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1st Nor' Eastern of the year here in the Golden Isles
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As I sit in my office watching the wind blow I reflect on last weeks trips and I feel my heart rate rise. Tailing redfish and tailing tarpon are all I can think of as I sit and watch the rain beat on my window like an angry beast wanting to come in. Yesterday we cast at tailing redfish in the grass all morning and then as the tide fell the fish started to pop shrimp from the surface like rising trout in a stream. We got them on both ends of the tide and there was no wind all day so I guess this was the calm before the storm.
I now feel a little sick as a friend and client who invited me last week on a trip up to a very high end lodge in Canada just called to rub in his successes. See I got this call on Thursday 2 weeks ago and he said get to Wisconsin and the rest is taken care of. That means private float plains into the lodge and all! Well I was in until I realized I needed the passport I lost last year in Key West at the airport to go. I called him back and told him I could not go and that I was going to hang myself when we hung up! Well lets just say he was catching 200 + fish a day and I didn't really want to know anything else. He did say this place was top notch and that I missed a great time. Lesson learned and passport on the way I will get back to the report.
The day before I had the pleasure of fishing with good friend and client David Reese, son Tanner and father in law Dano. David and I have caught tarpon for years but this time he wanted his 10yr old son tanner to catch one and Tanner said he was up for the battle. We had to do some running to catch bait and the ride down was not fun but once we arrives we were treated with silver and lots of it. As the fish rolled I positioned the boat ahead of them and dropped a rod down with a lively critter on the pointy end. As I handed the rod to Dano and before I could get David and Tanner a rod Dano's rod doubled over and a tarpon launched itself into the air. As the fish landed the fight was over and we got them out again. I reeled a couple times and felt that ever so light tap. I reeled down and came tight. I passes the rod over to Tanner and Dano was in position to help if needed and again the fish jumped and was gone. I saw some fish roll in front of the boat so I cast a cork rod out in front of them and it immediately got slammed. I set up on the fish and handed the rod to Tanner and the fight was on. After a great battle on both sides the fish gave in and we tagged and released it in good condition.
The day before we were chasing tarpon with the fly and saw lots of fish tailing and cruising just under the surface. We jumped 2 but could not keep either hooked up and as the tide turned we headed inshore and caught some redfish.
Now I sit wishing only one thing. That the wind would stop blowing but I fear that with will not come true for several days.
Tight lines Scott
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Just cant get enough in St. Simons Island!
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Well the last few days have been great with some big fish, tailing reds, and tarpon. As I sit here listening to the thunder from a lightning filled storm that just rolled through I think about the day I had the pleasure of being part of. This morning I headed out with Jeffery for a little red fishing. We only had about 4 hours to fish so we stayed close and got some really nice reds as they came out the grass. After that I headed solo north in search of a few tarpon to tangle with. As I met up with a couple buddies from Savannah they stayed in their boat and I stayed in mine. We got several shot but not much was going on. The day before we boated some big fish in the 120+ pound range and even got a 16lb red fish to eat. But that was yesterday so we moved on. Arriving at new water I watched and as I cast at a few cruising fish I had one roll about 5 feet off the side of the boat. The fish was just under the surface and I was able to slap the fly in front of it and the fish sank out of site . As I went to pick up the fly the fish can out of the green water from under the fly and went air born. I could only lift the rod as the leader was already in the guides. I watch as the fish went one way and my fly the other. I inspected the fly and the hook tip was rolled so I retied a new one. A few minutes later I made a cast at a fish that had just rolled and it ate! Game on as the fish jumped a half dozen times and as I cleared the line I realized it was just me and the fish. This is not normally a problem until you are ready to land the fish and there is no one to assist you. As the fish grew tired I pulled it close enough to grab the leader with one hand and before I new it the fish almost got a Prototype Hardy Rod designed by Andy Mill and a very expensive reel not to mention my hand. I scrambled to save the rod and stepped on another! This was not going well and the bad part was help was about 100 yards away but little did I realize they were also hooked into a 100+ pound fish. As I got another chance to land the fish I reached for the leader and got it again. For a second I actually thought I was winning and time seemed to stand still. Then the fish put everything back in fast forward and all hell broke loose as did the fish. It was a fish and a day I will remember for the rest of my life. Tight lines and remember to hire a Full Time Knowledgeable guide. 
Tight Lines and tarpon dreams Scott
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Tarpon Redfish and more here in the Golden Isles
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Action continues to be awesome! Lots of boats out today and some with no common courtesy what so ever but we still had a great day. Tarpon action continues to be as good as I have ever seen it and the flood tides brought us tailers in the grass. Enjoy!
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Tarpon and Jacks on fly here in St. Simons Island!
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We have been having one hell of a summer! Fishing continues to be strong and mild conditions are allowing me to put clients into sight casting conditions for tarpon. Fishing in less than 8 feet of water we are able to sight fish tarpon which seem to really charge the fly. After a few days of awesome fly fishing one we boated 2 fish one well over 140 and the other over 120 I called Capt. Scott Wagner who is a guide in Savannah and someone I know will respect these fish and our fishery to come down and join in the fun. He eagerly called a few clients until he got a client to bite. They headed south and in just a few hours they had had 2 eats and 2 fish hooked up. Both were lost but no worries he and his client re-rigged and as Capt. Scott made a cast he felt the line go tight. As in any situation a guide always wants his clients to catch the fish but in this case this poon had taken the wrong fly and the games began. My clients and I have now landed 5 tarpon on fly in 2 weeks and jumped off lots more. In the mix have been jacks and even some spinner sharks. We got them dialed in so come and get some and be in a group of the few who have landed a tarpon on fly here in GA.. Oh yah one day even ended with a 120+ pound fish breaking a rods and we still got her in!!

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Tarpon are going off so call now to get in on the action!!!
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Today was another AWESOME day on the water. Tarpon were everywhere and we were all in them. The 1st annual tarpon tournament was also going on and lots of tarpon were caught and released over 2 days. Check back for all the details on the tournament. Today was one of the most amazing days on the water I have ever witnessed. There was around 20 boats and everyone was doubled or tripled up. Just amazing! Great job everyone in the tournament.
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Poon time baby!!! Here in the Golden Isles of Georgia!
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Had the pleasure of putting long time clients on the poons today. We went 9 for 13!!! We at one point had 3 fish on and it was a little crazy until we hooked up with 4 a short time after! Great job guy's and thank for your return business year after year! Also a congrats goes out to the Dunn brothers who managed to land 3 fish at one time with only 2 guys in the boat. (see photos they are sick!)
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Beginners welcome here
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After guiding here in Coastal Georgia for more than 10 years I have seen a lot. I'm not saying I have see it all but just a lot. Some of the best memories I have are with children and adults who are new to fly fishing and some, fishing all together. I have made life long friends like Frank Prior, Keith Calhoun, Will Huffine, Scott Repass, Steve Cone, J.A. Cone (kid from the tailing redfish video), Steven Cone Jr, John Ferguson, Carol Anderson, Chris Peterson (owner of Hell Bay Boats), Scott Leffler, Ron Morguson, Nels Ojard, Buck Ernst, David Reese, Bill Streitz, Collin Ross, among others and well you get the picture. These are all people who I met when they hired me to guide them on a day of fishing and I consider them not just clients now but friends. I have and continue to offer clients some of the best fly fishing and light tackle fishing around but more importantly I offer a life time of great memories. I am proud of what I do and sometimes that shows. I take pride in guiding and my clients achievements. I get my enjoyment out of seeing the smiles on their faces or the thank you letters ad emails I get from them after a trip. I also love watching peoples angling skills grow and enjoy sharing my knowledge in hopes that we both can continue to learn from one another, the fish, and mother ocean. I welcome anyone who is new to fishing, whether it be fly or not and look forward to building relationships and friendships down the road. I also strongly encourage parents to get their children into fishing. Why, because it teaches many more things like patience and commitment and besides they could be doing something a lot worse with their spare time right?
Tight lines Scott
PS The question has been asked by people calling me how far they would have to cast to catch fish??????? After several people in a weeks time asked this exact question I asked Michael Kigily why do you ask? He pointed me in the direction of another charter captains site where I read these words.
"I can’t emphasize enough the necessity of good casting in the salt water. The ability to cast 50-60′ with accuracy, in the wind is essential to success."
Wrong! and if you need references let me know and I can provide a very long list of people who had never saltwater fly fished and could not cast 50 feet who caught and continue to catch fish with myself and other top notch guides all over the world.
Remember to hire a full time guide who knows the area. Also don't be afraid to ask questions like how long have you been guiding in this area? What type of boat and equipment do you have, what type of do you consider yourself, and explain your expectations to your guide. He will benefit from this as well.
Tight Lines Again!
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Georgia south east Slams and Super Slams
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Well it may not be as glamorous as catching a Tarpon, Permit, and Bonefish all in the same day but a grand slam is a grand slam and we have had several days that we have been getting them several times a day. One young man caught 3 super grand slams in one day!!! (Red Drum, Black Drum, Trout, and Flounder) Enjoy the photos!
Scott
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July in St. Simons and Coastal Georgia
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Well June has stated off really great. There are tons of little redfish all over the place and if they get a chance to live well lets just say by next year we will be in for a treat! Trout have also been steady and some big girls have visited the boat lately. Triple tail are still around and we have gotten a few but there was an overall lack of fish this year. Tarpon are all over the place we have continued to get shots at them with the fly rod. Also inshore the flounder have been pretty thick. Enjoy!
Scott
Charlie L. With his first redfish on fly! Great job dude.
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We got them
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Tarpon on the fly that is. Long time customer and friend Keith C. and I started a day of fishing off with some skinny water sight fishing for redfish and got a few. The morning was a quiet one with big towering clouds threatening rain in all directions. We were looking for something different like some spanish or jacks to chase with the fly. This took us off shore in the Hells Bay. We headed east toward the yellow cans which is a dump site for ruble which attracts all kinds of fish but with with inseasonably cool ocean temps caused by a thermocline it was a dead zone. We headed north about 2 miles east of "F" reef which is located about 12 miles off the south end of St. Simons Island and man was it quiet and still. Water spouts which are tornadoes on the water were off in the horizon but where we were the ocean looked like a flat piece of glass. As I idled the boat around I looked into the clear blue water a huge eagle ray came gliding by. I was a site to see. We didn't see anything so we decited to run back south and look for some tarpon. After a quick 20 mile ride back south I stopped the boat and noticed a tail poking out of the water. As my Hells Bay drifted forward a big 100+ pound tarpon started hurling himself into the sky like we either scared the hell out of him or he was hooked and since we didn't have a rod out it for sure was the first. As I looked around I noticed a few fish roll and then it all came together. Tarpon were everywhere floating and chaining all around my skiff. As Keith got on the bow about 30 to 50 fish came cruising by but we were not ready and all we could do is watch as they roll by. Keith got ready and made a cast at some fish cruising just under the surface and one ate but pulled off. It wasn't 5 min. later and Keith made another perfect cast and a fish charged to fly. We were hooked up until the fish ran at the boat and jumped and was off. I started remembering last year and all the fish we jumped off. Was it the fly?? The hook?? who knows but I had changed the hook and was starting to think I was just cursed. Them as I got the boat into position so Keith could cast he did what all guided hope there clients do and that is make a perfect cast. The fish ate and it was on. With several jumps and a nice run we leadered the fish and talked about doing it again. I wait for the day so come on back!
Tight lines and thanks to all my loyal clients and new clients to be. Capt. Scott
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St Simons Island to Cumberland Island May Report
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St. Simons Island to Cumberland Island Report Fron May May was a great month and I am sorry it has taken me so long to post a new report but I have been so busy I hardly have had time to sleep! Trout invaded the beaches and creeks and were a warm welcome after a cold winter. We seem to continue to see bigger and bigger trout and the trend of letting the bigger fish is spreading. CCA is finally in the mix with posters displaying a project they call R.O.E or Release over eighteen. Good for them to step in and try to bring awareness. Anyway the flounder have also been steady and so have the smaller jacks and ladyfish which are great fun to catch. If you are lucky a Pompano may give you a tug to as they have graced us with their battles a few times over the past few weeks. Tripple tail were slow for the most part with lots of small fish! Maybe people will realize that they need to stop killing them all so we can enjoy these great game fish while they spawn off the beaches. For the most part I considered the triple tail season very slow and only landed a few fish over 5 pounds however, we did have a day where we caught 19 on fly which is a record that will stand for a long time on my boat I'm sure. There was 1 x 6 boards everywhere floating in the ocean and the fish were all over them.
There are shrimp boats everywhere and with them are sharks and lots of them. Pull in behind one of the habitat destroyers, flip an artificial or live bait in and hold on!
Redfish are also around and since the trout bite has been so good have gotten to see less of the Hells Bay and a little break from me. I have had a few trips for them though and fish have been big! a 15 pound red smoked Bob Seabolds fly on Friday taking him a good 200 feet into his backing and on Sunday Jay got a 13+ pound fish that did some knuckle busting runs out over 100 feet. Fish have been very shallow with their backs up 2 inches out of the water on some flats. Hope this catches you up on whats going on. Now lets go fishing!


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There is hope!
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The trout have show up and are big. I have heard of several over 6lbs and lots in the 4 to 5 pound range. We had a few days where we got into them and caught 50 or so in a few hours and even got a few big fish. Man am I a happy camper!
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St. Simons Island is where its at
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Fishing has been on the rise everyday. Water temps are now in the upper 60 and low 70s and there is life everywhere. The trout bite is still a little slow but triple tail and redfish are around and waters are now warm enough for crabs to come out and for there to be some tailing redfish action on the bigger tides. If you are interested in flood tide fishing call in advance to book the best day around the moons!
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March fishing was good
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Sorry its been a few weeks since I last posted but business has been good and I have just not had the time to sit down and write reports so enjoy and I promise I will get caught up.
The bull redfish invaded the Ga coast after one of the worst winters in history. I was glad to see them and hoped we would get a spring spawn which is like a double whammy since the were just here in Oct. spawning. The flats are also coming alive with life again as crabs and shrimp emerge with warmer water.
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Another birthday another Steve? Well he got a presant too.
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Well it was Friday that I fished John and his friend Steve. Steve was turning 25 and just wanted to catch some fish for his birthday and he did. Today was another day and another birthday Steve and he got his presents.
Scott
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Things are warming up here on the Georgia Coast!!!
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As the title say's fishing has been steadily getting better. Warmer weather has water temperatures on the rise and I have seen several trout cruising the flats around pods of redfish over the past few days. Water quality has also improved now that the 3 rivers that meet the ocean here in the Golden Isles have fallen below their flood stages. The water was clear enough over the past 3 days to see bottom in 3 or 4 feet of water at low tide and when the sun blessed us we were able to see schools of fish cruising at 100 feet! Tuesday I fished a flat to the north that we easily saw over 80 fish on mostly in two's, and three's that gave us lots of shots. This flat is one I can only fish when the winds are light (5 or less) and the fish do not shy away from the boat until you are on top of them.
