What we do to deserve all this nasty weather? We again had overcast skies and blowing winds when I met Henry Ross and his crew down at Sawpit Creek this morning. In addition to his son Stephen and daughter-in-law Ashley, they also had his granddaughter Mabry along for the catching! We made a run up the Nassau, all the way to Seymore's Point and set up outside a large outflow to drift float rigs and live shrimp. It took a few minutes but the anglers began to get some bites then Ashley had the first hookup and brought to the boat a hungry Seatrout -first fish of the day! They added a few more Trout with Mabry hauling in a few, with one of them being the first "keeper" fish.
The wind was blowing but not too bad and as we made our way around to Nassauville we were completely out of the wind and it was almost like fishing on a pond. Now fishing with jigs and shrimp we weren't getting too many bites until Stephen made is way to the bow and went up between some dock pilings and the rock bank. He felt a "thump, thump" then a bit of heaviness and set the hook and started a bonanza of Seatrout catching. Henry went in, hooked up and pulled out the lone Redfish while the rest of the crew caught Trout. They added one more keeper Trout before we moved on.
We switched back to float rigs and fished a stretch of marsh grass at Back River - I was thinking we might get into some Reds, but no, it was a Seatrout kind of day (so far!). They caught a good handful drifting the floats along the bank, then we moved on.
After running way up the Nassau we dipped into a creek and began to work a bank of down logs. About 10 minutes into pitching the bank Stephen found the "hot spot" and it was Fish On! There were many times the jig and shrimp only had time to hit the bottom and BAM! Redfish on. I was netting fish, dehooking, measuring, netting fish, dehooking, measuring over and over again. Mabry was making her on casts and hooking up her own fish = Stephen was pitching in with the net, Ashley was pitching in baiting hooks - it was pandemonium! Most of the Reds were about 17" but every once in a while they caught one that was in the Slot. Once they reached their limit we kept track of the Slot fish caught and totaled 8 for the day.
I had mentioned to Henry that we normally only caught small fish and small Slot fish in this creek but boy was I surprised when Ashley had a big bite and her drag began to rip. She worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, and eventually expertly played to the boat and big 25.5" Slot Red, the biggest fish of the day, boy what a fish. This group continued to catch fish until we were down to the scrubs of our bait and we left them biting. As we made our long way back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
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.
Talking to Bob at the bait shop (Old Town Bait and Tackle) and comparing reports, we both agreed that there were a bunch of short Seatrout to be caught in the creeks and rivers. Then I met William and Dara Blalock early and we headed up and over to the Jolley River, turned into the "bank" and began tossing float rigs and live shrimp. The wind was so low we had an initial issue with the "no-see-ums" and as we worked the bank it looked good - it wasn't. We may have had one nibble but that was it. We dropped down the river and fished the point at Tyger Cut and noticed that we had almost zero current flow, and again, no bites. After moving up the river to Snook Creek and working that bank the two anglers did get into some hungry Seatrout, and by that time we were glad to have them. Although most were between 14"-4.75", we did get a keeper.
We fished until the tide had started out then we made the run back to the outside of Tyger and set up on a point and here we had good action for a bit - hungry Seatrout, a couple of Bluefish, and a legal sized Flounder that we tossed back due to being out of season. We added two more keeper Trout to the box. After running thru Tyger and down the Bell River, and up Lanceford Creek, we made our way to a grassy spot and worked it thoroughly. Dara hooked up almost immediately and expertly brought a feisty Redfish to the boat - it had 30 spots on it! We released it, hopefully to be caught in the next AIGA Inshore Classic! They caught another Trout or two, and another small Red before we moved on.
Fishing west of a dock both anglers were getting a nibble here and there when William's float slowly went under- he lifted the rod to set the circle hook and when the drag ripped a bit we were both hoping that finally we'd have a big Trout! William worked it in slowly and it wasn't putting up much of fight until it got to the boat but then it got busy! Th fish made a couple of runs up to the bow, underneath the boat, and back before William wore it out and landed a nice 24.5" Slot Redfish.
