Limit By 8:30

 We wrapped up the week catching Seatrout today...I don't understand why some folks don't like to eat them, they're in the Drum family, just a little bit softer than a Red, but as Anne said, "most any fish fried is good!". I had met Henry and Anne Ross down at Sawpit Creek this morning and we had another beautiful day ahead of us - mostly sunny, just a slight breeze, and calm waters. We made our way straight up the Nassau to a large drainage and went with float rigs over some oyster beds and it paid off, I think the first casts produced a Trout bite. And from then on, we were catching fish! These anglers had to weed thru some small ones but the put in the boat three "keepers"  up to 17" before 8:30am!  The fish were biting just as the float came across a shell bed and BAM!  Henry hooked up with a big one and patiently played a 20"+ Trout to the net for photo and release, then Anne topped that off with a big battle of her own. She expertly played  the big fish to the net and landed a 22" Trout, big enough to move into a tie with her husband Henry for 2nd place in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and drifted the grass line, picking up a handful of Trout, then Henry hooked up with a couple of Big Reds - they ripped drag as the bulled away. I didn't realize where the first one was until it broke off going around the corner of a grassy point - then just minutes later he had another strong bite- the drag was ripping and I  jinxed it...I mentioned that there were a bunch of oysters up in the pocket where the fish was at and sure enough, it boiled thru a grassy island and broke off, OUCH!

After crossing back to Jackstaff we went with jigs and shrimp and minnows - Henry hooked up with a couple of Trout off the stern, then we ran back thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill and back to float rigs. They caught a small Flounder and a small Trout, then we came back down the Nassau to fish Twin Creeks and then another drainage. Anne got her "Back Country Slam" when she caught a feisty Redfish and a keeper sized Flounder which we photographed and released. Somewhere along the way we added one more keeper sized Seatrout to the box, then as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Quality Slam on a Beautiful Day

The wind finally stopped and this morning greeted us with flat calm water when I met Bob Kossman and his friend Shelley down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made the long run up the intracoastal to Poteat Point and eased up to the grass line to toss float rigs with live shrimp. Shelley got hot early catching hungry Seatrout, but one of those was a nice 17" keeper sized fish.  Bob began to get a few fishing off the stern - we worked the bank until they quit then we moved on. 

We bumped back over to Jackstaff and fished a large drainage, then came back just a ways and fished a point where Bob hooked up another Trout or two, fishing with jigs now. The tide had been going out for a few hours as we ran thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks and we stayed with the jigs and the last of our live shrimp. Bob hooked and expertly played a nice 17" Flounder to the boat and while we were netting it Shelley hooked up and put an identical Flounder in the boat. They added another Trout or two before we moved on, one was of keeper sized, then we moved 100 yards down the river and fished the jigs, then further down to Spanish Drop - getting bites but no takers.

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill where we switched back to floats and went with mud minnows. We had a few bites, caught a Seatrout, then moved around the corner and worked that bank. Here, Bob finally had a "drag ripping" bite -he played it patiently and after a good fight landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Flounder, and Redfish. Bob added one more Red to the catch before we called it a day and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Better Bite as The Tide Drops

 The weatherman screwed it up for today - when I looked at the forecast last night it predicted light winds and a small chance of rain. What greeted us was overcast, misting, and stronger winds than yesterday! We had a high outgoing tide when I met Pete Nolan and his fishing buddy Jeff down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We headed up the intracoastal thru the chop and made our way to Poteat Point to drift float rigs and live shrimp along the grass line. Jeff did pick up a handful of hungry Seatrout off the stern - I wouldn't say it was "hot" but he did get a few!

We came back to fish Jackstaff "bank" with jigs and didn't get much of a bite then crossed over to fish a point and here Pete got on the board when he hooked and expertly landed a nice Flounder. We then ran thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and fished it good, then crept along the bank, tossing the jigs and shrimp. Pete had a "lobster sized" shrimp on and had soaked it pretty good with numerous casts and when I heard the drag rip I was thinking "here we go" - it ripped drag down the river, then swam back to us then took off....and kept going - it threw the hook! Ouch!

