A Florida Halibut?

I think these two guys were playing hooky from work but they picked a great day to do it!   I had met Tom Gaslin and his buddy Steve Foss at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach and we headed north and up to the Jolley River to fish with mud minnows and shrimp and jigs on the first of an incoming tide.  We fished a good stretch without any bites until Steve had a good hookup and, FISH ON!  He played the fish perfectly on the light tackle TFO rod and Shimano Stradic 1000 reel.  The fish put up a good fight but Steve was up to it and landed a nice Slot Redfish.  We continued to fish the area and the bite picked up as the tide really began to come in.  The anglers landed a few small but feisty Redfish, tangled with some high flying Ladyfish, outsmarted a few Croaker, and then put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat.  We made a run around to Tiger Island and fished the downed logs with not a whole lot of action.  But we worked the area thoroughly and began to get a bite here and there.  Tom had a couple of just slightly undersized Reds, Steve picked up another in the Slot and just as we were about to leave Steve felt something walking off with his minnow.  He even pointed it out to Tom and I and as he tightened his line and set the hook, he had the fish!  But the fish must have had a big ego because it didn't seem to believe it was "caught"!  Steve worked the fish patiently and when it came to the surface, he said, "It's a Flounder", and then "IT'S BIG!"  It wasn't until we got it in the boat that the big 26.5" Flounder realized that it had been caught and began to go wild.  This fish put's Steve firmly in first place in the 2014 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings)  and is the biggest Flounder to date ever caught on the Anglers Mark!  Now that's the way to wrap up a fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida!
fishing.

The Beast Spooled Us

We had a great morning today to fish.  I could tell the humidity wasn't very high as I was hooking up and loading the boat.  I met Jim Petchar and his son Hunter down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made the run up Broward Island to make our first stop, fishing with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide.  The first spot wasn't so "hot".  The two anglers were working their baits perfectly but all we were able to catch were a couple of Croaker and a Catfish!  We then ran to Broward Island and here the
tide was still going out.  I think it was Jim's first cast up to the bank and BOOM! FISH ON!  This was a big fish!  It ran deep a couple of times and I was standing next to Jim watching the spool starting to show under the line!  We took a chance and tightened the drag just a bit and Jim worked it closer and closer to the boat.  It ran deep a couple of more times but Jim finally subdued the beast and we netted a nice 26.5"  "tournament" Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  We continued to fish the bank and Hunter landed a keeper sized Flounder, a feisty 9-spot Redfish and a couple of hungry Seatrout to claim his own Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  Jim made it a "Grande Slam" when he put a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum in the boat.  They each picked up a couple of small Redfish then we made a run back to Seymore's Pointe and set up along the rocks to fish with float rigs and live shrimp.  It took a few minutes but when the Snapper turned on, boy did they turn on!  The two anglers landed one after another and after an hour of fishing had their limit of Snapper up to 16".  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Down to the Last Shrimp

We fished out of the Fernandina Harbor Marina today, fishing with Ray Greco and his two friends John and Chip.  The tide was coming in but the oysters were still showing so we headed around to fish the logs of Tiger Island with jigs and live shrimp.  The anglers had only been fishing for just a few minutes when John had a strong hookup and, FISH ON!  He played the fish patiently and as it ran towards some submerged limbs, gently steered it away to deeper water.  After a good battle he landed a nice 20" Slot Redfish - what a great way to start a fishing trip!  We fished the area for a while longer, had some good bites, caught a few hungry Seatrout, and a Black "puppy" Drum, then Chip landed a keeper sized Flounder to quickly round out an Amelia Island Back Country "Grande" Slam of
Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder, and Drum.  As it turned out the trio of anglers had a friendly "tournament" going on to see who had the most fish for the day and they stayed neck-and-neck through out the trip.  We made a run up to Jolley River where Ray picked up another Seatrout early then they had a feisty Jack Crevalle.    We went up further into Jolley, caught a nice Croaker and a Seatrout, then made a final run to the outside of Tiger to fish the now flooded oysters and marsh grass.  The "tournament" was heating up as the day winded down.  Chip battled a nice Bonnethead Shark,  John picked up another Jack,  Ray got a Seatrout, then another Flounder.  It had come down to the wire and on the last Shrimp Ray caught another Flounder to claim the "Championship" for 2014!  And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Rainy Day Fishing

