This trophy red fish has quite a few flesh eating louse on board, which no matter how you look at this it is a very bad thing! (see below)
Flesh eating louse sports a big fancy name “Lironeca Ovalis”
Meet a fish’s biggest nightmare…This is a gill louse, Lironeca ovalis - an isopod also commonly found in the mouth of Atlantic menhaden. In the case of the red fish they attach and feed off the flesh and any fungus generate on the wound site. These louse are usually found hitchhiking in the gills of menhaden. All along I thought that their job fit somewhere in the cleaning department. However, the facts are the facts they are in fact “flesh eaters!” I have seen and said enough!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Dakota Hunley Asheville, NC is sporting what could be better known in the fishing world as a “Fists full of Spotted Sea Trout!”
While inshore fishing with Captain Robert Brown Miss Judy Charters Tom Trocheck Tybee Island caught fought released and kept some nice fish. Here’s Tom’s keeping catch! Who showed him the catching way? Captain Robert Brown!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Dakota Hunley Asheville, NC
Fought caught released and kept some very nice fish. The conditions on this fish day were very windy and cold. There was no sunshine, but Captain Garrett along with Dakota just wanted to GO FISH! And if there was some catching involved SO BE IT! Well, they caught a few and kept a few sea trout and red fish! Basically had a great day on the water catching fish!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Andrew Mannheimer Clemson, SC caught this beautiful winter time spotted sea trout! Guess what? It was released back to the wild to swim again!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Michael Fahey Tallahassee and Steve Uptagrafft Sammamish, WA (holding spotted sea trout) had a grand day of fishing! Yes it was cold, yes it was windy, yes, the sun was shining, and yes it is winter time in Savannah, Georgia!
Inshore Fishing Report!
Catching your own bait!
It is that time of the year where if you can’t catch your own bait and don’t want to go artificial you might just be in catching trouble. Bait houses aren’t dragging everyday! Why? Shrimp catching is not dependable! Why? Because shrimp are definitely hard to keep a handle on especially this time of the year!
So therefore if using live bait is a must when it comes to your style of winter time fishing I suggest you come up with a catching plan! What are your options? Throwing the old cast net in deep holes, setting out the old baited mud minnow trap, or going to your favorite wintertime hole that holds cold water finger mullet!
Photo by Captain Matt Williams
Local Bait Houses
Bandy’s 912 354 6444, Thunderbolt 912 667 1703, Coffee Bluff Marina 912 231 3628
Bull River 912 897 7300, Joey’s Bait House at Hogan’s Marina 912 897 3474
Inshore Bite
I have been pushing this fishing catching theory for a couple of months now. You see, since we are exactly having winter like conditions this is causing an irregular fish bite. And here’s why...During cold water times especially when the water temps don’t fluctuate meaning warm up some days and cooling off on others, the fish bite takes on a totally different look. Once a pattern comes into play fish fall into a different feeding zone. I call it the feed one take two feeding method. What the heck is this? It is so simple..it simply means the fish feeds somewhere during a 24 hour period and then they basically hibernate for 48 hours. Why? Well, I say why not? The fish are not moving as much. So therefore they don’t need as much fuel as they do when the water temps are warmer. But here’s the rub! It is not easy trying to figure out, which days they are feeding and which days they are resting! If you ever do I would really be interested in your acquired theory!
Artificial Reef
Less than 50 feet of water
You still have time to give sheepshead fishing a try! So let’s go your boat or mine!
Artificial Reefs
In Over 50 feet of water
It is still black sea bass keeping time!
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters has been catching so really nice slot red fish and mega spotted sea trout! According to Captain Garrett fish catching report due to colder water temps the fish have not been staying at one particular depth. So he suggest, once arriving at your fishing spot, that you fish different depths before moving. In other words, work the spot like you are planning on staying while!
2021 Captain Judy’s Inshore/Offshore Fishing Clinics
Only for those fishermen that want the opportunity to hear about some great seasoned fishing knowledge!
February 19, 2021 Friday, February 20, 2021 Saturday and February 21, 2021 Sunday
On inshore/offshore boats in the water
$150.00 per person for inshore
$150.00 per person for offshore
Morning departures
Time: 8:00AM till12:00 NOON
Afternoon departures
Time: 1 PM till 5:00 PM
Snacks and drinks provided by Captain Judy
Place: Miss Judy Charters dock
202 Wilmington Island Road, Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 for more details!
We will be offering classes on the water in the boats:
Inshore fishing
Proven Inshore light tackle techniques revealed!
