Spring Fishing at Amelia
Story and photos by Terry Lacoss

Avid fishermen welcome the warming water temperatures of spring. During this season, a variety of saltwater game fish migrate into nearshore waters, bays and tidal estuaries. Freshwater fishing also heats up, with Florida largemouth bass heading the list. Typically during each spring fishing season, northeast Florida largemouth bass are caught weighing well over the 10-lb. mark!

Without a doubt, the big black drum run attracts its share of spring fishermen. Black drum often weigh between 20 to 50 pounds, and have been known to weigh over the 100-lb. mark. On March 28, 1957, Fernandina Beach's Stella Moore hooked and landed a record breaking 93-lb. black drum while fishing at the St. Mary's jetty rocks. In recent years, David Cartwright also landed a record-breaking black drum weighing 96 pounds. Cartwright was fishing along the beaches of Amelia Island when he made his historic catch.

Black drum fishing is excellent during the spring.
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The black drum fishing season typically begins during early March when the water temperature heats up into the high sixties. Popular black drum fishing hot spots include the surf just off from "Main Beach", the deep hole located at the tip of the St. Mary's south jetty rocks, the "Breakers" at Nassau Sound and the deep waters of Cumberland Sound.

Night fishing is extremely popular when targeting giant black drum, particularly when there is a full moon and a flood tide just after dark. Fish on the bottom with cut crabs, large shrimp, conch or a combination of these tasty baits!

Some of the very best largemouth bass fishing of the year comes during the spring fishing season, when northeast Florida bass may weigh in excess of ten pounds. Some of the smaller ponds and lakes attract spawning action during early spring. Look for spawning to take place in the deeper freshwater rivers during late spring.

A deadly fishing tactic for taking trophy bass when they move into the grassy shallows to spawn is swimming a large worm right on, or just under, the surface. Buzz baits, spinners and topwater plugs will also take their share of trophy bass.

Popular big bass lakes include Rodman Reservoir, Orange Lake, Santa Fe Lake, Lake George, Ocean Pond, Alligator Lake and the many phosphate lakes located in Bienville Plantation. Popular freshwater rivers include Lofton Creek, Boggy Creek, the Big and Little St. Mary's Rivers, Nassau River and the St. John's River.

Trophy bass lurk in many freshwater areas.
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During the late spring of 2007, I made three bass fishing trips to Bienville Plantation. The results were three trophy bass weighing from 10 to 11 pounds! On each trip, we caught and released from 50 to 75 bass. However, a 12.5-lb. "Hawg" bass was caught by Amelia Island's Stacey Lynch while fishing in a small lake in Nassau County!

Blue water fishermen are now targeting wahoo, dolphin, sailfish and blue marlin at northeast Florida's "Big Ledge". Also called the "Continental Shelf," the big ledge is located some 65 nautical miles directly east of the St. Mary's inlet. Here, water depths drop off sharply from 180 to 1,000 feet of water in less than a mile.

Look for some of the best action to come while trolling combinations of plastic lures, rigged with medium-sized ballyhoo. The biggest concentrations of game fish will be holding close to weed lines, temperature breaks and where there is an underwater hump - also called an "Up-Welling." Here, currents push bait fish over the hump, creating a perfect ambush point for a variety of blue water game fish.

As warm water eddies from the Gulf Stream move in closer to shore, trolling action picks up at many of the popular nearshore fish havens. Look for kingfish, cobia, amberjack, Spanish mackerel, barracuda and the occasional dolphin and wahoo to head the popular list of game fish.
Drift fishermen can expect to catch grouper, red snapper, reef sharks, cobia, amberjack and delicious black sea bass. Here, drift fishing boats often employ a "Flat Line" at the transom of the boat, where a live bait is allowed to drift with the current while fishermen bottom fish. This bonus setup often provides hookups with fast-swimming pelagic game fish species.

Inlet and beach fishermen will target cobia, red drum, whiting and a wide variety of sharks while fishing right on the bottom with fresh shrimp, crabs, or cut baits. Look for the slower-moving tides to harbor the best fishing action.

Sea trout are running in the bays, tidal rivers and beaches of Amelia Island during the spring fishing season, providing non-stop fishing action when schooling specks are located. Fish deep under a sea trout float with live shrimp, while adjusting the depth of the shrimp so that the frisky live baits drift with the current and just off from the bottom.

Redfish are a delicious springtime catch!
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Sea trout will also take a variety of topwater plugs, including the Chug Bug, Top Dog and Devil's Horse. Casting a 1/4-oz. led head jig, with a chartreuse-colored plastic curly tail is also a deadly spring fishing tactic for "Specks" that often weigh over the 5-lb. mark.

Redfish can also be found schooling in the shallow waters of the bays and tidal rivers. Look for the last few hours of the flood and the first hour of the falling tides to produce redfish weighing to ten pounds. Here, redfish can be found in the flooded spartina marshes where they find an abundant supply of fiddler crabs to satisfy their appetites. Casting a 1/2-oz. gold Johnson spoon or an in-line spinner is a deadly redfish tactic when the reds are feeding in the grass. As redfish move out of the grass and onto shallow flats, where oyster bars are numerous, cast a topwater "Top Dog" or work a led head jig and Berkley Gulp shrimp slowly along the bottom.

Spring fishermen will also find sheepshead, puppy drum and flounder holding close to jetty rocks, at creek mouths and boat docks during the spring fishing season. Here, fishing is best during the last few hours of the falling and the first hour of the incoming tides.

Beach fishing is excellent for whiting, blues, pompano, puppy drum, sea trout and red drum during the spring months. Although fishing is good throughout the various tides, some of the best action comes during the first hour of the falling tide. Fresh local shrimp rigged to a "Fish Finder" setup will catch a variety of good eating game fish from the surf. Once a small blue is landed, cut the blue into chunks and rig the smelly cut bait to the bottom hook, while a fresh shrimp is barbed to the top hook of terminal surf fishing tackle.

Non-Florida residents over the age of 16 will need a saltwater fishing license when fishing or crabbing from land, bridges, piers, or from a boat. For more fishing and charter information, call the Amelia Angler at (904) 321-5090, or visit www.ameliaangler.com.

I am also the author of the new Florida Sportsman book "Redfish," which is now available at area bait and tackle stores!