Captain Judy Savannah Georgia Fishing Rep

CAPTAIN JUDY HELMEY

“Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956”

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 31410

March 15, 2010

This is what a true fisherman looks like when he catches a fish!

Turner Stephenson (age 12) along with his father Pat had a great inshore fishing

experience while fishing with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters.

Pat Stephenson is holding a nice red fish, which was caught while doing a little sight

casting on Friday March 6, 2010 with his son Turner.

This is a nice red fish, which was caught, fought, and released! The best news that I can pass on to you is this: This fish is still out there maybe feeding at an oyster bar near you! Whatever you do don’t forget to sharpen those hooks and give them time to eat!

This red fish hit a lip hooked finger mullet that was being presented under an ultra light adjustable float. According to the fisherman that caught this fish it was more about the raising of the rod and than the setting of the hook. During cold times all fish take in what they are going to eat much slower bringing to light once again “that you have to give them time to eat!”

A warming trend is taking place

Here’s the red fish deal. Normally at this time of the year I am talking about a warming trend and what’s on tap for a fisherman’s next bite. However, since our warming trend is behind schedule I am going to talk about what we are dealing and that’s basically cold water. Since the water is so cold inshore fish as well those near shore are acting a little funny. The best news is that while I am writing this report the water temperature is in fact warming. What we need is a water temperature, which is somewhere around 65 degrees! The old saying of when it’s “65 everything is alive” is a very true statement!

As you know this is not the case so we will have to work with what we have is a coldwater red fish bite with an occasional spotted sea trout or cold-water shark. The best news that I can offer is this “it could be changing as I am writing this fishing report.”

A day in the life of a cold water red fish

The first thing is the fact that they move the least that they can, because the water is so cold. The less movement made the less they have to hunt for a food source. During coldwater times there isn’t much bait so therefore the old red fish depends mostly on the marshes areas to feed. During this time all sort of small to large crabs as well as snails and anything else the comes wrapped in a shell lives in the marshes areas. With that being said, “This is mostly what the old red fish eats!” When this fish find something wrapped in a shell they are going to gobble it up. The intended crushers in the back of this fish’s throat are suppose to crush up or at least break the shells swallowed. However, after viewing the contents of the insides of a red fish, especially at this time, there are plenty of complete shells packed into this fish’s stomach. It is our belief that it takes a red fish longer to digest not what comes inside the shell but the shell itself. And since the water is so cold the fish not only feed slower it digests the same way. So therefore some days are better in regards to a cold-water red fish’s feeding habits.

This is what we found when we opened up one of the red fish that we kept. The stomach was so packed with crab’s parts that I could only imagine that the fish was uncomfortable. As soon as we opened the fish’s stomach crab parts fell out.

Captain Ray Crawley has a theory when it comes to the way a red fish feeds. He says, “When they put on the feed bag they eat as long as they can eating as much as the can!” However, when it comes to eating crabs only their stomachs can only hold so much. Once completely full like the stomach above feeding is no longer an option, because what goes down comes right back up. So therefore it takes the red fish longer to digest the crabs and parts than it does the other things that don’t come wrapped in a shell.

According to Captain Ray a red fish feeds every other day during cold-water times!

A bucket full of sheepshead!

Inshore Sheepshead Bite

You know the old saying, “The clearer the water the lighter the leader!” This means when the water is clear the fish can see way too much especially when a leader and hook are involved. It has been proven many times that when a fish goes to eat, if it’s distracted even for a second, the bite delivered won’t be right. Well, this is what is happening right now in regards to the sheepshead. They can see that fiddler crab “up too close and personal!” However, not only can they see the crab they can see the hook as well as the leader attached to it. This is where a fisherman has to dig deep in his tackle box as well as the old mind in order to get a “sheepshead hooked up!” As I said earlier “going with lighter pound test leaders” is going to be your first quest with you second being smaller hooks. I know when dealing with a sheepshead as well as that set of teeth attached this all doesn’t seem possible. However, for those fishermen that want a better chance at a more solid sheepshead bite “lighten up everything in the tackle department.” This is where fluorocarbon leaders are suggested due to their abrasive qualities. This is one leader that won’t break once it is rubbed up against oysters or rocks. (Less breakages) Another thing that fluorocarbon leader offer is the fact that it’s almost impossible to see once introduced into the water. And before I quit on this deal, this leader is lesser in diameter meaning more strength delivered with smaller line. I think you get the point. As far as the hook used, I suggest differently down sizing. Back in the old days when my father and I used to fish in Florida it became very apparent that some fish would not hit your bait if they could see your leader at all. The bottom line is this when we down sized we certainly got more hits, but we really did lose lots of fish. However, if you used stronger leaders as well as bigger hooks the fish seemed to not even look our way. I decided long ago that I preferred “action with losses better than no actions at all.” You decide!

