I AM Lifting!

 

What a beautiful morning we had today when met Rob and Pam Russell up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle ramp! The sun was just coming up and we had clear skies and  just a slight bit of breeze as we headed down Eagans Creek to towards the intercoastal. The tide had been going out for just a couple of hours so we made our way over to a large drainage and began tossing  float rigs with live shrimp to the mouth. Both anglers were getting good casts and good drifts and even though we had a bite or two, we had no takers. 

Our next stop was over at some docks where we switched to jigs and the shrimp and we began to get bites almost immediately. But we weren't getting any fish until Rob did a quick hookset and boated the first fish of the day, a Sheepshead. No wonder we were having out bait stolen!  Now having the hang of Rob wasted no time in hooking up and landing another Sheepshead. He went back for another , reeled his bait back almost to the boat when BAM! Big Fish On!  This fish ripped a bit of drag so I was thinking "Redfish" but when it came to the surface we netted a big 19.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish. 

We eventually made the run up river and fished some more docks and here the duo of anglers really got busy. Pam got on the board with a keeper sized Seatrout, then both anglers put Trout in the boat. Pam had made a good cast, let her jig fall deep when she had the strong hookup. We could tell this was a big fish by the way the rod bent and sure enough she soon landed another Big Trout, this one measuring in at 19.5". It was big but the bigger fish was yet to come!  Rob's rod bent double and his drag began to rip and his line headed East - we hauled in our lines and began chasing the fish as we saw Rob's line getting down to the spool.  I asked him to "lift" the rod up so he could reel down and he exclaiimed, "I AM lifting!"  We chased the fish down the river and I was thinking either a massive Red or one of those Big Ugly Black Drum until a HUGE Ray came flying out of the water at the end of Rob's line...and that ended the battle!

(Note, Pam's Trout put her in 2nd place in the Anglers Mark 2023 Bragging Rights Tournamnt; Rob's fish placed him in 3rd! Scroll down the right side of this report to see standings)

The wind had really picked up and white caps were in the river as we ran between Cumberland and Tyger but we were able to dip into Tyger and fish in comfort and Pam wrapped things up with a Bluefish catch. And with that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Fishing With Dad and Pappa

 We were able to squeeze in a fishing trip this morning, before the heavy rains rolled in after noon. I had met Cameron Beadle who had his son Roman and father-in-law Jason along as his fishing team!  We made a short run from Dee Dee Bartels and set up fishing some dock pilings on the last hour and half of the outgoing tide. We started slowed but built to a crescendo!  All three anglers began to catch fish - Roman was holding his own with the older anglers. They put a good handful of Black "puppy" Drum in the boat and another handful of feisty Redfish. 

The bite slowed so we made a long run up the river to fish some more docks at the very last of the outgoing tide. In short order they picked up a couple of keeper sized Seatrout then Cameron and Jason had a "double" - Jason brought his keeper Trout to the net but Cameron's was being a bit belligerent - it ripped some drag a couple of times but Cameron stayed patient and eventually landed a nice 19" Seatrout, boy what a fish! The trio added a couple of "early bird" Mangrove Snapper and a couple of keeper sized Whiting, then it was Roman who hooked up, battled valiantly, and landed the first Bonnethead Shark of the day!

Continuing on around, we set up on the outside of Tyger and fished the bank, but it was Jason who had the "hot rod" fishing out of the stern. He hooked up and landed a few Seatrout and then a feisty Bluefish. Roman moved back and was intently fishing when I saw him set the hook and, Fish On!  He fought it by himself and landed a big, Big Bluefish. Jason wrapped things up with the big fish of the day, a hard fought battle with a big Bonnethead and with that, we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Slam or Bragging Rights?

 I had to remind myself to look on the bright side this morning, knowing that there was no live shrimp to be had on or near the island. But I had my trolling motor back from the shop, I had some left over mud minnows,  I'd frozen some left over fresh shrimp from Friday, and I had a purchased pint of fiddler crabs...and the skies were clear, a beautiful sunrise awaited us, and the wind wasn't supposed to pick up until late morning!  I was meeting Ed Johnson, his old high school classmate Ken Coop, and angling buddy Don Smallwood out at Goffinsville Park. 

