Change of Strategy Makes the Day

We again had a beautiful morning today, somewhat cloudy, and a slight breeze to make it real comfortable to fish the Amelia Island back waters on The Anglers Mark.  I had met Rich Euler and his daughter's boyfriend Mike down at the City marina at 7am and we headed up to Jolley River to fish the outgoing tide.  The oysters were just showing as we pitched topwaters along the first stretch of marsh.  We had no real bites on the lures so we switched to jigs and shrimp and soon found that the "baitstealers" were gonna keep us busy!  We moved around to the MOA (Mother of All) spots and held off of the oysters, tossing are bait up current and dragging it back into deeper water.  Rich was the first to hookup and it was a good battle.  He played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice 18" Seatrout!  We picked up a hard fighting Puppy Drum then Mike had a hookup. This fish pulled hard and was shaking its head furiously but Mike kept the pressure on and he too netted a nice 20" Seatrout.  We picked up a few more Croaker then ran back to the mouth of Jolley to fish the now exposed oysters. We fattened up a number of Croaker but had no real bites. The water was muddy from the SW wind and no game fish were to be found.  So we decided to run around to Bell River and fish the dock pilings and sure enough the water was clear and just "looked" fishy!  BOOM!  FISH ON!  Mike had a hookup, a bent rod, and some drag ripping!  He played the fish patiently and soon brought to the boat a nice Slot 21" Redfish!    Shortly later he had another hookup and while he battled this Slot Red, Rich hooked up and his drag sizzled!  BIG FISH ON!  We landed Mikes fish then went to work on Rich's.  Rich was very patient with this fish as it made a number of deep and long runs but he kept the pressure on with his TFO Tactical Spinning Rod and after a long battle we landed a BIG 30 1/2" Redfish!  This fish put Rich in 2nd place in my Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish category. (Scroll down right side of this report for standings).    The big fish was photographed, revived and released.  We fished a few more docks then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Quick Start

BJ and Jeannie Craig were back on Amelia Island this morning and this time they brought along their friends Maryann and Tommy Tompkins to fish the back waters of Amelia Island on  The Anglers Mark.  We headed up the Bell River to fish some dock pilings as the oysters just began to show on an outgoing tide.  We were fishing with jigs and shrimp and mud minnows and it didn't take long to get some hookups.  BJ broke the ice with a hungry Snapper then Tommy hooked up with something big and the fight was on!  He played the fish patiently and after a number of runs that put a bend in his TFO Tactical spinning rod, he landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish!  But that was just the beginning because BJ hooked up with something bigger, fought it perfectly, but this big Red finally found its way into the dock pilings and broke itself off, OUCH!  And moments later, Tommy had the same thing happen.  His fish ran deep and I thought for sure that we were in the clear but it too made it's way back to the safety of the dock pilings and , BAP, FISH OFF!  These big wily Reds know how to play the game!  We continued to fish, caught  couple of hard fighting Puppy Drum and a handful of  "baitstealers", then made a run up to the Joelly River.  The wind had picked up somewhat and although it felt good, it had muddied the water of Jolley Bank and we had very few bites except a nice Flounder that Tommy picked up at a creek mouth.  We moved on up the river, fished Snook Creek, hooked up with a Shark for a brief 2 seconds, then headed around to the MOA to try our luck, which  had pretty much run out!  Our last stop at Tiger Island on the very first of an incoming tide produced a hungry Seatrout that Jeannie picked up.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

2 Slot, 3 Slot

Kelly Haggard was in town with some friends of hers and took in an Amelia Island back country fishing charter on The Anglers Mark this morning.  Her and her friends were staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites which is just across the street from the marina and Atlantic Seafood dock where we met. We ran up to the Jolley River and Kelly tossed a mullet pattern topwater lure on the last of an outgoing tide.  She had one really good blowup but the big Trout missed the bait entirely!  We switched to jigs and shrimp and mud minnows and within minutes she hooked up with a feisty Redfish.  A few minutes later she had TFO Tactical spinning rod and we soon landed a nice Slot Redfish.  Moments later she hooked up with another big Redfish which we photographed and released like the others.  We continued to fish an oyster lined bank and caught numerous Croaker, a hard fighting Puppy (black) Drum.  We had an extended battle with a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark then we moved on up the river, fishing the MOA spots with no real bites then back to Snook Creek where we had more Croaker. Our last stop was at Tiger Island and here Kelly reeled in her 3rd Slot Redfish and she also landed a keeper sized Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Slam of Redfish, Drum and Flounder.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
another hook up and this time her rod bent over and the drag sang, FISH ON!  She played the fish patiently on her

