# Most delicious fish, and nearest beach.



## nof2souf (Jan 5, 2022)

Hi,

wonder if anyone could help answer the following questions?
I'm transplanted here from NJ.

1) I used to go fishing for tautogs regularly in NJ. it is a lot of fun and the fish is delicious!
I can't catch togs here in GA. Is there any comparable fish I could fish from the shore?

2) What are the most delicious fishes you could catch from Georgia shores?

3) What's the nearest beach to visit for surf fishing from Gwinnett county, GA?

thank you!


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## Railroader (Jan 5, 2022)

I have heard folks say that your tautogs and our sheepshead are very similar...Sheeps eat real good.

Flounder, redfish, and whiting are all good eating also.

The closest Ga. location to you would be Tybee.


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## lampern (Jan 5, 2022)

Flounder or mangrove (gray) snapper are very tasty.

I believe both have to be 12 inches to keep but very tasty and can be caught from shore.

Whiting, spot, croaker, sea trout are good to eat as well

You can sometimes catch togs off of Myrtle Beach, SC if you care during the winter.


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## seachaser (Jan 6, 2022)

I’m a big fan of the Panama City beach area and not much farther then other beaches. Redfish trout and snapper can all be caught from shore or wading and there all 3 delicious. You can also surf fish spring and fall for pompano for another tasty meal.


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## almoore (Jan 7, 2022)

I grew up in NJ and agree about Tautog.  My folks used to stuff and bake them.  The closest fish down here is sheepshead.  Then maybe smaller black drum.  Our favorite fish was flounder.  Whiting is good and they can be plentiful in the surf.  Pompano are delicious.  But as I'm sure you know, flounder, whiting, sea trout etc are nothing like a tautog.


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## Mexican Squealer (Jan 7, 2022)

seachaser said:


> I’m a big fan of the Panama City beach area and not much farther then other beaches. Redfish trout and snapper can all be caught from shore or wading and there all 3 delicious. You can also surf fish spring and fall for pompano for another tasty meal.



Spot on! Better off heading to the gulf


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## nof2souf (Jan 9, 2022)

thank you for all the suggestions!
I watched some videos on Panama City Beach, it is beautiful.

When the weather is warmer, I'm going to take my wife and son there.

I read up on sheapshead. It is so much alike Togs - eat crustaceans. notorious bait stealers, found near rock structures. In NJ and Montauk there is an obsession with Stripers but I'm always drawn to fishing for togs. it is addictive.

can't wait to surf fishing for some pomps, sheapshead and summer flounders here in the South.


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## Redbow (Jan 10, 2022)

All the fish mentioned above are good. Bluefish is one of my favorites to eat and Black Drum. But the true chicken of the Sea is a Puffer fish the ones that blow up like a ball when caught. Nothing compares with them IMO.


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## Cool Water (Jan 10, 2022)

In January and February I would focus on sheepshead. Around pier pilings if you don't have a boat.  Or in creeks with structure.  Lots of good spots on both Tybee and Jekyll.

Although counter intuitative, Tybee and Jekyll are roughly the same travel time from metro Atlanta. I'm currently more familiar with Tybee, but hope to change that over time.

Best bait would be fiddlers, oysters or barnacles.

Sheepshead are tasty.  If you've got nothing to do, head to the coast and bring a cooler.


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## Nicodemus (Jan 10, 2022)

Mullet, flounder, speckled trout, reds, spanish makerel, black sea bass, mangrove snapper, sheephead, whiting, croaker, pompano are all delicious and are inshore fish. Well worth your time to target these if you like to eat fish. Smaller black drum are also good eating.


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## seachaser (Jan 10, 2022)

When you eat the puffer make sure you clean them probably


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## Anvil Head (Jan 12, 2022)

In my experience, almost any fresh caught saltwater fish, if cooked properly, is tasty. I do have a preference for sheephead and blues. But, eat most of the other species just not a big fan of mudmuckers.


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## seachaser (Jan 12, 2022)

I agree fresh is the key and proper cleaning. But there are still some I won’t eat.


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## Sixes (Jan 12, 2022)

Black sea bass tops the list, but it takes a whole lot of them for a good meal.

I love fried sea trout also, and mullet dip


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## marlin (Jan 12, 2022)

Fresh flounder is hard to beat. Especially fried.


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## nof2souf (Jan 13, 2022)

I read that there are Southern Flounders and then there are Summer flounders. Yea, one of my favorite fishes to eat. Incidentally, I was at Whole Food, surprised that halibut (flatfish) sells for $24 second only to Chilean Seabass.

