If You Like Trout

Boy, pretty day today! I met Bob Blalock down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the long run on slick water down to Broward Island to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide. The bait shop was out of mud minnows but they live shrimp and I had also tossed a cast net for some nice finger mullet. Bob started right off making excellent casts to the downed logs and although we had a nibble or two, we had no takers other than a couple of small Mangrove Snapper. We began to ease up the bank, tossing jigs to the shoreline, and Bob did find a couple of feisty Redfish to put in the boat.

We dropped back down the Nassau River and went in to Pumpkin Hill and this did the trick. We had switched to float rigs and shrimp and I think Bob's first cast had his float disappear, missed him! But this didn't deter Bob and within a cast or two he was hooked up with a big fish which he played perfectly, soon landing a nice 19" Seatrout. From then on we enjoyed a good flurry of fish catching. We put a couple of handful of Trout in the boat with four more being of keeper size. We also landed three Sandtrout one of which was of keeper size.

Moving back down the Nassau, we made a stop at Seymore's Pointe and tossed dead shrimp under the float for Mangroves but they weren't home. Our last stop was at Twin Creeks and Bob did have one solid hookup, a good battle with a nice fish that ripped the drag and took him under the boat,and, FISH OFF! Hah! But we'd had a pretty good stretch of fish catching so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Trout Catch Picks Up

I was back down south today, meeting Ashley Gorley, his two sons Caleb and Kyler and granddad Glenn down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We headed straight up the Nassau River and boy was the water slick! Our first stop was at a point with a stretch of oyster shell lined bank and the anglers began tossing jigs with mud minnows and finger mullet up current. Glenn "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hungry Seatrout then Ashley hooked up with something big that made is drag sing. Ashley went around the boat,

form stern to bow and back to stern, played it perfectly, and after a good battle, landed a big 'ole Catfish. And shortly after that he had another good fight and landed a nice sized Jack Crevalle.  The anglers had some good bites, some fish were brought right to the boat but came off, so we had some action.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill and with the tide up and still coming in, we switched to float rigs, and this did the trick. All

four fishermen began to get bites. Kyler reeled in a couple of Seatrout, one which was of keeper size, then Grandad put a couple of keeper sized Trout in the boat. Caleb got in on the action and caught the only Redfish of the day and he also landed a rare Sandtrout. We caught a good handful of "almost legal" fish before we moved on to fish some rocks and docks back at Seymore's Pointe.

We had a few nibbles at the first spot then before leaving Kyler put a keeper sized Croaker in the boat to round out another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Fish At Every Spot

After a couple of days off I was back to fishing today when I met Tim Johnson and his friend Ken up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early this morning. We had clear skies, a slight  breeze and smooth "sailing" up to our first spot, just outside of Tiger Island with plans to fish an incoming tide with jigs and mud minnows. These two anglers were making perfect casts right off and a after a while, Tim hand a hookup and landed a hungry Seatrout.

We bounced around to the Jolley River, switched to float rigs  with minnow as bait, and eased along the flooded marsh grass. Finger mullet were getting popped here and there and we had a few bites, but then Tim put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat (all fish were released today). Tim also added a small but feisty Mangrove Snapper. Somewhere along here they added a feisty Redfish to the catch.

We ran further the river to Snook Creek and again fished a marsh line and here they put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. And again, no more bites. We made a the long run back to Tiger and through the basin and around to Bell River and set up to fish the very last of an incoming tide. Ken put a keeper sized Flounder in the boat, and Boom, that was it.

Our final stop was back around on the outside of Tiger and this was the most productive. The tide had started out and they caught a couple of small Seatrout, a few feisty Redfish, a Needlefish, and a Ladyfish. Although most of the morning had been slow, we had a good flurry at the end, and counted it as another great way to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Trout To Start

For August, it's not a bad fishing trip when you have overcast skies and just a slight breeze and only one little sprinkle throughout the day. That's what we had yesterday when I fished with Mike Houston, his daughter Catherine, and his son-in-law Max when I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made the quick run up to Jackstaff and into a smaller creek to set up at an outflow and the very first of an outgoing tide.

I think it was the first real cast with a mud minnow under a float that garnered a hungry Seatrout, one that Mike expertly reeled in. And that was it!  We worked the bank slowly with the float rigs, had a nibble here and there, then crossed over to fish the mouth of Jackstaff, sticking with the floats for a while. When the produced nothing, we switched Max to a jig and minnow and BOOM! Big Fish On!  He played it patiently - we were all guessing big Redfish - but when he brought it to the surface we saw that it was Big

Trout!  He worked it slowly to the net and landed a nice 22" Seatrout. Boy what a fish! 

