Storm Behind Us

 We had a pretty good thunderstorm come thru last evening, enough so that our dog, Jasper, was hunting security. It was still raining when I went to bed but when I got up this morning it had quit and we had just a breeze as I made my way to the bait shop. Afterwards I met Frank and Joanne Wytiaz down at Sawpit Creek and we made our way up the Back River on a high and still coming in tide to make our first stop around at Pumpkin Hill with plans to fish float rigs  and live shrimp. With the north wind at our back, both anglers were getting good casts to the flooding grass line and good drifts too, but it was to no avail, we only had a nibble or two. 

But when we inched around a point and drifted that side Joanne battled a nice Catfish to the boat then Frank battled a rather big Jack Crevalle to the net. We then got out of the wind that had picked up and ran over to Christopher Creek and worked the bend with jigs, but again, no luck.

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Point, fishing a large drainage with the float rigs and here we picked up a few Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size. (all fish caught today were released). Back around at Nassauville and back to fishing jigs deep, the two anglers picked up another Mangrove and Joanne put a couple of  Seatrout in the boat, one of which was of keeper size. 

The final stop, after running thru Horsehead, was over at Pompano Pointe, drifting the float rigs. It seemed the wind may have died and Frank and Joanne were getting good drifts but we only had a nibble or two. The sun had come out, it had cooled from yesterday, and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

(Almost) Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Today we caught Mangrove Snapper, Pinfish, Grouper, Seatrout, Flounder, Redfish, Ladyfish, Jack Crevalle, Bonnethead Shark and Needlefish - and almost the Kitchen Sink!  I had met Jon Beall and  his son Brian up at Old Town Bait and Tackle, and after running over to Lanceford, we fished a dock on the very first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp.  Just like I thought, they began to get "nibbles"  on every cast and managed to hookup and land the Snapper, Pinfish, and a small Grouper.

We then made the run around to Tyger and fished the logs and here we had some success. Brian hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout, then a small Flounder, then a nice keeper sized Flounder. They also picked up one small but feisty Redfish. 

After running up to the Jolley, we turned into the current and fished the "bank" with float rigs and the live shrimp. They were getting good casts and good drifts and it paid off with a handful of Redfish catches. Brian added another Flounder to his catch, then had something big take his bait and, Fish On!  The drag was ripping as it headed south but Brian kept the pressure on and soon turned it, brought it back to the boat, then followed up current for a bit, then settled in for a game of patience. After a good battle Brian landed a nice Bonnethead Shark. And then followed that up with an even bigger one. 

Further up the Jolley we fished a bank and got into some Ladyfish, then finished up fishing a point. Jon had some good battles with Ladyfish and Jacks and put another feisty Redfish in the boat. We had some good action under some dark skies but as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It's Still Summer

 Judging by the amount of Ladyfish we caught today, and the variety of Jacks, Mangroves, Sharks and Pinfish, I'd say it is still Summer!  I had met Bob Kossman and John Suebert down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we headed up the intercoastal and then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill to set up along some flooding marsh grass on the last of an incoming tide with plans to drift float rigs along the grass. We were using live shrimp (the bait shop was out but I hear they were getting some today) and although the shrimp got bites on almost every drift, we had to deal with the high flying Ladyfish. Bob did battle a big Jack Crevalle to the net, which is always fun. After fishing around a point, we made a run over to a large drainage at Seymore's Pointe.

Both anglers were getting good casts and good drifts as the tide started out here and they picked up a handful of small Mangroves and then they each landed a couple of hungry Seatrout. We ran thru Horsehead and fished another drainage and here Bob battled a big Bonnethead Shark to the boat for a photograph and release. John had his float disappear slowly and after he reeled up and let the circle hook set, he patiently brought to the boat the first Redfish of the day.  And again, both anglers picked up a couple of Seatrout. 

We fished over at Poteat Cut briefly and again, John (the Redfish King) put another Redfish in the boat, and we then tangled with some more Ladyfish. Back thru Horsehead we went, back to Back River, and set up to drift the floats. The Redfish King found another couple of Reds drifting off the stern while Bob caught Jacks and Ladyfish. One of John's Redfish had 13 spots!