Back up the river we went, up to Nassauville, and fished some docks. It started out slow but the tide had dropped a bit and sure enough, the two anglers began to catch fish. They traded catching small Seatrout, then a handful of Mangrove Snapper, then a small Seabass, then Jeff hooked up deep and patiently played to the net an oversized 20" Seatrout. Just minutes later Pete had a strong bite, hooked it up and brought to the net a big 18.75" Seatrout and while we were de-hooking Jeff hauled in a big 18" Flounder. They added one more keeper sized Seatrout before we moved on. 

Our last stop was down at Broward and although it wasn't as productive as yesterday, Pete did hookup and expertly play a Slot sized Redfish to the boat. The wind was still blowing but the sun had come out, we had some pretty good action throughout the morning so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Motley Crew and Bragging x 3

 I wrapped my week up today fishing with Robert Stettner and David Vice out of Goffinsville Park. We met early on a tide that had just started out so we ran around to a large drainage at Seymore's Point and drifted float rigs and mud minnows, and had a bit of action - they picked up a handful of Seatrout then we moved around to some more grass and I think the first cast Robert had a hookup and boated a nice keeper sized Trout.

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and drifted the floats and picked up a Trout or two, then came back to Jackstaff and fished "the bank" and

again, more Trout. We crossed over to a point and fished it -more Trout, then we ran back thru Horsehead and up the Nassau where we set up along a grass line -more Trout!  Up to Pumpkin Hill where I think we may have finally gotten skunked, then back to Nassauville where we switched to jigs and had good action. They added a keeper Trout, then David hooked up with a big one - he played it expertly to the net and landed a big 21.75" Seatrout, big enough to move him into a tie for 3rd Place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament -Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). This also puts David "on the board" in three of the four Bragging Rights categories - it might be a first!

Robert hooked up and patiently landed the first Redfish of the day, we caught a few more Trout and left 'em biting before we hit one more spot, back at Twin Creeks. We worked from there and back up the Nassau and here David put another Redfish in the boat. 

It's getting more common now - I'm fishing with folks for probably the last time which is very bittersweet but we had some good laughs, told some stories, and reminisced about past trips and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

The Trout Bite Is On!

 Another beautiful day (it looks like this weekend is going to have terrible weather), but today, sunny, cool, and a slight breeze. I met Garland Clark and his friend Suzanna down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we ran up the intracoastal to Poteat Point with plans to drift float rigs and live shrimp and minnows on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. Garland was fishing off the stern and he began to pickup Seatrout right off. He had to deal with some bait stealers fishing with the shrimp but he expertly caught those Trout. At least one of those was of keeper size (all fish caught today were released). Suzanna got on the board with a Trout catch of her own before we moved over to Jackstaff.

We fished a large drainage over in a creek offshoot, then moved back to Jackstaff and switched to jigs. Joanna had a strong bite, she set the hook and patiently played a nice feisty Redfish to the boat. Garland was pitching off the stern, over a submerged sandbar and hooked and landed a handful of Trout. We ran thru Horsehead and over to the Nassau River and fished Twin Creeks with the jigs, then moved down to a large drainage and here the duo caught a handful more fo the Seatrout. After fishing some dock pilings  up at Seymore's Pointe where we picked up another Trout, as small Sea Bass and a Flounder that Garland reeled in, we moved on.

Our final stop was on a bend in Middle River, drifting the floats again and here, again, more Trout were caught!  There's a bunch of Trout in the river right now and with the good weather, as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

LImited Out On Seatrout

 After a few months of meager Seatrout catches we had what I would call a "banner day" of Trout
catching!  I met Alex and "Birthday Girl" Lauira Winter out at Goffinsville Park (the ramp is closed but the dock is open) and we motored across the river to fish some drainages on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours(although the oysters were still not showing)  and the duo caught a good handful of Trout, one of them being of keeper size. All on float rigs and mud minnows.

We then made our way down the river to Twin Creeks and fished it with float rigs, then jigs, with the minnows and had only a few nibbles, then we moved down to another drainage and pitched to it with jigs, to no avail. Our next stop was up at Nassauville, fishing between some docks and this did the trick. They almost immediately began getting hookups - all of them Seatrout, and  most of them legal - 15-16", but Laura did hook and expertly land a big 18 7/8" Trout - the biggest fish of the day!  When we got to Ten we moved on, making the run way up the Nassau to a small creek. 

