Brag'n Rights Re-Visited

Yesterday was our annual Fernandina Pirate football teammate fishing trip, rescheduled and rescheduled and we finally pulled it off! But, Unfortunately, one of the team members decided to go out the night before to a (Jacksonville) seafood restaurant and must have had a bad oyster 'cause he called in sick with stomach issues. I guess we're going to have to institute a "curfew" like the coaches did in the old days!

So it was me, Tony French, and Raymond Keen who met out at the Goffinsville Park boat ramp and boy was it a pretty morning - except for the north winds that were blowing 10-12mph with a forecast saying they'd be 17+ by noon. But we had a game plan with the first stop being around in Christopher Creek and it was like a lake fishing. We pulled up quick to the "honey hole" but we didn't get a nibble, so we swung around and fished some dock pilings, worked them thoroughly, then came back around to work our way out. I had a good bump, a hookup, and knocked the skunk off with a nice feisty Redfish catch.  The other guys were in awe.  As we worked around the corner and were about to leave Raymond landed a fat Seatrout.

We came back to the rocks along Nassauville, still protected from the wind and began to drift slip floats. But none of us were "feeling" the float rigs so we decided to try our luck with the jigs and live shrimp up around the rocks. We drifted with the now outgoing tide, pitching to the rocks, up by pilings and it paid off. Tony hooked up with an "almost legal" Redfish, then went back to the same spot and he said the fish hit it with a vengeance! BOOM! Big fish on!  It was an even battle for a minute or so but the wiley fish found its way around a dock piling and the line tightened down. Tony gave a little when he needed to, pulled a little to see if the fish would come around, gave a little when he needed to, and then there was a Bump Bump!  I thought the fish had come off but it had just come around the piling! Tony applied the pressure, I eased the boat out into deeper water, and the battle was on! It took a few minutes but soon the big fish tired and Tony brought to the net for pictures, an oversized 32.5" Redfish, big enough to claim first place in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament -Redfish Category. (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

We continued to fish those rocks and picked up another feisty Redfish or two, another small Trout or two, then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

No Bait Drum

I fished this morning with Arthur Grace, his son Conner and his friend Lee, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp on a tide that still had a few hours to bottom. We made a quick run around to the old bridge at Sawpit and set up behind it, fishing jigs out into the deeper water, baited with live shrimp. I haven't fished this area in years but I had heard they were getting Trout. We didn't.

After a brief run in with a sandbar, we made the run up the  Nassau River to some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The March winds had already
picked up so the docks were a welcoming calm.  I had two of the anglers tossing jigs but I planned to set one up with a slip float rig to drift behind the boat. I had just dropped it over the side of the boat to check for the bobber stopper depth with no bait on the hook when I felt a tug and, Fish On!   I handed the rod to Lee who expertly worked it to the surface and landed a nice keeper sized Black Drum!  But that was about all we got so we moved on.

The next stop was down at Broward Island and again we had somewhat of a wind block. All three anglers began to get nibbles, a bite, and finally we began to put a couple of Seatrout in the boat. They were down deep and the bite was so subtle you had to really be on you toes to hook one up.  We fished the island with just minutes left in the trip, then ran back, but made another stop to fish the Seymore docks, this time on an incoming tide and I believe that made a difference.

Conner hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish and just seconds later, Lee put another keeper sized Black Drum in the boat. Then Conner wrapped things up with a final Seatrout  catch. Although we had to find places to be out of the wind, the sun was out, we caught a few, and it was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Savory and Spicy Rosemary Roasted Mixed Nuts

I was at a neighborhood outing the other evening and neighbor
Fancie Melville brought this snack

that she had found on the MealPLannerPro website. It was really a hit and can be a great appetizer to put out before you cook up that fresh catch of fish!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Mixed Raw Nuts (pecans, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, macadamia, almonds)
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 heaping TBS fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1 TBS Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2  tsp Sea Salt
1/4  tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
1  1/2 tsp Pure Maple Syrup

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Spread nut mixture and cook for 15 minutes.

Seatrout Down Deep

If you've read between the lines of the last few days fishing reports you may have seen that the "fish catching" had been very slow with fish catches of 2-3 the norm. Today I met the Concannon family - Andy and Leslie and their adult sons Justin and Ryan-down at the south end boat ramp with only a slight breeze blowing and beautiful sunny skies. We ran up the intercoastal and dipped in to Jackstaff and began fishing the exposed oysters with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. I don't think we even had one bite! After crossing over the creek and fishing a sandbar point to no
 avail, we ran thru Horsehead and around to some docks at Seymore's Pointe.

