# Catching Redfish and Trout on Georgia Coast



## TWBrown (Feb 23, 2010)

Hey guys, here comes another pestering newbie for ya. I am in college in Statesboro and am wanting to do some inshore fishing on the coast. I have fished my whole life and consider myself fairly seasoned in freshwater. However, I really want to use the time I have here,liveing closer to the coast, to catch some redfish, trout, etc. I have a 15 ft jonboat set up to fish out of. I am just looking for any kind of advice one is willing to give. I understand it can get pretty touchy asking for help on here. I am not intending to cross the line of someone just giveing away there spots. I am slightly familiar with the Darien area as well as around Savannah.  Any advice is much apreciated. Thanks


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## bouymarker (Feb 24, 2010)

get very familiar with the tides, moon. Full moon and a high or low tide can be hazardous for any boat. not to mention not much action. I could be wrong but take this weekend for example, its gonna be a full moon and a storm should be coming from the west. carry bug spray like a part of your tackle, called it a day more than once 'cause of sand nats. carry a chart if your venturing out into creeks. aint nothing like missing a turn due to topagraphy change from the tides. either get a minnow trap(hotdog baited) or a net for bait.


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## PaulD (Feb 24, 2010)

Go put in at a big low tide and head just to the east and west  of the ICW. Look for any structure that will hold fish or any irregular flows in the current, pick up some bait (shrimp or mud minnows) while your at it and then go fish the back current side of the structure. Casting in front of it and allowing your bait to pass over and behind it.


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## sea trout (Feb 24, 2010)

welcome TWBrown!!
  i'm gonna x2 the above because your safty is no. 1. get a map and explore @ low tide slowly. you've been fishin & drivin your jon boat forever so you'll be fine!!! respect the weather in the bays and sounds with a 15 footer!!!
  i like to find structure that is exposed during low tide then is submerged 1 to 3 ft @ hight tide. i fish the stucture with soft plastics like a freshwater bass or like jiggin for crappie. i catch a lot of trout that way and somtimes reddrum & flounder.
  i go to lazzaretto creek @ tybee couple times in the spring and a few times in the fall. you can go with me if you want, its usually just me & my brother in that big ol boat. 
good luck and post your success, we'll want to see.


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## TWBrown (Feb 24, 2010)

Thanks for all the tips guys. Its a huge help. When you know as little as I do about inshore, its really easy to learn alot very fast. haha. Seatrout, I really appreciate the offer. I would love to tag along sometime. Let me know if you ever need somebody ride along with you. I understand that all of you have spent many enjoyable, but long hours learning this aspect of fishing and I apreciate how generous yall are with helping someone new.


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## savreds (Feb 24, 2010)

If I'm going out (which is a challenge in itself lately) I'd be glad to show you some areas. Like Paul mentioned above, go out at low tide and ride around and look. You'll see where the structure is, but you'll also see where a lot of mud flats and sandbars are and that can save you from some possible boat/motor damage as well as costing a few hours waiting on the tide to come back in to float you off.


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## mesocollins (Feb 27, 2010)

Last year, I took a fish head spin with me and put a 5" Jerk Shad style bait on it with the hook completely exposed and slowly reeled it just above the oysters and caught some really good trout. They were a size above what everybody was catching with live shrimp too. You should take a few though because my blade eventually broke off from hitting the oysters. Have a bunch of extra bodies too cause their teeth will really tear up soft plastics. A Gulp Jerk Shad should work really well.


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## GEORGIADAD (Feb 27, 2010)

PaulD, Great advice! Simple and to the point. Can you explain the part about going just east and west of the ICW. Is that to stay out of boat traffic and into quieter waters, etc.? Thanks for helping us newbies!


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## fishdog (Feb 28, 2010)

TW, my son is going to start school at Ga southern in June. You two should hook up. He has been fishing the Ga waters for quite a few years. He is going to need someone to fish with.


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## TWBrown (Feb 28, 2010)

Fishdog, sounds like it would work out great. Ill be at home working this summer, but Ill be back in August and be here for 2 more years. I don't know if he likes to hunt but I hunt alot down here. Id also like to have someone else to hunt with. You can't ever make too many friends.haha.


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## fishdog (Feb 28, 2010)

He does hunt. There are a few WMA's in the area we have been looking at. We have been wondering if he can keep his bow in the dorm room.


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## seaweaver (Feb 28, 2010)

Stay out of deep water. Get a chart for the boat and one for the "reading room".
A 12 jon will go anywhere you want as long as you stay skinny. Deep water can build a fetch when the tide sets against the wind and you will not be safe in a large swell. 
I go everywhere like I'm in a jon boat. No sense in pounding your brains out driving down the middle of any channel...in any boat. The 15 will be fine.

cw


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## Juan De (Mar 1, 2010)

Just be sure to error on the side of safety, make sure that you have all the necesary safety gear, and like several of the guys have already stated do your homework, study charts, but one thing that always helps is being a fly on the wall at a local Bait store, really paid dividends in the past.


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## Tyson (Mar 10, 2010)

How well will a long shaft mud motor work down on the GA coast...29hp?  Getting ready to get a mud rig with poling platform and can't wait to get after 'em.  Done quite a bit of inshore fishing in south LA, but never been here in GA.


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## PaulD (Mar 11, 2010)

GEORGIADAD said:


> PaulD, Great advice! Simple and to the point. Can you explain the part about going just east and west of the ICW. Is that to stay out of boat traffic and into quieter waters, etc.? Thanks for helping us newbies!



Yeh man. What I mean about East and West of the ICW is there are a lot of major rivers and creeks that run across the ICW, Go scout them out too. Yes to your other question too. There will be far less boat traffic in may of these creeks and rivers than there will be in the ICW. Keep in mind though there are still great places to fish right in the ICW.


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