Summer Fishing - Here We Go!

 
Get down, get funky and get ready to catch fish! Hot summer months along the Georgia Coast mean an opportunity to catch a wide variety of fish in and near shore. The rivers, creeks and sounds are teeming with baits for you to choose from. Shrimp, minnows, mullet, pogies, crabs and pinfish are all plentiful. Whether you net, trap or buy your bait it's all very easy to come by in the summer months.

Trout have been hard to come by again this year due to back-to-back harsh winters here in the south. I've had a little better catch this year compared to last and expect a good fall bite as the water temperatures begin to fall in late September. My best bites have come on high water drops using live shrimp. Remember that the lady fish and trout will school together. Our favorite artificial bait for trout is a DOA shrimp under a popping cork.

Redfish stocks look good this year even with the added

pressures from the lack of trout. This year's young rat reds have shown up in good numbers and are about 11 to 12 inches long and should be released with care. Big boys can be caught on the flats and at the rock jetties. We have had some nice fish this week in the 8- to 11-pound range. The little guys prefer shrimp and minnows while the big boys like cut mullet, crabs and pogies, but will eat just about anything when feeding. Artificial baits we're doing well with include Bass Assassin flip tail shad, Gulp's latest ghost shrimp and jerk shad - all fished with a weighted weedless hook.

Flounder have really been the success story mainly for two reasons: fewer big shrimp boats dragging nowadays and they winter offshore so the cold didn't whack 'em. The boys gigging are having a good year and we have had a banner year with the rods as well. Most of these fish have been between 12 and 17 inches with a few doormats along the way. Mud minnows are the favorite bait with small finger mullet and shrimp a close second. Bass Assassin and Gulp jerk baits fished weedless catch 'em as well.

Black drum have also been pulling on our lines this summer; we've caught fish at the jetties, beachfront and heads of the sounds. Most of our fish have been in the 3- to 7-pound range. They like shrimp and minnows.

Triple Tail is a seasonal fish that shows up in May and exit in September and are very good table fare. I like to refer to them as giant saltwater brim on steroids. They can be found floating (drifting) near tide lines just beneath the surface of the water near shore, or on tidal flats inshore. When sight fishing for Triple Tail, zig-zag and cover some ground on the big motor along tide lines and check out buoys, markers and other structure. Even crab pot buoys will hold a floater. I catch a lot of fish on the first of the ebb tide, fishing deep around markers with traditional trout rigs. When sight fishing use a small popping cork with a short leader. They will eat a varitity of baits, but I like a big live shrimp.

Spanish mackerel can be found near shore and around the jetties this time of the year, just look for the birds working. The old silver spoon gets it done most every time, but when they are on you can

catch 'em on an old shoe.

Don't forget about the sharks; bonnet heads and sharp nose are the most prevalent. We like the big 4-foot mama bonnet heads in late summer; they are fat and strong as a bull and kids and adults alike have a blast with them on our light tackle rigs. Nothing but live shrimp and crabs for bait.

That about tells the summer time inshore fishing story for now. I'll see ya in the river.

Captain Stan Allen (alias Fred) owns and operates Marshland Inshore Fishing Adventures, a local guide service out of Chimney Creek Marina (The Crab Shack), on Tybee Island. Captain Stan has been a Tybee resident for over 28 years, is a professional redfish angler and a pro staff member at www.power-pole.com. Contact info: 912-786-5943 ~www.marshlandadventures.com ~ E-mail captstans@bellsouth.net