Winter Fishing at Amelia
Story and photos by Terry Lacoss

A wide variety of fishing opportunities is available to anglers during the cooler months of northeast Florida's winter fishing season. Some of the best fishing can be enjoyed from deep sea waters, backwater areas, and even freshwater rivers and lakes where cooler water temperatures excite the feeding habits of better-than-average sized game fish.

Without a doubt, the winter season offers some of the best trophy largemouth bass fishing of the year. Last winter a number of 10-lb. largemouth bass were taken from nearby Florida freshwater lakes and rivers. Jim Werling caught and released a 13 lb.-4 oz. largemouth bass during a fishing trip to Rodman Reservoir. A few days earlier, Jack Healan caught and released a 10 lb.-4 oz. largemouth bass while fishing in the same portion of this popular trophy bass lake!

Trophy largemouth bass can be taken from area lakes
and rivers during the winter months.
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Fishing with wild shiners often produces the best big bass action during the winter fishing season. During warming trends, largemouth will move onto the flats and can be taken with a variety of artificial lures including dark colored plastic worms and rattle traps.

Lofton Creek is located only a few minutes west of Amelia Island and is overlooked by many local bass fishermen. However, this is considered to be one of the best freshwater bass streams in the south. Fishermen have easy access to the river from a boat ramp and park located on A1A and Lofton Creek.

Offshore fishing is excellent during the winter at many of the close-to-shore natural and artificial fish havens for excellent-eating species including grouper, red snapper and black sea bass. Some of the best bottom fishing action can be enjoyed while fishing right on the bottom with local squid, cut baits and cigar minnows. Deep jigging with light tackle is also becoming very popular while tipping jigs with squid to entice a variety of bottom species.

During recent winter fishing seasons, some of the best bottom fishing action has been coming from Schultz's Fish Market, which is located some five miles offshore of the south end of Amelia Island. Here, bottom-fishing boats will find a natural lime rock bottom, numerous two to three-foot rock ledges and manmade reefs. Other popular fish havens for winter bottom fishing include East FC, HH, AH, RL, FA and KBY. All of these popular offshore fish havens are identified on the local offshore chart with coordinates.

Winter fishing at northeast Florida's Gulf Stream offers excellent wahoo action for giant "Hoo's" which can weigh over 90 pounds. Skilled wahoo fishermen troll in water depths from 200 to 1000 feet with spoons and plastics fished deep with wire lines or trolling weights.

Huge wahoo can be taken from northeast Florida's Gulf Stream.
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Surf fishing during the winter months produces excellent catches of beach whiting and blues along the beaches of Amelia Island. Fresh shrimp is the bait of choice when fished right on the bottom with a "Fish Finder" setup.

Backwater fishing for redfish can be excellent during the low tide phases when redfish school over a mud bottom flat. Trout fishing is excellent in deep holes where a current is running next to bridge pilings, docks, or jetty rocks. Flounder bite during the falling tides at creek mouths, deep sides of docks and close to rock jetties. Black drum fishing is excellent in deep holes of the Amelia River and at both inlet mouths, the St. Mary's and Cumberland Sound.

Sheepshead fishing offers some of the best winter fishing action for jail-striped fish weighing to over 10 pounds. Look for some of the best action to come while fishing close to jetty rocks, docks and bridge pilings and any submerged object that has attracted a coating of barnacles. With this in mind, barnacles continue to be one of the better baits for winter sheepshead.

Non-Florida residents under the age of sixteen will need to purchase a Florida saltwater fishing license when fishing from land or bridges. You may purchase a Florida saltwater fishing license over the phone by calling 1-888-347-4356. You can also visit www.myfwc.com for more fishing information.