Close Call

I was able to get down to the south end of the island this morning, meeting Brian, Claire and Robin Lucko at Sawpit Creek in Big Talbot Island Park.  We headed up the Nassau River to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp.  We had fished for a pretty good while  and had no real bites when Brian felt a "bump" then another - and he set the hook, FISH ON!  Boy this was a big fish!  He played the big fish perfectly and patiently but this big boy had been around the block a few times.  He kept heading for structure but Robin pulled him away.  The fish made one last push for freedom and found it's way into the structure, locking the line down and "bap", fish off!  Ouch.  But Robin's dad Brian went to the same spot (my buddies do that) and in short order hooked up again with a big fish.  It was almost the same battle with the big fish bulling to structure and again, snagging itself.  But this time Brian opened the bale, gave it some slack, and the fish swam out!  FISH ON!  Again.  Brian worked the fish patiently and eventually we landed a Big 31.5" Redfish that put Brian into 3rd place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category! Scroll down right side of this report for standings.  The fish bite turned off almost immediately with all the commotion so we made a run to Broward Island which turned out to be a good plan.  For a while the anglers got bite after bite, landing hungry Seatrout, feisty Redfish, and Sheepshead.  Claire had a good bite and when her rod bent and drag sang I knew this was a bigger fish.  She fought the fish out into deeper water and after a good battle we landed a Slot size Redfish!  We made one last stop and here Robin got in on the big fish, landing a Slot sized Red to wrap up another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout King

I fished this afternoon with Brent Malcolm and his son Willie out of the Atlantic Seafood launch.  We headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on the outgoing tide.  We hadn't been fishing long (his third cast) when Willie hooked up and played a nice Seatrout to the net!  Brent followed that up with a flurry of fish catching, landing three nice Redfish one after the other.  When the bite slowed we made a run around to Bell River to fish some more docks and again, Willie started it off by catching another Seatrout.  From then on we caught a good mess of fish - a handful of Seatrout and a big handful of Sheepshead which gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the day.  Willie also added a fat Catfish!  We fished Jolley River oyster beds  and although the tide was right, the weather was right, we had no real bites.  But it was a great day to be out on the water and we had some good catches for the day!

First Flounder of the Year

We couldn't have asked for a prettier morning today, clear skies, very little breeze and mild temperatures.  I had met Joe Price and his daughters Mary Ann and Ginny at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and we had headed north to fish the first of an incoming tide.  We started with jigs and shrimp and it wasn't long before Mary Ann had landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  We continued to fish and then Ginny had a good battle with a feisty Redfish which she landed.  We eventually fished some flooded oyster beds where both Ginny and Joe landed Bluefish.  At out last fishing spot Joe had a hookup and put the very first Flounder of the year in the boat - a 14" fish, putting him in first place of The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category! (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  This also gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam for the trip.  After a drive by of Cumberland Island to see some wild horses and Ft. Clinch, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

MIxing a Trip

Alisa Anderson set up a fishing trip this afternoon for her family and another family visiting Amelia Island this week.  I met Brock, his daughter Emily and son Jacob along with Alyssa's daughter Meredith down at the Atlantic Seafood dock on a high and outgoing tide.  We headed north to fish some flooded oyster beds with live shrimp under floats, but had no real bites. We made a move to fish deeper water with jigs and shrimp and this paid off as Emily was able to hookup and reel in a nice hungry Seatrout.  The anglers kept having their bait stolen but Brock figured it out and snagged a keeper sized Sheepshead.  Jacob followed it up with a Sheepshead of his own.  We made our last stop at Jolley River and as we eased along the bank of exposed oysters, Jacob hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We made a run back to the dock and changed passengers, this time taking Alyssa and the rest of her family for a boat tour of the historic and nature sites of Amelia Island and Cumberland Island. We were treated to multiple sightings of wild horses on Cumberland before we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Fish for a Windy Day

My afternoon trip began in kinda of a jumble.  I met Joshua and Chrissy Williams at the Atlantic Seafood dock after lunch and even though the morning trip had been fairly calm, the wind had picked up.  We made a run up Lanceford Creek but we had only been fishing for a short while when we realized that two young anglers were having engine trouble. So we threw them a rope and towed them down the river, the resumed fishing.  But the wind was blowing so hard we had to leave.  Our next stop was in Eagans Creek and although the anglers were getting nibbles, we had no real bites.  We made a run to Tiger Island and the wind was somewhat blocked and the fish bite began.  Both Chrissy and Joshua landed a good handful of feisty Redfish then Chrissy put a big 24" Slot Redfish in the boat!  We moved about 50 feet and caught Redfish, Sheepshead and Black "puppy" Drum.  We moved another 30 feet and had now real bites.  Back to our original spot, the anglers resumed catching feisty Redfish then Joshua took a turn at a big Redfish. He patiently played the fish and eventually landed a nice 25" Slot Red!  Even though the wind was blowing we were able to salvage a great day of fishing out on Amelia Island waters!