Great Gift from California

Bill Crews received a gift certificate to fish on The Anglers Mark from his daughter who arranged it all the way from California.  He brought along his dad, Willie Crews, and met me at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning as the sun came up.  There was a nice breeze blowing and some cloud cover which made perfect conditions for some Amelia Island back country fishing.  After my usual safety orientation we headed north towards Cumberland Island and then eased in behind Tiger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide.  Things started slow, but we did get some bites from the pesky Croaker then we had a nice hookup and Willie
landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  Bill picked up a couple of Trout as we fished the downed logs and we also caught a hungry Puppy Drum.  We made a run up to the Jolley River and fished the still exposed oyster beds.  We continued to get the Croaker, but then Bill had a strong hookup and landed a hard fighting Redfish.  The anglers picked up a nice Jack Crevalle then Bill again had a strong bite, but this time the fish fought back!  It bent Bill's rod double and his drag began to sing, FISH ON!  He played the fish from bow to stern and half way back as the fish made deep runs, often going under the boat and back.  After some patient fish fighting we eventually landed an oversized 29" Redfish!  Bill said that it was the "biggest fish I've ever caught"!  That's what I want to hear!  This fish place Bill in 2nd place in my Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish category (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  We continued to fish and then Willie had a good hookup and good fight.  He landed a nice 19" Seatrout that we added to the box.  We made one more stop on the way back in and Willie had some good bites on a float rig and picked up a couple of more Seatrout to wrap the fishing trip up. We headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

The Fish Whisperer

I thought about titling this report, "BOOM, FISH ON!" because when Chip Lobeck and his father-in-law Ron made their first casts to some Bell River dock pilings, it was FISH ON!  Ron hooked up first and had a battle on his hands.  The fish made numerous runs deep, pulling the 10lb braid to its limit but Ron used the TFO Tactical Rod to slow the big fish down.  Then Chip hooked up from the stern and we had double!  He played his fish expertly and soon landed a nice Slot 19" Redfish!  But Ron's battle raged on at the bow of the boat.  He finally wore the fish out and when we netted the beast we found it to be a 28 1/2" Redfish! Now
that's the way to start a fishing trip!  This fish puts Ron in 3rd place in my Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament, Redfish caterogy (scroll down right side of this report for standings) . A couple of casts later Ron had another hookup, another battle, and landed another oversized 28" Big Red.  Just before we left the area Chip had a hungry Seatrout follow his jig and shrimp to the boat and he landed the keeper sized fish.  We made one more stop at another dock, got "skunked", then made a run to the Tiger Island logs.  Here the anglers had plenty of action, landing (4) Flounder, a number of hungry Seatrout, and a number of hungry Snapper.  We also picked up a Ladyfish and two hard fighting Puppy Drum.  As the fishing trip was winding down, Ron was "dialed in" and began to talk or "whisper" to the fish that were nibbling at his bait.  He had a couple of really hard hits, but lost his shrimp.  On his last cast he talked it in and sure enough, BOOM!  FISH ON!  He played this fish perfectly and kept the pressure on as it shook its head and eventually netted a nice fat 19" Seatrout!  With that, we called it a day, another great on to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Hung On The Bottom or Doormat Flounder?

Michael and Ann Austin were in town this week along with their adult daughter Carla and scheduled an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  The tide had only been coming in for an hour so we headed up to Tiger Island and fished the downed logs with live shrimp and jigs.  Michael had the hot hand early and hooked up with a couple of keeper Seatrout.  All of the anglers were picking up the pesky Croaker when Ann commented that she thought she was "hung up" on a log...but the line started moving up river!  Then here rod bent over double and the drag began to rip out, FISH ON!  She patiently played

the big fish but as it hugged the bottom for what seemed like an eternity.  When she finally brought it to the surface we saw that it was a huge Flounder!  I missed the fish the first time with the net but Ann kept the pressure on and we soon landed the 25.5"  7lb+ doormat Flounder...the biggest Flounder of the year AND the biggest I've ever had on The Anglers Mark!  Boy what a fish! This obviously puts Ann in first place in The Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder category.(scroll down right side to see standings).  We continued to fish the logs, picked up a couple of more Trout, Grey Snapper, and Croaker, then headed up to Jolley River.  We caught a few more small Trout and Carla had a hookup and brief battle with a Shark.  We moved on up the river where Carla caught a fat keeper Seatrout and also a big Ray.  Michael got back in on the action and landed a 2' Bonnethead Shark, then we made a last run to the outside of Tiger where the anglers picked up a couple of more Seatrout to wrap up a great day out on Amelia Island waters!

