You know it's a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island when you make your limit on Slot Redfish and are real close to getting the limit in Trout. The wind was really howling yesterday but when I saw the forecast for this morning it called for just a breeze and when I met Fred Wommack up at Dee Dee Bartels Park that's just what we had. We made a quick run over to Egans Creek and found some dock pilings to fish on the first of an incoming tide. (as we were running there was so much moisture in the air it felt like it was raining).
Fred began to pitch to the pilings and I thought for sure it would be only seconds before he got a bite. But those seconds became minutes and then multiple minutes until finally he hooked up and landed a small Seatrout. I was about to leave but thought while we were there we should try the other side and this did the trick! Fred began to hookup and land one Redfish after the other - most all of them small - some right under the slot at 17.5", and then one that just made it into the Slot at 18.25" He stayed busy catching and releasing fish until we moved back to the other side.
This time Fred stayed deep, fishing the end of the dock and the strategy paid off. BAM! Big Fish ON! Fred played it expertly to the boat and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish. And shorty after that he had another strong hookup. This fish dug deep and stayed deep for a good while and I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't oversized. But after Fred brought it to the net it measured just a little over 26", boy what a fish!
Fred kept his limit of (1) Redfish but he wasn't done! He began to catch Seatrout out deep and in short order had 4 in the box and I thought for sure he'd get his Trout limit. After catching a few smaller ones we made the run up to Soap Creek and fished a stretch of grass where we caught one small Trout.
Our last stop was over a "Millie's Spot" in Lanceford, fishing a grass patch and again, it was non-stop action, catching one Seatrout after another. We just needed ONE big one! Fred put a couple of 14.75" fish in the boat but we just couldn't get that 5th fish. But as we headed back to the ramp we knew we'd had a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished Friday morning with Dennis Adams, his son-in-law Daniel, and Daniel's dad Dan, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and boy what a pretty morning we had! Sunshine, clear skies, and just a very little breeze. So I made the first run up to the Jolley River where we turned into the incoming current and fished float rigs with live shrimp. These three anglers were getting excellent casts up to the flooding marsh grass, but we had no takers.
We ran further up the river and fished a bank and in just a few minutes Dan had a strong take. He reeled down, lifted the rod and let the circle hook set and Fish On! Dan worked it tot he boat expertly and landed a nice feisty Redfish. And just a minute later Dennis went to the same spot and BAM! He had a strong hookup too. He brought it n and released it right at the boat!
The tide was really high and almost to the to so we came back to Tyger, ran thru ad around to the Bell, and set up on a point to drift the floats, but had no bites. Our next stop was over at Soap Creek and here we had a some good action. We moved up and down the bank, picking up a Trout here and there, then we found one spot that seemed to hold them. All three anglers caught and landed Seatrout.
Our final stop was over at some docks at Lanceford and here Dennis picked up a nice sized Whiting. We had had some mild temperatures, some great sunshine and as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished with Glenn and Patti Langford on a beautiful crisp morning today, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We headed up the Nassau River and stopped off at some exposed oyster beds on a dead low tide. The two anglers tossed jigs and live shrimp and it was Patti, fishing on the bow, who 'knocked the skunk off" with a nice keeper sized Seatrout catch. We worked that bank thoroughly, had some nibbles, but no more takers, and moved on.
Our next stop was up at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The conditions were perfect - a low and incoming tide, and we had bites, but we were only able to get a couple of small Seabass. We then ran down to Broward Island and set up as the tide was starting to come in there. Patti had one of those strange bites, a strange fight, and sure enough, she brought to the net a nice keeper sized Flounder, but not keep-able until the season opens December 1st. Patti also added a keeper sized Whiting to the box.
We worked up and down that bank, fishing under the watchful eye of a Bald Eagle, then Glenn, after making an excellent cast to the drop off, had a hookup. This fish was putting up a fight, ripping just a bit of drag, but not enough for it to be a big Redfish. Glenn played it patiently and soon landed a big Seatrout. He had a 2.6lb Trout entered in the NSFA's "fish of the month" tournament and he hoped that this one might top it so we crossed our fingers...and kept on fishing!
