Glenn Conway’s fish of a life time and at the moment his personal best! (Please see at the end of fishing report Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!)
I don’t have to tell you that this is a big fish! You can see that! I ran into Glenn at Wal-mart this past week and he shared a wonderful fish catching story. He caught this tarpon early September 2012 while fishing in the shallows around Little Tybee Island. It devoured a whole whiting and was then hooked up, which led to the fight of a life time.
The Inshore Bite Plight!
Well, it’s hard to believe but, the month of May has passed by too too fast…
Here’s where we are…the inshore bite for red fish, spotted sea trout, and flounder has finally started being more dependable. However, it can still be a looking, seeking, and finding kind of a fish catching game…There is bait to catch, but a lot of fishermen are counting on the bait houses. (and bait houses are having their issues catching and keeping enough bait) In the past some fishermen liked to catch their bait, because it was considered part of the fish day, but with the bite being so hard to crack fishermen are spend more time going for the fish.
The inshore can be very good, that’s if you can purchase or catch some live shrimp to use as bait. It seems that those down under especially the spotted sea trout, prefer the taste of live shrimp. Although there are other alternative baits such as mud minnows and peanut menhaden live shrimp is the ticket to the inshore bite. This past weekend fishing or should I say, “Catching was not what it normally is!”
Anglers and Appetites
Episode #1http://www.anglersandappetites.com/#...th-videos/cq4e
Captain Judy Helmey and Captain Kathy Brown
Anglers and Appetites is a very good concept, because it holds the attention of the fishermen, the cooks in waiting, and it's delivered in such a way that those that don't do either would still be interested! As far as the team of Phil and Dave, well, the proof is in the way that this duo delivers their great personalities that you can't help but love them both! Thanks Captain Judy Helmey
Offshore artificial reefs..
Bottom fishing is good, but not every fish you catch is going to be legal keeper…especially when it comes to the black sea bass population. There are still some to catch along with flounder, scup, white bone porgy, trigger fish, and other bottom biters. The top water bite is not concrete but still I suggest giving it a try…this past week a few king mackerel and Spanish mackerel caught while trolling. Best bait for king mackerel are live bait fish such as cigar minnow, Spanish sardines, and other shinny baits rigged up thin wire rigs. As far as Spanish mackerel trolling and casting Clarke spoons always works.
It’s cobia time! While fishing with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters this cobia fishing team scored!
Left to right: Chat Howard, Gary Prado, and Mark Stroud
Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charters is also having a good cobia catching year! Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charters and his fishing crew are all sport big fish catching smiles! This big cobia was caught on a Kick Ass Jig!
Captain Greg Harvey of Miss Judy Charters holding a nice cobia also known as a ling and lemon fish! This fish ate a live menhaden!
Cole Yarbrough aka “Hollywood” and Captain Greg Harvey are holding up two nice gag grouper. These fish didn’t eat anything and weren’t caught on a hook. This is one of those times where this phase comes into play, “Curiosity killed the cat” and this case it was the fish! While diving in 80 feet of water Hollywood and Captain Greg speared both of these grouper. Here’s what this picture says to me about the fish that were caught. These grouper are very dark in color, which means that they were resident of the area where they were caught. Had their skin been lighter it would have meant that they were migrating grouper. The darker the water the darker the fish, that’s when they are residents of that particular reef.
Savannah Snapper Banks
This area continues to offer fishermen everything from bottom to mid water to top water fishing. You really never know what you might catch when and on what used as bait!
It a great place to go fishing and that’s where the bottom fish are! Best baits are going to be cut fish, cut squid, and frozen cigar minnows. Now if you can catch some of the live cigar minnows or Spanish sardines I suggest do so…another good bait is going to be menhaden also known as pogies. All sizes of menhaden from peanut to ocean will work. You can start out with live and then when they expire cut them up in pieces and chunks. Fish are attracted by the smell and for some reason love the taste of these bait fish. On some occasions I have been known to take a bait taste test. However, when it comes to this bait fish I double decline.
The vermilion snapper bite has been good in 95 to 105 feet of water. There are a few secrets to catching the larger vermilion snapper. Here are my tips that I use: Larger vermilions school over the smaller ones. This means that to target the larger fish you should concentrate on suspending your bait in the upper water column. I normally find that best bite for the larger vermilion between 2 and 15 feet off the bottom. This is where being able to read your fish finder is a very good thing. I have found that when you get in a school of vermilion that the best bait is going to be live cigar or Spanish sardines. However, if you have been fishing you already know that these baits aren’t as plentiful as they have been in the past years. I suggest trying the frozen ones, because they will work. I suggest keeping that frozen until you get ready to use them taking on a few out of the box at a time. The universal bait, which is squid, works like a charm. However, it’s best to cut into small pieces. The reason being it keeps the bait closes to the hook’s point. Vermilion is known for sucking bait right off a hook. So in this case the closer the bait to the hook’s point the better!
Gulf Stream Fishing
Gary Futch’s first Mahi Mahi while fishing with John White and the blue water fishing crew! All I can say is this, “Your first Mahi Mahi was a fine one for sure and congratulations!”
The blue water bite off the Georgia/South Carolina coast has been good. My suggestion is that now that you know it’s time to go!
Picture sent to me by Johnnie Peters, which is part of his family’s yesteryear’s blue water catches!
