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I am new to saltwater fishing and am not having any luck. I put in Saturday afternoon at the lighthouse in St. Marks. I headed east from there and mainly just drifted the coast line for a couple of miles. I was using shrimp rigged to a popping cork. At the end of the day I caught 4 catfish and 1 trout that was so small I couldn't believe he could even get his mouth on a hook. Can anyone give me any advise on where to go in that area or some good strategies. Thanks.

i have been fishing st. marks for about four years now and i am having the worst luck there that i have had during that time. i am having difficulty catching keeper fish of any kind (trout, mackerel, reds). the last couple of trips, the water has been significantly stained which i hope has contributed to my problems. prior to this year, i have had good luck with gulps under a cajun thunder (primarily new penny being the best color). the east side of the river channel is typically the most popular side -- so consider that to be where everyone is fishing is a good sign or consider it may be overfished (take your pick). i live about two hours from the landing so it is tough for me to be on the water at first light unless i spend the night there, but many on here will tell you that topwater at first light is the ticket.

i am convinced that the fish are still there -- just keep after them. good luck!

Thanks for the advise. I also have a good drive. I am in Bdge, GA. That's why it was afternoon before I got there and I kind of was using this trip as a scouting tool.

I am used to freshwater fishing in the Flint and Seminole so the saltwater is something I'm learning. You are right about the color of the water, it was very stained. You are also right about the popularity of that side. When we first got out there I bet there were 20+ boats within a mile radious but they cleared out by 5pm. Everyone I asked said they had bad luck, just catching cats and other non-keepers.

Thanks again for the advise and good luck fishing!!

BRASWELL, SALTWATER FISHIN WILL BE KINDA SLOW UNTIL ALL THIS STAINED WATER GETS OUT OF HERE. ALL OF THE RIVERS ARE DUMPONG HUGE AMOUNTS OF FRESH STAINED WATER INTO THE BAY AND THE FISH HAVE MOVED OUT TO CLEANER WATER.
PA THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA

But the redfish are still in close!

Asking for Advice on this Forum is a great starting point..This is the best forum for our area, and probably the best forum in the state, to be honest..As for fish, they are there..On the flats where you see all the other boats, creekmouths, oyster bars, all the places you would expect to find fish in our area..The water is stained and fresh, so it is a little tough right now, but we are right on the edge of our favorite time of year here... The season is getting ready to explode! One thing I would like to mention to you is SAFETY! This area, especially east where you were headed is pepppered with rocks and can be very shallow..A good map will help you immensly. Don't worry, you'll get plenty of advice here from some great folks more than happy to help you out. Check out past posts for alot of good info too! Good luck exploring St. Marks and remember, watch those rocks!

Thanks for the advise. I was told to watch out for rocks. I bought a map that looks to be pretty good, but I'm not depending on it. With the water beiing so stained its hard to spot rocks or even fish as far as that goes. I guess just getting out there and searching is the best way to find them (fish that is). Do you have any tips on how to spot an oyster bar? I've never run across one in the flats. I've fished around Keaton Beach a couple of times but i hear there are many more in the St. Marks area. All the advise is greatly appreciated and will be put to good use. Safety is my #1 concern. As long as we make it back to the truck ok, it was a good fishing trip!!!

I would suggest plugging in most of the GPS numbers on the area charts page. Not only will that help you stay safe, it will also give you ideas for places to fish.

Remember...

Structure == Fish.

Find the structure, then go bass fishing on the flats.

With polarized sunglasses and the current water conditions, underwater oyster bars look like a lighter shade of red than than the rest of the tea-colored water. They are all over the mouth of the river on either side of the channel. The east river is pretty much nothing but oyster bar. I think the jetty at the lighthouse and pretty close to it, to the east is oysters. If you find one with your boat, you sure will know it; its the worst sound in the world.

In addition, i'd recommend downloading google earth for free. You can see and get the GPS coordinates of oyster bars from it.

rbraswell, private message sent