This boat,  besides having the power of 150-horsepower outboard motor in the rear,  has a trolling motor in front for quiet movement when stealth can get us closer to animals and fish. 

The Jolly-Mon also,  has  2 additional cushioned seats,  which snap into the sides of the front [...]]]>

I operate a 21-foot center console bay boat,  named the Jolly-Mon. 

This boat,  besides having the power of 150-horsepower outboard motor in the rear,  has a trolling motor in front for quiet movement when stealth can get us closer to animals and fish. 

The Jolly-Mon also,  has  2 additional cushioned seats,  which snap into the sides of the front of the boat,  for extra seating that make it family and group friendly for Eco-Adventures,  or,  the snap-in seats can be removed to make for a great inshore fishing machine.  All-in-all the boat is a very capable tool for getting around our barrier islands.

Entering the month of May, I’m having a blast sharing the islands with folks that appreciate nature.  We’re seeing  lots of dolphins and birds… Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Sanderlings, Willets, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Green Herons, [...]]]> 

Sandhill Crane hunting a meal in late afternoon, first day of May on St. Catherines Island.

Entering the month of May, I’m having a blast sharing the islands with folks that appreciate nature.  We’re seeing  lots of dolphins and birds… Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Sanderlings, Willets, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Green Herons, Tri-colored Herons, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, Painted Buntings, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Belt Kingfishers, Forester Terns, Laughing Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants.  

A couple days into the month I’ve already seen wild hogs, deer, and alligators.  It’s Mother Nature, so you never know what you might see.  We even had a rare sighting, during a sunset cruise, of a Sandhill Crane.

Experience the Georgia Coast with a family cruise to a remote barrier island.  For a romantic cruise, you may wish to bring your own beverage and relax in the beauty and sounds of nature.  Sunset is a perfect time to view a quiet pristine beach and look for dolphins, [...]]]>

Sunsetting over Yellow Bluff, Colonels Island

Experience the Georgia Coast with a family cruise to a remote barrier island.  For a romantic cruise, you may wish to bring your own beverage and relax in the beauty and sounds of nature.  Sunset is a perfect time to view a quiet pristine beach and look for dolphins, shore birds and wading birds onboard the 21-foot Jolly-Mon with a certified naturalist.  This hour and a-half excursion is a wonderful get-away into the creeks, rivers and islands around the St. Catherines Sound area.

Dolphins feeding at sunset on north end of St. Catherines Island.

While on their trip, I asked how they found out about me, and Karen proceeded to give [...]]]> I received a call from Karen O’Conner of Sunbury, GA. Karen said her son, Tom Walker of Seattle, WA., was visiting, and asked if I would take him fishing. Fishing? I love fishing, yes, sure I can.

While on their trip, I asked how they found out about me, and Karen proceeded to give me one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received as a fishing guide.

Karen said, she’s good at searching the internet, and when she found a fishing guide, “who is also very connected to nature, well I knew you had to be really good at finding fish too.” No doubt, Mother Nature is a marvelous beauty on the Georgia coast, and ever since I can remember, I’ve had a big time crush on her. It is an honor and privilege to guide and enjoy her as often as I do.

Am I good at finding fish? Those that know me well, know I prefer to use the word “lucky.” It’s fair to say, usually, I feel kind-of-lucky at finding fish. But, it’s nature, so you never know how it will turn out.

On their trip, we got “lucky.” We hung several fish, redfish and sheepshead. A couple times fishing lines broke by large redfish in oysters, and we left them biting at every place we fished.

Tom was the luckiest and landed almost all the fish. When it was time to head back in, he sighed out-loud, “This is my last cast.”

His bait barely hit the water, he set the hook and the drag of the reel sang from another pulling red. Tom is a large strong man. When in high school, he played center on the football team, and looks every bit the part. It was great seeing the focus in his face as he muscled and finessed a seven-pound redfish to the boat.

Department Of Having Fun, Captain Wild Bill

This boat is anchored on sheepshead habitat.

Sheepshead fishing is addictive. Imagine a freshwater bream on steroids, usually 1 to 3-lbs, five pounds not being unusual and can reach over 10-lbs. Besides being strong and a hard pulling fish, to catch this feisty critter you must let go of all other thoughts, and [...]]]>

This boat is anchored on sheepshead habitat.

Sheepshead fishing is addictive. Imagine a freshwater bream on steroids, usually 1 to 3-lbs, five pounds not being unusual and can reach over 10-lbs. Besides being strong and a hard pulling fish, to catch this feisty critter you must let go of all other thoughts, and seriously concentrate. When you experience lots of action, bites, hook-ups and catches, it is incredibly rewarding. It’s an awesome way of scratching that fishing itch.

Mostly I’ll target them inshore around vertical structures holding marine growth like barnacles, usually around dock pilings, rock jetties and bluffs with fallen trees. But, when the time is right, in winter and early spring, and marine conditions are very good to perfect, I’ll look for them at nearshore reefs.

In the photo to the right, I’m using a reef anchor, which is a type of grappling hook, useful for anchoring the boat on both inshore and nearshore structures. On this particular day, I’m anchored to exposed tree roots off a small bluff. It’s during low tide and barnacles are visible, a good sign of it being sheepshead habitat.

My answer, “We have a lot of them. Almost every time I go out, I’ll see them. Will you see them? Probably, [...]]]> “We want the Dolphin Tour,” said Karen Ysebaert. The Ysebaerts and Engelens were visiting from Belgium, and wanted to see Bottlenose Dolphins. She asked, “Can you show them with your boat?”

My answer, “We have a lot of them. Almost every time I go out, I’ll see them. Will you see them? Probably, you’ll see nature, and it’s full of surprises.”

