Georgia Saltwater Fishing Report – October 2024

Saltwater: Inshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “I consider the month of October as being one of the best fishing months for both fish and fishermen. The reason being is all fish, both inshore and offshore, are in full migration mode. With water temperatures on the fall, the redfish, spotted seatrout and flounder bites gets more predictable. Places where you caught them last year most likely will be great places to start. If you don’t find fish in your old spots, try giving areas downriver a try. The best fall bait is going to be live shrimp fished anyway you care to deliver. The best news is once you get the bite going, switching to artificial shrimp patterns is going to be an option. It’s that time of the year when you can bring your cast net and catch your own bait. If doing so, I suggest throwing any small fish that you happen to catch in your livewell. Artificial flukes rigged on red/black/white colored lead heads work great around any sort of structure. If the fish doesn’t hit on the fall, once it’s on the bottom, let it sit for a few seconds. Then I suggest when retrieving to reel a few times, twitch and repeat. The best fluke colors are baby bass, pearl white and golden bream. There are many more colors to choose from. I always suggest using the color that you feel most comfortable with. However, using a color the fish will be able to see will certainly make more solid hook-ups happen. Inshore fishermen get to experience the big bull redfish migration, which starts taking place this month. These monsters start their migration pattern from where they have been holding in the creeks, rivers and upper-sound areas. Once making their way to the sounds (closer to the ocean), this is a fish that finds a suitable place to bulk up before making its way to the beachfronts and then to the ocean. Schooling baits, such as mullet and menhaden, provide much feeding opportunity for these fish. Where you see any surface action, stop, wait and look for any turbulence from underwater feeding or seabirds in a heavy feeding or holding pattern. Another place to fish are areas where currents come together to form sort of a rip. Not all rips will hold the interest of fish, but I can guarantee you once you figure out what to look for, instance hook-ups can happen. Always look for any surface oils, sometimes referred to as cat paws. If there is any bird feeding action, always check out the size and type of sea birds. If it’s pelicans only, what you most likely have down under are schools of menhaden. However, if you have pelicans, as well as other small sea birds, then you have a possible big feeding frenzy going on down under. The best rig setups when targeting big bulls reds while anchored around live oyster beds are small adjustable floats with about 12 inches of 30- to 40-lb. test fluorocarbon leader with either semi-circle or a standard 2/0 to 3/0 kahle-style hook. The best baits for this rig are going to be lip-hooked live mullet or peanut menhaden or live shrimp hooked under the horn. If live bait isn’t an option, there are plenty other baits that will work, such as dead old or fresh smelly mullet cut in steaks like a loaf of bread or air dried shrimp with heads on or off threaded onto the hook. When working rips or actual feeding schools of redfish, I suggest using diamond-shape jigs (1 to 3 ounces) with or without red or green or yellow miniature tube lures. Jigs such as the 1- to 3-oz. Shimano Butterfly with double hooks located at the head of the lure are good to go. Please know that it has come to our attention (and also the fish’s) that most of the big and non-brand names of jigs with hooks attached to the head do work. All this really boils down to location and the working of the lure. Another way to get the best chance at a hook-up when fishing a rip or surface schooling baits is to take a beefed-up popping cork or traditional float rig rigged with some sort of bait. The meaning of bait when it comes to this situation is anything that you happen to have that is live or a fish steak. Large sharks of all types, rays and any left behind tarpon would most likely find these baits alluring. Suspending your bait under a float, whether it is alive or dead, gives fish a 360-degree opportunity for attack prompting more serious hits.”

Capt. David Newlin reports, “September has been really good for fish catching. The water is cooling down, and the fish are biting. The redfish bite is smoking hot. Several trips lately we have caught 75 or more in a six-hour trip. I am worn out from unhooking fish. They are out in the sounds and way up in the creeks. I have caught them from the top to the bottom, from 2 feet to 20. I’ve been using live shrimp on a cork or dead shrimp on the bottom. This should keep up into November. Any day now they will start moving up the rivers into the brackish waters. Tropical storm rains seemed to flush them all out to the sounds last month, but salinity levels have returned to normal in most places.  The big redfish will be in the channels and off the beaches next month. A piece of cutfish on the bottom with an 8/0 circle hook will work. Just off the ends of the islands usually hold a few big redfish. The south end of Wassaw and the south end of Ossabaw are usually good places. The mouth of big McQueen’s usually holds big redfish. Trout are starting to get really active. October is usually a really good trout month. Trout will be around almost every oyster shell bank in the sounds. A live shrimp under a cork is almost always the best trout catching rig. Toward the end of October the artificial lures will start getting their attention much better. Look for the clearest water you can find when hunting trout. Ichthys slip corks have been working really good for me. A small local company makes them. They make a good metallic clicking sound and are really tough. You can find them at Fort McAllister Marina Store. A lot of black drum can be caught in October. Fish a big dead shrimp on the bottom near structure. Old trees, pilings and seawalls will hold drum. When you catch one, there should be more in the area. The stripers in the Ogeechee are in good numbers in the river above Fort McAllister. They are a good bonus fish when fishing the river. They love a big live shrimp under a cork. In October, wear long pants and long sleeves since the gnats can be rough. The next few weeks should be really good fish catching. The October fishing in coastal Georgia is as good or better than anywhere in the world. I have a few October days left, so give me a call if interested.”

