The inshore bite continues to amaze fishermen! However, the bite is not “ON” every day. The more you fish this easier bite patterns are to follow. We have noticed that the inshore fish bite especially during this time of the year seems to be more effected by cold fronts and muddy water caused by rainy windy conditions. I feel the reason behind all of this is with water temps cool to cold fish don’t seem to move as much so they don’t need as much to eat! What does all of this boil down too? Well, if you get a chance to go fishing whether it is windy/cold/rainy I suggest just going! Why? Because if the fish are hungry they are going to eat! And give them what they want, which is live shrimp or fresh dead! Where you do you get them if you can’t purchase them? Don’t forget your cast net! See below!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Aaron Glasscock Savannah, Georgia was very successful throwing the old cast net! What do we have here? If Aaron throws a few more times, he will have caught enough for the day’s fishing and enough for an afternoon shrimp cocktail.
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Michele Karnes Savannah Georgia caught this nice spotted sea trout! What is this fish sporting? Its winter time colors!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Michele Karnes Savannah Georgia and David DeSantiago Buffalo, NY caught some really nice winter spotted sea trout! What were they using as bait? Live shrimp!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters John Waite, Paulette Hamilton, Kate and Peter Kastner Skidaway had a catching blast.
And there is a story that goes with this inshore fishing trip...I (Captain Judy) was a speaking at the CCA meeting this past November and the CCA Skidaway offered a raffle for a 4 hours inshore trip with Captain Garrett. As you might already know, sometimes winning a fishing trip doesn’t always mean you are going to catch fish when you go! However, this trip came together from the start to the finish! I love it when a plan comes together especially when fishing is involved! You guys did darn good! And who showed them the way? Captain Garrett!
Captain Garrett Ross and his father Captain Phil Ross (both captains with Miss Judy Charters is sporting I just caught a lot of nice spotted sea trout smiles!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Peter Kastner Skidaway Island caught fought and landed this nice spotted sea trout on light tackle! Yep, soon to be found on a proper dinner plate! Nice spotted sea trout! I love the winter colors that these fish are sporting at this time of the year!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Paulette Hamilton Skidaway Island caught the beautiful spotted sea trout! But here’s the thing, she caught lots more, but didn’t have time for pictures. Why? Cause when the fish are biting you got to catch them right then! And that’s what Paulette and fishing team did!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Kate Kastner (Skidaway Island) caught this beautiful spotted sea trout! This fish hit the bait twice, which turned out to be too
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters John Waite Skidaway Island caught this nice spotted sea trout! John’s live shrimp clearly tried to get away, but as you can see spotted sea trout as well as John hooking up abilities didn’t fare to well!
While on a fact fish finding catching mission Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters took his friend Joe Brettschneider, Eric Campbell, and his father Philip Ross out for a fun day on the water! (All from Savannah, Georgia) Oops I almost forget Tripp the wonder dog went too! This is what they kept and the team released the rest!
Inshore Catching Report!
The fishing or should say “CATCHING!” has been pretty good. That’s if you find clear water, have the right bait, and of course your fishing in the right spot! These three important things also known as “a fish catching equation” insured fishermen that they most likely are going to get the best chance at catching something! At this time of the year if you can get these three things in prospective, well it will be all good!
I know it sound good doesn’t it? Well, clear water means exactly with is it, clear water. Fish that sight feed, need clear water to effectively do so. Now if they aren’t in it they are going move until they find it! So think like a hungry fish. The right bait, well, most inshore fishermen know that if you use live shrimp as bait you are getting your best shot at catching a fish. However, sometimes you can purchase live shrimp! And other times you cannot! This is when you need to be prepared meaning don’t forget you cast net. At this time of the year you will need both kinds of cast net. You will need the shallow and possibly the deep dropping in the hole net. Why? This shrimp catching season has been, to say the least, hard to report on. Our temps both air and water have fluctuated greatly! What does this do when talking about the whereabouts of shrimp? The old shrimp doesn’t know where to exactly reside! Be prepared!
Now for the biggest part of this fish catching equation! Where do you fish? Well, most fishers do have a few spots and they have a few friends that might share with them. Another way is to make a mental note of where you see boats anchored up the most and also the tide stage. Now I am not saying steal other fisherman’s fishing spots I am saying watching while people fish will help you in the future! Why? Because when you see boats fishing in a spot time after time, well they must be some sort of catching going on! But here’s the thing...fish move up and down the bank especially when there is a lot of noise coming from above.
