:Handicapped from the Start

After I got the boat ready and was having a cup of coffee I saw AIBT's Facebook post that they were out of live shrimp and minnows and I knew we'd be a bit handicapped from the start. But I luckily I had some fresh frozen shrimp in the freeze, which I grabbed, and I loaded up with a quart of fiddler crabs at the bait shop and then met Doug Massey, his son Mark and grandson Evan up at the Old Town boat ramp.  And then Capt Jesse Scruggs gave me a dozen mud minnows, so we were set!

We headed out of Eagans and over to Tyger and set up off a point to fish float rigs and drifted the mud minnows across an oyster flat with the outgoing current. The trio of anglers were getting good drifts but if we had a nibble, it wasn't much.  We crossed over the creek and fished a corner of grass with the floats, but again, no bites.

After coming out of Tyger and around to the outside we did pull up at a drainage and switched to jigs and the minnows and worked it pretty good, to no avail.  The wind was supposed to start picking up and sure enough, it was as we headed around to the Jolley River and fished another drainage, this time with the floats, and again, no bites. Ouch.  We were two hours in to the trip and the skunk was still on the boat!

But our next stop was around at Bell River, fishing the jigs with everything we had -live minnows, fresh dead shrimp, and fiddler crabs and this did the trick. Just a few minutes in Evan "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. He followed that up with a small Sheepshead caught on one of the fiddlers, then Mark got in on the action and expertly played a keeper sized Trout to the net. After a good cast up into a pocket behind some pilings he had another good bite, a hookup, and fought to the boat a nice Slot sized Redfish

We were getting bites now with the tide down and we were blocked from the growing wind.  Doug found a couple of Trout that were almost legal, Evan garnered a type of Slam with a Black "puppy" Drum catch (Trout, Sheepshead, Drum) and then he wrapped things up with a Whiting catch. As we headed back to the ramp, and out from the land mass, we soon found that the wind was howling, but with some good fish catches, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Bang at the End

 I was wondering who was crazier, me or my guests for wanting to fish this morning, especially when I
stepped out of the house and it was pouring rain. I got the boat ready to go, came in for some coffee, and as I headed to the bait shop it was still raining, and they were surprised to see me or anyone else heading out to fish. But the forecast called for the rain to stop mid morning, so when I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddy Jason out at the Goffinsville boat ramp we all had on our rain gear, and we headed out.

The first stop was down at Broward Island, fishing jigs on the very last of an outgoing tide. The water was a bit muddy, which had me worried, but Steve soon knocked the skunk of when he hooked and landed a feisty Redfish. Jason followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout, then added another feisty Red to the catch total.  We picked up one or two more Reds and a Blue, fishing under the Bald Eagles, and we missed a couple of fish, too. 

We made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings, got a few nibbles, and Steve put another Trout in the boat.  After heading back around to some docks at Nassauville and here the water was calm with the wind blocked by the land mass. It took a few minutes but eventually both anglers began to get bites, and hookups. Steve took his chances up near a submerged log and caught another Red, a hard fighting Blue Fish, and then both he and Jason got in to some Flounder, catching and landing 5 of them with two being of keeper size. And we missed a few. 

Back Seymore's we switched to float rigs and they caught another Red, another Flounder, and another Blue Fish. On further around we fished a large drainage at the last of an incoming tide and this is when we had the Big Bang!  The duo began to get Seatrout of nice size, the biggest was 18.5" caught by Steve.  After Jason had made a cast that got him up alongside a grassy point, his float drifted and, BAM! Fish On!  He worked the fish out fairly quickly and we were thinking maybe a small Red, especially when it boiled, but then it began to rip drag with a vengeance and we knew it was big. There was a chance it may cut off on the shallow oysters but Jason stayed with it and finally brought to the net a big 26.5" "tournament" sized Redfish, boy what fish. They added a few more Trout to the boat, 6 keepers in all and of course there were a few that we missed. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as a wet fishing trip that turned out pretty good!

Chased Off

 I fished this morning with Glenn and Patti Langford, knowing we might get wet. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and  headed up the Nassau, all the way to Broward to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. The first spot we stopped at didn't produce anything but nibbles, but as we moved down the way we began to get bites. We had a good bite, a hookup and Glenn battled to the boat a nice Slot sized Redfish. Patti, fishing off the stern, and a good hookup and landed another Red, then Glenn hooked up and fought to the boat another Slot Red.  We put a couple of more feisty Reds in the boat before we moved on. 

