Fishing with Katie

by Katie Brown

There is nothing more relaxing and beautiful than boating in the Golden Isle of Georgia. The views from the water are breathtaking, and the excitement of the catch will keep you coming back for more!

Fishing has always been a part of life for me growing up in the Golden Isles. From a young age I would go with my father early Saturday morning and rig up for a day of fishing! My first big catch was a Jack Crevalle that I landed off of G Reef. I thought that fish was going to pull me into the water with it, but I was determined to get it to the boat and I did. My father has a rule that you have to land any fish you catch by yourself, or you won’t be going fishing with him again.

Now, I’m a member of the Pink Mullets, an all female angling team based out of St. Simons Island. The Pink Mullets are best know for the 2008 Golden Isles Kingfish Classic in which we sank our boat…..however, we did so after landing a beautiful Sailfish and a nice Kingfish. If you are ever on a sinking boat send out a distress call and mention that you are a boat of women….you will be amazed at the number of boats that come to your rescue!

Today I’m taking you to F Reef, and don’t worry…..we won’t be sinking any boats! The water is calm like a lake, that glorious smell of salt water surrounds you, and there is a chill in the early morning air! As we are leaving the Channel the sun is coming up on the horizon, and we make our run to F Reef (about 9 miles off the St.SimonsCoast) for a morning of bottom fishing. As we arrive to our marker we are greeted by a beautiful Sea Turtle. We then rig up with squid, drop the lines, and instantly start bringing up Sea Bass. We are hoping for Snapper or Grouper, but Sea Bass are tasty too! After 2 hours of ok fishing I think I’ve snagged the bottom, or have I??? The line starts racing, and I know I’ve got more than a Sea Bass on the line…..After a good fight I land my first Giant Redfish!!!! I’ve caught several Redfish inshore, but I’ve never caught a Giant before!! So here’s to another great day of fishing in Coastal Georgia.