Big Sheepshead Blows Away Bragging Rights

With less than two weeks left in the year for guest anglers on the Anglers Mark to vie for bragging rights for the biggest fish caught during the year, we had a huge Sheepshead caught today that landed in first place for the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament! 

I had met Tom and Kelli Middleton down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning and after running up the intercoastal to deep into Jackstaff we set up at a large marsh outflow and began tossing live shrimp under floats on a high and outgoing tide. Although we had a nibble or
two we had no takers so we eased forward with plans to fish a marsh bank. We had only move thirty yards when both anglers began to get bites, then hookups, and then Seatrout catches. It was a good flurry of catching then Kelli had a good bite and this time her drag began to rip. I was a little concerned that I had set the drag to light and that a decent Trout was ripping the line out, but boy was I mistaken! Kelli played the fish perfectly and a after a good battle, landed a big 21.25" Sheepshead and garnered 1st place in my Bragging Rights Tournament. (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

After fishing that bank we moved back into Jackstaff and worked another bank  and here Tom put the first Redfish in the boat. We picked up another Trout or two before we made the run thru Horsehead and over to some docks. Although we had no real bites on jigs and shrimp around the pilings, we again picked up another Red up near the marsh grass.

Our next stop was down at the Spanish Drop area and here we stuck with the jig rods. Tom was makin excellent casts to another marsh run out and after he had a hard "bump", he set the hook and, Fish On!  He played it patiently and soon landed the first Slot Redfish of the day. He went back to the same spot and after a couple of casts, he picked up another nice Redfish.  After fishing one more shell lined bank in that area we made a final run down to Broward Island, still fishing the outgoing tide, which had gotten down pretty low, and the fish catching got hot!

Tom's first cast between some limbs produced a feisty Redfish then he found a "honey hole" that produced a couple of keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and a couple of keeper sized Sheepshead. Kelli got in on the action and picked up another Slot Redfish to wrap up another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Cold Weather Drag

Whooooeeee! It was 38 degrees when I met Bob and Adrianna Reynolds out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp this morning and fog covered the Nassau River, enough so that visibility was only about 50 yards. We puttered thru the fog down to Broward Island and began pitching mud minnows on a jig up to the bank. It took a good handful of casts but finally Bob had a strong bite and, BOOM! Big Fish On! He and I both could tell that it was a big fish - it was digging deep hard and ripping the drag - but Bob was playing it perfectly and patiently and...BAP...fish off! Ouch!   And only a few minutes later Adrianna had a similar hookup, except her big fish started
heading towards Orlando and...BAP....fish off!  In retrospect, I wonder if the drags were just so cold and hadn't been used all morning and they had less "give".

But these two anglers were not to be deterred and as we worked the bank they began to catch some feisty Redfish. Bob picked up a Seatrout before we left the area.

We fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe and Bob hooked up and landed another Red then we cruised down the Nassau to fish some marsh grass and flooded shell beds. Adrianna got hot and caught 2-3 Redfish with one of them being in the Slot size (and with 13 spots) then Bob warmed up and put another Seatrout and then a Flounder in the boat to garner his Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout and Flounder.  The sun had warmed things up and it made for a great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fishing On The Lee Side

Talk about cold and windy! We had moved our early morning trip yesterday to the afternoon and as we stood at the boat ramp watching the west wind blow white caps across the river we questioned, "did we really want to go fishing?" I had met Austin Jackson, is father Stan, and their friend Doug Mackle up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and on land it was a beautiful day! But we decided to fish and we found out that as long as we stayed on the lee side of a land mass, the fishing was enjoyable.

Our fist stop was over on the outside of Tiger Island, fishing live shrimp and mud minnows.  We had gotten a few nibbles when finally Doug, after making an excellent cast where we saw some mullet get "popped" and in short order his float disappeared and, Fish On!  Doug played the fish patiently and soon landed a nice Redfish. Stan was drifting his float with the current behind the boat and he then hooked up and reeled in a keeper sized Seatrout.

We then ran around to Lanceford Creek and fished a grass patch to no avail, then bounced over to Soap Creek and here the fish catching picked up a tad, coinciding with the outgoing tide.  Stan found a couple of more Trout off the stern and Austin got on the board with a Trout catch of his own.

Our final stop was back at some docks on Lanceford and here the things got hot. I think it was the first "demo" cast that got a bite, then all three anglers were catching fish. Most were Red Drum with a couple of smaller Black "puppy" Drum thrown in. We added two Slot Reds to the box then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Thanksgiving Fun Fishing at Amelia Island

You just can't beat a good day of fishing especially when you know that some great food is coming your way the next day for Thanksgiving! Paul Doman and his family were visiting Amelia Island and he and his daughters Edi and Adelaide met me early this morning down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at the very top of a  high tide. We left the ramp, ran up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff with plans to fish a large marsh runout with float rigs an live shrimp. I'm pretty sure it was first cast and, Fish On! I've been telling people you can't hardly NOT catch a Trout if you've been

fishing the last few days and today was no exception. Paul reeled in that first fish but the ladies got in on the action quickly and soon they too were hauling in fish. We worked up and down the bank and caught fish as we went.

