After a weekend off I was back to "work" today when I met David Bolton and his daughter Katie out at his place on Lanceford Creek. We then made our way back to the outside of Tyger Island and set up fishing float rigs on a high and incoming tide. Katie "knocked the skunk off" and landed a feisty Bluefish to begin an "old salt" education of how to catch fish! But David wasn't going down without a fight and picked up hungry Seatrout before we moved on.
We motored around and up towards the Jolley but made a brief stop at a large drainage and switched to jigs and the shrimp, then moved on around to the Jolley. Here, Katie tangled with a high flying Ladyfish and hauled in a small Skate, then David had a Flounder right up to the boat. David found a nice pocket to drift his float and caught and landed a couple of more Seatrout.
After running up the river we began fishing some flooded marsh grass, just short of Snook Creek and when Katie's float disappeared and the big fish began to rip drag, I knew right off that she had a nice Redfish. Katie played it perfectly, from stern to bow, and after a good battle landed a 22" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! She turned around and caught one of the smallest Redfish I've ever seen on hook, also! Katie had one more big bite along that stretch, a shark that took her bait and headed south - it spooled her and kept going, headed south.
After running thru the Jolley and around to the Bell we fished some docks and picked up a couple of small Mangrove Snapper, a small Catfish, and a small Sheepshead.
Our final stop was back at some docks at Eagans Creek, fishing the pilings on a lower outgoing tide. Katie had made a perfect cast and hooked up and landed another Slot Redfish, then David hauled one in, too. Katie put another miniature Redfish in the boat, then a large Black "puppy" Drum. She wrapped up the day with one more Puppy Drum before we called it quits and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had an uncharacteristic(for the week) forecast for some winds today, 11-14mph which ended up being correct, and made for some challenging fishing. But we persevered, fished, and ended up with a fairly decent day of "fish catching".
I had met the Latino family down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning. Pete and Robin and their kids Marin and Jake were eager to get out on the water so we headed up the Nassau River and all the way around to Middle Marsh where we set up alongside some flooded marsh grass on a tide that had been going out for about two hours. I had fished this spot only once before but we had caught a nice Slot Redfish there. I wasn't feeling real confident when I
saw the west wind murkying up the water. Marin and Jake were out first with their casts, Marin on the stern and Jake on the bow and I think it was Jake's first drift when he had a hookup and a nice fish on! Jake fought the fish valiantly and soon landed a nice 21" Slot Redfish! That's the way to start a day! We fished that spot a bit, moved up to Pumpkin Hill and fished some edges there, then moved on. As I figured, that west wind was really making some mud along the shore.
We came back to Nassauville and tried to fish some rocks with the floats but the current was ripping so we moved around and fished some dock pilings, now out of the wind. Robin was helping out, coaching and encouraging as the other trio of anglers began to do battle with Mangrove Snapper. I think I'd have to say that Marin was making the best casts of all, but little did I now that Jake was keeping count of the fish caught! At one point he announced the total and with a solid lead, sat down to take a break from the action.
Pete finally had a solid hookup and this one was pulling some drag - no Mangrove this time. He played it patiently and soon brought to the net a nice 18" keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum. He and Marin caught Mangroves until it was time to leave and as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
I fished again out of Goffinsville this morning - I like it out there, hardly anyone uses the ramp and you've got easy access to Nassau River, Pumpkin Hill, Seymore's Pointe and Horsehead. The loading your boat on a fast outgoing tide can be difficult, but you just have to come from down river, bow into the current, running parallel to the bank and as you approach the trailer, keep the bow up current and as you turn into the trailer give it a bit of gas and put your bow into the bunks. Easy! I tend to nail it 9 times out of 10. That tenth one can be ugly.
Today I met the father son Fields fishing team, Tim, and Tim. We ran up the Nassau and fished Pumpkin Hill for a good bit with float rigs and live shrimp. Although we had a few nibbles here and there, we had no takers. We came back down the Nassau to Twin Creeks and switched to jigs and minnows and tangled with a couple of Ladyfish. After moving down to Spanish Drop, young Tim hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. He also caught a small Flounder and tangled with another Ladyfish.
