Making It With Mangroves

 You just can't beat a day off with beautiful weather, out on the water, and fishing with your son! I had met Steve Locke and his son Justin out at Goffinsville Park early this morning and we had sunshine and just a slight breeze on the very first of an incoming tide. 

We scooted down to Broward Island and set up out side of a large marsh run out and the fish teased us, busting bait up near the shore, but they wouldn't take our shrimp or mud minnows on a jig. After moving down the island a bit we set up just as the tide came to a standstill, still pitching jigs and shrimp, BAM! Steve had a hookup. The fish was ripping drag and staying down and we thought for sure it was a some sort of Drum. Steve worked it up patiently and we netted a nice Slot sized 20" Redfish.

Our next stop was back off of Seymore's Pointe, fishing some oyster lined banks with float rigs. The first stop didn't produce anything, but the 2nd one did. Steve was drifting off the stern

and hooked up and landed another feisty Redfish, then he battled a Jack Crevalle to the boat, then tangled with a Shark that headed to Tallahassee.

After fishing some rocks at Nassauville with floats Justin, who had been holding back, "knocked the skunk" of his rod with a Mangrove Snapper catch, then another of keeper size.  We moved down the way, switched to jigs, and began to haul in Mangrove's one after the other.  Although they''re not very big, we were able to get a good "mess" of keeper sized ones so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Banana Girl

Most of us have heard of the tale of banana's bringing "Bad Luck" on a boat. Well this morning we had a one of our anglers, step on the boat, take her seat, and begin peeling and eating a banana.  I normally don't say anything but knowing these guests were good sports, I reminded them of the tale: Banana's are bad luck.  BUT, we had a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and a slight breeze to keep the upcoming heat off so we left Oyster Bay docks and headed down Lanceford to our first spot at a marsh run out.

Robert Stettner, his friend Henrietta, and her friend Vicki began tossing float rigs with live shrimp but all we got was one bite and no takers.  After fishing Bell River, then the outside of Tyger, then Jolley Bank with no fish,  we began to wonder if the banana curse was open us.

I ran further up the Jolley and fished another flooded bank on
the very last of an incoming tide and finally, finally, Vicki had a hookup. She worked it to the boat as the Ladyfish flew high a couple of times, but we were able to land the fish and "knock the skunk off" - if you can count a Ladyfish. But only moments later, after switching to a Mud Minnow, Henrietta had made an excellent grass to the edge of the grass and, BOOM! Float Gone. Henrietta played it perfectly and after a good battle, landed a big 20" Seatrout, boy what a fish!  We made one more stop in the Jolley but the tide was turning back at Tyger so we headed back.

Sure enough, the tide was coming out and just as we set up Robert was ready to

make his cast - he did, and BAM! He had a hookup and caught a feisty Bluefish. From then on it was pandemonium. The trio of anglers caught Ladyfish, Bluefish and a couple of keeper Trout. Then Vicki and Henrietta had a "double" hookup. Vicki was on the bow and played her fish perfectly and landed a feisty Redfish while Henrietta's was back at the stern. She worked it to the boat and landed a nice Slot Redfish. Robert got in on the "big fish" action hooking up with probably the biggest fish of the day. He played it patiently, worked it to the boat and we saw that it was a 20"+ Black "puppy" Drum, but it made one more lunge in the shallow water and BAP, fish off. Ouch. 

We had started really slow, struggled to get a bite, but we stayed with it and no matter the "banana on the boat" issue, we wrapped up with a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Four Pounds and Four Foot

 Catching the big fish. That was Betty's plan for the morning. I had met John Raker and his mother Betty out at Goffinsville Park and we had the water to ourselves for the most part of the morning. We headed over to Pumpkin Hill on the last of an incoming tide and set up alongside the marsh grass with plans to drift float rigs with live shrimp. It didn't take long to get bites and soon John had a good hookup and while he fought it, Betty had an even bigger hookup, Fish(s) On! John got his to the boat quickly, a feisty Bluefish, but Betty had her hands full. She fought it valiantly, worked it to the boat, and John then netted a big 4lb Jack Crevalle, boy what a battle!

