Introduction to Amelia Island Backwater Fishing

 Lee Kaywork had one of his grandsons visiting this week and wanted to introduce him to some Amelia Island light tackle back water fishing so we met up at Old Town Bait and Tackle early this morning. We made our way over to the outside of Tyger Island and set up on a point to toss float rigs and mud minnows up current as the tide had just started out. Both anglers got some nibbles but no takers, and it wasn't much of a high tide because the engine was already bumping oysters - so we got out of there! We eased across the creek and fished a soon-to-be-known spot as "Bon Point". We had switched to jigs and the minnows and tossed the to the point. The water was sweeping around the point and Bon began to catch fish. He boated 3 nice Flounder in pretty quick succession and played them perfectly to the boat.

We then moved on north and west and fished along the bank outside of Tyger. We were getting good casts, had a few bites, and finally Bon hooked up and put another Flounder in the boat. He was on a roll. We made a short run over to the Jolly River, ran up it a bit, then fished a large drainage. Lee was drifting a float off the stern, letting it slide down the bank and we had a hookup. He worked it in patiently and landed a feisty Redfish. Bon, who had been fishing off the bow with a jig, switched to the floats and followed his grandfather down the bank and when his float slowly went under, he tightened up his line and let the circle hook set and Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and going long but Bon was up to the battle. He slowly worked it in, let it run, worked it in - it made it's way over to the bank and the oyster beds but Bon worked it out and after a good fight, landed a nice 25" Slot sized Redfish. Boy what a fish!

After fishing further up the Jolley - 3 spots, to no avail, we made one final stop back towards the sound and here Lee hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout to round out there Amelia Island Back Water Slam. We had a nice Slot fish in the box, we had had some good weather, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Flounder Skunk is Off

 I fished with the Averbuch boys today - "Poppa-Doc" Mark, his son Cutler and grandson Harvey, meeting
them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early. We made a short run up and over to the Nassau River and pulled up at Spanish Drop to begin tossing jigs and minnows and live shrimp to the drainage and shell bed. Mark had good luck early fishing off the stern - he tied in to a big Bonnethead Shark which we landed, photographed and released (All fish caught today were released).  He then picked upo a Gator Trout out deep - it measured 20 1/8", then he added a Jack Crevalle to his catch. 

These Averbuch fellows have had a drought on catching Flounder with me but today Cutler single handedly knocked that skunk off - he hooked up and landed a small Flounder. The trio added a handful of Catfish to the mix, another Jack, and when fished between two docks, Harvey put one of the biggest Croaker in the boat I've ever had. Cutler found his groove and caught and landed two more Flounder - one respectable at 18" and the other a doormat at 20", and he had another smaller flounder, too. Harvey expertly landed a bottom hugging Stingray before we moved on. 

After running thru Horsehead and to the mouth of Jackstaff we fished the "bank" where Mark battled a big fish - it took him deep, ripped some drag, but not like a shark - and after a good fight he landed a huge Jack Crevalle. We had caught a big variety of fish and some of them had some good size to them, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Quick Start Led to a Slow End

 I fished Wednesday before needing to head out of town for a quick trip - I met Frank Wytiaz and his long time buddy John up at the Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a long run over and up to the Jolley River and then all the way up to JC's spot and began working an exposed oyster bed with jigs and mud minnows. Frank got hot early when he hooked up deep with a nice 18" Seatrout. He followed that up with 22" Slot Red then both he and John put a couple of smaller but feisty Reds in the boat. It was a good start and I thought for sure we were off to a banner day!

But the next few spots proved fruitless (and fishless). We fished the MOA while we were up there, we came back and fished along Snook Creek; we ran back up and around to the Bell River and fished some sets of docks. Both anglers were getting good casts and working them slow but I had noticed when the tide changed we had stopped getting bites. Usually I like that first of an incoming tide but it wasn't good for us. 

We finally made our way back around to Tyger Island and fished the logs and the duo's patience did pay off when they caught a couple of Flounder. These two old friends had met up again, gotten out on the water for a day so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Superstitions Busted

 I've heard the superstition of catching a fish on the first cast - it didn't pan out today!  I had met Jerry and Deb Yarborough and their daughter Masha up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made a fairly long run up and around to the Jolley River, and further up it all the way to the MOA (Mother of All) Spot. After showing the trio how I like to bait the mud minnows, and with a tide that was just starting back in, we made a toss to the expose oysters, let it drop down the river bottom and BAM! Big Fish On!  Masha was on the rod  and she fought it valiantly - worked it slowly up then let it run, then worked it up, let it run. She finally subdued the beast - a big, ugly, Catfish!

