The topwater bite is heating up with these warmer water temps! Big redfish and trout are starting to get aggressive on the surface across the local flats. Early mornings have been producing some awesome blowups with fish pushing bait and crushing topwater plugs. As the water warms heading into spring, both redfish and speckled trout become more active and will often strike bait on the surface, creating explosive topwater bites that anglers love. If you’ve been waiting for that heart-stopping surface strike… now’s the time to get out there. Spring dates are filling fast — book your trip with Amelia Coastal Fishing Charters and come experience the action for yourself!

As the water temperatures continue to drop, the trout and redfish bite around Amelia Island is firing up in a big way. Cooler conditions push these fish into predictable patterns, concentrating them in the creeks, grass lines, and deeper pockets where the action can be nonstop. Whether you’re looking for steady speckled trout hookups or hard-charging redfish crushing baits, now is prime time to be on the water. Book a charter with Amelia Coastal Fishing Charters and let our local captains put you right on the bite while the fall feeding frenzy is at its peak.

The morning started crisp and clear as we pushed off the dock at 08:00AM. Within the first hour, our focus on creek mouths and oyster beds paid off with a keeper redfish falling for fresh shrimp on the bottom. The real excitement began when we moved to a grass flat during the incoming tide, where a beautiful 24 inch redfish crushed our live shrimp on a jig head. Moving to the deeper holes around dock pilings, we landed our flounder - a fat 16-incher that doubled up with another 13 inch flounder. The slam was completed when a 16-inch trout ambushed our bait along a spartina grass edge. Between these trophy catches, we stayed busy with a steady parade of black drum, landing four keepers between 14-20 inches. By noon, the fish box was heavy with our limits, and everyone wore satisfied grins from an exceptional morning on the water.

Morning Session (Offshore - Red Snapper): The day began at dawn with a 20-mile run offshore into the Atlantic waters. Anchoring over prime reef structure in 70 feet of water, clients deployed cut bait and artificial lures. The Red Snapper bite was explosive, with multiple double-ups happening throighout the day. The highlight was a 14-pound Red Snapper that put up an incredible fight, testing both tackle and angler. Afternoon Session (Inshore): The afternoon shift focused on inshore waters. Working the mud flats and oyster beds produced several slot-sized Redfish and Black Drum that were caught using live shrimp near shorelines. trophy 35-pound Black Drum. Weather conditions were ideal with light West winds and clear skies. The combination of offshore and inshore fishing provided clients with diverse fishing experiences and multiple trophy catches in a single day.

The Big Trout and Redfish have been chewing this month with the warmer weather pushing in. A cold front pushed in early this week but expecting warmer weather going into the weekend and expect the bite to heat back up!