Thankful the Fish Were Biting!

 Hoping everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Mabry stepped on the boat hoping that we'd catch at least a few fish today, and little did she know that we would have a banner day!  I met her, her father Stephen, her aunt Tessa, and her soon-to-be uncle Andy out at Goffinsville Park this morning right at low tide and by the time we got around to our first stop it had begun to creep in. The fish bite wasn't "on fire" like I had expected but we did get a couple of good fish - I think it was Tessa's 2nd or third cast and BAM! Her drag was ripping. Tessa hung with it, battled it valiantly, and soon brought to the net a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. We soon found out that Stephen and Mabry had teamed up - Stephen would do the "hooking" and Mabry would do the reeling - he hooked up and she fought to the net a hungry Seatrout. We bounced up the river, fishing some dock pilings and here Andy got on the board - he had a good bite, set the hook expertly and in short order brought to the net a feisty Redfish.

Mabry didn't even need that help down at the next spot - the "super secret" one -we had just pulled up
and the whole crew was catching fish. Mabry had a strong bite and at first we didn't think it was such a big fish. She battled it as it ripped drag, worked it up, let it run, worked it up and then we saw that it was a BIG Redfish. Before the fish knew what had ahold of him, Mabry brought it to the net - a nice 26" Redfish! Stephen followed that up with another good hookup - he kept this one to himself and battled it patiently as it came out from the bank and around behind the engine. He stayed with it, wore it out, and landed another big Slot Redfish. At that spot and within 50 feet we caught fish, almost one after another and hit their 4 fish limit, then went over it -I counted 7 Slot Redfish caught!

Mabry, I think, was wore out. We dropped down the way and  worked a bank with the jigs and live shrimp and although it wasn't fast and furious we did have good action catching those feisty Redfish. At one time she did get back on the rod and her and her aunt Tessa teamed up for a "double" hookup of Redfish. Over at Pumpkin Hill we switched to float rigs, drifted with the current, and got another couple of small Trout and a couple of Bluefish. Stephen battled a Bonnethead shark for a bit before it broke off, Tessa battled a Bonnethead before it found its way to a crab pot rope and broke off, but Andy clinched it when he hooked up with a shark and showed it "what for" - he battled it to the boat  and landed a nice 3" fish - the biggest of the day- we photographed and released it. 

Mabry was hungry and it was time to go! We had a nice box of fish, had some really nice weather so as
we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

A Triple, Five Slots, and One Oversized

 

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. 

Redemption at Amelia Island

 

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...

That John Guy Stayed Hot

 What a beautiful morning to wrap the week up with!  I met David Vice and his fishing buddies Robert and Lee out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp as the sun was coming up. The tide had been going out for about an hour as we eased away from the dock and made our way around the corner to Seymore's Pointe to fish a grassy point with float rigs and live shrimp.  All three anglers were getting good casts and good drifts but we didn't' see much action other than a big (for North East Florida) Blue Fish that Robert battled and landed. 

I've fished with these guys for a number of years now, but for some reason, some time during the trip I'll start calling Robert, "John". They'll let me go for an our calling him "John", then finally they'll joke about that "John" guy. I don't even realize I'm doing it until it's brought up. It's a slip of the brain.  Luckily, "John" (Robert) was catching fish today!  We ran thru Horsehead and pulled up in a creek off of Jackstaff and continued with the float rigs and here "John" (Robert) battled a big Jack Crevalle to the net for photo's and release, then he put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat. Our next stop was over at Poteat Point where we worked up and won the bank. Robert caught a keeper sized Whiting and another feisty Redfish, then David got on the board with a Redfish catch. Robert followed that up with a big battle. His drag was ripping and Robert ("John") kept the pressure on - he played it expertly and soon landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish.

Back thru Horsehead we went, and up the river to Back River Point where we drifted the floats again. The wind was picking up and making it a bit difficult, but we made do. David, fishing off the bow, tossed forward to a grassy island and as it drifted back, BAM! A strong hookup. David played it patiently and brought to the boat another Slot Redfish. The trio caught another Trout or two there before we moved on. 

We tried a stop back at Littlefield, switching to jigs and shrimp, but had no luck. That last stop at Back
River Point had not produced like we thought it should have so we decided to try it again, 45 minutes later. Lee, who had been gallantly manning the middle of the boat, was getting good casts and good drifts and it finally paid off -he hooked and landed a hungry Seatrout on one of the final drifts. We had had beautiful weather, seen some neat wildlife, had a few fish in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Redfish Bonanza

 

With the weather getting better, and the tides not so high, the fish catching is getting....great!  I met Pete Nolan, his daughter Sydney and their friend Lyle down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning- we had clear skies, only a tad bit of wind, and it was just cool enough for a light jacket. We made a 12 minute run up the intracoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and began tossing jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out. All three anglers were getting good casts, and a few nibbles, but we had no takers. We crossed over the creek and fished a point, letting the jigs bounce along the edge and here Lyle "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. A Pod of dolphin were coming down the bank, so we moved on. 

