Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report February 2014

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Inshore fishing in February can be very good for redfish, but you need to keep in mind that the water is a lot clearer, causing the fish to be a bit more skittish. Keep as quiet as possible. Pick areas in the sounds where sloughs flow onto bars or flats. Best fishing spots should have at least 6 inches of water at mean low tide. The best days are going to be those that have a midday low tide stage with sunny conditions. I like to fish the bottom of the low tide stage until the water floods the grass. Another reason why I like to fish low to high tide is the water under your boat gets deeper not shallower. No one wants to spend the day high and dry on a sand bar. For best baits, when it comes to the natural stuff I suggest chunked pawn shrimp and whole mullet cut in pieces like a loaf of bread. I always suggest cutting the bait first before heading out. The best place to put the bait is in out in the air and sun. This dries the bait, sealing in the fish juices that rings the dinner bell for a redfish once it placed back in the water. When using natural baits, all you need is 12 to 15 inches of 15- to 20-lb. test fluorocarbon leader tied to a small, extra-sharp circle hook. Cast into the area, let the bait fall to the bottom, and wait for a hit. Before setting the hook, give them time to eat. For those fishermen who prefer pitching artificial baits during the cold-water bite, I suggest Berkley jerkbaits or Strike King soft-bait flukes rigged on 1/4-oz. jig heads. Please remember white is the right color for this time of the year. For those fishermen who want to give striped bass, also known a rock fish, a try, February is a great month. The Savannah and Ogeechee rivers are the two areas that seem to hold the interest of these strong-pulling fish. Best baits are live shrimp, finger mullet and threadfins. For those wanting to go artificial, I suggest 3-oz. lead-head hair jigs rigged with 4-inch plastic trailers. The best jig for this job is a Cobia Candy. Striped bass love windy, rainy and cold-water conditions. So if you are this kind of a fisherman, this is the type fish for you!” Capt. David Newlin reports, “Water temps are in the mid-40s inshore. The sheepshead bite is still going strong—45-degree water makes the sheepshead hungry all the time. A fiddler crab on a bottom rig near some type of structure, pilings, tree tops, rip-rap—anything that grows barnacles—can hold sheepshead. This bite should continue through February into March. The trout bite has slowed to a crawl. It will pick up with a little warm weather to warm the water up a few degrees. Try fishing small jigs real slow and deep on light line, and you can catch a few. In February, the big redfish can be found on mud flats on low tide trying to get warm. They are real spooky, so stealth is the name of the game. Throw a Gulp Shrimp on a plain hook in front of the reds, and let them swim to it and pick it up. Do not move the bait when the fish is within 3 feet of it. The wind needs to be real calm and the water clear to make this work. Almost all of these redfish will be big fish, 26 inches and up.”

Nearshore: Capt. David Newlin reports, “The nearshore reef action is wide open with sheepshead, sea bass, black drum and big redfish are all over them. Fiddler crabs are the best bait for sheepshead, and everything else will hit squid, shrimp and pieces of cut fish. Finding a good weather day will be the controlling factor in February. The fish will be there. Be careful, the ocean off the Georgia coast can get ugly in a hurry in February.” Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Although February is considered our coldest month, there is still plenty of big-time offshore trophy redfish action to be had. The secret is to know the deal, which I am going to share with you right now! For those fishermen those want to give open-water trophy redfish a try, February is definitely the month. Most of these trophy redfish that have migrated offshore during this time are in the 27- to 45-inch and bigger range. The best place to start looking is at the nearshore Georgia artificial reefs located in up to 50 feet of water. Here are a few artificial reefs that have been holding some nice trophy fish—SAV, DUA, CAT, KC and KTK. Best places to anchor over are barges or pallet balls. Since most artificial reefs are no longer are marked with yellow reef buoys, I suggest when researching for coordinates use only the ones that mark the actual places that you want to anchor, not the area. For up to date information on Georgia artificial reefs, go to www.coastalgadnr.org/node/2089. Another suggestion is while heading to your destination point that you keep an eye out for any formed rips that are holding any interest from birds. I have caught many trophy redfish while working rips that the seabirds are also interested in. Once you have slowed down, look on your fish finder for any large solid marks. These large marks should be the fish that you are looking for. While making your way offshore to the structure on the artificial reef, quite often a school of large redfish will find plenty to feed on in a formed rip. A rip is two different currents being pushed together making what I call a wall. Small baits and other creatures get held up here or migrate to areas such as these. They think they are in a safe zone, but really they are feeding zones for bigger fish. As far as best artificial baits, types work for me are Causeway Diamond jigs with red or green small tube lures or any jigs without the tube. Once you have located the school, pitch your jig, let it free fall, and you should get a solid hit before it hits the bottom. When more than one fisherman is jigging, I suggest waiting a few seconds before throwing out the second jig. Your hooked up redfish will most likely be followed by the entire school of fish. Get prepared by cutting or chunking up any old mullet or menhaden you might have. Have this ready to throw into the school of redfish. This will keep them near the surface for an extra second, but as soon as the chunks start to sink, the fish will disappear with them. While all this is going on, I suggest dropping over another jig and letting it fall directly to the bottom. If you are lucky enough to penetrate the feeding school, believe me the jig will not make it to the bottom. Please remember all redfish caught in federal waters are protected and have to be released as soon as possible.”