A Load of Bull Reds

Twice a year mature, breeding-age red drum migrate along the beaches and sounds of the Southeast coast. In the fall, as water temps drop, they move offshore to reefs, wrecks, and ledges to spawn. Then as the spring waters warm into the mid-60s they move back inshore along the same beach sloughs and sound channels. That means that right now is a great time to hit the surf and soak a live bait. In fact a couple of the guys over at the Pier and Surf forums got into the big bulls recently. Take a look at these big drum:




No fancy rigging needed here. Just a long, heavy rod, a sliding-weight rig, and a hook. Circle hooks are the best choice, but really any hook will do. These guys were using live whiting, but live or cut mullet and menhaden will work, too. I prefer to use a short, heavy shock leader of 80-100 pound connected to a lighter line, such as #25 test.

My favorite rod and reel setup is the Ocean Master. I use it to cast 5-8 ounces plus bait out beyond the breakers where the bulls run. It's probably the most affordable high-quality surf setup on the market.

The run will continue until the water temps hit the lower 70s, so right now is the best time to hit the surf.

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.

2008 Season Upon Us

After a short winter's nap, the 2008 fishing season is on the horizon. Inshore fishing in the area seems to be improving as temperatures become mild going into March. While winds can be a problem this time of year, the waters will gradually warm and seatrout will start to move out of the deeper holes. Just yesterday I caught and released 10 trout in a shallow creek off Wassaw Sound. About half were undersized, but the largest was a fat 18 inch female. This means that the big roe trout are starting to move up in search of food before the spawn. All the trout were caught on a 3-inch Offshore Angler swimbait in a bunker color. The bait closely resembles a finger mullet, and that is one of a trout's favorite forage foods before and during spawning time.


Redfishing has been somewhat slow, but you should find them on mud flats at high tide in the afternoon. Reds will sun themselves in the shallow water and root for crabs. However, they will also be on the lookout for mullet and mud-minnows, so any bait that mimics these should fool a red if its not spooked. Big bull reds should also start to move back into the sounds after being offshore to spawn.

Sheepshead are still biting well, and most of the baithouses are well stocked with fiddlers. You'll have a good shot at them inshore around dock pilings and offshore at the artificial reefs. Speaking of artificial reefs, black sea bass are still swarming the wrecks. Bigger ones seem to be moving farther out, though. One angler fishing at the Snapper Banks last week caught a limit, including a 19-inch BSB. Interestingly, all his fish came off of a 3-inch Gulp! Pogy bait, and he claims it outfished his co-angler who was using cut bait.

Tides Returning to Normal

After large spring tides the past few days, water levels are finally dropping to ideal fishing levels and the water continues to clear up. Redfish and trout were biting well before the big tides. Last Tuesday I had an opportunity to fish with Capt. Roger Straight and we had a very good day. We fished the Wassaw Sound area, leaving at low tide. After only a few hours we limited out on redfish and then some. Between three of us, we caught 25 spottails with only 3 under the limit size. I caught one 20 inch red and Capt. Roger caught a 22 1/2 inch stag bass. When the tide got higher, we tried another drop for trout. We caught only 6 trout, but Capt. Roger caught a 21 inch gator trout. It was an awesome day and we each returned home with our 5-fish limit.

Most of the fish were caught on live shrimp under popping corks. Bait shrimp supplies are spotty. Some places report large quantities of local shrimp, while other are starting to import live shrimp from Florida. As the shrimp population dwindles, it is time to start switching to artificial baits. However, redfish, seatrout, flounder, and sheepshead are all biting very well right now.

Redfish Stocking Pays Off

Two years ago, Georgia Department of Natural Resources started on a project called the Peach State Reds Initiative. It is an ongoing study to test the viability of a large-scale redfish stocking program on the Georgia coast. They released 500,000 1 to 2 inch fingerling redfish into the Wassaw Sound estuary.