All three anglers went to jigs and began to catch fish. Both Mike and Catherine put feisty Redfish in the boat, Mike added a couple, and they tangled with some high flying Ladyfish. We had a good flurry of catching fish. Our next stop was around and down at Spanish Drop in the Nassau River where we again picked up some feisty Redfish.

We hit Seymore's Pointe, landed some really nice Mangrove Snapper (12"-14",  then wrapped things up at some docks where we picked up a couple of more Snapper. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Every Other Cast

The wind finally died down today and I felt like we'd have a pretty good day of fishing...and it turned out we did. I met Jason and Alicia Ash down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp for a "couples day out" of fishing (thank you grandparents!). We headed up the intercoastal and made our first stop at the mouth of Jackstaff and began fishing float rigs with live shrimp up near the grass. I thought for sure these anglers would be catching fish in no time, but, no real bites, other than a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark.   I switched Jason to a Jig and alternated shrimp and mud minnows

and he began to put fish in the boat. Feisty Redfish, a Black "puppy" Drum, a Jack Crevalle, and a Ladyfish. We switched Alicia to the jig and she promptly caught a really nice Mangrove Snapper. Then she put another one in the boat.

We crossed over the creek, fished the sides of a submerged sandbar, and landed two hungry Seatrout, caught on the bottom with jig and shrimp.

After running through Horsehead and down the Nassau River to Spanish Drop, we set up along side an shell bed that was just beginning to show. While Alicia took a break, Jason worked from the bow and put small but feisty Redfish after Redfish  in the boat. It seemed like he had a hookup every other cast. Then, after baiting up with a minnow and making an excellent cast to the shoreline, BOOM! Fish on!  The minute it hit the water. Jason commented that he didn't think it was very big, but I could hear the drag ripping and his rod was bent - I felt sure it was a big fish. And when it settled in, Jason agreed with me!  This fish took him from the bow to the stern and from starboard to port as it dug deep to get away, but Jason kept the pressure on and after a good, long battle, landed a big 24.5" Slot sized Redfish. Now that's a nice fish!

We hit another outlet along the Nassau, caught few more smaller Reds, fished some rocks and docks at Seymore's Pointe, then called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Another Windy Day But We Caught Fish

Those NE winds kept on blowing today, but we had a plan and it worked! I met Doug Russell, his son Doug, and his grandson Ben down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning and we made our way up to the mouth of Jackstaff to fish an outgoing tide with mud minnows. Granddad and dad fished forward with jigs while Ben tossed a float rig out the back. Ben struck first with a hookup and catch of a keeper sized Seatrout!  I believe he added another couple of feisty Redfish then his dad put one into the boat.

We worked the bank, picking up a fish here and there. When we crossed the creek to a submerged sandbar Ben got hot, picking up a couple of Seatrout as he tossed his jig/minnow out deep then let it bounce across the bottom with the current.

After running through Horsehead we made a brief stop at some docks at Seymore's Pointe, fished some pilings, caught a small Jack

Crevalle, had a few good bites, but no takers. We then ran down the Nassau River and set up outside some shell banks. The anglers caught a few feisty Redfish before we moved on up the river, fishing run-outs here and there.

Doug Sr. battled a big Jack Crevalle and landed it while his son and grandson hooked up with a double of Redfish before Doug Sr. wrapped things up with a keeper sized Flounder. Although it has been windy the last two days, we've been able to get in behind the marsh grass and have some successful fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Shelter From The Wind

When I looked at the weather forecast last night it called for 13-15mph winds today. When I left the bait shop and checked, the winds were already up to 17mph. Ouch. I met John Conlon and his two sons Josh and Zach down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we went fishing anyway, with a plan to try and fish areas out of the NE wind.

We first crossed over to the Longpointe docks and pitched jigs and minnows up to the pilings on an outgoing tide. The anglers were

making excellent casts, but we had no bites. I thought we'd "bite the bullet" so we ran up the Amelia River and dipped in to Jackstaff and it turned out that my fears were unwarranted.  The marsh grass was blocking the wind somewhat and we were able to ease along the grass line. Josh got hot early, catching a hard fighting Jack Crevalle, then a feisty Redfish, then a Ladyfish.  Zach got on the board when he boated a Croaker then another Redfish. We had a nice Flounder to the boat but par-for-the course - it threw the hook right at the boat!

We ran through Horsehead and around to the Nassau River and set up to fish some shell beds. Josh and Zach had a "double" hookup, landing a Flounder and Redfish respectively.  John got on the board when he got hot, catching a keeper sized Flounder and a feisty Redfish. The anglers added a couple of more Reds then we ran back to some docks at Seymore's Pointe, where we had no real bites.

