We wrapped up 2025 yesterday with some great fishing - although it was a bit cool at 35 degrees as we left the Sawpit boat launch! I had met Mark Averbuch, his son Jared and grandson Max early to get a fishing trip in the last day of the year - we ran up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop up at Seymor's Point - I lost my knit cap on the way and paid for it with a cold forehead those first few runs! Although the bite was not "one fire" as we drifted float rigs and live shrimp at a large drainage but Mark, fishing off the stern, did get the "skunk" off when he hooked and landed a hungry Seatrout then battled a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the boat. All fish caught today were released.
We knew the wind would be blowing all morning at 10mph, with gusts, so we had made a plan to try and stay in behind a land mass to get our fishing in, and the plan worked, although we did have run thru the wind to get to where we were going. Our next stop was around at Littlefield where we pitched jigs and the shrimp and all three anglers began to get fish. They found that they had to fish those jigs sloooowww and when they felt a "bump", set the hook. Most were Seatrout just below the size limit but we did have a couple that would have met the size limit. Both Mark and grandson Max hauled in a Flounder each that were right at keeper size. The "baitstealers" began out-competing for our bait though, so we moved on.
After a long run up the Nassau we turned into a small creek and fished a log lined bank and here we found some Redfish. You got to work that bank its full stretch - I was expecting some bites where we started but as we got to the opposite end they began to hookup. I guestimated they caught 10 Redfish, most being right at 17 7/8", but we did get one that was right at 19". The sun had really warmed things up and we'd had pretty good action all morning so as we headed back to the ramp we counted is another great day to wrap up the year fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
After a howling windy day yesterday, today was "picture perfect" - zero winds, and sunshine when I met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsivlle Park. The sun had just come up, the tide had started in about an hour earlier, so we made short run up the Nassau River to try our luck with jigs and live shrimp at Broward Island. These two anglers are always getting good casts and today was no exception - they were tossing their jigs baited with live shrimp to the bank and letting that incoming current bounce the bati down the river bottom, and it paid off! Dara hooked up off the stern and expertly reeled in a hungry Seatrout - the skunk was off! We worked along the bank for a bit and picked up a handful of Trout, two of which were of keeper size. We moved down to the other end, fished under the Eagles, and picked up another Trout or two, and one feisty Sheepshead.
Our next stop was way up the river where we found a small creek to dip into and work a shallow bank. Right off, Dara hooked up and landed the first Redfish of the day, then William went in behind a tree hanging over the creek and BAM! He hooked up, then Dara hooked up, we had a "double". They both landed Redfish. We worked along and had another Double hookup or two, then they landed a few Slot sized Reds, then we hit another spot where they put more feisty Reds in the boat It was worth the run up there!
Back down at the mouth of Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs and drifted the bank, on each side of the point, but got not much more than a nibble. Back down the Nassau and around to Seymore's Pointe -we set up on a large drainage and drifted the floats. The tide was just trying to start out and it was slow for a bit, then the duo caught a few feisty Redfish. Then Dara had strong bite and this one was ripping drag. I was worried that it would dig down deep across a visible oyster bed in front of us but she worked it across and landed a bulky 23" Slot Red. William got in on the action when he battled to the boat a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We had made a cast and dropped the rod into a rod holder when William yelled "fish" - that rod was bent over and ripping drag. Dara scooped it up and battled another 23" Slot Red to the net. Boy what a beautiful day, and we topped it off with an early Christmas present of a box full of good eating fish, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
After seeing the weather forecast last night I figured we'd be hug'n the bank today to keep out of the wind It wasn't expected to be too bad - up to 14mph but enough to make things interesting. I met Bob Kossman down at Sawpit Creek early and we made a run up the intracoastal, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had about 30 minutes to hit high. That current was still creeping in as Bob tossed to the grass, opened his bail, and let it drift. It didnt' take but a drift or two and BAM! Fish ON! Bob cranked, and the fish swam to us, and he cranked and it swap to us and when it realized it was about to be landed it turned and ran and, Fish Off! Ouch! We fished that stetch for a while, fished around the corner for a bit, then moved on - no more takers.
