Practice Science-Based Management

Capt Dylan Hubbard is President, Florida Guides Association and penned this editorial in the FGA's most recent newsletter... 

Your Florida Guides Association has recently updated our vision statement and purpose to make it extremely clear that we stand for and will continue fighting for science-based management in all aspects of our outdoor recreational management and conservation.

Here’s that purpose statement for 2023 and beyond for reference -

We are an association of professional guides advocating for conservation, best practices, and science-based management, while still maintaining our rights for proper recreational use of Florida's natural resources. 

We have unfortunately seen more and more frequently a move by many in multiple facets of conservation to being more subjective or opinion-based management approaches. We are seeing that with the manatees, pelicans, goliath grouper, and now a huge blow to federal waters for hire fishermen.

We must stand up for science-based approaches and make it clear that we do not want to see our natural resources managed by feelings and opinions rather than cold hard science that can stand up to a third-party peer review.

We are currently amid a potential complete closure of fishing access around certain artificial reef sites that a fishing club actually fundraised and placed off Palm Beach because a few dive charters are claiming that catch-and-release fishing is hurting the goliath grouper spawning aggregation sites! 

There’s no science and no consideration of what the hordes of divers down there all the time are doing to the aggregations. Simply some knee-jerk reactions to propose the closure of 1,000 yards to all fishing practices! That is the current proposal and it’s sickening. This sort of slippery slope and precedent that some feel-good opinion-based suppositions can be enough to completely close fishing access to a resource is extremely scary. This sets a dangerous precedent.

Then look at the current fiasco with pelicans and you get even more of an idea of what we are facing! Certain bird groups are calling for complete closures of a large portion of the largest and most popular fishing pier in the southeast and gear restrictions to the remaining portions based on some strong opinions.

We have luckily been able to make some huge strides in this issue and really have been successful in making some positive change. However, we are still seeing too much opinion and feelings being interjected on this issue.

During the recent FWC meeting, you can even hear someone in leadership essentially insinuate that they are hearing what fishermen are saying but they just love the pelicans more—Are you serious? So because pelicans are somehow more cute and cuddly they are somehow getting more consideration than logical, time-based, and scientific approaches being proffered by the fishing advocacy groups like FGA at these stakeholder meetings.

I won’t even get started on how this state is wasting nearly 30 million dollars annually feeding the manatees because we can’t keep seagrass alive due to water quality issues and instead of looking at manatee populations and the real issue of seagrass loss we are literally shipping in trucks of lettuce and employing hordes of staff to go feed these manatees. 

We see this in other facets of life too, just purely a lack of personal responsibility and more of a ‘what makes you feel better’ or what is ‘popular based on who screams the loudest’. As a group, we have to continue to set the proper example showing extreme personal responsibility and dedication to science-based management.

We take personal responsibility to mean that we are doing what is right for the right reasons. That is our goal stated clearly in our purpose statement, “We are an association of professional guides advocating for conservation, best practices, and science-based management, while still maintaining our rights for proper recreational use of Florida's natural resources.”

Best practices also come down to personal responsibility. Right? Let’s all keep grinding this year and pushing for science-based management and a renewed sense of personal responsibility to do the right thing.

Thank you for being a part of our Florida Guides Association, Get out there and crush it this spring break ya'll. I’m hoping everyone has a killer spring rush! Tight lines.

Capt Dylan Hubbard

President, FGA

NOTE: Please check out the website occasionally. If you notice any issues please contact our website

team or me anytime!

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Fish Catching Picking Up

 I fished again south, meeting John Fredericks and his buddy Dan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning.  There was even less wind than yesterday and the "No-Seeums" were out in full force. But the run up the river blew them off and when we made our first stop at Spanish Drop in the Nassau River we had a slight breeze so they weren't much of an issue. 

I got the duo set up with rods and bait and they began pitching to the shell lined bank on the very last of an outgoing tide and before I knew it, within minutes, John had a strange hookup and brought to the boat a Flounder, just undersized, but definitely a surprise! Minutes later Dan hooked up and brought to the net a hungry Seatrout.  We worked along that bank for just a bit and then I heard Dan's reel make a shrill ripping noise and Big Fish On!  Boy did that fish hit hard! Dan played the fish expertly and after a good battle, landed a "just oversized" 27"+ Redfish, boy what a fish!

We moved up the river a bit and fished Athens Drop( and had a Saltmarsh Mink sighting)  then continued on to Seymore's Pointe where we fished some dock pilings, but got no real bites. We moved around the pointe and fished some more docks, then moved on. 

Our next stop was down at Broward Island and here Dan put a feisty Redfish in the boat and Robert followed that up with a Seatrout catch. We fished under a pair of Bald Eagles as we worked up and down the bank but we had no more bites, and moved on. 

Back at Seymore's we switched to Slip Float rigs and here Dan caught a Weakfish to round out an Amelia Island Backcountry Grande Slam for the duo - Flounder, Redfish, Seatrout and Weakfish.

