The Big Reds Just Keep Coming

 Another beautiful day this morning - I met Henry Ross and his fishing buddy John down at Sawpit -we made a long run all the way up to Broward Island and worked a couple of stretches for a bit. John did hookup and land a hungry Seatrout and feisty Redfish. We then made our way back to Twin Creeks and tossed jigs with mud minnows, some dead shrimp (no live shrimp today) and some fiddler crabs. John hooked and landed a small Black Drum, then we moved up to Spanish Drop and worked it with floats, and this did the trick. 

We had a good flurry of catching - Redfish, Seatrout, and a keeper Flounder that John hauled in. We then made our way back up the Nassau and set up to fish a stretch of a flooding grass line and boy were we in for some "big fish catching"!  At first, we had a couple of misses - one broke off and one came unhooked and I thought we might be missing our window but then John had another strong bite and when that drag began to sing we knew it was a Big One! John was on the bow and the fish was back behind the stern so he had to keep his line up and make his way back. The fish put up a good fight but it was no match for John, he worked him in slowly and we netted a big "tournament sized" 26 7/8" Redfish. 

Not long after we boated that fish, Henry was fishing a pocket with a minnow under a float - we had drifted by it a dozen times, but this time another big fish hit and it was Fish ON!  Henry battled it patiently, letting it run, then working it in, letting it run, and working it in. Then John hooked up and we had a double! Henry worked his in and eventually landed another "tournament sized" Redfish and John followed that up with a nice Seatrout.  We went back to the bank with casts, Henry went long and had another good hookup, and after working it expertly to the boat he landed a big 22" Oversized Seatrout, boy what a fish, and big enough to move in to 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We hit one more spot over at Jackstaff then headed back - it had been a beautiful morning, we'd caught small fish, big fish, a couple of Slams (Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, and Black Drum) so as we headed ack to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Lollie and Pops Went Fishing

 Lollie and Pops went fishing at Amelia Island.

Lollie caught a Red Drum real fast! We call them "Redfish". 

Then Pops caught a lot of Speckled Seatrout. We call them "Trout".

Lollie caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. 

We fished near an island with trees and logs. We were using mud minnows for bait.

Lollie caught a Redfish that was 23" long! Pops netted the fish. 

We fished some marsh grass. Pops caught a few Seatrout.

Our last stop, Lollie caught a HUGE Redfish. It was 27 1/2" long! Pops netted that one, too!

We let it go. It was too big to keep. 

Lollie and Pops went fishing at Amelia Island.

 

Saving The Best For Last

 After a long Labor Day weekend, we were back fishing today, and wouldn't you know it, we
had....WIND!  It wasn't so bad that we did go fishing - the rain chance was down in the single digits, but the wind was forecasted to get up to 14mph, and I believe it did. It made for some "challenging" fishing but my two anglers, Bart Mathews and his longtime friend Jaime were up for the task. We met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made our way up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a large runout at Seymore's Point. They were getting good casts with the wind at their back and getting good drifts on the very first of a (very) high and outgoing tide, but we had no takers.

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and drifted that stretch of grass with the floats, and may have had a nibble, but nothing more, then we came back into Jackstaff and fished a small creek and here the action picked up a bit - Jaime hooked up and had a big battle with what I thought was going to be a big Redfish - he played it perfectly - but as closer to the boat it started making that trademark dig-dig-dig and sure enough, when Jaime brought it to the surface we netted a big Jack Crevalle - a great battle! Just minutes later Bart had the strong bite - he played it expertly and I thought for sure we had it but the fish headed right for some submerged oysters and "BAP" fish off! Ouch. 

We ran back thru Horsehead and down to Middle River and fished a stretch, then continued on down to Pumpkin Hill where we switched to jigs and Bart picked up a an "almost legal" Redfsih, then came back to Twin Creeks where we tangled with a couple of Ladyfish. We then moved east to another nice drainage and pitched the jigs. Bart had put on a finger mullet, tossed it to the drainage and almost instantly, BAM! Big Fish ON! And boy was it big. A long fight ensued - that fish took Bart from the Bow, down the port side, around the stern, back around the stern, back around the stern and finally Bart wore 'em out and landed an Oversized 31.5" Redfish - big enough to move into 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a magnificent fish! After fishing Spanish Drop briefly, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Nothing Like Some Drag Ripping

 I wrapped my week up fishing today with Garland Clark, the "birthday boy"!  We had a good time - we left Sawpit Creek early and headed up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop. The tide had been coming in for an hour or so and the shell banks were about covered, but we went with jigs - I had a bunch of live shrimp, a handful of mud minnows and a live well of finger mullet - we were loaded! Garland "knocked the skunk off" early when he hooked up and quickly brought to the boat a couple of feisty Redfish, one after the other.  We moved up the river to a drainage and fished it a few casts, then we moved on up to Twin Creeks and here we hit pay dirt.

