Boy, Were We Wrong

 It was one of those "Chamber of Commerce" days with clear skies, sunshine, and only a slight breezewhen I met Jeff Key and his fiancé Sally down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. The gnats were bad at the dock but after we made our way up the river we never saw them again. Our first stop was up at Pumpkin Hill where we drifted float rigs and live shrimp with the last of the incoming current and it didn't take long for Jeff to hookup and bring to the boat a nice keeper sized Seatrout. He caught a couple more smaller Trout then he had a good hookup, one that was ripping some drag - I called "small Redfish" but as Jeff worked it to the net he landed a big 19.5" oversized Seatrout - big enough to move Jeff in to 2nd Place in the 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). But I wasn't done being wrong!

On another drift Jeff had a hard take and almost immediately a big dark form rolled up. Jeff and I called it a "Ray" while Sally called it a dolphin. It was ripping drag and digging deep and I thought for sure that, being a Ray, it would break off any minute. But Jeff kept the pressure on and fought it patiently -it rolled again but didn't actually show, but we new it was big! Jeff worked it around the stern of the boat, let it run, worked it closer, then I saw that it was a huge Redfish. After landing the fish we measured it (twice) as 27.5" - oversized but big enough to move Jeff into 2nd Place in the Redfish Category of the Bragging Rights Tournament! We added one more keeper Trout along here, and also had some small throw backs. 

We fished around a point and picked up another smaller Trout, then ran back to Seymore's Pointe where I just knew we'd be getting some more fish. Wrong again! We didn't get a real bite. Thru Horsehead we went and on the other side we set up and fished a drainage, to no avail. We went over and fished Poteat Point where Jeff did hookup and land another nice keeper sized Seatrout. Back over at Jackstaff we pulled up to fish a cut with jigs. The two anglers weren't getting any bites but then I saw Sally's rod bend and Fish On!  Sally played the fish expertly and slowly worked it up to the surface - a tale-tale sign- and sure enough as it came up we saw it was a nice Flounder. Sally brought it to the net and we measured it at 16.5", big enough to set the bar for 1st Place in the 2026 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category. And shortly after that Jeff hooked and landed a smaller Flounder. 

We ran back thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks where we wrapped the trip up tossing jigs and minnows. We had some good fish in the boat, had thrown back some oversized ones, and had made a mark on the Bragging Rights board so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Breakout Day

 The way the bite has been non-existent lately I was even more worried when I stepped out this morning
and saw an almost full moon. But I've been thinking that the bite has to turn sooner or later and why not today? When I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddies Jason and Todd out at Goffinsville Park I did give them the sad news of poor fishing lately, but they ignored it, thankfully! We made our first run down the Nassau and pulled up at some structure on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour and we went with jigs and live shrimp and minnows.

Todd was new to the boat but he didn't waste any time - he hooked up with a hard fighting fish and expertly landed a Slot Redfish. Steve hooked and landed a keeper sized Seatrout and Jason added a
feisty Redfish to the catch. Then it was Todd's turn again - he said it was "just a nibble" but when that drag started ripping he knew it was a Big Fish. That fish dug deep and headed south - Todd followed it to the stern of the boat keeping that pressure on it - he went from starboard to port and back again, working it up as it dug deep time and again. Finally, after a good battle, Todd brought to the net a nice 26" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish! We fished that stretch for a while, picking up another couple of smaller Reds, then we moved on.

Our next stop was way up the Nassau, where we pulled  into a small creek and worked the bank. We got a couple of small Reds then Jason hooked up and expertly battled a nice 5 spot Slot Red to the net. Steve then had the big battle - he was working in smaller confines as his fish ripped drag-I was worried that it would surely find a log to wrap itself, but Steve kept that pressure on and worked it out away from the bank and soon landed a fat 25" Slot Redfish, another big fish for the day!

