Let's Make it 20!

Dave McCartney was visiting Amelia Island with his wife this week and staying at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge;  the weather has been beautiful so Dave decided to take in a backcountry, light tackle fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  We left the City marina at 1pm with sunny skies and brisk SW wind and headed up Lanceford Creek to use the land mass as a wind block.  At our first stop we anchored just south of a dock system and Dave began to pitch his mudminnow/jig combo up to the pilings, making expert casts.  It wasn't long before he hooked up and FISH ON!  He played the fish like a pro and we soon landed a feisty 17" Redfish.  We also tried some dead shrimp on the jig, but the mudminnows seemed to be their favorite because Dave caught fish after fish.  He figured out that sometimes a little patience was needed and you could watch as Dave waited for a good solid "bump" before he set the hook, bringing in another (6) Reds with one making the Slot.  As the bite slowed, we cranked The Anglers Mark and headed further up Lanceford Creek to another dock.  It took us a while to figure out where to locate the boat to stay out of the wind and have good casting position but once we got it right Dave was on fish again, catching Redfish after Redfish.  One hookup produced a stronger pull and the fish seemed to hunker down, bending the light tackle rod, but Dave played it perfectly and we soon netted a nice 20"+ Redfish, in the slot!  We had been keeping count and were nearing 20 fish when Dave had another hookup, this time the fish kept making short runs but when we finally netted him we had a nice 14" Black Drum.  At 20 fish we called it a day and headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Nassau Sport Fishing Association Drum Tournament

The 13th Annual Nassau Sport Fishing Drum Tournament will be held March 18, 2011 thru April 22, 2011 with cash prizes being awarded based on the number of entrants.  80% of total fees collected will be paid out in prizes with 50% to the winner, 30% to second place and 20% to third place.  The Tournament will also include a Tournament within a Tournament and all participating anglers will be eligible for a drawing at the awards program.  You must be present at the NSFA Social Meeting on April 27, 2011 when prizes will be awarded.

Entry fee is $40 per angler.  The Tournament within a Tournament (T-N-T) has a $10 entry fee.  Each angler that entered in the T-N-T will be entered in a drawing to be held at the end of the tournament.  The winner of the drawing will collect 100% of monies paid in T-N-T entry fees.

Captain's meeting will be held at KAC (Ten Acres) at 7:00pm, Friday March 18, 2011.  All Tournament anglers should attend.  The Tournament will start immediately after the Captain's meeting.  Registration will remain open until 8pm @ the Captain's meeting.

All fish must be weighed in at Leaders and Sinkers Bait Shop at Egans Creek between 7:00am and 5:00pm each day. There is a (1) fish per day, per angler limit eligible for weigh in. 

For more information contact Tournament Chairman Don Whitman @ 904-321-2800.

A Little Bit of Everything

Local resident Mike Hickox treated his visiting daughter, Lacey and her boyfriend DJ to a Eco Tour/Fishing trip Friday afternoon.  It was a beautiful day to get out on the water so we met at Atlantic Seafood dock at 11:30am and eased out of the marina and no-wake zone on The Anglers Mark.   We headed out into Amelia River sound to view Fort Clinch from the water then cut across to the southern tip of Cumberland Island and broke out some binoculars to see a couple of wild horses on the grass flat.  Our next destination was Cumberland's Beach Creek and as soon as we rounded the first bend we were treated to a pod of porpoises cruising the shoreline and busting baitfish with one porpoise even coming out of the water onto the bank with it's meal grasped in it's mouth!   As we eased up the creek to the tree line we came across a small herd of horses grazing along the creek bank and we were able to inch in close for some pictures.  We checked them out for a while then cruised on up the creek to see an Osprey patrolling the sky.  As we were leaving, Lacey and DJ's young eyes spotted a newborn colt hiding behind one of the horses.  Finally we said, "let's go fishing" and headed over to Jolley River to pitch some jigs and shrimp to the exposed oyster banks.  We didn't get many bites and it was well past lunch time so we cranked the big engine and ran on up to St. Mary's for Crab Sandwiches, Fish Sandwiches and a Crab Cake salad! Boy were they good!   We found time to fit in another fishing stop behind Tiger Island and with the tide just starting back in, the fish bite had heated up.  Lacey hooked up and fought a nice 17" Redfish to the boat with DJ handling the net, then DJ got in on the action by picking up a Seatrout on his last cast.  We had a full day of touring and fishing so we headed in, calling it another great day to be out on the water!

Out of the Fog...Redfish!

