Wind Couldn't Stop Us

 Boy what a temperature drop we had!  And with it came some strong winds - the forecast for this morning was 13mph at 7am but quickly rising to 17mph by 9am. But it was clear and sunny and the wind was out of the WNW and we had a plan!  I met Alex and Laura out at Goffinsville Park and as we left the dock we could see it was calm all along Nassauville rocks. We made our way down a ways and set up between two docks and began pitching jigs and live shrimp.

And the fish catching began!

Both Laura and Alex put some healthy Seatrout in the boat, many of keeper size and Laura added a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. Then Alex had a strange bite - he hooked it up and Big Fish On!  Alex kept the pressure on and worked it up off the bottom and when it came to the net we saw that it was a 19.5" Sheepshead - big enough to move into 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament - Sheepshead category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We threw back a whole bunch of small Trout. 

We then made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished a dock and here we got into some keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. Alex and Laura caught one after another, with a Seatrout thrown in here and there, and Laura added another keeper Sheepshead.  They had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Sheepshead and Drum before we left.

Our final stop was up the Nassau and into a Creek and as we worked the bank Laura put the first Redfish in the boat (and made it a Grande Slam). They caught a couple more "feisty" Reds then Alex had a good bite -BAM!  Fish On!  He played it patiently, let it run, worked it in, and eventually landed a big 24" Slot Redfish, boy what a fish. 

Although it was a bit cool, it was very comfortable as we stayed out of the wind most of the morning and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Slot Red Icing on a Grand Slam

 

I THGUGHT I was launching at Sawpit Creek this morning - when I got down there the tide was up so far - all the way to the bend in the curb- I turned around and headed back north to meet Glenn and Patti Langford up at Old Town Bait and  Tackle. The water was way up in the grass when we made way out of Eagans Creek and over to the outside of Tyger where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Although we had few good "nibbles" we had no real bites. After crossing over the creek to "Manatee Cove" we again tossed the float rigs and here the duo picked up some feisty Bluefish -one for each of them. We picked up the first of many small but fun to catch Seatrout, too. 

After that we ran thru Tyger, down the Bell, and up Lanceford, all the way up to some docks where we
again drifted the floats. Both Patti and Glenn had good hookups with those small Seatrout. We moved aro8und the corner and fished a bulkhead and Glenn had a good bite, had 'em on, but it let go and while he was baiting up Patti drifted thru the same stretch and BAM! Fish On!  I was thinking it was going to be a big Seatrout. Pattie played it perfectly and brought to the net a feisty Redfish.  We then moved over to a grassy Island -"Millie's Spot" and fished it good. After picking up a Trout or two, and after Glenn's float had drifted ust past the grass, FLOAT GONE!  Glenn caught up to it and it was Big Fish On!  This fish was ripping that drag and having none of coming it. I thought for sure it was up in the grass a couple of times and I hated to say it but I had to let Glenn know, we were REAL shallow and there were sharp oyster beds all underneath us. But Glenn stayed calm, played it patiently, let it run, worked it in, and after a good battle landed a big 26" Slot Redfish (it later weighed in at a bit over 6lbs). 

Our next stop was over at Soap Creek, fishing a large outflow. Both anglers put those small Seatrout in the boat (we caught a bunch throughout the day, but no keeper Trout). But as we moved up to a grassy island they both got busy catching Redfish. We found the cast had to be in just the right spot but if wew got it there. BAM! Fish On.

We then ran down the river to Piney Island, found some dock pilings to fish and the duo quickly put two keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat, and then a nice 17" Sheepshead., which rounded out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish, Black Drum and Sheepshead. It had been a beautiful day, and although the wind had picked up, we had had some good action so as we headed  back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Float 'em by the oysters

 I guess the Chamber of Commerce ordered up a week of fine weather 'cause today was another
outstandingly beautiful day!  I met Derek Wilson and his fishing buddy Tim down at Sawpit and we made a quick run thru some early morning fog, up the Nassau and pulled up at Spanish Drop. I keep waiting for this stretch of river to a"turn on" but today was not the day. We worked to areas with float rigs on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours, but had no luck. 

