LAKE OCONEE — If the hot weather and slow fishing on area reservoirs has got you down, you might want to check Georgia coastal spots for some good summertime angling action. You can get in some good fishing and engage in some other good family activities at the same time.

It is likely that the Georgia coast is going to see increased angler activity now that a large portion of the Gulf Coast is closed to fishing due to the oil spill, so get your reservations early if you plan an overnight trip.

Georgia coastal areas offer excellent summer fishing for several saltwater species and you can take advantage of that action without a boat. Certainly good fishing action is also available for anglers with a boat but that is not a prerequisite for catching fish along Georgia’s coast.

Numerous fishing piers and miles of surf are available to anglers looking for a good fight with speckled trout, sheepshead, redfish (red drum), black drum, whiting, croaker, flounder, triple tail and sharks, just to name a few of the many species that ply the inland waters and the surf of the Georgia coast.

Two popular areas for anglers are Tybee Island and Jekyll Island, but the entire Georgia coast has good fishing and good access points for anglers with and without boats. Another option you have is to hire a charter boat captain to take you and your party on an inshore or offshore fishing trip.

Tybee Island offers excellent angling in both the ocean surf and from several fishing piers. Tybee Island is a barrier island near Savannah that is surrounded by tidel creeks, the Savannah River and the Atlantic Ocean. The Island has three fishing piers that include the Tybee Island pier, the Back River pier and the Lazaretto Creek pier. The Tybee Island pier which was originally built in the early 1900s and then rebuilt after a fire in 1996 is the most notable fishing pier and the only pier on the Georgia coast reaching out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Tybee Island pier offers free access and anglers using bottom rigs with cut bait can catch whiting and black drum. Speckled trout and redfish can be caught from the pier on live shrimp and artificial baits and live pinfish will occasional catch a king mackeral or cobia.The other two piers at Tybee are on tidal creeks and anglers can expect to catch an assortment of fish on bottom rigs or redfish, flounder, croaker and speckled trout on live shrimp and artificial baits.

Tybee also has two miles of ocean surf in which anglers can catch whiting, speckled trout, pompano and black drum using artificial baits worked into the surf. There are also charters available at Tybee for those anglers wanting to go offshore and do some bottom fishing or trolling in the Atlantic Ocean.

Jeckyll Island is also a good destination for anglers looking to do battle with a varied number of saltwater species. Most anglers first head to the Jeckyll Island pier to see if the fish are biting. The pier was built in 1969 and is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day and offers good fishing for whiting, croaker, speckled trout and flounder.

Jekyll also offers the angler over ten miles of ocean surf and all of it is available and open to the public. Surf fishing on Jekyll can be excellent at times during the summer months. Speckled trout and whiting are targeted by most anglers but you could catch any number of other saltwater species that frequent the surf.

 Another fishing area to check out when visiting Jekyll is Ski Rixen Pond. The pond is a saltwater pond managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) and has been stocked with redfish by the GDNR. Surrounding marshes have also provided the pond with flounder, speckled trout, and croakers.

In addition to the great fishing that can be found at both Tybee and Jekyll Islands, there are numerous other family activities available when the bite is slow or you looking for something else to do other than fishing. Catching blue crab is one favorite pastime for many folks and crabs are abundant in many of the coastal areas.

Check the GDNR saltwater regulations before beginning your saltwater adventure. There are various size and creel limits on a number of the fish species. A fishing license is required to fish in saltwater areas.

For additional information about fishing Georgia saltwater coastal areas contact the Georgia Coastal Resources Division, Marine Fisheries Section at (912) 264-7218. Also get a copy of the GDNR publication “2010 Georgia Regulations Sport Fishing” at any local bait and tackle store.

Georgia’s coast is often a lilttle cooler than inland areas so if the heat in middle Georgia is too much to bear and the summertime fish bite is too slow for you, then give the saltwater fish a try. Good fishing and see you next week.



—Outdoors columnist Bobby Peoples can be contacted via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.