Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2013 | Page 15

We head to nearby saltwater marshes or St.
Simons Sound in search of catching fish,”
Kennedy says. “We make it easy. All they
have to do is show up at the dock, step on
board ... and pretty soon they’re catching
some fish. If they want, we’ll even bait
the hooks for them.” Youngsters and their
parents are often hooked after their first
fishing trip, prompting them to sign up for
three or four more trips that same week.
Keeping kids interested is easy. “There’s
never a dull moment, so they don’t get
bored,” Kennedy continues. “If the fish
aren’t biting in one place, we move to
another, taking turns steering the boat. We
spot dolphins, bald eagles, stingrays and sea
turtles. We watch least terns dive straight
down for minnows.
“All the Sea Island guides are naturalists
raised in this environment, and we like
sharing our knowledge,” he adds. “We’ve
taken thousands of kids fishing and are
always successful in finding what is interesting
to them. Some may want to see dolphins and
others may be focused on catching lunch. So
much is going on.”
As a testament to fishing’s popularity,
Kennedy explains that his crew leads more
than 1,200 trips per year, adding up to about
4,800 people participating in the pastime with
guides at the resort annually. The high season
is typically from March through August.
“It’s really become a popular activity here,”
Kennedy says.
Many graduate to four-hour adventures.

Crabbing off The Cloister Dock

“Those go to F Reef, an artificial reef seven
miles offshore where we catch bluefish,
barracuda, trout, cobia, mackerel, bull
redfish and sea bass,” says Kennedy. “About
70 percent of our guests are first-time
anglers, and they come back asking for the
same guides.”
“Kids like quantity,” he says. “My office
door is covered with their thank you notes,
and one guy who caught 137 fish drew 137
little fish on his card! A few fish get taken
home or to a Sea Island restaurant to be
cooked. When kids eat what they caught,
that’s a powerful lesson in where food comes
from