Lorna's Spot

 

I met Andy and Lorna Anderson out at Goffinsville Park this morning for a half day of fishing. They had supported the Amelia Island Guides Association's fishing tournament in 2019 by purchasing a gift certificate for a fishing trip, and we really appreciate it!

We ran over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and began fishing with jigs and live shrimp and it wasn't long before Lorna zeroed in on "Lorna's Spot" and began to hookup with keeper sized Mangrove's. Andy squeeze her out a couple of times to catch a couple of his own. Lorna tangled with and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle before we moved on. 

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, still pitching the jigs on the last of an outgoing tide, but to no avail. We moved up to Athens Drop and here Andy got hot off the stern of the boat. Although the fish weren't edible, he caught and landed a Jack, Stingray, Catfish, Ladyfish, and then we did keep a nice Whiting he pulled in. 

We fished down at Broward Island on the first of an incoming tide which is an ideal tide, but the west wind was kicking up and and the water was murky and the fish didn't bite.  After coming back to Seymore's Pointe we set up with float rigs and limited out on Mangrove's, some of them right at 12", which made for a good mess of fish and a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Drag Ripp'n Fun

 I wrapped my week up today fishing with John and Stacey Allan after I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up the intercoastal then into the Nassau, and made our first stop at Spanish Drop, turning into the current of an incoming tide. Both anglers were pitching live shrimp or mud minnows to the bank with float rigs and getting good drifts.  About half way down the bank Stacey's float disappeared and her drag  began to sing. Riiiiiippppppp! The big fish headed west and BAP! Fish Off. While that was happening John's float disappeared, his drag ripped, and his fish headed east and BAP! Fish Off! Ouch.

We ran around to  Pumpkin Hill and drifted the floats there and it wasn't long before John put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat. Then Stacey tangled with a big Jack Crevalle, then she put a nice 17.5" Seatrout in the boat. All Trout were released today.  We fished a couple of banks at Pumpkin Hill, went down to Broward and fished some jigs, then ran back to Seymore's Pointe and switched back to float rigs. Here, John hooked up and landed

another Trout that was right at keeper size.

Needing some action, we moved around the corner and fished some rocks with the floats and sure enough, began to catch Mangrove Snapper, one after the other. They're getting bigger folks! We "culled' the smaller ones, even though they were of keeper size, and kept a few of the bigger ones (12"+) for their fish tacos!  We left 'em biting and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Milestone Achieved On The Fly

 I've been catching Mangrove Snapper in the summer for years with live shrimp under a float or on a jig and when the Trout/Redfish/Flounder bite is slow I've been able to turn to the Mangrove's for an almost "guaranteed" bit of an action. Most times you can drift a shrimp by the "hotspot" and BAM!  You have a hookup. Then they tend to go into a frenzy and it's catching one after the other.  So I always wondered, "wouldn't it be neat to catch them on a fly rod?"

I've had multiple times where we were catching the Mangroves with shrimp under a float and have my guest toss a fly in with a fly rod and....nothing. Not a bite. At first I tried some of my sinking Shrimp patterns, but no takes. I tried fishing with some slow sinking Shrimp, but no takes. This was on different trips with multiple casters, many who could put it right in the "honey hole". But not a single Mangrove Snapper caught on the fly.

Today was the day! I had Mike and Jean DuBartell fishing with me early this morning. We had made the long run from Sawpit Creek boat ramp up the Nassau and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up fishing float rigs along the flooding marsh grass. It wasn't long before Mike had put a hungry Seatrout in the boat.  Then the duo hooked up with a Shark that headed to Tallahassee, and kept going!

We came back and fished an outflow at Nassauville where we did get a couple of bites but nothing more than a slimly Catfish. We were in need of action so we went Mangrove hunting.  Drifting floats and shrimp it didn't take long for them to turn on and then both anglers were catching Snapper. Jean easily got the hang of it and  put one fish in the boat after another. These fish were a tad bit bigger, too, a couple measuring just over 12" - they put up a good fight. 

I had explained the fly fishing for Mangroves to Mike and he was up to the challenge. We went with a small, slow sinking shrimp pattern on a 10' leader. Mike was making an excellent presentation to the hot spot, but had no takers.  We then went with a small BB split shot about 20" up from the fly, made few casts and again, no takers. We then put a small shrimp on to the fly, made the cast and got bit!  Then we broke a big live shrimp in to, and smashed/smeared the juices all over the fly. I think it was Mikes first cast with the stinky fly and, BAM! Mangrove Snapper on! He played it perfectly and landed the first Mangrove on a fly I've ever had! Whooeee! Mike continued the "smash and cast" and hooked up with a number of the  Mangroves. Most of them were over 12" which made for a good fight on the fly rod.

