While inshore fishing with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters Christopher Miller Blue Ash, Ohio caught this nice red fish! Check out the winter colors that this soon to be released red fish is sporting! And heck, also check out the smile that Christopher is sporting! What is this? It is a serious red fish catching smile!
While inshore fishing with Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters Megan Bennett Hinesville caught, fought, and released this nice red fish! While inshore fishing with her father Jonathan of Georgia Tree Solutions and Darrell Davis Astisan Landscape Group rumor had it she caught the most and the biggest! So there you have it!
Chad Lanman Charleston, SC, Mike Fullerton Richmond Hill, Chris Forehand Charleston SC, and Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters are showing off their fishing wares! Can you say, “Red Fish, red fish, red fish pie?”
Please meet the Mike Fullerton Richmond Hill, Chad Lanman Chaleston, SC, and Chris Forehand Charleston! They had an exceptional inshore fish catching day while fishing with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters.
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters, Mike Goodwin, and Kevin Artz (Both from Savannah) had an interest action packed inshore fish day! This is what they kept not what they caught!
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters, Mike Goodwin and Kevin Artz (Both from Savannah) are having a little fun! So I guess you could say, “Everybody was Kung Fu dancing!” Go on, it’s OK to hum the song!
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters could be having grilled spotted sea trout for dinner! And I think he is! After all he GOT FISH!
If you have near shore or offshore fished in this area I am sure you have come face to face with a reef runner. (Also referred to as a cigar fish or lizard fish!) It has a very impressive set of teeth and also has them on its tongue.
For its size, shape, and attitude I truly believe that this is a very voracious fish! It is forever attacking lures that are almost its same size. Although a bottom feeder at heart we have seen them attacking lures being trolled in the mid water column. All I can say, “They must have a keen eye sight giving then more feeding options than they deserve! Did you know that back in the fifties and sixties this was call a cigar fish. When my father used to catch them he would always say, “Well, it’s now sliver king catching time!” Using this fish for live bait almost insured some striking interest from a big king mackerel. It seems if one was in the area it would hit this bait! How did we fish it? My father placed the hook in the dorsal fin area, cast it out, and then put the rod in the holder. Sometimes he didn’t have time to put the rod down! Where were we fishing offshore when this normally happened? Black Fish Banks!
This will go down as the strangest reef runner I have ever caught! I called is “reef runner on acid!”
I called it third cousin to the reef runner!
Sounds, Artificial Reefs, and snapper banks
Well, well, this is what I have to say about this! With water temps are on the fall it prompts fish to start making their winter moves. The sound temps have been in the low sixties, which mean fish that have to go offshore are making way now. Those fish that are stayers are trying to pack in as much in as they can. They know colder water temps are on the way. Once you get offshore about 15 to 18 miles our (50 to 60 feet) water temp are ranging around mid to high sixties. What does this mean? Fishing on the bottom could get very interesting! Why? You just never know what exactly might bite your hook! And then when you take the heading to banks 32 miles out 95 to 100 feet you find yourself wanting to put your shorts back on, because the water is over seventy degrees! And that my friend is what we call the temperature searching catching game! Why? Some fish move in, some fish move out, and some fish don’t move at all!
The sounds are holding some nice whiting. As you know this is a fish that comes in all sizes from very small to decent size better known as bull whiting. Back in the old days the old timey name for the whiting was South King Fish! Please don’t confuse this with the king mackerel, which is entirely a different fish and not related! This is the time of year where you could find yourself, especially when doing a little bottom fishing in the sound, having a pretty darn fun light tackle kind of a catching day! And now that was a mouth full!
The best bait to use when targeting whiting is small pieces of air dried shrimp. It is best to use pieces that still have their shell intact. It seems that the old whiting prefer as we do also to peel before eating shrimp. I always show my customers when they have had a whiting bite…what is left on the hook? Just the shell! See the above picture for the darn truth! The best bite is going occur two hours before to two hours after the tide change. Where you catch one whiting they are usually more. They seem to school/feed on the bottom in same size schools. What does the mean? The bigger ones feed together; smaller ones feed together, and normally don’t mix. So therefore what does this mean? Drop your bait in the area where you have caught the bigger ones and leave the smaller ones be!
