(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.

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

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 1:00 am and is filed under Beachscape, May 2008, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.