Got Trout?

Long John weather!  Low mid 30's with wind forecasted to be 14-16 mph (they were right!)  I met Gene Burk and is nephew Aiden down at Sawpit this morning with those conditions, but we did have sunny skies all day, so we made the most of it. Our first stop was around at the bridge where we drifted slip float (trout) rigs deep back to the bridge pilings. I was a bit surprised when we caught Bluefish instead of Trout! We moved on. We made a long run up the Nassau River, into the wind and boy was it cold! But when we reached Nassauville the wind was blocked and we had comfortable conditions to toss jigs and live shrimp on the last hour or so of the outgoing tide. There must have been a Trout convention going on down there in 25' water because Gene and Aiden caught Seatrout, one after the other. Most were in the 14" range but every once in a while they'd put one of keeper size in the boat. The biggest, caught by Gene, was right at 17".  We probably could have stayed there and caught those Trout but we had a few in the box, so we moved on. 

We ran down to Broward Island and fished a choppy last of an outgoing tide. Fishing deep with the jigs Aiden hooked up and caught a handful of Seatrout. We moved north and fished a bit but had no luck so we moved on. 

After a long run up the Nassau we dipped into a creek and worked a bank with jigs. It wasn't "on fire" but the duo tallied 7 Redfish caught. Aiden landed the biggest, an 18" Slot fish that added to their dinner plans!  We had caught bookoodles of fish, had sunny skies, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

 

Sweetheart of a Trip

 

Fishing the day after Valentines you hope that the catching will make for a "sweetheart" kind of day, and today turned out to be pretty good!  I had met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsivlle Park early and as I was launching I was treated to a really cool sunrise. The tide had been coming in for about an hour so we made our way up river to get in some "first of the incoming" tide fishing. Dara was on the stern and made an excellent first cast - William was on the bow and made an excellent first cast and BAM! It was William who had the hookup. He worked it to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish. William picked up a Seatrout shortly after that, then BAM! and his drag was ripping - this was a big one!  William played it patiently, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, and eventually brought to the net an Oversized 27.75" Redfish. 

We moved down the way about 30' and worked the bank with the jigs and shrimp and here Dara came
alive and got on the board with a couple of Redfish and Seatrout catches. William added a couple too, then we moved further down the Island and worked back into the current and caught a handful of Redfish, one of which was in the Slot. There were a couple of more Seatrout caught with at least one of those of keeper size. 

After running way up the Nassau we dipped into a creek and worked back into the current. The catching wasn't "on fire" but it was nice and steady. Dara did an excellent job of battling a 20" Slot Red to the net, and William added another Slot fish to the count. We caught  and tossed a good handful of smaller but "feisty" Reds and a couple of Trout, one of being of keeper size. 

We later fished some flooded shell alongside some marsh grass with float rigs and Dara found a Trout, then we fished one set of docks where William pulled a Trout out from behind the pilings. We had stayed busy catching fish the first three hours of the trip so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Hunt For Reds

 It was "Chamber of Commerce" weather today - clear, just a slight breeze to keep the bugs off, and just a bit cool as we ran down the river. I had met Ed Andrewlavage and his fishing buddy Chris down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and from there we made our way up the intercoastal and over to Poteat Cut to set up with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for about 2 hours. Both anglers began to toss their baits forward and it wasn't long before they were getting bites. Ed had told me that he'd like to get some Redfish - didn't want any Seatrout - and wouldn't you know, we caught Trout. 

Chris got hot early and landed a few "hungry" one's before he put a keeper sized one in the boat - we photographed and released all Trout today. Then Ed began to get a few, fishing off the stern. They added a Bluefish to the catch before we moved on. Just around the corner, over at Jackstaff, we eased along the bank, just beyond the White Pelicans, and caught a few Trout. Chris went up close to the grass and had a hookup, one that pulled some drag and "rolled" and, Redfish On!  Chris played it perfectly and soon brought to the net a feisty Redfish. Only minutes later it was Eds turn to battle a feisty Red to the boat. 

We ran thru Horsehead and down to Back River and drifted a bank. Chris did pickup one Seatrout but that was it. We crossed the river and drifted the floats and again, a Trout or two. Chris did have something take his bait, and his leader, and his float, and we never saw it again! We then made our way down the Nassau and fished a large drainage. Again, a Seatrout catch, but not much else.