After running thru Horsehead we made a stop at some docks at Seymore's Pointe and again, Seatrout were biting on almost every drift. Bait was getting busted up along some grass and after Paul had made a pinpoint cast, let it drift naturally along the grass,
BOOM! Big fish On!  Paul played it perfectly and  patiently and soon landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish. Later, he was fishing somewhat out a ways, over some submerged oysters, and hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum (all fish caught today were released). Both Edi and Adelaide brought in keeper sized Seatrout.

We ran down to Pumpkin Hill and while the girls took a break, Paul worked the bank over a shell bottom and caught three feisty Redfish. One fish hookup was brief - the fish rolled, took his bait, and BAP! Fish off in just a split second!

Our final stop was back at Spanish Drop and here Edi had the hot hand - she caught a couple of Trout then after a perfect cast to some exposed shell, BOOM! Another Big Fish On! Edi worked it to the boat and after a good battle landed another Slot Redfish. What a great way to wrap up a fun fishing trip here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Outstanding Catching in Amelia Island Backwaters

I fished with the Nolan crew this morning, Pete and his daughters Taylor and Tatum and her boyfriend Victor, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had a high and outgoing tide and decided to fish a large marsh runout above some docks in Eagan's Creek with float rigs and live shrimp.

Just like yesterday, it didn't take long before these anglers were catching fish, and a lot of them! Taylor started it off with a nice
Seatrout catch and then she kept it going, reeling in a couple of more. Tatum and her dad Pete picked it up from there and began to get on the action, catching Trout, Trout, Trout. Victor had an early case of "Victoritus" but he finally shook it off and caught his share of Trout.

We worked along the bank and found a slender grass island with submerged oysters surrounding it. Pete had let his float drift up close to it and, BOOM! Big fish on! He played it perfectly and soon
put a nice 21" Slot Redfish in the boat. We worked up the way, caught a few more Trout, then as we drifted back by the island, the Reds began to bite in earnest. Tatum caught and landed a Slot Redfish then it was Pete's turn again - Big Redfish On!  This one was even bigger than his first and put up a great battle but Pete was up to the task and eventually landed a big 24" Slot fish.  Both Tatum and Victor caught Redfish that were just under the 18" Slot size.  We caught more Trout for a while then made the run around to Tiger to finish out the day.

All anglers caught Trout at a point of grass and Pete, determined to feed the family,  added a keeper sized Weakfish. When we fished the treetops, Pete added a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and a Flounder to round out his Amelia Island "Super Grande Slam" of Redfish, Seatrout, Black Drum, Flounder, and Weakfish!  What a great way to wrap up a fun day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Like Gangbusters

I fished with the Richardson's today, Mark and his dad Allen and son Brayden, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and boy was it foggy! But not so much that we couldn't cruise to our first spot with 100 yards of visibility.  After we set up in Lanceford Creek at a large marsh run out and baited our float rigs with live shrimp, the anglers made their casts and BOOM! Seatrout on! From then in on it was like Gangbusters, fish after fish after fish caught. Most of the Trout were undersized but they put 3-4 fat keeper sized fish in the boat, too. (All fish caught today were
released). As we worked along the bank this trio of anglers picked up a couple of feisty Redfish, had a big one break off in the oysters, and made an hour and a half of fish catching fun!

Before we left the area we fished some dock pilings in Lanceford to no avail, then made the long run up the Bell River to some more docks. Mark caught another feisty Redfish and Brayden put another keeper sized Trout in the boat - both fishing with jigs and mud minnows.

Our final stop was around at Tiger Island, fishing the tree tops. Allen hauled in a couple of nice Reds, we added a small Black "puppy drum" and then a small Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Seatrout, Red Drum, Black Drum and Flounder, making for a another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Trout, Redfish and Flounder

Trout, Redfish, and Flounder - that's what we're catching right now, and as for quantities, in that order. Today I fished with Gil Langley, his daughter Brittany and son-in-law Nate, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp for an early morning trip. The sun was just up as we headed up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff Creek and then ran even further up into the marsh. It only took seconds after the first float and live shrimp were tossed for us to have a fish on - Nate was on the rod and he expertly reeled in a nice hungry
Seatrout.

