| King mackerel fishing is red-hot during Amelia Island's warm summer
months. This is the most popular style of summer saltwater fishing by a wide margin. Some
of the best action comes from many of the close-in, live hard bottoms and offshore wrecks.
Kingfish are also abundant along the beaches, particularly during the last of the flood
and the first of the falling tides. Light tackle king fishing with super charged live baits and 20-lb. fishing tackle is big sport. One to two-pound blue runners top the list for popular kingfish baits, and can be jigged up at offshore live bottoms. Other popular livies include menhaden, mullet, Spanish sardines, bluefish, south Florida imported goggle eyes, whiting and yellowmouth trout. Typically, the big kingfish migration to Amelia Island fish havens begins in late May, with the prime fishing months coming in June and July. The peak of the kingfish run showcases two major kingfish tournaments, the "NSFA Tournament of Champions" and the "AT&T Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament".
Amelia's waters are full of hard-fighting kingfish during the warm
summer months. The "Nassau Sport Fishing Association's Tournament of Champions Kingfish Tournament" gets underway on June 21st with lots of exciting kingfish action. The event ends on June 23rd with a delicious fried fish dinner and awards ceremony. The 2007 champion will receive a check for $24,000 for weighing in the largest king mackerel of the event! The "AT&T Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament" begins on July 16th and ends on July 21st. Dubbed as the world's largest kingfish tournament, the big event is located at the Sister's Creek Marina. $500,000 will be up for grabs! Some of the more productive kingfish waters include the Elton Bottom, Fernandina Snapper Grounds, Amberjack Hole, Haddock's Hideaway, the Nassau Live Bottom, Nassau Sound and the St. Mary's shipping channel. Finally, a big fad that swept king mackerel fishermen last season was employing both red hooks and fishing lines. Seasoned king mackerel fishermen are predicting that this fad will continue through the 2007 kingfish season. Theories include that the color red in the water indicates a blood trail, which king mackerel follow right up to your kingfish bait! Live bait trolling also produces hard hitting strikes from cobia, dolphin, barracuda, Spanish mackerel, sailfish, bonito, amberjack and more.
The shallow flats of Amelia's backwater areas yield Blue water fishermen can expect to find blue marlin, wahoo, sailfish, dolphin and blackfin tuna at Northeast Florida's "Big Ledge". Here, water depths begin to sharply drop off from 180 feet of water to over a 1,000 feet in less than a mile. The big ledge is located some 65 nautical miles directly east of the St. Mary's inlet. Look for plastic skirted lures rigged with large ballyhoo to provide fast hitting, blue water trolling action. Some of the more popular lures include the "Islander", the C&H "Wahoo Whacker" and the "Cedar Plug". Finally, when a high-speed strike occurs, expect a 50 to 100-lb. wahoo to be on the fighting end of your fishing line. During last summer's fishing season, several wahoo weighing from 70 to just over 90 pounds were taken from these deep blue, fishy waters. Summer tarpon weighing to 170 pounds migrate into Amelia Island in close to the beaches and at both the Nassau and St. Mary's inlets. Chum fishing is extremely popular from an anchored boat while cutting up, or grinding menhaden. Large menhaden or live whiting are then barbed with 50-lb. tackle and free lined out into the chum slick. Hooked tarpon will often jump right at the boat and have been known to jump smack in the middle of the boat and it's fishing party! Summer redfish continue to highlight Amelia Island's fishing action, particularly at the St. Mary's rock jetties. "Bull Reds" weighing to over 30 pounds can be found holding in the deep channel waters and the very tip of both the north and south jetty rocks. Fish with cut menhaden right on the bottom. The best tides are the last of the falling and the last few hours of the incoming tides In the backwater, redfish weighing to 15 pounds are a boatload of fun while sight-fishing the shallow flats. Summer redfish lures include the Johnson Spoon, in line spinners, or Berkley Gulp shrimp rigged to led head jigs. Topwater plugs including Rapala's "Skitter Walk" and Mirror Lure's "Top Dog" both draw explosive redfish strikes.
Many local ponds and tidal rivers are filled with trophy-sized
largemouth bass. Sea trout are also running in the backwater, particularly during a high, flood tide. Popular topwater plugs include Storm's "Chug Bug" and the "Johnny Rattler". Backwater fishermen will need a lot of patience as to when to set the hook. A good rule of thumb includes waiting until you feel the pressure of the trout on your fishing rod before setting the hook. Sea trout have been known to blast a plug clean out of the water without feeling the sting of the hooks. Other backwater species include flounder, bluefish, whiting, black drum, jack crevalle and a variety of sharks. Beach fishing is excellent for good eating whiting while fishing on the bottom with sand fleas or fresh shrimp. Sand fleas can be secured by sifting the beach sand with a sand flea tool. Fish the flood tide and the first few hours of the falling tide for best results. Surf fishermen can also expect to catch flounder, puppy drum, redfish, blues and small sharks. Some of the best areas to fish along Amelia Island's beaches include the Fort Clinch little jetties, the old "Pipeline" and the rock jetties located at the south end of Amelia Island. Two fishing piers also offer great saltwater fishing, including the George Crady fishing pier, located at Nassau Sound and the Fort Clinch fishing pier, located at the St. Mary's inlet. Several area tidal rivers offer summer freshwater bass fishing, including Lofton, Boggy, the St. Mary's River, the Little St. Mary's. Lofton Creek is the most popular of these options, with easy access provided at the boat ramp and parking area on A1A. For the best results, fish the high tide while casting unweighted trick worms close to cypress tree knees and lily pads. Non-Florida residents over the age of 16 years old will need a saltwater fishing license when fishing from piers, bridges and land. For more fishing and charter fishing information, call the Amelia Angler at (904) 321-5090.  |