I had been stalling, waiting for the tide to change back at Seymore's Pointe, so as we eased up to a drainage there, sure enough, the tide was coming out. Bob was working that current and it paid off - it wasn't "on fire" but he caught fish, nice fish, slow and steady. He put a few keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, a handful of small but feisty Redfish, then a couple of Slot Redfish and a couple of Seatrout. Bob kept a few fish but threw back a couple of "keeper sized" fish. Those Black Drum sure do pull!
We came back around Seymore's and down to Littlefield and went to jigs and the shrimp and like yesterday, caught Seatrout until we got tired of catching them. 99 percent were 14" but we did have one that was keepable - we tossed it back. But we did get a keeper sized Flounder. That West wind was blowing - we hugged that land mass, went back around to Seymore's and tried out hand at fishing the traditional Trout "slip floats" with some success. -we caught a handful of feisty Bluefish. DAVID NEASE/TANDY MORTON, if you are reading this, both Bob and I are not sold on the slip float technique - I'd rather be pitching a jig! But with that said, it was still a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Get up outa that Easy Chair! Yesterday I had an 83-year old fishing with me and today, another 83-year old fished on the Anglers Mark - Betty Raker and her young son John. We met out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early on a tide that had just hit high. We made our way around to Seymore's Point and fished a large drainage with float rigs as that current started out. It started off slow but every now and then we got a bite. Betty started it off with a big battle - she fought and expertly landed a nice 17" Black "puppy" Drum, then she and John both hooked and landed a handful of feisty Redfish. After John landed another Drum, Betty hooked up and battled another keeper sized Drum to the net.
We ran thru Horsehead and fished a point with jigs, deep, and here Betty brought to the net a small Flounder - she had her Amelia Island Back Country Slam! We moved around to Poteat Point and fished floats and first cast John hooked an landed a hungry Seatrout - the had a Grande Slam! Back thru Horsehead we went and down to Nassauville, fishing between some docks with jigs, and we stayed busy catching hungry Seatrout - we guestimated about 18 fish caught, all in the 14.5" range, but one was of keeper size.
Down at Broward we fished jigs deep and John did find one lone Seatrout, and back at Back River he caught another Trout. Most of the spots we fished today produced at least one fish, some produced a handful, some produced a lot, and the rain had held off so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Fishing today - I met Macie Russell, her boyfriend Brennan, and Al Long up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. The tide was just starting out so we headed over to the outside of Tyger and began to toss float rigs and live shrimp. Brennan got hot early when he found some Reds up on a corner of grass - he expertly played a couple to the net, one of which was of keeper size, but released. Macie stepped up and filled in when Brennan wasn't looking and BAM! Fish On! She worked the fish patiently to the net and landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. The duo added a couple of more Reds to the catch before we moved on.
Just across the way we switched to jigs and fished 12' of water with shrimp and this paid off with a good flurry of fish catching. Al had been quite all morning but he got busy catching fish off the stern - he hooked and landed a good bunch of hard fighting Bluefish and a couple of hungry Seatrout. Both Macie and Brennan, fishing off the bow, figured those jigs and put fish in the boat. We probably could have stayed there and played with those Blues and Trout, but we moved on in hopes of bigger fish.
We tried our luck at a drainage up towards St. Mary's fishing jigs but had no bites, then we moved around to the mouth of Jolley and switched back to floats and again, no luck. Further up the Jolley we fished JC's Spot with the jigs and again, no luck. Ouch. But then we motored further up the Jolley and around to the Bell where we fished a deep bend with the jigs and this paid off. We were tossing the jigs in 20' of water, letting the current bounce it along the bottom and would feel the "bump bump", and set the hook. Trout On! The trio of anglers caught a handful of those Trout, one of which was of keeper size, one was fat but just short, and then Macie wrapped things up with another feisty Redfish catch. The wind had stayed down, it wasn't unbearably cold, and we had good action at 3 of 6 spots so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Finally, back to work today! And boy what a pretty day it was - sunshine, a bit cool, and no wind, water like glass! I met Frank and Joanne Wytiaz down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and we proceeded up the intracoastal, turned into the Nassau, and made a short run up to Spanish Drop where we started tossing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. That water was already way down- we could see banks of oysters that I haven't seen in a while, and I was expecting good fishing to kick things off. Boy was I wrong! We worked that first bank and only had a few nibbles, then moved up to a drainage and worked it - as we approached fish "blew out" of there - big wakes and I thought for sure we'd get a couple, but no, not a bite. We then moved up to Twin Creeks and worked that drainage as the tide began to hit bottom and finally Joanne "knocked the skunk off" with a nice feisty Redfish catch.