While inshore fishing with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters Christopher Miller Blue Ash, Ohio caught this nice red fish!
Offshore Artificial Reefs
While Christopher Miller Blue Ash, Ohio was doing a little bottom fishing he caught this soon to be released 34 ½ trophy red fish. It ate a small black fish steak fished on a standard two hook bottom rig. Christopher and I both were talking as this fish crashed fish bait and ripped off line. When an ocean going red fish decides to hit, it is not subtle tap! It is direct hit! It is almost like they are hitting your bait while they are on the move. As if they backed up, stopped to take a look, then they start swimming fast towards the bait, hit it with conviction, and never stop. Since this fish has broad shoulders the pull is strong and constant!
These areas are showing some grand signs. Some artificial reefs such as the SAV, KC, and DUA are holding the attentions of some really nice summer trout better known as weak fish and keeper black sea bass And I do have mention assorted sizes of red fish. When I say assorted I am talking from 15 inches to 40 inches. The best news is of these fish mentioned they are all hanging and finding a food source in the exact same spots. So while you are fishing you could be catching any of the above. So beware! . (Please always before heading out that you get up close and personal with state and federal fishing regulations.)
Captain Kathy Brown of Miss Judy Charters and Alli Cat DeYoung are holding a nice pair of summer trout also known as weak fish. Please remember the bag limit for this fish is one per person and they have be 13 inch tail length to keep. We caught a lot of these trout while doing a little drifting and bottom fishing on the reef. Most of the fish were not caught around any of the structure. What were we using as bait? Squid and cut fish! Please always before heading out that you get up close and personal with state and federal fishing regulations.
Christopher Miller of Blue Ash, Ohio is holding a fist full of nice size summer trout also known as weak fish. All of these fish were caught while plain old bottom fishing at the artificial reefs located in less than 60 feet of water.
Back in the old days, fishermen would drive down to Savannah just for sake of targeting either red fish or summer trout. Normally in September to November slot reds could be caught by cooler fulls in the Back River of Tybee Island Georgia. I think thousands were caught! In late November through March large schools of summer trout were caught at the manmade artificial reefs and wrecks. Those fishermen targeting them knew exactly where to go to catch these fish. These were trips to the coast that were shared generation after generation! When was this? BR? What does that mean? Before regulations!
David Miller Blue Ash, Ohio is showing signs of being shock as everyone caught double header summer trout on just about every drop! Alli Cat DeYoung Miss Judy Charters showing her hand at this process!
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters releasing a nice trophy red fish back to the wild!
2019 Captain Judy’s Inshore/Offshore Fishing Clinics
February 23, 2019 Saturday and February 24, 2019 Sunday
On inshore/offshore boats in the water
$150.00 per person for inshore
$150.00 per person for offshore
Morning departures
Time: 8:00AM till12:00 NOON
Afternoon departures
Time: 1 PM till 5:00 PM
Snacks and drinks provided by Captain Judy Place: Miss Judy Charters dock
202 Wilmington Island Road, Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 for more details!
On the freshwater side…we have
While inshore with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charter Mickey Holbrook (guide on Lanier) took what is better known a serious busman’s holiday! Long time friend Captain Garrett showed Mickey the saltwater catching way! And I am sure when the timing is right Captain Garrett might take Mickey up on his offer to take him to do a little striped bass fishing! Now for those that want to do some saltwater inshore fishing give Miss Judy Charters, 912 897 4921, and book Captain Garrett Ross. For those of you that want to do a little fresh water fishing I highly suggest giving Mickey Holbrook owner operator of MAD GILLZ Fishing Guide Service a call. (470 262 6035) There are two things that we know for a fact …and what is that? Our new fresh water connection is Mickey Holbrook! And I approved this message!
Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!
The Helmey Clan was tailgating way before it became popular!
From left to right: My father Captain Sherman Helmey, his older brother Randall Helmey (Randall’s wife Mamie, and my father’s younger brother Mac Helmey! Here’s short recap: My father was married eight times and never stopped dating. Randall and Mamie were married for 60 years plus and only dated each other. Mac Helmey was married to Frieda for many many years. Randall always told me that the reason he was the smallest was because his brother Sherman made him do all of the work! The truth of the matter is my father and Uncle Mac on one hot summer day when the brothers were very young suggested suggest something to Randall! What was that? Well, there was this rattlesnake in a ditch. The brothers told Randall, “I bet you can’t jump over that snake!” Well, Randall jumped and the snakes bit him, which altered his childhood greatly! Now you know the rest of this story!
