The whiting drill!
Whiting bite has been great! And it seems they bite more than not! And the best news is that whiting fishing is basically plain old bottom fishing at its finest! What’s the best bait? Small pieces of shrimp on small hooks! What the best tackle used? Light tackle meaning small reels/rods and 10 to 15 pound test main line, small hooks and egg sinkers. What’s the best rig? I suggest using a Carolina style rig! So far April has been a bonus catching month for whiting. This has been the best bite that I have seen in years! Some of the whiting are so big that they look like a spotted sea trout! It’s a great fish to catch because it fun, baiting up with a small piece of shrimp, dropping to the bottom, and waiting for this fish’s drill like hit. Yes, my friend the whiting drills it, and then eats it. What is a whiting doing when it drills your bait? Well, it’s peeling the shrimp just like we do before we eat it! They only difference is the fact that I haven’t seen the whiting, as least as of yet, dip it in any sort of cocktail sauce, but heck I am sure this could happen!
Where is it best to fish for whiting? As of a couple weeks ago, I always suggest the sound near sand bars or drop offs. However, this fish has broadened its best places to feed. Now fishermen are catching them off their docks in the creeks, rivers, and sounds. So therefore, these fish could be anywhere that you got saltwater!
The Great Imitators! Red fish (slot and trophy red fish) spotted sea trout, flounder, sheepshead, and black drum have pretty much lined our captain’s coolers! Best bait hand downs is going to be live shrimp with the cold water mud minnows coming in second! Now for those that can’t get live shrimp or mud minnows, and sometimes there is no live bait available, get yourself some artificial shrimp patterns! And here’s the best news when it comes to using the artificial stuff, it can be fished just like you do the live stuff. So therefore, shrimp patterns can be rigged under traditional adjustable floats and popping corks. They also can be presented naked meaning tied directly to you main line or leader. I call this stepping outside the baiting up box. There an old saying that my father used especially when it came to live shrimp. If you can get them the fish most likely can’t either! So, I suggest using the next best thing, which is the great shrimp imitator!
Surf Report!
Fishing the beachfronts just got even more interesting and once again Glenn Conway showed us this catching way!
Glen Conway Tybee Island, Georgia is holding up a nice blue fish also known as a chopper blue fish that he caught while fishing the beachfront! A surf report straight from someone that knows! And that would be Glenn Conway of Tybee Island, Georgia
Hey Judy.....I have been surf fishing Tybee beach the last few weeks and this year’s Whiting bite has been as good as ever. Big females that are fat with eggs are thick in the surf right now. But, I have all so had some very unusual catches this year. I landed not one but two HUGE Bluefish from the surf. The size they get way north of us. Have you ever heard of these large fish in our area? Still, big fun, you know how a little 10” Bluefish will fight, well, they are great fighters at 3’ to. Was very surprised to say the least. Got one on Friday, went back out on Saturday and landed another.
Good morning Glenn..... Many many years ago, I say about 30, we used to catch these fish, which we call chopper blues starting February until mid April. Most were caught at the artificial reefs located in about 55 to 60 feet of water. The L Buoy and J Buoy artificial reefs held the most fish. And when I say, “caught them!” we did to the tune of about 50 blue fish a day! And then all of a sudden as quick as they came they never showed up again. I mean we caught a few here and there, but nothing like the good old days....We caught a carbon copy of Glenn’s fish about a month ago while plain old bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper banks! Who knows maybe they are making a come back...and I have never heard of these fish being caught off the beachfront at Tybee Island! So therefore a big congratulation is in order for not one chopper blue but two! Glenn, Thanks again for the surf report!
Albert Smith II Soperton, Georgia and Grandson CJ Palmer Ailey, Georgia inshore fished with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy charters Cindy (orange) and Robert Adkins Pembroke, Georgia, Steven Tuller, (green t-shirt) Pembroke, Georgia and Aga Mauras (pink) Black Creek, Georgia had a Savannah Slam kind of a day! What is a Savannah Slam? Red fish, spotted sea trout, and flounder...BAM!
While fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters this inshore fishing team had a blast and caught some really nice fish
Egle and Vegas Placas, Cynthia Dewick, and Andy Ewing (all from Savannah Georgia) what did they catch? A PLENTY!
Vegas Placas is holding up a nice red fish and Captain Garrett Ross is giving a big thumbs up! It seems as Vegas was reeling in her line this big trophy red fish could resist her moves. And you know what happen next? Well, the fish inhaled the bait, Vegas hooked the fish up, fought it, landed it, and then released it back to the wild!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charter Cynthia Dewick caught really nice fish. She is holding a nice spotted sea trout that she caught using a live shrimp as bait under a popping cork!
