Two Slams Make A Grande Slam

Or, Big Sheepshead Tops the Board.  We could give this report a number of titles. It was my first day back since the big Nor'easter blew thru, canceling four of my trips due to high winds. But today was beautiful, and only a tad bit cold. I met Bill Pepe and his son Dylan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made the run up the Nassau River with plans to fish some docks on the very first of an incoming tide.  Both anglers were making excellent casts to the pilings and it wasn't long before Bill had a subtle bite
and a hookup. He worked the fish patiently to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish. We worked the docks and both Bill and Dylan added a Redfish then we begin to bounce up and down the docks. Again, Bill had a subtle bite and as he tightened the line this one put up a fight, FISH ON! Bill applied the pressure to get him away from the pilings and after a good battle landed a big 19.25" Sheepshead, the biggest on the Anglers Mark this year (see Bragging Rights standings by scrolling down the right side of this report).  All fish were released today. We hit another dock, had a
good bite, but this fish was smart and made quick dash around the pilings threw the hook. Our next stop was down at Broward Island as the tide was coming in and worked some downed logs. We had no real bites so we began to slowly work up current and this did the trick. Bill found some Seatrout out deep and about half of them were of keeper size, and then some. This rounded out Bill's own Amelia Island Back Country Slam of a Redfish, Sheepshead and Seatrout. Dylan was  not to be outdone. He picked  up some nice Trout, too ( a couple of these were in the 17-18" range) then as we were preparing to leave, he had  "bump" on his bait and after waiting patiently, Dylan set the hook. It was a weird bite and a weird fight a sure enough, the fish turned out to be a nice keeper sized Flounder. Dylan had his Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, and Flounder. Together the two anglers could claim a "Grande Slam". We made one more run over to and through Horsehead where we worked a now flooded marsh line. After adding one small Trout Bill hooked up.
He slowly worked the fish to the boat and just as we were about to net a big Flounder it threw the hook! OUCH! But we'd put a good handful of fish in the boat today and it was beautiful one at that so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout Kind Of Day

I wrapped last week up fishing with Mark Dennis, his brother David, and his nephew Jim. We met up at the north end boat ramp early Friday morning and ran over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under float rigs. David got thing started off when he caught a couple of hungry Seatrout. We then ran up to the Jolley River and fished a large creek outflow, had no luck, then eased into the creek and switched to jigs and shrimp on the bottom. But again, no real bites. After a short run around to Bell River and some docks we found some more Trout. Both David and Jim were fishing up current and they found Trout down on the bottom at around 15' deep. They were "almost legal" but then Jim had a good hookup and this one had some size to it. After working it expertly to the boat, he landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout. We continued to fish the docks and all three anglers landed Trout. Dennis also put a feisty Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. We made a run around to Lanceford Creek, found another dock, and picked up one small Sea Bass. With the day getting long, we made one more stop back a the mouth of Bell River and wrapped up the day catching Trout on the jig casted up current. Of those, we had one more keeper Trout. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bragging Rights Busted

We had a second day of breezy conditions, even though we had a lot of sunshine. The back waters are obviously fishable, it just makes it tough to find fish, especially if you're going to try and stay out of the wind. I met Lou Alvarado down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we made the run up the Nassau River and pulled in at some docks to fish the very last of an outgoing tide with jigs and live shrimp. Lou was making excellent casts but the fish were  not cooperating. We worked 3-4 docks, pitching to the pilings
and finally we found one that was  holding some fish. After one good bite and short fight that ended with the fish throwing the hook, Lou went back to the same spot and after a few casts, he hooked up with a nice feisty Redfish that he worked patiently away from the pilings. We had one more good bite but no more takers so with a strong east wind beginning to blow, we headed down to Broward Island, and boy was it nice. The sun was up and it warming us nicely. We had just a slight breeze to contend with as we worked the bank. There were no real bites until the tide changed and started back in and then, almost like someone thru a switch, the fish began to bite. Lou put a couple of Seatrout in the boat, then a feisty Redfish, then small Flounder that rounded out his Slam. Then we had a gentle bite and BOOM! Fish ON!  Lou worked the fish and the longer the battle went the stronger (and bigger) the fish began to get. It just wouldn't come up off the bottom. But Lou kept the pressure on and slowly wore the big fish out and when it came to the surface we saw that it was a huge Red Drum. We got it netted and in the boat and measured it to be 30.5", an Anglers Mark Bragging Rights busting biggest Redfish of the year! (Scroll down right side for standings). Boy what a fish! We continued to work the bank and Lou had another strong bite - this time it was a big Trout out deep. We  picked up a couple of more fish -one was another Slot Redfish - then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Windy Day? No Problem