But later, Jerry hauled in a nice sized Whiting then he had strong bite and this fish was shaking its head and thrashing on the top and it turned out to be a healthy 18" Seatrout. Deb quietly outpaced the other two catching a hard fighting Jack, another Catfish, and a hungry Seatrout. We then moved around the bend, back down the river and fished some still exposed shell at Snook Creek. Masha had a good cast to the shell and BAM! Her drag was ripping again. She played it expertly and after a good fight landed a Slot sized 20" Redfish. And Deb followed that up with a Redfish catch of her own. While we were fishing there we were treated to a pod of dolphin that were busting bait up on to a mud bank - what a spectacle!

We made our way back down the river and around to the outside of Tyger where we fished the jigs and minnows along the grass line as the tide was getting up. The trio landed one more Seatrout and had two Flounder to the boat for a quick release. Again we were treated to some wildlife sightings - Deb spotted a Salt Marsh Mink swimming across a creek then later we saw a family of four of those Minks running down an adjacent beach.

Back up the Jolley we went and switched to float rigs and the minnows. Masha drifted one looooong and it paid off when her float dissapeared and she hooked up to land the final fish of the day, another hungry Seatrout. For most of the day we had a nice breeze, a few clouds to give us some respite and with a few fish in the box, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

The Fish Got Bigger

 I wrapped my week up fishing with Cindy Gray and her grandsons Alex and Henry. We met up at the Old
Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp early and after easing out of Eagans Creek we made our way up and around to the Jolley River, turned into the "bank" and began to fish back with float rigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been coming in for a few hours - the oysters were pretty much covered. No luck. Not even a good bite.

We then moved around to the outside of Tyger and began working jigs and the minnows as we trolled into the incoming current and this did the trick. Alex, fishing on the bow, had a good thump early - he set the hook and expertly landed a big 18.25" Flounder. He and his grandmother Cindy added a couple of smaller Flounder to the catch, then Cindy had a good bite and after setting the hook, she worked in a feisty Redfish, just a bit undersized. Henry was fishing off the stern and when his rod began to bend we knew it was a big one, and it was fighting like a big Flounder. Sure enough, after Henry patiently played it to the net, the big Flounder measured right at 20.25" - a doormat! This fish moved Henry into First Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Flounder Category.

After running back around and up the Jolley we made a stop at Tyger Cut and switched back to float rigs Henry had made a cast over a submerged oyster bed and we all saw something blast his bait, but not take it. Then, seconds later, his float disappeared and Henry lifted the rod to set the hook and Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag and heading deep then it turned around and headed back down the river the other direction. I was calling "big Jack Crevalle" and boy was I wrong!  Henry worked him in and eventually landed a huge 32.5" Oversized Redfish, which moves him into a tie for 1st Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category. Boy what a fish!

We made a long run back around to Tyger - the spot I wanted to fish was taken, so we kept going thru
Tyger into the Bell, down to the Lanceford and up it to Soap Creek. Tossing the floats, Alex had made a pinpoint cast and had a good hookup. He played it perfectly and brought to the net a nice 21" Slot Redfish. After picking up one more small Redfish, we called it a day and as we headed back to the ramp with a few fish in the box, we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Personal Bests and Bragging Rights Entry

 I was back down at Sawpit Creek this morning meeting Dean Jensen and his sons Eli and Tyler early. We headed up the intracoastal then up the Nassau to make our first stop at the Spanish Drop area. The tide had been coming in a few hours so we went with float rigs and live shrimp and mud minnows. The shrimp were getting nibbles as expected but it was Tyler who "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle off the stern of the boat, caught on a mud minnow. Dean and Eli were using the live shrimp and sure enough, Dean had a strong bite and his line began to rip and Shark On! Dean played it expertly and after a long battle landed a 4' Bonnethead Shark for photo and release.

We fished further up at Twin Creeks, drifting the floats, but didn't have much action so we made the run down to Pumpkin Hill and drifted them there and this did the trick. Tyler hooked up and battled to the boat a feisty Redfish. His dad made the comment, "something bigger next time" but he didn't specify "in the Slot" - Tyler had another strong hookup and this fish was BIG!  He fought the fish for a good long time (the video below has a bunch of minutes edited out) - he worked it in, let it run, worked it in, and eventually brought to the net an Oversized 29.25" Redfish - his personal best! A few minutes later he and his dad had a double hookup - Dean expertly played his to the net - a nice Slot Redfish, and Tyler battled his to the net, a big Jack Crevalle, another personal best.

