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.
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.
Forget turning the spigot off, someone stick a finger in the dam! Boy have we had some rain this past week - the streets and fields and driveways and garages are flooding. I was three trips go down the drain before I was able to squeeze in today - cloudy, overcast, but no rain and no real wind to speak of. I met Jeff and Cindy Patrick up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early and we made the run up and around to the Jolley River to fish a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. The oysters still were not showing when we dropped the trolling motor and began to ease along the bank and toss float rigs and live shrimp and minnows up current to get good drifts along the marsh grass. It wasn't long before Cindy 'knocked the skunk off" with hungry Seatrout catch. We worked that "bank" good and both she and Jeff put a good handful of small but feisty Redfish in the boat. Finally, though, Cindy had a strong bite and it was taking drag. Cindy kept the pressure on, worked it out from the bank, then played it patiently to land a nice 22" Slot Redfish. All of these fish were a beautiful golden color.
We finished fishing out that stretch then ran up the river to a large drainage and drifted it with floats. Again, they caught a good handful of the feisty Reds. At one point something big boiled at the stern of the boat and shortly afterwards Cindy had another one of those drag ripping takes. The big fish took her from bow to stern, from starboard to port, and then it dug deep. Cindy worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then eventually brought to the net an oversized 27"+ Redfish, boy what a fish! In addition to the Redfish, Jeff added a fat Seatrout to his catch total.
We fished Snook Creek for a bit and added one Redfish, moved up and around and fished some exposed oysters with jigs where Jeff put another Red in the boat, then we made our way around to Bell River where we fished some docks. The bite had slowed considerably as the tide reached bottom but Jeff did manage to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam when he outsmarted a keeper sized Sheepshead and brought it to the net. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished with the Bailey boys, Douglas and his sons Anderson and Dylan and his father-in-law Glenan, meeting them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp to wrap my week up. We headed out on a tide that had been going out for less than an hour, running up the intercoastal and around to Pompano Point where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp, with finger mullet in the live well as back up.
We may have had a Ladyfish caught but then we definitely counted the "skunk off" when one of the crew landed a small but feisty Redfish. It seemed kinda slow, compared to yesterday - we had gotten a handful of those small Reds and a barely legal 19" Slot Red, and I was beginning to wonder, but then Dylan had made an excellent cast up between to twigs of sawgrass and BAM! Big Fish On! This fish was boiling and rolling and holding it's on, ripping drag and refusing to budge. But Dylan was up to the task, kept the pressure on, finally worked it out, let it run, worked it out, let it run, then worked it slowly to the boat to land a big 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish!
The excitement had barely died down when Dylan went back to the same spot and BAM! Another big fish on! He fought it valiantly - Glenan had a hookup off the stern that was ripping drag in the background, then was off - but Dylan's stayed on and he patiently brought to the net a nice 25" Slot Redfish. Then Anderson put a fish in the box- as he hooked up and fought it - I called "Redfish" but as it came to the boat we saw that it was a nice 18" Seatrout. Then Dylan hooked up and brought a 17" Trout to the net. All four anglers tangled with high flying Ladyfish and boated a couple of more small Redfish before we moved on.
Over at Jackstaff "bank" we worked it slowly, easing into the current, tossing the floats, and here Glenan got in on the big fish action. He had a strong hookup and the fish headed west! We all thought "shark" but just couldn't tell. Glenan fought it like a pro, went with up from stern to bow and back to bow and after a good battle landed a huge Jack Crevalle. We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Pumpkin Hill, fished a stretch of still covered oysters, to no avail, then crossed the mouth of the river to fish a shallow bend and here the action heated up again. They added a good handful of those feisty Redfish to their catch total.