Staying out of the wind, our last stop was at the rusted old barge along the Nassau River and here Zach wrappeg things up by putting a couple of Mangrove Snapper in the boat, one of which was keeper size. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Who'da Thought a Black Drum?

I wrapped my week up fishing today with the Maloff family - Seth and Valeria and their two kids Talia and Asher, meeting them at the Altantic Seafood dock with plans to fish the very last of an outgoing tide. We ran up to Tiger and after a brief orientation, tossed out the first jig and live shrimp and BOOM! Asher had a fish on!  He worked it to the boat and after a valiant battle, landed a nice keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. I haven't seen one of those in months! After getting some pics and tossing him back (all fish were released today), we got all four anglers fishing and we caught fish for a good hour.

Talia reeled in the biggest fish of the day, a feisty Redfish and all the anglers mixed it up with Mangrove Snapper and saltwater Perch. Seth picked up a nice Red with six spots, Valerie added another Mangrove, then Asher put a fairly nice size Mangrove in the boat.  The bite eventually slowed so we ran up to the Jolly River to fish the "bank".

The wind had picked up (forecasted to get up to 11mph today - kinda aggravating), but it did keep the heat off. We worked the bank slowly, had a bunch of nibbles, but no real bites. Our next stop was up into Snook Creek, hoping for a shark, but again, nibbles but no bites. We made one last run around to Bell River and the land mass blocked the wind, making it very easy to fish the dock pilings.

Within a few short minutes both Asher and Talia had found a "hot spot" and caught Mangrove Snapper one after the other. Seth was patiently fishing forward and he too landed fish, nice feisty Redfish. Catching fish at the last stop made for a great way to wrap up a day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Flounder Top's The Board

It's kinda hard to decide whether to highlight the huge Flounder we caught today, or the three Slot Redfish that were also caught. I had met Heather Floyd, Josh and Larry, up at the north end boat ramp and with a baitwell full of mud minnows and just a slight breeze blowing, we made the quick run around to Tiger with plans to fish the very first of the incoming tide.

The three anglers were making excellent casts and we were quick to get bites - they all caught a small but feisty Redfish or two, then

Larry put small Flounder in the boat. We continued to hit the pockets then Josh had a strange bite and a hookup. Typical of a Flounder, we could tell he had a fish but it was like a dead weight, with just a little bit of pull, until it got close to the surface and went wild. But Josh was up to the task and patiently worked it to the boat, a Big 22.5" Flounder, the biggest on my boat this year, and big enough for Josh to corner first place in the Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights Tournament -Flounder Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Man what a fish!

Our next stop was up at the Jolley "bank" and as we worked along, the anglers picked up a few small Reds, then as we reached the end of our troll, Larry had  a good bite and, FISH ON! This was a big fish, ripping drag and digging deep, but Larry fought it expertly and soon landed a big 23.25" Slot Redfish! Another nice fish!

We ran further up the Jolley and around to the MOA, fished it until the oysters were covered, then dropped back to fish Snook Creek. As we worked along they caught another couple of Reds, Josh added a small Grouper, then it looked like Heather was going to finish things off when she landed a hungry Seatrout and a Jack Crevalle. But nope, Larry wasn't finished. Tossing float rig and minnow up to the marsh grass garnered him another, even bigger, 23.75" Slot Red. And as we drifted back along the grass, he had another hookup! Another 22" Slot Redfish. Now that's the way to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

A Couple of Slot Reds

It was muggy this morning but luckily the cloudy skies blocked the sun and we had some pleasant fishing. I met Claiburn Hartigan and his friend Chuck down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp early and we made a short run up the Nassau River on slick water to make our first stop at some exposed oyster beds. Bait was moving and fish were popping and the two anglers picked up a couple of small but feisty Redfish and a Catfish.

We moved further up the river and again fished some oysters as the tide began to move in. Chuck tangled with another Catfish then Claiburn hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Trout. Chuck had a good fish on that gave him quite a battle - a Jack Crevalle.  After crossing the river to fish some docks, we pitched to the pilings with jigs and minnows and caught a few small Mangrove Snapper, then a keeper sized one. Then Claiburn had a strong bite and we knew when the drag ripped that this was a good

fish. He played it patiently and soon landed a 19.25" Slot sized Redfish.

The tide had been coming in for a while so we ran down to Broward Island and fished the logs. I was a tad bit disappointed on the catch which was Chuck hauling in small Mangrove Snapper one after the other. But as we moved down the island we did pick up one good fish when Chuck hooked up and a expertly landed another 20.5" Slot Redfish.

Our next stop was up at Pumpkin Hill and again, more Mangroves. They did find a couple of feisty Reds and a high flying Ladyfish. After one more stop back at Twin Creeks on the Nassau, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.