Poor Man's Tarpon

I had the pleasure of fishing with Dale Bullard again, who brought along his high school and college buddy, Steve.  We met down at the City docks yesterday afternoon and made a run up to the Jolley River to fish an incoming tide with jigs and shrimp.  The conditions seemed perfect but it must have been just too hot cause all we did was feed the oysters and Croaker!  We then made a run to fish the logs of Tiger Island and here we picked up a couple of Sheepshead with Steve's being the largest and of keeper size.  We fished outside of Tiger over some now flooded oysters, had no luck then made a move further south and this did the trick.  By this time all of us were just looking for some action and we found it with a whole handful of 24" long high flying Ladyfish.  It was almost non stop action for about an hour with both anglers tangling with the acrobatic fish.  We then checked out some marshes as the tide was supposed to flood and even though there were a few spots that flooded, we saw no Redfish tailing.  One final stop at Temptation Cove produced a few bites and one very good hookup but it just wasn't to be.  We wrapped the trip up, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Grande Slam

I got to fish again with the Moore family again yesterday - Daniel and Donna and their kids Ansley and Landon.  This time we mixed it up, launching from the Atlantic Seafood dock down at the City marina and with picture perfect weather, headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings on the first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were getting Croaker bites when Landon and Daniel finally hooked up,  boating a nice feisty Redfish. A little later Daniel had a strong bite and this fish was ready for a fight!  But he and Landon were up to the task and after a good battle, landed a big 18" Black "puppy" Drum!  We then made a run around to Tiger Island and here Ansley got in on the action, catching a hard fighting Redfish and then a fat keeper sized Seatrout.   Landon followed it by outsmarting the sneaky Sheepshead.   The Moore family now had an Amelia Island Grande Slam of  Redfish, Drum, Seatrout and Sheepshead.  We made a run up into Jolley River, sparred with the Croaker, then Daniel's patience paid off when he boated one more feisty Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Total Team Effort

We fished out of Fernandina Beach today, leaving the Atlantic Seafood dock and heading up to fish the Tiger Island logs on an outgoing tide.  I had Jim and Ronnie Voigt along who were visiting Amelia Island and staying at the beautiful  Elizabeth Pointe Lodge - an easy 5 minutes to the Marina.  Jim was tossing a fly and Ronnie was pitching a jig and shrimp with a spinning outfit.  We fished the logs thoroughly, had a few good bites, but only picked up a single fat Seatrout.  We then made a run up to Jolley River to fish "the Bank" on the last of an outgoing tide and this did the trick.  Jim picked up another hard hitting Seatrout, then a good Slot sized Redfish.  I was thinking "it'd be nice to get a Slam" when Jim hooked up on a good bite.  This fish fought differently than the rest and sure enough when Jim worked it to the surface we saw that it was a 16" keeper sized Flounder, giving these anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  All fish caught today were released to be caught another day!  We continued to fish the bank, caught another Trout, moved further up the river, caught another Trout, then move on around to the "Mother of All" spots where both anglers picked up Trout.  We made one last stop back at the Bank and after landing a couple of Rays were almost ready to call it a day.  I had tossed a jig and shrimp up near the bank and handed off to Ronnie who patiently fished it when BAM! FISH ON!  She fought the fish away from the oysters then handed it off to Jim who patiently played the fish.  It went deep, back to the stern then back around towards shore but Jim kept the pressure on and we eventually landed a big 26 1/2"  "Tournament" Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  And that was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing the back waters of Amelia Island!

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!