We made a short run down the Nassau to fish Spanish Drop, an exposed shell bed on the last of an outgoing tide. We worked that bank thoroughly, Ken tossing a jig with a mud minnow, Ed tossing a jig with fiddlers, and Don tossing a jig with "freshly frozen" shrimp. Not a bite. We moved up to a drainage and fished that but also to no avail. 

Our next stop was back at Nassaville, fishing Littlefield and although we had a nibble or two, we had no real bites. Back around Seymore's we fished a dock right at dead low, again, not a bite. We were getting skunked! But then we made the run down to Broward Island, still fishing the last of an outoing tide and as we worked the bank, Don, using the dead shrimp, hooked up deep with an almost legal Seatrout. We continued on, then moved up the island to fish the first of the incoming tide and again, Don had a hookup and landed an almost legal Flounder. He followed Ed in to one spot, right behind a stump, BAM! Another hookup. Don played it perfectly and brought to the boat his Amelia Island Back Country Slam, a feisty Redfish. 

The tide had been coming in for about an hour so we gambled and ran up into a creek, lifting the engine as we went in, and fished some downed logs. All three anglers were getting good casts to the 6' deep bend and finally it was Ken, still fishing the minnow, who had the hookup. This fish had some size - it ripped a bit of drag and came to the surface and thrashed, but Ken kept the pressure on and soon landed a big 19.5" Seatrout, big enough to kick off the 2023 Bragging Rights Seatrout Category (scroll down the right sid eof this report for details).  Although it had been a slow day, we had a slam and a "Braggable" fish, so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Best For Last

I did a "share-a-trip" today, pairing Bob Kossman and Dale Bullard as the anglers. We met up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early and made a run up Lanceford, only to see that "our" spot was taken, so we turned back and fished the back side of Tyger with jigs and live shrimp. We worked the bank thoroughly and Dale did pick up a "almost legal" Flounder. 

After running up to the Jolley and fishing a flooded shell bank with float rigs and the shrimp, to no avail, we continued on around to Bell River and fished 2-3 docks, back to the jigs.  Dale had hung up once, handed it off to me, and when I gave it a tug it tugged back! I handed the rod back to Dale and he worked in an ugly 'ole Toadfish!

We then made the long run back to Fernandina and ended up almost back where we started, fishing the outside of Tyger and this did the trick. BAM! Bob hooked up and battled to the boat a fat feisty Redfish. From then on for about 30 minutes the duo were catching fish, one Redfish after the other, and once had a "double" hookup. Most were between 16"-17" but Bob did  manage a Slot Red. 

We had had a beautiful day, sunny, and only a slight breeze, but we caught fish there at the end so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

High Tides and Low Tides

 It's amazing how different the fishing can be depending on the tides. This morning I met Warren Hearn and his brother-in-law Dave up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a tide that was already high and still coming in so we went with float rigs and live shrimp as the tactic. Our first stop was over on the outside of Tyger and almost immediately Warren had a hookup and after expertly playing it, landed a big Bluefish. Then Dave had a hookup, one that pulled a bit of drag, and he brought to the net a big 18" Seatrout. We bounced around all morning, drifting edges with the float rigs  and this duo caught a good handful of Seatrout and another nice Blue.

This afternoon we were fishing a tide that had been going out for a few hours. I had met Kay Hartinger and her partner Sue at Old Town and we made a long run up the Bell to fish some docks with jigs and shrimp. The first spot produced no fish but we got in closer between a couple of more docks and fished back to the pilings. Kay and Sue began to catch fish - hard fighting and feisty Black "puppy" Durm, some feisty Redfish, then Kay put a Slot sized Red in the boat.  We came back to the Eagans Creek area and fished some more dock pilings and  for two hours we caught Redfish, one after the other! Kay added a keeper sized Black Drum, then patiently played a 23" Slot Red to the net. Sue followed that up with a nice 21" Slot fish of her own. When the dust had settled I guestimate we had caught at least 25 Redfish, four of which were of legal size.  But not a single Trout, like this morning! Hah! As we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Making The Most of a Blustery Day

 Winds were forecasted to get up to 17mph by the end of todays trip and I believe they did! I had met Alex Bournias and his friends Pam and Tony up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early and with a already high and still incoming tide, we made our way out of the creek into a blow! Our first stop was up Bell River, fishing a flooding point but we only had a nibble or two. 

