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.
We wrapped up a great week of fishing today when I met Mark and Brent Laurint out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. And oh what a beautiful sunrise it was! Clear, cool, no wind and calm waters for us to fish! We made a short hop over to Back River and fished a grassy edge on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours - tossing float rigs and live shrimp up current and letting it drift along that edge. Mark knocked the skunk off when he hooked up and landed a feisty Bluefish, then the duo put another couple of fish in the boat - Bluefish and hungry Seatrout.]
We then ran down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and fished it a bit with the floats, jigs and bait,and a artificial shrimp, to no avail. As we eased forward I saw that oysters were beginning to show and with Mark and Brent making excellent casts it was only a matter of time until....Big Fish On! Mark said it was just a slight "bump" but when he set the hook he could tell it was big. It was ripping drag and I saw a couple of huge boils before I could get the GoPro on. Then it was battle on. Mark played it perfectly and went went from bow to stern Mark followed it, and around the engine, then back to the bow, then under the boat then back out - he played it like a pro and eventually brought to the net a bulky 25.5" big Redfish! Boy what a fight and boy what a fish!
After working that bank we made a short run up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fished them with jigs, and here we had a good flurry of fish catching. Brent was slowly establishing himself as the "Trout King", hooking up here and there, and we also had a couple of "baitstealers", and a small Sea Bass. And after making the move around to some docks at Nassauville, Brent put a couple of keeper sized Seatrout in the boat, fishing deep with the jigs.
We fished down at Broward Island and picked up one small Red, then Pumpkin Hill where we finished up with another feisty Red and a couple or Trout, one of which was of keeper size. We had a few fish in the box and it was a beautiful day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We didn't flip the 12 Slot Reds we caught into the boat, but we did a whole lot of "boat flippin" of smaller fish! What a beautiful day we had today! Sunshine, clear skies, no wind, and just a bit cool when I met Bob Blalock, his son Robbie, and nephew Collin up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a short run up the creek and began fishing some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had about three hours to go out - the oysters were just beginning to show. First cast produced a bite and a hookup but we lost it on the handoff but then on, for the rest of the 4 hour trip, it was Fish On!
Almost non-stop action - we had about 100 shrimp and I'd guestimate we caught fish on half of them and managed a "Super Grande Slam" of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum, Sheepshead and Flounder. As mentioned, we counted 12 of the Reds to be in the Slot. Three of those were 26.5", 26'5" and 26.75". We kept 6 keeper sized Seatrout, a couple of nice Sheepshead, and a big Black "puppy" Drum. And threw back umpteen smaller "ittty bitty" fish.
13yo Collin was on fire was exhibiting sure signs of Mark of an Angler. Having fished "all his life", he was making excellent casts and tuned in to the bite, the hookset and then he played the fish like a pro, and all with a good attitude! We figured that he had the most fish caught for the day and the most Slot Reds, while Robbie had the biggest Redfish and only Flounder. Bob put the biggest Black Drum and Sheepshead in the boat. We had multiple "double" hookups and one "triple" when all three anglers had a fish on at one time. It was an unbelievable crazy day of a catching a great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Hallelujah! The bad weather finally let up and we were able to get out and do some fishing today! I met Jason Ash and his buddy Tom up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early - the tide had been coming in for about an hour and a half so we eased up the creek and found some dock pilings to fish with jigs and live shrimp. It took a few minutes then Tom "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. Then Jason, fishing a little shallower near the bank began to catch Redfish. He could make a cast up to one spot and BAM! Fish On! He had brought a few to the boat before Tom took the "can't beat 'em join 'em" attitude and cast to the same area and caught fish too.. The duo ended up with a couple of Slot Redfish to go along with the dozen or so "Rat" Reds they landed. They also added another Trout or two one of which was of keeper size. Good start at the first spot!
We then made the run over to the outside of Tyger and fished a stretch of flooding marsh grass, had one small "bump", then moved on. Our next stop was up the Jolley River where we switched to Float rigs and the live shrimp. Both anglers were getting good drifts and picked up a couple of Redfish, one of which was in the Slot, then Tom had a good take and as his drag began to rip we knew, Big Fish On! Tom kept the pressure on, played it patiently as it bulled up to the grass, worked it out, let it run, and eventually landed a big 26.5" "tournament" Slot Redfish! Boy what a fish!