We fished some docks at Seymore's Pointe and caught a few small Mangrove Snapper, then came around to the Nassauville side and stuck with the jigs. Both anglers fined tuned their hookset and caught a good handful of the Mangroves, then Tim (the younger) had a good bump, set the hook, and brought to the net a keeper sized Flounder. We finished up the day catching small Mangroves then we headed back to the ramp, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia
We had an outstandingly beautiful morning today when I met Mark Smith and his son Zach out at the Goffinsville Park. I'm always hoping for less wind and today we had it - and began to wish for some breeze before the trip was over!
We ran down the Nassau and pulled up at Twin Creeks to fish float rigs with live shrimp on a tide that had been going out for a few hours. Although there was a bunch of bait movement and shark movement we didn't get much other than a Shark breakoff and a hard fighting Jack Crevalle. After moving down the river we switched to jigs and shrimp and minnows and worked some oyster banks. Both anglers were getting excellent casts and were working their baits effectively, but we had no real bites.
Switching back to float rigs and Seymore's Pointe, the duo outsmarted a handful of Mangrove Snapper, a few of which were of keeper size -Zach had the biggest, measuring right at 12". We fished some dock pilings and again hooked up and
landed some Mangroves. We had a few of those in the box which have some nice fillets, but hardly enough to make a full meal and it looked like that was going to be the bag for the day.
We hit one more spot, fishing between two docks and here we flipped the tables on end! Mark had went in to a specific spot, let it set with his mud minnow wiggling on an 1/8 jig and, he thought he had hung on a rock or log and, Fish On! Mark played it patiently to the net and landed a 18'5" Flounder! But the best was yet to come! He went back to the same area and within minutes, "THUMP" - Fish On! This fish, like the other dug deep, didn't fight a whole lot, but we could tell it was heavy. Again, Mark patiently brought it up to the surface and we saw it was huge Flounder and when netted it measured 22.25" - big enough to move Mark into First Place in the Anglers Mark 2022 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category, boy what a fish! (Scroll down the right side of this report for link to standings).
We fished out all our bait, adding another Mangrove or two, then we headed back, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Yesterday afternoon the forecast called for about a 50% chance of rain for this morning, but when I got up early it was down to about a 14%. We had already decided to chance it and it was all the better of a forecast. I met John Williams down at the south end ramp and he had his two kids, Hadden (8) and Ruth (6) along to help with the fishing!
We made a short trip up the intercoastal, then into the Nassau and began fishing a tide that had been going out for about 4-hours - the shell were showing. We began working a large drainage with jigs and live shrimp, and minnows but had no bites until we reached a corner of shell then John hooked up and, Fish On1 John played it perfectly - the fish fought up near the shore then headed down river but John was ready and followed it back to the stern. He patiently wore it out and landed a nice 23" Slot Redfish.
Hadden moved up to the bow and began fishing the same spot and only minutes later he had a fish on. He had made an excellent cast and kept his line tight, felt the bump, set the hook and had a fish! Hadden played it perfectly and soon landed a 20" Slot Redfish.
We moved down the river and fished Twin Creeks, had some bumps, but no takers, then we ran further up the Nassau and fished between two docks. Here, All three anglers boated some Mangrove Snapper, two of which were of keeper size. Young Ruth was casting on her own and was able to reel in one of these sneaky biters. We fished some pilings at another dock then made the run down to Broward and fished deep for a bit, to no avail.
It had been getting hotter and hotter all morning but we made one last run thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff for a bit, then headed back with some cool breeze blowing. We had a few nice fish in the box so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
Friday I received a phone call from a distressed Fernandina Beach resident, boater and angler: To him it appears the City has removed the "Boat Trailer Parking Only" signs at the the lot, south of the City Marina ramp. He made some inquiries and it appears that is the case. While he was down at the ramp he saw that single cars, empty boat trailers, and RV busses were now making use of the previously Boat Trailer Parking Only spaces.
I made some informal inquiries to some of my fellow Charter Boat Captains that work out of the Marina; one replied back that yes, it seems to be accurate, the City has removed the signs and now parking is open to all who wish to use it.