Walk Off Grand Slam

This morning we had some really nice weather with very little wind and clear skies.  I met Tavis White and his ball playing son Tommy down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and we headed up to Jolley River to fish the very first of an outgoing tide at a marsh run out.  We were tossing live shrimp under floats but  had no takers.  Our next stop was up in a large creek and we switched to jigs and shrimp, but again no takers.  Our final stop in Jolly was at a sizable creek mouth but tossing the jig produced no bites.  The tide was getting down somewhat so we ran around to Tiger Island and here the fish catching heated up.  I think our first cast produced a hookup and young Tommy played it perfectly, landing a nice feisty Redfish.  From then on the two anglers caught a good few handful of fish - feisty Redfish, Seatrout and Black "puppy" Drum for a Slam, then a Sheepshead for a Grand Slam and finally a Weakfish for the "Walk Off Grand Slam"!  We also were treated to having a large Osprey perch overhead, keeping an eye on what we were catching!  The fishing started slow but ended with a bank and we counted it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

It's Why They Call it Fishing

This morning I had Dick Miree and his friend Katheryn meet me at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp so that we could fish the Horsehead area on a high and falling tide.  We started off tossing float rigs with live shrimp up near the bank but had no real bites.  When we switched to a jig and shrimp we had a hookup on the first cast!  Go figure.  Katheryn patiently reeled in  nice hungry Seatrout. Later, Dick snagged a feisty Bluefish at a creek runout.  Even though the anglers were making excellent casts, we had no more bites so we made a run to the Nassau River and fished another large creek runout, but again, no bites.  Our next stop was some structure and even though the oysters were now showing, again, no real bites.  But Dick and Katheryn were patient and continued to give their all.  We made a run to Broward Island to fish the downed logs but the current was still ripping out fairly fast and made the fishing tough.  We stayed with it, had a bite or two, then hooked up to a nice fish, FISH ON!  Finally!  Katheryn worked the fish in slowly and after a good battle we netted a nice 19.5"  Slot Redfish.  Our perseverance had paid off!  It was a slow day of catching but a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.  And that's why they call it fishing!

"We Caught Everything"

That's what Nina Felice told an onlooker back at the dock after we came in from fishing this evening.  I had met her and her boyfriend Frank early this morning but the wind was blowing way too much so we moved the date to this afternoon.  Nina and Frank were celebrating Frank's birthday so I'm glad we got the fishing trip in!  The wind had died and the skies were clear, but it was very cool after a front had come through.  We headed north to fish some downed logs on the first of an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp.  We hadn't been fishing long when Frank hooked up and got the "skunk off the boat" by landing a nice Seatrout.  Then Nina reeled in a Trout and for a while there we had a good flurry of Seatrout and feisty Redfish bites.  It slowed so we moved about 50 feet but didn't have much luck.  Moving back to the original spot, the anglers again picked up some fish.  But when Frank's rod bent double and drag ripped out I knew we had a Big Fish!  Frank played the big fish patiently, even when it took him from the bow back to the stern and across the stern.  But then the wily fish burrowed into a submerged log and the line went taut and steady!  Oh No!  Once we figured what had happened, Frank gave the fish slack in hopes that the hook would hold and sure enough, the fish came free and the fight was back on!  In short order Frank landed the fish which measured at 28.5"!  Boy what battle!  This fish put Frank into 3rd place in my Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament (scroll down right side of this report for standings) . From then on the anglers caught fish.  Nina landed Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead and Drum while Frank land those four plus a fat female keeper sized  Weakfish which we photographed and released. Both anglers had the illusive Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  Before we wrapped it up, Frank hooked up with another big fish and soon landed a Slot Sized 22.5" Redfish. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Recipe of the Month: Shrimp in a Blanket

Editors Note:  This is some good stuff! One neighbor, after eating these, said he awoke in the middle of the night thinking about them!

1    lb Jumbo or Large Shrimp

1    Bag of fresh leaf spinach

1    Small container of Cream Cheese

1    Fresh Jalapeño pepper, sliced thin long ways into slivers

1    Pack bacon, cut into half or quarters

1    Jar Kraft original sweet BBQ sauce

1     Box toothpicks

Shell, devein and butterfly the shrimp.  Smear some Cream Cheese into the shrimp.

Lay a sliver of jalapeño on top of the cream cheese and fold shut.  Wrap the shrimp with one or two pieces of spinach.  Wrap a piece of bacon around the spinach/shrimp.   You can probably use a ¼ length of bacon because it stretches.  Skewer the bacon through with a toothpick and place in a 9”x11”  container.   When all the shrimp are prepared, pour the BBQ sauce over them and get them coated real good.  Grill and flip until the bacon is done.  Did I mention that this was some good stuff?

A Jack Crevalle in March?

We had a beautiful morning today as we headed out of the City marina and a good tide for fishing the back country of Amelia Island.  My guests, Matt Hutchins, his girlfriend Laura and her daughters Taylor and Haley were in town and looking to catch  some of our saltwater fish.  We made our way around to Tiger Island and began to toss jigs and shrimp to the exposed logs.  I was expecting instant hookups like we had last night but the fish had decided to play hard to get.  But eventually Matt knocked the skunk off the boat by landing a hungry Seatrout then Laura followed it up with another.  As we worked the bank it became apparent that these anglers were going to have to work for their fish and work they did!  Laura had made a good cast to a likely spot and when her rod doubled over and the drag sang I knew she had a good fish, FISH ON!  She fought the fish expertly and after a good battle, landed a nice 25" Slot Redfish.  Things were looking up!  We worked the bank north to south and south to north and the anglers picked up a feisty Redfish here and a hungry Seatrout there.  Laura again contributed to the box with a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout.  The young girls were having a good time with the perch but pitched is taking turns as "netgirl" when Matt and Laura landed a fish.  Matt finally outsmarted and landed a Sheepshead which measured well over the keeper size.  And when his rod bent and drag sang I just knew he had his Slot Red.  This fish took Matt from one side of the boat to the other and after a patiently battle he brought it to surface, to find that it was an aggressive Jack Crevalle!   We continued to fish and catch until we ran out of shrimp, then had a short tour of Cumberland Island, Fort Clinch and Old Town to wrap up another great dayh to be out on Amelia Island waters!