After working Spanish Drop and picking up one more Redfish on a jig, we moved up to another drainage with plans to wrap things up. But this crew wasn't finished! Anderson had gone to the shell lined bank with a cast and BAM! Immediately when it hit the water he was hooked up. He fought the big fish patiently and soon landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. Anderson went back to the same spot, had a thump. and began to work it slowly in. We were speculating "oyster fish" up until it surfaced and then we saw that it was a huge Flounder! Anderson slowly eased it in and we netted a big 20.5" Flounder, a fish big enough ot move Anderson into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We wrapped it up after that and headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I was back to work today, meeting the Kucsma fishing team up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. The tide still had about an hour to hit bottom so we made our way around and up to the Jolley River, then down to the MOA to set up for fishing jigs and mud minnows. We didn't count "skunk off" when Andrew hauled in a Sail Cat but we did when Eddie brought in a copper colored Redfish. The trio fished that spot pretty good and we had a few bites from feisty Reds, but then we moved on.
Fishing across the way, working along a shell bed, we were just about to a small drainage thru the oysters when the fishing got real hot! Andrew hooked up and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout - they each caught smaller Reds, and a few more smaller Reds, then Jason had a strong hookup and this one wasn't coming in until it had ripped a bit of drag out. Jason played it expertly and eventually landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish.
We came back to the mouth of the Jolley and worked the bank and again caught small Reds, here and there. Back up at Snook Creek we worked that bank and here Eddie got hot when he landed a couple of Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size.
Our final stop was around at the outside of Tyger, sticking with the jigs. It was slow going but just after Eddie had announced "there were no fish here", BAM! Big Fish On! Andrew had hooked him up and the big fish had no intentions of coming to the boat. It was ripping drag and digging deep and it took Andrew around the bow a couple of times. Andrew kept the pressure on, worked it slowly in, let it run, worked it in, and finally landed a huge 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a battle!
Both Eddie and Andrew both put undersized Flounder in the boat, then Andrew added one more 19"Slot Redfish to the catch, and with that, we called it a day, another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up fishing with the Averbuch crew - Mark and his son Cutler and grandson Harvey- meeting them down at Sawpit Creek early today. We made our way up the intercoastal, up the Nassau, and made our first stop at Spanish Drop. As we worked the bank with jigs and live shrimp and a few mud minnows Mark got hot catching fish, making it plain that he didn't come fishing, he came to catch. He boated a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off", then hooked up a with a small Trout and another Red. Then the other two got in on the action and caught a good handful of feisty Reds. Mark had a strong hookup, battled it expertly, and landed the first Slot Redfish of the day, one of five that this team would catch. I was expecting a Flounder along here but they didn't cooperate.
We were really blowing thru the Shrimp so when we made our next run we made stop up near Seymore's Point and cast netted for 4-5 perfect size finger mullet. Then thru Horsehead we went and around to Jackstaff where we trolled into the current along the "bank". Again, this trio of Anglers stayed busy, catching another handful of small but feisty Reds. Harvey added to the variety when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper (all fish but one were released today) ,then his dad Cutler battled to the boat the 2nd slot Red to be photographed and released. Somewhere along there we caught a respectable Jack Crevalle. But no Flounder.
Back thru Horsehead we came and down the Nassau to Twin Creeks where we stuck with the jigs, but to no avail. After we bounced over to Nassauville and fished between two docks we had nothing, not a Red, not a Trout, not a Snapper, and no, not even a Flounder.
Our next and final stop was over at Pumpkin Hill and here we switched to floats with plans to drift the bank. Boy were we in for an awakening! They caught a couple of the small Redfish, then Mark had a drag ripping bite. This was a big fish and when it boiled up we knew it was big. Mark fought it paitently, letting it run and rip that drag and after a good battle landed an Oversized 30.5" Redfish, big enough to move him in to 3rd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
At that same time Cutler had a hookup and he was a battling #3 Slot Red to the boat. Young Harvey put a couple of Reds in the boat then Cutler added a nice 17" Seatrout. He and Mark both added Slot Reds to their catch total, making it number 4 and 5 for Slots for the day. With all that going on you would have thought we'd of got a Flounder!
But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished this morning with Mathew Massey and his daughter Sutton, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made the short run up the intercoastal and into the Nassau before pulling up at a large drainage to toss jigs and mud minnows. First cast produced a pretty good cast and then both angles were catching fish. They landed a couple of small Flounder, two fat Seatrout and a couple of feisty Redfish to round out an Amelia Island back country Slam. It was only minutes before Sutton was casting and catching on her own.
