Snapper Bite Precedes Slot Red

We had about the prettiest morning on the water that I've seen in a while - absolutely no wind, just a few
clouds, and bait fish moving along the bank.  I had met Greg and Erica Hoag at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp at 7am and we headed up the Amelia River to fish the mouth of Jackstaff on the very last of an outgoing tide.  There was bait everywhere in the still waters as we eased along the oyster beds, tossing jigs and mud minnows to the waters edge.  Erica had a good hookup with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and we also added a small Snapper to the mix.  Greg had a nice Seatrout and we also picked up a small Redfish.  We moved around to the Nassau River and fished a long oyster bank as the tide started back in.  The anglers started getting good bites of keeper sized Snapper, caught a nasty Toad fish and slimy Catfish, then Erica had a strong hookup and, FISH ON!  She played the big fish patiently and after a good battle we landed a nice 21 1/2" Slot Redfish!  We continued to fish the area for a while, getting some good bites, then headed up to Broward Island to fish the downed logs as the tide started in there.  It was perfect conditions at Broward but the sun was up and the fish had quit biting, so we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Pinpoint Cast Garners Redfish

We got a very early start this morning, meeting at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island park at 6am.  I had purchased 6 dozen mud minnows yesterday afternoon in preperation to fish today with Mike Morrill, his son Michael, and his father-in-law John.  We headed up the Nassau River with navigation and stern lights on and made it to our first spot as the sun was coming up.  The tide was perfect having just begun to come in and the anglers began to toss their jigs and minnows and fish
them slowly along the oyster laden bottom.  They had bite after bite from "bait stealers" but no real takers until John hooked up with a big fish, patiently played it, and landed a nice Catfish. Darn it, I thought it was a Red!  Mike did land one of the baitstealers, a Snapper, before we pulled up and headed to Broward Island to fish the incoming tide there.  The wind was blowing out of the south west and the current was still running out but the logs were nicely exposed.  We saw some baitfish scatter up near one of those logs and young Micahel made a pinpoint cast to the spot and very quickly hooked up, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently as it got back in the current behind the boat and soon landed a nice 21 1/2" Slot Red!  Shortly after, his dad Mike fished a creek mouth and after losing a few minnows to a fish  he hooked up and caught it!  The keeper sized Flounder coughed up two of the minnows when we got it in the boat!  We fished the logs for a while then headed over to the mouth of Jackstaff and cruised the marsh grass.  John had a good battle with a nice Jack Crevalle and Mike landed a couple, too.  With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Ray Starts The Day

The Maguire family had daughters and son-in-laws and grandkids in visiting their north Jacksonville home so they set up an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning.  I met Chuck Maguire, his son in law Cale, Cale's son Quintin and his nephew Ian at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp at 7am and we headed up river to fish some dock pilings on an incoming tide.  The anglers had just gotten their jigs and mud minnows out when Ian had a strong hookup and his rod bent over double, FISH ON!  This big fish was running so hard I had to take the trolling motor off of anchor and begin to chase it down. 

Ian fought the fish for a good while then his uncle took over and continued the battle.  At first I thought it was a shark but it rolled up to the surface a couple of times so then I thought it had to be a huge Redfish.  But it was taking long, long runs so I even questioned that.  Finally, after a 30 minute battle, Cale was able to bring the big beast to the surface and we landed a huge Sting Ray!  Boy what a fish fight!  We returned to fish the spot, had a few bites, but headed on around to outside of Tiger Island.  Here Ian hooked up with a nice Ladyfish, Chuck had a Bluefish then Quintin landed a keeper sized Seatrout.  We had a good flurry of bites and landed a couple of more Trout.  We made our way around to the Tiger logs where we had some good bites.  Cale had a strong hookup and good battle with a nice Redfish that measured just an 1/8" under the legal size and also had a Seatrout that measured just under sized.  As we were preparing to go, Chuck had a good bite and he took landed another nice Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

High Tide Redfish

Jack Viertel has been visiting Amelia Island as a "working vacation" and took in an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark.  He has been staying at the historic and beautiful Fairbanks House which is located just blocks from the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp.  We made our way out of the marina at 7am and headed up to fish outside of Tiger Island with the tide high and coming in.  Our first stop was at "Manatee Creek" where I dropped the trolling motor and Jack began to toss a topwater lure to the marsh grass edge.  There was absolutely no movement of bait fish or feeding fish so after working a bank we moved on around to fish the Tiger logs.  The tide was really up by now but we had a few spots where we could toss a jig and mud minnow and after a brief time we had a hookup and, FISH ON!  Jack played the fish patiently as it made strong runs from bow to stern then dove deep under the boat. But Jack kept the pressure on and eventually we were able to land a nice 21" Slot Redfish!  We continued to work the bank and although we had a number of bites we had no takers.  Our next stop was up to Jolley River and here we had a good flurry of bites and caught a handful of hungry Seatrout on float rigs.  Further up into the river we picked up another Trout and a couple of nice Snapper.  Our last stop was some docks in Bell River where we picked up one more Trout to round out another great day of fishing at Amelia Island.