These anglers were making excellent casts to the dock pilings but we had no real bites. The 2nd dock we fished we did have a brief hookup that ripped a bit of drag, but it threw the hook.  We were going on about an hour and a half with no fish in the boat and I was beginning to wonder if the pattern over the last few days was going to hold.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island, still fishing the last of an outgoing tide and things picked up just a bit. Ryan put a keeper sized Seatrout in the boat then Justin landed a feisty Sheepshead. We worked down the bank and picked up another Trout or two. When the tide turned and started back in we moved to the end of the island and had a good flurry of fish catching. Justin picked up a nice 17" Seatrout, then another, then he tangled with a wiley Redfish that after a good battle, found its way under a submerged log - we saw the line tighten down - and BAP, fish off! But Justin was game and went back to the same area and pulled in a keeper sized Sheepshead. Then it was Andy's turn to hookup with a bigger fish and after a good fight, he landed the biggest Trout of the day, a 19" fish.

We made one more stop back along the Nassau River and just as we were about to leave, Ryan found a wayward Weakfish/Sandtrout and added it to the fish box for dinner! And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Kick'n Up

I fished yesterday with Howard McClure and his buddies Joe and Brian, and met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The forecast the night before had called for a bit of wind but as I launched the boat we saw that there was only a breeze which was going to make for some comfortable fishing, but little did we know!

We ran up the Nassau River and all the way around to Broward Island, stopping just short of it to fish some exposed oysters with jigs and live shrimp on the last of an outgoing tide. The trio were making excellent casts but we had no real bites.  When it looked like the tide hit bottom we moved down to the island and fished the deep drop off with perfect conditions but the fish just didn't cooperate. After fishing a few areas along the island we moved on.

Our next stop was back at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. The wind had picked up just a bit so this did the trick and gave us some protection. We worked one dock pretty good but only picked up one "baitstealer" but at the next dock we finally had some action. Both Howard and Brian hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish each.

We came around the pointe and fished a slight indent in the rock bulkhead and got a few bites. Then Brian got his bait up real close and sure enough, Boom! He had a hookup. This fish was pulling a bit of drag, especially when it got back in the current, but Brian kept the pressure on and landed a nice 5-spot Slot sized Redfish.

The wind was really kicking up now so we ran back to Christopher Creek and got into some shelter but the fish were having none of it. We headed back in and boy was it blowing! The incoming tide was bucking against the west wind and we were rocking and rolling all the way back to the dock. But it was a beautiful day otherwise so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Not as Cold as Minnesota!

I fished with Denn Evans and his buddy Tom Martin today, both spending some time here at Amelia Island for a few weeks and all the way from Minnesota.  The temperatures today when we launched were in the low 40's but these guys said "back home" it's in the 20's" so we counted ourselves lucky!

We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels with the tide low but rising so we made the quick jump over to Tiger Island to fish the downed logs with jigs and live shrimp. I was really encouraged when Tom "knocked the skunk off" with a hookup
fairly quickly, and after expertly working it to the boat, he landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout.  We eased down the island fishing the pockets and in a short time, Tom put a feisty  Redfish in the boat. After that, though, we didn't have any real bites.

After making the run out, up and over to the Jolley river we broke out some fixed float rigs and began drifting live shrimp along the marsh line.  We did get a few bites, but no takers, until we reached a shallow area where we could throw over a long oyster bank. Denn had made an excellent cast and within seconds, Boom! He had a hookup. He reeled it across the oyster bar and to the net. Denn went back to the same spot and hooked up with an even bigger fish but this one was smart and stayed deep and sure enough, the leader cut on the oyster bar!  Denn caught another one or two Trout there, then we moved into the shallow area and picked up another Trout or two.

Our next stop was on the outside of Tiger, fishing floats but we had no luck as the tide was reaching its peak. After fishing one last spot over in Bell River, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

We and the Crabbers

It was Clear. And Cold. And Windy when I met David and Lisa Howe down at the south end boat
ramp. I was the only trailer in the parking lot after I launched!  But these two Vermonters were bundled up and ready to experience some Amelia Island fishing so we loaded up and headed NW into the wind, running up to Seymore's Pointe to use it as a wind break, and it worked!  As it turned out, we were the only anglers out today, other than a couple of crabbers running around checking their traps.

The fist dock we fished didn't produce any bites but the second one the duo got a few nibbles and
finally David knocked the skunk off with a feisty Black "puppy" Drum  catch. We moved around to the Nassauville and fished the base of some rocks with jigs and live shrimp and Lisa got on the board with a nice 4-sport Redfish catch.