We then ran further up the Nassau and fished some docks -the tide was still going out here - and fishing deeper, it paid off. The duo began to get Seatrout catches, one after the other, most in the 14" range, but every once in a while they would get a "keeper" sized Trout. We probably could have stayed there and caught fish but the tide had changed and had started back in and I had a spot in mind so we pulled up and made a short run. We backed the stern up to some pilings and began pitching to them and BAM! Fish On! Joanne had a good fish that was putting up a fight - she played it patiently and soon landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. And from then it was a flurry of action, catching those puppy Drum. A couple were up in the 20" size and about to lose their stripes. We ended up with 6 keeper Drum at that spot, and tossed back a handful of smaller ones.
Down the River we went to fish some structure on the first of an incoming tide. Joanne had the first hookup but as the fish ripped drag, off it came. But Frank went in there and in short order had the strong hookup -he battled it expertly, letting it run, working it in, letting it run, and then he worked to the net a nice 25" Slot Redfish. We dropped back a little bit and continued ot fish and the duo hauled in another keeper sized Trout, another huge Black Drum, a couple of small but feisty Redfish, a nice keeper sized Sheepshead, and a small Flounder. We had started slow but boy did things take off when that tide changed, so as we headed back to the ramp with a big box of fish we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
A little bit cooler today - 46 heading to the ramp this morning, but clear skies and sunshine for 3/4 of the trip. I met Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald out at Goffinsville Park as the sun was coming up and with a tide that still had a long hour of coming in, we ran down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and tossed float rigs with live shrimp to the flooded grass line. Dannie was on the stern and she made good use of her drifts, picking up a good handful of hungry Seatrout, most in the 14" range. We then ran back up the Nassau to Pumpkin Hill and drifted the floats and again put those small Trout in the boat until finally, Gregg hooked up and landed a barely legal 15" Trout. But it was legal - I measured it three times!
We then came back to the Seymores Pointe area and fished a large drainage and this really kicked things off. The duo caught Seatrout, almost one after the other, but a couple were up to 17". Dannie had to tangle with a school of Bluefish, which were fun to catch but we tossed them back. We then dropped down the grass line a bit and again caught fish. Gregg put a handful of small but feisty Redfish in the boat, another 17" Trout while Dannie tried out a jigs fished on the bottom. When that area slowed we moved back up to the original spot and this paid off again! Dannie hooked an landed a nice 16" Black "puppy" Drum, then she expertly battled another big Slot Redfish to the net. They added another couple of keeper Trout before we moved on.
Further down the Nassau we went with jigs and the live shrimp, bumping them on the bottom, and got another handful of small Seatrout. The clouds had rolled in but we had fish in the box, some good action, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I was back to work today after a fine Thanksgiving break - I met Jeff and Ande DeNight and their friend Dan down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. It was cool and cloudy, a little windier than I expected, but that died down a bit as we began to fish. We had run up the intracoastal, then up Back River and over to the Nassau where we set up on a point to drift float rigs on a tide that was almost high. Dan was first in the water and it paid off with a nice Seatrout catch. Jeff followed that up with another Trout catch and we were off to a good start! We drifted that area, then pulled up and fished down another stretch - had some bites, then we picked up and moved.
Back at Seymore's Pointe we stuck with floats and drifted with an outgoing tide and this did the trick. All three anglers began to get Seatrout. Ande joined in and found a "hot spot" and picked up a good handful of those Trout. The trio weeded thru some small ones but every once in a while we'd get a "keeper" sized fish, the biggest being right at 17". After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point we worked a bank and here Dan, fishing off the stern, caught another couple of Seatrout. Jeff and Ande were making excellent casts forward into a pocket and getting good drifts but they had no takers. Back over in Jackstaff we switched to jigs and fished deep. Jeff had the hot rod, picking up another couple of Trout.
