Despite recent stormy conditions and lots of rain fishermen are finding some nice seatrout close to the sound! Shrimp are becoming more abundant! Don Adams, Adams Bait House is finding good quantities of small white shrimp. These shrimp while a little small can mean lots of shrimp in a quart of bait! When fishing small baits match your hook size to the bait. For example, if your standard hook is a 1/0 khale hook try down sizing to prehaps a #1 or even smaller to a #2 or smaller. Seatrout are relatively fragile. When releasing an undersized seatrout try to avoid removing its slime coat. A de hooker can aid in removing a hook without handling the fish. Seatrout numbers are looking good! Georgia DNR biologist Chris Kalinowsky has said in recent net studies he is finding so many fish that he can hardly keep up with the fish! The fish are there! Seatrout love current. Ideal areas are close to deep water. When the current are right these fish just seem to show up. Most of fish taken will be schoolies not the big boys. During the summer months the best bite is usually toward the beachfront.
Those wanting a big tug will find lots of sharks in the sounds! Thread fin herring, butter fish and menhaden are showing in abundance. Most the sharks are in the 3 foot range but of course their are lots of juvenile atlantic sharp nose as well sharks over 100 pounds!
Flounders are pushing in! Favorite places like the “wash out” at Little Tybee on given summer day might produce several nice flounders! Small shrimp while an excellent bait for schoolie seatrout does not make a great flounder bait. Look for a larger shrimp when flounder fishing. Other good flounder baits are mud minnows and finger mullet. In recent years the flounder bite has gotten better and better. As summer heat up and the bite slow down for other fish this can be a good time target some flounders!
Tides for the coming week look pretty good! If the water you fishing is brackish try fishing a bottom rig.
Hope this of interest and help!
Fish On!
Capt. Jack McGowan