Around the corner Dean picked up a small Seatrout, then we fished a couple of sets of grassy islands where Eli got on the board with a hard fighting Jack Crevalle catch. We then made a good run back to Horsehead, thru it, and over to Poteat Pointe where we worked the grass line. Nothing much was happening until Dean hooked up - it seemed to be a strange fight-not digging deep like a Redfish, not hunkering down like a Flounder, but big enough to rip some drag. Dean stayed patient with it and slowly worked it up to the surface and we netted a huge 21" Seatrout, boy what fish, and big enough to move into 2nd Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). 

We fished Jackstaff "bank" for a stretch then moved over to a grassy point where the creek has begun to cut thru - we caught a Redfish there yesterday and sure enough, Eli, fishing with a jig, hooked up another nice Redfish. He played it perfectly, letting it run when it wanted to, working it in, and soon landing another nice Slot Redfish. We had some great weather this morning, and had a few fish in the box, so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Two Tourny's and a Monster

 Yesterday we had a pretty good day of catching Flounder up north. The day before yesterday we fished "south", down around Nassauville, and even though we caught fish, there wasn't much to brag about. I think we had two or three Redfish with the biggest being about 12 inches! And even though we caught Flounder north yesterday, I just thought that going south was the place to be.

I met Mark Richardson and his son Braden down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp and with a high and
incoming tide, we made the long run up the intracoastal waterway, then up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill where we eased up to a point and began to drift float rigs and mud minnows down the grass line. They had 4-6 drifts with no takers and I was beginning to wonder if we should move when Mark's float disappeared and when he tightened up he knew it was a big fish - it wasn't coming in  without a fight! Mark worked it slowly to the boat then it made a run back towards the bank and we were speculating what the fish could be, then it "boiled" up and we knew it was a big Red. Mark played it perfectly and after a good battle brought to the net a big 26.625 "tourney" Redfish. Later, he added a small Black Tip Shark and then small Slot Redfish to his catch total. Braden battled a hard fighting Jack Crevalle to the boat. 

We moved up and fished down the other side of the point but had no bites, then we drifted down the bank, tossing the floats, to no avail. When we got to a few grassy islands I hit the "anchor" and let the two anglers work the area thoroughly. Braden had made a long cast out beyond the grass and it had only drifted a bit and BAM! Float gone!  This fish immediately began to rip some drag, running out deep then going deep. But Braden was up to the task and kept that pressure on, worked it up, let it run, then worked it to the net to land another 26"+ Tourney Redfish, boy what a fish. 

Braden was feeling pretty good about matching his dad's fish but then Mark had another strong bite. All of this big fish fought funny today. This one dug deep but didn't seem to make an aggressive run until later in the fight. Mark worked it up, let it run, worked it up, worked it out from a Crab pot rope, let it run, then finally brought a beast of a Redfish to the net, it measured right at 31.25" - big enough to more Mark into 3rd Place in the Anglers Mark 2025 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings).

The tide had just hit the top so we ran back to Seymore's Pointe and fished the floats, but with no bites, we moved on. After running thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Pointe we worked a grassy edge with the floats and picked up a couple of Reds, one of which was of Slot size. Back over at Jackstaff "bank" we switched to jigs and the minnows and got one more Redfish. We had caught about 8 Redfish throughout the day;  the oversized Red was photographed and released, the two big Slot "tourney Reds" were released to grow another half inch and reach "escapement", and the two smaller Slot Reds came home with me for dinner! It was another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Good Flounder Day

 We went north today when I met Garland Clark and his son Chris up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat
ramp early. After easing out of Eagans Creek we made the short run over to Bell River and fished a flooded oyster point with float rigs and mud minnows on the very last of an incoming tide. The duo had a couple of nibbles but no takers. We ran thru Tyger and around to the outside and fished a point of grass with the floats as the tide started out over there. That didn't work so we moved around the point and switched to jigs and the minnows and that was the ticket.

We started off with a Seatrout catch then Garland put two Flounder in the boat. Chris hooked up and landed another hungry Seatrout. We then moved up the outside of Tyger and fished some drainages and got some bigger Flounder. Chris had gone to the mouth of the drainage, fished it back slowly and had the "bump".  He hooked it up and patiently brought to the boat a nice 17" Flounder.  The duo added another keeper sized Flounder then it was Garland's turn to haul in a big Flounder, this one measuring right at 18". We fished along that bank and caught a couple of more smaller Flounder before we moved on. 

