OK Folks It's Time To Go....

FISH ON!  That's the way our fishing trip ended today - with Kelly Marsteller and her boyfriend Jeff Woodall fishing on  The Anglers Mark in the back waters of Amelia Island.   Kelly and Jeff were staying at The Hampton Inn and Suites in downtown Fernandina Beach so all they had to do was step out and meet me just across the street at the Fernandina Harbor Marina this morning.  We headed up the river and made our first stop on the outside of Tiger Island.  Jeff was tossing a topwater lure and Kelly was fishing a live shrimp under a float.  Jeff had a couple of hits at his lure and Kelly
picked up an angry Jack Crevalle. We moved on around to the mouth of Tiger and Kelly picked up a couple of undersized but hungry Seatrout.  We made a run to the Jolley Bank and here Jeff got on the board with a keeper sized Seatrout, now fishing the shrimp under a float. We ran further up into Jolley and trolled a good looking bank and it paid off when Jeff's float disappeared and he had a good fight on his hands.  He played the fish patiently and we soon netted a big 19.5" Seatrout!  We moved on up into a creek, picked up another Trout or two, then ran back to the mouth of Jolley and fished the first of an outgoing tide.  Kelly caught a larger Jack but other than that, not much more was biting.  The sun was getting hot and just as I had said, "OK folks, it's time to go",  Kelly yelled "FISH ON! and it was a big one!  She fought the fish from stern to bow and back to stern and patiently worked the fish into the net - a big 20.5" Seatrout!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Rusty Hook Trout

George Bowlin was back fishing Amelia Island back country waters with son-in-law Jerry and their friend Ray, all from the Lake Butler area.  We met early at the Atlantic Seafood dock down at the Fernandina Beach city marina and headed up to the Jolley River on the very last of an incoming tide.  The water was high and up in the grass but it was a still as a lake and these anglers were eager to catch some fish.  Ray was the first to hook up catching a high flying Ladyfish and then a hard biting
Blue on live shrimp under a float.  Then Jerry worked a mullet-like topwater over a submerged oyster bed and BAM!  FISH ON!  The Trout had hit the lure furiously and put up a good battle but Jerry brought the keeper sized Trout to the net.  George had been fishing with a red-headed Zara Spook Jr. and wasn't getting any bites so he also switched to a float/shrimp setup and landed a couple of smaller Trout and Ladyfish.  Jerry landed another keeper sized Trout, this one
a little bigger than the first, then we moved on up the Jolley to fish a marsh run-out, but we had no real bites.  We hit the MOA and although there was some fierce feeding up near the bank we had no bites we moved back around to Snook Creek and as we reached a grassy point, BOOM!  George had a ferocious blast at his topwater lure (that may have had some rusty hooks).  This was a big Trout and George played it patiently.  He soon landed a nice 21.5" Seatrout - his first saltwater fish on a topwater lure - and a fish that puts him in 3rd place in the Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Seatrout category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  Seconds later Ray hooked up and brought 18" Trout.  We moved back down to the mouth of Jolley and now the oysters were showing.  Ray had good strong hookups fishing the float rig and shrimp - had nice Trout to the boat and then and even nicer Redfish to the boat but they threw the hook as I began to net them. But Ray persevered and when his float disappeared a 3rd time he worked this fish in smoothly and we netted a nice 18" Redfish - the only Red in the boat all day.  We continued to work the bank and the anglers picked up a couple of more Redfish, small Trout and a Jack Crevalle then we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.

Slot Red Makes the Day

Derek Johnson and his son Dallas along with friend Zack fished with me this morning.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock at the City marina at 7:30 this morning and we all commented that the river outside of the marina looked like glass.  The tide had been going out for about an hour so we headed up to the Jolley River to fish a creek run out.  Although we had a couple of nibbles, we had no real bites.  We then fished Snook Creek and Zack picked up a high-flying Ladyfish,  then made the run back to the mouth of Jolley and fished a still flooded oyster bank and here the action heated up.  Zack hooked up with a Seatrout and so did

Derek.  Then all the anglers were catching Blue fish, Ladyfish and an occasional Seatrout.  Then Dallas's rod bent double and his drag began to rip out, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and after a good fight we landed a nice Slot Sized Redfish!  We continued to fish the stretch and the anglers added a few more Trout and Ladyfish then Derek hooked up with a hard bite and landed a good-sized Whiting.  We ran up to the MOA spot and although the tide and conditions were perfect, we had no real bites.  We stopped back by Jolley Banks, caught a few more Ladyfish, then headed in,  counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