Our final stop was over at the mouth of Jackstaff, now drifting Cajun Thunders and here we had a good flurry of Trout catches, one by Robert that was of keeper size. Although the "catching" wasn't "on fire", it was definitely an uptick in action so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Fish. Ever.

 Just when I thought we couldn't have had a prettier day on the water, we had today!  I had met Doug and Sandy Massey up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and we headed over to the outside of Tyger with the sun just up, hardly a breeze, and a brisk temperature to start the morning off. We eased up to a grass line and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp. We had a couple of quick bites early but no real takers. I notice a guy off to the north tossing a jig with some kinda of bait and he was nailing fish! Go figure.

After fishing across the creek along another grass line to no avail, we moved on. We made the run thru Tyger, around to the Bell, over to Lanceford and up into Soap Creek and pulled up to a large marsh drainage. I think it was Doug's first cast and BAM! The skunk was off! He reeled in a nice Seatrout. We worked that area pretty good and then it was Sandy's turn to hookup. She played it perfectly and reeled in another Seatrout - her fish fish caught ever! Now that's success! Both anglers caught more Trout and both caught feisty Redfish.

Our next stop was back up Lanceford where we stayed with the float rigs. We fished it briefly but had not bites, and moved on. We tried some dock pilings and this did the trick. In just a few minutes we were catching fish: Sheepshead, Flounder, Black Drum, and Redfish. A few of the Drum were of keeper size, we kept one but threw a few keeper sized fish back, then Doug had a strong hookup and this one was ripping drag. Doug kept the pressure on and expertly brought it to the net - a Slot sized 22" Redfish.

We left 'em biting  and another angler pulled in as we were leaving so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Rain Couldn't Keep Us Away

 

It was pitch dark and raining when I launched this morning out at Goffinsville Park and when Bob and William Blalock pulled up in their truck we all agreed to wait it out for a few minutes, which turned in to about 45 minutes. But the rain finally quit, we dried the seats off, and headed over to Broward Island to fish the first of an incoming tide, and I think the wait actually paid off. 

In only a few casts both anglers were hooking up. William hauled in a 23" Slot Redfish then his dad did the same, another 23" Redfish. They caught a couple of small ones then William had a strong bite, his rod bent and his drag ripped and, Big Fish On!  William played it patiently and eventually landed a nice Oversized 29" Redfish.  The bite slowed so we headed to the south end of the island and fished back, working a jig and shrimp up near the logs and stumps. We had bites, but no real takers. We tried the "honey hole" before we left and BAM, Bob

caught a another Slot Redfish. Our next stop was down the Nassau at Spanish Drop. I thought we were back on them when Bob caught a feisty Redfish, but after that it was Jacks, Catfish and a Croaker.

We finished up the day back at the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and here William found two hungry Seatrout down alongside a bank, and later he picked up a feisty Redfish. Bob added to the box with a keeper sized Mangrove and a "big enough" Croaker. (FYI of he four Slot Redfish caught, only one was kept for dinner) We had started out strong, and although we fished under cloudy skies,  as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing her at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Found a Hot Spot

 I wrapped  my week up today fishing with the Ahrens family, Brian and Jennifer and their two anglers Henry and Oscar. I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we headed up the intercoastal as the sun came up. After turning in to Jackstaff then dipping in to an even smaller creek we set up at a large outflow, baited up live shrimp on float rigs and tossed them out and....BAM! Fish On! Oscar was on the rod and ready, hooked 'em  up and reeled in a nice feisty Redfish to start the day. Minutes later Brian hooked up and brought to the net a hungry Seatrout then Henry followed suit with a Trout of his own, fishing off the stern of the boat. 

We eased back into Jackstaff, worked along the bank with jigs and shrimp, lost a few shrimp to bait stealers, then moved on. After running thru Horsehead we fished a dock for just a minute or two but what breeze we had was blocked by the land mass and the "no-see-ums" were feasting on. With great reluctance, we pulled up and skedaddled!

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, working along and exposed oyster bank. We were having very little action, other than a baitstealer now and then but when we reached the end of the shell bed things heated up. Brian was on the bow and was "slaying" the feisty Redfish. Then Henry had a strong hookup and by the way it was pulling we knew he had a big one. Henry expertly played it to the boat and landed a big 20.5" Seatrout, boy what a fish! Oscar landed another Redfish, Jennifer brought one to the boat, Brian continued to hookup and land, then Henry, camping out at the stern, hand another good bite. He played it patiently and soon landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.