Gil found out that he could drift his float on the back side of a corner of marsh and pick up a fish and he pulled in a couple of more Trout. We crossed the creek and began to ease along the shoreline and Brittany got in on the action when she hooked up and landed Trout, then Nate had a stronger bite, a hookup, and then played the fish patiently to the boat, our first Redfish of the day.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to Spanish Drop and switched to jigs and shrimp and again, all three anglers caught fish. After moving down the bank 100 yards and sticking with the jigs, we really got into some fish. Gil put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat and there was a Redfish or two caught there. If the Seatrout minimum size limit was 14", we would have had a "mess"! Fortunately, Gil found another that was keeper sized.

After briefly fishing some dock pilings at Seymore's Pointe we ran down to Broward Island and worked the tree tops. Brittany hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder, then garnered her very own "Amelia Island Back Country Slam" when she caught a Redfish.  Both Gil and Nate added fish before we called it a day, another beautiful one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

21" Slot Red, and a Quarter

After a couple of days off (one due to weather), I got the opportunity to fish with Len Pelletiere and his brother Joe who was visiting Amelia Island for a few days. We met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and made the longish run up to Broward Island to take advantage of the first of an incoming tide. The two anglers began tossing jigs and live shrimp to the bank and before long Len had put a small Black "puppy" Drum in the boat and a couple of feisty Redfish. We eased along the bank and Joe got in on the action by landing a couple of feisty Reds himself, and then added a Sheepshead to the mix - we had a Slam!  When things seemed
to slow we made a move, running back to the Spanish Drop.

Here, we caught another Redfish or two then we moved back to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Len was fishing a float over the oysters and hooked up and landed a keeper sized Black Drum (all fish caught today were released). We had seen a fish bust bait up near a little bend in the grass and after Joe had made a pinpoint cast his float slipped under the surface and, Fish On!  He worked it patiently to the boat and landed   nice Slot 21", and quarter sized fish. Just minutes later he got his cast back to the same spot and, Boom! Another nice fish on. He worked this one to the boat and landed it also, another Slot sized fish.

We eventually made the run thru Horsehead and fished a stretch of now flooded marsh grass and Len ended with the hot hand, putting a few hungry Sea Trout in the boat and garnering the duo an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Black Drum, Sheepshead and Seatrout. Another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Into The Fog

When I met Allen and Lavern Webb up at the north end boat ramp we had fairly clear skies but when we landed at our first stop at the outside of Tiger Island, the fog began to roll in, and it was THICK! Allen set up on the bow and tossed a 7w fly rod while Lavern took the stern with a float rig and live shrimp. We worked along the flooded marsh grass on a  high and incoming tide. Allen had no "hits" on the fly and Lavern wasn't doing much better until finally, her float disappeared with a vengeance and as her drag began to sing we knew, BIG FISH ON!  Lavern kept the pressure on, let the fish run and when it
rolled a few times up near the grass we could tell that it was a big Redfish. She worked it patiently to the boat and eventually landed a 26 1/2" Slot Redfish and this one had some "shoulders"!
But it was crazy that we had no real bites after that.

We crept thru the fog and checked out a couple or three flooded grass flats but so no sign of tailing fish so we continued on thru Tiger and around to Bell River where we set up alongside some flooding oysters and here both anglers put a handful of hungry Seatrout in the boat. Our next stop was around at Lanceford Creek, fishing a grass patch with the float rigs and with the first cast, BOOM! Lavern hooked up and landed a big Seatrout. We caught a few more Trout as the tide had turned and started back out, hit another grass patch and picked up another keeper, then made one more short run.

This stop was up Soap Creek and it was a good move because Lavern put another keeper Trout in the boat, then Allen matched it with a big one of his one, and one upped it with the biggest Trout of the day, a 19 1/2" fish. The fog had cleared and the sun was out, the water was like glass, and we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Boys Day Out

I fished with Bob Cadorin and  his two son-in-laws Nick and Carlos, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp mid morning. The tide had peaked around 9am so we ran over to Lanceford Creek and fished a grass patch as the water started back out. The trio were tossing float rigs and live shrimp and started off feeding the "baitstealers", but finally, we had a hookup and "knocked the skunk off" with a Seatrout catch. I expected more bites but we didn't get them so we made the move!

Soap Creek was nearby and as we eased in things were looking
pretty good with the water now draining from the marsh and the fish bite picked up. All three anglers had Trout catches and Bob put a keeper sized one in the boat. Later, we caught a Slot Redfish and then another one or two small but "feisty".

We then made the run back and around to Tiger Island. The wind had picked up but luckily it was out of the NE and as we got around behind the island, the conditions were ripe for catching fish. After
landing a couple of good eat'n Whiting and a sizable Croaker, we began to work the logs.  Bob added another Slot Redfish, Nick added a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum and Carlos picked up a sizable 19" Flounder to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam!  With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.