Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report – August 2024

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “August is a good time to watch the sinking of the cork. Redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder, whiting and sharks can be caught just about anywhere while fishing the sounds and beachfronts. The best baits are going to be the lively ones, such as shrimp, mud minnows, finger mullet, menhaden and small yellowtail. Cast a rigged bait into the strike zone and possibly re-adjust the float’s depth, but only if no hits occur after ‘the float by’ takes place. The best news about these baits is most of them can be caught by you. I suggest working the grassline as the shrimp first come out on the falling tide and when they start heading back to the safety of the marsh on the rising tide. I also suggest making sure the grassline that you are working on has a mud bottom and not oyster rakes. As usual, July proved to us inshore fishermen that live shrimp were hard to purchase, as well as hard to catch. The shrimp are just not being found in the creeks where we normally catch them. So, our captains have been depending on live mud minnows and finger mullet. Peanut menhaden is also a good live bait that works great at this time of the year. However, menhaden is not as hardy as finger mullet and mud minnow. For those of you who are definite early birds, I suggest being by any dock light before daylight. You will not believe the schools of finger mullet and peanut menhaden that gather around a light shining on the water. It is almost crazy the attention the baitfish give it. Don’t forget your cast net. Bait that is holding around the light will scare easily but will also forget and re-group fast. I am always talking about using live shrimp as bait and all the advantages that come along with it. It seems the shrimp that you catch in your cast net are much hardier and will live longer in your bait well, especially during these hot-water times. Live shrimp that are caught while using a dragging net don’t live as long. I have always said the hardier the bait, the quicker the fish bite! The absolute best way to rig up your by-catch is to lip hook it. The second best place to put the hook is right behind the dorsal fin area. You can present it under a popping cork or a traditional adjusted float. All baits from live shrimp to small fish work great when placed on the bottom with a Carolina-style rig. If you don’t want to hold your rod, I suggest using a small circle hook, which will almost ensure a more solid hook-up. When using a Caroling rig, I suggest casting your bait into to place, letting it sit at least two to three minutes, then raise your rod, reel about five turns, let it sit, wait and repeat. I always like using DOA shrimp patterns during this time. You can use them as rigged straight out of the package. The best method here is to tie a 3- to 4-foot leader of 12- to 20-lb. test to a popping cork and cast into place. Let the tide take the float and come up with your own popping the float sequence. It’s best to fish this rig in 5 to 6 feet of water. When fishing more than 6 feet of water, I suggest using a small adjustable float rig with a 2/0 kahle hook. Remove the DOA weight and hook from the artificial shrimp pattern, and then I suggest balancing this bait on your hook.

Capt. David Newlin reports, “August is usually a good month for flounder and trout and a decent month for redfish. Tarpon catching is usually at its peak in August. Other months we do more tarpon fishing than catching. The flounder bite has been best for me the last couple of hours of the low tide and the first hour of the incoming tide. We have caught a few on all tides. Floating a shrimp just off the bottom in 2 to 5 feet of water has been working well. Mud bottoms near oyster shells with a slow-running current seem to be my better spots. As always, when you catch one, fish the area hard. There should be a couple more there. Trout in August are scattered all over the sounds. In August, plan on catching a lot of small fish mixed in with the bigger fish. Smashing the barbs on you hooks helps release the small fish unharmed. Live shrimp is your best summer bait, but make sure you bring plenty. They go quick with all the small fish. Trout are all over the sounds and off the beach in August. Keep moving until you find them. Redfish are not in big concentrations in August. Slot-limit fish will be scattered out. There are a few around almost all oyster beds. Look for them chasing bait early and late in the days in shallow water. When the little fish gets real thick, try a small mullet under a cork with no weight. The big deal in August is the tarpon fishing. The Georgia coast in August has some of the biggest tarpon anywhere. This is not an easy fish to figure out. Tide rips off the beaches, drop-offs up to about 5 miles out and all the sounds have several local areas that usually hold fish. Ask around and you can probably find a couple of spots. Live pogies is the popular bait. They can be caught with a cast net if they are around. I have caught them on croakers, mullet, pinfish and bluefish. Float one under a cork, put one out with no float and one on the bottom to cover all the water. Keep moving until you can see tarpon rolling on the surface. Plan on hooking a bunch of sharks while tarpon fishing, so bring plenty of hooks. I like a 10/0 Owner circle hook fished with clear, 100-lb. mono leader. The key to August fishing is to go early and quit about 1 p.m. and head home. Afternoon thunderstorms can get pretty ugly, so watch out for them.”