The sun was up, we were getting low on bait, but we decided to make one
more run, this time down nto Broward Island. After getting the trolling motor anchored they began to pitch jigs to the bank and here Brian rounded out an Amelia Island Grande Slam by catching a Flounder. We started off great and ended up getting some nice fish so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Making Progress

You just can't ask for better weather to be fishing here at Amelia Island. It's in the high 60's when we launch and gets up to the mid 80's by the time we return to the dock and each day there has a been a light breeze to keep the bugs off.  I met Tim and Laura Wolfe down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and as we turned the corner at the first channel marker, the sun was just coming up. We made the short run, dipped in to Jackstaff and began fishing an exposed oyster bank with jigs and live shrimp.  We had just fished a short way when Laura hooked up, and Tim did too - we had a double! They both brought their fish to the boat - Laura's was a nice Whiting and Tim's was a hungry Flounder. It was then that Laura reminded me that she didn't catch a fish with me last year, so we had made some progress!

We continued along that stretch and Tim hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. We then crossed over and fished a pointe that had a sandbar coming out to us and here Tim found some Seatrout out deep. Both he and Laura found that they could pitch up current, let their jig go to the bottom, keep the line tight and BAM! They'd have a hookup. They caught a good handful of Seatrout there, the biggest measuring at 14 3/4".

After running thru Horsehead we made a quick stop at a dock at Seymore's Pointe, stern to the pilings. The duo played cat and mouse with the Mangroves, won a few of the battles, and put a couple of keeper sized fish in the box. We then headed down to Broward Island and set up to fish a large marsh run out. Big fish were busting bait all up and down the bank. We fished it pretty good, picked up a couple of Mangroves, then Tim put another Redfish in the boat. We worked the island for a bit and picked up another couple of Mangroves, but not the big fish we were hoping for. 

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop working the oysters again, and here Laura added a Jack Crevalle to her catch total.  But the sun was up, we were down to our last bait, so we called it a day. Although we didn't have any huge fish, Laura had lost count of the number of fish she had caught so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Feeling LIke Fall

 

We've had a couple of days now where there has been a "nip" in he morning air and you can almost believe that Fall is really here. Except we are still seeing Rosette Spoonbills and catching Sharks and Mangrove Snappers! But it's only a matter of time! Today I met the Tuten trio, James and Joyce and their son William, down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp as the sun came up. We made a short run up the intercoastal, in to the Nassau, and pulled up at a big marsh run out. The bait was moving and getting "popped" and we felt like we'd have some good action, and we did. Joyce "knocked the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch and James followed that up when he felt a strange bump - he let it have it for a second then set the hook and boom, he had a fish. James brought it to the boat patiently and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

We worked that bank for a while -Joyce picked up a feisty Jack Cravellle, James picked up another Trout, then it was William's turn to finally get in on the action. He had a strong hookup and when the drag began to rip we knew it was a decent fish. James played it perfectly and brought to the net a 21" Slot Redfish. Only minutes later he hooked up with another and brought it to the net, this one just undersized. After a few more fish, we moved on.

Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. It may have been William's first cast and BAM, a hookup. William applied the pressure and got it out from the pilings, then slowly brought it to the net - a 15" Black "puppy" Drum.  The trio added a couple of small Mangrove Snapper to the catch before we moved on. 

We passed under a pair of Bald Eagles as we approached another marsh runout. Just these anglers began to fish we could see a big fish busting bait up near the edge. Both William and James went with their cast and BOOM! William had a big bite then, BOOM! James had a good bite - we had a double!  James worked his in and landed a feisty Redfish but William's fish was a bit more determined. William played it patiently as it got out into deeper water and dug deep but it was no match for William. After a good battle he landed a 24.5" beautiful copper colored Red which was photographed and released.

After fishing one more spot and getting a couple of more Mangroves, we made the run back to Seymore's, thru Horsehead and over to the mouth of Jackstaff where we finished up the day catching high flying Ladyfish on float rigs. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had had some good action so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Big Trifecta

 Whenever you finish up a fishing trip having caught a 30.5" Redfish, a 23.5" Seatrout, and a 22.5" Flounder, you can feel assured that it was a pretty good day of fishing! That's a pretty big Amelia Island Back Country Slam!

I had met William and Dara Blalock out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early - the cloudy skies covered up the sunrise, but as we left the dock there was a pretty neat Moon Set. We headed over to Athens Drop and began easing along the marsh grass tossing float rigs and live shrimp on a high and incoming tide. We had good action, just not the action we wanted. Dara forgot to "take the trash out" to the can because that's what we caught for the first hour or so -trash:  hard fighting Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, and even a Catfish. We fished a couple of marsh run outs and did pick up one nice Seatrout.

After a short run down to Pumpkin Hill and setting up bow into the current, the duo of anglers began drifting their floats along the marsh grass and it wasn't long before both were into some fish. They caught a good handful of small but hungry Seatrout, maybe one or two that they could have kept, but didn't, then Dara's float disappeared with a vengeance and, Big Fish On! This fish was heading to Jacksonville and...William had a hookup, and another Big Fish On! The two did the tango, ducking under each other, passing their rods around each other, dipping around the engine, and both stayed hooked up. William brought his to the net first and landed a big Jack Crevalle, then Dara subdued hers and landed a big Oversized 30.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!

