A little about St. Simons Island and it's Estuary System - It all forms EXCELLENT FISHING!
By: Capt. Richie Lott
**NOTE: You must copy and paste the entire video links into your browser. The links normally will not work from the report page itself.
St. Simons Island ... It is indeed very unique. We have 3 major freshwater rivers that dump into the ocean in this area near St. Simons Island. One of the larger river bodies dumping just north of Sea Island Georgia is the Altamaha river. The others I would like to mention dump into St. Andrews Sound which is a body of water/Sound are between Jekyll Island and Cumberland Island Georgia. These 2 freshwater rivers are named The Satilla River and The Little Satilla River.
This (dump out of fresh into salt water) creates a tannic/Murky water on our coast, but make no mistake, it is not polluted or dirty, but a nutrient rich compilation that creates a habitat for fish and other water wildlife unlike anywhere in the US. This area ranks similar only to the Louisiana delta area... Very, very unique and laden with all types of fish and other wildlife including Wild Horses, Hogs, Blue Heron and White Heron, Egrets, Pelicans and many more. St. Simons area video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Yi5a4O5rE
(A MUST SEE TO LEARN ABOUT THE ARE IN GENERAL)
These Marsh and Inshore areas are home for so much wildlife it is amazing. Alligators included! The Marshes are where everything happens. The shrimp grow up in the grasses of the backwater, and fish lay eggs on the full moon tidal stages so their eggs run into the marsh grasses to cling where they will be safe from many predatorial fish as they hatch. Redfish (Red Run) are well known for this tactic and explains why there are so many huge spawning Redfish in our area during the Fall months. The Bull Redfish head in to the beaches to eat menhaden and mullet, and to lay eggs. The Reds are hungry after the spawn and during October, catching 5-15 Redfish over 30 pounds in a day is very common. (See my video on Bull Redfish -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtADYI58nv8
These areas are within 15 miles of each other by crow fly which makes our area rich with backwater/inshore marshes, oyster beds HUGE estuary systems loaded with Trout, Redfish and Flounder. With this scenario of fresh water meeting salt (also known as brackish water) comes TONS of Georgia shrimp. The best tasting shrimp a person can buy. Shrimp boats target them from May through November heavily.
Also, during the heaviest season of the shrimp movement which is in the Fall season comes thousands of small Redfish (Red Drum). One of the most popular inshore game fish in the US. The reds move into the inshore waters to eat the shrimp, as do the saltwater speckled Trout. Both are year round resident fish, but seem more abundant in the Fall and early Winter seasons. Also, both are excellent targets for light tackle fishing and the table fare of the Speckled Trout is hard to beat.
This brackish water meeting area also hold millions of bait fish called Pogies (proper name Menhaden). They become targets of large sharks, Tarpon, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Triple Tail, Jack Crevalle (not to be confused with Amberjack, which are caught offshore) and other beach roaming fish species. Nearly every fish in the ocean will eat menhaden. It is an oily, smelly bait that requires care to keep alive to be used for fishing. Dead menhaden work well too, but many times it is hard to beat a live bait, especially for King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel. See Menhaden Video -
St. Simons Island and the surrounding Islands are loaded with many species of Shark. The Sharks are in our area thick from April to November. The main Target species is the black tip shark and Spinner Shark. These fish are both in the Black Tip family and are sought after by Anglers for their acrobatic leaping and jumping. Shark fishing in Georgia is very, very dependable and is always fun! See Shark Fishing Video -
The offshore fishing areas off St. Simons Island offer a fishery that is underfished and overlooked, and we like it that way. Artificial reefs in large numbers have created a habitat here on the Georgia Coast that boasts Sea Bass, Red Snapper, Grouper, Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, Barracuda, Cobia, Amberjack and much, much more. The murky water turns to green at about 10 miles offshore, then as you proceed east, the water begins to turn Blue and more and more clear each mile you travel away from the beaches. Georgia's offshore fishery is highly reputable and known for producing large bottom fish and pelagics (Traveling/Migrating fish) as well. Watch an offshore Georgia Video from one of our charters -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFFAB-f38c0
With all this area offers, fisherman and their families are offered oceans of opportunities. Literally.
Come see us!
Capt. Richie Lott
www.chartefish.com
912-617-1177