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We then made our way down to Broward Island and stayed with the jigs. Sutton had made an excellent cast to a creek mouth and BAM! Big Fish On! She played it perfectly and soon landed a big 18" Flounder (all fish caught today were released). They caught a couple of feisty Reds, then we moved up to the other end of the island where Matt put a big Mangrove Snapper in the boat.
After fishing between two docks at Nassauville, to no avail, we ran thru Horsehead and fished Jackstaff "bank", switching to float rigs. First cast, BAM! The float was gone. Matt worked to the boat the biggest Trout of the day. We worked along there tossing the floats, caught a handful of high flying Ladyfish, then, after Matt had made a good cast up into the pocket and got a good drift going, Fish On! And boy was it a big one! Matt played expertly, letting that drag rip and when we saw a big boil up near the grass we knew it was a big Redfish. Matt worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and soon landed an Oversized 27.5" Redfish - the biggest Red I've had on the boat in a month! We photographed and released it. We fished over at Pompano Point for a bit, then headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and took time to honor our fallen service men and women. It's amazing the sacrifice some made for us, and their families, too.
We were back at it today, fishing out of Goffinsville Park after I had met Steve Locke and his son Justin early. We made a short run down the Nassau River and pulled up at Spanish Drop, turned into the outgoing current and fished until the tide hit bottom. We had some pretty good action fishing jigs and live shrimp - Steve picked up a Jack Crevallle and a Ladyfish off the stern, then as we reached a submerged bar both he and Justin began to get Redfish - a good handful of them. Then Steve had a stronger bite - he played it patiently, and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized 21" Redfish.
We move up a bit to a large drainage and I think their first casts produced small but feisty Redfish. Steve battled a 3- Bonnethead Shark to the boat before we moved on. The tide had started back in so we fished a dock at Seymore's and managed a couple of small but legal Mangrove Snappers. After fishing down at Broward - we only got a small Mangrove, we came back to Nassauville and fished some docks, to no avail.
We just haven't been getting any good fish around the docks or downed logs. We came back down teh river, ran thru Horsehead and pulled up at the mouth of Jackstaff and worked the bank with float rigs. This duo caught another Jack then as we reached a small cove, BAM! Big Bite. Justin was on the rod and battled the big fish. It was digging deep and making runs. Justin Stayed with it and eventually worked it to the net - an upper Slot 26.25" Red. Boy what a fish. But birthday boy Justin wasn't finished! In just a short time he had another strong hookup Again, a big battle ensued. Justin played it perfectly and after a while landed an Oversized 30.25" Red - big enough to move Justin into 3rd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
They picked up another couple of smaller Reds, another nice Shark, and a handful of hungry Seatrout before we called it a day and as we ran back thru Horsehead, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I've probably mentioned it before....my dad, when we would be passing thru a rural area that had cows, he said his grandfather(my great grandfather) would say, "the cows are laying down, the fish aren't biting". We don't have any cows here at Amelia Island, but I've found that as I trailer my boat down to Sawpit Creek, there are rabbits out on the grass just past the Omni and I like to count them as I head south. I've always wondered if there was a correlation to how the fish bite would be. Today was a 5 "Wabbit" Day.
I met longtime friend Michael Stalvey, his son Byrd, and son-in-law Tylor Deas early at the ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop, turned into the incoming current, and began to toss float rigs to a flooding grass bank. We worked that bank thoroughly and I think we may have picked up a small Jack Crevalle and a tangled with a high flying Ladyfish.
The weather conditions couldn't have been any better- sunshine, just a slight breeze, and almost pond-like water. We moved down the way and fished Twin creeks with the floats - didn't get a bite, but I let off the trolling motor lock and we drifted with the current. Tylor had a good bite that didn't take and Mike followed right in behind him and BAM, Fish On! Mike played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot 20" Redfish.
Our next stop was up at Seymore's Pointe where we drifted float rigs up by the rocks. The trio of anglers caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a couple of which were keepers. But when we switched to jigs on the bottom things really picked up and they put another handful in the boat. We ended up keeping seven with the biggest measuring to 12". I know that's not "big", but these Mangroves make for some good eating!