We fished that stretch for a while and caught a few more Trout and Ladyfish and a small but feisty Redfish. William had gone up just past a point of grass and BOOM! Float Gone. William kept the pressure on  and had his drag singing. He and I both were thinking "Slot Redfish" but then we saw the big fish roll at the surface and realized it was a huge Seatrout! William patiently worked it to the net and landed a big 23.5" Seatrout, a fish big enough to land him in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for a link to standings). 

After moving around the point and fishing a grassy

island and short stretch where we picked up a few more Seatrout, we were down to just a dozen live shrimp and decided to make the short run back to Nassauville where we set up between two docks and pitched jigs and shrimp. Just like we thought, there were some Mangrove Snapper there and the couple boated a few of keeper size for "Fish Tacos" later. Then Dara made an excellent cast up to the base of the rocks, felt the "bump", set the hook and, Fish On! She was real patient easing that big fish up from the bottom, brought it to the net slowly, and landed huge 22.5" Flounder, a fish big enough to land her in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for a link to standings). And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Welcome Mat

I was back to work today, this time fishing with Steve and Carron Frost after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made a short run up the Nassau River and stopped to fish a large marsh run out with jigs and live shrimp. The tide was at dead low and we noticed we had not much of a current and the fishing was slooooww. But the duo did catch a wide variety of "junk" fish - High flying Ladyfish, Jack Crevalle, Shark and Stingray. Then the tide and current changed, started back in, and we were catching small but feisty Redfish, one after the other. It was a bonanza! We fished it until the bite slowed then moved on.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island on the first of an incoming tide. Both Carron and Steve caught and landed a feisty Red, then Steve had a strong hookup and the battle was joined! This fish was ripping drag and making those deep digs and we felt sure it was an ice Redfish, but then it wrapped itself on a submerged log and the line went tight. But Steve was up to

the task, kept light pressure on it, and sure enough the fish came out and, Fish On! Steve worked it to the boat and landed a nice 22.25" copper colored Redfish.

We moved down the way, easing underneath a Bald Eagle, then set up fishing. Steve put a couple of small Reds then he pitched up into a cove. He had a hit but not a taker. Then he went back to the same spot and BAM! :He had a hookup. This fish was fighting differently and sure enough, when he brought it to the net, it was very nice 16" Flounder. 

After crossing the river se switched to float rigs and tangled with a big Jack Crevalle and an even bigger Bonnethead Shark. 

We were getting low on bait and low on time but had one more stop left in is. After getting set we these anglers switched back to jigs and shrimp and in no time they were tangling with some Mangrove Snapper. We'd lose 4-5 shrimp then catch a fish and ended up with a good handful of keeper fish. Carron had made an excellent cast off to one side and she said she had a strange bite, and a hookup. She worked it slowly to the boat and Steve was the one that saw a huge maw of a mouth. Carron brought  it to the net and landed a huge 23.25" Door Mat of a Flounder! Boy what a fish! And big enough to move her squarely in to 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report to see standings). And what a fish to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Flounder and Mangroves Go Together!

 

I was back to work today, fishing with Suzanna Braun and her son Michael after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. The wind was so still the sand gnats were back so we hurriedly left the dock and headed up the intercoastal to make our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff where we deployed jigs and live shrimp to the exposed shell bank. There was plenty of bait moving along the edges and both anglers were getting excellent casts and it was Suzanna who "knocked the skunk off" with a strange hookup. She eased it to the net and landed a nice keeper sized 17" Flounder.  She picked uip one more undersized Flounder then it was Michaels turn - he had made a good cast and the minute it hit bottom, BAM! He had a bite. Michael worked it patiently to the boat and landed another keeper sized Flounder.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to Spanish Drop to a large marsh runout and boy was there a ton of bait! But maybe too much! We eased along the bank, pitching our baits up to the

shell and slowly working them back. Both anglers caught a feisty Redfish or two along that stretch. We dropped back and cast net for some finger mullet, then moved on up to the next drainage. The duo tangled with Ladyfish, Michael picked up another small Flounder and a Jack Crevalle, then we decided to try our hand with the Mangroves. 

After switching to float rigs and getting their  baits up near the rocks it wasn't long before we had action. Suzanna was in the groove and caught some nice fish, the biggest coming in at 13". Michael was playing cat and mouse with the small ones but he hung in there and finally got one of keeper size. We blew thru the rest of our bait, but added a good handful of the 11-13" Snapper to the box, then headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

It Was A First For Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

FWC Redfish Summit News You Should Know About

Carol and I attended the first annual Redfish Summit hosted by the Florida Wildlife and Fish Commission (FWC) down in Ocala yesterday. It was a very informative event  and well organized Summit. The FWC, along with their sponsors (Coastal Conservation Association, American Sport Fish Association, Sea & Shoreline Aquatic Restoration and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation) did an outstanding job in welcoming attendees, their presentations, and facilitations of information and discussions. It was truly an eye opening event in more ways than one! I was surprised to receive a nice "bucket" of material - goodies to take home and handouts to read later. The entire Summit was well organized, well run and the agenda ran smoothly. Even a slight hiccup from trying to share a room with another breakout group was quickly remedied with a 3-minute move to a quieter area of our group-NE Florida.

