There's nothing like launching the boat in 29 degree weather, but the sun coming up and Smoke on the Water! I had met Tom Middleton and his fishing buddies Zach and young angler Noah out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and I had to warn them about ice on the deck, but boy what a beautiful day! We made a quick run around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. I was expecting some Black Drum to be caught on our jigs and shrimp but when Tom hooked up and landed a Seatrout, that must have set the tone for the day. Young Noah had made an excellent cast to the pilings and in short order had a hookup, and, Fish On! He worked it to the boat and landed the first "keeper" fish of the day!
After fishing that spot for a bit, we moved down the Nassau and fished Twin Creeks, sticking with the jigs and shrimp. Again, Tom found some Trout and landed a couple. We moved down a bit and again, Trout on the bottom, with a subtle bite. Noah switched back and forth from fishing and "coaching" and did an excellent job.
But the wind had picked up a bit so we ran back to Nassauville and fished some rocks. Here, all three anglers picked up some Trout, one of which was keeper size, then Tom had a strong bite, worked it in,a nd landed the first Redfish of the day. Not to be outdone, Noah had a hookup. He played it to the boat and landed the biggest Redfish of the day. Boy what a fish!
Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, now fishing float rigs. Again, we found a couple of Trout. Coach Noah helped out the other anglers by "spotting" their floats when the went under! Somewhere along there we put one more keeper sized Trout in the boat. We fished Broward Island again, back with the jigs, then we called it a day, another great, albeit cold one, to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Over the years I've had some postcards produced and then I give them out to my customers, on occasion. I know that postcards are old fashioned but I've always thought it was cool that folks who traveled years ago would take the time to buy a postcard, jot a quick note, and send it off to their loved ones. Here's a couple that I had produced over the years:
While on vacation in North Carolina this past September I found these old vintage
postcards....
So I commissioned an artist to "Florida-ize" it! He first did a sketch...
Then we finalized it and had some cards printed. Here's the new postcards for 2021. Click on each to expand..
If I forget to give you some after you fish with me, REMIND ME!
Yesterday we had a couple of big fish on but unfortunately they threw the hook. Today was not the case!
I had met Chandler and Phillip Bailey down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning, and under grey skies, we headed north and west with plans to make our first stop at Spanish Drop and fish jigs and live shrimp with a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. Both anglers were making excellent casts and even though we had a couple of bites, we had no real takers.
We moved on up to Twin Creeks, fished it a bit, then eased forward to Athens Drop and this paid off with a couple or three of some feisty Redfish catches, then a nice Slot sized Redfish.
The tide was almost at bottom so we ran up to Seymore's Pointe to fish the same dock yesterday where we caught a bunch of Black "puppy" Drum. We worked it pretty good with the jigs and shrimp but had no takers, not a single one! Crazy how that works. After fishing around the corner (and out of the wind), we made a run.
This time it was down to Broward Island to fish a large marsh run out. The wind and tide was pushing the stern around and that's where Phillip set up. He had only made a cast or two when, BOOM! Big Fish On! I didn't think it was going to be real big(yesterday we caught two "Rats" in the same spot) but when this fish went deep and against the current, ripping drag, we knew it was big! Phillip kept the pressure on and slowly worked it to the boat and landed a big, oversized 29"+ Redfish, boy what a fish!
Minutes later, he put another Slot fish in the boat. We moved down a bit and picked up two more Reds and a hungry Seatrout. After fishing back at Athens Drop on the incoming tide, to no avail, we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We were out at Goffinsville this morning as the sun rose and even though we had some cloudy skies and rain showers off in the distance, I had three anglers ready to go fishing, and that we did! I had met Kenneth McQueen and his fishing buddies Eddie and Bryan (The Coach) early and we made a quick run down to Broward Island to fish a marsh run out on the last hour of an outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp and....BAM! Fish on the first cast! Eddie worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. Then he and Kenneth teamed up to catch and land two feisty Redfish. We worked that bank for a bit then moved on.
