Ladyfish, Jacks and a Big Red

I met the Moore family, Daniel and Donna along with their two kids Ansley and Landon down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp this morning and we headed up to the Horsehead area to fish the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide.  We were fishing with jigs and shrimp, slow on the bottom and it took a while to get some bites.  It was one of the first days I've seen where there was a lot of bait movement up in the shallows and maybe  the fish had too much to eat!  But these anglers were patient and eventually young Ansley "got the skunk off the boat" and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  She followed that up with a high humping Ladyfish - the "poor mans Tarpon".  We fished the area for about an hour and half, had some bites, but no real takers, then headed around to the Nassau River to fish Bubblegum Reef.  Again, we had nibbles and luckily Ansley was doing her thing because she landed another Jack.   The rest of us had a good hookup or two, lost them, then Landon reeled in a couple of feisty Croaker.  We then made a run to Broward Island to fish the very last of an outgoing tide and once again, Ansley found a Ladyfish!  But shortly after, Daniel had a subtle nibble, a strong bite, and he set the hook, FISH ON!  He put young Landon on the rod and together they fought the fish away from the tree limbs, out into the deep water, then from bow to stern.  The big fish got into the current and gave a valiant fight but he was no match for the Moore family!  Ansley was "coaching 'em up" and Donna manned the catch net and they soon landed a big 26 3/4" "Tournament Red"!  Boy what a fish and boy what a fight!  The anglers added one more keeper sized Seatrout then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Clay Roberts Memorial Fishing Tournament

Plan to fish the Seventh Annual ClayRoberts Inshore Slam Fishing and Junior Angler Tournaments scheduled for Saturday June 14^th, 2014.  Clay's parents Gary and Terry Roberts founded In River Or Ocean (IROO)  in memory of their son Clay.  In River Or Ocean is dedicated to promoting the protection, restoration and rational management of all river and ocean resources, working as a steward of the waterways by providing educational opportunities regarding conservation and responsible use and care of our natural resources for this and future generations.

The ClayRoberts Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament has become a tradition for the fishing community on Father’s Day weekend and is fun for the whole family.
Clay’s two greatest passions in life were being on the water fishing, and spending time with his family and friends. The IROO strives to make sure that Clay’s tournament is an event the whole family will enjoy.  Whether people fish or not, they welcome them to come on out for the weigh-in and enjoy the food from Terry’s Kitchen.  It is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  They hope people will discover the magic that Clay found in our rivers an oceans.

Biggest Flounder to Date

We've had an outstanding run of good weather lately and my Minnesota guests Nick Cress and Marnie Brown were glad to have it!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock this morning to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide and headed north, making our first stop behind Tiger Island.  Nick was tossing a 7w and 8w fly rod and was making excellent casts to the exposed bank while Marnie was using a spinning outfit with live shrimp on a jig.  It appeared the fish liked the live stuff better because Marnie had good bites right off and landed a handful of hard fighting Sheepshead.  We worked the island back and forth, had a bite here and there, then had a subtle bite and hookup up, FISH ON!  Marnie played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice 18" Flounder - the biggest we've had all year.  This fish puts Marnie in 1st place in the Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  We fished for just a while longer, then headed up to Jolley River to fish the Bank.  Nick showed some real persistence with the fly rod, but the fish just weren't taking the flies.  Marnie had bites of small Croaker, caught a few, then we headed further up the river.  Our last stop was in Snook Creek and both Marnie and Nick boated hungry Seatrout.  Nick also caught a very nice Whiting.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

His First Redfish

If yesterday was pretty then today was outstandingly beautiful in the back waters of Amelia Island!  I fished with Ricky Weber, his son in law Patrick and grandson Taylor. We had met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach and headed north up to Jolley River to fish the first of an incoming tide.  We fished Jolley Bank with jigs and shrimp, with Ricky putting the first fish in the boat, a hungry Flounder. But even though the anglers had bites the entire length of the bank,  they landed only pesky Perch.  We ran further up the river, fished another bank with jigs, had no real bites, then switched to some float rigs, and BOOM!  Caught fish right off! Crazy.  Patrick had been the first to switch to the float and he picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  Then Taylor tried his hand with the float and he too put a Trout in the boat. Patrick landed a high jumping Ladyfish then Taylor took up a battle with a feisty Redfish - the first that he has ever caught.  We fished a large creek then headed over to Tiger Island to fish the logs on a high tide, which is something I don't normally do.  But the anglers had strong hookups, big fish that bent the rods double and caused the drag to sing, but this fish were wily and found their way back to the tree branches and broke themselves off.  Ricky did have a good hookup and landed a nice keeper sized Sheepshead, giving the anglers an Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, and Sheepshead!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Most and Biggest

We had a beautiful morning today, clear skies and sunny, a bit cool, but a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters.  I met Verne Murray and his son--in-law Pete down at the City docks and headed up to Tiger Island to fish a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours.  The anglers tossed jigs and live shrimp to the deep bottom and had a few bites here and there before Verne knocked "the skunk off" by landing a hungry Seatrout.  We continued to fish the area, had some bites but no takers, then headed up to fish the Jolley River and Jolley Bank.  Again, they had bites, this time on float rigs with shrimp underneath, and eventually Verne picked up another Seatrout, this one somewhat fatter than the first.  Our next stop was further up Jolley where we fished the mouth of a creek then we eased into the creek. Verne again landed a Seatrout and Pete was beginning to feel the pressure of a potential "skunk" on the fishing trip!  But no, only moments after he switched to a jig/shrimp combo he had a subtle bite and even though we knew it was a fish it first seemed rather small but then the fish took off, FISH ON!  Now it began to fight, running off the stern for a good 40yards, ripping the drag and putting  a deep bend in the rod.  Then the fish went under the boat, around the stern and back to the bow.  It ran between the trolling motor and boat to where Pete had to pass the rod between the two, but he kept the pressure on and stayed with the fish.  After a couple of more trips around the boat Pete was able to tire the big fish out and we soon netted a 3 1/2' Bonnethead Shark!  Boy what a fight!  We fished the area for just a little while, hit one more spot, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Running Boggy Creek

