Less than a week ahead of the two-day South Atlantic red snapper season, Capt. Judy Helmey is reporting good numbers of what she refers to as “genuine red snapper” off the Georgia coast.
It’s an often-repeated theme we’ve heard over the last couple of years. From North Carolina down to Florida, Atlantic coast charter captains are having trouble getting their baits through swarms of red snapper down to the grouper and other fish anglers are allowed to keep.
In her weekly fishing report, Capt. Judy suggested using a heavy-duty, heavily weighted knocker rig rather than a Carolina rig to get baits down to the bottom quickly. The streamlined knocker rig will carry your bait through the upper and middle levels of the water column—where the snapper are—down to the bottom faster than other rigs.
Of course, the target species will change on July 14 and 15, when red snapper become available for harvest, with a limit of one per person, per day and no size limit. Capt. Judy said they’ve been getting plenty of “practice” with snapper. Catching a quick limit of big red snapper is a definite possibility before you go do something else.
Capt. Judy and her other captains might have some availability left during the two-day snapper season, give her a call to discuss options. Or call a captain close to where you live or vacation.
Contact Capt. Judy Helmey at (912) 897 4921.