First, Garland had had a couple of "nibbles" and finally hooked one up - a nice Black "puppy" Drum (all fish caught today were released. Then, in just a few casts he had his rod bend and his line take off heading west and boy was that drag ripping - it wasn't slowing down - we chased it! I was worried he was going to get spooled. But we teamed up, I followed it up the river while Garland cranked in the line then we hovered over the big fish until Garland wore it out and brought it to the surface - a 4' plus Bonnethead Shark.  We got a couple of pics and tossed it back. 

When Garland had another strong bite I was thinking, "oh shoot, another Bonnethead", but it didn't make that really long run, although it made some strong deep runs closer to the boat. We were speculating what he had and boy was it great to see when it came to the surface that it was a huge Redfish! Garland patiently worked it to the boat and landed an Oversized 28" Redfish, boy what a fish.

We hit a handful of spots where Garland caught a small Whiting, a couple of small Mangrove Snappers, a small Jack Crevalle, then we finished the day when he hooked and landed the first keeper sized Mangrove Snapper! He met the Challenge and claimed the GPK! And with that, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

New Lucky Hat

 I was back to work today, fishing south with John Foreman and his SIL Chase and grandson Nate. We left the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early, running up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau for a quick stop at Spanish Drop where we turned into the current and worked jigs and mud minnows slowly on the bottom. We weren't getting much action and when we reached a mud drainage I wasn't expecting much but then Chase hooked up BIG!  His drag was ripping - the other two anglers cleared their lines and the fight was on! Chase played the big fish perfectly - he worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, and slowly brought to the net a big 26" Slot Redfish!

We bounced down that bank hitting two or three drainages and mixed in a couple of Jacks and Ladyfish then Chase had one of those funky "thumps" - he set the hook and patiently landed a nice 18" Flounder to go in the box. And shortly after that, John had let his jig fall deep and he had a "thump, thump" and Fish ON!  The way it was making the drag rip I was thinking "small Redfish" but when John brought it to the net it was a fat 18" Seatrout with a lot of fight!

We then made a run up the river to Pumpkin Hill and switched to float rigs, drifting them long with the current. The trio of anglers tangled with some Jacks and Ladyfish, but no keeper fish, so we moved around the corner and let the current ease us along the flooded marsh grass. Chase had gone up to a submerged oyster bank with a cast and although distracted, he saw that his float was gone so he quickly caught up to it and, another Big Fish on! Boy what a battle! Chase fought it valiantly and soon subdued the big Oversized 27.5" Redfish and after photographs, we released it. 

Notice I haven't mentioned Nate's name?  Nate was making good casts and getting good drifts, but the fish were ignoring his bait. I noticed he was wearing a new hat and even commented that maybe he should have worn is "lucky" hat. But Nate didn't fall for it, and persevered! We hit a couple of small grassy islands, then came back around to stretch of grass that has been good to me and continued to drift those floats. Nate was staying diligent and when his float disappeared, he tightened up his line and let the circle hook set and, another Big Fish ON! (note, this fish was caught about 5 foot from where we got the Tournament winning Red Saturday!). Nate fought the big fish furiously, and despite the coaching he was getting from the three of us, he brought it to the net and landed a "tournament sized 26.5" Redfish- the biggest in the box! And Nate had a new lucky hat!

We made our last stop over at Jackstaff and worked a bank with the jigs and here John finished things up when he hooked and landed a keeper sized 17" Flounder. We had to work for them today, but we had 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.

Rebound Down South

 We elected to fish south this morning in hopes for some decent gamefish and the plan produced! Yesterday my anglers worked hard and caught a bunch of fish, but we had a few too many "junk" fish for my liking. I also added 2 dozen mud minnows to the arsenal. I picked up William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsville Park (I launched at Sawpit( and we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill to catch the last 30 minutes of the incoming tide Dara was on the stern drifting a float and shrimp long and William followed her off the bow and I think it may have been Williams first or second pass that he hooked up and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle. Dara was out ahead again with William following when we all saw William's line "Zip" back up stream and then his drag began to rip. I had the sinking feeling that he'd hooked up with a Bonnethead, but when it didn't run far my hopes rose. William fought it like it was going to be dinner and worked it to the surface, let it run, came back to the stern and worked it around the engine, then played it patiently - Dara saw that it was a huge Redfish!  He slowly brought it to the net and landed a 28.5" Oversized Redfish, big enough to take third place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. Boy what a fish. 

