Garvin and David Smith were visiting from the great state of Alabama and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark Friday morning. We met down at the south end, just over the bridge at Big Talbot Island Park at 7am and headed up the Nassau River with clear skies, a slight breeze, and a rising tide. We hit the logs of Broward Island first and although that incoming tide was perfect for the spot, we had no real bites, other than a rare Catfish! Our next stop was a Bubblegum Reef and here David picked up a feisty Redfish on a mud minnow under a float, tossed up near the grass. Once the tide covered the oysters I figured I could get into Christopher Creek and with the land mass blocking the wind, the anglers were free to comfortably fish the bank. They soon began to pick up small, but feisty Redfish on mud minnows under floats, then David's rod bent over on a strong bite, and FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and after a good battle, we landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish! Later, we were fishing a mud minnow on a jig down deep and something took it hard. The rod bent and the drag ripped out! Garvin fought this fish and it was a protracted battle on light tackle, but the Shimano Stradic 1000FI was up to the task! Garvin played the fish beautifully and we eventually landed it, to be measured at 27 1/4", photographed, and released. But this fish put Garvin in 3rd place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category! The anglers picked up a few more smaller Reds, a Snapper, and then we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
Russ Henry and his family were visiting Amelia Island again for the Summer and scheduled a couple of back country fishing trips with me on The Anglers Mark. We've been having some outstanding Redfish action with most of the the fish being in the Slot or even larger. Russ and two of his sons Carter and James fished with me Thursday and although the two young men picked up a couple of rat Reds early, no more were to be had. They caught some small Trout and a keeper sized Flounder then wrapped up the day with some high flying Ladyfish and drag ripping Shark bites. We fished again Saturday evening and this time we made a run south to fish the Horsehead area. The angling crew was made up of Russ, Carter and another son - Will. We eased along the bank at Jackstaff and Carter picked up another Ladyfish, but we had no other real bites. Later, we held the boat steady at Bubblegum Reef and Will hooked up and played a feisty Redfish, caught on a mudminnow under a float. Shortly after we had a hard hit and, FISH ON! Carter worked the fish to the boat and we soon netted a nice 24" Redfish. The wind picked up a little bit so we headed back to the marina area and fished some docks at Lanceford Creek. The tide had just started in and we were tossing mud minnows on jigs up to the pilings when the rod bent and drag began to rip. Will had a good battle that made his arms sore, but he stuck with it and landed a "Tournament Red" - 26 3/4" in length! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on Amelia Island waters!
Chris Collins of the Macon, Georgia area had set up a Amelia Island back country fishing trip for his son Cameron and his son-in-law Dave Sauer this morning, so we met at the Fernandina Beach Marina and headed up to the Jolley River to fish the last couple of hours of an incoming tide. The live shrimp have been scarce in the bait shops so we were once again using mud minnows under the float rigs. The tide had covered the oysters as we started a troll of the bank and it wasn't long at all before Cameron picked up a nice Trout then Dave had a hookup that doubled the rod over and ripped the line out, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and after a protracted battle, landed a huge, over-the-Slot Redfish that measured 28 1/4", putting him in first place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament, Redfish category! I can't remember the last time that I stayed at one spot the entire fishing trip - I don't think I ever have. But today was the day and the fish were hungry. Cameron picked up a Slot Red then both anglers yelled FISH ON! and we had a double battle going on that soon produced two more Slot Reds! Dave picked up a 19" Flounder and found another keeper Flounder later on. All told, the anglers had five Slot Reds in the boat, not counting the oversized one that Dave released. We were still looking for that keeper Trout to round out the Amelia Island Back Country Slam when Cameron hooked up, his rod bent, and drag ripped. It was a big fish and we all thought that here's number six Slot Red but when Cameron got him to the net we realized that it was a large 20" Seatrout! We picked up a few more smaller trout, then called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
Long time customers, anglers and friends - William and Shannon Pleasant and their two sons Ben and Alex were in town for their annual vacation here at Amelia Island and had scheduled a backwater fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday. We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed out with clear skies, a slight breeze and a high and rising tide. Ben and Alex have such a great attitude about their fishing, instilled by their parents, I'm sure. Alex got the ball rolling early, getting the "skunk off the boat" by landing a high flying Ladyfish and then an aggressive Blue, caught on mud-minnows. We then headed up to Jolley River where the family preceded to catch big Redfish! William started it off with a nice Slot Red then Ben got in on the action, too. They both played their fish perfectly and Alex pitched in and landed Ben's Red. They picked up some smaller Reds and some smaller Trout, then they began to catch keeper sized Trout with Shannon, William and Ben contributing to the box. Most were caught on mud minnows floated over the flooded oyster beds. William had a very strong hookup but the Red stayed in the oysters and cut itself off, OUCH! Later, he had another hookup and after a long battle, landed the largest of the day, a "Tournament Red" - 26 3/4"! Later in the day we met up for another fishing trip, this time with the tide low and coming in. We fished the 1/4oz jig with shrimp and mud minnows and picked up a small Trout and Red hear and there. The action wasn't like it was that morning, but after Alex had made a great cast to the base of oysters, FISH ON! He played the big Red with determination and with a testament to perseverance, landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish! We hit a number of other spots, picking up a Jack and some small Trout, then headed in with the sun going down, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!
Bill and Cecilia Madden were making the best of their visit to Amelia Island by staying at the beautiful Elizabeth Pointe Lodge at the beach and then making the 5 minute drive into town to meet me at the marina for a back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am this morning with clear skies, a slight breeze and a falling tide. Our first stop was the docks of Lanceford Creek and with the oysters still covered, I had Bill tossing a topwater lure up to the marsh grass and Cecilia pitching a jig and shrimp combo. There wasn't much going on, but Bill did pick up and aggressive Blue up near the dock pilings. We moved on to the logs of Tiger Island and both Bill and Cecilia saw action with Bill catching a hungry Flounder on a mud minnow and jig while Cecilia reeled in a feisty Redfish. Jolley Bank started slow but turned out to be the place to be. Cecilia's rod got hot as she began to pickup hungry Trout after Trout on a mud minnow and shrimp fished slowly from the bank (which rounded out the couple's Amelia Island Back Country Slam) and she also hooked up with a couple more of the feisty Redfish. As we neared the end of the trip. Cecilia's rod bent and drag began to sing, FISH ON! She kept the pressure on as she worked the fish in slowly and we soon netted an nice 19 1/2" Seatrout, which put her in 3rd place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament! With only a couple of mud minnows left, and not to be outdone, Bill hooked up with a large Seatrout, too. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
Bob Anderson along with his two teenagers, Zack and Rogers, fished with me this morning and we were all shaking off a bit of "stir crazy" after being cooped up the last few days as Tropical Storm Debbie left the whole area drenched. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 7am and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the dock pilings as the tide was falling. The oysters still weren't showing so Bob tied on a jerk bait that he had brought with him and began to fish it over the flooded oysters. I had the boys fishing with jigs and shrimp up near the pilings. We'd only been fishing for a short time when Bob hooked up and his rod bent, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and after an extended battle we netted a nice 21" Slot Redfish! What a great way to start the day. Rogers joined in on the action later by hooking up and reeling in a hard fighting Puppy Drum. We hit another dock system, cast netted some nice finger mullet, then headed up to Jolly River to fish the now exposed oysters. It was tough fishing with the current ripping out and the wind blowing right at us, but these anglers persevered and Bob soon landed Flounder that took one of the mullet under a float. We moved on up the river and as we were easing into a creek, Bob landed another feisty Redfish, this time on a white artificial jig with a skirt. We found no sharks up the creek and after hitting another couple of spots, the sun was up and the temp's were in the 90's, so we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
David Jones, his son Keith, and grandad Fred fished with me last evening. David and his wife Julie own and operate the Blue Heron Inn, an elegantly appointed Bed and Breakfast within walking distance to the marina. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at 3pm and headed up to the Jolly River, where within just a short time of fishing, Fred hooked up with a large Bonnethead Shark, fought it like a pro, and landed it for pictures and release. We moved on to another spot, but had no real bites. The tide was getting right, we had a nice breeze, and I just knew there had to be some fish ready to eat, and these anglers proved me right! They picked up a hungry trout at one spot and then as we eased up Jolley Bank, they begin to get some serious action. Keith was floating a live shrimp under a float up near the oysters and was getting good bites. He then had that float disspapear with a vengeance and he set the hook and hauled in a nice, fat keeper sized Trout. David added a large 19" Trout and then all three anglers were hooking up. We passed through a mess of Ladyfish and had a few more Trout. Later, behind Tiger, Keith reeled the last Trout of the day, so we headed in , counting it as another great day to be on Amelia Island waters!
Kurt Freese, his wife Sheila and their daughter Cara, along with Sheila's cousin Scott had scheduled a back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark so we met at the Atlantic Seafood dock Saturday morning and made a run up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide. Both Cara and Kurt picked up some hungry Seatrout then Cara had a strong bite, her rod bent over and the drag sang! FISH ON! She played the fish for a while, then Kurt joined in to help subdue the big Bonnethead Shark. Boy, that will wake you up! After fighting another shark, we move on up the river, made one stop and had no bites, but at the next the anglers picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout. Fishing outside of Tiger Island, Scott found a couple of feisty Redfish feeding over an oyster bar and Cara pulled in a coupe more Trout. At our last stop, Kurt had a good battle with a nice Redfish, one that just missed the Slot by an 1/8", OUCH! But it was a good battle, a good fish, and with that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on the water!
The Yeomans, George, George Sr., and young George (Gus) were visiting Amelia Island from the Macon, Ga. area and after business conference's, were able to squeeze in a backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark Friday afternoon. We left the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City marina at 3pm and headed up Lanceford Creek to fish the last of an outgoing tide. Using jigs and shrimp, the anglers fished the dock pilings, but had no real bites. Our next stop was behind Tiger Island, fishing the exposed logs and here the fishing heated up. George Jr. had the hot rod early, pulling in a nice Slot Redfish and then adding a large 19 1/2" Flounder, putting him in first place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament! Gus added another keeper Flounder to the ice box. We headed up to Jolly River's Snook Creek and Gus continued his catching ways, pulling in some hungry Seatrout, and George Jr. added another couple of keeper sized Flounder. They caught and tossed a few smaller Flounder, too. Fishing Jolley Bank, George Sr. got in on the action, reeling in some Trout and the others caught some too. They also added another keeper Flounder. George Jr. claimed a personal keeper Amelia Island Backcoutnry Slam! We wrapped up the trip as the sun started down, heading in with a nice cooler of Amelia Island fish!
Milton Harsh and his longtime friend Hayden were in town and set up a back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark Friday morning. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours so we headed up to Broward Island to fish the still exposed logs and stumps with live shrimp on jigs. The anglers got unlimbered and were working the bank with the jigs, slowly bumping them back. Just as they had a good flurry of hookups with feisty Reds and hungry Trout, the bottom fell out and we all three were soaked to the bone. I found out that my waterproof captain's bag really isn't waterproof! But these guys were game and we continued to fish until we realized that the heavy rain was washing mud into our fishing zone and the bite had come to an abrupt stop! We cranked the big engine and headed back to the Horsehead area to fish Bubblegum Reef, but had no bites there. I trolled through Jackstaff where they picked up a nice keeper Trout on a Temptation Bait grub and later they added a hungry Flounder caught on a mud minnow, finalizing an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be on the water!
Garvin and David Smith were visiting from the great state of Alabama and took in an Amelia Island backcountry fishing trip on The Anglers Mark Friday morning. We met down at the south end, just over the bridge at Big Talbot Island Park at 7am and headed up the Nassau River with clear skies, a slight breeze, and a rising tide. We hit the logs of Broward Island first and although that incoming tide was perfect for the spot, we had no real bites, other than a rare Catfish! Our next stop was a Bubblegum Reef and here David picked up a feisty Redfish on a mud minnow under a float, tossed up near the grass. Once the tide covered the oysters I figured I could get into Christopher Creek and with the land mass blocking the wind, the anglers were free to comfortably fish the bank. They soon began to pick up small, but feisty Redfish on mud minnows under floats, then David's rod bent over on a strong bite, and FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and after a good battle, we landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish! Later, we were fishing a mud minnow on a jig down deep and something took it hard. The rod bent and the drag ripped out! Garvin fought this fish and it was a protracted battle on light tackle, but the Shimano Stradic 1000FI was up to the task! Garvin played the fish beautifully and we eventually landed it, to be measured at 27 1/4", photographed, and released. But this fish put Garvin in 3rd place in The Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category! The anglers picked up a few more smaller Reds, a Snapper, and then we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
