Dawg Gone Windy

Tom Johnston was in town with his family for the annual Georgia Florida Football game and postponed their departure time long enough to get in an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this morning.   Due to the nearby passing of Hurricane Sandy, we postponed the fishing trip from Friday when the winds were up to 27mph, but were able to meet today with sunny skies, although the wind was still blowing at 16mph.  We went fishing anyway!  Tom had brought along his wife, Leann, there two young adults Ashley and Tommy, and Tom's dad.....Tom.  For once I had no trouble remembering names!  I thought the NW wind may be blocked  on the outside of Tiger Island so we headed that way.  But when we got to the mouth of Manatee Creek we found that it was blowing and the water was really churned up.  We still tossed out some float rigs with live shrimp and Tom and Tommy both picked up a couple of hungry Seatrout and a feisty Bluefish.  Tommy had a good hookup but after he worked it in we found a heavy tackle rod and reel on the end of his line - you never know what you're going to pull up in the saltwater!  We made run around to Lanceford Creek and soon found that the land mass was blocking the wind and the fishing atmosphere was outstanding.  Fishing a grass patch surrounded by flooded oysters, both Leann and Ashley reeled in some Seatrout.  Tom saw his float bumping around like another one of the pesky baitstealers was after his shrimp and Tom patiently waited until the float disappeared to lift his rod tip firmly and BIG FISH ON!  His rod bent and the drag ripped as the fish made a strong run away from the boat, but Tom kept the pressure on and slowly worked the fish to the boat.  It made couple of more runs, headed under the boat and then from bow to stern and back to bow, but we soon were able to net the big fish, a 26" Amelia Island slot Red!  After pictures, Tom gently released the fish to swim away and possibly to be caught another day.  After the bite slowed we moved on down and fished some of the dock pilings and although we were getting robbed repeatedly by the baitstealers, both Leann and Tom Sr. surprising caught a couple of juvenile Grouper!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Bunch of Trout and a Big Red

Claudiu Videlescu treated his dad Stefan to an Amelia Island back country fishing trip yesterday afternoon and brought along friends Daron Pair and Pat Joe.  We met at 2pm at the Atlantic Seafood dock and eased our way out of the marina on The Anglers Mark to make our way up to the Jolley River with about two hours into an incoming tide.  The oysters will still showing so the anglers tossed jigs with shrimp to the edge and it wasn't long before they were hooking up.  Pat and Daron had the hot rods early and were bringing in Trout, Snapper and Croaker regularly.  But Stefan and Claudiu were patient and they too began to make catches of Trout, with Stefan being the first to land a keeper sized Trout.  There were a number of times when the anglers had double hookups.  We fished Snook Creek and had a couple of Trout then hit Manatee Creek outside of Tiger Island where the Trout bite was almost non stop.  We were having so many bites that we ran out of shrimp so we made quick run to the bait shop on Eagans Creek then headed out for one more try at Temptation Cove.  The tide was almost high now and although we may have been a little late getting there, we picked up a few Trout.  Stefan had something take his bait so hard that after a short fight it broke off.  Later, Claudiu's rod bent and this fish was big!  It didn't fight like a Trout and hunkered down and we knew it was either a Red or Black Drum.  He played the fish perfectly, with the fish making runs from bow to stern and even under the boat a couple of times, but Claudiu was patient and with Pat manning the net, they soon landed a nice 22" Slot Redfish!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Fishin and Football

William and Dara Blalock along with their friend Jason were visiting Amelia Island for the annual Georgia/Florida football game and decided to take in an Amelia Island back water fishing trip on The Anglers Mark yesterday.  We met at the Fernandina Harbor Marina downtown at 7am and headed up to the Tiger Islands with a livewell full of shrimp to fish the first of an outgoing tide.  I used my trolling motor to "anchor" at the mouth of two outgoing creeks and the anglers tossed their baits up near the marsh grass.  Fish On!  Fish On! Fish On!  The Trout bite was on fire and they caught one after another - I entered in my journal that they caught "a ton" of fish - too many to count.  William had seen a tail up near the grass and shortly after Dara's rod bent and this fish had a little more UMPH to his fight!  She played the fish perfectly and we soon netted a nice Redfish.   They all caught some hungry Blues to 14" and Jason had a big Bull Whiting.   We could have stayed there and caught fish longer, but we decided to move in hopes that we could increase our odds at more Redfish,  so we made a move to the Jolley River and sure enough,  the bite was hot.  They boated 8-10 Redfish, having double hookups a couple of times and a good handful of Trout.  Once, Jason had something hit his bait hard, but it broke off almost immediately, taking the float rig with it.  Later, when William  retrieved the float before we left the spot, he found that a Redfish was still attached!  We made a couple of more stops in Jolley picking up a few fish, then finished up at the Tiger Island logs where Jason rounded out a personal Amelia Island Back Country Slam by catching a hungry Flounder.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island Waters!