We then ran thru Horsehead and then back down the Nassau to set up at large drainage and a Roseate
Spoonbill was fishing - the tide was still going out, and boy did things heat up! The trio started catching fish, one after the other -feisty Redfish, a couple of small Flounder (making it a Slam), then a couple of small Black Drum (Grand Slam). They stayed busy catching those small fish until Pete had one of those drag ripping bites and, Big Fish On!  Pete played it expertly and wore it out and brought to the boat a bulky 24" Slot Redfish. We fished until there was a lull, then as we talked about moving on they would get another bite and another fish, including a Bonnethead Shark and a big Jack Crevalle.  Lyle added another 22" Slot Red to the box before we finally moved. 

Down at Broward we were in deeper water but it didn't matter.  Fishing under the gaze of two Bald Eagles, we were tossing the jigs up current and letting it bounce down the river bottom deep paid off. Again, they got busy catching Redfish. Most were in the 16-17" range but Lyle added two more Slot Reds to his catch, one of which we had to toss back due to the limits. Our final stop was back down the Nassau, at Twin Creeks, with the tide coming in. It was slow going until Pete had a strong hookup. The drag was ripping so we knew it was a good fish. Pete worked it in patiently and soon landed another 22" Slot Red. Half of this fish's tail had been eaten off so we put itin the box and culled one of the others. 

We had some good action most of the morning, had beautiful weather, and had a few fish in the box so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

'NUF Said

 Short and brief today - quite a banner day! 10 Slot Reds caught by Brian Roach, his son Mike, and their friend William Blalock. First of the incoming tide, tossing jigs and mud minnows to drainages and exposed shell banks. The first two hours was on fire. They added a good handful of smaller Reds, some Ladyfish, some Catfish, some small Flounder, then they finished the day with two keeper Flounder. Another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!  CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE

Slot One

Slot Two

Slot Three

Slot Four

Slot Five

Slot Six

Slot Seven

Slot Eight

Slot Nine

Slot 10 (a twelve spotter!)

We Slammed 'Em Early

 Back to work again today - is this heat every going to subside? I mentioned to my wife that I didn't think
we've had this hot of a summer in a while! But the Hobbs crew - Jeremy, his daughter Willow, and her friend Olivia were up to the challenge and they met me early down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the run  up the Nassau River - my plan was to fish some dock pilings on the first of an incoming tide but as we arrived we saw that a barge was tied up and blocking the pilings - so we turned around and came back to some exposed shell bed just before Twin Creeks, and I'm glad we did!

These three anglers came to catch fish! They started hooking up and landing Flounder, caught on jigs and mud minnows, and a couple were of keeper size.  We caught and released a Catfish then they put a keeper sized Seatrout in the box. Then, as we worked up to Twin Creeks, Jeremy, casting forward over a "bar", hooked up and that sweet sound of drag wafted over the boat - Fish On!  Jeremy played it perfectly and landed a perfect sized 22" Slot Redfish. He went back to the same spot and BAM! Another 21" Slot Red that he played to the net. We had an Amelia Island Back Country Slam in the live well - Flounder, Seatrout and Redfish. We hit a couple of more drainages along there and caught a couple of small but feisty Redfish and a handful of Flounder, one of which was of keeper size.

We had good action for about the first 2  hours of the trip but once that tide got up, and the sun got hot, the bite fell off. We fished down at Pumpkin Hill, then around some docks at Littlefield, then made the run thru the marsh and fished Jackstaff "bank'. We may have had a few bites but no takers. Go early and beat the heat! But we had a good box of fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great ay to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Superstitions Busted

 I've heard the superstition of catching a fish on the first cast - it didn't pan out today!  I had met Jerry and Deb Yarborough and their daughter Masha up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made a fairly long run up and around to the Jolley River, and further up it all the way to the MOA (Mother of All) Spot. After showing the trio how I like to bait the mud minnows, and with a tide that was just starting back in, we made a toss to the expose oysters, let it drop down the river bottom and BAM! Big Fish On!  Masha was on the rod  and she fought it valiantly - worked it slowly up then let it run, then worked it up, let it run. She finally subdued the beast - a big, ugly, Catfish!

But later, Jerry hauled in a nice sized Whiting then he had strong bite and this fish was shaking its head and thrashing on the top and it turned out to be a healthy 18" Seatrout. Deb quietly outpaced the other two catching a hard fighting Jack, another Catfish, and a hungry Seatrout. We then moved around the bend, back down the river and fished some still exposed shell at Snook Creek. Masha had a good cast to the shell and BAM! Her drag was ripping again. She played it expertly and after a good fight landed a Slot sized 20" Redfish. And Deb followed that up with a Redfish catch of her own. While we were fishing there we were treated to a pod of dolphin that were busting bait up on to a mud bank - what a spectacle!

