Scuttlebutt: Boaters Under Seige Part 1

Last week a firestorm swept thru the Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island Community. One of the City
commissioners appeared to conspire with a former commissioner, now turned "journalist blogger", to imply that a Member of the Marina Advisory Board had suggested closing our only City boat ramp down at the Marina. Under that pretext, he's asked the Community Redevelopment Board to take up the subject and make a recommendation to the City. I wouldn't doubt that the CRAAB's recommendation is already pre-determined. Mentioned in the article is the use of a "study" where they may rely on a past count of boaters using the ramp. This is the same kind of thing that ousted ex City Manger Dale Martin used to try. These guys think we're stupid. The City has gradually squeezed the parking for the Marina. They close it completely for the annual Pentanque championship, and close it for other events like the Shrimp Fest. It will probably be closed for the upcoming dredging.  Of course the usage is down. The City is hampering usage of the ramp. This end game has always been to close the ramp.

Looking back a bit, you would think that the ex-Commissioner, now turned journalist wanna-be, would have gotten the message when he lost re-election. Stuff like this is one of reasons why he lost. Very sleazy the way they went about it. The present Commissioner is on his way out due to Term Limits, thankfully. Often seen as the Commissioner who promoted having Pentanque Courts down at the Marina, this guy seems bound and determined to eradicate the historical use and quaintness of our Marina. The City has for years been struggling with the need for parking spaces and this Commissioner sees the elimination of the boat ramp as a way to pick up parking spaces. Ironically, installation of his pet Pentanque Courts removed some of the parking! 

There's all kinds of theories as to what's behind this. The proposed two story restaurant to replace Atlantic Seafood will need parking and surely they view the boat ramp itself as an obstacle. But the bigger picture that long time residents  point to is the never ending push by past and present Commissioners is to build a "Waterfront Park" down at the Marina. It's like their legacy depends on the "Disneyfication" of our waterfront. Each time there is a new Commission, a study will come out. And in those study's the draftsmen will have a kids playground. A Music venue. A memorial to the Shrimpers. And Pentanque Courts. The only thing they've yet to add is a waterslide or Pickleball courts. These planners play the same game - they feel like they have to have enough recreational usages to get support for their plan.  And then the plan is presented and residents get up in arms (not literally) and protest against it. 

There's a reason why and Commissioners haven't figured it out why the public protests. THEY ARE BAD PLANS. As mentioned, they are trying to make the Marina Disney World 1.2  My gut tells me that either the Commissioners or planners or both are only talking to people close to them, or  they are listening to well meaning activists that go to the discussions sessions, and they get their input and think that is what the whole community wants. 

Just my opinion, but not having a City boat ramp is absurd.  For a coastal City, on an island, surrounded by water with hundreds if not thousands of boaters, to shirk their duty as Commissioners and not provide a boat ramp is a shameful thought. If they really think about it, they surely don't want to hang their political futures or (possibly) brief legacies on a decision to remove our only boat ramp. 

Here's what they need to do:   Clean up and beautify what's there. Maybe add some landscaping.  Keep the boat ramp where it is OR provide another City ramp nearby. Dedicate an area (north? where Shrimp boats can come in and unload their catch.. Have a viewing stand/dock where people could watch the process. Have a seafood market where people could purchase fresh shrimp, right off the boat.  Move the Pentanque Courts - they have no business down at the Marina. 

Say NO to a music venue. If it's not used weekly it's a waste and will be taken over by dust, cobwebs and dirt daubers. IF it's used weekly, then the ensuing traffic snarl will be reminiscent of the 4th of July fireworks -EVERY WEEKEND!

Say NO to a kids playground.  The City has numerous parks with kids playgrounds. We don't need another. There's grass there. Bring a Frisbee or a wiffleball, or a soccer ball if you want' 'em to play. That south, grassy area is a great place for small craft festivals, fishing tournaments or other quarterly events. Bam. Done.

