Savannah Fishing Report - Miss Judy Charters Feb

Inshore spotted sea trout bite

A few spotted sea trout are being caught in the creeks and rivers.   Best artificial baits at this time are ice colored flukes rigged on red ¼ jig heads.  The secret is to cast into place, let it sit, reel a few turns, and repeat.  In other words give them time to eat!!

The old trout has it ways for feeding or not.  I have always been taught that they don’t eat during the cold water times unless they have too.  Normally this fish does eat it’s because a warming trend has taken place.  This week would be prefect time to give this suggestion a try.  We started out with a very cold week with air temperatures even on the coast being passed the freezing mark in the morning.  Cold such as we had earlier this week causes a quick drop in water temperature, which in turn puts the spotted sea trout back into a winter time hibernation mode.  This means they suction themselves back on the bottom in the deepest hole that they can find.  

The good news is that it going to get warmer quicker than it got colder.  This boils down to the fact that as soon as the water temperature catches up with this quick warming trend spotted sea trout will release from their anchored up spots and make a move to feed.   And they will be hungry too!!

The spotted sea trout also known as “mud babies” do this amazing thing when they go into the winter time hibernation mode.  They find a suitable spot, which normally is in a deep hole out of the current and weight anchor.  This means they lay on the bottom with stomach down and wiggle until they get a suction between their bottom section and the mud.  Once the suction is formed they can lay in one spot without making any sort of movement to hold in one spot.  The means complete silent on all parts from the tail to the fins to the mouth.  I don’t have a picture of what a trout’s stomach looks like after it moves from it personal anchorage.  Believe it or not but they have a “slim ring around their stomach where it was suctioned to the bottom.   The only way to get rid of the ring around the stomach is for the trout to take a much needed swim!!  Pretty darn interesting if you ask me!!  (I had a picture of mud baby from many years ago…my goal in 2012 fish year is to get one!  So therefore if you have one please send it to me I will give you credit every time I use it!)

An Inshore Sheepshead Biting Affair!

Bridges and their up rights are just one of the areas that provide plenty of vertical feeding surfaces for a Sheepshead.  It’s my opinion that the best time to catch a Sheepshead is fish one hour before till one hour after the high tide stage.   Please know there are days when currents aren’t that strong..  When the tide is really running the old Sheepshead is saving up energy for its feeding time when the current slows.  The higher and slower the tide gets is the better time for a Sheepshead to feed. 

Red Fish and their Tails!

Photo by Captain Matt Williams

Nice red fish being release back to the wild!!

 Red fish bait that has been a hit!

During the cold water times this is what would be called “red fish candy set up!”  This is a loaf cut piece of season mullet placed on a gold khale hook. You can either fish this bait directly on the bottom just like standard bottom fishing or you present it under a small style adjustable cork as shown.  The bottom line especially during this time is to approach intended fishing spot as quietly as possible,  cast bait into to place, and let it set right on the bottom.  The best tides stage at least this week is the end of the high to about 2 hours or the out going.  The red fish are feeding better as the tide floods the grass and as the fish are having to  depart with the water as it recedes from the area.

Seasoned Bait

The meaning of seasoned bait is so simple…all you have to do is to take it out of your cooler and let the air/sun dry it.  This seals the juices in the meat.  The best news is when it’s introduced back into the water it wakes the juices them up!!  We do this with whole shrimp, shrimp pieces, squid, and cut pieces of fish.  When it air/sun dried it stays on the hook better and the bait doesn’t soften up until it sits in the water.  While it’s softening up the fish calling juices are doing their job!!

Artificial Reefs

A Sheepshead story with a black fish bite ending!

It’s still a Sheepshead catching affair that only can happen if you can get away from the furious bite of the black sea bass bite!   However, we did have a pretty good catching week…lots of action from all fish!!

Savannah Snapper Banks

 Still lots of fun!!

As you know there isn’t much to do, but catch and release.  However, this certainly can be lots of fun.

Off the wall catching ideas to try at the banks

 Jigging around the towers is especially fun at this time of the year.  Here’s a list of just some of the fish that we have caught while fishing around the naval towers at this time of the year…tuna, cobia, amberjack, dolphin, African Pompano, Wahoo, and things that took our lure that haven’t stopped swimming yet!  The ones that are still swimming are the ones that I like best!  These kinds of fact finding trips are what make up some of the greatest fish catching adventures!!

