Grande Slam on a Beautiful Morning at Amelia Island

Just when I think the days can't get any prettier, we have a beautiful one like we had this morning. I had met Jack Larini and his girl friend Alexa down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp under clear skies and we left the dock just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. After a short run up the intercoastal to dip into Jackstaff we were fishing with float rigs and live shrimp. In short order Jack's float disappeared, he tightened up, and fish on! Jack brought it to the boat expertly and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout (all fish caught today were released). We fished that marsh run out for a bit and Jack added another Seatrout to his catch.

After crossing the creek we switched to jigs and shrimp and Alexa had just made her first cast when BAM, she had a hookup. She worked it to the boat and landed a Flounder (BTW, today starts the closed season on Flounder, thru November 30th). We continued along that bank for a bit, caught another

Trout, then moved on. 

We ran thru Horsehead, around to the Nassau, and checked a minnow trap (empty), then came back to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and fished the pilings with the jigs. Both anglers hooked up and landed a few Mangrove Snapper. Back down the Nassau we went, this time stopping at Twin Creeks. The tide was dropping and I thought for sure we'd have some action but, no, not much of anything.

Our next stop was even further down the Nassau, this time fishing a small outflow, dodging a crab trap and here it was like someone opened the barn doors! Jack found a nice Seatrout drop back behind the boat and began to catch fish., one after the other. It was almost if Alexa couldn't make a cast without catching a feisty Redfish. Then she had a strong bite and her drag began to rip and this one was a big one! As you can see in the video below, she landed the Black "puppy"  Drum despite the coaching she was getting from Jack and myself!  Every once in a while jack would get a toss in to Alexa's Redfish Spot and he'd pick up one, too. I think we stayed at that one spot for over an hour catching fish.

We fished one more spot down the river but the sun was getting up and we were in the mid-day doldrums so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Illegal Tomorrow

 Another beautiful morning and awesome sunrise greeted us when I met Mark Dennis and his nephew James out at the Goffinsville Park.  We were loaded up with mud minnows and made a short run over to Pumpkin Hill and set up alongside some marsh grass on an outgoing tide. Mark began tossing his home made cork lure and James was on the stern drifting a float rig with the minnow - we worked it good but had not a nibble.  After moving around the corner and easing along another marsh line and this did the trick. James's float was drifting along then slowly began to go under, James tightened up his line, lifted this rod and set the hook and, fish on! James worked it to the boat and landed a keeper sized 17" Seatrout to knock the skunk off. We worked along that stretch for a bit and again, James's float slowly went under, and again, he set the hook and brought to the boat a feisty Redfish. Dennis had been fishing a DOA Shrimp lure, working it across some oysters and, BAM, he had a hookup. Dennis played it patiently and soon landed another feisty Redfish.

We then moved down to Broward Island to fish under the watchful eye of a pair of Bald Eagles. Mark was casting up into a drainage and  BAM! Big Fish On! Mark was being real patient as it ran long and deep, keeping the pressure on and was well on his way to landing this big fish and BIP, fish off, it came unhooked! OUCH!  We decided to fall back with the current, fishing some pockets and I was just about ready to leave when James's rod bent double and his drag began to rip - a big fish for sure! James was up to the task, stayed the course and after a good battle landed a 29" Oversized Redfish, boy what a fish!

Our next stop was down the Nassau, all the way to Spanish Drop, and here we switched to jigs and the minnows. In short order James had hooked up and landed a nice 18" Flounder, a fish that will be illegal to keep tomorrow! We worked across a drainage and as we got to some oysters both anglers began to catch Seatrout, a bit out from the bank. James found a Redfish up close to the bank, then both anglers dueled with high flying Ladyfish.  We hopped up the river a few times, picked up a Trout, then wrapped up the day fishing for Mangrove Snapper. We had tangled with Redfish and Seatrout and Flounder and as we headed in, we counted it as another great day  to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

First Flattie Then Big Flattie

 

Even though the temperature gets up into the low 80's by afternoon, the mornings have a little cool nip in the air. It was the same when I met Bob and Kathy Miller down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning.  We made the 15 minute run up the intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and began tossing jigs and mud minnows to the exposed oysters on a low and still outgoing tide. Both anglers were getting good casts as we worked along the bank. Bob had a strange "bump", set the hook, and reeled in his first Flounder ever. We worked that bank, had numerous nibbles, then crossed over to fish a sandbar pointe. Bob was tossing out deep while Kathy fished the bow and pointe and it was Bob who had the hookup again, this time a hungry Seatrout.

