Lower Tide Makes For Better Fishing

Back to fishing after a long Thanksgiving weekend! Doug Mackle had set up a trip to fish with his friends Bruce and Paul and we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp. The morning started out with just a slight breeze and clear skies as we ran up to the Jolley River with plans to fish a large outflow with float rigs and live shrimp. We had timed the trip to begin a tad bit later and catch the outgoing tide, but my timing was off - it was still coming in...and we had just a bite or two at that first stop. We dropped back and fished Jolly
Bank and again, just a nibble here and there. We came further back and fished the outside of Tiger, had a some better bites and finally, a fish! Paul had something big roll at his bait and take it and as he was re-baiting, Doug went in and BOOM! FISH ON! We could tell by the way the fish kept rolling up that it was big. The drag was ripping and the fish was holding its ground. But Doug kept the pressure on and worked it slowly to the boat and after a good battle, landed a nice oversized 27.5" Redfish. Boy what a way to knock the skunk off! After that we picked up a couple of Seatrout then we
moved on around to behind Tiger and here things really heated up. The trio of anglers began to pick up some Black "puppy" Drum, with a few keeper sized, they landed a handful of Redfish, many right at 17 3/4", but a couple in the Slot, then Bruce started finding keeper sized Trout out deep, slowly bouncing a jig down deep on the bottom. What started as a very slow day turned out to be a good day of fishing when the water got lower on the outgoing tide.
We counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Are Biting

My final fishing trip of the week was with Candice Horton, her husband Shawn, and their son Jonathan. I met them down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early this morning and it was a tad bit warmer than it has been this week. We made a run up the Nassau River and stopped to fish a large marsh run out with jigs and shrimp and mud minnows  on a tide that had been going out a few hours. Within minutes the whole trio of anglers were catching fish. They landed a good handful of Trout, with most of them slightly undersized, but they did catch one that was of legal size. We moved
down the river to an oyster edge, fished it thoroughly, and picked up one more keeper sized Trout. Our next stop was way around to Broward Island where the tide was still going out. Again, they found Trout, a good handful of them.  I felt sure we'd get a Red or a Black Drum  but it seemed like Trout were going to be the fish of the day until Shawn had a strong hookup and, FISH ON! After patiently working the fish to the boat he landed a nice 20" Slot Sized Redfish. We bounced down the island and both Jonathan and Candice added  keeper sized Trout to the boat, and Shawn put

another one in, too. Our last stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe here, Candice landed another Trout and then had an unbelievable BIG fish on for a while, but it got through the pilings, bound it tight, and broke the leader off, OUCH! But it was a good fight and made a great way to wrap up a fun fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Thanksgiving Grande Slam

Pete Nolan had his daughter out fishing today during their
Thanksgiving holiday. Taylor, Tatum and Sidney were all dressed for the cool morning as we headed up Lanceford Creek to fish some dock pilings with live shrimp and mud minnows. The tide was still going out as the anglers began to slowly fish the bottom and it wasn't long before they hooked up with fish. I thought we'd be getting Redfish but it was Seatrout that they were catching, and a few of them were of keeper size. Taylor "knocked the skunk off",
catching the first Trout, then both Sidney and Tatum put a couple in the boat, too.  As the tide hit bottom the bite slowed so we ran around to the outside of Tiger and fished some structure. Things heated up here. They caught a couple of feisty Redfish then Pete hauled in a nice Slot sized one. They picked up a couple of Trout, added a small but fun to catch
Black "puppy" Drum, then Pete rounded out the Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam when he boated a couple of Flounder, one of them of keeper size. We made a final run up to Jolley River and Sidney landed another handful of Trout.  It was a beautiful day that ended with a very comfortable temperature which made it  another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Cold Morning, Red Hot Fishing

Talk about a nip in the air!  It was downright cool this morning, with the temperature hovering right around 40 degrees when I met Bruce and Sharla Newkirk and their adult son Tyson down at the City marina. We eased out of the marina and made a run up Lanceford Creek with plans to fish some docks as the tide started back in. There wasn't a cloud in the sky when we started fishing, the tide was low and coming in, and the conditions were perfect for some Amelia Island Back Country fishing. However, the fish didn't get the message! The three anglers were making excellent casts and
they did pick up a few fish, two of them being keeper sized Seatrout, but it wasn't the action I was hoping for. We made a run over to Bell River and found some structure to fish and this did the trick. They started hooking up with Redfish and they got bigger and bigger the more they caught them! Just when I thought things would slow down, BOOM! Another big fish on! Then the Black "puppy" Drum started biting and they caught them for awhile. Then Bruce, who was quietly experimenting out deep, started catching Seatrout with a couple of them coming in at around 19". Sharla was
holding  up her end of the boat, catching Slot Reds and she added a 19" Drum to the catch. Bruce put a keeper sized Flounder in the  boat which gave them a "Grande Slam" of Redfish, Black Drum, Seatrout and Flounder. We caught fish for about two and half hours in that one spot but eventually the bite slowed to nothing as the tide and sun got up, so with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

