Coastal River Charters

Fishing last week was up and down! The bite went from poor to hot depending on who you were talking to you or what your experience was.

The whiting bite was fair to poor for those fishing in Wassaw sound. While those fishing near Tybee fishermen did very well. One fisherman said every time he would cast out he would get a fish. Many of the whiting are in the nine inch range but there are lots of bigger ones. Some scattered seatrout action. The best reports on seatrout were from fishermen fishing on or close to the beach front. Some nice reds caught last week on the flats pitching jerk worms. Fishermen reported were seeing fish that just would not eat. Fishermen have all sorts of theories why fish wont eat. Some say redfish will bite every other day. These theories are nice and neat. Who knows? Part of the problem of reluctant fish could be too much bait. On the other hand, lots of bait can and will likely pull in lots of fish! Sometime when bait seems like it is everywhere soft plastics will loose some of their effectiveness. When fishing a plastic I’ll try to select a pattern that matches the bait. The most consistent bite last week was the flounder bite. Water temperature presently is around 78 degrees. Capt. Wild Bill of Yellow Bluff, says when water temperature around 80 degree conditions are close to ideal for flounder. Right now conditions are favorable for flounders. Flounder seem to bite best on small tides. The tides this week are under 7 foot. Should be good conditions to catch a few flounders! Stag bass can still be found along the sand bars. Although as temperatures continue to warm stag bass will move out and sharks will move in. As of today the sharks are present however they haven’t completely taken over.

Fishermen fishing the shipping channel, offshore and near wrecks as well the Broad River are doing well on cobia! Windy days and rough conditions have limited the opportunities to fish for cobia. Adams Bait Shop is carrying live eels. Menhaden, another great cobia bait are plentiful the local rivers. Although the menhaden that are popping are small ones.

Tides will building throughout the week but still look good range for fishing! Best action this week will likely be close to beach for spanish mackerel, blue fish and seatrout ! Redfish action should be ok on the flats but as heat builds look for reds in deeper water. While a tarpon has been sighted in local waters, still a early for tarpon fishing. Those wishing to fish along the outer sand bars can likely catch some stag bass! Fishermen who want shrimp for fishing should call their favorite bait shop. Most shops have not been carrying shrimp. Adams Bait Shop specializes in live shrimp is reporting (the seasonal migration is underway) white shrimp are moving out of local waters and it will likely be a couple of weeks before brown shrimp start arriving. Michael from Adams Bait Shop said they should be receiving a load of shrimp from Florida on Thursday.

Hope this of interest and help! Keep only what you want to eat and release the rest!

Fish On! Capt. Jack McGowan

The seasons are rapidly changing around Savannah. Less than the top third of the marsh is still brown. A vibrant green color is covering most of the salt marsh. Likewise the bite is rapidly changing as well. A week ago fishermen were catching lots of sheepshead on the near shore wrecks. This week those fishing the near shore wrecks were getting their hooks cleaned by small sea bass and spot tails. Looks like the offshore sheepshead has changed. On the other as king mackerel and cobia are showing on the offshore wrecks! One fishermen was cleaning a nice 20 pound cobia and said there were plenty of kings around! There are keeper sized bluefish and spanish mackerel on the beachfront as well! Large bull whiting (14 inch) can be found close to the sounds.

This week there were a couple reports of juvenile redfish being caught. A sign for some good early fall fishing! One fisherman said he released over 24 small redfish another said he released over 50! On most years juvenile reds start appearing in June. To see redfish this early looks promising! A few catches of seatrout being reported. This is another good sign after a long cold winter. Some seatrout being caught is good news! A few large roe trout popping up as well! A few anglers are keeping these fish but most fishermen are releasing these fish with the hope that releasing the larger ones will boost overall seatrout numbers. The CCA Coastal Conservation Association and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are spear heading this effort. Releasing one large seatrout could potentially means thousands of fish!

A few flounder being caught! Again seems a little early but great to see them! Adams Bait House has been able to keep a supply of shrimp on hand. The shrimp are large white shrimp. We caught some dandy redfish this week on some these shrimp as well one five pound seatrout (which was released). Small pogies, menhaden, are showing in the rivers. This is a great bait! There are also tons of glass minnows showing up! Glass minnows are not a practical for use as a bait but as a they their presence can mean redfish and seatrout!

This week on the days when the currents were gentle some fishermen caught some nice black drum! During the Spring its not unusual to find black drum in creeks close to the sounds. Black drum like places out of the current, marshy banks and wood. A few fishermen described fishing this week as good most fishermen struggled. Nonetheless there were plenty of fish caught and some did very well! Bonnet head sharks have definitely rolled into the sounds.

Capt. John Hannon, manager of West Marine Savannah store recommends a bait called Calcutta flashfoil. The two pattern Capt. John recommends are the mullet and redfish. These are 3 inch minnow type baits with a paddle tail, ½ ounce weight. Seems a little heavy but advantage is that you can make a long cast. I am sure the mullet pattern will catch seatrout and redfish pattern will be very effective on the reds! Paddle tail baits are proven in these waters as well as the flash. These baits are a winner! Its good to see guys like John running a store who actually love to fish!

Tides look good all week! Could be lots of good fishing opportunities!

Hope this of interest and help!

Fish On!

Capt. Jack McGowan

Water temperatures this week have warmed to the 70 degrees and above. The bite has been good despite lots of wind!. Large whiting can be found to sounds with several fish in the 14 inch range. Bonnet head sharks have moved into tidal creeks that have ample bait (crab and shrimp). Lots of these sharks are over 36 inches, some over 48 inches. Blue fish (around 14 inches) and spanish mackerel can be found on the beachfront. Reports of lots menhaden in the Savannah River Channel as well on the north end of Hilton Head. When acres of menhaden push in cobia, sharks and mackerel will follow! The redfish bite has been consistently on. According to Earl from Adams Bait Shop shrimp are becoming harder find. This is a typical Spring pattern. White shrimp migrate out. Shrimp supplies can become inconsistent until brown shrimp begin appear. The sheepshead bite has lasted longer than most years with fishermen still reporting very good catches of both inshore and offshore sheepshead. Usually as conditions warm the bite picks up on the inside. Alantic sharp nose sharks are just beginning to appear with an occasional sharp nose beginning caught. The large schools of sharp nose sharks and black tips should start appearing in the coming weeks. A few seatrout catches reported here and there. The seatrout bite is still way off. A few catches being reported in the rivers and in recent days a couple of reports towards the sounds. It is still best to target other species and look at seatrout right now as a secondary catch.

With all the talk about a longer colder winter we are currently finding mackerel on the beachfront as well a good number of flounders. The best flounder bite is typically during the late summer. Right now there is a pretty good flounder bite going on! When fishing your seatrout drops try fishing an adjustable float rig. Put your bait close to the bottom. You might caught some dandy flounders! Ideal places to target flounder are tidal creeks close to sandy bottoms. Gullies and small creek mouths are favorite ambush points for the wily founder.

Tides this week look ideal for redfish, flounder or black drum. Spring is a great time to fish for black drum. Best places are the jetties and old wood structure such as an old piling or fallen trees. This is also an ideal time to target cobia!

The unusual sighting last week was right whale in the Savannah River Channel, close to marker 20! This whale was likely following schools bait into the channel. This is amazing to hear of a whale inside the sound! Likely enormous amounts of bait are pushing in! Cobia fishing could good!

Hope this of interest and help! Keep only what you intend to eat and release the rest!

Fish On!

Capt. Jack McGowan