Hello, everyone. Tight Line Jr. here and I hope you all had a good week.
Before I go into the fishing reports, I was wondering whether anyone tried my clams casino recipe from last week. If so, I would like to know what you thought about it and any other recipes you may have tried from my column. Send your feedback to pleon@coastalcourier.com.
Now for some fishing reports: David Rogers cast a line out at Yellow Bluff and caught four trout and a whiting. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but that’s plenty for the frying pan. Lori Kirk and her husband Billy had a good day last Saturday. They got their bait at Yellow Bluff and set out for a day of fishing. The way I heard the story, it was more like a charter because Billy worked the dip net for the first six bass. Let us not forget what an important role the net worker plays on any fishing trip. Anyway, at the end of the trip, Billy and Lori had netted nine spottail bass and three nice trout.
Down a little south of us at Shellman Bluff, Ricky Bradley and party had a fine day of fishing. Deck side, they landed 19 trout, 18 spottail bass, four flounder and a few sheepshead. Throw in a bowl of cole slaw, cheese grits and some hush puppies and you’ll have yourself a backyard fish fry.
Last week, I wrote a little about clams. The harvesting season for clams is year-round. The maximum depth from one shell half to the other must be at least ¾ inch thick on a clam. The limit is one bushel per person per day and for recreational use only. Y’all should go out there and try to harvest some for yourselves. In Liberty County, recreational harvesting can be done at Sunbury Creek. A fishing license is required.
I spoke with Rayburn Goodman this week and Yellow Bluff has live Florida shrimp for $25 a quart. They also have live minnows and plenty of frozen bait. Half Moon has frozen bait. The Sunbury Crab Company has live minnows and frozen shrimp. Big Rudy at the Sunbury Country store has frozen shrimp and squid. Don’t forget The Midway Feed and supply on Highway 17. They have saltwater and freshwater bait. Be sure to check out the sunset party at The Sunbury Crab Company at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon with the Jerry Scott Band.
Until next time, remember what Ol‘ Tight Line always said: Go fishing and if you do, remember to always keep a tight line. I say hit the docks, keep a sharp eye and watch that cork go down.
In next week’s article, I may have a recipe for some spicy clam fritters. Until then, happy sailing, catch the big one and keep your face to the wind and an eye to the sky.

Your friend,
Tight Line Jr.

P.S. For current harvest area status information, call the shellfish sanitation program at 912-264-7218 or go to http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=299.