Temperature Drop Helps

 I fished today after we had a slight temperature drop over the weekend, one that caused the water temps to fall too. We didn't "tear them up" today, but we had a little better action than we had last week in the backwaters.  When I pulled away from the boat ramp this afternoon my thoughts were to, "fish the oyster beds".

I met Frank Wytiaz and his brother-in-law Dennis down at Sawpit Creek early this morning and with calm seas and hardly no wind, we ran up the Nassau and made our first stop at Spanish Drop. The tide still had an hour or so of going out to do so we went with jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows, tossed to the exposed shell bank. That first stretch produced no fish but when we moved up to a drainage and continued with the jigs both anglers hooked up and caught feisty Redfish. They also tangled with some high flying Ladyfish. 

We then ran up to some docks at Seymore's and fished the jigs and this paid off. Dennis had a strong hookup and fought a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the boat, Then Frank had a strong bite and he too expertly played the fish to the net - a big Mangrove Snapper (for the backwater) which measured right at 14".  They caught a couple of more Mangroves, a Bluefish, and a Jack Crevalle. We moved around to Nassauville and fished some rocks and picked up a handful more of keeper sized Mangroves.

After running down to Broward Island where the conditions were absolutely perfect - the tide had just started in, the increasing wind was blocked, there were no gnats and other than one more Mangrove, we caught nothing. Ouch.

We finished the day back at Seymore's, fishing the bottom with jigs and shrimp and again, dueled with the Mangroves, adding one more keeper to the box. We had caught a good variety of fish giving us a bit of action so as we headed back to the ramp we countedit as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Shrimp Fest Kick Off at Amelia Island

 

I finished my week and kicked off Shrimp Fest weekend by fishing with David Vice, his son Nathaniel and friend Seth, meeting them yesterday morning out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp.  We had an outgoing tide so we made a short run across the river to fish an edge south of Back River, working the bank with float rigs and live shrimp. The first stretch produced only a couple of nibbles but as we worked along Nathaniel had made an excellent cast just up current of an exposed oyster bed and as it drifted around, BOOM! Fish On!  Nathaniel played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We continued moving down that bank and shortly afterwards it was Seth's turn to battle the big fish. He patiently fought it to submission and brought to the net another Slot Redfish. 

We then ran down the Nassau and fished a couple of areas from Spanish Drop up to Twin Creeks. The trioput a handful of feisty Reds in the boat, Seth had an epic battle with a Bonnethead Shark and then David put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. And then he added another fat keeper Trout. We fished Bubblegum Reef very briefly where Seth added a couple of small Mangroves to his catch total, then we finished up fishing some docks at Nassauville where we found one more keeper size Mangrove Snapper. 

It was a beautiful day, we had some good fish in the box and with Shrimp Fest kicking off tomorrow, we counted it as an other great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Pretty Good Species Count at Amelia Island

Redfish, Bonnethead Shark, Seatrout, Flounder, Mangrove Snapper, Black Sea Bass, and Silver Perch -
not bad if we were in a "species tournament"!  But the ones that counted were a couple of Slot Redfish, three keeper sized Seatrout and a Mangrove Snapper. I had met Eric Stevens and his friends Mike and Steven out at Goffinsville Park early this morning and our first stop was down at some docks fishing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out to do. We fished it good, had a few bites, but no takers, which surprised me just a bit.

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, working exposed shell beds with jigs and the shrimp and even though all three anglers were making excellent casts, we had not takers, which worried me just a bit!  But after moving up the river we set  up outside a large drainage and in no time all three were catching fish. Steven hooked up off the stern and expertly played to the net a keeper sized Seatrout, then Eric and Mike were trading turns catching feisty Redfish, then Mike had a strong bite, one that ripped some drag, and he fought to the net the first Slot Red of the day. He followed that up with a battle with a Bonnethead Shark then shortly added another, bigger, Slot Redfish. Steven, fishing off the stern, found a keeper sized Seatrout out deep. 

After fishing one more stretch of shell beds we headed over to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings. Not much happening there but we did get some Mangrove Snapper and a small Sea Bass. We then made the run down to Broward and fished under the watchful eye of a Bald Eagle. I thought I saw him smirk as he flew off, we didn't get much of a bite, other than another Black Seabass. 

