 |
We asked some of the ladies playing in the putting contest and some of the guys warming up on the driving range, what was their favorite part of the Georgia Florida Golf Classic:
By Captain Vernon Reynolds
Bull Redfish have been King of the hill in Coastal Georgia waters the past couple of weeks. Bull Reds are even hitting trolled jigs, somewhat unusual. Bull Redfish spend most of there life in open ocean waters but for about six weeks in the spring and fall they return to the sound system in which they grew up in. They feed aggressively and are easy to locate due to the fact they return to the same structure every year. Mark the location where you catch a Bull and you may catch one there every year the rest of your life.
The typical fishing method is to bottom fish with live or dead bait. Redfish are scavengers and will eat dead or live bait equally well. Whiting, Poggie and Mullet produce well but any cut fish will do. Crab might be the best bait. You can get crabs free at most seafood shops that carry them. They must be sold alive for table fare, so the dead ones are thrown away. Simply hook the cut fish or crab onto the hook and toss it out with enough sinker weight to keep it on the bottom. Try to place the hook so the bait doesn’t twist in the current. A little twist is OK but a lot will have your line so twisted up you can not fish it. Place the rod in the rod holder and watch the tip of the pole. The tip will lightly bounce a few times before the fish makes a run. Wait until the rod is deeply bent before taking it from the holder and starting to reel. Circle hooks are employed when Bull Red fishing and there is no need to set the hook. The fight will last from five to 15 minutes depending on the weight class of the gear being used. Be sure to revive the fish once it is brought to boat side. Hold his mouth into the current, allowing water to rush over the gills. Once the fish is revived, release it unharmed.
Speckled Sea Trout have also been active the past several weeks. Many boats have been returning to dock with near limit to limits of Trout. These fish are some of the best tasting in our, or any other, area. Trout school this time of the year and feed actively in preparation for the winter migration upriver. Live shrimp is the best bait fished under a float rig. Trout must be over 13 inches in length to keep and there is a creel limit of 15 fish per person.
A few Flounder have been taken recently. Flounder are preparing to move offshore for the winter and can be found along ocean sand bars. Whiting are still active in area sounds. A few King Mackerel are still being found well offshore. These are fish that migrated to the mid-Atlantic states during the summer and are now moving to south Florida for the winter. These fish will move into the area for a day or two and then move on south.
Coastal Expeditions offers charter fishing trips and Dolphin/sightseeing tours. Join us for a fishing trip you will never forget or a Cumberland Island sightseeing tour. Contact Captain Reynolds at (912) 265-0392 or go to coastalcharterfishing.com to book a charter or for further information. Departing daily from Jekyll Harbor Marina.
|
Breaking Out the MalletsIt has been a long time since an officially sanctioned croquet tournament came to Jekyll Island - 17 years to be exact.
In that gap, the closest tournaments that made their way even close to the area were at Hilton Head Island, S.C., and St. Augustine, Fla.
For local player Dan Lott, the time had come for croquet to return to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
“Jekyll Island used to, years ago, have some really fine tournaments there at the hotel,” Lott said. “I visited with Kevin Runner, the general manager of the hotel, and asked him if he thought there would be any interest in renewing their commitment to having a croquet tournament at Jekyll Island. He gave me a very positive response and from that point on, I started working on it.”
Lott’s efforts will bear fruit Friday as some of the top croquet players in the country flock to Jekyll Island to play in a prestigious singles invitational tournament sanctioned by the United States Croquet Association.
The tournament, which is scheduled to begin at noon Friday and run through mid-afternoon Sunday, will feature three former Georgia state champs, two members of the United States Croquet Hall of Fame, the reigning seniors national champion, a former national championship runner-up and a former USCA president.The quality of the field has the members of the Jekyll Island Croquet Club looking forward to the event.
“They seem to be very excited about it,” Lott said of the club members. “None of them has ever played in a tournament before or, to my knowledge, witnessed a tournament before.
“They’re very excited about having some of these top-notch players come in and participate.”
Ten players in all will compete, including four from Georgia and six players from Florida.
 |
|
|
By Captain Vernon Reynolds
Bull Reds, River Reds and Spotted Sea Trout have been leading the catch the past several days. Often all there can be found on one drop. All will hit live bait and artificials and all are fun to catch. October and November are the best months for Reds and Trout, both are feeding heavily in preparation for winter. Both offer fine table fare.
River Reds are fish less than five years of age and shorter than 24 inches. River reds inhabit the sound system into which they were born, moving to the outer sound in the summer and to upper sound system and rivers in the winter. River Reds are sexually immature. As Reds reach their fifth year they become sexually mature and move from the sound and river system to open ocean waters, at this time they become mature Reds. Mature Reds return to the outer sound system in which they grew up twice a year. The spring return takes place in April, May and June. The fall return takes place in October, November and December. River Reds will be found working oyster bars and mud flats. Mature Reds will be located on oyster bars and sand bars. Mature Reds live over 40 years and will return to the same sand and oyster bars their entire lives.
