Fast Start and a Herd of Manatee

There was some concern that the tropical storm passing thru the Gulf may have adversely affected our chances of fishing today, but the forecast only called for overcast skies with a  slight chance of rain. So I met Jeremy Robertson,  his daughter Sissy, and their friend Johnny up at the north end boat ramp and we made a quick run over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish the very first of an outgoing tide with minnows and shrimp under float rigs.. It wasn't long before all three anglers were getting bites. Young Sissy

"knocked the skunk off" when she hooked  up and expertly landed a big keeper sized Flounder. Boy what a fish! Jeremy put a feisty Red in the boat and then a hungry Seatrout.

We worked our way around some sparse grass and as we eased by a big fish engulfed Johnny's large minnow and, FISH ON!  This was a nice fish and it fought "bigger" when it got back in the current. But Johnny kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. 

We crossed the river and began fishing another bank and immediately spotted a huge herd of Manatee. They were coming out of a creek with the tide and it seemed everywhere we looked there were Manatee. The anglers tried to concentrate on their fishing and they picked up a handful of Jack Crevalle in quick succession. They added another small Trout or two - and still we saw a few Manatee hanging out at the mouth of the creek.

Our next stop was further north west up Tiger where we fished a run out with jigs and minnows but we had no real bites, so we moved on and up to the Jolley River. We had been working the bank for just a few minutes when again, Johnny had a good hookup out the stern of the boat. He reeled it in handily and we netted a fat keeper sized Seatrout to round out the trio's Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Flounder, Redfish and Trout.  Although that stretch of bank looked good, we had no more real bites so we moved on.

When we reached Snook Creek we went back to the float rigs for a while but the oysters were beginning to show so we switched to jigs and picked up a couple of small Reds, Trout, Jack and a Ladyfish.  Our last stop was over at some docks in Bell River and Jeremy wrapped the catching up when he hooked another hungry Seatrout. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Burning Thru The Bait

The last two days we've really burned through the bait. There's a whole bunch of fish biting - and we caught a bunch of them today! I met Russ and Denise Kesel, their son Noah, and his friend Jayden up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and boat ramp early this morning. We made  short run up and around to the outside of Tiger Island and set up to fish float rigs with a bait well of live shrimp and mud minnows. I thinks it was first cast and BOOM! Fish On! It was pulling hard and eventually made its way right between the trolling motor and bow of the boat and, Fish Off! That will wake you up!

From then on the four anglers were getting bites and landing some of them Denise and Russ put some hard fighting Jack Crevalle in the boat, while Denise added a high flying Ladyfish. Noah and Jayden added a couple of hungry Seatrout.

We ran around to the mouth of Jolley River and set up and fished a bank of flooded oysters. We had a good handful of feisty Redfish caught and then Noah had a good bite. This fish was staying down and had some weight and sure enough, after Noah had patiently fought him to the boat, we netted a big 19.5" Flounder, big enough

to garner 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category (scroll down right side of this report for standings). 

We ran further up the Jolley, fished Snook Creek, and Denise hooked up and landed a feisty Bonnethead Shark. We bounced across the river, fished some now exposed oysters with jigs and caught more small Redfish. Our last stop was back at Tiger Island and after we had used all of our live bait and the anglers had

switched to artificials, Noah put one more keeper sized Flounder in the boat. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Wrapping Up With a Big Flounder

It was back to "work" today when I fished with Alan Reeves and his sons Jason and Jeff. I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River to make our first stop at Twin Creeks. All there anglers started out tossing float rigs with live minnows on a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. It only took a cast or two before Jeff had his float disappear and, FISH ON! He made quick work of getting in a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  His rod stayed hot when he also caught a hard
fighting Jack Crevalle. I switched Alan and Jason to jigs and minnows but we had no bites so we dropped back to the Spanish Drop area and fished a couple of now exposed oysters.