We finished up over at Soap Creek - fishing a drainage there was not shortage of those 14" Trout, then we moved up to a grassy island and picked up a couple more Redfish. We had started slow but had shad some good action with the Trout, and had a nice big Red 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,
The difference in the weather from yesterday to today was like night and day! Beautiful - clear skies, sunshine, pleasant temperatures, and just a bit of wind to keep things interesting. I had met John Raker and his fishing partner Robert out at Goffinsville Park at 8:30 to give the tide a chance to turn around. We made our first run around to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large drainage with float rigs and live shrimp - the tide had just started out and the two anglers were getting slow drifts. It was only a matter of minutes before Robert had a hookup, he played it to the boat and landed a hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off". Then both anglers were dueling with Mangrove Snappers and did get one nice sized keeper. Then John went long with a drift and sure enough, after the float had crossed a submerged oyster bar, BAM! His float disappeared and fish on! John expertly reeled it in and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.
We than ran thru Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff and worked along the "bank". Here, we could barely discern the outgoing tide. But even with not much water flowing, they did catch a good handful of "just undersized" Seatrout. We fished up a small creek off of Jackstaff, to no avail, then made the short run over to Poteat Pointe and worked along that edge. Robert picked up another hungry Seatrout right off, then we had a lull, then the duo caught another handful of those small, almost legal, Seatrout, and one more that was a keeper. We saw a ripple off of a grassy point and John placed his cast just north of it, let it drift and BOOM! Big Fish on! It was ripping drag and running down the grass line, then came out deep and dug down, then boiled ot the top. John kept the pressure on, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, then landed a "tournament" sized 26.75" Slot Red, boy what a fish! And it was what turned out to be the only Redfish of the day!
After running back thru Horsehead we made our way down to the Back River and fished a bend of grass. They picked up another handful of hungry Seatrout, but no Reds today, and no Flounder like yesterday. We finished up over at Nassauville catching 12" Mangrove Snapper to round out a mess o' fish and another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Another beautiful day, maybe the last before this next storm hits! I met Glenn and Patti Langford up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning - the high had just hit bottom as we eased out of Eagans Creek and made our way up and around to the Jolley River. I turned into the "bank" just as the tide line moved past us and the two anglers began to pitch jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oyster beds. We worked along for just a bit before Patti "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. She added a couple of more then Glenn began to get in on the action. When we reached the "hot spot" they really began to put fish in the boat. Most of the Reds were about 16", feisty and hard fighters - they were "punching above their weight" as Glenn described it!
Lately, when we get into these schools of Rat Reds we'll eventually get one in the slot and sure enough, Patti had a strong hookup and, Fish On! This one was ripping drag and digging deep but Patti kept the pressure on, worked it to the back of the boat and around the engine and back, and after a good battle landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We worked further up the bank, then dropped back down and again put a few smaller Reds in the boat, then Patti hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.
We left the fish biting and ran further up the river, just past Snook Creek, turned into the current and switched to float rigs. Both anglers were getting good drifts and again, when we reached the "hot spot", they began to get fish. There were at least three times when I yelled "we got a double" with both anglers fighting fish. Glenn had made a good cast up to a gap in some oysters and after just a few seconds we began to see his float bob, then move up current, and GONE! Glen reeled in the slack, lifted the rod and let the circle hook set and, Big Fish On! It was ripping and digging and ripping! Glenn played it expertly, worked it in, and eventually landed a big 25" golden copper Redfish, boy what a fish!
We left 'em biting again! We ran back down the Jolley, fished a point with the floats to no avail, then made our way around to the outside of Tyger and worked the bank on a higher incoming tide with jigs, in hopes for a Flounder. Unfortunately we caught no Flounder but Patti did battle a big Jack Crevalle to the net for release. Our final stop was around at Bell River, fishing another point and here Patti finished things up by battling a 4' Bonnethead to the boat.
We had had a beautiful day of fishing, had caught a bunch of Reds, had two 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.
I fished with the Bailey boys, Douglas and his sons Anderson and Dylan and his father-in-law Glenan, meeting them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp to wrap my week up. We headed out on a tide that had been going out for less than an hour, running up the intercoastal and around to Pompano Point where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp, with finger mullet in the live well as back up.