Here, Laura did have a strong bite, we saw the fish roll,but sure enough it was right by a downed log and it new enought to wrap itself and after a brief battle, BAP! Fish off. We came back down to Broward Island and tossed the jigs again and here Laura had another strong bite - she set the hook and patiently played to the boat a feisty Redfish. And with that, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Friday Wraps The Week Up

 5 trips this week, all five with absolutely beautiful weather! Today I met Bob Kossman and his friend
Shelley down at Sawpit creek and after running up the Nassau River we set up to fish at the very last of an outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. That first drainage produced nothing - they were getting good casts but nary a nibble. We ran up to Seymore's and fished some dock pilings and picked up one miniature Mangrove Snapper, then we came back to Twin Creeks and worked it good. Shelley finally got the skunk off the boat when she hooked up with a float rig and landed a nice Flounder (out of season) then Bob picked up a feisty Black "puppy" Drum then they both boated a couple of feisty Redfish. We had a fish or two on that may have ripped some drag but they expertly "threw the hook"!

We then made the run down to Pumpkin Hill and drifted float rigs with that incoming current. Bob's first drift produced a hungry Seatrout and after that we picked up a handful.  We worked that bank then down the other side and got another Trout or two and again, we had some "big" bites that took the bait, one made a huge "roll", then spit it out, OUCH!  It had been and absolutely beautiful day, we had some action and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Big Reds Just Keep Coming

 Another beautiful day this morning - I met Henry Ross and his fishing buddy John down at Sawpit -we made a long run all the way up to Broward Island and worked a couple of stretches for a bit. John did hookup and land a hungry Seatrout and feisty Redfish. We then made our way back to Twin Creeks and tossed jigs with mud minnows, some dead shrimp (no live shrimp today) and some fiddler crabs. John hooked and landed a small Black Drum, then we moved up to Spanish Drop and worked it with floats, and this did the trick. 

We had a good flurry of catching - Redfish, Seatrout, and a keeper Flounder that John hauled in. We then made our way back up the Nassau and set up to fish a stretch of a flooding grass line and boy were we in for some "big fish catching"!  At first, we had a couple of misses - one broke off and one came unhooked and I thought we might be missing our window but then John had another strong bite and when that drag began to sing we knew it was a Big One! John was on the bow and the fish was back behind the stern so he had to keep his line up and make his way back. The fish put up a good fight but it was no match for John, he worked him in slowly and we netted a big "tournament sized" 26 7/8" Redfish. 

Not long after we boated that fish, Henry was fishing a pocket with a minnow under a float - we had drifted by it a dozen times, but this time another big fish hit and it was Fish ON!  Henry battled it patiently, letting it run, then working it in, letting it run, and working it in. Then John hooked up and we had a double! Henry worked his in and eventually landed another "tournament sized" Redfish and John followed that up with a nice Seatrout.  We went back to the bank with casts, Henry went long and had another good hookup, and after working it expertly to the boat he landed a big 22" Oversized Seatrout, boy what a fish, and big enough to move in to 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We hit one more spot over at Jackstaff then headed back - it had been a beautiful morning, we'd caught small fish, big fish, a couple of Slams (Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, and Black Drum) so as we headed ack to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Biggest and Littlest

We had another outstanding "big fish day", along with a whole lot of catching. All that rain last week must
have made the fish hungry! I met Pete Nolan along with his daughter Tatum and son-in-law Victor down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp as the sun came up. We had the bait! Mud minnows, live shrimp, and fiddler crabs. After running up the Nassau River we made a quick stop at Spanish Drop and pitched jigs and shrimp and minnows into the current. Pete and Victor traded catch for catch, landing Seatrout, a small Red, and some Catfish. We moved down to Twin Creeks and here they teamed up to put five keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the well. Victor hooked and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout, then Tatum got on the board with the smallest fish of the day, a Catfish! But she was on the board!

We fished some dock pilings briefly, to no avail, then we motored up the Nassau and fished a now flooded grass line with the float rigs. The first cast and we had a strong hookup and Fish ON! Tatum was on the rod and she expertly played to the boat a nice 23" Slot Redfish, the biggest fish on the boat so far. But she wasn't done - in a the next half hour she hooked up and played to the boat an Oversized 27.5" Red, then a 29.5" Red - those were some hard fought battles. Pete went long with a drift and picked up the 2nd keeper Trout for the day and then as we worked a point Victor hooked and landed two Oversized Seatrout.

