Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report November 2011

Saltwater: Inshore: Excellent. Capt. Greg Hildreth reports, “The nearshore fishing for the bull redfish is very good now and should last until mid to late November. I am getting these fish on the bars and shoals around St. Simons and Jekyll Island. The bait of choice is a live pogy, but they are getting harder to cast net with the water temp dropping. My back-up bait is a fresh mullet chunk or a fresh whiting. The fish I have been getting are in 4 to 6 feet of water. I am using spinning tackle with 50-lb. Fireline and a 80-lb. mono leader with a 14/0 circle hook. Leave the rods in the rod holder, and let them set the hooks themselves. The bull reds have been averaging 42 to 48 inches and 20 to 30 pounds. The inshore fishing for trout and smaller reds is getting very good and should stay that way until mid December. Most of the trout and reds are coming from the sound areas around shell mounds and creek mouths. As the water temp gets lower, the fish will move into the creeks and deeper holes. I have been getting most of my fish on live shrimp under a slip float rig in 3 to 6 feet of water. I have also been getting trout on the new Bomber 2 1/2-inch Badonk A Donk SS in the mullet color.” Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “When the month of November rolls around, the inshore bite certainly does pick up for what is called the Savannah Slam… redfish, spotted sea trout and flounder. The secret to catching more inshore fish during this time is to use live shrimp as bait. All fish like shrimp, because it’s easy to eat, easy to kill and it’s more plentiful. And it seems once you get the bite going it’s simple enough to change straight to any sort of artificial shrimp pattern. Just to name a few: DOAs, Berkley Gulps, Strike King soft baits, etc. All will work; because once a feeding frenzy starts, I think they might eat your shoe… that’s if you cut it up! As far as how to present your live shrimp, there are several ways. Use popping corks with 3- to 4-foot leaders. It’s best to put a split-shot about 1 foot above the hook, because this helps keep the bait deep under the cork. Another thing good about popping corks is the sound they make when they are popped. They sound just like a shrimp flapping its tail up against its body. This is a spotted sea trout, flounder and redfish head turner for sure. Traditional adjustable floats come in all sizes and work great when trying to find the bite at different depths. Last but not least is ‘just fishing naked.’ All you need is hook, leader and bait. The shrimp swims where it thinks it safe, and that’s where the fish are in waiting.”