Oversized Red and Plenty of Trout

 I was back to work today when I met Shawn Boggs and his daughters Mattie and Addison and their friend
Carlson down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The weather stayed nice all morning, except that last hour got kinda hot! We ran up the intracoastal, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where set up with float rigs and mud minnows, drifting them with the current on a high and incoming tide. We did a few drifts and had a couple of small bites then Mattie had a strong one - she caught up to her float and let the circle hook set and Fish On! She played it expertly to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout for photo and release All fish caught today were released. 

Carlson followed her fish up with a big one! He had gone up to the bank and was drifting within a few feet of the grass and when ti was adjacent to that first island, BAM! That drag was ripping! Carlson kept the pressure on, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a big Oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fish. We moved around the point and worked that edge and picked up another Trout or two, then moved down to a grassy island where Addison patiently brought the first Flounder to the boat. 

Seymore's Pointe where we fished a large drainage and had a short flurry of Mangrove Snapper caught.
All were short of the 10", but it was nice to see a handful caught.  We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we stuck with the float rigs on an outgoing tide. These anglers caught a couple of Seatrout with at least one being well above the keeper sized limit. We finished the day back in Jackstaff, fishing with jigs and here we had another keeper sized Flounder caught, and a couple of big (17-18.34") Seatrout caught. All had caught fish, we had some big ones, and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Boys Will Be Boys

We wrapped the week up fishing on a beautiful day! I had met my cousin Jim Garner, his brother in law Chipper and Chipper's kids Carter and Addie down at Sawpit Creek early this morning and after a quick safety orientation, we made our way up the intracoastal, all the way to Poteat Point where we went with float rigs and minnows and live shrimp. Those shrimp were almost worthless. I had thought I'd "mix it up" with some shrimp - I haven't fished with them in weeks, and now I knew why - the baitstealers had a field day. When later, I mentioned it to my wife she said (you dummy), "even I know you shouldn't be using shrimp this time of year". I could see she was thinking the "you dummy". 

Jim "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch and from then on all four anglers were getting bitesand fish. Jim and Addie found a nice Trout hole off the stern but Carter slipped in there a couple of times to get fish. Chipper was going up current from the bow and hooked and landed the only Redfish of the day. Addie put the first keeper Trout in the boat, a nice 17" fish.  We then came back to Jackstaff and fished a sand bar and I was expecting big things - we caught Trout there yesterday, but other than a feisty Black "puppy" Drum that Chipper caught,  we didn't get much else.. After running thru Horsehead and down to Twin Creeks we fished the outflow with jigs and the minnows and shrimp, again, to no avail. As there was a lull in the fish catching, we initiated the GPK Challenge - the biggest fish caught from now on would take home the prize! That thing changed hands five times!

The boys were trying hard to suppress their competitiveness, but Chipper set the standard quickly when he boated a 11.75" Seatrout. The GPK changed hands when Jim put a 12.5" Flounder in the boat, then later down at Broward Island Carter had a big hookup - he played the fish expertly and brought to the net a big 17" Flounder - the fish went into the box and the GPK went smoothly into his pocket! But it wasn't there long! His Uncle Jim was fishing off the stern, deep with a jigs and minnow and when he felt a strong thump and after a good hookset, he had a big Fish On!  Jim worked it in patiently and landed a big Oversized 20" Seatrout, boy what a fish! We were all thinking that that would surely take the prize but we were mistaken!

Our final stop was at Pumpkin Hill. They picked up a couple of smaller Trout then Carter tangled with a
nice Black Tip Shark and had him to the boat before the leader snapped, then it was Chipper's turn to battle a big fish. He worked it in, let it run, worked it closer, let it run, then brought to the net another Black Tip Shark that measured to the fork at 21.5" and the GPK was his! The back story was that while that Shark fight was going on, and the guys were competing for the GPK, the youngest angler - Addie was quietly reeling in another keeper Trout to take home to feed the family! We had caught a bunch of fish during the trip and had a few in the box 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 "No-Doubters" Went In The Box

 We had a beautiful day to begin with today - a nice breeze and the water was like glass. I had met JeffAdams,his son Bo and his FIL Charlie down at Sawpit Creek early and after making a good run up the Nassau River to the mouth of Back River we set up with float rigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been going out for a few hours - the oysters were showing pretty good.  Jeff was on the bow and set the pace by catching a small but feisty Redfish, a hungry Seatrout, and a high-flying Ladyfish. Charlier was drifting long off the stern and it paid off when he too picked up a couple of Seatrout and then Bo got in on the action After fishing a grass line across the mouth of the river, to no avail, we moved on.