Our next stop was up Pumpkin Hill, all the way up to the docks. We fished the docks with jigs then switched to float rigs later around some flooding grass but had not luck. But we had caught a few fish, and a few keepers so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I noticed that the forecast called for the wind picking up this morning but I knew we had a little window to get in some good fishing, so when I met Dennis Cortez, his brother-in-law Jeff and nephew Liam down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we headed up the intercoastal and turned in to Back River and made our way over to the Nassau where we set up alongside "the spot" to fish with float rigs and live shrimp. My "demo" cast produced some bites and after I handed the rod off to Dennis, he went back to the same spot with an excellent cast and BAM! Fish on! Dennis brought it to the boat expertly and landed hungry Seatrout to "knock the skunk off" quick!
We had a good steady bite there for a while, catching feisty Redfish - Liam caught the first one, just undersized, but later Jeff had gone to a "cut" in the grass where the water was visibly flowing over some shell and when his float went under he lifted the rod to let the circle hook set and Big Fish On! Jeff played it patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 23" Slot sized Redfish. We picked up a few more fish there then moved on.
Our next stop was back down the Nassau at Twin Creeks and here Dennis put a hungry Trout in the boat then Liam found his personal Trout hole out the stern. We moved down the river a few hundred yards to a large drainage, and again, Seatrout. Then caught and landed a keeper sized Flounder (released due to the closed season), then Liam battled a shark for what seemed like an hour! He was very patient and eventually landed a 3' Bonnethead Shark
Fishing at a dock at Seymore's Pointe Ted hooked up and landed one of the biggest Trout I've had on the boat in a while, one that measured 20.75", then Liam made it a "Grande Slam" with a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum catch.
The final spot was down between some docks at Nassauville where the trio caught one Mangrove Snapper after another. Dennis had a keeper sized one and followed that up with a feisty Redfish catch. Liam went with a minnow and picked up the final Red of the day. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We went a little early today, before the sun came up, hoping to catch a tide lower and coming in. It didn't work. I had met Bob and William Blalock and their friend Brian out at Goffinsville just as the sky was lighting up and we made a short run over to Broward Island and fished it with jigs and live shrimp. Not. A. Bite. What's with that?
Our next stop was up Pumpkin Hill to some docks where we stuck with the jigs and it was Brian who "knocked the skunk" off with a Seatrout catch. We had a couple of more Trout along that stretch, then we moved down to some flooding oysters and switched to drift floats and shrimp and worked the bank. This worked pretty good - William found a corner of grass that produced a few Trout, one of which showed us a gaping maw as it shook it's head at the surface and thru the hook!
Back to Nassau we went and fished a point, and again, a few Seatrout (all of these Trout were 13-14", and
released). After making the run thru Horsehead and fishing the mouth of Jackstaff, we came back towards the dock and fished between some docks and here they put two nice Mangrove Snapper in the boat, then Brian hooked up and landed a keeper sized 17" Flounder (but out of season), then they put two more Flounder in the boat. As it turned out we had caught a good handful of fish throughout the morning, but not a whole lot to brag about size-wise. Nevertheless, as we headed back we still counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florid.
When Lisa up at the Amelia Island Bait and Tackle shop this morning mentioned the mud minnows "may be big" she wasn't kidding! They were monsters! After getting bait I met Bob Blalock out at the Goffinsville Park early. The tide was perfect, the first of the incoming, so we headed south up the Nassau and fished Broward Island with those mud minnows on jigs. Big Mistake. We fished a couple of areas and I don't think we had a single bite.
We stopped by Back River and fished some exposed oysters then continued on down to Spanish Drop and began to work the already flooded bank. Bob had a couple of "bumps" then we had a strong hookup. Bob played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. We worked up that bank and then switched to float rigs. Bob was getting a good drift when his float disappeared and after catching up his line and letting the circle hook do its thing, Fish On!
Bob played it patiently and during the battle he commented that he was getting some head shakes and sure enough when it came to the surface we saw it was a massive Seatrout! Once netted we measured it right at 24", big enough to move Bob into 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings) Boy what a fish!
We fished Twin Creeks, and beyond, picked up a small Flounder, then ran thru Horsehead to try our luck over there, but to no avail. Then back to Pumpkin Hill where Bob picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, a Ladyfish, and a fat Seatrout. We wrapped the day up "exploring" then we headed back and counted it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I wrapped my week up today fishing with John Raker and Kenny King, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early, with the sun just coming up over Amelia Island. We made a short run up the Nassau and set up fishing a point of grass with float rigs and live shrimp on a high and incoming tide...and we had action for about 2 hours! This duo of anglers caught Seatrout and Jacks and Ladyfish and feisty Redfish while big Tarpon busted mullet out in the river behind us!
