St. Simons Island Fishing Charters - Red Hot Tarpon Fishing!
Capt. Richie Lott
July 20, 2015
St. Simons Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Although July is one of the hottest months of the fishing season in Coastal Georgia, the nearshore/sound fishing is just as hot this year.
BAIT -----
The baitfish (menhaden/pogies) situation went from zero (or too small) to insane amounts in all sizes found off Jekyll Island to Sapelo Island. You'll find bait close to the beach and in the sounds on high water and moon tides. On lower water stages, you'll find bait further offshore from 1-3 miles and sometimes slightly further off.
BLACK TIP ACTION ----
I think everyone knows about the Black Tip and Spinner Shark action that is available in our area offering anglers a great fight on medium fishing tackle. Hooking up with these acrobats is nearly a guarantee on most days with the average size blacks weighing around 40-50 pounds, with some bruisers up to 90 pounds mixed in nearly every trip. The largest we have seen this season was in the 65-70 inch range and was pushing maybe 90-95 pounds, which is a huge black and a TON of fun to tangle with!
TARPON ACTION ----
The first wave of Tarpon have started to show up from Jekyll to St. Cats. The Tarpon we've been catching and seeing are averaging between 50-100 pounds with a few slightly larger fish mixed in. We have caught quite a few so far and have seen hundreds. As of this writing, we haven't seen many, if any Tarpon over 150 pounds as of yet. The largest we've landed so far this season was a fish in the 70-75 inch range that probably weighed around 100 pounds or a shade over. They're a lot of fun no matter the size!
Most of the Tarpon we're seeing and catching are in the 15-20 ft. depth range striking baits fished on the bottom and surface, and during incoming and falling tide stages.
I haven't been offshore in a few weeks, but I hear a few Cobia are still around as well as some nearshore Kings as well.
Bottom line... It's about time the bite turned on! We waited out horrible fishing conditions, fresh water/rain run off for months and crazy spring weather. This has been a long time coming. Glad it's here!
Capt. Richie Lott
Josh Cook
Target Species:
Tarpon
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