We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Point and worked the first 30 yards with the float rigs. After getting a small Jack and a small Trout, we eased up the bank and all "heck" broke loose! Mike had let a soggy shrimp soke up near the bank - something took it and, BIG FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and digging deep. Mike stayed with it, kept the pressure on, let it run, worked it around the bow, worked it around the stern, and eventually landed a big Oversized 31.5" Redfish, big enough to move him in to 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what fish.
But we weren't finished, by a long shot! Tylor went up to a grassy point and BAM! Big Fish On! He played it perfectly and landed an Oversized 29" Redfish to move in to 3rd place in the Bragging Rights Tournament. Byrd went up to the same area and BAM! Big Fish On! He expertly battled this fish to the net and landed ANOTHER oversized 28" Redfish. They continued to fish this same spot, added two more Slot Reds, then Byrd, wanting to get on the Bragging Rights board, went back and caught a 29" Oversized Red. Boy what a finish! We headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
All week long we've had beautiful days, today included, but for the most part, we had to really work to get some fish in the boat. But today we had the beauty and we caught more fish! I had met Robert Stettner and David Vice out at Goffinsville Park early and with a tide that had been coming in for about an hour, we made a quick run down to Broward Island and set up to fish jigs and live shrimp. After tossing the baits up close, we let the slow current slide the bait down the river bottom.
David got on the board first with a strong bite, a hookup and after playing it expertly, he landed a nice feisty Jack Crevalle. From then on the two were getting bites and fish. Robert racked up on some feisty Sheepshead, a good handful of them, then he added a "barely legal" Slot Redfish. David put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. We moved down just a bit and added a couple of more Sheepshead to the catch total. After fishing further down the island for a bit, we moved on.
Our next stop was over at some docks at Seymores where didn't get much more than a nibble, then we made a short run down the Nasau to Twin Creeks and tossed some float rigs up current and had it drift across the mouths. In just a few casts Robert was hooked up and it was big! The drag was ripping at the big fish headed north, then it turned and headed out to deeper water. I made the mistake of calling it a shark, because after Robert expertly worked it to the boat we saw that it was a huge Redfish! Robert played it patiently and after a good battle landed a 28.75" over sized Redfish which we photographed and released. Boy what a fish! And shortly after that he went thru another huge battle to land a 3' Bonnethead Shark while David put another Seatrout in the boat.
We fished down at Spanish Drop for a bit where Robert put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat, then headed back over to Back River, fished s stretch, then finished up at Pumpkin Hill. The duo landed a Bluefish, another Trout, then David, after making an excellent cast to a grassy point, had a his float dissapear with a vengeance and Fish On! David fought it expertly to the boat and landed a big 18" Seatrout. After fishing around the corner for a bit we called it a day and headed back to the ramp counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Wow! Cool temperatures today, sunny skies, and almost zero wind greeted us this morning when I met the Szkaradnik crew down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Joe and Karen and Karen's brother John were eager to get up the river and fish so we headed up the Nassau and around to Broward to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. Although we had a few nibbles, and Karen did "knock the skunk off" with a keeper sized Seatrout catch, it was less than I expected. I was bumbed. But we moved down the bank about 40' and BAM! BAM! BAM! We began to get fish. Joe hooked up and played a nice 23" Slot fish to the net, then he and Karen traded catching small but feisty Reds, then Joe had another big bite and the battle was on! He fought the fish patiently working it back in run after run and after a good fight, landed an Oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish! That moves Joe into 2nd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category.
We caught a few more fish then moved down the island and worked back, tossing the jigs, but had no more bites. Our next stop was over at some docks at Seymore's and here Karen added a small Seatrout to the catch, and John had his first action when he hooked up and landed a small Sea Bass. We then came around to Nassauville and fished a outflow and Karen added a small Flounder to her catch, giving her an Amelia Island, Back Country Slam.
Our next stop, after running way up the Nassau, was in a small creek. We worked back into the incoming current and Joe kicked it off quickly with a Redfish catch. We eased along that bank and almost to the end we again to get Redfish bites. We lost two to the downed trees, but both Joe and John added a couple of Slot sized Redfish to the catch.
