Georgia Saltwater Fishing Reports – December 2020

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Normally the inshore bite will turn on big time 18 to 24 hours out before a big weather change. The best natural bait is going to be live shrimp, and the best artificial baits are those that imitate them. Live shrimp will work under popping or traditional adjustable corks or just plain naked.    For artificials, the D.O.A. and Strike King Z Too will be working. Good colors for redfish are copper penny, baby bass or ice. Rig them weedless, and cast right into the grass. During cooler water times, work your lure slower than normal. A mud minnow works great and is usually good several times even after hits, misses or catches. If one minnow lip hooked under a popping or adjustable cork doesn’t work, I suggest adding another one. December is the perfect time of the year for night anglers. Most all isolated dock lights will hold the interest of some sort of bait, which in turn brings on one heck of a topwater bite. Best baits are D.O.A. artificial shrimp patterns rigged on 1/8- to 1/4-oz. jig heads and small Rapala floating/diving lures. Shrimp  also work. Bites should be consistence for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then it will be time to move on or give time for the fish to regroup. December is the month where it is possible to see right whales and great white sharks. If you find yourself close to a right whale, don’t put your boat in gear. Just remain calm and as quick as they arrive, they should leave. The very next thing you need to do is contact the Coast Guard or have someone relay coordinates of your whale encounter so they can be sent to boats/ships that are navigating in the area. Right whales, especially when swimming with their calves, will quite often lay on the surface for long periods at a time. This normal act unfortunately can put them right in the path of large vessels. You are required by law to stay the distance of at least 500 yards. As far as the great whites sharks, there are quite a few sightings from November through April. Sharks migrate with the whales. When a right whale dies, it floats and provides sharks with a grand feeding arena.”

Capt. David Newlin reports, “Trout have been biting good with a lot of legal fish and a good number of 18-inch-plus fish. The water temp was 69 degrees on Nov. 22. The trout should start eating jigs good any day as the water continues to cool down. They should be moving up the rivers in good numbers. Try a green Gulp Swimming Mullet on a jig head. If the usual slip-cork rig doesn’t work, put a live shrimp on the bottom with a 2-foot leader behind a 1/4-oz. sinker. Fish everything a lot slower than we do in warmer weather. Redfish should bite all December. A lot of redfish are way up in the rivers. Most of my redfish have been caught with live shrimp on the bottom. Look for them around structure up the rivers. The striper bite has been hot in the lower Ogeechee. Live shrimp and white jigs have been good. They seem to bite best on terrible weather days. Unless we have some severe cold, the fish should bite all month.”

Offshore Artificial Reefs: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Artificial reefs are holding sheepshead, black drum, trophy redfish, flounder and cold-water sharks. Fish purple back fiddlers, juvenile rock crabs, green mussels and small pieces of shrimp. Flounder are known for situating themselves on the outskirts of the structure. Best baits for flounder are jumbo mud minnows or small sand perch placed on a Carolina-style bottom rig. Also try a 3-oz. jig head with live finger mullet or any live bait that is about the size of a cigar or strip bait and put it on the bottom. Or you can butterfly a small fish, which when introduced back in to the water offers up two working flowing tails. The best thing about jig-head fishing is that you can move your bait along the bottom, and it imitates a small fish. When a small fish is skirting close the bottom, it forms somewhat of a sand storm. Flounder are known for being slow bait takers, so give them time to eat! For sharks, squid, fresh cutbait or belly strips from sheepshead will work. It’s best to cast this bait as far on the outskirts of the structure as possible. This year has not been very good for black sea bass. However, if they do come, this is the best time to find large schools of these fish holding on all types of structure from the lower relief to wrecks. Large summer trout are can also be found schooling on the artificial reefs, and some of these fish better than 20 inches.  The best bait is going to small pieces of cut fish, squid and cigar minnows. Grouper season is open until Dec. 31. Large gags are known for migrating into shallow water during this time of the year. Artificial reefs located in 35 to 90 feet of water are stopping off staging places. The best places to fish on the artificial reefs are the places where you have wrecks, such as the barges, battle tanks, subway cars, ships, tugs and dredges. These fish prefer these areas, because they can move in and out of structure feeding on those smaller fish that feel safe inside. Use live baits such as pinfish, ruby red lips, sand perch and rock bass.”

Savannah Snapper Banks: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Best bottom fishing baits are going to be small pieces of squid, cut fish and fresh or frozen cigar minnows. If you happen up on a school of cigar minnows or Spanish sardines, break out a sabiki bait. These types of baits are known for triggering a fish bite that might have not existed. Fresh dead/halves of minnows in most cases work great. You could catch black sea bass, vermilion snapper, white grunts, porgy and trigger fish.”

Blue water fishing: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Our black fin tuna run is wide open. These fish are holding over the ledges in 180 to 250 feet of water or you might just happen to find a school holding in the upper water column that has rounded up a school of bait. Best lures are cedar plugs pre-soaked in menhaden oil. For those who have to troll with real bait, I suggest Ilander Trackers rigged with dink ballyhoo baits. Rig the Ilander Trackers with 60-lb. fluorocarbon and small short shank extra strong 4/0 to 5/0 hooks. This style rig works well when rigging with dink (small) ballyhoo. Best deep-water jigs are butterfly type designs from 3 to 6 ounces. Use braid as the main line and a fluorocarbon leader above the jig.”

Editor’s Note: Miss Judy Charters will be offering their 2021 Captain Judy’s Inshore/Offshore Fishing Clinics Feb. 19-21, 2021 on inshore/offshore boats in the water. The cost is $150 per person for inshore or $150 per person for offshore. Morning classes and departures are 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. Afternoon classes and departures are 1-5 p.m. Snacks and drinks provided by Capt. Judy. Inshore fishing focuses on proven inshore light-tackle techniques revealed for redfish, spotted seatrout and flounder. Offshore fishing focuses on proven offshore techniques that took years to modify at the artificial reefs, Savannah Snapper Banks and the Gulf Stream. Call 912.897.4921 for more details.”