It seems like no one mentioned stingrays/skates and it gives me the impression that fishermen find catching them a nuisance. Any reason why? 
Where I'm from in Asia - arguably every town has a stingray/skates grill stall. I would take a sweet, sour, spicy grilled stingrays/skates over Chilean Seabass or any fish any day of the week.


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## Anvil Head (Jan 13, 2022)

Lot has to do with way you cook and what stuff you use to flavor with.


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## Anvil Head (Jan 13, 2022)

Don't target skate, most I catch are small. So don't keep them, got a recipe? I'm in game to try it at least once.


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## Foster (Jan 14, 2022)

nof2souf said:


> I read that there are Southern Flounders and then there are Summer flounders. Yea, one of my favorite fishes to eat. Incidentally, I was at Whole Food, surprised that halibut (flatfish) sells for $24 second only to Chilean Seabass.
> 
> It seems like no one mentioned stingrays/skates and it gives me the impression that fishermen find catching them a nuisance. Any reason why?
> Where I'm from in Asia - arguably every town has a stingray/skates grill stall. I would take a sweet, sour, spicy grilled stingrays/skates over Chilean Seabass or any fish any day of the week.



Stingrays are thick off the waters of the Georgia coast in the Spring through Fall and easy to catch. I am not sure if they are there in the winter as I don't get down there.


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## nof2souf (Jan 16, 2022)

Anvil Head said:


> Don't target skate, most I catch are small. So don't keep them, got a recipe? I'm in game to try it at least once.



You could search on google or youtube for "Ikan Bakar" recipe. Literal translation of grilled fish in Malay. The recipe goes well with flounders too. If you could find banana leaves, I recommend grilling with banana leaves.


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## redneck_billcollector (Jan 17, 2022)

nof2souf said:


> You could search on google or youtube for "Ikan Bakar" recipe. Literal translation of grilled fish in Malay. The recipe goes well with flounders too. If you could find banana leaves, I recommend grilling with banana leaves.


I surf fish PCB all the time, never heard of sheepshead being caught in the surf and flounder in the surf are not common at all, we get them in the bays and dune lakes. You will catch redfish/red drum/channel bass, pompano, black drum, whiting (southern or gulf kingfish), sharks and spanish mackerel with bluefish showing up in large numbers come fall through the winter.  You will also catch jack crevalle, catfish and tons of lady fish, which I target in the surf with a fly rod. Here are some Panama City Beach surf fishing pictures.


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## redneck_billcollector (Jan 17, 2022)

I wade fish the dune lakes just west of PCB a good bit, but exclusively with a fly rod...the fish in the photos were all caught in the same lake in one little stretch that I wade all the time, often on the same fly, nothing large, but fun on a fly rod.


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## Sharkfighter (Jan 20, 2022)

Sixes said:


> Black sea bass tops the list, but it takes a whole lot of them for a good meal.
> 
> I love fried sea trout also, and mullet dip



I say 3 decent Black Bass for 2 adults if going the skinless boneless route with a good appetite.  Buddy and me got 5 last weekend So that is 2 1/2 in frying pan for me and the wife.


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## almoore (Jan 20, 2022)

redneck_billcollector said:


> I wade fish the dune lakes just west of PCB a good bit, but exclusively with a fly rod...the fish in the photos were all caught in the same lake in one little stretch that I wade all the time, often on the same fly


On a gurgler.  That looks like a lot of fun!


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## Polkberry (Jan 22, 2022)

Puppy drum (smaller black drum with stripes) as good as it gets besides grouper IMO. Hardly anybody fishes for them and they are plentiful and easy to catch. There used to not even be a limit on em but that may have changed.


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## charlie81 (Feb 6, 2022)

I agree with the puppy drum. I usually get lucky and catch one or two when I’m fishing the Jekyll pier. I don’t know how specifically target them though


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## Polkberry (Feb 7, 2022)

charlie81 said:


> I agree with the puppy drum. I usually get lucky and catch one or two when I’m fishing the Jekyll pier. I don’t know how specifically target them though


.   
  What I call a puppy drum is a juvenile black drum that still have vertical stripes . Lots of people refer to slot reds as puppy drum too.  In summer they seem to be scattered about around shallow cover in bays . In the winter I find them bunched up on the top lip of the channel drop around rocks close to river mouths in 5' to 10'. I fish on the bottom like catfishing.


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## Pate55 (Feb 28, 2022)

From the beach whiting is the tastiest. In the Ocean off GA coast, trigger is # 1 with Cobia being a close 2nd. A little farther offshore and the sand tile fish taste like a scalop met a lobster and had babies. Delicious!


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