Nearshore March Grab-bag

So what if March isn't the easiest time to get offshore? Strong cold fronts pushing through the area bring high winds and muddy the water. A steady northwest gale brings big swells down the coast and makes it hard for even 30+ foot boats to make it to the nearshore reefs. However, if you can catch the high pressure between fronts, warmer and calmer seas await.

March is a transition month, so you really never know what you may find on some of the wrecks and reefs. Sheepshead and black sea bass are the best bet, but there also might be some big red drum hanging around still before making the run back inshore. Amberjack, aka reef donkeys, will start to move in as the water warms into the middle sixties. Cut bait fished on a bottom rig is still the best way to rig up, but towards the end of the month you might try live-lining a pogy or cigar minnow as the prospects that cobia and schoolie king mackerel showing up improve.

A lot of folks on the Georgia coast are starting to try their hand at artificial baits. Many are finding out just how productive (and convenient) this method is. Not having to fool with catching, thawing, and preparing live or cut bait means a lot more time with a line in the water. Working with the newer metal jigs like the Shimano Butterfly Jig or the Offshore Angler Freestyle Jig is proving to be a quick, easy way to catch big black sea bass and other bottom dwellers. High-speed reels spooled with Spectra braided line on lightweight, heavy-action jigging rods are quickly becoming the must-have setup on every bottom fisherman's boat.If you like fishing the more traditional way, try substituting your normal cut bait with an artificial. Without overstatement, the Berkley Gulp! baits have been a revolution in fishing. A few local anglers visiting the CCA reef recently found out that the new Gulp Alive pogy baits are another great way to fish with artificials. With a two-drop bottom rig, they would bait one hook with cut or live bait and the other with a Gulp pogy. They quickly caught a limit of black sea bass, with the artificial baits outfishing cut bait three-to-one.

Fishing Outlook

Cobia Main Event
The annual run of cobia in the Broad River/Port Royal Sound has begun, as reports of lings ranging from 30 to 80 pounds have been coming in. The action will be centered around the Beaufort area, but thats not the only place you''l find them. They should be fairly easy to find in the Georgia sounds and nearshore wrecks, and are moving their way up the Carolina coastline towards Charleston as we speak.

When fishing inshore for these big suckers, fishing on bottom in deep holes that run out into deeper channels is a good bet. Use live or fresh-dead menhaden or eels with a "fishfinder" (i.e. slipsinker) rig. However, if you want the action of sight fishing, search channel markers, bridge pilings, sea turtles, big rays, etc. If you see one, try casting a big tube or artificial worm (a 10 or 12 inch worm works great as an eel imitation), or also a bucktail jig. Try to anticipate where he's going when you make your cast, as you want to bring the bait a few feet in front of his nose.

Inshore Outlook
The tides aren't very big for the next few days, so the water will be a little sluggish and that tends to make inshore fish on the Low Country coast a little skittish. Your best bet will be to find a river inlet or slough that has some brisk current to keep the baitfish, and the predators, active. Sunday and Monday will bring some thunderstorms as a light front moves through, that the chance of storms increases again on Wednesday and Thursday. Fishin just before and after a storm comes through is usually hot, but be cautious when dealing with lightning.

Offshore Forecast
Winds and seas will remain quite moderate until late next week, though conditions will get rough in and around thunderstorms.
Steve Rashke of Bass Pro Savannah reported trolling the R6 tower on Thursday and landing 14 kings, including one 25 pounder. The water temperatures are just about reaching the point where the kingfish will really start to invade area waters.
Bottom fishing is still getting into high gear with quite a few more reports of big snapper and a few grouper coming in. As the weeks progress, expect more brown color to be added to the red hue of the bttom fishing reports.
The GulfStream wahoo action has been very hot lately, too, with several reports of trashed tackle due to these violent rig-choppers.

Cobia Arrival

Apparently the cobia have finally moved into the area, being caught in Wassaw Sound in Georgia and Port Royal Sound/Broad River South Carolina. The above 50-60 pounder was caught in Port Royal Sound according to a post on the SavannahNow Forums. Bait of choice was dead menhaden (pogy).

Seatrout Mamas
The inshore locals have been dominated by reports of large seatrout, some greater than 20 inches. These roe trout have been rather fat as well. I have to stress that it is very important that you carefully handle and release the largest and healthiest of these female seatrout. They are the ones who will spawn and have offspring that are more likely to grow to large sizes as well.

Snapper Time
I"ve got some more info on the recent trip some friends of mine took with Captain Steve Amick. They visited the Savannah Snapper Banks and limited out on vermillion (beeliner) snapper almost immediately. In addition, they caught several scamp grouper, some huge black seabass (the biggest catch of large seabass I've ever seen...), and several keeper red snapper and grouper, including one 17-pound red snapper. All in all, they had a great time and the haul totaled over 400 pounds, which Cpt. Amick declared the largest catch so far this year.