Jean was steadily hauling in fish. We hit one more spot and caught a few of the Mangroveson jig and shrimp then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Win Some Lose Some

 The forecasted rains held off to the afternoon so I was able to meet Dennis Brizzi and Hal O'Dell out at Goffinsville for a day of fishing this morning.  We ran south on the Nassau River and fished a large marsh run out - the first time I had fished it- but only managed a high flying Ladyfish. After crossing the river to Pumpkin Hill we fished the edge with float rigs and live shrimp and even though we saw some good bait action, we had no luck. After motoring down to Broward Island, switching to jigs, we finally had a decent fish when Dennis hooked up and successfully fought to the net a feisty Redfish. After fishing the other end of the island for  just a bit, we moved on. 

Our next stop was back at some docks at Nassauville, tide going out, pitching jigs and shrimp and here it payed off. The two anglers began to hookup and land Mangrove Snapper with about 5 of them being of keeper size. We moved on down the way, fished some more dock pilings and here things heated up even more. We caught Mangrove Snappers, tossing back a good handful, but keeping more to reach the limit and then Hal tangled with some feisty Black Drum. He put a couple in the boat, but had one big one throw the hook. Dennis on the other hand, hooked up with two big fish, fought them valiantly, but had them break off on the barnacle encrusted dock pilings. He did put one keeper sized Drum in the boat. 

We had our limit of Mangrove Snapper in the box, had tangled with some big fish only to lose them but it was a great day out on the water so we counted it as a Win!

We Needed One of Those Counter Gadgets

 To kick off Memorial Day weekend (thank you all Veterans), I fished with the Beard boys, Russell and William and their friends Cooper and Luke, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early for a half day of fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. We ran up the Nassau and made our first stop at Spanish Drop at dead low and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oysters. I think it was Luke's first cast and he announced, "got one"!  He played it perfectly and reeled in a hungry Flounder. "That's One".  I didn't know it but the boys had made a friendly wager with their dads who were fishing in another boat out at Nassau Sound as to who would catch the most fish. Stay tuned. We worked that bank, then moved up to Athens Drop, fished it, then moved on.

Our next stop was at some docks at Nassauville and here things picked up. Russell had made an excellent cast up between some pilings and it paid off. He had a hookup, a catch, and landed a nice 12" keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. We had a couple of more then William had a big bite and, Fish On!  He worked it to the boat and landed a 20" Slot Redfish. Shortly after that Cooper had a similar bite but his fish was smarter and headed immediately for the pilings, wrapped it self, and BAP! Fish Off.  We picked up a few more smaller Mangrove's then another keeper, then we moved on. 

After making the run down to Broward to fish the first of an incoming tide, we

fished it a bit but the wind had picked up and made conditions not ideal. We held a council. I asked the guys if their dads had specified how big the fish had to be to count in the "contest" and, no, it didn't matter. We only had so much bait but I felt pretty sure the Mangroves would be biting back at Nassauville so we went with that strategy - to catch as many as we can, even if we blew through our bait. 

After getting settled at the new spot, the anglers began to fish in earnest. It took a few minutes, more than I expected, but sure enough, when they began to bite they caught one fish after another. Cooper had quietly persevered and it paid off. He put a good handful of keeper Mangroves in the boat and all three of the others added some too. It was sort of difficult to keep up with the "tally" - we had  "double" hookups a few times and between that and netting and measuring we needed one of those counter gadgets to keep up with the count.  But all told, counting the Ladyfish and a Catfish caught, we zeroed in on 28 fish caught for the day, and boy what a great one it was to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Making It With Mangroves

 You just can't beat a day off with beautiful weather, out on the water, and fishing with your son! I had met Steve Locke and his son Justin out at Goffinsville Park early this morning and we had sunshine and just a slight breeze on the very first of an incoming tide. 

We scooted down to Broward Island and set up out side of a large marsh run out and the fish teased us, busting bait up near the shore, but they wouldn't take our shrimp or mud minnows on a jig. After moving down the island a bit we set up just as the tide came to a standstill, still pitching jigs and shrimp, BAM! Steve had a hookup. The fish was ripping drag and staying down and we thought for sure it was a some sort of Drum. Steve worked it up patiently and we netted a nice Slot sized 20" Redfish.

Our next stop was back off of Seymore's Pointe, fishing some oyster lined banks with float rigs. The first stop didn't produce anything, but the 2nd one did. Steve was drifting off the stern

and hooked up and landed another feisty Redfish, then he battled a Jack Crevalle to the boat, then tangled with a Shark that headed to Tallahassee.