Blue Water Report 

It’s that time of the year where if you don’t go you won’t know!  However, if you get a good day and there is no pending large weather changes moving into the area I suggest making it happen!!!

An unbelievable picture from Johnny Peter’s blue water fishing achieves

At this point all I can say about this up coming picture is “WOW!” 

From Johnny Peters Blue water picture archives

 The Who’s Who of them all!!

A couple of years ago Johnny Peters called me and we talked about the possibilities of me writing a book about yesteryear’s blue water fishing.  As we talked I said, “Back in my father’s day we didn’t use a camera very much!”  (Boy, I certainly do wish that we did!)  My father when he would go blue water fishing would always bring home fish that even made me as a 7 year old look small.  I would have loved to have gotten some pictures of me standing by any of these big fish.  However, when daddy came home he was busy trying to get these sea monsters (what I called them!)  Cleaned!     I especially remember this one time that he brought home one of the biggest Wahoo’s that I had ever seen even to this day.  At the age of 7 year old I didn’t ask any technical questions so I don’t know what he feed it much less how he got it in the boat or where he caught the darn thing.  . I can say this for sure…there must have been a whole lot of pulling, grunting, and cussing involved!! And heck maybe some drinking was involved on the way home!!  All fishermen were always so happy when they got home including my father!!!

Johnny Peters and his pictures saved the day!!

Johnny Peters’ and his family documented a lot of there catches with pictures, which he gracefully bestowed on me. As I looked through these pictures I found large fish in almost every one of them.  To top this already great gift, Johnny had a story to go with   every one of them.  This picture shown above is most likely worth thousands of words.  And if I had to put a dollar figure to it I don’t think I would be stretching if I said, “A millions dollars plus!” That’s all I have to say about that!!  For more information you had best asked “Johnny!” 

A big thanks go out to Johnny Peters for providing me with all of these great pictures.  And next week’s picture will also be interesting!  It will be of caught fish not hand shaking with world class presidents!!!  However, I bet if I keep digging who knows whose picture might show up!!   And that’s why I like the yesterday years and those that shared it so much!!

Freshies Report

Those fishermen that want to “GO FISH LAKE LANIER”

Bill Vanderford is “Lake Lanier’s Legend!”

For more about my long time friend Bill Vanderford as well as his accomplishments, his freshwater charter trips or wildlife tours, books written and his special line up of tackle offered, please visit his site

On an occasion while my boat was out of the water at Hogan’s Marina, this happened!  Jody whom works in the Hogan’s marina office had a customer bring her these fabulous fox furs.  I walked into the marina store and there they were lying right up on the counter.  I asked so fast that I couldn’t stop myself, “Can I pet them?”  Of course, Jody laughed, and then I told her this story from my childhood.  These foxes looked identical to the ones that Mrs. Sanders wore around her neck at church way back when.  However, I got to exam these up close and personal.  Not only that, but Jody let me take them home so that I could take pictures.  There were in fact the real dealt.  These foxes still had their real teeth, feet with nails intact, and pads.  The only thing that wasn’t real was the eyes, which as a child had scared me the most!! 

Watching the foxes almost to up close and personal!!

As a child I attended the Lutheran Church of Redeemer, located on Wilmington Island.  I remember going to Sunday school in the small rooms out back and then church in the big room.  As a small child my mind was working all of the time in what my father called “Go ready mode!”  As I sat in big church my mind sometimes wondered. Then one day Mrs. Sanders walked in with the strangest furs around her neck that I have ever seen.  As Mrs. Sander sat down in the row right in front of me I watched with my eyes focused right on these crazy looking foxes.   

The first thing that I noticed was the fact that I thought it’s eye moved.  To the mind of a seven year old this was a possibility.  No one else seemed to be shocked about this situation so therefore I got comfortable with it.  As I watched the fox that  had latched on to the other fox’s tail I couldn’t help but wonder how long this could go on. It had tiny little feet that even looked like their pads had been worn from making way in the woods. Heck, I even started feeling sorry for them.  However, they didn’t look stressed a bit.  As I looked into the eyes it started dawning on me that these foxes were dead and stuffed.  However there was one thing for sure these foxes at one time were the real deal and now there job was to warm Mrs. Sander’s neck. 

The best news about this whole ordeal was before I knew it church was over and the foxes were heading home.  I followed as long as I could.  Boy, if I only could have petted those foxes!!!

  I might have had to wait over fifty years, but I finally got to pet those foxes!!! 

Thanks for reading!  Captain Judy