Gray's reef

[Gmonkey]

How's the fishing at Gray's reef in the Fall?

Thinking about a trip for bottom fish, Mackerel or AJ's. We usually fish the Gulf so I have no idea what the Atlantic is like. Is it worth a trip?

And is there a good place to stay with boat slips? or a Marina? Darien looks convenient but I guess other towns could work...

 

[Robust Redhorse]

When I was in graduate school at UGA, I was fortunate to be able to trap and tag about 1,000 black sea bass while out there.

The Marine Extension Service didn't care if I lived-lined a bait while I was doing research.

I caught pretty big sharks (up to about 200 pounds), amberjack, king mackerel, and even 1 American eel.

I saw an Oceanic Sunfish and a Right Whale while out there.


We always left from Brunswick and always either overnighted offshore or came to Sapelo Island.

Since I no longer have access to those places, I would suggest finding a place in or near Shellman's Bluff (maybe Fisherman's' Lodge), but I have never stayed there.




I keep my offshore boat in Venice, LA.

I fished there one time in the late 90's, and couldn't come up with a good reason to take the boat back to GA.

(Hurricanes have been a big problem, however!)

 

[Robust Redhorse]

We were out there every 3 months for 2 years. There was always something to catch.

 

[Seanote]

Black Sea Bass will be the primary bottom dwellers. You will catch some GRS but will have to release them. Keeper grouper will be rare. Trolling for kings should be wide open if you can get past the sharks. There will also be trigger fish around.

 

[Robust Redhorse]

Grey's reef is the only place that I have seen a Right Whale and an Oceanic Sunfish.



I've got big amberjack there too.

 

[Robust Redhorse]

IMO, there is something ridicules going on with the NMFS.

They have banned us (July 2022) from keeping makos, in order to let the rest of the world harvest all they want to.

A mako is the only shark (other than a potential world record), that I would want to keep, unless it died during the fight.

The Japanese will probably keep several thousands of them, just beyond the COLREGS line.

 

[Seanote]

i have had two right whale sightings; one at CAT reef and the other 5 miles out of Savannah. Sunfish are all over the place in the winter.