After running on around to the Bell River we fished deep with jigs between some docks and found that we could hookup and land Seatrout out deep. They had a good flurry of catches and put another keeper Trout in the box. Then they found that they could pitch closer to the shore and get feisty Redfish. Again, we had some great action at this last spot so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Quick report...gotta go help set up a Fishing Tournament! Fished today with Kurt Ronicher and his friend Rick, and John Raker, meeting out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp. We fished some shell beds on the last of an outgoing tide, then ran down to Broward and fished the first of an incoming with jigs and mud minnows. That paid off! They landed four Slot Redfish, the biggest was 25", and a good handful of smaller feisty Redfish. Kurt was tossing a fly rod for most of the day, had a few bites, and caught one of the feisty Reds on a Dupree Spoon Fly.
We fished oyster beds, flooding marsh grass, more flooding marsh grass, and more flooding marsh grass, and caught a handful of small Seatrout, and one Blue fish!
It was a beautiful day and it was a great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It looks like we squeezed in today's trip before tomorrows nasty weather shows up. I had met Robert Stettner and his fishing partner David Vice out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp as the sun came up and as the weather channel had forecast, it was "Calm" - the water was like glass. We made a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill in an attempt to catch the very last of an incoming tide and sure enough, we still had some current running. Both anglers were tossing float rigs and mudminnows and letting them drift long and within minutes we had fish. They picked up a handful of Seatrout with two of them being of keeper size. Robert also caught and battled a big Jack Crevalle to the net for photograph and release. If I had to grade these two anglers, they were right at a C+!
We then ran around to Seymore's Point and fished a large drainage with the float rigs (we stayed with them the entire trip) and had a good many bites but no real takers. Our next stop, after running thru Horsehead, was over at Poteat Cut where we set up on a point and fished the now outgoing tide. This paid off - they caught Seatrout and Ladyfish, then Robert hooked up with a feisty Redfish and battled it to the boat. David went up to the grass with a good cast and BAM! Big Fish On! He played it perfectly and worked it patiently to the boat and net - a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. They were up to a B+!
Back over to Jackstaff we went, and up a creek where we worked the grass line with the floats. They picked up one Redfish along the bank then we moved on. After another run back thru Horsehead we made our way down to the Back River and set up to fish. School was in! We were at the "Honey Hole"! We had non-stop action - I think I yelled "Double" a few times. At first it was Seatrout. David put a couple of keepers in the boat then Robert added a keeper to the box. David hooked up and landed a Slot sized 21" Red, then they caught more Trout, more feisty Redfish, another Jack, and Robert rounded out his Amelia Island Backcountry Slam with a Flounder catch. Then David had a strong hookup and this fish wasn't coming in. He played it like a Pro - like an upperclassman - like a Beta Club alumni! It pulled to the shell bank, and David worked it out and brought it to the net, a big 26" Slot Redfish! That one put us over the limit and had to go back after photographs.
We had had pretty good day of fishing and had ended with 45 minutes of fish catching and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida and achieving Honor Roll status - A+ for the day!
I was out at Goffinsville today, meeting Kenny King and his fishing crew, John Raker and John's mother Betty early this morning. We had a bait well full of mud minnow, electing to go with no shrimp today, and we headed over to Pumpkin Hill to make our first stop on a tide that still was coming in for another 2 hours. We set up alongside a flooding shell bottom and drifted floats long - it took a good handful of drifts and I was beginning to wonder when Betty had a her float taken under. She slapped the bail shut, cranked her slack in and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On! Betty battled it to the boat and brought to the net a huge 22.25" Seatrout, a fish that moved her in to a tie for First Place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. Scroll down the right side of this report for standings.
We continued to fish and picked up another small Trout or two, a couple of nice hard fighting Jacks, a small Catfish, and a small Mangrove Snapper. After moving around the corner and fishing a stretch of flooded grass, Kenny had a good hookup, played it patiently, and brought in a keeper sized Seatrout. And just minutes later he had a strong bite. This was a big fish and Kenny played it perfectly. When he got it to the net we measured a 19.5" Seatrout, boy what a fish. But with the new rules, it had to go back!
After running thru Horsehead we fished a good looking stretch of marsh on the first of an outgoing tide. There were fish popping and rolling and moving but we managed only another Jack and a Ladyfish. Back thru Horsehead we went, back up Nassau to Back River and fished some pockets and here John had the big bite. When it ripped some drag and boiled up near the grass we knew it was a big Redfish and sure enough, after a good battle, John brought to the net a nice 22" bulky Slot Redfish. The sun was up but so was the breeze and we had some nice fish in the box so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and is a licensed US Coast Guard charter boat operator.
I fished north today, meeting the Yeager boys - Keith and his sons Reece and Renner - up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early. We made a run up and around to the Jolley River and began to fish the "bank" with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that still had a few hours to hit high. Reece was on the bow and got hot quick catching a good handful of small but feisty Redfish. Keith was in the middle, Renner on the stern, and both tangled with high flying Ladyfish.
