Winter fishing in the waters surrounding Brunswick, Georgia is widely overlooked by visitors and locals alike. It takes several adjustments, as your typical techniques and areas that are fished the rest of the year are typically barren during the winter months. That being said winter inshore fishing can be red hot with a different approach.
The shallow water flats become crystal clear often times during the winter months. This can allow for excellent shallow water sight fishing, the best of the year as a matter of fact. Large redfish in the 26-36 inch range school up in the shallows and are easy to spot in the clear water with an extremely stealthy approach. Small artificial lures and flies properly presented rarely go ignored. Never pass up a bluebird winter day to go sight fishing!
Trout and reds also seek out deeper water and structure often way up in the rivers and creeks. It will take a bit of spot hopping but when you get bit, there will be plenty of fish in that location. Slowly fished artificial lures in natural colors and live shrimp fished close to the bottom are your best bets. Generally the best action is as the current slows on a falling tide, as it takes less effort for the fish to feed.
Another underutilized winter fishery in Brunswick Georgia is sheepshead. Fish shrimp or fiddler crabs vertically next to any structure (trees, pilings, rockpiles), and you are likely to get into a mess of these hard fighting convicts. Sheepshead are widespread in our inshore waters in the winter, so you can fish the slower current on a leeward shoreline nearly any day.
Don’t get cabin fever! Go wet a line in Brunswick, the bite is on 12 months a year!
