Fall Fishing - Saint Simons Island Style

Fishing is about to get a whole lot better along the Golden Isles of Georgia. We recently capped off the Summer with the Golden Isles Kingfish Classic held just a couple of weeks ago. The Classic has been a tournament staple for decades on St. Simons Island and the last few years held out of Gascoigne Bluff Park. This year, there were close to 100 boats competing for a $15,000 grand price. My Dad and I along with my former neighbor Leland Ring were fortunate enough to catch the winning king mackerel in 2005. We caught a 47.6 lb king mackerel and won a brand new Contender fishing boat.

My fishing exploits have been a bit more low key than 2005. Everyone knows I love to fish the inshore waters from Cumberland Island to Saint Simons for Redfish, Seatrout, Flounder and everything in-between. I have a 19 ft center console fishing boat that manages to get me just about anyplace I need to go to catch fish and during the months of September, October and November, my boat sees a lot of time on the water.

Just this Labor Day weekend, I got out on the water with my Dad going after some Reds and Seatrout. We mostly did catch and release with my Dad keeping a string of Seatrout for dinner. We also got into a great school of Ladyfish. Ladyfish are pretty much an inedible fish but are a whole heck of a lot of fun to catch. They are long and slender, about 18-20 inches, and very powerful fish that when hooked speed through the water with leaps into the air as they try to throw the hook. I love catching these fish as they are spectacular to watch and fun to hook. But the fish I just love to catch are Redfish. Redfish have a slot limit in Georgia and anything above 23 inches, you have to release. Those fish over 23 inches grow into the breeding fish and can get upwards of 30-40 lbs. Hooking a 27 inch redfish in shallow water and fighting to the boat is one of my favorite things to do. I also participate in the Coastal Resource Division’s tagging program. I have fish tags on the boat and when I catch a fish I know I’m going to release, I insert a tag, fill out the form and drop it in the mail. A great way to participate in Georgia Conservation.

I get asked a lot about where I fish and what type of bait I use. While I have a few spots that are ‘secret’, usually I am more than happy to recommend a location. I have many spots loaded into my GPS and try and move around. A very important factor on where I go is the tide for that day. We have a 7+ tide shift from low to high and knowing which spot works best during which tide is key. I also love to use live bait which mostly consists of shrimp under a popping cork. In my opinion, my buddy Capt. Mark Noble makes the best popping cork around. He calls it the Thunder Chicken. It really gets the job done on just about anything from sharks to tarpon to redfish and everything in-between. Give Mark a call or an email and he can tell you where to get one or in my case – where to buy them by the dozen! http://www.georgiafishing.net

So this Labor Day weekend, with hot temps and no wind, my Dad and I managed to get into some fish and have a great day on the water. I particularly enjoy the time out with my Dad and love watching him catch fish. Knowing he enjoyed those seatrout later on that night was just a bonus. Ninety percent of the places I fish around the Golden Isles are within 30 minutes of St. Simons Boating and Fishing Club Marina and that’s just fine with me. So if you love to fish, come down to the Golden Isles of Georgia. I have fished many years in many places and consider this area the best fishing anywhere!