After running thru Horsehead and over to the mouth of Jackstaff we set up on a point where I thought for sure we'd get some Flounder by offering the jigs and minnows, but I thought wrong - not a bite. But we dropped back along the sandy point and fished the outside edges of the bar and this did the trick. Bo hooked up and landed a big Seatrout - a "No Doubter" when it came to measuring - the first fish in the box His grandfather was holding up the stern of the boat and found his own little "honey hole" of Seatrout - he caught a good handful a couple of which were keepers, and one of them was for sure a "No Doubter" - it measured right at 18".  Jeff kept the bow warm and hooked up a couple of Trout, too.

We ran back thru Horsehead and fished down the Nassau, first at Twin Creeks, then at a nice drainage -there was plenty of bait action but we had no real bites. We theorized that the heat was taking its toll on the fish  bite! But our last stop up at Pumpkin Hill paid off. Jeff had the hot hand here - he was fishing out from the shore and drifting a bit longer and landed hungry Trout, then a Ladyfish, then had his hook cut off, then he hooked and expertly played a nice Black Tip Shark to the boat. But boy was it getting hot! We had a mess of fish in the box and had some decent 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.

We Stayed Busy Catching

 

I wrapped my week up fishing out of Sawpit Creek this morning. I had met Kyle Townsend, his girlfriend Mica, and his sister Olivia early and after making our way up the intracoastal and dipping in to Jackstaff we began to toss jigs and mud minnows to a small oyster lined drainage. We had a few nibbles but no takers so we crossed the creek and fished an exposed point, but again, no takers. The tide was right at dead low and I think that was making for some slow fishing. But as we worked up along an edge Olivia "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Mangrove Snapper. Then it was Mica's turn - she had her rod bend over and after she set the hook, she got a few drag ripping pulls - Mica played it perfectly and soon boated a nice Jack Crevalle. 

We then made the run thru Horsehead and down to Broward Island to catch the first of an incoming
tide. That first area didn't produce so we moved down the way to fish a drainage and this did the trick. Kyle's first cast produced a hungry Seatrout and from then on we were getting bites and fish. All three anglers had their share of catches - small but feisty Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. Kyle stepped into the role of "Flounder Man" - he had a good handful of them, mostly small but then we had a good one to the boat and I missed it with the net and it came off-Ouch! But Kyle was not to be deterred - he went back to the same spot and had a good hookup and this time we netted a good 16" keeper sized Flounder. 

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill, switching to float rigs and the minnows. I was getting a little nervous - I was counting on the spot to pay off but the first few drifts didn't produce. But then Kyle, after going way long with a drift, had a hookup - he brought it patiently to the boat and landed an Oversized 19.75" Seatrout, boy what a fish! They continued to get smaller fish -small Trout, small Reds, and they also tangled with Ladyfish, then after Olivia had drifted by a small "cove" a dozen time, she had the hookup and Fish On! Olivia fought it to the boat, keeping that pressure on and after a few rips of the drag, she brought to the net a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We finished up the day around the corner where they caught more Seatrout, Redfish and Ladyfish. Those last few stops produced good action, we had a couple of nice fish in the box and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Most of The Trout were Bigger

 

I kicked off the week fishing with Craig and Christina Jones this morning and we were in luck! The skies had a bit of cloud cover and with a slight breeze it was a very pleasant fishing day. We met down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and with a tide that was already high and still coming in, we made the run up the intracoastal, then up Back River, skirting Black Hammock with a final stop up at Pumpkin Hill. The plan was to drift float rigs and mud minnows along the flooding marsh line. It didn't take long - just as few drifts, and BAM! Craig had a hookup that put a good bend in his rod. He played it perfectly and was bringing to the boat when Christina yelled, Fish On! We had a double! Craig his fish to the net- a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and shortly after Christina netted a hungry Seatrout. That was a good start! We had a few bites after that then we moved around the corner and drifted that side and had few bites. But we didn't have any takers until we floated with the current, tossing to the grass. Christina hooked up and landed a very nice 17" Flounder, then she caught an Oversized 19.5" Seatrout, then a keeper sized 17" Seatrout. 