We had had a beautiful day and had some nice catches so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida
Another beautiful day today! I met Frank Boehm (B-O-E-H-M) and his fishing buddies Jack and Mark and Pat early up at Old Town Bait and Tackle and with a high tide that just started out, we made our way over to the outside of Tyger to fish float rigs with live shrimp. There was a bit of breeze coming from the NE but luckily it hadn't gotten too strong. We had a couple of "takes" but no hook sets and I was beginning to worry that we missed our shot then Jack hooked up played to the net a feisty Redfish to knock the skunk off. He and Frank traded catches then Frank had a good bite, lifted his rod, and BOOM! Big Fish On! We could tell it was big as the drag was ripping. Frank fought it patiently as it went to the stern and under the boat and eventually brought to the net an oversized 28" Redfish, big enough to move in to first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament- Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!
And shortly after that Jack hooked up with another big fish. He played it perfectly and soon landed a nice "right in the slot" 23" Redfish. He followed that up with another 18"+ Slot Red. We did pretty good there, adding a few more small but feisty Reds. I think Mark might have had the biggest one on of all but this fish hadn't gotten big without reason - we were in three feet of water and it must have dug down into the oysters and BAP, fish off. Ouch.
We made a run down the river and up Lanceford, fished a grass patch to no avail, then moved even further down the river to fish some structure. The first "demo" cast with jig and shrimp produced a feisty Red, then all four anglers were catching fish - Redfish. After Pat and Mark had put fish in the boat, Frank "BOOM" Boehm had another strong fish. This one was big . Way big. It was digging deep and ripping drag and digging even deeper and....it was off! Dang it! When Frank reeled up it hadn't broke off - the hook had bent! Crazy.
Our last stop was back at Tyger fishing jigs and here Pat got hot with catching Seatrout down deep. Frank added one more Redfish before we called it a day, and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it a s another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I had the Wytiaz's fishing today, Frank and Joanne, and we met up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early. After running up and around and into the Jolley River we turned into the current at the "bank" and began fishing back to the pointe with float rigs and mud minnows on a high and still incoming tide. The two anglers were making excellent casts to the grass, letting it drift along the marsh line and in just a while we had hookups of small Seatrout and Ladyfish. Then, after Joanne had got a cast close, I heard her drag begin to rip and, Big Fish On! And boy was it a battle! This fish was doing its best to stay up in the grass and over the oysters. It boiled up a time or two, then I saw a huge tail and confirmed it was a massive Redfish! Joanne hung with it and began to work it out from the edge and when she got it out deep I felt sure we had it. She kept the pressure on during numerous runs, worked it close, let it run, then after a long and epic battle, brought to the net an oversized 35.5" Redfish, big enough to move Joanne into a solid lead in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!
We then moved up the river and set up a point and drifted the float rigs and had a quick flurry of catches- Seatrout, Jacks, and Ladyfish. Joanne added a keeper sized 16" Seatrout to the catch. We moved further up the river and fished back into the current and here Frank got hot, real hot! He caught a couple of feisty Redfish up close to the grass, then Joanne added one, then Frank had a strong hookup and, Fish On! He played it perfectly, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish.
The tide had come to a standstill so we ran back to the outside of Tyger and fished a point as the now outgoing tide swept by. Again, we caught a couple of small Trout, small Reds, then a small Flounder, then Frank put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat and an 18" Seatrout.
Our final stop was around the corner, fishing a sand bottom for Flounder, but Frank found another nice Slot Redfish, this one measuring right at 21". They landed another small Flounder and Seatrout before we headed back to the dock and as we made the run, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and is a licensed US Coast Guard charter boat operator.
I fished with Chris Sneed and his fishing partner Chuck this morning, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours. There was almost zero wind so we made our way around the south end of Amelia to fish the small jettu while we were in the area. There was another boat on the north end so we stayed on the south and tossed jigs and live shrimp and even though they reported some "bumps" we had no takers.
After running up the Nassau River we stopped at Spanish Drop and worked the flooding shore line with float rigs and the shrimp. The sound of drags ripping as this duo hooked up and battled Bonnethead Shark is still ringing in my ears! We had more than a handful of shark fights. But finally, Chuck had made a good toss to the grass line and as his float slowly went under he lifted his rod and let the circle hook set and Fish On! Chuck brought it to the boat and landed a respectable Flounder for the box.