Our final stop was at Pumpkin Hill, drifting floats along the marsh line and here we had a good flurry of nice Seatrout catches. Steven got hot and put a couple more keepers in the boat, the biggest being right at 18".  And then Eric caught the sole Flou8nder of the day. We had beat the wind and had a couple of spots where we had good flurries of fish catching so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Flroida. 

Good Start and Good End

 I wrapped my week up yesterday fishing with Glenn and Patti Langford. We met up at Old Town Bait and made our way over to the outside of Tyger to fish floats and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. As it's been all week, it was a beautiful day and as we eased up to some flooded grass we could see all kinds of bait activity moving around. It didn't take long for Glenn and Patti both to be getting bites and Glenn soon had a Slot Red in the boat, Patti a Seatrout. We caught a handful of fish before they quit biting then we moved across the creek, fished some edges, then move on. 

Heading to the Jolley we made a stop at a large drainage and pitched jigs, then move around to Jolley Bank and worked along it tossing the floats. This duo was getting good casts and good drifts, but we had no takers so we moved on up the river and fished two more spots, but to no avail. Everywhere we fished was looking really good and were fishable, but the fish weren't cooperating. 

Our final stop was around at Bell River, fishing some docks and here we had good luck. Patti found some Seatrout down deep and put a good handful in the boat, Glenn picked up a few, then Patti reeled in another beautiful Slot Red, and then added a keeper sized Weakfish to wrap up the day. We had a few fish in the box, had had action early and late, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Slimy Fish Towel

 

It looks like we'll have great weather all week, and today sure was a nice one!  I met Jeff and Jinny Key down at Sawpit and today we ran up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and made our way further up a creek to toss float rigs with live shrimp to a large drainage. We didn't get any Trout bites like I expected but as we eased down the bank Jeff had a big fish slurp his bait, his float went slowly under and  Fish On! and BAP! Fish Off! Boy was that disappointing. 

We came back around to Pompano Point and drifted the floats and I think Jeff's first cast produced a Seatrout catch. And then he had another and another and another, one which was of keeper size. So much so that my hand towel was getting slimy. He put the first high flying Ladyfish of the year in the boat and then he had another strong take and Big Fish On!  This fish was ripping drag and digging back into the oysters. But Jeff stayed with him, worked him patiently out then kept the pressure on until it was subdued and brought to the net - an oversized 28.5" Redfish. Boy what a fish and boy what a battle! This fish put Jeff in the running for Bragging Rights (scroll down the right side of this page for standings).

After going back to Jackstaff we set up on a point and fished with jigs. Jeff put a small Flounder in the boat then found some Trout out deep - he brought handful to the net, two of which were of keeper size.We ran thru Horsehead and fished some docks at Seymore's and  here Jinny got on the board with a nice 18" Flounder catch, big enough to move her into 2nd place in the 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category. The duo also caught a few Mangrove Snapper, a Blue fish, and a small Sea Bass here.

We fished around at Nassauville and picked up a couple of small Flounder, then with just minutes to go, tried a new spot that I have been eyeing. - a long sandbar. We worked along the bar tossing a jig in hopes for another Flounder but when we saw a good "cut" running thru the bar we tossed a float rig and let it go and ...BAM! Big Fish On! And boy what an epic battle! That big fish was 50 yards away and in shallow water and across a sandbar. Jeff played it as patiently as anyone could as the fish rolled and boiled and ripped drag and boiled and rolled. He worked it slowly over the bar and to the net and laned another oversized 28" Redfish. What a way to cap off another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Twenty One. And a Blue Crab.

 Just another beautiful day fishing here at Amelia Island!  I had met John Raker and his mother Betty out at Goffinsville Park early and as we headed out the sun was already shining and we had just enough breeze that the sand gnats were not a problem. We made a short jump over to Back River and began fishing a stretch of exposed shell with float rigs and live shrimp.  We had a Blue Fish catch to get things started and as we eased along John had a strong hookup and Big Fish On!  John played it expertly and when we saw a couple of boils we knew it was a big Red. After a good battle John brought to the net a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish. 

\Continuing on down the bank we saw a commotion and a wake move away from us.  John made an excellent cast south of th wake, let his bait drift with the current back and BAM! Another big fish on! He played this one expertly and soon landed a 21.25" Slot Red. 