We eased around the corner where John picked up a hungry Seatrout, then fished a grassy island. Both anglers were getting good drifts when all of sudden Betty's float disappeared then it zipped across the water and Betty had another fight on her hands. I was pretty sure it was a Shark because of that initial run and then subsequent runs. Betty worked it to the boat where we saw it was a 4 foot Shark, then John stepped in and helped,

and they eventually wore it out and brought it alongside for me to break the leader. 

We then ran over to Seymore's Pointe and fished a large outflow where the tide had started out. John picked up a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper then Betty tangled with another, bigger, Jack Crevalle. This time it was a piece of cake! Our next stop was around the corner, fishing some rocks with the float rigs and here we got into some Mangrove Snapper and caught 'em until we tired of catching them.  The biggest was right at 12", but they sure are good to eat!

After running down to Spanish Drop we began easing along the bank pitching jigs and shrimp.  John caught one Seatrout that was just a tad bit undersized then he picked up one that was well in the keeper range. We were just about to call it day as John pitched his jig to the shell bank, worked it thru the shells, then BOOM! He had a strong bite and hookup. John played it perfectly, walked to to the stern and from starboard to port then played it patiently to the net - a nice 22" Slot Redfish (with 9 spots!). That was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Double Slot

 

Boy what a beautiful morning we had today! Sunshine, only slightly cool, and only a tad bit of wind. I had met the Acton family, Matt and Terri and their sons Trevor and Eric up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and we made our way over to Bell River and set up at a grassy point with just minutes to spare on a high and incoming tide. Matt was taking pictures while Terri and the young anglers fished and it was Terri who "knocked the skunk off" when she hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout.

The tide hit its highest, we fished it a bit, then made the run thru Tiger Basin and around to the outside oif Tyger Island and went back to the float rigs. The trio of anglers were getting bites but no real takers then Trever had a hookup and, Fish On!  The fish was big enough to be ripping drag but Trever kept the pressure on then Eric had a hookup and we had a Double!  Trevor landed his fish - a 20" Slot Redfish then it was Eric's turn to battle a fish. We played it perfectly, worked it to the boat, and landed

another Slot Redfish, this one measuring 18 1/2" and having 5 spots.

We fished across the creek for a bit, then ran back the marsh and over to Lanceford Creek. Here, Trevor put a Seatrout in the boat then Matt, having took up a rod, had a big hookup and Big Fish On! This fish was heading back to Nebraska!  Matt played him patiently, worked it to the boat only to have it make multiple runs, worked it back, and we saw that it was a 4' Bonnethead Shark!  It was just out of reaching distance when, BAP, it broke the leader and was gone.

Our next stop was up in Soap Creek but we had no bites, then we came back out and fished some docks and this did the trick.  We ended up getting another Trout, and two Black "puppy" Drum, and numerous bites before making our last run over to Tyger logs where we wrapped the day up and headed in to chalk it up as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

First and Last

 We had a beautiful day that greeted us when I met Dale Bullard, his daughter Autumn and son-in-law Jacob down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We were a little worried about the wind that had been tormenting us for it seems the last few weeks, especially as the morning progress's, but not today.

After running up the intercoastal and dipping in to Flagstaff and then into a smaller creek we set up with float rigs and live shimp, tossed to the marsh grass on a high and outgoing tide. I think it was Autumn's first cast when her float disappeared with a vengeance, and, Fish ON! This fish went zipping across the water taking Autumn from stern to bow and from port to starboard and back to the stern. I was thinking "shark" but as Autumn worked it to the boat I realized that it surely wasn't a shark. Autumn played it patiently and eventually landed a big Jack Crevalle, knocking the skunk off the boat early and kicking off a good day of fishing. 

We fished Jackstaff for a bit and had a couple of good bites, then ran through Horsehead and down to Spanish Drop and again eased along the bank. Jacob put another hard fighting Jack in the boat and they also landed a couple of hungry Seatrout. 

