Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report – May 2024

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. David Newlin reports, “April has been a good month for trout and redfish. A lot of big trout and plenty of redfish have been caught all month. Water temps are around 72 degrees and getting warmer. May is a real change on the coast. A lot of fish start showing up as the weather warms up and summer gets here. Redfish should be all over the place. They will be all over the sounds and up in the creeks. Fish around oyster shells in 2 to 3 feet of water with a shrimp under a cork. Big roe trout should be schooled up in the sounds. By May, they should be moving near the beaches getting ready to spawn. Float a shrimp under a cork around points that have current around them. They can be shallow and in 20 feet of water. When you catch one, there should be more nearby. Try throwing a topwater MirrOlure early in the morning for a few big trout. The topwater bite is usually over by 8. Flounder should be here good by the middle of May. We are already catching a good number of them. Mud flats near oyster beds are a good place to look for flounder. Float a shrimp or mud minnow just off the bottom, and keep it moving slowly. When you catch one, fish the area thoroughly. The whiting bite has been good and should keep going through May. My best bite has been on the last of low water near the ocean. If you need a big fight, the big sharks should be in the sounds good by mid May. The big blacktips are all over the shrimp boats that are 3 to 5 miles offshore. When the shrimp boats pick up their nets, the sharks get all around the back eating the fish they push over. A piece of fresh fish 3 feet under a noisy cork will make the big blacktips bite. Use about 3 feet of 120 single-strand wire for leader. Carry a long pair of wire cutters to cut hooks off in the water. Read shark regs before killing one. A good catfish and striper bite is going on up the Ogeechee above Fort McAllister. Fish a dead shrimp on the bottom for catfish and a live shrimp for stripers. Give me a call about a trip.”

Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Live shrimp can be caught holding on mud banks, deeps holes, in the backs of creeks and at the bait shops. Live shrimp under an adjustable float or a popping cork works like a charm for trout and flounder. However, if you are wanting to get your bait closer to the bottom, but not right on it, an adjustable cork will do just that. When presenting bait this way, the spotted seatrout will find your bait and the flounder can see it. If it’s artificial lures that you are looking to work instead, try  Berkley Gulp! Alive! baits, which come in all sizes and shapes. For those who just want to go fishing, then go bottom fishing in the sound. The whiting bite has been pretty good and should continue well into June. Bottom fish around mud and sand bars in 10 to 30 feet of water. Believe it or not, whiting can be found in both shallow and deeper water. I always suggest fishing every chance you can, while not letting the tides be your guide. However, whiting bite better with the least amount of current. So, the two hours before until two hours after the tide turns is going to be the optimum time to get your best bite. This fish loves small pieces of shrimp directly on the bottom. This is the only fish I know that peels its shrimp before eating them. Peel some just to see how that bite goes. Other great baits are small pieces of filet of fresh whiting with or without added small pieces of shrimp. When the bite slows, change your bait. Sometime using just shrimp or just small pieces of fish will turn the bite back on. Heck, if that doesn’t work, put both baits on the hook at the same time. A Carolina rig should be made with an appropriate-size egg sinker that will hold your bait on the bottom and a small, thin-tinned hook. It will be up to you whether you want to use a circle or kahle-style hook. I mostly use small circle size No. 2 (or smaller) thin-tinned hooks. I prefer Eagle Claw circle L197 hooks when targeting whiting.”

Artificial Reefs: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Bottom fishing can be very good this time of year at the artificial reefs. The best bottom baits are cut squid and filet of fresh fish. The black seabass, trigger fish, summer trout, flounder and other bottom biters love the option of a free meal. Any small fish that you catch, lip hook it on a beefed-up, Carolina-style rig and send it right back to the bottom. With live bait, you may catch anything from a large king mackerel to a big gag grouper to a cobia. As far as a topwater bite, the Spanish mackerel have arrived. The best places to troll are going to be over and around structure. For those fishermen who don’t want to troll lures, pitch spoons or any sort of glass or cigar minnow imitators over and around structure. If you happen to see Spanish jumping, work the area while pulling small to medium Clark spoons at different depths. While circling the structure and around any sort of surface live bait or jumping Spanish, you may catch king mackerel, barracuda, or little tunny. During this time, the allusive cobia arrives, along with its various ways for driving fishermen crazy. Best live baits are juvenile black fish, pinfish, cigar minnow, Spanish sardines, peanut menhaden, live shrimp and eels. If the live stuff won’t trigger a bite, my go-to artificial is a green/white or blue/white, 3-oz. hair jig, which I have threaded on a white eel or some sort of trailing soft artificial bait. If a cobia comes to your boat, swims around and won’t take any of your bait offering, cast a jig out in front of where the fish is heading and let it free fall for about 10 feet. Then work it an up and down while not reeling in any line. This action can cause the cobia to strike at the jig. Give the jig time to work. You might not see the cobia, but it will be watching your bait.”

Savannah Snapper Banks: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Grouper season will open on May 1. Go to https://safmc.net/regulations and make sure you are up to date on the current federal regulations. Use nervous baits, such as live cigar minnows or Spanish sardines, which are easily caught on just about any type of gold-hook sabiki rigs. The secret is to use sabiki bait rigs made with No. 6 to No. 8 size hooks laced with fish skin. Once these style hooks are dipped into the water, baits can’t resist the gold flash or the secret smell delivered. Jigging is another method for getting a solid grouper bite. Best jig colors are those that look like cigar minnows or Spanish sardines. Drop your jig to the depth where the fish are holding and then work your jig by raising and dropping your rod. This works your jig about 4 to 5 feet up and down at the same depth. As far as topwater fishing at the Banks, anything goes from king mackerel to dolphin. When moving from spot to spot, pull a swimming lure. I like a 6/0, j-style, three-in-line hook rig by Sea Witch with a 1- to 2 1/2-oz. head rigged with a small to medium ballyhoo. Make sure you have your reel in a medium drag mode. At this drag setting, your fish will get hooked up in a more solid fashion. I like pulling this rig on a stand-up bottom fishing rod with a 4/0 reel loaded with 50-lb. test monofilament line.”

Blue Water: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “Water temperatures to the west of the Stream are still cooler, meaning the edge is still strong. The best ways to find fish is to locate any temperatures breaks. The dolphin bite is normally the best during this month. You can catch them pulling small- to medium-rigged baits right on the surface. You can pull birds with artificial squid in tow. My favorite in-tow artificial are No Alibi Dolphin Delight lures. I have seen dolphin cross over an entire boat wake passing numerous baits just to get to a No Alibi lure. It is a great lure that doesn’t have to be rigged with any sort of bait. I always like pulling them about 3 feet behind my birds. Once you find a school of dolphin, stop and pitch to them. You can use small jigs with screw tails, squid on a hook, cut ballyhoo on a hook or small live baits. If they come to the boat with their lights on, they are most likely going to eat just about anything you throw at them. To keep the school’s attention, always leave the last fish hooked up swimming in the water right by your boat until you have landed the one before. Dolphins are very jealous fish and always want whatever their counterparts are eating.”