After fishing some rocks at Nassauville with floats Justin, who had been holding back, "knocked the skunk" of his rod with a Mangrove Snapper catch, then another of keeper size.  We moved down the way, switched to jigs, and began to haul in Mangrove's one after the other.  Although they''re not very big, we were able to get a good "mess" of keeper sized ones so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First and Last

 We had a beautiful day that greeted us when I met Dale Bullard, his daughter Autumn and son-in-law Jacob down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We were a little worried about the wind that had been tormenting us for it seems the last few weeks, especially as the morning progress's, but not today.

After running up the intercoastal and dipping in to Flagstaff and then into a smaller creek we set up with float rigs and live shimp, tossed to the marsh grass on a high and outgoing tide. I think it was Autumn's first cast when her float disappeared with a vengeance, and, Fish ON! This fish went zipping across the water taking Autumn from stern to bow and from port to starboard and back to the stern. I was thinking "shark" but as Autumn worked it to the boat I realized that it surely wasn't a shark. Autumn played it patiently and eventually landed a big Jack Crevalle, knocking the skunk off the boat early and kicking off a good day of fishing. 

We fished Jackstaff for a bit and had a couple of good bites, then ran through Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop and again eased along the bank. Jacob put another hard fighting Jack in the boat and they also landed a couple of hungry Seatrout. 

Our next stop was up at some docks at Nassauville and this paid off. Dale caught a huge Toad Fish right off then Jacob, fishing off the lucky stern, caught a keeper sized Seatrout. Dale and Jacob put a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat then the trio teamed up to catch a good handful of smaller ones. Then it was Autumn's turn to wrap up the "big fish catches" when, after tossing a jig and big mud minnow, had a hookup. This fish was pulling good but Autumn kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice 19" Seatrout - she had the first and last big fish of the day!

After fishing down at Broward for a bit we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mixing It Up

 After a much needed day off I was back at it today, meeting Eddie Byrd and his son-in-law Art and grandson-in-law Dan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. After making the run up and over into the Nassau River we made our first stop at Spanish Drop and with a tide that had been coming in for about 3 hours, began to pitch float rigs and live shrimp to the shore line. We were getting pretty good drifts but had no real luck. 

The shell was still showing so we decided to try our luck at some docks at Seymore's but tossing jigs produced no fish. We move around and switched back to float rigs, had just a couple of nibbles, but then we could see a Sheepshead's tail as it fed up alongside some pilings. We moved in, dropped some jigs and had a hookup. Art worked it in and landed a keeper sized fish.  After fishing around the corner at some rocks and catching a couple of small Mangroves, we moved on.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing jigs, but no takers. We then moved up to Pumpkin Hill and drifted float rigs

on a still incoming tide and this did the trick. After getting a couple of bites off the stern, Dan went up to a pointe of grass and BAM, he had a fish. Dan worked it patiently to the boat and landed keeper sized Seatrout.  We fished down the way and somewhere in there tangled with a Ladyfish or two, then Art put another Trout in the boat, caught right up beside the grass.

Our final stop was back at Nassauville, fishing between two docks and here we caught Mangrove Snapper non-stop for a good thirty minutes, many of them of keeper size, and the biggest at around 12". We filled the box with those then headed in, counting it as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

(Note, the Bald Eagle chick at Broward Island has left the nest!)

Book Ends

 I wrapped my "week" up today - 8 trips in the last 7 days - fishing with Rick Astor and his son Eric - meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had a "book end" kind of day, catching fish early then late to make  good day of fishing.

We had run up the Nassau River and made a quick stop at Spanish Drip to fish an incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp, working the bank, tossing the floats up near the grass. We eased along a flooded marsh line, had a couple of nibbles, then when we reached the "honey hole" we began to get hookups. Both Eric and Rick tangled with some nice sized Ladyfish, then Rick had a strong bite off the stern and the battle was on! He played it perfectly, worked it to the boat, and landed a big Jack Crevalle. The duo caught a couple of more fish then Rick had another hookup. When we saw it "roll up" near the bank we knew it was a Redfish. Rick was patient and slowly brought it to the boat and eventually landed a nice 21" Slot sized Redfish. 

We fished Twin Creeks for a bit with the float rigs but even though we were getting excellent drifts thru the mouths of those creeks, we had no bites. After running down to Pumpkin Hill we fished one stretch of shoreline then another, had some bites, but no takers, then we eased down to Broward Island and switched to jigs. But he wind had picked up and we were getting kicked around so we came back to the lee of Nassauville and fished a large outflow.  After getting just a few nibbles Rick had seen some fish action up between a floating deck and dock so we eased over there and went with just a plain hook and shrimp. Eric made a perfect toss, the fish took it, and BAM. He had a hookup. It was a quick battle but he landed it  - another high flying Ladyfish. 