 Alan got hot, landing a big Ladyfish, another Jack Crevalle, and when he had another good bite by a fish that stayed up near the bank we knew he had a good Redfish. Alan played it patiently and
soon landed a Slot Sized Redfish. All three anglers put a handful of small but feisty Redfish in the boat.

We made a run up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fed some small Mangrover Snapper, then jumped over and fished some more oyster beds. Jason got on the board with a nice keeper sized Mangrove Snapper and Alan did battle with a huge Jack Crevalle - fun to catch but we rarely keep them to eat.


Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill where we again worked the oyster beds with jigs and minnows. Although we had a few nibbles, we had no real bites. We made one final stop down at Broward Island. Both Jeff and Jason caught a couple of more feisty Redfish then Jeff wrapped it up when he landed a big Flounder which made it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Down To The Last Minnow

I wrapped my week up fishing out of the south end, meeting Dale Bullard and his son-in-law Jacob at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had a bait well of live shrimp and mud minnows ready to go when we hit our first stop along some oysters beds in the Nassau River. The tide still had a few hours to go out, but with the oysters showing, these two anglers were able to fish the bank pretty good. We'd been working the bank for about 15 minutes and I was beginning to wonder when Dale had a strong bite and, FISH ON!

Dale played it perfectly, with his drag singing and after a good battle landed  a nice Slot sized Redfish. And moments later, Jacob hooked up and again, FISH ON! Jacob worked it patiently to the boat and we landed another Slot Red.  Now that's the way to knock the skunk off.

We continued to fish the bank, picked up a couple of smaller fish, moved up to a marsh runout and caught a handful of small "rat"

Reds and an "almost legal" Black Drum. We ran up closer to Seymore's Pointe, eased  up to some more oysters and began to work them slowly. Both Dale and I had strong bites, drags that ripped and, FISH OFF! Ouch! We bounced over and fished some docks, had some nibbles, then BOOM! We had another good hookup and landed another Slot Redfish. After picking up a small Mangrove Snapper we ran down to Broward Island and boy did it look good!

The water looked like Coca Cola, the bait was running and I thought surely we'd get some fish. But nope, no real bites other than one small Flounder.  We came further north of Broward, worked a bank, and picked up one Stingray that I hoped was going to be a big Flounder. Our time was running out, along with the bait, so we decided to run back to where we started this morning and fish the first of an incoming tide.

And this did the trick. We only had a handful of shrimp and few minnows. When Dale hooked up with a big Jack Crevalle I thought we had a Red, but nope, just a Jack. Then Jacob hooked up. This big fish stayed up near the oysters - a Redfish! Jacob again played the big fish perfectly and soon landed another Slot Redfish. We were down to a couple of shrimp and a one minnow and Dale went with the minnow and it paid off! BOOM! BIG FISH ON!  This fish wasn't coming in for a while. But Dale was patient and kept the pressure on and eventually subdued the beast, a nice 25" Slot Redfish. Now that's the way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida!

Methodically Built a Very Nice Catch

For the second day in a row I fished out of the north end Dee Dee Bartels Park today. I met Tom Owensby, his son Kevin and his grandson Jake early and we headed over to Tiger Island to fish the last hour of an outgoing tide. The fish catching wasn't on fire but the three anglers got bites steadily, with Jake knocking the skunk off by putting a nice Slot Redfish in the boat.

We fished the pockets, caught a Mangrove Snapper, then Kevin landed a couple of nice keeper sized Flounder. We dropped back

and fished the stretch one more time and Jake came through again, landing a hard fighting feisty Redfish. When things slowed we ran around and fished the bank at Jolley just as the tide started back in.

Working the bank against a slight breeze, the anglers were getting bite regularly.  We added another keeper sized Flounder, thru a couple back, then we got into a nest of hungry "rat" Reds and had a good time plucking them out -for a while. We decided to run further up the river and around to the MOA and here we picked up a couple of Seatrout, one being a keeper that Jake landed.

