Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report April 2014

Saltwater: Inshore & Nearshore: Capt. David Newlin reports, “Water temperature is now in the high 50s and low 60s. The trout bite is starting, and most of the fish have been in 10 to 14 feet of water. Live shrimp under a cork or fished on a bottom rig with a light weight has been the most productive method. The trout will start moving shallower as the water temperature gets warmer. The redfish bite has been good. Live shrimp have been the most productive bait. Most of the fish have been caught in the smaller creeks, the beach sloughs and Big and Little McQueens inlets. They should be everywhere in a few weeks. The sheepshead bite is still hot inshore and offshore. As always, a live fiddler crab is the best bait. This should continue through April. The whiting bite is really good. They are simple to catch and are great eating and have no limits. Fish a small piece of shrimp on the bottom. I like a long-shank No. 2 hook with a 1/2-oz. sinker.” Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Bait shops should start to catch and carry live shrimp. Fishing live shrimp under adjustable floats or with popping corks is your best bet. If a redfish, 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. During April, the sounds come alive with everything from whiting to sharks to bluefish to stingray and other strange creatures. While using small pieces of shrimp on light-tackle rigs, even the smaller fish offer some nice action. However, take the smaller fish you just caught using it whole or cut into chunks rigged up on heavier tackle, and believe me a big-fish bite could happen. The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish. It’s all up to you.”

Nearshore & Offshore: Capt. Judy reports, “The artificial reefs can hold the attentions of all sorts of fish from bottom to topwater. When bottom fishing, you could catch black sea bass, flounder, blue fish, white bone porgy, summer trout, cobia and other biters. Look for the spanish mackerel bite to pick up. The best bait is going to be the small to medium Clark Spoon. I suggest either trolling the spoons deep or pitching them right over the structure. Bring a suitable dip net, because you are most likely going to need it to land this fish. 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, cobia and many others can be caught with cut fish and squid. Grouper season opens May 1. All you need is a rig that will take you to the bottom, and catching will happen. For the fishermen who seeks blue water, 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 chin-weighted dink 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.”