When the tide hit the top we made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage, to no avail, then we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we had a couple of big bites - one we felt sure was a Redfish when we saw his huge tail during a short-lived fight - he got up in the oysters and broke it off, ouch! Back around at Jackstaff we fished another point and here Christina put another keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. We fished back at the Nassau River - Twin Creeks and down at Spanish Drop, caught a couple of fish, then finished the day at a new spot where Christina got her "Amelia Island Back Country Slam" - she caught a small but feisty Redfish. We had some great weather, 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.

Wearing The Gold Plate Off

 We've been initiating the "GPK Challenge" a lot the last few trips - I gotta get rid of them! Yesterday, after Cutler Averbuch put a small but feisty Redfish in the boat we used that fish to set the standard for the Challenge. Little did I know, the GPK changed hands so many times I thought the gold plating might wear off! Yes, I have to admit, the GPK's aren't solid gold -they are plated!

I had met Mark Averbuch and his son Cutler and grandson Harvey down at Sawpit Creek early and we made the run up the intracoastal and all the way up to Poteat Point where we went with float rigs and mud minnows. We were there about an hour late but I was hoping for a few fish on the outside of the oysters. Hoping didn't do me much good - I don't think we got a bite! We then moved over to Jackstaff and fished a cut where we have been getting Flounder all week and when Mark had a good bite and the big fish stayed deep I was thinking it was going to be a massive Flounder! But as he brought it to the surface we saw that is was a big ol ugly Gar Fish! We got it in the boat, de-hooked it, photographed and released it.

After running thru Horsehead and down the Nassau we made a stop at Twin Creeks and fished them
with jigs. Cutler put that 14" feisty Redfish in the boat to kick off the "GPK Challenge" - todays rules were "the biggest game fish" takes home the prize, Redfish, Flounder, Seatrout, Drum, Sheepshead, Tripletail, Snook were all up for grabs -Snook and Tripletail were mentioned as far fetched but we have caught them in NE Florida! Cutler confidently pocketed the GPK but it didn't stay there long - at the next stop Harvey had a good "thump" - he hooked it up and played to the net a keeper sized 14.5" Flounder (all fish caught today were released). The GPK changed hands. Then Cutler put a tad bit bigger Flounder in the boat and repossessed the GPK. We moved down that way and caught a couple of more Flounder of equal size (I counted a total of 4 that could have been kept),  then we moved on.

The last few days we had some negative low tides and I have been fishing a point where on that low tide I saw that there was "grass like" coral growing about 30 feet from shore. I never new it was there but realized that may be why we catch Seatrout in the area on a high incoming tide. But we had a almost dead low now so we stayed out a ways and tossed float rigs up near the coral "grass" and boy did it pay off! Mark hooked up and his drag was ripping - the fish charging deep off the stern and while he was fighting it Cutler hooked up and his drag was ripping - we had a double! Both anglers fought their fish expertly - Mark got his in - a 19" Slot Red, but before he could actually get his hands on the GPK, Cutler boated his and it measured right at 19.5"! A few minutes later Cutler had another hookup - this one was even bigger. He played it patiently and soon brought to the boat a nice 22" Slot Red....and the GPK stayed with him for the rest of the trip. The only other fish caught in the last few minutes was a monster of a Gar fish!

We had a nice breeze all morning, a cloud cover that kept the heat down, and some good catches during the day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Flounder Got Bigger

 Our first stop produced 3 keeper fish! I had met Cindy Gray who was hosting two of her grandsons, Alex and Henry, for a fishing trip this morning. We met down at Sawpit Creek early and made the run up the intracoastal then in to Jackstaff to make our first stop at a overflow - the tide was dropping and as we fished the mud flat began to appear. The anglers were tossing mud minnows on a  jig and Cindy kicked it off when she hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder. She then battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. (We tossed that back). We worked around a point and Henry got on the board when he hooked and landed another keeper sized Flounder, just a big bigger than his grandmothers. Before we left we moved back to our original position and here, fishing deep, Cindy hooked up and expertly played to the net a nice fat keeper Seatrout. 3 in the box at the first spot - not bad!