Our final stop was fishing some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Both anglers stayed busy either catching fish ore losing bait. They added another keeper Trout - the biggest of the day at 18.5", a keeper sized 16" Black "puppy" Drum, and 5 keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. I kept count of the "keeper" Trout that we threw back and it was five. We had some outstanding weather and some good action so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Trout'n

 I fished Friday running up to the annual Florida/Georgia football game - great weather for a great weekend!  I had met Brian Roach and his fishing buddy Jason down at Sawpit Creek. All week I had noted that the fish catching was really slow (non-existent) on the last of the incoming tide, which was what we had this day, so my "plan" was to run north up to a dock on the intercoastal and get there early before anyone beat us to it. Unfortunately, after the long run, there was a shore angler fishing off the dock in the "hole". Dang it. 

So ran back down the intercoastal and made it to Poteat Point and began to drift float rigs with live shrimp and luckily the Trout were biting. Brian got things started off and stayed hot catching a good handful of those "hungry" Seatrout, but we did get one that was of legal size. I noted that the water temperature was right at 74°. We moved over to Jackstaff and fished the "bank", working along it, and again picked up Seatrout. Jason got on the board, picking up a few Trout and a feisty Redfish. 

We then ran thru Horsehead and down to Pumpkin Hill to fish that last of the incoming tide. This hasn't worked too well during the first of the week but today it paid off. the duo stayed busy catching Trout, and a small Flounder for their Amelia Island  Backcountry Slam, and when we pulled up to the point and drifted the other side, I sensed a boredom with the Trout catching. Again, they weeded thru the shorts and picked up a keeper or two. After fishing the grass patch, we moved on.

Back to Seymore's Pointe to fish a large drainage. I can't remember if we got a Trout there but we had numerous "nibbles" that I felt sure were small Mangroves that won the battle (kinda like those mangy Dawgs did Saturday), and we moved on. Down the Nassau, stopping at Twin Creeks, we fished the two drainages. Both Brian and Jason were pitching to the "ripples" and it paid off with Trout catches. We may have added one more keeper sized fish here, and a couple of feisty Redfish

The final spot was at Spanish Drop, working the bank- More Trout, maybe another keeper (they ended the day with 5 keeper Trout, two were at 17") and another feisty Red or two. Brian battled a Bonnethead Shark to the boat before we headed back and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

In Between The Storms

 

You've probably heard, "be careful what you wish for" - just a month ago we were begging for rain and now it seems someone forgot to turn the spigot off! And last night the forecast called for 47% chance of rain today so we thought we'd be getting wet if we fished, but we were going anyway! Luckily when I got up to get the boat ready the forecast had changed to just 15% chance and that held, we didn't get a drop while fishing. 

I had met David Prezzano and his fishing buddies Jay and Mike down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp with a live well full of shrimp, and before they got there, I had casted for a few dozen finger mullet. We ran over to the intercoastal, up it, and then turned into the Nassau and made our way up for a short bit before turning into the current on the first of an incoming tide. I noted that even though it had been only coming in for an hour, it was already covering the shell. All three anglers began tossing jigs and shrimp and in just a few minutes Mike "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and expertly landed a feisty Redfish. He followed that up with a golden colored Whiting catch. 

The trio of anglers caught a couple of small Seatrout, a Catfish, a couple of Jack Crevalle, one of which put up a good battle for David, then Jay had a strange "thump" and, Fish On!  Jay played it patiently, worked it to the boat and when it came to the surface, we saw that it was a big Flounder. He eased it slowly to the net and we brought to the boat a nice 18" Flounder, boy what a fish!

We then made our way down to Pumpkin Hill, fished a stretch with float rigs, then moved around to a point and drifted that. David had gotten a good cast that took his bait along the grass and BAM! Another Big Fish On!  He kept that tension on and worked in, let it run, worked it in and I was thinking "Redfish" but when David got it to the boat and netted, we saw that it was a 20.5" Gator Trout, boy what a fish!

Jay added one more keeper sized Seatrout to the box and although we had a few bites after that, we had no takers. That tide had gotten up to flood stage and the fish must have been up in the marsh. But we had caught some "picture worthy fish", 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.

Slow Start Climax's with Big Fish!

 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. 

Fending Off The Sharks

 

I wrapped my week up fishing with Jon Beall and his visiting son Brian. We met down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and headed up the intercoastal, then into the Nassau and made our way up to Spanish Drop where we turned into the incoming tide and began working the bank with float rigs. 