We then ran thru Horsehead and around to the Nassau and down to Spanish Drop and set up fishing a large outflow and boy was there a ton of bait. We eased along pitching those minnows, had a few nibbles, but it wasn't until we got alongside

a shell bank when the action picked up. Bob had a good bite, hooked up and reeled in a feisty Redfish then Kathy got on the board - she too had a Redfish.  Then both anglers were catching fish - Redfish, a few Seatrout, a Jack Crevalle, and some Ladyfish. We moved up the way and again had some good action catching fish. 

After sampling what some dock pilings had to offer (not much), we moved around to Nassauville and set up between two docks and pitched to the bank. We picked up a few Mangrove Snapper, one of which was of keeper size then Bob started reeling in a rock. But no! That rock was moving! Bob kept the pressure on and patiently brought it to the surface and to the net - a 21.25" Flounder, boy what a fish. It was a great way to wrap up a good day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Go With Minnows

 We had a nice morning greet us when I met Glenn and Patty Langford up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park asthe sun came up.  There was still about an hour of tide going out so we made a quick run over to Lanceford Creek and fished some dock pilings with jigs and live shrimp...and got pecked, pecked, and pecked - just baitstealers. After just a short time we moved back around to Soap Creek and fished an exposed oyster bed and here we had a bit of success - Glenn hooked up and landed a couple of feisty Redfish.

As the tide came to a standstill we ran back around Tyger Island and up in behind the trees and began pitching to the shore. Both anglers were making excellent casts but the "baitstealers" were ever present. Patty did hookup and land her first Flounder and later Glenn outsmarted a hungry Sheepshead and brought it to the net. 

We then ran back outside, up and around to the Jolley River and began fishing the "bank", back into the current. Again, a bunch of nibbles -luckily I had a handful of small mud minnows to supplement the shrimp- but Glenn did hookup and land a small Seatrout to round out a team Amelia Island Grande Slam of Redfish, Flounder, Sheepshead and Seatrout. At one time Glenn did catch a fish big enough to rip his drag. When it came out of the water I thought I saw "big Seatrout" but then it jumped again a time or two and we all knew it was a Ladyfish.

After fishing further up the Jolley with float rigs and minnows we hit our final stop around the corner in the upper Bell. Right off Glenn had a bump, set the hook, and caught and landed a Mangrove Snapper. We picked up a few more baitstealers before calling it a day. Tomorrow, if they got 'em, I'll be going with Minnows and maybe they'll stay on the hook longer! But we had some action, the weather was nice, so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be out on the water her at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Soupy Morning

 

When I met Jeff and Jess Kamenski up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp early this morning the fog had set in to form a "soup" for visibility. We eased way from the ramp with navigation lights on and made our way slowly down the intercoastal and up into Bell River. The plan was to fish live shrimp under float rigs for a bit until the tide got up and we could begin to look for tailing Reds in the grass.

After setting up along side a flooding point of oysters the two anglers began tossing their baits to the marsh grass and were getting good drifts and it paid off with catches of Seatrout, Ladyfish, and a few bait stealers. We then ran thru Tyger and around to the outside of the island and fished some more grass, again getting Seatrout. 

The tide had gotten up so we poked the bow into a likely flooded marsh and within minutes - there was a tail! Both Jess and I kept our eye on it while Jeff readied himself but it went under the

surface and never appeared again. We move around and checked out a number of flats and some of them looked just amazingly fishy, but we saw no more tails. 

