Smorgusboard of Fish Catch'n

Bill Freeman of Warner Robbins, GA was in town with his family to celebrate the 4th of July holiday and wanted a change of pace so he set up a fishing trip with me and his two sons, Will and Timothy. We met at the south end ramp at 7am with the tide still going out and not to hit bottom until around 9am. We headed up Amelia River, cut in to Jackstaff and started trolling the oyster lined banks. About 50 yards up Will hooked up with what turned out to be a very aggressive Redfish and he boated it shortly.
Will must have had the hot rod early because it wasn't too long before he had a real battle on his hands! The fish went from stern to bow and back to stern, ripping drag and heading down river then back to the boat and hunkering down on the bottom. Will used the rod to lift the fish then began to work him in - a 3 1/2 foot long Bonnethead shark! Bill got in on the action by hooking up to hard fighting Jack Crevalle; we all thought it was going to be a slot sized Redfish by the way it fought, but it was a fun battle, anyway. Timothy, not to be outdone, caught a Blacktip Shark and then added a Redfish that just missed the slot by 1/4". Will topped it off with Puppy Drum. When the bite slowed we pulled up and ran to "Bubblegum Reef" where Bill boated another Bonnethead. We tried our luck at Broward Island, but the day had progressed and the bites had come to a halt so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Honeymooners and Redfish Catching

I don't know if it's because they were newly wed, or if there was a "Georgia Mystique" going on, but what a morning of Redfish Catching we had today! I met honeymooners Jimmy and Sara Underwood at the south end boat ramp at 7am this morning. We had cloudy skies, but very little wind and thankfully, no rain. We headed back up to Jackstaff and warmed up the rods with some casting then eased up to the spot where we had had such good fishing last night. Sure enough, Jimmy hooked up with a feisty Redfish and brought 'em to the boat; Sara hooked up but lost one, then both were catching Redfish. Boom! Boom! Boom! Redfish on! They boated a number of slot sized Reds with the largest being just over 26" and 7lb's. At one time we had a double hookup with both anglers playing fish and the Captain (me) turning back and forth with the catch net to see who would need it first! They ended up pulling another 13 Redfish out of this hot spot. Jimmy also hooked up with a hard pulling 3' Bonnethead shark and he expertly fought it to the boat for viewing and then we turned it loose. The bite slowed when the tide turned so we hit a few more spots before calling it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Banner (rainy) Day of Big Redfish

The hurricane that passed through the Gulf heading to Texas must have thrown the foul weather our way; thunderstorms and rain showers forced us to cancel a Wednesday morning trip and when the forecast called for thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon, we called off Derek and Amy Baileys afternoon trip, too. The couple were in town from Cordele, Georgia and were really looking forward to a fishing trip so we agreed to meet at the south end boat ramp on Thursday afternoon, 4pm, to give it another try. We were met with severe thunderstorms so we waited them out in the parking lot and as they passed at 6pm decided to try to get in a couple of hours of fishing in the light drizzle. Donning ponchos, we headed up river to Jackstaff Creek and began a troll of the oyster beds, exposed almost completely with only about an hour of an outgoing tide left. 50 yards into fishing Derek hooked up with a feisty 16" Redfish and fought it to the boat and net. I thought to myself, "well that's nice, at least we caught a fish in this rain!" Boy was that an understatement (or thought)! Derek and Amy proceeded to catch Redfish almost non-stop for 2 hours, most of them in the slot or even larger, measuring 27", 28" and even 30'er that reached 10lbs!
Amy had one on that probably exceeded even that, fought it for 5-10 minutes, but then it gave a sharp tug and broke itself off. They ended up catching 12 Redfish in the one spot then we moved on to Nassau River to pick up one more slot Redfish. We eased up to the boat ramp just as the sun went down, and counted it as another great (but wet) day to be out on the water!

Sharks and more Sharks

Rachel Russel was in town with her husband Brent, their son Pat, and his girlfriend Jennifer, visiting Amelia Island from Alabama. We had arranged to do a backwater fishing trip this morning so we met at Atlantic Seafood at 7AM and headed up to Jolley River with the tide coming in. We began pitching the jig and shrimp combo up to the half exposed oyster beds and it wasn't long before the anglers were catching some pesky, but fun to catch Croakers. We trolled the oyster bank, eventually switching to live shrimp under a float and Jennifer hooked up with a nice, keeper sized Trout. Seconds later Rachel did the same, bringing hers to the boat and a waiting net. We moved on down the river to a large creek runout, anchored, and began to cast the float/shrimp rig and the jig and shrimp. Pat started the catching off by hooking up to a drag-ripping Bonnethead Shark. Pat fought the fish to the bow of the boat, under the anchor rope and then back to the stern. We netted this brute and got some pictures. Rachel took her turn with the Bonnetheads, then Brent hooked up one, too. We ran to Tiger Island and anchored up against the shore, taking advantage of the last of the shade, with Rosette Spoonbills roosting overhead. Rachel wrapped up the day with a nice Puppy Drum that fought like a bull. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