We then made our way around to the Back River and fished a stretch that has been good to me all week and today was no exception. We eased along the bank pitching the float rigs up to exposed oyster beds and letting it drift down the edge and we caught Redfish. The fish bite wasn't "on fire" but we did get 6-8 fish with two of them in the Slot range. 

Eventually we moved back to some docks at Nassauville and here Tim put a Flounder in the boat, then we finished up down at Broward fishing an outgoing tide. Tim added a couple of Sheepshead to his catch total at the first spot. But when we moved down the island we worked it pretty good but had no luck. It had been a beautiful day and with two friends getting together to get in a day fishing we counted it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Dara's Super Duper

 Back at it today, fishing south early this morning. I had met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsville as the sun came up and we made a quick run down the river to fish between two docks on a tide that still had a few hours to hit bottom. The two anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp and makjng excellent casts and it paid off. 

Dara kicked things off with a nice, keeper sized Seatrout catch, then added another, then another with each betting respectively bigger, the biggest measuring right at 19". All fish caught today were released. Dara also added a keeper sized Flounder to her catch total. 

We moved around the corner and fished some dock pilings and here William hooked up and landed  Sea Bass. We moved over to fish Bubblegum Reef, a spot I hadn't fished in years, and it was a good move. William caught and landed another, bigger, Sea Bass, then Dara put a small Sheepshead in the boat, then hooked up and landed a respectable 17.75" Sheepshead to give her a Slam for the morning. But She wasn't finished!

After running down to Broward Island we fished a spot on the last of the outgoing tide, really just killing time, and boy did we get into some fish. Dara found some nice Seatrout deep, then William began to get feisty Redfish off the stern. Then Dara's drag went off and the battle was on!  Dara played the big fish patiently, let it run down river, then worked it back slowly, let it run, worked it back, and finally brought to the net a big oversized 28.5" Redfish, boy what a fight, boy what a fish!

The duo continued to catch fish - I lost count at 8 keeper sized Seatrout, but Dara did add a couple of Black "puppy" Drum for her Grande Slam, then later, fishing a jigs and Gulp minnow, added a keeper sized Weakfish to get her Super Duper Grande Slam for the day. The Redfish, Trout and Sheepshead put Dara on the Bragging Rights list in three Categories - maybe a first! (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We had caught a bunch of fish, had a beautiful day, and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Grande Slam For The Day

 I fished with the Prolog's Hand and Mary and their daughter Mollie to day, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. And after running up the Nassau to our first stop at a dock at Seymore's I was feeling pretty confident that we were going to get in to some fish today. The tide was supposedly low and just starting in, and it was at this spot, but we struggled with bait stealers swiping our live shrimp off the jigs. We did outsmart a couple of them but had no luck with any bigger fish. 

Our next stop; was down at Broward Island and even though it had been "low tide" for about 45 minutes, it was still going out. We fished a good bit and dealt with the bait stealers again, then we moved on down the way and fished back. Here, we finally got into some fish - Mollie "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch. But again, that was it. 

Back up the island we went and now that the tide had begun to come in, we finally started catching.  Mary put a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat, then all three anglers were catching Redfish, one of which was in the Slot. Mary had a Seatrout catch which gave here an Amelia Islands Back Country Slam. When the bite slowed, we move on, heading back to Nassauville. 

Fishing between two docks we didn't get too much action, but Mary did have a strange bite, a hookup, and patiently brought to the net a almost legal Flounder to round out her very on Grande Slam. 

Our final stop was up the Nassau and into a Creek where we worked bank with logs. It was some finesse casting but they were up to it and caught a couple of Seatrout and Redfish. We had had a beautiful day and had pulled in some fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Cast Jinx?

