Jekyll Island » Jekyll Island Beachscape

Georgia’s Saltwater Mayhem in May

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

(Reprinted with permission)

Each May, as water temperatures rise and the cold weather systems stabilize, several species of fish converge on the coastal waters of Georgia. This mass migration of fish sets off a migration of its own, local anglers heading to their favorite fishing drops. Don’t miss out on the action.

Captain Tripletail, also known as Eddy Fish, move into the waters surrounding the Golden Isles in May. These fish get their name from the fact that their dorasl and anal fins extend back almost as far as their tail fin, thus giving them the look of having three tails. The Eddy Fish name comes from their habit of nosing up to a piling or other structure on the down current or eddy side. From here they ambush pray that swim by. These fish are shaped much like a fresh water bream but grow to near 30 pounds. This deep shape allows them to be strong fighters when hooked with the added benefit of producing several jumps before coming to boat side.

For some unknown reason the North end of Jekyll Island holds the biggest concentration of Tripletail in the area. Fish move with the tide and can be found a couple of hundred yards off the beach on high tide to a couple of miles on low tide.

Tripletail have a unique habit of floating on their sides near the surface of the water. I believe this may be a way of attracting shrimp and minnows, just as shrimp and baitfish are attracted to the shadow of debris floating in the water. If you see one from a boat and its back is to you, it resembles a black plastic bag floating in the water. If its belly is to you it looks like a white plastic bag.

The best bait for Tripletail is live shrimp, a close second is a four inch artificial Gulp shrimp produced by Berkley. Either is fished a foot below a Cajun Thunder cork. Spinning tackle works best, long casts are sometimes necessary. I prefer a Shakespeare Uglystick seven and a half foot rod and a Pflueger President reel. I like Stren Super Braid line in 30 pound test for this fishing and 30 pound test Vanish Fluorocarbon line for leader. I use a 3/0 circle hook when fishing live shrimp and a 1/16 ounce jig head with a 3/0 hook when using the Gulp.

Tripletail is the only fish species along the Georgia coast that offers true sight fishing. Anglers idle along looking for the black back or white belly floating on the surface. When a fish is sighted the boat is positioned so the fisherman can cast a bait in front of and past it. Note, it is sometimes difficult to determine which way the fish is facing. The bait is then reeled back to the fish and stopped right in front of it, within a foot if possible. Often the Tripletail will ease to and bump the cork, backup, then see and take the bait. You can see the fish just under the water and the temptation is to set the hook before the fish takes the bait. Anglers must wait until the cork is down or they feel the fish before setting the hook. Once hooked a good Tripletail will strip off several yards of line two or three times and go airborne several times before coming to boat side.

Tags: Fishing on Jekyll Island, jekyll island beach vacation, Jekyll Island Beachscape, tripletail fishing
Posted in Beachscape, May 2008, Uncategorized | No Comments »

January 2008 Beachscape - Discover Island Treasures

Friday, December 28th, 2007

Discover Jekyll Island Treasures
For generations, beachcombers have delighted in finding glass fishing floats that separated from European and Asian fish nets. The colorful floats could drift for years, driven by winds and currents, tossed and polished by the surf and sand until they eventually washed up on beaches around the world. Today, finding one of the original glass floats is rare; the fragile glass spheres face the are often broken or lost among crashing waves, rocky shorelines, and tangling seaweed. Every year, Jekyll Island celebrates the tradition of finding glass fishing floats by placing colorful blown glass floats along the beaches. Beginning on January 1, a special group of “Beach Buddies” hide the hand-crafted floats above the high water line on Jekyll Island’s beaches. From January 1 through February the floats hide among the shores, waiting for a special Jekyll visitor to discover it. After a beach comber finds a float, he or she takes the treasure to the Jekyll Island Visitor Information Center on Downing Musgrove Causeway. There, the finder can register the float, receive a certificate of authenticity, and have his or her picture taken to post on the Island Treasures website. For more information on how you can discover an Island Treasure, visit www.jekyllisland.com/islandtreasures

Tags: beachcombers, beachcombing, glass fishing net floats, island treasures, Jekyll Island Beachscape
Posted in Beachscape, January 2008, Page 1 | 1 Comment »

January 2008 Beachscape - Experience An Outdoor Exhibition

Friday, December 28th, 2007

The recent installation of 28 new interpretive panels by the Jekyll Island Museum is a matter of celebration to Gretchen Greminger, the Jekyll Island Museum’s curator.

Greminger is excited that the new installations will provide an additional opportunity for tourists to become aware of the amazing depth of history tied to Jekyll Island’s past.

“In the past, we have missed opportunities to connect with some of our casual guests who are just passing through,” Greminger noted.

“These visitors may be walking through our historic district, or biking along our trails, but if they don’t pick up a brochure they may not already be familiar with Jekyll Island’s mesmerizing history. We don’t want them to miss all that the museum has to offer.”

The new panels were created to help counteract this problem. Four of the panels replaced old outdated maps in the historic district, 16 brand new information panels were scattered throughout the historic district, and for the first time, eight panels have been placed at the Horton House Historic Site.

Greminger noted that the project would not have been possible without the support of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island, who contributed approximately $40,000 to fund the project. “It was the financial support of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island that really enabled this project to move forward. The museum would not have been able to complete such an ambitious project without such assistance,”

Greminger stated.

Greminger emphasized that, through the panels, the museum has the opportunity to share lesser-known details about the island, stating “Some panels convey stories about the architects of the buildings or about those club members who did not build cottages on the island, but still made important contributions to our history.”

“They also allow us to share our oral histories and photographs in order to illustrate the lives of the employees of the club,” Greminger added. “The club employees were truly the backbone of the Jekyll Island Club. They lived here and enjoyed the opportunities present on Jekyll Island, just as the club members did.”