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop, now fishing with jigs and shrimp. John was hooking up with small but feisty Redfish on almost every cast, but he mixed in a nice Jack Crevalle catch. Bob finished things off with another Shark battle -t was "foul hooked" which made for a tough fight, but Bob was up to the challenge and brought it to the boat for a quick release. We had had some good action most of the morning so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Good Practice

I fished with the Averbuch crew this morning - Jared and his son Max and Cutler and his son Harvey. We
met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and headed north up the intercoastal then turned into Poteat Cut to fish a point with float rigs and mud minnows on an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before Harvey "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout.  We worked that bank thoroughly then moved on. 

We made a quick stop over in a creek off of Jackstaff and here the dads let the young anglers have the floor and they wiped it - catching a good handful of feisty Redfish and Max added a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the catch.  After running thru Horsehead we made our way down to Back River and fished an edge and although it looked fishy, we had no real bites. 

Down the Nassau we went, down to Spanish Drop and turned in to the current and worked the bank with jigs and minnows. When we got to a corner Cutler lit up, catching a couple of the Reds and a couple of Seatrout out deep. I didn't expect it but the wind picked up! We were getting buffeted pretty good so we ran up to Seymore's Pointe and got some relief and here the anglers added handful of Mangrove Snapper to the catch, and we also supplemented our bait by cast netting some nice finger mullet.

Our final stop was around at some rocks at Nassauville and here the anglers perfected their craft, dueling with the Mangrove Snapper. The Snapper would "win" about 6-8 times but the anglers would pull one out on occasion, getting good practice quickly setting the hook. But boy was it hot! We had caught some fish and a 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 in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and is a licensed US Coast Guard charter boat operator.

The Bite Warmed Up a Bit!

 I wrapped my week up fishing with the Portfleet's, Tim and Lori and their daughter Danielle. After meeting them early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Spanish Drop on a tide that had one hour to hit bottom. All three anglers were tossing jigs - Danielle and Lori baited with live shrimp and Tim fishing with a mud minnow. That first spot didn't produce nary a nibble so we moved on up to a large drainage. Danielle had made an excellent cast to the mouth of the drainage and almost immediately, BOOM! Fish On! She played it expertly to the boat and landed a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off".

We moved on up to Twin Creeks and fished the very last of that outgoing tide and here Tim had the strong hookup. He worked it to the boat and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Danielle valiantly battled a Shark for a long while then it was Tim's turn to battle one. He patiently played it and after  long fight, brought it to the boat for pictures and release. Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's and here the trio played cat and mouse with the Mangoves. All three caught them and contributed to the dinner box. 

Our next stop was down at Broward Island and boy was it pretty! Not much wind today and it made it easy to work along the edge pitching. We had a few good bites and then Danielle took advantage of one of them and hooked up and landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.

I was timing the trip to end up at one of my Mangrove Snapper holes but as we were passing Pumpkin Hill I thought it might be fun to fish some float rigs, so we set up alongside a flooding shell bank and began to drift floats long with live shrimp and boy did it pay off! Right off Lori hooked up and brought to the boat another 17" keeper sized Seatrout and from then on these anglers were catching fish. We'd have a drag screaming run from a Shark Bite, then another. Danielle hooked up and while her Shark was ripping off to the west, Lori hooked up with a big fish too. As we were getting Danielle's fish to the boat I saw Lori's fish "boil" a few times and knew it was a big Redfish. After Danielle's shark was photographed and released all attention turned to Lori and her epic battle. She stayed patient, kept the pressure on, and eventually hauled in an 29.25" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish. 

We caught a couple of more Sharks, another Jack Crevalle, and another feisty Redfish before we called it a day, and as we were heading back, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Grassberg Sightings!

 I fished south today, meeting Allen Richardson and his grandson Walker early at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made the run up the intercoastal and around to Poteat Cut to fish jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. Both anglers were getting good casts, we had some nibbles, but no real takers. After fishing one drainage over in Jackstaff, we made the run thru Horsehead and fished some docks at Seymore's.