Beachfronts & Shipping Channel: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Ocean menhaden have arrived and can be caught while casting your net around beachfronts and as far out as 3 miles into the ocean. The secret to finding pogies is to keep an eye to the sky for diving pelicans. This is the one bait that works when used live or dead. It also works when used as chum. When using live menhaden, I suggest light-tackle rigs made with stinger hooks fished around the beachfronts and shipping channels. Big kings are known for migrating into these areas during the month of August. Steep drops, such as those located in shipping channels (Savannah River channel), hold lots of bait standing opportunities. King and Spanish mackerel know exactly how this feeding drill works. Slow trolling in these areas usually yields big king mackerel bites. If you see Spanish mackerel on the surface, it’s very likely that large kings are holding in the outskirts. Another good baiting option is to catch a Spanish mackerel, rig it up quick and let it free swim. For those who want to fish shipping lanes, please be aware that ships are a lot bigger now! They push lots of extra water in the form of waves before the ship passes and after.”

Artificial Reefs: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Trolling for Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and barracuda is normally very good and dependable during this time. However, this catching has been hit and miss. We have not seen a lot of surface schooling Spanish mackerel, and the king mackerel season has not been what it has usually. In the charter boat world, especially during this time of the year, it is not unusual to catch a couple of kings a day. We have struggled with meeting this goal. There are kings being caught, especially by those who are focused on just targeting this fish. The biggest kings have been caught while slow trolling using downriggers with live menhaden as bait trolled deep while being rigged on very light tackle. Best trolling lures for Spanish mackerel are going to be 0 and 00 Clark spoons or any sort of pitching lure that looks and acts like a glass minnow or juvenile squid. The best trolling spoons for king mackerel are 1 1/2- to 3 1/2-inch Drone spoons. As far as best color, I have always preferred old-school silver. If you want to pull a colored Drone, I suggest black, chartreuse, red or royal blue. (with or without flash bling). When it comes to getting that perfect barracuda bite, it can happen while trolling for Spanish and king mackerel. However, this toothy monster will also attack and hit trolled surgical tubes. We like using Sea Striker Cuda Tube.”

Georgia Saltwater Fishing Page

Savannah Snapper Banks: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “The bottom bite at the Savannah Snapper Banks is good during this time. However, to catch big fish you must use the right big bait. Larger fish, such as grouper, red snapper, cubera snapper, amberjack and cobia, want live bait. The best live baits are menhaden, sand perch, rock bass, scup, pinfish and ruby red lips. It’s best to make sure that your livewell circulation pump is working properly and that the filter is clean. You want your bait to be as lively and not shocked. I suggest lip hooking any of these bait with a 13/0 circle hook rigged up on a Carolina-style rig. I always use a 3- to 8-oz. egg weight and an 8- to 30-foot, 80- to 100-lb. test monofilament leader. I suggest sending this rig to the bottom, which anchors the line on the bottom. This Carolina-style rig allows the bait to seemly swim free. Before heading out, give http://safmc.net a look. Or load the apt on your phone, which will do the updating for you. If you are fishing offshore, you should have a copy of the rules and regulations on your boat. The short list of season closures as of right now are genuine red snapper, gag grouper and red porgy are closed.”

Captain Judy’s Books: “I have two books out: The first book was published 30 years ago and is called ‘My Father the Sea & Me!’ A lot has happened, many have passed, many are a whole lot older and smarter. There is one thing time can’t erase, especially in this book, and that is that things have happened in the past. Read about the things that happened before 1992! The cost is $25 (plus tax, postage, and shipping). I have a case left of these books. I am in the process of publishing a second printing with a color cover, black/white photos inside. My second book is called ‘Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956! Inshore Fishing Techniques Presenting Old School Tools!’ This book’s information has been proven over and over again by fish and fishermen. Daddy started honing these techniques in 1948. My father was an excellent fisherman, both inshore and offshore. I was lucky enough to have a father who wanted to teach his daughter how to catch fish. In other words, he skipped fishing and moved me right into to catching status. The cost is $25 (plus tax, postage and shipping). It has a color cover and is complete with color photos. To purchase books, you can call 912.897.4921 or email [email protected]. I have two other books coming late 2024. I better get busy!”