Down on the south end of the island, fishing under the Bald Eagles, Patti found a hungry Seatrout to bring to the net. After fishing the mouth of Pumpkin Hill with float rigs and feeding a handful of "bait stealers', we moved on. Our next stop was way up the Nassau, into a creek where we fished some downed logs. Again, Glenn had a hookup but this time his line got wrapped around his reel - as I worked to get it unwrapped, Glenn brought to the boat another feisty Red, brought in hand over hand!

As we were heading back to the Nassauville area we could see the rain heading our way but we were prepared with rain jackets. Unfortunately we were not ready for the lighting!  We could see flashes of the lightning and when it began to crash closer to us we decided to "pull the plug" and make a run back to the ramp. But we had had a few hours of fishing and had a couple in the box so as we pulled up to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It Began and Ended With a Flurry

Boy what a wind we had yesterday! I had to cancel the trip with winds 17-20mph plus, but we thought we could get one in today. I met Derek Poon with his two sons Zach and Tylge down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and the wind had died down to a comfortable 8mph so we made the run up the Nassau and around to Broward to try and catch the incoming tide before it got too high. I think first cast we had a hookup - Zach was on the rod and he played it perfectly to the net - a feisty Redfish and first fish of the day!

Shortly after that "dad" got hot -Derek caught and landed a Slot Red, then a nice keeper sized Seatrout. We moved down the way and fished back a little bit, under a Bald Eagle, and here Derek hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder - he had a "Slam" in the box!

We then came back up to Pumpkin Hill and switched to float rigs. The wind had picked up and it was making it difficult to cast into the wind but we did our best and caught a couple of small Seatrout. After fishing a grass patch for a bit we moved on. 

Our next stop was between two docks, back to fishing the jigs and shrimp and although we didn't have much action, Tyler did put another Flounder in the boat. We now had some high winds AND a high tide and I was thinking we had probably did all we were going to be able to do but we tried one final spot around at Seymore's, still tossing the float rigs and boy was I wrong All three anglers began to get bites - Seatrout. They had a handful of smaller Trout but Derek added 4 more keeper fish to his tally, Zach added a keeper Trout to his count, and Tyler put a big Blue in the boat. 

When we got back to the ramp we had a mess o' fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Grande Slam and Upper Slot Red

 

I did  an afternoon trip today, meeting Nate Aron, his father Aaron, and his father-in-law Gil Langley up at Eagans Creek. The wind had died a little bit since this morning and as we eased out of the creek we had clear skies and sunshine!  We made our way over to behind Tyger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. The first area was kind of slow except for the bait stealers but when we moved down we began to get fish. 

The trio put a nice Redfish in the boat, some Trout,  then Gil hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. That made an Amelia Island Back Country Slam, then Nate had strange bite, worked it patiently to the boat, and landed a nice Flounder to make it a Grande Slam. Then Aaron had a strong bite and when it was ripping drag and digging deep we knew we had a big one. Aaron played it like a "Jim Brown" pro, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 25.5" Slot Redfish. We had some good action after that but when it slowed we moved on - running up to the Jolley. After trying our hand with some float rigs, to no avail, we ran up to Snook Creek and switched back to the jigs and caught a couple of Seatrout. 

Our final stop was around at Bell River and here we had a good uptick in catches - mostly Seatrout, but a small Black Drum also. It had warmed just a bit, we had fished in clear, sunny skies, and we had a couple of fish in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wind and Cool Make for a Challenge

 When I stepped out side this morning in the dark to get the boat ready I was a bit surprised by the wind still kicking. I knew the forecast called for high winds overnight but I thought they were supposed to be done with by daylight. I went back in  and checked the weather and it was about right -14mph at the time, dropping to 12 as the morning progressed. So loaded up!

I met Dennis Adams, his son-in-law Danial, and nephew Ben up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and we eased out of Eagans and made the run north, into the wind) and around to the Jolley River.. Boy was it choppy!  We ran up the Jolley and found a large drainage to drift float rigs and live shrimp on the outgoing tide, but had no bites. Further up the Jolley, at Snook Creek we switched to jigs and this paid off. All three anglers began to get fish. Young Ben found him a "honey hole" off to the side and caught a good handful of hungry Seatrout. 