Walker had the first hookup and a good battle it was! He played the fish perfectly and after a hard fought battle landed a nice Jack Crevalle. And just a short time later, he put a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat.  As we were leaving we passed a huge mass of seagrass floating on an incoming tide. I had a friend tell me he had scene one recently up in the Jolley.

We ran down to Broward Island and attempted to fish that stretch but the SW wind was kicking up the mud and we had no real bites. Back to Nassauville we went where we tangled with Mangrove Snapper and ended up putting a good handful of keeper fish in the box.

We finished up fishing Spanish Drop and here Allen finished things off with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum catch. Although the wind was a bit unexpected, we had some action here and there, and Grandad was getting to fish with Grandson, so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Off The Stern

 I fished this morning with the Keller group- Tom Keller and his son-in-law Andrew and grandson Bryson. After meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp we made our longest run up to the Jolley River and all the way up to the MOA where we set up to toss jigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. After Tom put a small Croaker in the boat Bryson had a strong hookup and boy was his drag ripping! I was quite impressed how he handled the big fish, keeping his rod up  and working it down as he fought the fish. Bryson battled it from the bow to the stern and from port to starboard and was playing it as patiently as anyone could when....BAP! Fish Off!

We came back a ways to Snook Creek and worked the edge with the jig and here Tom got hot fishing off the stern. He caught and landed hard fighting Jack Crevalle then after a weird bump and setting the hook, Tom brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder. We worked along that bank still and Tom put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and a large Bluefish.   Then it was Andrew's turn to battle the big shark. He fought it expertly and let it run and wear itself out and eventually landed a nice Bonnethead Shark

After moving even further back to the mouth of the Jolley we fished the "bank", then moved back to that cut thru Tyger Basin where we set up fishing floats and the live shrimp. Tom caught a Jack and another couple of Trout off the stern then Bryson, who had persevered the whole trip, found a Trout hole and caught and landed a couple of fat Trout.

We came back to the outside of Tyger, ran thru to Bell and fished a couple of spots (Tom got a Jack over here too), then we wrapped up back at the outside of Tyger where Andrew finished off the trip with another Bonnethead Shark catch. We had had some good action and had a couple of fish in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted  it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Squeezin in a Trip

 We've had rain and wind all week and trips had to be cancelled or rescheduled but we were able to squeeze in a trip today before tomorrows expected high winds (again).  I met Laura and Alex Winter out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and although it was nice and sunny the NE wind was already picking up a bit. We fished between a couple of docks at Nassauville then ran thru Horsehead and around to Poteat Cut and set up fishing some exposed oyster beds on the last of an outgoing tide. Laura "knocked the skunk off" with a feisty Jack Crevalle catch. But even though both anglers were getting good casts, we had only nibbles after that. 

We fished the mouth of Jackstaff for a stretch then made the run back thru Horsehead to settle in at some docks at Seymore's Pointe to fish jigs and live shrimp on the first of the incoming tide. Alex got on the board when he hooked up and landed a fat Mangrove Snapper and just as we netted it Laura had a big hookup. She was fishing from the bow and this fish took her around the stern and was putting a big bow in her rod and as the drag ripped we felt like it was a pretty nice fish. Laura came back to the stern, shifted from port to Starboard and then followed the fish back up to the bow where we eventually netted a big Jack Crevalle, boy what a battle!

After running down to Broward Island we fished it briefly on the incoming tide but that NE wind had picked up and was kicking our butts! We ran further up the Nassau and into a creek where we were sheltered. Laura was making pinpoint casts and it paid off when she caught  feisty Redfish. But even though it was outstanding conditions, we had no more luck so we buzzed out of there and made one more stop at the mouth of Pumpkin Hill. 