As many of you know, I quit using the City Marina ramp back years ago when they raised the launch fee on Captains from $75 per year to $1500 per year. After building our home in Fernandina we now get hit with some serious property taxes and I wasn't willing to pay yet another astronomical fee. Since the Fee hike, I haven't had a good relationship with the City. They're on my "poop" list.
Back in January of last year I wrote a lengthy post about the City's plans to transform the waterfront and I forecast that removal of the boat ramp would be on their hidden agenda. Sure enough, here it is. By removing the "No Parking" signs, that lot will fill up quick. Local residents will have no where to park their vehicles/trailers and will be forced to go to Dee Dee Bartels or elsewhere.
Watch for the next DMS (Dale Martin Survey). Good 'ole Dale (look up Bureaucrat in the dictionary - you'll see is picture) will procure a survey and then he will use those answers to justify closing the ramp. As an example,
1) How often do you use the City Ramp? Well heck, almost never (why would you if you can't find parking)
The next move will be to close the City Ramp. Once Atlantic Seafood is gone, that area will make for a great entrance to the "Greater Amelia Pentanque Courts".
Is anyone interested in starting up a Facebook Group -"Concerned Boat Ramp Users of Nassau County"? It seems we're getting stiffed.
This is more than a Charter Boat Captain issue. It is a City boater issue. City boaters deserve access to the water. I for one feel like the City should make plans to build a City boat ramp elsewhere. BUT, they need to plan and build it BEFORE they shut down the existing one. Here's the commissioners Email address's. All you have to do is Click on them and send them your opinion.
I first saw this recipe on H&S Shrimp Company's Facebook site - it looked really good, and I followed their link to Palmetto Cheese's site where they also have the recipe. I've cooked them twice and have "tweaked" the recipe a bit, and added some notes. We LOVE the Palmetto Cheese products, especially the Cheddar/Jalapeno version -have been eating it for years.
1) 11.6oz Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix (I always find this at Walmart)
1) 11 oz Pepper Jack Palmetto Cheese (you can NEVER find this in our area. I ended up using an 8ox package of shredded Pepper Jack cheese in one batch, and the Palmetto Cheddar/Jalapeno pimento cheese in the 2nd batch. Hate to say it, but I liked the shredded cheese version better - the "balls" didn't fall apart so readily)
2) pounds Shrimp, peeled, de-veined, chopped (the original recipe called for just one pound. I thought two would be better. I tossed them lightly in Konriko seasoning)
1) Old Bay seasoning for garnish
1) A bit of water, about a 1/4 cup
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese, and chopped shrimp. (here I added a bit of water at a time until I got a gooey "biscuit" consistency.)
Form into 1-2" balls and place on a greased baking sheeet
Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees (I ended up putting them back in for another 3-5 minutes, watched them closely, until they became a nice golden brown)
Following the Red Lobster mix instructions, I melted some butter and mixed their seasoning packet in, and brushed the hot Shrimp Balls as they came out, then lightly sprinkled Old Bay as a garnish.
While I was cleaning fish yesterday my customer's son was trying to catch minnows off the dock with a dip net, so I dug out my minnow trap, added some Flounder skin, and gave it to him. He dropped it in by the ramp and as we were finishing up, he lifted it and had about 40 minnows caught! I dumped them in my live well, kept them cool and aeriated overnight, and bypassed the bait shop this morning for and early start.
I met Jeff and Penny Parks down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the run up the intercoastal, turned into the Nassau, and made our way up river for a bit. We had a low tide that had been coming in for about an hour when I turned into the current and the duo of anglers began to toss their jigs and minnows to the exposed shell beds. We worked along that first bank until we reached a large drainage and then we began to get some action. Note, I had dug out one of the few left over Shrimp from yesterday, Jeff was fishing it off the bow and when he felt a "thump" he pause a bit, then set the hook and, Fish On! Jeff brought it to the boat and landed a nice 18.5" keeper Flounder.
