Fishing statement: To try to insure that fishing stays in the hearts of those that love it and to help the ones that are going too
Savannah Snapper Banks Report
Ali DeYoung is holding her mother Carmen’s just caught scamp grouper. What did it hit? A small piece of squid! What were the rest of us using for bait while fishing right next to Carmen? Big baits and live baits! Did we catch a grouper? NO! Some would call this beginners luck others will call this sheer catching determination! What does all of this mean? It’s time to go fishing with catching on the mind!
While inshore fishing with Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters Gavin Ruark age 10 from Watkinsville, Georgia caught over 20 and kept 7, which consisted of 4 black drum and 3 red fish. I asked why he released the rest. And Gavin’s answer was a simple one, “I only kept what I thought I could eat!” I like his way of thinking! And don’t I wish there were more fishermen out there that also had this same thought pattern! From out of the mouth of babe’s!
A Cooper Mahi Mahi Smile!
While Gulf Stream fishing with his father Jimmy Dewberry, David Palmer caught this nice Mahi Mahi! Cooper Dewberry age 5 assisted! Don’t you just love it when a young fisherman assists in catching a fish that is a longer than he is tall!
Inshore fishing report and suggestions!
For those inshore fishermen that just want to catch fish I suggest purchasing or catching some live shrimp. This is the number one bait that all fish like. With that being said, “Your chances for hooking up when baiting up with live shrimp are very good!” And the bottom line is that all fish like to eat shrimp, because it’s easy for them to catch, it’s easy eat, and they are just like us, they just plain love the taste! Now I have to tell you that last month proved to most of us inshore fishermen that live shrimp was hard to come by. Brown shrimp in the Turner Creek and Wilmington River areas just didn’t grow big enough fast enough to be caught in a net or used on a hook. Hopefully the month of July will offer better baiting up options! So if you can’t purchase live shrimp you just might be able to get some by throwing the cast now. Now, if you can’t buy or catch live shrimp you will have to go into the improvising mode, which mean use what’s available. During this time the creeks are full of peanut menhaden. They can stay pretty healthy if you don’t try to keep too many alive in your well at once. In the back of creeks there are schools finger mullet, which are the perfect size for sure! The mud minnows especially during these leans live shrimp times have really saved us. This bait can be caught using a minnow trap baited with bacon, cat food, or saltines. I have one captain that swears that if you put a small McDonald burger in the trap the muds just can’t turn away. Now what hits these improvised baits? The larger versions of spotted sea trout, flounder, and red fish! The secret to using these baits is that you have to give the larger fish time to eat!
Captain Stephen Thompson of Miss Judy Charters is trying to pick up this just caught very green cobia! What is a very green fish? It is a fish that still has lots fight left. And here’s the thing this covers in the water and out!
More on inshore fishing!
When it comes to fishing with live shrimp, finger mullet, peanut menhaden, or mud minnows there are several good presentations: There is the traditional adjustable float, which comes in all sizes from super large to mini sizes. The ever popular popping cork, which when popped makes a sound just like a fleeing live shrimp. The only down side to using this float is your length of leader used restricts you to depth of water fished. The leader shouldn’t be longer than 4 feet and can’t be shorter than 12 inches. I suggest using this float when fishing in depths from 2 to 6 feet of water. Then there is “fishing naked!” Most fishermen want to do this, because the weather is so hot. No I am not talking about taking your clothes off! When fishing naked all you do is tie on a short leader to your main line and then tie on a small Kahle hook. Then I suggest placing the hook under the shrimp’s horn located on top of the head and letting the shrimp make way its own way. When it comes to using peanut menhaden, finger mullet or mud minnows I suggest lip hooking them. Or another hooking up method is placing the hook right behind the dorsal fin. It’s a known fact that all baits once laced on a hook will try to go where they feel safe and it’s also a known fact that larger fish have already figured the bait’s game of hide and seek out.
Jody and Lori Earhart of Nashville, Tennessee took a inshore fish catching chance! And who showed them the way? Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters took Roger and Rene Zhao Atlanta, Georgia on a fun full day of fishing!
What’s on the table? Some really nice spotted sea trout and whiting!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Taylor and Jeff Nichols (Stephens, Arkansas) had one heck of a fish catching time! And you know what? They had a great first mate! And who was that? Captain Garrett’s daughter Chyler!
Eight year old Gabe Kessler and his father Jeremiah of Covington had quite spotted sea trout catching day while inshore fishing with Captain Tommy Williams of Miss Judy Charters.
What’s this? 10 nice trout what does this means? Gabe and his father Jeremiah are going to take home 20 dinner fillets or 40 look-a-like McDonald fish sandwiches.
John and Melissa Primm of Rock Hill South Carolina inshore fished with Captain Stephen Thompson of Miss Judy Charters. Cameron Cohen assisted!
Inshore Shark Sound Fishing!
Welcome to Shark-Ville!
Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters is showing us the shark catching way! Is this a big shark? Was this shark caught, fought, and released in Wassaw sound?
Once again I ask, “Is this a big shark?” YES! For those that want to feel the pulling power from one of these fish, now is the time!
Shark fishing is very good during this time of the year. Lots of sharks are being landed while fishing in the sounds, off the beach fronts, around surfacing schooling baits, and while fishing all points east. Since it is my opinion that it is shark mating season time it seems that they are a little more lively offering a longer/stronger fight. As far as the tackle it really doesn’t matter whether or not you are light tackle fishing with smaller baits or heavy tackle fishing with larger baits your chances of having a great fish fight is very good!
