By Captain Jonathan Fine:
As my lead-head jig/soft plastic swimbait combo hits the water with a faint splash, I slowly hop it down the bank, doing my best to mimic a shrimp, crab, or baitfish that reside in these vast salt marshes. Iâve done something right as the tell-tale âtickâ of a hungry fish catching itâs breakfast is transmitted to my chilly fingers. A quick lift of the rod tip and Iâm tight! After a spirited tug-of-war and some solid head shakes, our third speckled trout, a fat 20 incher, joins two of its buddies in the fish box.
Itâs just after 7:30 am on a brisk mid-December morning, the sun is still rising over the Hampton River marshland, and my smile grows, as all signs point to another classic day on these fertile waters surrounding St. Simons Island, Georgia.
St. Simons Island, and the entire Golden Isles region, has quickly become a favoured haunt when a much needed fix of saltwater fishing and beach time is in order. Located midway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida, is St. Simons Island – both a seaside resort and residential community. It is the largest of Georgia’s renowned Golden Isles (along with Sea Island, Jekyll Island, and privately owned Little St. Simons Island), and an easy 5 hour drive from Metro Atlanta.
Visitors are drawn to the Island for its warm climate, wide open beaches, a variety of outdoor activities, shops and restaurants, historical sites, and its natural environment. Iâve come for the cooler weather (which âusuallyâ keeps those nasty biting bugs at bay!) and the hot fishing, something I do several times each year, to chase various species of sport fish that take up residence here depending on the season.
My good friend and local ace Captain Tim Cutting is my guide and fishing partner, while the areasâ healthy populations of trout, redfish, flounder and sheepshead are our targets.
Fishing with Capt. Tim is always a treat. Quick with a smile and a joke, he knows how to find fish on even the toughest days, and, as with all great guides, he knows his playing fields inside and out. Weâre staked out in an arrow creek off the main river, formed from rice paddies carved into these marsh banks many years ago. Apparently, rice was grown in great quantities here at one time but now those lanes are a happy highway for all kinds of aquatic creatures.
Weâve elected to fish artificial lures only today. To add to the challenge weâve further narrowed our choices to two local baits, designed and produced in small batches right here in the Golden Isles. Sloan Brotherâs Bait Company hand pours soft plastics in several styles and sizes, and are located in St. Simons Island. They provided us with some âlimited editionâ 3.5â ribbed paddletail swimbaits and had some fun with the names in honour of Capt. Timâs love of music: âPurple Panicâ and âFreedom Fryâ were on the menu today and the trout were literally inhaling them. Pitching these on light 7â spinning rods, using 10 lb. test braid, and 1/8 ounce lead heads (produced by local operator Dead Bait Jigs), it didnât take long to find out that the local fish population has gotten the memo about these lures! Maybe they were just hungry, maybe it was âour dayâ, but there werenât many âliphookedâ fish on this trip!
You should look them up online. If you can get ahold of some of these colors Iâd recommend that you load up! I am excited to do a âProduct Profileâ in an upcoming issue, as they are really good baits, and worth looking into for both salt and freshwater anglers throughout the southeast. Over the next three hours, Tim and I catch our limits twice over, releasing at least as many as we keep, sometimes two at a time, and have an absolute ball doing so. Several are extra-stout models, pushing the 4 pound mark, which is quite big for this area. We take great care to release these big mommas, ensuring a good gene pool for the future. By 10:00 am, its all catch and release, as weâve kept plenty for my annual fish fry, but the trout are still hitting with gusto, and the old adage rings true: ânever leave fish to find fish.â
Finally, the bite slows, and a falling tide makes the decision for us. Its time we go in search of the âMarsh Slamâ, which involves catching at least one each of the three coveted inshore species here: Speckled trout (check!), Redfish, and Flounder, all in the same day. To earn the âgrand slamâ we would add the Sheepshead to the tally.
A quick a run across the bay brings us to a long line of docks, some still ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Irma, where pitching the same jig and soft plastic combinations into the structure results in more hungry speckled trout ,and a few small sheepshead. Two from four and its not even lunchtime. The odds look good as this area reliably holds all four target species, but the tide and conditions just arenât right, as the flounder and redfish donât come to play this time around.
No matter: as we pick up and run back to the marina, the smiles are wide, the sun is warm, the fish box is full, and two good friends have another fishing trip for the books. Ya just gotta love Mid-December in the Golden Isles!
Until next time my friends: May you have tight lines, fair seas, and salty smiles. – Capt. Jon Fine