We then ran back thru Horsehead, back down to Back River, fished a bank with the floats again, then ended our day back down the Nassau fishing the drainages with jigs and the live shrimp. Ande stayed with the float and got a Trout at Twin Creeks. We moved down to another drain and within a minute Jeff yelled, "Fish On" - his drag was ripping as the big fish boiled up. He handed the rod off to Ande to let her feel a big fish and she played the fish expertly, working it in, letting it run, working it in, until she brought to the net a "Tournament sized" bulky 26.5" Redfish, boy what a fish! We had good action with the Trout, some nice fish in the box, and a Big Fish battle so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Boy, we have been blessed with some beautiful weather the last few weeks and today was more of the same -clear skies, very little wind, and warming temperatures as the day progressed. I met Allen Webb down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a quick run up the Nassau to Seymore's Pointe to catch the first of an incoming tide. We set up current from some dock pilings and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp up underneath them and got bites right off. The fish were a little "nibbly" about it but Allen was able to snag a nice feisty Redfish, a hungry Seatrout, and a small Sea Bass out from there.
We then ran further up the Nassau and found some structure to fish and boy did this pay off! Tossing to the bank and letting the incoming current bounce the bait down the bottom and BAM! We got fish! Allen was making excellent casts and hooked and landed Redfish. A few were in the 16"-17" size but he had one that would have been keeper right to the boat, but before I could net it, Fish Off! Ouch. But Allen was not to be deterred. We moved down a bit and went to the bank again and it was one Redfish after the other, with a nice keeper sized Slot Red thrown in. Allen also got his first Sheepshead to the net. We probably could have stayed there and caught those 17" Reds but we were blowing thru our bait, so we moved on, in hopes of bigger fish. Further down the way we caught another couple of feisty Redfish, then we moved on.
After running down the Nassau, we stopped at Twin Creeks, a large drainage, then Spanish drop and fished that incoming tide - the oysters were already covered -but we had no real bites. Back up the Nassau we went where we set up at a point and drifted our floats snd this paid off, we were back in fish. Allen caught a good couple of handfuls of Seatrout, and battled three hard fighting Bluefish to the boat before we called it a day. Heading back to the ramp, with the sun shining, and the water like glass, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I felt pretty confident this morning that we'd catch fish today, but I was thinking, "maybe a nice Redfish" and "surely a good handful of small Seatrout". As it's been all week, it was a beautiful day - sunny, no wind and just a cool nip in the morning that warmed to shirtsleeves temperature as the day went along. I met Henry Ross, Dick Conley and David Gray down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made a short run up the intracoastal, then up the Nassau to make our first stop at the Spanish Drop area. The tide was already fairly high - the oysters were pretty much covered- so we went with the float rigs and live shrimp. All three anglers were getting excellent casts and good drifts as we worked along a bank - we had a good number of "nibbles" but no takers until they picked up a small Seatrout. I let the boat drift back with the current to fish some flooded shell and this did the trick - Dick hooked up and expertly battled to the net a nice Slot Sized Redfish - and an 11 Spotter at that! Shortly after that he put the first keeper sized Seatrout in the boat.
We moved up the river to one large drainage and had no luck, then we moved on up to Twin Creeks and drifted across it's mouth. Henry had switched to a jig and the shrimp and picked up a couple of Seatrout, then as we drifted back with the current David found a "honey hole" and caught a couple of Slot sized Redfish.
We then made a run up river to the Super Secret Spot and drifted the floats as the tide got to its highest.We got busy catching those small Seatrout that I expected, a small Bonnethead Shark, then we had a bonanza of big Redfish caught! The trio added 3 more Slot Reds - we had to cull a couple - then David had a strong bite that was really ripping drag. He played it patiently, worked it to the boat, and landed an Oversized 27.5" Redfish - boy what a fish! They also caught a good handful of small Reds that were quickly released.
