Capt. Mike Evans displays the kind of red drum that show up along the south end of the Georgia coast. Photo by Polly Dean.

Catching red drum along the Georgia Coast is a year-round sport, but that doesn't mean it's easy: The weather has to cooperate.

On a recent trip, conditions cool and skies cloudy, we met Captain Mike Evans at Two-Way Fish Camp on the Altamaha River in Darien for a day of fishing for reds -- and we ended up 35 miles south at St. Marys!

Because of recent rains and run-off from the area's many creeks, Capt. Evans was concerned that the water would be too murky for the red drum we were to target that day. But Peach State saltwater anglers work around this obstacle on a regular basis. At Capt. Evans' suggestion, we hopped in his truck and trailered his boat south to meet up with one of his fishing buddies.

Captain John King was waiting for us at Crooked River State Park in Camden County, Georgia's southernmost coastal county. This area features fewer feeder creeks and, therefore, clearer waters along the grassy beds, making conditions more favorable for the redfish.

Born and raised in the vicinity of St. Marys and nearby Fernandina Beach, Fla., Capt. King has been an avid fisherman for as long as he can remember. Known as a local angling expert, he now shares his knowledge of fishing the St. Marys area by guiding for a number of inshore species including speckled trout, flounder, cobia and tarpon, along with redfish.

Soon we were on the water in the shadows of Crab Island, in sight of the U.S. Navy's submarine base at Kings Bay. This large island in the Hog Hammock portion of the bay was created from spoil resulting from the dredging of channels for the nuclear submarines. Following Capt. King's direction and his knowledge of the area, Capt. Evans deftly guided his boat along the Spartina grass islands and submerged shell beds.

A tide moving at a fast rate is the most productive sort for redfish action, and this morning, the current was outgoing. Sure enough, it wasn't long before my shrimp offering was seized by what I thought was a large redfish. After a brief struggle, I reeled in what turned out to be not what I'd imagined, but rather an 8 1/2-pound black drum! As the day progressed, we successfully boated a number of redfish, a few of which exceeded 28 inches. We also caught and released several specks and more black drum.

In addition to red drum, Capt. Evans guides for other inshore species such as speckled trout, flounder, shark, tarpon and mackerel. He normally fishes from Two-Way Fish Camp, which is in Darien just south of the Altamaha River bridge, but this day, his decision -- based on over 30 years of experience -- to fish farther south turned out to be a wise one.

THE GUIDE
Capt. Evans' familiarity with the southern coastal waters of Georgia comes in part from years of working in law enforcement. Mike Evans spent eight years with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as a marine patrol officer and is now in his 19th year as a senior instructor with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center outside of Brunswick. The training center's Marine Division provides maritime law enforcement training courses for federal as well as state and local law enforcement agencies.