Fishing the Exposed Oyster Beds

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Dale and Kay Bullard, meeting them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning. After a brief safety orientation, we headed up the intercoastal waterway to dip into Jackstaff Creek. The two anglers were tossing jigs and mud minnows to the exposed oysters on the last of an outgoing tide and had some good, strong bites. Both Kay and Dale had fish at the boat and both were good sized, but they threw the hook. We fished one bank then a sandbar and did "knock the skunk off" with a fat Seatrout. We ran through Horsehead and
over to Bubblegum Reef, fished it thoroughly, but only had a slimy Catfish. We motored north for a 100 yards and began pitching to the oysters and this did the trick. Dale had a strong hookup, played it patiently, and soon landed a keeper sized Sheepshead. And shortly after that he put a feisty Redfish in the boat. Going back to the same cut in the oysters, Dale had another big bite, and a bigger fish. He worked the big fish to the boat and kept he pressure on and soon landed a keeper sized Slot Redfish. We worked that bank then ran down to Broward Island to fish the incoming tide, which is usually the best. But the wind was coming right down alongside the island and kicking up mud along the bank and we had no bites. We made our last stop at Seymore's Pointe and "played chess" with the Mangrove Snapper, catching a good handful to round out an always fun trip fishing with the Bullards here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Trout Leads to Banner Day

I had the pleasure of fishing again with Dennis Brizzi and his buddy Hal today and boy what a beautiful one it was!  I met Dennis and Hal out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early and we headed back up the Nassau River to fish the Horsehead area on the very first of an incoming tide.  I think it was the first fish of the day when Dennis had a hookup fishing a jig and live shrimp on the bottom over some old oyster shells and it was a big one! He fought it patiently - I was thinking big Jack Crevalle...or maybe a nice
Redfish...and it turned out to be a big fat Seatrout! Boy what a fish! We fished the area for a while and both Dennis and Hal caught some hard fighting Jack Crevalle's, added a Black "puppy" Drum and a big Catfish then we worked down the oyster bed, still tossing the live shrimp. Hal hooked up and landed two keeper sized Seatrout. There was all kinds of bait moving in as we eased along the oysters then Hal had a good hookup, a good fight and soon landed a Slot sized 20" Redfish. While he was fighting it I saw another blow out of the area. Later we saw two Redfish tails up near the marsh grass but just like yesterday, they wouldn't take our bait. We fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe then worked our way down the rocks and here the fish catching got fast and furious. The two anglers had switched to float rigs and live shrimp and took turns hauling in hard fighting Mangrove Snapper. They caught 'em until time to go! It was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Big Jacks Kick Things Off

We had a real pretty morning today -sunshine and just a slight breeze -that greeted us when I met Tony Pozniak and his buddy Chip down at the Big Talbot Island  Park boat ramp. After a quick safety orientation, we ran north and up the Nassau River to make our first stop at some old oyster banks as the tide was coming in. In just a few casts Tony had a strong hookup and, FISH ON!  This was a hard fighting fish but Tony kept the pressure on and let the rod do all the work. After a good battle he landed a nice Jack Crevalle. And minutes later at the stern Chip had a strong hook up and
another big FISH ON!  He too worked the fish patiently and after some good strong runs, he landed another of the big Jacks. We worked down the bank and the duo picked up a keeper sized Seathrout and found a hungry Black "puppy" Drum. We saw a number of Bonnethead Shark and came across two Redfish tailing up near the oysters but they wouldn't eat what we were tossing. We fished some dock pilings at Seymore's Pointe and landed a feisty Redfish before finding some rocks to fish and here the action got fast and furious. The two anglers played cat and mouse with some hungry Snapper and the anglers came out on top, putting nine keeper sized Snapper in the boat in addition to a number of smaller ones. We fished the mouth of Jackstaff as the day ended and although the conditions were perfect, the fish had stopped biting, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Variety Increases as The Water Warms

We fished three boats today with the Scott Jones group, meeting down at the City marina early with plans to fish the last couple of hours of the incoming tide. I had associates Dod and Larkin on my boat and we headed south down the intercoastal to fish the Horsehead area. Dod was slinging a fly and Larkin was using live shrimp under a float rig when we made our first stop at Twin Creeks. After one strong hookup and "quick release", Larkin hooked up again and landed a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. Dod was
making pinpoint casts, and some fairly long ones too, but he had no takers. We jumped over to Seymore's Pointe and here the action heated up.  Larkin landed one after the other Mangrove Snapper with a good handful being of keeper size. We found that Dod could put his fly right next to the live shrimp and the Snapper would eat the shrimp but not the fly. I think we went through 5 different flies and still had not takers, even though they would hit a shrimp each time. Darn it. We ran down to Christopher Creek, fished it thoroughly with no takers, then ran back and through Horsehead to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish the first of an outgoing tide. Larkin landed a big Bluefish, tangles with a Lady fish, landed a hungry Seatarout and a small Flounder before we ran back to the docks of Seymore's Pointe to wrap up with a small but hard fighting juvenile Grouper. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing Amelia Island waters.