 Usually when our first cast of day catches a Slot Redfish I'm thinking "that's a good start". That's what happened this morning after I met John Fredericks and Dan Forsch up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and we hit our first spot - some dock pilings down the Amelia River. We were fishing on a tide that still had a few hours to go out, tossing jigs and live shrimp and first cast, BAM! Fish on!  Dan worked him out from behind a piling, played it perfectly and soon landed a 19" Slot Redfish!

But after that we fished and fished and had only nibbles from the "bait stealers'. After trying another dock we found anglers fishing from the dock so we moved on. Our next stop was way up Bell River, fishing a bend in the river and here the "first fish jinx" was off!  Both Dan and Robert caught Seatrout - a good handful of 14" fish but they also landed a couple of keepersize. We also had one or two "big" ones get off. They also caught a handful of smaller Black "puppy" Drum. We worked up and down that bend for a while, then moved. 

A brief stop at the MOA, with oysters exposed, and the tide low and still going out, but again, no luck.

Our final stop was around at Tyger, fishing the first of an incoming tide. Again, both anglers caught fish - feisty Reds, and then Dan put a nice 25" Slot in the boat. He also found what must have been a school of 10" Puppy Drum. We fished a downed tree - Dan had made an excellent cast, let it fall down by the limbs and BAM! Big Fish On!  Dan worked it patiently and when it came to the surface we saw it was a big Sheepshead and when netted it measured right at 20" - big enough to move in to First Place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament, Sheepshead Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We had gradually built up a nice box of fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Reason I Don't Bet

 

Prettiest morning all week!  Hardly any wind, sunshine, and only a bit cool when I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddy Jason up at the Old Town Boat and Tackle boat ramp this morning. We eased out of Eagans Creek and headed over to Tyger Island and I knew, I just KNEW that we were going to get in to some Redfish. If someone had asked, I'd of bet at least 5 dollars!  Steve and Jason began tossing float rigs with live shrimp over to a grass line as the tide had just started out and unbelievably, we didn't get a nibble, not even a bite.  I would have lost that bet!

We crossed over a creek and fished some more grass line, had no luck, then headed up the Jolley River, made a stop at a drainage and fished it with jigs, then on around to the Jolley  and fished two stretches of marsh grass with the floats, and again, not a nibble. We were almost two hours in and we hadn't even seen a float bob. 

Our next stop was up at Bell River where we switched to the jigs again and finally, Finally, we began to get some bites. We put a handful of Seatrout in the boat, one of which was of keeper size, then when that slowed we moved in closer and fished some dock pilings. First cast, BOOM! Redfish on. They pulled out a handful of Redfish, two of them being in the Slot and then they tinkered with bites that turned out to be Sheepshead. One was a bit small but one was a nice 16" keeper.  That spot paid off with some good catches and a few fish in the box.

We fished a few more docks with the jigs, stopped back by the MOA, then headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Patience Is A Virtue...

I've heard!  Patience paid off today. I had met Bob Kossman and Frank Wytiaz who were sharing a trip
today, meeting them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and then we headed up the Nassau River and when we reached Seymore's Point the tide had just started in. Again, being hard headed, I tried the "dock" and again, not much biting. Frank did "knock the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch on a jig and mud minnow. 

We then ran up the Nassau and fished Broward Island where the tide was still going out. We worked the bank pretty good, then hit another spot as the tide started to change. I had thought about advising the guys that we needed to be patient - last week they didn't start biting until the tide stated back in. But I kept my lips zipped for some reason. Both Frank and Bob were making excellent casts but were getting no bites, not even a nibble. I could feel the doubt creeping in to the back of my brain but then Frank had a hard bite and a drag ripping run and...fish off! We decided to give it a little bit more time and then BAM!  Bob had a strong hookup and this fish was ripping drag and digging deep and ripping drag  and boiling to the surface and digging deep - Bob stayed with it, worked it patiently and eventually landed a big 22" Black "puppy" Drum, boy what a fish. And minutes later it was Franks turn - he expertly battled a big 25.5" 7-spot Redfish to the  net. And minutes later Bob fought and landed a nice 18" Sheepshead. We had one  more big fish take the bait but this one managed to throw the hook, too. I'm going to note Franks Redfish as 2nd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament and Bobs Sheepshead setting the standard with 1st place in the Sheepshead Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

