Fishing from St Simons pier questions from a N GA hill country wanderer

[hikingthehills]

I have never fished from a pier, I've done a little bit of surf fishing in the gulf and done alright. We're staying in a house about a block from the pier so I guess a lot of my time will be spent there. My questions are do I need to buy a net with a rope to lower the fish up with? Also what do I do with the fish after pulling them up? I have some long stingers that I used surf fishing or is better to just bring a cooler with ice? Next question is what will be moving around in that area and what would be the best bait? Thanks y'all for helping me keep from looking too much like a dummy when I get down there!

 

[Ruger roo]

Pretty sure most big piers have a community net but I always bring my own. I would put my fish in the cooler or a shark may take a bite. Everywhere I every fished live bait is the better choice.

 

[zedex]

I dont recall ever seeing a community net at st Simon's or Jekyll peirs. Most folks just pull them up on the road or use nets with telescoping painter's poles mounted to a net.
On the far right end of the st Simon's peir, there is a recess that will get you about 3ft closer to the water

 

[Scallen2112]

Yeah, bring a cooler. Check in with Trish at St. Simon's Bait and Tackle by the pier to see what might be biting at the moment and bait to use. On low tide, get yourself some 1/4 oz. jig heads and 4" gulp swimming mullets and walk up and down the exposed beach around the pier casting out and doing a slow, bumping retrieve on the bottom for flounder. Flounder are ambush predators that tend to sit still a lot, so YOU have to move around. I've caught a lot of flounder there that way.

Sometimes there is a big drop net on the pier. It will usually be leaning up against the rail right at the T.

Oh, and there is a bunch of structure from the old pier off the front side that will get you hung up in a hurry. Best to fish the walkway out or off the ends.

 

[hikingthehills]

Yeah, bring a cooler. Check in with Trish at St. Simon's Bait and Tackle by the pier to see what might be biting at the moment and bait to use. On low tide, get yourself some 1/4 oz. jig heads and 4" gulp swimming mullets and walk up and down the exposed beach around the pier casting out and doing a slow, bumping retrieve on the bottom for flounder. Flounder are ambush predators that tend to sit still a lot, so YOU have to move around. I've caught a lot of flounder there that way.

Sometimes there is a big drop net on the pier. It will usually be leaning up against the rail right at the T.

Oh, and there is a bunch of structure from the old pier off the front side that will get you hung up in a hurry. Best to fish the walkway out or off the ends.

That's what I'm really wanting to catch is some flounder. I'll be watching the tide's close and doing that! Thanks everyone for your replies, I'm ready to catch a few fish!

 

[Scallen2112]

That's what I'm really wanting to catch is some flounder. I'll be watching the tide's close and doing that! Thanks everyone for your replies, I'm ready to catch a few fish!

Also, go up to Gould's Inlet (15th street access) and do the same thing.

 

[WalkinDead]

I would also add that on Jekyll Pier, there is usually someone with a drop net somewhere on the pier, and they don't mind lifting your fish for you, if you ask. The north end of the pier has a submerged concrete rubble reef between it and the shore which will cost you plenty of terminal tackle if the tide is running. The Georgia record founder was caught there off the walkway onto the pier.

 

[fuelman1]

At Jekyll pier you can fish from the rocks on the side of the parking lot. There is a large flat there. Use mud minnows and rig up with a Carolina rig. Bump the mud minnow slowly across the bottom. I used to catch a ton of flounder doing that.

 

[Harlequin03]

Good meeting you. We had a good time fishing with you,Sam says your the
Bluefish Master

 

[BrileyDog]

St Simons and Jekyll both are great places to fish. The two baits I stick with are shrimp and cut mullet, seems everything in the ocean loves those two. You can’t beat a Carolina rig with a good piece cut mullet dragging along the bottom slowly for flat boys!! A 1/4 ozjig head witha 3” gulp shrimp works great also, going to use both of these this evening and tomorrow here at Jekyll. Good luck hill brother!!

 

[hikingthehills]

Good meeting you. We had a good time fishing with you,Sam says your the
Bluefish Master

Man it was a blast, soon as we head back down there I'll be giving you a shout. Thanks again for showing us how to catch the sharks. Shoot me some pictures if you end up catching any big ones!

 

[armyvet4583]

Also, go up to Gould's Inlet (15th street access) and do the same thing.

Can you still do good there with how narrow and full of sand it is?

 

[Scallen2112]

Can you still do good there with how narrow and full of sand it is?

Haven't been there in a few months, but I did fairly well there a couple hours either side of low tide earlier in the year. Tarpon get in there as well, and a buddy told me a couple weeks ago that they were in there again.

 

[Harlequin03]

sounds good we are heading out shortly the kids have been catching rays and little sharks from the beach. Sam says we need Bluefish lol