Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report April 2013

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Bait shops should start to catch and carry live shrimp, which is the bait that gets all fish’s attention. With live shrimp in the well, traditional adjustable floats from large to small and popping corks are going to be your best bet for not only finding but catching fish. If a redfish, spotted sea trout, or flounder gets close to this bait, they will eat it. Another way to present live shrimp is to ‘just fish naked,’ meaning light leader, small split-shot and small hook. All you need to do is hook your shrimp up under the horn and cast into place. The shrimp goes where it thinks it’s safe, which is just about where the fish is in waiting. Whatever you do, don’t forget your dip net or your camera.” Capt. Newlin reports, “After a mild winter, we were hoping for a mild March, but what we got was a cold and windy March. The sheepshead are biting inshore and on the offshore reefs. I have had some good catches the last few days around Ossabaw and St. Catherines Island areas. Find a few trees in the water from 3 to 10 feet deep, and drop a fiddler crab as close as possible. Use a slip-sinker rig with a leader that is lighter than your main line, so when you get stuck in the trees, you just loose a hook. You will lose a lot of hooks. A No. 2 kahle hook and a 1/4-oz. sinker works good on inshore sheepshead. On the reefs, you need to use a heavier sinker and a 1/0 circle hook. The offshore sheepshead bite is pretty good, but the biggest problem is getting a bait past the black sea bass. A few black drum and some big redfish are also being caught on the reefs. The trout and redfish bite has been slow due to the cold weather. It should be getting better over the next few weeks. The trout have been on the deeper drops from 8 to around 15 feet deep. As the water temp rises past 60 degrees, they will start moving shallower. Try fishing a shrimp imitation very slow near the bottom. Betts holographic shrimp with a pink back has been working pretty good. Redfish activity should get hot around 60 to 65 degrees. Look in the smaller creeks that have a lot of oysters growing in them. Be quiet, and you can see the schools of fish. Patience and stealth are very important. Live shrimp and mud minnows will work as well as artificial baits. The whiting bite should be hot by April. Use a small piece of shrimp on a long-shank No. 2 hook on the bottom. Most of my better spots are 12 to 20 feet deep around creek mouths and around the barrier island beaches. Keep moving until you find fish biting. This year there are no limits on whiting. This is fun for all fishermen, especially the young ones.”

Offshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Offshore fishermen can finally break the nearshore barriers and head out to the Savannah Snapper Banks, which is about 35 miles. Bottom fishing for vermilion snapper, white grunt, triggerfish, amberjack, red porgy, white bone and many other top/bottom biters can be caught with cut fish and squid. All you need is a rig that will take you to the bottom, and catching will happen. For the fishermen who seek blue-water status, this would be the time to make that happen. For tuna, dolphin, wahoo, mako shark and bill fish, the 70-mile run is definitely worth it. For bait, I suggest single-hooked-rigged ballyhoo and cedar plugs. Another option when going deep is to give bottom fishing a try. With small pieces of squid, you catch football vermilion, mega triggerfish, sand tile, knobbed porgy and fish not even listed in the identification booklet. All fishermen when targeting the snapper-grouper species have to use circle hooks (it’s the law). Here’s the good news. All you have to do is get your bait to the bottom, fish will eat it, try to swim off, and fish will be hooked up!”