Happy New Year!
St. Simons Island, Georgia fishing report – February 2025
Wow, Mother Nature threw us a curveball this winter! For the most part, we’ve had a very mild winter. Water temperatures maintained in the mid to upper 50s and low 60s. Fishing was consistent, both inshore and near-shore, and everything was running smoothly.
Then, the last week of January, an arctic cold front hit the Southeast, shocking us with snowfall for the first time on the coast since 1989! The anticipation leading up to the storm was intriguing, as our infrastructure isn’t designed for ice covered roads, power lines, trees, and homes.. we just are not set up for such conditions.
The day before
As the front approached, temperatures dropped into the 20s, and a cold wind blew sleet, which turned to frozen rain and eventually snow. We received a combination of ice and snow accumulations, totaling about 2 inches. As the ice accumulated, power lines fell, trees fell, and infrastructure shut down, causing widespread power outages, empty streets and closed retail shops.
Surprisingly, they closed Interstate I-95 at the Florida/Georgia line. This brought everything to a standstill. As we woke up on the morning of the 22nd I looked out over a snow-covered yard and frozen marsh. I couldn’t help but think about the wildlife and fish that endured this unusual event. I wondered about the water temperatures and if we’d experience any fish kills like we did in 2011/12 during an arctic cold front that didn’t bring snow but caused water temperatures to drop to the upper 30s. That system devastated fish populations in the Southeast Coastal states. I prayed we wouldn’t see anything like it with this system, but only time would tell.
Moving on
As days passed and freezing nights continued, the ice and snow slowly melted. However, power outages persisted for a significant portion of our area for several days after. I was shocked to see large pine trees completely bent over touching the ground and covered in ice. Cedar trees resembled snow cones, and there was considerable damage to limbs and entire trees around our property. Many of our palm trees will have to be cut back completely because all their fronds broke under the weight of the ice.
Back on the water
About a week after the freeze, I ventured out with a regular client onto the flats. We were in searched for a few redfish on fly. Water temperatures were still in the low 40s, and some of the devastation was visible. We did see dead trout, quite a few dead blue crabs, and even a couple of diamondback terrapin turtles that appeared to be frozen in time.
The first two spots we fished were a desert. We did not see any signs of life whatsoever. As I moved to the third spot, the afternoon sun was starting to warm our bodies as I poled down a mud flat covered in oyster shell. I saw a shake in front of the boat. I told my client to cast we saw a small group of four or five redfish, hugging the bottom slowly moving down the bank.
The cast
The cast was perfect, but the small group of reds swam over the top of the fly without even acknowledging its presence. As my Chittum Skiffs effortlessly glided across the water I continued down the small stretch of flat. We encountered a couple more small schools of fish only to be rejected by what we could tell were cold, slow-moving fish that were not ready to eat. After about 3 hours of looking we called it a day. I knew it would take several more warm days for the fishing to pick up and the fish to return to the flats.
The heat!
As I looked at the extended forecast, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Temperatures in the upper 70s and mid-80s were just a week away. I checked my location to make sure I wasn’t looking at South Florida, but sure enough, it was right here at home as warmer weather approached. I was excited to get back on the water. I was making a plan. I figured any fish would be looking to stay warm and absorb the heat, and new redfish, especially with the move to shallow, dark mud flats.
These flats are like the hood of a black car in the summertime. They absorb the heat from the sun at low tide, and as water pushes on top of them, fish move shallow to get warm.
Leaving the dock, I checked the water temperature. It was back in the upper 50s! The water temperature had gone from close to 60 down to 40 and back to almost 60 in just two weeks. I knew there could be devastating effects specifically on speckled trout, but we were not after speckled trout that day; we were after redfish.
On the move
Approaching the first flat, I climbed on the pool platform. I was amazed at the clarity of the water. Winds had been calm, and we were in between moon phases on small tides. The water’s surface was like a mirror reflecting the blue skies. As I pushed the skiff shallower and shallower, I saw what I had not seen in some time. I very large school of fish sliding across the bottom in about 10 inches of water.
I positioned the skiff, my client dropped a perfect fly cast in front of the school. The fish lit up, and one charged forward to beat the competition and ate the fly! They were back!
We caught fish after fish on fly and I realized I was having one of the best days in my home waters of Coastal Ga. I had had in longer than I could remember. 20 plus fish on fly days were not uncommon 10+ years ago, however, I had only had one close to that in many years. That day, Keith and I sight-fished 17 inches about 4 hours.
As I moved to our final flat, we found a large school of fish and again continued to catch fish until we lost count. We called that day an hour early, and I am glad to have that memory with John for years to come.
CLICK “PLAY” BELOW FOR SOME REDFISH ACTION!
The next few trips! (Book Now)
I was excited to fish the next few trips as can be expected after having a banner day with John. I talked to Alex the day before our trip, not trying to sound too excited as I always try to follow the motto “under promise over deliver.” As we left the dock, I couldn’t help it. It was another incredibly beautiful day. I told Alex to expect greatness.
As we pushed up onto a flat I hadn’t fished in years, the water was beautiful, and I had high hopes. After pulling several hundred yards and not seeing a fish, those hopes were starting to dwindle. I made the comment we were going to push up to the next set of shells and go if we didn’t find them. As we neared the shell point, I saw a flash as a school of close to 100 fish fed on the corner! It was on. We caught fish after fish on every flat we visited that day. We ended the day close to 20 fish, bringing a total of caught fish on fly to over 50! I felt very honored and blessed to have made memories and experienced those four days with two great new clients.