We ran thru Horsehead and then down the Nassau River with plans to hit the drainages as the tide ran out, and it paid off. We caught a few smaller Flounder then it was Alex's time to get on the board. He felt a bump, set the hook and Fish ON!  He played it expertly to the boat and landed the biggest Flounder of the day, one that measured right at 18" - a fish that put him in a tie for 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Henry had seen a Shark cruising the bank, put his bait out in front of it and BAM! That fish was ripping drag - it took Henry from the stern to the bow and from the starboard side then the port and then it headed south and BAP, fish off! Those Bonnetheads sometimes thumb their noses at our light tackle. 

There was a lull in the catching so we initiated the "GPK" challenge for the "first Redfish caught" and
that did the trick - Alex hooked up and landed a small but feisty Redfish. We ran down to Broward Island and fished the last of an outgoing tide, to no avail, then finished up at Pumpkin Hill. For the  last two days the tide has been extremely low and for the first time I've seen some coral like grass about 20' out from the bank -no wonder we get Seatrout there on high and incoming tides! We worked along that edge thinking surely there would be some fish along there and sure enough, BAM! Alex's drag was ripping! He played it perfectly - it rolled and we knew it was a Redfish - he worked it in and netted a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We had a good box full of fish, the weather had been beautiful and so as we headed back to the ramp we countedit as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mixed Bag

 

It was sort of a weird "fish catching day" today when I fished with Garland Clark and his son Kris. We had met down at the decrepit Sawpit Creek boat ramp early to beat the heat, then ran up the intracoastal to dip into Jackstaff and make our first stop at a new "cut" in the bank - it used to be lind with grass but it's washed thru. We could see the Flounder divots up on the exposed mud flat and we could see bait getting smashed along the edge, and as we fished we all three saw a nice Flounder coming flying out of the water chasing bait, but could we get them to take one of our offerings? Nope. But we did get a bite or two and had one close to the boat before we moved on. 

Our next few stops were over in the Nassau River fishing drainages. Garland knocked the skunk off when he hooked and expertly played to the net a nice keeper sized Flounder. Kris was fishing off the stern and tangled with a big high flying, hard fighting Ladyfish.  He had a nice hookup with a big Flounder that was almost to the boat before it thru the hook. We fished Seymore's for Mangrove Snapper, with no luck, then we fished Littlefield with jigs and this paid off for Kris when he hooked and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. 

We fished Pumpkin Hill on an extremely low tide and boy was it shallow! But Kris went out deep with a jigs and picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout.  Garland had a drag ripping bite that took him long - he worked it in slowly and soon boated a nice Black Tip Shark. Then we finished the day down at Broward Island  where we picked up one more Trout then Garland put a 14 Spot juvenile Red in the boat. 

7 In The Box or Flounder Flurry?

We were having a hard time coming up with the Report title for today, there were so many options to choose from: 7 In The Box?  Flounder Flurry? Slammed It? Fish at Every Spot?  You'll have to pick!  I had met Lee Warren and his grandson Noah and their friend David Vice out at Goffinsville Park this morning early and with a tide that had been falling for about 4 hours, we made a quick run down the Nassau to set up at a nice drainage and began to toss jigs and minnows to the exposed bank and drainage. It wasn't long before David hooked up and expertly boated a nice keeper sized Flounder. He added a keeper sized Seatrout to the box then hooked and patiently landed a big 19.5" Flounder to squeeze in to First Place in the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We bounced down a hundred yards to the next drainage and again picked up fish. Noah hooked and landed a keeper sized Flounder then he expertly played a feisty Redfish to the boat to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Flounder, Seatrout and Redfish. We moved another 100 yards and again we caught fish- more Flounder. Our next stop was up at Bubblegum Reef - I haven't fished it in years - David and Lee were fishing forward off the bow near the Reef but we had a float rig going out back up near the shell bed and when it went under, Noah was on the rod. He brought it in slowly, lifting it up and reeling it down until he brought to the net a nice Slot Redfish, for the box. 