Offshore: Capt. Judy Helmey reports, “When it comes to offshore fishing during October, lots of different bites can happen in the most unusual places. The reason being is that this is the month where fish start their fall migration patterns. With moving on their minds, all fish must bulk up as fast as they can, which boils down to major feeding times all of the time. Nearshore artificial reefs and natural live-bottom areas will start holding the attentions of lots of different size bottom and topwater fish. For those fishermen who want to get some big bottom fish action, I suggest filling the livewell before reaching the fishing grounds. The best place to stop loading up on bait is wrecks located at the artificial reefs in at least 55 feet of water. Our bait populations in this area have gotten better. I suggest stopping and giving it a try because it is on your way. Spanish sardines and cigar minnows usually school up over any sort of high-relief structure. You need to make sure that you have GPS coordinates for all structures on the artificial reefs that you are going to fish. Go to https://coastalgadnr.org/ArtificialReef to get information about Georgia’s artificial reefs. I have fishermen ask me all the time what are the best charts to purchase for this area. For many years, I have been suggesting to purchase Top Spot Charts for the area that you are going to fish. There are also other offshore charts available. Mike Argenta or Howe Lynes of River Supply/Services at 912.354.7777 has been a great source of information on tackle and charts. They are both fishermen and will understand the questions that you are asking. Rivers Supply/Services has been helping fishermen for years to find their fish catching way. For catching bait, I suggest gold-hook sabiki bait rigs. The best size has six to eight small hooks laced with fish skin. You can catch lots of bait each time you drop. Always make sure to have at least a dozen bait rigs in the old tackle box because once hooked up, large fish can attack. When this starts happening, I suggest moving to another spot until the big fish feeding frenzy stops. These rigs are made for small baits not larger fish. Best live baits are cigar minnows, Spanish mackerel, Boston mackerel and any others that are hanging with the school. In case you can’t catch any live bait, have on board some frozen ones. Bait shops normally stock both frozen cigar minnows and Spanish sardines, which both will work just fine. My suggestion is when it’s possible to purchase frozen Spanish sardines over cigar minnows. The reason being the sardines are cheaper and will bring on the absolute same bite. Keep this bait frozen as long as you can. Only take a few out of your cooler at a time. They will stay on your hook much better when dropping to the bottom. When bottom fishing, I suggest fishing in 100 feet (Savannah Snapper Banks) to 200 feet (edge of Gulf Stream) of water over any broken live bottom with ledges. Drop your lipped or dorsal-hooked bait to the bottom and hang on for a big fish biting affair. You could find yourself catching cubera snapper, grouper, amberjack, genuine red snapper, vermilion snapper, amberjack, white grunts, porgy and etc. Please know that some of the bottom fish that I have listed are catch and release only. The bottom line is that it’s time to GO FISH! Please always check current regulations and closures before heading out. Best website for fish regulations, required gear and releasing tools required go is https://safmc.net/best-fishing-practices. Visit this site before you head out to go fish. There have been lots of new changes.”

Blue Water: During the spring when the waters to the west are much cooler than the Stream, a great edge is formed. This edge is where larger fish feed on the smaller fish. This happens again in the late fall. Now is the time to keep an eye on the surface temperatures, and when the cooling event starts, it will be time to do some serious blue water fishing. Check out some of the fishing analysis at https://roffs.com. Back in the real old fish days, we purchased fishing/temperature charts from ROFFS. Believe you me, when we used their detailed information and then added in our local knowledge, it was well worth the investment. Now, fast forward 25 years and see what ROFFS is selling now. It boils down to having the right stuff to plan and getting the best opportunity for a successful fishing trip.”