After fishing a point as the tide paused, we then made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage but didn't get a real bite. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and withing seconds she had a good hookup and as I was landing her keeper sized Seatrout, William hooked up and brought one in. We fished forward a bit and picked up another keeper Trout. We made a stop in Jackstaff and fished a sandy drop off and here Dara had that tell-tell "thump" - she set the hook expertly and brought to the net a nice 17" Flounder,(2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament) William followed that up with a Flounder catch of is own. Back thru Horsehead we went, over to Back River where we drifted floats at a couple of spots. 

We fished some docks at Nassauville and even thought the wind was beginning to kick up a bit, we
made our way down the Nassau and set up at a drainage to fish the now exposed oysters. William had a strong bite, battled it while the drag was ripping, then it was gone! Ouch. But Dara followed with a good cast to the same spot and, Big Fish ON!  This one was ripping drag too and it got back in the current and made a fight out of it. But Dara was up to the challenge and worked it to the boat patiently and soon landed a nice 25" Slot sized Redfish. I didn't know it but while she was fighting her fish William had a Flounder on hold at the side of the boat and it took advantage of the delay and thru the hook! We had some good battles today, had a few in the box, had thrown back a big one so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

What a Week! And a Great Day to Wrap It Up!

 Eight trips in six days will wear an old angler out! I finished up a long week of fishing and boating when I
met Jason Ash and his young son Anthony down at Sawpit Creek early this morning. It was Anthony's first trip with me, but not his first "saltwater" trip - he'd evidently fished in the Keys earlier. But he was out with his dad here at Amelia Island so we hoped to make the best of it, and boy did we! After running up the intracoastal and turning up the Nassau we made our first stop at a large drainage and began throwing jigs and live shrimp up current -the tide had been coming in a few hours. We didn't get much action so we moved down the Nassau and here the duo hooked up and brought to the boat a couple of hungry Seatrout and then a feisty Redfish. Skunk off the boat! We switched to floats and drifted those and got a few more Trout. Anthony caught on real quick to keeping is bail open, his hand a ready, and "slapping it shut" and reeling like crazy when the float went under!

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, again drifting floats on the last of the incoming tide, and this paid off big. We caught a couple of more Trout, one of keeper size, then, after Jason had switched to a mud minnow as bait, BAM! Big Fish ON!  He fought it off the bank as the drag was ripping and we knew right off that it was a big Red. Hoping for some "blackened fillets", Jason kept that pressure on and worked it slowly in, only to find when he landed it that it was a Big oversized 28.5" Redfish. After that fish it seemed to turn off from all of the commotion, so we moved around the corner and fished that stretch. Again, we got a couple of Trout then, after had gone loooonnnng with a drift, BAM! Another big fish on. Those Redfish fillets were on the back of our mind as he battled this one and once again, we were (somewhat) disappointed when we saw that it was another massive Redfish. This one was a brute that measured right at 30" and weighing over 9 lbs. Boy what a fish. Again, the bite turned off.

We moved BACK around the corner and fished that stretch again and here Anthony was getting a good
drift, saw his float disappear, and he slapped that bail shut and set the hook and, Fish ON! He fought the fish expertly and brought in a nice 18" Seatrout to add to the box and take home for a fish sandwich!  We had caught some good fish today, had a beautiful morning fishing as a father/son fishing team, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Couple of Monster Reds Caught

Note: The last few days we've had the last of an outgoing tide and we've been getting Redfish at drainages and "cuts" between oyster beds - handfuls of small Reds, but sometimes some slots, and today, two Oversized Reds. Throwing jigs and live shrimp.

This morning I met Scott Jones and his fishing team made up of Ann and Meridee, meeting them early up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a well full of live shrimp as we made our way out of Eagans Creek, then we made a quick run up to the Jolley River to "get away from it all". The oysters were just beginning to show so we went with float rigs first, tossed up to about 4' out from the shell, then letting them drift. We were getting nibbles here and there but didn't have any real takers, so we moved on.