We had gone from a good start in the morning to struggling to get a decent fish but when we pulled around to fish Seymore's Pointe things picked up. Tossing live shrimp under the float the duo caught a couple of small Mangrove Snapper. We then moved down teh way, fished between a couple of docks and here the action picked up. Both Rick and Eric hooked up and landed a good handful of Mangrove Snapper and  five of those turned out to be of keeper size. 

We had started out strong, finished strong, so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Finally Got Some Trout

 We had a beautiful day this  morning when I met Chuck Lindholm and his brother-in-law Paul up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had a slight breeze as we headed down the river, up the Bell and hit our first spot at a flooded oyster bed on the last of an incoming tide.  Finally, we caught some Trout! It's been about 4 days since we had our last Trout but today we knocked that skunk off. Both Chuck and Paul had good hookups and landed Seatrout.

After running thru Tyger Basin and over to the outside of Tyger, we set up as the tide started out where Chuck picked up a Trout off the stern. We moved over to the other side of the creek, fished it a bit, but had no luck.

Our next stop was around at my neighbor Bill's spot and it paid off with another Trout catch. Next, on to Soap Creek, fishing the outflow then moving up to the "honey hole" where Paul put a high flying Ladyfish in the boat, then Chuck added a keeper sized Seatrout and then a keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today

were released). 

I had thought about fishing up Lanceford but it was crazy crowded so we made the long run up the Bell where we switched to jigs and live shrimp. Both anglers snagged some Mangrove Snapper and Paul put a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. The trout were back which helped make it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mangrove Snapper Fill The Bag

 

I fished with the Fitzgerald's again today, Gregg and Dannie, Guy and Ginnie, meeting them this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We ran up the Nassau and made a quick stop at Spanish Drop to toss float rigs and live shrimp to the marsh grass just as the tide started out. 

The anglers were getting excellent casts and drifts, although the west wind seemed to be blowing right down the pipe and both Dannie and Ginnie had hookups with high flying Ladyfish that they handily brought to the boat.

We fished a large outflow up at Seymore's and picked up a couple of Mangrove Snapper which got met to thinking...if they're here, maybe they're at the "Mangrove Hole". So that was where our next stop was and sure enough, we began to get some bites on shrimp under the float rigs.  They're sneaky as they can be but we managed to put a few in the boat over the 10" mark. 

Our next stop was down the way, along some rocks at Nassauville but here we were able to go to jig rods. Gregg got the hot hand and started pulling Mangrove's in one after the other. Then all four anglers got in on the action and caught fish until we had a good mess of Mangroves in the box.

We fished some docks later with jigs as the tide got lower then made the run thru Horsehead and around to the mouth of Jackstaff. Unfortunately the wind was really howling now, and right down the river, but we hung with it, trying to fish out the day. Guy was taking up the stern, fishing to the bank with jig and shrimp and BAM! Big Fish On!  His drag was ripping and he was fighting the fish over his shoulder but he kept the pressure on and subdued the fish and brought to the net a nice 21" 8-Spot Slot Redfish to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Good Start Better Finish

 

Under the threat of rainstorms for the day, I met Michael Williams and his fishing buddies Anthony and Chris down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. But the forecast had improved overnight and these anglers were game to be fishing so we headed up Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill to set up alongside some flooded marsh grass and begin fishing with float rigs and live shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide. Chris struck first with a strong bite, and a fish that was ripping drag  - Chris went from the stern of the boat up the side, around the bow and back down to the stern but eventually subdued a nice Jack Crevalle to "knock the skunk off". 

Later, as we eased along another marsh line things heated up. Anthony was fishing long out of the stern and when his float disappeared he gently set the hook and, Fish On!  Anthony played it perfectly, took his time, and soon landed a nice Slot Sized Redfish. We had a couple of more hookups - a big Ladyfish and then something big that was smart enough to wrap itself around the trolling motor.

After fishing a bit under the Bald Eagles down at Broward Island, we came back to Nassauville and fished some docks and here we picked up a couple of Mangrove Snapper, then another big Ladyfish (down deep on the bottom, a bit unusual.  We then move around the corner and things heated up! Anthony had a strong bite and a hookup and at the same time Chris had one two - we had a "double". Both of the anglers worked their fish to the boat patiently and boated a Slot Redfish each. 