Please meet the inshore father son fishing team Owen and Christian Baillie Savannah Georgia! While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters they had a great day of catching spotted sea trout, whiting, red fish, and flounder! It is time to go!
While fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Owen Baillie Savannah, Georgia, caught fought and released this nice bonnet head shark!
Artificial Reef Report!
This is a copy of a picture taken from 2017 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations. I suggest always having a copy of this booklet on board. It offers up some great fishing information and its easy reading! And heck who doesn’t like to read about fish?
Artificial reefs....spanish Macks have arrived...now they don’t jump at the time of the year..but they are there...let the feeding/diving birds show you the way....best bait is the old time ever popular Clark Spoon! Drag it stag it! And here’s another thing that you need to be aware of...the Spanish macks are being accompanied by juvenile king mackerel. Please pick up a copy of 2017 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations, which shows you how to know the difference! Spanish mackerel have to be 12 inches fork length to keep and King mackerel have to be 24 inches fork length to keep.
From left to right: Barbara Dickerson, Vanna, Georgia, Debbie Holcomb Baldwin, Georgia, (kneeing) Donna Dixon Cleveland, Georgia, Barbara Burns Vanna Georgia, and Captain Kathy Brown of Miss Judy Charters These ladies can certainly fish and we hope that we get to take them again real soon!
Please meet the Mike Maloney fishing team! I (Captain Judy Helmey) took them fishing and we had a blast! We caught a lot of Spanish and king mackerel! They kept the amount of fish that they were going to eat and released the rest! All on board helped with the rigging, putting out the baits, and reeling in the fish. They caught so many fish that I stopped counting, since they weren’t keeping them, at 57! At this time we still had a couple more hours to fish! And you know they did too! Just a great bunch of fishermen making having a good time on the top of their fish catching list!
Far Left - Tank Top - Tim Seibert - Virginia Beach, VA, Next Over - Sitting - Mike Maloney - Virginia Beach, VA Next Over - Shirtless - Michael Withrow - Savannah, GA Next Over Front - Leighann Maloney - Alexandria, VA Next Over - Blue Shirt - Rick Maloney - Alexandria, VA Far Right - Beard - Adam Perschau - Virginia Beach, Va
A Thumbs Up kind of a fishing catching day!
Captain Judy Helmey Miss Judy Charters, Sonny Foxworth Asheville, NC, Ashley Foxworth, Asheville, NC, Brittney Radin, Asheville, NC and Patti Foxworth, Asheville, NC what did they catch? Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, little tunny, and blue fish! This fishing team got in step with the fish bite and never looked back! They kept what they wanted and released the rest!
Captain Ryan Howard of Miss Judy Charter is holding up Vicki Madden Delaware, Oklahoma just caught soon to be release red fish! As you can see it was a little rough, but that did not stop Vicki from catching her fish!
Brian Madden Delaware, Oklahoma caught this nice red fish and Captain Ryan Howard is just about to release it back to the sea!
It was an offshore trophy red fish catching kind of a day! and did everyone catch a red fish? The answer is YES and some fishermen caught more!
Captain Kathy Brown is assisting Ruby Harris Brevard, NC with her just caught soon to be release red fish!
Andy VonCanon is holding a nice trophy red fish and Brittany Whitmire is assisting!
Dan Harris and his daughter Ruby of Brevard, NC caught themselves a set of red fish twins! Captain Kathy Brown is showing us big thumbs up approval!
Tripp Harris, Brevard, NC is holding his just caught red fish and Captain Judy is showing us that fishing catching smile!
Captain Judy Helmey and Brittany Whitmire are happy for Andy VonCanon just caught nice trophy red fish!
Snapper banks
Bottom fishing for vermilion snapper, black sea bass, trigger fish, porgy, white grunts, and other biters has been good. So if want to see some color in your cooler, keep this area a fishing try! Best bait to use is old school cut squid and fresh fillet fish! And grouper season opens on May 2 2017 through December 31, 2017....not long now! And I have been catching a few gags and scamps! So therefore May is certainly going to be Stag a Gag month!
Gulf Stream
For those that want to go I really don’t think that you are going to be catching disappointed! The Mahi Mahi, black fins, and Yahoo Wahoo are running! Now, all you have to do is catch them! And believe me when I say, “This area is a target rich environment for these fish!” Now you know it is time to go!
Thanks for reading! Captain Judy
Thanks again,
Captain Judy Helmey
www.missjudycharters.com
912 897 4921
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