We then came back and fished some docks at Nassauville where John put a small Flounder in the boat, then Betty brought a keeper sized Flounder to the net. Our next stop was around at Seymore's Pointe, fishing some dock pilings and here we had a flurry of action, catching a keeper sized Seatrout, a small Black "puppy" Drum, and a Betty reeled in a couple of feisty Redfish. She also patiently played to the boat a brilliant blue, Blue Crab!

After running down to Broward we worked the bank slowly, tossing jigs and live shrimp. It took a while but we began to get fish. Betty put two Slot Redfish in the boat, John added another, and they teamed up to catch a good handful of hungry Trout. John had kept count and we had caught 21 fish, and a Blue Crab, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Two Big Trout Makes For an Engaging Fishing Trip

 Boy what a beautiful morning we had today!  I met Tatum Nolan and her NEW fiancé Victor Jelici down at Sawpit Creek early and we made our way around to Sawpit bridge with slip floats and live shrimp, to no avail. I have fished with Tatum and Victor a few times in the past but this time they announced that they were newly engaged!  We made our next stop at up Spanish Drop, fishing the exposed shell beds on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out to hit bottom. We worked along that bank and could see some bait movement up along the edge, but we had no real bites.

After running up the river a bit we fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp and here we finally "knocked the skunk off". Tatum reeled in a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum then she went back to the same spot and BAM! -Right off, had a hookup. She played it expertly to the net and landed a big 20.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish! This fish moved Tatum into 3rd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We added one more fish, a Jack Crevalle, before we moved on.

Our next stop was up the Nassau, fishing between two docks. The duo added a small Flounder then it
was Victor's turn to battle the big fish. Had cast up shallow, let his bait fall down the river bottom, and in about 20' of water, Big Fish On!  Victor played it patiently and after a good battle landed another 20.25" Seatrout to tie his future spouse in that Bragging Rights Tournament!

We came back and fished Bubblegum Reef and caught a Mangrove Snapper, then made our way down to Broward Island to fish the very last of that outgoing tide. They had a flurry  of catching a small Seatrout, a small Flounder then Victor had a strong hookup. He fought it to the boat and landed Slot sized Redfish. 

We had had good weather, caught some fish, and celebrated a new engagement with a fishing trip, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

She Should Have Backed Away From The Table

 Storm a'coming tomorrow!  But we the water was like glass this morning when I launched at Sawpit
Creek and after meeting Allen Webb, we made a long run up the Nassau, all the way to Broward, and pulled  up to fish jigs as the tide had been coming in for about an hour.  It didn't take long and Allen was on a fish - he played it perfectly and landed a "just in the slot" Redfish. He also picked up a keeper sized Seatrout down deep with the jigs. We moved down the way and fished the bank close and this paid off with a couple of more feisty Redfish catches and a good handful of just undersized Sheepshead. After fishing down with the Bald Eagles, we moved on. 

Our next stop was back at Nassauville, fishing between a couple of docks and here we had a handful of Seatrout caught, again, down deep, and also a Catfish.  We then made the run way  up the Nassau, and into a creek to fish a log lined bank. We both marveled at the beauty and peacefulness of the area, but I think we only had one bite that was a fish, and one Blue Crab that we brought to the boat. 

Our final stop was back down the Nassau, around at Seymore's, fishing the last of an incoming tide with float rigs. We caught another small Trout or two, a Bluefish, and then our float disappeared with a vengeance. Allen fought it patiently, kept that rod bent while it ran and the drag ripped, and we both were guessing, "Redfish". But when Allen got it to the boat and I went to dip it, Boy What a Trout!  We got it in the the boat and she measured right at 24.75". A whopper of a Trout -she just couldn't pass up one more shrimp for her morning meal!  That fish moved Allen solidly into the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  

We fished a bit more but the wind was now up so we headed back. We had a few good fish in the box, Bragging Rights in the bag, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Against The Grain

 Bob Blalock and I decided to squeeze in an afternoon trip, knowing that winds would probably be an
issue. We met up at Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made the long run up the Bell to fish some docks with jigs and live shrimp. 

Bob worked that first spot over really good  but we didn't have a bite. But after moving in close and fishing back to some dock pilings, Bob's first cast produced a bite and, Fish On!  He played it perfectly and brought to the net a Slot sized Redfish. That easy!  But we fished those pilings thoroughly and only managed one more fish, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum. 

