This past summer's fishing season produced some of the best all-around saltwater fishing action in many years. With surface water temperatures ranging from the low to mid-80s, Northeast Florida fishing waters were not harassed by summer thermoclines. With this in mind, excellent warm water fishing conditions should run into the fall fishing season.

Kingfish can be found at many nearshore reefs and deep water fish haunts. One of the best kingfish locations during the fall is the "Brunswick Forty Mile Bottom." Bluewater fishermen can jig up a livewell full of cigar minnows at the R-5 Navy tower, then begin slow trolling livies close to the tower. Here, fishermen will not only find king mackerel but dolphin, sailfish, barracuda, cobia and many more species of pelagic saltwater game fish.

Huge kingfish can be found in the waters off Amelia Island.
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Fishermen will soon notice that after leaving the Navy Tower and navigating in an easterly direction, the water depth drops to 110-125 feet of water within five miles. A rough bottom is soon located which offers excellent trolling and bottom fishing. In fact, some of the southeast's best bottom fishing can be found in these waters while fishing right on the bottom with fresh squid or live cigar minnows. Typical species here include cobia, grouper, red snapper and black sea bass.

Running further offshore, fishermen will find the Continental Shelf, which is located some seven miles offshore and has a water depth of 180 feet. Trolling with rigged ballyhoo and large plastic lures produces excellent catches of sailfish, wahoo, dolphin, white and blue marlin and black and yellowfin tuna.
One of the more popular styles of fall fishing is bottom fishing at the many close-to-shore reefs and wrecks for gag grouper. Bottom fishermen will find numerous lime rock ledges and wrecks in water depths of 50 to 70 feet of water within 15 miles offshore of the St. Mary's rock jetties.

Anchoring or drifting over one of these productive fishing drops can result in some real rod-bending grouper action! Red snapper are also found at these close to shore live bottoms and wrecks, which are identified on the local offshore fishing chart with GPS coordinates.

Bottom fishing in the fall can produce red snapper (above),
grouper, sea bass and much more!
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The St. Mary's rock jetties also offers excellent fall fishing action for tarpon, red drum, flounder, sea trout and the occasional king mackerel.

Huge schools of fall-run red drum move into the deep holes and shallow sandbars during the fall fishing season, and can be caught fishing right on the bottom with cut baits, fresh shrimp or live finger mullet. However, most of the red drum here will be out of the slot limit, measuring over the Florida maximum size limit of 27 inches. Fishermen may keep one redfish per day measuring at least 18 inches and not over 27 inches.

Tarpon can also be caught while fishing right on the bottom as well with either cut baits or live menhaden. Flounder fishing is excellent along the jetty rocks during the falling tide while fishing right on the bottom with finger mullet or bullhead minnows.

Sheepshead fishing close to the jetty rocks is also productive during the last of the falling tide. Try fishing close to the jetty rocks with fiddler crabs, or barnacles.

Sea trout at the St. Mary's rock jetties will take a live shrimp fished deep under a trout float. One of the best locations is the river side of the south jetty rocks during the falling tide.

Light-tackle fishermen will also find excellent sea trout, redfish and flounder action at the footsteps of the river side of the north jetty rocks. Here, fishermen will find a shallow sandbar and deep slough along the jetty rocks that holds a variety of light-tackle game fish during the incoming tide.

The rock jetties at historic Fort Clinch also offers excellent flounder, sea trout and red drum fishing during the falling tide. Here, fishermen will find fish in between the small rock jetties and right on the bottom with live finger mullet, or fresh shrimp.

In the deep waters bordering the fort, fishing on the bottom with fresh shrimp produces excellent catches of good-eating whiting.

Huge schools of redfish can be found in the backwaters of Amelia Island during the fall fishing season and can be taken by a variety of angling techniques. One of the more popular methods is casting a topwater plug during the flooding tide.

During a fall northeaster and full moon, wade fishing in the marshes is also extremely popular for tailing reds. As the tide falls, red drum will school at creek mouths, mud flats and docks that border nearby flats and deep channels.

Redfish can be taken from a variety of backwater marshes
and rivers surrounding Amelia Island.
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Sea trout fishing is also excellent while casting topwater plugs during a flooding tide. Sea trout will readily take a live shrimp drifted under a small popping cork, mirror lure, or a 1/4-oz. led head jig rigged with a chartreuse plastic curly tail.

Flounder fishing takes place during the falling tide at creek mouths, boat docks and deep sloughs. One of the very best flounder fishing tactics includes fishing right on the bottom with finger mullet or bullhead minnows.

Further up the tidal estuaries, area fishermen will find excellent largemouth bass fishing during the fall months. Some of the more popular tidal rivers include the big and little St. Mary's Rivers, Lofton, Boggy and Thomas' Creeks. Look for the falling tide to produce largemouth bass weighing to eight pounds while working a trick worm slowly along the river's edge.

Surf fishing is excellent during the fall for whiting, blues, flounder, red drum, sea trout and small puppy drum. Fish right on the bottom with fresh shrimp for best results. Some of the best surf fishing can be found at the "old pipeline", the south end of Amelia Island and the new rock jetties, which are located at the southern tip of Amelia Island.

For some excellent family fun, go crabbing! Delicious-eating blue crabs can be caught while fishing right on the bottom with a weighted piece of chicken. When a slight tug is detected, slowly pull the blue crab to the surface and net with a long handled net. Keep the crabs alive in a bucket of water, then place in a boiling pot of water with crab boil added. When the crabs turn a bright pink, they are ready to eat!

Non-Florida residents over the age of 16 will need a saltwater fishing license when fishing from land, bridges, piers and boats. For more fishing and charter information, call the Amelia Angler, (904) 321-5090.