We ran up the river to Snook Creek, fished a very fishy looking bank, and again they caught a couple of small Reds, then Renner hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout and hard fighting Jack Crevalle. We moved up in the creek and here Keith won a hard fought battle with a 3' Bonnethead Shark.
The tide was getting pretty high so we moved back down the river and fished a point with the float rigs and things really heated up. Renner put another keeper Trout in the boat then all three anglers were catching fish. We had some small Trout, another Jack or two, a big Gar Fish, another Red or two, then Renner hooked up and, Fish On! He patiently played it to the boat and landed a huge 20.75" Seatrout, a fish big enough to move him in to sole possession of 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). By the way, that fish was caught on a mud minnow.
We finished the day fishing the outside of Tyger in hopes of picking up some Flounder. Reece did hookup and land a small Flounder, but he bettered that! As we worked along the bank Reece had made a pinpoint cast to a pocket and BAM! Fish On! This fish was pulling hard to the grass line but Reece kept the pressure on, worked it out, then expertly landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. As we were dealing with that fish Keith went in to the same spot and BAM! Another big fish On! This one bulled up into the grass to try and shake the hook but it was to no avail...Keith worked it out and landed a 22.25" Slot fish. The catch got better as the day went along so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Captain Lawrence Piper is a fishing guide in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida and is a
I fished with John Cipriani and his fishing buddy John Givens this morning, and after meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp we made a quick run around to the other side of Seymore's Pointe with plans to drift float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about an hour. John was tossing the flat rig and had a few good bites before he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and at the stern, John G. was throwing an 1/8oz jig with a rootbeer Gulp Shrimp with a chartreuse tail. He said he had just made a cast and the minute it hit bottom a nice fish picked up and, Fish On! John played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot sized Redfish.
We then ran thru Horsehead and fished up a small creek with the floats. We were seeing some good movement and had a couple of fish "tail" out in front of us but we had no takers. After jumping over to Poteat Cut and fishing a point, to no avail, we made the run back thru Horsehead.
Our next stop was down at Back River where we fished floats long and here John C. put a hungry Seatrout in the boat, and then, over at Spanish John G. hooked up and battled a feisty Jack Crevalle to the net. We fished one stretch of now exposed shell then moved up the Nassau and fished a drainage before making the run back to some docks at Seymore's. Here we played with the Mangrove Snapper, a couple of which were of keeper size, then we landed a small but fun to catch Flounder that rounded out an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.
We finished up the trip fishing between a couple of docks at Nassauville. Again, we caught a couple of Mangroves and then John C wrapped things up with another Flounder catch. Although we had to work for what we caught, we did catch! And so, as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I finished my week up fishing with Howard McClure and his fishing buddy Joe. I met them early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and even though we had some forecasted winds to get up around 14mph, we were eager to get out into the backwaters and get some fishing done. After making a 15 minute run up the intercoastal, thru Back River on a high and incoming tide, and around to Pumpkin Hill, we set up to drift float rigs. And the first casts paid off! Joe was on the stern and had a good bite, lifted the rod, and set the circle hook. He was playing it to the boat when Howard had a hookup on his first cast! Joe landed his, a hungry Seatrout, and Howard landed his, a feisty Jack Crevalle.
Shortly after that Joe had another hookup. This fish was ripping some drag and fighting somewhat like a Redfish, but then it got out deep and began to shake and when Joe battled it to the surface we netted a big Jack Crevalle. We fished Pumpkin Hill pretty good, moving around a bit, getting a few bites, then we made a run around to Seymore's Pointe.
Again, tossing float rigs, drifting them by a grassy point, the two anglers had a few small bites, but no takers. We ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Cut and fished into the wind. We had had not real bites and I was beginning to wonder when Joe, fishing off the stern and up near some flooded marsh grass, had his float slowly go under. I was already thinking "Flounder" and as Joe worked it to the boat It was confirmed, a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today were released).
We jumped over to Jackstaff and fished a large drainage and here it was Howard's turn to battle a nice Jack Crevalle, which he did expertly. Then he went back with a cast to the grassy point of an island and we both saw something hit his bait with a vengeance and his float disappeared sideways and, Fish On! Howard played the big fish perfectly and after a good battle landed a Slot Sized Redfish to garner this duo of anglers an Amelia Island Back Water Slam.
We finished the day back at Nassauville, out of the wind, and getting some good "Mangrove Snapper Action". Again, all fish were released today but they had probably 6-7 keeper sized Mangroves they could have kept. They're getting bigger as the water warms. We had had some good action and as we headed back to the ramp we co8unted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