Kids and Big Catches

Britt Caple and his wife, April were in town with their two sons Conner and Carter, visiting from Alabama. I met them at the Atlantic Seafood dock yesterday afternoon, in hopes that the afternoon heat would wind down and we could put the young guys on some fish. After suiting up in their life vests and a brief safety orientation, we made a run up to Jolley River as the tide hit its dead low. We anchored at a small creek run out with the intention of letting the young men get warmed up with the spinning outfits and then possibly moving on to some better spots. No need for that! My first instructional cast picked up a bite and then after turning the rods over to Conner and Carter, the bite was non-stop for 2+ hours!
I tried to guestimate how many Redfish they caught but it had to have been more than 20, most all of them "rat" reds, but Carter did hookup, and with the help of his father, hauled in a nice keeper sized, 23" 4lb Redfish! Both boys were catching fish: Redfish, Croakers, and Blues when Conner hooked up with something big that made a drag-ripping run! Conner fought the fish to the back of the boat, across the stern and back up to the bow with dad helping out along the way and mom snapping picturs. Eventually they subdued the fish and brought to the net a 3' Bonnethead Shark. We inspected the fish, photographed it, then tossed it back. The boys added a couple more Trout - keeper sized, more small Redfish, a few Flounder, and a small Black Tip Shark. A storm was brewing west of us and Carter, an aspiring weatherman, advised us that we may want to pull up and run, so we did! We made a stop at Tiger Island then came on in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

From Manatee's to Drum Fish

Saturday we wanted to beat the heat so I met up early with Dwight Payne and his son, Travis who were in town from Arkansas. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 6:30am before the bait shops opened and headed up to the Tiger Island area with top water's rigged and a tide still coming in. We started our troll with some oysters still showing and within minutes we realized we had company, a herd of sea cows lolling in the shallows! Both Dwight and Travis were making pin-point casts to the bank while the manatee's were just feet away on other side of he boat. At one time we had a couple of juveniles following the boat within a few feet. We had no strikes on the top waters so we eased out of the area, cranked the big engine, and ran to Jolley River. It wasn't long before the guys were picking up bites on some Gulp baits, catching Blues, Ladyfish, Croakers, Trout and some small Red's. As the tide reached it's high, we made a run back to Knute and Rose's Bait House on Eagans Creek and picked up 5 dozen live shrimp then we headed up Lanceford Creek to some docks.
Sure enough, when the tide turned the anglers started getting bites. Travis stayed in school of small Reds, feisty fighters all the way to the boat. Dwight picked up a couple and then something big took his jig/shrimp combo and the fight was on! Dwight exclaimed that the fish was wrapped on one of the pilings, then he worked him loose. Dwight fought the fish expertly to the boat and within sight - a nice 22" Black Drum...and then it broke off! OUCH! We continued to fish the dock for a while, picking up more reds, croaker, Puppy Drum and a nice whiting. But the sun was climbing and it was getting hot so we headed in, making one more stop at the Rayonier warehouse. I held the boat in place while Dwight and Travis pitched their baits (shrimp and Gulps)up to the pilings and soon they were hauling Puppy Drum and Flounder to the boat. The bite was excellent and Travis added a nice 18" Drum and a couple of keeper sized Flounder to the catch. What a way to end a fishing trip and a great day to be out on the water!

Boat Rides with 3 Beauties!

My daughter and granddaughter were in town so my wife and I launched the boat and went for a boat ride up to St. Marys, Georgia for a dinner at Trolley's. We got the granddaughter, Burgandy, outfitted in her life vest then we slowly headed up river. The cruise only takes about 15-20 minutes and the City of St. Mary's lets you dock for free at their public dock. There's just a short walk to the restaurant and you can eat in or outdoors. It was already about 7pm and there was a slight breeze and it had begun to cool so we went up the spiral staircase and ordered our meal outside. After dinner we cruised back but cut up in behind Tiger Island in search of Manatee's. The tide was peaking at it's highest and we puttered around Tiger to see some cranes and egrets roosting in the oak trees. On the way back I cut the engine and dropped the trolling motor to ease along the marsh grass. Just as the sun set we were treated to the sighting of some huge wakes and then some large hairy snouts poking out of the water. After visiting with the manatees we eased out to deeper water, flipped on the navigation lights and headed in, counting it as another great evening to be out on the water!