Slot Red Bonanza

Local resident Trey Dennard treated his young adult kids to a morning of back country fishing on TheAnglers Mark today.  Trey and his son IV and daughter Addison met me down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island Park at 8am which was right at the top of the tide.  We headed up the Nassau River and fished a couple of Marsh run outs, or as a friend of mine, Tim Parker, owner of Tempatation Baits calls them marsh "dumps".  The water was still way up in the marsh and we had no takers on our lively mud minnows under floats.   We ran around to the mouth of Jackstaff and fished an oyster lined bank where Trey picked up a Snapper then IV had a strong hookup, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly and patiently, working the big fish in slowly and letting it run when it wanted to.   We saw the big oversized Redfish a couple of times but today he was not to be caught because sure enough, the hook pulled and, FISH OFF!  Ouch!  We fished the bank a couple of times with Trey picking up a couple of hungry Seatrout then we crossed over and fished a sandbar where we picked up a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  As we eased along another shore line Trey had tossed his jig and minnow to the edge of some marsh grass, got hung, and when the hook came off, FISH ON!  He too fought this fish patiently and after a good battle we netted a nice 24" Slot Redfish with 7 spots!  We moved back around to Nassau River and found a likely spot and began to fish the jigs deep.  We had at least two hookups with big Redfish and after extended battles lost them to be caught another day.  But these anglers were not to be deterred.  IV had a good battle with a large Catfish then both Trey and Addison boated Slot Redfish.  Trey added a keeper sized Trout then he had another big hookup and big battle.  Trey worked the fish patiently as it ran from bow to stern and back again and after a long fight landed a big 26 3/4" "tournament" Redish!    And with the last mud minnow that had been dead on another rig for an hour or so, Trey hooked up to another Slot Red to wrap up the day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Grouper in the Back Country

Just another beautiful morning fishing the back waters of Amelia Island!  I had met David Howard and his son Graham at the Atlantic Seafood dock down at the City of Fernandina Beach marina this morning at 7am and we'd made our first stop at the outside of Tiger Island.  We had only been fishing a few minutes on the glassy waters when we were treated to a Manatee popping it's head up just in front of the bow!  We also had a number of Dolphin sightings throughout the trip.  We had just a few bites but no takers and had a crowd of boats nearby so we headed up to Jolley River to enjoy our solitude.  Fishing a small marsh run out, Graham was able to haul in a feisty Redfish.  We moved around to "Snook Creek" and after fishing for just a little while, we had a strong hookup.  Graham again fought the fish and this one gave a pretty good battle, diving deep under the boat before being subdued, and as we netted the fish, Graham nailed the identity, calling "Grouper!"  And it sure was!  I've had guests catch some of these small Grouper but this was the biggest so far and I think I was more excited than Graham and David!  We continued to fish the creek and caught a keeper sized Snapper before moving down to Jolley Bank and trolling the exposed oyster beds.  The anglers picked up a couple of Trout, a Croaker, another feisty Redfish before we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island
waters!

Young Angler Catches Big Fish

We were greeted by another beautiful morning down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp at Big Talbot Island Park today.  I met Ron Cerniglia and his son Sam at 7am and the creek was like glass as we pulled away from the dock, heading towards Nassau River.  We made our first stop at a nice creek run-out and began to fish with live mud minnows under floats on an outgoing tide.  It wasn't long before young Sam had a hookup and reeled in a feisty Redfish.  Ron added another then Sam hauled in a pesky Stingray.  We made a move up the river and this time we switched to a 1/4oz jig with the mud minnows.  Sam caught a hungry Snapper then Ron's rod bent double and the drag began to sing, oh boy, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently as it rounded the bow a couple of times and as it dove deep to the bottom,  Keeping pressure on the big fish, Ron was eventually able to wear the big fish out and we netted a nice, 24" Slot Redfish!  Sam was fishing out the other side of the boat and it wasn't long before he too had a big fish on!  He fought the fish all by himself and landed another nice Slot Redfish which measured to 21 1/2"!   As the bite slowed we ran around to the mouth of Jackstaff and trolled the oyster bank.  The anglers picked up another feisty Red and Sam fought a high-flying Ladyfish.  The sun was up and with just a little time left, we ran back to Nassau River and fished the last 15 minutes of our trip.  Although we had a few nibbles we had no real takers, until Sam again had a good hookup!  Big Fish On!  He worked the fish in patiently and we were somewhat surprised to net a very large 20 1/2" Seatrout!  What a great way to wrap up another day of fishing here at Amelia Island!