Spotted or Speckled Sea Trout live up to eight years and most spend their life in the same estuary system into which they were spawned. Trout move to the outer sound system and beaches in the spring and to the upper sound system in the winter. The fall migration up stream takes place in October, November and December. Trout group up in large schools and feed aggressively before winter water temperatures drop too low for most Trout food groups to survive.
The most effective and fun way to catch Trout and Reds is when they are working oyster bars. Float fishing is most productive and reduces hang ups on the oysters. Live shrimp is the bait of choice; live Mud Minnows and finger Mullet work just as well and often catch bigger Trout. This is true because as Trout mature and produce more eggs, more fish oil is needed to strengthen the eggs. Big female Trout consume fish almost exclusively. Artificials imitating shrimp or bait fish will take Trout and Reds also. Presenting the bait under a float entices the fish to take the bait. Sometimes jerking the rod, thus making the bait dart and dance, will cause a strike.
 |
| Nick also caught this nice Sea Trout. |
Catching mature Reds on sand bars is a different matter. Heavier rods and reels are needed and live or cut bait is required. Live or cut Menhaden, Whiting or Mullet work best. Simply anchor the boat and toss out the bait with enough sinker weight to keep it on the bottom. Put the rods in a rod holder and pick up a spinning rod with a piece of shrimp on the hook. You will catch Whiting, small Sharks, Rays, Flounder and such on these while waiting on the big bad Bulls to come along. The wait is not long and when they get there you will put the spinning rods away. This is catch and release fishing, all the Bulls are over the 24 inch size limit, but its great fun. Join us for a fishing trip you will never forget. To book a trip or for further information call (912) 265-0392 or go to www.coastalcharterfishing.com. We also offer Dolphin and Cumberland Island cruises. Coastal Expeditions Charter Fishing and Dolphin Tours is owned and operated by Captains Vernon Reynolds and Eric Moody.
Another beautiful sunset overlooking Jekyll Creek. This lucky bride got the background of her dreams for her wedding pictures!
Who has more sunset pictures to share? Upload it to our Facebook page, name it, and we’ll have a poll! The winner will get an awesome Georgia Sea Turtle Center beach towel! (one picture per person please)
Jekyll Island’s Holidays in History Tour is featured as one of the short drives to a nearby town this season to “enjoy some Christmas cheer” by author, Ashley Morlote, in the “What’s Hot” section of Jacksonville’s Home Magazine. You can read the full story online.
Jekyll Island, GA — The first Singles Croquet Invitational Tournament to be held in Glynn County in 19 years is scheduled for October 23-25, 2009. The United States Croquet Association (USCA) sanctioned event to be held at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel has an impressive line-up of some of the top players in the country.
Tournament play is scheduled to begin at noon on Friday and continue Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to mid-afternoon. Spectators are welcome to attend the entire event, and seating will be provided courtside.
The 3-day tournament is sponsored by the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and the Jekyll Island Croquet Club, and they will award trophies at the end of the tournament on Sunday. Chairman of the Tournament, Dan Lott of Sea Island, Georgia, says, “We’re very happy with the line-up of players and anticipate a keenly competitive contest.” Fred Jones, a member of the Croquet Hall of Fame and winner of the Seniors and Masters Tournament in 2008, will serve as the Official Referee. The winner will be presented the championship trophy by Rob Jagger, president of the Jekyll Island Croquet Club, after the last round.
A croquet clinic, which is open to anyone interested in learning about croquet, is planned for Thursday afternoon on the Hotel’s greensward. At that time, expert players Fred and Jackie Jones, provide instruction on rules of the game, stroke technique, equipment, and winning strategies. Jackie is the recipient of the USCA Peyton Ballenger Memorial Award initiated in 1993 (an annual award presented to the woman who places highest in the USCA Nationals) for nine years between 1996 and 2008. Fred and Jackie have been National Seniors Doubles Champions in Croquet for two years. Registration for the clinic, which is free of charge, may be made by contacting the Jekyll Island Club Hotel concierge in advance.
Social events are planned for the competitors and their guests including special dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings. “The Jekyll Island Croquet Club (JICC), a competitive group of accomplished players, demonstrates the basic method of play used in tournaments as they practice on the lawn throughout the year. We are pleased to have them join us on court, the only competition level croquet greensward within a 200-mile radius,” said Hotel General Manager Kevin Runner.
Competition croquet is a game of strategy and technique, more than one of great physical exertion. Consequently, players of all ages can play and enjoy the sociability of the game as well as competitive play. The hotel’s greensward, designed and built by landscape architect William Edenfield in 1986, meets all the qualifications for tournament play. Its layered composition, specialized drainage system and patented grass provide a close-cut playing surface for a truer roll of the ball.
Competitors in the Tournament as well as spectators will enjoy the setting of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, a National Historic Landmark and Historic Hotel of America. The handsome Queen Anne and Italian Renaissance architectural styles of the buildings and the landscaping, are reminiscent of the early Club era of the late 1800’s.
An exclusive hunting retreat for J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Joseph Pulitzer and their friends, the Jekyll Island Club enjoyed a social season unparalleled in the nation. Over the course of time, An exclusive hunting retreat for J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Joseph Pulitzer and their club members built a cottage colony for themselves, entertained the powerful and wealthy elite of the day, and attracted to their membership the titans of industry, politics, and finance. They created history while they were here. The first transcontinental telephone call, a visit by President McKinley, and the creation of the Federal Reserve were some of the exciting happenings on Jekyll Island.