There had to have been well over 100 people attending from all over the state of Florida. Of that large group, there were only 10-12 people representing the NE Florida Region. Of those 10-12 people, I think Carol and I were the only ones from the Jacksonville, Amelia Island area(I could be wrong on this-I didn't pole the others, but from their comments, they seemed south of us). If you are an angler in Fernandina Beach or the Jacksonville area, you really need to be aware of the following comments. If you are a Guide or Charter boat captain, You REALLY need to be aware of  them. 

There were a number of presenters who went over data that they have accumulated over the years, discussing Redfish biology, sustainability, stock assessments and Redfish management, past, present and the future. . (Click on image at right to enlarge) Amazing, eye opening stuff. For me, I have already begun to sense the dire issues down in south west Florida with issues with Red Tide, evidently a natural occurring event but compounded by human/manufacturing waste run off, and all over  south Florida with algae blooms and fish die-offs and fishing pressure. Before the trip I had had a conversation with my Ft. Myers cousin where he described miles and miles of dead lobsters during his last visit to the Florida Keys

But here in NE Florida, specifically at Amelia Island, we've had a relatively great fishery. But are the issues heading our way? According to the sentiment of the other 8 NE Florida attendees who reside just south of us in St. Johns County and Flagler County, yes, our fishery is declining. I was somewhat surprised that they were struggling to find Redfish. I know I track each trip that I do and most of them I rate as "average". Once in a rare while we will have a bad trip, and a few times in the month we will have an outstanding trip, but I haven't noticed a downward trend in our catch rates.

After the main presentations and after lunch we broke out into smaller groups and of course, we were in the NE Region. I have no idea what the much larger, south Florida and west Florida regions talked about. BUT, I was actively engaged in our NE Florida break out session. After all discussion we 11 attendees were asked take some Red Dots and rate what of the issues, comments, suggestions were most important to us. We could put one dot on each item, or 3 dots or all 10 dots on each item if that was really important to us. I took some pictures of the comment/issue boards and you can see for yourself what issues garnered the most "dots".  The top issues NE Florida attendees "voted" on were Declining Numbers, Increasing Fishing Pressure, and Water Quality. Again, most of these NE Florida attendees were south of us. I spoke personally to a few of them and they attested to the difficulty of finding Redfish to catch. I haven't experienced that here at Amelia Island, BUT I can surely see the increased pressure. I told Carol one day recently that "if I fish 6 trips a week, 4 of them have either just moved here or they're looking to buy". The boat ramps have gotten so crazy on weekends that I quit booking trips on Saturday and Sunday (I probably will pick up weekends this Fall and Winter). Sooner or later the fishing pressure will surely begin to affect our fish stock. I really hope we never see the poor water quality and fish die offs that our south neighbors are experiencing.  Again, you can "click" on the image to enlarge it.

Now for the really good stuff! As you see on the image the left (click on to enlarge), the overwhelming sentiment of the 11-12 people representing the NE Florida group "voted" to change the limits on Redfish to (1) per angler. Don't like that? You should have been there. FYI, I actually voted for that, too. If I have 4 people on my boat, I really don't like killing 8 Slot Redfish, but that's just my opinion. I take a fish home once in a while and don't begrudge others, but taking home fish to feed the neighborhood with a fish fry is a time gone by. Maybe I'm just getting old. But there were some suggestions proposed that I thought  were "off the wall", fringe, restrictive regulations, see the below, right image. This is where those of you that have interested in our fishery need to step up and participate. As you can see most did not garner any real support: Closed Season, Reduce Vessel Limit to 1 (can you imagine the march on Tallahassee?) Artificial Lures Only, Catch and Release Only(a 2nd march on Tallahassee?). But I don't laugh as much about that when I know there is a Catch and Release order right now for Redfish down in the South West area of Florida. Still, I've had a long sinking suspicion that there is a growing demographic of folks that are "anti-angler" who would rather we don't fish at all. I've seen internet videos of altercations between anglers and anti fishers and I've experienced first hand 

conversations with those that I sense would rather we not be taking fish from the sea. You need to be aware of this. Read that again. You need to be aware of it. 