We made our way back down the river and around to the outside of Tyger where we fished the jigs and minnows along the grass line as the tide was getting up. The trio landed one more Seatrout and had two Flounder to the boat for a quick release. Again we were treated to some wildlife sightings - Deb spotted a Salt Marsh Mink swimming across a creek then later we saw a family of four of those Minks running down an adjacent beach.

Back up the Jolley we went and switched to float rigs and the minnows. Masha drifted one looooong and it paid off when her float dissapeared and she hooked up to land the final fish of the day, another hungry Seatrout. For most of the day we had a nice breeze, a few clouds to give us some respite and with a few fish in the box, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Going Sharking

 I was back launching at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning where I met Nigel and Erin Morton who had their two sons Ronan and Vance with them. We eased out of Eagans Creek and then made a long run up and around to the Jolley River, then all the way up it to the MOA on a tide that had just hit bottom. I have been fishing with mud minnows the last handful of trips but decided to add a little "spice" to the trip with a handful of live shrimp and it was the shrimp that were getting all the bites early. Unfortunately it was fish we didn't want!  Vance "knocked the skunk off" when he reeled in a feisty Grunt, then Nigel battled a huge Catfish to the boat (in the last month I've been pricked three times by Catfish and I was extra careful with this one!) We fished up and back along the oysters and picked up a couple of Croakers on those shrimp.

After fishing across the way at JC's spot and maybe getting another Croaker or two we eased back down the river to Snook Creek and worked it with the jigs and shrimp and minnows. With added incentive, the challenge was excepted for someone to catch a fish with a mud minnow and in short order Nigel stepped up and, Fish On!  Nigel worked it to the boat, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then brought to the net a nice 20.5" Slot Redfish. Ronan was eyeing the creek and thought it looked good to try so we trolled in, turned into the current and began tossing the jigs with shrimp. There wasn't much action until Ronan bent over with his reel ripping drag, and the battle ensued! We were in for a long fight - the fish ripped north, then south, then back around the engine, then back out into the creek. Ronan was up for the battle, kept his rod up and the pressure on and after a long fight, landed a 4' Bonnethead Shark for photograph and release.

All the way back down the Jolley, we switched to float rigs and worked the flooding oyster beds, to no avail. Back up the Jolly at Tyger cut we stayed with the floats and this a paid off. We picked up a nice keeper sized Whiting then it was Nigel's turn to battle the Sharks - he had a good hookup and after having fought that Slot Red to the net he was ready for this Shark. He played it perfectly and brought it in for a photograph. We finished up over on the outside of Tyger, going back to the jigs and here Erin wrapped things up with a nice Seatrout catch. We had some great weather with just a breeze and a bit of cloud cover there at the end so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Action at Most Spots

 

Brook Benge brought along two of his fishing buddies - Tommy and Roger, when I met them out at the Amelia Island Marina early this morning. We eased down the canal and made a short trip over to some structure to try our luck with some jigs and mud minnows on the first of an incoming tide. The conditions were good, it wasn't "on fire" but Tommy did "knock the skunk off" with a Flounder catch. 

We then ran down the intracoastal, took the shortcut thru Sailboat Cut and went around to Jackstaff, turned into the current and fished the "bank".  All three anglers were making excellent casts (all day long) and it paid off for Brook - he hooked up and expertly landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then a feisty Redfish. After running thru Horsehead we made a short stop at a dock and Seymore's Pointe and tossed to the pilings. Here the trio caught and landed a fairly nice sized Sea Bass (for the backwater), and then a Toad Fish, then Tommy had a strong hookup. This fish was ripping drag and digging towards teh pilings. Tommy worked him out then the big fish made a dash to the pilings and that was "all she wrote". After it broke off we checked the leader and it was rougher than 80 grit sandpaper!

Moving down the Nassau to Spanish Drop, we worked that bank with the jigs. We caught a couple or three small but fun to catch Flounder, another Jack or two, a Catfish, and then Tommy again had a big fish on. This one had taken the bait and swam out with the current. When Tommy tightened up he realized he had a fish on and boy what a fish! When it realized it was hooked the battle was joined - it took Tommy to the stern and around the engine then back towards the bank, ripping drag as it went. He worked it in slowly, let it run, worked it in, let it run, then finally brought to the net a bulky 26" Redfish. Boy what a fish!