First Cold Day But We Caught Fish

Kinda cool this morning..cool enough that I went back to the truck for another layer! I met Will Wingate and his son Gabe down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and we made a short run up the Nassau River and began fishing some exposed oysters with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. Both anglers were  making excellent casts and after a short distance they had a hookup. Young Gabe reeled it in expertly and landed a nice feisty Redfish. But a wind had already picked up and made things difficult so we ran further up the river to fish some docks as
Seymore's Pointe. This helped somewhat - they caught another Red or two and Gabe added a hungry Seatrout to the mix. We then ran down to Broward Island and the timing was perfect - the tide was just changing to come back in - and we had a lull in the west wind - and the fish bite got hot! The duo caught Redfish, Redfish, Redfish then after we thought were some "baitstealer" bites, they hooked up and landed two keeper sized Sheepshead, rounding out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Sheepshead. They had a "double" catch at least once...then as quickly as the bite started it stopped! We ran back to Goffinsville and fished some docks, found one Trout then finished up fishing some float rigs over in the Horsehead area. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Banner Morning For Reds and Blacks

Although we need some rain, you just can't beat these beautiful mornings we're having! I met Drew Sirianni, his dad Andy, and his son Vincent, up at the newly opened Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp and we made a the run over to Lanceford Creek to fish some structure as the tide started back in. It only took about 5 minutes before the trio began getting bites with Andy "knocking the skunk off" when he landed a feisty Redfish. They were having to re-bait( we were using day-old shrimp) almost every cast due to the
"baitstealers" but it paid off because they worked thru them and got big fish. In between smaller Reds they'd pick up a keeper sized Slot Red and just when we thought that bite was done they got into some nice Black "puppy" Drum, many of them of keeper size, up to 20". So was a banner morning for catching, Reds, and Blacks, and then Vincent put a really nice Sheepshead in the boat. Finally, the catching slowed so we headed over to the Jolley River and fished the "bank". These anglers already had a "Slam" of Redfish, Black Drum and Sheepshead, and they made it a "Grande" Slam when
they picked up a couple of Seatrout. Vincent topped it off with a well played catch of Bonnethead Shark. After hitting another spot further up the Jolley, we ran to the outside of Tiger Island, fished some flooded oysters with floats, had  not luck, then wrapped the day up closer to the boat ramp, with a two-Blue(fish) catch. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

LIght Tackle Shark

We had a outstandingly beautiful morning today- clear skies, sunshine, a slight breeze and low 50's temperatures. I met Ken Price, his wife Becky and their adult kids Ashley and Taylor up at the Eagans Creek boat ramp located at Leaders and Sinkers and we eased out of the creek to then make a run up to the Jolley River to fish the "bank" on an incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp. We worked the bank thoroughly and it was Ashley who "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a nice hungry Seatrout. We ran
further up the river, fished another marsh line, had a few nibbles, but no takers, then ran back to the outside of Tiger Island. Again, we fished a nice marsh runout with no luck then hit another spot and finally, things heated up. The three anglers began to catch a Trout here and there...Taylor put a couple in the boat, Ken caught a couple, and Ashley caught a couple. At one time they all three had a Trout on the line. Ken fished the deep side of a point and had a nice hookup. This was a bigger fish and after working it in patiently, we netted a nice 20" Seatrout. We bounced across a creek and while Ashley and Taylor worked the floats, Ken tossed a jig out to deeper water. We were about to leave when Kens rod bent double, the drag began to rip, and FISH ON! This was a big fish! He kept the rod up and pressure on as the fish ran to deeper water. We got all the lines in then began to chase the fish. My rods are 6'6" long with size 1000 Shimano Stradic reels with 10lb braid and it was all Ken could do to keep the big fish hooked up. But he played him perfectly and after a protracted battle, landed a 4' long 25lb Bonnethead Shark. Now that was a fish fight! We ran around to the Bell River where Ashley picked up one more Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Slow But Steady Makes a Good Mess of Fish