We fished Twin Creeks and beyond and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then we made the run around to Pumpkin Hill to drift the floats long on the last of that incoming tide. Again, Shark fights were the norm, but Chris did pick up a Seatrout on a pointe. Then, finally, some more drag ripping, but this fish stayed up close to the bank and when it boiled, we knew it was a big Red! Chris played it patiently and after a good battle landed an oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish!
After moving around the corner Chris had another hookup and I would have bet money it was a Flounder by the way it bit and fought. But as Chris worked it to the net we saw it was an uncommon Tripletail!
After that we fished Seymore's Pointe and caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a handful of Catfish, a couple of Ladyfish, a grunt, and a Jack Crevalle. It wasn't uncommon to hear those drags ripping so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up fishing with the Portfleet's, Tim and Lori and their daughter Danielle. After meeting them early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we ran up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Spanish Drop on a tide that had one hour to hit bottom. All three anglers were tossing jigs - Danielle and Lori baited with live shrimp and Tim fishing with a mud minnow. That first spot didn't produce nary a nibble so we moved on up to a large drainage. Danielle had made an excellent cast to the mouth of the drainage and almost immediately, BOOM! Fish On! She played it expertly to the boat and landed a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off".
We moved on up to Twin Creeks and fished the very last of that outgoing tide and here Tim had the strong hookup. He worked it to the boat and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Danielle valiantly battled a Shark for a long while then it was Tim's turn to battle one. He patiently played it and after long fight, brought it to the boat for pictures and release. Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's and here the trio played cat and mouse with the Mangoves. All three caught them and contributed to the dinner box.
Our next stop was down at Broward Island and boy was it pretty! Not much wind today and it made it easy to work along the edge pitching. We had a few good bites and then Danielle took advantage of one of them and hooked up and landed a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.
I was timing the trip to end up at one of my Mangrove Snapper holes but as we were passing Pumpkin Hill I thought it might be fun to fish some float rigs, so we set up alongside a flooding shell bank and began to drift floats long with live shrimp and boy did it pay off! Right off Lori hooked up and brought to the boat another 17" keeper sized Seatrout and from then on these anglers were catching fish. We'd have a drag screaming run from a Shark Bite, then another. Danielle hooked up and while her Shark was ripping off to the west, Lori hooked up with a big fish too. As we were getting Danielle's fish to the boat I saw Lori's fish "boil" a few times and knew it was a big Redfish. After Danielle's shark was photographed and released all attention turned to Lori and her epic battle. She stayed patient, kept the pressure on, and eventually hauled in an 29.25" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish.
We caught a couple of more Sharks, another Jack Crevalle, and another feisty Redfish before we called it a day, and as we were heading back, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Looking at the weather forecast last night I thought for sure we'd be getting wet today. But when I got up this morning it had improved which was great because we were going anyway! I met Henry Ross and his crew - David Gray, and Dick and Ethan Conley - up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and we headed over to Eagans Creek with plans to fish some dock pilings on a tide that had been going out for a few hours. The oysters were just beginning to show when we pulled up and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the pilings. Ethan was quick to "knock the skunk off" when he hooked up and fought a feisty Redfish to the net
His dad, Dick, hooked up a landed a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum then short while later he had a strong bite and, Big Fish On! It was nip and tuck there for a while as the big fish pulled deep up into the pilings. But Dick stayed patient and worked it out each time and when it rolled to the surface we knew it was a big Redfish. Dick worked it to the boat and landed a big 29.75" oversized Redfish - a fish big enough to move him into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. Boy what a fish!
