Whether you are just anchored here for a day or two or, have a boat parked at Lang's for occasional use
or, have a boat on a trailer or, parked in front of your house or,
just live here in St. Marys with no boat at all you need to be aware that you are in one of the best
fishing locations in the United States.

Having said that, it is difficult for me to comprehend why all of you are not fishing.

Let's start with the Lang's Marina area. If you are anchored out you have a special fishing handicap because of the cloudy water. The combination of tannin from the swamps up stream and sediment flowing with the tide really make fishing difficult from your boat. However, from the number of Dolphins that roam that area you know there are fish around. In my opinion, you need a bait with movement and/or live bait. I would use finger Mullet or Mud Minnows. Mud Minnows would be my preference because they are indestructible. Hook the minnow through both lips going from the bottom up through the top. Add enough weight to get the bait about half-way to the bottom and tie your rod down to the boat. My experience is that if that minnow is not eaten, he will still be alive four or five hours later. You might catch a Striped Bass or even a Spanish mackerel. You never know; and that is what makes salt water fishing great.

How about the docks around the boat ramp? Usually not very good. That's because a large family of very hungry River Otters hunts in that area. Most likely you will catch Saltwater Catfish and eels. However, some of the kids who live down there do pretty well with live shrimp at the East marina docks. They use bobbers with the live shrimp about 2 ft. under the bobber. And, they sometimes hook the shrimp to a jig head and slowly bounce it on the bottom. They catch Red Drum and Sea Trout mostly.

What you really need to do is crank up the dinghy or inflatable.

Right now (Mid March)the water temperature is just reaching the point where the fish will become more active and hungry! What you need to do in the dinghy is find clearer water and places where fish can ambush their food. Around here the first structure to look for is oyster beds. You are most likely to find oysters between the anchorage and Cumberland Sound. I am limiting the area so you don't have to travel too far in the dinghy.

The best time to locate oysters is at low tide when they are exposed. Mark their location so that you can go back to them when the tide is higher. Oyster middens are also good if they extend into the water at high tide.

As the tide floods, bait fish, shrimp, and small crabs hide in the oyster banks and the game fish seek them out. Obviously, you need to use a bobber to keep your bait above the oyster shells. Rig you line with a small bobber attached to about 2 ft of fluorocarbon leader with a small circle hook at the end. Position a small weight about 1 ft below the bobber to keep the live shrimp from swimming to the surface. Pinch the tail flipper off of the shrimp and hook the remaining tail from the bottom up through the top. The trick is keeping the shrimp close to the oyster bed without getting hung up. With a circle hook you don't need to jerk the line to set the hook. When the bobber goes under, give it a few seconds and then raise your rod tip and begin reeling. You should have a fish.

The second place I would look is where small creeks empty out of the marsh into larger creeks or the river. You will find lots of these locations in Point Peter Creek, the North River, Bells River, Jolly River, and Borrell Creek…all within easy dinghy distance. These are good locations because, #1 as the water ebbs out of the marsh it creates an area of clear water, and #2 as the water ebbs out of the marsh it brings with it the small fish and shrimp that the game fish are looking for. It is a classic ambush point. I would fish these locations the first hour or two of the ebb tide. Again, I would use the bobber rig that I described for oyster beds with live shrimp-casting up into the outlet and letting it drift out with the tide.

If you can't get live shrimp, fresh dead shrimp, Mud Minnows, and Gulp artificial shrimp will serve as substitutes.

Primarily what you will likely catch in these locations are Sea Trout, Weakfish, Red Drum, Catfish, Spanish Mackerel, Sharks, and Sting Rays.

These are the fundamentals. If you have a boat with a depth finder there are additional opportunities. If you have a boat that will take you out into the sounds you become involved with a whole new fishery. If you have no boat there are excellent locations on shore for catching fish on Amelia Island. Perhaps Sibille will permit me to carry on with this again in the future.

A Legal Notation: Be aware that if you are fishing South of the middle of the St. Marys River you will need a Florida Saltwater Fishing license and will need to be aware of Florida saltwater regulations. North of the middle of the St. Marys River you will need a Georgia fishing license. Georgia and Florida fishing regulations are NOT the same. Considerably different.