Best baits to use when shark fishing is just about anything you got on hand. I have caught them on shrimp, cut fish, whole live, and whole dead fish. My number one bait used is what I call a fish steak. What is a fish steak? It is any size whole fish cut up like a loaf of bread. Since sharks are free to roam any depth of the water column …fishing from the bottom to the surface are great areas to present your preferred bait. Why? A shark’s keen scent of smell is unbelievable. Even the smallest drop of blood or the smallest scent from bait such as a fish steak can be detected from long distances.
Artificial Reefs
Even with the offshore waters as warm as it is, we are still catching trophy red fish at the artificial reefs. John Devaro Savannah, Georgia is holding a nice soon to be released red fish. What did it eat? A small piece of squid! Just goes to show all of us once again that the old saying, “Elephants eat peanuts!” brings a lot to light! What does this mean? A large fish will pass up larger bait for a smaller one!
It seems and I am glad to report that all artificial reefs in the Savannah Georgia areas from the coast to those in 60 plus feet of water are holding the attention of Spanish and King mackerel! If you have fished for Spanish and king before you already know the standard bait, which is Clark Spoons and Drone spoons! And yes for those that want to light tackle I suggest live lining greenies, cigar minnows, or menhaden! Don’t forget you gaff or you cast net or your camera!
Savannah Snapper Banks
It is time to go! Why? The fish always want to bite your hook! And from top to bottom action we “GOT FISH!”
Gulf Stream
Captain Ryan Howard’s Boat!
Gulf Stream Report
Captain Howard of Miss Judy Charters did not make a blue water run this past week. However, a little of everything is out there! Just to name a few: Wahoo, black fin, large sharks, dolphin, king mackerel, and lot of other biters. The top water bite is not like it was in April or May. However, the best news is if the top water fish don’t show, where there is always some fine bottom fishing and catching to be had! So if big catching and lots of serious reeling is something that you are looking for I suggest giving us a call 912 897 4921!
Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not!
The prop Stop!!
I have a collection of old props aka wheels around my house. And just about every one of them, if they could talk, would have an interesting story to tell. Take for instance the prop in the picture was at one time on an old 29 foot wooden boat. Now, you are not going to believe this one! This boat was stolen from our dock, used for something, and then it was sunk. The boat wasn’t located for quite a while. After locating the boat it, he raised it. The under gear as well as most of the wooden hull was covered in barnacles and green slim. After taking a better look he noticed that all three blades on the prop were all bent back as if whatever the prop did hit, it did so in cadence. After my father took a better look at the raised vessel he decided that there wasn’t much left to save. However, as we crawled around in the old wooden boat I started remembering all the fun I had sitting at the helm. My father always let me drive. And heck even when the boat was tied to the dock I loved turning the wheel and going into to my personal driving imagination mode. Heck, I could blow the horn and winding the old siren up a few times was a lot of fun at least until daddy made me stop!
My father found that the prop was basically loose on the shaft! So therefore Daddy removed the prop the old standard way, brought it home, and added it too the big pile of assorted parts. According, to my father, you really never know when you might need a part that you have savaged from another boat. About forty years later, I found it while cleaning up the black house, which is now painted gray. As soon as I saw it, I recognized it as being the wheel off the wooden boat that was stolen in the late fifties. And it brought back some great memories! So forgive me, if you will, I be heading back to the fifties!
Doing a Job the hard way or not!
Here’s a story that some of you won’t long forget. My father had a special way of removing his prop from his boat. The removal technique was used when the wheel was unusually stuck on the shaft. After pounding on the prop excessively and having several one on one conversation with the wheel, daddy would begin to start giving in. I of course was considered the watcher. It was my job to watch and hand any tools that daddy might need. He always used lots of different weight hammers and many selected blocks of wood when trying to accomplish the wheel removal job. I was also supposed to stand far enough away so as not to hear my father’s loud screaming. After the pounding stopped along with the screaming it was clear to all within listening range that the darn thing just wasn’t going to budge.
I know what you might be thinking. Why not just used a simple-minded wheel puller? Well, that would have been nice, but back in the old days I’m not sure they were even invented as of yet at least not for smaller boats.
When the time came for the backup plan my father would crawl out from under the boat. His used to be white t-shirt would be soaked with sweat and dirt/mud. If we were on the railway it would be dirt, mud, and grease. If daddy had beached the boat on a sand bar it would be mud and dirty sand. At any rate he always looked a wreck, but his cigar never seem to leave his mouth. The madder he got the more puffing he did causing multiple rings of smoke to surround his head.
As he started getting up he would be screaming stand clear, which meant get the “heck” out of the way. He then would jump up in the boat, crank it up, slam it in reverse, and the wheel would always just fly off to designations unknown. I always watched so that I could tell daddy or basically point out where it landed. We let it fly a few times. Then daddy decided flying spinning props might not be such a great idea. So he then sets up a few saw horses up and throws a sheet over them. And this did work. When the wheel was free from the shaft it became entangled in the sheet. And this brought the flying wheel to parts unknown to a complete stop.
After all of the fussing/cussing, (that I wasn’t suppose to hear) breaking of his tools, turning great wooden blocks into the splinters, ruining his t-shirt, two King Edward cigars, and raising his blood pressure you would have thought that he would have just did the latter first. I always wondered why, so one day I finally asked. The answer was a simple one. “That’s just not the way it’s supposed to be done and it’s a process.” At this point I wanted to shake my head, but I didn’t.
Thanks for reading! Captain Judy Helmey Miss Judy Charters