Big and Bigger

Today I had the pleasure of fishing with friends and neighbors Mark and Nilda Laurint along with their son Brent, home from college for a brief visit.  For a change, we met out at the Goffinsville Park at 7:00am this morning and then headed over to the Horsehead area to fish Jackstaff as the tide was going out and the oysters beginning to show.  I eased The Anglers Mark along the marsh grass as the anglers tossed jigs tipped with mud minnows to the shoreline.  We had a few hookups of Jack Crevalle, feisty Redfish, and a nice sized Stingray.  Our next stop was around at Nassau River and again we had a couple of hookups with feisty Redfish.  The Bonnethead Shark were cruising the shallows at every stop.  As the tide got lower we moved to a nice creek outflow and the bite began to pick up as the morning went on .  Nilda reeled in a large Catfish and Mark and Brent picked up a good handful of hungry Snapper.  Finally, Marks rod bent over and the drag began to sing, FISH ON!  And a big fish it was.  He fought the fish from starboard to port and from bow to stern.  After a long and patient battle, Mark landed a BIG 29" oversized Redfish!  What a fish!  Not too long later it was Brent's turn to battle a big Red.  His drag was ripping but Brent kept the pressure on.  This fish wanted to stay at the bow of the boat and Brent had to dip his rod a couple of times to avoid the trolling motor. But he played the fish patiently and we soon netted a "Tournament Red" - a 26 1/4" Redfish!  We fished the area while longer, fished Broward Island briefly, then headed in ,counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!  Later, we had a great meal at Shuckers Oyster Bar to top off a perfect day!

Bite Grows Stronger

It was smooth sailing as we pulled out of the marina today.  I had met Tom Meagher and his friend Steve Strickland at the City marina this morning at 7am and when we came around the last dock into the river it was smooth as glass.  We headed up to the Jolley River and made our first stop at an oyster outcrop on the last two hours of an outgoing tide.  These anglers had numerous bites on their mud minnow/jig combo and picked up a Snapper or two.  We moved around to Snook Creek and here Steve picked up a feisty Redfish.  We fished Jolley Bank and picked up another couple of feisty Reds then Steve landed a keeper sized Flounder.  Tom hooked up and had a good battle with a nice Jack Crevalle.  The bite had picked up just a little bit as the tide started to come back in.  We made a run to Tiger Island and here we saw plenty of action.  Steve caught another keeper sized Flounder and had a very strong battle with something big found its way into the tree limbs an broke itself off.  On the last cast of the day Tom had a strong bite and then he played the fish patiently.  It was a good battle, but one that this nice Redfish lost to a good angler.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Flounder Makes the Day

I got out this morning with Zack and Audrey Feldkamp along with Brian and Amy Deibler.  We met at Atlantic Seafood at 7am and headed up to the Jolley River to fish the very last of an outgoing tide.  Our first stop was at the MOA  (Mother of All) Spot and the water was like a mirror as the anglers tossed their jigs with mud minnows up to the fully exposed oyster banks.  We had good action early with Zack starting things off early by picking up a couple of Snapper and then Audrey and Amy had a double hookup, catching a feisty Redfish and Snapper respectively.  We were getting good bites until a heavy rain shower passed through and all of us had to turn our backs to the sheets of rain and work through it.  After the rain the bite slowed so we made a run back to Jolley Bank to fish the first of an incoming tide.  Again we had good bites, catching Snapper, a couple of Trout, a feisty Redfish and Brian had a good fight with a Jack Crevalle.   While fishing Zack spotted an Atlantic Saltmarsh Mink roaming the oyster beds.  We made our final stop at Tiger Island where the anglers picked up a couple of more Snapper and a Trout then Amy had a big hookup and her rod bent over, FISH ON!  She worked the fish patiently and after a good battle where the big fish hugged the bottom, she eventually landed a big 23" Flounder!  This fish puts Amy in 2nd place in my Anglers Mark 2013 Bragging Rights Tournament, Flounder category (scroll down right side to see standings). We were surrounded by bird life, including a large flock of roosting Rosette Spoonbills.   Audrey picked up a keeper sized Snapper then another keeper sized Flounder to wrap the day up, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters.