Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report February 2017

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. David Newlin reports, “The mild weather has kept the water temperature in the low 50s and kept the fish still biting. During the months of January and February, the sheepshead are almost always the fish most anglers target. The hardest part lately has been getting enough bait. The fiddler crabs have been in short supply at local dealers. That can change real quickly. One week there are none, and the next week everybody has them. My suggestion is to go catch your own when the weather is nice. Take an old 100-quart cooler and put a few inches of saltwater mud in the bottom of it. Fiddlers will live for weeks as long as you keep the mud wet and feed them pieces of shrimp or fish. The sheepshead are all over inshore around any old structure like trees, dock pilings, rocks, wrecks and anything else that has barnacles growing on it. All the artificial reefs out to about 15 miles offshore also hold sheepshead. The same method we have used for years still works. Use a sinker and a 1/0 Kahle hook fished near the bottom. The sheepshead fishing is usually good from now to the end of March. On the offshore reefs, big redfish should be around the same structure. Put a big piece of fish—half pound or so—on a 10/0 circle hook on the bottom. Keep this out all day, and you will picked up some 40-lb. plus redfish. All the redfish in federal waters must be released, and in state waters redfish over 23 inches must be released. The trout and redfish were all up in the Ogeechee, but the recent rains have pushed fresh water all the way to the sound. Redfish are up in all the creeks and rivers that have some brackish water in them. The trout need more salt in the water. Look for trout in deeper holes in creeks without a lot of fast current. Some of the sloughs and inlets on the barrier islands always hold trout and redfish during February. Fish a jig real slow, almost dragging the bottom. A live shrimp fished just off the bottom should work. The striper bite in the Ogeechee River has been fairly steady. In February, when the weather is terrible and nothing else will bite, go striper fishing. Try throwing Rapalas around creek mouths on the outgoing tide. The river between I-95 and the seven-mile bend is where most of the stripers are caught. They are caught miles up the river sometimes, too. The foolproof fishing in February are the catfish in the Ogeechee. Almost anywhere in the tidewater above Fort Mcallister  has a lot of catfish. Dead shrimp on the bottom always works.” Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Inshore redfish fishing has always been good in month of February, but you need to keep in mind that the water is a lot clearer, causing the fish to be a bit more skittish. When in the fishing mode, I suggest keeping as quiet as possible. The importance of this is key to successfully not only finding but also catching redfish. Pick areas in the sounds where sloughs flow onto bars or flats. Best fishing spots should have at least 6 inches of water at mean low tide. The best days are going to be those that have a midday low tide stage with sunny conditions. I like to fish the bottom of the low tide stage until the water floods the grass. Another reason why I like to fish low to high tide is the water under your boat gets deeper not shallower. No one wants to spend the day high and dry on a sand bar. For best baits, when it comes to the natural stuff, I suggest chunked pawn shrimp and whole mullet cut in pieces like a loaf of bread. I always suggest cutting the bait first before heading out. The best place to put the bait is out in the air and sun. This dries the bait sealing in the fish juices that rings the dinner bell for a redfish once it is placed back in the water. Please remember reds can pick up on even the smallest scent. When using natural baits, all you need is 12 to 15 inches of 15- to 20-lb. test fluorocarbon leader tied to a small extra sharp circle or J hook. Cast into the area, let the bait fall to the bottom, and wait for a hit. Please keep in mind before you start reeling while using the circle or setting the J hook to give them time to eat. For fishermen who prefer pitching artificial baits during the cold-water bite, I suggest Berkley jerkbaits or Strike King soft bait flukes rigged on 1/4-oz. jig heads. White is the right color for this time of the year. Adding a little extra scent is also a good idea. Most flukes have a built-in channel in which you can lay a bead of some sort of sauce. I suggest purchasing any bottles that offer crab (shellfish) or shrimp scents, which are definite redfish head turners. For February spotted seatrout, since we have had only a few days of winter conditions, we still have a spotted seatrout bite. January offered inshore fishermen a good solid trout bite while using both live shrimp and artificial soft baits. So February follows suit and the water temperature stay above 50 degrees, then a spotted seatrout bite can be found in all the normal places. If live shrimp or mud minnows are not available, I suggest using small 1/8- to 1/4-oz. jig heads rigged with screw or paddle tails. If you can’t catch or purchase any sort of live bait, nine times out of 10 the fish can’t find any either! Now if February goes cold, I suggest still targeting seatrout by hitting the deep holes in the creeks and rivers. The best bait while in this mode is going to be the small artificial jigs rigged with screw or paddle tails. The secret to fishing the deep holes is to cast into the hole and work your lure very slow. While working an area and you don’t get a bite, I suggest repeating the same, and most likely, if there are fish hibernating in the area, soft bites will happen. For the past couple of seasons our striped bass bite in this area has been mostly hit and miss. However, we have started catching some striped bass, also known a rock fish, in the Savannah River area. If you are looking to tangle with a strong-pulling fish, the striped bass will not let you down. The best baits are live shrimp, finger mullet and threadfin herring. These live baits work great under larger adjustable traditional floats. For those wanting to go artificial, I suggest 3-oz. lead head with hair jigs rigged with 4-inch plastic worms or paddle tails. The best jig for this job is called Cobia Candy. The best news is when it comes to striped bass is that it’s a fish that loves windy, rainy and cold water conditions. So if you are this kind of a fisherman, this is the type of fish for you.”

Offshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Bottom fishing at the artificial reefs during this time is always very good. The best bait to use when targeting black fish is small pieces of squid and cut fish We normally make our bottom rigs with thin-tinned Eagle Claw 4/0 offset circle hooks.  However, during the colder-water times, I suggest downsizing your hook size to 2/0 or 3/0. Downsize your bait, too. Flounder should also be on your list of catching options. Normally during this time flounder burrow themselves on the outskirts of the structure with their head into the current. The best baits are small live baits lipped hooked such jumbo mud minnows or sand perch fished on the bottom. The old Carolina rig and a 3-oz. hair jig are the best ways to present your bait. I suggest the Carolina rig for those who want to place, wait and then catch. The jig is my favorite because casting away from the structure and working it slowly back covers lots more bottom. The best of both worlds is live bait on a jig. Please always check http://www.safmc.net/ for current fishing regulations). When it comes to making your way offshore, fishermen now have fishing, catching, and keeping choices. You can bottom fish for black sea bass, and then go fishing for sheepshead, black drum and flounder. For offshore trophy redfish, even though February is considered our coldest month, there is still plenty of offshore trophy redfish action to be had. Most of these trophy redfish that have migrated offshore during this time are in the 27- to 45-inch and bigger range. The best place to start looking is at the near shore Georgia artificial reefs located in up to 50 feet of water. Here are a few artificial reefs that have been holding some nice trophy redfish: SAV, DUA, CAT, KC and KTK. The best places to anchor are over barges or pallet balls. Since most artificial reefs are no longer are marked with yellow reef buoys, I suggest researching for coordinates for the ones that mark the actual places where you want to anchor. For up-to-date information on Georgia artificial reefs, go to http://www.coastalgadnr.org/node/2089. Another suggestion when targeting trophy redfish is while heading to your destination point that you keep an eye out for any formed rips that are holding any interest from birds. I have caught many trophy redfish while working rips that the seabirds are interested in. The best artificial baits here are two types that have always worked for me. Causeway Diamond jigs with red or green small tube lures or any hair jigs like Cobia Candy without the tube. Once you have located the school, pitch your jig, let it free fall, and you should get a solid hit before it hits the bottom. Please remember all red fish caught in federal waters are protected and have to be released as soon as possible!”