Michael had a good bite, worked it to the boat and landed another big Ladyfish, then Chris and Anthony went back and forth catching small but fun-to-catch Mangrove Snapper. Then, BOOM! Big fish on! Chris was on the rod and it was all he could do to keep the fish from running up into the pilings. But he worked it out, kept the pressure on and landed a "Tournament Sized" 26.5" Slot Red, boy what a fish!

We fished a few more docks then wrapped it up, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.   

Forecasted Winds Weren't As Bad As I Expected

 

The forecast for winds were only 7-9mph from 7am-9am but were expected to pick up to over 15 as the day progressed. The wind did pick up a bit, but were were still able to fish although the slight dip in temperature may have turned the bite down just a bit as it turned out. But it was an absolutely beautiful day when I met Patrick Verner, and his sons Brian and Patrick down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp yesterday morning.

We made a short run and were fishing as the sun came over Amelia Island, tossing jigs and live shrimp to exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide. Young Patrick was on the bow and after fishing for about 15 minutes we could see Redfish moving along the bank and feeding. After a good cast to the shoreline, BAM! Patrick had a hookup and, Fish On!  As you can see in the video, Patrick played it patiently, worked it to the boat, and landed a Slot sized 20" Redfish.

Our next stop was up at some docks at Nassauville, fishing the first of an incoming tide.  Friday we had "tore up" the Black "puppy" Drum on the same tide, but on this trip, not a bite. But the two Patrick's did pull out a couple of Mangrove Snapper (their back!) and a couple of small Sea Bass while Brian added to the mix an ugly Toad Fish. 

Down at Broward we fished the first of the incoming there and here young Patrick added a keeper sized Seatrout to the catch. Later, Bryan hooked up and landed a hard-to-catch Sheepshead.  The wind had picked up just a bit so we went back at Nassauville and fished  at a couple of spots with float rigs where young Patrick landed a small Flounder, then we wrapped up the day and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Heading South To Bubblegum Reef

 ....should be the title to a Buffet song!  When I met Fred Wammock up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park this afternoon the boat ramp was just crazy - and boats and kayaks and PWC's were buzzing around..so we decided to make the long run south to get away from it all. We made a brief stop behind Piney Island and fished some docks where Fred picked up a hungry Seatrout, then we continued on down the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff. The tide was low and still going out as we worked the exposed shell bank with jigs and live shrimp but we didn't get a even a nibble. 

We ran thru Horsehead and around to the Nassau River and pulled up just shy of Bubblegum Reef with plans to drift floats and live shrimp along the exposed shell (yesterday we picked up a big Trout and Big Redfish in the same spot). But we didn't get much of a bite! We then pulled up to Bubblegum Reef and switched back to jigs and shrimp.

Fred had been making excellent casts all afternoon and his next pitch to the Reef proved to be on point and it paid off. He had a

"bump bump", set the hook and had a good battle with a nice keeper sized Sheepshead. We had a few more bites then we decided to ease to the outside of the Reef and set up current.

Dropping baits back proved to be the trick and led to a smorgasbord of fish bites. Fred reeled in another Sheepshead, then picked up a keeper sized Seatrout, then a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then he got into some nice Black "puppy" Drum - boating three that were of good size. He put one two more keeper sized Seatrout (the biggest was 16.5" before we moved on. 

Our last and final stop was down at Broward Island. The tide was right, the wind was blocked and boy was it beautiful!  Fred wrapped up with an Amelia Island Grand Slam by catching a feisty Redfish to go along with his Seatrout, Black Drum and Sheepshead. We headed back north and had a fly by by a majestic Bald Eagle and as we cruised back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Weird On The Water

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.

Family Fishing At Amelia Island

Mike and Shannon Maron had their whole family visiting Amelia Island this week and decided to take in a Back Country fishing trip. I met them, their daughter Libbie, and her friend Mark  down at Sawpit Creek and we headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop just off some exposed oyster beds with jigs and mud minnows.  We had a slow start but just as we got up to an outcrop of oysters they began to get bites. Mark started things off with a huge Bonnethead battle then Mike landed a couple of Seatrout.

The team put a couple of feisty Redfish in the boat, then Shannon battled and netted a big Jack Crevalle. Libbie wrapped that spot up with a keeper sized Flounder catch.

We moved up the river, fished some more oysters, landed one more feisty Redfish, then moved on.  Our next stop was down at Broward Island. I think we caught one more Redfish down there and we worked it pretty good.

Our final stop was back at some rocks along Seymore's Pointe and this paid off. We went through ab out two dozen minnows, caught a few handfuls of Mangrove Snapper with 6 of them being of keeper size - most in the 11-12" range. It was a good flurry of fish catching and a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Snappa Time

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.

Adding Them Up

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

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

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

Mangroves Save The Day

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

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

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