Libby Wilkes was hosting her daughter Kap and her grandson Peter who were visiting Amelia Island from Minnesota.  Kap and Peter enjoy fishing for Walleye in the lakes of Minnesota, but wanted to take in some of the backcountry fishing that we have to offer.  We left the Big Talbot/Sawpit boat ramp at 1pm today with fog hovering all over the marsh and river.    Our first stop in The Anglers Mark was up in the Horsehead area where we dropped anchor to fish the last of an outgoing tide.  Both Kap and Peter were using bottom rigs with dead shrimp (there seems to be a shortage of live ones at the Amelia Island bait shops - call for availability) and it wasn't long before Kap had a hookup and a fish fight on her hands!  She expertly worked the Redfish to the boat and a waiting net for pictures and release.  We had a short visit from an FWC officer who checked our life vests and sound device, then we were catching fish again.  Peter pulled in a fairly large Stingray then he added a few Redfish to the count.  When the tide started back in, we moved to the dock at Seymor's Pointe, anchored, and again threw out bottom rigs.  The Redfish were biting and the anglers picked up another 7-8 fish.  The fog had move on, leaving us with a pleasant day with  mild tempertures so we counted it as another great day to be out on the water!

Kids have fun on the boat!

I participated in the Peck Head Start's annual Transportation Day Friday and had a great time.  The Staff at Head Start had arranged for fire trucks, ambulance's, police cars and a utility lift truck to be there, along with my boat, The Anglers Mark.  I take one spinning rod with a topwater lure, minus the hooks, along with a couple of youth life jackets and when the kids chaperone brings them around we put 2-3 up on the boat at a time.  Most want to try on the life jackets then we cast the lure out into the grass and let each one of them reel it in.  You would think that they had a 24" Redfish on by the way they crank it in!  This year we let the kids waiting there turn to run the net and that kept them busy, too.  I asked a few of the kids and they said it was the first time they had ever been on a boat.  Even though it wasn't in the water, we had a great time, another great day to be....in the boat!

Valentine's Day Special

Be the first to schedule a Valentine's fishing trip at my low winter rate and I'll include a nice ball cap with The Anglers Mark logo!  You're special Valentine will absolutley KNOW that you love them when they get a personalized gift certificate for a 1/2 day fishing trip in the backwaters of Amelia Island, Florida.  Give me a call and we'll make it happen!

Seatrout season closes

Per FWC regulations, the Seatrout season for North East Florida will be closed from February 1, 1011 through February 28, 2011, but will re-open March 1st.  Note that the Redfish are still biting along with some nice, keeper sized Black Drum.  Give me a call and will launch The Anglers Mark for a great day out on the water!

3 face charges for snook, red drum violations

FWC officers recently made a bust for illegal harvesting of Redfish and Snook in Brevard County, see:
3 face charges

Pink Gloves are the trick!

On the second day of their fishing weekend, Felecia Gant, her brother Ron, and their friend Pandra met me at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp, again at 1pm, to take in another Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip.  After getting an excellent report of a good fish bite from my friends Charlie Jones and Leon Freeman, we pointed The Anglers Mark straight for Bubblegum Reef and anchored just off the drop.

 The wind was really kicking up and the boat couldn't decide where to lie, but the anglers "endeavored to persevere" and we soon were catching fish.  Pandra had her pink gloves on and they must have brought her luck because she seemed to have the hot rod for the day, catching fish after fish.  Although the Redfish were just under slot size, they hit ferociously and put up some great fights.  The anglers also found some Black Drum, catching 4 in the keeper size with Ron pulling in the largest on a jig/shrimp combo.  Felecia caught her share of Reds on the jig and shrimp, while Pandra switched from shrimp, Trigger X shrimp, and the new Parker baits. 

While we were fishing we had a neat wildlife sighting, a mink scavenging the shoreline, who stopped to check us out!  We eventually tried a couple of other spots, but the wind had picked up to what seemed a gale, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water!

Big Reds

I was launching my boat, The Anglers Mark, this afternoon at Goffinsville Park when my longtime buddies Charlie Jones and Leon Freeman cruised by after a morning of fishing the Backcountry of Amelia Island.  They reported that they had fished the incoming tide since 7am at Bubblegum Reef, just beyond the drop off and had caught a mess of about 15 rat Reds, along with a number of slot and overside Big Reds.  They're shown here with their limit of slot Reds and a nice Black Drum which were biting, too.  Charlie and Leon reported that the bite has been on fire for the last 3 weeks.  Hey!  I know it's cold, but dress warm and plan to get out there...the fish are biting!