Split Trip Success

On occasion I get a group of more than 4 who want to go fishing and one option is to do a "split" trip -we go out with the first group and fish for 3 hours, then come back to the dock, unload, and reload with the 2nd group, and that's what we did today with the Matheney group. I met Greg and his two sons Rip and Warren down at Sawpit Creek on a tide that had hit the top and had just turned out. We ran up the Nassau to Seymore's Pointe and I believe it was the first drift with a float and live shrimp, BOOM! Fish On!  Rip was on the rod and brought it in expertly. From then and about an hour he and his brother

Warren were catching fish. They had a handful of Seatrout with a couple of "keeper" sized fish (all fish caught today were released), and Warren battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. The duo added a fesity Bluefish to their catch total before we moved on. 

After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and trying our luck, then back to a small side creek off of Jackstaff and getting no real bites, we ran back thru the Marsh and down to Back River where we set up to fish a pocket. Warren got the fish there, another keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stop was over at some docks at Nassauville where they tangled with some Mangrove Snapper, and outsmarted a few keeper sized fish. They picked up one more big Seatrout before we made the run back to the dock for the 2nd crew.

After getting Wes Metheney, his son Jack, and mother-in-law Pat on the boat, we ran back up the Nassau and around to Back River. Here, Wes picked up a feisty Redfish. We crossed the river and fished a bend and here it was Jack with the hot rod early. He was getting a feisty Redfish on just about every drift and began to practice his "lift up, reel down". Wes was on the bow and he was getting thoee small Reds too, but when his drag ripped on a long run we knew this one was bigger. That fish ran up current away from us, digging towards

the grass and boiling up in some shallow water. We almost needed to chase it but we were in too shallow of water to move forward!  But Wes kept the pressure on, turned him, and began to take up line. He worked it back ot the boat, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a nice 24.5", 18 spot Redfish.

After getting few more Reds there we moved across the river and fished some docks at Nassauville and here they caught a couple of handfuls of what could have been keeper Mangrove Snapper. We left them biting though, moved around to Seymore's Pointe and finished the day fishing dock, again getting keeper Mangroves, and a few small ones, and Jack wrapped it up with a Seatrout catch. 

We had 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. 

Calling For The Slam

 Amelia Island

I was back to work today, fishing south out of Sawpit Creek with Scott and Carron Frost. After meeting them early, we headed up the intercoastal, thru the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill and set  up fishing float rigs and live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. Carron kicked it off pretty quick with a couple of Bluefish catches, we had a breakoff or two, then Carron had a stong hookup. I was thinking it was a Redish by the way the drag was ripping -Carron kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat and I was still thinking "Redfish" until I saw it flash - a huge Seatrout!  We got it to the net and it measured right at 20", boy what a fish! Both anglers battled Bonnethead Sharks to the boat for photograph and release. 

We fished a large drainage down from Seymore's Pointe and had a some good bites. Scott hooked up and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. After running thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Point  we again drifted the floats. After a couple of good bites but no takes Carron then hooked up and the drag was ripping. She battled it to the boat and landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. Shortly after that she had another hookup, played it experlty, and landed a 2nd Slot 21" Redfish. Scott followed that up with a Redfish catch of his own, then he put a keeper sized Seatrout in the box. 

We fished the mouth of Jackstaff for a while then ran back thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks.
Scott and I both were kidding Carron that she hadn't caught a Flounder for a "Slam" when sure enought she had a slow take, a hookup, and when we saw that this fish was digging deep we felt sure it was a Flounder. And it was!  A nice 17" fish that went in the box. 

Our final stop was further down the river at Spanish Drop, working the bank and here Scott got hot, putting a couple of more Redfish in the boat - one bit the minute the bait hit the water. One of those fish was the third Slot Redfish of the day. We had caught some good fish, had a beautiful day, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Weren't Fishing, We Were Catching!

 It looks like I wrapped my week up fishing this morning with the Sparrow crew - Will, his kids Abigailand William, and his mother Nancy -meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a bait will full of live shrimp and frisky mud minnows as we eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run down the river to fish an exposed shell bank with jigs rods on a tide that still had about two hours to hit bottom. 

It didn't take long for Abigail to "knock the skunk off" with a nice Redfish catch, and from then on I stayed busy netting fish and bating hooks. All four anglers caught fish - Redfish and Flounder - we had at least one Slot Red along that stretch, and two keeper sized Flounder and we tossed back a good handful of smaller fish. 

As the bite slowed we ran further down the river and on around to the MOA (mother of all) spot and boy were we in for a surprise!  Abigail hooked and expertly battled to the boat another Slot Red. William landed a couple of keeper sized Seatrout. His dad Will hooked up with a monster and after a long battle landed an Oversized 29.75" Redfish (4th biggest of the year on the Anglers Mark). Nancy fought a nice Slot Redfish to the boat. Both Will and William brought Bonnethead Shark to the net for photograph and release. William tangled with

another Oversized Red that was having none of coming to the boat. It rolled and boiled and dug deep and eventually broke off. And to top things off, Will, after bumping his bait over a shell bed, and thinking he might have a shell until it began to pull back, yelled, "it's a fish", and boy was it!  Will patiently played it and worked it to the net to land a Doormat of a Flounder that measured at 21.5" - big enought to move Will in to 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We finished up around the corner tossing float rigs on an incoming tide and tangling with a handful ofBonnethead Shark and then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.