I had a trip set up this morning and as I hooked up the boat it was drizzling rain.  But the radar on my cell phone showed it clearing so I grabbed some live shrimp at the bait store and met Bob and Butch Solomon down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp.  We headed up to fish the Horsehead area on the last couple of hours of the incoming tide.  The first stretch of Marsh Grass produce a few good bites, with Bob landing the first fish, a hungry Seatrout and then he followed that up with a keeper sized Trout.  Both anglers had brief encounters with slashing Shark then Butch had a good

hookup.  We could tell this was a bigger fish and not a shark!  Butch played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed a nice 20.25" big Seatrout!  We continued to fish the area, had some good bites, landed a small Jack Crevalle and a couple of Ladyfish, then headed around to fish the Nassau River and ran....right into a rain storm!  We all grabbed ponchos and rain jackets and settled in at Seymore's Pointe to fish the rocks with live shrimp under floats.  I took just a few minutes and then those floats started going under with almost every cast.  Once we got the hang of it we started landing fat Mangrove Snapper with many of them being of keeper size.  The ran came down in huge drops, sometimes steady, sometimes heavy, and always a drizzle. But these experienced anglers were here to fish and fish we did!  We went through all of our bait and had a nice box full of fish before we called it a day, another great (albeit wet) day to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

A Flurry at the End

Ricky Williams was back at Amelia Island and had his two sons Riley and Cooper and a friend of theirs, Ian.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock and headed up river to fish the outside of Tiger Island just as the tide had halted coming in.  The anglers were tossing live mud minnows under floats and although we were seeing a lot of feeding activity, they had no real bites.  We moved on around to the mouth of Tiger and here the action picked up.  Cooper and Ricky found some hungry Seatrout back behind the boat and began to get
regular hook ups. We eased the boat back and the Trout action picked up.   We made a stop behind Tiger Island and on the first cast Ian was on the board with a nice Seatrout.  Although the anglers had some good bites there weren't any more fish to be had so we made a run around to the Jolley River to fish the now exposed oysters.  This did the trick because almost immediately all of the anglers were hooking up with fish.  Both Cooper and Ricky boated keeper sized Slot Redfish, Ian landed a keeper sized Flounder, and all of the anglers had Seatrout.  Both Cooper and
Riley picked up some keeper sized Flounder to give three of the anglers their own Amelia Island Back Country Slam!  We fished the bank and had non stop action until time to head in and then counted it as another great day to be fishing Amelia Island back waters!

Big Shark on Light Tackle

I met Ken Alderfer and his two sons Kenny and J.D. yesterday morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp.  We ran up the Amelia River and into the Horsehead area to fish the very first of an outgoing tide.  The anglers were fishing live shrimp and mud minnows under float rigs and had a couple of bites but no takers.  We hit another stretch of flooded marsh grass as the tide started out and began to get some nibbles.  Ken picked up a small Redfish and then Kenny had a good bite up near the grass.  He played the fish perfectly and landed a slightly short but nice Redfish.  Later, J.D.

was fishing a jig on the bottom and had a strong hookup.  His rod bent double and the drag sang, FISH ON!  The big fish almost immediately went to the stern of the boat and ran deep.  I was pretty sure it was a shark the way it was running, but I've been wrong!  J.D.  patiently played the big fish that took us deep then shallow then ran up river then back down.  But J. D. kep the pressure on and after a good long battle he landed a 3'+ Bonnethead Shark.  We continued to fish the bank and Ken Sr. landed two hard fighting Jack Crevalle.  After making a stop at Twin Creeks with no luck,

we made a run down to Broward Island where the anglers picked up a few small-but-fun-to-catch Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters!

Defending His Title

The Pleasant family were back in town  this week and I fished with them on Wednesday.  William and Shannon, their son Alex and friend Eli met me down at the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina. Alex was last years winner of the Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category with a 33.5" Redfish and was back to defend his title!  We headed north to fish the Jolley River on the first of an outgoing tide with mud minnows under float rigs.   The anglers picked up a handful of small Redfish, a Bluefish, and
tangled with a couple of Ladyfish.  We fished further up the river at Snook Creek but had no real bites, then made a run around to Bell River.  Here, Alex put a nice keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and just as we were about to leave Eli hooked up and caught a nice 16" keeper sized Flounder.  After a short break we fished the south end of the island, making our first stop at some structure to fish an incoming tide.  Shannon, Eli and William both put keeper sized Snapper in the boat while Alex landed a just-short Redfish.  We then ran to Broward Island to fish the downed logs.  I think it was
only a cast or two and BOOM, FISH ON!   Shanon had a good hookup,  played the fish patiently and put a 20" Slot Red in the boat. As we were de-hooking her fish, Eli followed that up with one of equal size.  The anglers eventually put one more Slot Red in the boat.  Alex was still working on his Big fish and he wasn't to be denied!  When his rod bent double and drag began to rip we knew he had a big one on!  He played the fish from bow to stern and back.  The fish ran deep but Alex kept the pressure on and after a long battle landed a 27"+ oversized Redfish!  Boy what a fish!  William was quietly fishing at the rear of the boat and caught a keeper sized Flounder, then another.  Alex followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder of his own.  The day had started out slow but wrapped up nicely with some great fishing here in the back waters of Amelia Island!