Manatee Sighting Tops Off Honeymoon Fishing Trip

I had the pleasure of getttig to fish today with newlyweds Joe and Frances Farmer who were visiting Amelia Island for their honeymoon.  We met down at Sawpit Creek and then ran up into the Horsehead area to fish the mouth of Jackstaff Creek as the tide came back in. We started off with topwater lures, had some "spits' at 'em then switched to jig and shrimp combos.  Joe hooked up with a couple of Trout,  and then Frances reeled in a Stingray as Joe had a strong hookup.  We got the ray as Joe played his fish patiently and eventually we netted a nice Slot
Redfish.  We ran around to Bubblegum Reef, picked up a couple more Trout, a Grey Snapper, and a Jack, then we continued on to Broward Island to fish the downed logs.  Joe picked up another Snapper then Frances rounded out the couple's Amelia Island back country Slam by hooking up with and getting to the net a hungry Flounder.  We made our last stop in Christopher Creek, caught another Jack and Snapper then as we were about to leave, Joe spotted a long silouette in the water and as we watched we saw that it was a juvenile Manatee cruising along!  How Cool!  We watched it for a while, snapped some pictures, then headed in, counting it as another great day to spend out on Amelia Island waters! 

Great To Be Out On The Water

I fished today with Darrin and Laura Myers who were staying at the beautiful Elizabeth Pointe Lodge.  We met down at the City docks and headed north to fish the Jolley River with a few hours to go on an incoming tide.  It was a beautiful morning and the Dolphin were rolling out ahead of us as we made the short cruise to our fishing spot.  I had both anglers fishing with live shrimp under a float and although we had some nibbles, there were no real bites.  I switched them to jigs and shrimp and they picked up a couple of Croaker then we made a move to the Tiger Island logs, fished them thoroughly, and had one Ladyfish to the
boat.  We fished the outside at two different spots with no real bites then headed over to the mouth of Lanceford Creek to fish the very first of an outgoing tide.  Just as the trip was about to end Laura picked up a hungry Jack Crevalle, Darrin reeled in a a small Seatrout, then he again hooked up with a nice, keeper sized Seatrout to wrap the day up.  These two anglers didn't have a whole lot of action but they had great attitudes and you could tell they really enjoyed being out on the water.

BOOM! Topwater Trout!

Today was one of those mornings where the conditions just felt right for some topwater action so when Johan Falkman and his father-in-law Warren Philipps met me at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp we tied on some imitation mullet topwater lures and headed up to Jackstaff in the Horsehead area to fish the last of an incoming tide.  Johan had just made his 2nd cast with his TFO Tactical Spinning Rod and as he slowly "walked the dog", BOOM!  Fish On!  The big trout smashed the lure and it was instant hookup. Johan played the
fish patiently and we soon netted a nice 18" Seatrout.   We continued to work the flooded oyster beds and had numerous blowups, hits and spits and hooked up with a couple of more Seatrout.   Warren switched to a jig and mud minnowcombo and this did the trick for him as he caught Seatrout, Ladyfish, Flounder,  a small Black Tip Shark and then rounded out his Amelia Island back country Slam with a nice Slot Redfish.  We ran around to Bubblegum Reef and picked up a couple more Seatrout and a couple of Jack Crevalle, then moved down to Spanish Drop where we caught a couple of more Trout and a keeper sized Flounder then we made our final stop back in Jackstaff where Johan added an even bigger Seatrout (20"), picked up on the bottom on a jig and shrimp.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!
 

Slam and a Shark

Tropical storm Audrey passed through yesterday and left today sunny with only a nice breeze to fish in.  I met Jeremy Price and his son Aason at the Atlantic Seafood dock early this morning and we headed north with just a couple of hours until high tide.  We made a stop outside of Tiger Island, fished some topwater lures but had now strikes at all.  When we switched to live shrimp under a float things picked up and Aason landed "the poor man's Tarpon", a Ladyfish.  Jeremy added a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then picked up a small Seatrout and another Ladyfish.  Then Aason had a really good bite and he played the fish expertly and landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  And just a few minutes later Jeremy had a good bite too and landed a keeper sized Flounder.  We moved closer to the mouth of Tiger, picked up another Ladyfish, a Jack, and a Seatrout then we made a run up in to Jolley River to fish a small marsh run out with no luck.  Our next stop was Snook Creek and I switched the anglers to a jig and shrimp combo and this paid off because Aason hooked up with something big and the fight was on!  He played the big fish patiently and went from port to starboard on the bow and back again, and again.  The fish made a couple of runs but Aason kept the pressure on and after a good battle we landed a nice 2'+ Bonnethead Shark.  We fished the mouth of Jolley, caught a couple of hungry Seatrout then Jeremy had his float disappear and he too had a good battle, landing a Redfish, just barely under the slot.  This Red gave the anglers an Amelia Island back country Slam of Trout, Flounder and Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!