I also had the pleasure of sharing my favorite sport (fly fishing) with a good client of mines twin boys (15) With a day of practice and some patience both landed their first fish on fly the second day. Both were great fish one over 10 pounds. They are now hooked and I hope to see them more often. Their dad has been fishing with me for many years and I think he was more excited to see his boys catch their first fish on fly than they were! Give me a call and lets go catch some fish!
Tight Lines and remember if your going to hire a guide make sure he is a full time guide.
Capt. Scott St. Simons Island fly fishing 877-605-3474
And yes after a long 2 days both took a nap on the ride back.
Tight lines and great job guys! |
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St. Simons Island Fly Fishing
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Well its cold and I mean cold lows at night with wind chills in the 15 to 19 degrees range and highs in the 40s at best but the only things that really seem to mind are the creatures above water. Sunday I had the pleasure to fish with Bill Streitz and as I write this report I sit anticipating our trip again today. We made it to the flat and slowly moved to get the rods out and Bill got on the bow. As I poled forward a fish shot across the bow and Bill dropped the fly in his face. The fish slammed the fly and after a few min we brought a nice 8 pound redfish boat-side. As the tide fell the dolphins really started whaling on the fish that were coming down the flats. As they shot like canon balls out of a canon into the mudflats in water less than 10 inches deep redfish showered like mullet running from jacks. It was a sight however sad. Fishing continued to be good and Bill landed several more fish and lost a few as the sun said goodbye. Tails were everywhere and at one time I counted 26 out of the water at once. We were cold and it was over for that day so we headed home as the sky and marshes turned to a golden color and I then remembered why they call this beautiful place the "Golden Isles"
Until Next Time Capt. Scott
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It's been a few weeks from Georgia
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Well its cold and I mean cold lows at night with wind chills in the 15 to 19 degrees range and highs in the 40s at best but the only things that really seem to mind are the creatures above water. Sunday I had the pleasure to fish with Bill Streitz and as I write this report I sit anticipating our trip again today. We made it to the flat and slowly moved to get the rods out and Bill got on the bow. As I poled forward a fish shot across the bow and Bill dropped the fly in his face. The fish slammed the fly and after a few min we brought a nice 8 pound redfish boat-side. As the tide fell the dolphins really started whaling on the fish that were coming down the flats. As they shot like canon balls out of a canon into the mudflats in water less than 10 inches deep redfish showered like mullet running from jacks. It was a sight however sad. Fishing continued to be good and Bill landed several more fish and lost a few as the sun said goodbye. Tails were everywhere and at one time I counted 26 out of the water at once. We were cold and it was over for that day so we headed home as the sky and marshes turned to a golden color and I then remembered why they call this beautiful place the "Golden Isles"
Until Next Time Capt. Scott
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Bring in the New year St Simons style
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Well its cold and I mean cold lows at night with wind chills in the 15 to 19 degrees range and highs in the 40s at best but the only things that really seem to mind are the creatures above water. Sunday I had the pleasure to fish with Bill Streitz and as I write this report I sit anticipating our trip again today. We made it to the flat and slowly moved to get the rods out and Bill got on the bow. As I poled forward a fish shot across the bow and Bill dropped the fly in his face. The fish slammed the fly and after a few min we brought a nice 8 pound redfish boat-side. As the tide fell the dolphins really started whaling on the fish that were coming down the flats. As they shot like canon balls out of a canon into the mudflats in water less than 10 inches deep redfish showered like mullet running from jacks. It was a sight however sad. Fishing continued to be good and Bill landed several more fish and lost a few as the sun said goodbye. Tails were everywhere and at one time I counted 26 out of the water at once. We were cold and it was over for that day so we headed home as the sky and marshes turned to a golden color and I then remembered why they call this beautiful place the "Golden Isles"
Until Next Time Capt. Scott
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Cool weather reds with the kids off Sea Island Georgia!!!!
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So its official. It’s now the holiday season and for everyone who reads my posts they know that this time of year is also a great time to be on the water fishing. For example not only have catches of 100+ trout and redfish inshore been a regular occurrence on a 6 hour trip but near shore wrecks have also been producing huge numbers of black sea bass, bull redfish, grouper, snapper, and more. Today I find myself reading a text message from a fellow captain who sent me a picture of a huge 7+ pound trout which read one 7, 2 at 6, and 3 over 4 caught from land in down town and thinking to myself that I would love to be on the water but approaching rains mixed with tornado warning and watches keep me feeling behind bars. Cant really complain though after last weeks success. I had a trip on Thursday and WOW the fish were going crazy. We first stopped at a spot to find several schools of redfish tailing and eating ever thing in their paths. While David cast a white Fishbites jerk bait I polled the HB close to the school and they either didn’t know we were there fighting a fish or didn’t care. We went on to catch a dozen or so all sight cast to and moved on.
The trout bite has just been incredible. While filming a show with Mark Melnyk on Friday the winds blew 20knts we managed to catch 4 tailing redfish on fly which were Marks 1st redfish on fly and biggest at 12 pounds and then moved on to catch over 200 trout on spin and fly using Fishbites Extreme bait’s and clousers. Saturday David and his brother (David from Thursday) again just smoked the reds and David landed one fish over 15 pounds. Sunday I fished Lena and her husband John and they were new to Salt Water Fly fishing. Conditions were great light winds and clear water. It was the first day of winter to me when waters get very clear and the skies are blue. We got to watch some great tailing fish in mirror like conditions and well lets just say we caught a few too.
Tight Lines Capt. Scott  |
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Happy Hollidays from the Golden Isles
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So its official. It’s now the holiday season and for everyone who reads my posts they know that this time of year is also a great time to be on the water fishing. For example not only have catches of 100+ trout and redfish inshore been a regular occurrence on a 6 hour trip but near shore wrecks have also been producing huge numbers of black sea bass, bull redfish, grouper, snapper, and more. Today I find myself reading a text message from a fellow captain who sent me a picture of a huge 7+ pound trout which read one 7, 2 at 6, and 3 over 4 caught from land in down town and thinking to myself that I would love to be on the water but approaching rains mixed with tornado warning and watches keep me feeling behind bars. Cant really complain though after last weeks success. I had a trip on Thursday and WOW the fish were going crazy. We first stopped at a spot to find several schools of redfish tailing and eating ever thing in their paths. While David cast a white Fishbites jerk bait I polled the HB close to the school and they either didn’t know we were there fighting a fish or didn’t care. We went on to catch a dozen or so all sight cast to and moved on.
The trout bite has just been incredible. While filming a show with Mark Melnyk on Friday the winds blew 20knts we managed to catch 4 tailing redfish on fly which were Marks 1st redfish on fly and biggest at 12 pounds and then moved on to catch over 200 trout on spin and fly using Fishbites Extreme bait’s and clousers. Saturday David and his brother (David from Thursday) again just smoked the reds and David landed one fish over 15 pounds. Sunday I fished Lena and her husband John and they were new to Salt Water Fly fishing. Conditions were great light winds and clear water. It was the first day of winter to me when waters get very clear and the skies are blue. We got to watch some great tailing fish in mirror like conditions and well lets just say we caught a few too.
Tight Lines Capt. Scott |
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Jekyll Island Georgia Report Nov.
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Its always October and November that I find myself sitting at the house scratching my head trying to figure out why I'm not fishing. You see this is prime time trout and redfish fishing and days of 100 + trout are as common as gas at a gas station. I tell my clients who fish with me on a regular basis that it just stumps me as to why people who love to catch fish will wait until the dead of summer when the fishing is good but not great and the weather is hot and almost not tolerable by most people to come and go fish. I tell everyone I talk to about how good the trout fishing is right now and most just cant believe it because they just have never caught fish like this. Don't get me wrong its not everywhere you stop you will get on them every cast but that is why most people hire a full time guide. See we know patterns and stay on fish. One day you may catch 60 at one spot but the next not another fish and that is why we don't put all out eggs in one basket. Most full time guide understand things such as tide, water quality, wind, and know how to add up all those equations to know which spots to fish that day. See one spot may be going off on a north west wind while you may not catch a fish there on a south wind. Remember when you hire a guide you hare more than just a boat.
Tight Lines Capt. Scott Owens
Remember hire a full time guide. You wouldn't hire your accountant to do a root canal.
In these photos Chris Peterson owner of Hells Bay Boat works and Frank Prior catch 27 nice red fish to finish 2nd and take Runner Up Team Grand Champions in the Savannah Red Trout tournament. |
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St Simons Island fishing November
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Well even with winds and weather from Ida heading our way the fishing has remained strong. Trout and redfish are still being caught in good numbers and catching fish on the fly has been some what easy for most of the clients in the last 2 weeks. We have been catching 30+ trout in maybe 45 min. to an hour on fly and redfish have been slamming the fly when it gets on their dinner plate. As waters cool and winter settles in sight fishing conditions will really improve. Don't forget that from now to February its awesome so give me a call and lets talk fishing.
Tight lines from St. Simons
Capt. Scott Owens  |
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Friday-Sunday just incredable (lots of photos)
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Sunday was just an incredible day that brought 3 days of great fishing with Nels, Mark, and David to an end. We started the day off fishing the low incoming tide and the reds on the flats were eager to eat. We had 13 fish from 25 to 33 inches in a short time and headed to catch some monster bull redfish before targeting trout. We got set up and started off with a few small sharks before the bite turned on. A drag screamed and I saw the rod jerk several time and knew it was what we were after. After a few great runs our first bull redfish of the day was boat side. After that it was wide open and in 2 hours we landed 15 from 40 to 46 inches. The guys even let me reel in one! Then the tide slowed and the bite stopped so I suggested trout. Trout you say? After redfish from 4 to 40 pound? Yup I said thats how we roll! So we were off and the trash talking started. As I dropped the Power Pole and everyone got a rod it was on. It was 3:30pm and at 6:15pm we were out of bait. Sundays total???? 138 trout, 15 bull redfish, and 13 smaller redfish!!!! What a day! To Nels, Mark, and David I would like to say great job and thanks for 3 enjoyable days on the water with you guys. I look forward to seeing you soon and oh yah if needed “putting on another clinic for yah”
Tight Lines
Capt. Scott
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Great day tough weather
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Saturday - 6 guys - 2 boats
Well even with tides at 8.7 feet and north west winds at 15 to 25 kts Andy Olson his day and 4 other friends who drove all night from Kentucky (about 12 hour) were excited to get out on the water and do some serious fishing. The 2 captains (myself and Capt. Rob) on the other hand were looking at brown muddy water from the winds and tide and trees swaying in the wind trying to figure out a plan to put these guys on some fish. See the pressure was on because Andy and the guys had a boys trip planned to Alabama for some offshore fishing in the gulf when the captain called them 2 days before and canceled do to weather. Andy scrambled and starting looking for other places to go when he came across my website and called. I looked at the weather and on Thursday it called for sunny sky's temp around 70 and wind 10kts from the NW. I told Andy to come on and that I would make sure they had a great time and we caught lots of fish. Now standing on the dock Sunday morning with the temp at 55 and winds at 20kts I was thinking to myself that I may have stuck my foot in my mouth and for good reason. After driving 12 hours to promises of lots of fish and good weather Andy was standing in front of me ready to go. To make matters worse as Capt. Rob went to get on plain his engine quite. After a minute or two I loaded all 6 guys on the boat and we were off.
At the first spot fishing started out strong and after an hour of catching trout non stop I started to feel relief of the pressure of real bad conditions. Then the phone rang and I hear I got it running and I'm on the way. Rob had a water problem and after draining the fuel/water separator he was good. He showed up and We unloaded 3 guys to his boat. It was amazing 6 guys casting corks and no tangles or problems.
We moved around until about an hour before low tide when fishing slowed. We had gone through 4 quarts of bait and caught well over 150 trout between the 2 boats. I told the guys it was time to go catch some big redfish and they were ready. We headed off the beach where conditions were ok because the island was blocking most of the NW wind near shore. I moved around looking for a school of fish on the Humminbird side imaging. As I headed for a drop off I saw what looked like a good school of fish...... I circled and got the anchor out. As I got the rods out one got slammed and we missed the fish. I re-baited and cast. Before the 5oz weight hit the bottom I felt a solid strike. I handed the rod to Andy and he waited but nothing so he put it in the holder and before he took his hand off it the rod doubled over and the drag screamed. The Rest of the day????? Well lets just say we smoked them. 
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Great photos from the air of Cumerland, Jekyll, and St Simons
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Here are some great shots from the air of the Golden Isles on a beautiful morning. Enjoy
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Its that time of year.
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Well after 6 days in a row on the water I'm sure the fish are glad to get a break. We have been putting a beating on them with everything from fly's to the meat. Redfish, trout, even the 30lb jacks have come around for some fun. We have had some great weather and after this blow it will be time to go look ocean side for the big reds. We have been getting the 34 to 36 inch fish inshore but now is the time to get them in the 40 to 50 inch range. Come and join the fun. Give me a call to talk fishing and lets make it happen.
Tight lines from St. Simons Island Capt. Scott
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Big win for Captain Scott Owens and anglers Stiles Kellett and Aaron Bishop
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ST SIMON'S ISLAND, Ga. — Every year, Stiles Kellett enters the Rich Products Golden Isle Red Trout Classic. Sure, he is motivated by charitable purposes — the Redbone Series event is designed to "catch the cure" for cystic fibrosis — but like any competitor, he wants to win.
After falling short numerous times, Kellett finally cashed in Saturday, leading his two-angler team — which included Aaron Bishop — to the victory with 5,500 points.
The event was scored based on catches of trout and redfish and was part of the second year of the Built Ford Tough ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series presented by TakeMeFishing.org. The ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series continues to integrate Redbone events into its tournament structure.
After struggling with redfish on Friday, the trio was able to land six reds right off the bat Saturday. The early start provided a slight cushion for the champions but did nothing to diminish any of their competitive juices.
"Man, Stiles fished as hard as I have ever seen him," said Capt. Scott Owens, who guided the pair both days of competition. "He wouldn't stop fishing. He had two bottles of water and no lunch and he dropped one of the bottles of water and didn't get much of a chance to drink it."
While the victory was nice for the whole team, each kept top of mind why they were competing. One of the co-chairs of the event, Cal Collier, has a son who has Cystic Fibrosis, William. Eight-year-old William competed both days, landing a trout Thursday that was big enough to be scored.
Owens and many others in the field are tight with the Colliers and with more events like these; they are looking to do their part to find a cure.
Just like Friday, Owens piloted the boat south to an area in Christmas Creek in search of trout after working the reds in the morning. The bite wasn't nearly as stout as Friday but both Kellett and Hastings were able to remain patient and land fish often enough to stick with the area.
"Supporting the cause is number one," Kellett said. "But I came in second at this event last year and I didn't want that to happen again. I like to catch fish and I like to win so this is a nice feeling."
Owens said that the key to finding both species was identifying clear water. Saturday, with the tides changing courses and staying low, clear water was much easier to locate. Still, the bite remained tough.
"Yesterday, we caught almost 150 trout," said Owens, who guides these waters frequently. "Today, we maybe caught 50 and we used half as much shrimp as we did Friday."
This was the fifth event of the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series. The 2009 EOSS season will culminate with the Redbone Celebrity Tournament out of Islamorada, Fla., on Nov. 6-7.  |
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Great fishing for the Golden Isles Redbone
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ST SIMON'S ISLAND, Ga. — With redfish proving to be elusive, the two-angler team of Stiles Kellett and Aaron Bishop landed 47 trout to accumulate 3,600 points and take the lead at the first day of the Rich Products Golden Isle Red Trout Celebrity Classic.
EOSS St. Simon's Seigo SaitoThe sun rises on the first day of competition at the Rich Products Golden Isle Red Trout Celebrity Classic.
Despite the stingy redfish bite, Bishop managed to land two reds to bring his points total to 1,600. Kellett managed 2,000 and put the two in a dead heat for the individual competition. So, the two will have to compete against and with each other Saturday.
Still, the event is all for charity. More specifically, anglers are here to "catch the cure" for Cystic Fibrosis, the main mission of the Redbone series of events. In the second year since its inception, the Built Ford Tough ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series presented by TakeMeFishing.org continues to integrate Redbone events into its tournament structure.
Typically, with saltwater events, the anglers attributed their success to the guide. In this case, Capt. Scott Owens, a 33-year-old local, returned the favor.
"Those guys fished so hard," Owens said. "It was a taxing day. We ran around a ton and used three quarts of bait (nearly 250 shrimp). It was just a slow, steady bite throughout the day."
Buoyed by a win in the Superfly event that took place Thursday, the trio started early targeting reds. Hastings was only able to land two — most of the field also struggled with reds — when Owens decided to move South.
EOSS St. Simon's Seigo SaitoMindy Rich (wife) and husband Bob search for trout.
At around 9:30 a.m., just more than two hours into the competition day, and in a new area, the trout bite turned on and stayed consistent throughout the day. At the very end of the day, the bite got ultra-hot until lines needed to be out of the water at 3 p.m.
"You hate to leave them biting," Hastings said. "It was so tough to leave but we were all beat. We will be good to go tomorrow."
Owens said that the key to finding both species was identifying clear water. He said many of the places found Thursday in the one-day superfly warm-up changed considerably and were virtually unfishable Friday.
With the struggles of most in the 27-team field, guide Ken Doss and anglers Vance Watson and David Booker were able to turn a less-than-stellar day into a top finish. Watson landed 24 trout on bait while Booker landed 20 to bring their team total to 2,200 points.
Doss, who has been guiding these waters for 45 years, agreed with Owens regarding the water clarity.
"It was difficult to find clear, moving water," said Doss, who turns 65 in October. "Everywhere you looked it was muddy. We caught most of our stuff late which is strange."
The event will culminate Saturday when the individual and team champion will be determined. This is the fifth event of the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series. The 2009 EOSS season will culminate with the Redbone Celebrity Tournament out of Islamorada, Fla., on Nov. 6-7.
Each event receives television coverage on ESPN2 and extended coverage on ESPNOutdoors.com. While the tournaments appeal to serious tournament anglers, the Redbone was founded to help "catch the cure" for cystic fibrosis.  |
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Inshore fishing is in full fall swing. St Simons Island
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Its that time of year. Trout and redfsih are starting to fatten up for winter. Trout have been in tight schools with lots of action when you find them. We caught trout today in a spot about the size of a 2 car garage for two and a haft hours. Then we moved on to redfish. We found a school fish eagerly mowing a flat down eating shrimp and anything else that was around them. The birds worked over them and the fish were tailing and splashing around like kids playing in street side puddles. Come and see for yourself what Georgia has to offer.
Tight lines from Coastal Georgia Capt. Scott Owens Capt. Scott Owens |
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Flood tides time
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If you love catching tailing redfish then now is the time you want to call and set up your trip. I am offering 3 hour flood tide trips through Nov. 1st for $250.00. (1 or 2 persons only) You have to call to book and leave times will be 2 hours before the high tide. This offer is only for flood call for available dates and times.
Here is what your missing by not calling. Locals welcome anytime!
Flood tide action Aug-Sep 2009 |
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New video High Lights from 2009
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It takes a minute to load but its worth it. Enjoy! You can watch in in the tiny view but If you let it load in large it is much better!
Captain Scott Owens 2009 with friends |
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Fall is just around the corner
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Its time to book your fall fishing trip and Georgia has it all. Bull Redfish will crowd our beaches to spawn and eagerly eat just about anything you present them with. These bruisers will average 25 to 40 pounds and sure give you a fight. Trout will turn on and 100 fish days will not be uncommon as waters cool off and fish start to fatten up for winter as shrimp fall out of the creeks and toward the ocean. The flats will come alive with redfish look for birds and dolphins crushing schools of fish as this is a dead giveaway of a school of redfish. Sight fishing will also improve as waters clear as a result of less rain and colder temps.
ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!! Lots of fish and fun!!!!!
Tight Line Capt. Scott 
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Full Report for July/Aug
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Ok so its been a bit since I did a full report on what's been going on. So here we go!! First I will tell you I now have a personal issue with the silver king himself! After clients jumped 6 tarpon on fly in just over 2 weeks I became the next victim on Sunday while fishing some great friends and clients from NC. Will and Frank come down to catch redfish several times a year and after a morning of catching tailers in the grass (watch for new video on You Tube we decided to try our luck on the school of tarpon which was rolling right on the grass edge that we poled out of. We staked off and started casting. Frank and I with Fly and Will with spinning. As the fish busted schools of mullet we cast and cast at rolling fish right off the bow. Right as we were about to move my line came tight and a fish flashed and was gone. I cast again and again and Frank cast and cast. About 25 minutes later I cast at some mullet that had scattered and my fly hit the water. I turned to say something to Will and as I looked back and stripped I saw a huge flash and boil. Then I realized it was on my fly. I came tight on the fish as he leaped for the sky. He was not nearly as happy as I was and you could see it in his demeanor. He landed as if in a belly flopping contest and was gone! 2 fish on fly in just under 30 min. I was steaming. The second fish was text book and I got nothing!
Now back to tarpon reality. After having a mini temper tantrum on the bow. I looked back at all the fish I have jumped in the past and reminded myself that they are the king and shit happens when you try to do battle with the king!
Jacks, Jacks, and Jacks have been lurking around the sounds and come and go like people at Star Bucks. They have been blasting baits on the top of the tides when the water is cleanest. These jacks are bruisers and some are world record class fish. We have caught fish from the upper teens to the low 40's and most are on fly.
Captain Rob Aldridge
On to the mix. Redfish have been still on the flats and moving into the grass when the tides are right. Catching tailing fish has been on fire and the fish on the flats can be tough. There is tuns of bait around right now and the fly just has to be in their faces for them to eat it.
Trout are still around and will eat top water fly's early in the morning or late in the afternoon. We caught several on Saturday during the middle of the day while the sun was shadowed by the clouds. High tide in the morning has been best. Still look to the beaches for big trout and in just a short time away it will be trout time as fall approaches. Bull redfish will move in from their offshore home to spawn on the beaches in late September and hang around until November when they move back offshore.
For the rest of summer tarpon will move more and more inshore where they will stack up in certain spots eating everything in sight reading themselves for the long trip back south. We will miss them while they are gone. They will be talked about and tails of big number days and goose eggs will be told. Until their return next summer.
Give me a call to talk about setting up a trip We have arranged discount hotels for our clients and now offer package deals. Tight Lines and big fish.
Captains Scott |
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ESPN Outdoors Report
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So here is a report on the ESPN Outdoors site. It is going off here with the tarpon and the world record jacks!!! Come and get some!! ESPN Reports |
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Tarpon in the morning redfish in the afternoon
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Well the title says it all after angler Andrew landed a 130+ poun d tarpon we dropped by the dock and picked up his wife and kids and went on to catch some big redfsih in the 10+ pound range. The weather has been great and the fishing still has been strong. Last Saturday we headed offshore and had some big snapper and grouper as well.
Fly Fishing has been really good and there are lots of targets to go after. Redfish still fill the flats and trout, ladyfish, jacks, and others still occupy the beaches off Cumberland. The big 30+ pound Jacks are here and with some luck you can see how hard these guys fight. Tarpon are waiting for someone to come and trough the fly at them. If fly fishing we could have had shot after shot yesterday. Enjoy the weather and come catch some fish!
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It's full blown summer fun
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It's been some time since I had the time to sit down and write a report. Fishing has been just awesome! Tarpon, sharks, huge jacks, lady fish, trout, redfish, spanish mackerel, blue fish, flounder, and a few others are all around to catch if you are interested.
This morning we were catching redfish and by 8am we were catching ladyfish, bluefish, trout, and at 12 we chased huge jacks up to 40 pounds! Its a great time to fish full days.
2 weeks ago we jumped 4 tarpon in 4 days on fly. We caught several redfish over 30 inches with one 36.5 inches inshore. Trout have been studs to with several over 4 pounds on fly.
Fishing is just been awesome! Until Next Time
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Great times
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This video says it all. Why we should practice catch and release and why the eco system is so important. We have to make sure it is there to use for future generations to come.
Tailing Redfish with James Allen Cone |
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Flood tide fun for all
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Here are a few of the fish we caught while the wind was blowing 20 and the rain was not going anywhere last week.
Scott
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Mixed bag and lots of redfsih
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Saturday brought trout, jacks, flounder, sharks, redfish, and even a triple tail! Fishing is hot!! 
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Mad trout action
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The trout are thick and it takes an early riser to really get them. We had over 100 fish on Friday Morning and I heard from several other local captains they had the same success. Its time to go troutin!!!!
Remember let go the big females and only keep what you are going to eat that day.
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Top water action
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Well the title says it all we had some great top water action last week! Skidder walks and Lucky Crafts all the way brought fat fish to the boat.
This made me feel a little better after my bad luck. I feel for the owners its a nice boat and surly got blown up with the 50mph winds we had.
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John and Jay jam!!!!
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John and Jay spend 2 days fishing with me and it was a blast. They found out that Im a little crazy (I already knew) and I found out that they can have a lot of fun while catching fish. We caught fish all day on both days all the way through the tides. The fish blew up on gurglers, toads, and small shrimp patterns.
Great fun guys and I will see you soon!
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Fly fishing fun!!!
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Its always a great time fishing with Keith and we saw hundreds of fish and got a few to eat. It may not have been the most fish he and I have caught together but I will remember the huge schools for the rest of my life. They were so spooky Keith had to get out of the boat and stalk them down the bank which paid off with a 13 pounder!
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FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
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I got to spend the day fishing with Terry Stevens. He is a great friends and reps for several of the leading tackle companies out there. We always have a great time fishing and there is come competition in the mix as well. Enjoy the great pics. Most of the fish were caught on Strike King lures like to Pure Poison and the Shadalicious as well as several 3x baits. We also used Fished Bites ghost jerk bait and several top water plugs.
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Wednesday - Sunday was on fire
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Fishing has gotten better with every passing day. Waters are starting to turn slightly salty. I always enjoy fishing with John Aldridge. He is my closest friends Robs father. Rob has ventured into the guiding business and he and I fish tournaments together and any chance I get to fish with his dad I take. It's a constant laugh and a great time. Wednesday was no different. He drove down from N.C. that morning and we headed out for some triple tail action. We saw lots of fish but could not make it happen so we headed back inshore for look for some redfish. It wasn't long and we scored! I don't know how many we caught I lost count at 13 or 14 but it was a lot. They were all big fish and I even got to go back to my roots and hand line one in that had broke off and then gotten tangled in the other lines. It was great. We talked about our keys trip over Christmas and were planning to go again. We also talked cars as Robs dad love his cars especially 442's. He has a passion for then and has a triple black 442 W30 that will make you want to be a kid again. It was a great time.
Thursday was back to fly fishing. The water was starting to flood so we went after some tailing fish in the grass. Mark had 6 fish eat landing 5. All the fish were in the 7 to 10 pound range and as the sun set we enjoyed a slow ride back to the dock with a cold beverage in hand. The fish were slamming crabs and shrimp in the skinniest of water and the glass minnows well, they are by the millions on the edge f the grass. As the water turned to start out the fish moved in and were going air born eating them as the showered the surface. We cast several fly's at them with no luck and my take is that its like trying to with the lotto with one ticket. There was just to much bait.
Friday I fished in St. Augustine. It was fun. I has 2 guys from Europe and 2 from Scotland. Non of which I could understand. Fishing was a new thing to them as they were all big golfers but the coast caught their attention so they though they would give it a try. We started out at the jetties and without any luck moved inshore to catch a few trout and several jacks and blue fish. Our day ended when a guy in a stump knocker pulled in next to us and caught 2 upper slot redfish after we had fish there for 30 min. with not a bite. They were great and I hope to see then again next time maybe they will listen and apply some sunscreen. Hope that the burns dont hurt to bad guys!
Saturday and Sunday were both very productive days. Saturday was slow in the morning but the 20+ redfish and over 60 trout we caught in the afternoon we could not complain. The trout were one after the other for about 2 hours and the redfish about the same for an hour. We had several black drum as well. Sunday the wind blew and we could not make it to where we fished on Saturday. We fished hard and it paid off. We had like 10 trout over 2 pounds and a few over 4 again. The bite wasn't like Saturday but the quality was so much better. I stayed so busy that I didn't take but just a few pics so enjoy them.
Capt. Scott  |
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Is all this fresh water good? I think so!!!!
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Well after the windiest and rainiest March/April I can remember the winds and rain have slowed. The Satilla and Altamaha rivers both flooded well into the surrounding low lands, into homes and across roads for several weeks. The Satilla flooded to an all time high in Waycross and was just shy of the record at Atkinson reaching about 25 feet at the top of the flood. See BTC online video for footage of the Satilla near it's peak flood. Now 3 weeks later and the waters in the Golden Isles are truly gold.
I spoke to the DNR's Assistant Director for Marine Fisheries Spud Woodward today about several new and positive things that are going on here in Georgia. One was the studying of the Triple Tail which he said was going great. We spoke about what all this fresh water is doing to help our ecosystem. Though the conversation was short I saw a positive expression on Spuds face about several issues from the Triple Tail to Red Snapper. He touched on the issue of the fresh water saying it was a big help to our shrimp and crab populations and that to me translates into a healthier fishery. I told him about a recent day I had with clients on the water where we had caught 5 trout over 4 pounds and he told me of another huge fish caught in the same location we caught our big fish that weighted 8.5 pound!! I have seen more big trout and big redfish inshore in the last few years than ever before. Spud explained more people are practicing catch and release and that we are seeing more health stocks of big trout and I agree. From my point the trout fishing has been great in the last 8 months however it slowed way down when waters dipped into the low 50 a few months back. He also said that there are bigger snapper being caught do to less fish. I look at that as I do a bass lake not that the two remotely resemble each other. In fresh water lakes I have been told if bass over populate the lake there will be less big fish do to too much competition and not enough food and it makes since. I sometimes don't agree with everything we do or don't do to protect out fishery but Spud seemed to have a different tone in his voice when I spoke to him and that tone was positive.
This is exciting to me! I think Georgia offers some of the best angling opportunities to it's local and visiting anglers and I would like to know that it will be there for years to come for future generations to enjoy.
Back to the fishing. The last week has brought some unexpected conditions and catches catches starting with the triple tail. They are everywhere. We saw over 30 fish in just a few hours on Monday and caught 6. Most were in the 7 to 12 pound range and not really eager to eat but, with a little patience reward was at the end. That same day we caught 18 big redfish on the meat. Several fish were over 10 pounds and 1 went close to 17. We didn't have a fish less than 6 pounds that day! the next day I had a morning trip that turned into a slow start. We had redfish with there backs out of the water tailing away in the grass but not willing to eat the plastics we through at them. We moved to the beach to find a few triple tail and decided to move back inshore to look for some trout which turned into another story. I'll just say we has 3 redfish in 4 hours. Not that the fish were not there they just were not eating. At that point I was not looking forward to my afternoon trip. I met David and his 2 boys at 12:30 and we headed south. With the water the color of a glass of Louisiana sweat tea I crossed my fingers the fish would turn on and by 2:15 I was wishing they would turn off. 5 corks lost and a box of hooks later we had caught trout, black drum, redfish, blue fish, a flounder, and so many small sharks that I couldn't wait until 4:30! I only with that the fish would have put a show on for us that morning. When the fish don't cooperate it make you really appreciate when they do. I just wish we would have caught half the fish that morning that we caught that afternoon! Bait is everywhere and things are starting to heat up. Summers just around the corner.
Capt. Scott
Tight Lines Capt. Scott
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If you love sight fishing you should be fishing
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Well as water temps fall to 43 degrees fishing couldn't be BETTER. If you like to sight fish NOW is time to be on the water. With water clarity as clear as a summer time swimming pool it is on. Huge schools of redfish, black drum and the occasional trout lined up to eat anything that is dropper in front of them all that is needed is you! Saturday I got a last minute fly fishing trip. Rod called Friday to book a Saturday trip. Weather was perfect no wind, blue skies, and happy fish. We got to our first stop. As I moved the boat onto the flat the fish appeared. They appeared by the HUNDREDS Rod cast and was hooked up right off. He fought to bring the fish out of the school of now fleeing fish. As the fish neared the boat the fly pulled. It turns out the hook bent and looked like a cork screw. We retired and moved in. Rod cast to a school of 40 to 60 fish coming by the boat and we watch the fish chase down the fly and eat it. We continued to catch fish until we were ready to head in. We ended up with around a dozen fish on fly which is just a great day. Great job Rod I hope you have the same luck in the Bahama's.
Capt Scott www.flyfishgeogia.com
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Permit in the Keys
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As many of you know the Fl. Keys have a special place in my heart. I have great friends, great memories, and great love for these islands and was able to share this with Jessica last week. Jessica and I don't get to go on vacation much together so when she asked if we could go to the Keys for her week of vacation I was excited. See has not taken a vacation in over a year and we were in need.
No Name Pub
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2nd day with Steve and Frank 1-23-09 report
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Well I will just say if you have read the past 2 reports you will understand and if not read up! The fishing was just crazy!!
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Red, Black, and Blue 1-22-09
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Red fish, black drum, and blue skies that is. Steve Cone generally spends his days fishing with his two sons Steven Jr. and James Allen. He gives advice to the boys while taking pictures and video all from the back of the skiff. Well Thursday was a different story! Having watched both his sons catch redfish on fly, Steve himself had never caught one himself. All that was about to change. Steve arrived at the dock with Frank at 8am. It was 28 degree's and even know it was only 2 degree's warmer than the day before the skies were clear and the wind was calm. Our first stop proved to be a good one. As we approached the flat we could see the fish pushing along the bank. We tied on a small shrimp pattern and moved in. The fish charged the boat and as Frank started his cast they spooked. We stopped and waited for the fish to move back toward us. They were rising like rolling tarpon eating tiny fish off the surface. We moved into position and the fish headed back our way. This time Frank made a long cast far in front of the fish. One ate and Frank set the hook. As fast as the rod bent it unbent and the fish was gone. We poled the flat for another half hour and ended up catching 2 fish. One happened to be Steve’s 1st redfish on fly. We celebrated and headed to our second spot. With the sun at our back we started to push the boat onto the flat when a big fish appeared at 3 o'clock. Frank cast and the fish rushed toward the fly and ate. It was a robust fish at about 9 pounds. We released him and as Steve took the bow a huge school of fish 20 feet wide and 5 to 10 fish deep came at the boat. Steve made a perfect cast laying the fly just ahead of the 1st fish. It ate and took off in the opposite direction taking the rest of the school it. As we approached backing on the spool we knew we had a strong fish. As the backing ran through the guides the fish turned and charge back at the boat. Steve kept up with him and after running under the boat we landed her. She was a stout girl about 8 pounds and just mean!
The rest of the day went on about the same and we caught fish after fish including some very impressive black drum to over 12 pounds. The fish were all so great and left us with a day to remember for a life time! It wasn’t just catching that day that made it so great it was the eats, tails, fights, and great friends.
Tight Lines Scott
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Jan-20 Report
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The water is so clear I feel like I'm in the Bahama's!! Guiding the last several weeks has been a very special treat for me and my clients. Sunny skies, crystal clear water, light winds, and happy fish have made for some of the best sight fishing I have seen. Fish have charged flies from 5 feet away, fought over gurgles, eaten flies before they even seem to hit the water and sucked in and out flies 3,4 and 5 times before either realizing they were not edible or been hooked. It's all been awesome to watch and be a part of.
It all started with Ben Austin and I leaving the dock while it was 26 degree's. Yes 26 degree's! Water from the cooler was frozen in the floor of the boat and the salt spray froze to our paint legs. We stopped at a flat just a few hundred yards from the ramp. The wind was blowing straight down the flat and the water was muddy. I decided to run to a spot where the wind would be blocked. We arrived to find calm, crystal clear water alive with tailing fish and wading birds. As we poled toward a school of tailing fish Ben cast at a single fish ahead of the school. The fish exploded on the fly and the fight began. As we backed away from the school another fish charged in thinking there was food to be had. We landed the fish and met the bottom of the low we continued to catch fish. As it turned in the black drum headed to the skinniest water they could physically swim in. We watch time and time again as they swam with half of their bodies out of the water. We cast crab patterns in front of them and watched as they pounced them like kittens do bugs in the yard. This day we thought was going to turn out bad warmed up and the wind died off. It turned into the best day Ben and I have shared on the water together.
Tight Lines Captain Scott Owens |
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Huge Schools are around after this COLD weather
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Been fishing quite a lot since before Christmas and as the weather dives into the mid 20s at night the fish have really schooled up huge. We fished around Egg Island on Friday and the fish were everywhere. Joe and his family cast soft plastics to the fish and managed to pull 13 fish from the school in about an hour. The trout were less cooperative after several shallow water spots we tried some deep drops with no luch earlier in the day. I feel they are just hunkered down with water temps. in the upper 40s and low 50s wouldn't you be? I have a busy week again this week full of fly fishing so check back soon for new reports.
Tight Lines.
Scott |
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Dec. - Jan. Update
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Late December was a great time to be on the water. Mild temps, sunny skies, light winds and great fishing made for some big smiles. Keith Calhoun was one of the anglers who took advantage and ended up catching 11 nice redfish on fly in just a little over an hour. James Allen Cone at 11 amazes me every time we fish together. He cast a fly rod like he was born with one in his hand. His brother Stephen at 14 is the same way. Stephen has concord bonefish, redfish, and snook on fly but James Allen had yet to land his first saltwater fish on fly. He has caught 35 inch snook and redfish over 13 pounds on spinning tackle and rainbow, brown, and brook trout on fly back home in North Carolina where their dad Steve has spent lots of time with the boys fishing. When they come down to fish in St. Simons Steve lets his boys on the bow and he take a back seat with his camera and great advice. After 2 days of tough conditions do to a front that moved through which drove us far back into the creeks in search of trout and redfish they decided to stay and fish Friday morning. We met at 6:30 am and it paid off. Stephen got the bow first. It didn't take long and Steven landed his redfsih on fly. We had a tough time finding out what the fish were eating but once we did they ate. As the tide turned to come in the schools started to break up and James Allen had his work cut out. As we headed to the far end of the flat we moved in on a few fish that were working the grass line with there backs out of the water. We blew the first few fish out and then it happened. A fish moved in with his back and tail out of the water James Allen made a great cast and 2 strips later the fish slammed the fly. It was a tough fish taking us 100+ feet into the backing more than one time. After several attempts to elude capture we landed the fish. A huge 8 pound bruiser. James Allen was shaking and the smile was from ear to ear. Look for the video soon. I will post a link. Tight lines and enjoy every day like there no more.
Scott
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Great day new friends and HUGE A REDFISH
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It was Friday morning at 6:30am when I pushed the Hells Bay off the trailer and met Jo and Loyd. It was a still and quiet morning. The sky was black as we headed out the creek where we met toward the ocean side flat I had chosen to fish that day. As we were half way through the 40 minute ride the sky started to change from black to bark blue and then yellow and orange. we were looking forward to seeing the sun break through the horizon as we made our way to fish. As we got to the ocean the sun was still hiding from us as we idled into the area we were going to fish next to steep slope of the white sand beach full of pelicans waiting for better light so they could head out for breakfast. We stopped short of the flat and I started to pole to where the fish awaited us. As we approached the fish, they pushed away not in a hurry but slowly as if we had just disturbed from a great night sleep. As we closed in on a small school tailing and pushing at us I looked over my shoulder and say the sun just break the tree line behind me. It was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. Everything was perfect at that moment. Then in the time it took to look over my shoulder and back another school of fish blasted out from underneath the boat as Loyd cast the small shrimp pattern in front of them.
The rest of the morning went about like that. The fish laying around until we bothered them enough to move. As the tide turned to come in the fish became more aggressive and while we moved slowly down the bank we say a tail emerge next to a small clump of oysters. Loyd made the cast and the fish charged, ate and run right under the boat wrapping the line around the pole and then the powerpole. Loyd moved fast and we avoided a broke rod and lost fish. As I watched the line clear I looked down and saw a large fish run under the boat and then realized the line had made a big u and was coming tight as it swept again under the boat. This fish knew what he was doing. Maybe he had been caught before or just read the play book either was he was doing everything he could to stay under the boat and around oysters. After a few short runs and close calls with oysters and the boat he emerged from the now muddy water where he had made such a great effort to escape capture. As his head broke the surface I saw how big he was. I grabbed the leader and began working him to the boat where I could get the boga on him. As I lifted him out of the water we all realized how big he was. Loyd and I both were surprised as our eyes widened with amazement. I looked at the boga grips scale which was bouncing between 17 and 18 pounds. As the fish settled the scale did to. It appeared we had landed the fish of a lifetime at 18 pounds this was not only Loyd's biggest red but the largest one I had ever guided a client to catch inshore. We released him and watched as he swam away still in somewhat disbelief.
Tight Lines Capt. Scott
P.S. Jo thanks for the great pictures.
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Offshore Report
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Headed offshore yesterday with Rob about 30 miles to G and fished the wrecks. Lots of bait on the wrecks maybe even to much. We crushed the BIG sea bass some almost 4 pounds! The grouper were non existent an until 4pm so were the red snapper. We ended up with 1 red about 10 pounds. The Shearwaters first trip offshore was flawless and the seas were 4 to 5 at 10 seconds. It was just a big swell and we ran 30mph out and 40 back in. We stopped at F reef and caught a few more sea bass were last week we had a few nice red snapper one 12 pounds. Red got back in about 6pm after seeing 3 right whales and a beautiful sunset.
Tight Lines Scott
Right Whale offshore of F reef The sun set looked like the sky was on fire! Rob and His nice Snapper Snapper face
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Fishing is still hot!! Wish the weather was.
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Fishing inshore and near shore is still on fire. The big tides of the fullest moon of the year brought us this week and wind has churned up the water a bit and we have been targeting stripers the last few days. The bite has been good not great with a window of about 4 hours where the fish either eat or don't. Enjoy ..
Scott
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Please read and take a few minutes to visit the site and sign
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This is a very important step to help preserve out fishery. Please take the time and sign in support.
Go to www.georgiaredfish.org when you have time. Still needs a lot of work, but I believe it's a cause worth fighting for. If you have any questions please give me a call.
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Even with the wind blowing 20 we are off to a great fall and winter.
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Fishing has been great even though the weather hasn't and the fish are hungry. Trout, Reds, and Stripers are around in big numbers and we have been catching big numbers of fish on every outing. Enjoy.
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October blast
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Its that time of year when the water starts to get gin clear and the fish start to eat everything they can to fatten up for the winter months. We have had some really windy days but it has not slowed the fish down. When we go we catch and as the Will and John said on Wednesday and Thursday about fishing in the wind after driving 6 hour from NC "yah we do that".
If you are interested in fishing give us a call and ask about our fall and winter deals.
Tight Lines
Scott
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The fish don't know the world is broke
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The fish don't seen to mind the fact we are in this crazy economic position. As we pulled up to our first stop the fish were tailing and eating everything in site.
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Shrimping, Shooting, and Chasing Tails
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Well the title says it all! It is that time of year where you can go and catch loads of shrimp in cast nets that are 16-20 count in a pound, shoot Marsh hens, and chase tailing redfish on the flood tides until your body hurts from it all. Trust me I know as I can hardly move from throwing a net and polling the Hell Bay while clients cast and blast as it is better know. We have just been having a blast the last week as the full moon helped push lots of water in on the flats as well as washed out the big shrimp from the river. Enjoy and come see me so we can go have some fun in these crazy times.
Yummy
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Bull Reds
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Well the bull reds are in and its that time of year where the inshore fishing really heats up. come join us for a great day on the water and see what coastal georgia fishing is all about.
Scott
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Booking now for tarpon season 09 May-June Florida Keys
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I am now booking for the 09 Tarpon Season in the Keys. Check out the video below.
http://gallery.me.com/captainscott#100036
Call to book early and get the best dates. 912-270-7300 |
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Owens-Aldridge win IFA Cabelas Team of the Year
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Well after battling it out with some of the worlds best redfish anglers and pro's and fishing some really nasty conditions we went into the last tournament leading the points. Rob and I fished a spot south of St. Augustine where we were on fish the week before the trip and as the tides got right the rains and winds started. It rained so hard that we could not see the tree line 100 yards away and the fish on the flood were not going to tail with this down pour. We made a move south to Pelicier where we know we could put a few fish in the boat. At this point we were half way through the day and know we just needed to weigh in fish to maintain our lead for team of the year. We ran the trolling motor dead that day and on the last cast we brought in our second fish. Both were rats but put us on the board and we then went on to win The of the Year.
Thanks Rob for the hard work in those rains we could not see in.
Scott |
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Tails Tails and more Tails
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NOW is the best time of year to fish the flooded grass for tailing redfish and it has been great. It doesn't matter if you are cast a fly or light spinning its a blast. Fish are in the 4 to 15 pound range and ready to eat.
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FLW WAL-MART Redfish Series
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Well first came Fay which has turned the waters copper from Amelia down to around St. Augustine due to the flow from the massive St. Johns river. Then came Hana which hammered the east coast with rain and winds the day the tournament started.
Day 1 - There was some tough competition and even tougher weather conditions which lead to the postponing of day 2 until Sat. Thursday started out nice and as the day progressed the conditions got worse . Rob and I pre-fished the week leading up to the tournament and like most of the other teams had a plan which included fishing the flood tides which were getting bigger and bigger everyday leading up to TS Fay. However day 1's weather was calm first thing and we got on fish first thing in the morning and really put them in the boat. I think we caught something like 20 or so but all were 23 inches or less except for the 15 pounder we caught the first cast. We ended up day one with 2 fish in the 22 to 23 inch range and knew that would not do it. At weigh-in everyone was saying we had good fish and it turned out we did. Those 2 fish put us in 4th place after day one. It seemed everyone else had trouble on day 1 as well.
Day 2 - Canceled do TS Fay
Day 3 - Brought light over cast and some wind but it was a lot better than the 30 to 40kts winds the day before. Rob and I ran to our 1st spot and on the first cast we landed a respectable 26 inch fish. We though it was on until 6 hours went by with out a fish. We moved and power fished the ditch with spinner baits and crank baits. At 2:30 we doubled up with a nice pair of fish one 24 and one 23. We weighed both and like it should be the 24 was heavier. We continued to fish another 15 min. and then we made the run back to the scales. Our hard work paid off and we moved from 4th to 2nd place.
Day 3 - Judgment day - After an afternoon of camera interviews and photos we arrived at the dock around 5:30am. We were the 1st ones dockside and we sat waiting for our competition to arrive as they did shortly after. Then the camera crews arrived with an extra 200+ pound of gear. We were lucky we got the smallest guy in the group. I'm not sure if it was because we had the smallest boat of if the cards just played out that way. We did our morning interviews and headed out. The day was calm, hot, and clear. Great for sight fishing! We arrived at our first spot and the water was the color of 3 day old coffee with mud in it. We started down the bank and saw fish moving and feeding on bait. We move in on a school of fish and could not get a bite. We through everything in the boat at them and nothing no love for 2nd place. We moved to the intercoastal where we saw fish blasting baits out of the water and again no love. We decided to make a big move to Jacksonville and fish the little jetties where there can be some huge fish there this time of year. After 30 min. a 4 pound croaker and a gag grouper we moved again. This time to Browns Creek where Rob and I have caught nice fish. By this time it was 12:30 and the pressure was on. Both day 1 and 2 we had a fish in the boat by 7:30am and here it is almost 1pm with no fish!! We ran back to where we started and worked spinner baits and Fish Bites over the flooded oysters with no luck. After 2, 16 inch redfish and 15+ flounder we just couldn't make it happen. We ended day three with no fish to weigh. At the dock we were not the only ones. Another team from Jacksonville had the same luck and we ended up falling back to our day 1 spot of 4th place. Rob and I had 3 great days of fishing and are very pleased with our 4th spot. We have fished 3 tournament this year so far with 1 win, a 4th and 10 place finish. Watch for us on Fox Sports Net (FSN) November 2nd 2008. Thanks for all your support and come let go fishing.
Scott
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Jacks and Tarpon still strong.
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Top water and streamers are key to success for huge jacks and tarpon. The water has been blue clear and the winds calm. Looking for tailing jacks in the sounds or rolling tarpon early in the mornings before boat traffic picks up is key. Enjoy these great pictures of these lucky anglers and there fish.
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Tarpon on the flats
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Rob and I headed down to St. Augustine to do some fishing. We were on the lookout when we came across a school of tarpon in the inter coastal. A friend told me of some fish they had seen on the flats a few day before. It was low tide and as the water started to come in the fish did to. We spent the rest of the day sight casting to tarpon in water less than 3 feet. Enjoy
Scott
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Jacks and Trout on fire
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Headed out early for some trout fishing with Rich and his wife and as we made our way across the sound we ran into a huge school of jacks. Lets just say the trout never got there chance. I will upload the fish pics soon when they email them to me.
In the afternoon the trout fishing was some of the best I have seen in a long time. Justin and his buddies landed over 60 fish. All but about 10 were over 15 inches and they did a great job. All the fish were released. On the way home we ran into another large school of jacks and about 50 minutes later Justin landed this huge one one a trout rod. Way to go guys!!! Scott
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Drag screaming rod bending action
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Well as you can see the fishing is still as hot as the weather. Tarpon, jacks, sharks, redfish, triple tail, trout, ladyfish, and spanish mackeral are all around for catching. If you want to come and catch some big fish now is the time.

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If you dare come on and get some!!!!
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Well as you will see from below the big boys are back in town!! If you think you can handle one of these guys you better bring you A game when you come. Enjoy!!!!!!
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Huge Tarpon Pictures from last week.
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This was a fish of a life time for all of us. 8ft long!!!!
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Record turn our in Titusville IFA
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Great Conditions for what we do best and thats shallow water sight fishing. Well the field was 131 teams competing on Saturday for the win. We had a great number and were let go at first light. Rob and I headed to our first stop a shallow water flat that should have lots of tailing fish on it. We scored at 6:40am we landed our first fish at 7 pounds and just an 8th of an inch short of the 27 inch limit. The morning was off to a good start we though. After a few hours we had only landed 2 other fish and both were under the slot. We decided to make a move and a short boat ride landed us just south in the river where Rob spotted a tailing fish on the edge on a sandy spot. I made a long cast and stuck a big fish which was well over the slot. We traded paces and I got on the poling platform and spotted a shallow spot with several fish working the edge. Rob cast and hooked a drag screaming trout that was as long as my leg. We were running out of time and the tide was starting back in so we ran back north and started casting at tailing fish. It was not long before we realized that this was not Georgia. Every fish we cast to spooked and headed for the hills. I took a different approach and cast a fish bites ghost jerk bait at a fish and left it out in front of him about 10 feet. the fish tracked and ate. It was a good 25 inch fish so we new we were in the money with the 2 fish we had. We only had about 40 min. of fishing left and we worked out to some deeper water and started seeing fish. I cast to what looked like a good fish just to have his big brother come out and steel the meal. The fish was to big, at 33+ inches he took a bit to land and after that one we were out of time. We had a great day on the water and caught quite a few redfish and trout. The 2 fish we weighted were good enough to place us in 10th and keep us in the lead for Team of the Year. We also won the calcutta money for biggest fish and 3rd for aggr. weight. So far Rob and I prove to be a great match and with over $26,000.00 in winnings this year alone we are going to keep fishing like there's no tomarrow!!! 
Until next time tight lines Capt Scott |
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Huge Tarpon
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Well its summer time and the only thing I love more than catching tarpon is watching my clients battle is out with the Silver King. The day started early around 6:30am and the fish were everywhere when we arrived at our first stop. Patrick picked up a spinning rod with a large Creek Chub topwater on it and began to cast it at fish that were blasting bait before the sun was above the horizon. It didn't take long and a fish came and took a look at the plug. Pat said he had just had a fish swirl on the plug so we all watched to see if the fish would return. He twitched the plug and the fish slammed it. Pat set up on the fish but son after the hooks pulled. As the tide went slack the fish did as well and we didnt see another fish roll until we made a move north about 45 minutes away. We stopped and got set up. We saw a fish roll and then one of the rods doubled over and a huge fish aired it out. We knew the fish was big but as Brand faught it we had no idea how big it was until it rolled up next to the boat about 45 min. after the hookup. I was speechless and as Pat and I put the tape to the fish we realized how big it was. The fish measured 84 inches long (8feet) and had a girth of 39 inches. After releasing the fish we did some math and realized we had just released a fish over 200 pounds!! Way to go Brand.... Pictures coming soon. |
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Tarpon Time
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The big silver guys are all over the beaches. Went 4 for 6 on a full day trip at the first of the week with the biggest around just over 120 pounds. Talked to several other guides today after a day inshore fishing and the bite was on fire. If you want to catch a big tarpon now is the time to do it. The beaches are on fire and the bite is as hot as the weather!!!
Tight lines www.flyfishgeorgia.com |
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Moon light redfishing on fly
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Well this is something I have though about doing for a long time and well we did it. We fished the full moon and caught 1 fish in about 2 hours. We could see the school but could not get many eats so its to the vise to tie up some bugs that will move some water. I had to use a slow shutter speed to get the photo but its not bad.
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Summer love
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Early morning low tides last week were out of this world. Fishing is just been great some of the best I've seen in several years. BIG FISH redfish over 10 pounds are and have been an everyday thing. I had a trip yesterday with Whit (miami) and his dad (pine island) and we had 19 fish between fly and plastics. What blew my mind is that 14 (85%) of the fish went over 10 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!! These guys were stocked. We have had some great flood tides as well and there are lots of trout in the rivers as well. The tarpon have shown up thick on the beackes and I have seen them a few times inshore around some of the deep holes in the inter coastal waterway. It time for full day trips with early morning redfish and afternoon pooning. Hope you enjoy!!
Scott
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Holly fish
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Well I have been back from the Keys for a week now and have been fishing every day. Bait, Plug, and fly each day has been different and the fishing has been as hot as the weather. So here it is day by day.
Tuesday Joe Williams
We started out fishing the low tide leaving the dock at around 11am and casting jerk baits to cruising fish. It wasn't long before we hooked up and then there was a double. I decided to cast out a chunk of blue crab and it didnt hit the water and a fish slammed it. Before I realized what I had done we were tripled up. After about 4 to 5 minutes we landed the first fish and then the other 2. We weighed the fish and had a combined 3 fish weight of 28.5 pounds. Joe smiled and said lets get another. We ended up with 8 fish on artificial and 6 on crabs. the bigest was 13 pounds!!! Way to go guys.
Wednesday Marius and boys The day started a ittle earlier at 6 am and we headed out for some trout and redfish down around the beach at Cumberland Island. We smoked the trout down with around 70 fish landed 20 or so being trout and the rest being ladyfish, jacks, whiting, and redfish. It was a busy day on the big boat. I think I would rather pole the flats on a windy day than run shrimp back and forth from the bow to the back and over and over again. It was a blast and Marius and his boys were a lot of fun.
Wednesday Afternoon with Terry Stevens Reds Reds and more Reds its always fun fishing with Terry.
Thursday With Terry again Wind and muddy water couldn't stop the redfish and we smoked them down releasing several big fish around 8 to 10 pound and several smaller ones. DROPPED IPHONE IN WATER LOST PICTURES
Friday 2 boat trip with Bruce and the guys and gals from the N. Guard We had rough conditions with winds blowing out of the south east at around 15 to 20knts but Capt. Rob and I along with some hard core anglers fought the conditions to end up with lots of quality trout, redfish, and whiting. We even got a few nice sharks for the kids.
Saturday With Joe from Tuesday Joe and a friend trough plastics at low water and again caught several big redfish in the 10 pound range. We caught some lady fish and saw a big school of tarpon on the way to the beach. We started looking for triple tail and it wasn't long before we found them as well. we caught 2 and cast at another 10. It was a great day on the water as the winds laid down to 10 knts from the south west.
SUNDAY with the Basket ball star New York Nicks Jared Jefferies
What a guy!!! Jared and his Wife to be were great!! I have a new respect for pro athletes. Jared spend his summers in Florida where he runs his Pathfinder 24 in search of tarpon, snook, cobia, and other unlucky fish. Jared is as much of a pro angler as a pro athlete. We started troughing plastics for reds where he and his gal caught around 10 fish 1 being just over 13 pounds. We then headed to another spot where Jared used his tall reach and the 7'6" St. Croix rod to cast, hook, and fight several redfish over oysters which were just a few inches under the surface. Any one else that didn't stand almost 7ft tall would have just been cut off. We had a great day and my hats off to Jared and his gal for everything he does for his home town and the attitude and respect he bring to the court and to the water. Thanks for a great day and you have a new fan.
Monday with Tom Bennett Tom put a hurting on the redfish and as we left one flat for another we kept on catching them. Tom caught serveral fish over 8 pounds and his biggers on fly ever.
Tuesday With David Z. and Steven Oakley These 2 guys had never fly fished in Salt water and the fish better fear them. They both adapted to the longer castes and bigger fish. We started out early leaving the dock before day light (5:45) and heading south for a 40 min boat ride. Lets just say by 11 am they had caught 7 redfish and were working on the triple tail. We caught 2 triple tail and went looking for a tarpon. We didn't find them but we had one heck of a day. great day guyes.
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Florida Keys 08 trip was awsome
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Well I headed down south to Big Pine Key to guide some clients who fish with me in GA and we hammed the tarpon, permit, and snapper. I even got to fish a few days and got my fix for the year with poons on the fly. Brian L. got his first tarpon on fly durring the Tarpon Bonanza and Mike landed a huge 28 pound permit the same day. Bo and I got to fish the worm hatch at Bahia Honda and caught several fish. If you have never seen the worm hatch it is crazy. There were thousands of tarpon feeding for as far as we could see. It was a chance in a life time. Enjoy the pictures and if you are interested if fishing the 09 tarpon season in the middle and lower keys let me know I will start booking trips from May 20th 2009 for the keys.

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Ranger Banshee 4 Sale REDUCED to 13,500.00
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SAVE 9,000.00 Big Ones Won in the Jacksonville IFA this certificate entitles the owner to 1 Ranger Banshee, 1 Yamaha 40-hp 4 Stroke, 1 Loadmaster trailer, 1 6 ft Power Pole, 1 Minn Kota Trolling Motor, and 1 Humminbird Electronics. Retail with all equipment around 23K. The certificate can be upgraded to another Ranger like the Banshee Extreme through a dealer like Mosquito Lagoon Outfitters. It is good through Oct. 12, 2008 and if the boat is ordered after July 1st you will get a 2009 boat. Ranger Has changed the Banshee deck and it now has a more finished deck cap. Asking 13,500.00 OBO. Order the boat the way you want it. Contact Captain Scott Owens at 912-270-7300 or Captain Rob Aldridge at 904-403-6136 for more information.
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Trout, Reds, and Triple Tail
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Spring is of course in full swing and the fishing has been really good. The trout never left the rivers again this year and seem to be in every nook and turn on the creeks and sound. Most are averaging around 15 to 18 inches which is a huge difference than the usual 11 to 14 inch fish we are use to. We have been getting them on Fish Bites Shrimp on a jig head and on lead eye toad flies. The Red fish are fat, with the creeks, flats, and just about every spot in the rivers teeming with glass minnows, mullet, shrimp, and crabs. They have the golden coral buffet every where they look. Fishing with Scott Leffler from TX a few days ago we had a 10 pound red fish before the sun even started to show above the shy line and 2 more after that that we both over 10 pounds. We headed out on the beach to see about getting a triple tail on fly and were met with over 20 boats and not many fish. He cast at 2 fish and got the cold shoulder so we switched to the catch every thing fly, the toad. He cast at the 3rd fish we saw and it ate. It ended up being a 6 pounder. The tide was about to turn to start out and we headed back inshore to look for floaters. By now the sea breeze had started to blow and our first spot had white caps on it. We moved to another spot and 3 fish popped up right infront of the boat. We were moving fast with the wind and I put the powerpole down as Scott L. made a quick cast infront of the fish. One of the fish slammed the fly and was off toward TX. This fish meant business and after a run that took over 200 feet of backing I questioned if we would land him or if he would cut the leader on one of the oyster beds that litter the bottom. At the end Scott L. won the battle and was rewarded with a beautiful copper fish that was as tough as they get. The fish went over 11 pounds. We hit 1 more flat as the sky got dark and the rain threated to come our way. As we putted up even with no sun we could see the fish moving in and out of the grass. One fish went air born after the fly as the fine came tight and another slammed it as it fell from a blade of grass what a day!!!!