That was the ticket. Our next stop, JC's, was at a bend in the river and the shell was exposed so we went with jigs and the shrimp and began to get fish, especially when we got up to a "cut" between some oysters that was draining water out of the marsh. The trio of anglers combined to catch small but feisty Redfish, a couple of Seatrout, a small Flounder, a couple of small Sea Bass, a Puffer Fish!, a Croaker, a Grunt and then.....BAM! Ann had made a good cast to the shell and when it hit she said there was no mistaken, it was a big fish!  Ann played it perfectly and kept that pressure on and fought the big fish and after a long battle, landed an Oversized 27.75" Redfish, boy what a fish. And shortly after that it was Scott's turn to battle the big fish. His fish was ripping drag and took him from the bow to the stern, from starboard to port and back again. Scott fought it patiently and eventually landed another Oversized 32.25" Redfish - big enough to move him into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We fished that area thoroughly, then crossed over and fished the MOA where we picked up a couple of fish, then we made our way back to Tyger Island and fished the logs. I learned a new way to modify something today -its' called the "Sandwich Technique".  First you offer a compliment, then some constructive criticism, then you sandwich that with another compliment. Well today Meridee wasn't catching much, but she was making some excellent casts; she needed to be a bit more aggressive, but she persevered  (with a good attitude) and finally hooked up and put a fish in the boat! The Sandwich!  Ha! We had a beautiful day, caught a good variety of fish, had a couple of massive ones, so as we headed back to the ramp we called it a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

The Fish Got Bigger

 I wrapped my week up fishing with Cindy Gray and her grandsons Alex and Henry. We met up at the Old
Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made our way up and around to the Jolley River, turned into the "bank" and began to fish back with float rigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours - the oysters were pretty much covered. No luck. Not even a good bite.

We then moved around to the outside of Tyger and began working jigs and the minnows as we trolled into the incoming current and this did the trick. Alex, fishing on the bow, had a good thump early - he set the hook and expertly landed a big 18.25" Flounder. He and his grandmother Cindy added a couple of smaller Flounder to the catch, then Cindy had a good bite and after setting the hook, she worked in a feisty Redfish, just a bit undersized. Henry was fishing off the stern and when his rod began to bend we knew it was a big one, and it was fighting like a big Flounder. Sure enough, after Henry patiently played it to the net, the big Flounder measured right at 20.25" - a doormat! This fish moved Henry into First Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category.

After running back around and up the Jolley we made a stop at Tyger Cut and switched back to float rigs Henry had made a cast over a submerged oyster bed and we all saw something blast his bait, but not take it. Then, seconds later, his float disappeared and Henry lifted the rod to set the hook and Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and heading deep then it turned around and headed back down the river the other direction. I was calling "big Jack Crevalle" and boy was I wrong!  Henry worked him in and eventually landed a huge 32.5" Oversized Redfish, which moves him into a tie for 1st Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. Boy what a fish!

We made a long run back around to Tyger - the spot I wanted to fish was taken, so we kept going thru
Tyger into the Bell, down to the Lanceford and up it to Soap Creek. Tossing the floats, Alex had made a pinpoint cast and had a good hookup. He played it perfectly and brought to the net a nice 21" Slot Redfish. After picking up one more small Redfish, we called it a day and as we headed back to the ramp with a few fish in the box, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Two Tourny's and a Monster

 Yesterday we had a pretty good day of catching Flounder up north. The day before yesterday we fished "south", down around Nassauville, and even though we caught fish, there wasn't much to brag about. I think we had two or three Redfish with the biggest being about 12 inches! And even though we caught Flounder north yesterday, I just thought that going south was the place to be.

I met Mark Richardson and his son Braden down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and with a high and
incoming tide, we made the long run up the intracoastal waterway, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we eased up to a point and began to drift float rigs and mud minnows down the grass line. They had 4-6 drifts with no takers and I was beginning to wonder if we should move when Mark's float disappeared and when he tightened up he knew it was a big fish - it wasn't coming in  without a fight! Mark worked it slowly to the boat then it made a run back towards the bank and we were speculating what the fish could be, then it "boiled" up and we knew it was a big Red. Mark played it perfectly and after a good battle brought to the net a big 26.625 "tourney" Redfish. Later, he added a small Black Tip Shark and then small Slot Redfish to his catch total. Braden battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. 

We moved up and fished down the other side of the point but had no bites, then we drifted down the bank, tossing the floats, to no avail. When we got to a few grassy islands I hit the "anchor" and let the two anglers work the area thoroughly. Braden had made a long cast out beyond the grass and it had only drifted a bit and BAM! Float gone!  This fish immediately began to rip some drag, running out deep then going deep. But Braden was up to the task and kept that pressure on, worked it up, let it run, then worked it to the net to land another 26"+ Tourney Redfish, boy what a fish. 

