Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report – January 2008

Saltwater: Inshore: The fishing was excellent in December as big tides pulled shrimp and baitfish into the sounds, and good weather helped trigger the bite. Capt. Judy Helmey reports that seatrout, redfish and black drum can be caught in good numbers on live shrimp, and a few flounder are being caught. “There has been good action toward the sounds as large trout appear to be in the early stages of spawning. Not all water is holding fish. Just like the fall, if you are not catching, it’s time to move. Redfish and seatrout are on or near the flats and in the backwaters. Shrimp appears to be available, but it’s that time of year when bait can become scare. So far conditions have been mild, and bait-shrimpers are finding bait. This is an excellent time of the year to pitch or troll plastics. Shrimp is great bait, nonetheless you can catch plenty of fish on plastic,” Capt. Judy said.

Offshore: The bottom bite is excellent on the artificial reefs, according to Capt. Helmey. Here’s her report of what happened on a trip last week. “I started counting about two hours into the day, and my number four hours later was over 200,” she said. “We kept 60 of the larger black sea bass that we have seen in a long time.” The bite on the hard bottoms is also good. As usual, offshore trips are weather dependent.