We fished Seymore's Point and lost the battle to what I think were Mangrove Snapper but David did haul in a Flounder to keep the streak going, then we finished up down at Broward Island fishing the jigs. Lee got on a hot streak, boating a keeper Flounder, a couple of small Flounders, and a hungry Seatrout. We had 5 Flounder in the box, a nice Seatrout and a Slot Redfish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Nice Box of Fish

 I wrapped my week up - have a great 4th of July weekend! Today I fished with the Braynard family, Scott and Jennifer and their adult sons Steve and David. We met early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and made a quick run up the intracoastal and up the Nassau on slick water with clear skies - we had only a nice slight breeze all day. Our first stop was at Spanish Drop where we turned into the current and began to toss jigs and mud minnows to the still exposed shell bank. As we worked along we got a nibble or two then Scott hauled in a mangy Catfish! But he followed that up with a good hookup and successfully played a keeper sized Flounder to the boat. David followed that up with a keeper Flounder of his own and Scott finished the spot off with a Jack Crevalle battle to the net. 

We bounced own the bank, hitting drainages and drifting past them, finally switching to float rigs and the mud minnows, but we had limited success. 

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and this paid off with some good action. David went long with a float and picked up a hard fighting Flounder then Scott caught and expertly played a big 18" Seatrout. On queue, David drifted the grass and he too caught nice keeper sized Seatrout. Then it was Jennifers turn for the big battle - she had a strong hookup and that drag was ripping - she fought it valiantly as it made a couple of hard dashes, but she kept the pressure on and lifted it up, reeled it down, lifted it up and reeled it down until  she brought the beast to the net - a nice Jack Crevalle. 

We had some good bites here and there - Steve had a good drift really close the grass and caught the first Redfish of the day, a juvenile, but then he went long with a drift and BAM! Big fish on! He was so far back there that I thought for sure he'd get spooled quickly so we hit the trolling motor in high gear in reverse and back to it, all the while with Steve cranking in the slack as we went. We it "anchor" and let Steve battle the fish to the boat, a big 25.25" Redfish, boy what a fish. We had some good action at a couple of spots, had beautiful weather,

had seen birds, dolphin, and manatee, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Tourney Reds and Flounder Herd

 I fished with the Blalock's today, William and Dara, after meeting them out at Goffinsville Park early. The
tide was fairly high, still coming in, so we ran a bit down the Nassau River to "kill some time", making our first stop at Twin Creeks. We unlimbered the float rigs baited with live shrimp and mud minnows (the two anglers noted that they did better on the minnows as the day went on) and drifted the grass line as that tide continued to come in Dara had gone up into a little niche in the grass and after she saw here bait getting nibbled just a bit - it went under and she hooked it up! Fish On! She played expertly to the boat and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice 21" Slot Redfish.

We then ran back up the Nassau and fished a nice stretch of grass. William was on the stern and let his float go long, way long! It was almost out of sight when it disappeared under, and William tightened it up and let that circle hook set. He had a long haul back to the boat, but when we netted it we saw it was a nice 18" Seatrout. After moving up to a point of grass Dara had made an excellent cast to the bank and BAM! Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag and running deep, but Dara kept the pressure on and worked it patiently to the boat and landed a "Tournament sized" 26.25'" big Slot Red. And only minutes later, William went to the same spot with a pinpoint cast and BAM! Another big Redfish on!  William worked it in, let it run, worked it in and landed another Tourney Red, this one measuring right at 26". 