Our next stop was up the Nassau and into a shallow creek where we turned into the current and began to fish back. Although the bite wasn't "on fire", Frank did manage to put another Slot Redfish in the boat while Bob landed a Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Super Slam (Black Drum, Sheepshead, Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder).

We hit a couple of other spots as the tide got higher, drifting floats along the marsh grass but there was nothing to be had, so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Chamber of Commerce Fishing Day

 I met Danne Webb down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and boy what a beautiful day it was! Clear skies, sunshine, and just enough breeze to make it comfortable for a back water fishing trip. We made a long run up the intercoastal, up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill. I  had hoped that the tide would still be coming in but unfortunately it was a dead stop - our floats wouldn't drift, right or left. After fishing a bit along one shoreline we moved around the corner as the tide started out and this did the trick.  There was all kinds of "movement" along the shoreline and after a big commotion Danne made a good cast and within seconds we saw a Bonnethead tracking down his bait and BAM! Fish On!  I was impressed how patient Danne was with the fish fight and it paid off - he worked it in and landed a nice 4' Shark.

Just a few minutes later Danne battled another Shark to the boat for release, then after a good cast up to the grass line we saw his float slowly go under. Danne lifted his rod and let the circle hook set. I was guessing "Flounder" by the way that float went under but when he got it to the net we found it was a feisty Redfish. 

We motored down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and fished the mouth, then worked up along the bank to Athens Drop, now fishing a jig and shrimp. Again, there was movement everywhere - bait fish, and bull wakes, and shark fins, but we had no takers. Needing some action, we pulled up and headed to the docks at Seymore's where we set up current and pitched to the pilings. It only took seconds and we were hooking up on Mangrove Snapper. Most were of keeper size and we had a few right at 12" and we began to "cull" out the smaller ones. Then, after he had made an excellent cast, Danne had a stronger hookup and, Fish On!  He worked it out of the pilings, kept the pressure on, and landed a perfect sized 16" and good eating Sheepshead. 

With our Mangrove limit in the box, we decided to move around to the Nassauville side and fish some rocks with float rigs. Although we were a bit worked about "leaving fish to find fish", the move paid off. In addition to catching a few more bigger Mangroves we had a nice surprise:  While drifting or floats, we heard and saw a big fish "bust" up near the rocks. I had just handed off a baited rod to Danne and he made the perfect cast up from the bust, let it drift and BAM! Sure enough, it was a bigger and when he expertly brought it to the net we found it was a feisty Redfish. What good way to wrap up a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Culling Times Two

 Most folks know that my "wind cutoff" is at 15mph. So when I got in from yesterday's morning trip and sat down for a "picnic" at Old Town Bait and  Tackle and checked my cell phone for the weather report for an afternoon trip and saw 19mph I was somewhat chagrined. But the weather was nice, just a bit overcast and the wind was out of the west so I enjoyed the lunch and waited for Michael Monroe and his fishing buddy Phil.

With that wind blowing we decided to stay in the shelter and made or way up Eagans Creek to fish jigs and live shrimp up near some dock pilings on the last of an outgoing tide. In just minutes Michael had a hookup, a good battle, and landed a 23" Slot Redfish! 2 hours later, 12 Slot Reds later, 25 fish later, I checked my watch and the fish bite had finally slowed. At one point we had 4 Slot Reds in the boat and then it hit me ( this being my 2nd trip, I was tired and it just didn't click), the limit was 1 per person!  So we culled fish and continued to cull. In addition to those Reds, Phil put a keeper sized Sheepshead in the boat, and the duo had a good handful of small but fun to catch Black "puppy" Drum. We also had one "no spot" Redfish!

