OFFSHORE JULY 2005

Freshies Report!

It’s hot, which means fishing can be a little slow especially if you don’t get your schedule just right. I know it’s fishing and not working, but when you are dealing with these “Hot” daily temperatures you had best “think outside of the box!” For instance, for those fish that fall into the “bass” family, which are considered “high bite maintenance” you should target them early in the morning and late in the evening. During the middle of the day go for those fish that don’t seems too affected by the heat, which would fall into the “crappie family.” If you aren’t having any luck I suggest, “moving and looking.” This gives you a chance to catch a breeze and look for any surface action. Fish that rely on live bait, as their main course especially when feeding as a school, will push their intended meal to the surface. As soon as this takes place you will get to see first hand surface commotion and also bird surveillance. Believe me if there weren’t any birds to be seen as soon as the bait surfaces they will come. Before rushing in to pitch your artificial bait offering I suggest hanging back and taking a “look see.” Quite often large fish hold back on the out skirts and only feed when it strikes them. The baitfish thinks because they are schooled up that they will appear bigger than they are. Believe me there is a lot going on. When you add in the above “mixture of the birds” you get the full circle. If the large fish are feeding, the birds won’t be hovering they will be diving. If the bait is being run so as to corral them the birds will be moving erratically. This means that the big fish are starting to go into the feeding mood. Birds are looking for “floating leftovers,” which are provided as soon as the big fish (herders) starts to feed. You best catch scenario is when two out of three are feeding! However, if you have spotted bait surface bait, which is not being attacked from below, birds might not be present. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t big fish in the area. Here’s an old saying, “fish where the baits have been not where they are going!”

Inshore Fishing

Inshore Fishing Report brought to you from Captain Jack McGowan

We are definitely in a summer pattern. Hot days followed a chance for afternoon thunderstorms on almost any day. Capt. Brian of Miss Judy Charters says if you want to catch trout think deep. Brian says the best bite is in 12 feet and deeper. Most fishermen concentrate on grass line
and shell rakes. Brian says there are lots of small fish in the hot shallow water. Salinity might be the factor in this case. Lots of rain can make surface water brackish and less favorable. Ample rain can drive baitfish and the fish that feed on them to saltier water. This was pattern for last week. Several days without large amounts meant that baitfish returned to the sounds. Be prepared for the heat if you fish pasted 11:00 AM. Make your plans to either fish early in the morning or later in the day. Given the heat and small tides for the coming week for best success try to avoid fishing during the middle of the day. Those who target tarpon, sharks, triple tail and Spanish will likely fare better than someone targeting sea trout or redfish during the middle of the day.

There have been several good reports from Salt Pond this week for spotted sea trout and spot tail bass. Lots of small bass as well good numbers of 27-inch redfish caught and released. Despite the holiday weekend (4th of July) fishing pressure was not as heavy as it could have been. Fewer fishermen on the water give those that are more options. If one drop fails to produce you could try something else. Just as important if you’re catching fish you’re not likely to attract other boats. Fishermen anchoring on rips have been catching Spanish. Lots of blue fish have are being caught in local waters. When fishing a drop and the small fish (fetish fish) aren’t biting. There could be large trout or redfish close by!

Fishing for the coming week could be good. It all depends on the storms and being flexible to lean into what’s biting. If sea trout and redfish bite is slow try tarpon, shark, Spanish or tripletail. Capt. Eric Traub landed 3-tripletail in the 15-pound range last week on one outing. Redfish action was likely slow. Most fishermen believe once shrimp boats show up in the sounds the tripletail bite is over. This likely isn’t engraved in stoned. This is one fish we really don’t know that about. In short if fishing is slow try something different. Capt. Vern reported catching keeper size sea bass on some near wrecks. With all the brackish water (and calm conditions) we’ve been having fishing the near shore wrecks is an excellent idea! Large whiting have reported in front of Williamson Island as well close to the sea buoy. There have been large schools of menhaden offshore as well as on the north end of Tybee and in the South Channel. Shelby Myrick said he spotted around 20 tarpon close to the Warsaw sea buoy. (in groups of 3's
and 4's). Thanks Captain Jack