We may have had a Ladyfish caught but then we definitely counted the "skunk off" when one of the crew landed a small but feisty Redfish. It seemed kinda slow, compared to yesterday - we had gotten a handful of those small Reds and a barely legal 19" Slot Red, and I was beginning to wonder, but then Dylan had made an excellent cast up between to twigs of sawgrass and BAM! Big Fish On! This fish was boiling and rolling and holding it's on, ripping drag and refusing to budge. But Dylan was up to the task, kept the pressure on, finally worked it out, let it run, worked it out, let it run, then worked it slowly to the boat to land a big 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish!
The excitement had barely died down when Dylan went back to the same spot and BAM! Another big fish on! He fought it valiantly - Glenan had a hookup off the stern that was ripping drag in the background, then was off - but Dylan's stayed on and he patiently brought to the net a nice 25" Slot Redfish. Then Anderson put a fish in the box- as he hooked up and fought it - I called "Redfish" but as it came to the boat we saw that it was a nice 18" Seatrout. Then Dylan hooked up and brought a 17" Trout to the net. All four anglers tangled with high flying Ladyfish and boated a couple of more small Redfish before we moved on.
Over at Jackstaff "bank" we worked it slowly, easing into the current, tossing the floats, and here Glenan got in on the big fish action. He had a strong hookup and the fish headed west! We all thought "shark" but just couldn't tell. Glenan fought it like a pro, went with up from stern to bow and back to bow and after a good battle landed a huge Jack Crevalle. We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Pumpkin Hill, fished a stretch of still covered oysters, to no avail, then crossed the mouth of the river to fish a shallow bend and here the action heated up again. They added a good handful of those feisty Redfish to their catch total.
After working Spanish Drop and picking up one more Redfish on a jig, we moved up to another drainage with plans to wrap things up. But this crew wasn't finished! Anderson had gone to the shell lined bank with a cast and BAM! Immediately when it hit the water he was hooked up. He fought the big fish patiently and soon landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. Anderson went back to the same spot, had a thump. and began to work it slowly in. We were speculating "oyster fish" up until it surfaced and then we saw that it was a huge Flounder! Anderson slowly eased it in and we netted a big 20.5" Flounder, a fish big enough ot move Anderson into 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We wrapped it up after that and headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
With my boat trailer repaired I was back out at Goffinsville Park, meeting John Raker, Kenny King, and John's mother Betty early for a half day of Amelia Island back water fishing. We had bait - seven dozen live shrimp, about a dozen mud minnows, and I cast netted for about 4 dozen finger mullet - and we went thru all of it! After leaving the ramp we headed over to Horsehead, ran thru it, and around to Poteat Cut where we set up on a tide that had been going out for about 2 hours. Using float rigs, the trio of anglers drifted the bank and caught fish. Jacks and Ladyfish then rat Reds and more rat Reds. Then John had a strong hookup which he played expertly to the boat and landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. Betty added the only Seatrout caught for the day.
We came back to Jackstaff and fished the "bank" and again caught a good handful of the smaller Reds. John added one more 19" Slot Red to the catch. After running back thru Horsehead and down the Nassau we set up off a large drainage and switched to jigs. Again, small Reds, then Kenny had a strong bite and, Fish On! Kenny played it patiently, let the drag rip when needed, and slowly worked to the net a nice 22" Slot Red - they had their limit!
We fished over at Penney's Point with the float rigs thrown over the sandbar, to no avail, but as we worked around the corner and came to a shallow mud flat they began to get fish again, - those small Reds, but John hauled in another 19" Slot Red. We saw one big boil from a large Redfish, and saw 4-5 flounder go airborne chasing bait. It was a good way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished this morning with the Parks, Jeff and Penny, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We headed up the intercoastal, then up the Nassau, and around to Back River and set up fishing a stretch of grass with the oysters just beginning to show on an outgoing tide. We had plenty of mudminnows and a few dozen live shrimp and they both caught fish. Penny got hot catching small but hungry Seatrout then both anglers caught some feisty Redfish. We could see some big wakes up in the shallows so we moved in and made some good casts but we had no takers.
