The weather has been a little crazy around the country these past few weeks, but despite this Amelia Island inshore fishing has been pretty good. The speckled trout and redfish have been cooperating.
With the cooler water temperatures, these fish get schooled up in good numbers. It’s not difficult fishing and is great for all ages. The rig mostly used is a cork set up with a live shrimp or mudminnow for bait.
We have been getting excellent catches of both species these past couple of weeks. The big trout are not bunched up yet but we are catching good numbers of slot fish, which is between 15 inches and 19 inches.
You are allowed to keep five per person with one over 19 inches per vessel.
These fish are great table fare and if you would prefer not to cook at home the Salty Pelican is an awesome place to bring your catch. They do a good job preparing either fried, grilled, or blackened, plus you get a side, and if you would like you can get the setups for tacos or sandwiches.
The redfish have been taking a variety of bait, cut mullet, shrimp, and mud minnows. We have been using a jig head on the bottom or floating a cork over a different structure. The Redfish slot is 18 inches up to 27 inches. You are allowed to keep two per person. These fish are awesome fighters on light fishing tackle.
Fernandina Beach is a great place to visit this time of year. The weather on most days is mild. We have lots of great restaurants and bars on and off the island. We also have plenty of live music around the area. You typically don’t have to worry about a ton of folks around during this time.