We then made a run up the Bell and fished some flooding oyster shell and this did the trick. Tony, fishing off the stern and drifting his float and live shrimp long began to get bites and put Seatrout in the boat, 1, 2, and 3! Alex got in on the action and picked up a couple of more Trout one of which was right at 18". 

We moved over into a cove and again drifted the floats. It was Pam's turn to put a legal fish in the boat, then Alex followed that up with another 18" Trout. We had a couple more small ones before we moved on. 

Fishing just around the corner, Pam caught the only fish, another one of keeper size. We then came back to the intercoastal, fished some docks to no avail, then sought shelter back up Eagans Creek, fishing jigs and the live shrimp. Although we had a nibble or two, we no bites, so we headed back to the dock. But with fish in the box and the skies clear and sunny, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida 

Winter Hanging On by its Teeth!

 After getting the boat ready this  morning I came back inside and put on a pair of long underwear! The temps were in the low 40's and I just didn't want to be cold today so I bundled up and met Bob and Jana Grimm out at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We had a nice clear, sunny day, cool, and a bit windy as we headed north and west to set up outside of Tyger Island with float rigs on the first of an outgoing tide. It didn't take long before Bob's float rig, baited with a lively live shrimp, disappeared and Fish On! Bob played it perfectly and brought to the net a nice 18" Seatrout. We had a couple of more bites but no takers, then we crossed over the creek and fished a few spots, then moved on. 

Our next stop was way up Lanceford Creek, fishing in a spot out of the wind. I saw Bob start to reel up his float rig then it took off in the opposite direction. He had a hookup! Bob worked it to the boat an landed a feisty Redfish. We ran back to Soap Creek and fished a large drainage with the floats then made our way down the intercoastal to fish some docks with jigs and live shrimp. And boy did this pay off! Almost immediately we were getting bites. Bob pulled in a couple of feisty Reds then Jana got in on the action and put the biggest Redfish of the day in the boat - a Slot Redfish.  We had some good action, catching another handful of Reds, battled with a big one that eventually wrapped himself around a piling and broke off, then we moved on. 

The final stop was further down the intercoastal, fishing some structure, and here we put two more feisty Reds in the boat. The sun had come up and warmed us up so as we headed back to the  dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Slight Uptick in the Fish Catching

 We've had a rough week! That cold air seemed to put a real damper on the fish bite but today there was a slight uptick. Yesterday, I fished two trips and it was slooow going. We did catch a few trout in the morning with John Frederick and his buddy Dan Forche, but that was about it. That afternoon I fished with the Lafave family - Josh and Sally and their two sons and even though they had excellent attitudes and a strong character of Perseverance, we were only able to land a fat Whiting. Both trips we were limited to fishing mud minnows. 

But today was a new day  when I met Glenn and Patti Lanford up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We headed out of Eagans Creek and made the run over to Soap Creek where we set up fishing float rigs and live shrimp and Glenn quickly knocked the skunk off with a hungry Seatrout catch. He followed that up with another.  After fishing some docks further up the creek we came back to the mouth of Lanceford and fished a run out and here Glenn put another Trout in the boat. 

Our next stop was down near Piney Island, fishing some dock pilings, but we had no luck. We moved further down the intercoastal and here Patti got on the board with feisty Redfish catch. Glenn added one as well. We moved up to a small drainage and again Patti put another Redfish in the net, and Glenn added another. 