Swordies
1,500 plus feet of water
For those fishermen that love a little longer ride I suggest giving the sword fishing a try. Off the coast of Georgia there have been a few day time and quite a few night time catches reported. The sword fish is one of the most interesting fish that there is. Here’s why this is my opinion: They love to hang and feed around ledges better known as underwater mountains. Their bill better known as their sword is a double edge weapon of mass destruction. This is fish is known for getting in the middle of a school of tuna or squid and start whacking away. The sword fish sways it head side to side allowing it to use both side of it sword at the same time. If this fish doesn’t get its mark on the first pass, well, the second or third one definitely will. Now here’s where these Sword fish movement can be beneficial and frustrating at the same time. If what this fish is whacking away happens to be attaché to your line, this is where this fish doesn’t normally get hooked up, but rather gets wrapped up! There has been more that several reported instances where the sword fish comes wrapped in its special package. Once this fish is wrapped or hooked up it doesn’t like any sort of pressure so in some cases it basically has the will to swim towards it. This act can be good on the landing end, but bad on the boat that it is possibly going to seemly attack. Once hooked up, if you tighten the drag too much you will put the fish’s head off. Their head will not support their body weight.
A Sword fish fight which took place back in the good old days!
I remember this one time, way back when, when this large swordie was fought for hours on end. When the sword finally surfaced the leader was wrapped around the fish situating the large squid right on its back. On this fighting occasion the sword even pushed a school of Bonita’s to the surface and then started feeding on its own whacking spoils. This large fish was fought some 8 hours before it was landed and brought aboard. This was back in the day when reel drags weren’t as complex as they are now. When fighting a fish this long on the old time reels quite often sea water had to be dipped up and poured over the reel just to cool it off, which most cases kept the bearings from sticking together.
Back to the story…after landing sword fish now it time to clean it a bit. The sword fish comes completely covered with this jelly like film, which should be removed as soon as possible. The best method is to use some sort of abrasive cloth and give the just caught fish a good scrub. My father used to say, “You can always recognize a true sword fisherman, because he would have scars from his ankles to his knees!” While scrubbing the sword some of jelly like film always gets on your skin causing skin sores.
Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not!
Glenn Conway’s fish of a life time and at the moment his personal best!
Glenn Conway’s big tarpon that the he fought, caught, landed, and released to fight another day!
Early September 2012 there was this big fish
I ask Glenn to please send me all the details of his catching camping trip with his wife Nalene and this is what he sent. It is a fascinating story!
Early September 2012 there was this big fish
The wife (Nalene) and I decided on the spur of the moment that we should run over to Little Tybee Island and camp overnight. The weather had turned nice and we needed to get away. So, Friday night we packed up and got ready to make the necessary high tide run on Saturday morning.
Morning came and we made the run to the interior of Little Tybee. Set up camp on good spot at the mouth of the main creek on the island. The wife set out the grocery rod and weren’t disappointed. The whiting bite was on. She managed to land all the Whiting we could use for both bait and supper. Mostly keepers, some shorts and a few Lady fish thrown in for fun. I soaked cut bait most of the day and had fun with 3' and 4' sharks of varying species. I was really thinking about early season Bull Red, but the sharks were fun just the same.
That evening with dusk coming we feasted on "fish on a stick" for supper. Whiting impaled on a green stick, cooked caveman style over a open fire, which is absolutely wonderful. Got to love a women who will catch, clean, and cook a great meal over an open flame. Simply Priceless! All in all a good day.
Sunday pre-dawn. I rise to poke the fire and enjoy the sunrise. Water was calm, tide going to crest in a hour or so. Suddenly a big SPLASH behind me breaks the morning silence. While the wife sleeps I bait up for some early morning fishing. I cast out a 12” Whiting scaled, minus a tail and scored. Five minutes later “buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz goes the drag.”
I pick up the rod and tighten up the drag letting my circle hook to do its job. I feel a couple of seconds of pressure then “BOOM” out of the water several feet in the air goes this big fish. Oh *&%#, did I just see what I think I saw, naw could not be, no, I say to myself just a big Black Tip or Spinner. Up river as if attached to an F-16 goes this big fish. Bearing down on the drag does nothing, (my reel is loaded with off brand 20 lb braid) oh *&%# he is going to spool me. Down to maybe 60 yards of line left on the spool. Line goes slack. The fish makes a U turn and comes back. I reel like crazy to catch up to it and get back all my line except for maybe 80 yards. I feel a run coming then BOOM this fish is out of the water tail walking, head shaking hard left to right ...Oh *&%# oh holy *&%#.............it’s a beast of a Tarpon. This thing, at top speed takes off up river again, but does not go as far this time. Why this fish does not head to open water I don't know. He turns again and I am able to get back a bunch of lost line.
I scream to the wife get the heck up, get the camera; I have a freaking Tarpon on! I'm way over excited at this point. The wife having much more sense than me rolls over and mumbles something like "great honey but I think this is going to take some time".
The battle rages on, he bulldogs down river and then up, his runs after a while have become shorter and slower. He jumps out of the water kind of half way one more time. He takes 25 feet I take back 27. After around 30 minutes I get him to the beach. I'm tired and thrilled. The wife takes some pictures, I get my trophy scale. This great fish is revived and is released to fight another day. I sit down, heart still pounding and let soak in what just happened. Man, I just did something very special. I just landed trophy sized Tarpon surf fishing. After a life time of fishing I just experienced the fish of a lifetime! Well................a dream come true and a fine memory burned into my brain..........life is very very good! By Glenn Conway
Once again, I have to say, “This was a big fish and congratulations!” Captain Judy
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