He went back to the same spot with a mud minnow and in short order, pulled out another Flounder. Then another! That had worked pretty good so we bounced down the river a bit, set up alongside some more shell beds, and worked back to a drainage. Jeff had made a cast to the middle of the drainage, worked it back a bit, but as he started to reel it up, BAM! The drag was ripping and, Fish On! Jeff played it perfectly and soon landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish. Again, he went back to the same area and, BAM! Big fish on! I thought for sure it was another Redfish (maybe we were in a school) but as he worked it to netting range I immediately saw it was a huge 24.5" Gator Seatrout, boy what a fish, and big enough to set the bar awful high in the 2022 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side for link to standings).
We moved further up the river, worked the bank, and here Penny got on the board. I was really impressed with her perseverance and it paid off. She had made an excellent cast to the bank, fished it down the "drop", stayed aware and when she felt a "bump", set the hook and she had her fish. She brought it to the boat patiently and landed a keeper sized 16" Flounder.
After "tinkering" with some Mangrove Snappers over at some docks we ran thru Horsehead and fished the mouth of Jackstaff where Penny kept up her streak - she landed a fat Seatrout then a high flying Ladyfish. The sun was up and it was getting hot so we pulled up the trolling motor and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
You have to say that we're having the best fishing weather this week that we've had in a long time. Today was no exception - clear skies, sun shining, no wind, but just slight breeze, and even a bit cool as we made that first run. I had met Adam Mizell, his son Whitt and his father-in-law John Ayers down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and we made the long run up the Nassau to take advantage of a first of an incoming tide at Broward Island -my favorite tide to fish Broward. But I would have "lost a dollar" if I had bet on this spot. All three anglers were making excellent casts and we worked the bank thoroughly, but had no real bites. I couldn't believe it!
We came back to Seymore's Pointe and fished some dock pilings where we played with some Mangrove Snapper for a bit. Moving down the Nassau to Spanish Drop, we fished some flooding shell banks with jigs and shrimp and here the bite began to pick up. Whitt picked up a nice Flounder then he did battle with what I believe to have been a Shark, but it found its way around a crab buoy and eventually broke off.
After moving back up the Nassau and turning into the current, we again fished some flooded banks and again, we had some action. John started it off by hooking up and landing a keeper sized Seatrout, then they caught a Whiting, and a couple of small Jack Crevalle. Then John and grandson Whitt teamed up to tame a 4' Bonnethead Shark.
We fished some rocks at Nassauville with float rigs and outsmarted a few Mangrove Snapper, a couple which were of keeper size. Then we wrapped things up down the way at another couple of docks. Adam got on roll and pulled another Flounder out, then a few keeper sized Mangroves, then John hooked up an landed a nice 17.25" Flounder. The day had started out really slow but we found some action later so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
We had an outstandingly beautiful day this morning, even kinda cool with spotty clouds blocking the sun on occasion. I had meet Trip Huey north, up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp and as we were pulling away, he mentioned liking to fish south when he was visiting the area, so we headed that way!
We did make a pit stop at the bridge and fished some jigs and live shrimp at a small drainage. Trip had a fat Sea Bass to the boat and later we picked up a Slot sized Redfish. We then continued on down the intercoastal, took the back way thru Horsehead, and pulled up at a dock to fish an incoming tide. Trip outsmarted a couple of small Mangrove Snapper but we had not big fish so we moved on.
Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop. The conditions were just right as the tide eased in and covered the shell lined bank. Trip was getting excellent casts and excellent drifts but we had no takers. We moved back up the Nassau, fished Twin Creeks and beyond, working the pockets and drainages, but again, not a bite.
After a short stop at Seymore's Pointe where we fished float rigs - Trip put a good handful of Mangrove Snapper in the boat - a couple of which were of keeper size - we made a the run down to Pumpkin Hill. The first stretch again looked good. Trip had good drifts but no takers. We moved around the point and again drifted the flooded grass and here Trip's float disappeared, and he was ready! He made the hookup and brought a fat Seatrout to the net. Just a few yards further east we fished a grassy island. Trip had made a cast over the island, kept his line tight, and BAM! Float Gone! This fish was ripping drag and when it made it's way into the grassy island I was thinking big Redfish. But then it began to show its true character and made some long drag ripping runs and after a good battle, expertly played, Trip brought to the net a 2' Bonnethead Shark.
We ran thru a shortcut in Horsehead, fished some grass pockets for a bit, then called it a day, and made the run north, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.