After a run back to Seymore's Pointe we set up at some dock pilings as the tide started back in. It didn't take long before the Drum Bonanza began! All three anglers began to catch fish, one Black "puppy" Drum, right after another. Eddie hooked up and landed one, then Kenneth, then Bryan got on the board and from then it was "all she wrote". The trio added a couple of small Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size, and caught more Drum until "Coach" got tired of catching!
Our next stop was down at Athens Drop and although the bite had slowed, both
Eddie and Kenneth put a keeper sized Redfish in the boat. We fished that stretch down to Twin Creeks, caught a Trout or two, then finished up down at Spanish Drop tossing float rigs and mud minnows. All told, we probably caught 30-35 fish for the day, had a box full for eating, lost a couple of big ones, threw back a good handful of small ones and as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We already knew that the forecast called for 12-13mph winds but when we got to the boat ramp this morning it was blowing 15-16 and increasing! But brothers Mark, John, and Kevin Adams were game to get out on the water so we made a plan to hit spots where we would be somewhat sheltered.
The first one was around at Eagans Creek - Mark and Kevin were tossing jigs and live shrimp up current to the bank and John was fishing a slip float out back. Mark had a couple of good bites and had one "ripping drag" for a bit but it thru the hook. Shortly after that Kevin hooked up and landed a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum.
We then ran down to Lanceford Creek and up into Soap and set up fishing fixed floats up near the shore. All three anglers were getting good drifts but with the current and a stiff wind, the fish didn't even have time to think about biting a bait as the float rigs blew by.
Our next stop was around on the back side of Black Rock and after fishing a small grassy island to no avail, and battered by the wind, we moved around into some real shelter, boy was it peaceful! With a change in conditions we picked up some good fish. Mark landed a nice feisty Redfish and then a Trout while Kevin and John tallied some Trout catches.
We could see rain coming around the corner and that, coupled with a long ride back right into the wind, prompted us to call it a day, and even though the weather was not so great, it was a good day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Finally! What a beautiful day! I had met Hank and Pam Holbrook up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this morning and before long the sun was shining which made for an outstanding day to be out on the water. We skipped across to the outside of Tiger and fished the very last of a (very) high incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp. We had no bites there so we ran thru Tiger, made a pit stop to see if we could see any "tails" then continued on in to Bell River where we set up near a large flooded oyster flat and this did the trick.
Pam did us the favor and "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released) then we had some good action, catching Trout on the float rigs. Hank joined in and landed a good handful himself.
We ran down the Bell and up the Lanceford to fish "Millie's" Spot and this paid off, too. Pam caught a Trout and Hank tangled with the biggest fish of the day...this one was pulling some drag, but it was not to be...it thru the hook to be caught another day.
After bouncing back to Soap Creek we set up at a large marsh run out and this had some action, too. The duo caught a handful of Seatrout to keep things going. After working the bank a bit we came back out and fished BM's Spot but had no luck. I thought that was a bit unusual because we usually pick up a fish there most visits. After fishing some oysters along the Bell with jigs and shrimp and minnows, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished the last two days with Georgia fans, down for the big game, and boy did we have to work for the fish! Both days dawned with cloudy skies and a breeze that was forecasted to increase to a blow. Sure enough, the forecast was right! Wednesday I fished with William Blalock and we launched out of Goffinsville Park. We made our first run over to the Spanish Drop area and began pitching jigs and minnows to the bank. We picked up a couple of Trout doing that and that's how the morning went - a Trout here and there with none over 14 1/2".
Yesterday I fished with Brian Roach, William, and their buddy Mark, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels park boat ramp. We ran over to behind Tiger thinking we'd be out of the breeze and it was slightly blocked. Brain knocked the skunk off with a small Seatrout catch, then William picked up a small Flounder. So the work began!
We made a long run around to Lanceford Creek and fished a dock or two with the jigs and live Shrimp. The shrimp were
getting nibbles, but no takers, until Brian hooked up with something big. He worked to ti the boat and landed a nice 20" Black "puppy" Drum. All keeper sized fish caught today were released.
After moving down the creek and fishing a small grassy patch and a bulkhead with float rigs, to no avail, we moved on. Our next stop was up Soap Creek and boy the wind and current was really kicking. Even with that, these anglers had some good drifts, right thru the "honey hole", but no takers.
