Saint Simons Island fishing charters
May of 2018 has been very interesting both fishing wise and weather wise to say the least. Hot weather is spiking the water temperatures and the summertime migratory species are beginning to arrive. A few Tarpon have been spotted already, and we are starting to run into Spanish Mackerel, ladyfish, and jacks regularly inshore on our Saint Simons Island fishing charters.
Inshore fishing
Speckled trout fishing has been sporadic the past couple of weeks. There are some really nice fish around and we are not catching many small trout on our Saint Simons Island fishing charters. They are moving around and are in isolated groups, but with a little persistence and luck, the majority of days have resulted in some solid catches. When conditions are right, the early morning topwater bite has been excellent as well. Mirrolure topwater plugs have been hot. I expect the trout fishing to really improve and become more consistent over the rest of this month. I’m looking forward to a great bite after this wet weather and large tide cycle passes by.
In addition to the speckled trout, flounder catches are increasingly common particularly around the lower half of the tide cycle. Black Drum and occasional sheepshead are making regular appearances, and the redfish are pulling some drag on the regular as well.
Nearshore fishing
Tripletail are the hot topic just off the beach, and it is no secret. Weekends are very busy with boat traffic trying to sight fish for these very cool fish. Recently, we are seeing a respectable amount of fish with more smaller fish than a couple of weeks ago. Get outside of the pack and try weekdays and you will run across more of the larger specimens. Also some jumbos will be hanging deeper around the channel markers, but be sure to beef up your tackle if you want to have a chance
Sharks are here in all shapes and sizes. Hopefully the shrimp boats will be allowed to drag in a couple of weeks, then you can expect fast and furious action from bruiser blacktips and spinners. In the meantime, chumming them up is the key just offshore, while small to medium specimens will keep you busy on the sandbars and rips.
The nearshore reef areas are still action packed with the usual suspects of bluefish, spanish mackerel, black sea bass, and weakfish. Drop a cut bluefish down and a jumbo shark is a definite possibility. Cobia are showing up pretty well offshore a ways, and I expect to catch some nice ones very soon inside the 10 mile range. Always have a rod rigged and ready when fishing offshore, because you never know when a cobia will show up.
Kids Fishing
Bring your kids fishing now! Our Saint Simons Island fishing charters for kids have been action packed. Whiting, rays, guitarfish, and numerous shark species have been on fire for the past few weeks. Check out our kids fishing page for more information.
Fly Fishing
Redfish and tripletail have been the primary targets for the fly angler lately on our Saint Simons Island fishing charters. If you want to book a fly trip, have some flexibility on time as we have been finding more consistent fishing by targeting different zip codes depending on conditions. I prefer a short drive to launch the skiff at a different location as opposed to a long ride in a little flats boat.
When the water quality is decent and the redfish are semi happy, we have had some really solid days flyfishing with very solid fish coming to hand. I have had some success in questionable water by choosing the right pattern as well. Tripletail have also been eager to eat a well placed neutrally bouyant fly. These are really neat fish to fly fish for, as you often have to provoke the strike. (similar to feeding an oceanside tarpon in the keys)
Flood tide season is here and we have already had some great action with redfish tailing in the grass. Click HERE to book your trip!