Wow what a beautiful day it was today! Cool, sunny, and just a slight breeze. Due to the "Super Moon" and high tides, we put off fishing until 11am this morning when I met Betsy Nagle and her fellow anglers Jo and Sally down at the Eagans Creek boat ramp. We made a short run around to the outside of Tiger Island and began tossing float rigs with live shrimp under float rigs. Although we had few bites, Sally was able to "knock the skunk off" when she landed a hungry Seatrout. We ran further up the shoreline, fished a beautiful run out, but it was really ripping with the outflow of water
and we had no real bites. We eased around and into the Jolley River and began to work the "bank" and it wasn't long before Jo had a good hookup and, FISH ON! This was a  nice fish and she worked it in patiently. After a good battle, Jo landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. But after that, no real bites! We ran further up the Jolley, fished both sides of Snook Creek, and here it was Sally that had the big hookup. This was a REALLY big fish! I guessed shark a couple of times, switched my guess to big Red, then back to Shark. Sally kept the pressure on, worked the big fish slowly to the boat, and
landed a 4'+ long Bonnethead Shark. We ran around to the MOA, and almost immediately Betsy had a good bite. Another Big fish on! She played it perfectly and landed a 20" Slot Redfish, then followed that up with a hungry Seatrout. We made a stop at some docks in Bell River, picked up a Trout (and a squid!, then made the run back to the boat ramp, making one more stop at the mouth of Bell River. In quick succession, the trio landed a hungry Trout, a keeper sized Weakfish and Whiting, and then Betsy wrapped it up with a 18" Trout. Now that's the way to finish a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Double Slot Reds

Although it was a raw looking morning today, my guests were game to get out on the water and get some fishing in. I met Anthony and Cindy Alejondro, her dad Ron and their son Amadeus down at the City marina and we ran up Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded marsh grass on the first of an outgoing tide, tossing live shrimp under float rigs. Although the bite started slow, things picked up when the anglers began to get their rigs out beyond the grass. Grandpa Ron "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a
hungry Seatrout, then Cindy followed that up with a keeper sized one. Anthony had one almost to the boat, but it shook the hook. Ron and Cindy had the father-daughter duo going when they put a couple of more trout in the boat, each. The bite shut off like someone flipping a switch so we eased back, fished some docks with jigs, tangled with bait stealers, then ran around to fish the outside of Tiger Island.  Young Amadeus had made an excellent cast up to a shallow area but it appeared he was hung  up in the oysters. He pulled it off and BOOM! FISH ON! We could tell this was a bigger fish because his drag was ripping. Amadeus kept the pressure on and worked the fish into the boat, a nice 20" Slot Redfish! We fished the area for a while, picking up a couple of Trout, then ran on up to the Jolley River. Amadeus found his second Slot Redfish and his Grandpa Ron landed a Red, too. They added a keeper sized Seatrout along the way. We finished the trip fishing a couple of more spots up in Jolley. The sun came out and warmed things up as we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Weakfish? Sand Trout? White Trout? Yellow Mouth Trout?

Nassau County is home to a special management area for Weakfish. I've found that identifying them is difficult. Now I know why! I found this on line...

There is a difference between the weakfish and the "yellow mouth" trout but that difference may not be determined visually.

Researchers at FWC's Fish and Wildlife Reasearch Institute (formerly Florida Marine Research Institute - FMRI) have recently confirmed the presence of the sand seatrout on Florida's East coast from the St Mary's River through the Jacksonville area down to the Indian River Lagoon. Before this discovery it was thought that the sand seatrout was found only on Florida's west coast. The summary bullet points of an in-house report on a genetic study of the distribution of the weakfish and sand seatrout in Florida are listed below.

1. The geographic and reproductive ranges of weakfish and sand seatrout overlap along the Atlantic coast of north and central Florida.

2. Sand seatrout may be the predominant inshore species of the weakfish / sand seatrout duo in Florida Atlantic estuaries northward to the mouth of the St Johns River.

3. Individuals exhibiting the genetic characteristics of hybrids were identified.

4. Visual identification of these two trout species in the Florida Atlantic, even by experienced biologists, may be tenuous.

I learned from personal communication with the chief scientist on this project that the weakfish of the St Johns River may lose their typical striated color pattern, becoming plain silver colored like the sand seatrout. The hybrid species is also unmarked. Genetics is the only sure way to identify these fish accurately. This poses real potential enforcement problems with regards to bag limits. Please check with FWC Law Enforcement with regards to how they are handling enforcement of the weakfish regs.

Eric Sander
Recreational Fishing Surveys
Fisheries Dependent Monitoring
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
 
And, from the FWC website...

Weakfish Management Zone:

The Weakfish Management Zone includes state waters from the Florida-Georgia line to the southernmost tip of Amelia Island, the inland waters of Nassau County and the St. Marys River and its tributaries east of Highway 17, north of State Highway 200A and north of the Shave Bridge on the Amelia River.

 

Daily bag limit is (1) per person and it can be no smaller than 12" in total length. This Includes weakfish-like fish including weakfish, sand seatrout and hybrids of the two.

 

We caught two today! The tide was extremely high so we had to postpone our start time until

9:30am.  Once we got out fishing, the winds were blowing at 15mph so we had some difficult fishing. But my two anglers, father and son team John and Jack Griffin, stuck it out and picked up a handful of Speckled Seatrout and two of these Weakfish.