After that bonanza we made our way down the intercoastal, fished some rocks for just a bit, then continued on down to Seymore's Pointe to fish another dock. We caught fish again, one after the other - good eating Mangrove Snapper. Again, they caught their limit as we ran out of shrimp and we began to cull. I remembered that I had a handful of mud minnows left so we fished them and that's when we caught our biggest Mangroves! We had a long run back to Old Town and as we headed back we were able to reflect on what a great day of fishing we'd had here at Amelia Island, Florida

New Species ID'd at Amelia Island

 FINALLY!  The weather let up and we were able to get out and fish! Monday: Cancelled, Tuesday: Cancelled, Wednesday: Cancelled, Thursday: moved to Friday afternoon. And so we fished this morning when I met Jeff and Jinny Key up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp, and with a live well full of live shrimp, we made our way up the creek to fish some dock pilings on an outgoing tide. Although it wasn't "on fire" both anglers caught small Black "puppy" Drum and couple of hungry Seatrout. We had at least one big breakoff but then Jinny, after making an excellent cast to some submerged oyster's, had a strong bite and Big Fish On!  She played it perfectly and soon brought to the net a big 20" Seatrout, big enough to move into the 2nd place slot of the 2023 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We then made the run up to Bell River and fished some more dock pilings. I think it was our first cast and Jinny had another big hookup. She fought it to the boat and landed the biggest Sheepshead of the year, one that measured at 16" and a fish to set the bar in the 2023 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Sheepshead Category!  Unfortunately the fish was renamed by Jinny a "Goathead" - possibly a new species in our backwater fishery.

After fishing a dock or two it was Jeff's turn to fight the big fish, tossing a jigs to the edge of dock he had a strong hookup and as it dug deep we knew it was a big fish. Jeff fought it valiantly and after a good battle landed a whopper of big Black "puppy" Drum.

We made a brief stop at the MOA, then made our way around to Tyger Island to fish the first of the incoming tide then headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. Jeff and Jinny reported a great Blackened Black Drum meal from Kitchen 251 later in the day. 

Morning Full of Variety

 We had a foggy morning for most of the trip today. I had met Kimberly Manek and her friend Jeremy up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and we headed down the river to fish some dock pilings on a tide that had been coming in for an hour. Jeremy got busy quick and put a handful of hungry Seatrout in the boat then both he and Kimberly reeled in some feisty Redfish.  We made our way over to Soap Creek and fished some oyster beds with the jigs but we had no takers. 

After a run up the Bell River we anchored and cast up current and this did the trick . Jeremy picked up a a couple of Trout out deep, one of which was of keeper size, then he hooked up and landed a hard fighting Sheepshead. Kimberly reeled in a couple of more Redfish then she hooked up and landed a Bull Whiting. We added another one of those shortly after that. 

We fished Snook Creek with floats then moved on down to Jolley Bank where Kimberly battled a huge Gar Fish to the boat, which we netted and photographed and release. Somewhere along here Jeremy boated a Skate, then as we worked along a grass bank Kimberly finished up the "variety show" with a keeper sized Flounder catch. And wouldn't you know it, as we headed back to the dock the fog began to lift and the sun came out, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Final Fish

 When I talked to Glenn Langford last evening he indicated he'd like to target Sheepshead on our trip this morning. So when I met him and his wife Patti down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we had a "plan".  Our first stop was around at Sawpit where I (eventually) was able to latch on to one  of the pilings and the two anglers began to drop a jig and shrimp (no fiddlers available) to their base. I don't think we had much of a bite but while they were jigging I tossed a slip float out into the current and picked up a hungry Seatrout, a Blue fish, and a bait stealer.  We then made our way over to the mouth of Sawpit and fished some rocks, inching our way along them and dropping our bait to their base.  Glenn had pointed out a likely spot and sure enough, both he and  Pattie picked up a feisty Redfish each. Patti did have one big fish on but it bulled under the boat and then found something to swim under and, fish off!