Braden was feeling pretty good about matching his dad's fish but then Mark had another strong bite. All of this big fish fought funny today. This one dug deep but didn't seem to make an aggressive run until later in the fight. Mark worked it up, let it run, worked it up, worked it out from a Crab pot rope, let it run, then finally brought a beast of a Redfish to the net, it measured right at 31.25" - big enough to more Mark into 3rd Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

The tide had just hit the top so we ran back to Seymore's Pointe and fished the floats, but with no bites, we moved on. After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Pointe we worked a grassy edge with the floats and picked up a couple of Reds, one of which was of Slot size. Back over at Jackstaff "bank" we switched to jigs and the minnows and got one more Redfish. We had caught about 8 Redfish throughout the day;  the oversized Red was photographed and released, the two big Slot "tourney Reds" were released to grow another half inch and reach "escapement", and the two smaller Slot Reds came home with me for dinner! It was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Red Hook Gaurantee

 I fished yesterday with the Frost's - Steve and Carron, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat rampearly, and good for that - the day turned out very still and hot! We ran up the Nassau and made our first stop at Twin Creeks to fish float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows on a tide that had been coming in a few hours. We worked that spot and hit a few more along the Nassau and it was Steve that had the hot hand early - he caught a couple of Trout, a small flounder, and then battled a nice Slot sized Redfish to the boat. 

We fished down at Pumpkin Hill and both anglers were getting good drifts  - we couldn't believe that they weren't getting bites but it seemed the fish had taken a siesta as the tide peaked. .We dropped back to Seymore's Pointe - Carron fishing the jigs while Steve and I tossed floats to the rocks, but again, no real bites.

After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point we worked a grassy bank as the tide started out. This time it was Carron who had the big bites. She first hooked up and battled to the boat a big 20.75" Seatrout - big enough to move her into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a Trout! Then as we worked forward she had a big bite on red hook baited with a mud minnow and the drag was ripping, Big Fish On!  Carron took the fish across the bow, down the port side and around the stern a couple of times. She worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and eventually brought to the net an Oversized 29" Redfish!  Shortly after that Steve battled a big fish, too. We were thinking another Redfish but then it made those tale-tale signs of digging deep and holding the bottom and sure enough, it was a Bonnethead Shark. We had some good catches, and great weather, albeit a bit hot, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Limit and One Oversized

 I met the Pinkston boys out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning, Ray and his brothers Tommy and Jimmy. The tide still had a couple of hours of coming in so we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift floats and live shrimp with the incoming current along the flooding grass line. I was looking for Trout but all we found was one measly Croaker! We fished down the river a bit then made a move, running down the Nassau River to Twin Creeks and again anchored up to drift the slip floats.

Jimmy was on the stern and after opening his bail, he let his float "go deep" and it paid off - his float disappeared, he slapped his bail, caught up to it, and had a hookup!  Jimmy worked it in patiently and landed a nice 17" Seatrout. As it turned out, Tommy would be the Flounder Man today - he expertly landed three 14.75" of them in a row. As we worked down the bank Jimmy had another good bite, lifted to let the circle hook set, and Fish On!  He worked it to the boat and landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish. After the crew caught one more just undersized Flounder, we moved on.

After running up to Seymore's and fishing a large outflow as the tide started out, to no avail, we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and again stuck with the floats. At first it was kinda slow but then Tommy picked up a feisty Redfish. I had switched Ray to a mud minnow and after he had cast up above a grassy point, BAM! Float Gone!  And Ray had a battle on his hands!  He fought the big fish out from the bank, over to the port side, down the gunwale, under the boat and back out into deeper water. The fish ran shallow then deep, but Ray kept the pressure on. He worked it slowly in and eventually landed an Oversized 29.75" bull of a Redfish, boy what a fish!

We stayed there and picked up two more Slot Redfish (to get their limit) and a handful of smaller ones. We then moved back over to Jackstaff and worked one area where the trio added one more Redfish to their catch. We fished Jackstaff "bank" but after a Catfish or two we called it a day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Redfish In The Rain

 I uncovered the boat this morning in the rain, and it rained from the bait shop down to Sawpit, and it
rained when John Foreman, his son Chase and grandson Nate and I ran up the intracoastal to make our first stop at Poteat Point. It rained for about two hours into the trip, but the fish were biting! I think John's first or second cast produced a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout (the only one caught today), then Chase had a strong hookup on his float rig with live shrimp, and the battle was on!  And Chase was up to the battle - he played it perfectly, let it run ripping drag, worked it in, let it run and after a good fight landed an Oversized 28" Redfish, boy what a fish. 

