This year the fishing around St. Simons has definitely been toying with our emotions. The tides would get right and the weather would go wild. The weather would get right and the tides would be wrong. The fishing would get good for a few days and then go the other direction. I think we have finally stabilized barring a disastrous weather cycle. Just keep reading to see what’s up!
The Inshore Fishing has Been Strong!
We have been hoping and praying for clean water and we finally have it. I’m sure there will be days around certain moon phases that it gets cloudy again but the main thing is that a lot of fresh water has been flushed out. We’re guides and our job is to work around inconvenient conditions and I’m a lot more optimistic now that we have salty water to fish in again!
The trout fishing has been our staple and we are finding them in a variety of locations ranging from deep man made structure to shallow flats. In the last couple of weeks we have also been catching some Trout in the 2 to 4 pound range which is always a nice bonus. A trout’s nature is to move around constantly, so we are doing the same thing. We’ve fished from St. Simons all the way to nearly Crooked River! The ticket is to be flexible and adjust to what the fish are telling you. The river is full of bait fish right now, so make sure you have your cast net if you’re going to head out on your own.
Tripletail fishing has been a highlight recently after getting off to a slow start. Early in the season we just weren’t seeing a lot of big ones but recently we’ve been seeing better fish. If fishing for Tripletail interest you, it’s best to pack some patience. Even though we’ve had some trips start with a bang seeing fish right from the start, sometimes we have to spend some time finding them. Typically once we find them, we keep seeing them regularly. The key is to cover water until you spot a couple of fish. If you’re going out to try them on your own, start at the orange roofs on the north end of Jekyll and work your way south to the middle water tower at about 1 mile off of the beach. If you don’t see fish go a quarter mile further out and make another pass. Keep working in this pattern until you find them and then pay attention to what they are trying to tell you. Sometimes you’ll notice that every fish you see is swimming in the same direction. That should tell you something.
The Redfish have also been showing up although the numbers aren’t all that great. While we aren’t crushing the Reds, we are picking a few up while Trout fishing along with some Flounder. One tip I can give you is that if you’re fishing around a high tide and catching some Trout, be sure to make a cast right up against the marsh grass. Usually the reds are going to hug the grass edges and you just might find a school.
Shark Fishing is Off the Chain.
It’s summer time now and that means that Shark fishing is going to be off the charts. If you go with us, just be prepared to have sore arms the next day. If you are going in your own boat, just find the shrimp boats, pick the one that has the most birds and dolphins following it, put a line out with a float and one free line, put the rods in the rod holders, and give it a few minutes. If you aren’t fighting a big shark within 5 minutes pick a different shrimp boat.
Offshore is Just Average at Best.
We should be smashing the Cobia right now, but they are being caught in North Carolina and it seems we’ve missed our run this year. After going over 40 miles out a few days ago, we only saw one Cobia and managed to break him off. Around the same time last year we were seeing dozens of Cobia and boxing limits.
What we are finding offshore are a lot of Amberjack and Barracudas. They might not be as sexy as a Cobia, but they will certainly give you a fun ride. You’ll also find plenty of Spadefish which are a lot of fun on light tackle.
Bonus?
Yep, there’s a bonus. There are still some nice Bull Reds around. They may stay through the summer like they did last year and they might not. When the going gets tough, at least we have one more viable target though!
This report is sponsored by my good friends at Mossy Oak Properties Coastal Land & Real Estate. They’ve been good to me, and it would mean a lot if you were good to them by telling a friend about them. You want find better people in the land business!
Check out this week’s featured listing. Waterfront living in Camden County! Just click on the picture to get more details.
Comments 1
You guys are lucky to have good conditions back. That’s really awesome that the Bull Reds stick around during the summer. It’s nice to have something to fall back on for sure. Thanks for posting!