Just because it's winter on Amelia Island doesn't mean the fishing action is stone cold. Look for red hot offshore fishing, beach and backwater fishing. Also, when the weather conditions are stable, hot winter largemouth bass and striper fishing action comes from the many lakes, ponds and freshwater streams of northeast Florida.

Last winter, local backwater fishermen had a field day while targeting huge schools of redfish, also known as red drum, huddled up on large mud flats. Here, mud bottoms absorb the warming rays of the winter sun, which warms up the shallow water flats, creating a steamy sauna for winter redfish. Several mud flats with water depths ranging from one to two feet of water are located at both the west and east sides of Amelia Island's Intracoastal Waterway, also referred to on waterway charts as the "Amelia River". At the bottom of the low tide, winter redfish can be found schooling in slight depressions on mud flats, enjoying the warmer water temperatures and feeding on shrimp, baitfish and crustaceans.

Quietly anchor your shallow-water skiff within good casting distance, while making long casts to the huddled-up school of red drum. Some of the better baits for winter redfish include blue crab, cut baits, finger mullet and both dead and live shrimp. Berkley "Gulp" shrimp also works wonders with winter redfish while fishing these "Smelly" baits right on the bottom and right in the middle of the school of redfish.

Backwater fishing in many of the tidal rivers and bays offers red hot fishing action for speckled sea trout during the winter season. Some of the best sea trout action is enjoyed while drifting live shrimp deep under a typical trout float. Here, speck fishermen will need to target deep-water channels that border the Intracoastal Waterway, particularly the deep channel that passes under the Shave and Nassau bridges.

Look for the first and last portions of the falling tide to harbor excellent winter sea trout action. The middle portion of the incoming tide is also an excellent time to be anchored at your favorite deep water, winter speck drop.

Winter backwater fishing also produces good catches of flounder, bluefish, whiting, puppy drum and sheepshead. Look for many of these delicious-eating game fish to be holding on the deep sides of structure on the last of the falling tide. Dock pilings, oyster bars, bridge pilings, breakwaters and jetty rocks are all excellent winter fishing structures.

Offshore drift fishing produces excellent catches of black sea bass, red snapper, gag grouper, reef sharks and amberjack. Some of the more effective baits for drift fishing include fresh local squid, cut chunks of Spanish sardines, dead cigar minnows, also referred to as "popsicles" and live cigar minnows when available. Look for "Haddock's Hideaway", the "Fernandina Snapper Grounds" and the "Amberjack Hole" to harbor some of Amelia Island's best winter drift fishing action. The "Brunswick 40-Mile Bottom" is also an excellent fish haven for winter drift fishing.

Winter bluewater fishing finds some of the best wahoo action in the world off the coastline of Amelia Island. However, these deep, fertile wahoo waters are located some 65 nautical miles offshore of the St. Mary's inlet. With this in mind, bluewater fishermen will need to pick their days to make this long offshore run. Winter northerly winds can make this long, offshore journey a bumpy ride.

Wahoo simply "light up" at the sight of a high-speed trolling spread. Bump your trolling speed up to 8-11 knots when targeting winter wahoo. Some of the more successful high-speed lures include the "Wahoo Whacker", "Islander", "Cedar Plug" "C&H Stubby" and "Drone Spoons". For color combinations try red and black, blue and white and purple and black.

Look for the best winter wahoo fishing to come where the water depth drops from 180 to 1,000 feet of water. This is also called the "Continental Shelf". During the winter months, look for water color changes, also called "rips", and water temperature breaks to hold both winter wahoo and baitfish.

Largemouth bass fishing is excellent in many of northeast Florida's lakes, ponds and rivers. During mild winter weather conditions, largemouth bass may start their annual spawn during early January. However, in deep rivers and when a cold winter persists, largemouth bass may spawn into late April and May.

Some of the better largemouth rivers include Lofton Creek, the St. Mary's and the St. John's rivers. Rodman Reservoir and Orange Lake harbor some of the best winter bass fishing when targeting big lakes.

Striper fishing is also excellent during the winter season, particularly in the Nassau and St. Mary's rivers. Try trolling minnow-type plugs close to bridge pilings and along deep riverbanks. The best tides include the last hour of the incoming and the first hour of the falling.

Some of the best winter surf fishing can be found at the footsteps of Fort Clinch and at the southern tip of Amelia Island.