Everywhere we went today we were waylaid by sharks! Every stop, almost. We picked up some Jacks here, also, then moved up the river to Twin Creeks, fished it a bit, then I let the boat drift up the river with the current. This paid off with a couple of feisty Redfish catches, and a keeper sized Seatrout. 

We then ran over to Seymore's and played tag with some Mangroves - we caught a handful, most were
small, but we had one keeper caught on a jig down on the bottom.  Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and after we weeded out a couple of Shark, the duo picked up a handful of Redfish, two of which were in the Slot. We fished a point and Brian added a keeper sized Seatrout with his first drift. We bounced around that area with not much luck until John made a cast up beyond a point of grass, let it drift and BAM! Big Fish On!  Jon played it patiently, worked it to the boat, and soon landed a 21.5" Seatrout, the 2nd biggest of the year which put him on the board in the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

Note: a 20" Trout was caught in the exact same spot 3 days earlier!

We came back to Seymore's, fished a large drainage, played with the Mangroves, and added one more keeper to the box. After running thru Horsehead and around to Pompano Point we worked that bank. We again had to fight thru the Sharks but they added three more keeper sized Seatrout to their catch and tossed back a third Slot Red. We had had a bunch of action and had a good mess 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. 

Two Big Trout Makes For an Engaging Fishing Trip

 Boy what a beautiful morning we had today!  I met Tatum Nolan and her NEW fiancé Victor Jelici down at Sawpit Creek early and we made our way around to Sawpit bridge with slip floats and live shrimp, to no avail. I have fished with Tatum and Victor a few times in the past but this time they announced that they were newly engaged!  We made our next stop at up Spanish Drop, fishing the exposed shell beds on a tide that still had a couple of hours of going out to hit bottom. We worked along that bank and could see some bait movement up along the edge, but we had no real bites.

After running up the river a bit we fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp and here we finally "knocked the skunk off". Tatum reeled in a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum then she went back to the same spot and BAM! -Right off, had a hookup. She played it expertly to the net and landed a big 20.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish! This fish moved Tatum into 3rd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We added one more fish, a Jack Crevalle, before we moved on.

Our next stop was up the Nassau, fishing between two docks. The duo added a small Flounder then it
was Victor's turn to battle the big fish. Had cast up shallow, let his bait fall down the river bottom, and in about 20' of water, Big Fish On!  Victor played it patiently and after a good battle landed another 20.25" Seatrout to tie his future spouse in that Bragging Rights Tournament!

We came back and fished Bubblegum Reef and caught a Mangrove Snapper, then made our way down to Broward Island to fish the very last of that outgoing tide. They had a flurry  of catching a small Seatrout, a small Flounder then Victor had a strong hookup. He fought it to the boat and landed Slot sized Redfish. 

We had had good weather, caught some fish, and celebrated a new engagement with a fishing trip, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

She Should Have Backed Away From The Table

 Storm a'coming tomorrow!  But we the water was like glass this morning when I launched at Sawpit
Creek and after meeting Allen Webb, we made a long run up the Nassau, all the way to Broward, and pulled  up to fish jigs as the tide had been coming in for about an hour.  It didn't take long and Allen was on a fish - he played it perfectly and landed a "just in the slot" Redfish. He also picked up a keeper sized Seatrout down deep with the jigs. We moved down the way and fished the bank close and this paid off with a couple of more feisty Redfish catches and a good handful of just undersized Sheepshead. After fishing down with the Bald Eagles, we moved on. 

Our next stop was back at Nassauville, fishing between a couple of docks and here we had a handful of Seatrout caught, again, down deep, and also a Catfish.  We then made the run way  up the Nassau, and into a creek to fish a log lined bank. We both marveled at the beauty and peacefulness of the area, but I think we only had one bite that was a fish, and one Blue Crab that we brought to the boat. 

Our final stop was back down the Nassau, around at Seymore's, fishing the last of an incoming tide with float rigs. We caught another small Trout or two, a Bluefish, and then our float disappeared with a vengeance. Allen fought it patiently, kept that rod bent while it ran and the drag ripped, and we both were guessing, "Redfish". But when Allen got it to the boat and I went to dip it, Boy What a Trout!  We got it in the the boat and she measured right at 24.75". A whopper of a Trout -she just couldn't pass up one more shrimp for her morning meal!  That fish moved Allen solidly into the Anglers Mark 2024 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  

We fished a bit more but the wind was now up so we headed back. We had a few good fish in the box, Bragging Rights in the bag, so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.  

