Capt Judy’s Inshore Offshore Fishing Report Kennickell Family Tradition and 2019 fishing clinic dates

Spotted sea trout caught Kate Kennickell way!

Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charters is holding his daughter Kate age 10 just caught, soon to be served for dinner 19 inch spotted sea trout!  See next page for rest of the story!

Now here’s a story for the record books.  Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charter’s daughter Kate age 10 decided to do a little fishing on her own!  While on her grandfather’s dock, she decided do a little night fishing!  The only rig she had was a single hook, meaning no cork, and no sinker.  Kate hooked the shrimp up cast it close to the dock light and watched as the shrimp made way towards the light.  And here’s exactly what happened, a 19 inch spotted sea trout, shown in the picture above, could not pass up this opportunity to have such a fresh shrimp for dinner.  Kate hooked up her fish, fought her fish, landed her fish, and guess what’s for dinner tonight?  You got it; spotted sea trout caught Kate’s way!  Back in the old days we called this “Fishing Naked!”  Now, this doesn’t mean without clothes on, it means “using only just a hook!”   It seems Kate has done quite well in regards to following in her father’s footsteps of knowing what to use for bait and where to catch a fish!  Congratulations Kate!

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!

Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters, Griffin Powell, and his father Jeff Savannah, Georgia are have a fun time showing off all of their fish!  What does this mean?  All fish count no matter the size!  And this is what they kept!  They released the rest!

Griffin Powell and his father Jeff are having fried, grilled, blacken, and broiled fish for dinner!

 


From left to right:  Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters, (holding two nice spotted sea trout) Paulie Smalls Savannah Georgia, holding spotted sea trout and a black drum) and  Jim Rapkin Grayson Georgia  (holding two nice spotted sea trout and a slot red fish)

While inshore fishing with Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters Paulie Smalls Savannah Georgia and Jim Rapkin Grayson Georgia had a great catching time.  Captain Kevin could not find any clear water so he decided to just go fish an area where he had caught fish before.  As it turned out, even under muddy water conditions and while using live shrimp they still caught fish.  And here’s the thing, he anchored once and never moved!

 

Please meet Jessica and Perry Windsor of Knoxville, Tennessee.  Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters showed them the catching way!

Their main goal was to catch a shark!  As you can see from the picture above that Captain Garrett got this goal accomplished!  But maybe not the way you think…for the first ¾ fish time of their 4 hour afternoon trip, Captain Garrett fished for shark.  He pulled out all of his special baits and rigs.  And no shark bites happened!  So the Captain Garrett’s back up plan was to try to go catch something!  So he headed over to the perfect place to get their best bite at maybe catching some spotted sea trout.  After all they had to go home with something!  Once arriving, he got set up, baited their hooks, and suggested a casting plan.  As soon as the corks hit the water bites started happening and fast!  However, there was not a spotted sea trout bite to be found.  However, them darn sharks were holding up in the backup plan fishing spot!  And they caught fought and released quite a few sharks!  It was decided to keep two of the many sharks that they caught!  They kept one Atlantic Sharpnose and one bonnet head shark.  So therefore Jessica and Perry had plenty of shark meat for steaks on the grill or blacken shark in the skillet!

Inshore fishing report!

It is a known fact that when the month of November rolls around most fish get an entirely different feeding attitude!  My theory is that when any fish start to migrate they have to eat.  And normally this means they have a tendency to feed hard and heavy even under not so good of conditions.  For instance..lets talk about the bite for this past weekend! We had windy conditions, something we have definitely had for a couple of weekends, and we still had a very solid fish bite.

Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters report that he fished in some of the muddiest water conditions and there was a whole lot of catching going on.  Believe when I say he had a great inshore for sure.  His  fishing party Paulie Smalls of Savannah Georgia and Jim Rapkin of Grayson Georgia were very satisfied, but also were scratching their heads!  Captain Kevin after he anchored the bite stayed steady enough that he didn’t even move.

Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters reported that his bite was also on the unusual side.  He caught some really nice fish, but it seemed none of the fish were where they usually are.  Then the next day everything was back on as before!

Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters fished hard on the bottom and caught some very nice black drum, red fish, spotted sea trout, and flounder!  Then he switched to live bait under corks and it all worked!

The bottom line to this inshore report is that fall has fell and so has the water temps. What does this mean to a fisherman?  Migrating season is upon us!  And when the fish move they got to eat!  Your boat or mine!

 

While inshore fishing with Captain Kevin Ross of Miss Judy Charters Paulie Smalls Savannah Georgia is holding up a nice spotted sea trout that gladly ate his live shrimp that he was using for bait!

