During the fall, backcountry fishermen will enjoy unusual flood tides while targeting tailing redfish in the flooded spartina marshes. Simply get out of your shallow-water skiff and wade the flooded marshes with a good pair of hard-sole shoes. Fly casting a crab pattern fly or spoon fly is the ultimate red fishing experience. Spin casting with a gold Johnson spoon or a 1/8-oz. led head jig rigged with a Berkley Gulp shrimp in the New Penny color pattern is a deadly flood tide redfish tactic as well.

Fly fishing is also excellent during the last hour of the falling and the first two hours of the incoming tides, while locating schools of mullet stirring up the bottom. One of my favorite redfish flies during low tide is the popular "Redfish Magic".

Surf fishing is also excellent during the fall months while fishing with a double-hook setup and a 4-oz.pyramid weight. Best baits here include live sand fleas that can be secured while using a sand flea rake, fresh local shrimp or "Fish Bites". Beach fishermen will be targeting hard-fighting and excellent-eating pompano, whiting, redfish, seatrout and more.

Some of the best surf fishing action can be found at both the southern portion of Amelia Island and the footsteps of Fort Clinch on the north end.

Live shrimp can also be used with great success while targeting beach trout. These shrimp are available at several local bait shops on Amelia Island. Barb the live shrimp right through the bottom of the tail with a 1/4-oz. chartreuse-colored jig and retrieve slowly along the bottom.

Fishing at the St. Mary's and Nassau inlets during the fall fishing season is excellent for "Bull" reds weighing to over 40 pounds! Tarpon weighing well over the 100-pound mark are schooling as well, along with large sharks, jack crevalle, bluefish and the occasional king mackerel. Fishing deep on the bottom with live mullet or menhaden is key when targeting all the above-mentioned species.

Offshore fishermen will enjoy excellent bottom fishing for gag grouper, triggerfish, sheepshead, black sea bass and red snapper. Be sure and check with www.myfwc.com to be sure what species of bottom fish are currently in season. Red snapper are only in season for a few days during the month of July.

Flounder fishing is best during the fall where hard, sandy bottoms lead to a deep channel. One of the best flounder waters includes the footsteps of historic Fort Clinch. Retrieving a barbed finger mullet or bullhead minnow slowly along the bottom is a deadly flounder fishing tactic. When a strike is detected, allow a count of five before setting the hook!

Sea trout weighing to 10 pounds can be caught using live finger mullet fished under a small float. The best locations are where deep channels pass by oyster beds, dock pilings and similar structures. When there is a presence of mullet schooling on the surface, working a surface plug including the "Chug Bug", or the "Zara Spook" in the chrome and chartreuse color pattern yields the best results.

Freshwater fishing in the Nassau and St. Mary's river systems should be excellent in the upper feeder creeks for largemouth bass weighing to 10 pounds. Lofton, Mills, Thomas', St. Mary's, and Boggy tidal rivers offer excellent bass fishing when casting a minnow type plug or a dark, weightless plastic worm. Anglers should be prepared to catch striped bass, redfish and sea trout where saltwater mixes with freshwater!

For more fishing charter information please visit www.ameliaangler.com, or call 904-261-2870.