an eye on us. At one of the docks, Braden had made a good cast to a "cave" in  a mud bank and a fish took his bait and ran. Braden set the hook and worked to the boat a keeper sized Flounder.

We fished Jolley Bank with the jigs and about half way thru the run David switched to a float rig, fishing off the stern, and found a feisty Redfish to bring to the boat.  Again, Braden saw the wildlife, this time a huge Manatee out in the middle of the river. We continued on around to the outside of Tiger and here we had our most action of the day. All three anglers had switched to the float rig and used the last of our live shrimp before switching over to mud minnows. David hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout then Kyle did the same, bringing in another keeper sized Trout. Then David cast just north of a pocket, let his bait drift over a shell bed, and hooked up with another keeper sized Flounder which he brought to the net.

Our final stop was back around at a point on Bell River and here they caught a couple of more hungry Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bringing Them To The Boat

I was fishing north this morning, meeting Chris Jones, his wife Beth and their son Alex up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The tide had just hit bottom so we buzzed over to the back side of Tiger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp on the very first of an incoming tide. We worked the logs thoroughly but all we got was a small Mangrove Snapper that Chris hooked up with.

We then ran around to Jolley River, and fished the bank. The trio picked up a few small Seatrout then Beth had a strong hookup. She patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized 18" Seatrout. We picked up one or two more smaller trout before we moved on.

Our next stop was up just past Snook Creek. Alex was fishing a float out the stern but Beth and Chris stayed with the jig rod. Chris had a bite - it didn't fight much, but ran to the
boat, but then it powered deep and Chris had a fight on his hands. He played it perfectly though and after a good battle brought to the net a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark.

After fishing the outside of Tiger for just a brief bit, we came back inside of Tiger, fished a cut, then continued on around to Bell River and set up along side a pointe of grass that was flooding with water. This did the trick - we finally had some steady action. There were a couple of times that these anglers had some nice fish on but they'd throw the hook. But Beth had "stepped her game up" and when she had a hookup she kept the pressure on, fought a brief battle, then landed a big 21.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish! This fish moved Beth into 3rd place in the Angler's Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We fished a bit longer, landed a trout or two, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

All Around Good Day Fishing

We had a bit of b breeze this morning, but that made for some comfortable fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. I had met Paul Johnson and his son Henry down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and after making a short run up the Nassau River, we set up to fish with jigs and live shrimp along some exposed oysters at the bottom of an extreme low tide. These two anglers were making excellent casts and in a short time, it paid off when, BOOM!  Henry had a hookup that ripped the drag of his size 1000 reel. Henry played the fish perfectly as it took him from the bow of the boat to the stern and after a good battle, landed a nice 18"+ Slot Sized Redfish, one that we photographed and released.

We finished working that bank then ran up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to dock pilings. Paul had the first hookup -a big fish. He played it perfectly and soon landed a keeper sized 18" Black "puppy" Drum(this fish was released also).Henry followed that up with a couple of puppy
Drum catches of his  own.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island. We fished the north end for a bit then moved down to the south end. Here, Henry was fishing a large marsh runout and found two Stingray's to do battle with.  We then came up to Pumkin Hill and drifted float rigs along the flooding oyster beds. Paul had opened his bail and let his bait drift further back and this did the trick. He caught and landed a 19" Seatrout then followed that up with another keeper sized Trout. These two they took to Kitchen 251 for a great Amelia Island Backcountry lunch of fresh caught fish!

Big Fish Rally

I fished this morning with the Prophater family, Kristen and Zach and their kids Wilder and Sawyer, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours so when we made our way up the Nassau River, we fished with float rigs and live shrimp to the bank. Zach struck right off when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout, then Wilder followed that up with a hungry Flounder.  Sawyer decided to go to a jig and shrimp on the bottom and it paid off with a couple of Catfish catches, one of which was pretty big!