Over at Seymore's Point the tide was going out. We pitched to a grassy point and it paid off almost immediately - they caught some more of those feisty Reds and Trout. Henry got hot with the keeper sized Seatrout and put a few more in the box. At one time all three anglers had a fish on! Our final stop was over at Poteat Pointe and although we didn't get anymore Reds, we did get another hungry Trout or two. We had a good mess in the box, the weather had been fantastic, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The beautiful days just keep coming! And good fishing, too! Today I ran over to Oyster Bay to pick up David Vice and his neighbor and friend David Williamson as the sun was coming up. The tide was high and coming in - we eased out of their marina and ran back down Lanceford and up the Bell to set up on a point of grass with plans to toss float rigs and live shrimp. There wasn't much current! We did get some drifts but they were slow, but we did get a few bites and caught a couple of small Seatrout. That was the story for the next couple of hours - small Trout
After running thru Tyger and around to the outside of Tyger we again tossed the float rigs and picked up another Trout or two, then a feisty Redfish. We made our way over to the Jolley River and worked the "bank" with the floats and caught a slimy Needlefish and a Bluefish. Further up the Jolley, as the tide started out, things picked up a bit. If we could have kept all the 14" Trout we caught we might have needed a bigger live well! But finally David W. hooked and landed a couple of keeper fish.
Continuing on around thru the Jolley and into the Bell we eased up between two docks and switched to jigs and shrimp. David W. was on the stern, David V. was on the bow, tossing up close to the bank and letting it bounce down the bottom with the current and this paid off - there were at least three times when we had "double" hookup - both anglers had fish on. David W. was going up to close to the bank and hooked and landed a few feisty Redfish, then he and David V. teamed up on the Seatrout, and they seemed to get bigger - we had a few that measured to 17". They slowly put a good box of fish together for dinner tonight.
After fishing a couple of places back near Oyster Bay we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Another beautiful day this morning, albeit a bit foggy -I had to run slow up the Back River to get to our first stop at Pumpkin Hill after meeting Walter Mann and his fishing buddy David down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. But when we arrived at Pumpkin it was clear enough to fish so we began drifting float rigs with live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of coming in. David knocked the skunk off AND the rust off when he hooked up and landed the first fish of the day - a hungry Seatrout. And for the next hour the duo caught Trout - we lost count - with the biggest being right at 14.75". We moved around to three or four places, catching Trout. They were fun to catch but we had none in the box, so we moved on.
Our next stop was back at Seymore's Pointe and this paid off. David was fishing off the stern and getting a good drift and he found a good Seatrout "honey hole" and boated a good handful of them with two of them being of keeper size. Walter was fishing off the bow and when he drifted by a grassy point he could almost count on Fish On! His fish were feisty Redfish, the biggest being around 17" - fun to catch - one bent the stem of the float - but no keepers.
We fished Littlefield for a bit, with no takers, then we then moved down the Nassau, stopped at Twin Creeks and picked up one Trout on the float, then moved down to a large drainage and went back to jigs. The clock was ticking when Walter went up to some still covered oysters and when the fish hit we knew it was big - that drag was ripping! It brought Walter from the bow back to the stern then dug deep and Walter had to be patient as he slowly worked it in, finally landing a bulky 25.5" Slot Redfish, boy what fish. David went to the same area with an excellent cast, had a strong take that ripped drag, but threw the hook! He went back and after a couple of casts had another good bite and Fish On! David worked it in experlty and landed his first Redfish of the day and wrap things up.
The day had turned out beautiful - it went from foggy to sunny, cool to comfortable, and we had a few good fish in the boat so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The last time I fished with this guy I got the uneasy feeling that he wouldn't be back. But he was back today, with a vengeance. I had met David Vice, Lee Warren and their buddy Gary out at Goffinsville Park early this morning on a tide that still had about 45 minutes of coming in. We headed over to Pumpkin Hill and set up to drift floats (bobbers) long with that incoming current. It didn't take long before we were getting Trout bites, then Lee hooked up and it was Big Fish On! He was up by the grass and it paid off - this fish was ripping drag and Lee was in for a long battle. I fished with Lee last month and unfortunately he only managed to catch one fish, a 6" baitstealer. He was doing everything right, it just wasn't his day. But this morning, he had a big fish on and he was playing it patiently as it dug deep, running from shallow to deep, then David yelled, "Fish ON!" and we had a double! I was going from stern to bow with the net trying to determine who was getting closest first and eventually I was able to net Lee's big Slot Redfish - I dumped him on the deck then moved forward to net David's Slot Red -two fish in the box!