We then made our way around to the Bell River and stayed with the jigs and got good number of fish caught as that tide dropped - Seatrout, a small black drum, and a keeper sized Sheepshead. Our final stop was back at Lanceford Creek, fishing some docks. Although CM didn't pay off, we moved down a dock or two and BAM! Big Fish On!  Daniel was on the rod and played it perfectly, working it out from the pilings and brought him to the net lively - I almost missed him he was so green!  But after netting we measured it right at 25", a perfect Slot red to rap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Just a 40' Difference

 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 

Good Trout Bite Early

 We had a very high and outgoing tide to fish when myself, Bob Kossman, and Larry Westfall made to it to our first spot this morning. We fishing  a large outflow up the Nassau River with float rigs and live shrimp. My 'demo" cast produced a bite (I missed him) but after that Bob and Larry stayed busy catching Trout. We missed a you but caught more than we missed. A few of them were of keeper size with two being right at 17" 

When the bite finally slowed, we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and fished a stretch but the wind in our face made it a bit difficult. We came back to Jackstaff and fished a run out but had no bites.

Back thru Horsehead we went and down to some docks at Nassauville and here Larry got hot fishing a jig deep. He picked up a handful of Trout, had a big fish rip drag and come off, then he hooked up and landed a big 18,5" Trout, big enough to kick off the 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament, Seatrout Category.(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We then fished Pumpkin Hill with the float rigs but had no luck then made our way up the Nassau and into a creek to fish the jigs. And here it was Bob's turn to get hot. He hooked up with a big fish that was ripping drag but it made its way under a log - we could feel it tugging and sawing back and forth when we pulled the line. We tried repositioning the boat, opening the bail, but to no avail - it finally broke off. 

But Bob was not to be deterred - he hooked up and landed a nice 20" Slot Red (no pic- accidently dropped it over the side!), but then he saved me and caught and landed another Slot Red. We added one more feisty Red before we called it a a day. And as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Cast Jinx?

 Usually when our first cast of day catches a Slot Redfish I'm thinking "that's a good start". That's what happened this morning after I met John Fredericks and Dan Forsch up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and we hit our first spot - some dock pilings down the Amelia River. We were fishing on a tide that still had a few hours to go out, tossing jigs and live shrimp and first cast, BAM! Fish on!  Dan worked him out from behind a piling, played it perfectly and soon landed a 19" Slot Redfish!

But after that we fished and fished and had only nibbles from the "bait stealers'. After trying another dock we found anglers fishing from the dock so we moved on. Our next stop was way up Bell River, fishing a bend in the river and here the "first fish jinx" was off!  Both Dan and Robert caught Seatrout - a good handful of 14" fish but they also landed a couple of keepersize. We also had one or two "big" ones get off. They also caught a handful of smaller Black "puppy" Drum. We worked up and down that bend for a while, then moved. 

A brief stop at the MOA, with oysters exposed, and the tide low and still going out, but again, no luck.

Our final stop was around at Tyger, fishing the first of an incoming tide. Again, both anglers caught fish - feisty Reds, and then Dan put a nice 25" Slot in the boat. He also found what must have been a school of 10" Puppy Drum. We fished a downed tree - Dan had made an excellent cast, let it fall down by the limbs and BAM! Big Fish On!  Dan worked it patiently and when it came to the surface we saw it was a big Sheepshead and when netted it measured right at 20" - big enough to move in to First Place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament, Sheepshead Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We had gradually built up a nice box of fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Monster Red on Worst Weather Day

 Today had to have been one of the worst day's weather-wise that I've fished in a long time. We had checked the forecast and saw that by mid morning their was a 64% chance of rain but those Weathermen are notoriously wrong, right? Not today! I met Todd Johnson and his fishing buddy Patrick Davis down at Sawpit Creek on a tide that when we reached Nassauville, would just be starting to come in . When we reached our first spot we tossed jigs and live shrimp to some dock pilings but only produced two "aquarium" sized Seabass. 

As we motored to the next stop we began to get sprinkled on and for the rest of the day it either sprinkled or drizzled, or drenched us. And just  when we were rejoicing that we had very little wind. the "No-See-Ums" hit us with a vengeance. I had them in my eyes and swallowed a good handful. I thought for sure we'd get fish at that spot but had not a nibble. But we eased down a bit and fished the bank with the jigs, caught a few "feisty" Redfish  when Patrick hooked up and his drag began to rip I knew he had a big one!

Boy what a battle!  This fish was not coming in and I began to worry that it might be TOO big. He played it perfectly, battled it from starboard to port and back again, and then did it again, and when he finally got it to the surface we saw that it was a huge Redfish. I had trouble getting it into the net and had to try a 2nd time! After landing the fish it measured right at 35" which moved Patrick comfortably in the lead in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. 

After moving down the bank even more and turning into the current, we fished back a ways and just as we were about to leave Patrick put a perfect sized 24" Slot Red in the boat. 

Our next stop was up the Nassau, fishing a creek with the jigs. As we worked along the bank I began to wonder if this spot was going to "skunk" us. But once we found a tree to pitch under we found the "honey hole". Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam we caught fish. Todd put a keeper Slot fish in the boat and caught and landed a few more that were in the slot. Then Todd, trolling behind the boat, had a THUMP and then his rod bent and Fish On!  Todd worked it patiently to the net and landed a nice 17" Flounder, big enough to kick off the Bragging Rights in that Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We were soaking wet, and had gnat bites all over our hands, but as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Triple Ouch and a Comeback

 I fished south today, meeting Sean Patwell down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and a with a plan to
catch the first of an incoming tide we made a long run up the Nassau River to our first spot.  I think it was the first cast when we had a Strong hookup - this fish was digging deep and ripping drag with no intention of coming to the boat, and it didn't - it thru the hook! Dang it. We went back to the same spot and within minutes the same thing happened - Big bite, strong run, drag ripping, digging deep, and the hook thrown again!  Back to the same spot we went and ANOTHER big bite. This one dug deep and headed for a nearby obstruction. About when the line lined up, BAP! Fish Off! dang it times three!

But we kept fishing and picked up a couple of feisty Redfish from that same spot, then moved down the way. fished for a bit, then moved on. After making our way down the river and up a large creek we fished some docks with the jigs. Sean picked up a feisty Red right off, then he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  We caught one more Red along that stretch and move on.

Back down the river and up a creek, we worked a bank slowly. Sean had made an excellent cast up to the bank and caught another smaller Red, then went back to the same area and hooked up with a bigger fish. He played it perfect and soon landed a Slot Redfish. 

It was a beautiful day and we  had managed to stay out of the wind except when running so when we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Spot Two of Four Paid Off

 Oh what a beautiful morning! I met Joe Cutajar and his high school buddy Joe Auty down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and with sunshine and clear skies, we made our way up the Nassau River to make our first stop at some docks with plans to toss jigs and live shrimp to the pilings on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. Both anglers were making excellent casts but we didn't get much more than a bite.

We decided to make a long run way up in the Nassau to dip into a creek and fish that outgoing tide. We had probably fished about60 feet with no takers but then the duo began to get hookups to "knock the skunk off". They stayed busy catching one Redfish after another, a lot of smalls, a few that were just barely under 18", and we counted five that were in the Slot with the biggest being right at 22".  That was  a good stretch that made the day. 

After running back to the Nassauville area we fished a drainage with the jigs, but again, only a small bite or two. Our final stop was back at Broward Island on the very last of that outgoing tide, and Auty was able to hookup and land the only Trout of the day. The weather had been absolutely awesome so as we headed ack to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Young Angler Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

 

Back to work after a long weekend off in Charleston, I met the Andreasen fishing party early up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. It was Pat Andreasen, his son-in-law Bryan, grandson Mason, and friend Frank as we eased out up Eagans Creek and found some dock pilings to fish on a tide that had been coming out for a couple of hours. We weren't ready for the "demo" cast of live shrimp on a jig because right off, BAM! Big Fish On1 Before we know it, the fish was around  a piling and off. Ouch. 

But these anglers were not to be deterred. Young Mason put a couple or three feisty Redfish in the boat before the adult anglers could blink. Finally, granddad Pat, who was tossing a float rig up over some oysters picked up a couple of Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size, then he added a feisty Redfish to his catch. 

We then ran down the Amelia River to fish some structure, casting to the edge and letting the jig fall down the river bottom. I was beginning to think that we may need to move when BAM! Pat hooked up and battled a big 25" Slot Red to the net. Then BAM! Mason was catching Redfish, one after the other. Then BAM!  Pat hooked up and battled and landed a "Tournament" sized 26.75" Redfish. He and Mason had their number for a good while then Bryan finally joined in to put a Trout in the boat. 

Our next stop was back up north, fishing deep with jigs and here we got in to some Seatrout. Frank had been "laying back" but he joined in to put some Trout in the boat. All four anglers were catching fish and added three more keeper sized Trout to the box. As time wound down, Mason took home the hardware, the coveted GPK! And as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Beautiful Day Outstanding Fishing

I got out this morning, meeting Dick Conley, David Gray,and Henry Ross up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle as  the sun was coming up, and with a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. We eased up the creek and found a crusty dock to toss jigs and live shrimp too and it wasn't long before we were getting fish. David "knocked the skunk" off by picking up a Slot Redfish out of "door number 3" and from then on we were catching fish. He and Henry had a few fish in the boat and I was beginning to wonder if Dick was intentionally "laying back" and giving them a head start - was he even putting bait on his hook?  But then eventually he moved in with his cast and began to put fish in the boat, too. 

We all noticed that most of the fish were caught as the river bottom dropped off, in about 6' of water. The water temperature had warmed a bit since last week, up to 57 degrees. We caught fish for two hours and they caught their limit of Slot fish (1 apiece) and then we continued to count - we had about 6 Slot Reds there, the biggest being 24" .  They also added two keeper sized Black  "puppy" Drum to the catch. 

When it finally slowed we ran down the Amelia River and fished some structure and here the trio picked up 2-3 small but feisty Redfish. Back up the river came, and around to Tyger Island, fishing the logs, and did find one more feisty Red. 

Our final stop was over on the outside of Tyger and with the tide up, we eased in to some shallow water and switched to float rigs and the shrimp. I was hoping for a Trout or two to wrap things up  but was pleasantly surprised, they began to get Reds!  Most of them were small but we counted another 4 Slot Reds caught, the biggest being 23".  The sun was up, we had been shedding jackets, and we had a nice mess of fish in the boat so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

There's a Reason I Don't Gamble

 I tend to lose!  I've just never been the betting type but today I gambled that we would get fish on a high
and incoming tide. It didn't happen. I had met Sean Pattwell up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early with a tide that was high and still coming in, forecasted it hit the top around 8:15am. We eased out of Eagans Creek and I ran up to the outside of Tyger, thinking we might work a bank with jigs and get a fish or two. But we had zero bites. 

Just at high tide we moved around to Jolley Bank and fished floats with no luck and as the tide began to turn we ran back to the outside of Tyger and fished  a flooded corner of grass with the floats. I was really counting on this spot but, nope, no fish!

We then made the run down the Amelia River and fished some structure for a good 30 minutes or so with the jigs. Although Sean did  get one bite it wasn't a taker and we were looking at "skunk" just over the horizon.  But thankfully, Sean was patient - we ran back towards town, dipped into a creek, dipped into another creek and fished some dock pilings with the jigs.  We had two bites and two Slot Redfish!  Sean played them perfectly, worked to the boat, and landed a 23" Slot and a 18" Slot.  Skunk was off!

After fishing one more spot with float rigs (and no bites) we headed back. It was a beautiful morning that got prettier as the day went on - just a bit cool, no wind, and the sun was out so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Boat Flippin

 

We didn't flip the 12 Slot Reds we caught into the boat, but we did a whole lot of "boat flippin" of smaller fish!  What a beautiful day we had today! Sunshine, clear skies, no wind, and just a bit cool when I met Bob Blalock, his son Robbie, and nephew Collin up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a short run up the creek and began fishing some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had about three hours to go out - the oysters were just beginning to show. First cast produced a bite and a hookup but we lost it on the handoff but then on, for the rest of the 4  hour trip, it was Fish On!

Almost non-stop action - we had about 100 shrimp and I'd guestimate we caught fish on half of them and managed a "Super Grande Slam" of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum, Sheepshead and Flounder.  As mentioned, we counted 12 of the Reds to be in the Slot. Three of those were 26.5", 26'5" and 26.75".  We kept 6 keeper sized Seatrout, a couple of nice Sheepshead, and a big Black "puppy" Drum. And threw back umpteen smaller "ittty bitty" fish. 

13yo Collin was on fire was exhibiting sure signs of Mark of an Angler. Having fished "all his life", he was making excellent casts and tuned in to the bite, the hookset and then he played the fish like a pro, and all with a good attitude! We figured that he had the most fish caught for the day and the most Slot Reds, while Robbie had the biggest Redfish and only Flounder. Bob put the biggest Black Drum and Sheepshead in the boat. We had multiple "double" hookups and one "triple" when all three anglers had a fish on at one time.  It was an unbelievable crazy day of a catching a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Recipe of the Month: Garlic Parmesan Crusted Fish

 I fished with the Coffey's a couple of weeks ago and we got to talking recipes and Tracy B described what sounded like a good one. They caught some fish and planned to use it so I asked if they could send it to me and here it is..Tracy B Coffey's.....

Garlic Parmesan Crusted Fish

6 Fish filets

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 big cloves of freshly minced garlic

Juice of half a lemon

Parsley

1- 11 x9 baking dish

Step 1- preheat oven to 425. Rub 1 tbsp of oil on fish so the seasoning will stick better and season fish with salt and pepper.

Step 2- on a separate plate combine Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic and pinch more of salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the mixture and press into it so the mixture covers.

Step 3-place the fish in the baking dish and sprinkle a little more of the Parmesan/crumb mixture over the top of the fish. Then squeeze the juice from half the lemon over the top of the fish.

Step 4- bake fish till flaky or 20-25 minutes. The breadcrumbs should be a little browned. Finally, sprinkle some parsley overtop and serve.

Sharks and Rays and Reds

 

It appears the thunderstorms were moving in early today but I was able to get out and fish this morning with Melody and Scott Norton and after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, we made the run up the intercoastal and thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we stationed ourselves alongside a flooded grass line right at high tide.

The wind was kicking just a but it was coming over our backs so we were able to get some drifts and it paid off when Melody hooked up and  a battled a couple of high flying Ladyfish. We moved around the corner and fished it a bit but had no real bites. After running back down the Nassau and around to Seymore's Pointe we set  up at a large drainage and fished a point of grass with the floats. Scott got on the board with a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper catch (all fish caught today were released), and then we tangled with a few more of those.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to a small creek and began working the edge. When we got to a small run out Melody made a perfect cast to the mouth of it and this paid of in a big way! Her float disappeared and after lifting her rod and letting the circle hook set, Fish On!  Melody played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a Slot sized 19.5" Redfish. Scott was fishing off the stern and had let his float go long and as he started to reel it up, BAM! Big Fish On!  We were in for a long fight. The fish did "boil" up once by the grass and I was speculating "Big Redfish", but then it made a couple of drag ripping runs so I switched my guess to "Shark". We ended up chasing it down the river, had to work it out from behind an abandoned crab pot, then continued on with the battle. Scott stayed patient and eventually landed a nice Bonnethead Shark for photograph and release.

After fishing Poteat Cut for a bit, to no avail, we ran back thru Horsehead and fished some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp. The duo landed a handful of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper, then we moved around to some docks at Nassauville. Melody had fished her jig out deep and when the rod bent we knew she had something big. Again, we had a big, long, battle. Melody stayed with it and an exhausting fight, landed a big Stingray.  Scott went in to the rocks and caught a 16" Flounder.

Great Day of Fishing Amelia Island

 I noticed that the forecast called for the wind picking up this morning but I knew we had a little window to get in some good fishing, so when I met Dennis Cortez, his brother-in-law Jeff and nephew Liam down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we headed up the intercoastal and turned in to Back River and made our way over to the Nassau where we set up alongside "the spot" to fish with float rigs and live shrimp. My "demo" cast produced some bites and after I handed the rod off to Dennis, he went back to the same spot with an excellent cast and BAM! Fish on! Dennis brought it to the boat expertly and landed  hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off" quick! 

We had a good steady bite there for a while, catching feisty Redfish - Liam caught the first one, just undersized, but later Jeff had gone to a "cut" in the grass where the water was visibly flowing over some shell and when his float went under he lifted the rod to let the circle hook set and Big Fish On!  Jeff played it patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 23" Slot sized Redfish. We picked up a few more fish there then moved on. 

Our next stop was back down the Nassau at Twin Creeks and here Dennis put a hungry Trout in the boat then Liam found his personal Trout hole out the stern. We moved down the river a few hundred yards to a large drainage, and again, Seatrout. Then caught and landed a keeper sized Flounder (released due to the closed season), then Liam battled a shark for what seemed like an hour! He was very patient and eventually landed a 3' Bonnethead Shark

Fishing at a dock at Seymore's Pointe Ted hooked up and landed one of the biggest Trout I've had on the boat in a while, one that measured 20.75", then Liam made it a "Grande Slam" with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum catch.

The final spot was down between some docks at Nassauville where the trio caught one Mangrove Snapper after another. Dennis had a keeper sized one and followed that up with a feisty Redfish catch. Liam went with a minnow and picked up the final Red of the day. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.