Eventually, by 1942 the Club had begun to wane in popularity, and by 1947Jekyll Island became the property of the State of Georgia. After much political wrangling, it was declared a state park which it continues to be to this day. In 1984, when the Club buildings were in a state of disrepair, a group of entrepreneurs recognized their beauty and potential, and determined to breathe life back into them. They devised a plan, received approvals and financing, and set to work. The award winning resort exists today because of their vision and entrepreneurial creativity.
For more information, contact the concierge at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, Georgia, 31527, or call 912-635-2600 or 800-535-9547. Visit our website at www.jekyllclub.com.
October and November are the two best months for taking Speckled Sea Trout inshore. The Sea Trout is the most popular and sought after inshore species in our area.
Speckled Sea Trout are abundant in local rivers and creeks. They provide a fun fishing experience and are fine table fare. Trout spawn along area beaches through the summer months. Once Trout have spawned they move into sounds and inlets along the coast. Specks will spend the remainder of the summer in small, loose nit schools until fall. As water temperatures drop Trout begin to school in larger numbers. These schools hunt pray aggressively and feed heavily in preparation for the fall migration up stream. Good numbers of fish can be taken quickly during this time of the year.
Trout can be taken on live and artificial bait. The most popular fishing method is float fishing with live shrimp. Trout can be found near oyster bars in shallow water. Float fishing provides a way to fish oyster bars without getting hung up. The Cajen Thunder clacker type float works well around shell bars. Such corks make a clacking noise produced by two or more metal or plastic balls banging together when the float is jerked with the rod. This clacking sound resembles that of a surface feeding Trout striking pray. A D.O.A. artificial shrimp can also be effective fished under a clacking cork. Live Mud Minnows and Finger Mullet also make good Trout baits.
Trout will also strike jigs and surface lures. Curley tail jig bodies in three to five inch lengths attached to quarter ounce heads work well. A slow steady retrieve will work at times, other times the jig must be bounced of the bottom to be effective. Jigs can also be trolled. The jig should be skipped along the bottom. Surface baits with propellers will often entice strikes, other times a more refined lure is called for.
October and November, the summer heat has broken, the days are shorter and the Trout are biting. Take a day or two off your busy schedule and go fishing.
To book a charter or for more information call (912) 265-0392 or go to www.coastalcharterfishing.com.
Sheila Zynda, of Darien, GA, took Jekyll Island’s Folklore, Rumor & Myth tour last October and was enthusiastic. “I think Jekyll Island is a fantastic place to come for ghost hunting,” she said. “Besides the history, you might get to see something that you’re not expecting. “
Island visitors and staff alike have reported seeing unexplained orbs of light, smelling perfumes and cigars, hearing voices and laughter and Victrola music, experiencing cold spots, and sometimes even seeing spirits wearing period dress inside the shuttered buildings of the historic district.
In Zynda’s tour group, one woman captured an orb on her cell phone, while Zynda herself reported feeling a cold spot following her through a portion of the tour of Dubignon Cottage. Others saw flickering lights in the empty buildings as the tour moved through the twilight under the moss-draped live oaks.
“It’s an experience that you might only get once in your lifetime,” Akins said with an enjoyable shiver.
These phenomena are by no means new. Apparitions have been reported for many years throughout Jekyll Island’s 240-acre National Historic Landmark District. Nearly every cottage has some deep mystery or restless soul associated with a grand love story, an untimely death, a great misadventure, or a little mischief.
Tour guides lean on their professional knowledge of the island’s past to interpret the supernatural happenings. The Folklore, Rumor & Myth tour is peppered with stories of Jekyll Island’s historic characters in attempts to explain the reported sightings.
Guides note that different individuals have identified several spirits that have been encountered through comparisons with historical photographs. Those that have been identified include William and Savannah Struthers, Eddie Gould, Jr., and Walter Jennings, as well as Peggy and Marian Maurice. Others appear but remain nameless.
As the haunting mysteries multiplied over the years, Jekyll Island Museum staff began to collect the tales. Annually, during the month of October, they share the unusual stories they have heard. On the Folklore, Rumor and Myth Tour, guides usher guests to spots where apparitions have been sighted and unexplained events have occurred. Guests are then led inside one of the historic district cottages for more spine-tingling stories as darkness falls.
Wes Gruenke, a museum guide, often brings his groups inside Dubignon Cottage, calling it “the most paranormally active house we’ve got.” He notes that the Southern plantation home is the oldest house on the island, after Horton House.
To view a YouTube video preview of the tour, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/JekyllIslandMuseum .
The Folklore, Rumor & Myth Tour departs from the Jekyll Island Museum at 100 Stable Road on Friday nights, from October 2-31, 2009 at 7:00 pm. Admission is $16.00 for Adults and $7.00 for Children 6-12. The tour is recommended for ages 10 and above. Reservations are requested. For more information or for reservations, call 912-635-4036.
