Action off the Golden Isles
Spring 2024
Article and Photos by John Trussell
Fishing for sharks off the Georgia coast is one of the most exciting ways to catch big fish and have boat loads of fun with your family! Captain Andy Hicks has been fishing the waters of Georgia for over 3 decades. He’s also been in the US Coast Guard for 5 years and has been guiding anglers for 2 and a half decades as well. He’s obtained a vast knowledge of all the hidden bays and feeding spots of the area and he’s eager to share them with his customers. Capt. Andy’s favorite fish to target and fight with are the many sharks that live off the coast of Georgia. His first mate is his son Shelby and they make a great fishing team.
I hooked up with them back in June with my son Brandon, and grandkids Ava and Jack, from Bonaire. If you want to get kids excited about fishing and catching big fish, pulling in sharks is a great way to get it done!
This nice 5- to 6-foot shark fought strong for 10 minutes before coming in for the release. Brandon, Ava and Jack Trussell had a great day fishing with grandpa John.
The weather looked bad with high winds predicted for the next day, but Andy called me the night before our trip and said the weather was improving and “Let’s go fishing!” We loaded up in his 25-foot boat the next morning at Jekyll Marina at 8 am and the weather was beautiful.
Andy fishes the Jekyll Island and St. Simons areas for mid-sized sharks up to about 7 or 8 feet. His fishing method is to get in behind a trawling shrimp boat and drift baits. He uses 8-foot, 40- to 50-pound-class heavy duty Custom Rods paired with heavy duty bait casting conventional reels. He spools with 65-pound-test line. To his main line, he ties a heavy-duty swivel, then a 6-foot section of 100-pound-test monofilament leader. He uses a 6’0 hook that he can usually dislodge from the shark. If not, the hooks break off and rust away, doing the shark no harm.
Early in the season when pogies are hard to find, he uses bonito (available at many bait-and-tackle shops) for bait. Mullet and other oily type fish are also good bait and they are cut into good sized chunks to bleed and leave scent in the water for the sharks to follow.
His technique is to ease in behind a working shrimp boat, staying about 100 to 200 yards behind it and then he kills the motor and puts out the lines. He freelines two rods at a time, one about 30 feet behind the boat and the other a little closer to keep the lines from tangling. Later in the season when pogies are easy to catch, he will use a live pogy suspended underneath a float, in addition to a bonito strip. Sometimes you can see big blacktip sharks swimming along behind the boats.
Andy normally releases all of the sharks his client pulls in. He uses only monofilament leader to help facilitate their release. Some fish break him off, but you usually get several good runs, even on the break-offs. He also leaves his reel engaged at all times to reduce the probability of gut-hooked fish
We were constantly pulling in sharks all morning, including three in the 100-pound-plus class. Ava caught a spinner shark that jumped out of the water twice and did a remarkable spin in the air to try to throw the hook. But the shark did not break off and 14 minutes later, after a hard fight, she brought the shark to the boat where it was released. It was a shark fight she will remember with fond memories for a long time! Jack pulled in a 65-pound blacknose shark that did a couple of high jumps out of the water, right next to the boat.
Jack Trussell of Bonaire pulled in this 65-pound shark that put on quite a show before surrendering to the net, where it was released.
The Jekyll Island area is one of the primary shark breeding grounds off the U.S. coast and we have lots of sharks! We were fishing off the south end of Jekyll Island in the deep water between Jekyll and Cumberland Island. You might be wondering, is it safe to swim in our coastal waters with all those sharks out there?
In Georgia, there have been seven shark attacks over time, with only one fatal attack in 1908. In 2021 there was a young girl that was bitten by a small shark off St Simons Island, but it only left small teeth marks with no lasting harm. Shark attacks off the Georgia coast are extremely rare, but watch out for the lightening on the beach, which is a far greater danger!
I highly recommend a shark fishing trip with Andy Hicks and Island Angler Charters. Give shark fishing a try and you’ll be hooked!
John Trussell is a freelance writer making his home in Warner Robins. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and has been inducted into the GOWA Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame. He can be contacted at jtrusswr@cox.net.
For information on Trussell’s books, like Saving Oaky Woods, Road Biking Georgia or The Best Time to Fish and Hunt is Anytime You Can, give him a call at (478) 957-7411 or go to amazon.com.