Our next stop was up at some docks at Nassauville and this paid off. Dale caught a huge Toad Fish right off then Jacob, fishing off the lucky stern, caught a keeper sized Seatrout. Dale and Jacob put a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat then the trio teamed up to catch a good handful of smaller ones. Then it was Autumn's turn to wrap up the "big fish catches" when, after tossing a jig and big mud minnow, had a hookup. This fish was pulling good but Autumn kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice 19" Seatrout - she had the first and last big fish of the day!

After fishing down at Broward for a bit we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

It Was a Big Trout

 

When that line is ripp'n and that big fish is digging deep, the first thing you hope for is to "just be able to see  him"!  We had that happen this morning and when the fish came to the surface briefly near the boat and we saw it was a Huge Trout, we all held our breath, and hoped. 

I had met James Driggers, his brother-in-law David Purcell and his nephew Chase out at the Goffinsville Park this morning with the sun having just cleared Amelia Island off to the west. The forecast called for not much of rain but winds were going to increase from 9mph to 12 to 16 as the trip progressed. Our plan was to fish some just exposed oyster beds over in the Nassau first so we headed that way and deployed the float rigs and live shrimp to the edge. We eased along the bank, had a couple of good bites, then finally, David "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Seatrout catch.

We moved up to a large marsh runout and switched to jigs and shrimp. Just as Chase had a good hookup, David's rod bent over and the drag began to sing. Chase worked  his fish to the boat expertly and landed a feisty Ladyfish but David had his hands full on the stern. I was thinking "Redfish?"  No, probably a Jack Crevalle, but as David worked it patiently to the surface, OH BOY, a huge Gator Trout! Then the fish dove and went under the boat and I think we all realized what we could potentially lose!  But David kept the pressure on, brought it back out, played it around the engine, then brought it to the net to be lifted in and measured to be right at 25" - big enough to move into first place in the Anglers Mark 2021 Bragging Rights Tournament, Seatrout Category. Boy what a fish! (Scroll down the right side of this report for standings)

Once we gathered our wits, the angles went back to fishing and after James had a made a perfect cast, BOOM! And drag began to sing as the fish ran like a freight train, heading East. But James played him perfectly, stayed with him in a couple of long runs, worked him up off the bottom, and landed a nice 40" Bonnethead Shark-the first Shark we've caught in the back water this year. 

We later fished some docks and got a couple of Mangrove Snapper, fished some more docks and got another couple of Snapper, then finished up down at Broward Island where the trio teamed up to catch a handful of Seatrout and Redfish. The wind had picked up as forecasted but we were able to get some fishing in so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

From 10 to 20

We had a beautiful morning today when I met Scott and Sandy Winstead down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The forecast called for 12mph winds (fishable) increasing to 18-20 as the morning wore on (not very fishable). But we wanted to get some fishing in so we headed up the Nassau River and around to Broward Island and set up with jigs and live shrimp on the first of an incoming tide. We had a good bite here and there but no takers, moved down a bit, found some logs to hang on, then we moved even further down. Here, Scott "knocked the skunk off" with a nice Flounder catch. 

The wind was picking up so we came back to the shelter of Nassauville and fished a grassy point with float rigs. We were out of the wind but the fish weren't cooperating. After cruising by Goffinsville Park we got in between two docks and went back to the jigs and this did the trick. Scott put a couple of keeper sized Mangrove Snapper in the boat (all fish caught today were released), then Sandy got in on the action and landed a few of her on. 

They were biting so well Scott switched to a 8w fly rod that I had brought along loaded with a sinking tip and  a weighted Shrimp fly. He was getting excellent casts to the same spots we were getting the fish on live shrimp and had a couple of "takes' but they spit the artificial quickly. But it was fun! After fishing  one more spot up the way we made a run thru Horsehead, down along the intercoastal and back to the boat ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Mixing It Up

 After a much needed day off I was back at it today, meeting Eddie Byrd and his son-in-law Art and grandson-in-law Dan down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. After making the run up and over into the Nassau River we made our first stop at Spanish Drop and with a tide that had been coming in for about 3 hours, began to pitch float rigs and live shrimp to the shore line. We were getting pretty good drifts but had no real luck. 

