# Live Shrimp at Tybee Bait & Tackle Update



## CaptRay (Mar 15, 2006)

Hello to everyone again...This is Ray Golden, owner of Tybee Island Bait & Tackle. I heard there were posts regarding us having live shrimp by this weekend, so we want to update once again. I finished plumbing our tanks in the store, under the store, and into a really nice pump. Turned the tanks on after spending nearly two weeks plumbing, and everything worked out fine. Called DNR and a real nice fellow came by Saturday and inspected everything and gave us the clearance to pick up our bait dealer's license first thing on Monday morning. As I was driving to Richmond Hill, my wife called me from the store and said I needed to call DNR in Brunswick. Because a few commercial shrimp trawlers tie up to a dock that IS NOT contiguous to our dock, but DNR feels it is contigous, they will not issue me a license. So, we are heading to court over the issue. In the meantime, we can carry live shrimp that is imported from Florida or South Carolina, and that is what we intend to do until we settle this thing with Georgia DNR. We followed their guidelines to the letter, twice making timely rearrangements to be within the law, only to have it kicked back over an issue that is unrelated and rediculous. We have a 24 foot sign already made up for the top of the building that reads "Live Shrimp". As soon as we contact a distributor and we get our first batch, the sign will go up and we will be ready to carry live shrimp.
If I may be permitted to say, we are having our Grand Re-Opening this coming Saturday. Huge deals and free giveaways every 30 minutes. Feel free to stop by early and put your name in the hat. Grand prize is a free half day fishing charter. Also on the same day we are holding the 1st Annual Tybee Island Fishing Tournament. No entry fee and over $1,500 in prizes. If you go to our website www.tybeeislandbaitandtackle.com, click on the Tournament page to get all the info. Hope to see you there, and hope to have live shrimp by the weekend, and hope DNR realizes their shortsightedness.


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

I hear ya Ray, man the government sure has a knack for taking something simple and turning it into a complicated bunch of bureaucratic BS. 

See ya this weekend. 

Hope ya have Shrimp by saturday.............don't wanna drive all the way to Adams and waste fishing time.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

The Ga. DNR couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the heel.....GOOD LUCK, Capt. R.

Hope to get up your way sometime this year.


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## SavannahDon (May 16, 2006)

*Much Needed Store & Professional*

All you folks on Wilmington, Talahi, and Tybee need to patronize this store, located next to Dewey's Restaurant on Lazaretto Creek.

The owner is courteous, knowledgeable, and friendly. He also has extremely reasonable prices and a discount if you buy some products cheaper than he sells them for. He and his wife moved here from the Outer Banks, and their store is a much-needed resource for folks wanting to fish Tybee, the rivers, or the creeks and marshes.

Hopefully, idiots in Atlanta will not force him into bankruptcy with their imbecilic decision to deny him a bait-selling license! He says he's taking them to court, and good for him.

SavannahDon


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Ditto Don.


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## clinder (Mar 2, 2005)

so who won 1st 2nd 3rd in the tourny and with wat??


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Donnie (the Sheepshead king) and a couple of his pals got first and don't know the guys who got second.


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## jbrown (Apr 30, 2003)

What's the up date on live bait at Tybee? Jim


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## CaptRay (Mar 15, 2006)

The 1st Annual Tybee Island Fishing Tournament ended up with lots of great catches. 1st place went to Mark Hetkowski of Tybee with 142 points from 5 reds, 8 specks, and 3 flounder. Rodney Peterson of Douglas, GA, came in 2nd with 2 red snapper, 5 scamp grouper, and 2 black sea bass. Donie Campher came in 3rd with 1 trout and 8 flounder. Go to www.tybeeislandbaitandtackle.com and click on "Tournament" page to see pictures.

For those of you interested in our LIVE SHRIMP update: DNR is coming to our shop next week, we think on Tuesday the 23rd. The Captain from Brunswick is personally coming to see if there is a way we can make this happen. They are understanding of our plight and are going to try everything in their power to help us get through the issue at hand regarding the commercial trawlers. It is our desire to carry live shrimp, live mud minnows, live fiddler crabs, and fresh bait shrimp on ice. Currently, our understanding is that to obtain a bait dealer's license, commercial shrimpers cannot be attached in any way to the facility that we operate out of; however, it is our contention that these commercial shrimpers are not operating, but merely docking. That could very well be the difference. It is also our understanding that if we carry live shrimp, we cannot carry fresh bait shrimp on ice, nor bigger fresh shrimp on ice as it violates the clause regarding bait dealers license: all dead shrimp must be frozen immediately. The only way we see to carry both is to not obtain a bait dealer's license, obtain live shrimp from Florida, and then also carry fresh shrimp on ice. Carrying mud minnows requires a finfish license, which has nothing to do with the aforementioned shrimp, and live fiddler crabs falls under no restrictions. Everything will be cleared up for us next Tuesday, then we will immediately implement whatever resource we have at our disposal to bring live bait to Tybee! When and if it does happen, we plan to have a "Live Shrimp" party at our place...first pint is on me!!


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## Deep_Sea_Gull (Dec 14, 2005)

You go Capt Ray. Your efforts should make a nice improvement in the area fishing.


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## jbrown (Apr 30, 2003)

Sounds Great!! Good luck with the DNR!!! Jim


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