And then there were comments related to Guides and Charter Boat Captains. Readers need to know that there are over 60 guides and Charter boat captains working out of Amelia Island. A third of those are strictly "off shore". Many do the jetties and rivers only. Many like myself, stay inshore/backwater. Some try to stay on the flats and a good number do tours and sightseeing trips. There's a good number that are "full time" with fishing as their main income, then there are others that have other jobs and use charter fishing as a way to fill in.  There are Guides that have retired from previous careers and now use fishing as supplement income- and because they love to fish! Each year there's a few new Guides added to the list, and then there are a handful that don't make it businesswise, or retire, or move. That  said, with over 60 it's a competitive small business we are running and with  over 60 of us, that's a substantial economic impact. As I commented at the Summit, the market will determine whether these Guides make it as a business here at Amelia Island. The State doesn't need to limit it. If the Guide can't run a small business, doesn't brand or market his service correctly, or doesn't produce a good product, he/she will eventually be out of business. BUT, as with the growing "anti-angler" sentiment, there is (and probably always have been) an anti-Guide sentiment. This was very evident at the Summit.

As a side, it's amazing to me sometimes how the every day angler will blame we Guides for their issues. I see it at the boat ramp daily. I'll be tied up at the dock, with plenty of space for another boat to come in, and they will get angry because I'm in THEIR spot. I've figured out that THEIR spot is the only place that they feel comfortable bringing their boat to. If they need to dock in any other location, they're not experienced enough to maneuver their boat to that location so they get angry at we Guides rather than learning to operate their boat. 

I see on my boat every day that experienced anglers tend to catch more fish. Even with that, there's always a chance of having a bad day. And there's always a chance that an inexperienced angler will have a good day and catch the fish of a lifetime. Either way I try to do the best job I can to ensure that all guests have a good time. THAT SAID,  just because some anglers aren't catching Redfish doesn't mean they aren't there! Don't blame it on the Guides if you're not caching fish, especially here in our area.  The way I understood one of the presenters data, the stocks in NE Florida are looking really good. My last few trips we have had handfuls of small "rat reds" caught, once in a while a Slot or two, and each week a few oversized Redfish. All in all, a good average bit of fishing.  I guestimate that half of my customers release all their fish. Many of my guests will keep  few to take home and throw others back that they could have legally kept. And then I will have a few that want to catch and keep and take as many as they can. Like I told the scientist at the Summit, "I rely on you folks to set the rules as to what is sustainable and healthy for the fish population", so if the rule is 2 Reds per person, 18-27", then that's what I'm going to go by and allow on my boat.

In the above image you can see some of the suggestions that were brought up. I was the first to speak and gave my opinion on the first three. I didn't have an issue with 1) Reducing Bag Limit for Anglers On For Hire Trips. As I already mentioned, keeping and killing 8 Redfish on 4 person trip is an overkill in my opinion. It's rare that happens on my boat, but it has happened. Our Florida fishery is under severe pressure and sustaining our Redfish stock and keeping our fishery healthy is important. We Guides have to balance providing a good product to our customers, keeping in mind that we can't place the stock in dire straits. The days of "filling the cooler" are slipping by (there were days when the old timers put EVERY fish in the cooler, and kept all the huge Bull Redfish they could keep). Truth be told, most of the Guides I know would rather throw most fish back. 

2) Limited-Entry License. This is where I opined that the market would limit the number of  Guides and Captains. There will always be Captains that get in on a shoe-string, and some will make it-it's their dream, but many will fall by the way side. That particular item evolved into Item#4 - Increase requirements for Captains/Guide license. I mentioned to the group that our Amelia Island Guides Association requires all of its Guide Members to provide proof of Liability Insurance, their US Coast Guard License, and their FWC License. I joked with Carol on the way home that it might be kinda nice for the State to take over the responsibility of gathering that information-as the Secretary/Treasurer of the AIGA it's like pulling teeth to get all the paperwork in! My biggest concern, spoken at the breakout session, was that established Guides and Captains would use the State to limit their competition with more and expensive regulations. I've seen it done, here at Amelia Island (see the $1500 fee that the City of Fernandina charges Guides to launch at the Marina). I understand the need for Liability Insurance and can't imagine a Guide business not having it. Again, if they don't, and something happens, they'll be out of business soon. In my opinion this idea came from some Guide(s) that  wanted to limit competition. Are they wanting to limit licenses? I can still remember here in Fernandina growing up there was one man that held all the Liquor Licenses and thus owned all the bars. What a limit on competition that was! Can you imagine the back room dealings as to who get's a Captain's License?

3) No Bag Limit For Captain and Crew. As I mentioned at the Summit, I already do this. I don't count in the "take" on my boat. It's only been the last few years but I quit counting my self so I wouldn't have a problem with this becoming an established law. 

Solving Issues was another topic. This image is hard to see as it was stuck on window. But as you can see down at the bottom, #6 is Improved Access to Law Enforcement and was a popular, and voted on suggestion. That was basically a suggestion of a better "hot line" or Text Line to alert FWC officers of illegal harvesting.  This was not necessarily to be used to bust an uneducated (that was a topic) angler who happens to have a 17.5" Redfish, but those that have 13 undersized, Slot and Oversized fish in their bucket. You can read the other suggestions that came up but didn't garner much support. 