The shell was still showing so we decided to try our luck at some docks at Seymore's but tossing jigs produced no fish. We move around and switched back to float rigs, had just a couple of nibbles, but then we could see a Sheepshead's tail as it fed up alongside some pilings. We moved in, dropped some jigs and had a hookup. Art worked it in and landed a keeper sized fish.  After fishing around the corner at some rocks and catching a couple of small Mangroves, we moved on.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing jigs, but no takers. We then moved up to Pumpkin Hill and drifted float rigs

on a still incoming tide and this did the trick. After getting a couple of bites off the stern, Dan went up to a pointe of grass and BAM, he had a fish. Dan worked it patiently to the boat and landed keeper sized Seatrout.  We fished down the way and somewhere in there tangled with a Ladyfish or two, then Art put another Trout in the boat, caught right up beside the grass.

Our final stop was back at Nassauville, fishing between two docks and here we caught Mangrove Snapper non-stop for a good thirty minutes, many of them of keeper size, and the biggest at around 12". We filled the box with those then headed in, counting it as another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

(Note, the Bald Eagle chick at Broward Island has left the nest!)

Book Ends

 I wrapped my "week" up today - 8 trips in the last 7 days - fishing with Rick Astor and his son Eric - meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We had a "book end" kind of day, catching fish early then late to make  good day of fishing.

We had run up the Nassau River and made a quick stop at Spanish Drip to fish an incoming tide with float rigs and live shrimp, working the bank, tossing the floats up near the grass. We eased along a flooded marsh line, had a couple of nibbles, then when we reached the "honey hole" we began to get hookups. Both Eric and Rick tangled with some nice sized Ladyfish, then Rick had a strong bite off the stern and the battle was on! He played it perfectly, worked it to the boat, and landed a big Jack Crevalle. The duo caught a couple of more fish then Rick had another hookup. When we saw it "roll up" near the bank we knew it was a Redfish. Rick was patient and slowly brought it to the boat and eventually landed a nice 21" Slot sized Redfish. 

We fished Twin Creeks for a bit with the float rigs but even though we were getting excellent drifts thru the mouths of those creeks, we had no bites. After running down to Pumpkin Hill we fished one stretch of shoreline then another, had some bites, but no takers, then we eased down to Broward Island and switched to jigs. But he wind had picked up and we were getting kicked around so we came back to the lee of Nassauville and fished a large outflow.  After getting just a few nibbles Rick had seen some fish action up between a floating deck and dock so we eased over there and went with just a plain hook and shrimp. Eric made a perfect toss, the fish took it, and BAM. He had a hookup. It was a quick battle but he landed it  - another high flying Ladyfish. 

We had gone from a good start in the morning to struggling to get a decent fish but when we pulled around to fish Seymore's Pointe things picked up. Tossing live shrimp under the float the duo caught a couple of small Mangrove Snapper. We then moved down teh way, fished between a couple of docks and here the action picked up. Both Rick and Eric hooked up and landed a good handful of Mangrove Snapper and  five of those turned out to be of keeper size. 

We had started out strong, finished strong, so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Finally Got Some Trout

 We had a beautiful day this  morning when I met Chuck Lindholm and his brother-in-law Paul up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. We had a slight breeze as we headed down the river, up the Bell and hit our first spot at a flooded oyster bed on the last of an incoming tide.  Finally, we caught some Trout! It's been about 4 days since we had our last Trout but today we knocked that skunk off. Both Chuck and Paul had good hookups and landed Seatrout.

After running thru Tyger Basin and over to the outside of Tyger, we set up as the tide started out where Chuck picked up a Trout off the stern. We moved over to the other side of the creek, fished it a bit, but had no luck.

Our next stop was around at my neighbor Bill's spot and it paid off with another Trout catch. Next, on to Soap Creek, fishing the outflow then moving up to the "honey hole" where Paul put a high flying Ladyfish in the boat, then Chuck added a keeper sized Seatrout and then a keeper sized Flounder (all fish caught today

were released). 

I had thought about fishing up Lanceford but it was crazy crowded so we made the long run up the Bell where we switched to jigs and live shrimp. Both anglers snagged some Mangrove Snapper and Paul put a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum in the boat. The trout were back which helped make it another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.