Offshore

Spanish Mackerel

My father always told me that the seasonal Spanish mackerel bite isn’t in the full force until after the middle of August. In fact it’s not just the middle of August it was actually after the date of 9 August to be precise. I know this probably sounds strange to most that I have an actual day, but this is all I can remember. The fact of the matter is the bite is already great especially in our area. (Tybee Roads also known as the Savannah Shipping Channel and Warsaw Sound area) For those keeping “fish bite times” write down that as of Thursday July 7 , 2005 the major feeding time for this fish was around 8:00 AM. I’m not sure when they stropped biting, because my customers limited out in less than an hour. The current Georgia state regulations for Spanish is that they have to be at least 12” FL to keep. (FL equals measuring from tip of nose to fork or tail) They carry a bag limit of 15 with an open season from March 16 until November 30. Don’t panic when you see that this fish has a season time limit, because we normally don’t see them during the times that they fall under a “seasonal closer.”

There aren’t many fish that fish have a regulated season

Here’s a list of some of those fish that have a limited open season and fall under a “Catch and Release only” status. You can find a current list of these fish in the Georgia 2004-2005 Sport Fishing Regulations put out by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). You can pick this magazine up at most tackle stores or marinas. If you don’t have access to one of these areas give the DNR a call at 912 264 7218 they might just mail you a copy. It’s full of great information and explains Georgia’s state fishing rules and regulations.

Fish that carry an “Open Season” time frame

Tarpon March 16 until November 30

Amberjack March 16 until December 31

Cobia March 16 until November 30

Blue fish March 16 until November 30

Catch and Release Only!

Blue Marlin

White marlin

Sailfish

I know what your are thinking, “how could you ever get a chance at a billfish while fishing so close to shore?” The bottom line to this situation is that “fish don’t read and don’t have a clue at where they are supposed to be or not!” They just follow the food chain wherever it leads them. Billfish have been caught as close as 3 miles off of our coast. This is a fish that uses it’s bill to do exactly what it was intended for, which is to kill or stun what’s it’s going to eat! The rule of thumb when getting a hit from a bill is to immediately “drop back.” They have to see what they have hit immediately start to fall in the water column before they make they attempt to eat it. Back in the old days before I knew about the “drop back method” I had this crazed billfish consistently bat at my trolled line. I kept trying to set the hook and the fish kept trying to kill it. All I would have had to do is to “drop my bait back” and I would have had me my first sailfish hook-up. I will never forget the colors that this attacking sailfish was sporting while it was attacking my surface pulled bait. Billfish sport the most beautiful colors when they are in the kill and eat mode. I call them “colors with air!”

Spanish Mackerel

I am always talking about how to catch this fish. This is a schooling fish that when feeding can be completely doing it from all depths. Most of the fish that I catch during this time are done so while using planers. The reason being is that Spanish are normally especially at this time of the year in a “holding deep feeding pattern!” This boils down to them doing the same thing under the water that they do when you see them surface feeding, which is “completely over indulging.” This is a fish that loves what we call “glass minnows and squid.” The contents of your cooler always keeps you informed of exactly what they are feeding on, because once you throw one of these fish in they normally regurgitate. This is where a saltwater wash down pump comes in handy! This past week Spanish mackerel were surface schooling near the artificial reefs located 35 to 40 feet water. As of the fourth of July this fish was in a “major feeding pattern.” They also made a great showing in the Shipping channel. I was fishing at the artificial reef “Savannah.” When I arrived I saw all I needed to see to start getting set up for a successful fishing or should I say, “Catching Day!”

