Georgia coast · Saltwater
Golden Isles fishing guide: St. Simons & Jekyll
Piers, marshes and inlets around St. Simons and Jekyll islands, with redfish, seatrout and flounder.
- Where
- St. Simons & Jekyll islands
- Fish
- Redfish, seatrout, flounder
- Best
- Fall
- Permit
- Free Georgia SIP permit, 16+
About the water
Georgia’s Golden Isles mix miles of salt marsh with sounds and inlets, and that habitat holds redfish, spotted seatrout and flounder.
Piers at St. Simons, Jekyll and Gascoigne Bluff make it easy to fish without a boat.
What’s biting, season by season
Big reds stack near the inlets.
Flounder and early-morning reds in the marsh.
Peak season: seatrout from September through November and school-size reds in the creeks.
Fish deeper creek bends on warm afternoons.
Tips from the guides
- Plan around the tides; moving water triggers feeding.
- On high tides, look for redfish tailing on flooded marsh flats.
- Redfish limits change on Jan. 1, 2027, so check before you keep fish.
- A light spinning rod with a jig or live shrimp covers most coastal fishing.
Access & rules
Anglers 16 and older need a Georgia fishing license plus the free Saltwater Information Program (SIP) permit, renewed every year.
Spotted seatrout: 14-inch minimum, 15 per day. Red drum: 5 per day, 14 to 23 inches; from Jan. 1, 2027, the limit becomes 3 per day, 15 to 24 inches.
Ask Chris
Headed to the Golden Isles? Ask Chris.
Chris Scalley has fished just about every water in Georgia and the Southeast, and he has guided since 1994. Ask him where to go, what’s biting, or who to fish with. He reads every question himself.
- Where and when to fish the Golden Isles
- Which local guide or charter is worth booking
- A trout trip on the Hooch with River Through Atlanta
From the guides at River Through Atlanta
St. Simons reds are fun. Headed home through Atlanta? Spend a day on the Hooch with a guide.
Below Buford Dam, cold water from the bottom of Lake Lanier keeps 48 miles of the Chattahoochee cool enough for trout all year. It’s western-style fly fishing from a drift boat, for rainbows and wild browns, right through Atlanta. Our Orvis-endorsed guides have fished it since 1994, and beginners are welcome.
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