Moving back out we fished the bank again. There had been some commotion along the bank and when Jeff got a good drift, BAM! He float sunk under and, Fish On! Jeff played it patiently and soon brought to the boat a Big 19" Flounder! Boy what a fish! After a handful of more small Reds, we moved on. Our next stop was back down the river at Twin Creeks. Both anglers fished the floats, then switched to jigs, but we had no real bites.
We moved down the river to a large drainage (I need to name this spot!) and here the action picked up again. The duo caught a handful of those feisty Reds before we moved on. As we had moved around I was keeping my eye on a spot that I knew had to be fished just a little bit before low tide. We headed there now and we were about too late! It was just on the back side of a point with a long sandbar showing. I had only fished it one time and the way it was set up was the current came round the point then crossed the bar and ran along side some oyster outcrops The first time I fished it my guest got a good drift and when his float reached the oysters, BAM! Today, Penny was on the stern and after a good cast over the sandbar she got that good drift. I was about to give up on it but when here float just passed the oyster bar, BAM! Fish On! Penny played it perfectly, worked it up to the edge of the bar, and then drug the Slot Redfish over in 4" of water. How cool! But she wasn't finished - she also caught a Flounder and another feisty Redfish, bringing both over the bark in that shallow water. I could tell Penny was zoned in and had figured this spot out so I've named it "Penny's Slew"!
We eventually moved on, ran thru Horsehead, and fished Jacksaff "bank" where Jeff finished things off catching a handful of those feisty Reds, and another Flounder or two. We then headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We switched it up today, fishing out of Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp- The "bite" had been fairly slow down south the last couple of days so we decided to fish north. I met Ray Pinkston and his son Jack early and we eased out of Eagans and made our way over to the outside of Tyger where we set up with float rigs and mud minnows, drifting on teh first of an outgoing tide. We did have our hearts get to beating faster early - Ray hooked up and his fish is still heading north. I'm pretty sure it was a Shark. Then it was Jacks turn to have the heart-pounding battle - he hooked up and even though this fish was ripping drag, it did roll to the top in the shallow water. Jack was playing him like a pro but this fish was smart - it got up into some shallow oyster laden water and BAP! Fish Off! Ouch. The duo did pick up a small Red and a small jack before we left.
Our next stop was over on the outside of Tyger, working the sandy bottom with jigs and the minnows. Jack got hot catching small but hungry Seatrout then both he and Ray were catching Flounder. Most were small but every once in a while they'd put a "keeper" sized Flounder in the boat. Then Ray, fishing off the stern, had a good "bump" - he set the hook and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. We had a few in the box.
On around in the Jolley, fishing the bank, back with float rigs, they added a small Red and Jack to the catch total. After fishing a large drainage on up the river we pulled up and fished Snook Creek with the floats. It was a good move! Ray had a strong bite and this was ripping the drag and digging deep. Ray kept the pressure on and worked to the boat a nice Slot 22" Redfish. The duo caught a handful of smaller Reds then Jack had a big bite. I was thinking it was a Redfish the way it was pulling but when Jack worked it to the surface it was a BIG Seatrout. Jack pateintly brought it to the net and landed a 21.75" Seatrout. Boy what a fish! And big enough to move Jack into 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings).
Then Jack topped it off with a 9-spot Slot Redfish of his own caught. Boy what a day - it got better as it went along so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I met Len Pelletier, his son Scott, and grandson Kevin down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and as we cruised up the intercoastal the water was like glass it was so calm. We made our way up to Pompano Point and unlimbered the float rigs, baited with live shrimp and mud minnows that I had caught at the dock. The calm conditions didn't bode well for fish catching - we had only nibbles. After dropping back to Jackstaff, we worked a bank with the floats, again to no avail. We were an hour in to the trip and hadn't had a bite!
