Summer fishing at Amelia Island is highlighted with several world-class fishing tournaments, including the 22nd Annual "Nassau Sport Fishing Association Tournament of Champions" kingfish tournament. This popular local tournament is held from the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina beginning with a captain's meeting on Thursday, June 23rd at 5:30 PM. First prize in the event is worth $25,000 for the largest king mackerel weighed on the tournament scales. Many other prizes will also be up for grabs, including youth and ladies awards. For more information, contact tournament director Rick Langford at 904-277-3327.

The migration of kingfish finds them holding close in to the beaches and inlets of Amelia Island from late May through the month of August. Kingfish are also plentiful at many of the area's offshore fish havens during summer. When found schooling, kings offer fast fishing action. Slow trolling, drifting and chumming while live bait fishing is definitely the best tactic for luring giant kingfish to your long gaff. Chumming is accomplished by grinding up menhaden with a meat grinder and placing the chum in a mesh bag. The chum bag is then tied off to a gunwale cleat, allowing the ground chum to seep slowly into the water and create a chum slick.

Chumming with menhaden oil is also very effective for large king mackerel, which are commonly referred to as "Smokers". An IV bag is filled with menhaden oil and attached to a gunwale cleat. The IV is then adjusted so that the menhaden oil drips slowly into the ocean, setting up a very effective chum slick.

Kingfish are a favorite catch for Amelia Island anglers during the summer fishing season.
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Some key areas to find trophy-size kingfish include the Nassau live bottom and sound, the St. Mary's shipping channel and many of the nearby offshore reefs. Some of the more productive offshore hard bottoms include "Haddock's Hideaway", "The Fernandina Snapper Grounds", "East FC" and the "Elton Bottom".

Summer deep-sea fishermen can expect to catch barracuda, cobia, blackfin tuna, bonito, sailfish, dolphin and wahoo. The Continental Shelf is located some 65 nautical miles offshore of Amelia Island.

Bottom fishing is also excellent during the first portion of summer for red snapper and grouper. However, when the ocean waters begin to really heat up during late July and August, many species of bottom fish will move further offshore to water depths of over 90 feet.

Some of the best bottom fishing can be found at "East FC", the "Amberjack Hole" and "Haddock's Hideaway" during early summer. As the water temperatures warm look for the "Elton Bottom" and the "Brunswick 40-Mile Bottom" to produce good catches of bottom species.

Big schools of Spanish mackerel, blues and jack crevalle can be found busting up schools of glass minnows on the surface during early summer at the mouths of both inlets of Amelia Island, and just off from the beaches as well. During late summer they will also move further offshore in search of cooler water temperatures.

As the summer fishing heats up during late July, good numbers of red drum can be found holding at the St. Mary's rock jetties. Some of the best action can be found while fishing right on the bottom with cut baits. Look for the best red drum fishing to arrive during the slower moving tides.

Red drum, or redfish, offer great light-tackle or fly fishing action.
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Giant tarpon weighing well over 150 pounds are spectacular game fish during the warm summer fishing season. Look for tarpon to hold at the St. Mary's rock jetties and at the Nassau Sound. Chumming with cut baits from an anchored boat while fishing with cut baits remains the best fishing tactic for these giant "Silver Kings".

A variety of light-tackle saltwater species can be found holding in the surf, the St. Mary's inlet and the Nassau Sound. Anglers here can expect to catch sea trout, flounder, whiting, bluefish, puppy drum and redfish. One of the best fishing tactics for sea trout and redfish is drifting a live shrimp under a trout float. Whiting and puppy drum will take a fresh shrimp fished right on the bottom.

Backwater fishermen can expect to enjoy great topwater plug action for redfish and sea trout during the flooding tide. Look for the Chug Bug, Zara Spook, the Johnny Rattler and the Top Dog to produce ferocious strikes.

Sea trout can be taken from many local fishing spots, including the St. Mary's rock jetties.
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Flounder can be found schooling at creek mouths and just off from oyster bars on mud flats during a falling tide. The best fishing tactic for flounder, some of which can weigh over the 8-lb. mark, includes fishing with a small, live finger mullet on a fish finder setup. Retrieve the finger mullet slowly along the bottom until a strike is detected. Once a flounder has taken the live bait, count to five slowly, then set the hook firmly!

Surf fishing is excellent during the summer for whiting, flounder, yellowmouth trout, blues, flounder and puppy drum. Look for some of the best surf fishing to come from the "Pipeline", located by the lighthouse, and the newly-constructed jetties at Nassau Sound. Once again, fresh shrimp fished right on the bottom produces the best action for many of these species.
However, when sea trout are in the area, try casting a 52-M "Mirror lure" dead into the action and hang on!

Largemouth bass fishing is good during early morning and late afternoon hours in many northeast Florida freshwater streams including Lofton, Thomas, Mills, Boggy, and Plumber's creeks. Try floating a dark colored trick worm slowly along fishy shorelines with a slow moving current. Topwater lures including the Chug Bug and the Rapala also work well.

The big and little St. Mary's rivers also offer excellent summer fishing for largemouth bass, stripers and bream. Try fishing just above the Highway 17 bridge where numerous small feeder creeks feed the river.

Crabbing is also great family fun during the summer fishing season. Fish right on the bottom with a chicken part, weighted with a 5-oz. pyramid sinker. When a tug is detected, bring the blue crab slowly to the surface and net with a long-handled net. Keep the blue crabs alive in a bucket of water until you are ready to cook them. Place the crabs in a boiling pot of hot water with crab seasoning added and boil until they turn a bright pink color. Crabbing is not only fun, but offers excellent eating too!

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