JEKYLL ISLAND FISHING REPORT, October 1, 2009

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.

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A night-time excursion of Jekyll Island ventures inside Dubignon Cottage for spine-tingling tales!

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.

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All of Georgia’ Golden Isles have a lot to offer. Jekyll Island is a huge state-owned property with history, beauty and a slower, elegant-but-not-necessarily-expensive lifestyle. There’s something for just about everyone here - and fall lodging specials too. Just about five hours from Atlanta - but a world away. (see map.) Among the activities you don’t want to miss —

7. Croquet. Yes, that game you played in the backyard. There will be a tournament October 23 - 25 with nationally-known players and a clinic in the mornings to help you with your game. Bring your whites.

6.  Georgia’s Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival, October 8- 12. This includes a number of outings with experts to off-the-path places like Ossabaw, Blackbeard, Cumberland and Wassaw Islands as well as a canoe trip in the Okefenokee. There’s a dolphin kayak trip, raptor-watch and other nature walks. A great way to get traffic and city bosses out of your system.

5. Folklore, Rumor & Myth Ghost Tours. The Jekyll Island Museum is holding a special ghost tour Fridays in October for ages 10 and up. Call 912-635-4036 to make your reservations. This is a very old island, and it was developed by wealthy people - so the quality of ghosts you’re going to run into is, shall we say, a cut above the average ghost? See the Jekyll Island Museum Ghost Tour.

4. Golf. For many people, Jekyll Island is synonymous with great golf. This year the weather has been good for the courses, so the four courses are in great shape. And they have a special for the rest of September allowing you to golf all day for $38.

3. Fishing. There are good deep sea fishing guides, among them Capt. Mark Noble. (Check out the others on the CVB’s website.) Or just chill on the beach with a pole.

2.  The Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Yes turtles. Before you skip this, let me say that I went there last year on an assignment. My feelings about turtles weren’t really warm and fuzzy. I was glad they’re around and want them to stay, but I didn’t want to cuddle them. Just passing through the gift shop on the way in, though — I was struck with Cupid’s arrow. Those big, wet eyes and they are so vulnerable to humans on the planet. Go on into the hospital and look at these babies…big and little. Read some of their stories. You will come out of there a turtle hugger. You can adopt a turtle or just follow their stories on the blog. This is not a zoo. The turtles are here to be rehabilitated. On September 20, they plan to release three of the most popular -  Pumpkin, Nightwatch and Skidaway.

1.  The Wild Georgia Shrimp & Grits Festival. I just happened on this last year and I’m not going to miss it again. Amazingly, we have a shrimp industry in this state but except for a few stores, the shrimp you buy come from Thailand or somewhere else. You’ve got to taste these delicacies. This will turn you into a shrimp snob.  Lines are long but well worth it.  (Photos courtesy Jekyll Island Authority.)

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Tags: Beach Music Festival, beach vacation, emerald princess, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, Georgia, georgia beaches, georgia coast, georgia's jewel, golden isles, golf, island treasures, jekyll, jekyll island, jekyll island arts association, jekyll island authority, jekyll island beach, jekyll island beach vacation, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island birding, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island development, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island facts, jekyll island georgia, jekyll island golf, jekyll island hotels, jekyll island museum, jekyll island vacation, sea turtles, Shrimp & Grits Festival, shrimp and grits, shrimp and grits festival, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival
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Fishing in the Golden Isles has been somewhat hampered by hurricanes, northeasters and rain. Those days when anglers could get away from the dock Whiting, Trout, Tripletail and Redfish were found inshore. Sharks and Tarpon were cruising near shore. King Mackerel and Barracuda were working the offshore reefs.

September is a transition month. Sharks, Tarpon, Tripletail, King Mackerel and Barracuda are leaving area waters. Sea Trout, Bull and River Reds, Black Sea Bass, Grouper and Sheepshead are becoming more active.

Look for Trout and River Reds in inshore rivers and creeks. Trout will be schooling up in preparation for the fall migration upstream. Specks feel heavily before making the trip. Look for oyster bars and drop-offs near the bank to hold Trout. Younger Reds will be found in the same areas. As the water cools Reds will be found on mud bars, on low tide during the middle of the day. The dark mud holds the heat of the sun and warms the surrounding water.

Bull Reds will be found near sand bars adjacent to sounds, inlets and river mouths. Bull Reds, those fish that have become sexually mature at about four years of age, spend most of their lives in the open ocean. A quirk of the species is that they return to the same estuary into which they were spawned. They return in the spring and again in the fall. The annual return is so precise that the same fish will return to the same sand bar year after year. These fish range from 20 to over 100 pounds and are the breeder stock of the species. They are fun to catch but must be released unharmed.

Sheepshead, Sea Bass and Grouper will be found on near shore reefs. These species move into shallow water for the winter months. Look for them on structure in 40 to 60 feet of water.

Coastal Expeditions Charter Fishing and Dolphin Tours is operated by Captain Vernon Reynolds and Captain Eric Moody. For further information or to book a charter call (912) 265-0392 or go to www.coastalcharterfishing.com.

Tags: capt vernon reynolds, coastal expeditions, fishing in the golden isles, fishing report, grouper, jekyll island fishing, reds, sea bass, st. simons fishing
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If you wait too long it will be too late! The 30th annual Georgia-Florida Golf Classic is filling up and less than twenty team slots remain available! The Georgia-Florida Golf Classic is a great way to celebrate college football and the annual Dawg vs. Gators rivalry. Stay on Jekyll Island and be part of the celebration. Hotel Packages including game day transportation and tailgating at the stadium available. Teams of four compete for top prizes and bragging rights in two-day, 36-hole competition that takes full advantage of the college football celebration. $300 registration fee per person. Enter today, only 20 team openings remain! Get your team together or enter as an individual player. Individual players will be placed into competitive teams with A, B, C and D players. Registration is per person and all-inclusive of the following: Two rounds of tournament golf Breakfast at the tee for players (coffee, Bloody Marys, Orange Blossom Special and alka seltzer included) Lunch at the tee and turn for players (Soft drinks and beer provided) Two tickets for player and guest to the Get Acquainted Cocktail Party with food and drinks included Two tickets for player and guest to Oyster Roast, entertainment by Swingin’ Medallions Prizes for top 75 teams (prizes range from $600 - $80 value) Tournament goodie bag Free putting contest for players and guests, prizes awarded. Wine & Cheese Party for players’ guest Doubles Tennis Tournament for players’ guest (optional) Annual Ladies Luncheon

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Check out this great article on Worldgolf.com by Stan Awtrey:  Jekyll Island on three budgets: Plenty to do on Georgia a golf vacation

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$300 registration fee per person. Jekyll Island hotel packages available. Georgia-Florida Golf Classic defending champions Tyler Smith, Harold Glover, Alan Argo and Don Bell shot a two-day low score of 114 last year to win the coveted champions’ ring! The boys will be back for the 30th edition of the Georgia-Florida Golf Classic on Jekyll Island in their bid to be back-to-back champions. Who’s going to stop ‘em? Register as a team or as an individual! Make your plans to join the 30th annual Georgia-Florida Golf Classic. See website for complete details.

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