The wind was forecast to be 17-19mph today, and they were accurate! But with a game plan to try and stay out of it, I met Jim Garner and his brother-in-law up at the Dee Dee Bartels park and boat ramp early this morning and we made the short run to Tiger Island with a baitwell of live shrimp and the first of an incoming tide. You know it's going to be a good day when the "demo" cast picks up a fish, which it did! Then the two anglers began to make accurate casts to the pockets and it wasn't long before they were catching fish. They caught a good handful of Seatrout and a small
handful of Redfish. A couple of the Trout were of keeper size and one of the Reds was in the Slot. Then Jim had a strong bite out deep and when it ripped some drag we were thinking Redfish but it turned out to be a nice fat 19" Trout. We caught a few more then picked up another big Trout. Just before we left Jim had another big bite. This one was a Red, a big one, and it ripped line as it dove to the bottom. Jim kept the pressure on and worked it patiently to the boat and....BAP! The big Red made one more dash and it was off to freedom! OUCH!  We picked up and ran through the marsh and
over to Bell River to set up on a flooding oyster bank, with the wind really blowing.  Here, Jim was tossing a jig out from the bow and Greg was working a float rig back near some marsh grass. BOOM! Greg had an nice fish on. The drag ripped, but Greg was up to the task and worked in a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. He went back to the same spot and BOOM! Redfish. Jim was quickly switching over to the a float rig as Greg went back to the same spot and, BOOM! Redfish. Jim went in with his float and, BOOM! Redfish. Although there were a few undersized fish, there were jus as many Slot sized fish. Jim's next drift picked up another fish and this was a bigger one. He worked it to the boat and landed a nice 24" Slot fish. Both anglers picked up another fish or two then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Got Soaked But Caught Fish

I was part of a group charter today- 4 boats total- and I had Ryan, Clayton and Craig on the Anglers Mark. The skies were dark when we left the City marina and as we turned the corner to head north we could see the rain up ahead sweeping towards us. And right into the wall of rain we went! When we reached Tiger Island all four of us were soaked to the bone but we broke out the jig rods and live shrimp and began to fish. It was only a short time when Ryan had a strong bite up near a log and I was thinking "Redfish". It put up a good fight and when it came to the surface we saw that it was very
nice large Trout. As we were netting it Clayton had a hookup and, FISH ON! This was a big fish. Clayton played it patiently and a worked it to the boat and we netted a 23" Slot Sized 11-spot Redfish. Now that's the way to kick off a fishing trip! We fished on and caught another large Trout and another Slot sized Redfish. We fished the area thoroughly then made a run around to the outside of Tiger, set up with float rigs, fished them for a while, then continued on around to Bell River. After pulling up to some flooded oysters, the three anglers began to fish their live shrimp up near some marsh
grass and BOOM! Fish on - a Slot Redfish. BOOM! Fish on- another Slot Red. BOOM! Fish on - Craig got in the action and began to put Redfish in the boat. We had a couple of "double" hookups and ended up with 8-9 Redfish, most coming from the same spot. As the bite slowed we kicked around moving then Clayton went to a different spot and, FISH ON! This was a big fish, or at least it seemed. After a long and patient battle Clayton landed a 22" hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum. We made one final run around an up Lanceford Creek and wrapped the day up catching 12-14" hungry Seatrout and after that we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flounder Catches

Today was rather warm out on the water and after a slow last few days I was hoping for some better action. I met Marnie and Brian Bird down at the south end boat ramp this morning and we headed up the Nassau River and all the way around to Broward Island to catch a tide that had been coming in for a couple of hours. The two anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp up current and slowly retrieving them. The first area produced no bites but when we re-positioned around some logs they had a flurry of Trout catches -
Marnie started it off with a couple then Brian added one of his own. We worked up and down, then moved further up the island and after a strange bite we had a hookup. Marnie worked it patiently to the boat and we netted a nice keeper sized Flounder. Then Brian had a good bite and landed a  keeper sized Seatrout. We eventually ran back to Seymore's Pointe, fished some docks, and even though the conditions were right, we had no real bites. We backtracked to Christopher Creek fished some  structure, and Brian found another nice, keeper sized Flounder. Then he wrapped up an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam when he landed a nice Redfish that was right at Slot size. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Tough Fishing Continues

I've poled three other Captains and gotten the same answer: Fishing (catching) is kinda slow right now.  Most all blame it on the transition of the weather, winter to spring, and I tend to agree. We pushed yesterdays trip to 10:30am with plans to fish an outgoing tide. I met John Stevelinck and his two sons Johnny and Jake down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and into Jackstaff to make our first stop at a large outflow. Within a minute or two Jake had a bite which took his live shrimp then Johnny had a bite and hooked up with a nice hungry
Seatrout. You can't get a better start than that can you? Although we had a nibble or two, we had no more takers we crossed the creek and fished a bank, easing along with the trolling motor, and casting to the marsh grass. The wind was already a problem but these anglers were making excellent casts, but to no avail, we had no takers. We ran through the marsh and over to some docks at Seymore's Pointe with hopes to be out of the wind, but it was blowing too much out of the east and made things difficult. Johnny hooked up with a big Trout on a  jig and shrimp, had him the boat, and just before I netted him, he threw the hook. But Johnny went back and picked up another Trout. We fished the docks thoroughly and later Johnny found a nice feisty Redfish to land. Both the elder John and young Jake were making pinpoint casts and doing all the right things but it appeared it just wasn't going to be their day. We made a run down to Broward Island and here the wind was blocked and it made for some comfortable fishing, finally. We worked the logs and the drop offs and Johnny found one more Redfish, a "4-spotter" before we called it a day. We did see dolphin, Osprey and a pair of Bald Eagles and picked up a few fish, making it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We Had a Plan