We fished Seymore's Pointe and picked up one Mangrove Snapper, ran to Poteat Point, then finished up back in Jackstaff where a mudflat dropped off to some deeper water. I had fished the same spot a week ago on a low tide and had noticed Flounder "divots" in the flat and sure enough these two caught Flounder for the next 30 minutes. I counted 8 brought to the boat with two them of keeper size. We had one come off at the boat and Dara hooked something big that ripped the drag for just a few seconds before it threw the hook. William went up the bank and picked up one more keeper sized Seatrout then we called it a day and headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Bragging Rights Times Two

 Where have the fishing reports been? It's kinda hard to write reports when the fish "catching" has been almost non-existent! I fished four trips Monday thru Wednesday - we caught a few - Jacks, and Catfish, and Ladyfish, and maybe a few small Trout and small Flounder. Yesterday morning we did get into some Redfish and caught about 8 of them, but the biggest one was about 14"!

But today was a highlight, hence the report! I had met brothers Bob Miller and Jim Bergert down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made a good run up the intracoastal to make our first stop at Poteat Point. The tide had been going out for about an hour so we had time to drift the floats and it paid off. After getting a couple of good bites, Bob had gone up against the grass with a good cast and as it drifted along with the current, BAM! That float was gone! Bob quickly tightened up the slack and let the circle hook set and the fight was on. The big fish went deep, then came to the surface and rolled and we knew it was a big Redfish. Bob kept the pressure on and when the fish headed for the grass - it got in in for a just a bit- Bob gently teased it out and fought it to the net and landed a thick 22.75" Slot Redfish- the Big Fish Skunk was off!

We worked up along the bank, tossing forward and with Jim on the bow, he had gone up to a point of grass and was letting his bait drift back (we were alternating between live shrimp and mud minnows) and he had his float disappear. Those earlier bites we'd had were good practice because Jim caught up to it quickly and it was his turn to have a big fish on! I almost thought it was a big Gar fish when I saw it flash in the water, long and fat, but as he worked it to the net I saw it was huge Seatrout. He successfully landed it and it measured right at 22.75", the biggest Trout of the year and it placed Jim squarely in first place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

But Jim wasn't finished. Just minutes later he had another hookup - he played it perfectly and soon
brought to the net a 21.75" Seatrout, good enough for 2nd Place in the Bragging Rights Tournament. Boy those were some nice fish! We hit a number of other spots for the rest of the morning - caught some small Reds, small Trout, tangled with Ladyfish, and caught the first Mangrove Snapper of the year (it measured about 8") which was a highlight for me! Then we called it day and as we headed back to the dock, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

She Was A Big Trout

 

I wrapped my week up fishing south with Howard McClure and his buddy Joe - we met at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at a nice drainage. The two anglers were tossing jigs and mud minnows to the shore line and got some good hookups - they hauled in two keeper sized Flounder and a small Redfish. We moved up the way and fished Twin Creeks for a bit before we moved on. Our nest stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to the pilings. We weren't getting many bites, if any, until Howard said the felt a bump and when it got heavy he expertly set the hook and Big Fish On!  Howard played it patiently and after a good tattle he landed an oversized 20.25" Seatrout, big enough to land Howard in a tie for third place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament, Seatrout Category. Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.

We fished some rocks at Seymore's, had a bite or two, then made our way down to Pumpkin where we drifted the float rigs. On the first pass Joe had a drag ripping bite that quickly snapped the leader  and after that we picked up  a Ladyfish and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. There as a storm brewing north of us so we headed back to the ramp and called it another great day to be fishing at Amelia Island, Florida.

Finally, A Banner Day

 

It's been a good while that we've had one of those Banner Days of fish catching, but today earned that moniker. I had met the DeNight boys, Jeff and his brother Scott and his nephew Abraham out at Goffinsville Park and we made a quick run down to Broward Island on a tide that was still going out. We set up and began to toss jigs and mud minnows and it didn't take long before they were catching fish. Jeff had a big 26" Slot Red pretty early, then he and Scott teamed up with a "double", catching keeper sized Flounder and Trout, respectively. We dropped down the island with the tide and Scott got hot catching Slot Reds and became the self-proclaimed "Redfish Master".  To top that Jeff had put a few more  

Flounder in the boat and he took the title of "Flounda Man".  Abraham got on the board when he expertly hooked and landed a nice Flounder of his own. 

