October 5th, 2017 – Offshore fishing report and story! Thanks for reading!
Fishing statement: To try to ensure that fishing stays in the hearts of those that love it!
Terrell Gooding of Duluth, Georgia is holding a nice genuine red snapper that he just caught while plain old bottom fishing with Captain Judy Helmey of Miss Judy Charters. I know thatwe are supposed to move if we start catching over-fished, nonexistent genuine red snapper, but to be honest I am running out of spot to 
run to. However, the upside to that last statement is at least I have found plenty of spots to run from!
Please meet Ms. Lena Huston of Fort Eustis, Virginia whom fished with Captain Greg Harvey and she is holding up a big genuine red snapper. Who caught, fought, and released it? Lena did of course.
This large genuine red snapper was caught in about 100 feet of water while plain old bottom fishing with a small piece of cut squid! Did she catch anymore of these beautiful fish? Yes she did! Where they all about this size? Yes! And now you know the rest of this genuine red snapper catching story!
Artificial Reefs
I am still on the fence when it comes to a top water bite in this area. I got to fish offshore one day last week and then after that…the northeast winds have not stopped blowing. However, this is what I know and suggest! If heading to the artificial reefs I suggest being prepared to do both bottom fishing and trolling. For those that want to bottom fish and have forgotten to bring their bait…there is an easy fix. All you have to do is to catch one fish and make it your bait! Now you must be asking, if I forgot the bait, what do I use for bait? It is so simple for sure! Anything in your lunch box will work such as chicken, bologna, etc. Or it is old school, but a small strip of white t-shirt on a hook works great. Now spray it with WD40 and the enhancement just gets better!
Savannah Snapper Banks
Since this is the place I always want to go I am going to suggest that when you can simply just go! Why? There are endless opportunities to catch fish in this area. There are assortment of bottom, mid depth, and top water fish to be had! During these next up coming months you just really never know what you might catch! And you might be able to keep genuine red snapper on the last weekend of this month. Go to http://safmc.net/ for the complete details! And we still have some offshore dates available! You can reach us at (912)-897-4921 or through my email at fishjudy2@aol.com!
Genuine Red Snapper Dilemma!
I have to wondered how do those that do know, know? And of course my favorite line “Lets the facts be the facts!”
Captain Judy Helmey (yes you got it, of Miss Judy Charters) is holding up Terrell Gooding Duluth, Georgia just caught genuine red snapper. I try so hard not to get on my soap box about the federal governments regulations in regards to this fish. But here I go… When the genuine red snapper closure was put in to place (way back when) of course I was like all fishermen by saying “what the heck?” But of course the powers that be said, “The populations are down and were being over fished on a daily basis.” Originally, if you really want to talk about stocks were down then, you ought to have been here before red snapper was changed from 12 inches to 20 inches. And yes when this change took place offshore fishermen from Georgia went crazy again! I do have to admit this change was badly needed for sure. Our daily catches had fallen off. So with this new regulation (way back when before complete closure 2010) of up to 20 inches to keep carrying a bag limit of two things in the genuine red snapper catching department got better and better. Meaning we weren’t bailing red snapper. We were just keeping the legal limit allowed..at least most of us!
Captain Greg Harvey of Miss Judy Charters holding up a nice genuine big red snapper that he caught while doing a little bottom fishing at the Savannah Banks! I had a reader ask me one time …are any of these red snapper the same fish? No! They are all different fish! Once we hook up a red snapper we only take it out the water long enough to carefully remove the hook and to express the fish’s inflated bladder. So therefore once the fisherman picks up the fish, it’s a quick picture and back to the wild it goes! Out of all the genuine red snapper that we catch and bring into the boat most swim off strong!
More on Genuine Red Snapper!
Offshore fishermen settled in and most of us did go by the rules. And then it happened, in 2010 they completely closed the genuine red snapper fishery down (and if I am not mistaken the government also turn off the Loran Towers too during this time frame)! My catch/keep records, at least from my area (Savannah, Georgia) seemed to be getting better. Here’s again, please know that at this time I had only logged in 52 ½ years worth of fishing seasons in the ocean! So what did I know then? Plenty, and what do I know now? A lot more for sure! But, as most say, it’s only my little world! And what I think I know doesn’t come into play with those that do. But I have to wondered how do those that do know, know?
When the closures happened, I listened to all of the reasons of why this had to be done. And I brought into it; by reasoning with myself as well as others that maybe we are the only state that has red snapper populations like this. And then there was the theory of there is only a certain amount of year class genuine red snapper. Ok, I brought into that, because we were catching a lot of certain size genuine red snapper. So I listened, went by the rules, tried to explain not only to my customers, but also my fishing friends that just maybe we needed a genuine red snapper non keeping pause!
So now it is the year of 2017 and of course I have gotten much older, but I am still fishing enough offshore to know exactly what is going on. So here’s what I do know without putting any sort of spin good or bad spin on this situation. What does this mean? I am not embellishing these facts nor do I care too!
