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WINTER FISHING AT AMELIA Story & photos by Terry Lacoss
An ocean full of fishing opportunities
become available for both local and visiting fishermen during the cooler
months of winter in northeast Florida. Deep sea, backwater and even
freshwater rivers and lakes where cooler water temperatures excite the
feeding habits of better-than-average size game fish can produce that
"Trophy" fish of a lifetime!
Without a doubt, the winter fishing
season offers some of the best trophy largemouth bass fishing of the
year. Last winter, a number of eight to ten-pound largemouth bass were
taken from nearby Florida freshwater lakes and rivers. John Henry caught
and released his largemouth bass of a lifetime while vacationing on
Amelia Island. Henry's big bass weighed just over 9-lbs and was taken
with a weighted plastic worm. Don Moore teased a 10-lb. bass to his
"Zara Spook" topwater plug just after sunrise, which prompted Moore to
release his impressive bass and purchase a "Catch and Release" mount.
Wild shiner fishing often produces
predictable big bass action throughout the winter months. During warming
trends, largemouth bass 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, located only a few minutes
west of Amelia Island, is overlooked by many local bass fishermen, but
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 AIA/SR200 at Lofton Creek.
Winter is a great time for bass
fishing!
Offshore fishing is excellent during the
winter fishing season for excellent-eating species, including grouper,
red snapper and black sea bass. These fish can be found at many of the
close-to-shore natural and artificial fish havens. 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 a very popular fishing tactic. Tip the jigs with
squid to entice a variety of bottom species.
During recent winter fishing seasons,
some of the best bottom fishing action has come from Schultz's Fish
Market, which is located some five miles offshore of the south end of
Amelia Island. Here, fishermen will find a natural lime rock bottom,
numerous two to three-foot rock ledges and man-made reefs. Other popular
fish havens during the winter include East FC, HH, AH, RL, FA and KBY.
All of these popular sites are identified on the local offshore chart
with coordinates.
Winter fishing at Northeast Florida's
Gulf Stream offers excellent wahoo fishing for "Hoo's" that can weigh
over 90 pounds. Seasoned sport fishing boats troll in water depths from
200 to 1,000 feet of water with spoons and plastics fished deep with
wire lines or trolling weights.
Surf fishing during the winter along the
beaches of Amelia Island produces excellent catches of beach whiting and
blues. Fresh shrimp is the bait of choice when fished right on the
bottom with a "Fish Finder" setup. The southern tip of Amelia Island
continues to produce winter catches of sea trout and redfish, while the
small jetties located at historic Fort Clinch is a good bet for landing
flounder weighing to just over 10 pounds.
Red snapper can be found at many
close-to-shore natural and artificial fish havens.
Backwater fishing for redfish is
excellent during the flood tide where redfish school over mud bottom
flats that are warmed by the winter sun. During low tide phases, redfish
move off from the winter mud flats and school close to deep water boat
docks, creek mouths and the deep sides of oyster bars. Last winter, I
fished with my son Terry David Lacoss and longtime fishing friend Dan
McCranie while enjoying a phenomenal morning of redfish action. We
fished just south of the Shave Bridge on the flats where they empty into
a deep creek and caught redfish almost on every cast! Our lures included
a 1/4-oz. led head jig rigged to a Berkley Gulp Shrimp in the white
color pattern.
Sea trout weighing to eight pounds hold
in deep holes where a current is running next to bridge pilings, docks
or jetty rocks. Freeline a live shrimp, pinfish or finger mullet deep
into the trout's hideout while enjoying some of the season's best speck
fishing. The trout season is closed in Florida's Northeast Region during
the month of February.
Flounder run during the high falling tide
at creek mouths, deep sides of docks and close to rock jetties. One of
the best areas in the entire southeast to catch flounder is the rough
shoreline beginning at the Fernandina Port and including the rock
jetties located at Fort Clinch. Fish slowly along the bottom with live
finger mullet or bullhead minnows.
Amelia's inshore waters are home to
delicious-eating flounder.
Black drum fishing is excellent in deep
holes of the Amelia River and at the inlet mouths of both the St. Mary's
River and Cumberland Sound. The annual black drum run begins during late
winter and can produce black drum weighing over the 80-lb mark. Donald
Spencer landed a new Georgia record black drum while fishing at the tip
of the St. Mary's north jetty rocks last winter. His record-breaking
drum weighed 103.15 pounds!
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.
Crabbing offers great family fun during
the winter fishing season. Try fishing right on the bottom with a
chicken part or fish head. Simply tie the bait to a long piece of string
and attach a 6-oz. weight to the end of the string to keep the bait on
the bottom. When a slight tug is detected, slowly pull the crab to the
surface and net with a long-handled net. Place the live crabs in a
boiling pot of water with crab seasoning added, and cook until the crabs
turn a bright pink color.
Non-Florida residents under the age of 16
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.
For more fishing and sailing information,
call the Amelia Angler at (904) 321-5090, or visit
www.ameliaangler.com.
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