Bought Boat, New to SW

[fltcrew21]

Wife and I moved from Cobb Co. to Brunswick for her work so I sold the Ranger, sat out of fishing a year and I'm back in the saddle but clueless down here.

I have been fishing long enough to understand the futility of the 100% trial and error approach to learning a new system.

I just purchased a used 23' center console with a 250 Yamaha and would like to know the best way to have some success quickly.

It is a deeper V than the bay boats so there is no trolling motor. What are going to be my best tactics?

I assume they will be trolling, drifting and anchor/casting.

I live in up the Buffalo River near Oak Grove Island but I'm more than willing to tow or run.

Thought about putting in at Two Way and heading east on an incoming tide for my first outing. I'm also very close to the MacKay Boat ramp near Golden Isle Marina.

Thanks for your time, I always enjoyed helping newbies catch spotted bass and linesides on Allatoona and Lanier and I know others enjoy helping out too.

 

[Russ Toole]

Well what are you wanting to catch?

 

[capt stan]

Watch the river running from two way...LOTS OF MUD BARS!!!! If you know it..it's ok, If not.......you'll learn about them the hard way.

If your closer to GI in Brunswick there is much better water to run and closer to the sound/ocean.

Your question is way to open ended. you need to decide what you want to do then you can set up a plan. SW has a lot more to offer then the sweet water and MANY more species. You need to have some more direction prior to getting answers. There are too many questions at this point to provide answers.

 

[fltcrew21]

What Species?

What species are going to be most abundant near shore and in the sound over the next couple of months?

I assume there are trout and flounder around the creeks but what is a good species to target closer to SSI and Jekyll right now?

What if I wanted to concentrate on Sheepshead for example. Are they only caught up the creeks and around piers and and bridges?

Am I likely to have any success drifting cut baits along the bottom anywhere?

I know I can't get a 2 paragraph response to put me on every species for 12 months but I really don't know where to begin for ANY species.

The only success I've had was catching 4 in whiting off the SSI pier and 7in whiting from the SSI beach so any direction you guys point me in would be a drastic improvment!

 

[Doyle]

Save up for gas money. You'll be surprised how much gas you can go through if you start fishing offshore.

 

[seaweaver]

All the above in your ideas. There is no such thing a futility on saltwater as long as you have some kind of bait. The nearshore wrecks for blacks and sheephead and the sand around them for large flounder.
The edges of channels and inshore rips for whiting/ trout.
The jetties of the shipping channels for black drum.

Put a dolfin on your boat and a good set of glasses. You'll save fuel and be able to see what the other guys are doing.
That's a lot of boat for some fish. You might find a jon for the creeks and such for the spring and fall trout and winter gigging for flounder. There is a ton of fish in the skinny water depending on the weather. The bulk of the big reds move out but are still found in mixed structure far in. The key is they need food, and refuge from the porpi. structure or flats.
http://www.missjudycharters.com/fishingrpt.shtml is a good place to get an idea of whats happening. Keep in mind Chatham county has less fish due to more psi than south of here but the tactics and fish locations are about the same.
cw

 

[James Vincent]

Hire a guide, Learn to throw castnet, have a good time

 

[Six million dollar ham]

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about trying inshore for a while. It's the slowest time of the year now.

On a good day, riding out to the reefs in 60 feet of water (Gray's reef too) you can almost be guaranteed a limit of black sea bass right now. Drifting over the debris fields at the reefs with 4oz bank sinkers on a double dropper rig, using cut bait is easy stuff. Mix in the occasional trigger fish and flounder. If this is all new to you, it'd be an awesome idea to buddy boat with somebody. Sea tow, radio, etc.

Sheepshead are getting ready to school up on the nearshore reefs. Those take a little more finesse.

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you bought an offshore boat. That's fine though...nice problem to have. It can be fished inshore, but it's not ideal. What make, year, engine, etc? What electronics do you have?

You could hire a guide sure, but might want to wait until spring or so. Might also want to avoid saying you're a local. Tell 'em you're a rich guy from Atlanta. Keep an eye out for when there's a tournament....might be a good day to go scouting, if you know what I mean.

I'd say the most important thing is to learn your way around the area first!

 

[G Duck]

I would try black sea bass offshore.

 

[Apex Predator]

I second the sea bass and sheepshead offshore during the winter months. Come April or so and the bait fish move in, look out. The offshore reefs will be loaded with striking fish. Kings, spanish, cudas, sharks, and aberjacks. If you want to run 50+ miles you can get snapper and grouper on the bottom. After the batl fish move in you can catch them much closer to shore. Always watch the weather though. Do a search for the NOAH weather bouy at Gray's Reef and you can always keep an eye on current and past conditions. Blue water species are available as well, but normally you have to travel 80+ miles offshore. Not for the faint of heart with a single engine boat. Some do it with buddy boats though. As you can tell, the offshore fishing is what gets my blood pumping.

 

[larpyn]

congrats on the new boat

here is a site that you can get some offshore numbers off of http://www.reefball.com/arsites.htm. write them down and punch them into google earth to find some that are close to you or go to a local bait store/west marine and pick up a "hot spots" map. while running between spots keep an eye on your bottom scope for live bottom. drop baits on anything that looks fishy.
you can't go wrong bottom dropping squid,cigar minnows,herring, etc. cut or whole. you are in for a lot of trial and error. i usually learn something everytime i go and i have been offshore fishing the atlantic and gulf for 25 years. i try different things all the time. when the water warms up the kings will make a run thriugh the brunswick area. there are some good fish to be had when they show up.

 

[Nautical Son]

fltcrw, If that Donzi in your avatar is the "new" boat you need to stay in the bluewater and leave the inshore alone. Way too much boat for inshore this time of year. Nice ride though I'm jealous.

 

[whitetailaddict]

some of the best trout and red fishing is in your backyard. i grew up on blythe island, and have fished buffalo and turtle river my whole life. the shell beds are making a good comeback, so the fishing should continue to improve. there are alot of beds on the bank acroos from the oak grove dock that usually hold fish. just move around until you find them. live shrimp on a float rig is the easiest way to find them. if you can find some finger mullet, they work well too. if offshore is your preference then find an experienced angler to go with you and show you the ropes.