Our final stop was back down at Seymore's Pointe as the tide was ebbing, fishing floats. All was quite until a strike almost snatched the rod out of Todd's hands. It ripped some drag a bit and I was thinking "small Redfish" but as he brought it to the boat we saw that it was a big Seatrout, one that measured right at 20.5",and with the new regulations, had to go back. But it was big enough to move Todd into first place in the 2026 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). After a few weeks of poor fishing, we had caught some quality fish today so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Foggy Start

 

We had some serious fog out there this morning! I had met Don Walters and Alex Bournias up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle at sunrise but we had to "putter" most of the way down the intracoastal to get to our first spot - we could see about 50 yards. But when we got to a likely looking dock on a tide that still had a couple of hours for it to hit bottom. Both anglers were getting good casts up between the pilings but all we were getting were the tap tap of small fish then finally BAM! Alex had a big fish on and luckily it came out as he applied the pressure then it ripped drag digging deep. Alex worked it up, pulled it to the outside and played it to the net, landing a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish - the "skunk was off!"  

Don went in and hooked and landed another feisty Redfish then he had not one but two big fish take his bait, charge back under the dock and eventually break off, OUCH! He also hooked an battled a nice Black "puppy" Drum to the net.  We then made a run further down the river to fish some rocks with the jigs and live shrimp and even though the bite wasn't there, Alex did pick up a hungry Seatrout. We fished some docks up behind Piney Island and had a nice Trout on for a bit, then we finished up over behind Tyger Island where the duo rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Grand Slam by catching a keeper sized Sheepshead. The fog had finally lifted, the sun was out, and we had a couple of nice 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. 

Had to Work For 'em

 What a beautiful day!  We waited and went this afternoon - sunny skies, and it had warmed to shirtsleeves temperatures, and had just enough breeze to keep the gnats off. I met Eric Stevens and his fishing partner Gary out at Goffinsville Park and with a baitwell full of live shrimp, we left the dock and headed over to Seymore's Point and set up at a large drainage to fish float rigs and  the kicking shrimp. We were late. The outgoing tide had already gotten down to where our floats wouldn't float. But Eric, fishing off the stern, went long and did pick up a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off". We had a couple of more bites but no takers, so we moved on. 

We fished down the Nassau, hitting a couple of spots with jigs and the shrimp but we had not real bites. After coming back up the river we stopped between two docks at Nassauville and stuck with the jigs. Eric picked up a small Bluefish while Gary expertly landed a Flounder that was just a smidge undersized. All fish caught today were released. After running down to Broward Island we fished a drainage, then the bank, then another stretch with the jigs - it was beautiful fishing the island, but we had no real bites. 

It was time to run to the SSHH (Super Secret Honey Hole) - way up the Nassau, boy what a run! The tide was outgoing and it was getting low already with 2 hours to the bottom. We worked along the bank, pitching to the logs and brush and BAM! Gary had a strong bite. He played it patiently, working it in, letting it run, and brought a nice Slot Redfish to the net. We had some action! Shortly after that Eric hauled a feisty Red in then he went back to a brush pile and BAM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and it was a while before we knew it was subdued. Eric played it expertly and eventually landed a big Slot Redfish. We worked along that stretch - Gary hooked and landed another Seatrout, then the duo added another Redfish. 

I noticed the water temperatures fluctuated between 60, 69 and 64 degrees, depending on where we were fishing. These anglers had to work for 'em, but we ended up with a few nice fish, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Jack in the Back (water)

 

Boy what a beautiful day today - it was in he high 60's when I launched at sunup and when it did come up there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Almost zero breeze did bring out the No-Seeums but we had spray for that! I met John Fredericks and his fishing buddy Dan Forsch down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the intracoastal and into the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop with a tide that was about an hour shy of being low. The two anglers went with jigs and live shrimp and pitched the bank as we eased into the slacking current. We had a handful of nibbles, and actually two good bites that ripped some drag and bent a rod, but they didn't take until John hooked up and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead to knock the skunk off. 

We bumped down the bank, fishing drainages and had bites but no takers, so we moved on. Our next
stop was up the Nassau where we fished between two docks and here the action picked up. Dan got hot fishing off the stern and hooked and landed a handful of Seatrout, caught deep, with one of them being of keeper size. Then he had s strong hookup and this fish was fighting erratically and Dan stayed with it. He worked it in and landed a keeper sized Spanish Mackerel.  We've caught a few Spanish Mackerel over the years, but not many, in the back water. 

Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to some dock pilings - the trio fought and landed three Black "puppy" Drum, just undersized. Dan had one strong bite that wrapped around a piling and broke off, boy what a fish! We then motored down to Broward Island and fished a drainage waiting for the tide to turn down there and got some good action catching Seatrout deep again, and one of those was of keeper size.  We worked down the bank as the tide changed and both John and Dan put a Slot Red in the boat after expertly battling them to the net. We had slowly put a nice box of fish together so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Two Fat 24's

 

We had to creep thru the fob this morning, boy was it thick! I had met Doug Brossman and his fishing partner Hank Prolog down at Sawpit Creek, mid-morning, right at high tide. We had to ease up the intracoastal and up the Nassau to make our first stop up at Seymore's Pointe where we went with float rigs and live shrimp, pitched to a large drainage. I was somewhat encouraged, with the water temp at 60 degrees, the two anglers had some decent action catching Seatrout and a couple of small Blues. 

We then ran around the point and up the Nassau and drifted the floats over some shell beds, to no avail. Back down the river we came, to Twin Creeks, and again drifted the floats, with no luck. We briefly switched to jigs and the shrimp, had no bites, then came back up the river to fish between some docks at Nassauville and this did the trick with a handful of Seatrout catches. 

Down at Broward Island we fished deep with the jigs. Doug picked up a small Seatrout at a drainage, then we moved down the island, under the eye of the Bald Eagles and here we caught a couple of Redfish, one of which was in the slot.  After a good run up the Nassau we eased in to our final spot -the Super Duper Lucky Spot, and it fit the bill. The duo almost immediately began to get Redfish. They added four more Slot fish, with two of them measuring right at 24" and they also tossed back a handful of smaller "rat" Reds. Doug picked up a hard fighting keeper sized Black Drum to add to the catch total. 

The sun had come out and the fog was pretty much gone and we had some good action at a couple of spots so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amella Island, Florida. 

We Caught a Bunch

 Another cold and sunny day greeted us up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning when I met Bob and William Blalock with plans to fish the last hour of an outgoing tide. We were right there in Eagans so we eased up the creek and found some docks to anchor up current and fish back into the pilings. It was a slow start but it was a good move. The duo pulled a couple of Redfish out from under the  dock, then we moved to the outside and pitched up in there again and boy did this pay off! They caught Redish - the fish did hit hard but they just picked the bait up with a subtle bite - you had to concentrate. There were a couple of small Slot Reds caught then Bob hooked up with what we thought was going to be  big Black Drum by the way it was digging deep, but after a patient battle, he brought to the surface a huge Redfish- we netted it and it measured right at 29.25" - big enough to move Bob into first place in the 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. 

The continued to pitch, and about the time I'd mention moving, BAM! Another big fish. Both anglers hauled in some really nice Black "puppy" Drum (all fish caught today were released). Then Bob had another strong bite and Fish ON!  As he fought the big fish William had a good bite, set the hook, and we had a Double! I didn't know which fish to net first! But William kept his in the water and after netting Bob's 25.5" Redfish, I went forward and netted Williams big Drum. The duo put a few more fish in the boat - Bob guestimated 15 fish, then we moved on. 

We fished the Tyger logs and William picked up one hungry Seatrout but the wind was kicking out of the south west which doesn't bode well, so we ran around to the Jolley, fished some oysters, then finished up over at Bell River. We were blocked from the wind with very pleasant fishing conditions, but the fish didn't cooperate, so we headed back to the dock and counted it as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Woulda Coulda

 Not once but Twice! That was how many Big fish were on, and off!  The day had started early, cold, but sunny out at Goffinsville Park where I met Bob Blalock, his two sons William and Robby, and Collin, the "Legend".  We were all bundled up as we ran down the river to the first stop where we opted to pitch jigs and live shrimp in some deep water by some docks. William "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. He followed that  up with a nice 17" Sheepshead to kick off that Category in the 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament. 

The tide still had about 30 minutes to go out so we headed down the Nassau and fished a drainage until the tide stopped. Then, back up to a dock at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to the pilings on that first of an incoming tide. It wasn't long before Collin had a strong hookup, a BIG fish - he was playing it patiently as it dug deep. It did come to the surface once, a big Black Drum, then BIP, it threw the hook! That Woulda been a big fish! Collin went back to the same area and within a few minutes BAM! Another big fish on. We think this was a big Red because it ran thru the pilings, heading to Georgia - it caught on the pilings and BAP! Fish Off. If we Coulda got that fish in.....