Our next stop was up at Seymore's Pointe where we fished a likely dock with the jigs. Pattie reeled in another hungry Trout then we brought to the boat a nice keeper sized Flounder. We got up-current from the dock, dropped anchors off the bow and stern, and let the current and wind push us right up to the pilings where we could stay off the dock but fish the pilings. We did get a few "bumps" but no takers and no hookups.

The final stop was over at Nassauville, fishing some rocks and there things picked up. Glenn caught a small Seatrout, then had a strong hookup and after a good battle brought to the net a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. He followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout then wrapped things up with a........Sheepshead!  And a keeper too! Wouldn't you know that the last fish caught for the day was the target fish and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Book Ended By Trout

 I wrapped up my week, and my year, fishing with the Averbuch's -Mark, his son Jared, and his 8yo grandson Max, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. And, coincidently, last year my last trip was with the Averbuch's! I even counseled them that last years' trip was going to be hard to top - we had a good trip! 

We made a short run around to the bridge at Sawpit and set up to drift slip floats and live shrimp back to the pilings and it was Max who had the first hookup, yelling "Fish On". He played it perfectly to the boat but it was not to be -the Seatrout threw the hook right at the boat! But Max wasn't to be deterred, and began to get good drifts back and it paid off. - he hooked up another one and this time landed the Trout, a keeper!  From then on he and his Grandad Mark were catching Seatrout off the stern while Jared was left on the bow to try his hand at tossing a DOA plastic shrimp - white with chartreuse tail. He did hook up an land one - another keeper. Mark had drifted long, past the pilings and into the rising sun but he saw his float go under, lifted, and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On!  He worked it slowly to the net as it dug deep a few times but eventually he brought to the net a big 21.25" Gator Trout! Boy what a fish!

Our next stop as up the Nassau where we fished some exposed shell beds on the very last of the outgoing tide with jigs and shrimp. Jared kept the skunk off by hooking up and landing a lone Trout. We continued on up the river, fished a drainage, then continued on to Bubblegum Reef where we tried our hand at losing some jigs to the structure!

After bumping over to Seymore's docks we fished deep for a bit, dropped way back and fished some abandoned pilings, then moved back up a dock after it was vacated by another anglers. Here, Jared had a strong hookup, some drag ripped, then, Fish Off! Ouch. But Jared went back with another excellent cast and again hooked up. This fish was fighting different than the Trout and sure enough, when he brought i to the surface, we saw that it was a nice 17" Sheepshead - another nice catch.

We finished the day down at some docks at Nassauville. I had thought that we had a pretty good day going already, but this was just icing on the cake. From the first cast, Jared was catching Seatrout with the jig an shrimp. Mark got in on the action and caught a few. Max, who was doing an admirable job casting (better than most teen-agers- soon found  his niche and picked up some Seatrout then he was the one that had the strange hookup. This fish was pulling hard but Max was up to the task and battled the fish to the net to land a feisty Redfish - the first one on the boat for a day. Then he teamed up with his Grandfather to battle in another Redfish, this one was digging deep- they tag teamed it and soon landed a fat 24" Slot Red - another great fish. The sun was up, the weather had warmed so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Mixed Bag as Temperatures Rise

Finally, a warming trend! It was just a tad bit warmer this morning and I noticed the backwater water temperatures were in the low 50's. I had picked up John Raker out at Oyster Bay marina and we eased around the corner to fish some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide. John picked up a couple of small Sheepshead - I had a nice one on but it "threw the hook", then John landed a good handful of feisty Redfish.

We made our way down the intercoastal and turned in behind Piney Island and set up off a dock and here it was John's turn to have a big one toss the hook! But boy did that drag ripping sound good! He then caught another few of the feisty Reds, then had a keeper size Seatrout chase down his jig and shrimp - he hooked it up and landed it. Then shortly afterwards he had another strong bite, hooked it up and landed an even bigger Seatrout.