Red fish, spotted sea trout, and flounder!
And
Offshore fishing
Proven offshore techniques that took years to modify!
(Artificial reefs, Savannah Snapper Banks, and Gulf Stream)
On the freshwater catching side...we have
My Cuz Captain Mickey Holbrook came to do a little inshore fishing with Captain Garrett and we got to visit!
My cuz (Captain Judy) and good friends with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters, Mickey Holbrook owner operator of MAD GILLZ Fishing Guide Service a call. (470 262 6035) Captain Mickey is a member on the gangster side of the family! And that is all I am going to say about that! And the best news is none of us have done any sort of prison time!)
For those of you that want to do a little fresh water fishing I highly suggest giving Captain Mickey Holbrook owner operator of MAD GILLZ Fishing Guide Service a call. (470 262 6035) There are two things that we know for a fact ...and what is that? Our new fresh water connection is Mickey Holbrook! And I approved this message times two!
“Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!”
This is very young me, (Captain Judy) making way behind my father’s old wooden boat “Miss Jerry!” Believe me, his old wooden boat, at least after he removed the old gray marine gas engine and replaced it with a screaming state of the art Detroit diesel, would definitely make some serious fast tracks. I just wish I had taken a picture of his boat as I was cruising behind him. Now, if I had, you would have been able to see a serious produced 6 foot thick roster tail! As I followed daddy home, I kept my distance, but couldn’t help to wonder how long it would take, if I ventured to close, for that watered up rooster tail to fill my boat!
“Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!”
“Steer Away”
Back in the late fifties I remember my father stories about the abundances of Spanish mackerel that we had in our area. In fact during this time they basically covered most of the near shore surface waters around Tybee Roads. (Better known as the Savannah Shipping Channel) According to daddy this unbelievable phenomenon took place during the very warm month of August. I do remember going out and fishing for them! I really can’t remember a time that we didn’t load all of the coolers! The funny thing was after the coolers were filled to the brim, it didn’t stop there. I watched the customers throw them right on the deck. After all back in the fishing fifties no rules, no regulations, and no sense prevailed!
My father always told me that the Spanish mackerel really don’t start pushing the small bait fish up to surface and jumping until after August 9. Even now, Spanish do seem to stay longer on the surface after the first of August rolls around. According to my father the old Spanish don’t drop their eggs until this time. And after they do, it seems the ladies are so happy that they basically did some serious jumping for joy!
There was this other information that he always shared during his story telling time. He told us that boats that were traveling to the south, also known as snowbirds, during this time experience quite a few problems. My ears perked up with that statement.
According to my father there was so many Spanish mackerel schooling on the surface that boats traveling over 15 knots were scare to run through the schools. I know I had to look a little puzzled when he made this statement. The reason wasn’t because of the surface schooling mackerel. It was because of what was feeding in and around the schools that had yachtsmen so very upset. When traveling on the water you would be surprised how fast news travels. A Statement on the VHF radio goes a long way. There were several reports of boats hitting all sort of large objects while powering through the schools. Normally when you hit something with a boat the impact forces the object to the surface. It might not stay there long, but you might have enough time to get a good look at it. However, according to the information received these objects weren’t logs or boards. Daddy said it could have been anything from a large shark, floating turtle, to a dolphin (mammal).
*The meaning of snowbirds: These are boats that travel to the south in the winter and then back up north towards the summer. I guess you could say, “The best of both temperature worlds!”
After hearing this story and being a small child my imagination soared. In my mind here’s exactly what I pictured. The sharks were searching with large fins up. Their mouths are fully lined with white smiling teeth. Hanging out were numerous heads and tails of not so happy frowning Spanish mackerel. As far as the turtles I pictured them floating on their backs with napkin out and a balanced paper plate. Now, as far as the dolphin and Spanish mackerel; I figured they were just playing a continuous game of catch with the fish, which by the way could have been called a delightful game of SPANISH MACKEREL TOSS!
I know there aren’t as many fish as there were back in the good old days. However, I still have a habit of always, especially when running fast, to steer away from any type of surface schooling fish. Now that you know the rest of the story I suggest applying this information to all of your fast offshore runs!
Thanks for reading!
Captain Judy
Search Fishin.com
Recent Articles