# Sunbury report and advise



## jfinch (Jun 12, 2015)

We are going to be down to the Georgia coast for the first time in a couple weeks.  Have a place near the Medway river.  Looking for a fishing report on what to expect and what tactics work best.  My wife and myself are coming and bringing our 18ft skiff.  Will mainly stay inshore or very close near shore if weather permits.  

I have looked at tides and they will be rising to mid afternoon and then falling thru sunset.  Which is better usually to fish rising or falling?

On another note since my wife is with me she is going to want to sit on the beach.  Were is the best place on the north end of St. Catherines or south end of Ossabaw to beach the boat and spend a few hours?  How is the best way to anchor the boat to do this without getting stranded by the tide?  We normally visit the gulf and tide swings are not as big.


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## Cpulley1 (Jun 13, 2015)

I fish off the Sunbury docks all of the time. I don't catch a ton, but every whiting I catch is large table fare. Lots of shark. I saw some sea trout about 2 weeks ago but haven't been back since. I've seen a couple flounder pulled off the shore side of the dock. 

With a boat I'm sure.you could find better spots. The locals tell me St cars sound has too many shark, but I've been told the creeks on the ocean side of the island are great for trout and redfish.


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## Cpulley1 (Jun 13, 2015)

There is also a nice little beach on the I shore side of ossabaw.


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## Tideup (Jun 13, 2015)

The medway river can be tricky, get a good chart or updated gps with a coastal chip. There is a good beach on St Cats and Ossabaw on the sound side of the island. Fishing is good on both incoming and out going tides. The trout and reds have been biting, live shrimp and mud minnows with a cork rig in clean water around the oyster rakes.


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## jfinch (Jun 13, 2015)

Where is the best place to get a good chart?  Is live bait easy to net or should I plan on having to buy?


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## Nautical Son (Jun 14, 2015)

jfinch said:


> We are going to be down to the Georgia coast for the first time in a couple weeks.  Have a place near the Medway river.  Looking for a fishing report on what to expect and what tactics work best.  My wife and myself are coming and bringing our 18ft skiff.  Will mainly stay inshore or very close near shore if weather permits.
> 
> I have looked at tides and they will be rising to mid afternoon and then falling thru sunset.  Which is better usually to fish rising or falling?
> 
> On another note since my wife is with me she is going to want to sit on the beach.  Were is the best place on the north end of St. Catherines or south end of Ossabaw to beach the boat and spend a few hours?  How is the best way to anchor the boat to do this without getting stranded by the tide?  We normally visit the gulf and tide swings are not as big.



Your gonna need live shrimp and mud minnows, the shrimp are going to be hard to keep alive because of the heat...incoming tide should be better for trout and reds, then at the swing flounder will be at the mouth of any marsh creeks flowing into the main river, try a mud minnow with a 3/8 weight, carolina rigged....those little guys are flounder candy.

The beach on the north end of Ossabaw is great, the beach on the front of St Cats at McQueens inlet is VERY tricky to get into and out of, it changes on a regular basis..be VERY VERY careful there, there are sandbars that will leave you high and dry for hours...even a brand new chart isn't gonna be 75% accurate as to location or depth...

As you are heading towards the sound from the ramp, after you pass the first "river" on the right, go about 200 yards up that shore line to a slight bend, there is a slight curve and an eddy current, it has served me many a meal of trout, reds, whiting...Directly across the river (north) there WAS a sandbar that stretched halfway or better across the river, and it wasn't visible until dead low tide..Don't use the foot of your motor as a depth finder..lol


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## Sharkfighter (Jun 15, 2015)

Nautical Son said:


> .
> 
> The beach on the north end of Ossabaw is great, the beach on the front of St Cats at McQueens inlet is VERY tricky to get into and out of, it changes on a regular basis..be VERY VERY careful there, there are sandbars that will leave you high and dry for hours...even a brand new chart isn't gonna be 75% accurate as to location or depth...



He will be at the south end of Ossabaw Island.  

But everything else you described is exactly correct.  

For the wife relaxing On the beach, anchor on the sandy part, kind of by where the bear river joins St Cats sound.  If you go to much toward the ocean there is a sandbar and you can be left high and dry at low tide.  

If you walk along the beach towards the ocean front, there is a spot with all these downed trees on the beach that is worth seeing.  Also you will see where all the Loggerhead turtle nests are along the edge of the beach (usually covered with wire mesh by rangers/volunteers)

Ossabaw is a great Island with an interesting history and awesome wildlife.  I will be with the group Clean Coast on the North end this weekend cleaning up trash and the south end doing the same 25 July.  The group is always looking for local boat Captains to help volunteer as well as those without boats to help clean up. We do a different beach every month and hit most of the beaches from Little Tybee to Blackbeard.


