Amelia Island Fishing Tips

Shrimp is one of the most effective, easiest to use, easiest to find baits for general fishing around Amelia Island. It's available at bait stores, grocery stores, and seafood markets around the island. If you are industrious, you can even catch your own with a cast net or trap.

All shrimp is not created equally, at least not in the eyes of Amelia Island fish. The shrimp you find in the grocery store is usually imported, pond raised shrimp, and the fish here just do not like it as much as local shrimp. Skip the white shrimp in the grocery store if you can.

"Bait Shrimp" at the local seafood market usually translates to "yikes, this stuff stinks and we need to get rid of it". Skip those deals too if you can.

The shrimp you want is fresh shrimp, and you want the locally caught shrimp. Grab a box of zip lock bags from the grocery store, and split your shrimp into fishing trip sized bags. Keep it in the cooler while your are fishing to insure it will stay "non-stinky" as long as possible. Toss it in the freezer when you get home if you have leftovers, and use it again the next day.

I buy all my shrimp for fishing (and some for eating too) at Fernandina Sea Food Market. Good prices, nice people, and the freshest local shrimp I've been able to find; right off of the shrimp boat.

Live shrimp is also available from some of the local bait and tackle stores, and it's a great bait for trout but it's way too pricy to chop up for bottom fishing.

Any shrimp will work, and at times you have to take what you can get. To maximize your results, fresh local shrimp is the best shrimp you can have in the cooler.

The cooler is very important when you use shrimp for bait; don't leave a bag of shrimp out in the sun (unless you plan on tossing it away at the end of the day). If you keep the shrimp cold while you're fishing, and then toss it in the freezer when you get home for the next trip, you'll be amazed to find that you can use the whole bag without it becoming stinky.

Article By Amelia-Island-Fishing.Com Staff