We worked that bank good - John hooked up and expertly landed a Slot sized Redfish and the trio caught a handful of smaller Reds. Then Chase was again in for the big battle, and this fish was a BIG! Chase fought it from one side of the boat to the other as it dug deep and headed down river but he turned, it worked it in, and wore it out and eventually landed an even bigger Oversized Redfish, this one measuring 29.25". We crossed the creek and fished that for a bit, then made our way around to Jackstaff "bank" and worked it with jigs and live shrimp. We may have picked up a Catfish or two. 

After running thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to Twin Creeks we stayed with the jigs and fished
there and a few other drainages. Chase picked up another Slot Redfish, Nate landed a feisty Sheepshead, then he and John tag teamed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark.  John had a strange "thump", hooked it up and brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder, then further down the river it was Nate's turn to battle a big Slot Red. He played it perfectly, stuck with it, fought it in, and landed the biggest Slot Redfish of the day. We finished up fishing over at some docks where they caught a couple of Catfish before Chase hauled in the last keeper fish, a nice Flounder. 

We had gotten wet, but caught big fish, and had a good mess 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. 

Fishing The NSFA Tournament with High School Buddies

 We've been getting together for about the last 5 years - my High School football teammates and yesterday
we fished the NSFA Rodeo Tournament. Tony French played linebacker our Senior year, Daniel "bubba" Rhodes anchored one side of the line at offensive tackle while I anchored the other side at tackle. A few years ago we lost teammate Raymond Keen who had fished with a couple of those years prior and we always miss him. 

We launched early out at Goffinsville Park and made a quick run over to Spanish Drop on the Nassau River and began pitching jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. We hit a bunch of spots that day - we fished from 6:30am to about 4pm and at least two of us were complaining about sore knees and ankles as the day wore on. Tony "knocked the skunk off" when he caught a keeper sized Flounder, and I followed that up later with another keeper Flounder. Neither were big enough to warrant running them to check in, but they did go in the box!

We fished a few spots up and down Nassau River and picked up a good amount of small Redfish and a couple of Slot sized Reds. One of those that Dan caught was of legal size and had 4 Spots, again, probably not enough  to run to check in. We ran thru Horsehead and fished Jackstaff "bank" and caught another handful of Reds, and Jacks. Throughout the day we battled a couple of Sharks to the boat and released. Fishing back in the Nassau we landed more Redfish  on float rigs now, over the oyster beds. We ended up catching 4 Slot Reds for the day - Dan had the biggest at 25". We had to release two due to bag limits.

Also caught  were TWO oversized Redfish! The first ended up measuring at 27.5", just a half inch over the size limit. You can imagine the excitement when you know you've got a BIG Redfish on in a Tournament. That happened twice - the 2nd was FAT and measured well about he Slot at 29.5". Oh well - we had a great time catching up and reminiscing about growing up and going to school at FBHS so as we headed back to the ramp we counted as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Oversized Redfish, Finally

 

We had a beautiful sunrise today when I met Steve Locke and his son Justin out at Goffinsville Park this morning. I mentioned to Steve that we were getting some nice Trout and a few small Slot Redfish but we hadn't been getting nay BIG ones. Right. We made a quick run down the river and around to Seymore's Pointe where I thought we'd get some Seatrout on float rigs and shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide. I was wrong - we only had one bite, but no takers. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and here the duo got a few Seatrout. Justin had one take his bait and pulled a bit of drag and after a successful battle Justin landed a nice 17" keeper sized Trout. We eased up the bank and fished a pocket with those float rigs. Steve had made a good cast but the sun was right in our eyes - he peered past the glare and saw his float drift in to the grass and BAM! Fish On!  Steve worked 'em out, let the drag rip, then patiently played a nice 20" Slot Red to the net. Just like I had mentioned, "we're getting Slot Reds, but they're not real big".

We fished across the river there with the floats, then ran back up into Jackstaff and fished a drainage, both to no avail. After running back thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks we set up and tossed the floats. Not much action, so we switched to jigs and this did the trick. Justin was on the bow and picked up a Slam within 5 minutes - a Seatrout, a Red Drum, and a Black Drum. We moved down the river to a drainage and stuck with the jigs and it was the right call. Justin caught a couple of smaller Reds, then Steve, pitching to a submerged oyster bed, hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. He went back to the same spot and BAM! Big Fish ripping. This fish was big! I was worried about a crab pot/rope being in the way but Steve worked it out into deeper water where it was safe. He slowly lifted his rod, then let the big fish run, then slowly worked it in, then let it run. The fish ran deep and behind us and got in the current and Steve stayed patient and gradually brought to the net an Oversized 30.5" Redfish, boy what a fish.

