Schooling king mackerel can be found at many offshore reefs including FA, FC, FB, HH and AH. Here, live-bait trolling with cigar minnows is a deadly tactic. However, large minnow-type plugs and spoons will also attract their share of kingfish strikes.

Offshore kings normally weigh from 8 to 12 pounds. However, larger kingfish weighing to 40 pounds are often landed.

The Nassau Sports Fishing Association runs an annual king mackerel fishing tournament, which attracts kingfish teams from throughout the southeast. This popular event is sanctioned by the Southern Kingfish Association and will take place June 22 - 25, 2006, in downtown Fernandina at the foot of Centre Street at the Fernandina Harbor Marina. The tournament is followed by a delicious fish fry and awards ceremony! For more information, contact Captain Allen Mills at 261-9581.

Summer fishing at the St. Mary's rock jetties is very popular, particularly with small boaters. Anglers also fish from the jetty rocks on foot during low tide periods.

A variety of game fish can be found feeding at these jetties, where strong tides move baitfish schools to and from the deep St. Mary's inlet. Included in this group are tarpon, cobia, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, jack crevalle, flounder, sea trout, black drum, sheepshead, whiting and a wide variety of warm water sharks!

One of the more popular jetty fishing techniques is anchoring your boat at the tip of the jetty rocks and fishing deep on the bottom with cut menhaden or freshly caught whiting.

Live baits fished on the surface with the aid of several small floats attached to the fishing line will attract feeding interests from kingfish, tarpon, sharks and cobia.

Live shrimp fished under a trout float and close to the jetty rocks attracts sea trout, redfish and flounder. Allow the live shrimp to drift deep and just off from the bottom while fishing close to low areas in the jetty rocks.

Summer backwater fishing is excellent for sea trout weighing to five pounds. One of the best fishing tactics for "Gator" sized specks includes casting noisy topwater plugs at high tide. Some of the better backwater areas for high tide sea trout include Tiger Basin, the mouth of Egan's Creek, Lanceford Creek and Nassau Sound.

Red bass fishing is excellent during the falling tide where creeks empty onto mud flats and where oyster bars are numerous. Try casting a 1/4-oz. gold Johnson spoon or an in-line spinner. Mud minnows and live shrimp are excellent live baits for redfish when fished under a small float.

The best fly fishing for redfish takes place during the last of the flood and the first of the falling tide while working a black "Clouser Minnow" close to flooded marshes.

Look for flounder to hold at creek mouths and on rough bottoms where mullet and shrimp are numerous. Look for the falling tide to produce flounder weighing to eight pounds while working mud minnows, cut baits and finger mullet close to the bottom.

Surf fishing is excellent for whiting, blues, flounder, sea trout, redfish and puppy drum while fishing with a "Fish Finder" setup and fresh or live shrimp on the bottom. Delicious-eating pompano can be caught on a small piece of super fresh shrimp fished on a small bucktail jig. Sand fleas are also an excellent choice for catching pompano along Amelia Island beaches.

Look for some of the best surf fishing to come at the southern tip of Amelia Island during the last of the flood and the first of the falling tides.

Other fishing locations on land for fishermen on foot include the Fort Clinch fishing pier, the Nassau fishing pier and the St. Mary's south jetty rocks.

Largemouth bass fishing is good during the early morning and late evening hours in many area tidal rivers including the St. Mary's, Little St. Mary's, Lofton, Mills, Nassau and Thomas'. Look for the falling tide to produce the best action while working dark colored "Trick Worms" close to riverbank cover.