We fished back down the Nassau and caught more Flounder and more Reds, and tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, then we ended up back at Pumpkin Hill drifting floats. The trio added a Jack Crevalle to their species total, then Scott added another keeper Flounder to the box. He then went long with a drift, way long, and sure enough, hooked and landed the biggest Trout of the day, one that

measured right at 18".  The GPK had  been in contention all day but it was the young angler who took it home - Abraham went long too and when his float disappeared he tightened up and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On!  Abraham played it perfectly, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then patiently brought to the net a nice 24"  8-spot Redfish to wrap things up. We had ended up catching 6 Slot Reds, about 7-8 Flounder with 4 of them keepers, and we had two nice Seatrout 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. 

Flounder and Finally Some Slot Reds

 Short report today...did a "double" then an AIGA meeting this evening, reporting late...

I fished with Steve and Carron Frost this morning on a tide that was coming in. We fished the outside of
Tyger with jigs with minnows and shrimp, had no real luck, then ran up the Jolley and fished the "bank", then further up to Snook Creek. Along the way we had some pretty decent action, catching some small Flounder, small Seatrout, and small Jacks. The highlight was when Carron went into a small "cove" with a good cast and had a hookup, as she was bringing her keeper sized Flounder to the the net, Steve went to the same hole and BAM! He had a hookup and reeled in is own keeper Flounder. We caught a few more Trout, with one of them being of keeper size, and ended the day with a total of 7 Flounder caught. 

The afternoon trip had Brian Roach, his son Mike and his friend Mark - we again ran up the outside of Tyger and worked the bank with jigs -Mark "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a nice Flounder. We moved around to Jolley Bank and worked it and here Brian had a hard thump and set the hook. He battled a big Flounder to the boat - it measured right at 19" and put Brian in the lead of the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

And then the bottom fell out! Boy what a rain - we could see it coming from the west and it drenched us good! But it passed after a while and the wind calmed and it became very pleasant to fish. We ran up the river to JC's spot and worked the exposed oyster beds and it paid off - Brian hooked and landed a nice 22" Slot Red, then Mike followed that up with a big 21" Slot Red of his own.  It was a long day but we caught some fish so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Rebound Down South

 We elected to fish south this morning in hopes for some decent gamefish and the plan produced! Yesterday my anglers worked hard and caught a bunch of fish, but we had a few too many "junk" fish for my liking. I also added 2 dozen mud minnows to the arsenal. I picked up William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsville Park (I launched at Sawpit( and we made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill to catch the last 30 minutes of the incoming tide Dara was on the stern drifting a float and shrimp long and William followed her off the bow and I think it may have been Williams first or second pass that he hooked up and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle. Dara was out ahead again with William following when we all saw William's line "Zip" back up stream and then his drag began to rip. I had the sinking feeling that he'd hooked up with a Bonnethead, but when it didn't run far my hopes rose. William fought it like it was going to be dinner and worked it to the surface, let it run, came back to the stern and worked it around the engine, then played it patiently - Dara saw that it was a huge Redfish!  He slowly brought it to the net and landed a 28.5" Oversized Redfish, big enough to take third place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. Boy what a fish. 

After fishing a point as the tide paused, we then made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage but didn't get a real bite. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and withing seconds she had a good hookup and as I was landing her keeper sized Seatrout, William hooked up and brought one in. We fished forward a bit and picked up another keeper Trout. We made a stop in Jackstaff and fished a sandy drop off and here Dara had that tell-tell "thump" - she set the hook expertly and brought to the net a nice 17" Flounder,(2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Tournament) William followed that up with a Flounder catch of is own. Back thru Horsehead we went, over to Back River where we drifted floats at a couple of spots. 

We fished some docks at Nassauville and even thought the wind was beginning to kick up a bit, we
made our way down the Nassau and set up at a drainage to fish the now exposed oysters. William had a strong bite, battled it while the drag was ripping, then it was gone! Ouch. But Dara followed with a good cast to the same spot and, Big Fish ON!  This one was ripping drag too and it got back in the current and made a fight out of it. But Dara was up to the challenge and worked it to the boat patiently and soon landed a nice 25" Slot sized Redfish. I didn't know it but while she was fighting her fish William had a Flounder on hold at the side of the boat and it took advantage of the delay and thru the hook! We had some good battles today, had a few in the box, had thrown back a big one so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Fish So Big It Warranted A New Bragging Rights Category

 I knew that the Bragging Rights standings couldn't hold - we've had some big fish caught this year but
none of the Categories were headed by sizes that usually win for the year so I knew that sooner or later we'd get a big one. But first, we had a big one caught that I've never categorized - the big Black Drum. I think I've left it out because we could fish for those monsters in April and May and get 40,50, 60 pounders which would be tough to beat. But today we did get a 16 pound drum on my size 1000 reel and boy was it a battle!