Our final stop; was back at the mouth of Bell River and here Patti wrapped things up with a Bluefish catch and a Seatrout. Although we didn't "tear them up" we did have a bit of action, and it was a beautiful day so as we headed back to the dock we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Wind and Cold Couldn't Stop These Anglers

 I do believe it was windier and colder today than yesterday - and it just never seemed to warm up, until we headed back to the dock!  I had met Steve Roark, his son-in-law Andrew, and grandson Max up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning and the wind was already kicking. But we braved the weather and made a run down the intercoastal with a plan to fish some dock pilings on a tide that was going out enough to where the oysters were beginning to show. 

I think it was the second cast when, BAM! Fish On!  And Max was on the rod with his dad providing moral support, they worked it to the boat and landed a nice feisty Redfish. That's the way to start a fishing trip! We fished that dock thoroughly and all three anglers had good bites and got to tangle with fish.
Andrew was getting some good casts up under the dock and it paid off. He had a really strong hookup and when his drag began to rip we knew it had some size. It "boiled" once and I mistakenly called it a Redfish - nope, after a patient battle Andrew landed a big  4lb+ Black "puppy" Drum.  Steve had had a good bite out deep and shortly afterwards an "errant" cast to the general area by Andrew produced a big 18" Seatrout.

The bite slowed so we made the long run up the Bell River and fished some docks on a still outgoing tide, then fished another to no avail, then made a short run over to the Jolley and set up to fish the MOA, again, to no avail. We then ran up the Jolly, headfirst into the wind, and made our way around to Tyger Island to fish the first of an incoming tide. Here, Steve hooked up out deep and landed a hungry Seatrout. Both Andrew and Max  outsmarted a couple of "baitstealers", then Andrew wrapped things up with one more Redfish catch. And as we headed back to the boat ramp, the sun came out and warmed things up so we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Is an Amelia Island Boaters Advocacy Group Needed?

Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy, but boy does it seem like we have some crappy boat ramps here in our area. You would think that an island, surrounded by water, would have a plethora of boat launching options. You would think that as affluent as this area is, the boat ramps would be "top notch".  You would think that with what I would consider high property taxes, our State, County and City governments could plan, design and build some decent boat ramps. 

Have you noticed that when some local issue comesup - moving the ball fields from Central Park - removing the playground equipment - a development that is being proposed - those that have an interest in those things will come out of the woodwork, scream bloody murder, and affect decision  making. With all the boaters on or near Amelia Island, I would wonder, what if, we all got together and screamed really loud?

As I write this I have an email in to Nassau County asking the status of the repairs at Dee Dee Bartels Park.  It was damaged last Fall and for months has had one of the two floating docks gated off. For the last few weeks, the dock has been completely removed.  I noticed the first weekend in March that this situation was causing a nightmare for boaters - and it's only going to get worse as we get into spring and summer.

Even when repaired, Amelia Island and Nassau County boaters deserve better.  There's got to be close to a hundred parking spots for trailers at the park, but with only two small floating docks, only four boats can come in at one time, and that's IF they tie up forward on the dock. If they tie in the middle of the dock, only two boaters can be at that dock!  The "no wake" zone is contemptuously ignored by inconsiderate boaters traveling thru the channel. Between the waking from those boaters and a strong west wind, our multi-thousand dollar boats are slammed against the docks. And finally, the County thumbs it's nose at the mention of cleaning tables. Note that one of the biggest complaints I hear against we Charter boat guys is "cleaning fish at the floating dock".  I empathize with the complaints!  But it's illegal to clean fish out in the water; customers want to take their fillets home. We gotta clean them at the dock. Call your County Commissioner! I would gladly pull my boat out and clean the fish upright at a table!

At Dee Dee Bartels Park I would like to see the County:  1) extend the floating docks south (and north if there is room)  2) direct the Sheriff to put some teeth into his enforcement of the No Wake zone, and 3) install cleaning stations. 

