The tarpon action off Golden Isles’ beaches and in the neighboring sounds is superb, especially late in the summer. (Capt. Daniel Andrews)
June 13, 2025
By David A. Brown
Once the retreat of wealthy northern industrialists coveting an outdoors playground with a warmer climate in which to pass bitter winters, the Golden Isles of coastal Georgia now offer year-round excitement for sportsmen of all stripes. Their pristine beaches and laidback Southern cordiality add to the appeal.
St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Jekyll and Sea islands sit just east of Brunswick in Glynn County, about an hour from either Savannah or Jacksonville, Fla.
This quartet of islands was once home to the Guale and Mocama peoples, who thrived on the local wildlife and fish that thrill modern hunters and anglers.
Redfish of all sizes, from little rats to giant bulls, are quite plentiful on the mud flats, as well as around oyster bars and sandbars. (Photo by Alex Suescun) The name “Golden Isles” stems from lore of Spanish explorers drawn by the hope of discovering gold. Despite never finding treasure, they marveled at the area’s gilded complexion.
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Anyone who watches the sun set over acres of spartina grass tucked between the islands and mainland understands the awe that also compelled Georgia poet Sidney Lanier to pen “The Marshes of Glynn,” arguably his greatest work. Lanier is said to have felt the inspiration while sitting beneath a live oak in Brunswick, now a Georgia Historic Commission site known as “Lanier’s Oak,” at the base of the Highway 17 bridge bearing his name. Spanning 7,780 feet and reaching 486 feet high, it’s Georgia’s tallest cable-stayed suspension bridge and links the city of Brunswick to the southern end of the island chain.
ISLANDS OVERVIEW Though frequently grouped together in travel brochures and online content aimed at attracting visitors to the region, each of the four islands boasts different allures while sharing similar histories.
Tripletails congregate off Jekyll Island’s shores, where they spawn during spring. Look for singles, pairs and trios near the surface. (Photo by Alex Suescun) Jekyll Island A group of America’s richest families—including the Morgans, Rockefellers, Cranes, Vanderbilts and Pulitzers—purchased the island in 1886 and built a lavish, private hunting club (Jekyll Island Club), along with a compound of mini mansions they called “cottages” along the banks of Jekyll Creek. Great Dunes, a fabulous golf course still considered one of Georgia’s best, was added in 1926, but the Jekyll Island Club closed in the midst of World War II and the state of Georgia bought the island in 1947.
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Nowadays, the southernmost of the Golden Isles is a 7-mile-long state park with some 1,000 permanent residents who lease their land from the state of Georgia. After renovations, the club reopened in 1987 as the Jekyll Island Club Resort, where guests are thoroughly pampered with immaculate accommodations and a wealth of amenities. Nevertheless, state protection has limited development to 35 percent of the island, preserving natural habitat for the diverse birdlife, deer, alligators, racoons and other critters.
St. Simons Island The largest of the isles, St. Simons holds the greatest concentration of commerce and residents. Life is noticeably busier here than on the other three islands, but the stoic tranquility of St. Simons’ abundant live oaks brings an ever-present air of relaxation. Visiting history buffs will enjoy the remnants of a fort and colonial military town, antebellum plantation sites and a lighthouse built in 1872 over the site of Fort St. Simons, a former British stronghold.
Little St. Simons Island Accessible only by boat from Hampton Point River Club at the northern end of St. Simons, this island measures 7 miles long and 3 miles wide. In 1908, timber magnate Philip Berolzheimer purchased it for a family hunting and fishing preserve. His descendants now host a maximum of 30 guests at a time at the island’s namesake lodge, which offers horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking and guided nature walks with a staff naturalist.
Sea Island The smallest of the Golden Isles at 5.1 miles long and a half-mile wide, Sea Island is linked to St. Simons by a small causeway. In 1928, auto maker Howard Coffin (co-founder of the Hudson Motor Car Company) built the internationally-renowned Cloister Hotel, where amenities include a shooting school, horseback riding, a private beach and a full-service spa. Most of the island’s structures are private dwellings, but the dazzling Cloister merits a visit.