Items that did have a lot of support (I suggested #9) was to have an FWC "Ambassador" program where anglers could get certified by the FWC on some of these conservation, management, stock assessment issues - basically talking points, then be available to speak at fishing clubs, association, etc. in order to educate the public on where we are with the stocks, go over the rules and regulations, etc.

Note that item #10 had some support. This idea would create some Public Service Assistants, kina like a Public Service Officer in a police department. These PSA's wouldn't have arrest or citing capability, but they would be the eyes and ears (and possibility as Ambassador's?) for the FWC at boat ramps, etc. 

That's a long read! Thank you for hanging in there. IF you got down to this paragraph note that there will be Public Workshops thru-out the State of Florida on these very topics in October. Our area is scheduled for  6pm Tuesday October 12th, at the Southeast Regional Library 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville. 

As we get closer and they put links up I will post them.

If you think you would like to have some input or don't like what you've just read, then it behooves you to attend and let you opinion known. It was my observation that these FWC staff members are trying to take in as much observations, information and opinions as they can from the public, and then take into account all the scientific data that they have collected then make recommendations to the Commission and ultimately the law makers who set the rules. I mean, that's all they can do, right?  You might have an entirely different outlook or opinion than I do and that's fine. But don't be bitch'n if you haven't at least spoken up and let the FWC know how you feel!  You can also make public comments to the FWC HERE.

Shark Fights and Nice Redfish

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

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

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

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

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

Bar Set Kinda High

 

We wrapped the week up with a beautiful August morning-sunshine and just a slight breeze.  The tide was still coming in when Bob and Kathy Miller and I had made the run from Sawpit Creek up to Pumpkin Hill. After the GPS caught and I set the anchor the two anglers began drifting live shrimp under floats, going long down the flooded grass bank. Each of them had a "nibble" or two, with floats disappearing but no hookup. But on about the third or fourth drift Kathy's float went down and stayed down. She "caught up to it" by cranking in the slack, lifted her rod and set the circle hook and, Fish On! The fish made a couple of short runs so I knew it was a nice fish but I didn't know how nice! Then it took off down the bank, ripping drag and running out the line. We started backing down as Kathy reeled in the line to build up some insurance, then the fish would dig deep and the drag would begin to rip. It was a great battle and Kathy played it perfectly, despite the unwarranted "coaching" Bob and I were giving, and she finally brought to the net a big Oversized 29.5" Redfish, boy what a fish! After pictures we released it to swim off, back to the deep.

We fished another bank and here we had a "double hookup". Bob had drifted his float down the grass line and when it went under he set the hook and patiently played to the boat a nice 18"  keeper sized Seatrout. While he was reeling that in, Kathy got on to another big fish, this one a Shark. I knew right off what it was as it took off, heading to Georgia. But Kathy knew what to do now and kept the pressure on, working it slowly to the boat and landed a nice 3' Bonnethead Shark.

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe where the Bob put a nice keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat. We had nibblers aplenty but no takers so we came back around towards Goffinsville and fished between docks, switching to jigs and shrimp. Here the duo teamed up to put a good handful of Mangrove's in the box. After moving down the way we switched back to floats and here they finished out their limit (10) on the Mangrove Snapper.

The final stop was down at Twin Creeks, fishing jigs. It was getting hot and the bite had slowed but Bob had one more fish left in him. He hooked up with something nice - a fish big enough to make his drag rip. Bob worked it in slowly, let it run when it wanted to, then brought it to the boat - a 2' long Black Tip Shark. Where we were at the breeze was blocked and we had the weekend calling so we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bait Me Up

 

I wrapped up my week today fishing with Garland Clark and Suzanna Braun, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We actually had few clouds as we left the dock which bode well for a forecasted hot day! After a short run up the Nassau River we eased up to a large run out and boy was it loaded with bait. And boy was it getting "popped" by game fish! The two anglers began tossing jigs and live shrimp and minnows into the fray and it wasn't long before they were catching fish. A lot of fish! We could see big Redfish backs as they busted the bait and Suzanna, exclaimed, "Bait me up!"  They caught a handful of feisty Redfish, some Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Catfish and Ladyfish. 

There were a couple of highlights - Suzanna battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the net, Garland wore out a four foot Bonnethead, then they teamed up, almost at the same time, hooking up with some big  Redfish. They even had to "do the dance", passing each other as they traded stern and port on the boat, but they both kept the pressure on. Suzanna put her fish in the boat, a Slot Redfish then shortly after Garland put another Slot in the boat. That was crazy!

We fished that stretch for almost two hours! There was no need to leave because we were catching fish, but when it slowed, we move on up to try some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The first stop didn't produce anything, but the second one produced a good handful of Mangrove Snapper, a number of which were of keeper size. Suzanna also had a hard fighting fish on which we thought might be a huge Snapper, but it turned out to be a 14" Grouper!