We then made a long run up to the Bell River and fished some docks with the jigs. Nothing much was happening but David did get on the board with hard fighting Jack Crevalle catch. We were wrapping up to leave but Henry was still fishing with a mud minnow and had a good "bump" out deeper and fish on! Henry worked it expertly up to the surface and we netted a nice 16" Flounder. Although not huge, we'll let that set the bar for 1st place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
Continuing on around thru the Bell River we made a stop at the MOA. David was on the bow tossing up current on the very last of the outgoing tide. He had one strong hookup with a fish that was putting a good bend in the rod and....OFF! Dang it! But just a short while later, David made the same cast and it paid off with a Big Fish hookup. This fish had the room to dig deep and boy did it! The drag was ripping and the fish took him from bow to stern, from starboard to port, and then back to starboard, and back to port. I was laying my money on it being a Bonnethead Shark and luckily, boy was wrong! David worked it patiently up and when it surfaced we saw that it was another huge oversized Redfish, this one measuring in at 34", and big enough to take the lead spot, 1st. place, in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. Boy what a fish!
We fished the outside of Tyger for just a bit then headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up today, fishing north again with Craig and Christina Jones. We had met up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and made our way out of Eagans Creek to make our first run over to the outside of Tyger Island where we set up fishing float rigs on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. I don't think we got a nibble! Our next stop was further up the island, at a small drainage where we switched to jigs and shrimp and it was Craig who "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch. And Christina, who had her lucky hat on, followed that up with a Trout of her own.
We then made our way around to the Jolley River and fished with the floats again and the oysters were just beginning to show. Other than a brief tangle with a Gar fish, we had no luck. Our next stop was up at the MOA and although we couldn't see the oysters, we could see the "ripple" so we stopped and fished anyway, going with the jigs. Christina had made a cast that I thought for sure was right smack into the oysters and when her rod bent I thought "hang up" but, nope, BIG FISH! The rod stayed bent over and the drag was ripping and the fish hung close to the shore - I thought for sure it would carry that line across the oysters and snap, but Christina worked it out into deep water and unbeknown to the fish, it was Had!
Boy what a battle! Christina would work it close to the boat then it would dive deep. We saw it "roll" once and knew it was a big Red. It finally got in the current behind the boat, Christina worked it up, then it would dive. I got the net under it once but it was too big! It dove again and the battle recommenced! Eventually we got it in the net and on the boat and it turned out to be a huge, bulky, 33.5" oversized Redfish - big enough to obliterate the existing 1st place in the 2023 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish category! (scroll down the right side of his report for standings).
We made our way around to the Bell River, fished some docks, and picked up a hard fighting Bluefish, a Slot Redfish, and had a couple of other good bites. After fishing the MOA on a lower tide, and the logs of Tyger, we made our way back to the dock and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Kicking off the weekend early, I met Todd Johnson and his fishing buddy Patrick Davis up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We made a run down the intercoastal and found some structure to fish with jig and mud minnows on a tide that had been coming in for an hour or so. I think it was Patrick's first cast and as he let the jig bounce down the river bottom, it looked like he may be snagged but, BAM! Big Fish ON! We were in for a battle but Patrick was up for the task. The big fish dug deep and Patrick kept the pressure on, working it up off the bottom - a Big Redfish - then it would dive deep. That happened a few times before we were able to get a net under it and land an oversized 28.5" Redfish! This fish pushed Patrick into First Place in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. Boy what a fish! We continued to fish that spot and shortly after it was Todd's turn to fight the big fish, which he expertly did, and landed a "Tourney" sized Red, 26.75" and boy was it a bull! Then Patrick put a 24" Slot Red in the boat! Crazy huh?
We eventually moved down the way a bit - Patrick added a small Slot Red to the catch, then Todd hooked up and Big Fish On! Hah! He battled it patiently, keeping the pressure on, and eventually landed a oversized 29" Redfish, to take the lead in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament.....Redfish Category! Patrick's 15 minutes of fame, was over! Hah! Scroll down the right side of this report for Bragging Rights standings.
After making a run down the river we eased up in behind a dock and fished the pilings. Again, Patrick's first cast produced a big bite. This fish was big and pulling hard, but it was already around some pilings and eventually the line went tight and, BAP, fish off! Todd caught and landed a feisty Redfish, then Patrick hooked up and landed another Slot Red. We picked up another couple of fish, then moved on.
Switching to floats, we fished Soap Creek(no bites), Lanceford Creek(no bites), Bell River(no bites) then the outside of Tyger where Todd finally knocked the skunk off the floats with a feisty Redfish catch. After touring Cumberland Island to see some wild horses, we headed for the dock and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