Now those little ones have gotten big enough to keep, and the results have been astounding. This is the best fall season I've ever seen in terms of shear numbers of 2nd-year fish. Everyone I've talked to who fishes the Wassaw Sound area agrees with me. All the fish seem to be between 14 and 20 inches, which would suggest that many of these are stocked fish that have grown up and remained in the area. The only way to be sure is through genetic testing for DNA markers. This is done by submitting fin clippings to DNR for testing. As of right now only licensed charter guides in the area have the DNR fin-clip kits. However, they will soon be available to the public.




I doubt we'll have to wait until the study concludes in 2009 to come to a consensus on the program's success. If you want to do your own "redfish sampling" the main baits they are biting right now are shrimp- either live or artificial. I've had some incredible success with the Gulp! Alive shrimp baits for redfish- especially in the Pearl White color. I've been slowly bouncing them on the bottom with a 1/4 ounce jighead around structure. These baits, while a bit expensive, do seem to work better than live bait at times. Plus, one Gulp! shrimp will catch 3-4 fish, whereas it seems like it takes 2 live shrimp to catch 1 fish.

The rest of the fall fishing bunch are out in force as well. Seatrout, flounder, and sheepshead are all making a strong showing right now.

Slow Fishing on the Saltwater Side

It's been awhile since my last post, but things have been busy, and until recently, the fishing had been good. However since Tropical Storm Barry blew through things have been quite rough. The large roe seatrout have been spotty at best, and the odd redfish might only be found on a high tide in the grass. Heavy rain, though a blessing for farmers and landscapers alike, has made the water quite muddy. Even offshore, the greenwater extends out almost to the Navy towers.

Captain Johnny of Amick's Deep Sea Charters said that this is one of the toughest years they have ever had bottom fishing. The big red snapper and grouper are few and far between, and it is a struggle to limit out on even beeliners. They have had very consistent bites, though, from amberjack and dolphin. Mike Argenta, Assistant Store Manager at Bass Pro Shops, was fishing in 300 feet of water Sunday and caught a surprising amount of kings for that depth. The dolphin bite was hot, too, and they broke off a decent tuna. Cobia fishing in the Broad River and offshore continues to be good as well. A couple of reports of tarpon have been filtering in from the Brunswick area as the tarpon season gets a good jumpstart. Hopefully this year will be much better than last year's lackluster performance from the silver kings.

Surf fishing has been hit-and-miss. Whiting and bluefish are biting well, and those who fish a live whiting or blue on a wire fishfinder rig might get to tangle with a big blacktip or sand tiger shark. Good seatrout catches have been reported on the beaches using live mud minnows.

Area Fishing Report 4/11

Inshore Report

Despite a recent cold snap, area inshore fishing continues to be strong. Redfish continue to congregate on the mud flats on sunny afternoons, and will take soft plastic jerkbaits, DOA shrimp, live shrimp on a jighead, or Berkley Gulp! shrimp (try the Lime Tiger color). If a strong high tide moves them into the grass try throwing a weedless spoon. Seatrout are still found in deeper water, and will take curl-tail grubs, shad-tail jigs, and of course, shrimp. A few reports of the bigger roe trout are around, but with water temps in the mid-60's it should still be a week or two before they will really show up. On the surf/pier front some bigger whiting are starting to show up, as well as an unusually high number of spot (spotted croaker) catches. A few sharks are showing up, and pompano should start to show up as well as the water nears 70 degrees. Striper fishing in the Savannah and Ogeechee rivers is starting to wind down, but there are probably still a few around that will hit mullet or mud minnows.

Offshore Report

There have been some amazing black seabass catches lately on the nearshore wrecks and artificial reefs. Some boats are limiting out just a few minutes after arriving at the fishing grounds. Red snapper and grouper catches have started to improve as the bottom fishing season ramps up. One lucky angler fishing on Steve Amick's Scat II caught a nice red snapper in the 16-20 pound range at the Snapper Banks on March 31st: a nice catch so early in the season. On the trolling front, the water is still a little too chilly for the big kings to show up, but a few early runners might be around. Some outstanding reports of wahoo have been coming in from the Stream, and guys have been catching them on ballyhoo with hair-skirted Islanders or other teasers over the nose.

In Like A Lion...

March Madness

Global warming be damned, March weather is as predictable as the tides. If you are an inshore fisherman this most bipolar of months can give you fits. The pattern is always the same: A day or two of cold, drenching rains followed by several days of bluebird skies and driving winds. If we're lucky we'll get one nice, calm day before the cycle starts over again, and all this is compounded by extremely muddy water. A true angler can't pick his days, so finding schooling fish is the key to making the most of March weather.

High Tide

Gimme Shelter

When the wind starts to blow with a vengeance, most folks have a sheltered spot in mind that they automatically run to. While this may make things more comfortable for you, it usually will end up to be a very slow day of fishing. Predators like spottails and seatrout love windy, muddy, choppy water because it gives them an edge. They can sneak up on bait without being seen or heard, and can also escape larger predators that may want to make a meal of them. With low numbers of shrimp in inshore waters, the main baits this time of year for inshore gamefish are mudminnows, mullet, pinfish, and other small baitfish. At high tide, they'll charge into marsh creeks seeking cleaner water and shelter from the wind. Consequently, the best spots are transition points where choppy, turbid water feeds into quiet, secluded areas.

A soft paddletail or grub bait on a heavy jig head worked on the bottom is a good choice. If possible, cast into the wind and upcurrent, working the jig back to the boat with the current. Seatrout and spottails will face upcurrent and upwind to ambush any bait floating by.

Tailing Flats

Spottails will take the opportunity of flood tides and wind-driven water to dig themselves into the grass flats, particularly on days when the afternoon sun warms up the shallow water. The grass also acts as a filter and the water is often much cleaner than out in the creeks. Weedless jerkbaits or saltwater spinnerbaits will scoot through the grass and will fool spooky reds if you are quiet and careful. The wind can actually be an ally in this environment, as it can muffle your approach while the spottails are busy rooting around in the mud bottom.

Low Tide

With no grass or sheltered holes to hide in at low tide, bait will have to move out into the larger rivers and even into the sounds. Baitfish will stay constantly on the move at low tide, so you might have to follow their movement. Muddy water means that spottails and trout have less to worry about from hungry porpoises in the sounds, so shell banks and oyster reefs adjacent to deep water will hold fish. However, as the tide changes, the fish will move back to the feeder creek mouths to greet the rush of bait back into the marshes. The good news about low tide is that mud banks which were underwater at high tide are now wind breaks.

Flood Tide Quandary

A full moon, combined with a low-pressure system moving over the area, has pushed the tides to very high levels over the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. Such tides muddy the water and turn normally placid creeks into whitewater rapids on the tide changes. They also push the bait and fish high into the spartina grass at high tide. Needless to say, this creates a hostile fishing environment for the average angler.


Time to leave the rods in the garage, right? Actually, the flood tides present a unique opportunity for the angler in-the-know. South Carolina, and particularly Georgia, lack the traditional salt "flats" typical of Florida and the Gulf Coast. While fishing on the bottom at low tide in the deeper sounds and on the beaches might net you some success in such big tides, it's fishing the skinny water that really gets exciting when the tides get high. Florida anglers boast tales of "tailing" redfish and sight fishing for seatrout on shallow-water flats, and flood tides give Low Country anglers a shot at the same type of action.


Fishing such high tides means special tactics, meaning that you'll either need a shallow-draft flats boat or go wade fishing. Due to the fact these big tides can change in a hurry, leaving even a flats boat high and dry, I recommend the latter. Flats fishing is done strictly with either artificials on spinning or light baitcasting equipment or with a fly rod. I recommend using waders with flats boots to avoid nasty oyster and sawgrass cuts.


When using artificials, a medium-light saltwater spinning reel, such as a Daiwa Capricorn, is best mounted on a 7 to 7 1/2 inch, medium-heavy, extra-fast action rod. I recommend the Shimano Teramar series of rods due to their light weight, but high strength (the over-the-counter lifetime warranty helps, too). Saltwater-ready baitcasters like the Shimano Curado work well on a 7-foot casting rod of the same action.