That's a Slam

Overcast skies and a chance of rain this morning didn't deter the Bloom family - Michael and Leslie and their adult children Jordana and Warren.  They met me at the Atlantic Seafood dock down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina early this morning and we pulled out of the marina under grey skies but with very little wind.  The tide had been falling a couple of hours and we made our way up to the Jolley River to fish an oyster lined bank with jigs and shrimp and minnows and crabs and Temptation Baits - basically any thing we could throw at them!  The
fishing started off really well with Leslie hooking up with a hungry Seatrout then Warren caught one, too.  The "Poor Man's Tarpon" - Ladyfish were cruising the bank and Jordana hauled in one, hooking up at boat side.  Both Warren and Leslie caught Ladyfish then Warren had a strong hookup and good battle with a feisty Redfish that we netted, photographed, and released.  Michael was kept busy snapping photographs for a good while there.   We ran up to the MOA spot and although the conditions looked perfect, we couldn't get any fish to eat, not even a 3' Bonnethead that continued to cruise the oyster bed and mock us!  We fished the outside of Snook Creek then headed over to Tiger Island, had no real bites, then made a run to fish the docks of Lanceford where Leslie ensured an Amelia Island Backwater Slam by reeling in a nice Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Trout Come on Strong

It's amazing how the weather can change from morning to afternoon. 
Yesterday morning's trip was beautifulwith very little wind but the afternoon threw a challenge at the Thompson family anglers - Jerry and Karen and their son Steve.  Although it was a beautiful afternoon the wind  had picked up and the tide was high with water still up in the grass and still rising a little.  But these optimistic anglers were glad to be out on the water and fishing as a family and that outstanding attitude paid off in the end.  We fished outside of Tiger Island with lived shrimp under float rigs and although there wasn't much biting,
Steve did pick up an fat and still hungry Seatrout.  At our next stop, on further around the island, again not much biting, tough to cast with the wind, but Jerry hooked up with a keeper sized Trout.  We then made  run up to the Jolley River and fished a run out as the tide started out and again found one loan Seatrout.   We moved up into Snook Creek and fished the bottom with jigs and had a few nibbles with no real bites then we made the run back to the backside of Tiger Island with the tide dropping and the logs exposed.  Karen had been feeling left out but she

persevered and worked her jig and shrimp combo slowly on the bottom and FISH ON!  Boy what a strong hookup!  She played the fish patiently and we soon netted a nice 20 1/2" Seatrout!  This fish put her in 3rd place in my Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Trout category (scroll down right side of this report for standings).  This started things off because the fish bite turned on.  These anglers figured it out and they all began to fish their jigs slowly on the bottom in the deep water and began to land Trout after Trout. Jerry was fishing out the stern of the boat and landed a number of fish and Karen put a couple more 17-19" fish in the boat.  Then she hooked up and put a nice keeper sized Flounder in the boat.  Steve got back in the action and caught another 19" Seatrout.  I've always noticed that those anglers who persevere, remain optimistic and have good attitudes tend to have the better fishing trips and this family proved the point!  With a great day of fishing behind us, we called it a day,another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout Finder

Amelia Island resident Kimberly Syme had pre-arranged a gift certificate for her husband Brian's birthday yesterday morning and he brought along his son Nicholas and their friend Mason Baker.  Boy was it a pretty day!  With the tide falling and the oysters already showing, we headed straight to the Jolley River to fish the MOA (Mother of All) spots and it wasn't long before these anglers were hooking up.  Mason got it started off early and picked up a hungry Seatrout then the Birthday Guy hooked
up with few that fell in the "keeper" sized range!  Nicholas warmed up his rod and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle.   Then Mason's rod bent over and his drag ripped out on a long run, FISH ON!  This hookup grew into an extended battle with the big fish bulling desperately to the bottom but the very light rod/reel combo held it's on as Mason patiently wore the fish out.  It took me two tries but we finally got the  3 1/2" Bonnethead Shark netted and in the boat for pictures - what a battle!  We moved back down the Jolley,  had few bites then moved further down to Jolley Bank where we worked the oysters thoroughly.  Brian
proved adept at finding the Seatrout but Nicholas had been making some good casts and now it paid off because he was targeting the waters edge where we had seen some movement and had a strong hookup.  This fish put up a good fight and ripped some drag before we landed a nice 19"+ Seatrout for the box!  Both Brian and Mason had hookups with Seatrout, Jacks and Ladyfish - the Poor Man's Tarpon and Nicholas added a keeper sized Flounder.  We made  our last stop at the Tiger Logs and on his last cast Mason patiently worked his jig down along side a log and HOOKUP!  This fish wanted to hug the bottom and turned out to be a really nice 17 3/4" Flounder which placed him tied for first in The Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder category (scroll down right side of this report for standings.)  With that we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Back Country Grand Slam