As we were passing by Rayonier's retention pond I noticed that the wind was blocked a bit so we stopped and fished and this turned out to be the hottest spot of the day! All three anglers caught those 14" Seatrout then Brian hooked up and landed a nice 17" Flounder, again, photographed and released.
Our next and final stop was around at Piney Island, anchored out of the wind and fishing between two docks. Brian and William were on the bow fishing jigs to the pilings while Mark and I were fishing the grass edge with float rigs. We were getting pretty good drifts and after a slight "jiggle" of the float something big took the minnow and, BOOM, Fish On! Mark was on the rod and played it patiently to the net - a big 18 1/2" Seatrout - the best Trout we've had in weeks. Mark went back to the grass and had another quick hookup. This Trout turned out to be another of keeper size which made for a great way to wrap up a Georgia/Florida fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished today with James and Nicole Bush, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early. We had cloudy skies with a forecast of 60% chance of rain before the morning was over but these anglers were game to fish so we headed out and over to the back side of Tiger to try our hand with some fly gear. James was casting the fly off the stern in deep water with an intermediate sinking line and a weighted black Troy James Fly while Nicole fished from the bow with a a jig and live shrimp on spinning gear. James was making excellent casts and putting the fly up close to the bank, letting it slide down the river bottom before the current really got to coming in. He had a few "bumps" but no takers. We eased down the bank working in and out of the logs and it was Nicole who put the first fish int he boat, hungry Mangrove Snapper that was just a smidgen below the size limit.
Then it was James' time to hookup. I had just commented about a perfect cast he had made up near the shore and alongside a log when, BOOM! A slot sized Redfish hit it and
came out of the water. James had done a strip set and had the fish. He worked it perfectly out of the logs and into deeper water. I inched the boat out deeper and felt for sure that we had the fish. But James said he felt the fish "lock down" - a sure sign that it was wrapped around a log or stump and, BAP! Fish Off! Boy what a bummer.
We fished the island up and down and Nicole, fishing the bait, hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish before we moved on. Our next stop was over at Lanceford Creek. I had switched Nicole to a float rig, gave her a demo cast, and float disappeared! I lifted the rod, hooked the fish and handed it off to Nicole who battled it valiantly from Stern to Bow and back to Stern. The fish was ripping drag and made multiple runs but Nicole was up to the task and soon brought the beast to bay - a 4' Bonnethead Shark. Nicole added a Seatrout to her catch before we moved on.
James had been dealing with the wind that had picked up after we left Tiger but he was making the most of it, getting in some fine casts. We added another Trout and a Ladyfish before we headed in. Just as we were getting back to the ramp we spotted a Submarine cruising thru the channel up by Cumberland which made for a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We kicked of the Labor Day weekend today fishing with Kaci and Dax Gingras. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and made quick jump over to the back side of Tiger Island. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours but he logs were still showing so we baited up with live shrimp and and began to work the bank with quarter ounce jigs. The "baitstealers" let us know right off that they owned the bottom so we switched to lively mud minnows and worked on. Dax "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder. But that was about it for that spot.
After a short run around and up to the Jolley River we turned in and fished back up current with float rigs and shrimp and minnows. Both anglers were making excellent casts and getting good drifts but we had no takers, so we moved on up the river. This paid off! Kaci's float had disappeared and after she caught up to it she lifted her rod, set the hook and Fish ON! Kaci played it perfectly and worked to the boat a nice 18" Seatrout. A bit later Dax hooked up with one and landed one just a tad bit smaller. He also put a feisty Redfish in the boat and infant Cobia!
We hit a spot back towards the mouth of the Jolley but had no luck then made the run back to Bell River to set up on a point to fish the last of that high and incoming tide. This turned out to be the best spot of the day. Both anglers began to hookup with Seatrout with a couple of them being of keeper size. They battled with high flying ladyfish and put an almost legal Mangrove Snapper in the boat. But boy was it getting hot! We fished out of bait then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
You can't get much happier than get married over the weekend and taking an Amelia Island back
country fishing trip just a couple of days later! Brian and Kaitlyn Greenup were visiting Amelia after their wedding and I fished with them today, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up the Nassau River, stopped at Spanish Drop and began tossing float rigs baited with live shrimp to the marsh grass. Brian battled a couple of hard fighting Jack Crevalle and Kaitlyn put her first Seatarout in the boat. We landed a handful of fish there then moved on.