Lara Engelen views a large pod of passing Bottlenose Dolphins

It was a beautiful spring day, sun shining, light west winds, perfect for a trip around the barrier islands and enjoying nature.

On the boat, they viewed acrobatic Tree Swallows, hundreds of them swooping low over the marsh. Flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds roamed about. Wading birds, Tri-colored Herons, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Great Blue Herons walked along the mud banks in search of tiny fish.

We added Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Belted Kingfishers and Cormorants to this list. Our Belgium guests quickly discovered the Georgia Coast is one of the top ten places in the country for birding. You never know, you might see deer, wild hogs and alligators too.

American Alligator enjoys the heat of the sun, in marine habitat around St. Catherines Island

Twelve-year-old, Lara Engelen, displayed keen observation skills. First she spotted a six-foot American Alligator sunning on the edge of the marsh. She was also first to see dolphins approaching our direction.

Immediately I turned the motor off, and let the boat drift quietly with the current, and the dolphins came right by us. To stage a photo opportunity, I asked Lara to stand on the bow, and point to the passing dolphins.

On the way back in, Karen smiled, “It was fun.” Dolphins, gators and birds, this was another successful dolphin tour! It’s tough to beat the Georgia Coast.

Birding trips are a fantastic way for enjoying springtime, and I’m a believer in celebrating the seasons. On Saturday April 09th I jumped into my truck, drove past a wild turkey feeding alongside the road, and joined friends with the Ogeechee Audubon Society (OAS), to [...]]]>

Photo taken at Savannah-Ogeechee Canal by Michael T. Phillips

Birding trips are a fantastic way for enjoying springtime, and I’m a believer in celebrating the seasons. On Saturday April 09th I jumped into my truck, drove past a wild turkey feeding alongside the road, and joined friends with the Ogeechee Audubon Society (OAS), to observe colorful spring migrants and hear their sweet songs. No, I’m not talking about retired snowbirds.

Eight of us, from OAS, entered a scenic trail at Savannah-Ogeechee Canal and walked in the shade of moss draped cypress trees. Expert birders, Diana Churchill and Dot Bambach instructed how to recognize the calls of Red-eyed Vireos and Prothonotary Warblers. Working as a team, utilizing our ears, we zeroed in on Red-eyed Vireos in the treetops. First we heard their loud calls, focused on their direction, and then used our eyes to spot one moving while it hopped from branch to branch. This technique worked well for locating the Prothonotary Warbler too.

Prothonotary is five syllables. I’m still grasping how to pronounce it, but today I learned how to spot one and identify it. Thank you OAS.

The Prothonotary Warblers love our forested southern wetlands, and the trail through the wooded swamp was perfect for sighting them. It was a real treat to view their color of brilliant golden yellow; it’s easy to see why they are nicknamed, “swamp canary,” and “golden swamp warbler.”

Dot explained the Prothonotary is a cavity nester. Later, we saw one perched on a rim of a tree cavity, 10-feet above standing black-water. According to ‘The Breeding Bird Atlas Of Georgia,’ it’s the only habitual cavity-nesting warbler in the eastern United States.

We heard and sighted other species too, including the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Hmmm, gnatcatcher, I hope they like no-see-ums.

American Robin

Bluebirds, like robins, have rust colored breasts, and narrow bills, as they like [...]]]>

American Robin

Bluebirds, like robins, have rust colored breasts, and narrow bills, as they like the same foods. Both of them mainly dine on insects, and will eat wild fruits and berries during winter months when insects are scarce. And, both species produce powder-blue-colored eggs.

Brothers, Matt and Wesley explore tidal pool with a stick of driftwood along a secluded beach on Blackbeard Island.

Matt and Wesley, ages 13 and 9, discovered all kinds of neat stuff during their island hopping and beach combing adventure. They were part of a family vacationing from Neenah, WI. Their [...]]]>

Brothers, Matt and Wesley explore tidal pool with a stick of driftwood along a secluded beach on Blackbeard Island.

Matt and Wesley, ages 13 and 9, discovered all kinds of neat stuff during their island hopping and beach combing adventure. They were part of a family vacationing from Neenah, WI. Their parents and grandparents loved the relaxing comfort of miles of beach to themselves, as the boys explored and played. Together, they enjoyed sightseeing four picturesque barrier islands set in Coastal Georgia’s semi-tropical environment.

Starting their island hopping, before pulling up to Ossabaw Island, we sighted 2 mature Bald Eagles and a half dozen bottlenose dolphins, then cruised over to St. Catherines Island and glimpsed a 5 to 6-foot alligator patroling the edge of the estuary along the island.

The boys displayed a love of nature and soaked up the narrative tour like youthful sponges. This family caught on fast in spotting coastal birds, such as the Great Egret and Snowy Egret, the same pure white color, yet easily identified from each other. Another Bald Eagle (number 3) observed us before we left for the next barrier island.

At Blackbeard Island we encountered a birder’s paradise with Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, Willets, Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Sandpipers and our forth Bald Eagle. We moved through a waterway, home of Great Blue Herons, Tri-colored Herons and flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds. Both the waterway and island are named after the infamous pirate that was believed to once frequent the area. Everyone noticed how fresh, salty and clean the pristine beach smelled, constantly cleansed by forces of nature.

One more island to hop over to, and we did, Sapelo Island. Here we spotted our fifth bald eagle of the day. While exploring Cabretta Inlet by boat, the bank of Sapelo shared with us whispers of its past. A remains of an old wooden vessel, estimated from the early 1800′s layed upon its beach.

Matt and Wesley’s dad said of their coastal adventure, “Great, great, great!” And, speaking for myself, it was fun taking them to the islands.

Department Of Having Fun,
Captain Wild Bill

Our fifth bald eagle, on Sapelo Island, sat above the beach.