Around in the Jolley we fished a couple of edges and caught some small but feisty Redfish, a Whiting and a fairly big Croaker and one more Flounder. We had clear morning skies, a nice breeze and then as the sun got up, some clouds to give some shade, and with a few nice Flounder in the box, we headed back to the ramp and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. 

Catch Prediction and Firsts

 

My wife advised me last night that "we wouldn't be catching many fish today" in that two of her friends had called in sick with symptoms of high barometric pressure - one with a migraine and one with vertigo. Unfortunately, she was close to being right - we struggled a bit to catch fish today. I had met David Vice and his fishing partners Lee and Raj out at Goffinsville Park and with the tide just hitting high we made our way around Seymore's Pointe and set up at a large drainage to fish float rigs and mud minnows as the current started out. I don't think we had a single real bite.

We then ran thru Horsehead and over to Poteat Pointe where I thought for sure we'd get into some Redfish. Raj had noted that it was his first time fishing and it was he that "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a feisty Jack Crevalle. We had a couple of nibbles along that stretch but no more takers, other than fat Catfish that David put in the boat. We crossed back to Jackstaff and fished a creek off of it with the floats and again, not much happening.

After running back thru Horsehead and down to the Back River we fished a stretch with the oysters now showing (that high tide wasn't very high and it didn't take very long for the oysters to start popping up). We did have a bit of luck here - David hooked up and caught a hungry Seatrout then he followed that up with a Redfish catch. We had one other small Redfish from that spot before we moved on. 

Over on the other side we drifted some floats along the marsh grass and here Raj got busy - he picked up a small Redfish then battled a hard fighting Jack - this one was ripping some drag - it made a dash from the grass to deep water then took Raj from the bow to the stern. Raj worked it in slowly and soon landed the Jack Crevalle. 

Fishing down at Spanish Drop with jigs, it was David who put a nice Flounder in the boat on his first or second cast. We fished two or three drainages with the jigs and minnows but not much was happening as the sun had gotten up. They had counted Nine fish plus one "oyster fish" caught for the day and although it wasn't "on fire", we had a bit of action and had caught our first fish so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Fishing With The Grandsons

 I remember the one time I went fishing with my grandfather, Lawence M. Piper. He and my
grandmother had purchased a "lake place" on Lake Sante Fe down just east of Gainesville, Florida. He was a Jacksonville policeman, she at one time owned and operated Avondale Florist  and they lived just off of Cassat Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida. But they were able to purchase the lake place, and as I understood it, they added on, and added on, and built a dock and boat house, and built a "cabin" for rentals and it became a place for our family to visit and spend summers and holidays. There usually was a jon boat that my cousin Chuck and I were allowed to use - we'd get up early, load the boat with cane poles and Zebco's and tackle box's and snacks and putter down the lake to where the docks ended and the lilly pads started- we fished with worms or crickets and targeted panfish. It was some fun times. One day my grandfather suggested that he and I go and it's the only time I remember fishing with him, alone. He may have joined the family fishing off the end of the dock, at night, but on this trip it was just he and I.  I have to say, I don't even remember if we caught any fish. We did motor over to "Little Lake Sante Fe" and I remember we dropped anchor out in the middle of the lake and dropped shiners to the bottom in hopes of catching Crappie. I was thinking, "boy, this is easy fishing!". In retrospect, as I write this, he was probably thinking, "I don't have to untangle any lines and I don't have to retrieve any lures out of trees!". But I do remember the trip - it was about 60 years ago!

Today I fished with Gary Myers who brought along his two adult grandsons Nicholas and Jackson - we met down at Sawpit Creek and after they pulled an angler out of the river who had slipped and fallen in while stepping on his boat, we headed up the intracoastal and made the long run up to Poteat Pointe and began tossing jigs and mud minnows on a tide that had been going out for a few hours. The oysters were exposed and these anglers were making excellent casts to their base. We picked up a couple of feisty Redfish along there, then we came over to the mouth of Jackstaff and worked that bank.

After running thru Horsehead and down the Nassau to Spanish Drop we fished the drainages. The trio caught another couple of Redfish and also caught a couple of Flounder, one of which was of keeper size -photographed and released. We fished Seymore's Point, then moved around and fished some docks. We had picked up a small Blue Crab and we baited pieces of that up and here we did have a couple of good bites, one that ripped some drag briefly, but it let go, Ouch!

We had some good cloud cover, had a caught a few fish, and the "boys" had gotten to fish with their Granddad so as we headed back to the ramp we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.