We wrapped up in Christopher Creek as the tide got to it's top and fished the docks with jigs and shrimp and even tossed a fly rod for a bit. It was an absolutely beautiful day if you discounted the wind and another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Double Grande Slams

We had a brief break in the wind today so Paul and Terry Coughlin met me up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp mid morning to catch the first of an outgoing tide. We made the short run over to the outside of Tiger Island to fish float rigs and live shrimp up near the marsh grass. This duo was making excellent casts on a calm morning but we had no takers. We bumped across the creek and fished another stretch of marsh  and again, no luck.

We then made the long run thru Tiger basin, around Bell and over to Lanceford Creek and up
in a ways to fish some shoreline. Here, we did have a few strong bites but they just didn't "take" the hook. After dropping back and fishing a grass patch, we eased back to some docks and switched to jigs and shrimp. We did have one float rig still going up near the shore and this produced first, with Sherry reeling in a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). Paul went with the float and sure enough, picked up another keeper sized Trout. Then Terry snagged a small Sheepshead and a keeper sized Flounder. We moved up a bit and fished the dock just south of the big offshore boat with the three engines-the one with the lone pilings out from the dock, and Terry put a Redfish in the boat to round out her Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Seatrout, Sheepshead, Redfish  and Flounder. 

Paul picked up a Sheepshead and a Redfish to get his Slam before we made the run around to Tiger Island. We caught a handful of feisty Redfish then Paul garnered his Grande Slam when he landed a Flounder. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Coming Back For Seconds

The wind finally quite blowing for a day so when I met Bob Bibik and his brother David out at the Goffinsville Park we had some calm waters that greeted us. After making a quick run over to Pumpkin Hill and set up with some fixed float rigs with mud minnows for bait and began fishing the marsh grass on a  high and outgoing tide.  I think it was David's first cast when his float disappeared and the fish swiped his minnow!  But David went right back to the same spot and the fish came back for seconds!  David hooked it up and reeled in a feisty Redfish to "knock the skunk off" (and as it turned out, we
really needed it!)  We may have had a nibble or two but no more real bites. We moved around a pointe, fished some marsh islands, got a couple of bites,  then made the run down to Spanish Drop in the Nassau.

The anglers switched to jigs and minnows and worked some now exposed oyster banks. There wasn't much action until Bob had a strong hookup, Fish On!  and Fish Off! It must have not been hooked good but it did rip the drag just a bit.  We ran up to Seymore's Point and fished some docks with some dead shrimp (no live stuff available today) and didn't have any success.

Our final stop was down at Broward Island with the tide still going out. David did put a good hungry Seatrout in the boat. I fished a bit here and there and was personally "skunked" - the fish just weren't cooperating. But these guys had good attitudes and really enjoyed getting out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Tied For First

I thought it was the biggest Redfish of the year but when I got in I saw that it was tied for first for the biggest Red! Not bad, though! 

I had met the Minnesota boys - Jack Severson, Frank Boehn and Jack's son Joe and daughter-in-law Alicia down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this misty morning and we made a quick run over to the Longpointe docks where we had picked up a couple of keeper Seatrout the other day. But the Trout didn't cooperate today so we continued on up the Nassau River and made a stop at a marsh run out, pitching jigs and live shrimp up current and letting it slide down the

river bottom with the current....to no avail.

Our next stop was up at some dock at Seymore's Pointe. We fished one dock with jigs on the last of an outgoing tide - didn't get any bites - then moved down to the next one. FINALLY, young Joe hooked up and knocked the skunk off the boat, landing a keeper size Black Drum. He quickly followed that up with a feisty Redfish catch. Then Jack put a hungry Seatrout in the boat, so we had a brief flurry of fish catching.

We made the run down to Broward Island, stuck with jigs, and picked up a Trout here and there. Frank put one in the boat, Jack caught one on a plastic grub, and Alicia nailed a small Perch.  We eased down the island and set up to the very last of the outgoing tide with these anglers making excellent casts but the bite was non existent. I had just noted that maybe we should moving on when Joe hooked up and FISH ON!  And a big fish it was!  Joe kept the pressure on and worked it out from  the bank and away from the logs. Once he got it out it dug deep and got back into the current and it was an epic battle to see who gave in first. But Joe was up to the task, played the big fish patiently and eventually brought it to the Frank's waiting net. It turned out to be a 30.75" oversize Redfish, big enough to tie for first place in the Angler's Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish! We took some photo's and released it unharmed.

Our last stop was along the rocks of Nassauville - the tide hadn't quite turned yet - we got no real bites- so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.