We tried our hand at some other docks, but deeper, then ran further down the intercoastal to dip into a creek where I thought for sure we'd get some fish, but that's what I get for thinking. We then headed back to Oyster Bay and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Redfish On Fire #2

 I fished a "double" today and went out this afternoon. After having a super fine-Christmas-left-overs-ham-sandwich at the Old Town Bait and Tackle picnic tables I met Tim Parker and his son Wes with plans to try and duplicate this morning's trip. I knew it would be a struggle early with that high tide we were facing - we're just not getting any fish on the high with these cold waters (water temp was 46 this morning).  But we had a plan! We made a cold run all the way  up to the Jolley River where we eased into Snook Creek and broke out some jigs and live shrimp to fish a deep hole. Although we had a nibble or two we had not takers. We worked some grass with floats then moved up into a small creek as the tide started out and tossed the jigs again. No bites!

But the tide was beginning to move so we made a run around to Bell River and set up above a dock and here Wes "knocked the skunk off" by landing a keeper sized 17" Sheepshead. He then hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. I was feeling a bit better and sure enough we began to get more bites and more fish. This duo landed a couple of more Trout, one of which was keeper size, then they put a few feisty Redfish in the boat. 

The tide was really getting down so we made the run back to Eagans Creek and to the "hot dock". The  minute we were set up we began to get bites - one Redfish after the other. Most of them were 16"-17.75" but we had a few that were in the Slot, the biggest being just over 20".  We fished and caught until the sun was about to go down had to "leave them biting", but as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Cool Trout

We had a fairly cool morning today, 46 degrees when I launched up at Dee Dee Bartels Park - but it was sunny and clear with just a breeze. James Bush and his High School buddies, Andrew and Mason,  had all met here at Amelia Island for a few days of rest, relaxation, and....a fishing trip in the back waters of Amelia Island.  We made a run north and west and over to the Jolley River and began fishing the "bank" with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out of a couple of hours. Throwing it right into the sun made it difficult to see the float. These guys were getting good casts and good drifts but we only had a couple of bites that didn't "take".  

After running further up the river to Snook Creek James was able to "knock the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch. We fished the outside with the floats then moved inside and tossed jigs for a bit, to no avail. We stopped at the MOA and tossed the jigs briefly but the oysters still weren't showing so we were casting blind.

Our next stop was around at the docks of Bell River and we stuck with the jigs. Mason was fishing off the stern and went up to the pilings with a good cast and it paid off, Fish On! He worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead (all fish caught today were released). James picked up another Trout off the bow before we moved down a few docks to the "honey hole".

And the move paid off! All three anglers began to catch Seatrout off the bottom with the jigs. Andrew was fishing off the stern and got in on the action, catching a few of the Trout. About the time I'd think we needed to move on, they'd catch another Trout. A couple of these were of keeper size.

Our final stop was back at Egans Creek, fishing some dock pilings on the last of the outgoing tide. It took a few casts but eventually we were able to get some feisty Redfish to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Sheepshead, and Redfish. Again, all three anglers put Redfish in the boat and James topped it off with another Sheepshead catch. And we that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The GPK Challenge

 We had a cold front come thru Thursday which left us with a clear and cool Friday morning when I met
Suzanna Braun, her son Mike and her friend Garland down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. But we were all dressed warm with layers and after a short run up the Nassau we made our first stop at some exposed shell on a tide that still had about an hour to finish hitting bottom. All three anglers were making excellent casts with jigs and live shrimp to the bank but we had no real bites.