Our next stop was down past Middle River, fishing a new spot that looked good a low tide a week ago, but it didn't pan out. I plan on trying it again, though. We continued on to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift our floats along the marsh grass on a high and incoming tide, this time baited with Mud Minnows. We had a nibble or two then Brian hooked up and, Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and had no intentions of
coming in. But Brian was up to the fight, worked it penitently to the boat, let it run again, then brought it to the net. It was a big Oversized Redfish - boy what a fish. Only minutes later he had another hookup - another big Red. Brian brought this one in handily and we netted a nice 23" Slot sized Redfish. Kaitlyn added another Seatrout to the catch while Brian boated a Mangrove Snapper.
We ran up Christoper Creek and switched to jigs and minnows. Kaitlyn worked another Trout to the boat but that was about all we had until Kaitlyn had made a perfect cast up to the corner of some marh grass. She had snagged a couple of oyster shells during the morning and this looked almost like the same but we could tell it was pulling back! Kaitlyn slowly reeled it in and then the fish decided to fight, throwing a huge splash. But Kaitlyn kept the pressure on and brought to the net a massive 22.25" Flounder, big enough to move Kaitlyn into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
We finished up fishing at Symore's Pointe, had no real luck but with a couple of really big fish in the boat we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It was kinda weird out fishing this morning - the skies stayed overcast the entire day, ominous storm clouds surrounded us while 10mph winds kept a breeze flowing. But my guests - Bob Lalli and his two adult sons Mark and Scott were game to fish so we had met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill with plans to fish the very last few minutes of an incoming tide. I think the fish were taking a break - we fed the bait stealers one shrimp after another! But we stayed with it, got a few strong bites, then Mark put a feisty Bonnethead Shark in the boat.
We eased around the corner, fed some more bait stealers (the bait shop was all out of mud minnows today), then it was Scott's turn to tangle with a Bonnethead. Bob put a Seatrout in the boat to officially "knock the skunk off". We then ran down to Twin Creeks and pt out a minnow trap, then back to Seymore's Pointe and played with some Mangrove Snapper. We caught a few but all were undersized and again, we were blowing thru our bait, so we moved on. We fished Athens Drop and picked up another Trout or two, and a couple of feisty Redfish then we stopped in to pick up our minnow trap. There were only two minnows in the trap but I was able to cast net a good handful of perfect size finger Mullet.
Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. These anglers were making excellent casts and it wasn't long before it paid off. Scott had baited with one of the finger mullet and had put it up near the pilings. When he hooked up and the drag began to sing we new it was a big fish. Scott put some pressure on, got the fish out away from the pilings then patiently played it to the net. I had to measure it a couple of times to make sure it squeezed in under the Slot limit of 27" - boy what a fish!
We had a few more bites, picked up a couple of Mangroves, another feisty Red, and a nice Seatrout before we called it a day. The skies were still cloudy but we had only had a few rain drops so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
This young couple of anglers really got in to some fish today fishing the back waters of Amelia Island, Florida. I had met Dewey and Jenifer Lee out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning and we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill to fish some grass islands just as the tide started out. Jenifer got things going by catching a hungry Seatrout up near the grass with a float rig and live shrimp. We picked up a couple of more fish, battled with a Bonnethead Shark, then eased around the corner, back in the Nassau.
The tide was just easing out and with these two anglers making excellent casts, it wasn't long before we caught fish. Dewey put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat then as we were just about to pick up and leave, he had a strong hookup and, Fish On! The fish was big and ripping drag and immediately took Dewey from the stern of the boat to the bow then it went deep. But Dewey kept the pressure on, worked it patiently, then brought to the net a nice 24" Slot Redfish. We briefly fished Broward Island and Jenifer caught a feisty Redfish there.