Black drum, a close relative of redfish that can weigh as much as 100 pounds but aren’t targeted nearly as much, abound in the shallows surrounding the Golden Isles. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Fabian Guerrero) FISHING OPPORTUNITIES For anglers aboard bay boats, flats skiffs or kayaks, the Golden Isles area offers an impressive cast of inshore and coastal protagonists. Redfish ranging from 1-pound rats to 40-pound bulls headline the show year-round, as anglers throwing jigs, spoons, topwaters, shrimp suspended under popping corks and chunk baits anchored by fish-finder rigs yield consistent action around marsh drains, grass points and oyster bars.
Due to their proximity to the South Atlantic Bite, a dramatic coastal indention that stretches from Cape Hatteras, N.C., to Cape Canaveral, Fla., and creates a wider tidal plane, the Golden Isles experience big tides. Boating anglers, therefore, should know the daily tide schedules to avoid low-water strandings.
The area’s rod-bending inshore lineup also includes seatrout, black drum, sheepshead and jack crevalle, plus seasonal runs of tarpon, cobias and the sea gypsies known as tripletails. The latter make a celebrated showing off Jekyll Island’s beaches from spring through early summer. This annual pilgrimage yields lots of 2- to 6-pounders (with chances at 15- to 20-pound kickers) that’ll take a live shrimp under a cork or artificial imitations of the crustacean presented to fish spotted on the surface.
Anglers on foot also have multiple options. Surf-casting along the beaches delivers redfish, whiting, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and sharks, while piers offer similar opportunities. Consider the St. Simons Island Pier (Pier Village, south end of the island), which looks across St. Simons Sound and faces Jekyll Island’s north end. Or try the Jekyll Island Fishing Pier, tucked within the Clam Creek Picnic Area, another good spot for a nice marsh mix.
ON THE HUNT Turkey, quail and duck hunters enjoy plenty of public-land options thanks to the vast properties owned by the state of Georgia on both sides of the Altamaha River (from Jessup to the coast) and managed by its department of natural resources.
Mallards are among the many types of ducks available to waterfowlers hunting South Georgia’s coastal region. (Shutterstock Photo) To the north, hunters ply the Townsend and Altamaha WMAs, while the river’s south side holds the Clayhole Swamp, Sansavilla and Penholoway Swamp WMAs. Below the Altamaha, along the Golden Isles Parkway (Highway 341), the Paulk’s Pasture WMA offers additional opportunities. Visit georgiawildlife.com for WMA info and regulations.
For those looking for a private, upscale experience, Broadfield Sporting Club and Lodge on Sea Island offers a menu of hunting and fishing services.
Upland bird fans visiting the area have the opportunity to target bobwhite quail on both public and private lands nearby. (Shutterstock photo) KNOW BEFORE YOUR GO History and nature combine to offer an unforgettable sojourn. Georgia's Golden Isles If you plan to visit, Jekyll Island’s 240-acre National Historic Landmark District (featuring the famed Jekyll Island Club, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972), should be part of your itinerary. With 33 of its original 19th- and 20th-century buildings restored, this oak-shaded historic district offers a glimpse of yesteryear’s opulence. Popular for leisurely strolls, historic tours and lavish weddings, downtown Jekyll offers trolley and horse-drawn carriage rides. Don’t miss the stunning stained glass windows of Faith Chapel.
The Jekyll Island Fishing Pier, on the northwest corner of the island, offers shorebound anglers a place to cast to multiple species. (© Rod Gimenez/Dreamstime) On St. Simons, stop by the World War II Homefront Museum, the St. Simons Lighthouse Museum, the A.W. Jones Heritage Center and the Bloody Marsh Battle Site. Fort Federica and historic Christ Church at the north end of the island are also worth a visit. For great waterfront views and a number of dining options, head to the south end’s downtown district.
If you’re a fan of scavenger hunts, the St. Simons Tree Spirit hunt is a perennial favorite. It centers around a series of incredibly detailed, sad faces carved into the trunks of live oaks said to mourn sailors lost at sea. Both casual and officially organized hunts offer a fun way to see the island, and locals are known to offer hints.
Top places to stay in the Golden Isles include Jekyll Ocean Club and The Westin Jekyll Island Beach Resort on Jekyll Island, and King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort and Ocean Lodge on St. Simons.
Mr. Shuck’s Seafood in Brunswick (on the mainland), The Wharf on Jekyll Island and Brogen’s South on St. Simons are among the more popular area eateries.
For additional lodging and dining options, as well as travel and outfitter information, visit goldenisles.com and exploregeorgia.org .
This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe
