Best Inshore Fishing Close to Mid GA?

[ol96er]

Looking for a good place to do a little salty water fishing that would be most convenient from Mid GA area. Only have a small 17' aluminum with a 25 so just something close in that my son and I could try to catch a few trout or whatever we can get to tug on the line. We mainly crappie fish local lakes and have not done any saltwater fishing but would really like to try something different. I would appreciate any help yall would be willing to give.....thanks.

[WannabeeFishing]

Tybee Island (Savannah area) or Jekyll Island would probably be your best bet.

For Tybee, I usually launch at the Lazaretto Creek ramp on the right as you are going on the island. The creek is about 30 feet deep there and you can launch at pretty much any tide level. Check with Tybee Island Bait and Tackle - Bait and tackle shop offering charter fishing trips. Tybee Island, GA - for the current hot spots (and spend some money there, too). Head to the left from the ramp and follow the creek past the marina that has the dolphin tours (idle speed only here and watch for the dolphin that hang around looking for hand outs). As you go under Lazaretto bridge the creek opens up to some nice spots. Look for the grass edges and the new dock on the right and around the lighthouse. Also, if you go up the river to the left at the lighthouse and go past the bridge near Fort Pulaski, there are some humps that hold small sharks, trout, redfish and the occasional bluefish. Watch the depth here at low tide, however. Below are my grandkid's first saltwater fishies from that hump. The fish were small, but the grins were BIG!

At Jekyll, the ramp is just across the bridge, but you can't launch there after the tide is 1/3 down. I haven't fished there much but I understand the area is good for triple tail if you go around to the front of the island.

Be sure to flush out and rinse off your motor and gear afterwards. The saltwater will reek havoc on your stuff!


Hope this helps.

[Shine Runner]

I can be to Perry, FL in 3 hrs from Perry, GA.....for you size boat I would go in Nov. Dec. Jan. when the air temps stay below 50 during the day and fish the Aucilla and Echofina (sp?) rivers. The trout/reds/sheephead/drum/mullet all run up in these rivers off the flats when the air/water temps drop low. The river stays warmer than the flats. The earlier in the morning the better and incoming and out going tides are good. BE CAREFUL in the rivers because there a a lot of oyster beds and big rocks in the rivers. I recommend idle speed only and you can fish a lot with just a trolling motor. The rivers are not wide and the water rises/drops a lot during the day. Stop at JR's bait on hwy 98 for bait and tips. Mirrorlures and of course shrimp work good. I caught my largest trout yet on a Super Spook when the air temp was 18 according to the bank clock in Quitman. Get there early for parking too. That place is busy when the fish are in the rivers some times it looks like you can walk from boat to boat.

[JimmyS]

Ol96er, as wanabeefishing was saying put in there where he told you and go out toward the sound, then turn left down the south chanel and go under the bridge that goes to fort pulaski just a short ways past the bridge you will come to a little green salt marsh island. go to the left side of the island and anchor the nose of your boat to the island and drop your back anchor. cast out the back of the boat about twenty feet on the first of the in comeing tide. I have caught a lot of speckled sea trout there in the past. I don't tell every body about my spot if you know what I mean, but I hope you catch a cooler full. the mid of sept. thru dec. should be good there. good luck! Jimmy S.

[ol96er]

Thanks for the info......really appreciate the feedback. Little hesitant about trying with my small boat but after seeing folks fishing the grass flats out of kayaks I figured I should be OK. Funny thing is, I bought a 17' Carolina Skiff w/60hp back in 2004 with the intention of fishing more saltwater but never went! All I did was crappie fish in the local reservoirs and got tired of that skiff getting us soaking so I sold it and got a little 1710 Triton aluminum w/25hp. Good fishing little boat and easy to tow and handle but not the best thing for saltwater. Got some time off coming up in the fall and I will definitely be giving this a try. Thanks again....

[WannabeeFishing]

You shouldn't have an issue in the areas around Tybee that JimmyS and I were referring to. No wave action to speak of. But then... my wife and I took water over the side of my Sea Chaser 175 center console while crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona when a wake board boat came blasting by.

[gabowman]

It's been many years now, but a buddy and I carried my J-16 Skiff to Savannah (actually Richmond Hill) and fished with a friend and his son behind ....Sapalo Isl. (or Ossabow, dont remember the name of the island). Mostly we caught shark. The ones we caught ranged from 1' to 3' long. The ones that broke our lines...who knows?!? Those little buggers put up a good fight on bass fishing gear. If youre fishing the sound behind the island you'll need a pretty good anchor.

[Outlaw1&2]

I put in over close to a bridge at Whitemarsh Island one time and rode past river street and port authority and went to Thunderbolt bridge, never did get to fish inland, been on NeverMISS, MissJudy and others for off shore. Cuz lived on Whitemarsh. Jimmy how deep is that water out there, where you're talkin about, big flats with holes? I know we use to go by those creeks going out to Tybee and at low tide them puppies were bone dry abouts.

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[JimmyS]

Tony, I don't know for sure, we didn't have a deph finder on the boat but there is plenty of water around the point of the sound and down south chanel. I have a deph finder on my boat now and will let you know next time I go out there. It can get a little rough around that point when the wind is coming out of the north east and blowing fifteen or twenty mph. once you round the point and get in the south chanel you got it made, there is also good fishing up lazeratto creek from the landing you put in at. so on days when the wind is up I will go up the creek about a mile to oyster creek and fish at the mouth of it and realy tear up the trout. Good fishing to all! Jimmy S.