Here’s a list of my fishing arsenal:

The oldie, but goody rig especially when the Spanish are holding deep is a #3 Sea Striker planer to which I am pulling a small or medium Clark spoon in tow. I also carry onboard some smaller planers, which are made also by Sea Striker. (#1 one inch and #2 two inch) The depth of water that I am always fishing for Spanish is usually never over 45 feet. When you get in the shallower areas (less than 10 feet of water) and the Spanish are holding deep I am using the smaller planers. There are few things that you need to remember when using planers. The first is that you need to always add a snap swivel to the backside of the planer. (No matter which size that you are using) This helps keep your leader from twisting out of control. I don’t suggest using a swivel on the lure end. It’s not necessary. You need to tie your lure on directly to the leader. My most favorite lure is the Clark Spoon. It’s the spoon that comes complete with a “red ball” right behind the swivel on the lure. This is the spoon to purchase. For those of you that think a large lure will catch a bigger fish in this case it’s not true. The size lures that I am using imitate perfectly the size of minnows or squid that causes the Spanish mackerel to go into a feeding frenzy, which is a good thing. The fact of the matter is that the large Spanish hit the smaller spoons this pasted week.

Surface Schooling Spanish

When this fish is schooling you have several options. You can cut your engine drift with the school or stop on the outskirts of the feeding area and cast lures directly into the school. I don’t have that option; I wish I did, because light tackle catching is a lot of fun. I pull in all planers and get out the 20-pound test stuff. Attached to the end of my line are always a bead and a snap swivel. The bead stops my customer from reeling the line up too far. As far as my rigs you will need the follow sinkers, line, and spoons to duplicate my tackle. For weight I keep an assortment of trout sinker in my tackle box. I have 1, 11/2 and 2 ounce trout weight on hand. It’s necessary to have different size weights, because there are occasions where you have “trial and error” until you find the bite depth. The past week while the Spanish were surface feeding I caught them while pulling 2-ounce trout weight. I was using a 6 to 8 feet of 20-pound test leader between the weight and the spoon, which I tied the spoon directly on. As the feeding frenzy escalated I had to change and go with my serious super Spanish mackerel surface-pulling plug. Boy, that was a sentence full. I am pulling a Cajun thunder (cigar shaped) of which I have tied 4 foot of 20-pound test leader and then a small spoon. (Make sure that when you tie your leader on that it’s placed on the end of the float that has the double set of brass balls. The plastic balls are the front and the brass balls are the back of this lure.) The two styles of Clark spoons are the OO-RBMS (two inch) and the O-RBMS (21/2 inch). Both of these lures sport a 2/0 extra-strong hook. These lures are ready to go. However, I always run a stone over the point a few times. It’s my philosophy that your hook’s point can’t ever be too sharp! After pulling this lure check it out. Believe me you are going to find that the cork has receive many hits. This means that your cork is doing its job! The Cajun Thunder’s come in green, orange, and chartreuse colors. The good news is that they all seem to work!

King Mackerel

During this time of the year king mackerel can be caught as close as the beachfronts to as far out as the blue waters of the Gulf Stream. For those of you that want to fish more than ride here’s a few suggestions when it comes to targeting kings. Last week our charters primarily were targeting Spanish mackerel. This was due to the fact that this was the fish that was accessible. However, if I had customers that wanted to seriously target king mackerel I would have also been in a target rich environment for this fish. As I was trolling for the Spanish we watched large skyrocketing king mackerel eat their way through the schools of fish. I pulled a medium sized rigged ballyhoo for about 10 minutes and had two major hook ups. The barracuda that were also hanging in these areas made fast meals out of the two smokers that we hooked up. However, if I were going to get serious about king mackerel fishing I would have moved and fished the outskirts of artificial reefs area. Spanish mackerel were feeding on the glass minnows and the kings were feeding on the mackerel. We caught a lot of small Spanish, which would have made great “free lined bait.” The definition of this bait concoction is simple. It’s made of two things, “leader and hooks.” In order words, hook your bait up, and let it swim freely and naturally. As your bait swims off all you have to do is to bump your boat in and out of gear. For those that like to use the downrigger slow-trolling method this is also a great situation. Rig your Spanish up live bait style. My live bait rig usually consists of live bait hook, which is placed through the lips. This hook-up keeps your bait head first in the current. Attached to the live bait hook are two stingers hook approximately 6 inches apart. My stingers are small sharp, but extra-strong trebles hooks. I am placing one treble hook on one side of the bait right in the mid-section area. I am placing the last hook on the opposite side. The best location for this hook is between the dorsal and tail area. The style rig can be used on your downriggers or a slide style sinker. I suggest fishing this style set up at different levels. Once you get hit or a hookup you will know at what depths the king are feeding!