We drifted floats at Twin Creeks and picked up a hungry Seatrout, then made our way down to Pumpkin Hill where Brook wrapped things up with a Seatrout catch and another Jack Crevalle catch. We had a slight breeze all morning, sunshine, and had some good action here and there, so as we headed back to the Marina we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It Ran Like A Shark

 I was back to work today, fishing with Brian Roach and his son Mike after meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made a short run up the Nassau River to Spanish Drop and began fishing a large outflow on a tide that still had a few hours to hit bottom. But the oysters we exposed and these two anglers began pitching to the edges with jigs and live shrimp. Things started a bit slow but they eventually had some good action catching hungry Seatrout, and a couple of small Reds. We bounced up the river, stopping at drainages and at each one they put fish in the boat - Trout, Reds, Ladyfish, Black "puppy" Drum, Flounder, Jacks, and ......Catfish. Brian did have one good hookup which he played patiently. I was calling "Flounder" the way it as digging deep but as Brian worked it to the surface we saw it was a nice Slot sized Redfish which he landed.

We fished between some docks at Littlefield, to no avail, then ran down to Broward Island and fished a severely low tide, starting on the south end and drifting with the still outgoing current. Not a bite. I knew that we had been getting most of our fish around shell beds but to not get a single bite on a low tide down at Broward was surprising. 

After making a long run back to Nassauville and thru Horsehead we began working along some exposed shell on the first of an incoming tide. Mike picked up his Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. We had been being stalked by Bonnetheads and when Brian had a bite that began ripping drag and heading out deep behind the boat we both called "shark"! Brian worked it around the rear of the boat, fought it up off the bottom and we mentioned "I saw it", I began to wonder - normally those Bonnetheads don't come up until they're worn out. Brian fought it  for another few minutes then he saw that it was a big Redfish! That will chance your attitude!  He played it patiently and eventually landed a 26.25" Redfish, boy what a fish. 

We fished over at Poteat Point then worked one other edge where Brian picked up one more Redfish with about 5 shrimp to spare, then we called it a day and headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Switching to Jigs Did the Trick

 We had a beautiful morning today to wrap up the week before the holiday weekend when I met John Raker and his mother Betty out at Goffinsville Park boat ramp. We eased north and around Seymore's Pointe and tried some float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. Both Betty and John were getting excellent drifts - we had a few - but not a single nibble. We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Point and continued with the drifts. We worked the point, the grass line and the pockets and again, not a nibble. 

After fishing across the creek, again with no bites, we ran back thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to Twin Creeks, turned into the outgoing current, and began tossing jigs and the live shrimp. It didn't take long for this to produce. Betty had made an excellent cast, worked it just a bit and BAM! She had a strong hookup, battled it to the boat, and landed a feisty Redfish.  The duo picked up another small Red, a feisty Black "puppy" Drum then Betty had another big bite. This fish boiled a couple of times so we knew it was a bigger Redfish. She played it patiently, let the drag rip a few times, worked it in, and landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. As we moved up the bank she had another strong bite, but this one took off like a freight train, leaving the shore and heading deep. Betty fought it from the starboard side to the port side, then fought it deep the brought it to the boat. I held the rod for a bit to make sure it was worn out good before we brought it into the boat for photograph and release.

Down the Nassau we moved and here the anglers hooked up and landed a couple of undersized Flounder. We fished Spanish Drop for a bit, fished Back River for a bit and other than a Catfish catch, that was it for the day. But we had a nice fish in the box and had beautiful weather so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Big Fish Right Off The Bat

 

I wrapped my week up fishing with Murray Bonitt and his son Dan and friend Gavin...and some dude named Darron that nobody knew. We met early down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp under cloudy skies but we had very little wind (but enough to keep the gnats away) so as we headed up the Nassau River we had high hopes of catching some fish. I haven't fished the shell beds in a long while but they were exposed on a tide that had been going out a few hours so as we approached Spanish Drop we decided to give it at try - we'd be pitching jigs and live shrimp to those oysters. Gavin and Dan were up at the bow while Murray manned the stern. We had been fishing for about 10 minutes when Murray put an excellent cast up near the oysters and he had a big hookup, Fish On!  This fish was ripping drag and when I saw it wasn't wanting to come in I knew it had some size to it, and then it rolled and I knew it was a big Redfish. Murray played it perfectly, worked it in, wore it out, and soon landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish - first fish of the day!

We worked that bank thoroughly then made a run the Nassau and fished a large drainage with the jigs.
Here, Dan got on the board with a couple of Seatrout catches and Murray added a couple, too. That Darron guy picked up a Baitstealer.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island and here the "catching" picked up. The trio caught a good handful of fish. Gavin had persevered, stuck with it, and picked up a few hungry Seatrout. Dan caught Trout and a couple of feisty Redfish, and Murray added a few more fish to the catch total. We had had only a light sprinkle from the forecasted Sunday rains, had caught some good fish, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.   

And Then There Was a Big One

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.

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.

Weeding Thru The Trout

 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, 

One Red But It Was a Big One!

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. 

Punching Above Their Weight

 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.