First Cast First Fish

Nathan and Ted Miller made the drive over from Jacksonville this morning  to fish the Amelia Island back waters on The Anglers Mark.  We met early at the Atlantic Seafood boat ramp and headed up the river to fish outside of Tiger Island on a high and outgoing tide.  After rigging up some float rigs  we tossed them to the marsh grass at some large creek run outs and after gave it a jig, the float disappeared and FISH ON!  He played the fish expertly and we soon netted a nice 18" Seatrout!  He was the only one we caught there so we speculated that he was the alpha trout and had scared all the others away!  We ran up to the Jolley River and fished another large creek run out.  Ted picked up a nice Redfish then Nathan got in on the action and caught a couple of Trout.  Then they both picked up a couple of more Reds and Trout.  We moved on around to the "Mother Of All" spots but it wasn't as hot as it was yesterday.  They did catch a couple of more Trout and a couple of hungry Sheepshead, and a Puppy Drum, rounding out an Amelia Island Backcountry Slam, of sorts.  We fished Jolley Bank and picked up two more Reds, one in the Slot, and then finished up at the logs behind Tiger where they added another couple of Reds to the catch list, along with a whole "mess" of pesky Snapper!  We were treated with a visit from a raccoon chasing our discarded bait, too.  With that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water.

Like Fishin in a Barrell

Nancy Hudson, her husband Albert, and their son Bo Vinson won a fishing trip from the World Fishing Network and I was the lucky guide they selected for the trip!  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach, Florida on Amelia Island, and pointed The Anglers Mark out of the marina with the sun just coming up.  We made our first stop at the docks on Lanceford Creek and the anglers warmed up with the jig rods with live shrimp and mud minnows as bait.  The oysters hadn't started showing, but they were able to pick up a feisty Redfish, a Whiting and some Snapper.  We made run over to the logs of Tiger Island were able to make some good passes of the island, being out of the wind.  Again, they had just a few bites, mainly Snapper, but they did boat a keeper sized Flounder. We ran up to the Jolley River and fished Snook Creek where Albert caught a hungry Trout.  I was beginning to wonder - they had caught some fish but they were really having to work for them.  I hadn't been to the "Mother of All" spots in a while but we were real  close so we made the short run and then inched up to some oyster beds. BOOM!  BOOM! BOOM!  They had hookup after hookup after hookup of fish.  Redfish, Drum, Flounder, Trout, and Sheepshead - all five inshore game fish in one spot just a few minutes.  At one time Albert commented that it was like fishing in a barrel!  The tide had just started back in so we stayed there for a while and they added to the box a keeper Redfish and another keeper Flounder. We made a last stop at Jolley Bank and it was on fire, too.  Redfish,  a nice keeper sized Trout, Drum and a smaller Flounder were caught.  The sun was high and we were out of bait so we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Grand Slam Weekend

Julie and Angela Moore, and daughter Maleha, were visiting the area this week and took in an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark today.  We had clear skies as we headed out of the marina and pointed our way towards the docks of Lanceford Creek.  The tide still had about 2 hours till low, but the oysters were showing so we pitched live shrimp up to the base of the oysters and dock pilings.  The bite was not on fire, but these anglers had a great attitude and worked at it until they began to get some bites.  Angela picked up a feisty Redfish, Julie caught a hungry whiting, and Angela added a Seatrout.  We hit another dock where Angela caught a keeper sized Seatrout and a hard fighting Puppy Drum.  We made a run over to the logs of Tiger Island where Maleah got in on the action with a couple of Snapper and Angela rounded out her Amelia Island Grand Slam by catching a Flounder.  Our last stop was up at the Jolley River.  We eased along the oyster bank and both Maleha and Julie caught Trout.  Angela had good battle with what looked like a slot Red, but the wiley Red tossed the hook, and swam off grinning! OUCH!  We fished the area for a while longer, then called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Beautiful Day, Lot's of Fish

Harold Cubbidge treated his grandsons Gabe and Jordan to an Amelia Island back country fishing trip today on The Anglers Mark.  It was still dark when we headed out of the marina and eased through the no-wake zone to begin the fishing trip up at the Jolley River.  The tide had just changed and started in so when we got to Jolley Bank we pointed the bow of the boat into the current and began fishing the oyster lined bank.  It took about 15 minutes of casting before the anglers had a good bite, but boy after that, things really got hot.  They worked the bank thoroughly and caught a good "mess" of feisty Redfish and also had a large handful of Puppy Drum, some Croaker and Snapper.   Gabe hauled in a Seatrout and later landed a nice keeper sized 17" Flounder.  Harold was letting the young men catch the fish but after they had caught a few, he joined in a hooked up with a Red, too.  We fished the same bank with float rigs once the oysters had covered, had a few bites, but no real action, so we headed over to Tiger inlet.  The anglers picked up a couple of more Trout and Snapper, then we made our last stop outside of Tiger where Gabe landed another Redfish.  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island's beautiful waters!