As the tide turned we switched back to the floats, fished a grassy pointe, and picked up another Trout, a Croaker, and a Mangrove Snapper. Our last stop was up at "Jolley Bank", working along the edge and again found, you guessed it, Seatrout. Jeff had a couple of shots at some nice big Redfish - one ran thru a grassy island and broke off, the other one was on, played, brought to the boat, seen, and... threw the hook! Ouch.  I called it a "quirky" day, but maybe a better word would be eventful so we counted it as another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Veteran Fishing

 We launched out of Goffinsville today with a few cloudy skies and a rainstorm off in the distance, but we
didn't get wet a bit throughout the day. I had met Dennis Abercrombie and his 93yo father Jay early and as the sun came up we buzzed over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and began drifting live shrimp under float rigs on the last couple of hours of an incoming tide. The Ladyfish were out in force - we tangled with them for a while, then moved around the corner and here Dennis found a hot spot with some hungry Seatrout, and landed a few.  He also battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle and a Bonnethead Shark to the net.

Our next stop was back around at Seymore's Pointe where we drifted floats around a point of grass. We had a few nibblers but no real takers. We then ran down to Twin Creeks and switched to jigs and here had a bit of action. Dennis had a strange bump, hooked it up, and landed a Flounder then both anglers had some strong bites, one break off, then Jay had a hookup and Big Fish On! this fish was ripping drag and heading west! But then it turned around, came back to us, dove under the boat, and laid deep. Jay worked it
patiently then Dennis tagged in and took over to slowly work the big fish to the boat and landed a nice 4'+ Bonnethead Shark, boy what a battle!

We fished some rocks with the float rigs at Seymore's Pointe to no avail, then moved down in between two docks and switched back to the jigs right as the tide was changing. We were r

Action Packed

 

We kicked the week off today with an action packed day of catching. I had met Dale Bullard and his fishing buddy Bernard Thompson down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and as we headed up the intercoastal we could just see the sun peaking over the horizon. We made our way up Back River, into the Nassau, and over to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and set up drifting float rigs and live shrimp. From the start, the two anglers were getting bites. There were a number of Ladyfish, a couple of Seatrout and a couple of Redfish caught. And once in a while a Jack Crevalle. We fished that stretch, moved down and fished, then moved back up and again caught some fish.

After easing around the corner Bernard quickly picked up a Seatrout then Dale had a good hookup and put a keeper sized 17" Trout in the boat. We then made the run back to the Seymore Pointe area, fished a large drainage and here Bernard dueled with a couple of Mangrove Snapper and an 'ole Catfish.

We then ran down to Twin Creeks, where again, Bernard picked up a Seatrout, then we moved down to Spanish Drop, a supposedly "honey hole" and as it turned out, the duo wrapped things up catching a few feisty Redfish. Although we didn't have any massive fish, we had some good Redfish fights, and had action going on most of the trip so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

We Found a Hot Spot

 I wrapped  my week up today fishing with the Ahrens family, Brian and Jennifer and their two anglers Henry and Oscar. I met them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we headed up the intercoastal as the sun came up. After turning in to Jackstaff then dipping in to an even smaller creek we set up at a large outflow, baited up live shrimp on float rigs and tossed them out and....BAM! Fish On! Oscar was on the rod and ready, hooked 'em  up and reeled in a nice feisty Redfish to start the day. Minutes later Brian hooked up and brought to the net a hungry Seatrout then Henry followed suit with a Trout of his own, fishing off the stern of the boat. 

We eased back into Jackstaff, worked along the bank with jigs and shrimp, lost a few shrimp to bait stealers, then moved on. After running thru Horsehead we fished a dock for just a minute or two but what breeze we had was blocked by the land mass and the "no-see-ums" were feasting on. With great reluctance, we pulled up and skedaddled!

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, working along and exposed oyster bank. We were having very little action, other than a baitstealer now and then but when we reached the end of the shell bed things heated up. Brian was on the bow and was "slaying" the feisty Redfish. Then Henry had a strong hookup and by the way it was pulling we knew he had a big one. Henry expertly played it to the boat and landed a big 20.5" Seatrout, boy what a fish! Oscar landed another Redfish, Jennifer brought one to the boat, Brian continued to hookup and land, then Henry, camping out at the stern, hand another good bite. He played it patiently and soon landed a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum.

