St. Simons Island: Georgia Saltwater Adventures

Speckled Trout | Image by James Lewis

I love saltwater fishing. 

Logo Courtesy of Georgia Saltwater Adventures

The affair started when I was very young and has only become more passionate with age. As an Atlanta resident however, I face two technical but not insurmountable challenges: 1) I don’t own a boat and 2) the city is landlocked. Which is why over the years I have cobbled together a little black book of fishing charter captains in coastal locales less than a six-hour drive from the ATL, the closest of which is St. Simons Island.

In my opinion, the Golden Isles offers the best saltwater action in Georgia year-round. You can stay inshore and target flounder, speckled trout, redfish, tripletail, shark and tarpon or venture further out (offshore) for cobia, mackerel, snapper and grouper. When we plan a visit to SSI, the first priority is reserving accommodations, the second is calling Georgia Saltwater Adventures and booking a trip with Captain Dave Madray (aka Downstream Dave). 

Bonnethead Shark | Image by James Lewis

I hooked up with Georgia Saltwater Adventures a few years ago when searching for a “kid friendly” charter in the area and had such a great initial experience I have used them ever since. Why? As a grandfather, Captain Dave simply understands children. Not only is he a patient teacher, but he is also graciously accommodative and stocks his cooler with extra waters, sodas, and fresh fruit like grapes and sliced watermelon. In short, he “gets it.”

Spinner Shark | Image by James Lewis

We recently took our two 10-year-old sons shark fishing as a surprise birthday present, and it far exceeded anyone’s expectations. We left out of Morningstar Marina just after 9AM and headed 1.5 miles off East Beach to catch bait fish (whiting, spots and bluefish) and bonnethead sharks on live shrimp. And honestly the boys were having so much fun, that could have sufficed. But Captain Dave had an ace up his sleeve. After we caught enough bait, we headed another four miles out to the shrimp boats. He baited two poles and idled toward the dragline about 150 yards behind the Michaela Dawn shrimp trawler and gave my wife and I very simple instructions: “When I tell you, drop your line, open your bail, and when the bobber disappears (which will happen very quickly), close your bail, count to three and set the hook.” For the record, this is the adrenaline fix anglers dream about. The moment you see your rod tip double over and hear line buzz off the reel with the familiar ‘zzzz’ sound. Regardless, he was right, it didn’t take long. Almost instantly my float went under, and I counted down out loud mimicking a rocket launch, 3-2-1-ignition. Line peeled off my reel as the first catch (a blacktip) took off. Shortly after, Amanda snagged a spinner shark that performed multiple acrobatic triple-axel jumps at least six feet out of the water. Each fight was its own mini workout and seemed to last forever. The boys were ecstatic. After three rounds we were completely exhausted and turned back to port with one final stop at Kings Creek to try for speckled trout and flounder where Will and Jackson each landed a monster speck. It was a perfect ending. After returning to the marina, Captain Dave cleaned the trout while the boys enjoyed cherry cokes (with extra cherries) at the Coastal Kitchen.

Georgia Saltwater Adventures can take up to six people on any individual boat and will accommodate larger groups with multiple vessels. They offer 4-hr, 6-hr and 8-hr excursions, which include your fishing license, bait & tackle, an iced cooler for your food & drinks, and cleaning & bagging your catch. Their goal is to ensure that you and your family have the best possible experience and make memories to last a lifetime. And boy, do they deliver.

Fish on.