Winter may bring the coolest weather of the year, but also harbors some of the best fishing opportunities of the year as well. Great fishing action comes from offshore fishing havens where grouper, red snapper and black sea bass are found in good numbers and ready to strike a variety of barbed bottom baits. And if "Old Man Winter" prolongs his arrival, striking fish like the speedy running king mackerel may hang around to test the best of kingfish tackle.
     Gag grouper weighing to over twenty pounds are found holding at offshore wrecks and ledges and are the main target of winter offshore fishermen. Heavy 60-pound bottom fishing gear is suggested and a double hook bottom rig. The double rig is weighted with an 8 to 12-ounce bank sinker, depending on the current and drift. Popular grouper baits include live cigar minnows, live pinfish, live croaker and live finger mullet. Dead baits include Boston mackerel, fresh local squid, cut bait and dead cigar minnows. While employing the double hook bottom setup, local grouper fishermen often bait up the top hook with a live bait and the bottom hook with a dead bait. This popular winter bottom setup allows winter bottom fishermen to not only target excellent eating grouper, but to also have the opportunity to catch excellent eating red snapper and black sea bass, too.

Grouper weighing to 30 lbs. are found at many of
Amelia’s offshore fish havens during the winter.
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     Look for some of the best bottom fishing action to come from 5-20 miles offshore of Amelia Island. Popular offshore fish havens includes FA, FC, East FC, HH, Schultz's Fish Market, the Amberjack Hole and KBY. All of these offshore fish havens are identified with latitude and longitude coordinates on local offshore fishing charts.
     Northeast Florida's Gulf Stream is located some 70 miles offshore and harbors excellent winter wahoo action during the late winter fishing season. Wahoo weighing up to 80 pounds are frequently taken by trolling red and black plastic lures at trolling speeds of 8-12 knots. One of the better wahoo plastics, is the C&H "Wahoo Whacker." Other winter Gulf Stream species include wahoo, sailfish, blue marlin and dolphin.
     Closer to shore, inlet and beach fishermen will find excellent-eating whiting more than willing to take a fresh piece of shrimp, fished right on the bottom. Both the St. Mary's and Nassau inlets often produce winter whiting catches of up to 50 fish per tide! Other inlet and beach species include red drum, black drum, sea trout, flounder, bluefish, sheepshead and more.
     Red drum and sea trout action highlight the winter backwater fishing action at Amelia Island in the many tidal estuaries of the St. Mary's, Nassau and Amelia Rivers, particularly when "Old Man Winter" is blowing up a winter storm and fishermen cannot get offshore. Here in the backwater rivers and bays red drum and sea trout will take a variety of lures and baits.

Deep sides of oyster bars produce great winter
fishing action for sea trout.
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     Look for the best red drum action to come during the falling tide where reds school on sun-bathed mud flats and close to oyster bars. Reds are very versatile predators and are willing to take a variety of artificials, including topwater plugs, jerk worms, spoons and led head jigs rigged with a plastic curly-tail. Fly-fishing is also productive for winter red drum with crab and "Clouser" fly patterns producing the best results.
     Live finger mullet fished right on the bottom with a "Fish Finder" setup is also a deadly winter redfish tactic. Other redfish baits include cut mullet, blue crabs, live shrimp and cut croaker.
     Winter redfish can weigh up to 10 pounds and are great game in Amelia Island's shallow waters.
     Sea trout school during the winter months, when some of the largest sea trout of the year are taken. Although sea trout average close to 1-1/2 pounds each, specks can weigh over the 8-pound mark! The most popular fishing technique for specks includes floating a live shrimp just off from the bottom with the aid of a trout float. Winter specks will also take a live finger mullet fished right on the bottom with a "Fish Finder" setup as well. Sea trout lures include the led head jig and plastic curly tail, "Mirror Lure", "Chug Bug", "Top Dog" and plastic jerk worms.
     Look for sea trout to school at the St. Mary's Jetties, the mouth of Egan's Creek, the Nassau Sound Bridge, the Shave Bridge and deep moving water next to oyster bars.
     Surf fishing is also excellent during the winter fishing season for whiting, blues, sea trout, puppy drum, flounder and red drum. Most surf fishermen prefer to fish with fresh shrimp and a "Fish Finder" setup. However a live finger mullet will always attract the larger species.

Roland and Judy Martin teamed up for this
nice Amelia Island amberjack.
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     The footsteps of historic Fort Clinch also affords great shore fishing during the winter season for flounder and red drum. Look for the Nassau Bridge to hold large black drum and a wide variety of schooling species, including record size flounder!
     Largemouth bass fishing is excellent during the winter fishing season in the many freshwater estuarys of northeast Florida, including the St. Mary's, Lofton, Plumbers, Mills, Thomas and Nassau rivers. A live shiner fished right next to the bank is the best fishing tactic to lure largemouth bass weighing to ten pounds. Successful artificial lures include spinner baits, rapalas, shallow running crank baits and floating worms.
     Non-Florida residents will need to purchase a saltwater fishing license when fishing from a boat, land, bridge, or pier. For more fishing and charter information, call the Amelia Angler at (904) 321-5090.