We had caught a bunch of fish all day, mostly on shrimp and the minnows. It was a beautiful morning and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Fiddler Dance

What a great way to wrap up a week of fishing here at Amelia Island! Today I met William and Dara
Blalock out at Goffinsville Park as the sun was coming up with an outgoing tide that still had about an hour to hit bottom, especially up at Broward Island, so that's where we headed! We had a smorgasbord of bait - live shrimp, fiddler crab, and about 2 dozen finger mullet and as it turned out, they all caught fish. These two anglers were mixing it up so it was hard to tell what was catching most, except in a couple of cases - stay tuned!

We hadn't been long at Broward before William had a strong hookup that was ripping some drag - he played it patiently and soon boated a nice 22" Slot Redfish (all fish caught today were released). From then on we were catching fish. Dara followed that up with a couple of multi spotted Reds and between the two they caught a good handful of Redfish with a couple of them being in the Slot size. Dara put the only Seatrout in the boat - it too was legal but tossed back. 

After running way up the Nassau, we pulled into a small creek and the fish catching continued. After a

handful of Reds were caught, they started picking up some small Sheepshead then Dara "danced her fiddler" on a 1/8 oz jig across the bottom and BAP! She had a hookup. This was a nice fish and Dara played it perfectly and soon brought to the net a big 16" Sheepshead. During that battle William was working a Redfish to the boat. Dara wasn't finished with the Sheepshead - she hooked up and landed an even bigger fish, this one measuring at 16.5" which put her on the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Board in 3r place-Sheepshead Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We fished out of there, catching multiple Reds(and one small puppy drum), then we moved on.

The tide was up back at Pumpkin Hill and we could see some action along the grass so we drifted with
float rigs and the few shrimp we had left over. Then William switched to a finger mullet and hooked up and battled a big Jack Crevalle. Shortly after that, still using the finger mullet, he went up to the mouth of a drainage with a good cast and BAM! That float was gone! We settled in for a big battle - the big fish stayed up by the grass, then came out, then went back in, then headed north, then south. We were debating whether it was another big Jack or a Redfish - we didn't won't to get our hopes up (yes we did), but it sure was ACTING like a big Red, and sure enough, after slowly working in in, we netted a big 26.5" "Tourney" Redfish, boy what a fish, and a good way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Pinpoint Cast Proves Fruitful

 The water was like glass when we pulled away from the dock this morning, hardly any breeze and mostly
clear skies. I had met Brian and Janet Roach down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we buzzed up the intracoastal, all the way up to Poteat Point, and began fishing with float rigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. They were getting good casts and good drifts and picked up a handful of hungry Seatrout and a couple of Ladyfish.

We came around and ran up into a creek off of Jackstaff and again picked up some Seatrout, then after had made a good cast up past a point- it drifted by it and BAM! Big Fish On! We were all thinking "big Redfish" as it bulled up into the grass, then dashed back out, then bulled back up to the grass - Brian played it perfectly but when it started making that "jab, jab, jab" at the boat we knew it was a Jack Crevalle - a big one at that!  Brian brought it to the net and we photographed and released it.  After fishing Jackstaff "bank" with the floats and picking up another couple of Trout, and fishing a small cut with jigs, we made the run thru Horsehead over to the Nassau River.

The tide was moving out and there was all kinds of bait action at Twin Creeks. Brian and Janet began pitching the jigs to their mouths and when Brian saw some bait get "busted" at the left creek mouth he made a pinpoint cast and BAM! Big Fish On!  Brian patiently brought it to the boat and landed a nice 17.5" Flounder. As we worked that edge, Janet hooked and expertly landed a couple of feisty Redfish, and a hungry Flounder.  

We fished Broward Island for a bit and got another Flounder, then we fished Pumpkin Hill for a bit - Janet tangles with a Gar Fish, then we came back to Littlefield and fished that drainage and got one more Flounder. We had some beautiful weather, some good action, and a couple of nice Flounder sandwiches in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another grear day to be fishing here at Amelia Island Florida. 

