Island Anglers Gather for CCA Fishing Clinic 

Recognizing that you can’t catch fish in the classroom, volunteers from the Skidaway Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) recently conducted a first-of-its-kind outdoor fishing tutorial. Attendees gathered along the shoreline between two saltwater lagoons, located in the Oakridge section of the community. Organized by CCA Lagoon Committee Chair Jeff Harper, this first seminar focused on the excellent saltwater fishing available on the island, especially for redfish. The clinic kicked off with a well-rounded overview of fishing tips and techniques from Matt Amman, a former professional angler on the redfish tournament tour. Matt first covered the rod, reel, and line combinations that work best for saltwater angling in our lagoons. He then discussed lure options when fishing topwater, a few feet down, or near the bottom of the water column. One of Matt’s favorites is a soft plastic lure that imitates a small mullet, and he demonstrated how to rig this lure so it would be snag-free. In addition to artificial lures, Matt covered the range of baits that work well in our lagoons, notably mullet and shrimp, and demonstrated how best to hook baits and use them in tandem with artificial lures. Our saltwater lagoons are tidal, and Matt covered options for both ebbing and flowing tides. He noted that fish would congregate around the lagoon inflow on a rising tide where bait was flowing in. At low tide, fish gather in the remaining deepest portion of the lagoon. As a tournament angler, Matt said he has fished redfish hot spots all over the Southeast, and that our saltwater lagoons offer outstanding fishing. To maintain the quality of our island angling, he emphasized the importance of careful catch and release practices. All attendees received a packet of various lures, hooks, and bobbers, which they put to use at the end of the seminar with the help of volunteer instructors Pat Brooks, Mark McGarity, and Doug Painter. The next seminar in this series will focus on freshwater fish in our freshwater lagoons and is slated for June, with an exact date announced shortly. A fly-fishing component will be added to future events.   Attendees of CCA’s recent Fishing Clinic held in May gather for a group photo.