But these anglers were not to be deterred. We fished down the docks for a bit, picked up a Seatrout, then pulled up and ran to Broward where we set up and tossed to the bank as the tide started in there. Here, they picked up a handful of Reds, a couple of which were in the Slot and we also got a Seatrout. Our last top was way  up the river and into a creek where we worked the bank and got another good handful of Redfish. A couple of those were in the Slot, one had 9 Spots, and we had a double hookup at one time. Robby also added another keeper sized Seatrout. Most of all these fish were released. We kept 2 for dinner!  The sun had finally warmed us up, we had some good action, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Found a Hot Spot

 

Boy what a beautiful morning!  Getting out on the water, sun shining, mild temperatures, and wetting a line - you just can't beat it!  I met Craig Jones and his son Andrew down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and we made our way up the Nassau River on a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. We ran to some docks to take advantage of that incoming tide and pitched jigs to some dock pilings. The bites were few and far between but Andrew did manage to "knock the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. 

We then ran down to Broward Island and fished the bank with the jigs. I had a good handful of small live
shrimp leftover from Thursday and I had bought a quart of fiddler crabs. Neither caught a fish at Broward!  There was a boat just south of us that we saw catch a couple of Reds, one of them slot - that's never a good 'look" for a fishing guide - to have someone catching fish  within sight! But we worked that bank good, then pulled anchor and ran way up the river (almost to Callahan) where we eased in a pitched the shrimp and fiddlers, and this did the trick.

Both Craig and Andrew began to catch fish - Redfish - they took turns hauling them in. I know we had at least 4 slot fish and a whole bunch of smaller Reds that we tossed back. Most were in one area and we milked the spot for a good hour and a half. We then came back down the Nassau, stopped at Littlefield for a bit, then finished up at Twin Creeks, fishing floats at the peak of he high tide. We had good weather, some good action, and 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. 

Back In Action With Some Slot Reds

 We're back! After a month and a half layoff, we were back fishing today, and with a few trips lined up in the next few days I should have some fishing reports.  Today I met Ed and Madonna AndrewLavage down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp - the tide had been coming in for a couple of hours but I thought it wouldn't hurt to make the run up the Nassau to Broward Island and pitch our jigs and live shrimp, and we did just that!  We had a little bit of fog as we ran but it was no hindrance and as we pulled up to the island there was not much of a breeze (we did break out the insect repellent later). Both anglers were getting good casts  btu se didn't get much more than a nibble. We eased down the bank, did the same, and again, not hardly a nibble. We moved down the island, passed the Bald Eagles, fished the bank and....not a nibble. Ouch. So much for a plan. 

We then made along run up the Nassau and eased into a secluded creek, turned into the current and worked back and this did the trick. Ed had the first hookup to knock the skunk off and he expertly played to the net a 17 and 15/16" barely undersized Redfish to the net. We eased along the bank, pitching to the deep edge and Ed noted that the fish weren't aggressive at all - he'd just tighten up, feel the weight, and set the hook. At one spot he picked  up 4 more Redfish, all of them in the Slot size, one of which had 14 spots(eventually released) and the biggest, a 26.25" fish, big enough to set the bar for 2026 Bragging Rights -Ed battled it expertly to the net. 

We came back down to Pumpkin Hill and fished float rigs and did get one hungry Seatrout, then we made our way down to Seymore's Pointe where the tide had started out -Madonna's Spot we called it. Just when I thought it was going to be a bust, Ed had his float disappear- he tightened up and let the circle hook set and Fish On!  Ed played Madonna's Redfish perfectly, let it run, worked it in, and soon landed another nice Slot Redfish, this one measuring a little over 24". Madonna followed that up with a nice fat Seatrout catch to get on the board. After fishing one more spot with the float rigs awe called it a day and headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

An Explosion of Fish Catching

 

Boy was it foggy this morning - as I was driving to the Sawpit Creek boat ramp I was concerned that we may have to just putter around to the bridge and fish until it lifted. But after launching we saw that we did have about a hundred yards of visibility, so after meeting Jason Ash and his college buddies Tom and Adam early, we made a cautious run up the intracoastal, and up the Nassau, all the way to Littlefield where we went with jigs and live shrimp in the last of an outgoing tide. The Baitstealers were out in force! They used 6-7 shrimp to catch one small Seatrout- we were blowing thru the bait quick to catch those few Trout, so we moved on.

Back down the Nassau, we pulled up at a drainage just as the tide was hitting bottom, fished it with the
jigs, to no avail, then we moved down to Spanish Drop and worked the exposed shell bank as the current began to shift. No bites at all. We then made our way back up river to Seymore's Pointe and fished a dock in hopes of a Black Drum but again, no real bites. I was beginning to wonder ....

Those docks looked so good we decided to work each one of them, easing in between them and pitching to the pilings. Tom hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout, then Adam hooked and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (Adam was using some live fiddler crabs and they paid off for him). Off the stern, Jason began to catch Sandtrout/Weakfish and found a "honey hole" - he was boating one on every cast - Tom was pitching in under a boat and started hauling out Redfish, one after the other. Adam had probably the biggest hooked up but this fish was smart and wrapped itself around a pilings and BAP, broke off. They picked up two more keeper sized Black Drum, another keeper sized Seatrout, then Tom hooked and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish - it was an explosion of fish catching!

We fished back at the original dock, all out of shrimp, but with a bucket of fiddlers. Adam had made an excellent cast and BAM! Fish On! He played it patiently to the net and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead to wrap things. They had put a "Super Grande Slam" in the boat - Seatrout, Weakfish, Red Drum, Black Drum and Sheepshead si as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wrapping Up The Old Year With Some Great Fishing

 We wrapped up 2025 yesterday with some great fishing - although it was a bit cool at 35 degrees as we
left the Sawpit boat launch!  I had met Mark Averbuch, his son Jared and grandson Max early to get a fishing trip in the last day of the year - we ran up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop up at Seymor's Point - I lost my knit cap on the way and paid for it with a cold forehead those first few runs! Although the bite was not "one fire" as we drifted float rigs and live shrimp at a large drainage but Mark, fishing off the stern, did get the "skunk" off when he hooked and landed a hungry Seatrout then battled a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the boat. All fish caught today were released.

We knew the wind would be blowing all morning at 10mph, with gusts, so we had made a plan to try and stay in behind a land mass to get our fishing in, and the plan worked, although we did have run thru the wind to get to where we were going. Our next stop was around at Littlefield where we pitched jigs and the shrimp and all three anglers began to get fish. They found that they had to fish those jigs sloooowww and when they felt a "bump", set the hook. Most were Seatrout just below the size limit but we did have a couple that would have met the size limit. Both Mark and grandson Max hauled in a Flounder each that were right at keeper size. The "baitstealers" began out-competing for our bait though, so we moved on.

After a long run up the Nassau we turned into a small creek and fished a log lined bank and here we found some Redfish. You got to work that bank its full stretch - I was expecting some bites where we started but as we got to the opposite end they began to hookup. I guestimated they caught 10 Redfish, most being right at 17 7/8", but we did get one that was right at 19". The sun had really warmed things up and we'd had pretty good action all morning so as we headed back to the ramp we counted is another great day to wrap up the year fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Christmas Came Early

 After a howling windy day yesterday, today was "picture perfect" - zero winds, and sunshine when I met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsivlle Park. The sun had just come up, the tide had started in about an hour earlier, so we made short run up the Nassau River to try our luck with jigs and live shrimp at Broward Island. These two anglers are always getting good casts and today was  no exception - they were tossing their jigs baited with live shrimp to the bank and letting that incoming current bounce the bati down the river bottom, and it paid off!  Dara hooked up off the stern and expertly reeled in a hungry Seatrout - the skunk was off!  We worked along the bank for a bit and picked up a handful of Trout, two of which were of keeper size. We moved down to the other end, fished under the Eagles, and picked up another Trout or two, and  one feisty Sheepshead.

Our next stop was way up the river where we found a small creek to dip into and work a shallow bank. Right off, Dara hooked up and landed the first Redfish of the day, then William went in behind a tree hanging over the creek and BAM! He hooked up, then Dara hooked up, we had a "double". They both landed Redfish. We worked along and had another Double hookup or two, then they landed a few Slot sized Reds, then we hit another spot where they put more feisty Reds in the boat It was worth the run  up there!

