Note: I created this local flavor listing specifically for the Old Bridge Fishing Pier on Jekyll…read moreIsland, but Yelp admin changed the title to just Jekyll Island so my attraction is now unsearchable & confusing with 2 other listings for the island as a whole, titled "Jekyll Island" (latter 2 are dupes of one another, which Yelp admin refuses to correct). It is one of many actions by Yelp designed to block users from accessing local info on this destination, which keeps Yelp users ignorant if they use Yelp instead of Google, who has it all!
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The former drawbridge access bridge onto Jekyll Island from its causeway was built in 1954, decommissioned in the early 1990s, and turned into a fishing pier once the metal drawbridge was removed.
As a kid, I first visited the island via this bridge, just a couple years before it was decommissioned. At that time, toll to visit the island was $1/day, now it's $10/day.
I have visited both sides of the pier. The causeway side is longer and fishermen there had some decent catches. This water is the river side of Jekyll Island, so it's briney, and you're liable to catch just about anything saltwater or freshwater in there!
A family fishing was kind enough to let my child use their rod and within minutes caught a little fish (too small to keep). But we saw their cooler and they had a stockpile of a catch, including a huge trout, and on the ground was a ray they had caught, which they couldn't save to return to the water. A bald eagle nearby was perched ready to clean up the discarded seafood as soon as the fisherfolk left. I know from rangers that the eagles had two eaglets this year who are still in the nest, so the unused catch went to hungry birds.
On the island side pier, I often see it used by cyclists hoping for a breeze and a view along their route, but it's not as long, so less useful for fishing. There is a large parking lot on the island side, which is pretty hidden from tourists, and a great parking anchor spot for daytrippers when the island is crowded.
The causeway side has places to park alongside it, but no real designated parking lot. Its access road is where the GA state patrol sits in wait for speeders at night and pretty much all weekend.
All in all this is a very cool spot for fishing, picture taking, sunset watching, birding, etc. my only negative was on the island side, there is a sidewalk at the very end, that raises the concrete up too high to be a safe height with the railing. This is super dangerous, and ought to be safeguarded somehow. Otherwise, a little-known spot for seasoned visitors!