Bluefish Bonanza -Don't call me Crabber

 

I fished this morning with Leah and Brian Newsom and their grandson Caleb, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We put out 3 crabs traps on the way to the first stop, over at Tyger Island, but when we got there we began fishing jigs and live shrimp on an incoming  tide. We didn't have a whole lot of action but we did snag a nice Flounder that Leah and Caleb teamed up to reel in. 

Our next stop was up the Jolley, sticking with the jigs, fishing Snook Creek for a bit, to no avail, then we came out and drifted float rigs down the bank and here Brian had a strong hookup going long and expertly brought to the net a keeper sized Seatrout (eventually released).  We had a few good bites along there then fished back at Tyger Cut with the floats, then made our way back around to the outside of Tyger. 

Here we had good action catching Bluefish, putting a good handful in the boat. Leah did have one bite that took it all -float, leader and hook so we don't know what that was!  We then checked the crab traps with Brian pulling them up and Caleb supervising, but we had no luck. Don't call me a Crabber!  But we had a beautiful morning, had some action and so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Dara's Super Duper

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

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

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

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

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

Big Bang at the End

 I was wondering who was crazier, me or my guests for wanting to fish this morning, especially when I
stepped out of the house and it was pouring rain. I got the boat ready to go, came in for some coffee, and as I headed to the bait shop it was still raining, and they were surprised to see me or anyone else heading out to fish. But the forecast called for the rain to stop mid morning, so when I met Steve Locke and his fishing buddy Jason out at the Goffinsville boat ramp we all had on our rain gear, and we headed out.

The first stop was down at Broward Island, fishing jigs on the very last of an outgoing tide. The water was a bit muddy, which had me worried, but Steve soon knocked the skunk of when he hooked and landed a feisty Redfish. Jason followed that up with a keeper sized Seatrout, then added another feisty Red to the catch total.  We picked up one or two more Reds and a Blue, fishing under the Bald Eagles, and we missed a couple of fish, too. 

We made our way around to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings, got a few nibbles, and Steve put another Trout in the boat.  After heading back around to some docks at Nassauville and here the water was calm with the wind blocked by the land mass. It took a few minutes but eventually both anglers began to get bites, and hookups. Steve took his chances up near a submerged log and caught another Red, a hard fighting Blue Fish, and then both he and Jason got in to some Flounder, catching and landing 5 of them with two being of keeper size. And we missed a few. 

Back Seymore's we switched to float rigs and they caught another Red, another Flounder, and another Blue Fish. On further around we fished a large drainage at the last of an incoming tide and this is when we had the Big Bang!  The duo began to get Seatrout of nice size, the biggest was 18.5" caught by Steve.  After Jason had made a cast that got him up alongside a grassy point, his float drifted and, BAM! Fish On!  He worked the fish out fairly quickly and we were thinking maybe a small Red, especially when it boiled, but then it began to rip drag with a vengeance and we knew it was big. There was a chance it may cut off on the shallow oysters but Jason stayed with it and finally brought to the net a big 26.5" "tournament" sized Redfish, boy what fish. They added a few more Trout to the boat, 6 keepers in all and of course there were a few that we missed. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as a wet fishing trip that turned out pretty good!

Mover Over Bragging Rights

 I was feeling a little uneasy when after hitting our first spot today and the weather seemed like it was going to be a factor in our success.  I had met Todd Schroeder, his daughter Allana, and his dad Dennis up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning and we eased out of Eagans Creek with the nav lights on. That first stop was around at Tyger Island, thinking that the tide had only been coming in for a couple of hours and maybe the downed trees would still be showing but when we arrived the tide was already up and the North wind was blowing right down the pipe. When my first "demo" cast hung on a stump it went downhill from there. We moved up the island and fished deep but had no luck and moved on. 

After running thru Tyger Basin and over to Bell we set up between two docks and fished back to the pilings. Todd had two quick good bites and then he hooked up on the third - he played it patiently and brought to the boat a Slot Redfish to "knock the skunk" off. We sat there and tinkered with bait stealers but also caught Redfish. Allana did here share, hooking up and landing multiple Reds, one Slot that had 4 Spots. Granddad Dennis was stuck on the bow so I had him drifting a fixed float down the adjacent grass line. The next thing I new he had a hookup, a bend in his line and the drag was ripping. That drag ripping made me think it was a Redfish but then it started thrashing on the water and sure enough, we he landed it, it was a big 20.5" Seatrout - the biggest Trout of the year and big enough to move Dennis into first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  When the bite slowed, we bounced down the docks and found another Redfish or two. 

We then moved around the corner and fished a bulkhead and Todd picked up the action. Fishing a fixed float in about 6' of water, he had his float disappear and, Fish On!  Todd worked it expertly to the boat and landed a big 19" Seatrout, a fish big enough to move him in to 2nd place in the Bragging Rights Tournament.  He added one more Trout to his catch total there. 

The tide had gotten up really high and we tried a couple of other spots but had no real bites so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island Florida. 

Trout Getting Bigger

 The last couple of trips I've noticed we're picking up bigger Seatrout - in the 17"-18" range, and today was no exception. I had met Kimberly Manek and her friend Jeremy up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. As we eased out of Eagans Creek the wind was blowing around 10mp but it was expected to get up to 17mph before the morning was over. We made a quick run over to Bell River, up the river, and found a flooded point of grass to fish with float rigs and live shrimp. The anglers were throwing right into the wind, but they were still getting good drifts, but also had no bites. 

 

We then ran up Lanceford Creek and got in between two docks and stayed with the floats and out of th wind, we caught fish. Both anglers had good hookups and brought to the boat a handful of Seatrout, the biggest being right at 18". We then moved around the corner and drifted back to a dock and caught another Trout. After easing over to a flooded grass patch, Jeremy managed his float along side it and picked up a couple of more Trout. 

After running back down Lanceford, up the Bell, and cutting thru to Tyger we fished a large outflow with the floats, but had no luck. 

Back thru Tyger Basin we went, over to the Bell, and then a long run up it to fish some docks. Kimberly got hot here, picking up one Seatrout after another off the stern. Then Jeremy went in closer to the bank and caught the first Redfish of the day. We bumped the boat in and fished a dock and caught 2-3 more Redfish. After dropping back and fishing another dock, to no avail, Kimeberly went to the bank with a cast and on the retrieve she had a "bump", set the hook, and caught and landed another big 18" Seatrout. 

We had avoided the wind for the most part, found Seatrout action here and there, had 8 soon-to-be-filets 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 

Young Angler Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

 

Back to work after a long weekend off in Charleston, I met the Andreasen fishing party early up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. It was Pat Andreasen, his son-in-law Bryan, grandson Mason, and friend Frank as we eased out up Eagans Creek and found some dock pilings to fish on a tide that had been coming out for a couple of hours. We weren't ready for the "demo" cast of live shrimp on a jig because right off, BAM! Big Fish On1 Before we know it, the fish was around  a piling and off. Ouch. 

But these anglers were not to be deterred. Young Mason put a couple or three feisty Redfish in the boat before the adult anglers could blink. Finally, granddad Pat, who was tossing a float rig up over some oysters picked up a couple of Seatrout, one of which was of keeper size, then he added a feisty Redfish to his catch. 

We then ran down the Amelia River to fish some structure, casting to the edge and letting the jig fall down the river bottom. I was beginning to think that we may need to move when BAM! Pat hooked up and battled a big 25" Slot Red to the net. Then BAM! Mason was catching Redfish, one after the other. Then BAM!  Pat hooked up and battled and landed a "Tournament" sized 26.75" Redfish. He and Mason had their number for a good while then Bryan finally joined in to put a Trout in the boat. 

Our next stop was back up north, fishing deep with jigs and here we got in to some Seatrout. Frank had been "laying back" but he joined in to put some Trout in the boat. All four anglers were catching fish and added three more keeper sized Trout to the box. As time wound down, Mason took home the hardware, the coveted GPK! And as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

First and Last (spots)

 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. 

Recipe Of The Month: Trout Almondine

 Whenever I've seen this on a restaurant menu I tended to shy away from it because I didn't know what it was!  Donna Givens sends this tasty recipe in, via her husband John, angler,  who I run in to at the bait shop on occasion. It's easy to prepare, doesn't need a whole lot of ingredients and as mentioned, very tasty! Thank you Donna! I "fun" fished today and lucked up on this 21" Seatrout so the fish was FRESH for this recipe!

Makes 2 servings

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds(toast on stove top: 1 T butter, almonds - watch it! Be careful not to burn!) I did this first and set aside.

2 Trout filets

1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Salt and pepper both sides of Trout, then dredge in flour, shake off excess.

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

Heat in non-stick pan on medium heat a few minutes on each side until opaque white. Set cooked filets aside.

In same pan stir in

4 tsp butter, 

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

1/3 cup chopped parsley.

Toasted Almonds.

Cook until hot then ladle over Trout. Enjoy!

Pulled Out a Amelia Island Back Country Slam

I fished north again today, meeting Scott Jones and his fishing team - Mathew and Andrew - up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We eased down Eagans Creek and made our way over to the outside of Tyger Island to set up tossing float rigs with live shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide. These anglers had made a good handful of casts and only had some small nibbles and I was beginning to get a bit worried when I heard Scott's reel "rip" and when I turned around and saw his rod bent I knew we hand a nice fish on. Scott said later he thought it was a nice Redfish but after expertly playing it to the net we saw that it was a big 22.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish, and big enough to move him into first place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  

Then Mathew had a strong hookup and this big fish was half way to Georgia before it slowed down!
Mathew stayed patient, worked it in, let it run, worked it in, let it run, but eventually wore it out and brought it to the boat -a 4' Bonnethead Shark which we photographed and released.

We crossed over the creek and fished a large drainage and here Scott put a couple of Slot sized Redfish in the boat and Mathew added another big Seatrout to the catch total. After running up and around Tyger, we tried our hand with some jigs and minnows at a run out, tangled with a couple of Ladyfish, and moved on. We then worked Jolley "bank" with the float rigs, battled the Ladyfish, and picked up another nice Trout.

On further up, at Snook Creek, Scott went in close to the shore with a float rig and hooked up and landed the biggest Redfish of the day, one that measured right at 22". Andrew woke up and brought a few Ladyfish to the net in quick succession, Scott fought and landed a Bonnethead, then Mathew had a "bump", set the hook and reeled in a Flounder to round round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder. After fishing the MOA for just a bit, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Slam In The Box

 I fished today with Mark Richardson, his son Braden and his friends Chris and Landon, meeting them up at the Old Town Bait and  Tackle ramp early. We made a run over to Lanceford Creek and fished some flooding oyster beds on a high and incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp. Chris fairly quickly put a hungry Seatrout in the boat and shortly after that Braden had a strong hookup. This fish was "ripping drag" and I felt pretty sure it was going to be a big one, but it was  not to be. It was thrashing in some shallow water over the shell bed and BAP! Fish Off! Boy that hurts!

We fished a couple of areas there, picking up a couple of Trout by Landon and Chris, then Mark battled a hard fighting Bonnethead to the net for pictures and release. We moved on around to "Millie's Spot" and again caught a couple of Trout, one of which was of keeper size. 

We then made our way down the intercoastal and dipped into a creek and switched to jigs and shrimp. Chris picked up a Seatrout out deep, then Landon found a nice 16" Flounder at the mouth of a drainage. 

Back out  into the Intercoastal and down to some structure, fishing deep with the jigs, and in a cast or two Landon had a strong bite and Fish On! This was a big fish and was ripping drag and the fight was even more difficult when it got back into the current. But Landon was up to the task and patiently battled the big fish to the net, a nice 23" Slot sized Redfish which rounded out the team's Amelia Island Back Country Slam. And with that, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Big Trout and Slot Reds

 I fished a "double" today, both out of Old Town Bait and Tackle. The morning trip was with the Wolke crew -Jos and his brother-in-law Renzi and his son-in-law Rob and friend Nick. We had a high and incoming tide so we fished float rigs most of the morning with live shrimp. All four anglers boated fish -Seatrout and Bluefish and the highlight was  a huge Seatrout that Nick battled to the boat. We ended the trip fishing some dock pilings with jigs and shrimp and caught a good "mess" of Black "puppy" Drum. 

The afternoon trip I fished with William and Dara Blalock and now the tide was down and still going out. We fished some dock pilings where Dara caught a hungry Seatrout, then we ran up the Bell River where Dara continued her streak with another Seatrout catch and a couple of Black "puppy" Drum.  I think William felt the pressure because at the next stop, the MOA, he had great cast, a strong hookup and then expertly played a Slot Redfish to the boat. From then on for about an hour we were catching fish. Dara took a turn at battling a Slot Red and at the same time, William reeled in a fat Seatrout. The duo caught another handful of feisty Redfish and a couple of more Seatrout. We moved across the river and worked a bank that seemed to be loaded with Sea Turtles, but Dara found her way thru to hookup and land another Slot Red. We fished outside of Tyger, behind Tyger and outside again then we headed back to the dock and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.