Back down at the mouth of Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs and drifted the bank, on each side of the point, but got not much more than a nibble. Back down the Nassau and around to Seymore's Pointe -we set up on a large drainage and drifted the floats. The tide was just trying to start out and it was slow for a bit, then the duo caught a few feisty Redfish. Then Dara had strong bite and this one was ripping drag. I was worried that it would dig down deep across a visible oyster bed in front of us but she worked it across and landed a bulky 23" Slot Red.  William got in on the action when he battled to the boat a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We had made a cast and dropped the rod into a rod holder when William yelled "fish" - that rod was bent over and ripping drag. Dara scooped it up and battled another 23" Slot Red to the net. Boy what a beautiful day, and we topped it off with an early Christmas present of a box full of good eating fish, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Hug'n The Bank

After seeing the weather forecast last night I figured we'd be hug'n the bank today to keep out of the wind It wasn't expected to be too bad - up to 14mph but enough to make things interesting. I met Bob Kossman down at Sawpit Creek early and we made a run up the intracoastal, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had about 30 minutes to hit high.  That current was still creeping in as Bob tossed to the grass, opened his bail, and let it drift. It didnt' take but a drift or two and BAM! Fish ON! Bob cranked, and the fish swam to us, and he cranked and it swap to us and when it realized it was about to be landed it turned and ran and, Fish Off! Ouch! We fished that stetch for a while, fished around the corner for a bit, then moved on - no more takers. 

I had been stalling, waiting for the tide to change back at Seymore's Pointe, so as we eased up to a drainage there, sure enough, the tide was coming out. Bob was working that current and it paid off - it wasn't "on fire" but he caught fish, nice fish, slow and steady. He put a few keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, a handful of small but feisty Redfish, then a couple of Slot Redfish and a couple of Seatrout. Bob kept a few fish but threw back a couple of "keeper sized" fish.  Those Black Drum sure do pull!

We came back around Seymore's and down to Littlefield and went to jigs and the shrimp and like yesterday, caught Seatrout until we got tired of catching them. 99 percent were 14" but we did have one that was keepable - we tossed it back. But we did get a keeper sized Flounder. That West wind was blowing - we hugged that land mass, went back around to Seymore's and tried out hand at fishing the traditional Trout "slip floats" with some success. -we caught a handful of feisty Bluefish. DAVID NEASE/TANDY MORTON, if you are reading this, both Bob and I are not sold on the slip float technique - I'd rather be pitching a jig! But with that said, it was still a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Eighties Are Killing It

 Get up outa that Easy Chair!  Yesterday I had an 83-year old fishing with me and today, another 83-year
old fished on the Anglers  Mark - Betty Raker and her young son John. We met out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early on a tide that had just hit high. We made our way around to Seymore's Point and fished a large drainage with float rigs as that current started out. It started off slow but every now and then we got a bite. Betty started it off with a big battle - she fought and expertly landed a nice 17" Black "puppy" Drum, then she and John both hooked and landed a handful of feisty Redfish. After John landed another Drum, Betty hooked up and battled another keeper sized Drum to the net. 

We ran thru Horsehead and fished a point with jigs, deep, and here Betty brought to the net a small Flounder  - she had her Amelia Island Back Country Slam! We moved around to Poteat Point and fished floats and first cast John hooked an landed a hungry Seatrout - the had a Grande Slam! Back thru Horsehead we went and down to Nassauville, fishing between some docks with jigs, and we stayed busy catching hungry Seatrout - we guestimated about 18 fish caught, all in the 14.5" range, but one was of keeper size. 

Down at Broward we fished jigs deep and John did find one lone Seatrout, and back at Back River he caught another Trout. Most of the spots we fished today produced at least one fish, some produced a handful, some produced a lot, and the rain had held off so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Reds Over The Oyster Beds

 Fishing today - I met Macie Russell, her boyfriend Brennan, and Al Long up at the Old Town Bait and
Tackle boat ramp. The tide was just starting out so we headed over to the outside of Tyger and began to toss float rigs and live shrimp. Brennan got hot early when he found  some Reds up on a corner of grass - he expertly played a couple  to the net, one of which was of keeper size, but released. Macie stepped up and filled in when Brennan wasn't looking and BAM! Fish On! She worked the fish patiently to the net and landed a  nice 20" Slot Redfish. The duo added a couple of more Reds to the catch before we moved on. 