On Friday, September 30, 2017, I went fishing with my First Mate Captain Kathy Brown and customer Terrell Gooding. We originally were going to go do a short trip, but then decided to make way to the middle Savannah Snapper Banks. (M2R6 naval tower area) I started out in a little live bottom area called the Anchor ledge, which is in about 75 feet of water. What did I catch? A few legal black sea bass, but we had to really look for them. And mixed in with them were small to medium size genuine red snapper. The fact of the matter is we kept 3 legal black fish and released about 9 assorted size genuine red snapper from 8 to 15 inches before we moved on!
I move about 8 miles to a small patch of live bottom in about 85 feet of water. Once arriving here we caught a few small assorted fish and more red snapper in the 8 to 15 inch range. Then I moved into 105 feet of water and started catching large black sea bass, red porgy, vermilion, and more genuine red snapper. This proved to be a mixed bag affair along with snapper ranging from 15 to 25 inches. We caught about 4 of these and I moved, because I wanted to catch some fish that we could keep. And of course it is always suggested to move on to another spot especially when all you are catching is genuine red snapper. I didn’t want to venture out any further so I stayed at this depth catching some nice vermilion snapper and of course more geinue red snapper. After limiting out on vermilion, I decided to hit my black fish hole, which is located in about 85 feet of water. When we arrived I marked fish as I usually do, dropped down, and three of us caught a red snapper ranging from 15 to 20 inches. At this point, I as well as my customer and my first mate were genuine red snapper-ed out! What does it all boil down too? Let the facts be the facts! PS…I know I sound like a broken record! And I know that my customers as well as my fishing friends get tired of reading and hearing the some old tale. But once again I say in my defense, “The facts are the facts now!”
Savannah Snapper Banks Report
October is the month for fish and fishermen! Why? Well let’s, see… October is considered the migration month meaning most fish are on the move. And when a fish is in this mode it has to eat more to move! For the fishermen this means that you really never know what type of fish that you might catch when or where! The best news is October is a great month to go offshore fishing!
Terrell Gooding of Duluth, Georgia is fishing is big one! Who is he fishing with? Captain Judy Helmey and Captain Kathy Brown of Miss Judy Charters! What has he hooked up? Well, I am sorry we didn’t get a picture, but I saw the fish. It was around a 150 pound sand bar shark! This fish fight lasted about 30 hot during mid day minutes! What was Terrell using for bait? A small ruby red lips also known as a fire mouth or tomtate.
These are some great fish to use for live bait. From top to bottom: sand perch, ruby red lips, and rock bass. These bait fish are lipped hooked with a 14/0 Mustad circle hook. Baits like these are best used with they are as lively as can be. I suggest as soon as you catch them to put them directly in the live well! The better looking your bait the biggest chances you have for catching a larger fish. Why? Well, it might come across as a corny line, but my father always said, “Big fish didn’t get big by being stupid!” Healthy lively colorful non-stressed out baits are the ticket to this big fish rodeo ride!
No Terrell is not holding his just hooked up freight train pulling grouper. He is holding the broken end of his rod. What happened? Well, for starters it was not angler error. This happened while I was standing right next to him. We were all catching some nice vermilion snapper and Terrell had hooked one. When he got about 10 foot off the bottom a large grouper slammed the fish and ran hard on the bottom right into the ledge in which it just came out of. Large gags are known for attacking their intended meal and then making way back in which they came. This is why I have always called them “freight train pulling grouper!” Why? Because once on the tracks back to which it came there is no stopping a train!
I tried everything for banjo trick, which is strumming the line, to circling back in the opposite direction. Terrell was using a two hold bottom rig with 5/0 circle hooks. One of the hooks got the grouper and one of the hooks got the ledge. Now, who do you think won? The grouper and the ledge.
This is a gag grouper that was officially pulled out of the ledge. See the scrape marks starting at the head? This fish ate the bait, got on the tracks, and made it back to the ledge. The angler pulled this fish out of the ledge and landed it. Terrell could have done the same thing. However, the grouper in this picture was hooked up on a single circle hook rig and Terrell’s was hooked on a double hook bottom rig! So therefore Terrell hooked a grouper and some fine under the water property!
Terrell Gooding and I (Captain Judy) are sporting both big fish catching smiles. Terrell hooked up something big this time. And as you know from this offshore report this was not his first big fish for the date. We did not get a picture of the large sand bar shark on the end of his line. However, we did get it close enough to the boat to make an identification count. How do I know this? I was the one looking at this large most likely over 150 pound shark. There were so much pollen algae on the surface that we could not see down under until the fish got very close. I got a glimpse of the shark as a clearing spot appeared.