Note, the present Commissioner who is pushing this has always appeared to be a vindictive dude. He does do his research, however. If he wants to dig dirt up on me he'll find that my wife and I are NOT City residents. Our homestead (and voting) is in Jacksonville. But we do own a home on south 5th Street and with that, pay some serious taxes. Carol and I were both born and raised in Fernandina Beach. We went to high school here, played sports, and were involved in service clubs here. I've operated my Charter Boat business (yes, sir, it is a Small Business) for 18 years out of Fernandina.. Before that, 23 years in another small business servicing Fernandina and Nassau County. I served on numerous non-profit Boards, coached in the local YMCA basketball leagues, and volunteered hours for the local swim team. We've got equity in this community even though our primary residence is in Jacksonville, we feel like we have some skin in the game. Hands Off our boat ramp.

There's a Reason I Don't Gamble

 I tend to lose!  I've just never been the betting type but today I gambled that we would get fish on a high
and incoming tide. It didn't happen. I had met Sean Pattwell up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early with a tide that was high and still coming in, forecasted it hit the top around 8:15am. We eased out of Eagans Creek and I ran up to the outside of Tyger, thinking we might work a bank with jigs and get a fish or two. But we had zero bites. 

Just at high tide we moved around to Jolley Bank and fished floats with no luck and as the tide began to turn we ran back to the outside of Tyger and fished  a flooded corner of grass with the floats. I was really counting on this spot but, nope, no fish!

We then made the run down the Amelia River and fished some structure for a good 30 minutes or so with the jigs. Although Sean did  get one bite it wasn't a taker and we were looking at "skunk" just over the horizon.  But thankfully, Sean was patient - we ran back towards town, dipped into a creek, dipped into another creek and fished some dock pilings with the jigs.  We had two bites and two Slot Redfish!  Sean played them perfectly, worked to the boat, and landed a 23" Slot and a 18" Slot.  Skunk was off!

After fishing one more spot with float rigs (and no bites) we headed back. It was a beautiful morning that got prettier as the day went on - just a bit cool, no wind, and the sun was out so as we headed back we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

From Slow to a Good Mess

I must have read the forecast for today wrong last night - I saw it with temperatures in the mid 50's, partly
sunny, and only a slight breeze. When I met Ed and Madonna up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp it was in the 50's, just a slight breeze but no sun. Granted it was 7:15am, but we never saw the sun, and the wind picked up as the day went along until it was blowing as we headed back!

But we made our first stop over at some dock pilings on a tide that had been going out for a few hours, fishing jigs and live shrimp, and when Madonna reeled in a feisty Redfish that almost measured legal I thought sure we were going to "get busy".  But the current never seemed to pick up and the tide never got to where the oysters were showing and the fish never bit again!

We hit another dock down the river, fishing the jigs and here the oysters were showing and even though I felt like we were in the right spot at the right time, not a bite. Ouch. While we were in the area we decided to fish one more dock system and this paid off. 

Madonna got things going when she hooked up and landed a Slot Redfish, then caught another feisty Redfish. Then Ed hooked up - it was a heavy fish and even a bit "haughty" -it didn't put up a real big fight for what turned out to be a 26.5" Slot Red, and big enough to take first place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament. The two anglers teamed up to catch a small Black "puppy" Drum, a small Seatrout and another Redfish or two.

We then made a long run up to Tyger Island and fished the logs, working the bank with the jigs and here Ed added a keeper sized Sheepshead and Madonna added a keeper sized Seatrout. They also put another Sheepshead in the boat and a couple of Puppy Drum. 

We had started slow but as we headed back to the ramp busting thru wind and waves, we counted it as another great day of fishing with a good mess of fish in the box here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Patience Is A Virtue...

I've heard!  Patience paid off today. I had met Bob Kossman and Frank Wytiaz who were sharing a trip
today, meeting them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early and then we headed up the Nassau River and when we reached Seymore's Point the tide had just started in. Again, being hard headed, I tried the "dock" and again, not much biting. Frank did "knock the skunk off" with a hungry Seatrout catch on a jig and mud minnow. 