We fished that stretch for a good while and Gary proved adept at getting those hungry Seatrout to the net. We tallied up at the end of the trip and it was unanimous that Gary had caught the most. After moving up to a point and fishing down the other side and landing another good handful of Trout, and one more Slot Redfish, and then a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark, we moved on. Our next stop was over at Seymore's Pointe and here we caught a good handful of Seatrout, then we ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point where we caught more Trout, and more Trout and more Trout - most between 13" and 14.75", but we did manage two keeper Trout.
Our final stop was back at Seymore's Point fishing some dock pilings. Lee added another feisty Redfish to his catch total and David put a nice sized Black "puppy" Drum in the box. It had been a beautiful day, we had caught a ton of fish, we had a few 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. Check out this "double Redfish" battle...
For the second day in a row, we "slayed" the Black "puppy" Drum! I wrapped my week up today when I met Todd and Debbie Johnson up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We eased up the creek and got between two docks and pitched to the pilings on a tide that had been going out for a few hours. Baiting our jigs with live shrimp and tossing them up between the pilings paid off big. From almost the first cast, Todd and Debbie were catching fish - Puppy Drum, and Redfish, and even a keeper sized Sheepshead (we tossed it to grow). We were getting a fish on almost every cast and the duo soon got to their limit on the Black Drum AND the Red Drum, boy what a morning!
From there we made our way over to the Bell River and ran up it and again set up between two docks and stayed with the jigs and shrimp as the tide ran out to bottom. Debbie was taking a break, but Todd caught enough Seatrout for the two of them - in addition to all those we tossed back, he worked up to 6 keepers and was almost to the "trifecta" of his limit on those, too! The tide hit bottom, so we motored around to the Jolley River and pulled up at JC's spot to fish the first of an incoming tide. Debbie got back in action and prevented the "skunk" at that spot when she hooked and landed another Seatrout.
Our last stop was further down the Jolley where we switched to float rigs, for the heck of it, and they paid off. Both Debbie and Todd had good hookups with small but feisty Seatrout. They added a Bluefish to their catch variety then Todd topped it off with a hard fighting Sand Shark. Boy what a beautiful day we had, and with a big "mess o fish" in the boat, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It was a first for me, fishing Cul De Sacs today! I had met Laura (birthday girl) and Alex Winter out at Goffinsville Park early this morning. As I was waiting for them David Nease walked down and gave me a report from his fishing trip with his son yesterday - they had "wore out" the Seatrout! I assume David was fishing deep with "slip floats' and live shrimp.
We had a tide that was going out, still, for a couple of hours, so I thought that creek way up the Nassau would be the trick. When we got up there it was severely low tide, contradicting my Garmin's forecast, btu we fished it anyway and it was Laura who "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. Later, Alex followed that up with another small but feisty Redfish catch. We bumped bottom getting out of there! I thought we may have to get out and push and the water temperature was 61 degrees!
After running back down the Nassau we found a large drainage to fish with the jigs and live shrimp but we had not takes. We moved down to Spanish Drop and worked along the exposed shell bank and when Alex saw a "head wake", he tossed it forward and....Fish On! He played it patiently to the net and landed a ncie 21" Slot Redfish! The tide came to a standstill so we made a move, and boy was it a move! We ran up to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide with those jigs and shrimp. It didn't take long before this couple were putting fish in the boat. Lauren found a honey hole up in the Cul De Sacs and began to put Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, one after the other. Alex had a "nibble", set the hook, and Fish On! He worked it to the boat and landed a nice 17" Sheepshead - big enough to land him in 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Sheepshead Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
We stayed at that spot for another hour and caught those Drum. I had to keep count because they eventually hit their limit of 5 apiece. We tossed back another good handful of "keeper" sized Drum, but the neat thing was that as the tide got up they began to get Seatrout! The duo caught a good couple of handfuls of the Trout, with three of them being in the keeper size. Boy what a fishing trip! We had started slow but we "slayed' them late and it made for another great day to be fishing here at Amela Island, Florida.
