Reynolds targets the edges of the sandbars dotting our coasts. Where currents move around any of these natural structures, moving water dictates where the baitfish hold. In turn, the bigger fish are drawn to those spots by the forage.

For a novice shark angler, knowing the sandbars’ whereabouts can be tricky; seeing a couple of boats anchored up at a location in a pass or sound is a helpful hint. The best suggestion; Book a guide for the first trip or two.

Tides aren’t so important, even though Capt. Reynolds prefers an incoming phase. And he does catch more sharks in clear water.

As far as gear goes, Capt. Reynolds uses 8-foot rods. He spools the reels with 40-pound monofilament attached to a 6-foot 150-pound seven-strand steel leader and tipped with a 9/0 or 10/0 hook.

How, I asked the captain, should you handle these toothy creatures? His reply? “Real carefully!”

He added that with a gloved hand and the steel leader you can usually lift the shark up onto the gunnels. If you can remove the hook, go ahead and do so, but if it appears that you’re going to harm the shark -- or yourself -- just cut the leader.

TRIPLETAILS The tripletail is another species that appears in April or May and remains on our coast through the summer months. Targeting these odd-looking fish is a relatively new sport on the Georgia shore, but they’re gaining popularity as a game fish and as table fare. Wide, broad fish that resemble giant freshwater bream, they’re lots of fun on the end of a line. Growing to 50 pounds, they’re great jumpers that put up quite a fight.

Tripletails were initially only targeted up until June, but it’s now known that they do stick around through August and September. In past years, Capt. Reynolds believes, tripletails made themselves scarce in June because the shrimping season opened at that time and the large fleets of trawlers either caught the tripletails in their nets or chased them out of the area, making the fish less available to the recreational angler. Nowadays the virtual collapse of the shrimp fleet has made it more likely to see a mere six or seven trawlers in the sound rather than the dozens common in past years. And the tripletails do seem to hang around longer.

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.

The technique for catching tripletails in the spring months is unique. Sight-fishing is the common method. Basically, you either drift or cruise around slowly looking for flat, light-colored shapes that look very much like trash bags floating just beneath the surface of the water. A sunny day with a very light chop definitely makes for better sight-fishing conditions.

A great place in which to look for these fish is just off the north end of Jekyll Island. Particularly good is the area south of the shipping channel between St. Simons Island and Jekyll and just off the latter’s Driftwood Beach.

When a tripletail is spotted, it usually stays on the surface as you ease the boat up to casting range. (That, of course, assumes that you see the fish before it suddenly appears floating right past the boat!) Have a live shrimp or artificial shrimp imitation such as a DOA rigged on spinning gear and ready to cast as you cruise. The trick, then, is to cast close to the fish without creating so much ruckus when your bait hits the water as to spook the tripletails.