We then ran down the Nassau to Spanish Drop and fished a large double run out. The wind was picking up but we still had some good bites. Jenifer found her own personal fishing hole off the stern and put one Seatrout in the boat after another. She also caught a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder. But she wasn't done yet!
After fishing Twin Creek briefly we moved on.
Our next and final stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and boy was it a good one! The duo put a handful of Mangrove Snapper in the boat, one of which was keeper size, then Jenifer battled a BIG fish that got up in the pilings and broke off. Dewey followed that up with a "Tournament Redfish" catch, one that measured at 26 7/8". He added a keeper sized Black Drum for his Slam, then Jenifer put a Black Drum in the boat for her "Grande Slam", and then she hooked up and expertly played another Slot Redfish to the boat. Before we knew it we had a "mess" of fish and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I was back at this morning, fishing with Frank Wytiaz and his wife Joanne after I had met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a quick run up the Nassau River and stopped at a large marsh run out. The bait was getting "popped" all along the bank so we set up to fish with float rigs and live shrimp. It only took minutes and we were catching fish. Ladyfish, Jack Crevalle, Seatrout, small but feisty Redfish, Pinfish, Catfish -it was a smorgasbord. Frank was fishing out of the stern and had drifted his float long when something big hit it. He worked it to the boat and landed big Seatrout that was just a tad bit under 20". Later, Joanne had made an excellent cast to the bank, hooked up and when her drag began to sing we knew it was a big fish. Joanne played it patiently, worked it to the boat, let it run, ripping drag, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 21" Slot sized Redfish. I had looked at my watch and we had been fishing this one spot for well over an hour, and catching fish!
We did move up the way, switched to jigs and shrimp
and picked up one more feisty Redfish. We then fished some dock pilings and caught Black "puppy" Drum, another small Redfish, a Croaker, and Joanne added to the variety with a couple of Mangrove Snapper catches. We eased around the corner, switched back to float rigs, and fished some rocks but only found one small Mangrove.
Our next stop was down at Broward Island. Fishing with jigs we added to the catch one more Redfish. The sun was getting up and getting hot so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished with the Duma team, today- Scott and his adult kids Will and Kate - meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. The tide had been going out for a couple of hours as we ran up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff, and then even further up a creek. This trio of anglers were tossing float rigs with live minnows up to a large runout and we did have a few nibbles at the first spot and then Kate "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed hard fighting Jack Crevalle.
We dropped back to Jackstaff and worked the bank, switching to jigs and minnows. Again, it was Kate who had the hookup. She had pitched to a small drainage in the marsh, had a bump, set the hook and patiently worked in a keeper sized Flounder. Will followed that up with a Catfish catch!
We ran thru Horsehead, down the Nassau and pulled up at Spanish Drop to work that oyster bed. Up ahead of us a Dolphin was wreaking havoc on our intended target, but luckily he/she didn't get them all. We had a good flurry of catches - feisty Redfish and hungry Seatrout and another Jack.
Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. We had the stern to some pilings and were getting excellent casts to the pilings. Scott had went in between two, let it sit, and BOOM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and had no plans of coming in. But Scott played it expertly, let it run, worked it in, and landed an "almost too big" 26.875" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish! Then Will got in the action and landed a Trout that was just a tad bit short then he had another hookup and put a nice keeper sized Trout in the boat. Kate was fishing shallow and found a Mangrove Snapper hole - she caught 5-6 of those and at least two were of keeper size. We had a good well full of quality fish so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
South again today! I met Eddie Byrd and his son-in-law Dan down at the South End early and we ran up the Nassau to fish Spanish Drop. The tide was going out and the bait was getting popped. Both anglers were making great pitches with their jig and minnows (yesterday the minnows caught fish and didn't have near the "pecks' from the bait stealers so I went all minnows today). Eddie got things started catching a high flying Ladyfish, then a small Trout then Dan got in on the action and put a hungry Trout in the boat. We eased up the bank a bit and after Eddie had let his bait bounce on the bottom out deep he had a strong hookup. He played it perfectly and landed a 21" Seatrout!