We then ran up the Nassau and fished Broward Island where the tide was still going out. We worked the bank pretty good, then hit another spot as the tide started to change. I had thought about advising the guys that we needed to be patient - last week they didn't start biting until the tide stated back in. But I kept my lips zipped for some reason. Both Frank and Bob were making excellent casts but were getting no bites, not even a nibble. I could feel the doubt creeping in to the back of my brain but then Frank had a hard bite and a drag ripping run and...fish off! We decided to give it a little bit more time and then BAM!  Bob had a strong hookup and this fish was ripping drag and digging deep and ripping drag  and boiling to the surface and digging deep - Bob stayed with it, worked it patiently and eventually landed a big 22" Black "puppy" Drum, boy what a fish. And minutes later it was Franks turn - he expertly battled a big 25.5" 7-spot Redfish to the  net. And minutes later Bob fought and landed a nice 18" Sheepshead. We had one  more big fish take the bait but this one managed to throw the hook, too. I'm going to note Franks Redfish as 2nd place in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament and Bobs Sheepshead setting the standard with 1st place in the Sheepshead Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

Our next stop was up the Nassau and into a shallow creek where we turned into the current and began to fish back. Although the bite wasn't "on fire", Frank did manage to put another Slot Redfish in the boat while Bob landed a Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder to round out an Amelia Island Back Country Super Slam (Black Drum, Sheepshead, Seatrout, Redfish and Flounder).

We hit a couple of other spots as the tide got higher, drifting floats along the marsh grass but there was nothing to be had, so we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Jambalaya..

 

Brothers Team Up For Slam Apiece

42 degrees, clear, and no wind when I launched this morning down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp with plans to meet brothers Ray and Tommy Pinkston for a back country fishing trip. We made the run up the Nassau with a baitwell full of live shrimp and a few mud minnows left over from Friday. Our first stop was at a dock at Seymore's Pointe and both anglers began to expertly work the dock pilings with jigs and shrimp. It took a few casts but Tommy finally "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. I don't know what happened to this dock but it just is not producing any fish!

We then made our way down to Broward Island just in time to fish the first of an incoming tide. Ray was fishing off the bow, fishing up current while Tommy fished off the stern, letting his jig bounce down the river bottom with the current. I was getting a bit worried that we had no bites until Tommy had a sluggish, bite - he tightened up and set the hook and, Fish On!   I was thinking "small Slot"  as he battled it for the fist minute but when it made a couple of deep drag ripping runs I changed my mine. Tommy played it perfectly and eventually landed a bulky 26" Slot Red - the biggest one we've had in a couple of months, and big enough to set the bar in the 2024 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings) Tommy also added a keeper sized Seatrout and a keeper sized Black "puppy" Drum to his catch and rounded out a  (type of) Amelia Island Back Country Slam.

After fishing down Broward for a good while, to no avail, we pulled up and ran. We did have a Bald Eagle sighting. 

Our next stop up the Nassau and into a creek where we worked the bank with the jigs. Ray had been "laying back" but he came alive here!  The both caught some small but feisty Reds, then Ray hooked up and battled to the boat a nice Slot Redfish. They added to more Slot's then Ray put a keeper sized Seatrout and then a keeper sized Flounder to round out his (type of) Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We also had a Salt Marsh Mink sighting. 

We fished a drainage on the way  back to the ramp but the tide was at its peak and we had not luck. But as as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island Florida. 

Under Pressure

With a scheduled oyster roast and fish fry planned for the next day, neighbors, Chris O'connor, Brian Parent and myself ventured out Friday to try to add some fish to the pot. I had saved up a trout or two or three, a couple of Reds, and a a good handful of Mangrove Snapper but we needed just a bit more for the twenty or so people that were to stop by. 

I met Chris and Brian out at Goffinsville Park  on a tide that still had a couple of ours to hit high, so we eased around to the mouth of Pumpkin Hill and began to drift float rigs and live shrimp down the grass line. We all three were getting good drifts, up the by the grass, but we had no luck, not even a nibble. 

After running up the Nassau and dipping into a creek we switched to jigs and the live shrimp and began to slowly work the bank. About 10 casts into it Brian finally "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and expertly brought to the boat a feisty Redfish. We continued to work the bank and happened onto a "honey hole" - both Brian and Chris began to catch Redfish.  They each put a Slot Redfish in the boat and then we began to have to cull them. I counted 7 Slot Reds caught with the biggest being about 22".

In addition to one of those bigger Slot Reds caught, Chris also put a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum in the boat.   One of the Slot's we caught we tagged with a Gray FishTag Researach tag, ID#  GFR62484 When the bite finally slowed, right at the peak of high tide, we made the run back to the Seymore's Pointe area.

Fishing a large drainage on the first of the outgoing tides with the float rigs, we began to catch Seatrout. Brian and I caught the "dinks" but Chris put a nice 17" keeper trout in the boat and then followed that up with a keeper sized puppy Drum.  

