I do have to report that I made it to the snapper banks this past week. We fished in about 120 feet of water, which is little more 40 miles than off the coast. It was interesting for sure. The sea conditions due to the pending passing of Hurricane Maria were a little on the convoluted side. It was not a solid 2 to 5 foot sea, but it was getting close to be a solid straight up 4 foot when I started home. After getting about 20 miles from the coast the sea were as predicted 2 to 4 feet and not so darn angry! As far as the fishing the ocean color wasn’t the norm and I believe that the just passing of Hurricane Irma (couple weeks previous) still has the bottom quite stirred up. I did notice quite a few small crabs swimming on the surface, which is an indication that bottom is still in that somewhat milky and unsettled mode. The best news is by the time you read this...Hopefully Hurricane Maria will have passed and things in the abyss will have gotten back to normal!


I got to say, if you go I am always suggesting this area. The Savannah Snapper banks holds the attentions of different size and species of both top and bottom fish. With that being said, “It is oh so true that when put a bait in the water you really never know what might bite your hook!” I have caught the usual to most unusual top and bottom fish while just baiting up a hook. The bottom line is there is lots of action to be had when fishing these areas.


With water temps falling a bit and less daylight it has put all fish from small to super large on notice. And what would that notice be all about? Well, Well, it is all about bulking up for not a subtle, but a darn hefty water temperature change.



Well, what do we have here? It is a picture taken with film and developed many years ago. Who knows maybe over 20 years! Phil Shirley is fighting a nice Wahoo that he caught while pitching to a Mahi Mahi also known as a dolphin. Captain Ali Young, retired captain and first mate, was assisting! What was she whispering in Phil ear? You are doing just fine, don’t reel fast just steady, when you rest the fish rest, keep reeling, and hold your rod up! Slow and easy please! When you bring this fish in range I am going to gaff it! And the rest is catching history! Did I get a picture of the fish he caught Phil? No Why? I ran out of film! Now you know the rest of this darn fishing catching story! But in my mind and memory I know it was a nice Yahoo Wahoo!

After getting new film and after almost dropping camera a few times I did finally get a picture of Phil Shirley’s fish! Captain Ali Young Miss Judy Charter holding up Phil Shirley’s yesteryear Yahoo Wahoo!




Gulf Stream
It hasn’t happened yet, but it is going to. Pretty soon water temps will fall and all waters to the west of the stream once meeting the pretty blue warmer Gulf Stream waters will form the old winter’s edge! And what does that mean for us blue water fishermen? It’s tuna and Yahoo Wahoo time!


At this time I normally suggest going to sstcharts.com for your free temps charts. However, the web site that we all use and have been using for many years has been temporarily closed due to some technical issues. I talked owner operator Tanya Terry and she says that will have site back up and running soon. Sstcharts.com has for years supported the fishing community while offering free fishing reports and sea surface temperature charts for those that fish from the east coast all the way out to blue waters of the stream. The fact of the matter is I hope they get it up and running soon I/we (over on the Georgia’s coast) use this site all of time to keep up with temperatures in the ocean.