Has there ever been a better sport where you can sit on a boat, dock, bridge, pier, jetty, or beach with rod & reel in hand and stare at the water for hours on end waiting for the magic to happen? Where even if you don’t catch anything at all, you can still say you had the best day? Amelia Island is one of the best places to fish under the warm Florida sun because the angling opportunities are endless for everyone from the novice to the hard-core angler.

Captain Terry Lacoss, local fishing legend who specializes in freshwater and saltwater fishing from bass to billfish, gives his take on where to find the “sweet spots”.

Inshore

Fishing the backwaters, salt water estuaries, inlets and rivers surrounding Amelia Island is an angler’s dream that offers not only a completely different perspective of the island but a variety of fish to catch depending on where you go and the season you’re fishing in.

Terry’s Take: Cooler water temperatures, “Large schools of redfish can be found on the flooded marsh flats and at low tides at creek mouths and the shallow sides of oyster bars. Sea trout school in fast moving currents at the Nassau Bridge, Shave Bridge, deep river channels and flooded oyster bars. Flounder fishing is excellent during the falling tide at the St. Mary’s jetties, creek mouths and the deep sides of oyster bars”.

Offshore

If your bucket list includes fishing for that catch of a lifetime, you’re going to want to head out to sea. And, Amelia Island has an outstanding group of Experienced Charter Captains to provide everything you, your family or group will need for a day of deep sea fishing. Offshore trips usually require an all day commitment since they can take you anywhere from 8 to 50 miles away from the coast but your charter captain will make sure your day on the water is a memorable one.

Terry’s Take: “Amelia Island offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities from catching excellent eating pompano in the surf to deep sea trolling offshore for striking game fish. Including some of the world’s best wahoo fishing! Other species include dolphin, sailfish, and blue marlin. Blue water fishing is located some fifty miles offshore where water depths sharply drop off from 100-1,000 feet of water in less than a mile.”

Surf

Surf fishing is popular for those that don’t have a boat or a lot of time to committ. Just grab your rod & reel, a cooler of bait and head to the beach. One of the more popular beaches to surf fish along the Atlantic shoreline and St. Marys Inlet is at Fort Clinch State Park. Forget any gear or bait? No problem. The State Park’s visitor center offers a small variety of fishing tackle and bait available for purchase.

Terry’s Take: “Surf fishing is very popular at Amelia Island from the footsteps of historic Fort Clinch, located at the northern portion of Amelia Island, all the way to the very southern tip of Amelia Island. Fishing with sand fleas, or ultra-fresh shrimp is key for pompano, redfish, whiting, sea trout, flounder, bluefish, and more.”

George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park

Located on the southern tip of Amelia Island just eight miles south of Fernandina Beach is George Crady Fishing Pier State Park, named for a local Florida state representative and supporter of the Florida State Park system.

This one-mile long pedestrian-only bridge spans the Nassau Sound and connects Nassau County to Duval County. Anglers fishing here can expect to haul in a variety of fish including whiting, jack, drum and tarpon. Plus, everyone gets to check out what each other is catching… or not catching.

Whether you fish on your own or with an experience guide, relax, enjoy and remember that your worst day of fishing beats your best day in an office.