 


While inshore fishing with Captain Kevin Ross of Miss Judy Charters Jim Rapkin Grayson Georgia is holding up a nice spotted sea trout!

Offshore Artificial Reefs Report

Although I have not been fishing in any of these areas this past week due to rough sea condition I can still offering up a pretty good “what if” fishing report.

Top Water …..The artificial reefs in less than 50 feet of water are holding the leftover staying behind a little longer Spanish, king mackerel, and barracuda.  Artificial reefs in more than 50 feet of water still are keeping the interest of the top water fish.  So don’t rule out stopping in this area and giving it a try.  Spending time in these areas can really be rewarding and the rewards come in the form of fish in the box.

Bottom Fishing….It is that time of year where the gag grouper are known for traveling inshore to the artificial reefs.  So therefore the month of November is called “Snag a Gag” month!  Best bait is going to be live not shocked tomtates, sand perch, rock bass, and pin fish.  Most of these baits once dropped to the bottom are going to move away from the structure not to it.  So on you first initial drop try getting as close as you can to the wreck.

Another fish that has already arrived is the old flat fish better known as the flounder.  This is a fish that will eat anything that trips it trigger!  What do I mean by that?  Baits that are fished near the bottom that are able to move about can cause a serious flounder bite.  It seems every time the bait bump or get real close to the sandy bottom it causes a small sand storm to form.  When the flounder sees this it definitely gets their attention!

 


Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters is holding Griffin Powell’s just caught soon to be released trophy red fish!

On occasion our pictures are submitted to John Burke sports writers for Savannahnow.com.  Our/your pictures sometimes get picked…please check to see the latest in fishing reports and to check out pictures published in paper!  Go to https://www.savannahnow.com/sports  (scroll down to outdoors section)

 

Front row: Lauren Reitnouer Savannah Georgia, Joe Green Savannah, Georgia, and  Billy Creech Savannah Georgia  Back row:  Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters and Ryan Hooks Lubbock Texas Brown jacket

This is what this fishing team kept not what they caught!  I see one spotted sea trout and 6 slot keeper red fish!

 


From left to right:  Lauren Reitnouer Savannah Georgia Joe Green Savannah, Georgia holding 46 inch trophy red fish, Ryan Hooks Lubbock Texas Brown jacket (brown jacket) and Billy Creech Savannah Georgia  sporting Miss Judy Charters cap!  (Yahoo for me!)  While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Joe Green caught this amazing trophy red fish!  Was it on his bucket list? Yes it was!

Savannah Snapper Banks

Bottom fishing always go at this time of the year.  So therefore it is time to go!

 

While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Griffin Powell and his father Jeff Savannah, Georgia has a great fishing catching day!

This father son duo wanted to do a little fishing, which did indeed turn into a whole lot of reeling!  They kept enough for dinner and the rest was released back to the wild.  They caught some nice trophy red fish and couple species of sharks.   All in all their lines, their arms, and their minds got a grand fish catching work out!

On occasion our pictures are submitted to John Burke sports writers for Savannahnow.com.  Our/your pictures sometimes get picked…please check to see the latest in fishing reports and to check out pictures published in paper!  Go to https://www.savannahnow.com/sports  (scroll down to outdoors section)

Chris and Carmen Kelly and of course Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters!  Where they fishing for sheepshead?  NO, but did Chris catch this big over 10 but under 11 pound sheepshead?  Yes, he did!  Say what you want, but no matter how you take this picture of Chris holding this fish it certainly is a big sheepshead for sure!  Congratulations Chris!  The bottom line to this inshore fishing trip is this:  Carmen caught the most and Chris caught the biggest!  How many fish did they keep?  They are holding them!  Chris the sheepshead and Carmen a spotted sea trout in each hand!

 


Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters donated a trip and this is the fishing team that won the trip!

10th annual fundraiser held for local Savannah musician Jason Statts!

https://friendsofstatts.com/

Leebo Black Savannah,  Scott Jones savannah,  Zach Kozdron savannah, and  Keith Aaron Dublin Georgia is pops!

 

While inshore fishing with Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters Scott Jones of savannah caught this nice red fish!

 


While inshore fishing with Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters Leebo Black, Savannah caught this nice spotted sea trout!

 

While inshore fishing with Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters Keith Aaron, Dublin Georgia caught this nice flounder better known by locals as a fine flounder doormat!

 


Coby Supan is just about to head out on his birthday trip aboard the Miss Judy Too!  Is he ready?  Absolutely!  The family booked this trip for their son’s 8 years old birthday…we were scheduled to go offshore, but the sea conditions turned to be 4 to 6 feet.  So it was decided to stay inshore and do a little sound shark fishing!  The birthday boy caught 5 sharks (4 Atlantic sharpnose and 1 spinner) stingrays, whiting, and croackers.  There were a few other things he caught too!  So therefore I need to add the yellow tail, whiting, summer trout, and blue fish to this list of fish that Coby caught!