Flood Tide Reds

My wife said I had to stay away from the house today because she had a lady coming to clean, so what does a guy do when given that directive?  Go Fishing!  There was a flood tide due at noon, so I launched The Anglers Mark at 10am and headed up Bell River.  I scouted one spot just across from the marina, then hit another spot nearby, but saw no tails.  After cruising up Bell and cutting through into Tiger Basin I found a nice, small flooded area where I've caught flood tide reds before.  Sure enough, I wasn't there long when I saw a tail pop up. And then another, up in the taller grass.  It was closer so I took a shot at it, but was ignored.  Another fish was working its way towards me so when it got to within casting distance, I put a spoon fly off to it's right with my 8w Sage fly rod.  I was in luck because the Redfish ate it's way toward where my fly landed and then a made big boil on the fly, and FISH ON!  I had a good battle with this fish and because the water was so shallow I could tell it was a nice slot Redfish.  He eventually wore out and I was able to net a 24" Redfish!  Later, another slot Red was working the edges of the flat and then it too came my way!  The fish got so close I could follow it easily from the bow of my boat and watch it feed in the area.  I made a couple of good casts, had no take, then unfortunately I lined the fish with a cast, OUCH!  It blew out of there like a rocket!  I checked another grass flat behind Tiger, saw not fish, then headed back to an area near the marina. The tide was really up now, almost slack, and off in the distance I could see tailing Reds!  I got out of the boat and waded over some really hard ground to get within casting distance, which I never really did.  These fish must have knew that it would be time to leave the flat soon because as I eased towards each one, they'd disappear under the water and did not show again.  After about 30 minutes of chasing fish I headed back to the boat and called it a day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Trout Catching Weather

Sarah and Dave Post set up an Amelia Island back country fishing trip on The Anglers Mark this afternoon, so we met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach at 3pm.  It had been chilly and overcast all day long but there was only a slight chance of rain as we headed out of the marina and up to the Tiger Islands.  The tide was high and still coming in so we made a stop outside of Tiger Island and the anglers "knocked the rust" off fishing with live shrimp under float rigs.  They had a bunch of baitstealers robbing them so we moved on around to the mouth of Tiger and dropped an anchor at a couple of marsh run outs.  This proved to be the ticket because it wasn't long before Dave got the skunk off the boat with a nice Seatrout.  From then on, both Sarah and Dave caught a number of Seatrout and Sarah landed a nice keeper sized one.  Dave hooked up and his drag ripped out - this fish was running hard!  But Dave played the fish perfectly and we soon landed a nice Bonnethead Shark.  The bite slowed so we headed up to the Jolley River and found a nice creek to fish.  Sarah picked up a few Trout on the float rig but we were in an area where there weren't too many oysters so we switched up to a jig rig, and boy am I glad we did!  Both Sarah and Dave began to get hookup after hookup - almost every cast - and were reeling in the Trout, sometimes two at a time!  They also had a handful of Whiting and a couple of Puppy Drum.  We fished until the sun was setting then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Big Birthday Red

Rick Alexander treated his son Danny to a birthday fishing trip this afternoon on The Anglers Mark, fishing the Amelia Island backwaters.  We met at the Atlantic Seafood dock in downtown Fernandina Beach and headed north up the river with a livewell full of live shrimp.  The tide had just peaked at its highest so we were using float rigs with about a 3' leader to fish over the flooded oyster beds.  At our first stop outside of Tiger Island the anglers had almost non-stop action, catching Snapper, a hungry Seatrout and "bait stealers".  We move around to Manatee Cove and again found Snapper and bait stealers.   They were fun to catch but we were looking for bigger fish so we headed up to the Jolley River to fish the shoreline.  We hadn't gone far when Danny's float made a strong disappearance!  He lifted the rod tip firmly and, FISH ON!  This fish was definitely bigger than our earlier catches and after playing the fish perfectly, Danny soon landed a nice, keeper sized Trout!  we fished Jolley Bank until a creek runout, anchored for awhile, had a few bites, then decided to make another pass of the Bank, and I'm glad we did!  After only a few minutes, Danny's float again surged under and this time there was large roll where we lost site of the float,  a BIG Red!  Danny's drag ripped out, but he kept the pressure on and slowly worked the fish to the boat.  With his dad manning the net, they landed the big 23" Slot Redfish for Danny's personal biggest fish to date!  We continued to fish and eventually switched to jigs when the oysters began to show and Rick landed a few more Trout and a hard fighting puppy Drum to round out the anglers Amelia Island Back Country Slam.  After hitting one more spot where Rick picked up a Seatrout on a Temptation Bait Ribbed Shrimp (brown), we called it day, another great one to be out on Amelia Island waters!