This is what some fishermen would call a mud crab. It looks like a regular fiddler, but it’s not. It can be found under pieces of drift either in the mud or near the bank. When using this type fiddler as bait I don’t suggest pulling the claws off. The reason being is that “one or two claws are better than none!”

What do Bonnethead sharks eat? Read on!

Bonnethead sharks do have a fine set of teeth. Please notice where their mouth is located, which is kind of down under. By looking at most fish you can tell what might be their favorite meal, which means the easiest moves made to take a bite!

This is an almost a completely intact blue crab, which was removed from the stomach of this Bonnethead shark. Not only did it eat one crab, but also there is another one still in this shark’s stomach. (We haven’t removed it. And it looks like about the same size.) “Crabs beware” it’s getting Bonnethead shark cruising feeding time! The Bonnethead shark’s sleek design is built for chasing down a swimming sideways crab and its mouth is the prefect size for swallowing it whole!

Finger mullet make for great baits especially during cold times. You can lip hook them under a float or just use a leader no weight and just let them swim. Best news is if a fish is out there it will eat this bait for sure! During cold water times it’s best to lip hook mullet up under a light tackle float or hook up naked, cast into the strike zone, put rod down, wait till the fish takes the bait, eats it, starts to make a move, and then pick your rod up. The reason this is a good idea is if you set the hook too quick fish will be gone!

Bait catching report!

For those fishermen interested in doing a little casting for bait there is some opportunity available. The best times are going to be at the lower tide stage and on days where there has been some “warming up” sunshine. There have been a few schools of mullet seen in about open areas. However, taking a look-see in the back of creeks is going to be your best choice.

Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters “fishing tip for the week”

Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters holding a nice cold-water red fish, which was caught just a few days ago!

By the time you are reading this the water temp should be up a couple of degrees and things on the water should be starting to fire up. Spring is fast upon us and and trust me the fish are ready to feed. This winters has been unusually cold and it has got things happening at a snail’s pace. The cold water has either killed off or ran the bait deeper than usual. I have been fishing about two days a week this winter and since about the first of February I have not seen much bait action.

Since the water is well below normal and the trout bite has all but stopped I would target red fish. If you can try and pick a day that the tide is low and the sun has had a couple of hours to warm the area you want to fish. Best places to fish while taking these conditions into consideration are mud bars, sand flats or oyster rakes. Once these areas have warmed and the tide starts to cover them, the new water will also be warmed a few degrees. When this takes place bait and fish will advance into these areas to take advantage of this extra warming trend. This is the best time to get your best shot at Mr. red fish.

The “Red Fish Catching Man” better known as “Cuz!”

On Thursday March 4, 2010 Captain Alan and his cousin Steve also known as ‘Cuz” fished windy as well as very cold conditions. The main goal when handed this situation was to find a mud flat out of the wind. According to Captain Alan when he found what he was looking for he killed his engine and started using his trolling motor. While staying about 20 yard off the flat the duo looked for red fish swirls or wakes. Once finding what he was looking for he waited before making any sort of fishing moves. It’s always a good plan to stand off especially after you have located any red fish movement, because you want to blend in. Red fish are known for being able to disappear even though they are still there. I know that sound like a crazy statement, but oh so true. I have seen this happen on many occasions while sitting and playing this watching game.

After the game of waiting and watching was over Captain Alan positioned his boat ahead of the fish “making way” letting them work to him instead of away. As soon as the fish got close enough casts were made in their direction. At this time two red fish were hooked up. As soon as these fish were fought, caught, tagged, and released after a little settlement this style of fishing was once again reenacted. They caught about four fish in one hour while staying in the same spot playing the waiting and watching game.

According to Captain Alan red fish are basically homebodies. This means if you find them in areas chances are good they will be there or close by the next time you visit. It’s very important to keep a logbook and write down all the information that you can. Here’s a list of some of the things you should consider making notes of: tide stage, (incoming or outgoing and times) water temperature, conditions (sunny, cloudy, air temperature, winds and direction, etc) water clarity, (muddy or clear) bait, (artificial or live if so what kind and where you got it from) tackle, and methods used (casting and retrieve, float fishing), where the fish schooling, which direction that they headed to mostly, and etc. Hope this helps Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters

The sheepshead bite has been steady. The best news is that the water temperature actually warmed up a couple of degrees this past week. This is a good thing for the fish as well as the fishermen. Due to the warming trend that is taking place as I am writing more bite opportunity will start to appear in these areas…black sea bass populations should increase and get ready for a top water fish invasions…you might not see them jumping but they will be there!