I had met Fred and Chad Wammock up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early and we made along run up the Bell River to fish a deep bend with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. I was looking for Seatrout and the spot didn't disappoint - the duo caught a good handful of them, one of which was of keeper size. . They also picked up a couple of Catfish so when Fred had a strong bite that was digging deep hard I thought for sure it was just going to be a massive Catfish, dang it. Fred stayed with it and patiently wore the big fish out and eventually worked it up where we saw it was a huge Black Drum - so big that we couldn't even call it a "puppy" Drum! It measured 31" and weighed 16lbs on my Boga. I created a "Special Appearance" on my Anglers Mark 2026 Bragging Rights Board just for this fish! Scroll down the right side of this report for standings. 

We then made our way around to the Jolley River and fished the MOA, but didn't have much luck there. After crossing over to JC's spot we did better. Much better. We hadn't fished the exposed shell long when it was Chad's turn to have the big battle. This fish was ripping line and when it rolled a couple of times we new it was a big Redfish and boy was it. Chad stayed with it and worked it in patiently and soon landed a 32.25" Redfish, which tops the Bragging Rights Board for Redfish caught this year. 

We fished down at the Jolley Bank where the duo picked up another keeper Trout and a keeper Black "puppy" Drum. After dropping back and fishing Tyger Point with floats and getting another Trout or two, we ended the day back at Tyger logs where they topped off the day by catching a hungry Flounder for a Grande Slam - Seatrout, Redfish, Black Drum, and Flounder. We had a beautiful day, had s few fish in the box, had caught some big fish for memories and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

After the Flood

 

We were off for a couple of days enduring some serious rainfall which was much needed - I talked to a friend that said he had 5" of rain at his house! But we had clear skies today after an early morning fog - I had met Walter Mann and his fishing partner Bobby down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We eased up the intracoastal, made a run up thru Middle River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp to fish the very last of an incoming tide. Bobby "knocked the skunk off" early with a feisty Bluefish catch and later we picked  up a small Jack Crevalle. We fished around the corner for a bit, then headed over to Seymore's Pointe where we caught the first of an outgoing tide - boy they were getting good drifts, the land mass blocked the breeze and it was almost ideal, except the fish didn't cooperate!

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we worked along the bank. Walter had the hot spot off the stern where he hooked up and landed a handful of Seatrout, a couple of which were of keeper size. He also battled a big Bonnethead shark to the boat where we quick released it. Back over in Jackstaff we picked up a couple of more Jacks, then we finished the day up back in the Nassau. The water was muddy from all that rain and the fish weren't' real hungry, but we caught a few and the sun was out so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Worked Up To a Grand Slam

 

I wrapped my week up fishing with Mark Caldwell and his fishing buddies John and Don when I met them up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning. We eased out of Eagans Creek and made a run over to Lanceford to fish some dock pilings on the last of an outgoing tide. The three anglers were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the pilings and getting good casts and we did pick up a couple of feisty Black "puppy" Drum. We then made our way back and around to the Tyger logs and worked the bank - Don hooked and landed a hungry Flounder, but after that we  had no real bites.

We then ran up to the Jolley River and turned into the bank and fished it with float rigs and the shrimp and this paid off - the trio tangled with a Ladyfish then John hooked and expertly battled a nice Slot sized Redfish to the boat - they had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We moved further up the river and fished at Snook Creek with the floats, then came back to Tyger Cut where they all joined in catching a few Seatrout to make it a Grande Slam. We ended the day around on the outside of Tyger and Mark wrapped things up battling a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. The day had been overcast all day, but the wind had held off, and we had some good action here and there so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.