Moving down to Spanish Drop we worked back into the current and here Justin got hot tossing his jigs/shrimp to the shell bank. He caught a good handful of Redfish and a few Seatrout as the jigs fell down that shell into deeper water. Steve switched back to a float rig and went long and picked up a Trout. After fishing a few spots along Nassaville we called it a day and heading back to the ramp. we counted ita s another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Bragging Rights Bust

 Today's planned "fun" fishing trip turned in to a busting of the Bragging Rights! Needing some fish for my Amelia Island Life Long Learning class's fish fry, I planned to fish this morning with my wife Carol and our neighbor and friend Wade Kirkland. We got an early start, picking up bait at Amelia Island Bait and Tackle then making our way out to Goffinsville Park. After launching and easing out of the No Wake Zone, we ran down the Nassau to make our first stop at Seymore's Ponte with plans to fish some dock pilings on the last of an outgoing tide.  The good news is that we had zero wind. The bad news was that the Sand Gnats (no seeums) were out in force. But we had bug spray and head nets so there was no whispers of mutiny, that I heard. Although I liked the spot and liked the tide we had hardly any nibbles except a small Seatrout that Carol caught before we moved on. 

I was killing time waiting for that tide to start back in so we stopped in at some docks at Nassauville and pitched the jigs and this gave us a good flurry of action. Both Carol and Wade hooked up and caught Seatrout and I got in a few casts, caught a few, one of which was of keeper size. We then made our way down to Broward Island and fished it as the tide began to hit bottom. We were treated to a Bald Eagle sighting and then a Salt Marsh Mink scampering along the bank - my first sighting of the year. Carol had a good cast up to the bank and in short order, BAM! Fish On! She played it perfectly and patiently brought it to the net - a nice 18"(maybe) Redfish. The measurement was so close we thought we'd have to debate the FWC guy so we tossed it back. Just as we were releasing it Wade had a strong hookup. This fish was heading north and ripping drag and digging deep and we knew it was a big one. But Wade was up the task and put up a valiant battle, working the fish in slowly, letting it run, working it in, letting it run and after about an 8 minutes fight he brought to the net an Oversized 32.5" Redfish. This fish moved Wade into First Place in the 2025 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  Boy what a fish!

We fished up and down the bank and picked up another handful of Redfish, one of which was of keeper size.  After fishing a small creek and getting two more Reds, we called it a day and headed back in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Bragging Times Two

 

What a cold, windy and dreary day it was that greeted us when David Vice and his fishing Team Gary and Allen met me out at Goffinsville Park this morning.  For me, it was a toss up whether to try and fish today with winds forecasted to get up to 16mph. But I had a Plan! So we met and made a long run up and thru Horsehead, into the intra-coastal and up the river to make our first stop at a nice drainage in hopes of getting some Drum or Reds on the last of an outgoing tide - but we didn't have a bite on our jigs and live shrimp.  We ran further up the river and into a creek behind Piney Island and fished it for a bit but again, we had not a bite. I was beginning to think my "Plan" wasn't a very good one. 

We decided to come back towards the ramp and found a couple of docks we could fish with the jigs and this did the trick. Gary had the first reel bite but it didn't take, then Allen, after making an excellent cast, hooked up and expertly reeled in a hungry Seatrout. to "knock the skunk off".  From then on, we were caching fish, most all of them deep in 25-30' of water. We caught so many I was beginning to think we'd run out of bait. Gary got the hang of it and caught and landed a number of the Trout, a couple of which were of keeper size. He also put a keeper Weakfish in the boat. David, fishing off of the bow, caught one Trout after the other, with a keeper or two. He also put a keeper Whiting in the boat. 

Thinking that we may have a shot at some Drum, we ran up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some
pilings but we were back to no bites. We then made our way down to Broward Island just as the tide hit bottom. David got hot on the stern and brought in a Trout. He went back to the same spot and BAM! Fish On!  It was ripping a bit of drag and I mistakenly called "small Redfish", but boy was I wrong! Once that fish got out deep it began to "dig" and then ripped line up current, then back, then dug deep, then ran again. When David got it to the surface we saw that it was a huge Redfish. David played it perfectly, letting it run then working in, over and over, until he was able to ease him into the net to land a 1st Place standing in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament with a 32" Redfish. Boy what a fish!. 