We then ran back towards town and boy was the wind whipping, especially running into it. It's been fifteen years I think since I fished up near structure around Fernandina, but it was out of the wind, so we stuffed our pride, went against (my) grain, and fished it. And it paid off. Bob hooked and put a smaller Slot Red in the boat, then hooked and battled another - a "thick" 25"er, then put another smaller Slot in the boat. We worked along there for a good while, out of the wind, and got into a good handful of those Puppy Drum. 

As the outgoing tide came to a standstill we made a final run over to Tyger Island, to fish the logs, and had to "putter" thru the shallows to get there, and when we did, we fished a good while and had only a few bites, but no real takers. But it ended a good fishing trip at a beautiful location so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

: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. 

We Made The Run

 I wrapped my week up fishing with the Conforti guys today, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early. The weather had cleared from yesterday and it was a bit cooler, but winds were expected to pick up as the day went on. We made our first stop over at Tyger Island, fishing the logs with jigs and live shrimp but the first area produced nothing.  After moving down the way Fred(the middle) hooked up and expertly landed a feisty Redfish. Then Fred(the younger) had a strange bite, a hookup, and he landed a nice Flounder. 

The wind was already picking up as we ran thru Horsehead over to the Bell and down to Lanceford where we headed up the creek to fish some docks with the jigs. We were somewhat sheltered here but after fishing a couple of docks we had no real bites, so we moved on.

I had intended to run way up the Bell River and fish those docks but I figured it was about the same distance as running south  to where we had some good action yesterday, so we made the run. We did stop off at one spot to fish a deep hole, but again, no bites.

Reaching Seymore's Pointe we all switched to float rigs and tossed them up wind to get good drifts across a shallow oyster pocked flat and here we had some action. Leo put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, then Fred(the senior) had a strong hookup, one that ripped some drag. He fought it valiantly and after battle landed a Slot sized 21" Redfish. Fred(the middle) had the same kind of fight, played it perfectly and put another Slot Redfish in the boat. The anglers added another couple of smaller Reds, smaller Trout,and a Bluefish before Leo topped things off with another keeper Seatrout. 

We were a long way from the ramp and running into the wind but as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

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. 

Topped The Box Off

 Another beautiful day today when I met Don Walters and his fishing buddies Alex and Tim down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made the run up the Nassau and found a spot at the outside of a large drainage and began to toss float rigs and live shrimp, and we stayed pretty busy catching hungry Seatrout.  Most of them were just undersized but Alex did put a keeper sized one in the box. 

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to what used to be Poteat Cut and stayed with the float rigs. The trio caught a couple of the small Trout but as we worked around the point Don had a good hookup and expertly brought to the boat a keeper sized Pompano!  I've renamed the spot "Pompano Point" That's ony the 2nd Pompano I've had on the boat. 

After fishing a creek off of Jackstaff for a bit, we ran back thru Horsehead and down to some docks at Nassauville, fished them with jigs for a bit to no avail, then we ran up the Nassau to dip into a creek and began to fish the shallow bank with the jigs.

This paid off - I've  found you have to work the whole bank and many times you'll find the Reds and today we did! Don hooked up and landed a small but feisty Red, then Tim added the biggest Trout of the day to the box.  As we approached one of the "honey holes" Don began to get Redfish bites. He put two Slot Reds in the box then Alex topped it off with another Slot Red. They had one more Slot fish that we threw back and had a handful of smaller Reds caught before we called it  day. 

As we headed back to the ramp with a nice box of fish we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Beautiful Day Slam

 Oh boy what a beautiful "chamber of commerce" type day we had today. Although the temperature was
hovering around 48 degrees when we launched, it quickly warmed as that sun came up with clear, cloudless skies. We met down at Sawpit Creek and then ran up the Nassau to set up at a large drainage north of Seymore's Pointe and within minutes the duo were catching fish on float rigs with live shrimp. They had a good flurry of Seatrout catches and weeded thru the shorts to get a couple of keeper sized fish. 

We then moved around to Nassauville and fished between two docks with jigs and the shrimp. I was hoping for some bigger Seatrout - we caught none, but Ken did pick up a Flounder, then we had another, then Larry put a keeper Flounder in the box.