After running thru Horsehead and around to Seymore's Pointe we pulled up at some rocks and fished the floats and at least got into some action caching Mangrove Snapper. Kevin got the hot hand and pulled away in the fish catch count, and never looked back. But Scott, fishing a minnow had the strong hookup. This fish was ripping drag, dove under the boat, and dug deep. But Scott kept the pressure on, played it patiently, and soon brought to the net a nice 20" Slot Redfish. After getting a good handful of keeper sized Mangroves, we moved on.
Our next stop was down at Twin Creeks where we switched to jigs and shrimp and minnows. Although we didn't get any fish there, as we worked the bank Kevin had that tell-tell "thump", he hooked it up and brought to the boat a 17" Flounder. After catching some perfect sized finger mullet we moved down to Spanish Drop worked it good, but then a heavy rain moved in on us - we could hear it coming across the marsh which was cool, but then we got soaked! We made a run back to the ramp, outran the rain, and when we made it back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I've probably mentioned it before....my dad, when we would be passing thru a rural area that had cows, he said his grandfather(my great grandfather) would say, "the cows are laying down, the fish aren't biting". We don't have any cows here at Amelia Island, but I've found that as I trailer my boat down to Sawpit Creek, there are rabbits out on the grass just past the Omni and I like to count them as I head south. I've always wondered if there was a correlation to how the fish bite would be. Today was a 5 "Wabbit" Day.
I met longtime friend Michael Stalvey, his son Byrd, and son-in-law Tylor Deas early at the ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop, turned into the incoming current, and began to toss float rigs to a flooding grass bank. We worked that bank thoroughly and I think we may have picked up a small Jack Crevalle and a tangled with a high flying Ladyfish.
The weather conditions couldn't have been any better- sunshine, just a slight breeze, and almost pond-like water. We moved down the way and fished Twin creeks with the floats - didn't get a bite, but I let off the trolling motor lock and we drifted with the current. Tylor had a good bite that didn't take and Mike followed right in behind him and BAM, Fish On! Mike played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot 20" Redfish.
Our next stop was up at Seymore's Pointe where we drifted float rigs up by the rocks. The trio of anglers caught a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a couple of which were keepers. But when we switched to jigs on the bottom things really picked up and they put another handful in the boat. We ended up keeping seven with the biggest measuring to 12". I know that's not "big", but these Mangroves make for some good eating!
We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Pompano Point and worked the first 30 yards with the float rigs. After getting a small Jack and a small Trout, we eased up the bank and all "heck" broke loose! Mike had let a soggy shrimp soke up near the bank - something took it and, BIG FISH ON! This fish was ripping drag and digging deep. Mike stayed with it, kept the pressure on, let it run, worked it around the bow, worked it around the stern, and eventually landed a big Oversized 31.5" Redfish, big enough to move him in to 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what fish.
But we weren't finished, by a long shot! Tylor went up to a grassy point and BAM! Big Fish On! He played it perfectly and landed an Oversized 29" Redfish to move in to 3rd place in the Bragging Rights Tournament. Byrd went up to the same area and BAM! Big Fish On! He expertly battled this fish to the net and landed ANOTHER oversized 28" Redfish. They continued to fish this same spot, added two more Slot Reds, then Byrd, wanting to get on the Bragging Rights board, went back and caught a 29" Oversized Red. Boy what a finish! We headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I finished my week and kicked off Shrimp Fest weekend by fishing with David Vice, his son Nathaniel and friend Seth, meeting them yesterday morning out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp. We had an outgoing tide so we made a short run across the river to fish an edge south of Back River, working the bank with float rigs and live shrimp. The first stretch produced only a couple of nibbles but as we worked along Nathaniel had made an excellent cast just up current of an exposed oyster bed and as it drifted around, BOOM! Fish On! Nathaniel played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We continued moving down that bank and shortly afterwards it was Seth's turn to battle the big fish. He patiently fought it to submission and brought to the net another Slot Redfish.
We then ran down the Nassau and fished a couple of areas from Spanish Drop up to Twin Creeks. The trioput a handful of feisty Reds in the boat, Seth had an epic battle with a Bonnethead Shark and then David put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. And then he added another fat keeper Trout. We fished Bubblegum Reef very briefly where Seth added a couple of small Mangroves to his catch total, then we finished up fishing some docks at Nassauville where we found one more keeper size Mangrove Snapper.
