# Trip Report: Thanks for the help guys!



## CatchNFish (Jun 21, 2009)

Stayed down at Ocean Lakes from 7/4 to 7/11 and pretty muched fished everyday but two of those days (all surf fishing). We fished mostly afternoons till dark w/ incoming tides, but we also got in a couple 6AM early risers during the week. I love the beach early in the morning at sunrise. I can't think of another place I'd rather be. :fishing:

Fishing was decent most days. One morning in particular was pretty good. Twice that morning I hooked up on a pomp and spot on the same double drop chicken rig. I think it was last thursday evening we (3 of us) caught a lot of fish, but nothing worth bragging about. Spots, pin fish, whiting, and pups mostly. Buddy got a nice blue on some cut bait. I did manage to catch 3 rays and a skate during the week. Somehow dissapointment just doesn't convey my thoughts upon seeing it's a ray, skate, or shark. 

To the guys that told me about the Atlantic Ave bridge to Garden City for catching bait; I cannot thank you enough. I caught all our live shrimp in a cast net there (about 8-10 dozen or so during the week) and spent very little on bait cost the whole week. Shrimp seemed to be the food of choice.

Overall, the trip was very good for my first fishing trip in the GS area. I hope next time we can hook up on some bigger pomps and flounder for eating. 

I'm hoping to get back down in late Sept after the crowds have dissipated somewhat and try again. Again, thanks for the help guys! Next time, the :beer: is on me.


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## Danman (Dec 13, 2007)

Glad to hear you had a fine time:fishing:


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Sounds like you did your research and put it all together. Congrats on a great time.


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## CatchNFish (Jun 21, 2009)

I do have some tested advice on keeping bait alive.

I bought a 5 gallon round igloo cooler from Wal-Mart ($19.99), a hush bubbles airiator, drilled a hole in the top lid to feed the tube down and clipped the pump to the side. We kept live shrimp for 4 days, and finger mullet we caught behind Flo's place in MI alive for 3 days. Each night I put a frozen water bottle in the cooler with them to cool them off a little. We only changed the water out once for each.

Just a little FYI for anybody looking to make something keep bait alive for longer periods of time.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

how long did u spend catching shrimp? like a month ago, i went down to the are i suggested and caught maybe 2 dozen shrimp in 20 minutes. i think they get thicker in the marsh areas as fall comes along.
btw i have heard of ppl keeping shrimp alive for up to a week using ice and wet newspaper, stacked up(how they do it im not sure)


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Yeah a cooler or something insulated is key to keeping bait alive this time of the year. I'm gonna try to net a few dozen for bait when I head down, don't care to keep them alive but I like fresh bait.

How much cast net rope do you need to net bait there? I have whatever came with mine...might have to tie some more on.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

additonal rope? well i havent cast netted from the bridge itself. assume maybe 40 feet of rope in all would be enough(including the rope a cast net comes with).
what i do is walk down that stair thing onto the marsh flats and randomly cast near the marsh grass. about every other cast will result with something(mullet, shrimp, or mud minnow). i think u can only walk down there around low tide though


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Are the stairs on the bridge? And where can you park?


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

the stairs are actually on the board walk leaing up to the bridge. as for parking, u need to try to park anywhere at the ends of the boardwalk(like parking to fish pawley's island bridge). You can try to park on the side of the road wherever u can.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Yeah I'm not sure where this is. Anyone got an address or a name of a nearby place so I can Google Map it?


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Oh is it the marshy area with the boardwalks right before you get to the GC pier? Still not sure what part of it you'd go to net though.


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## CatchNFish (Jun 21, 2009)

If you're coming down 17 towards MI turn left at the Atlantic Ave red light to Garden City. Right before you cross the bridge over the marsh there is a dirt parking area on the right shoulder. Walk out on the boardwalk like you're going towards the beach and there are steps going down to the bank.

We went there twice and netted about 4-5 dozen each time in about an hours time. We did not throw from the boardwalk itself. Both times we went at low tide or an outgoing low tide. 

There are several grass areas that I think the shrimp cling on to until the tide starts going out, and they bunch up outside those areas when the water gets below the grass. I am by no means an expert, so please correct me if I'm off base. I did get in the water up to about thigh deep to make several casts at harder to reach areas.


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## CatchNFish (Jun 21, 2009)

bluefish1928 said:


> how long did u spend catching shrimp? like a month ago, i went down to the are i suggested and caught maybe 2 dozen shrimp in 20 minutes. i think they get thicker in the marsh areas as fall comes along.
> btw i have heard of ppl keeping shrimp alive for up to a week using ice and wet newspaper, stacked up(how they do it im not sure)


One thing I noticed was the differences in size. There were a lot of babies jumping out of the net as we pulled it in, and smaller ones we threw back. For some reason, the second time around we got pretty large ones on most casts. Even one that could almost pass as a lobster. 

Like I said, about an hour or so was spent each time. Each cast netted anywhere from 2-8 shrimp for the most part. Caught a few angry crabs too. hehe


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks for the info, appreciate it.


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## GCsurfishingirl (Feb 28, 2006)

SmoothLures said:


> Yeah I'm not sure where this is. Anyone got an address or a name of a nearby place so I can Google Map it?


I think everyone is referring to the area around Sara J's restaurant.


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## c0ch3s3 (Jul 10, 2009)

CatchNFish said:


> Like I said, about an hour or so was spent each time. Each cast netted anywhere from 2-8 shrimp for the most part. Caught a few angry crabs too. hehe


get it? cast netted... cast net. HAH!


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

I believe i posted this before.

Keeping them cool is just one aspect.
Shrimp put out ammonia naturally. I know this from having aquariums. They also need water changes unless you have AMMO-CARB chips to scrub ammonia out of the water. You can buy it at any pet shop that carries fish. Its little pebble like chips that come in a pint container. If you cant keep water flowing through them, but the chips

Trust me on this


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## GCGuy (Oct 22, 2008)

Per Google Maps: WHOOPS!!! That was wrong!! Like the others said, come down Atlantic Ave toward GC beach until you see Sara J's on the left.


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## c0ch3s3 (Jul 10, 2009)

yup, sara j's on atlantic ave. you can even park in the sara j's parking lot if its earlier in the day. they dont open til later. you can walk down right behind the resturant too if youd rather. during the lower tide theres a little island you can wade out to and you can cast all over the place from there.


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## justinfisch01 (Feb 19, 2006)

I have always neeted from the bridge. I parked right in that little dirt area. Walked up on the bidge and about 10 ffet on the bridge. I would throw my net. I only went there early in the morning when it was still pretty dark. I always got enough bait except the time I was down in April...Not much around then..This year I will be fishing primarily Gulp.


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## VaFisher (Aug 7, 2006)

What kind of license do you need for this?
I have a cast net I use for minnows,will the shrimp slip thru the holes?


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

If they're not big enough to keep they will. I don't think there's a law on mesh size when netting bait, when you're _not_ baiting. I know if you're baiting shrimp you have to use 1/2" mesh I believe. 

Thanks for the info everyone.


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## VaFisher (Aug 7, 2006)

Thats cool your don't need any license ( Salt,fresh,dipnet,etc.) to catch bait.
They make you have one here in Va.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

VaFisher said:


> Thats cool your don't need any license ( Salt,fresh,dipnet,etc.) to catch bait.
> They make you have one here in Va.


Forgot to mention, yeah you need a license.


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## VaFisher (Aug 7, 2006)

What type?


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Standard saltwater license.


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