The sun was up, we were getting low on bait, but we decided to make one
more run, this time down nto Broward Island. After getting the trolling motor anchored they began to pitch jigs to the bank and here Brian rounded out an Amelia Island Grande Slam by catching a Flounder. We started off great and ended up getting some nice fish so as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Making Progress

You just can't ask for better weather to be fishing here at Amelia Island. It's in the high 60's when we launch and gets up to the mid 80's by the time we return to the dock and each day there has a been a light breeze to keep the bugs off.  I met Tim and Laura Wolfe down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we headed up the intercoastal and as we turned the corner at the first channel marker, the sun was just coming up. We made the short run, dipped in to Jackstaff and began fishing an exposed oyster bank with jigs and live shrimp.  We had just fished a short way when Laura hooked up, and Tim did too - we had a double! They both brought their fish to the boat - Laura's was a nice Whiting and Tim's was a hungry Flounder. It was then that Laura reminded me that she didn't catch a fish with me last year, so we had made some progress!

We continued along that stretch and Tim hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. We then crossed over and fished a pointe that had a sandbar coming out to us and here Tim found some Seatrout out deep. Both he and Laura found that they could pitch up current, let their jig go to the bottom, keep the line tight and BAM! They'd have a hookup. They caught a good handful of Seatrout there, the biggest measuring at 14 3/4".

After running thru Horsehead we made a quick stop at a dock at Seymore's Pointe, stern to the pilings. The duo played cat and mouse with the Mangroves, won a few of the battles, and put a couple of keeper sized fish in the box. We then headed down to Broward Island and set up to fish a large marsh run out. Big fish were busting bait all up and down the bank. We fished it pretty good, picked up a couple of Mangroves, then Tim put another Redfish in the boat. We worked the island for a bit and picked up another couple of Mangroves, but not the big fish we were hoping for. 

Our final stop was down at Spanish Drop working the oysters again, and here Laura added a Jack Crevalle to her catch total.  But the sun was up, we were down to our last bait, so we called it a day. Although we didn't have any huge fish, Laura had lost count of the number of fish she had caught so as we headed in, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Slow But Steady OR He Wore His Lucky Hat

 We had another beautiful morning today when I met my cousin Adam Garner and his wife Patty down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. The sun was just coming up as we turned into the intercoastal and made our way up thru the mouth of the Nassau River to make our first stop on a tide that was still going out. Adam and Patty began pitching jigs and live shrimp and mud minnows to a marsh runout as we eased along. Adam "knocked the skunk off" with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle then went back to an oyster bank and picked up a feisty Redfish. I thought we were going to do pretty good along there but that was the extent of the fish catching. We hit two more spots along that edge, had only a few nibbles, then moved on.

The next stop was down at Broward Island, fishing another run out. We were hearing and seeing some huge fish busting bait up along the shoreline but they weren't taking our offerings. I let the anchor go on the trolling motor so the boat would drift with the current and we worked along the bank and that did the trick. Adam picked up a hungry Seatrout out deep, then went in with

a float rig and got a Mangrove Snapper, adjusted his lucky hat, went back to the jigs and BAM! Big Hookup. Adam played it perfectly, worked it patiently to the net, and landed a nice Slot Sized 21" Redfish.

We moved down the way and fished up near a stump and here Patty honed her hookup skills by catching a handful of Mangroves, one of which was of keeper size, then Adam let his jig slide down the river bottom and out deep he had another strong bite, a hookup, and he landed a nice 17.5" keeper sized Seatrout.

Our final stop was back at some docks at Nassauville. We tangled with the ever present Mangroves and landed a few. Then Adam wrapped things up when he outsmarted a "nibbler", hooked and landed a keeper sized Sheepshead. Although the day hadn't been "on fire" we slowly put together a nice mess of fish so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.