Hello from The Bluff! 

I’m Capt. Wild Bill, a certified naturalist and licensed fishing guide.  Looking at a map, or visiting the bluff in person, it’s easy to see Yellow Bluff is the perfect launching point to discover the beauty and adventure of Coastal Georgia.  That’s why I live here. 

Many folks ask why I go by the name, “Capt. Wild Bill.” Well, I’ve always enjoyed having a good time, that’s part of it. There are several stories, but it officially started when one of my neighbors urged me to use the name Capt. Wild Bill for marketing purposes, and I do.

The name wasn’t new to me. Earlier in my life, best friends fondly teased and harassed me with that label after funny or entertaining moments, and sometimes because of my all-out passion for fishing.

One of the more recent stories includes a fellow fishing guide and fishing buddy of mine, Capt. Jack McGowan.

Now I’ve been harassing Jack through the years by taking photos of him whenever he’d catch a very small fish, and threatening to run them in The Savannah Morning News with a weekly fishing column I used to write.

During a cold and windy February morning, not very long ago, Jack hooked into a 12-lb. striped bass in the Savannah River and it wrapped around a submerged tree top. The line got so tangled, I pulled out a new pair of $350 prescription reading glasses.

That striper, almost freed, went ballistic and my glasses fell overboard into the cold river, about 12-feet deep. Water temperature was low 50’s, and wind blowing 20-mph. In a couple of seconds, not wanting to wear cold, wet clothes the rest of the day, I stripped and jumped in after my glasses.

At first Jack was in shock that I was naked when I started to climb back into the boat. Then he smiled, grabbed his camera and chased after me as I tried to hide behind the outboard motor. The photo turned out G-rated, but he still laughs when he recalls that fishing trip with Wild Bill.

I’m also wild about Coastal Georgia, the nature here, and the fish. If you follow my adventures, and my stories, you’ll understand why I love it so.

Today, walking towards the splendor of the marsh at Yellow Bluff, I experienced just how breathtaking our bird life can be.

Under the shade of ancient live oaks, I listened to musical calls of one of the most colorful birds in the world, the painted bunting. In the background, a woodpecker thumped a hollow tree like a drummer.

Startled by my approach, a large flock of wood storks burst from the outstretched branches of tall oaks along the bluff; they circled and glided to another elevated perch. Ignoring the storks, a great egret stalked a nearby creek channel for a meal.

Feeding inside the expansive lush green marsh grass were a variety of white birds, great egrets, snowy egrets and wood storks, taking advantage of the low incoming tide flowing into the tiny creeks laced through the thriving marsh.

If I remained still, sounds of the marsh habitat grew louder; I heard crackling, sucking and popping noises. Surveying the landscape for their origins, I noticed thousands of fiddler crabs dancing on the exposed mud banks, live oysters stirring and spitting, and several mud-minnows swirling about in slow incoming water of the shallow creeks.

I think no matter how old we get, the beauty of the marsh will always stir our childhood memories of the wonder of life.

The salty aroma of this healthy environment entered my nostrils and hinted to the fisherman inside me of a promise of a seafood feast. Presently, our coastal waters are providing fishermen with flounder, seatrout and redfish. Get out there and enjoy them.

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of fishing with Donnie Fears and Jeff Thomas, the creators of the Burnside Bopper. In case you didn’t know, the Burnside Bopper is a great rattling float for baitcasting reels, and very effective with spinning reels, too.

Donnie and Jeff were gracious hosts as they had me crawling through the marsh on all fours, using my lower legs like snowshoes to stay on top of the mud, while I had my fishing rod clenched in my teeth. Even though this is true, I say this in jest as they really did take great care of me. And, we all know the important thing is having fun. Adventure and catching fish are fun!

We caught plenty of fish with the Burnside Bopper floats. Our three man catch included 20-seatrout, 11-redfish, 5-black drum and a whiting. For the sport fisherman, it also included 5-lady fish and 3-blacktip sharks. There were a lot of hook-ups and misses too, so the action was great.

Mostly our bait consisted of local brown shrimp. By the end of June our white shrimp will be small and plentiful. I love shrimp, but one of my favorite baits is the mud-minnow, especially this time of year. Joey Caldwell turned me onto this wonderful secret during the early 1990’s, and I’m still a big fan of the mud-minnow today. Hint, hint… try them.

I’ve been having lots of fun this month, island hopping, beaching and catching plenty of fish, did a flounder seminar for the folks at the Skidaway Island chapter of the CCA, and I’m in the June issue of Water’s Edge Magazine. It’s the fourth magazine I’ve made it in during this last year.

I’d love to hear about your fun and fishing adventures too. Shoot me an e-mail at CaptWildBill@coastalnow.net .

Department Of Having A Good Time,
Capt. Wild Bill