Offshore Forecast
The chances of anyone getting offshore until at least Wednesday are almost 0, with gale winds throughout the period whipping up some monster wave action. A semi-cyclonic low pressure system spawned off the recent cold front has moved into place offshore of the Carolinas and Georgia, and is forecast to sit there for the next few days. There is even a chance that it might take on tropical characteristics and become a tropical depression before the hurricane season even begins. Needless to say, this front will prevent pretty much any offshore fishing until mid-next week.

Inshore Forecast
Anyone thinking of fishing in the sounds or beachfronts this week needs to think again. High surf warnings are posted up and down the coast, meaning that any safe fishing will be done in protected areas higher up in the creeks and rivers. Tides are returning back to good levels, but the onshore winds are likely to make tides a little higher than they are forecast. This could mean that trout and redfish will try to bury themselves in the sheltered marshgrass at high tide, so those with low-draft skiffs might be in luck if they work the shallow water holes in the marshgrass. The backsides of barrier and inshore islands will not only offer protection from the wind, but will give you a better chance at landing some of the big trout available.

Freshwater Forecast
Sometimes it's nice to be a freshwater fisherman because you don't have to worry quite as much about things like high seas and gale winds. In fact, wind and choppy water can sometimes add up to great bass fishing. Before the last cold front went through, I was fishing a local pond right as a squall line was approaching. The bass bite suddenly turned on and I caught 3 good fish, one approaching 5 pounds. The next day I returned and the wind was howling following the front. I Texas-rigged a black Culprit worm with a 1/8 ounce worm weight and swam the worm briskly across the bottom. I caught 4 good fish within the space of 30 minutes, including one approaching 6 pounds. Just goes to show you that just because the conditions aren't comfortable for you doesn't mean that the fish isn't comfortable.

Cobia and Tripletail

While cobia haven't really started showing up in the area, it is a good time to gear up for cobia season. I use either 20-30 pound spinning or conventional tackle with a 7 foot rod- something with a flexible tip but a lot of backbone. My favorite reel for big cobia is a Shimano Baitrunner because it's live bait feature allows live pogies or mullet to swim freely and naturally, drawing in the big cobes. Braided line is good, but make sure you use a good mono or flouro shock leader because these bruisers can snap line with low stretch.


Every late spring and early summer there is a good run of big cobia in the Broad River, near Beaufort. They'll also be seen offshore and nearshore near beacons, towers, and wrecks, and are often seen cruising the shade underneath big manta rays or molas. One technique often used in deeper wrecks is "calling" the cobia to the boat. That entails cranking the motor several times, or even taking a handheld chum mixer and chugging it in the water. The noise will attract these highly curious fish, who will often surface right around and underneath your boat. Sightcasting a big tube, artificial eel, or artificial shrimp is a huge thrill. More conventional baits are pogies, mullet, or live eels.

Some reports of good tripletail numbers are coming in from the Brunswick/St. Simon's area. Cpt. Mark Noble reported one 17 pounder caught on a nearshore artificial reef this past week. These huge saltwater bluegill will fight to the death on light tackle. If you see what looks to be a floating trashbag on the surface, a lot of times it turns out to be tripletail. Bait of choice is almost exclusively shrimp or artificial shrimp, best rigged under a slim popping cork. The chugging noise from the popping cork somethimes drives the trip' so crazy it attacks the cork!

Georgia has a unique tripletail fishery. Every year these fascinating fish gather off the Georgia coast for some reason- most likely to spawn. Nowhere else in the world are they known to congregrate like this. That means your best chance in the world at catching a tripletail, and especially a big one, is in Georgia. Where a 15-pound tripletail caught in Florida or Texas might be a trophy there, it takes at least a 20-25 pounder to wow a seasoned Brunswick angler. In fact, just last year youngster Kyle Thigpen from Brunswick caught a 38 lb, 14 oz monster that is the new state and US record.

Artificial Shrimp Comparison

Which artificial shrimp is the best? I've looked at a lot of saltwater baits in my time, and each day I will list another shrimp bait, leading up to my list of how I rate them all. Here's the first:

Prerigged Shrimp

(click on image for link)

1. Offshore Angler Shiner Shrimp: These baits are fairly new on the market, but after several trips with them, I can honestly say they are now my no. 1 favorite prerigged artificial shrimp. It comes with a perfectly balanced internal weight wrapped in a foil wrapper that gives it just the right amount of flash. The best thing, though, about these shrimp is their action. The tiny, wiggling legs on the underside of the Shiner Shrimp cause a wiggling, twitching retrieve that has to be seen to be believed. Combined with the natural color patterns, this bait is the most realistic looking thing I've ever seen in the water imitating a shrimp. Oh, and did I mention it catches fish, especially seatrout and redfish? For even more enticement, I add a small glass worm rattle to the tail to give it a realistic "click" every time you twitch it.