From the same hole we had another hookup. Gary was on the rod this time- he fought it valiantly and brought it up from the bottom. It was fighting a bit "weird" and sure enough when Gary got it to the net we saw that it was a very nice 18" Sheepshead, big enough to kick off the Bragging Rights Sheepshead Category with a 1st place position. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Not minutes later young Allen worked in and landed the only Slot Redfish of the day-  a nice 20" fish. The trio of anglers caught another handful of Seatrout, two of which were of keeper size(those and the big Sheepshead were released - they had enough for dinner). We fished until the bait was gone then we headed back to the ramp can counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Bragging Rights Busted

 After debating whether to even fish today, and meeting under some dreary skies up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning, and easing down Eagans Creek with a fine mist on our faces, David and Michele Dannenfelser proceeded to have a pretty good day of fishing! We made our way over to the back side of Tyger and fished the logs - the first area produced only a nibble or two - but as we moved down the island and set up around a group of logs the bite got to hopp'n. David had made good cast over to the bank and within seconds, BAM!  He had a strong hookup. He battled it to the boat and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish that had a Georgia DNR tag on it. Michele got in on the action after she got the hang of fishing a jig and shrimp on the bottom and picked up a keeper sized Seatrout.  She then put their secoind (and limit) Slot Red in the boat.  We found out we could fish those jigs out deeper and get Seatrout and after getting a handful, we moved on. 

We made our way up and around to the Jolley River and turned into the "bank" and switched to float rigs and the live shrimp on that lower incoming tide. This was just the ticket. Getting our cast up near the bank was rewarded with Redfish bites. Most were smaller (but feisty) but  one was in the Slot which was released to swim off. Again, another handful of Trout were caught, a couple of keeper size. They kept a couple of Trout but began to release the rest. Further up the river at "Snook Creek" we stayed with the floats and again we were busy catching fish. The current was faster here and the Trout were biting, and there were  few Reds caught, too. 

Back down the river we made a stop at Tyger Cut and here David found he could drift back into a "ripple" and get Seatrout. After making a short stop further down the river and fishing some "fishy looking spots", to no avail, we moved on. 

Our final stop, after running thru Tyger and around to the Bell, and over to a point of grass, we eased up to it and began to toss the floats. When David's float disappeared and his line began to run and his drag began to rip I was thinking, "oh boy, this is big"!  It was ripping towards what I knew was shallow water and big humps of oysters so we crossed our fingers and hoped!  David was up to the challenge and was very patient, and he needed to be because this was going to be a long battle. He worked the fish in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, pulled it out from under the boat, let it run. Every time we thought it was going to come in it would see the boat and take off again, ripping drag. But David kept that pressure on, stayed patient, and eventually landed on Oversized 35.25" bull of a Redfish - just barely bigger than the biggest of the year, but big enough to take over first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Now that's the way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Reds In The Backwater

 You may have noticed that hurricane Milton messed me up last week - 4-5 canceled trips! But I was back at it today and what a way to come back to work! My theory is that the fish are "gorging" themselves, getting ready for winter - the fish catching today was on fire - hands down the best trip I've had all year!

I had met Ann Mastroserio and her fishing crew Dave and Rich out at Goffinsville Park on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours and after running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point, we set up and drifted live shrimp under floats. Dave had the hot hand early, picking up one hungry Seatrout after another. Ann and Rich joined in catching a few then all heck broke loose! Rather than go into the gory details, this is how the morning went - recorded all the big fish....

Ann -24"  Slot Redfish  

   Rich - 21.5" Seatrout (ties for third biggest this year on the Bragging Rights board)                                       Dave - 26.5"  "Tournament" Slot Redfish                                                                                                            Rich -17" Seatrout                                                                                                                                            Dave- 28.5" Oversized Redfish                                                                                                                        Dave-25.5" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                Rich - 23.25: Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                        Ann - 30.25" Monster Oversized Redfish                                                                                                    Dave - 23" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                                     Rich - 28.25" Oversized Redfish                                                                                                                       Ann - 25.75" Slot Redfish                                                                                                                            

There were numerous "rat Reds" caught during the day, a handful of hard fighting Jack Crevalle's caught, Dave got a Slam by putting a small Flounder in the boat and Rich got his Slam with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Crazy great fishing day here at Amelia Island, Florida.