It was a beautiful day, we had some good fish in the box and with Shrimp Fest kicking off tomorrow, we counted it as an other great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It looks like we'll have great weather all week, and today sure was a nice one! I met Jeff and Jinny Key down at Sawpit and today we ran up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and made our way further up a creek to toss float rigs with live shrimp to a large drainage. We didn't get any Trout bites like I expected but as we eased down the bank Jeff had a big fish slurp his bait, his float went slowly under and Fish On! and BAP! Fish Off! Boy was that disappointing.
We came back around to Pompano Point and drifted the floats and I think Jeff's first cast produced a Seatrout catch. And then he had another and another and another, one which was of keeper size. So much so that my hand towel was getting slimy. He put the first high flying Ladyfish of the year in the boat and then he had another strong take and Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and digging back into the oysters. But Jeff stayed with him, worked him patiently out then kept the pressure on until it was subdued and brought to the net - an oversized 28.5" Redfish. Boy what a fish and boy what a battle! This fish put Jeff in the running for Bragging Rights (scroll down the right side of this page for standings).
After going back to Jackstaff we set up on a point and fished with jigs. Jeff put a small Flounder in the boat then found some Trout out deep - he brought handful to the net, two of which were of keeper size.We ran thru Horsehead and fished some docks at Seymore's and here Jinny got on the board with a nice 18" Flounder catch, big enough to move her into 2nd place in the 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category. The duo also caught a few Mangrove Snapper, a Blue fish, and a small Sea Bass here.
We fished around at Nassauville and picked up a couple of small Flounder, then with just minutes to go, tried a new spot that I have been eyeing. - a long sandbar. We worked along the bar tossing a jig in hopes for another Flounder but when we saw a good "cut" running thru the bar we tossed a float rig and let it go and ...BAM! Big Fish On! And boy what an epic battle! That big fish was 50 yards away and in shallow water and across a sandbar. Jeff played it as patiently as anyone could as the fish rolled and boiled and ripped drag and boiled and rolled. He worked it slowly over the bar and to the net and laned another oversized 28" Redfish. What a way to cap off another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Bob Blalock and I decided to squeeze in an afternoon trip, knowing that winds would probably be an issue. We met up at Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made the long run up the Bell to fish some docks with jigs and live shrimp.
Bob worked that first spot over really good but we didn't have a bite. But after moving in close and fishing back to some dock pilings, Bob's first cast produced a bite and, Fish On! He played it perfectly and brought to the net a Slot sized Redfish. That easy! But we fished those pilings thoroughly and only managed one more fish, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum.
We then ran back towards town and boy was the wind whipping, especially running into it. It's been fifteen years I think since I fished up near structure around Fernandina, but it was out of the wind, so we stuffed our pride, went against (my) grain, and fished it. And it paid off. Bob hooked and put a smaller Slot Red in the boat, then hooked and battled another - a "thick" 25"er, then put another smaller Slot in the boat. We worked along there for a good while, out of the wind, and got into a good handful of those Puppy Drum.
As the outgoing tide came to a standstill we made a final run over to Tyger Island, to fish the logs, and had to "putter" thru the shallows to get there, and when we did, we fished a good while and had only a few bites, but no real takers. But it ended a good fishing trip at a beautiful location so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up fishing with the Conforti guys today, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early. The weather had cleared from yesterday and it was a bit cooler, but winds were expected to pick up as the day went on. We made our first stop over at Tyger Island, fishing the logs with jigs and live shrimp but the first area produced nothing. After moving down the way Fred(the middle) hooked up and expertly landed a feisty Redfish. Then Fred(the younger) had a strange bite, a hookup, and he landed a nice Flounder.
The wind was already picking up as we ran thru Horsehead over to the Bell and down to Lanceford where we headed up the creek to fish some docks with the jigs. We were somewhat sheltered here but after fishing a couple of docks we had no real bites, so we moved on.