We'd switched to float rigs and live shrimp and were drifting them down a marsh bank and after Alex had gone long his float disappeared. Alex caught up the line, lifted the rod and let the circle hook set and, Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon brought to the net a Slot sized Redfish. And only minutes later, we did the same thing - this fish was putting up a good battle and I was thinking "big Trout" but when it came to the surface we saw it was small Bonnethead - fun to catch - but it went back. The wind was really kicking now but we had braved it all morning and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

One Big Slot

 I was back to work today, fishing with a father/daughter team, Mark and Morgan Runyans. I met them  early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the run up the intercoastal, thru the Back River and around to the Nassau where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp on a high tide that had been going out for about 2 hours. The first "demo" cast produced a feisty Redfish and from then on we were catching fish. 

Both Morgan and Mark caught a handful of those juvenile Redfish and then they added a couple of high flying Ladyfish. We moved up and down the bank, picking up fish as we went. Then, as we moved up the bank a 2nd time Mark, after making an excellent cast to the bank, had his float disappear and, Fish On!  This fish wasn't coming in like the smaller Reds and when it boiled up at the bank we knew it was a big Redfish. Mark kept the pressure on and patiently worked it to the boat and after a good battle landed a nice 24" Slot Sized Redfish. We moved up further and Morgan had a nice hookup and landed a fat Seatrout, the first of the day.

Our next stop was further down the Nassau where we set up outside of a large marsh drainage, but nothing much was biting. We moved further down and fished another drainage, then a shell bed that was just beginning to show. Here Mark put a couple of Reds in the boat, then it was Morgan turn to fight the big fish. Here's took the bait and ran deep, ripping drag along the way. But Morgan was up to the task, applied the pressure, and followed the fish from bow to stern. After a good fight she brought to the net a big Jack Crevalle.

We fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe, had a few nibbles, caught a couple of small Mangroves, and had one big fish break us off on the dock pilings. Around the corner we switched to float rigs and picked up a couple more small Mangroves, then we finished the day down at Nassauville fishing the jigs where the duo picked up a keeper sized Mangrove. We had a had a big start, caught fish at most spots, and as we headed back we counted as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Not In My House

 I fished Friday with Mark Caldwell and his son-in-law, a trip set up by Mark's wife Shelly - to get them out on the water and away from the day-to-day grind, and boy did we catch some fish! After picking them up at Goffinsville Park, we headed down the Nassau River and picked a shell bed to fish on the very last of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before the two anglers were catching fish - Jacks and small but "feisty" Redfish.  

Daniel had a strong hookup and this one was ripping some drag. Daniel played it perfectly, working from the bow back to the stern and then kept the pressure on until he subdued a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.

But up ahead of us we could see a Dolphin move in to the "honey hole" we were heading for and as it began thrashing about, busting Reds for it's breakfast, I thought for sure our fish catching was over. He eventually moved on, working up the river, so we eased onward. We still caught a couple of more smaller Reds but then Mark, after making a perfect cast to the backside of submerged bar, had a fish take his bait with a vengeance and, Big Fish On! It boiled up almost immediately so we knew it was a big Redfish. Mark played it perfectly and after long battle landed an Oversized 31.5" Redfish - big enough to move him into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We speculated that this Red was so big he must have told that Dolphin, "not in my house!".

We fished that stretch pretty good, then tried a dock up at Seymore's Pointe, to no avail, then came around and fished between some docks at Nassauville where the two anglers picked up a couple of big keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and a fat keeper sized Weakfish. I had saw on the weather report that the wind was going to pick up thru the morning and sure enough, they got it right!

Our last stop was over at Pumpkin Hill, drifting float rigs and after getting a Jack or two Mark had a hookup and he could tell by the fight that it was a different kind of fish than we had caught all morning -it was digging deep and hard. Needless to say, I was bit surprised to see a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum come to the net - we haven't seen on in a while! And with that, we called it day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Birthday Kid

Although the weather forecast last night predicted a good chance of rain for this morning, we had clear skies the whole time! Garland Clark and his friend Suzanna elected to begin Garland's "Birthday Celebration" by  fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and ran up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau and found our way to an exposed oyster bed with a tide that still had a couple of hours to hit bottom.  We had live shrimp  and a handful of small mud minnows that I had caught at the ramp. 