Our last stop was across the river and sure enough, Tom found both a keeper sized Trout and a keeper sized Flounder. Jake reeled in a couple of Black "puppy" Drum, one of which was keeper size, then he added a keeper sized Mangrove Snapper. Kevin wrapped things up when he put one  more nice Slot sized Redfish in the boat. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Catching Not Fishing

It seemed we had almost non-stop catching today! And it's the third day in a row that the fishing has been great here at Amelia Island, Florida. I met Matt Park, his friend Wren and his two sons Dylan and Joseph up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park where we launched and headed north and up to the Jolley River to make our first stop at an exposed oyster bank on the very last of an outgoing tide. All four anglers were tossing jigs and live shrimp to the exposed oysters and it wasn't long at all before the bite began.

Wren was first on the board, knocking the skunk off with a nice keeper sized Flounder. Then Joseph hooked up with something a big and an all out battle ensued. He played the big fish for a while then Matt took over for a while then Joseph jumped back in and together they landed a big 4' Bonnethead Shark, boy what a fight! Matt finished that spot with a Ladyfish catch and a small Redfish landed.
We ran further up the river and kept going all the way to the MOA

and this paid off. The group put a couple of more Bonnetheads in the boat and Matt found a honey hole for keeper sized Seatrout. Dylan had been making excellent casts and his perseverance paid off with a small Croaker catch then he two added to the keeper sized Trout catch. Wren added another shark and Joseph caught a hard fighting Jack Crevalle before we crossed over to fish some still exposed oysters on an incoming tide.

Again, it was "catching"  not fishing! Matt had a good bite and, FISH ON! This was a nice fish and when it rolled up near the bank we knew it was a good sized Redfish. He played it perfectly and patiently and soon landed a nice Slot Sized 24" Redfish. After catching a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum, Wren had her big hookup. She too had a big fish and fought it perfectly. After a good battle she landed another 24" Redfish.

(Somewhere in there we had another Slot Red, and young Joseph put the only Black Tip shark in the boat - I lost track!)

We made one last stop at Snook Creek, added another Black Drum and a Jack Crevalle caught by Dylan, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island.

Quick Amelia Island Slam

It's crazy how you can almost feel that the fishing's going to be good a particular day. Like yesterday, the conditions were perfect when I meet Patrick and Lindsey McStotts down at the south end boat ramp. We headed up the Nassau River with plans to make the long run to Broward Island but I just couldn't pass up a shoreline with exposed shell bank - the bait was moving and the fish were popping!

We pulled up and began to toss shrimp and minnows on jigs to the

bank. Patrick got things started off quick when he hooked up and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish, a great way to knock the skunk off the boat! He followed that up in short order with a hungry Flounder then a keeper sized Seatrout (all fish were released today) to garner a quick Amelia Island Back Country Slam! We worked that bank, tossed a cast net and picked up some more bait, then made that run down to Broward Island.

The duo caught another Flounder or two or three, a small (small) Redfish, then Lindsey had a strong bite and, FISH ON! This was a big fish that was ripping the line off of her spool. But she kept the pressure on and after a good fight, and despite the coaching, landed a nice 24.25" Redfish, boy what a fish! We worked down the bank for a while, then ran back to Pumpkin Hill, switching to float rigs.

Patrick added a feisty Redfish before we made one more stop back at Horsehead where he put 4-5 keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hot Fishing Picks Up at Amelia Island

We're into our summer weather pattern - warm and muggy in the morning and today we had overcast skies with expected thunderstorms later in the day.  I met father and son angling duo Josh and Noah Thompson down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and after a brief safety orientation, we ran up the Nassau River and all the way around to Broward Island.