Denny Coderre fished with me this morning on The Anglers Mark.  We met down at the Big Talbot Island
State Park - Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning with clear skies and very little wind.  After running up the intercoastal waterway for about 10 minutes we pulled into Jackstaff and began to fish the oyster lined banks on a very, very low tide.  Denny was making excellent casts to the bank with his light tackle combo and although he had a number of nibbles there were no good bites.  We moved around to Bubblegum

Reef and things began to heat up.  We landed a few hungry Seatrout, a feisty Redfish and a handful of Jack Crevalle.  Our next stop was at Broward Island and although there wasn't a whole lot of fish bites we did pickup a nice keeper sized Sheepshead then Denny had a really strong bite that took his jig deep.  He played the big fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 19" Seatrout!  Later we picked up another keeper sized Seatrout.  We made one final stop at Spanish Drop and here we landed  a nice 17" Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Grand Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead, and Flounder.  We also had another strong hookup with a big Slot Redfish that Denny played patiently as the big fish made a number of runs.  The big Red was flopping at the boat and I was within seconds of netting when it made a final run and through the jig, OUCH!   Many times there is a "big one that got away"!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Workin Hard For Fish

We had a beautiful morning Saturday with so little wind we needed to coat up with some bug spray to keep the No-See-Um's at bay. It was only slightly overcast when I met Bob Brown and his grandson Jack at the Atlantic Seafood dock.  We headed north to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide with the oyster beds still slightly showing.  At our first spot or two we had very few bites on our live shrimp and float rig's but when we hit Jolley Bank we had a couple of hookups, lost them, but the Bob landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  The breeze had picked up slightly and there were not an more bugs.  We move around to the outside of Tiger Island and here things heated up somewhat.  Both Jack and Bob hooked up at the same time for a "double" - both played their fish perfectly and we netted two feisty Bluefish.   We had hookups to hard jumping Ladyfish and had a brief battle with a Shark that ripped the drag out for a while then quit playing and broke off.  It was a great day for a Grandfather and Grandson to get out on the water and spend quality time fishing here at Amelia Island!

Mack Attack

Today couldn't have been much prettier!  I met the Henson family - Kevin and Jean and their adult daughter
Jill - down at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning.  It was clear and sunny with almost no wind as we left the marina and headed north up to fish the outside of Tiger Island.  I got the anglers started on float rigs with live shrimp and soon Jean was pulling in an aggressive Ladyfish.  Then Jill got in on the action and landed one, too.  The anglers caught a couple of more Ladyfish then we moved on up to Tiger inlet to fish, but had no real bites.  We made a run way up into Jolley River and fished a run out

where Kevin got on the board with a hungry Seatrout, then we swung back into Snook Creek and held as the tide started out.  I had switched the anglers to a jig and shrimp comb and the action heated up with Kevin landing a nice Whiting and Jean landed a feisty Blue Fish.  Then Jean's rod bent double and her drag began to sing, FISH ON!  And the fish kept going!  She applied pressure with her rod tip and slowed the beast down and soon began the long and arduous task of working the fish in.  But this fish was not going to subdue easily. It made a number of runs but Jean's light tackle held and she patiently played the fish into submission and soon we netted, photographed and released a 3 1/2' Bonnethead Shark!  Shortly after that Jill was working her jig along the bottom when her rod also bent over and the drag ripped out!  This fish didn't make the strong runs like the shark but it did head down underneath the boat.  Jill played the fish perfectly and we eventually netted a toothy 24" Spanish Mackerel - only the second that my guests have landed in the back waters - and with only a fluorocarbon leader!  Kevin picked up another Trout then we headed back to Jolley Bank where Jean landed a fat keeper sized Trout and Kevin hauled in a keeper sized Flounder to add the variety of fish caught by these visiting anglers.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Gator Gar

After a long few days of nasty weather today turned out beautiful for the Lacek family - Marie and Gaise and their adult children Gaise and Victoria.  We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock early this morning and headed north of the first of an outgoing tide.  After all of the rain and cooler weather the water temperature had dropped back down to 65 degrees.  We made our first stop on the outside of Tiger Island and began to toss live shrimp under float rigs to some flooded oyster beds.
The anglers were not kept waiting long as their floats began to disappear and they all were soon tangling with the "poor mans Tarpon" - Ladyfish.  And a couple of them had some heft to them!  We moved around to another spot and Marie picked up a hungry Seatrout then Gaise Sr. hauled in a nice keeper sized Flounder.  We made run up to the Jolley River and it was here that Marie hooked up and played to the boat a large and nasty looking Gar fish!  We snapped a picture and tossed it back!  We fished Snook Creek with no real bites, hit the MOA and had
no real bites then made a run around to the Tiger Logs.  Here Marie landed another keeper Flounder and later Gaise 2 put a hefty keeper sized Trout in the boat while Victoria added the "cutest fish" of the day.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island  waters!