Spring Fishing

Sizeable black drum highlight Amelia Island's spring fishing action, where hard fighting black drum are found schooling along the beaches, both the St. Mary's and Cumberland inlets, and the Nassau River.

Two giant black drum were caught during past spring fishing seasons - and both catches set records for Amelia Island fishermen. Stella Moore landed a massive 93-lb. black drum on April 18, 1957, which is still the women's all-tackle record today. David Cartwright hooked, fought, and landed a 96-lb black drum on April 12th, 2001, and still holds the men's all-tackle record for black drum.

Tides and moon phases are also critical, with the last few days and right on the day of the full moon producing some of the best black drum fishing action. Night fishing is also popular, particularly when a full moon allows for good nighttime visibility and excellent black drum bite.

Fishermen may harvest five black drum per day measuring at least 14 to 24 inches. One of your five black drum limit may measure over 24 inches, and the season is open all year. For more information, please visit www.myfwc.com.

Avid local saltwater angler Robert Haddock typically holds an annual black drum tournament. Information and entry forms are available at most local tackle stores.

Saltwater fishermen targeting black drum will also fish with light saltwater tackle and a fresh local shrimp right on the bottom for smaller species of fish including excellent-eating whiting, croaker, schooling red drum, small sharks, sand trout and more.

Backwater fishing action is also excellent during the spring fishing season, with hard-fighting and excellent eating seatrout and redfish heading the list. Drifting a local live shrimp under a "popping" cork is a deadly fishing tactic for both mentioned species. Look for some of the best action to come where local structures including rock jetties, boat docks, and large oyster bars provide an excellent ambush point.

One of the more popular areas when targeting seatrout and redfish includes the St. Mary's south jetty rocks. Here, low areas in the jetty rocks create a "runout" and make an excellent ambush point for hard-fighting specks and reds.

Casting surface plugs including the "Chug Bug" or "Zara Spook" during a flooding tide may well hook that seatrout or redfish of a lifetime! Look for shallow bays where there is a shell bottom to provide heart-stopping surface strikes.

Northeast Florida fishermen may keep five seatrout per day measuring at least 15 inches and not over 19 inches. One of the five seatrouts may measure over 19 inches. Redfish must measure at least 18 inches and not over 27 inches. Fishermen may keep one per day. For more information visit www.myfwc.com.

Flounder fishing is also excellent during the spring along the beaches, inlets, and backwaters of Amelia. Barbing a bullhead minnow and retrieving slowly along the bottom is an extremely productive fishing tactic for these excellent-eating game fish.

Sheepshead are also running and willing to take a small saltwater hook barbed with a live fiddler crab. Sheepshead are notorious for feeding on barnacles growing on pilings, jetty rocks, and similar structures. Sheepshead are also one of the better-eating saltwater species.

Offshore fishing is excellent for a variety of bottom species, including black sea bass, grouper, red snapper, cobia, and more. Fishing with live cigar minnows, cut baits, or live menhaden provides for non-stop action. Be sure and check with the latest fishing regulations, as many of these mentioned species may be off limits to keep!

Some of the best offshore fish havens include FS, FA, FB, and "Schultz's Fish Market".

Slow trolling live menhaden or live cigar minnows during the spring fishing season at these above-mentioned fish havens will produce excellent fishing action for king mackerel, cobia, Spanish mackerel, barracuda and the occasional sailfish.

If you are new to the area and wish to learn more about our local fishing, join the Nassau Sports Fishing Association at www.nsfafish.net.

For more fishing information call the Amelia Angler at 904-261-2870, or visit www.ameliaangler.com. "Good fishing!"