I had intended to run way up the Bell River and fish those docks but I figured it was about the same distance as running south to where we had some good action yesterday, so we made the run. We did stop off at one spot to fish a deep hole, but again, no bites.
Reaching Seymore's Pointe we all switched to float rigs and tossed them up wind to get good drifts across a shallow oyster pocked flat and here we had some action. Leo put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, then Fred(the senior) had a strong hookup, one that ripped some drag. He fought it valiantly and after battle landed a Slot sized 21" Redfish. Fred(the middle) had the same kind of fight, played it perfectly and put another Slot Redfish in the boat. The anglers added another couple of smaller Reds, smaller Trout,and a Bluefish before Leo topped things off with another keeper Seatrout.
We were a long way from the ramp and running into the wind but as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I did an afternoon trip today, meeting Nate Aron, his father Aaron, and his father-in-law Gil Langley up at Eagans Creek. The wind had died a little bit since this morning and as we eased out of the creek we had clear skies and sunshine! We made our way over to behind Tyger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. The first area was kind of slow except for the bait stealers but when we moved down we began to get fish.
The trio put a nice Redfish in the boat, some Trout, then Gil hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. That made an Amelia Island Back Country Slam, then Nate had strange bite, worked it patiently to the boat, and landed a nice Flounder to make it a Grande Slam. Then Aaron had a strong bite and when it was ripping drag and digging deep we knew we had a big one. Aaron played it like a "Jim Brown" pro, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 25.5" Slot Redfish. We had some good action after that but when it slowed we moved on - running up to the Jolley. After trying our hand with some float rigs, to no avail, we ran up to Snook Creek and switched back to the jigs and caught a couple of Seatrout.
Our final stop was around at Bell River and here we had a good uptick in catches - mostly Seatrout, but a small Black Drum also. It had warmed just a bit, we had fished in clear, sunny skies, and we had a couple of 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.
When I stepped out side this morning in the dark to get the boat ready I was a bit surprised by the wind still kicking. I knew the forecast called for high winds overnight but I thought they were supposed to be done with by daylight. I went back in and checked the weather and it was about right -14mph at the time, dropping to 12 as the morning progressed. So loaded up!
I met Dennis Adams, his son-in-law Danial, and nephew Ben up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and we eased out of Eagans and made the run north, into the wind) and around to the Jolley River.. Boy was it choppy! We ran up the Jolley and found a large drainage to drift float rigs and live shrimp on the outgoing tide, but had no bites. Further up the Jolley, at Snook Creek we switched to jigs and this paid off. All three anglers began to get fish. Young Ben found him a "honey hole" off to the side and caught a good handful of hungry Seatrout.
We then made our way around to the Bell River and stayed with the jigs and got good number of fish caught as that tide dropped - Seatrout, a small black drum, and a keeper sized Sheepshead. Our final stop was back at Lanceford Creek, fishing some docks. Although CM didn't pay off, we moved down a dock or two and BAM! Big Fish On! Daniel was on the rod and played it perfectly, working it out from the pilings and brought him to the net lively - I almost missed him he was so green! But after netting we measured it right at 25", a perfect Slot red to rap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I got out this morning, meeting Dick Conley, David Gray,and Henry Ross up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle as the sun was coming up, and with a tide that had been coming in for about an hour. We eased up the creek and found a crusty dock to toss jigs and live shrimp too and it wasn't long before we were getting fish. David "knocked the skunk" off by picking up a Slot Redfish out of "door number 3" and from then on we were catching fish. He and Henry had a few fish in the boat and I was beginning to wonder if Dick was intentionally "laying back" and giving them a head start - was he even putting bait on his hook? But then eventually he moved in with his cast and began to put fish in the boat, too.
We all noticed that most of the fish were caught as the river bottom dropped off, in about 6' of water. The water temperature had warmed a bit since last week, up to 57 degrees. We caught fish for two hours and they caught their limit of Slot fish (1 apiece) and then we continued to count - we had about 6 Slot Reds there, the biggest being 24" . They also added two keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to the catch.