It Was a Big One

 We passed on the early morning fishing today with thunderstorms rattling the windows before the sun
came up, but we met at Noon up at Old Town Bait and Tackle to take in an Amelia Island Back Country fishing trip. David and Ellen Capps met me at the dock and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made our way up to the Jolley River and further up to JC's spot to catch the first of an incoming tide and toss jigs with mud minnows to the exposed oysters. It only took a minute or two before David hooked up and expertly landed a feisty Redfish. Both anglers had numerous nibbles after that but no takers.

We came back to Snook Creek and fished that stretch with floats and the minnows, then came further back to Jolley "bank" and drifted it with floats, then back to Tyger Cut and again, fished teh floats. The bites were few and far between. But after running back and around to Lanceford Creek we hit BM#2 spot and here we had some pretty good action. Ellen hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout, David found a trout up deep in a cove, then he caught a nice Redfish, then another. Then he hooked up and when his drag started ripping we knew it was big. The fish came charging to David and he cranked up the slack, thenit drove back into the marsh and over a hidden shell bed - it rolled up, a HUGE back, then BAP! big fish off! Ouch, it was a big one! We finished the day over in Soap Creek and Ellen topped it off with a small Flounder catch. Other than that one spot, most of the others we "sparse", but it was a beautiful day, we had caught a few, and it was a great day to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Amelia Island Slam

 Prettiest day all week! We noted that the water was like glass as we ran up the intracoastal, shore birds all
along the bank made for a nice ride. I had met the Arnett family, David and Kim and their girls Abbey and Bethaney, down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We went up the intracoastal, then dipped into Jackstaff and worked the "bank" with jigs and mud minnows, and finger mullet (and later on, some small Pogey's). We had some pretty good action, picking up some small Flounder, tangling with some Ladyfish, hooking up some feisty Redfish, and finally Abbey put a nice keeper sized Flounder in the boat.

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to the Nassau and fished Twin Creeks and picked up more fish (it seemed like every stop we got fish), Kim battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat, then we moved down to a large drainage and fished it (maybe we got skunked here), then we headed down to Broward Island.

It was almost low, still easing out just a bit, and we had some good action here. By this time Bethaney had taken over "Net Girl" duties and did an amazing job - she didn't miss a single one, even the big Slot Redfish that her sister Abbey hooked up and expertly played to the boat. Bethaney went in there fast, under the fish's jaw and netted it right up! David had caught a short Trout earlier but this time he got it above the keeper limit, and we had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam in the box! We had good fish catching action all morning, had some beautiful weather, some a bunch of wildlife and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Lollie and Pops Went Fishing

 Lollie and Pops went fishing at Amelia Island.

Lollie caught a Red Drum real fast! We call them "Redfish". 

Then Pops caught a lot of Speckled Seatrout. We call them "Trout".

Lollie caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. 

We fished near an island with trees and logs. We were using mud minnows for bait.

Lollie caught a Redfish that was 23" long! Pops netted the fish. 

We fished some marsh grass. Pops caught a few Seatrout.

Our last stop, Lollie caught a HUGE Redfish. It was 27 1/2" long! Pops netted that one, too!

We let it go. It was too big to keep. 

Lollie and Pops went fishing at Amelia Island.

 

Brothers Fishing Bash

 

The Bochy brothers, Joe and Bruce and Mark, all met up here at Amelia Island for a birthday get-together and took in an Amelia Island back country fishing trip this morning. I met them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and after a short run up the Nassau we made our first stop at Spanish Drop and went with the jig rods and mud minnows on the very last of an outgoing tide. The first "demo" cast produced a hungry Flounder so we were off to a good start! We worked that bank then skipped up to Twin Creeks and here we had some pretty good action.

It seemed each of the brothers had their own expertise - Joe was catching most of the Flounder (one of which was of keeper size), Mark was catching Seatrout, and Bruce was catching Redfish! Joe had made a cast  up to the bank and worked it out deep and had a big Oversized Seatrout take it right at the boat - he worked it in patiently and landed a 20" Seatrout for photograph and release. Bruce was expertly landing fesity Redfish while Joe put the Flounder in the boat. We then fished a dock up at Seymore's Point on the first of an incoming tide - the only spot we got "skunked", then we made our way down to Broward Island where Bruce did put a hungry Trout in the boat. 