As we worked the bank both anglers were making excellent casts and after Suzanna had tangled with a Ladyfish, Garland put a feisty Redfish in the boat. As we reached the end of some oyster beds where a bar was jutting out both anglers found Redfish and landed them. Then Suzanna had a huge bite, her drag began to rip and, Fish On! Suzanna played it patiently, keeping the pressure on, and soon landed a big Jack Crevalle.

We then made the run down to Back River, fished a good stretch of oyster beds on the last of that outgoing tide, to no avail, then continued on down to Broward Island, passing under the pair of Bald Eagles who seem to have returned after their Summer vacation - time to repair and touch up that nest! We fished a large marsh runout, then drifted backwards down the bank. Garland was on the stern and quickly landed a couple of Croaker then had a good bite, set the hook and brought to the net a large Mangrove Snapper.

Our final stop was back at some docks at Nassauville, fishing the jigs on the first of an incoming tide. Once the duo got to rolling, they began to outsmart the Mangroves and weeded thru them to keep seven more large fish. But boy was it getting hot! We called it a day and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

We Dodged a Storm

 When I meet Bob Blalock out at Goffinsville Park we were checking the weather radar because we could
see some ugly thunderstorms out over the ocean, and sure enough, they were creeping our way. So we left the dock, crossed the river, and fished a stretch of flooded shell bed with float rigs and mud minnows. It wasn't long before Bob was putting some small but feisty Redfish in the boat. Those storms were getting closer and wouldn't you know it, Bob hooked up with a bigger fish - one that pulled some drag and, Fish On!  Bob played it patiently, saw it roll up a couple of times, then brought it to the net - a slot sized Redfish. (all fish caught today were released). But it was beginning to sprinkle, the air turned cooler, and there were some flashes lighting the sky so we turned and ran!

After a thirty minute break back at Goffinsville, we went back to fishing, hitting the same spot, now with
oysters showing, and again caught a handful of feisty Redfish and a couple of Jack Crevalle. Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop where we worked up thru a large drainage, then along some shell beds with only some minor nibbles. But when we reached a corner where I knew there was a "bar" sticking out, Bob got busy again catching Redfish and Jacks. 

We hit a couple of more corners of shell beds, then ran to "Dara's Flounder Hole" in hopes to bump her fish from Bragging Rights, but it was to no avail. Bob did catch and land some nice sized Mangrove Snapper so as we headed back, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Banner Day and Busted Bragging Rights

They only come around once in a while but when you have one of those Banner Days, you have to make the best of it, and that's what this trio of anglers did today. I had met Jay Mathews and two of his adult kids Will and Becky down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. The tide was still coming in, especially way up near Broward Island. so we made the run up the intercoastal, turned west and cut thru Back River and made our way around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up drifting float rigs and live shrimp with the incoming current. It only took a few  minutes and we were on fish! This trio  caught one fish after the other - fat keeper sized Seatrout, hard fighting Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, more Trout, more Jacks, Flounder, and more Ladyfish. I think we were there for an hour and a half!

We finally moved around and fished some grassy patches and here Becky, after making an excellent cast, hooked up, battled and landed a nice Slot Redfish. Will followed that up with a hookup and battle with a large Bonnethead Shark. 

I had planned to head over to Jackstaff where we did pretty good yesterday but as we were passing a spot that I have had my eye on, I pulled up, turned into the current and we again went with the float rigs, drifted up by the grass. I knew that there was plenty of oyster shell submerged and we had the first of an outgoing tide and....BAM! They began to catch Redfish. All three anglers put Slot sized fish in the baot - Will, then Becky, then Jay. They kept going back to the same spot - BAM! Fish On! Will had a hookup and this one was BIG - it was ripping drag and heading north, so much so that we speculated it might be another Shark. But it came back, went to the shoreline, and finally boiled - Big Redfish. Will played it perfectly and after a long battle, landed a oversized 30" Redfish! This fish moved Will into First Place n the 2022 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

Not minutes later it was Becky's turn for the big fish. After hooking up her fish too ran like a freight train. But Becky applied the pressure and slowly worked it in, fought it thru multiple runs to the bottom, worked it up and after a good battle landed another oversized 28.25" Redfish, boy what a fish! We added one more Slot Redfish to the  catch and had a good handful of smaller "feisty" Redfish. caught.