We ran over to some docks at Nassauville and set up again to toss the jigs and here we had some luck. Garland was at the stern and letting his jig fall down the river bottom and he picked up a few hungry Seatrout while the other anglers had "nibbles" from the bait stealers. After moving around to another dock it was Suzanna's turn to land the fish - she hauled in a nice keeper sized sheepshead, then a undersized Sea Bass. All three tangled with feisty Bluefish.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island where we fished one area as we waited for the tide to turn and
start back in. When it did, we moved down the island and began working back. I thru out the "GPK" for some incentive and Suzanna stepped up to the challenge - almost immediately - and after a perfect cast to the bank, BAM! Fish On!  Suzanna worked it to the boat and landed a golden-coppered-colored Slot 23" Redfish. And shortly after that she reeled in a smaller but feisty Redfish.

After working that bank we moved up to Pumpkin Hill and drifted floats long with the live shrimp and here Garland heated up with a couple of Seatrout catches. The temperature had warmed and we'd had some good catches so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First Cast Production

 

We had a temperature drop! When I launched this morning it was in the low 40's, and the 10mph wind made it seem even colder!  But the skies were clear and the forecast called for sunny all day so when I met Paul Lombardi down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we felt pretty good about a fishing trip.  I had talked to some shore anglers after I launched and they were picking up Seatrout on DOA shrimp, white with chartreuse tails(see video here) and one advised me to try the bride pilings before we left the area.

So Paul and I eased around there, turned into the current, and I tied on a white DOA (didn't have one with the chartreus tail) and Paul made his first cast up current, let it go to the bottom, kept his line tight, and began to let the current bounce it along the bottom and...BAM! He head a hookup!  Paul worked it to the boat patiently and landed a nice keeper sized 17" Seatrout - not a bad way to start the day!

Unfortunately that was the only fish we got there although we did get some bumps here and there. We left and headed up the intercoastal, turned west into the Nassau, and made our way up to an exposed shell bank on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. Paul worked the bank with live shrimp and jigs, only getting "bumps" and taps, then we moved up a couple of hundred yards and here we caught a couple of small Seatrout.

Our next stop was at some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fishing on almost a slack tide, but we got there in time for Paul to pull two keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum out, and a small but feisty Redfish. We eased around the corner and fished some rocks at Nassauville and here we caught a handful of small Mangrove Snapper, then a couple of small Seatrout, then we had a "bump" and a take and, Fish On!  Paul fought it expertly as it dug deep and stayed on the bottom and we began to speculate that it was a big Stingray, hoped that it was a huge Flounder, and finally settled in to wait as Paul worked it up from the bottom. As it came to the surface we saw that it was a large Redfish!  After netting the fish we measured it right at 26" - a big Slot Redfish!

The final stop was down at Broward Island, fishing the very last of an
outgoing tide, and this turned out to be the most productive spot of the day. We caught 7-8 feisty Redfish, a couple of small Seatrout, and then Paul rounded out his Amelia Island Grande Slam with a keeper sized Sheepshead catch. We had had some good catches, the sun was up, and the day was warming so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Gone Fish'n at Amelia Island

I picked up Robert Stetner and his fishing buddy David out at the Oyster Bay marina this morning and we made short trip around the corner to fish some docks at Lanceford Creek on a tide that still had about 2 hours of going out. No minnows at the bait shop today, so we went with live shrimp and sure enough, we were feeding the 'bait stealers".  The two anglers did team up to catch a couple of feisty Redfish and a small Sheepshead.

We then made the long run down Lanceford, around the outside of Tyger and over to the Jolley River were we set up fishing the "bank", tossing jigs and shrimp to the exposed oysters. We had a good flurry of catching those small, but feisty Redfish - one of those Reds had 15 spots - maybe it will be big enough by the time the Spot Tournament rolls around! David also put a Flounder in the boat to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Sheepshead and Flounder.

After moving up the creek we fished the mouth of Snook Creek and we may have had one more Red there. We also had a couple of Croaker caught. Back down the Jolley we went and around to Tyger Island logs on an incoming tide. Feisty "rat" Reds must have been on the order form because, again, that's what we caught. And another small Flounder.

The final stop was on the outside of Tyger, now fishing a float rig. Every cast produced a "nibble", but no takers. But we had had some good action thru-out the morning so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.