Cool weather this week had us rescheduling trips for later in the month, but today we just waited to mid morning to meet up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. After we got Mickey and Brandi Kelliher settled on the boat we eased down the creek to make our first stop at some dock pilings on a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours. The move paid off - almost immediately Mickey was getting bites. He hooked up and expertly pulled a nice keeper sized Seatrout out from under a dock, then he had a subtle nibble, a hookup, and battled a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the net. We fished that spot for a bit and caught a few more Trout, two of which were of keeper size, then we moved around to the other side and caught a couple of Redfish, one of which was just in the Slot.
Our next stop was over in Lanceford, then in to Soap Creek where we switched to float rigs. Mickey found that he could "drift long" and as his float got to the tail end of a grassy island, BAM! He'd get a hookup. After getting a few Trout there, we made a run back around to Tyger Island and fished the logs. First cast with a jig and BOOM! We had a hookup. This one ripped a bit of drag but as Mickey got it to the net we saw it was just "feisty" for a Redfish. After working the island for just a few minutes, we made the run back out of Tyger, headed northwest and eased up to the outside of Tyger and stayed with the jigs. We had no real bites, but we did blow out a nice sized Redfish laying on a point of grass.
On up into the Jolley River we found a point to fish that had a submerged oyster bar out from it and here Mickey got hot catching small but hungry Seatrout. He even tricked Brandi into catching one, after making an excellent cast he asked her to hold the rod while he cleaned his glasses and she had a hookup, and patiently brought another Trout to the boat. We fished further up into the Jolley, just past Snook Creek, then we headed back to the ramp. It had been clear, cool, but sunny and we had some nice fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Eight trips in six days will wear an old angler out! I finished up a long week of fishing and boating when I met Jason Ash and his young son Anthony down at Sawpit Creek early this morning. It was Anthony's first trip with me, but not his first "saltwater" trip - he'd evidently fished in the Keys earlier. But he was out with his dad here at Amelia Island so we hoped to make the best of it, and boy did we! After running up the intracoastal and turning up the Nassau we made our first stop at a large drainage and began throwing jigs and live shrimp up current -the tide had been coming in a few hours. We didn't get much action so we moved down the Nassau and here the duo hooked up and brought to the boat a couple of hungry Seatrout and then a feisty Redfish. Skunk off the boat! We switched to floats and drifted those and got a few more Trout. Anthony caught on real quick to keeping is bail open, his hand a ready, and "slapping it shut" and reeling like crazy when the float went under!
Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, again drifting floats on the last of the incoming tide, and this paid off big. We caught a couple of more Trout, one of keeper size, then, after Jason had switched to a mud minnow as bait, BAM! Big Fish ON! He fought it off the bank as the drag was ripping and we knew right off that it was a big Red. Hoping for some "blackened fillets", Jason kept that pressure on and worked it slowly in, only to find when he landed it that it was a Big oversized 28.5" Redfish. After that fish it seemed to turn off from all of the commotion, so we moved around the corner and fished that stretch. Again, we got a couple of Trout then, after had gone loooonnnng with a drift, BAM! Another big fish on. Those Redfish fillets were on the back of our mind as he battled this one and once again, we were (somewhat) disappointed when we saw that it was another massive Redfish. This one was a brute that measured right at 30" and weighing over 9 lbs. Boy what a fish. Again, the bite turned off.
We moved BACK around the corner and fished that stretch again and here Anthony was getting a good drift, saw his float disappear, and he slapped that bail shut and set the hook and, Fish ON! He fought the fish expertly and brought in a nice 18" Seatrout to add to the box and take home for a fish sandwich! We had caught some good fish today, had a beautiful morning fishing as a father/son fishing team, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
..but the Trout did come thru for us this morning. I had met Sam Brown, his father Dennis, and Sam's girlfriend Tanley up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning with a tide that was high and still coming in. It was a beautiful morning as we eased out of Eagans Creek then made our way up and around to the Jolley River where we eased into the "bank" to toss float rigs and live shrimp.
Each stop we made today we tended to get a Trout, but only one, or maybe two at each location. Dennis had the hot hand early and picked up a few to jump out into a lead but then Tanley began to press him when she caught one deep on a jig over in the Bell River. Back towards Fernandina we were back fishing floats and when Tanley put the biggest Trout of the day in the boat to tie up the standings, Dennis got back in the action and caught a couple to re-assume the lead!