There are several different artificial baits to try in the grass, and a good selection of each is key to finding what the fish are biting on. However, all baits need to be somewhat weedless in order to slip through the thick grass. Gold Johnson spoons are a good choice, as are redfish spinnerbaits like the Thunder Spin in the Calcasieu color. A 5-inch Saltwater Assassin rigged weedless with an offset worm hook slips through the grass well, and draws hard stikes from tailing spottail bass. If you find an area with less grass, topwaters like a Rapala SkitterWalk or a Mirrolure work well.

If using fly tackle, which is a great option on a flood tide, a 7-8 weight rod is best with weight-forward floating line. Clouser flies, as well as shrimp and crab imitations like a Redfish Ration are great choices. Stained water means that sight fishing isn't as great as in Florida, but casting ahead of wakes and rustling grass can put you on some fish. The greatest thrill of all is watching a redfish barrel through the grass to attack your fly!

Fishing these flood tides can be very tricky and intimidating, but with the right setup and the right location, you can get into plenty of inshore action while everyone else is waiting to put their boat back in the water.

Fall Fishing Blitz

The fall inshore fishing season has begun with a bang. Though temperatures have barely dropped, the fish don't seem to care as the usual fall run of seatrout and redfish has begun early and strong. Limit catches of large seatrout and runs of big bull redfish have been reported the last couple of weeks, and it only seems to be getting better.

Surf Fishing Class

On Thursday, October 12 at 6:30 PM there will be a class on fall surf fishing for red drum on the Georgia/South Carolina coast at the Savannah Bass Pro Shops. They'll be covering tackle, casting techniques, bait, and more. Please sign up by email or in person at the Customer Service desk at Bass Pro.

Seatrout Hawgs



One of the most impressive things about the seatrout catch reports is the size of many of the trout being caught. While large numbers of trout were biting all summer, few were large enough to keep. Now some of the trout are falling into the "gator" category. One recent report was of a limit catch in Ossabaw Sound that included 6 trout over 20 inches! Catches like that are common in Florida and on the Texas coast, but they are a rare occurance in Georgia or the Carolinas.


Red Bullys

Fall bull redfish have arrived on the beaches and whether you're surf fishing or anchored on a boat on the outside of the sounds, you should have a good chance this year at catching a nice red drum. Bait of choice is a mullet, a small blue crab, or a half-crab fished on the bottom. Make sure you have a reel with a lot of line, becuase in most cases these redfish are 40+ inches and topping 30 pounds.

Saltwater Outlook

A stretch of spring tides at the end of the week might slow the fishing for a little while, but then as the temperatures cool down the fishing should heat up on the coast by mid-next week.

First Annual Georgia Redfish Rally

Get Ready!! The Nesmith Chevrolet Georgia Redfish Rally 2006 will be kicking off on October 1. Georgia's first state wide "redfish with the most spots" tournament will begin October 1 and will run through November 15, 2006. Registration will begin September 1 and anyone who registers before September 21 will recieve a special "early bird" price. Registration will be available through mail in registration forms, at official registration sites coastwide in Georgia, and online at www.ccaga.org. For a list of available registation and count-in sites please view them online or on the registration forms.

During the Nesmith Chevrolet Georgia Redfish Rally 2006, registered anglers can bring legal red drum to official "count in stations" located coastwide in Georgia for a chance to win over $45,000 in prizes. Catch the redfish with the most spots, take it to an official "count in station", and win a new truck, a new boat, or a new golf cart!

Rally proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association and the Peach State Reds Initiative. The mission of American Diabetes Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of 20 million Americans who have diabetes. The Peach State Reds Initiative represents a joint venture of CCA-GA, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the University System of Georgia. Through the initiative, scientists will spawn Georgia redfish in captivity and release fingerlings into Wassaw Sound and a saltwater impoundment on Jekyll Island to study the efficacy of stock enhancement.

For a complete listing of all rules, regulations, prizes, registration sites, and official count in stations, please view this website or the mail in registration forms distributed state wide.

