You may have noticed that hurricane Milton messed me up last week - 4-5 canceled trips! But I was back at it today and what a way to come back to work! My theory is that the fish are gorging themselves getting ready for winter - the fish catching today was on fire - hands down the best trip I've had all year! I had met Ann Mastroserio and her fis...

We launched this  morning down at Sawpit under some really eerie skies -dark clouds as the sun came up- we were expecting rain but luckily never got it!  I had met Todd Johnson and his son Oliver early and we made a short run up and over to Spanish Drop n the Nassau turned into a tide that had been coming in for a few hours and began tossing floa...

We did a mid morning trip today meeting at 10:30am - High Tide up at Nassauville. I met James Tuten his brother Robert and Roberts daughter Katie down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and we made the 15 minute run up to Semore's Pointe where we went with float rigs and live shrimp on the first of an outgoing tide - it was high!  It didn't take long b...

I finished up a 2nd Fly Casting 101 casting session last week and it went pretty good!  We covered the equipment - the rods (their different configurations weights actions) the reels (the weights need for spare spools) the backing (the reasons for it) the fly line (the different types and reasons for them) the leaders the tippet and the flies - S...

The recipe calls for blackened red snapper but I've been using blackened Red Drum - those Snapper are hard to find in the back water!  I picked this recipe up off of Facebook specifically the page Cookery Gems: For the blackened Redfish:  Melt a stick of butter in a pot...

Evidently Hurricane Helene is headed to Florida hopefully passing us by as she hits over near Tallahassee. But we were able to squeeze in one more fishing trip today when I met the Ahrens Bryan and his sons Henry down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We headed up the intercoastal turned into the Nassau and made our way around to Back River where we...

Another beautiful day maybe the last before this next storm hits!  I met Glenn and Patti Langford up at Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning - the high had just hit bottom as we eased out of Eagans Creek and made our way up and around to the Jolley River. I turned into the bank just as the tide line moved past us and the two anglers began to pit...

After last week's high tides and slow fishing I have to admit I was a bit worried about today's fishing but I had to council myself - we had good weather forecasted and we had a good tide so we surely would catch fish!  I met William and Dara Blalock out at Goffinsville Park early and the forecast was correct - it was a beautiful morning. We made...

Finally some beautiful weather! I met Brian Roach down at Sawpit Creek this morning early. We had some store-bought live shrimp and we cast netted about a dozen finger mullet then we headed up the intercoastal then up the Nassau to make our first stop at Spanish Drop. We turned into the current and began to toss float rigs on an incoming tide tha...

It had to be the prettiest day in a long time that we've had here at Amelia Island - clear skies sunshine only a slight breeze and temperatures below 70 when I met Tim and Laura Wolfe down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The tide was high and coming in so we made quick run over to the intercoastal and up the Back River and around to Pumpkin Hill wher...

Crazy weather but we squeezed in a fishing trip today - the forecast called for very  little rain chance but winds hovering around 12mph and overcast - it wasn't very pretty but we thought fishable. So I met Robert Stettner David Vice and his friend Bhavna out at Goffinsville Park and with a very high tide still coming in we made our way over to...

Forget turning the spigot off someone stick a finger in the dam!  Boy have we had some rain this past week - the streets and fields and driveways and garages are flooding. I was three trips go down the drain before I was able to squeeze in today - cloudy overcast but no rain and no real wind to speak of.  I met Jeff and Cindy Patrick up at Old T...

You've probably heard be careful what you wish for - just a month ago we were begging for rain and now it seems someone forgot to turn the spigot off! And last night the forecast called for 47% chance of rain today so we thought we'd be getting wet if we fished but we were going anyway! Luckily when I got up to get the boat ready the forecast ha...

I wrapped my week up fishing with Bill Redfield and his friends Elaine and Joel meeting them out at Goffinville Park boat ramp. We had live shrimp finger mullet and a few mud minnows to fish with and they all caught fish. After leaving the ramp we ran over to Horsehead thru it and over to Poteat Point and set up to drift float rigs with the shrim...

After a day off I was back fishing today meeting the Johnson crew- Nathan and Hanna Michael and Cole. We were leaving the Sawpit Creek boat ramp early the water was like glass and heading up the Nassau River all the way around to Pumpkin Hill where we set up to fish float rigs with live shrimp finger mullet and a few mud minnows. It wasn't long b...

There were tons of bait fish passing thru Sawpit when I launched this morning -finger mullet and some small pogeys. I already had a baitwell full of live shrimp but I couldn't pass up tossing the net to supplement what we had and I'm glad we did!  I met Gregg Fitgerald and his mom Ginnie early and we ran up the intercoastal up the Nassau and pull...

I last fished Friday and we had an outstanding trip catching Slot Redfish Oversized Reds keeper Trout and a huge Flounder. But 4 days made a difference - we caught fish today and had to work for those but we didn't get the massive fish last week. I noticed this morning the moon looked almost full and the wind was blowing out of the NE which made...

Last Monday a I attended a Redfish focus group hosted by the FWC over in Jacksonville. The group was led by FWC Marine Inshore Recreational Fisheries Management Coordinator Jacob Espittia and supported by Erika Burgess FWC Analysis and Rulemaking Section Leader. Also attending were a couple of FWC biologists. In addition to myself the focus group...

I fished with the Bailey boys Douglas and his sons Anderson and Dylan and his father-in-law Glenan meeting them down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp to wrap my week up. We headed out on a tide that had been going out for less than an hour running up the intercoastal and around to Pompano Point where we set up with float rigs and live shrimp with finger...

With my boat trailer repaired I was back out at Goffinsville Park meeting John Raker Kenny King and John's mother Betty early for a half day of Amelia Island back water fishing. We had bait - seven dozen live shrimp about a dozen mud minnows and I cast netted for about 4 dozen finger mullet - and we went thru all of it! After leaving the ramp we...

2025 FWC Seatrout Symposium   The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is excited to announce the 2025 Seatrout Symposium which will take place on August 27th at the Daytona Beach Hilton Oceanfront Resort in Daytona Beach Florida. This one-day event will bring together stakeholders scientists and fisheries managers for an in-dep...

I fished Friday with Bill Foran and his daughter Casey meeting them up at Old Town Bait and Tackle boat ramp. We made a quick run up and over to the Jolley River turned into the  bank and worked back. Our first cast produced a bite and Fish On! That's the way you like to start a trip!  Casey expertly worked in a nice Flounder to kick the day off....

Charter Captain Jesse Stubbs has been leading the way lately to bring light to the absurdity of the City's management (and lack thereof) of our ONLY City boat ramp. He's uncovered some conflicts that may leave the City legally vulnerable as they attempt to develop our once working waterfront into Disney 2.0..   Signs Signs Everywhere a Sign! Confl...

We've been getting together for about the last 5 years - my High School football teammates and yesterday we fished the NSFA Rodeo Tournament. Tony French played linebacker our Senior year Daniel bubba Rhodes anchored one side of the line at offensive tackle while I anchored the other side at tackle. A few years ago we lost teammate Raymond Keen w...

We went out of Old Town Bait and Tackle this morning after meeting Joey Shiver his son Casey and son-in-law Brett early for a half day of fishing. We eased out of Eagans Creek then made a run up and around the outside to Tyger. I had all three anglers tossing jigs and live shrimp to a nice drainage in hopes for a Flounder but all we had were nibb...