Fishing Report

We now have a Facebook Group page – St George Island Fishing. Be sure to join for all the latest info on fishing the area.

It has been an exceptional summer. Whether it was because of the hurricane who knows but one things for sure fishing has been on fire!

Triple tail have been numerous throughout the bay with catches in the 20lb plus range. Just saw a 25 pounder caught on a Undertow Jig – the Warhorse (which we will be carrying exclusively.) These are hand carved jigs.

On the beach:  Pompano still plentiful! Seems like a surprising amount of pompano are being caught this year – I’m thinking the bite might last through the summer.

Most pomps being caught on Fishbites and our double rigs.  This year we added a flourocarbon rig with double 2/0 nickle circle hooks, flourocarbon as you know is invisible in water.  For casting pompano jigs, Doc’s Goofy Jigs and Nekid ball Jigs are your go to.

Nice trout being caught all up and down the beach, any suspending or sinking twitchbait is highly effective, an of course Fishbites will also produce.

Spanish Mackerel are on fire.  Cast a silver spoon or Gotcha plug.  If you are in a boat off the beach – I like to troll X-mas tree rigs terminated with a spoon and a quarter ounce keel weight.  Always look for the birds feeding on the surface and there’s sure to be mackerel.

In the bay: Trout, redfish, tripletail being landed regularly.  Topwater plugs for trout and redfish early in the morning during the feed period is my favorite technique – using a twitch, twitch and a pause when retrieving.  Later on in the day switch to a suspension plug – same retrieval method.  Don’t forget your spoons as well.  Your plastics fished with or without a popping cork.  A plastic and popping cork combination is a great way to locate trout – depth and area.

Tripletail are here and should remain so all summer.  Check underneath all floats and structure on the surface as they like to shade themselves from the heat of the midday sun.   The DOA Shrimp is a great artificial bait properly casted.

Let the “Pompano Run” Begin.

With the new moon coming on the Pomps are here. Nice large fish, full of roe caught all up and down the beach the last few weeks getting better each day.  My favorite surf rig is a circle hook rigs with 2oz. of weight and a combinations of sand flea, shrimp or crab fish bites as bait. I added a new fluorocarbon rig with black nickel 2/0 circle hooks to our pompano section this year.

I prefer a 10-foot surf rod with 15 – 20lb mono on your favorite spinning reel. Two or Three of these rigs set out in sand spikes should do the trick and keep you on the run.
Casting for Pomps I like a quarter to half ounce Goofy Jig or Boone Pompano Jig to be worked slowly across the bottom tipped with a sandflea or fishbite.

On the East End plenty of Spanish Mackerel are being taken wading casting heavy spoons ½ to 1 ½ ounce and Gotcha plugs. Trolling from your boat use a ¼ ounce keel weight, christmas trees and a small spoon to terminate the rig.

Always be on the lookout for a stray Cobia this time of year. Have a 30 lb. outfit ready with a jig tied up to cast.

Our charter captains have been producing trout and reds regularly with a few sightings of early tripletails.

Now is the time to book!

Also, this year we are renting our Hobie fishing fleet which includes our mirage drive pedal fishing kayaks and our deluxe Hobie paddle fishing kayaks.

– Capt Larry

Summer is upon us and so are the fish –

Still catching pompano on the beach regularly.  Fishbites, pompano jigs, goofy jigs are your sure bait choices.  My circle hook rigs – tied in America – work flawlessly.  Put your rods in sand spikes, use a sand flea, shrimp or crab scent fishbite – a different scent on each circle hook and a pyramid sinker on the clip and you are set.  Cast between the shore and the sandbar.

Rig a pompano jig or a Doc’s Goofy jig tip them with a fishbite and retrieve slowly, bumping along the bottom is the technique.

Quite a few big trout being caught in the surf and the bay.  A Mirrolure 52M sinking twitchbait has been a favorite of mine for forty years on the beach.  I call it the “stroll and cast” using a steady retrieve with an occasional twitch.

In the bay gator trout are being landed consistently.  In plastics, your Trout Trick paired with a Trout Eye jig from Z-Man, DOA shrimp underneath a popping cork, and the new Rapala Coastal Lineup has been quite impressive.  Starting with the top water “Skitter V” featuring an exclusive design that radically alters the action of the lure allowing the lure to cut quick with a snap of the rod ending with a soft, long glide on slack line.  This a wonderful top water bait for trout and reds. The slow sinking “Twitching Minnow and Mullet” are designed to perform a tight walk-the-dog swimming action.  Slow sinking allows a glide and drop technique that lands into pockets where big fish love to ambush their prey.

There is also plenty of tripletail being caught in the bay – A DOA shrimp underneath a cork around the markers and buoys will do the trick.  Flounder are showing up in the bay – I like using a small jig with a very light head working it slowly.

If you can get a bait past the snapper there are plenty of grouper being caught.  I like to use Shimano flat fall jigs on a small jigging rod which adds a different twist rather than just dropping bait.

We’ll Hook You Up!

Captain Larry Troy