First time to GA coast!

Hey guys and girls! Me and a buddy is heading down to Blythe Park to camp and fish. Never been to the coast fishing, so if anyone can help me please do. Ill be doing inshore fishing,boat is to small for big water. I'm seeing tide swings of 6 to 8 ft, compared to gulf coast having only 2ft swings! lol This will be a learning curve! I just wanted to know if we will be in a good area to start and whats biting and what baits to try. Thanks for any input!

Ps... will not mined trailering boat to another ramp if this area is not good enough !

Hey Salty.

If you have a "little boat" then Blyth is actually a good place to launch. It's a little less affected by current movement than some of the others, though the river out in front of it can get pretty choppy if the tide is going out and the wind is coming in.

The ramp on Jekyll is also not too bad, and you can jump across to the Latham River than runs along the causeway to get away from the waves.

The third I would suggest is the Village Creek ramp at the end of South Harrington road on St Simons Island. It launches directly into a small creek that feeds into the system of creeks between St Simons and Sea islands, meaning you never have to get out on bigger water, and the trout and flounder are back in there now. Tide is important here - do not try to launch or take out at this ramp within a couple hours of low tide. You wont make it.

As for what to use, live shrimp is not much of an option right now unless you can find someone who has gone down to Florida and brought back some small bait shrimp. Everything here, if you can even find them in May, is a lobster disguised as a shrimp. Jigs tipped with mud minnows if you have a trap to catch some. If not, then jig heads and such things as Sea Assasins or Gulp swimming mullets work for both flounder and trout. A DOA shrimp (my faves above Blyth are gold or silver glitter) about 30" under a popping cork work well for trout in 3-5 feet of water near shell beds.

When are you actually going to be here?

We are headed down there today. I have a 16 for hydro sport skiff. I’ve been in some rough stuff with it just choose not to have to wear a rain suit ! Lol
Thanks for the info !

Blyth is a nice campground. It has a good ramp and hoist. I don't know if they're bringing live shrimp in but they do have bait tanks. You really need to look at the river at low tide if you are unfamiliar. It would be very easy to end up on a sand/mud bar. There is good fishing all up a down the river there.

You will find it is wild. when tide comes in and goes out it does it fast

Thanks for advice. I’ve been looking on google earth and it’s past history for the low tide watch outs. I’m going have to watch for shallow humps in the creeks to be able to get back out during low tide. 6 to 7ft tide swings means 1ft difference every hour !

You can launch at Blythe regardless of the tide, I have launched my 21ft bay boat on a tandem trailer at low tide using the ramp (which is free by the way). If you happen to launch at low tide, when you leave the Blythe ramp (if you head to the left towards the seaport) be sure to stay to the left as the river gets pretty shallow on the right. Once you get up near the port and the river bends hard left, stay towards the right as it has been dredged for cargo ships to dock, and there is a large marked sandbar now on your left. Once you past that you are good to go! I was down two weeks ago and met the bait man that supplies Blythe, and he said bait was scarce but should improve as move May progresses. As someone mentioned earlier, all the live shrimp available are out of Florida, and I had to go to St Simon's Marina to find that.
As a tip- we have actually caught black sea bass all the way up in the river while fishing the cargo docks when no or only 1 ship is there! Only caught 1 keeper, but the bite was consistent that day.

Make sure to have the SIP permit.

Yes, tide is an issue, but not the worst you might face. Any ramp that dumps into deep water should be OK for launch and return even at low tide, but be careful of nasty cross currents. Any coastal water that is exposed to direct access to Atlantic waters can become very "uncomfortable" with a combination of long period ocean waves, wind driven waves, tidal swirl, and local currents.

Your best bet is to use your eyes, and common sense, when you leave the ramp. Get the local tide chart before you go. Watch for and avoid "mud bars," and fast moving currents. Just about anywhere you want to go, behind the islands, you can find excellent deep water channels very close to marsh - and that is the combo that will offer better options for fishing.

Have fun, stay safe. Remember to let someone on land know the area you intend to fish and when you expect to return, then check in before and after.

This is why I love this forum, everyone is always willing to give useful, insightful information. Seems like some pretty good folks in here. Driving down to the coast from the Atlanta area, I definitely use the tips and experiences of you all to aid in my trip. I take all the help I can get!

Great info and greatful for all who has contributed. I do have one question. I normally catch my shrimp with castnet. Is there a reason why no bait stores has them? Are the shrimp not in the marsh now?

Salty said:

Great info and greatful for all who has contributed. I do have one question. I normally catch my shrimp with castnet. Is there a reason why no bait stores has them? Are the shrimp not in the marsh now?

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The local shrimp become lobsters in May, and then sort of disappear for a month or so. They are really too big to fish for trout, flounder and redfish with. Many places travel down to south florida or the gulf coast and bring back bait size shrimp, but they are a little pricey. St. Simon's Boating and Fishing Club, 1000 Arthur J Moore Dr
St Simons Island, GA 31522, has some right now and is supposed to get another big shipment in tomorrow, but check at the ramp in the park as well.

I'm going to PM you a spot up from Blyth. If you have shrimp, good. If not then use the gold or silver glitter DOA shrimps.