The stories, pictures and details presented in the information panels are different than what is shared in the museum’s walking tour guidebooks and guided museum tours, Greminger said.

“We wanted to provide a layering of information,” she explained. “From a marketing standpoint, we hope to intrigue people and interest them in taking our guided tours to find out more. But the panels will also be informative for those who do not plan to take a tour during this visit.”

Greminger is especially pleased that the panels enable the museum to present new stories and to share some the wealth of material that the museum collects in its photo archives.

“We were able to digitize about 1,000 new photographs from the collection as part of this project,” Greminger said. “Working on these information panels has enhanced our knowledge, increased our database of material, and expanded our ability to provide information to researchers at the museum.”

The interpretive panels can be located by following the maps available in the Jekyll Island Museum’s new brochures or by discovering one of the information panels with maps placed on them. These panels are typically placed near parking lots.

“These interpretive panels truly are an outdoor exhibition, and well worth the investment of seeking them out,” Greminger said. “Ride a bike, take a walk, and enjoy Jekyll Island’s beautiful scenery in your hunt for the panels. Discover why the Jekyll Island Museum truly is a historic site museum.”

Tags: historic site, horton house, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island museum
Posted in Beachscape, January 2008, Page 1 | No Comments »

The First Transcontinental Phone Call

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

“What Woolworth was to the five-and-ten, what McCormick was to the harvester, Vail is to the telephone,” declared publisher B.C. Forbes. “Bell invented it, but Vail put it on the map.”

AT&T President Theodore Newton Vail also put Jekyll Island, Georgia onto the map when, thanks to his participation, it became a part of telephone history.

On January 25, 1915, the words “Hello, Jekyll Island,” reverberated across the phone lines, as Vail joined a party phone call with President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, DC, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, and Thomas Watson in San Francisco. This thrilling moment marked the ceremonial grand opening of the first transcontinental telephone service.

In 1885, Vail had created the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) by connecting existing local companies into a long distance network. Vail served as the first President of AT&T from 1885-1889.

Consolidating existing telephone companies into a single network required a great deal of money. It was Vail who interested a number of financiers in his project, including Jekyll Island Club Members J.P. Morgan and George F. Baker.

In 1889, at the age of 44, Vail retired. But in 1907, J.P. Morgan and other investors approached Vail to again take up the reins as president of AT&T. The company was having difficulty facing off with competitors in Vail’s absence.

Vail developed a bold plan for a comeback. In 1909, he announced that AT&T was going to provide nationwide telephone service through the creation of a coast-to-coast phone system. This was an ambitious goal. At the time, phone conversations were limited by technology to a distance of 2,000 miles.

Vail undertook a vigorous campaign of public relations. Investors initially protested his investment of $250,000 for marketing, arguing that everybody already knew of the existence of the telephone. He responded, “But everybody is not thinking about it.”

Vail, a Jekyll Island Club Member from 1912-1920, had intended to return to New York in time for the important phone call marking the event, but a leg injury detained him on the island.

Although Jekyll Island’s phone service was spotty, Vail was not about to miss participating in the ceremony. Jekyll Island had good connections to Brunswick, so new cables were laid from Savannah to Brunswick to ensure that the lines would function properly for the event.

Susan Albright Reed, visiting Jekyll Island that season with her family, recalled a worried Vail interrupting his dinner to test the phone lines and her father telling her, “It will be terrible if Mr. Vail can’t get through tomorrow. . . the President, Alexander Graham Bell, and Mr. Vail will all be on the line at once.”

On the day of the phone call approximately 1,500 AT&T employees stood by, ready to repair any problems along the 4,500 miles of telephone line from Jekyll Island, to New York, and across to San Francisco, in order to be sure the communications system functioned properly.

Their presence was fortunate, as a tree fall did interfere with service the morning of the call. The problem was soon corrected, however, and on January 25, Vail was able to participate in the first transcontinental phone call from Jekyll Island. Vail had a brief exchange with President Wilson in Washington, DC, who congratulated him on his great achievement. Within a year, radio telephone service was also available to Europe.

In 1919, Vail retired from AT&T for the second time. When he passed away a year later, on April 16, 1920, the telephone company he had raised from infancy owned more than 25 million miles of telephone wire and voices could carry around the world.

To learn how other Jekyll Island Club Members have influenced the nation, visit the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road, (912) 635-4036. Exhibits and daily tours describe the important contributions of the prominent business.

Tags: first transcontinental phone call, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island history, jekyll island museum, theodore vail
Posted in Beachscape, December 2007, January 2008 | No Comments »

A Pier Road Tradition

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Located at the end of Feeding Road, the Commissary, built around 1915, served as the general store for island residents. Anything from groceries to luxuries could be purchased here. It continues to sell gourmet food items in the present day.

All through the year specialty Southern foods can be purchased at the Commissary. The Commissary is also currently requesting recipes for a cookbook. The new cookbook will be published next spring by Juliana Germano, proprietor of The Commissary. Juliana is accepting recipes locally and from visitors of Jekyll Island from around the country. She wants to compile a cookbook from people all over the country who love to cook. So send your favorite recipes today to: The Commissary, 24 Pier Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31527 or email to jekyllcommissary@bellsouth.net to be a part of history!

Along with the recipe please include your name, city, and state as you wish for it to appear, as we will be using it when acknowleging your recipes. Also, please include your telephone number or email address so that you may be contacted if needed.

Tags: jekyll island, Jekyll Island Beachscape, pier road shops, the commissary on pier road jekyll island
Posted in Beachscape, December 2007, January 2008 | 1 Comment »