Hey guys i am looking to go to bulls bay soon. last year for my birthday we camped out from the boat on an island in tobys creek in the folly river. i have been wanting to get up to bulls bay anyways and i think it would be great to camp out ofr my birthday. i have searched bulls bay camping and stuff like that on the site but cant really find anything. so what islands can you camp on, i would prefer not to get a permit though. and my birthday is memorial day, so i would like to get out their and fish for sharks and tarpon and bull reds. are those fish going to be out their biting? also if at all possible i would like to have some rods setup surf fishing and our camp overlooking them. and we run a 19ft bowrider so is it to shallow for that or do we just be careful? do you fish the sandbars, ledges, deep holes, or surf for those fish? unfortunatly its a bit of a drive so we cant go out their on numerous scouting missions so we just have to fish it our first time and hope for the best. also what is a good ramp that you can park overnight at and is accesable at low tide, and what area of bulls bay is better for tarpon, and bull reds, and sharks? cape romain camping or southern bulls bay? thanks
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the mud minnow.
As far as I know, you can’t camp on Bull Island. You can camp on the North or South end of Capers with a permit. Getting one is really easy. Just call the DNR and they can email you a PDF that you can print out and take with you. They were free the last time I went. They just like to know who is on the island. There will be a Ton of boats over there on Memorial Day weekend, but most of them clear out around 5 or 6. Bring a stern anchor, firewood if you want to have a fire, and Lots of bug spray. Garris Landing is where you want to launch from. It’s close to Capers, free, and you can park your vehicle and trailer overnight. You won’t be able to launch a 19’ boat there at dead low tide though. Good luck and dont forget the Bugspray!
If I am not mistaken, the last time I was at Garris I thought I saw a sign that said no parking after 9:00. Or do they just lock the gate then? Anyone?
Concerning Garris, no overnight parking in the lot. I’ve been told one of two things happens if you get back after the gate closes. You get a ticket and are stuck there until the next morning, or you get a ticket and an officer comes to let you out. I’ve heard that the landowner adjacent to the ramp allows overnight parking for a small fee, but I haven’t confirmed it for myself. Closest overnight parking will be IOP Marina, but it certainly isn’t free.
They’re right. Now that I think about it, I did always park outside the gate. I think there is room to park outside the gate on the North side of the road. Personally I have never had any trouble leaving a vehicle/trailer there overnight. We used to launch at Buck Hall landing when they were “remodeling” Garris landing. Buck is also on the ICW just a few miles North of Garris. They had a real nice boat ramp with tent/RV camping facilities. I havent been up there in years, but if I remember right, you could park there for $10. Not sure if that was for overnight. I would call them first just to make sure. Anyone know why the channel along the pier at Garris was not dredged when they did all that work on it a few years ago???
if i camp on capers do you pull the boat up in the surf or can you just access it from the inshore side? and id rather not pay as im hoping to get an early birthday present a dog and not do anything for my bday so the camping would have to be cheap. also do you guys fish the north or south part of the bay for bull reds and poon?
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the mud minnow.
do you park from the backside or from the surf? and we would most likely be launching at garris. what did you fish for our their? im wondering because on google maps it looks like the north end has all the marshes and the south end is open, should i fish the north or south end for tarpon and big reds?
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the mud minnow.
There is usually a big sandbar on the ocean side of the North end of the island that has a lot of Big reds all over it. A lot of times they’re only in a foot or two of water right on top of that sandbar. You can walk out to the bar from the island at low tide, but its not a bad idea to take the boat out to it. The tide reallly rips out of that inlet and it’s easy to get stuck out there. I’ve never had much luck fishing around the South end, but I know there are fish there. Price inlet or any of the inlets around there have a lot of sharks/stingrays in the summer. The only difference in the camping between the North vs South end is that the South end is closer to the treeline and the North end is more exposed. Stay out of the interior of the island. I went in there once about 15 years ago, and there is nothing good inside there. A lake with Gators, 3’ tall fire and mounds, and the biggest mosquitoes i’ve ever seen. Just park your boat off the beach in the inlet. There will be a lot of boats out there on Memorial day weekend durring the day. Use the stern anchor to keep the boat off the beach. Don’t forget the permit. It’s free and I’ll bet they will be checking on a holiday weekend.