When we got there the tide was still going out so we set up to fish at the mouth of large marsh run out. Noah was first in the water and within a cast or two he was first on the board, hooking up out deep with a hungry Seatrout. His dad got his jig and live shrimp into the water and he quickly caught a high flying Ladyfish. Then, we had a big "bump", a hookup and, FISH ON! Noah was on the rod and this seven-year-old-going-on-eight played the big fish expertly, taking his time and soon landing a big 20.5" Flounder - the biggest of the year. Noah had snatched first place in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament - Flounder Category! (scroll down right side of this report for standings)

We continued to fish this one spot and continued to catch fish. A small (small) Redfish, another couple of Flounder, and a fat Seatrout. We dropped back to fish some logs and BOOM! Fish on. Fish Off. Ouch. But we hung with it and a cast or two later Josh put a nice Slot sized Redfish in the boat.

We hit a few spots along Broward then ran back to Pumpkin Hill and no longer had we begun to fish when Noah landed his "poor man's Tarpon" - a Ladyfish. Josh added a Jack Crevalle then Noah found a beat up Slot Redfish to add to the catch. Our last stop was back at the Horsehead, fishing some structure, and the two anglers finished up playing cat and mouse with Mangrove Snapper. I think it was an even match! With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Squeezed In Some Fly Fishing

Wayne Lynn and I exchanged texts and phone calls yesterday and this morning, trying to determine if it was feasible to fish with the forecasted thunderstorms heading our way. We saw a window and took it, meeting up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp.

Myself, Wayne, and his brother-in-law Ernie headed over to Tiger Island to fish the logs on an incoming tide with 8w outfits and my "Live Shrimp Fly" - a weighted version made to resemble the color of a live shrimp. The two anglers traded off, tossing that fly  up and

down the bank, making excellent casts, getting a bump here and there, but no takers. We did see a huge Osprey hanging out in the trees above us.

We ran around to the Jolley River and fished a large marsh run out, switching to a black "Troy James Fly". This did the trick. In short order Wayne had a bump and a bite. He strip set the hook and patiently hauled in a small Flounder.  People seem surprised when I tell them we caught a flounder on a fly but it happens more often

than  you'd expect. I guess they  will eat anything!

I wanted to continue on up the Jolley but there was a huge thunderstorm heading our way so we headed back and when we came out of the mouth of the Jolley we were met by a Coast Guard gun boat who advised us to wait until a passing submarine had passed through. We headed their advice! We made one more stop over in Bell River but the thunderstorms were inching closer, so we called it a day, another great, albeit short, day on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Using Up The Bait

Thank goodness for Mangrove Snapper this time of  year! We had an absolutely beautiful morning today to fish when I met David  O'Flynn and his friends Lucas and Ryan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. We headed up the Nassau River, spun around, and began to fish some flooding shell beds with jigs and live shrimp and minnows. The conditions were almost perfect but I don't know if the heavy rains or the full moon affected the bite because fish catching was slooooow. Lucas did find a high flying Ladyfish along the first stretch, and picked up another one as we bounced north up the river.

We made a run around and up into Christopher Creek, fished it pretty good, and finally the guy withthe hot rod, Lucas, hooked up and, FISH ON! He played it patiently and perfectly and soon landed a nice Slot sized Redfish, finally! We actually worked the same area twice, got no more bites, then ran down to Broward Island to fish the very last of an incoming tide, a tide that I don't normally fish there at the island.



But it paid off when David went in deep to the shore and BOOM! He had a  hookup. He worked the fish in slowly, kept the pressure on, and soon landed another nice Slot Redfish. We fished the island for a while, had a couple of bumps but no takers, then ran back towards the ramp, making one final stop at some structure.

We had all switched to float rigs and live shrimp and although it took a few minutes, the Mangrove Snapper went into a frenzy of biting and we blew through the bait, catching one after the other, most of them being of keeper size. As we hit bottom on bait I dug out some dead stuff I had from the day before and we blew through that, too. Although they weren't big, big fish (12"), it was fun to fish 'em and finally we ran out of bait, called it a day, and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.