Excellent summer fishing can be found at many locations around Amelia Island, including the St. Mary's and Nassau inlets, along the beaches of Amelia Island and also at several offshore fish havens. Look for some of the best fishing action to come as the sun rises until right up to high noon.

During the warm summer months, sea breezes and brisk winds can keep fishermen from targeting their favorite Amelia Island game fish.

The St. Mary's inlet will showcase excellent fishing action for "bull" reds weighing to over 40 pounds, tarpon weighing well over 100 pounds, along with large sharks, jack crevalle, bluefish and the occasional king mackerel. Fishing in deep water depths with live mullet or menhaden is key when targeting tarpon, bull redfish, cobia and a wide variety of pelagic sharks. Freelining live baits at both the surface and middle depths is excellent when fishing for kingfish, Spanish Mackerel and cobia.

Similar inlet action is also available at the Nassau inlet. The best fishing action here occurs during the last few hours of the incoming tide and the first few hours of the falling tide, when water clarity is best.

Offshore fishermen will enjoy excellent bottom fishing during the summer for gag grouper, triggerfish, sheepshead, black sea bass and red snapper. The South Atlantic federal red snapper proposed season will run from May 22 through June 20. With October weekends, or a 62-day season running from July 1 through August 31. The 2026 gag grouper season in south Atlantic waters runs for 93 days from May 1 through August 2. Be sure to check with www.myfwc.com to be sure what species of bottom fish are currently in season.

Slow-trolling live menhaden, mullet or cigar minnows just off from the beaches, the very tip of the St. Mary's inlet and at offshore fish havens will produce several game fish including kingfish, bonito, barracuda, cobia, Spanish mackerel and more.

Some of the better offshore fish havens include FA, FC, FB, HH, Schultz's Live Bottom, the Brunswick Bottom and more.

Surf fishermen will take advantage of the warming water temperatures of summer along the pristine beaches of Amelia Island. Pompano will be heading the list of catches, along with whiting, redfish, bluefish and more. The best action here comes while employing a double-hook surf fishing leader with double #2 kahle hooks. A one to two-inch strip of shrimp flavored fish bite is then barbed to the kahle hooks. A four-oz. pyramid weight is then attached to the leader. Hook sizes are determined by the size of the saltwater game fish running presently in the surf, which range from #1 to #4 semicircle kahle hooks. A four to six-oz. pyramid weight is then attached to the bottom of the double hook, depending on the tide strength and wind conditions.

Live sand fleas are excellent baits for pompano and other surf fish. Look for their antennas peeking out from the sand, which also creates a rippling action in the water. When locating several of these small ripples, place your sand flea rake strategically down-current of the sand flea bed. Then tickle the bed with your toes - which flushes the sand fleas from their beds and right into your sand flea rake.

During the summer, some of the best surf fishing action comes at the very southern portion of Amelia Island, where a small rock jetty provides an excellent ambush point for flounder, sea trout and redfish. Making long casts to either ends of the jetty rocks, while working a jig and plastic tail lure combo very slowly along the bottom, is a favorite fishing tactic for beach trout, redfish and flounder.

Backcountry fishermen will enjoy unusually high flood tides finding redfish tailing in the flooded spartina marshes. Simply get out of your shallow-water skiff and wade the marshes while casting a crab pattern fly, spoon fly, gold Johnson spoon or a 1/8-oz. led head jig rigged with a Berkley Gulp shrimp in the New Penny color pattern.

Sea trout weighing up to eight pounds will be taking live finger mullet fished under a small float where deep channels pass by such fishy structures as boat dock pilings, or oyster bars.

For more fishing charter information please visit www.ameliaangler.com, or call 904-261-2870.