After moving down a bit Kenny had made an excellent cast up into a "bay" and when his float slowly went under he tightened the line and let the circle hook set and Fish On! This was the big fish Kenny had been waiting for and he made the most of it, playing it perfectly and eventually landing a nice 22.5" Slot Sized Redfish! We moved back around the corner and caught more Jacks, Mangrove Snapper and Seatrout, a few of which were of keeper size.
As the tide hit the top we made a run over to Seymore's Pointe where we picked up another big Mangrove, then we ran back up the river where the tide had started back out. It was getting to be mid day, the sun was getting hot and even though we were at the right spot at the right tide I had reservations that we'd get any more good bites. Boy was I wrong. I didn't even have time to settle in before John had hooked up his drag was ripping! He played it patiently and brought to the net another 22.5" Redfish. But we weren't finished. Just a few drifts later, BAM! Big Fish On! This fish took off, heading north and for a second we thought "shark", but it turned and made for the bank and we knew it was another big Red. John fought it valiantly and eventually landed a big Oversized 28" Redfish, boy what a fish!
Still not finished! We picked up the biggest Trout of the day, this one measured at 19" and was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I was down at the south end today, meeting the Sorah team - Chris, his dad Ken and Bryce, the son/grandson. We headed up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau and ran up the river a bit to begin fishing at Spanish Drop with float rigs on an already high and still incoming tide. The trio of anglers were tossing float rigs and live shrimp to the bank and we had a few nibbles here and there until Ken hooked up and battled a high flying Ladyfish. I was debating in my mind whether to call that "skunk off" but just couldn't quite bring myself to do it!
We moved further up the river and fished Twin Creeks, again drifting float rigs. Bryce had taken up on the stern and "drifted long" down a grass line and when he had a strong bite he tightened up and let the circle hook do it's thing and, Big Fish On! The way it ran deep we were all speculating "shark", but then it came back to the shore line and I saw a roll - could it be a big Redfish?
But then it went deep again, Bryce keeping the pressure on and we were thinking Shark again, but again, a roll! Bryce worked it to the boat and we soon saw it was a massive Redfish. Bryce played it perfectly and we soon netted a big Oversized 27.5" THICK Redfish, boy what a fish, and for sure, Skunk Off The Boat! Shortly after that Ken hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.
After that we were "running and gunning" - we fished down at Pumpkin Hill,
caught a couple of Jacks and Ladyfish, then fished back at Seymore's Pointe (to no avail), then I thought we'd wrap things up over at Nassauville, fishing with jigs. And here we had a nice flurry. Chris started it off with a nice 18" Flounder catch, then caught another, smaller one. The trio added a handful of Mangrove Snapper to the catch with a couple being of keeper size, then Ken put a small Flounder in the boat and Chris added a nice 17" Trout to the box - a great way to end a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
While I was cleaning fish yesterday my customer's son was trying to catch minnows off the dock with a dip net, so I dug out my minnow trap, added some Flounder skin, and gave it to him. He dropped it in by the ramp and as we were finishing up, he lifted it and had about 40 minnows caught! I dumped them in my live well, kept them cool and aeriated overnight, and bypassed the bait shop this morning for and early start.
I met Jeff and Penny Parks down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the run up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau, and made our way up river for a bit. We had a low tide that had been coming in for about an hour when I turned into the current and the duo of anglers began to toss their jigs and minnows to the exposed shell beds. We worked along that first bank until we reached a large drainage and then we began to get some action. Note, I had dug out one of the few left over Shrimp from yesterday, Jeff was fishing it off the bow and when he felt a "thump" he pause a bit, then set the hook and, Fish On! Jeff brought it to the boat and landed a nice 18.5" keeper Flounder.
He went back to the same spot with a mud minnow and in short order, pulled out another Flounder. Then another! That had worked pretty good so we bounced down the river a bit, set up alongside some more shell beds, and worked back to a drainage. Jeff had made a cast to the middle of the drainage, worked it back a bit, but as he started to reel it up, BAM! The drag was ripping and, Fish On! Jeff played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. Again, he went back to the same area and, BAM! Big fish on! I thought for sure it was another Redfish (maybe we were in a school) but as he worked it to netting range I immediately saw it was a huge 24.5" Gator Seatrout, boy what a fish, and big enough to set the bar awful high in the 2022 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side for link to standings).