After a brief stop down at Spanish Drop we headed back to the ramp and counted it as an outstanding day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Lily's Luck

 

I was back to work today and when I stepped out this morning to get the boat ready I noticed it wasn't as humid as last week and sure enough, when I met Jeff Whorton and his teenaged kids Casey and Lily down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, there was a nice breeze and as the morning went along, we had some clouds here and there that made for a pleasant day of fishing. 

We left the dock and ran up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau and made our way to Spanish Drop where we began fishing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of  hours of going out. The shells were exposed and the trio of anglers were making excellent casts and it paid off when they began to catch Flounder. Lily put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat while Jeff and Casey added one each. We eased along that bank and when we reached a corner Jeff hooked up and he knew right off - Redfish! Jeff played it perfectly and landed a Red that was just undersized. But moments later, going back to the same spot, he hooked up and this fish "pulled some drag". Jeff played it to the boat and landed a Slot sized Redfish. 

After moving up the river we fished a large drainage where they caught some Jacks and Ladyfish, then it was Casey's turn to hookup and land a nice keeper sized fish - a 18" Flounder.  Lily added a hungry Seatrout or two. We then fished some dock pilings and after "tinkering" with some nibbles, all three anglers contributed to the box with a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. 

I had been kidding with the guys - Lily, the least experienced of the anglers - seemed to be having more hookups than the others - her casts weren't as long or accurate - but she seemed to be catching the fish so we deemed it "Lily's Luck"! 

After fishing some docks at Nassauville, we ran back thru Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff and fished a stretch of bank and here Lucky Lily hooked up with a big fish - her drag was ripping and her rod was bent over. She kept that rod up though and after the fish took her from bow to stern to bow, under the boat and around the boat, she eventually landed a big 6lb Jack Crevalle, boy what a battle!

And with that, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Fishing For Walleye

 We had another hot day forecasted and they didn't miss this one! I met Brent Laurint and his girlfriend Brandi up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and I had made up my mind I was going to try and get them away from civilization a bit so we headed over to the inside of Tyger and fished the logs on the first of an incoming tide - perfect conditions to ease along and pitch to the bank with jigs and live shrimp. Both anglers were making excellent casts and we worked the bank thoroughly, getting nibbles here and there, until Brent up with a good cast alongside a log and BAM! He had a hookup. I thought for sure it was some sort of Drum - a Red or a Black and boy was it putting up a fight. Brent played it perfectly and soon landed a 16" Tripletail! In my 16 years of guiding, this is only about the 7th or 8th Tripletail landed on the Anglers Mark. The size limit is 18" so we took a picture and released it.

We headed up to the Jolley River, all the way up to Snook Creek and turned into the current and fished the oyster beds back. Brent did find a feisty Redfish along there to catch. Switching to floats, Brandi got on the board with an ugly ol Toadfish, then a small Jack Crevalle catch. We moved back down the river and fished the "bank" and here Brent battled a nice Bonnethead Shark to the boat for pictures and release.

After moving around to the outside of Tyger we worked a bank - Brent with a jig rod on the bow and Brandi with a float rig off the stern. Brandi had mentioned that as a young girl she wanted to catch and/or eat Walleye but unfortunately we didn't find any off of Tyger. Brandi did however tangle with a good handful of Walleye-like Ladyfish! Then Brent had another strong bite and this fish began to rip the line off the spool, heading to Kings Bay. Brent followed it back to the stern and fought it until he had enough, then handed the rod off to Brandi to finish it off. I felt sure it wasn't a Shark, and it didn't "boil" like a Redfish so I wasn't sure what it was. But as Brandi wore it out we saw it was a huge Jack Crevalle - the biggest I've had on the Anglers Mark in the back waters of Amelia Island.