Gettin The Boys Out Fishing

I fished with the Kenner family today, Kari and Shannon and their two young sons Mclain and Hudson, meeting them this morning down at the Atlantic Seafood dock with plans to fish the last of an incoming tide. Kari and Shannon are owners of the local business Waxhead Sun Defense products.  We ran north and made our first stop outside of Tiger Island and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp. Kari "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a high flying Ladyfish, the "poor man's Tarpon". We made our next stop further around Tiger and here both Mclain and Hudson got in on the action,
expertly reeling in a couple of hungry Seatrout. We fished the area thoroughly then ran through Tiger Basin and over to Bell River to set up alongside a grassy point with the tide still coming in. The anglers had some good bites here and picked up another Trout or two. Our next stop was over in Lanceford Creek and now that the tide had started out I was expecting some fish to bite for sure, and a few did! After getting a couple of smaller, hungry Trout and a couple of Pinfish, we had  a strong bite, strong enough to cause the drag to rip, and FISH ON! Mclain and Hudson teamed up on this one with Mac holding the rod while did the reeling. After a good battle they landed a nice keeper sized 18" Seatrout. We fished some oyster beds on the way back to the marina and had a big hookup, some drag that ripped, the big fish ran,  and a breakoff, OUCH! Kari wrapped it up when she landed a nice Black "puppy" Drum. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island waters.

We Squeezed in a Trip

After looking at the weather forecast last night we decided to move up a fishing trip today, going 30 minutes earlier and getting in some fishing before the rain storms came through. I met Robert Elarbee and his brother down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made a run up the Nassau River in a slight amount of fog to fish some flooded marsh grass on the last of an incoming tide with live shrimp and float rigs. I think our first cast produced a nice 20" Seatrout! We fished the area pretty good and picked up another Trout, a nice Redfish, some Jack Crevalle's and a couple of Ladyfish. We then
worked the bank and Robert hooked up and landed a Big 22" Seatrout (putting him tied for first in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournement-Seatrout Category) Scroll down the right side of this report for standings. They then landed a fat 25" Slot Redfish before we headed over to Seymore's Pointe where we got into a mess of Mangrove Snapper, some of which were of keeper size. Our next stop was over in Jackstaff and here they had some good bites before Robert hauled in one more Slot Redfish. It was a good day of fishing with a good variety of keeper sized fish caught here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Picked Up a Few Reds

I fished this morning with Tandy Morton and his buddy Tommy, meeting them out at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin and then heading south and into Jackstaff to fish a large marsh runout on the first of an outgoing tide with float rigs and live shrimp. The two anglers had a small bite here and there but no takers so we eased along the marsh grass, pitching as we went. Tandy said he saw a big wake, tossed his bait and had a really strong hookup, FISH ON! And just seconds later, Tommy had a hookup, too. Then Tommy's came off, but he quickly  baited while Tandy was fighting his fish and went back to the marsh grass and had another hookup! We had a double. Tandy patiently landed his fish, a nice 25" Redfish then Tommy put his in the boat, another Slot sized 20" Red. We finished that bank, fished another, found a big Stingray and a Bonnethead Shark, then ran through Horsehead and to Seymore's Pointe. I wanted to see if the Mangrove Snapper were still here, and sure enough, they were. The two anglers landed a handful of them, but they're still only about 8-9" long, too little to keep. We fished some docks after that, had no real bites, then crossed and eased along and old oyster bed. Tommy got hot when he put a keeper sized Trout in the boat, a big Jack Crevalle, and a big Ladyfish. Tandy got in on the action when he went to a float rig and caught one more Slot Redfish. After picking up a small Black "puppy" Drum, some bad weather moved in so we ran north and counted it a another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Another Banner Day of Fishing