We moved further up the river, worked the bank, and here Penny got on the board. I was really impressed with her perseverance and it paid off. She had made an excellent cast to the bank, fished it down the "drop", stayed aware and when she felt a "bump", set the hook and she had her fish. She brought it to the boat patiently and landed a keeper sized 16" Flounder.
After "tinkering" with some Mangrove Snappers over at some docks we ran thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff where Penny kept up her streak - she landed a fat Seatrout then a high flying Ladyfish. The sun was up and it was getting hot so we pulled up the trolling motor and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
You have to say that we're having the best fishing weather this week that we've had in a long time. Today was no exception - clear skies, sun shining, no wind, but just slight breeze, and even a bit cool as we made that first run. I had met Adam Mizell, his son Whitt and his father-in-law John Ayers down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made the long run up the Nassau to take advantage of a first of an incoming tide at Broward Island -my favorite tide to fish Broward. But I would have "lost a dollar" if I had bet on this spot. All three anglers were making excellent casts and we worked the bank thoroughly, but had no real bites. I couldn't believe it!
We came back to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings where we played with some Mangrove Snapper for a bit. Moving down the Nassau to Spanish Drop, we fished some flooding shell banks with jigs and shrimp and here the bite began to pick up. Whitt picked up a nice Flounder then he did battle with what I believe to have been a Shark, but it found its way around a crab buoy and eventually broke off.
After moving back up the Nassau and turning into the current, we again fished some flooded banks and again, we had some action. John started it off by hooking up and landing a keeper sized Seatrout, then they caught a Whiting, and a couple of small Jack Crevalle. Then John and grandson Whitt teamed up to tame a 4' Bonnethead Shark.
We fished some rocks at Nassauville with float rigs and outsmarted a few Mangrove Snapper, a couple which were of keeper size. Then we wrapped things up down the way at another couple of docks. Adam got on roll and pulled another Flounder out, then a few keeper sized Mangroves, then John hooked up an landed a nice 17.25" Flounder. The day had started out really slow but we found some action later so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had an outstandingly beautiful day this morning, even kinda cool with spotty clouds blocking the sun on occasion. I had meet Trip Huey north, up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and as we were pulling away, he mentioned liking to fish south when he was visiting the area, so we headed that way!
We did make a pit stop at the bridge and fished some jigs and live shrimp at a small drainage. Trip had a fat Sea Bass to the boat and later we picked up a Slot sized Redfish. We then continued on down the intercoastal, took the back way thru Horsehead, and pulled up at a dock to fish an incoming tide. Trip outsmarted a couple of small Mangrove Snapper but we had not big fish so we moved on.
Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop. The conditions were just right as the tide eased in and covered the shell lined bank. Trip was getting excellent casts and excellent drifts but we had no takers. We moved back up the Nassau, fished Twin Creeks and beyond, working the pockets and drainages, but again, not a bite.
After a short stop at Seymore's Pointe where we fished float rigs - Trip put a good handful of Mangrove Snapper in the boat - a couple of which were of keeper size - we made a the run down to Pumpkin Hill. The first stretch again looked good. Trip had good drifts but no takers. We moved around the point and again drifted the flooded grass and here Trip's float disappeared, and he was ready! He made the hookup and brought a fat Seatrout to the net. Just a few yards further east we fished a grassy island. Trip had made a cast over the island, kept his line tight, and BAM! Float Gone! This fish was ripping drag and when it made it's way into the grassy island I was thinking big Redfish. But then it began to show its true character and made some long drag ripping runs and after a good battle, expertly played, Trip brought to the net a 2' Bonnethead Shark.
We ran thru a shortcut in Horsehead, fished some grass pockets for a bit, then called it a day, and made the run north, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It seemed like every time we moved to a new spot we either got a fish or had a bite. But only one! I had met Mike and Linda McClane and their granddaughter Gabby up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning and we then ran up and around to the Jolley River and turned into the low incoming tide and began pitching live shrimp and jigs to the exposed oysters. We had a nibble here and there then Linda hooked up and "knocked the skunk off" with a nice keeper sized Seatrout catch. Mike tangled with a high flying Ladyfish and Gabby had a small Flounder to the boat before it threw the hook.
We ran further up the Jolley and worked along some oysters. Gabby had her eye on a point of oysters and after making an excellent cast she had a strong bite and a hookup, Fish On! Gabby played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a 20" Slot sized Redfish. After finishing that stretch we moved on.
