# fishing creeks at Fernandina Beach - need advice



## OldGuyAl (Aug 5, 2008)

I've got a ton of freshwater bass fishing tackle but I've got a chance to go on this trip so, what should I take?

baitcasters?

spinning rods?

bass baits that might work?  (I've got just about every bass bait you can name so, will any of them be worth taking?)

BTW - I've got 3 baitcasters and 2 spinning reels that are saltwater rated so, I'm not too worried about that part.

also, what about line?  braid?  flourocarbon?  leaders?

I'll take any advice I can get but I sure hope that I don't spend the whole weekend tossing out a dead shrimp and letting it just sit there on the bottom like I did last year - and caught nothing!


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## Parker Phoenix (Aug 5, 2008)

Can't tell ya about the creeeks. I was there two weeks ago and caught some fish off the surf on the beach at Ft. Clinch. Over next to the old pier. Fished cut squid on the bottom and caught trout, whiting,croaker, and some nice blues. Not the first shark or ray.


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## TimR (Aug 5, 2008)

check out this site....tons of good info on fishing that area.

http://amelia-island-fishing.com/


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## Doyle (Aug 5, 2008)

Your bass gear will be fine.  Don't use dead shrimp - use live ones.  If you don't have a floating bait bucket, buy one.   Even better is to learn how to use a cast net and catch your own mud minnows and finger mullet.   I'd use a number 1 or 2 (not 1/0 - too big) Owner Mutu Light Circle hook and the smallest piece of splitshot that will allow you to cast and have the bank sink down in the tide.   Fish the moving tide - at dead low or high go to the beach and lay out.


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## volguy (Aug 5, 2008)

*fishing*

just got back from a weekend trip.  actually for this time of year the inshore creek bite was really really good last week.  they are catching a good many sand trout (white trout), spanish, and flouder.  the reds don't seem to be biting too well right now.  the jetties at the st mary's river inlet are really good right now.  we saw some HUGE flounder caught and a few bull reds are starting to show up.  the best bet is live croakers which are very plentiful in the intercoast right now or cut bait...both on the bottom.

if you go to amelia island bait and tackle on 14th street in Fernandina, talk with Jim Johnson.  He is very very helpful and will show you exactly what to fish with and how to rig it.

as far as equipment, take the bass stuff you don't want to corrode or mess up (because there is 100% probability it will corrode).  use 12 lb p line on your baitcasters and rig your spinning rods with the 8lb diameter power pro braid in green (don't use anything heavier b/c it want cast good and you want get a hold of anything you can't handle inshore (except maybe a really big shark) with that line cause it is 30lb test).  leader is the other key.  use a 15 lb or 20 lb p-line or fluorocarbon leader.

most everyone fishes with live baits down there, but you can use spinnerbaits and topwater.  GULP! shrimp in the molten/gray color are the best arties i have found.

good luck and take a camera.  we want pictures.


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## Nugefan (Aug 5, 2008)

Parker Phoenix said:


> Can't tell ya about the creeeks. I was there two weeks ago and caught some fish off the surf on the beach at Ft. Clinch. Over next to the old pier. Fished cut squid on the bottom and caught trout, whiting,croaker, and some nice blues. Not the first shark or ray.




no sheepshead ?????  Fort Clinch used to be a hot spot fer sheepshead .....


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## crackerdave (Aug 5, 2008)

volguy said:


> just got back from a weekend trip.  actually for this time of year the inshore creek bite was really really good last week.  they are catching a good many sand trout (white trout), spanish, and flouder.  the reds don't seem to be biting too well right now.  the jetties at the st mary's river inlet are really good right now.  we saw some HUGE flounder caught and a few bull reds are starting to show up.  the best bet is live croakers which are very plentiful in the intercoast right now or cut bait...both on the bottom.
> 
> if you go to amelia island bait and tackle on 14th street in Fernandina, talk with Jim Johnson.  He is very very helpful and will show you exactly what to fish with and how to rig it.
> 
> ...



Good luck,Al! And ditto on the pix!


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## OldGuyAl (Aug 5, 2008)

OK!  Thanks, y'all!

more advice is certainly welcome.

My trip is not until the 15th so, I've got plenty of time to keep planning.  I will take some photos if I catch anything.


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## FishingAddict (Aug 6, 2008)

If you have high quality bass gear, it won't corrode.

Spray it with a coat of wd40 on the OUTSIDE of the reel seams, and it will help repel the water from getting in.  At the end of your trip, wash it down with fresh water.

Amelia is my old stoming grounds!  One thing I learned:  If you don't get a bite in 5 minutes, move to another area....the fish are SOMEWHERE eating....you just have to find them.  Creek inlets and bends in creeks can be good.

Live bait is best for the best bite if you don't want to use lures.  However,  a guy who I fish with all the time told me the red I caught with a zara spook was the biggest he ever saw out of the creeks.

Alot of times when I go fishing with a friend, I will have the person on the front of the boat throw a zara spook and the person in the back throw a grub of some sort. The spook will find the fish, even if they are short striking, and follow up grub will catch them.

I'm not convinced flouro is nessicary when using fast lure...but live bait and doa's I use it.  

Let me know if you have any questions.


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## GAranger1403 (Aug 6, 2008)

Try the mouth of Eagins creek during the first 2 hours of out going tide. Use cork rigs or shrimp tiped jigs. I've caught 10 or more species here in a couple of hours. It drops from 4-5 feet to 50 ft straight down just outside the mouth. Using shrimp tiped jigs, I've caught everything from reds and trout to snapper,grouper and jewfish right there. If you catch it right it can be a blast! Stout bass tackle will do fine. Let us know how you do.


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## Southbound (Aug 7, 2008)

your bass rods and reels will do fine.
make sure your wash with fresh water. Salt water will ruin a reel. Also make sure you have good line on your reels.  I use 15 pound mono on my baitcasters and 8 lb braid on my spinning reels.


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## crackerdave (Aug 8, 2008)

Another thing to beware of: Sand! It's murder on ANY reel.


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## K-DAWG XB 2003 (Aug 8, 2008)

Don't fish on the Fl. side. There fishing laws are stiffer and you cant keep as many. Plus you have to buy a saltwater out of state fishin license. If you are in a boat and you want to catch big Reds, go to the end of the jetties. If you want to catch trout. fish the shell bar flats at high tide with a topwater lure. If you have no boat anywhere around Fort Clinch or off the beach. You will be hard pressed keeping shrimp alive in this hot weather. Even in a bait bucket.


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## OldGuyAl (Aug 19, 2008)

Just thought I'd let y'all know that the trip was fun but we didn't catch a lot of good fish.   We had an unexpected nasty turn of events - one of our guys had his boat stolen 2 days before we got down there!

So, we had 4 guys fishing out of each of the 2 boats we had left - not a good situation.   We couldn't really go into the creeks much and nobody had much room to cast so, it was mostly just bottom fishing with live shrimp, dead shrimp, cut bait, and a handful of mud minnows.   Mostly, we caught trash fish.   

We fished around Ft. Clinch and in Tiger Basin.   We did alright on some of the sections of that humongous rock jetty.

I'm happy to say that my Gulp shrimp and minnows fished just as well as the live ones did.   Sadly, the DOA shrimp that I bought didn't get a bite but, we weren't really in the right places to use them, I think.

The Captain of the stolen boat was willing to take me where ever I suggested (from what y'all told me) but the guys who had the boats we fished from either couldn't or wouldn't take us into the places where y'all thought we might do some good.

Anyway, I just wanted to say "Thank you!" for all the advice!


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