The final stop was fishing back at Pumpkin Hill, this time using float rigs and the minnows and here we picked up a nice 18" keeper sized Seatrout. The anglers tangled with a bunch of Lady fish here and Bruce added one more Redfish to his catch total before we headed back to the ramp. It had been a beautiful day, we had some good action, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

One out of Five

 Those "glass like waters" keep on coming - it was a beautiful morning when I met Bob and William
Blalock out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp - I launched at Sawpit and motored up there (according to the County, the ramp repair is "in design and permitting stage"). I had launched early and cast netted some nice finger mullet to add to the mud minnows I had purchased so we had a good well full of bait. We made our first stop down at Twin Creeks and fished jigs to the outlets on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours and it was William who knocked the skunk off with a nice keeper sized Flounder -all fish caught today were released. They added a couple of "junk fish" before we moved on.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, drifting the floats. The Ladyfish were ever present but Bob did put a big 18" Seatrout in the boat, then he battled a big Jack Crevalle. We worked around the point then made our was further south to hit a spot that sometimes produces fish - in particular a non-descript point of grass that I've noted produces a big Trout one in five times we fish it. William had made the perfect cast just north of the point and let his float drift naturally and BAM! Big fish on!  He was getting some drag ripping and he and Bob were guessing "Redfish" but sure enough, when William expertly brought it to the net, it was a 20"+ gator Seatrout. We quickly photographed and released her. Crazy how that spot holds a big Trout, on occasion.

We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point but I think we got there a little too early, the tide was just hitting high, but we ran down to Sawpit and fished a nice drainage that I had been eyeing and it paid off - we picked up a couple of Flounder and Bob caught one that was of keeper size. William had tossed up between some pilings and a big fish hit just as a boat wake rolled us and I thought we might lose William  but he stayed with it - he battled the fish to the net and landed a big Jack Crevalle. We had some good weather, some good action, some big Trout and so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

1st Mate Material

 The water was like glass all day today! I had met Bob Miller, his brother Jim and Jim's son Nick and
grandson Sam down at Sawpit Creek early - it was so still that the sand gnats made an appearance! But we got underway and that was the last we saw of them - we headed up the Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill and drifted float rigs and mudminnows up by the grass on a tide that still had about and hour and a half to high. We had some action - a bunch of Ladyfish and a couple of Jack Crevalle, but Jim did hookup and land a keeper sized Seatrout.

We came back to Seymore's Point and drifted it for a few casts then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point. Again, a lot of "junk" fish - Ladyfish, a Catfish, but then Bob hooked up and put another keeper Trout in the boat. And the Nick/Sam team followed that up with even a bigger Trout, this one measuring right at 18". Jim pulled a small Flounder out of there then we made the mover back over to Jackstaff and tossed jigs and minnows. My jigs didn't make too much of an impression - we didn't catch much, just another small flounder. 

By this time Sam was filling in as "1st mate" - he was retrieving the bait, hooking some of them up, and he had taken over net duties. We finished up back in the Nassau, fishing Twin Creeks with the  jigs, and here Jim finally got a keeper sized Flounder for the box. We had some good action for most of the morning and had a few 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.

Weekly Wrap Up

 It was an interesting week!  I "fun" fished on Wednesday with friend Tandy Morton using his boat - kinda nice to be a passenger! We left the Amelia Island Marina early and made the run out to the jetties, making our way over to the north jetty, on the inside, about half way between the bend and the end, where we set up with Tandy's trolling motor to hold us at anchor, about 40' off the rocks, on the last of an outgoing tide. Tandy had bought some mud minnows the day before and had cast netted for some perfect sized finger mullet so we had some good bait. Tandy  had a bucktail jig baited with the mullet and I was tossing a 3/8oz jig with the mullet and every once in a while we'd get a good bite. For me, it was kinda weird - that deeper, moving water made it a little difficult to feel the bite, but we got the hand of it. We ended up getting two nice Slot Reds in the boat and one keeper sized Flounder, and we threw back an oversized Red. And we missed at least four good fish - we had 'em on but they just came off!