When it finally slowed we ran down the Amelia River and fished some structure and here the trio picked up 2-3 small but feisty Redfish. Back up the river came, and around to Tyger Island, fishing the logs, and did find one more feisty Red.
Our final stop was over on the outside of Tyger and with the tide up, we eased in to some shallow water and switched to float rigs and the shrimp. I was hoping for a Trout or two to wrap things up but was pleasantly surprised, they began to get Reds! Most of them were small but we counted another 4 Slot Reds caught, the biggest being 23". The sun was up, we had been shedding jackets, and we had a nice mess of fish in the boat so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I tend to lose! I've just never been the betting type but today I gambled that we would get fish on a high and incoming tide. It didn't happen. I had met Sean Pattwell up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early with a tide that was high and still coming in, forecasted it hit the top around 8:15am. We eased out of Eagans Creek and I ran up to the outside of Tyger, thinking we might work a bank with jigs and get a fish or two. But we had zero bites.
Just at high tide we moved around to Jolley Bank and fished floats with no luck and as the tide began to turn we ran back to the outside of Tyger and fished a flooded corner of grass with the floats. I was really counting on this spot but, nope, no fish!
We then made the run down the Amelia River and fished some structure for a good 30 minutes or so with the jigs. Although Sean did get one bite it wasn't a taker and we were looking at "skunk" just over the horizon. But thankfully, Sean was patient - we ran back towards town, dipped into a creek, dipped into another creek and fished some dock pilings with the jigs. We had two bites and two Slot Redfish! Sean played them perfectly, worked to the boat, and landed a 23" Slot and a 18" Slot. Skunk was off!
After fishing one more spot with float rigs (and no bites) we headed back. It was a beautiful morning that got prettier as the day went on - just a bit cool, no wind, and the sun was out so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The weather forecast didn't change much from last night to this morning - temperatures in the high 40's but wind blowing from 9mph early getting up to 14mph and I knew it was going to be tough to get some fish. But the skies were clear and sunny so we had to give it a try. I met Bob Kossman and Frank Wytiaz who paired up for one of my "share-a-trips" (Email me and I'll add you to the list) with plans to fish a high and outgoing tide, so we put off the start time until 9am.
I ran over to the outside of Tyger and set up at the mouth of Manatee Creek and this duo of anglers began to toss float rigs and live shrimp to the flooded grass. The wind was whipping already from the north east and the outgoing current was ripping coming out of the marsh, but right off, Bob had a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout - skunk off the boat! He added a small Ladyfish that had forgotten to leave for the winter, and when we moved across the creek Frank added another Trout to the catch. We tried ducking in behind Tyger Island and switched to jigs but had no real bites on that high tide.
My plan was to make the run thru the wind and spray up and around to the Jolley River, work our way around to Bell River, then make our way back to the Fernandina area...but when I saw those whitecaps kicking when we came out from behind Tyger. I had second thoughts so we turned south and headed down the river to try and find some shelter behind a land mass. We did just that and eventually eased up to some dock pilings and began to pitch jigs and live shrimp.
For the next hour we caught fish, one after the other, almost every cast. After just one or two small but feisty Redfish, both Bob and Frank tangled with some big fish, only to have them break off. They were not to be deterred! Bob hooked up again and kept that pressure on and worked this big fish out from those pilings and from then on the fish was "had"! Bob played it perfectly and eventually landed a big 26.5" Slot Redfish. And just minutes later it was Franks turn. He had a strong hookup, applied some pressure and got that fish out to open water then worked it patiently to the net - a 25.5" bulky Redfish. They put a couple of more big ones in the boat and then caught handful's of smaller Redfish. When we finally left that spot we had counted 9 Slot Redfish caught.
Our next stop was back closer to Fernandina, again fishing some dock pilings. Although I was expecting another round of fish catching it didn't happen but finally Bob put a small but feisty Red in the boat. We were almost out of bait and were only getting nibbles until BAM! Bob had another big it and another Big Fish on! He worked that one up from the depths and to the net then Frank followed suite with another big Redfish catch of his on. These last two increased their "Slot" total to 11 for the day. As we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