We moved further up the Nassau and here Wilder put another Catfish in the boat and Sawyer added a keeper sized Whiting (all fish caught today were released). We then made our way on up to Seymore's Pointe and fished a marshy pointe. Kristen got hot, landing a couple of Mangrove Snapper, one of which was fairly large, then she tangled with high flying Ladyfish and brought it to the boat. Wilder had gone to the jig and shrimp, pitching back to some dock pilings, and here he caught two feisty Black "puppy" Drum.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill. We had caught a good handful of fish all morning long and as the team fished their floats up near the bank I was thinking that things "looked right" and, BOOM! Kristen's float had disappeared and when she tightened up on the line, the drag began to rip,and, Fish On!  This was a big fish! The fish boiled up near the bank a couple of times in shallow water but Kristen kept the pressure on and we worked it out to deeper water where the battle ensued. Although the fish ran deep a number of times it was no match for Kristen as she applied the pressure and slowly worked it to the net for landing. The fish measured right at 31.5", way oversized, but a great fish for a family picture.

We were about to wrap things up when Kristen was drifting her float across some submerged oysters and again, BOOM!  It wasn't quite as big and I was calling "smaller Redfish". Kristen handed the rod off to Sawyer who brought it to the boat, a BIG 23.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish. And with that ,we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Morning Good Fishing with Friends

After an early morning run to St. Mary's, Ga to haul a kayaker participating in the Cross The Line Foundation fundraiser, I met Todd Johnson and his fishing buddy at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp for a mid-morning start. It was already getting warm but these two anglers were eager to get out on the water and enjoy spending some time fishing the back waters of Amelia Island.

We made a quick run over to the outside of Tiger Island and fished some marsh grass on the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under a fixed float. Although we didn't catch anything big we did "knock the skunk off" with a few hungry Seatrout catches. We then buzzed thru Tiger, around to Bell, and up the Lanceford to fish a small grassy island. Here, Brady hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder that went in the box.

After that we came back to Soap Creek, fished a run out, BOOM! Trout on!  It wasn't big but boy did it happen quick. We moved up the bank and both anglers found a small Redfish to tangle with, then Todd had a stronger hookup, one that pulled some drag, and after a good battle landed a Slot sized Redfish.

Back to Lanceford, fishing some docks and here Todd got into some small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum. Being a weekend there were tons of boats and anglers out on the water so we decided to make the long run up the Bell River and have the area to ourselves. We had just been fishing one set of dock pilings when Brady felt a "bump", set the hook, and hooked up with an even bigger Flounder to go into the box!

Our final stop was around in the Jolley, fishing the MOA. There was ton's of bait getting "popped" but they didn't like what we were presenting, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Redfsh On Beautiful Day

It was an absolutely gorgeous day this morning when I met Phil Nichols, his sons Sam and Ben and father-in-law Doc down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a long run up Middle River and around to Pumkin Hill and set up with float rigs and live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. The guys were making good casts to the bank and letting their baits drift with the current and Sam quickly "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. He followed that up with another then as Doc drifted his bait off the stern, his float slowly disappeared and BOOM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag, boiling up shallow, then it headed north, headed south and headed deep. Doc kept the pressure on and slowly worked it to the boat and finally, after a long battle, landed an oversized 31.5" Redfish, big enough to move him into a tie for third place in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We continued to fish the marsh grass and Phil and Ben got in on the action by catching and landing a Seatrout of their own. We then fished Spanish Drop for a while, move up and fished some more, then ran thru Horsehead to fish the entrance for a bit before calling it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Black Drum Under the Docks

Back to "work" today, fishing with Trip and Rona Huey when I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. It was a tad bit chilly this morning as we ran up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to fish some flooded marsh grass on a  high and outgoing tide with live shrimp under floats.  We had a few nibbles and some good bites and Rona caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  We fished a couple of lines of marsh then we made the run back to Seymore's Pointe where we set up fishing some rocks with the float rigs. Rona landed a Mangrove Snapper then Trip had a good hookup, played it perfectly to the boat, and had a keeper size Flounder out of the water when it threw the hook! Ouch!