Artificial Reefs
Well is it that time of the year where the catch while fishing these spots can certainly be interesting. We are catching legal black sea bass, flounder, trophy red fish, black drum, cold water sharks, sheepshead, blue fish, genuine red snapper, and other biters. The bottom line is ..it is time to go!
As far as bait take it all from shrimp to squid to using live just caught small fish to fiddlers to artificial lures! Why? Because these fish are hungry and they got to eat something! Always before heading out please get a copy or load your cell phone with state and federal fishing keeping rules.
Savannah Snapper Banks
Depleted genuine red snapper stocks! Oh My!!
The bottom fishing is great! We are catching some really nice legal keeper size trigger fish, black sea bass, porgy, (white bone, red, and knobbed porgy) flounder, ocean perch, vermilion snapper, grouper, (gags and scamps) cobia, sharks, and etc.
Now as you know we are definitely catching and releasing lots of genuine red snapper. One morning last week before 12 noon my 6 customers caught about 50 assorted sizes genuine red snapper. These fish did not come from one particular spot these fish were basically caught in about 7 different spots. You see, it is my rule (Captain Judy) to move as soon as my customers start catching genuine red snapper on their bottom rigs. It seems that once a school of snapper starts feeding it is hard getting past them in order to catch another species holding below them! I have hundreds of spots to bottom fish and moving is only a slight pain in the butt! However, most fishermen who don’t fish at lot don’t have unlimited spots. So therefore moving to get away from this bite to go to another might not be possible! So when I read in one fisheries publication that “Fishermen are anxious to be able catch/keep genuine red snapper!” And I don’t think it is wrong to want to keep a few genuine red snapper! And I am not really anxious at all! What am I? I am feeling very stupid every time I have to tell my customers that the genuine red snapper populations are severely depleted. I have to wonder why those that are in charge seemly don’t understand exactly what is going on! And this is not just happening off the Georgia coast! Heck, check out the going on in Florida!
While offshore bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper Banks Adam Lipman of Atlanta, Georgia caught this nice scamp grouper. What did he catch before he hooked up this grouper? Big genuine red snapper! What did he catch after he caught this grouper? Big genuine red snapper! What did he catch after he caught the last genuine red snapper? Another genuine red snapper! See the beautiful water behind Adam? It should be posted “No swimming allowed!” Why? Full of hungry genuine red snapper!
Although everything I write will be only my opinion I think someone somewhere should consider listening to what fishermen have to say instead of always thinking we don’t know what we are talking about. I know we the fishermen couldn’t possibility know about stocks when it comes to genuine red snapper. After all there are plenty of graphs that those in charge have hung on every meeting wall that was ever held. Heck, when I was on the snapper/grouper advisory panel I used to looking at them all of the time. However, what’s happening in our area really needs to be taking in accord. I have started seeing all sizes of genuine red snapper at the artificial reefs located in less than 50 feet of water. Now over the years, we have caught a few, but not a thing like we are seeing now! The fact of the matter is even structure found in less than 50 feet of water you could find yourself catching juvenile red snapper.
The artificial reefs located in more than 50 feet of water have so many snapper that it is impossible to catch anything else! And don’t get me started about the Savannah Snapper Banks, because that will be another paragraph that you may or may not want to read! Now, in comes the problem...We are not catching all of these red snapper, because that is all that there are to catch! So let’s not think for one minute that there are no other fish in the sea! Here’s what I do not want to happen....I do not want for those in charge to think that there are no other fish...such as black sea bass and grouper. Because there are plenty of them, but in most cases we can’t catch them because of the abundance amounts of snapper.
Here’s a scary thought...what happens if the fisheries close the grouper and the black sea bass? Because they could because by using possible baseless facts!
Eddie Perry Jr is holding nice red fish, which he caught while plain old bottom fishing with live shrimp! Sometimes it’s surprising what you can catch while fishing on the bottom! So here’s your tip for the week!
The unknown fisherman! Even with winds howling and muddy water conditions prevailing we still caught some really nice whiting! We were using small pieces of cut shrimp and fish for bait! What does this mean? Just go, because now you know!