We fished Athens Drop for just a bit and landed one feisty Redfish then we moved on - making the run up to Broward Island. The tide was still going out here and in no time we were catching fish. Small Seatrout, small Reds -many with multiple spots-and a small Mangrove Snapper or two. Then Eddie had a good "thump", hooked it up, and brought to the boat a keeper sized Flounder. Later, he landed another fish - a big Trout that I thought for sure would have to go back but it was just under the 19" limit, so in the box it went!
Our final stop was back at Seymore's Pointe. We only had a about 30 minutes to go in the trip so we started tossing the minnows under a float to the rocks and it was non-stop action catching Mangrove Snapper down to the last minnow. Some of them were in the 12" range and went in the box for future dinner. We caught fish down to the last minnow then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished this morning with Mark and Angie Smith and their son Zach, meeting them up at the Dee
Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early. We made a quick run over to Tiger Island to fish the logs with the a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. This trio of anglers were making excellent casts but we had a barrage of "bait stealers" and within 30 minutes our bait inventory was already feeling the strain! So we picked up and ran up to the Jolley River.
I ran all the way up into the river and we pitched jigs and live shrimp to the oysters Angie "knocked the (real) skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. We fished couple of oyster banks along the river and landed a small handful of fish - Trout, Mangrove Snapper, Grunts, and Croaker.
Our final stop was around at the outside of Tiger and here we found a handful of Flounder. Zach was acting as First Mate and "netman" while his dad caught and reeled in Flounder. We were down to our last mud minnow and Mark caught a fish, went back for another, then went back for another. I firmly believe he'd of caught a 4th if the minnow hadn't dropped off the hook after the 3rd fish! Although we didn't get any big fish, we did get some action later in the trip so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It was sad news to get that our friend and fishing buddy Raymond Keen passed away suddenly Saturday evening. He and I were "tied at the hip" thru out high school and many of us knew him from school and playing on the Fernandina Beach HIgh School Pirate football team together. A few years ago Tony French, Raymond, Daniel Rhodes and myself decided to re-unite on the "field" of fishing so we set up a back water trip here at Amelia Island. We had an outstanding time, caught many fish and planned to repeat the trip annually. We fished two more times together (Daniel missed last year due to a bad oyster he ate) but unfortunately, we had our last fishing time together with Raymond. Since his passing I've given a lot of thought to what drew me to Raymond as a friend. I think I recognized way back that Raymond had a "good heart" - he meant well, wanted to do the right thing, and didn't have any meaness within him. He was a good guy.
Tony came in from middle Georgia last night for the service this afternoon. We put out an invite out to Daniel but he had to work with such short notice. So Tony and I went fishing, partly to honor Raymond with one more fishing trip, and partly to get out and enjoy a day of fun fishing for ourselves!
We launched out at Goffinsville early and made the short run over to Broward Island. The tide was still going out, but was due to stop at anytime. I found out early that Tony's "strategy" was to catch fish quick and keep me busy netting fish and keep my bait out of the water! He landed a couple of feisty Redfish, a keeper sized Flounder, and a Jack before I could even wet a hook! Finally I hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. From then on we were catching fish -Raymond really would have enjoyed it! More small Reds and keeper sized Flounder. I went in between two logs and hooked up and landed a nice Slot sized 21" Redfish. We worked down the bank for hour or so, then moved on north.
Now knowing Tony's strategy, I had a jig baited and ready to go, and tossed it to the bank, let it drop, and, BOOM! Big Fish On! It was a good battle but we won it and landed an oversized 28.5" Redfish.
Our next stop was back down the Nassau River where we fished the flooding grass with float rigs. We added to the catch a couple more of keeper sized Flounder. We hit Seymore's Pointe to try for Mangrove Snapper, then made one final run down to Pumkin Hill.
I picked up a small Jack Crevalle then Tony, drifting his float up close to the grass, hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. It had been hot the last hour and we were really feeling it but Tony gave it one more drift, this time baited with a mud minnows, and BOOM! Big Fish On! The drag was ripping and the fish was digging deep then it came up and boiled and we new it was a big Redfish. Tony played it perfectly, fought it valiantly, and soon landed another Big Oversized 30" Redfish, boy what a fish! And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, and a good time to remember our friend Raymond Keen.