After a long month of having to work for our fish, we've finally had some pretty good fishing days lately. I fished with Ryan and Jack Garner along with their friend Tom, meeting them out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp early this morning. We made a run through Horsehead and set up to fish the mouth of Jackstaff. Ryan had a topwater lure, Jack had a jig and shrimp and Tom took the stern with a float rig and shrimp. We fished a good stretch of bank but it was Tom who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up
and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. All three anglers switched to jigs when fished a point of grass and Tom hooked up with a hard fighting fish, then Ryan did too, we had a double! Both played their fish patiently and eventually landed some nice Jack Crevalles. Before we left Tom landed a keeper sized Seatrout. We made our next stop over at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and here the fish catching really heated up. The trio put a good handful of Mangrove Snapper in the boat, Ryan added a Sheepshead, Tom got a feisty Redfish (making it a Grande Slam of Flounder, Trout, Sheepshead,
and Redfish) then Jack had a super strong bite, and FISH ON!  This was a big fish and took him from bow to stern and from starboard to port and back to the bow, and around again. It was a hard fighting fish but Jack kept the pressure on. After a good fight he landed a huge Jack Crevalle, one of the biggest landed on the Anglers Mark to date. We worked a few docks and picked up another Redfish or two, with one of them being of keeper size, then we crossed over to fish Bubblegum Reef. We had no real bites there but as we worked  down an old oyster bed Tom hooked up and landed another Slot Redfish. Then it was Ryan's turn at a big fish and we knew right off it was a big Red when it boiled up near shore. Ryan was real patient with the fish and let the rod do all the work and after a good battle, landed a "tourney sized" 26.75" Redfish, boy what a fish! We hit a couple of more shell outcrops, picked up another Redfish and a handful of Ladyfish, then wrapped the day up with a long battle with a 4' Bonnethead Shark. Now that's the way to end a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Fast Start, Good Variety, and a Slam

Charles Land and his friend Mike drove down late last night for an early morning fishing trip and we all were greeted with a beautiful day to wind down and get some fishing in here at Amelia Island. I met them at the City dock and we headed over to Eagans Creek to fish the last couple of hours of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before Mike "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. The two anglers had some good bites for a good while, landing another Trout or two then Charles had a strange bite up near some oysters. This was a nice fish and
Charles kept the pressure on, working it patiently to the boat - and landed a keeper sized 18.25" Flounder, a big enough fish to move him into first place in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  Mike had an even bigger bite up under some pilings but there was no stopping this fish - it went through the pilings and broke itself off - it didn't get big by being stupid! We worked an oyster lined bank and Mike picked up another keeper sized Trout then he found a keeper sized Flounder of his own.  Our next stop was over at Tiger Island and within minutes of fishing Mike found a feisty 3-spot Redfish to round out the duo's Amelia Island Back Country Slam and they also reeled in a small Black "puppy" Drum to make it a "grande" Slam! Our final stop was up at Jolley River and here they tangled with some large Ladyfish, the poor man's Tarpon. Charles put one more Trout in the boat then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Going South For Big Fish

We switched it up today, fishing out of Goffinsville Park out in Nassauville. I met local resident Jeff Shiver early and we made our first stop down at Broward Island with plans to fish the downed logs with jigs and live shrimp. We worked the area thoroughly for about an hour but had no real bites, even though the conditions were right and it was a beautiful morning.  Our next stop was back at Horsehead, fishing some exposed old oysters and structure and this did the trick. Jeff started it off by hooking up and landing a
large Jack Crevalle - fun to catch - but not necessarily good to eat - unless you were on a deserted island! Shortly after that we had a strong bite and after a good battle, landed a thick 26" Slot Sized Redfish. And minutes later Jeff had another strong bite - he played it patiently and let the rod do all the work - and slowly worked in a big 21.5" Sheepshead, a fish that puts Jeff in a commanding lead in the Anglers Mark 2016 Bragging Rights Tournament - Sheepshead category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).  Then he hooked up and played an even bigger Redfish, this one measuring in at 26.5", a "Tournament Red"!  We continued to fish the oyster bed and picked up a couple of more small but feisty Redfish then we moved over to fish some docks. The bite was almost immediate. Jeff reeled in some keeper sized Mangrove Snapper (the first of the year) and we also landed a 16" keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.  After putting a good handful of the Snapper in, we moved over to another dock and BOOM! Another fish bite. Jeff put two more keeper sized Redfish and a couple of Snapper. Our last stop was fishing some rocks at Seymore's Pointe and again, Mangrove Snapper. It was a great day, almost a ":banner day", to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.