Over in Lanceford Creek the tide had finally started out and after much perseverance, Sam got oni the board with a nice Seatrout catch. That high tide had made it difficult, but we had a beautiful day and we'd put a few fish in the boat so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We waited for the tide to turn before we started today - I met David Bolton and his grandson Michael over at their dock on Lanceford Creek at 9am - the tide had just turned and started out. It was a beautiful morning with sunshine, clear skies, and just a slight breeze. We didn't go far - we came around to Soap Creek and fished a large drainage with float rigs and live shrimp and I think it was first cast and BAM! Float Gone! Michael reeled it in expertly and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. Now that's the way to start a fishing trip. We fished that spot thoroughly and it paid off. All three of us stayed busy hooking up and catching Trout. We had enough int he box that I had to check once in a while to make sure we didn't go over their limit. Five year old Michael had a couple of times where he saw the "take", hooked it up and reeled it in.
I felt like it might be hard to beat that first stop but boy was I mistaken! We motored out of Soap, then down Lanceford for just a short ways and pulled up at another drainage and started pitching to some strong current where I was hoping for some more Trout, but got no bites. David had went up into a pocket with his cast where the current wasn't so strong, let it drift naturally and BAM! Big Fish On! This one was ripping drag and running south! David and Michael teamed up with Michael on the reel and David supporting the rod. They fought it from port to starboard and back and after a good battle landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. We got busy again! I knew there as a shell bed over there and we could toss our floats up to either side and we got fish, one Redfish after the other. Again, Michael hooked his own up and expertly battled it to the net. I think we had 3 more Slot Reds at that spot, including some smaller "rat" Reds.
After running down Lanceford, up the Bell, thru Tyger and around to the outside of Tyger, we pulled up on a point and fished jigs and shrimp on the bottom and played cat and mouse with the pigfish. Around towards the Jolley, still on the outside of Tyger, we fished a sandy drainage, hoping for Flounder, but got skunked. Up in the Jolley we switched back to the float rigs and worked a bank, to no avail, then made one more run around to the "Super Secret Spot" where we switched back to jigs and worked some shell "cutsz'', and this did the trick!
Those smaller rods fit Michael pretty good and after a bit of instruction he was making his own casts (5 years old, mind you). As a trio we caught 3-4 more Reds, one of them beingin the Slot size, and Michael cast, hooked up and landed one of those all on his own. He also caught a couple of small Black "puppy" Drum to round out his Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We had caught our limit in Redfish, came close to the limit in Seatrout, learned to cast a spinning rod, had a beautiful day of fishing, so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Boy what a beautiful morning! I met Bob Kossman and his friend Shelly down at Sawpit Creek early this morning - that time change makes it perfect for these cool mornings. We ran up the intracoastal, turned up the Back River and made our way around to Pumpkin Hill - set up today where the sun's glare wasn't so much in our eyes and it paid off. We had a good Trout bite - most of them undersized, but I think we did get one keeper sized. We moved around the corner, drifted our live shrimp on that last of an incoming tide, and had another couple of Trout caught. We then moved up the Nassau and fished a "pocket" with the float rigs and just as the tide came to a halt, BAM! Big Fish On! Bob was on the rod and fought it valiantly. It was ripping drag up in the shallows but then it came to the boat and Bob had to quickly take th slack up, then it ran under the boat and it was nip and tuck there for a while. But Bob stayed with it and eventually boated a 7-spot 25" bulky Slot Redfish. Boy what a battle!
We then made our way down the Nassau and around Seymores Point and set up at a large drainage. I was hoping for the best - this spot has NOT been producing, but today was an exception. Shelly picked up a keeper sized Seatrout after a good drift, then she hooked up and battled a hard fighting keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the boat, which made it an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the boat. We tossed back a handful of smaller Seatrout before we moved on.
After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point we drifted that stretch of grass with the floats and caught another couple of Trout, one of which was of keeper size. Back over at Jackstaff we finally switched to the jigs but didn't get much, other than a small Ray. Our last stop was back over in the Nassau River, specifically Twin Creeks and here we had a good flurry of Trout catches and then Shelly boated the first Flounder of the day-14" but out of season, but still it made for a Grande Slam! We had sunny skies, the wind never was a real issue, and we had a good mess 'o 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.