“Federal Rules and regulations”

The larger fish are genuine red snapper and the smaller ones are vermilion snapper also known as bee-liners. Genuine red snapper fishery is closed until further notice, which means you cannot keep this fish. (The fact of the matter is No one can!) Vermilion snapper now have a season closure from November 1 till October 31. So therefore on

April 1 you can keep vermilion snapper that is …if they are at least or over 12 inches long. They carry a bag limit of 5 per person.

Please check all fishing regulations before going fishing!

Gulf Stream Report

Blue Water Run!

Aaron Bibby, Bill Scott, and Dr. HOO HOO did make blue water run. They called it their early spring shake down trip. All went well and while fishing the South Ledge lots of reeling action was had by all. According to the report schools of Bonita were seen busting the surface and holding in the mid water column. On one pass by they hooked up 5 of these fish at one time. Schools of amberjack were caught over the ledge and were happy to hit just about anything that happened by.

Although this wasn’t what the blue water team was looking to catch they did find lots of action, which only means “we got fish.” They kept a few Bonita making some nice trolling belly strips. They had a blast catching both the Bonita and amberjack. The best news is everything worked right down to the reels and the line loaded on them! The bottom line to this report is this: Schools of Bonita means there are others close by and if you don’t believe fish the perimeter even if you do have to move a couple of miles!” Thanks for the report!

Freshies Report

Pull these crank baits to get your best chance at catching those fish that love nothing more that a good chase!

Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or not!

Captain Sherman I Helmey 1901-March 1993 (My father)

You know the old saying a picture in some cases is worth a “thousand words!” In this case this might just be true. This is my father, Captain Sherman I Helmey sitting on a bench that was made from the bottom frame of a chair. The hat that he is wearing is one of those types that George Burns wore when he was in the 1977 movie “Oh God” with John Denver. The metal washtub sitting at his right foot was what we carried our ice down to the boats in. I remember this one particular morning when daddy had dumped the ice in the boat’s wooden cooler and decided that he would take the tub back to the car. Normally he would just leave it on the dock. However, for some reason he wanted to take it back to the car. I remember watching as he walked up the dock “just a swinging the tub back and forth.” As he was taking this stroll the morning sun was just breaking the horizon at the beach. Even after 50 years plus I can still see in my mind that sunrise right now. Now that’s something that you never forget. On this particular day the morning sun must have caught the swinging tub just enough to get the attention of the big rattlesnake that was lying on the ground next to the dock. As daddy walked by the snake it struck the tub and hit it so hard that it made a noise that we heard all the way down to the end of the dock. It kind of reminded me of the noise that an orange makes as it hits your windshield at 40 mph. (Another story for another time!)

As we all looked up we saw daddy bending over looking at the ground. Being the curious child that I was I started walking up the dock toward daddy. Once arriving I watched as daddy was picking up one of the biggest rattlesnakes that I have ever seen. He had it draped over large oar and each hanging section must have been 3 to 4 feet long. As I am writing now as well as thinking about it I still shiver at the thought of this big snake. Well, my father as you know was quite a card and he did play his share of jokes on those he liked. He pointed and said, “Go get me that crab box.” I headed towards the crab box knowing for sure I wasn’t getting close to that snake even if it was supposedly stone cold dead. I handed daddy the crab box and he dropped the snake inside the box. Then he laid a croaker sack across the top. He then told me I could go on back to the boat and he would be down there in a moment. I shook my head and started back down the dock.

When I got about half way down the dock I saw Captain Walsh drive up. As soon as he got out of the car I watched as my father waved him over to the box. Although I couldn’t hear what daddy was saying I could only assume he was either playing a joke or showing off his rattlesnake find. Both men leaned in and daddy lifted the croaker sack. At this exact moment and also to my amazement they jumped higher than I have seen anyone especially while in the backwards mode. When their feet finally did hit the ground they were moving and kicking sand at the same time. A real sand storm appeared at their feet.

The large rattlesnake that daddy thought was stone cold dead had in fact only has knocked it’s self out when it hit the tub. While lying in the crab box the snake not only woke up, but also was ready to escape at its first chance. At this point those looking in was happy to oblige! The moral of this story is when your snake looks dead it just might be playing possum.

As always, thanks for reading! Captain Judy