Oooohs and Aaaahs at the Boat Ramp

You know you've had a successful fishing trip when you're back at the boat ramp cleaning fish and the other anglers at the ramp are ooohing and aaahing about your catch! Brandi Manuel surprised her husband Todd with a fishing trip for his 40th birthday, bringing him to the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning for a 7:30am departure. We headed up river with the tide still going out, and not expected to hit bottom until 9:18. Like yesterday, the oyster lined banks of Nassau River were looking good, but today we had some good bites...and catches. Todd couldn't have started it off any better as he slowly bounced his jig/shrimp combo across the bottom because he soon hooked up and battled a big, fat 22" Flounder to the boat. After a nibble here and there Brandi got in on the action with a nice Puppy Drum and then she matched Todds big catch by hooking up to whopper of a Sheepshead, fighting it to the boat and a waiting net. As the tide hit bottom we cranked the big engine and ran to the mouth of Jackstaff and started our troll along the bank. Todd picked up a feisty Redfish, Brandi hooked a jumping Ladyfish, then Todd had his drag peeling with a Bonnethead Shark. We made a few passes of the first 100 yards of bank and both anglers hooked up with the Bonnetheads. Brandi had another go at a Ladyfish then she picked up another nice keeper flounder. Todd and I both were putting ice water-soaked towels on our necks by this time so we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!

You Name It, We Caught It.

David Hull, his father Dennis, and his brother Oliver were in town for the week from Ohio and took in some backcountry fishing. We left the Sawpit Creek dock at about 7:15am, about an hour before low tide, and headed up Nassau River. I'd been noticing a nice bank of oysters along the river so we pulled up to give 'em a try as the tide bottomed out. The guys warmed up their casting, getting used to strange rods, and had a number of good bites, but no takers. We pulled up and ran to the mouth of Jackstaff just as the tide started back in and began easing along the bank, tossing the 1/4oz Sure Catch jigs baited with live shrimp up near the exposed oysters. The guys were making pin-point casts and it wasn't long before the action started with Dennis hooking up with a feisty Redfish then David caught something that we thought sure would be a bigger Red, but it turned out to be a hard fighting Jack. Then David caught another bigger Jack and then another Jack, even bigger than the first two! Oliver hooked up with a jumping, fighting Ladyfish then David had his drag ripping out and a battle on his hands. He soon landed a 2 1/2' Bonnethead Shark. Oliver brought in another Ladyfish and Dennis added a keeper sized Flounder to the fish variety. The bite ebbed so we headed for Broward Island to catch the incoming tide there. Even though the sun was now beating down, we had a quick bite - David hooked up on about his 2nd cast and worked to the boat a nice Sheepshead. David must have had the hot rod for the day because he added another large Sheepshead and a Redfish. We all commented on how the heat was coming on so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water.

Sandbars and Double Hookups

Today was an eventful day - my first ever "grounding" on a sandbar! I had picked up my guests, Ricky Williams and his sons Riley and Cooper, at the Sawpit boat ramp with a low tide bottoming out when we began our trip at 7:00am this morning. I had first headed up Nassau River but I changed my mind and decided to go up the Amelia so I did a u-turn and thought I had went out far enough to skirt the sand bar's between the two rivers. Anyway, we ran out of water. OUCH. Luckily, the tide was coming in and after about 15 minutes of pushing and rocking and some more pushing, we were on our way to our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff Creek. We made an initial pass, tossing jig's tipped with live shrimp and Ricky was the first to hook up with a hard fighting feisty Redfish. We made a second swipe and Riley got in on the action with a tough battle with a 3' Bonnethead Shark. At the same time we had a "double" hookup when Cooper tangled with a nice Seatrout which he eventually boated. We snapped a picture then turned back to Riley's muscle burning engagement with the shark. Although we were using light 10lb spinning gear, Riley played the beast beautifully and brought it to the net for a great picture with dad and brother.












We caught a couple more Redfish, another Trout and Ricky got his turn with a Bonnethead which we boated and got pictures of. Later, we were treated to another first of the year - a sighting of a large Tarpon rolling in Nassau River.The weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, but not even a breeze so by 11:30 it was super hot and we headed in, counting it as another great day to be on the water.