Tight Lines and Happy Fish
Scott
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Waters clear and fish are poppin
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Here are a few we got on plugs and fly in the last few days. The weather has been great and the winds calm.
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Bulls on the beach
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Well its spring and the bull redfish are cruising the beach with the menhaden pods. Cruising the beach at first light can produce a pot of gold if your lucky. Here are a few we got on monday.
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Seeing double as fishing heats up with rising water tempatures
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Fishing has really been on fire and early morning topwater poppers have been taking a lot of trout and even some redfish. As the sun starts to rise the trout seem to vanish and the redfish start to show themselves along with some monster black drum. Now that the crabs are out and the shrimp are starting to show up everywhere the fish are really tailing hard at low water. We have had a lot of rain and the rivers are almost gold and the fish are really copper in color. We took 2 bul redfish 1 about 25 pounds and the other 18 on the beach last monday so after my trip I ran the beach looking for pods of fish. The menhaden pods are up and down the beach and pelicans are diving every where. Summer is just around the corner.
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Great days on the water
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Well the pictures say it all we have had some awsome days on the water. The fish are happy and the water is clear. Winds are light and the sun has been shining. Gary and his wife were a blast to fish and we didnt stop laughing all day. We had lots of cookie cutter reds in the 8 to 9 pound range and 2 over 10 pounds. I also fished yesterday down in Amelia Fl. and will have some great shots soon to post so check back.
Scott
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Redfish in the rain
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Here are a couple of fish we caught on wednesday in the sun and thursday in the rain!  |
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Great times
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Well the shrimp and small glass minnows have shown up all aver the flats. The mullet are running for there lives and the Flies are getting slammed. Here are some great shots of will and Frank with some nice reds.
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February Report
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So far February has been really good. I have had several trout trips both bait and artificial. The trout are thick and I am glad to see it. We fished way up into some creeks 3 days in a row and caught well over 50 each day with several small redfish as well. Most of the trout are in the 14 to 17 inch range but we have boated several over 3 pounds as well. If the weather holds out for just a few more weeks and water temps start to climb I think we should have another banner year for inshore fishing.
Scott  |
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Breaking Records Lots of Pics
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Well last Monday Jim and I fished together as we have for the past 3 years and had a great day on the water setting Jims personal best redfish at just over 10 pounds. On Wednesday we teamed back up and headed out. It was outgoing tide about 5 hours before low and we had great conditions. After about 45 min. Jim laid a perfect cast on a cruising school of fish and pulled a huge 12.5 pounder out of the school beating his biggest from 2 days before. This fish put Jim over 100 feet into his backing which is something redfish just don’t generally do. The fight went on for over 15 min when we finally got a good look at the huge 12.5 pounder
As the day went on we landed another fish just under 12 and I told Jim that I have never had a client catch 3 fish on fly in a half day trip. Jim caught several fish that just didn’t make it. They were 6-9 pounds but no 10s. Then it happened Jim made another perfect cast and a fish slammed the fly. After about 10 min. we landed another huge fish which weighed 11 pounds. We celebrated with a cold water and as soon as Jim stood back on the bow the fish run us over. Jim cast and another red slammed the fly. Who would have known another fish over 10!!! Jim calmly commented and said well if we are going to set new records we might as well make sure they stick a while. I smiled and agreed. After about 4 and a half hours we not only caught 5 fish over 10 pounds we also beat a record of most fish caught on fly in a half day trip. Way to go Jim!!!
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3 pigs Tuesday 1/8
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Here are 3 nice fish client Chris Webber got today on fly.
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Big Success on fly
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Well it was perfect yesterday with clear waters like the keys and sight fishing redfish. Jim and I had a great day.
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stripers report
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Went out with Rob and Satilla River Keeper Gordon Rogers for some stripers. Here is what we found.
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Great start for the New Year
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A great friend, client and former boat builder Steve Cone brought his 2 boys down from Wilmington NC. His sons James Allen 10 and Steven 13 were so fun to watch fish. Steven which is 13 years old can cast a fly with the best of adults and caught 1 nice redfish and managed to break off 2 others and have the hook putt on 3 more as the day went on. He did a great job in landing his first redfish on fly. James Allen at 10 can cast around 30 feet with an 8wt. He has a perfect cast and will soon have the strength and knowledge to be deadly on the water. He had 2 fish eat and lost both one due to the captain.(oops) This trip was the high light on my 2007 year and it reminds me that fly casting is so simple a 10 year old can do it with a little practice. This was New Years Eve.
On New Year’s Day the winds were forecast to gust to 30. We met at 8am and I was prepared to do battle with the boys and their dad. Loaded with 3 quarts of live shrimp and spinning rods we headed off into the windy morning to a small creek where we should be out of the wind. As we arrived the first rod in the water was slammed and a redfish about 17 inches fought his way to the boat. To make a long story short 10 hours went by in no time as we managed 20+ redfish and about 30 trout. What a day and what a way to start the New Year. The 2 days the boys and Steve Sr. spent with me were great fun I don’t get many kids there age fly fishing on the skiff and it really brought back memories of me and my day some 20+ years ago.
Happy New Year
Scott
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New Ambush from Gordon Boats
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After wet testing the Ambush I can say that I was quite amazed at its stability and all around performance. I have been on many "micro" skiffs and find myself a lot of the time more worried about falling out than fishing. Here is what I found while testing the 17’7” skiff. It was rigged with a 25hp Tohatsu 4 stroke. There were 2 of us on board with a combined weight of no less than 425 pounds. As we idled out of the Oak Hill boat ramp and made the turn into the northern part of the lagoon. The boat bolted to a plain and we were off. It blasted through chop like its big brothers the 16 and 18 Waterman. As we ran across inches of water and got a feel for the skiff we cut several turns at around 90 degrees. The Ambush turns sharp and responds fast. As we came to a stop off a point we stood up and began to move around the skiff. Rob and I were amazed at its performance and now it was time to see how it would fish. Walking down the gunnels of this skiff is no problem. The deck is 58 inches and at the water line it sits 50.5 inches. It tracked straight and true in water to skinny for any respectable redfish to swim in. Over all I think the Guys at Gordon Boatworks have outdone themselves again. With a price point starting at around 18k it’s thousands less than other skiffs in its class. If you are a serious about shallow water fishing and would like to test drive the Ambush give the guys at the shop a call. Ask for Tom or Bobby which can be reached at (386) 345-1338. While at the shop make sure to take a tour and see the quality they put into every skiff.
Ambush specs. 17'7" Beam to waterline 50 1/2" Beam on the deck 58" Weight =305 lbs. Max HP 40hp Draft A: 11 Gallons of fuel, 25hp = 2 3/4" Draft B: 11 Gallons of fuel, 25hp, two people equalling 410 lbs = 3 3/4"
Tight Lines Capt. Scott
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To our troops over seas
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Over the past year I have be honored to take several groups of military men and women out fishing. I have gotten calls on 2 different occasions from Iraq telling me to keep the fishing reports coming. It wasn’t long after I got another call from Andrew Mcdonald who was going to make it home around thanksgiving and he wanted to go fishing with his family. On Oct. 20 I met Andrew and his family at the dock to find out that Andrew was home after his 3rd tour in Iraq. Soon after that I got a call from a young man who was in the Army named Lawrence and he set up a fishing trip for he and 4 of his friends. He and 3 of his friends were about the leave for their 3rd tour and I sit here 2 days before Christmas I find myself thinking how fortunate I and other Americans are to be able to kiss our loved ones, walk down our streets, and go fishing. Lawrence if you and the boys are following my reports like you said you would then I would like to say thank for everything you are doing to keep Americans FREE. I know that if it were not for all the, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, and loved ones over in Iraq and Afghanistan that I would not be able to do these things. Please be safe.
Thank You & Merry Christmas
Scott |
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its just been the best weather and fishing all year
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Its slow the week or s before Christmas every year but the last 2 weeks have been the best conditions all year. The water is so clear and it is some of the best sight fishing Ive seen in months for singles and doubles laid up on the flats and corners of creeks. I think casting at a single fish and watching it eat is about as good as scratching off a lotto ticket for a mill. I could use the cast but it would just bring problems and I have yet to catch a redfish that caused me problems in life. this pool was full of tailing redfish and even trout. The tide was so low that the fish were trapped and we had to stay in the creek so we would not get stuck.
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Miami and Everglades Trip
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Here was the schedule
5am-5pm fish 5pm---- Meeting with Johnny Walker Black Label and the boys
No Really we fished and fished and had a great time here are a few pictures.

AND MAYBE THAT LAST BEER WAS A BAD IDEA. NAH
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its been a while
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Went fun fishing today and here were the results. Enjoy |
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big ol boy
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This lucky guy caught the biggest red I have seen on a flood tailing ever. Congratulations. 15 pounds of fish in 12 inches with his tail 12 + inches out of the water. What A sight!!!! He mesured over 36 inches which is all my deck ruler went to. Time for a new ruler.
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Snooking in Palm Coast
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Caught a few snook down in Palm Coast Fl last week
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redfish from the past few weeks
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here are a few redfish from the past few weeks
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Jessica's first redfish in the grass
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This was my girlfriends first redfish in the grass today. Great job!!!!
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Tailers in the grass
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Here are a few pictures of tailing redfish from today
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Tarpon Tarpon Tarpon
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Well David Reese came down and caught the first tarpon of the year back on june 10th and as of now he has caught the last on Sep. 24th. All in all we ended up with around 35 tarpon landed this year with one around 160 pounds. Congrats David
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Its hear the all new Gordon 18
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Tom and the guys at Gordon boats have really raised the bar. Thanks for building the finest flats boat around!!! The finish work and quality is as you know flawless. keep it up!!!! I had my old side console for almost 3 years and it was the best boat I have ever owned and after going through this one WOW have you guys gone above and beyond. It is truly a work of art and a fishing machine. |
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80+ redfish 20+ trout 15+black drum and flounder in 2 days
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Well I have been on the road fishing but before I left I had Terry Stevens who reps Sufix, Quantum, Strike King Lures, and other fine outdoor products which I proudly promote and use. We headed out the first morning to a special flat which holds lots of redfish and black drum. As I turned the motor off and poled onto the flat I saw tails everywhere. Some red and blue and some grey and blue. Terry locked onto a school of fish and made a perfect cast to the front of the school. As he did I grabbed a rod and cast to the side of the school. Next thing I knew we were both hooked up to big redfish. As the day progressed we catch black drum up to 12 pounds and redfish to 13 pounds. As the tide began to cover the oysters I put on a Strike King spinner bait called a Redfish Magic. Working the grass line I was able to catch several trout to 3 pounds while Terry also caught severel trout on a Zulu jerk bait. The next day we caught over 50 redfish from 7:30am to 10:30am on a small flat that was so full of redfish that we caught them on every cast. Later the same day we worked the inter coastal with spinner bait to score redfish, trout, and, flounder. We must have had more than a dozen slams (redfish, trout, and, flounder)that second day. What a 2 day run we had and we got to test some new rods and reels by quantum which did the job with no problems at all. Look for the super light line of rods from quantum. They are awesome rods. Scott  |
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pickin creek!!!
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We threw everything I had at a large school of fish yesterday morning as Roger Mast and I scratch our heads I decited to start up a creek where it seemed the fish were headed. As we rounded the first bend I saw a large fish roll some popcorn shrimp alng the bank. As Roger pitched a Gulp around the oysters I started to do the same and all of a sudden was hooked up. The creek was littered with small redfish in the 10 to 12 inch range. Thats when Roger hooked up and a fish that at first seemed small started heading around the corner as the drag on the Quantum Cabo said you better start after thi fish. I jumped up on the platform and started to pole further up the creek and as I rounded the corner there they were a large mound of oysters ready to assist you know who in breaking us off. I told roger to tighten the drag and pull. As he did and we manadged to dodge the razor sharp oysters and a few min. later land the beautyful 30 inch 9.5 pounder who had made his way into a creek just as wide as my waterman. Great times!!! 
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Backs and tails
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Well John and I had some crazy fish this morning when the tide turned the fish got shallow and I mean shallow we had 20+ fish with there at least 3 to 4 inches of their backs out of the water. Here are the picks we had black drum triple tail and trout as well!!!!!!
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Fishing report for inshore and near shore
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The Tarpon have shown up and large numbers are being caught. I have been so busy inshore fishing for redfish that I hav net been but a few times. We had a great afternoon last week when I took Scott and his buddy out for an afternoon of shark fishing and ended up jumping 2 fish 150++ pounds. We went 2 for 5 on Sunday landing one fish that was in the 130 pound range and on Wednesday we jumped a big fish on fly using a large toad fly in green and yellow. The bait and fish seem to be everywhere and I will make it a point to go after them with fly next week with friend Pat Dunn. I will post an update as soon as I can.
The inshore fishing has been HOT trout and redfish are still all over. The redfish are big and I heard from a fellow captain that the bulls were 200 feet off Jekyll beach Monday and he caught 4 or 5. Here are some picture enjoy.
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Missing TARPON oh who cares with the inshore bite we have going on!!!
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Well the title tells it all. The Tarpon are around but not many. Instead we are catching huge trout and redfish and the bite seems to just be getting better.
Scott
 WOW 
This was only from 2 trips and I have been running about 7 days a week. I will try to keep everyone up to speed as to what is going on. Right now BIG TROUt and HUGE redfish!!
Until next time scott
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7/7 report 100 tails were waiting for Ben Lyons and John as the sun came up
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As day light broke and we idled down the flat I cut the motor to start to pole when I saw the gold backs and tails of a large school of fish. As we got our eyes focused on the school we realized that we were looking at about 100+ tails. We tied on a tan and gold fly and presented it to the front of the school after 4 or 5 casts the fish didn’t seem to even look at it. We decided to change to a black and purple toad and on the first cast a 10 pound fish slammed the fly. I got a new 6wt TCR Sage last month and have not been able to break it in until today and did we ever break it in. We ended up with 2 more fish over 10 pounds and 5 more 8 pounds and up. We also lost 2 others after they ran off into the backing and the hook pulled. What a day we had the fishing was great and the company even better. I look forward to fishing with you guys again.