Our next stop was back on the outside of Tyger where we fished a large drainage, then worked along a bank for a bit, still pitching jigs/shrimp, but to no avail. After running thru Tyger we cut into Bell River and set up alongside a flooding point. In short time, Mike, who was drifting "long" had his float disappear. He tightened up and let the circle hook do its job, and he had a hookup. He quickly reeled it in and landed another keeper sized Seatrout. And that was that! No more fish there.
After running over to Lanceford we eased up to another drainage (BM spot1). Linda was drifting a float on the other side of a barely submerged oyster bed and wouldn't you know it. she had a big bight. This fish was ripping drag and heading up into the drainage- there's a good chance it was a big Redfish, but the line was going right over the oysters and BAP! Fish Off! Ouch!
We fished Soap Creek for just a few minutes but had only a nibble so we headed back to the dock, but with a few fish in the box, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
You'd think it was almost summer! When I launched at Goffinsville Park this morning the water was still and the sun was out and we soon found out that "summertime" fish were here! I met Jason Wells and his teenaged son Jackson early and we made the short run around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe to fish the very first of an incoming tide. Although I was lookin for Redfish or Drum, we(Jason) found a couple of Mangrove Snapper instead!
We then ran down the Nassau to Spanish Drop and worked that bank - the shell were still barely showing, but had not luck until Jason hooked up and landed a couple of high flying Ladyfish. Jackson tangled with a Shark that eventually found its way around a crab float and broke off.
After easing back to Twin Creeks, we switched to float rigs. Jason was on the stern, drifting long and Jackson was on the bow, drifting across the mouths and BAM!, Jackson's float disappeared - he tightened up his line and let the circle hook set and, Fish On! Jackson played it perfectly and after a good battle landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish. Jason fought and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle shortly afterwards, and a Bonnethead Shark.
We then fished back at Nassauville, between a couple of docks. I was expecting Mangrove Snapper for sure, but Jackson hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. Minutes later, Jason had made a cast up close to shore and within seconds he was "snagged" on something loose on the bottom. He began to work it slowly to the boat then we saw that the "snag" was shaking it's head and pulling back! Fish On! Jason brought it patiently to the boat and landed a keeper sized 17" Flounder!
Our next and final stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, drifting some flooded shell. The first stretch we had no real bites but we moved around the corner. Jason battle a big Bonnethead to the boat and added a keeper sized Seatrout. We also caught a small Catfish to add to the variety of the catch. With a solid Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder in the box, we headed back and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had another gorgeous fishing day out on the water here at Amelia Island. I had met Bob Blalock and his fishing team made up of brother and sister-in-law Tom and Martha up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early. We had a tide that had been coming in for a few hours and I wanted to fish some flooding oyster banks so we headed up to the Jolley River and turned into the "bank" to cast float rigs and live shrimp. We worked along that entire bank, the trio of anglers making excellent casts, and I don't think we had much more than a nibble, if that. Crazy.
I had passed a nice drainage on the outside of Tyger and had thought it would be a good day to fish it so we moved back around to it and switched to jigs on the bottom. That particular drainage didn't produce a fish but as we eased along the shore line, heading back to Fernandina, we began to pick up fish.
Bob "knocked the skunk off" and brought in a Seatrout then Martha, who had switched back float, had a strong hookup, and a after a good battle, successfully brought to the net a feisty Redfish. Tom had a "Tap", set the hook, and landed a keeper sized Seatrout(all fish caught today were released), then Bob followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder. We worked that shoreline all the way around to Tyger Creek - catching Ladyfish, a Jack Crevalle, another keeper sized Seatrout, a smaller Redfish. At one point we saw some wakes up in a drainage, beyond a grassy island. Tom put his float and live shrimp over into a pocket and sure enough, BAM! He had a hookup. Although we would liked to have a bigger fish, this one was just the right size to pull over a shell bar and through some grass! Tom landed a nice feisty Redfish.
We eventually ran thru Tyger and around to Bell and set up along a grassy point and fished the very(very) last of the incoming tide, which I believe shut down the fish bite. But we fished on, working along a grassy line. Bob saw a big wake move off from the grass and minutes later, after Martha had made a pinpoint cast to the spot, her float disappeared with a vengeance and her drag began to rip, Big Fish On! Bob and Tom got their line out of the water and soon we were out in the river battling the big fish. Martha was doing great, working the fish slowly to the boat, but alas, it made a sharp dive and, BAP, fish off! We felt comfortable the way it fought it was a Shark.