I've did two "Amelia Island Back Country Fishing" presentations this month - one for the FWC Women's Fishing Clinic and the other for the Ocean Club members out at Amelia Island Plantation - and one of the first bits of advice I give is to have game plan ready before each fishing trip. We were blessed with a beautiful day yesterday but the wind was forecasted to be a steady 12 mph with even higher gusts. I always tell people that anything over 10mph is going to be a pain in the rear, and over 15mph - we should pick
another day. So today we had a plan! I met Tony Stubits and his son Troy up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp and with the wind blowing out of the west, we made a run over and up Lanceford Creek and sure enough, when we arrived, it was like fishing on a pond. The two anglers worked the dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp at the very bottom of an outgoing tide and even though they were makin excellent casts, we found only one hungry Seatrout. We bounced up and down the docks making the best of the calm waters, then made the long run back and up the Bell River to another set of
docks. Again, we were sheltered from the wind which made it comfortable to fish the pilings thoroughly, and we picked up a Trout or two and keeper sized Flounder. The wind had died just a bit so we ran around to the back side of Tiger Island and although we had no shelter, it was noticeable that the wind had slacked so we were able to fish the pockets along the shoreline. It wasn't long before Troy had a hookup and, FISH ON! We could tell the way the drag was ripping that this was a big fish. Troy kept the pressure on - we thought the fish got into the logs - but he pulled him out and worked him patiently to the boat. After a good battle Troy landed the fat 26" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! We continued to fish - Tony landed a nice feisty Redfish then hooked up and landed Black "puppy" Drum, which gave the anglers an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Seatrout, Flounder, Redfish, and Drum. Troy went back to his "honey hole" and picked up a nice 17" keeper sized Seatrout. So even though we had some wind to contend with, we had a plan, and it paid off with a good handful of fish and some nice keeper sized ones, making it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bucket List and Trout

After a couple of days off due to bad weather we were back at it today, and even though the winds were predicted to be around 9mph, it was rather nice to be out fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. I met Chris Allen down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and we headed over to fish the docks at Longpointe on a very extreme high tide. Chris was tossing jigs and live shrimp to the pilings and I could tell right off he was a good caster. He was making pin point shots but we worked a couple of docks to no avail. We made a run up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff and
then off a side creek to set up at a large marsh run out. Chris switched to a float rig and BOOM! Right off he had a nice Seatrout. And then, no more! We worked the bank slowly, tossing the float rig with live shrimp, but had no more bites. We crossed over the creek, fished another bank, switched to jigs, and picked up another Trout or two. After running through Horsehead we found some docks to fish, but before we went with the jig, we tossed the float up to some flooded oysters. This did the trick as Chris got into a good flurry of Seatrout. But he had a Redfish on his bucket list so we switched back to the jig and began to fish the pilings. The first dock produced none but shortly after moving the second dock, FISH ON! Chris played the fish patiently and soon landed his Redfish, one that was just at the Slot size. We bounced up and down the docks and picked up a couple of more Reds, lost one, then moved around the corner to fish the rocks at Seyomore's Pointe. Chris was back to the float rig, letting drift along the rocks, and wrapped up the trip catching his biggest Trout of the day. Of the handful of Trout caught today, a few of them have finally crept into keeper size range. All fish were released today. It was another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hats and Gnats

Paul Coughlin and I fished out of the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning - not such a pretty day - but the overcast sky was somewhat welcome to keep the sun off. Imagine that in February! I've been wondering if we aren't in some sort of transition period with the fish bite. Maybe the warming trend has the fish thinking it's spring and time to move out from the shelter of structure. At any rate, it's been a tad bit slow in the "catching" department - my anglers are working hard and catching fish, but we haven't had some of those "banner" days in a couple of weeks. Also, I'm not a superstitious guy, but I decided to change hats this morning in hopes that it would help!  We ran up the Amelia River and dipped into Jackstaff and started fishing a flooded bank with a float rig and live shrimp. With no real bites half way up the creek, we switched to jigs and shrimp, but had no luck on that either. We made the run through Horsehead and around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Sure enough, within minutes, Paul had a strong bite. He hooked up and landed a nice feisty Redfish that was just a hair short of the Slot. He had another good bite, this one bigger at the same spot, but he wiley fish tossed the hook. We worked up and down the docks and with no breeze the Sand Gnats found us and tried to carry us off. But we were up to the challenge and fished the docks thoroughly before making the run down to Broward Island. We fished the bank up close and out deep and but had no real bites until we dropped back north to fish the loggier area and BOOM! Paul had a fish on within minutes of the move. We had a nice flurry of fish catches here - feisty Redfish and one Seatrout. Our last stop was back at Bubblegum Reef where we played catch and release with some baitstealers. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.