Surf fishing reds

[seachaser]

Headed down to St Simon Nov 9th to 16 to do a little relaxing and surf fishing. We will be staying right at the 5 street beach access any tips would be very helpful.

 

[PopPop]

I don’t know about that location but everything eats fresh live shrimp.

 

[Mexican Squealer]

Cut mullet on the bottom should keep you in the bulls..

 

[WalkinDead]

The pier or the beach by the pier has been hot lately for them. Not many being caught on the south end of the island. Haven't spoken with anyone who has been fishing the main beach on the ocean side, so can't advise you on that.

 

[RedWrecker]

What do you look for on a beach to pick a spot for surf fishing for reds? What makes ones spot a better choice over others spots along a beach?

 

[WalkinDead]

I look for a drop off close enough to cast to either with my surf rods or my conventional rods. They are called channel bass for a reason. We typically catch them running the edge of the drop offs or out front in areas where the current funnels bait through a depression between shoals holding bait. They don't school in big areas they tend to follow each other in a line, so if you catch one, you will most likely catch more in the same location in a relatively short time span. Most of the time when we catch multiple fish its in the same location over about a thirty min period. Then we wait for another school to move through and do it again as long as the bait holds out.
Rather than using chunks of cut mullet, I fillet them and use either a whole fillet or half of one depending on the size of the mullet. I kinda think the water leeches the oil out of the meat and that acts as an attractant to bring them to the bait. Blue crab halves will also work and tend to eliminate the sharks. I have caught them on shrimp, but you have to put up with all the small fish eating your bait.
Once they begin running the beaches good, any location with a trough close enough to cast to should be productive.
Just my thoughts on the question.

 

[RedWrecker]

Awesome! I’ll use google earth to try and find some channels or drop offs close to the shore. I was planning on catching some crabs and Mullet. Maybe some whiting too

 

[WalkinDead]

You might want to try the area in front of King and Prince on St. Simon's, you should be able to catch both species there. You can catch the whiting while waiting on the reds to bite.

 

[seachaser]

Thanks for the info guys headed down tomorrow so will let you know how it goes.

 

[Foster]

I am staying at the 5th St Beach access in a few weeks. I have had luck with the smaller ones in the foamy water a few feet from shore and runouts. We usually start with one rod in knee deep or less and go from there. If you go to the south end of that beach you can get very close to the channel drop-off where it goes from 6' to 50' very quickly. Let us know how you do and good luck.

 

[seachaser]

Will keep you posted and just got a 15 ft rod to launch some baits out. Have always use 12 ft but wanted a little extra distance. I will definitely keep some close because I love me some redfish on the grill.

 

[Foster]

If you Google Chart 11506 or Saint Simonds NOAA chart you can see how close the channel comes to the south end of the island.

 

[WalkinDead]

Gould's Inlet area might provide some redfish within legal range, along with possibly some flounder. You're not likely to catch many legal redfish off the main channel.

 

[seachaser]

I have fished the Gould’s inlet area many times and all I ever get are sharks and whitting .When you fish there do you fish out where it dumbs into the ocean or closer to the parking lot?

 

[WalkinDead]

Only time I fished there, I caught flounder off the rocks near the parking lot. A buddy of mine fishes there with his boat and does good on trout, flounder and slot reds.

 

[seachaser]

Fish yesterday and today for about 5 hrs total and caught 1 redfish about 25 lbs and a 3 ft shark. Caught whitting today and used it for bait to get both bites.