Capt. Ken Doss specializes in putting his anglers on seatrout along Georgia’s Golden Isles. Photo courtesy of Polly Dean.

As temperatures rise to warm our coastal waters, the fishing too heats up. The Peach State offers saltwater fishermen a variety of angling options: casting for speckled trout and flounder just off the beach, trolling for king mackerel miles offshore -- and more. The myriad species available in our state’s offshore waters are waiting to please anglers of all types throughout the upcoming spring and summer months.

Three local experts shared with me their favorite tactics for targeting several of these species -- seatrout, flounder, sharks, king mackerel, and tripletails.

SEATROUT
When it comes to tips on catching speckled trout, Captain Ken Doss comes to mind. A serious guide and angler, he definitely catches specks -- and lots of them! I had the pleasure of meeting Capt. Doss a few years ago while I was participating in the Golden Isles Red-Trout Celebrity Tournament. Doss has guided anglers every year in the two-day charity event since its inception, and in the 2007 tournament took several awards, among them “Top Rod” for the most fish caught the first day. This award was mostly attributed to the fact that Doss guided angler Vicki Raleigh to boat and release 35 seatrout, also landing the team the award for most trout caught during the event.

According to Capt. Doss, anyone can catch trout, but catching them consistently is the challenge -- that’s what makes trout fishing so enjoyable for him. “There are so many ingredients that you have to consider, and any one of those can be missing and it can throw it off,” he explained. “Time of year, bait, water clarity, water salinity, water temperature, stages of tides and on and on, are all factors to consider.”

In the spring months, trout are full of roe, and salinity is a key factor as to when they deposit the eggs. The eggs sink in water that’s too fresh and float atop water that’s too salty; either means sure mortality for the next generation.

Doss said that fishing the beaches off Cumberland Island in the Christmas Creek area is a good option at this time of year. He recommended cruising the beach looking for “runouts,” small streams of water flowing out from tidal pools trapped up on the beach. The runouts hold disoriented baitfish being swept back into the ocean: easy meals for trout and other predator fish such as ladyfish and jack cravalle.

For cruising the beach, a westerly wind is favorable. It can be mild or even moderate (up to 10 to 15 mph) without stirring up the surf too much. If the wind’s coming out of the east any harder than a light wind breeze of 5 miles per hour the water becomes churned and stained, which kills the fishing.

Trout prefer moving water -- but on the Georgia coast, unfortunately, moving water can mean muddy water, especially on outgoing tides. And according to Capt. Doss, the ingredient that trout must have in order to feed readily is clear water! He pointed out that trout feed primarily by using the sense of sight, so keeping your bait moving makes it easier to spot than letting it sit still.

During the full or new moon, extremely high tides wash mud into the water, making these periods less-than-desirable times for fishing our state’s waters. If you fishing at those times, you may want to concentrate on the top of the incoming tide or on the very bottom of the low tide. Those phases during which the water is slowing and starting to turn can be the most productive periods.