Just across the way we switched to jigs and fished 12' of water with shrimp and this paid off with a good flurry of fish catching. Al had been quite all morning but he got busy catching fish off the stern - he hooked and landed a good bunch of hard fighting Bluefish and a couple of hungry Seatrout. Both Macie and Brennan, fishing off the bow, figured those jigs and put fish in the boat. We probably could have stayed there and played with those Blues and Trout, but we moved on in hopes of bigger fish. 

We tried our luck at a drainage up towards St. Mary's fishing jigs but had no bites, then we moved
around to the mouth of Jolley and switched back to floats and again, no luck. Further up the Jolley we fished JC's Spot with the jigs and again, no luck. Ouch. But then we motored further up the Jolley and around to the Bell where we fished a deep bend with the jigs and this paid off. We were tossing the jigs in 20' of water, letting the current bounce it along the bottom and would feel the "bump bump", and set the hook. Trout On!  The trio of anglers caught a handful of those Trout, one of which was of keeper size, one was fat but just short, and then Macie wrapped things up with another feisty Redfish catch. The wind had stayed down, it wasn't unbearably cold, and we had good action at 3 of 6 spots so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Zero to Sixty in about an Hour

 Finally, back to work today! And boy what a pretty day it was - sunshine, a bit cool, and no wind, water like glass! I met Frank and Joanne Wytiaz down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and we proceeded up the intracoastal, turned into the Nassau, and made a short run up to Spanish Drop where we started tossing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. That water was already way down- we could see banks of oysters that I haven't seen in a while, and I was expecting good fishing to kick things off. Boy was I wrong! We worked that first bank and only had a few nibbles, then moved up to a drainage and worked it - as we approached fish "blew out" of there - big wakes and I thought for sure we'd get a couple, but no, not a bite. We then moved up to Twin Creeks and worked that drainage as the tide began to hit bottom and finally Joanne "knocked the skunk off" with a nice feisty Redfish catch. 

We then ran further up the Nassau and fished some docks -the tide was still going out here - and fishing deeper, it paid off. The duo began to get Seatrout catches, one after the other, most in the 14" range, but every once in a while they would get a "keeper" sized Trout. We probably could have stayed there and caught fish but the tide had changed and had started back in and I had a spot in mind so we pulled up and made a short run. We backed the stern up to some pilings and began pitching to them and BAM! Fish On! Joanne had a good fish that was putting up a fight - she played it patiently and soon landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. And from then it was a flurry of action, catching those puppy Drum. A couple were up in the 20" size and about to lose their stripes. We ended up with 6 keeper Drum at that spot, and tossed back a handful of smaller ones.

Down the River we went to fish some structure on the first of an incoming tide. Joanne had the first
hookup but as the fish ripped drag, off it came. But Frank went in there and in short order had the strong hookup -he battled it expertly, letting it run, working it in, letting it run, and then he worked to the net a nice 25" Slot Redfish. We dropped back a little bit and continued ot fish and the duo hauled in another keeper sized Trout, another huge Black Drum, a couple of small but feisty Redfish, a nice keeper sized Sheepshead, and a small Flounder. We had started slow but boy did things take off when that tide changed, so as we headed back to the ramp with a big box of fish we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It Snowballed

 

A little bit cooler today - 46 heading to the ramp this morning, but clear skies and sunshine for  3/4 of the trip. I met Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald out at Goffinsville Park as the sun was coming up and with a tide that still had a long hour of coming in, we ran down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and tossed float rigs with live shrimp to the flooded grass line. Dannie was on the stern and she made good use of her drifts, picking up a good handful of hungry Seatrout, most in the 14" range. We then ran back up the Nassau to Pumpkin Hill and drifted the floats and again put those small Trout in the boat until finally, Gregg hooked up and landed a barely legal 15" Trout. But it was legal - I measured it three times!

We then came back to the Seymores Pointe area and fished a large drainage and this really kicked things off. The duo caught Seatrout, almost one after the other, but a couple were up to 17".  Dannie had to tangle with a school of Bluefish, which were fun to catch but we tossed them back. We then dropped down the grass line a bit and again caught fish. Gregg put a handful of small but feisty Redfish in the boat, another 17" Trout while Dannie tried out a jigs fished on the bottom. When that area slowed we moved back up to the original spot and this paid off again! Dannie hooked an landed a nice 16" Black "puppy" Drum, then she expertly battled another big Slot Redfish to the net. They added another couple of keeper Trout before we moved on.