Report 4-11

The wind was blowing like a hurricane from the east with whitecaps on the Wilmington River, so I pulled into one of my favorite spots, Grove's Creek. This little creek cuts into Skidaway Island and gouges out very high bluffs that most locals call "The Cliffs." The farther reaches of the creek are very quiet and tranquil, a great place to get out of the wind, and with no sign of man it is amazing that you're only a few minutes from Savannah!
The best technique here is to work grubtails and jigs around the fallen timber that lines the bluffs. They hold speckled trout and flounder, and I've limited out here on trout several times. Today the wind was blowing water up into the creek, keeping it from hitting its normal low tide mark. Caught a couple of nice trout, but mostly some undersized ones. I think I missed one doormat flounder, though, that broke off on a submerged tree.

Inshore Forecast
I'm still hearing good reports on whiting and sheepshead in the area, though the weather has been less than cooperative lately. This is the best time of year for sheepshead, because the offshore fish migrate inshore and their favorite forage, fiddler crabs, are becoming very active. A fiddler on a egg-sinker rig and small hook is great for sheepies around structure, but veterans will tell you to use a short-shank jighead instead to minimize the amount of tackle used.
Whiting are biting well, too, mainly on dead shrimp on a two-drop bottom rig. I like to use gold Kahle hooks in a size 2 Mustad for whiting. I've actually had whiting bite bare gold hooks before! Seatrout and redfish action should heat up as the weather does (as long as the wind dies down...) Most bait shops still have local shrimp, but they're getting a little large, so most shops will be switching over the the Florida baitshrimp soon.

Offshore Forecast
Those who've made it out over the past few rough days have reported good catches on the artificial reefs of black seabass and beeliners. One report told of a limit of black seabass caught in only 30 minutes over the Betsy Ross wreck. I've also heard from a angler who frequents the Savannah Snapper Banks who says that the beeliners, a.k.a. vermillion snapper, are showing up in scores. Should only be a week or two before the big red snappers show. Stop by one of the nearshore reefs with some sabiki rigs and catch your own bait, it saves a whole lot of money and you usually end up with bigger and better baits which are the key to catching big snapper!
While cobia are still absent from the Savannah area and all of South Carolina, there have been some reports coming out of the St. Mary's area of Cobia at the jetties making their way north. The annual tripletail spawn around Brunswick/St. Simon's should start cranking up soon as the water temps approach 70 degrees.

Freshwater
For the Georgia coastal area, most bass in the ponds and rivers have completed their spawn and are moving off of the beds to a post-spawn pattern. That means soft baits like flukes and weightless tube baits are a good choice as the fish begin the cruise the shallows.
Cooler weather means South Carolina bass are probably still on the beds, so keep those lizards and Rat-L-Traps handy for enticing those hefty bed females.
Crappie have been biting everywhere, and a look at the crappie bait wall at the Savannah Bass Pro Shops is evidence of that. Triple Ripple grubs, squirts, and Crappie Beavers have been working as well as the good ol' Road Runner spinner. Anglers are making the discovery, too, that blackwater crappie like the color combo of blue/pearl or black/blue, much like their bucket-mouthed cousins.

Daily Recipe

Grilled Sheepshead
Sheepshead fillets w/skin
1/2 pound peeled, headless shrimp
1 cup dice carrots, celery, onions, and garlic (mixed)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 stick butter

Make a square of aluminum foil larger than the fillet and roll the corners up to make the foil into a "bowl." Place two pats of butter in the center. Then take one fillet, run it through the milk in a bowl, then dredge it through the flour. Shake off the excess flour and place the fillet, skin-side down, on the foil. Place a handful the diced vegetables in the center of the fillet and top with another pat of butter. Salt and pepper as desired. Place the foil bowl w/fillet on the grill and let cook for 4 minutes. Do not turn. After 4 minutes, watch the fillet to see if the meat is turning white. When the corners of the fillet curl up and the meat in the center flakes easily, it is done. Remove from heat and let sit for a couple of minutes because the butter will be very hot.