First, Biggest, Most, Prettiest and Most Unusual

I had the opportunity to fish with the Peterson family again, Mindy and Buddy and their two sons Jack and Ben.  They had a friendly wager going to with winners being recognized for the First fish caught, the Biggest fish caught, the Most fish caught and the Most Unusual fish caught.  While we were out there we added the "Prettiest" fish caught to the list!  Our first stop was at Manatee Cove and after the anglers had a few nibbles Jack knocked the "skunk off the boat" by landing a small Flounder, caught on a mud minnow under a float on a high and outgoing tide.  We then made a

run around to Jolley River and fished the "bank", switching to jigs and minnows.  This heated things up.  Buddy landed a feisty Redfish then Ben got on the board with a hungry Seatrout.  From then on it was neck and neck between Ben and Buddy as to who was going to get the most fish for the day, with the lead changing a few times throughout the trip.  Mindy caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle which was dubbed the Prettiest fish of the day.  But Ben was on fire and when he had a solid hookup we knew it was a bigger fish.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a nice Slot sized Redfish!  Buddy picked up another Flounder to claim Most Unusual (siting fine print in the rule book over Jack's smaller Flounder).  The anglers fished the bank and landed a few more feisty Reds, another Trout, and a Croaker.  We moved further up the river, fished Snook Creek, but hand no real bites, moved around to the MOA and again, no real bites. But we picked up some finger mullet with the cast net and then made our last stop around at Bell River.  Here young Ben secured the "Most" and "Biggest" title by landing another Slot Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Knockin the Door Down on Bragging Rights

We've had outstanding weather this week for fishing out of Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, Florida.  I met Bill Kennedy, his son Scott, and his son-in-law Ricky down at the Atlantic Seafood dock and as we ran north there was actually a cool tingle to the air and slightly overcast skies.  We made our first stop at Jolley Bank, fishing an outgoing tide,  and within minutes Ricky had knocked the "skunk" off, landing a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  From then on the anglers stayed busy catching small "rat" Reds, a
couple of small Trout, a Blue, a Jack Crevalle, and a Whiting,  then Bill added a keeper sized Flounder to the box.  He also picked up a nice keeper sized Seatrout, too.  Scott had probably the biggest fish on for a short 15 seconds but there's a reason why it is big - it burrowed in the oysters and cut itself off!    We continued to fish Jolley Bank, catching a good handful of the small Redfish, then made a run around to Tiger Island.   Both Bill and Scott put bigger Redfish in the boat then Ricky had another hookup and when the fish stayed on the bottom we knew it was a big flounder.  He played the fish patiently and after a good battle landed a 20.25" Flounder, putting him in first place in The Anglers Mark 2014 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category! (Scroll down right side of this report for standings).  We fished the whole area, picked up a couple of smaller Flounder, then another keeper sized Seatrout before we made one last stop at the Fort Clinch jetties.  Scott landed a few Rock Bass then Bill put a 16" Flounder in the boat.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out fishing Amelia Island waters!

The Redfish Kept Getting Bigger

I fished this morning with Lisa Alexander, her son Danny and their friend Oleg.  I believe Oleg has traveled the furthest to fish with me, visiting Florida from Russia!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock early and headed up to the Jolley River to fish a large creek mouth with a few hours left in an outgoing tide.  The anglers were getting nibbles and Danny put the first fish in the boat, a small, but feisty Redfish.  We moved back to the mouth of Jolley and fished a long oyster bank.  Lisa landed another small Redfish, Oleg caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, and then Lisa had a good battle with a

huge Seatrout that proved wily enough to avoid getting netted!  We also had a keeper sized Flounder to the boat and it too figured out to throw the hook!  Our next stop was at Tiger Island and after a slow start, the bite picked up to provide some really good action.  Danny put a good Redfish in the boat then he had another one on when Oleg's rod bent over and we had a double!  Both young anglers did great - we first netted Oleg's keeper sized Sheepshead then we landed Danny's slot sized Red.  We continued to fish the deep water, had another Flounder to the boat, caught a couple of small

Reds, then Oleg landed another slot Redfish.  Lisa wrapped it up with the biggest Sheepshead of the day.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!