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## jfinch (Jun 17, 2015)

Is there a list of nearshore public reefs and wrecks with GPS coordinates off the Georgia coast and maybe inshore too?  I have been able to get lists for other coastal areas I have fished like Alabama and Florida with stuff only about 3 miles out.  The list I found for Georgia everything was further out than I am comfortable taking my boat.


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## Nautical Son (Jun 17, 2015)

jfinch said:


> Is there a list of nearshore public reefs and wrecks with GPS coordinates off the Georgia coast and maybe inshore too?  I have been able to get lists for other coastal areas I have fished like Alabama and Florida with stuff only about 3 miles out.  The list I found for Georgia everything was further out than I am comfortable taking my boat.



There's plenty of public numbers including the newer subway cars and reef balls...leaving out of the Sunbury area, J buoy is about 9 miles from the sea buoy/sound marker...I'd take a 19' center console out there any day with less than 3's, Up the coast a little is CCA, they claim it's 3 miles from the sea buoy at Ossabaw...check the Coastal Resources Division website for the numbers and distances, as well as what structure is there...


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## Sharkfighter (Jun 17, 2015)

http://coastalgadnr.org/sites/uploads/crd/pdf/Reef/ReefBooklet.pdf

CAT, BL and DUA are close .  I fish CCA on a regular basis Location: 22 nm east of Ossabaw Island  

On the bright side Saturday should be calm seas.   Sunday about Noon is good might be some small chop in the morning (at least that's the prediction as of my writing this)


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## Nautical Son (Jun 17, 2015)

Sharkfighter said:


> http://coastalgadnr.org/sites/uploads/crd/pdf/Reef/ReefBooklet.pdf
> 
> CAT, BL and DUA are close .  I fish CCA on a regular basis Location: 22 nm east of Ossabaw Island
> 
> On the bright side Saturday should be calm seas.   Sunday about Noon is good might be some small chop in the morning (at least that's the prediction as of my writing this)



You should use the disclaimer- Subject to change without notice.

One of my bumpiest trips ever was coming back from CCA to Coffee Bluff...started the day with flat seas, by noon it was 3-4 with a 5 thrown in for excitement, on a supposed 1-2 day...


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## jfinch (Jun 22, 2015)

Where can I get the most reliable weather and wave forecast for the area?  It is my understanding that a westerly wind is preferable and according to the 10 day forecasts we should have that.


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## Sharkfighter (Jun 22, 2015)

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZUS52.KCHS.html

That's ok site 

http://sailflow.com/map#31.416,-79.197,8,1  is pretty good too

I like http://fish-here.com/ReefCast-Offshore-Weather-Forecast.html but you have to log in - although account is free

For hourly weather I use : http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/savannah-ga/31401/hourly-weather-forecast/446


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## shawncweed (Jun 22, 2015)

jfinch said:


> Where is the best place to get a good chart?  Is live bait easy to net or should I plan on having to buy?



Jfinch...in regards to a chart...you can view one for free on line at:

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11511.shtml

and either print it out...or order one from that site...also...Live bait wise, you can start right their at Sunbury at the Crab Company and they sell shrimp, mud minnows, and fiddlers...but, as part of the fun...buy a small cast net and set off to get your own bait...From Sunbury...on the Medway...in a nice boat like yours with a short draft, you can just parallel the shore down river and you will find all sorts of oyster rakes and small creeks to fish off of and the Medway will drop you off on the Northwest side of St Cats Island...very safe trip if winds are below 10kts...the chop of course will go up accordingly. On St Cats, it is easy to beach your boat and you can roam around...likely you will see a bunch of other boats there on a weekend this time of year. I personally, like the fishing on the east (front) side of St Cats...and with a low draft boat like yours you will be able to negotiate the shoals between Bird Island and St Cats...and then it is a nice motor a couple miles South to Black Hammock...lots of fish are off the beaches this time of year...and if you have the castnet, you will likely see a bunch of menhaden schools which you can cast into...and then see your luck with Spanish Mackeral, Jack Crevalle, and maybe some Tarpon...Lastly...you can also get a free chart across from Sunbury at the DNR station off Demeries Creek...it's probably 3-4 miles from the Public Ramp in Sunbury...bring sunscreen...It's been brutally hot and sunny here.

Good Luck...and enjoy.


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## jfinch (Jun 29, 2015)

Wanted to thank everyone for the advice.  We had a great weekend.  Had a pod of Dolphins less than 30 ft from the boat in one of the creeks, caught pogies/menhaden with the cast net and fished out in the sound caught a small shark had runs from larger ones that got off.  Caught a nice Spanish Mackerel.  Bought some live shrimp and caught 3 nice size Trout then used their remains to catch a small mess of blue crab off the dock where we were staying.  Spent Saturday afternoon on the beach on St. Catherine's island.


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