After fishing a stretch of oysters with float rigs at Back River we continued on up the Nassau, dipped into a creek, and began to work the bank with the jigs. Larry eventually found a good bite, set the hook, and Fish On!  He played it patiently, letting the drag and rod bend do the work and after a good battle landed a nice Slot 21" Redfish. Ken followed that up with a Redfish catch of his own. They put another Trout in the boat then Larry finished things up with another Redfish catch. 

We had had a beautiful day and had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Flounder, and Redfish in the box so as we headed back to the ramp they 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. 

Big Red Battled out From Dock Pilings

 We had what I thought was a good tide today - last of an outgoing, then first of an incoming. I had met Kristen Benton and her friend Quinton out at Goffinsville Park early - the skies were just a bit overcast and there was very little breeze, and we made our way around to Seymore's Pointe to set up current from some dock pilings and toss jigs and live shrimp to their base. Both anglers had "nibbles" but no real takers, other than a 'baitstealer" or two, but when I switched Quinton to a mud minnow, that must have done the trick! BAM! Big Fish On!

And unfortunately that big fish went straight thru the pilings and out the other side!  But Quinton was up to the task - he kept the pressure on and let that strong braid saw back and forth over the piling and when the fish came back to the middle he worked him thru - that fish didn't know who he was dealing with!  Quinton worked it in slowly and eventually landed a 26.875 fat Redfish - a sure "Champion" in any Tournament! Boy what a fish!

Kristen put a small Seabass in the boat and we had a small Trout catch before we moved on. Our next stop was back around at Nassauville where we tossed the jigs between two docks. The "demo" cast produced a Redfish bite that Kristen expertly brought to the boat. We also picked up a couple of more hungry Seatrout here.  After fishing some exposed shell banks down at Spanish Drop, to no avail, we moved up a few hundred yards and found one more Seatrout, out deep. 

Our final stop was down at Broward Island, working along the treelined bank. The first area we tried didn't produce anything, but 40' further down we got into a good Redfish bite. Kristen and Quinton took turns reeling in fish and a couple of times we had a "double" hookup - two Reds once, and a Red and Black "puppy" Drum a 2nd time. The added one skinny but Slot Red to the box then Kristen finished things up with another small Drum catch and a first of the season Mangrove Snapper. 

We had ended with a bank and had two nice Reds 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 

Trout Carry The Afternoon

 I fished this afternoon with Eric Stevens, meeting him up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a high and still coming in tide as we eased out of Eagans Creek and I wasn't feeling very confident in our prospects. We ran over to Lanceford Creek and fished between a couple of docks with float rigs and did pick up one Seatrout which got my hopes up...but then we had no more bites. After trying our luck around the corner at a grass patch, to no avail, we moved on. 

After running back down Lanceford, up the Bell, thru Horsehead and around to the outside of Tyger we set up on a corner of grass as the tide started out, and my confidence level was now up. Eric was making excellent casts and getting good drifts and I waited for the bite, and waited, and waited, again, to no avail. My confidence was shattered!

We then made the run up to the Jolley River and seeing another boater sitting on the spot I was heading to, we continued on around to the Bell and found some docks to fish. My demo cast with the jig  produced a bite and from then on we were catching fish. We worked thru a bunch of smaller fish but Eric got his limit in keeper sized Seatrout, and we thru back a couple that were of legal size.  Eric added a Redfish catch, a few Black Drum catches and a few "baitstealing" Perch. 

The afternoon had started real slow with that high tide but as it started out we had begun to get fish and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Barely Legal

 I fished with the Langfords this morining, Glenn and Patti, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had the first of an incoming tide so we made our way over to Tyger Island and fished the logs. An incoming tide, no wind, and just a few bugs made for what I thought were ideal conditions, but the fish didn't cooperate with the plan. They did catch a Bluefish and a small Flounder before we moved on. 

Our next stop was over at Lanceford Creek, fishing some docks, and this paid off. We worked a few different docks and picked up fish, caught on jigs and live shrimp. They put in the box two Redfish that measured a little over 18", a Seatrout that measured a little over 15", and a Black Drum that measured a little over 14" - all "Barely Legal", but keepers just the same.  They also had a few more smaller Redfish caught. 

We then fished the outside of Tyger in a couple of places with float rigs. We may have had a few bites, but no real takers. We had a handful of fish in the box and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Fl.orida.