High Tide Big Red

I had the pleasure to fish again with Frontis Clark and he brought along his brother Greer and our plans to leave early to have a shot at some fish before the tide got too high on a morning when the setting moon looked full. We ran around and up the Bell River for just a short distance and fished some flooded oyster shells with live shrimp under a float. Frontis knocked the skunk off when he put a couple of hungry Seatrout in the boat. We bounced back to the outside of Tiger Island and fished the floats again, but even though we had a few nibbles, there were no good bites. We crossed over to
fish the outside of Little Tiger and just when I thought there would be no action, Frontis had a strong hookup, one that was ripping his drag, and just as he was getting in to the battle, FISH OFF! Darn it! I was going to head over to Lanceford Creek to fish the first of an outgoing tide but we made a stop at the Tiger logs and boy were the stumps flooded! But these two anglers were making excellent casts to the pockets and after a while Frontis had another strong bite and, FISH ON! He played it patiently and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We continued to fish - Greer picked up a Seatrout then he had a good bite and RIIIIP, his drag was singing. This was a big fish!  I eased the boat out away from the logs as Greer applied the pressure. The big fish made a few deep runs but Greer worked him up slowly from the bottom and we eventually landed a 26.75" fat "Tournament" sized Redfish. Boy what a fish. We had a good flurry of Trout catching with one of them of keeper size, then ran around to fish some flooded grass in Lanceford Creek. We had no real bites, so we called it a day, another beautiful one to be out on the water at Amelia Island, Florida.

Out of the Blue

Wow! Another beautiful day here at Amelia Island, Florida!  I met Jack Dickens, his wife Julie and his sister Sparkle up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp and we headed out with a live well full shrimp with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide. At our first stop, we worked some dock pilings and both Jack and Sparkle hooked up and landed some feisty Redfish. We made a long run up the Bell River and fished some more dock pilings but we found our fish our deep. Julie was working a slip float out the back and put a good handful of Seatrout in the boat while Jack and Sparkle tossed  jigs and shrimp up current and they too had some Trout. Our next stop around at the mouth of the Jolley produced no real bites. The tide was right with the oysters showing but the wind had picked up and was blowing out of the south and right down the river. We made one more run around to Tiger Island.  The three anglers were making excellent casts and almost immediately began to get bites. Most were "baitstealers" but they picked up a Trout or two and then, out of the blue, Jack had a strong bite and, FISH ON! We could tell this was a nice size fish with the way it dug deep and bent the rod, but Jack was up to the task and played the big fish perfectly. After a good battle he landed a "not so puppy" 20"  Black puppy Drum. Now that was a nice fish. And shortly after that Sparkle had a strong bite. She too played the fish perfectly and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We continued to fish for a while, picked up a small Trout or two, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Patience Pays Off

Back to "work" today - fishing with Frank Boehm and his buddy Jack Severson this morning, where we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide. There were no live shrimp this morning so we went with mud minnows and a whole lot of optimism.  Our first stop was over at some docks at Eagans Creek and although these two angles were making pin point casts to the dock pilings, we had no real bites. We made the long run up Bells River and fished some more docks but it was
Frank that found the fish out deep as he was tossing his jig and minnow combo up current. Reeling it in slowly he had a hookup and put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. Then both anglers were catching, Jack followed it up with a Trout then Frank would land one the Jack would follow that up with one. We caught good handful before we moved on to seek bigger fish. Our next stop was at the MOA and although it was ideal conditions, we had no bites. We continued on around to Tiger Island, fished our jigs deep and finally, Frank had a bite and FISH ON! We could tell this was a big fish by the way the drag sang out and with Frank applying gentle pressure, he soon won the battle and landed a nice 26" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! We fished up and down the bank. Jack hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish, then Frank put a keeper sized Trout in the boat, then he hooked up and landed another 22" Slot Red. They had another Red or two then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Everybody's a Winner

Who would have thought we'd be fishing in shirtsleeves in February here at Amelia Island? It was a beautiful morning when I met Charlie Bailey and Marge down up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp. The tide was right at dead low so we ran up to Jolley River to fish the "bank" with jigs and live shrimp. Although the conditions were right with a first of an incoming tide, we had now real bites. We came back to Tiger Island and fished the deep water. Finally, Marge "knocked the skunk" off when she hooked up and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. A while later we had another good bite and
Charlie put a feisty Red in the boat. We ran around to Eagans Creek and fished some dock pilings and here things heated up a bit. Actually, Marge's first cast produced another Slot Red!  And maybe the second cast! Then both anglers were getting bites. Charlie put a Slot sized fish in the boat then Marge followed it up with one that had the most spots for the day, an 8-spotter. We had a good handful of Reds then the bite fell off to nothing. We hit one more dock, had no bites, then ran up Bell River just a short distance to fish some now flooded oysters with float rigs and shrimp.  Just when I thought it was about time to wrap things up Charlie's float drifted close by some marsh grass and won it went, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed  a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum. His next cast went to the same spot and BOOM!  Another big fish on! He battled it perfectly and soon landed the biggest Red of the day, a 21" Slot sized fish. When we tallied it all up, the duo had 5-6 Slot sized Reds in addition to the nice Black Drum. Marge had the first fish, the first Slot fish, and the one with the most spots. Charlie had the biggest Redfish and the most variety with the Black Drum. But the best thing yet was that it was a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Fishing With The Eagles

We went south today, where I met Roger Pickett and his fishing partner David. We launched from the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 1pm and headed over to the docks of Longpointe at the very first of an outgoing tide. Roger tossed out a slip float with live shrimp and David pitched a jig with shrimp and BOOM! David hooked up with a Trout on the first cast. Although Roger had a bite on the float, the Trout must have liked the shrimp right on the bottom because David picked up another one as we worked the docks. We then ran
up the Nassau River to fish some docks as the tide move out of the marsh. Both anglers were making pin point casts but the first dock produced no fish. After moving down to the second one, Roger put a Seatrout in the boat then we hooked up with a Redfish that was right at Slot size, and David put him in the boat. We fished down the dock line and back up and picked up a fish here and there - Roger got his Redfish that he was looking for and both anglers landed a good handful of Trout. Although all fish were released today, a few of the Trout were of keeper size. We made a final run
down to Broward Island and although the bite could have been better, Roger landed a couple of Trout with one of them being the biggest of the day, and David wrapped things up when he caught, fought and landed a nice Slot Sized Red. As the sun was going down we were treated to a Bald Eagle sighting - he was watching us the whole time, and with that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Low Tide Memories

You would have thought it was spring time for the first day in February, as pretty as a day it was. We elected to leave the jackets in the truck! I met Patti and Michael Cherniawki up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp at 1pm and we headed over to Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded grass with live shrimp and float rigs. Although we worked the area pretty good, we had no real bites. We made a stop at one of the docks on Lanceford and it wasn't long before we were getting bites. The first one was a big fish that didn't want to be caught, and he was smart enough to run through the pilings and
break the leader, OUCH!  But we stuck with it and soon Patti was fighting a nice fish. She worked the fish in patiently and as she was landing it, Michael had  a hookup - we had a "double"!  He played his fish perfectly and they both landed nice feisty Redfish. Patti's had  8 spots and was right at the legal limit. It would be a great fish to catch in next year's Redfish Spot Tournament. We  had a few more bites, then moved on, running up the Bell River to make a stop at some more docks. Here, the two anglers picked up a handful of Seatrout, with one of them being of keeper size. Our next stop was around on the Jolly River, fishing the MOA, but the current was still running a little swift and we had no real bites. We continued on around and into Tiger Basin with plans to fish the island. The tide had gotten low and as we went in we bumped bottom a couple of time but got through and fished. Pattie put a very nice 18" Sheepshead in the boat, they added another Redfish and Trout, and finished it off with a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum, giving them an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead, and Drum. The sun was going down and we headed back, but the day wasn't over yet! The low tide was extremely low and we had to work our way across the sand bar with the trolling motor. Although we'd stick once in a while,  the now incoming tide we'd eventually give us enough water and we'd move on, and eventually we made it over the bar and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Cebiche Peruvian

We were visiting Mt. Dora, Florida and had dinner at Mr. Cebiche in downtown Mt. Dora. The chef stopped by the table to answer any questions about the menu and when we told him we liked ceviche, he recommended their Cebiche and offered to give us his recipe! Here it is..

1 lb fresh fish/shrimp/seafood chopped
7-8 limes, halved and squeezed
1/4 tsp salt
1 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped finely
 Mix this with the fish. Lime juice should cover the fish. Put in refrigerator and stir occasionally.

1  celery stalk, chopped finely
1/4  orange or red bell pepper, remove all seeds, veins, chopped finely
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
1 Tbsp milk

Blend this together. When fish has turned from opaque to white, drain about half of the lime juice off. Mix this topping with fish. Garnish with some finely sliced purple onion slivers, cilantro leaves, and avocado. 

See more recipes HERE!

Fun Fishing Friday

 
 
I was able to get out and do some "fun" fishing Friday with my wife, launching at the south end boat ramp on a grey and windy afternoon. We headed up the Nassau River and got in behind a land mass with plans to fish some dock pilings, and with the wind blocked, it was quite pleasant. We had a bait well full of lively live shrimp and we began to toss a jig/shrimp combo up to the pilings. It took a few casts but we were able to hookup with a Slot sized Redfish, which Carol expertly reeled in. We worked the docks thoroughly and caught another Redfish and a handful of
baitstealers. Carol eased in an persistent Blue Crab and also picked up a hungry Seatrout. It was good to get out on the water. As we headed in the skies had an awesome cloud cover.

Casting a Spinning Rod

Here's my two cents worth..

January Grande Slam

...and Ham Samiches! We're being blessed with May weather in January this year and today was no different. I met longtime clients Dale and Kay Bullard down at the south end boat ramp and as always, they brought along a third helping of their famous Ham Samiches! Boy are they good. There made with the motto, "keep it simple" - plain white bread, premium Honey Baked Ham slices, mayonnaise, and Velveeta Cheese slices. But before snacking, we made the run up the Nassau River and with the tide hitting bottom,
we made our first stop at Bubblegum Reef. I haven't been having any luck here in the last few months but the tide was right and I just had to try it out. No real bites, other than a "baitstealer" that Kay expertly caught. We moved up the river to fish some dock pilings and sure enough, there were fish. Kay "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum then both anglers put a few Redfish in the boat. We had one big fish hooked up but it was smart enough to wrap itself around a piling and, Fish Off.  We bounced up and down the docks and landed a few more feisty Redfish then ran down to Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide. The two anglers had a good flurry of fish catching, landing a few Redfish then Dale began to pickup some hungry Seatrout out deep to give them a Slam. He landed a nice keeper sized Black Drum and while he was working it to the boat Kay had a strange bite and hookup. She brought hers in just a minute after Dale's and we netted a keeper sized Flounder, giving the couple an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Black Drum Seatrout and Flounder. We worked up and down the bank and wrapped it up with Dale landing a good handful of Seatrout, caught out deep. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.