Amelia Island has some awesome inshore fishing available. This area has tons of backwater to fish with the rivers and creeks. The inlets offer some very good fishing also during the tidal changes. Some of the popular fish to catch inshore are redfish, sea trout, sheepshead, flounder and tarpon. However, there are so many more fish that you can catch here.
Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| March | 70° / 52° |
| April | 76° / 58° |
| May | 83° / 65° |
Action: Redfish and speckled trout feed aggressively on grass flats and oyster bars. Flounder begin showing in the creeks, and sheepshead bite well around structure.
Slow: Cold snaps in early March can stall the bite.
Tips: Live shrimp or mud minnows for reds and trout, fiddler crabs for sheepshead, and soft plastics for flounder.
Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| June | 88° / 73° |
| July | 90° / 75° |
| August | 90° / 75° |
Action: Tarpon roll along the beaches and inlets, while reds, trout, and flounder remain strong inshore. Sharks are active in the rivers and creeks.
Slow: Midday heat slows shallow water activity.
Tips: Use live pogies for tarpon, topwater plugs at dawn for trout, and cut bait for sharks.
Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| September | 85° / 71° |
| October | 78° / 62° |
| November | 70° / 53° |
Action: Redfish school in the shallows, trout numbers peak, and flounder stack up in inlets. Bull reds feed heavily at the jetties.
Slow: Late November can be affected by early cold fronts.
Tips: Soft plastics for trout, live mullet for bull reds, and jigs for flounder.
Winter
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| December | 63° / 45° |
| January | 61° / 43° |
| February | 64° / 46° |
Action: Trout and reds concentrate in deeper holes and channels, with sheepshead on bridge pilings and docks.
Slow: Tarpon and most pelagics are gone until summer.
Tips: Use slow-sinking lures for trout, cut mullet for reds, and fiddler crabs for sheepshead.
