Capt. Judy Fishing Report – April 12, 2017

April 12, 2017 – Saltwater Inshore, Offshore, Blue Water fishing reports, and “Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not story! Thanks for Reading!

Fishing statement: To try to insure that fishing stays in the hearts of those that love it!

Gary Atkins Forsyth, Georgia, Ronnie Spires St Louis MO Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters…

The inshore bite continues to be very good one day and not so good the next. And believe me, it has got all of us scratching our heads…but it is what it is…it’s not every other day either…and that’s why they call it fishing!

Whiting bite has been great and thank goodness I have been on the on bite days….plain old bottom fishing has been great in the sounds….small pieces of shrimp on small hooks! And light tackle.

Redfish (slot and trophy red fish) spotted seatrout, flounder, sheepshead, black drum, and whiting have pretty much lined our captain’s coolers on the on biting days! Best bait hand downs are going to be live shrimp with the cold water mud minnows coming in second!

High winds, high tides, finding a bite was like going on an early Easter Egg hunt! But it still happened.

On some occasions when they tried to cast sideways into the wind the cork took an opposite turn…but when they found the fish they caught them!

Well, what do we have here? Another grand gaggle of whiting! Please meet the Silva family fishing team… Al Sliva his daughter Alicia age 7 his son Jordon, and wife Sonyia! While spring breaking it here at Tybee Island this family had a blast sightseeing and also a complete success when it came to catching fish! To say the family caught plenty is an understatement for sure! What did the Silva family have for dinner? Whiting, whiting, and more whiting! Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters showed them the fish catching way!

The whiting calling card!

When it comes to catching whiting it sure is a lot of fun! Although the fish are small, it comes with some big bite patterns. Normally these fish hold at a certain depth, and at a certain tide under certain circumstances. Once you figure out their selection for the fish day you will be catching good to go. Here are a few tips: Once you find their preferred depth for your fish day serious continuous bites can happen! Please keep in mind that this fish can hold in as shallow as 8 feet to as much as 30 feet of water. They love staging at the contours/drop offs on the bottom. Heck, take a close look at your chart plotter and let it show you the way. The old whiting has the strangest bite pattern. The fact of the matter is a whiting peels its shrimp, just like we do, before eating it. As you can see from the picture above, this is one fish that has honed its peeling of the shrimp abilities. The hook that is shown above still has the shrimp’s shell on it. What’s missing? Of course, the best part, the meat! I call this the old Whiting Calling Card!

If I have said this once I have said it thousands of time. And since I have been fishing for over 52 years, this certainly is not so much of an exaggeration! I always tell my customers that where you catch one whiting they are plenty more. The reason being is they follow the food! So if you are anchored and start catching fish right off, you most likely have picked the right spot. In my case, since my boat has a 12-foot beam the fishermen on the port side might catch more than those fishing on the stern or starboard side. So in thinking about that, 12 feet can make a lot of difference. And also having everyone fish on one side of the boat can get a little crowded but it works! However, still using my theory of where you catch one there is a school has worked like a charm over the years.

Please meet Josh Lange age 11 from Loganville Georgia. While inshore fishing with Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters and his father John Lange, Josh caught the most and the biggest! He is shown here holding a red fish that is still swimming today! What does this mean to you? While you and we are trying to catch it again, it’s still growing! What a deal what a deal!

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!

Snapper Banks

Bottom fishing for vermilion snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish, porgy, white grunts, and other bitters has been good. So if want to see some color in your cooler, keep this area a fishing try! The best bait to use is old school cut squid and fresh fillet fish!

The Gulf Stream…it is a hit and miss affair…as well as a long run to find this out. I think it is early, at least for our areas. Our water temps have not been steady meaning going up and down…not up just up. I used to say one it start to climb not a thing will stop the water from warming…I won’t be saying that any long…yesterday in 60 feet of water it was 65 degrees! I think two weeks will make all of the difference in the blue water bite, but if you go, please let me know!

From left to right: Bradley Carter Richmond Hill Georgia, Randy Roach Sylvester, Georgia Parker Barwick, Pooler Georgia Fred Mallard, Sylvester Georgia and not showing in picture Gordon Dixon Springfield Georgia and Ronnie Cason Claxton Georgia While fishing with Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charters this grand fishing team caught some nice keeper bottom fish and then these beautiful trophy redfish showed up! Yes, they were caught fought and released back to the wild!

Captain Ken Kennickell is holding up this fish! If you find yourself catching one, I don’t suggest doing this, because the fish could possibly fin you. And believe me, you would not want that! Here’s what I think I know about lionfish. It has spines and can deliver a painful sting. Although the sting is not fatal, it does cause intense pain and swelling around the wound! Do. Not. Touch!

While bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper banks with Captain Ken Kennickell “Obsession” of Miss Judy Charters, Bradley Carter Richmond Hill Georgia caught this fine specimen of a lionfish! I just love the colors and as my father always said, “If it looks this pretty is most likely is poisonous!” Now in the book of lion fish’s, this is a nice size one. And normally you don’t catch them on a hook and line. The fact of the matter is it is the first time that someone at Miss Judy’s has ever caught one on the hook! So that’s a first..and who knows maybe is might break a state record!

Thanks for reading!

Captain Judy Helmey
Miss Judy Charters
Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!
124 Palmetto Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31410
(912)-897-4921 or (912)-897-2478
(912)-897-3460 fax
Fishjudy2@aol.com