We had another beautiful day today when I met Russell Beard and his two sons Russell and William up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park. The sun was out, we only had a slight breeze and there weren't but a handful of boat trailers in the parking lot. We made the short run up to the Jolley River and set up fishing the bank with float rigs and live shrimp. I could tell that I was going to have an easy day when I saw that these three guys were anglers and could make the casts. But the fish weren't cooperating, other than a flounder that William got right up to the boat.
But after running further up the Jolley, just past Snook Creek, things picked up. The trio landed Jack Crevalle, Seatrout, Mangrove Snapper and then William hooked up, battled, played perfectly, and landed a nice Bonnethead Shark. Russell The Younger hooked up and landed a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. No Cap. We then came back towards the mouth of the Jolley, fished it briefly, then continued on.
Our next stop was on the outside of Tiger where Russell Sr. Battled a huge
Bonnethead (for our light tackle). Russell was zeroing in on the fish and credited the "positive energy" he was sending down the line! Moving further closer to the mouth of Tiger, we fished some flooded oysters, then both Russell Sr. and I saw a Flounder bust some bait, coming out of the water. Russell made an excellent cast with a mud minnow as bait, waited a bit, then saw his float begin to move off. Russell tightened the line, set the hook, and Fish On! Russell worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized Flounder.
The final stop was around in Bell River. Although the action wasn't much, Russell The Younger did put one Mangrove Snapper in the boat to claim the GPK. It was a beautiful day and a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
The hurricane Isaias passed us by with hardly a blip here at Amelia Island - I even heard someone say they had to turn on their sprinkler system to water their yard! Today was my first day back fishing after a good break and I met Chris Sampson, his daughter Carlie, and her friend Dan down at the south end boat ramp early and after making a short run up the Nassau, we set up to fish a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours. We were tossing live shrimp under floats. These three anglers were getting good drifts along the flooded marsh grass but I don't think we even got a nibble, which is unusual to say the least. I did notice that I wasn't seeing any baitfish and that the water temperature had dropped about 3 degrees from last week.
We ran up to Seymore's Pointe, fished some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp, and here, Carlie put a nice keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat. She landed another couple, one of which was keeper size, before we moved on. We eased around the corner, fished some rocks with the floats, then move on.
Our next stop was down a Pumpkin Hill. Chris and Dan got on the board with a Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle catch, respectively and Carlie added a feisty Redfish to her catch total. Then after we had moved down the bank a ways, things heated up a bit. Dan had a Mangrove Snapper bite, then Carlie and Chris had a "double" - Carlie landed her feisty Redfish quickly but Chris's big Jack Crevalle took him around the stern a couple of time before he was able put it in the net.
We fished Christopher Creek with jigs then came back out, headed to Twin Creeks just as the tide started back out, and went back to the float rigs. Carlie had made an excellent cast to a grassy point, let her float drift out with the current, and BAM, she hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.
We had beautiful weather all day, the sun was out, we caught some fish, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We didn't catch anything real big today, but if you added the variety of fish caught, it was almost like a marine biology class! Flounder, Redfish, Seatrout, Jack Crevalle, Mangrove Snapper, Croaker, Stingray, Catfish...I may have missed one! Laura and Lane Outler and their son Landon fished with me this morning and after running over to Tiger Island we set up and pitched jigs and live shrimp to the downed logs on the last of an outgoing tide. Laura got things started off early and pulled into a commanding lead on the "fish count" - she caught a keeper sized Flounder and a feisty Redfish.
Then Lane took over and caught a Jack Crevalle and a Croaker. Then all three began to catch fish - Mangrove Snapper, feisty Redfish, more Flounder, another which was of keeper size. We fished the island thoroughly then ran up to the Jolley and fished the "bank" as the tide was coming in. Lane put a healthy Seatrout in the boat, we caught a few Croaker that were keepable, then we continued on up the
river.
Our final stop was fishing some cut-bait and that paid off with another Croaker or two, a Stingray caught by Laura, and a Catfish caught by Landon. The clouds had blocked the sun most of the trip, we had a slight breeze and it made for another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