We moved around the corner and fished some docks  and again, had some good bites. Then finally, we had a strong hookup. Rona was on the rod and patiently worked to the boat and landed a nice 18" keeper sized Black Drum. We added to the catch another Mangrove, this one of keeper size.

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop - again we had bites -then, as Trip drifted his float up near the grass, boom! He had a hookup. Trip worked it to the boat and landed a hard fighting Redfish, one that was just slightly under the slot size. The weather had warmed just a bit, we had caught some fish, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

The Hegler Fishing Team notched an "Amelia Island Backcountry Super Grande Slam" this morning when they boat a Black Drum, Seatrout, Flounder, Sheepshead and Redfish during the trip!  And they added to that catch a whole bunch of other species for a Marine Wildlife education for young Nolan.
We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the Nassau River to make an early stop at Spanish Drop. Although all three anglers were making excellent casts, we didn't have much more than a nibble.

We then ran up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and here things picked up. Robert's first cast produced a drag ripping run  that continued on thru the pilings....and kept going!  Then he and Rob boated a couple of feisty Black "puppy" Drum, then Rob had a hookup that ripped some drag. Luckily the fish stayed between the pilings and although it was on the other side of the dock, Rob worked it out. The fish made some high flying jumps and we both questioned "Black Bass"?  Hah!  No, when Rob worked it to the net we saw that it was a huge Blue Fish, big for the backwaters of Amelia Island. We fished a couple of more docks then made the run down to Broward Island where the tide was still going out.

Things picked up. Rob and Robert teamed up to land a handful of Seatrout, then they caught a keeper sized Flounder, a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and a feisty Sheepshead.  Robert finally hooked up with something that would "rip some drag". He worked it patiently to the boat and landed a Slot Sized Redfish. Nolan had been patiently fishing, hanging in there for a 7 year old, and it paid off. He was baiting his own hooks and making his own casts and, BOOM! Fish On! Nolan played the fish perfectly and worked it to the boat to land beautiful copper colored Redfish, boy what a fish.  I think the final fish caught for the day was an ugly 'ole Toad Fish, but with a good variety caught, we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Jack Crevalle Takes The Big Fish Award

The Richardson's were in town for a break, Mark and his dad Allen and son Braden, and they decided to take in a half day of fishing here at Amelia Island. I met them early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a short run up the intercoastal and into the Nassau River, stopping at the Spanish Drop area to fish jigs and live shrimp along the expose oysters with a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out.

We had fished just a short time when Mark woke us all up with a shark hookup. He quickly handed it off to his son Braden to do the heavy lifting and Braden was playing it perfectly but the Shark had other plans - it ran fast and deep and BAP! Broke the leader.  That must have gotten Braden in the groove because he later hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout(all fish
caught today were released). Allen added a feisty Redfish to the catch total.

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Again, it was Braden with the big hookup. This fish took his bait and ran deep, away from the pilings so we followed it with the trolling motor as Braden took up slack. But then the fish dove deep, went east, went west and took us for a  ride as Braden battled it with the light tackle spin gear, size 1000 reel. The fish turned out to be no match for Braden who eventually subdued it and brought it to the net, a nice 5lb Jack Crevalle.  We went back to the dock where both Mark and Allen caught some Black "puppy" Drum then we had one huge bite that took the line up into the pilings and broke off.

After buzzing down to Broward Island and setting up off the logs with the tide still going out we got into some hot action. Braden caught a Slot Redfish, then the trio added a couple of more.  We picked up a couple of small Seatrout then began to work our way down the bank as the tide started back in.  Mark did battle with another huge Jack Crevalle. At the last spot Allen found a "honey hole" and reeled in a couple of Redfish, one of them being in the Slot. Then he had a strange bump, a hookup, and reeled in a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.  We caught fish at almost every stop so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.