Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report August 2011

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Judy Helmey said the fish are there, but it may take some work to get them to bite. Judy reports, “To add to the hot weather, all bait that are going to be here have arrived, offering up all fish plenty of the real-deal stuff to eat. So, if you are going with artificial baits such as Strike King ZTOO soft baits, I suggest working them slowly with a twitch. When picking out soft baits, check to see if they are going to last for multiple blue fish hits. Any breaks or cuts will immediately alter the retrieve value of soft bait. For those fishermen who like to go with the real deal, I suggest live shrimp because no matter what, all inshore fish have a serious desire to eat this bait. There is another good live bait to use, and that is the perfect size finger mullet. This is great bait, but as usual can have it set backs. Going with live finger mullet says one thing, the fisherman holding the rod is looking for that bigger fish bite. I always suggest catching your own mullet. While doing so, keep the small ones and discard the rest. However, I suggest keeping a few of the larger mullet for cut bait. Don’t put them in the live well. Throw them on the deck and let them season. For a great August redfish bite, I suggest cutting the fresh dead fish up like a loaf of bread and putting a slice on the hook, cast into place, and let it sit. Believe me, if a redfish is in the area, bites are going to happen.”

Offshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “The 2011 topwater season for the coast has not been what it normally is. For instance, the king mackerel bite has almost been non-existent. However, by the time you read this, we can only hope they have arrived. For those wanting a current king mackerel fishing report, give me a call at (912) 897-4921. I will be happy to give you an up-to-date fishing report. As far as the Spanish mackerel, they are here, but not in their normal large numbers. Bites as well as the fish have been scattered. The best way to get a more solid Spanish mackerel bite is to troll 00 and 0 Clark spoons with red balls. You can pull these spoons directly on the surface, mid-water column behind trolling sinkers or deep behind planer set ups. When these fish are feeding on the surface, it’s best to have some sort of small topwater plug for pitching right into the school. Here are a few that you can find in my tackle box: Rapala F-5, Rapala HJ-6 and Rapala XR06. Spanish mackerel seem to like to watch these style lures move, but when they stop and jump back, the biting deal is sealed. Bottom fishing can be slow during this time. However, if you fish as much as we do, secrets to triggering the bottom-fish bite are revealed. Perfect-size live baits such as cigar minnows and Spanish sardines once placed on the bottom can trigger a larger-fish bite. To catch these baits, don’t forget your gold hook Sabikis in size 8. I suggest using smaller pieces of cut squid or cut fish. When the fish does hit your bait, you want it as close to the hook point as possible. The bottom line is, if all you are catching is small fish in a certain place, move to the next spot.”