Our final stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and we down to a handful of finger mullet that I had caught earlier. They were both getting nice drifts but we had no takers so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Camp'n Out

 

It was a hot one today - the temperatures and the fishing! I had met Bob Hagerman and his sons Bob and Brandon down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. All morning long, from sunrise to the bait shop to the boat ramp I was debating on whether to run up the intercoastal and fish Jackstaff or give the Nassau River and Spanish Drop one more try (yesterday we caught squat there). But I like that stretch of deep water coming up to shell beds so we picked Spanish Drop and made the short run, pulling up as the outgoing tide began to hit bottom.  The trio of anglers began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oysters and it wasn't long before all were catching fish.

I don't normally stay at a spot more than 30 minutes, and most of the time it's less than that. When we were all done we had been there for an hour and a half!  Brandon knocked the skunk off with a nice Seatrout catch, then Bob put a Flounder in the boat.  Brandon followed that up with a nice Jack Cravelle. Bob Jr was laying back.  Then Bob Sr hooked up and when his drag began to rip we knew it was a nice fish. He played it to the boat and brought to the net a nice Slot sized 18.5" Redfish and as we were netting it Bob Jr hooked up and battled to the net another Slot Red, this one measuring in at 21".

The trio caught about everything you could think of - Reds, Trout, Flounder, Brandon added a tough-to-catch Sheepshead, Stingray, bait stealers, Catfish - we  camped out and worked up and down the bank a couple of times catching fish. When it finally slowed we made a short run up the river and worked another bank. This one only produced a Catfish.

The tide was up and beginning to flood the oysters so we ran down to fish Pumpkin Hill. We switched to float rigs and drifted long. The tide wasn't up as high as it was yesterday when we were at this spot, but it still payed off.  Brandon had a good drift going and when his float disappeared he slapped the bail shut, "caught up to it" and hooked up with a keeper sized Seatrout. Bob Jr. came in right behind him, drifting long, and had another good hookup. He reeled in another nice keeper sized Seatrout. We fished down another grass line, had a bite or two, picked up one Trout, then came back to the original side.

With only minutes to go and the "GPK" on the line, Brandon hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish and was minutes away from the win when......Bob Jr's float.....drifting thru a small bay....disappeared....and after Bob cranked it tight.....BAM! Big Fish On!  Boy what a battle. You could feel the tension in the air! But Bob was up to the task, played it patiently, worked it to the boat, let it run, worked it back, let it run, then brought to the net a big Oversized 28.25" Redfish! Boy what a fish! And with that, we called it a day, another great one fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Gator Country

 

Another perfect day for fishing this morning greeted us when I met Derek Poon and his sons Zach and Tyler down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had clear skies and only a slight breeze as we left the dock and headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Spanish Drop with plans to fish float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been coming in a couple of hours. As we got the baits out in the water and I started easing along the bank, Tyler had his float in a nice drift and as it slowly went under he raised the rod to set the hook and First Fish On! Tyler cranked it in and landed a nice hungry Flounder to "knock the skunk off".

Only minutes later Derek's float disappeared and the drag started screaming then there was a big boil up near the bank. the fish ran east for a bit then came back and wrapped up all the lines and boy did we have a mess! But Derek kept his cool while I got the other two and cut and cleared away then the battle was on. Derek kept the pressure on, let the big fish run, but slowly worked it in and finally we lifted in a big 4' long Bonnethead Shark, boy what a fight! After that commotion, the fish were scarce, so we moved on. 

We made a run down to Broward and on the way saw a big Gator slither off a shell bank. We fished some jigs for a bit but the fish were having none of it so we eased back to Pumpkin Hill and went back to the float rigs and this did the trick. I think it was Zach's first drift when his float disappeared and after he caught up the slack by reeling extra fast the fight ensued! This fish was big!  Zach's drag was ripping and the fish took him from the stern of the boat around to port and up to the bow then back to the stern. The big fish dove under the boat, headed for the engine, headed for the trolling motor, but all the while Zach was working it!  I was helping for a bit but turned it completely over to him and he did outstanding and finally brought the big fish to the net - a 30" Oversized Redfish!

Derek picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then Zach added another feisty Redfish then Derek added a Catfish to the fish count. We moved around the corner and the trio added a couple of keeper sized Seatrout. Derek battled a couple of smaller Shark to the net and then a bigger Jack Crevalle. 

Our last stop was back at Seymore's Pointe at the "Mangrove Snapper Hole" and here all thee anglers put Snapper in the boat. Tyler was taking up the stern and making excellent casts and he landed a couple of the Snapper. Zach was on the bow and he put a keeper sized fish in the boat. The sun had gotten up, we had some fish in the boat, we had some good memories, so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia  Island, Florida.