Bottom Fishing at the Savannah Snapper Banks

The month of July normally starts our “you had better get some live bait or you are in trouble” time of the year. This is especially the case when it comes to targeting big bottom fish. We have all noticed that this year’s crop of nervous baits hasn’t been as good it has been in the past.

Nervous baits are those small fish that we use that don’t have an air bladder. Here’s a list of a few that we catch in our area that are prefect for bottom fishing: cigar minnows, Spanish sardines, Boston mackerel, horse-eyed Jack, bar jack, and jack mackerel. They fall into the “hardy bait club.” This boils down to the fact that they can make several trips down to the bottom at 100 feet without experiencing any sort of “fish bends.” The small fish such as the sand perch, rock bass, and vermilion snapper makes great live bottom bait, but have to be handled differently. These bait’s air bladder expands un-controllably as they are pulled to the surface. The air in bladder must be released quickly or your bait won’t last long. We do this by puncturing with the point of our fillet knife. (Trial and error is often the case when trying to locate a fish’s air bladder. You should be able to hear the air when it’s released.)

All baits that I have talked about will work. However the bait that is airbladder-less are the best at this time of the year. However, they aren’t as plentiful as they have been in the past years. We normally catch them while fishing with the famous gold hook rigs at the artificial reefs buoys, wrecks, and their broken bottom areas. The naval towers are also usually holding a wealth of these baits, but the catching has been terrible. I have started throwing the old cast net, which is helping me catch another air bladder-less fish. The bait I’m talking about is Menhaden. This baits used on the bottom will work, but it’s not as consistence as the others. It’s a two-part bait for sure! You can use it alive on the bottom. Believe me you will know right away whether or not the big bottom boys are going to be interested. If they are you will be hookup right away. If they aren’t they will send you their calling card of a “dead fish.” They will kill your bait, but will not eat it. When this happens you had best move on to another spot. That’s the bad news, but now for some good parts. The dead menhaden makes great cut bait. All bottom fish love the oils and smells from this fish. You shouldn’t just use this as your main bottom bait. I would mix it up with a bit with squid. It works better when you don’t give them too much of the good stuff at one time!

“BLUE WATER”

It’s that time of the year where all surface temperatures are about the same. This can mean only one thing there is not many temperature breaks to fish. However, the good news is that all fish from all regions whether it is blue or green water can be found everywhere. I have had reports of dolphin both schools and bulls being seen and caught in 50 feet of water. There also have been sightings of billfish being seen at these depths. So where there is bait, there is fish. With that statement put your lines out where it suits you best!

“Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not!”

Mason Jar Bait

Back in the old days before there wasn’t much in the way of refrigeration fisherman had to go to extremes to keep their bait hook worthy. Here’s a recipe for keeping fish flesh and shrimp flesh stored indefinitely and hardened at the same time. For every pint size jar filled with flesh you need to add water and one level tablespoon full of powdered borax. Make sure your lid is tight, give it a good shake up, and store in a cool place.

Here’s My Line Now Bite My Hook!

Captain Judy
Fish Physic!

Thank You,
Captain Judy
Miss Judy Charters
912-897-4921
Miss Judy's Charter Information