Fishing with Captain Greg Hildreth on the Georgia
Coast
Use Jerkbaits
Editor’s
Note: Captain Greg Hildreth of Brunswick, Georgia, fishes
Georgia’s Atlantic Coast for speckled trout, redfish,
flounder and tarpon. That’s right, tarpon. Most
people don’t realize that Georgia has a saltwater
coast. Few people even know that this is a tarpon hotspot
during the heat of the summer. It also has some tremendous
marsh and beach fishing and one of the most-unusual
tripletail fisheries in the nation. Boaters and sailors
up the East Coast sail down to Sea Island and Jekyll
Island for tennis, golf and high-dollar resort living.
Most people never consider the outstanding saltwater
fishing available just off the fairways. This week,
we’ll look at some of the finest saltwater fishing
in the nation that receives little fishing pressure.
Question: If we were to come to Brunswick, Georgia
to fish off the Barrier Islands, what else could we
catch?
Hildreth: I like to hunt as well as fish. Last year,
I bought a 17-foot poling skiff that will float in
about 5 inches of water. I love to go sight-fishing
for redfish in the marsh, especially on a low tide.
I catch these fish on Spike-It jerkbaits. The fish are
in 7 to 12 inches of water. The only way you can get
to them is with one of these small poling boats that
doesn’t draft too much water. We’re getting
to see and stalk every redfish before we cast to them.
We can get so close to them that besides fishing for
them with Spike-It jerkbaits, we have some anglers who
fly-fish for them.
Question: What jerkbait are you using?
Hildreth: I like the Spike-It 5-inch Fire Tiger jerkbait
with a No. 3/0 Mustad hook that has a weight on it.
Question: How are you catching the fish?
Hildreth: We cast past the redfish and reel the jerkbait
up to them to drop it in front of them. We’re
fishing the jerkbait on the bottom. This is one of the
advantages to the Spike-It jerkbait. Although it’s
designed to be fished on the surface or just under the
surface, because of the design of the lure and the action
of the lure with that leaded hook, the Spike-It jerkbait
is an excellent bottom-fishing bait that can be fished
like the Boot- Tail minnow, yet it has a different look
and a different action. You have to remember that the
redfish is a bottom feeder.
Question: When do you strike redfish?
Hildreth: The redfish, unlike the tripletail, is not
a timid feeder. He’s a very-aggressive feeder.
Therefore, when he takes the jerkbait, he attacks savagely.
As soon as you feel the bite, you need to set the hook.
When you set the hook on a redfish, the fish has you
instead of your having him. Most of the redfish we’re
catching are bigger than the legal limit. These fish
will be 26- to 32-inches long and will weigh between
5- and 14-pounds each.
Question: What pound-test line are you using?
Hildreth: We use Shakespeare braided line in 15- and
20-pound-test line. We attach the braided line to 2
or 3 feet of 20-pound-test Shakespeare monofilament.
Question: How are you fishing the jerkbait?
Hildreth: We cast it past the redfish and try to time
our retrieve so that the jerkbait runs right in front
of the nose of the redfish. Most people don’t
fish the jerkbait on the bottom. I learned to fish jerkbait
like this by fishing it without a weight and having
the redfish chase the lure down. I’ve found out
that I get more strikes and catch more fish by using
the weighted hook and keeping the bait down on the bottom.
Because they feed on the bottom, redfish are more likely
to see and attack the jerkbait if it’s on the
bottom than if it has to fall from the surface to the
bottom.
Question: Where are you catching these big redfish?
Hildreth: We only have about three hours to fish for
the reds. I start fishing about one hour before the
tide hits a dead low. I have about one hour when the
tide is all the way out. Then we have one hour when
the tide starts coming in toward the beach. Those three
hours are the magic time to catch redfish using this
tactic. We have to time our trips based on the tide.
When the water comes up, the fish move out of the grass
and scatter out. Then, they’re harder to see and
harder to catch.
Question: How many will you catch in one day?
Hildreth: Remember, we’re not fishing all day
long. We’re only fishing for three hours. We usually
catch three to 12 fish during that three-hour period.
You can contact Captain Greg Hildreth at 912-261-1763,
or visit www.georgiacharterfishing.com.
Tomorrow: Once-a-Month Reds
|