I used the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp today(see below, why) Folks need to know that this is a "Private" ramp that the owner allows the public to use. Thank You! Although the ramp is a little rough, the parking lot a little rough and the dock only holds a couple of boats, it DOES have a cleaning table! Wouldn't you know that none of our State, County, and City ramps (in this area) have fish cleaning stations! Crazy huh?

So then you have the City Marina boat ramp. For years it appeared the City Manager and a couple of the Commissioners have been trying to squeeze out the local boaters. Have you noticed how they cater to the boating tourist, but not the local tax paying boat owners?  Pentanque courts were installed on the south end of the boat/trailer parking lot, squeezing the lot just a bit, and actually closing it during the annual Pentanque Tournament(again, Crazy, huh?) New, huge concrete curbing has been installed which makes it more difficult to back into the ramp. There are talks of expanding the Atlantic Seafood building foot print - it would have to go south - and squeeze boat/trailer parking even more.  Even now, due to lack of dredging, the boat ramp is becoming obsolete. And again, no fish cleaning station. You have to ask yourself, "shouldn't a City, on an Island, have a better boat ramp?" Just one?

In Fernandina Beach I would like to see the City pursue a new location for a City park and boat ramp dedicated to boaters. 

After purchasing my bait this morning I made the short trip down to the Sawpit Creek boat ramp, just over the bridge, on the right. This a State ramp, managed by Big Talbot Island Park. It was still dark when I arrived but the yellow tape blocking off the dock was clearly visible. CLOSED!  The floating dock(still usable) had been recently damaged so I assume that it will be undergoing repairs. That aside, the dock south of the ramp has been missing for years - there's just vacant poles. And once again, there is no fish cleaning station.  There are probably at least 50 boat/trailer parking spots for this ramp but only 1-2 boats can be tied up at the dock, depending on the tide level. This is a "one boat launch" ramp with a long lane down to it and it can get crazy on a weekend. 

At Sawpit Creek I  would like to see the State 1) repair the existing dock 2) install a new floating dock on the south side of the ramp, 3) extend a floating dock south from that dock and 4) get whatever authority there is to create a "No Wake" out in front of the ramp and 5) Install a fish cleaning station!  IF they are not going to do it, they need to turn the facility over to the City of Jacksonville and let them do it. 

And finally, there is Goffinsville Park boat ramp, off island. Even though it is off island, it does give area boaters access to waters west of Amelia Island. This is great park, has plenty of parking, has adecent 1-boat ramp, but again, only a "two boat" floating dock (have you noticed all of our Public entities just provide the bare minimum?)  But, no one uses the ramp! Why? The swift outgoing tide makes it very difficult and somewhat dangerous to launch and load there. Those of us that use it regularly have figured it out(I'll "miss" once in a while), but the boater that only launches once a month or every other month typically avoids this ramp. Again, many of our inconsiderate boaters ignore the posted No Wake signs and that, coupled with a strong East wind,  you'll end up going home with some serious dings in your boat hull.

 I was at the ribbon cutting ceremony for this Park years ago and thought it was a wonderful addition to the county. In retrospect, I wonder if the ramp had been located over where the fishing pier is, maybe boaters wouldn't have the swift current issue?

At Goffinsville Park, I would like to see the County 1) figure out how to divert the swift outgoing current, 2) add an additional floating dock south, 3)install a fish cleaning station, and 4) direct the Sheriff to put some teeth into the enforcement of the existing No Wake zone. 

I've been to other county's and have seen first hand some wonderful parks and boat ramps. There are two or three in Jacksonville with huge parking lots and multi-boat launches with plenty of floating dock spaces. We have a growing affluent county and our boat owners are growing in numbers. At this time, two of the four Public ramps are either down or limited in use due to damage.  One of them is limited in use due to the swift currents.  None of them have fish cleaning stations. Floating dock space is limited at all of them. A couple of them are dangerous to our boats or even to life due to poor location or lack of enforcement of No Wake zones. We deserve better. 

Those of us who live here or drive in from off-island deserve better. Again, I would wonder if there was an Amelia Island Boaters Advocacy Group, could we scream loud enough for our representatives to hear us?