Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report August 2014

Saltwater: Inshore & Nearshore: Capt. David Newlin reports, “Tarpon are here. In the river channels, offshore, in the sound, up the river—they seem to be everywhere, and they should be in late July. Look for the big schools of pogies, where the bait is concentrated the tarpon will be there. This morning we caught three and saw upwards of 50 big tarpon. Fish a live pogy on the surface, or a dead one on the bottom. On the topwater lines I like a short-shank 8/0 live-bait hook. On the bottom, I fish a 4-oz. slip-sinker rig with a strong 10/0 circle hook. Make sure you use a strong hook. These are huge, powerful fish that will destroy light hooks. I usually use a 100-lb. test clear mono leader about 4 feet long behind either a float or sinker. This is one of the rare chances that Georgia anglers have to catch 100-lb. plus gamefish. Tarpon fishing should be great until the end of August. A lot of big sharks have been mixed in with the tarpon. The trout and redfish bite has been good. A lot of small redfish have been on almost all the drops in Ossabaw and St. Catherines sounds. It has been almost difficult to get away from them on some days. By mid August, a lot of these fish will be legal size. Some big fish have been caught in the grass, especially early and late in the day. The trout bite has been good, but it can be difficult to locate fish sometimes in August. Several days lately we have caught a lot of trout fishing a slip-cork rig 10 to 15 feet deep. Don’t be afraid to experiment; try fishing deep and shallow until you find a pattern that works. The small, bait-stealing fish have been aggravating. When this happens, try an artificial shrimp with a lot of glitter and sparkle in it to get to the bigger fish. There are plenty of bait shrimp in the creeks to catch with a cast net for bait. The croaker and whiting bite has been wide open. On low tide in almost any creek mouth in the sound, fish a piece of shrimp on the bottom, and the bite has been almost instant fish. A lot of flounder are being caught on live shrimp and minnows on the lighter-colored shell flats in 2 to 4 feet of water. Cover a lot of water with a light-weight cork rig. When you catch a flounder, there are usually two or three more in the area. A good number of tripletail have been caught on the tidelines and around the channel markers. Fish a big shrimp on hook with nothing else, and throw it in front of a big tripletail, and hang on. Look for the tidelines with different water colors on either side, and drift it until you see a fish. August weather and fishing will be hot.” Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “August separates the true fishermen from those who only claim to be. It’s best to fish early, because when the sun gets straight up, the fisherman frying process begins. Redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder, whiting and sharks can be caught just about anywhere while fishing the sounds and beachfronts. The best baits are going to be the lively ones such as shrimp, mud minnows, finger mullet and small yellow tail. Live baits do all the work for you. All you have to do is cast a rigged bait into a considered strike zone and possibly re-adjust the float’s depth, but only if no hits occur after the “float by” takes place. The best news about these baits is most of them can be caught by you. The secret to casting and catching shrimp, which could also turn into an afternoon shrimp cocktail, is a simple one. I suggest working the grassline as the shrimp first come out on the falling tide, and when they start heading back to the safety of the marsh on the rising tide. I also suggest making sure that the grassline you are working has a mud bottom around it, not oyster rakes. For those who prefer to use artificial only, I always like using DOA shrimp patterns this time. You can use them as rigged, straight out of the package. Best method here is to tie a 3- to 4-foot leader of 12- to 20-lb. test to a popping cork and cast into place. Let the tide take the float, and come up with your own popping-the-float sequence. It’s best to fish this rig in 5 to 6 feet of water. Here’s another tip when fishing more than 6 feet of water… I suggest using a small adjustable float rig with a 2/0 Kahle hook. Remove the DOA weight and hook and balance the bait on your hook. When this bait start waving in the current, it looks just like the real deal.”

Nearshore & Offshore: Capt. Newlin reports, Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “For trolling options nearshore, the ocean menhaden have arrived and can be caught while casting your net around beachfronts and as far out as 3 miles into the ocean. The secret to finding porgies, also known as menhaden, is to keep an eye to the sky for diving pelicans. This is the one bait that works when used live or dead. It also works when used as chum, meaning cut up or smashed up. When using live menhaden, I suggest light-tackle rigs made with stinger hooks fished around the beachfronts and shipping channels. Big kings are known for migrating into these areas during August. Steep drops such as those located in shipping channels like the Savannah River channel hold lots of bait. King and Spanish mackerel know how this feeding drill works. Slow trolling in these areas usually yield big king mackerel bites. If you see Spanish mackerel on the surface, it’s very likely that large kings are holding in the outskirts. Another good baiting option is to catch Spanish mackerel, rig it up quick, and let it swim. The bottom bite at the Savannah Snapper Banks is good during this time. However, to catch big fish you have to use the right big bait. Larger fish such as grouper, red snapper, cubera snapper, amberjack and cobia want live bait. A fishermen needs to use live baits such as menhaden, sand perch, rock bass, scup, pin fish and ruby red lips. It’s best to make sure that your livewell circulation pump is working properly and the filter is clean. You want your bait lively and not shocked—not stressed with a white, milky appearance. I suggest lip-hooking any of these baits with a 13/0 circle hook rigged up on a Carolina-style rig. As far as weight, I always use a 3- to 8-oz. egg weight and an 8- to 30-foot 100-lb. test monofilament leader. Send this rig to the bottom, which anchors the line on the bottom. This type of rig also sometimes referred as a Carolina-style rig allows the bait to seemly swim free, putting it right in the big fish’s strike zone.”