Mary Supan Bigfork, Montana, birthday boy Coby Supan’s grandmother is just plain showing off!  And for good reason!  This is her first ever caught saltwater fish!  Yes, we released it back to the wild!


Coby Supan Jacksonville, Florida (now age 8) has just become lifelong member of Miss Judy Charters fishing team!  And does he deserve it?  Heck yeah!  His mother Pam is holding fifth caught fought landed and soon to be released shark for this fish day!  Happy Birthday Coby!

 


Coby Supan just turned age 8) and his father Eric (Jacksonville, Florida) which is holding his just caught Atlantic sharpnose shark are both sporting fish catching smiles!  Captain Judy Helmey of Miss Judy Charters is giving big thumbs up!  And a smiling sign of approval!

 

Captain Judy and Captain Kathy are trying to get Coby Supan’s Jacksonville, Florida just caught Atlantic Sharpnose untangled from the dip net!

 


Birthday boy Coby Supan (he’s eight now!) and his father Eric are holding a nice Atlantic Sharpnose shark that Coby caught fought landed and released! Both are visiting from Jacksonville, Florida

 


Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters took Anne Cahill and Rick Young both from Lake Placid, New York for an inshore light tackle fishing celebration!  I had asked?  What are you two celebrating?  Anne replied, “Well, it is my birthday, Rick and I just got engaged, and we wanted to do a little fishing to celebrate!”  And there you have it!  Deal sealed!  On what… Anne’s birthday, Anne’s engagement, and Anne catching the most fish!”

Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not!

Well, it is almost Thanksgiving!   So for the next couple of weeks I am going to share with you as I always do at this time of the year Thanksgiving stories from many years ago!

It’s a Kennickell Family Tradition!


Rose and Marion Kennickell!  Mr. Kennickell is the chef and Mrs Kennickell is the taste tester!

It’s a Kennickell Family Tradition!

500 Degree Turkey with Trimmings Recipe!

This is one of those recipes that have been past down for years from one Kennickell member to the other.  Mr. Marion Kennickell, Captain Ken’s (Of Miss Judy Charters) father, takes this recipe seriously especially when the holiday season arrives.   Mr. Kennickell always cooks the bird for the family’s yearly “Thanksgiving morning feast of Turkey and Grits!” It a family tradition that everyone should consider!

Ingredients:

12-pound turkey, thawed

Rinse turkey, remove giblets, and neck put aside for later use

(I remember this one time as a young cook; I forget to remove the insides!)

Dry turkey salt and pepper

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup of flour

Mr. Kennickell cooks his turkey in an old time type covered roasting pan!

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (This is correct, 500 degrees)

Mix vegetable oil and flour together making a consistency of pancake batter. Pore over or rub turkey with mixture.  (You might have to rub this batter over the turkey.) This applied mixture helps to brown turkey. Place coated turkey in roasting pan; pour in two cups of water, and cover.  Cook at 500 degrees for one-hour, turn off oven, and leave turkey in oven. Don’t open oven!  (For at least 6 hours) This is very important!

Mr. Kennickell puts his turkey in the preheated 500-degree oven at around 9:00 PM and turns it off at 10:00 PM. He takes it out of the oven at 7:00 AM the next morning.  It works every time! He has been doing it for more than many years with great results!

Please note:  When using an 18 to 19 pound turkey you need cook at 500 degree for at least 1 ½ hours before turning it off.  It needs to remain in a closed oven at least six hours before removing it.

Mr. Kennickell Secret girt recipe and gravy recipe!

Real grits not instant!  The only thing here is, it is up to you to estimate amount needed to accommodate your guests

Cook grits for at least 30 minutes

Salt and pepper to taste

Only thinning with milk or cream not water.  This addition will make all of the difference in the taste of “a grit!”

Gravy for the grits

Boil giblets on the stove after they are finished cooking, cool, and cut giblets in small pieces

Save both juices from giblets and from cooked turkey for making gravy

Always salt and pepper to taste

Cornstarch or flour diluted with a little water, added to turkey and giblets combined juices will thicken gravy

Now I am always scratching my head in regards to this recipe, but as I said earlier this morning breakfast is an old true proven and tested for many years Kennickell Family Tradition!  And you know if it didn’t taste good, no one would have shown up!  So therefore knowing what I know, I just might give it a try myself! And Since I know where they live…

 


Mr. Kennickell and his grandson Jake!

Thanks for reading!

And Happy Pre-Thanksgiving!    Captain Judy

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