Scott |
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June was on fire
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Well June has come to an end and WOW what a month. I had several clients set personal bests with redfish and trout and the trout bite is still on fire. It is July 5 and I had the pleasure to fish with David Ike and his 2 great sons this morning and they caught over 60 trout several flounder, ladyfish, sharks, jacks, and a few small redfish. Both boys got there first slam catching trout, flounder, and reds on the same day. Early morning low water has produced many redfish and several over 15 pounds. Fishing creek mouths and drop offs has proven to produce flounder and trout. Big trout are still around and we seem to catch most early at low tide on topwater plugs. Tarpon are around and seem to be where the bait is and not in there usual places out on the beach. That can change over night though with a shift of the wind which can move bait over night. Look for bait pods and Schools of jacks on the 3 to 5 pound range frequent the bars beach side on the top and bottom of the tides and triple tail are still floating off jekyll island. I have had my best luck on the last of the incoming and first of the outgoing tide. On the fly try a small floating toad fly with a foam body instead on yarn and boat or artificials work best when used under a popping cork. As for the rest of July I plan on keeping it as hot as the weather. Fish On!!!!
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Fathers day special
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Well I took it easy on sunday (fathers day) even know I am not a father unless you count my dog Mason who I consider my son. Anyway we spent the afternoon playing ball and fishing at the satilla and after some must needed rain well all I can say is that the river is looking much better and its alive again. Flowing slow but flowing once again. I had several bream pop the fly and got a nice large mouth to eat. The water is cleaner with less algae. The bass were pushing small bait fish onto the banks and after casting had a great eat where all I saw was mouth and lips but I missed him. I cast several time back but nothing. I worked my way down the river and didn't have much luck so on the way back I dropped the popper back where the bass was and bam he ate it. Its great to catch a large mouth on a 4wt and the more I go the more I learn. They are easier to target than I thought. Anyway Mason got to swim and play ball and I got my biggest large mouth out of the Satilla. Enjoy
src="http://zebra.xyzdns.net/~flyfish/reports/data/upimages/lbass10.jpg" /> |
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Just having fun!!!
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We are now starting to get a break from mother nature on the wind. It has been 5 to 10 for the past 4 days and the outlook for the rest of the week is for the same. We just came off some of the biggest flood tides I have ever seen and things will soon start to settle down and the water will start to clear over the next few days. The triple tail are still all over the beaches and tarpon are hear as well. We had 13 triple tail on a hald day last week. WHAT A DAY. The trout bite is hot and will contuinue to be good at least for the next month or so. If you like screaming drags and bent rods the big spinner sharks and black tips are covered up behind the shrimp boats. As for fishing you cant catch um sitting in front of the computed so call now and lets go get-um.
Link to the first tarpon of the year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzag0FqXsUI
See you on the water
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Its summer
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Well I got to break a great sweat this week and enjoyed every min. of it. We have had some great days of fishing with just about everything from tarpon to trout. Here are a few more pictures and remember you cant catchem sittin on the cauch.
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They are here Tarpon that is
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I booked a tarpon trip about 3 months ago and new it would be hit or miss as it would be early season. On Monday a week before the trip no one had seen or tried to catch any tarpon. The bait was no where to be found and the wind was still blowing. Everything changed though on Wednesday when the winds let up and I headed on an afternoon trout trip across St Andrews sound in search of some trout. On the way in I saw what I thought was a tarpon free jump in the middle of the sound. The next day I was fishing the beach and had a small school of fish roll past the boat so I knew that they were here. We left the dock at 10am low tide and headed out. After catching bait we started south looking for schools of rolling fish. It didnt take long to find what I was looking for turns and gullson the sky line. As I headed east offshore I started to see schools of bait getting slammed and soon saw a tarpon roll. We anchored up and set the lines out. With in 5 min. we had a fish crush a free swimming bait and jump 3 time before comming off. Soon after we had around 50 to 60 pound black tip and brown nose sharks lite up our drags for the next 20 or 30 min. then it happened again this time a bottom bait and we were hooked up to a fish that we know was what we were after. How because it about jumped in the boat after making a quick run at it. THe rest of the day was filled with schools of bait being hurled into the air as hungry tarpon and sharks followed them by the boat. We ended up 3 for 7 and it was the first day anyone had been out for the silver king. It looks like we are going to have another great year of tarpon fishing here in the Golden Isles.
Bow to the beast and come see what its all about.
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Thanks David I also had a great time!!
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Captain Scott!
As someone who has lived and worked on St. Simons Island for over 15 years, I find myself in a wonderful position to be able to charter a fishing trip at will with whomever I want and do so on a regular basis.
I have taken charters with numerous Captains but NONE have compared to the outstanding experience I had with you on the water yesterday. From your quick response to my email request right down to your knowladge of the area and fish you provided the ultimate charter fishing day. My out of towns friend could not stop talking about how many trout and redfish they caught and how you took the time to teach them so much in such a short time. They will as I be back!
I'm not sure how people who are not from this area are able to find out about you, but I can assure them that YOU should be their first choice when planning a day on the waters of southeast Georgia or northern Florida.
It is obvious how much you love and respect the water and I look forward to wetting a hook with you many more times in the future.
Life is good, David Herdlinger-- |
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May pictures and reports (lots of pictures)
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Fishing in may has been great with lots of big trout and reds. We have 20+ redfish days and when we are able to find the trout they are in the 1 to 5 pound range. We have been using several patterns and a larger fly seems to work best. Colors have not seemed to make a difference. Most of the trout have been deep and we have been throughing DOA and Gulps for them. The flood tides brought lots of fish as well and will continue to produce great fishing until fall. early morning top water has been great as well. Triple tail are pleantyful on the beaches and I have seen 20+++ pound fish caught although I have only managed to land a 17 pounder that was taken on fly by gary stevenson 2 weeks ago. The big sharks have show up and are ready to eat any fly in their path. If the conditions are right shots at tarpon are also just a few weeks out. Tight lines.  |
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After a week of subtropical storm Andrea it was great to be back on the water
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Well after a week of 25 to 40 knt winds it was great to feel the breeze and sunshine out on the water again. I had friend and client John Ferguson and his brother in law out this morning for a few hours and got both of them their fish redfish on fly. Congrats boys!!! We started out about 8:30am working a flat and found a nice school of fish rolling and rubbing the bottom to scratch off those nasty parisites that have to be driving them up the wall. You can see them all over one fish. Tight Lines
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its time to relax and have some fun
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The fish are starting to bed and they are eating poppers early in the morning and late in the afternoon. This is a great way to spend the day and catch bream, sunfish, red breast, blue gill, war mouth, large mouth bass, catfish, gar, and more. St. Croix 4wt fly rods make it lots of fun and this action will last through summer. Call if you are interested in heading out for a great time at the Satilla River.
Enjoy Scott
 New beds waiting for new life All smiles
 Casting the cover Griff smiling big Having fun oh big boy Griffin working the ledge
Tight Lines and Happy Days |
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Trout Triple Tail and Reds
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Weather you want to look for a floating triple tail on the beach, pop corks for trout, or sight cast redfish now is the time to do it all. I have been fishing full day trips that we have been able to catch lots of trout up to 5 pounds on the high outgoing early in the morning until the sun gets up to see floating triple tail. Then we head out to find the floating fish for several hours and as the tide drops we head in to sight fish for redfish on the flats. It is an exciting time of year as summer closes in on us. The bait is all over the beaches and the pellicans are diving non stop along the beaches and inshore. Here are some pics from this week. One is friend and fellow Captain Mark with 2 triple tail over 20 pounds
WOW
Tight Lines Scott
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April 10th-20th report
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Well its been windy but fishing has been great. We are starting to see lots of triple tail on the beaches and have even had shots at a few in the grass at high tide. We are still catching BIG fish on the flats and the bulls are on the beaches and willing to eat a fly on a calm day when we can work the bars ocean side. The flood tides the past week were good and there are a lot of fat happy fish around. I am starting to see the big shrimp on the flats which means early morning and late afternoon lows will be awsome and top water poppers and gurglers will produce some really fast action. We are also seeing pleanty of trout around and will continue to see more and more as the white shrimp move in. Cumberland beach will start to hold trout, blues, jacks, and ladyfish and the tarpon are right around the corner.
Thanks for making spring such a fun and busy time guys and gals
Scott
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April 4th report and great time fishing with Davis
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Well this is a great follow up to yesterdays post where I vented on everyone but this is why. Today I fished a very young but very mature 15 year old named Davis Fraker. It was a pleasure fishing with this great young angler who tought himself how to fly fish and has been fishing fresh water rivers around the Atlanta area. He was a great caster, had a great eye for seeing fish and most importantly listen to what I had to share with him. We started out fishing the grass edge on a small flat where we saw fish as soon as we started polling down the flat. What was bad was that he saw the first 2 fish before I did. Once we got settled down he caught his biggest fish ever on fly which was a 7+ pound red which he sight cast perfectly. The winds started blowing so we moved to another flat where we saw fish but got blown out by the sea breeze. Once again I moved back to the flat I saw the guy killing all the fish and guess who was on there way there as I motored up to the flat and staked off. If you guessed a 25ft killer you got it. This guy pratically raced me to the flat and then he through out his anchor 30 feet from my boat. I held my breath and moved down the flat further. We found the fish and started catching them with in 10 min. and as they started to run past my boat tward the killer I stomped my foot to run them back the other way. It worked he sat there for 3+hour and only caught 1 fish which he had to through back. We ended up with 5 or 6 fish landed and another 4 that ate and came off durring the fight. Back to the killer please get some manners dude at least when a fellow guide with a flats boat came to the flat he called me to see where he could come in with out messing us up. We all should work together on the water but dont expect any acts of kindness from me when you over kill fish and try to ancor 30 feet from boat.
Thanks Davis for the great day and I know I will see you soon.
Scott
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april 3rd report PLEASE READ
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Had a great day with Bill and his some fly fishing. The day started out with great weather but by 2 the sea breeze was gusting to 15+ which made casting a pain.
I went to a flat I enjoy fishing and really got steamed when there was a 25ft T Top boat with 6 corks flying everywhere. I counted 20+ redfish that went in the cooler!!!! A certain charter boat captain should be shot. I cant believe a guy who makes his living off the fish and waters around here would abuse this vital resourse. Would CCA or DNR please do something about our limits on fish. 5 redfish per person x 6 or 7 hillbillies means 30 or 40 dead redfish which have never reproduced. Oh wait what about trout 15 trout x 6 or 7 hillbillies means 100 trout dead. Sounds like a lot well multiply that x 2 thats 200 fillets who in the hell is going to eat 200 fish fillets? I have seen this more than one time and am tired of it.  I have seen several schools of redfish wiped out because of overfishing. I am tired of catching small 10 to 14 inch trout! Some people blame it on the bait guys but I dont think it is just them. I have a close friend who is one of the finest fishing guides around and he kills his share of trout but he and I were talking a month or so ago and he said something that shocked me. He lets all redfish go. He said you could blind fold him and drive him to any spot of a river and with in 20 or 30 min he would be catching trout. I believe him because I have seen him do it. but redfsih he says are a different story and they are! We need to educate these people who feel that unless they show up to the dock with a cooler full of fish they dont catch fish. Its not about oooos and ahhhhs its about the future. Please educate our youth and others who feel free to kill our kids fishing futures. At this point with all the development, bad habitat managment, and over fishing I pray that I will have a job as a guide in 5 years. Its a shame to ruin such a great fishery. 
Thanks Bill for the great memeries I lock them away to remember in the future.
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From Mark Rhoades
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Scott,
I wanted to send you a personal note to thank you for the terrific guiding that you provided my father-in-law and I the week of March 19, 2007. Your experience and knowledge of the waterways and the species was outstanding. You obviously care a great deal not only about providing a world class experience for your client, but also about the conservation of the ecosystem and habitat. It was a true pleasure to hook into my first salt water fish ever, and on a fly to boot. I know it wasn't the largest ever but perhaps one of the most appreciated, thanks again. I would recommend your services to anyone, what an experience!
Attached are photos of Percy and I with our respective fish.
Mark Rhoades, AICP City Planning Manager City of Berkeley, CA
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March Madness is on with great weather 3/28/08 report
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Frank fished with me for the past 2 days and WOW at the redfish madness. The first day was filled with tailing fish and huge black drum and the second day was even better!!! We fished down south the first day and the water was so clear we were about to see large schools of redfish all day. We also had schools of black drum by the 100s following the mudline from the boat as we polled the flat. My guess was a free meal was turned up by the boat. Anyway on to the second day. The second day we fished up north and it was foggy as hell and 54 degrees but the wind was not even moving the water so that was a huge plus. We pulled up to the flat and the fish were everywhere. They were all ove the shrimp and the birds were over the reds. It was like October only its March!!! Anyway we got ready and moved in on a large school of fish and on the first cast we had an eat. This went on solid for about 6 hours!!!!! 
Great times I even caugh a few!!
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March has been really good and really bad
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Sorry for the lack of reports! I have been slammed with full day trips and not had the chance to update what is going on. The end of February was very exciting and we had lots of big fish on the fly and light tackle but Feb. was also windy and cold which made fishing tough. We have had 2 cold fronts move through the area in the first 2 weeks of March but now the weather is finally settling down and the fish are starting to bite We have had some serious low tides (some of the lowest I have seen) and the fish have been slightly off there normal patterns but once we find them they will eat. The really low tide make them move off into a little deeper water and they tend to be a little shy. In the last week it has been either really good or really bad as the title of the post tells. We have however been able to land several fish over 15 pounds and lots of 10++ pounders as well. they have been feeding more on the slack low and first of the incoming. Today 3/27 ws the nicest day I have fished in a long time and the fish were acting like it. First thing this morning the fish were schooled up and feeding with there backs and tails high out of the water. We watch the fish for at least an hour feeding as it was quite a sight. There were about 100 + tails and backs bobing around as the tide fell. They were happy fish and we ended up with one over 10 pounds and a few smaller. We also saw a school of black drum that some must have went 30+ pounds it was crazy. Have a look at the pics and enjoy. I will start doing reports at least 3 or 4 times a week so check back soon.
Have fun and remeber be nice and make a friend on the water we all live on this little planet and life is to short to be an ass.

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going off all day with Rivers and Glen Manager Ben Austin (Pictures)
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I had the pleasure of having Ben Austin who manages Rivers and Glen fly shop in Augusta Ga. down to fish on Monday. He came down on sunday and after a great italian dinner and a few beers 6am came quick. We headed out and were in fish as soon as we go on the flat. They were very spooky and we had to be on our A game. The sun was shining and the winds were 10knts or less. We had a tuff start but ended the day with lots of fish 2 of which went 11 and 14 pounds. All the fish were caught on 6 weights with toad and wabler patterns. If you get to Augusta make sure you stop in and see Ben they have a great shop with lots of goodies.
Enjoy Capt Scott
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windy early morning full of fish and fun!!
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Well its still blowing 15 to 20 but we made it out this morning for some action at about 6:30am and were covered up by fish as soon as we could see. We had 3 schools of fish working the flat and each was the size of a half acre lot. We manadged to get several fish hooked up and broke 1 off. Greg Donoghue (below) fought the wind and landed this red at about 7am along with others. We have some great tides this week so give me a call and lets go fishing.
Scott
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sorry for no reports I have been slammed
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Fishing has been great and the trout and pleantyful still in deeper water around bridges and docks. It has been some what windy so the flats have been blown out until the last few days. We managed to get a few reds on Sunday and Monday but they were very spooky and didnt like our offering. We tried everything in the box and finally got fish to eat a 2 inch gulp on a small TBS jig head. We are also still catching lots of black drum on the flats and creeks.
Until next time fish hard and be nice to everyone on the water and off it pays off in the long run 
Scott |
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1/31/07 redport
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I headed out with Scott Ford on Wednesday for an afternoon of fly fishing. The sky was blue but the wind was blowing 15kts out of the north north east. Fishing was tough although we saw several big schools of fish. Scott managed to get this 6 pound red to eat a crab patteren and had another black drum on. We had a great day and made the best of the wind.
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Fly Fish Georgia Tee shirts on Sale Now
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Please email me if you are interested. The shirts will be 12.50 which includes shipping for short sleeve and 20.00 for long sleeve. Sizes avalable are Medium, Large and XL. Payment can be made with visa or Master Card.
Short sleeve shirts have back logo only. (no Fly Fish Georgia on the front)
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so long warm weather
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well it is blowing 20 and 40 degree's out. Bummer  |
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1-15-07 redfish on the 6wt FUN!
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Headed out again with client Eric Davis. We headed to the same flat where we had seen so many fish the day before only this time we got there several hours before the low. It was some of the best sight fishing I have done in a long time. The water was cristal clear and the bottom on this flat is light. The sun was shining so we could see the schools of fish cruising in from around 200 feet or more. We ended up with several fish in the 10 pound range and had a great time chasing them all over the flat.
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1-14-06 another great day on the water and a first!!
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Fished with Eric Davis today and went to a very respectable flat to find no fish. We looked everywhere. Anyway we moved to find lots of fish at another place and what was cool were that the redfish were among there fellow brothers the black drum. I never have caught a black drum on the fly so I tied on a fly I thought they would eat and we waited. As the school approached we made several cast but had no takes. Then as the fish spooked away on found my fly. Later on in the afternoon Eric landed a nice 10+ pound redfish and we called it a day. We spent over an hour trying to catch those black drum and ran out of tide. Oh well we can catch redfish most any day but black drum are a special treat especially when it was my first on fly.
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1-13-07 nicest day in over 4 months
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Well all I can say is it is January 13 and it was a warm 78 degrees and the winds were less than 5 kts. We started out at 6:30am and headed to a flat. With Bill Carroll on the bow I started down the flat and right away we saw a small school of fish working. We headed them off and got a few casts to them but no takers. We continued down the flat and soon enough we caught our first redfish about 24 inches. We noticed a school of fish tailing in about 2 feet or more of water so I headed there way. I figured they were big because of the dept of the water and sure enough as they charged the fly Bill set up on a nice fish that turned out to be just over 30 inches and weigh 10 pounds. The next fish was 34 and weighed 11. We continued to catch fish until the tide turned and then it slowed down a little we moved spots to another flat and caught a few more fish on the incoming. Eric Davis and Pat Dunn were also stalking the same fish and pulled a 12 pounder out of it. What a day! Thanks Bill it was a great day fishing on the water.
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1-12-07 Redfish
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Today was 70 degree's and winds were not to bad, maybe 10kts out of the east north east. The tide was very small so the and with not much wind the water was really clear. We left the dock at about 6:45am and arrived at a small flat at about 7:45am. I started to pole and Jim started to blind cast in front of the boat. As we got about half way down the flat we had not seen a fish which was strange because I knew that they should be right there. We kept working south and as we reached the end of the flat THE BIGGEST SCHOOL OF REDFISH either of us had ever seen (close to a foot ball field) started to work their way toward us. Long story short! Jim busted there ass we had 5 fish before 8:30am and the morning was just getting started. Man I love redfish on the fly!!!!!
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Its back on!!!
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Well after the flood and huge negative tides the waters have finally settled down and the fishing is back on. A client and I left the dock before 6:30am and it was cold 40 or so. We arrived at a flat that has lots of fish on it and one we had fishing 3 days before with no luck. The fish were there but we could not get them to eat. Today on the other hand was different we got set up and had an eat on the 3rd cast with well over 10 others to follow. It was a great morning even with my Merc. on the fritz with overheating on the way in. Just a water punp and its fixed. Tight lines and keep checking back in.
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Andy and his redfish on new years eve
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Thanks to Andy and friends we had a great day catching lots of trout and this nice redfish. Happy New Year Andy.
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January tailers who new!!!!!!!
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On Thursday when I returned from a 4 hour trip I noticed that the fiddler crabs were all over the place. We have had a mild winter and the past few weeks have been in the 70's. Since we have had flood tides for the past several days I figured I would head out and see what was going on. We ran to a well known spot that has a lot of fish on it in the warmer months. As I polled into the grass we spooked 3 fish right immediately. The were not tailing but they were there. I stoped the boat for about 5 minutes and right when I was about to start to move I saw 2 fish tailing in a pool some 75 yards from the boat. As the morning went on we ended up seeing close to 30 fish tailing. Its January who know!!
Tight lines
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Fishing has been good over the New Years Weekend
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Fishing has been good over the new years weekend but clouds and a little wind have mad it a little more difficult. There are lots of redfish to be caught on the flats and have been staging in water so shallow their backs show. The trout are still in full swing and I just heard of a fish over 8 pounds being caught on Friday. This year has been great for big trout. If you keep up with the report you know we have had several fish over 6 pounds and one to close to 8.
Happy New Year
Scott |
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12-17-06 75 Degree's and Awsome fishing
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Well After the winds layed down mother nature has givinn us some beautyful weather. It had been 5 to 10 for te last 3 days with temperatures in the mid 70. Mason, Griffin, and I made it out for a fun day of fishing and had several fish up to 10 pounds and a nice black drum. The water is like pool water it is so clear and this make for some great sight fishing and even better eats.
Tight lines
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Holiday Gift Certificates Avalable
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Call now for holliday gift certificates.
Thanks Scott  |
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great corona picture
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I took this while we were Marlin fishing last June. It makes a great screen saver. Email me for large screen saver picture. |
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cold and sick of the wind
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FRIDAY NORTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.
FRIDAY NIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO GAIL FORCE. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.
SATURDAY NORTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.
SATURDAY NIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY.
SUNDAY NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP.
SUNDAY NIGHT NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
MONDAY NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
MONDAY NIGHT EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET. INLAND WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

Mother nature give us a break we get it!!!!!! |
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67 redfish and a 6.5 pound trout !!!!!!
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Well durring the Savannah Red/Trout Cystic Fibrosis tournament my anglers Tim Dare and Jeff Falcetta managed to catch over 60 redfish one of which was 32.5 inches and won Tim the largest redfish award and a trout that went 26.5 inches (6.5lb) to also win him the largest trout award. Overall these guys really fishes hard and deserved to pull in the win. They also won Team Grand Champions, Tim got Grand Champion Angler, Jeff was the runner up Grand Champion angler, they won the most redfish caught award, and the spin plug award. What a time and thanks guys for helping raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. 
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10-14 Sapelo redfish report
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Well I got a day off and what did I do??? Go fishing what else. Griffin met Mason and I at 5am to head north up to Sapelo Island. We ended up with 12++ redfish on fly and several on spinning with a 10+ pounder that griffin caught being the biggest. Hope you enjoy the pictures.  |
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Snook in Georgia. Different
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Well as the saying goes if you spend enough time on the water you will see some different things. Friday, while the wind was gusting to 35 knots Brian Cahn and his friends managed to catch quite a few trout, redfish, and oh yah a snook!! Hope they had as much fun at the FL/GA game. Enjoy 
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If you like catching trout NOW is the time to come and fish
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If you enjoy catching trout then now is the time to fish. We are catching trout from 13 to 25 inches and a lot of them. I fished a group of guys from Ark. on Sunday and we caught well over 100 nice trout. That seems to be the norm. for fishing the outgoing tide in just 4 or 5 hours. Lee Haverstock and Web Cowden also caught over 100 trout the first day of the Golden Isles RedBone tournament and managed to win team grand champions and the grand champion angler awards. Sorry no pictures but when they are on its hard to put down the rod to take a picture also we let em swim so no glamorus pictures full of dead trout which we all just love . Happy fishing |
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Stripers are here
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made it out on a fun day with friend and fellow fishing guide Scott Wagner on Tuesday and caught some nice striper. Enjoy |
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Fall fishing is hot with huge fish on the flats
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Sunday after hearing Cal and Scott talk about there 36 inch redfish on the flats durring the Redbone tournament I was excited to get back on the pole after fishing the 24 Pathfider for 3 days. WOW the first fish that Alon and his 9 year old son caught was 33 inches and it was his first at that. I explained to him that he should be very proud of the fish because it would take him a while to catch another that size. Well we got back on the school and bam he hooked another this on has bigger at 35 inches. we went on the catch a few more after that. What a day! Great Job
Monday I met friend and fly angler Keith Calhoun at 6:30am and told him of the schools and the young mans battle the day before. He was ready and to make a long story short Keith went on the catch 8 big redfish all over 30 inches but one which went 28. Our biggest was 36 what a fish and what a day. The worst part of the day no pictures.
Once again thanks to you guys for making me look so good. 
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Trout Trout and more Trout
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Well for the first time in several years I am seeing nice trout both in number and size. GREAT job to Bob Bentley and his wife for landing this monster of over 7 pounds |
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Thanks Georgia Women's Flyfishers
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Just would like to say thanks for coming down to Sapelo and fishing with us.
Great Job  |
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Follow up on the summer time bite
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It has been an awsome summer and we are now ready for fall but before I go there let me tell you about what we have been doing and what we still have going on. Fishing for redfish has been great all summer with the early morning and late afternoon lo tide being the best. The white shrimp have moved out of the creeks and onto the flats and open waters of the sounds and bays. The Redfish have been very active with so much food avalable to them. LOTS of ACTION. The spanish, bar jacks, and blue fish have been on the beaches around the sand bars in abundance. Tarpon and spinner sharks have been all over the bars and cuts in St Andrews sound as well and the Huge Jacks have shown up in the last few days. We saw schools of thousnads from 10 to 40 pounds and for the fly fisherman these can be one of the hardest fighting fish around. They crash poppers and bait like flys and destroy them!! Well hope this excites everyone!! Dont forget to book your fall winter and spring redfish trips while I still have openings!!!!
Tight loops and happy fishing
Scott
Fly Fish Georgia http://flyfishgeorgia.com/ |
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Great Guy
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Keith and I have fished together quiet a few times now and last week I had the pleasure of meeting his twin boys. We fished the flats for tailing redfish and they both caught there first tailing redfish. Thanks Keith I look forward to fishing with you and the boys for many years to come.
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Summer Time fishing is hot
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The summer time fishing has been awsome with lots of different fish to be caught on fly and light tackle. We have been catching lots of Redfish and Triple Tail inshore and there has been plenty of tarpon and big spinner sharks on the beaches. The white shrimp have moved onto the flats so early morning and late afternoon fishing for redfish on the flats has been great!!! See you on the water 
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Triple Tail in full swing
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Headed out today for some redfish and triple tail. we had a great morning! The reds are still cruising the grass line and we are seeing pleanty of floaters. The triple tail are in full swing we saw well into the 20+ fish range. Hopefully they will once again become pleantyful since the limits were changed from 5 per person to 2. Now if we could just get them to do something about the redfish and trout limits.
Tight Lines Scott  |
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Redfish and Mason
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A lot of you know my dog Mason and also know he loves to fish. I though this was a great picture of he and angler Griffin Wood with an 8lb red caught in the grass.  |
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March Fishing
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The fishing in March was great for trout and redfish. The triple Tail have now shown up on the beaches so we have another fish to sight cast the fly to. On another note Guide Tim Hoovers Toad fly has worked great for the tripl tail nd even better for redfish. I have been tying the toad with a size 2 hook and sometimes using lead or mono eyes. I am heading down to Florida to fish the Tarpon Bonanza and cant wait to see how they work on tarpon. Also the sharks are here and that means the tarpon will be showing up very soon.
Scott |
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Flood tide tailers
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Well its time!!! Went out for a couple of hours to see if it was time. We pulled into one of my favorit flats and turned to outboard off. As soon as I looked up a BIG tail poped up. We cast at the fish with the fly but the grass was to thick and he spooked. We headed to another spot and saw 3 fish in one little pool the fish went 8+. We saw better than a dozen tailing in a little over an hour not a bad start to what looks to be a great year.
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fishing on 3/8/06
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Fishing in March is going to be awsome the fish will start to tail in the grass and the schools at low tide should become very active as shrip move onto the flats. We had a great day out with several reds in the 8 pound range and one that went 15 pounds. The big fish was caught on a spoon and the rest were on buck tails and plastics.
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February Fishing report
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February has been windy and much cooler but fishing has been great when we could go. Fished on Thursday and had a great day with 5 reds landed on the fly one went 28 inches. The trout have been starting to bite in Christmas Creek and will soon show up on the beaches. Reds will start to move into the grass and tail so make sure you call to book your trip before the dates are all gone. Other than that Dave Snyder and I ran offshore about 37 miles and caught close to 20 big bull reds and a load of big sea bass.
Scott  |
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St. Augustine fishing Report
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As many of you know I lived in St. Augustine for most of my childhood and frequently run down to fish or run charters. Well this past week I was down looking for some shallow water reds and to my surprise they were everywhere!! A long time friend and fishing guide Bill Shuller and another friend Jason and I left from a spot we launch the boats from all the time. By boats I mean my 24 Pathfinder or Bills 20 Young both of which draw way to much water to fish in the different spots we fished. Anyway with a short run in the ICW we headed up a creak that widened into a vast area of small creaks and flats. We polled for about 20 minutes on the outgoing tide and were in less than 8 inches most of the time. We spooked a few loner fish and as we turned the boat around to head out we found our selves having to push our way over some areas that were to shallow to float. As I switch places with Jason on the poling platform and climbed up he said there they are. I looked and what I saw was awesome. A school of fish the size of a half acre lot was working toward the boat. We moved to the east of the fish and Bill and Jason made there first casts. The fish blew up as there baits landed in the school and both the guys were hooked up. As the fish worked past the boat I got us staked off and we landed the 2 fish. To end this store we only moved the boat about 10 feel after that and caught quite a few fish I think about 25 and as the tide moved in the fish started to break up into smaller schools and the fun was over what a day. Thanks Bill and Jason for sharing such an awesome day on the water!
Scott |
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Register and leave comments on the fishing report
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If you are interested in chatting with me on the fishing reports page then email me with your name and a password and I will ad you to the list and email you back.  |
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Fishing Report for January
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Fishing has been awesome the past 2 weeks. The wind has been light and the sun bright. We have been getting into large schools of redfish at low tide in less than 10 inches of water with great success. Most of the fish are in the 5 to 10 pound range. Clousers have been the fly of choice with black leading in color. For spinning we are still using the Exude shrimp which is for now the only bait in the box. Most of the redfish seem to be feeding on mullet and river menhaden. 
Catch a lot keep a little and the catch will get bigger and better for all of us!! |
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Call
or email to book your trip.
912-270-7300 scott@flyfishgeorgia.com
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