Well, friends and neighbors, the temperature is rising and the fish are biting.
I recently talked to my good friend, Rayburn Goodman, and he told me about his brother, Danny Goodman, catching the limit on trout by using minnows (pollywogs). By the way, Rayburn has plenty of live shrimp and fresh dead bait and pollywogs. You do not have to be a member of Yellowbluff to buy bait.
Spoke with my lifelong friend, Neal Patterson, about a week or so back. I was amazed that Neal had never caught or eaten cobia. My friends, if you have not eaten a cobia or caught one, it is worth the time and effort. Sure, you can go and buy cobia at a reliable fish market, and there are several around the area. But cobia fishing is an experience you will not soon forget. If not, go the market and fire up the grill.
Cobia is some of the best seafood on our coast. That’s just my opinion, but Google it and see what the net has to say.
Let’s get back to the fishing reports. Neal and his brother, Buddy Patterson, were fishing with Capitan John Beasley. I don`t know if Capitan John charters or not, but I have heard he is the cobia king. Back to the story: They went cobia fishing and only caught some black sea bass. A few days later, a camping excursion to McQueen’s Inlet on St. Catherines Island was in action. Neal said the first day they went to the six or seven spots he likes to fish up in McQueen’s and only caught a few whiting and one black drum. The next morning, a little after breakfast, Neal and Buddy were sitting in their lounge chairs, watching the tide roll in the inlet. There is only one way in and one way out, and the fish have to go right by you as you sit in your chair, so why not wet a hook? Fishing with dead bait and cut yellowtail and on the bottom, Neal, John and Buddy preceded to fish from the lounge chairs. Neal made the first catch, and he said it was the biggest bull whiting he had ever caught. Flounder then came on the cut bait, and on it went with six trout and about 15 whiting. Neal said that was enough; you don’t want to have more than you could eat. So they had a salty fish fry on the island that night.
The next day, they tried to stay away from the fishing. But by the next afternoon, Neal said it was just too pretty not to a least give it a try; after all, you’re sitting in a lounge chair. Guess what — the first fish was a trout. Anyway, they left them biting and had another fish fry that night as well. Just goes to show that you can always fish your favorite spot a different way sometimes with a float and sometimes on the bottom.
Well, folks, I think the Crab Company has live bait and Half-Moon has live shrimp.
Remember what Old Tight Line always said: “Get out there and go fishing, and if you do, remember to always keep a tight line.” That’s it from the coast.

Living the
tight-line life,
Tight Line Jr.