Terry Lacoss is a very respected industry writer and professional guide based out of the Ameila Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Florida (904) 261-6161. His son T.D. plans to follow in his Father's footsteps, but intends (as you might expect) to be a better fisherman than his father.
Congratulations Terry and T.D.!
Lacoss Father-Son Miss 2nd Win by Mere Ounce
9/2002. In second place, father-son duo, Terry and T.D. LaCoss, of Amelia Island, Fla., missed the top spot by mere ounces at 25.41 pounds. They tallied 13.75 pounds (6.34, 7.41) for fourth place on Day 1 and followed with 11.66 (5.84, 5.82) on Day 2. Fishing in familiar waters of Fernandina, the LaCoss team caught both of their first day fish on gold spoons by 8:30 a.m., and had only one more slot fish (18-27 inches).
The next day, they returned to the same spot but found no redfish. Disappointed in the shallows, Terry and T.D. moved to an oyster bar where two creeks converged and picked up their fish by bumping gold spoons along the bottom of a drop-off.
LaCoss said the key to their success was understanding where the fish move when they leave the skinny water. "When you can't see the fish, you have to rely on several deep water structures where redfish are known to congregate on the falling tide," he said.
"Making the adjustment to deeper water is what got us into the No. 2 spot. Those reds don't go far when they're not in the shallows."
On Day 2, spoons again did the trick, as Terry and T.D. caught both of their placing fish around 1 p.m. Prior to that, a lack of reds heightened their intensity, but bore little effect on their outlook.
"We were pretty confident we were going to catch two keepers," Terry said. "We were a little nervous around noon, but we had a lot of spots to fish.
Our game plan was to keep moving and find the fish. Typically, you're going to run into them, even in slow conditions, if you keep working the water column."
Terry nearly fished without some of his fingers after a practice day close encounter. In about 18 inches of water, he had reeled in a 6-pound red, and was reaching out to grab it with a Boga-Grip when a 6-foot bull shark free jumped out of the water and pounced on the red – right next to LaCoss' outstretched arms.
"That's when I jumped in the bottom of the boat and hid," Terry said. "It scared me to death."
Lacoss Tie for 3rd at St Augustine
5/2002. The LaCosses caught their fish over shell bottom in less than two feet of water, about a mile from the Fernandina inlet. They found their fish on the high tide, in areas of clear water with schooling mullet. Early attempts with topwaters produced only jacks and trout, so the Amelia Island anglers switched to Johnson gold spoons and fared better.
Angler Spotlight
Roland and Judy Martin recently visited Amelia Island Plantation and fished with Terry and Terry David Lacoss (Amelia Angler) for a couple of days. Roland is pictured with a nice amberjack that he took with light tackle. His wife Judy is also pictured with a nice Amelia Island grouper and is a member of the "Women's Freshwater Hall of Fame"!
The Amelia Island Plantation (Amelia Angler) fishing team is a seven time first place winner on the kingfish tournament circuit.