While offshore fishing with Captain Judy Helmey of Miss Judy Charters this fishing team caught fought and released a lot of fish! Please meet the Gill/Haynes Fantastic Offshore Fishing Team! What did they catch? Well, all I can say, “If a fish got close to their hooks they caught it!” What kind of fish did they catch while plain old bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper Banks? Black sea bass, vermilion snapper, almaco Jacks, amberjacks, banded rudder fish, ring tail perch, trigger fish, genuine red snapper (plural times 12) grouper, rock hind, ruby red lips, rock bass, sand perch, scup, white bone porgy, red porgy, white grunt and other biters!
Front row: Dennis Hayes Columbia, Tennessee, Micah Gill St Louis, MO, Allen Gill St Louis, Missouri, Garrett Gill South over, MS, Jim Gill Savannah, Georgia Back row: Riley Gill Olive Branch, MS
While offshore fishing with Captain Deidra Helmey Jeffcoat of Miss Judy Charters Jim Gill Savannah Georgia caught this beautiful genuine soon to be released red snapper!
While offshore fishing with Captain Deidra Helmey Jeffcoat of Miss Judy Charters Riley Gill Olive Branch MS caught this fine pair of black sea bass also known as black fish!
Allen Gill St Louis, Missouri caught this soon to be released juvenile gag grouper! Who is assisting? Captain Deidra Helmey Jeffcoat of Miss Judy Charters
While offshore fishing with Captain Judy Helmey of Miss Judy Charters Dennis Hayes Columbia Tennessee is holding up a very nice genuine soon to be released red snapper!
Little Miss Judy’s Believe it Or Not”
Merry Christmas!
Here I am early Christmas morning with doll in hand, eyes closed half asleep, and just happy as can be that daddy didn’t catch Santa Clause! That flash that you see in the background was made by a Brownie Kodak Camera!
“Christmas in the Fifties with Dear old Captain Dad!”
As a child, like most, I loved Christmas. I knew that Santa Clause was the real thing and that hopefully he was going to visit my house. Every year my father would tell all of us children that he was going to set a trap so as to catch old Saint Nick. In this department I wasn’t too popular with the neighborhood kids. This was due to the fact that Daddy was a great hunter and could possibly set a trap that just might work. So as you can see we were all in a dilemma at Christmas time.
We would talk about it among ourselves and came up with some pretty convincing reasons why we shouldn’t worry too much about Daddy’s old trap. The number one reason was that we knew for a fact that Santa was very smart. So therefore he would see right through any trap. The other and best reason was that we knew for a fact was that if Santa could get into houses without chimneys he could easily escape. After a few minutes us six year olds would get tired of worrying about this and basically forgot about it. At least until Daddy brought it up again, which was quite often on Christmas Eve!
As an only child I was very fortunate to get lots things during the year. So therefore when Christmas arrived I needed more after all a child needs lots of things to survive. Back in the old days we received only a few catalogs. Not like today where your mailbox is packed full everyday for months before the big event. I would always be anxiously waiting for the “Levy’s” catalog to arrive. This was my Christmas list in picture form. My father would tell me that I could circle what I wanted and he would pass it on to Santa. Now this is the funny thing. He always told me not to spend any more than $25.00 on all of my gifts. So the process of picking the presents and then adding their costs up began with hopes that what I had picked didn’t go over the designated amount.
Until I got older I didn’t understand what money and Santa Clause had in common. After doing all of this work and making my final decision I would hand over my picture Christmas list to Daddy. He would hopefully as he promised, pass it on to Santa Clause. However, I never forgot for one moment that he might catch the rascal before he got to our house. I wasn’t the only child worried about this.
Most people leave cookies and milk. However, my father and I decided to make a few changes. Over the years we left sardines and saltines, Vienna sausage and Ritz’s, and one time we left sea rations of can cookies and jelly. As far as something to drink we left what we had on hand at the time, which could have been anything from water straight out the faucet to something that came in a bottle. It seemed that no matter what we left Santa he always seemed to eat it all.
When Christmas morning finally arrived I jumped out of bed, ran into the living room, and got a big letdown. There wasn’t any presents or toys to be found. I couldn’t believe it Daddy had actually caught Santa Clause. I ran to daddy’s bedroom almost in tears and woke him up. He rose up half asleep and asked, “What’s wrong?” I replied, “Santa didn’t come!” He quickly replied, “Oh Santa and I got to talking about fishing, eating snacks, and he left all of your presents in my closet!”
Once again my father saved the day with just a few words putting Christmas morning back into motion!
Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!
And I hope that Santa brings you all the tackle that you asked for!
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for Reading! Captain Judy
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