We then ran thru Tyger and around to the Bell. The sun was getting up and hot but we made a few casts to finish up. Brandi had placed her float between two grassy areas and we saw her float began to bob a couple of times and then disappeared. Brandi tightened up the line and let the circle hook do its thing and, Fish On! Brandi patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice 18" Seatrout - Ceviche for the weekend!

After fishing one more spot on the outside of Tyger, we headed back to the dock and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Nary a Trout Today

 I was out to Goffinsville Park today where I met Dennis Abercrombie and his dad Jay. We had a clear, sunny morning and a tide that was just hitting dead low as we headed up the Nassau River with plans to fish Broward Island. Our first stop was down at the south end where we tossed jigs and live shrimp. We worked a large drainage for a bit, then dropped down the island and here Jay "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Flounder catch. 

The tide began to turn and come back in so we moved down to the north end and fished deep with the jigs. Jay had made an excellent cast to the up current side of a stump and a he let it fall down the river bottom I saw the line go tight - Jay set the hook and, Fish On! Jay played it perfectly and after a good battle he wore out and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish (all fish caught today were released).

We came back to Seymore's Pointe and fished some  dock pilings and here Jay outsmarted some rather big, keeper sized Mangrove
Snapper. We fished down at Spanish Drop with float rigs and the duo of anglers caught Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, a Catfish, and Jay battled a 12lb Bonnethead, which he landed and I gave a quick release. Dropping back up the river we continued to catch a fish here and there - Jacks and Ladyfish.

Our next stop was between some docks at Nassauville, fishing with jigs and live shrimp. We had Mangrove bites but the highlight fish was a nice Flounder that Dennis hooked up and landed. Our final stop was back at Pumpkin Hill, fishing floats, and we wrapped up the day with a large Bonnethead Shark that Dennis fought and landed. We had caught a good variety, but surprisingly, no Seatrout, but with the action we had, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Jack Fight

 I fished north today, meeting Lee Riter up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park, and boy what a beautiful day it was. The water was like glass and it was still cool as sun came up over Ft. Clinch.  I wanted to "get away from it all" so we headed up and over to the Jolley River and fished the "bank" with jigs and live shrimp. Lee had brought one of his own rods, a 6' light spinner by St Croix, lined with 6lb test mono and he went with that to start. We had one good hookup that bent the hook and came off! Lee went back tot he bank with a live shrimp on one of my jigs and BAM! A strong hookup and Lee was in for a battle. He played the fish around the boat as I used the trolling motor to try and spin - I bet we went in a circle 4-5 times. This fish was digging deep but staying close to the shore and the boat and I thought for sure a big Red but when Lee finally expertly brought it to the surface, we netted a big Jack Crevalle, boy what a battle!

We fished that stretch, then further up at Snook Creek, then made our way around to Bell River and fished some docks. Although we had a few nibbles, we had no real takers.

Back towards Fernandina we set up alongside a flooding point and here had a bit of action. Lee picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout and a small Flounder, and we both had a good handful of bites that we missed. Our final stop was around on the outside of Tyger Island, fishing with Osprey's keeping a watch, then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Turkey Sausage, Egg and Cheese

 ..on a Multi Grain Bagel, no donut, seemed to be the trick!  I had fished with Eddie Byrd and Bruce Beauchamp all morning long - down on the south end - and even though it was an outstandingly beautiful morning - clear, sunny, just a slight breeze - we didn't have a whole lot of action early, until Bruce started talking about his Turkey Sausage Egg and Cheese Multi Grain Bagle, no donut. 

We had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, made a quick run up the Nassau River and made our first stop at some dock pilings to catch the incoming tide before it got too high. Although we did pick up a pair of Mangrove Snappers on jigs and shrimp, we had no drag ripping bites.

After running down to Spanish Drop, with the oysters about covered, Bruce took the bow and tossed some artificial lures, slow sinking and topwater and did have a few "spits" but no takers. Meanwhile, Eddie was taking up the stern, drifting a float rig along the shoreline and he picked  up a few fish - a nice 11 spot feisty Redfish, and a couple of high flying Ladyfish. We fished Twin Creeks briefly but had not a single bite, then moved on. 