A Thanksgiving story
My Aunt Hattie’s Brown bag theory
My Aunt Hattie, which was my father’s older sister always cooked the best Thanksgiving dinner! Her cooking abilities were unbelievable. She would cook along with the help of Bertha doing almost everything from scratch. Aunt Hattie’s Thanksgiving dinners took days to prepare. In fact during my younger years, if I’m not mistaken, all ingredients including the bird was raised or grown on her big farm. However, the fruit that she used to make that unbelievable ambrosia was probably purchased from a stand right out there on Highway 17. I know that the pecans that went into this particular dish were picked from the farm, because quite often I helped with the gathering.
Bertha of whom worked with my Aunt for a long as I can remember was always there to help with the “Thanksgiving Cooking Bonanza.” I was always interested in how they made everything look and taste so good. Her personally grown vegetables were always the “prefect vegetable color.” They baked a coconut cake that was 6 tears high. It never leaned or anything. The bad news is I wasn’t always around for the mixing of the cake, because this is one bowl I would have loved to lick. However, my aunt had this kitchen utensil that I later called a “child cheater.” This reason was a simple one. Whenever I happened to be around when baking she used this utensil and it would remove almost all of the tasty ingredients from the walls of the mixing bowl. There was always a little left, which was just enough to get a short taste.
The turkey was always browned to perfection. Her secret was certainly a one of a kind at least in my book. She cooked the turkey in a brown grocery bag. The bird was put in the bag much like you would have put one in a state of the art “plastic browning in bag.” The drums always stuck out a little, but not enough to let them b+e exposed to direct heat. There was another weird cooking method that I had seen when I was even younger. The turkey was wrapped in a sort of gauze that pretty much look like some sort of a bandage. When the bird was cooked and un-wrapped it also came out golden brown with skin and everything. However, when it was first put in the oven it looked like a real bona-fide “turkey mummy.”
The food wasn’t the only highlight of the Thanksgiving Day. My Aunt Hattie always set the prettiest dinner table I had ever seen. She would always use her best china and silverware for this special occasion. The Table was huge. It would seat at least 12 guests. There were high back chairs with big arms rests. When you sat in them you knew for a fact that you had to be someone special just to be invited. The good news about my Aunt Hattie was that my father and I were always invited. It was a family tradition to spend Thanksgiving Day at her house. This particular dinner was always served at 2:00PM sharp. You could tell when dinnertime was approaching, because everyone would start showing up. My father and I always arrived early so that we could all watch the televised New York Thanksgiving Parade. It was as I said part of a family tradition.
When it came time to eat everyone was gathered for a prayer. As a small child, I am sorry to admit, I always opened my eyes just to watch what every else was doing. Most of adults were standing very still with their eyes closed. However, all of us kids basically did the same thing watched and semi-listened as what seemed to be the longest prayer ever said in the world. At least it seemed long to us 7 year olds. At the end of the prayer all adults reached for their chair and proceeded to sit down. The children were all escorted to the kitchen where a special table waited for us, which fit our size perfectly. However, we would always talk about the day when we all would be sitting at the grand dinner table.
However, now that I think about it when I finally graduated from the kitchen to the main dining room it hasn’t been all that I thought it would be. I had to fix my own plate and wait for others to start eating. Our tea glasses were sitting in crystal holders, which were supposed to keep any sort of wet stains off the starched white tablecloth. Trying to eat and drink at the same time could be tricky especially if you missed putting your glass back in the holder. The food sure didn’t taste any different. Don’t get me wrong it was still delicious, but somehow it wasn’t the same. This goes to show you that it takes a lifetime to realize that in some instances “change and all that implies” certainly isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be! However, “family traditions” are what Thanksgiving Day is all about! Although in my case, moving from one room to another didn’t seem like a big step, but it certainly was!
Thanks for reading! Happy Thanksgiving! Captain Judy
It’s Miller Time!
A grand winter time fishing crew! Captain Judy, Alli Cat DeYoung, Captain Kathy Brown, Christopher Miller, and his father David!