Yes it was rough sea conditions that past weekend. However we still went and we still caught! This photo was taken while I was sitting on the stern of the Miss Judy Too in about 50 feet of water.
Inshore Fishing for Sheepshead with Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters!
Captain Tommy is holding a nice Sheepshead that was caught while fishing at one of the near shore artificial reefs.
If you have been reading my fishing reports you already know that the winter is a great time to target Sheepshead offshore at near shore artificial reefs. During mid November a large bulk of the female Sheepshead make way towards the beachfronts and then they end up at the near shore artificial reefs. This is considered the offshore spawning run. The females usually spawn in late winter and early spring. So with all of this being said,
“When it’s winter time there are plenty of Sheepshead catching opportunities at the near shore artificial reefs!”
Captain Tommy Williams knows sheepshead fishing! He knows where they go in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. And since it coming to the end of our winter time season Captain Tommy is back on inshore Sheepshead trail.
As you know Sheepshead are vertical feeders, which means they love to feed around structure. After having a conversation with Captain Tommy we both came to these conclusions. Now if you want to catch more inshore sheepshead more consecutively I suggest including a few of these tips into your fishing catching game!
All sheepshead prefer to feed on vertical structure. With this being said I always have suggested dock pilings, any bridge up rights, or wrecks. These areas have surfaces that oysters, green mussels, barnacles, and green grass love to attach themselves too. All of these growths bring on the attentions of other moving things that come wrapped in a shell. And the old sheepshead knows this for sure! But here is the rub that you have been waiting for…it seems the older the structure fished the bigger the fish caught. I know this all sounds crazy, but it is true. Lots of fish including striped bass aka rock fish prefer to pull their marine growth or those that are wrapped in a shell from older wood surfaces. And here’s another good piece of information…these surface may or may not be vertical, because most of them are located in deeper water and don’t get exposed during a low tide stage. So they could be horizontal or vertical! Ok..now I have said too much, but if you know of such an old time structure I suggest giving it a try!
Here’s your sign!
Vertical structure that is uncovered by the lower tide stage and later covered is also great places to go fish for Sheepshead. And if the fish are there and have been feeding there is a sign to look for.
Here’s a vertical concrete piling that is showing us the prefect Sheepshead feeding sign! The whiter spots are those areas that the Sheepshead has been feeding. It seems once they loosen up a single oyster or barnacle the closer ones are easier to get too. This lighter spot shows us that several Sheepshead have been feeding here recently. So here is your sign….the fish are here and they are working this area. So find this scenario and you most likely find a prevailing sheephead bite down under.
And this old saying is correct and it comes into play big time. It goes like this, “If you are not losing tackle you are not fishing close enough to the structure!” So you if you are fishing in the right spot you should be catching fish as well as losing lots of tackle!
What does a Sheepshead prefer to eat?
Purple back fiddler!
So therefore it can be called “Sheepshead Candy!” I must add that black back fiddlers, which are known for being seen scurrying around/under floating docks and pilings, will also work. However, as I have said many times over I know the reason why “purple over black is preferred! I preformed my redneck fiddler test and here is how it went. I took a black back in one hand and a purple back in the other; I squeezed each one, and then tasted the juice. And here’s what I found out..the purple back is sweeter tasting than the black back. So I have once again proven that Sheepshead not only taste good, but they also have good taste! See Sheepshead grilling recipe under Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not! Located at the end of this report!
Whether you are fishing for Sheepshead offshore or inshore I suggest using the best bait, which is the fiddler crab. A fiddler crab is as important to the Sheepshead as a live shrimp is to a spotted sea trout. It seems when either fish is presented with their most favorite bait all natural guards are dropped. The fact of the matter is if this bait presents itself these fish normally don’t question before they try to inhale it. Now, once again this is only if this bait is present right in front of them meaning location, location, and location is always going to be the key factor to getting the stronger bite.
Artificial Reefs
These areas at still holding black sea bass, Sheepshead, flounder, cold water sharks, and other bottom biters. For those that want to go with the plain old bait on a hook dropped to the bottom routine bites will definitely happen. The best bait is going to be cut squid and cut fresh fillet of some of the fish that you catch. Keep your bait on the bottom to catch fish. For those that prefer doing this with artificial only such as jigs tipped with either squid/fish or large screw tails this will also bring on a pretty serious bite on light tackle.
Trophy Red Fish Bite!
Daryl Gay with GON fished with me this past week! Daryl is holding a 33 inch trophy red fish that he fought, caught, landed, tagged, and released!
Friday February 12, 2016
Fishing team: Captain Judy Helmey, Captain Deidra Helmey Jeffcoat, and Daryl Gay!