We fished between some docks at Nassauville and caught another small Mangrove but not much else. I was beginning to think the day was going to be a bust. We cruised over to Back River and fished a grassy pointe and here Bruce got on the board with a Slot Redfish catch.  After that, he had a big bite and a drag ripping bite and, Big Fish On! It was a fun battle but when it took off and dug deep my first thought was "shark" and after a good battle Bruce brought tot he boat a 4' Bonnethead.

Our next stop was down the way a bit and here that Turkey Sausage Egg and Cheese (on a multi grain bagel)  paid off!  Eddie was on the bow, drifting a live shrimp long under a float and Bruce was following right behind him. Eddie had the first hookup and we could tell it was a nice fish the way his rod stayed bent. Eddie played it perfectly and brought to the net a big 19.5" Seatrout. Then, the "bite" was on! Eddie and Bruce traded catching fish - keeper sized Seatrout with the next 4 being right under that 19" mark, then Bruce hooked up and caught the first Jack Crevalle of the year. He added 2 more Redfish, one of them being of Slot size, then he had the Big Bite and the Battle was on! This fish stayed up near the oysters and when it rolled and tailed up near the bank we knew it was a Big Redfish. Bruce worked him out then it ran back into another shallow pocket, burrowing its nose to no avail. Bruce worked it out again, applied the pressure and eventually landed a big Oversized 29" Redfish, boy what a fish!

Although we had a slow start we had a big finish so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Veteran Fishing

 We launched out of Goffinsville today with a few cloudy skies and a rainstorm off in the distance, but we
didn't get wet a bit throughout the day. I had met Dennis Abercrombie and his 93yo father Jay early and as the sun came up we buzzed over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and began drifting live shrimp under float rigs on the last couple of hours of an incoming tide. The Ladyfish were out in force - we tangled with them for a while, then moved around the corner and here Dennis found a hot spot with some hungry Seatrout, and landed a few.  He also battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and a Bonnethead Shark to the net.

Our next stop was back around at Seymore's Pointe where we drifted floats around a point of grass. We had a few nibblers but no real takers. We then ran down to Twin Creeks and switched to jigs and here had a bit of action. Dennis had a strange bump, hooked it up, and landed a Flounder then both anglers had some strong bites, one break off, then Jay had a hookup and Big Fish On! this fish was ripping drag and heading west! But then it turned around, came back to us, dove under the boat, and laid deep. Jay worked it
patiently then Dennis tagged in and took over to slowly work the big fish to the boat and landed a nice 4'+ Bonnethead Shark, boy what a battle!

We fished some rocks with the float rigs at Seymore's Pointe to no avail, then moved down in between two docks and switched back to the jigs right as the tide was changing. We were r

Action Packed

 

We kicked the week off today with an action packed day of catching. I had met Dale Bullard and his fishing buddy Bernard Thompson down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and as we headed up the intercoastal we could just see the sun peaking over the horizon. We made our way up Back River, into the Nassau, and over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and set up drifting float rigs and live shrimp. From the start, the two anglers were getting bites. There were a number of Ladyfish, a couple of Seatrout and a couple of Redfish caught. And once in a while a Jack Crevalle. We fished that stretch, moved down and fished, then moved back up and again caught some fish.

After easing around the corner Bernard quickly picked up a Seatrout then Dale had a good hookup and put a keeper sized 17" Trout in the boat. We then made the run back to the Seymore Pointe area, fished a large drainage and here Bernard dueled with a couple of Mangrove Snapper and an 'ole Catfish.

We then ran down to Twin Creeks, where again, Bernard picked up a Seatrout, then we moved down to Spanish Drop, a supposedly "honey hole" and as it turned out, the duo wrapped things up catching a few feisty Redfish. Although we didn't have any massive fish, we had some good Redfish fights, and had action going on most of the trip so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.