LifeSpark Fishing Tackle
Captain Kathy Brown of Miss Judy Charters is putting her rod in the holder so that she can take her fish off! What helped her get the fish to the hook…well take a look right above her head….what is it? An electron fish attractor! Does it work? Definitely yes! Go to http://www.lifesparkfishingtackle.com/ and if I were you I would order some up today! But, only do this if you want to catch fish quicker!
Do I try it or do I not? I say “YES I DO!”
Rick and Rachel Crozier
Life Spark Sport Fishing Tackle
5827 – 4 AVE. NE
Calgary, AB 587-349-3567
If you have been following by fishing reports you already know that I am a strong advocate and user of the Electron Fish Attractor. But of course there are those fishermen that either don’t believe or just don’t get it! Well, I am a believer and I do get it, because catching is my business for sure! As you know I have been taking people fishing for over 52 1/2 years and I do know how to catch fish. However, it always helps to get a little extra outside assistance especially when it comes in the form of catching! After all that is what fishing is all about! Heck, the tackle shops and the web are full of beautifully colored and different sizes/shapes of all kinds of lures. When it comes to a lures picked these days I truly believe it is more about the fisherman than the fish. After all and I have said this many times over, a lure will most likely not work if the fisherman using it doesn’t believe in it.
The fish attractor is neither a lure nor bait. It is merely an addition to lures or baits that you are already using. And as a fisherman I already know what I am using as a lure or baits that they already work. However, if you want to add to your already so called prefect picked lure or bait I suggest giving the Electron Fish Attractor a try!
Just so that you know, I am on the Pro-Staff team at LifeSpark Fishing Tackle and I am proud to be a member! After checking out the “Why’s and How’s reading material listed on the web site and you are still not convinced let me ask you something? How many lures have you brought in your fishing life time that didn’t work? I will answer for you PLENTY! Heck, here is a suggestion, purchase some attractors, and add them to those lures that didn’t work.
Here’s what I do know and have found out after extensive use of these attractors….the bottom line is if you use too many attractors at a time it can be a problem! Here’s why….In my world I normally either have 6 or 10 fishermen. Since I am using two hook bottom rigs we are talking a about anywhere from 12 to 20 hooks in the water at the same time. So I have learned from past experiences that it is not necessary to put an attractor on every hook. So sometimes we skip a few rigs leaving the attractors out. What does the plan do? It evens out the hooking up process!
It is a known fact that fishermen are known for not exactly telling the truth when it comes to the size of fish caught/lost or how they caught them in the first place. But in this case I feel this way; I am going to share this information with you! Yes I am fisherman, yes I am seasoned, yes I am proven, and so now are these fish attractors! Now there is a downside to using the attractors! What is that? Well, by adding the attractors you are going to use more bait, more tackle, and more hooks!
But that’s enough about them – back to the report!
While I was fishing this past weekend at the Savannah Snapper Banks I heard several fishermen talking about triple tail. One fisherman said he had come up on about dozen triple tails hanging around a large clump of up rooted marsh grass. And another question was how long do triple tail 
have to be to legal keep? Georgia State regulations 18 inches to keep having a bag limit of two. As I listen on the radio I could tell that all of the triple tails that were hanging were not long enough to keep! And then I saw my own clump of marsh grass and yes we found a small triple tail too! This fish had been with this floating grass so long that it had already changed it coloring so as to blend in! Find the fish?
Ms. Lena Huston of Fort Eustis, Virginia is a little new to fish catching world, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting plenty of rod bending action! While fishing with Captain Greg Harvey of Miss Judy Charters, Lena only showed signs of getting better at catching fish! Lena is holding a nice white grunt better known as a hog nose snapper. The only difference in her white grunt and others that I have seen and caught lately is the fact that Lena’s is a whole lot bigger! A big congratulation goes out to Lena for catching the largest white grunt for the 2017 fishing season!
The Rainbow Sun!
By Alli DeYoung – Supporting Editor
The Rainbow Sun is a beautiful spectacle to witness, especially fifty miles offshore.
This summer I witness a truly incredible weather phenomenon of the rainbow sun. This anomaly is also known as a solar halo, a nimbus, or an ice bow. Scientists call them the twenty-two-degree halo, since the rings have a twenty-two-degree radius around the sun.
The rainbow sun is caused by the sun hitting ice crystals in the cirrostratus clouds that are 3-6 miles high in the upper troposphere. These crystals are typically hexagonal in shape and are less than 20.5 micrometers in diameter. The arrangement of the crystals affects whether the rings are white or colored and how many rings are visible. Because of the way the light is reflected, no one will see the same rainbow sun. These rings can also be visible around the moon.
The rainbow sun was used as an ancient way of forecasting weather. The cirrostratus clouds typically signify the arrival of a front which will bring rain within the twenty-four hours. If you see one enjoys your day of fishing because you may not be able to get out for a few days. This phenomenon is a wonderful spectacle to the eye.
Remember if you want to go fishing either inshore or offshore now is the time! The fish are biting and our captains are ready to take you! – Alli DeYoung
Thanks for reading! – Captain Judy
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