With a serious front approaching and winds howling out of the south east we headed offshore to do a little fishing. Sea conditions were about 3 to 5 feet and some of the waves graduated to breaking status. The bottom line it was rough the winds were howling, but it didn’t matter to Daryl Gay! The reason being according to Daryl and he is oh so right: “Weather conditions are always the prevailing factor when it comes to going fishing or not!” So we decided we would fish with the conditions handed and make the best of it, which as you can see we did!
While bottom fishing at the KC artificial reef using two hook bottom rigs baited with small pieces of squid we caught these nice trophy red fish.
This is Daryl’s 38 inch trophy red fish before we netted it and brought it on board!
This Daryl Gay with his 38 inch tagged trophy red fish!
Savannah Snapper Banks
It is time to go! Bottom fishing is great!
Gulf Stream Fishing Report
We did not make it out to the blue water this past week. However, if you do get the chance I suggest taking this ride, because it is definitely worth it! If you go let me know!
Photo by Leigh Ann Dowell
A wonderful morning view from the Mistress while fishing on the South Ledge!
Freshies Report!
Bill Vanderford is “Lake Lanier’s Legend!”
CRANKING UP THE SPRING BASS BITE
By Bill Vanderford
Every spring as the trees start to bud, the geese begin to nest, and the surface temperature of the water rises above 50 degrees to stay, many lakes experience an extended period when a number of diving crankbaits become the best lure in your tackle box to catch large, pre-spawn bass in impressive numbers. The reason for this phenomenon is that the warming waters start to draw the bass away from their deeper winter homes towards the flowering shorelines. It is actually a transition time when the bass are sort of suspended between the seasons of spring and winter.
In the beginning of this process, most bass tend to hold and feed suspended away from the banks of the lake in 10 to 20 feet of water. Therefore, for an angler to be successful, it is necessary to have a lure pass through this magic depth at a very slow pace, but with enough action to attract the bass’s curiosity and appetite. This is accomplished by utilizing diving crankbaits in 1/4 to 1/2 ounce sizes with enough of a diving lip to easily take the lure to the desired depth with the proper wiggle. For the deeper fish that are closer to the 20 foot level, the lure doesn’t even have to go that far down. Those bass will see and feel the moving bait above them and come up to attack.
In clearer waters, color never seems to make much of a difference, but when fishing stained or slightly muddy water, brighter chartreuse or white crankbaits tend to be more productive. The most important ingredient is always the speed of the retrieve!
Most anglers seem to think that the more casts they make the better their chances, but during this prime crankbait period, that is certainly not the case. It is imperative that one finds the “happy medium” to be successful. The retrieve must be just fast enough to allow the crankbait to dive and wiggle, but not one bit more than that. Only the trial of success or failure will show a fisherman when he has achieved the proper speed.
About a year ago, I was fishing during this period with two clients in a really productive area of my home lake with mixed results. I was catching plenty of bass in the front of the boat and the guy in the back was keeping up with me, but the fellow between us wasn’t catching anything. I watched him for a few minutes and advised him that he was cranking far too fast for these sluggish bass, but he attributed our success to a difference in crankbaits and my position in the front of the boat. So, for the next section, I gave him my rod and reel, put him in the front of the boat, and both myself and the other man quit fishing for more than a hundred yards. He still didn’t catch a fish! I then turned the boat around, told him to sit and observe while his buddy and I fished back over the same territory. We landed ten nice bass in the same place that he had failed, and he finally realized that it was truly the speed of his retrieve and not the lures or boat position that made the difference.
Best places to cast are usually points and coves in the beginning of this period, but look for clay banks rather than rocky or sandy ones. It’s best to use spinning tackle with 8 pound test line to be more efficient and allow the lure to go deep enough to attract the bass. Smaller diameter lines will let the lure go even deeper, but one is more at risk of losing fish and lures with the lighter lines.
If an angler casts directly at the bank, finds the right speed of retrieve, and diligently works the proper places, he can expect to catch 10 to 25 bass and a few other species of fish in an 8-hour period each day for several weeks during this early spring season. As soon as the surface temperature all over the lake reaches 60 degrees, however, one can put the crankbaits away and use other methods for the rest of the spring season.
The beauty and excitement of this kind of fishing with crankbaits in the early spring is that almost anyone can catch bass successfully, these fish are the healthiest they will be at any time during the year, and in the cooler waters, they will give the best fight of the year! Cranking up spring bass (if done properly) can be one of the most thrilling experiences in fishing!
Bill Vanderford has won numerous awards for his writing and photography, and has been inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Guide. He can be reached at 770-289-1543, at [email protected] or at his web site: www.georgiafishing.com.
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