I noted that we fished 6 spots that day, but only two of them produced fish, but they were prolific, so as we headed back to the ramp, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, F.lorida. 

Recipe of the Month: Stuffed Shrimp Mushrooms

 This is not my recipe!  I got it off the internet, but I didn't record where it came from.  I "goggled" it and there are a bunch of other Stuffed Shrimp Mushrooms. This is more of an appetizer - with the cream cheese, it's pretty rich!

 Stuffed Shrimp Mushrooms

12   medium Button, Cremini or Portobello mushrooms, cleaned with stems removed and discarded

  1   box (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1/2  cup fresh bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs

  2   garlic cloves, minced

1/2  Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2   cup finely chopped green onions

1/2   cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2-3   Tblsp  fresh chopped Italian parsley  

   1    cup shelled shrimp, sautéed, finely chopped

         Salt,pepper, cayenne to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, green onions, Parmesan, parsley and shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, and/or cayenne to taste.

Lightly spray the outside of mushrooms with olive oil spray and arrange the mushrooms facing down on a baking sheet.  Pre cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Remove from oven and scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the cream cheese/shrimp mixture into each mushroom.  Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the broiler on  at the last minute or so to brown the tops lightly. Stay close and keep an eye on them - broilers can be unpredictable!

 

 

 

Six out'a Seven ain't Bad

 I don't know why when I was checking the weather last night I was more concerned about the wind forecasted at 13-15mph, and not the temperature drop - I should have  been watching both!  I figured if I met Mark Averbuch , his son Cutler, and grandson Harvey down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp we we could run into that West wind up to the Nassauville area and find some shelter. About half way thru the trip I realized the temperature was dropping!  But we made the best of it, kinda of.

We got to some docks at Seymore's and sure enough, the wind was blocked. I had the three anglers tossing jigs and live shrimp. All three were getting nibbles, and a few took the shrimp heads, but we had no real bites. We made our way around the corner and fished between another couple of docks, but again no real bites.  I was beginning to get just a tad bit worried.  We were about 2 and a half hours into the trip and not  a single fish to the boat.

But that's the way it is when you're playing chess with the wind. You can find places to fish out of the wind but if the fish aren't there, or are not biting, then you are out of luck. You gotta move. So we made a good run up the Nassau and then up a creek to fish some shallow structure of downed logs. We paid the price, losing a good handful of jigs, but finally, FINALY, BAM! Cutler had a hookup and after expertly playing it to the boat, he landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. We didn't have time to celebrate too long because Harvey had a strong bite and after setting the hook he expertly brought to the net a bigger Slot Red, this one with 10 spots. 

Cutler went back to the  "honey hole" and pulled out two more Slot Reds. I could tell the empathy was oozing out of Cutler and Harvey for "Poppa Doc" who was patiently fishing from the stern- he hadn't had a bite, but then his perseverance paid off - he put Slot fish number 5 and number 6 in the boat, that last one being the biggest of the day, then Cutler wrapped it up with a feisty, slightly undersized Red. Six Slot Reds out of Seven caught wasn't too shabby!

We fished a large outflow back at Seymore's with float rigs, still out of the wind, but to no avail, then we finally ventured out in to the wind to try some jigs deep at a drainage, and that drove us in! The wind was kicking and the temperatures had dropped. But as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Some Demographics

 Every year I track the demographics of my customers and find it interesting how they numbers add up at the end of the year. Some of my customers ask, "where are your guests from?" and "who are they fishing with?", so here's a few answers to those questions, from 2023:

Average Age of who hired me:   60 years old (this is creeping up as I get older and my repeats get older)    Repeat customers:   69%    (thank you!)                                                                                                            "Local" customers:  45%                                                                                                                                   From the South East:  81%  (includes the local and Florida customers)                                                          From the West:  6%                                                                                                                                            From the NE:  13%                                                                                                                                            Married:  90%                                                                                                                                                    A Male arranged the trip:  88%                                                                                                                        Ethnic:  1%                                                                                                                                                        Couples:  21%                                                                                                                                                   Father/child:  37%   (this could be young children or adult children)                                                             Mother/child:  1%   (Come on ladies!)                                                                                                            Sole angler:    8%                                                                                                                                              Tipped!   92%   (thank you again!)