Kevin and Jean Henson were back visiting Amelia Island with their daughter Jill and her fiance Jack and decided to take in the "Florida Swamp" fishing trip where we run way back up into Boggy Creek and fish for Bass and Bluegill.  It was a beautiful morning today when we launched from Nassau Landing and made the run.  The tide was right and although we didn't pick up any Bass both Jill and Jack caught some very colorful "Redbelly" Bream.  This fishing trip is ideal for Fly Fishers who want to experience the "real Florida". The fly rod is ideal for putting a small popping bug up near the cypress stumps or under neath a low lying branch.  Although there is a better chance of catching Bream rather than Bass, it's still a great way to get in some fly fishing while visiting Amelia Island.  I call it "southern Trout fishing"!

Stay at a Holiday Inn

"The Guys" came over from Lake Butler again this year, George Bowlin and his friends Jerry and Ray.  I met them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning and we headed over to the Horsehead area to fish the last hour of an incoming tide.  George was tossing a topwater lure while Jerry and Jay fished float rigs with live shrimp up near the grass.  It took awhile but they finally began to get some hookups.  Ray started it off by landing a hungry Jack Crevalle, and then he put a 2nd in the boat.  Then all the anglers began to catch fish - hard fighting Jack's and high jumping Ladyfish. I guess these two species have arrived in the back waters of Amelia Island.  But one of these three anglers evidently had stayed at a Holiday Inn recently - George - who had switched to a jig and shrimp - and had a big bite, BOOM! FISH ON!  This big fish immediately began to take line, making the drag sing.  It ran out deep then ran back up into the marsh, then headed right to the boat, making George think that he'd lost the fish!  But nope, it was still Fish On!  George fought the big fish patiently, from bow to stern and from starboard to port then landed the oversized 30.5" Redfish!  Wow what a fish!  We continued to fish the area, picking up more Jacks and Ladyfish, then made a run around to Broward Island to fish the downed logs.  The anglers had to work for them but they picked up two keeper sized Flounder, a couple of smaller ones, a feisty Redfish,  and found three keeper sized Sheepshead with Jerry landing the largest one.  We fished until we ran out of bait, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Flounder Are Here!

I fished yesterday afternoon with Joe Segraves and his son David and it was great to have them back after fishing with them back in 2010!  We first hit some docks up in Lanceford Creek first and even though the tide was right, the water was real muddy from a south east wind.  However, Joe was able to land a keeper sized Flounder and David put a Croaker in the boat. We headed around to Tiger Island and fished the first of an incoming tide.  Here, the anglers picked up a couple of keeper sized Seatrout, four feisty Redfish, two more keeper sized Flounder and a small Black "puppy" Drum which gave them their Amelia Island Back Country "Grande" Slam!  We made our last stop up in the Jolley River and had a good time catching high flying Ladyfish and hard fighting Jack Crevalle along with another hungry Seatrout.  Joe and David had to work for them but between the Flounder and Sheepshead, they had a great meal to take home!

Birthday Fishing Trip

Mike and Steve Johnson took their dad Bud on a birthday fishing trip yesterday morning on The Anglers Mark.  We met down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  Mike tossed a top water lure while Bud and Steve fished with live shrimp under a float.  Steve got the "skunk off" by landing a hungry Seatrout then Bud hooked up and FISH ON!  His line and float ripped across the water as the big fish headed deep, bending Bud's rod over and making the drag sing!  But Bud was up to the the task and fought the fish patiently, run after run.  He eventually subdued the beast, a 3.5' Bonnethead Shark!  We later fished the MOA then ran back to Jolley Bank and here the action got hot.  Steve landed a keeper sized Seatrout then all the anlgers were catching Jack Crevalle and Ladyfish.  Every once in a while they'd pick up another Seatrout or a feisty Redfish, and added a Bluefish and Whiting, too. Mike added another Redfish and so did Bud.  We made our last stop at Tiger Island and again the anglers were on fire, landing 2 more keeper sized Seatrout, a couple of more Redfish, and two keeper sized Sheepsheads.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Shawn's Bank the Hot Ticket

I had a trip set  up today by Capt. Scott Stewart, fishing out of Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina, with a group here during a conference/business meeting.  We left the marina with Scott and Keli Backes and their friend Shawn and headed straight up to the Jolley River to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were tossing live shrimp under floats and after a short while Keli had a strong hookup, FISH ON!  And boy what a fight the fish put up.  It ran strong and hard, away from shore, out from the bank, then dove deep. But Keli kept the pressure on and eventually subdued the beast - a 34" Bonnethead Shark!  Boy, that will wake you up!  We continued to fish and Scott's rod got hot. He landed a fat Seatrout and a feisty Redfish. We fished on up into a creek, then moved around to the MOA but had not luck at either.  Our next stop was back at Jolley Bank, now renamed Shawn's Bank because we hadn't fished long before Shawn started putting fish into the boat.  He started with a high jumping Ladyfish - the "poor man's Tarpon", then had a Jack Crevalle.  He made another cast to the bank and the minute his jig and shrimp hit the bottom, BOOM!  FISH ON!  He worked the fish patiently and eventually we landed a nice 18.5"  Slot Redfish!  Then all the anglers heated up, catching more Jack's, a Bluefish, a Whiting, another Redfish or two, and a handful of Seatrout.  We worked the bank, catching fish, hit one more spot, then called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!