After hitting one more spot on the outside of Tyger we called it a day and counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
What a great morning to start the week with! We had beautiful weather that greeted us out at Goffinsville Park when I met Bob Blalock and his fishing crew - brother and sister-in-law Tom and Martha. The tide was already covering the oysters and still coming in for a few hours so we headed over to the Spanish Drop area and eased along a flooded shell bank and began fishing with float rigs and live shrimp. All three anglers were getting good casts and good drifts but we had no luck until we reached the mouth of a drainage and Bob then tangled with a couple of high flying "poor mans Tarpon" - the Ladyfish.
We motored back up the river, fished Twin Creeks for a bit, then I let the boat drift backwards with the current. Martha teased one up- a nice Seatrout, and had it to the boat before it threw the hook, then Tom went up to the same spot, got a good drift, and BAM! He had a hookup. He played it perfectly and brought to the boat and net a nice 19" Trout. As we drifted just a few feet back, Bob had found that he could toss back to a grass edge and there was a back current. On his second or third drift his float slowly went under. Bob tightened up and let the circle hook do it job and, Fish On! He fought the fish expertly and brought to the net a Slot sized 21" Redfish.
We ran down to Pumpkin Hill, drifted long with floats, battled a Shark, picked up a smaller Trout, caught a keeper sized Trout, then ran back to Seymore's at the very peak of the high tide. We worked some rocks with the floats and caught a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, then ran thru Horsehead to catch the first of an outgoing tide.
Here, Martha had made a pin-point cast, just beyond a grassy island, and when her float disappeared she set the hook and in a text book manner, brought to the boat a hungry Seatrout. We were about ready to wrap things but decided to "fish out" of the area so we worked a bank as we went. Bob had a strong bite that he hooked up but the fish (we thought a shark) is still heading to Tallahassee! So a few minutes later when Tom had a strong bite we were speculating Shark? But this big fish was staying up near the bank (why in the world would you even want to go to Tallahassee?) Tom kept the pressure on and battled the big fish from bow to stern and back, under the boat and back out and (despite Bob and mine's coaching) landed a big 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish! After quick photograph and release, we headed ack to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
It was a a prettier day today, than yesterday, but the winds were still forecasted to grow to 16-17mph by late morning. But the skies were clear, the sun was out, and we had a "window" to fish so I met Jack and Patsy Elgin down at the South End boat ramp and after running up the intercoastal, we dipped into Jackstaff and then in to a side creek to set up fishing with float rigs and live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for an hour or so.
Right off the bat Patsy had a hookup and landed a high flying Ladyfish, the "poor girls Tarpon". We eased along the bank and when we reached a small drainage I commented to Jack that we had caught a good handful of nice Redfish at the mouth. He made a perfect cast and within seconds his float slowly slid under. He tightened his line and let the circle hook set and, Fish On! Jack played it patiently and after a good battle landed a Slot sized 21" Redfish.
We then made a run thru Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop where we worked a flooded shell bank with the float rigs, to no avail. Just like yesterday, I switched Jack and Patsy to jigs and shrimp, but today it didn't work- no fish! We moved up to Twin Creeks and stayed with the jigs and in a short time Jack had a battle on his hands! I felt sure it was a big shark as it was headed to England! I hit full speed on the trolling motor and Jack took up the line as we "backed down" and when I stopped Jack applied the pressure and began to wear him out. But this Shark had other plans and with a quick turn of it's head, BAP! Fish Off! We motored back to Twin Creeks(we had drifted a 1/4 mile downstream) and again, within a minute or two, Patsy hooked up with a Shark. Hers wasn't as big but it was "just right". Patsy battled it valiantly and after a good fight she boated a 2 1/2" Shark.
We worked along the bank then and just before Athens Drop
Jack had a strong bite, set the hook, and expertly played to the boat another nice Redfish.
The wind was beginning to kick up so we ran over to the Nassauville rocks and fished between a couple of docks. We had some good nibbles but no takers then finally, down deep, we had a good bite and a hookup. Jack brought to the boat a big 21" Seatrout. Then Patsy followed that up with a 17" Flounder to round out the couple's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder. We fished Seymore's Pointe with float rigs, them some docks around the corner but by now the wind was kicking us around pretty good, so we headed back and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Although we had overcast skies this morning, there was only a slight breeze and it looked like a good day for fishing. I met David Gross, his son Drew and his father-in-law Doc down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff and set up at a large marsh run out, drifting live shrimp under floats on the very first of an outgoing tide.
It didn't take long and the trio of anglers were getting bites, hookups, and landed a handful of 14.5" Seatrout. We then ran thru Horsehead and fished a pointe of grass as the water flowed by and again, had good hookups of Trout. We moved down between two docks, drifted the floats, and again, Seatrout.
Our next stop was down the Nassau at Twin Creeks but here we got "skunked", not a bite. We moved further down to Spanish Drop and began working up alongside the bank. David had made an excellent cast, but right into some submerged oysters (that I didn't warn him about), but as he popped his jig/shrimp combo out of the oysters, BAM! He had a strong bite and, Fish On! David played it patiently and soon landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish. We worked that bank for a bit and when we got to the corner we had a good flurry of Seatrout catches.
We then made the run back to Nassauville and fished some rocks and picked up another few Seatrout. Drew had hung with it and was putting fish in the boat along with his dad and granddad. Our final stop was back at Seymores Pointe, fishing some dock pilings, but to no avail. But we had had some good action through out the day so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I also fished this afternoon. Scott Jones had flown in for a meeting and set up a fishing trip for he and his associates, friends and fellow anglers Larkin and Dodd. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park at 1pm. Unfortunately the wind had picked up to 16mph but was forecasted to drop a bit as the afternoon went on. We left the dock and headed over to Tyger Island to fish the logs with an hour left of an outgoing tide. We fished down the island, pitching jigs and shrimp and minnows and Amelia Island Bait and Tackle Contender 'Christmas Tree" grubs. Dodd was on the stern and was tossing a fly rod that he had brought and making excellent casts up to the drop off. But none of this paid off with fish until the tide changed. We had worked our way back to the north end of the island, set up, and BAM! Scott had a hookup. He played it perfectly, brought it to the boat, and landed a nice feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off". Then Larkin hooked up with a jig and minnow combo and expertly landed another Redfish. Then both she and Scott had hookups and this time they were using the Contender grubs.
They added one more Redfish to the catch before the bite fell off.
We ran thru Tyger, around to Lanceford, and fished a few docks with the jigs and (now dead) shrimp. We move back Soap Creek and fished some more dock pilings, then moved around and fished some exposed oyster beds. Not a bite.
After making the run back to Eagans Creek we eased down the way, past the marina and Olde Towne Bait and Tackle and set up, bow into the current to work a deep bend. Larkin had a couple of bites, a brief hookup, but not a take. We made the pass again and Scott was able to snag a last hookup and boat a hungry Seatrout to wrap up a great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.
The forecast for this morning started off with a nice breeze of only 7mph but increasing to 12mph,temperatures in the mid 40's...and they were right! I met Michael and Jean Fry up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park for a planned half day of fishing. Unfortunately, live bait is hard to come by right now. I had seen Amelia Island Bait and Tackle's Facebook post "no live bait" last night, but luckily I had a few live shrimp and a few live mudminnows left over from last week. I did stop by AIBT and pick up a pound of frozen shrimp for back up. We left the dock and headed over to the outside of Tyger and fished with float rigs on the last of a high and incoming tide(this tactic right now is almost laughable - the water temperature was 53 this morning and the fish are just not going to be shallow-but I held out hope). We didn't get a bite.
I ran thru Tyger, over to Bell, back down to Lanceford, up Lanceford and in to Soap Creek. We pulled up at a larger marsh runout and tossed float rigs, this time letting them drift with the current - it worked last week - but not today. We then fished some docks along Lanceford with jigs and shrimp. The duo had a couple of nibbles and Michael snagged a "baitstealing" Perch.
The wind had picked up as forecast (they got it right!) so we plowed thru the NE winds back to Eagans Creek, idled thru past Tiger Pointe Marina and the Olde Towne Bait Shop and picked out a bend in the creek to toss jigs and shrimp and AIBT Contender "Christmas Tree" grubs and finally, this did the trick. Both Michael and Jean had hookups. They played their respective fish and landed a pair of hungry Seatrout. Jean added one more Trout, the biggest of the day. We had given it a good "college try", fished till the end, and picked up a few fish so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.