Further down the Nassau we went with jigs and the live shrimp, bumping them on the bottom, and got another handful of small Seatrout. The clouds had rolled in but we had fish in the box, some good action, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Thankful the Fish Were Biting!

 Hoping everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Mabry stepped on the boat hoping that we'd catch at least a few fish today, and little did she know that we would have a banner day!  I met her, her father Stephen, her aunt Tessa, and her soon-to-be uncle Andy out at Goffinsville Park this morning right at low tide and by the time we got around to our first stop it had begun to creep in. The fish bite wasn't "on fire" like I had expected but we did get a couple of good fish - I think it was Tessa's 2nd or third cast and BAM! Her drag was ripping. Tessa hung with it, battled it valiantly, and soon brought to the net a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We soon found out that Stephen and Mabry had teamed up - Stephen would do the "hooking" and Mabry would do the reeling - he hooked up and she fought to the net a hungry Seatrout. We bounced up the river, fishing some dock pilings and here Andy got on the board - he had a good bite, set the hook expertly and in short order brought to the net a feisty Redfish.

Mabry didn't even need that help down at the next spot - the "super secret" one -we had just pulled up
and the whole crew was catching fish. Mabry had a strong bite and at first we didn't think it was such a big fish. She battled it as it ripped drag, worked it up, let it run, worked it up and then we saw that it was a BIG Redfish. Before the fish knew what had ahold of him, Mabry brought it to the net - a nice 26" Redfish! Stephen followed that up with another good hookup - he kept this one to himself and battled it patiently as it came out from the bank and around behind the engine. He stayed with it, wore it out, and landed another big Slot Redfish. At that spot and within 50 feet we caught fish, almost one after another and hit their 4 fish limit, then went over it -I counted 7 Slot Redfish caught!

Mabry, I think, was wore out. We dropped down the way and  worked a bank with the jigs and live shrimp and although it wasn't fast and furious we did have good action catching those feisty Redfish. At one time she did get back on the rod and her and her aunt Tessa teamed up for a "double" hookup of Redfish. Over at Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs, drifted with the current, and got another couple of small Trout and a couple of Bluefish. Stephen battled a Bonnethead shark for a bit before it broke off, Tessa battled a Bonnethead before it found its way to a crab pot rope and broke off, but Andy clinched it when he hooked up with a shark and showed it "what for" - he battled it to the boat  and landed a nice 3" fish - the biggest of the day- we photographed and released it. 

Mabry was hungry and it was time to go! We had a nice box of fish, had some really nice weather so as
we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Redfish Were Biting so We Moved On?

 Boy, we have been blessed with some beautiful weather the last few weeks and today was more of the
same -clear skies, very little wind, and warming temperatures as the day progressed. I met Allen Webb down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the Nassau to Seymore's Pointe to catch the first of an incoming tide. We set up current from some dock pilings and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp up underneath them and got bites right off. The fish were a little "nibbly" about it but Allen was able to snag a nice feisty Redfish, a hungry Seatrout, and a small Sea Bass out from there.

We then ran further up the Nassau and found some structure to fish and boy did this pay off!  Tossing to the bank and letting the incoming current bounce the bait down the bottom and BAM! We got fish! Allen was making excellent casts and hooked and landed Redfish. A few were in the 16"-17" size but he had one that would have been keeper right to the boat, but before I could net it, Fish Off! Ouch. But Allen was not to be deterred. We moved down a bit and went to the bank again and it was one Redfish after the other, with a nice keeper sized Slot Red thrown in. Allen also got his first Sheepshead to the net. We probably could have stayed there and caught those 17" Reds but we were blowing thru our bait, so we moved on, in hopes of bigger fish. Further down the way we caught another couple of feisty Redfish, then we moved on. 

After running down the Nassau, we stopped at Twin Creeks, a large drainage, then Spanish drop and fished that incoming tide - the oysters were already covered -but we had no real bites. Back up the Nassau we went where we set up at a point and drifted our floats snd this paid off, we were back in fish. Allen caught a good couple of handfuls of Seatrout, and battled three hard fighting Bluefish to the boat before we called it a day. Heading back to the ramp, with the sun shining, and the water like glass, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.