The next day I took John Raker and Kenny King out there, pretty much to the same area. John had a
good strong hookup on about his 2nd cast, but unfortunately, it too came off. From then on all we had were nibbles. We eased down the jetty tossing to cuts but had no more good bites. So we made a run back in and up the Jolley where we set up along some exposed shell and went back to 1/4ox jigs and mud minnows and this did the trick. Both Kenny and John had good hookups with feisty Redfish. We bounced over to the MOA and picked up another Red, then we came back to the outside of Tyger and worked that bank and picked up a handful of Flounder. 

Yesterday I fished with the Bailey Boys - Douglas and his sons Anderson and Dylan, this time meeting down at Sawpit Creek. We made the run up the intracoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and fished a cut on an outgoing tide with jigs and mud minnows. I was expecting Flounder but I don't think we got a one. They did pick up a feisty Redfish and an "almost" legal Mangrove Snapper. After running through Horsehead we hit few drainages and picked up few fish. After fishing a drainage over at Nassauville where we picked up another Snapper and a small Flounder, we then made our way down to Broward Island where we had our best action. Anderson put a couple of more of those feisty Reds in the boat, Dylan expertly played a keeper sized Seatrout to the boat, but the net man missed him, then Douglas had a strong hookup and battled a nice slot Redfish to the net. While he was doing that Anderson hooked and landed another "almost legal" Mangrove. Then it was Dylan's turn to fight the big Red - he played it patiently to the boat and landed another Slot Redfish. We finished the day tossing floats at Pumpkin Hill but the sun was up and hot and the tide was at a standstill so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

One Big Trout and Big Bonnethead

 We had a couple of days of afternoon rainstorms come through and I think it made a difference in the fish bite. This morning we had a tide that was about midway coming in, clear skies, and just a little breeze which made for some comfortable fishing early, but by 11am it was getting HOT! I fished with Kenny King and his crew, John Raker and John's mother Betty, meeting them out at Oyster Bay. We came back down Lanceford and then up the Bell to make our first stop at a point of oysters that were just about already covered. We had a baitwell of healthy shrimp, a handful of mud minnows (caught yesterday) and a live well with about 2 dozen finger mullet. That first stop didn't produce much at all, just a few nibbles.

We made our way down the intracoastal with plans to stop at some structure but a shore angler beat us to it, so we kept going down to Poteat Point where we drifted the floats with the incoming tide. Although we didn't count them as "skunk off", Kenny did pick up Catfish and a Ladyfish, then finally, a hungry Seatrout. After making our way over to Jackstaff we turned into the "bank" and fished it all the way back to the point and may have gotten a fish or two. But when we turned the corner the action picked up with Ladyfish catches then Kenny had a strong bite - it giving him a good fight and we felt sure it was going to be a decent fish, and it was! Kenny expertly brought to the boat a big 19.75" Seatrout, which we photographed and released, boy what a fish!

After fishing a couple of more spots off of Jackstaff, we ran thru Horsehead and fished a drainage at Seymore's Point then finished up the day over on Alligaator Creek. Here, Betty tangled with two Bonnethead Shark - the second one was about 4 foot and then she finished up the day with a nice Seatrout catch. We had caught a couple of big fish and had great weather so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as aother great day to be fsihing here at Amelia Island Florida.

Those Dang Baitstealers

 Sooner or later I'm going to have to quit griping about them, but boy do those baitstealers make it tough to get a good fish! My guests today, Terry Foley and his buddy Chris found out early - after running up the intracoastal, then up Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill we had a pretty good high and incoming tide to drift those float rigs baited with live shrimp (still no mud minnows at the bait shop). They were re-baiting non-stop, unfortunately. But Terry did get one by them and sure enough, BAM! He hooked up and expertly landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Around the corner we picked up a small Redfish and Chris battled a Bonnethead Shark and a big Jack to the net for photograph and release.

We made a brief stop back at Seymore's Point, then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we drifted the floats. We had bites and Terry had something on briefly but it tangled in an old line and thru the hook. Back over in Jackstaff we switched to jigs and picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout then Chris had a good "thump", he set the hook and patiently brought to the boat a keeper sized Flounder. 

After running back thru Horsehead we hit a couple of drainages as we got to the bottom of our bait. Chris reeled in an "almost legal" Mangrove Snapper and then Terry wrapped the catching up when he hooked a Flounder right at the boat and brought it in. We then headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

I've set a minnow trap out the last couple of days but the tide is either too high or too low or the minnows I catch are too small. Come on Fall!