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.

Hot Beach Nightlife Season

With much of the inshore action slowing for the hot summer months, and if you want to get your saltwater fix without going offshore, this is a great time to head to the beach. However, during the day it can be close quarters sharing the beach with tourists and swimmers, and on the piers it is elbow-to-elbow. What most people don't know is that when temps approach 100 degrees in the daytime, the best time to fish is at night. From 6 PM to 10 AM is the best window for summer surf fishing. A nocturnal angler can expect to see Spanish Mackeral, seatrout, whiting, weakfish, flounder, black drum, bluefish, pompano, and sharks, sharks, and more sharks.

There is really something for everybody in the surf at night. From those who use light setups to throw artificials for Spanish Mackeral and seatrout, to medium live-bait rigs for bluefish, whiting, and black drum, to heavy surf-casting or standup gear to tangle with big sharks.

For those who prefer light setups, I prefer a 7-foot medium to medium heavy spinning rod with a 2500 t0 4000 size spinning reel spooled with 12 pound mono or 20 pound braid. If you throw artificials, I recommend using a 2 foot flourocarbon leader of 20 -pound test. As far as baits, casting spoons, artificial jigs, a jighead with a live shrimp, or a Gotcha plug (seen below) will do the ticket. Gotcha plugs are especially effective on Bluefish and Spanish Mackeral when retrieved very, very quickly.

For a heavier setup, I like an 8-foot medium-heavy action spinning rod with a 4000 or 5000 size reel, or a 7'6" or 8-foot casting rod with an Ambassadeur 5600 or 6500 size reel (or something comparable) spooled with 17-pound mono or 30-pound braid. If the surf is fairly calm with little current, I'll cast a rattling cork rig, like a Cajun Thunder, out beyond the breakers with a live mud minnow or shrimp. When the surf is heavier, I'll use a wire or heavy-mono bottom rig with 2 hooks. Usually at least a 2-ounce pyramid sinker is required to keep the bait down. This setup is a good all-around setup if you aren't sure what you're going to catch.

Surf fishing for big sharks is a whole new ballgame, and will be the subject of the next entry.

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.

Winter Seatrout

February is a hard month to fish. When it's not raining, or the wind isn't blowing up a gale, it is bitterly cold. However, that doesn't mean that the fish aren't there. Seatrout and many other species live their lives regionally, meaning they don't migrate down the coast in search of warmer water like others do. Most seatrout don't venture more than 40 miles from where they are born. So even in the dead of winter the fish are out there, hunkered down, and if you're lucky they might just be hungry.

Seatrout like to move farther up into the estuary during the winter. This means you'll find them away from the sounds and beaches, farther up in the tidal creeks and rivers. This is likely due to the clear water during the winter. When the water is cold and clear, porpoises, dolphins, and other large predators can roam the beaches and bays without having to compete with sharks. This causes the seatrout to seek refuge in the tidal creeks, where they are also after the smaller baitfish that have found shelter as well. With the seasonal depature of most shrimp from the area, mullet, mud minnows, and killifish are the main forage of the trout.

The trout will always congregate to the warmest water available. This usually means deep holes where small creeks dump into rivers, or depressions around structure like bridge pilings. The difference between a spot devoid of fish and a spot full of fish can be one degree of water temperature.

This is why reports are so varied this time of year. One guy gets skunked while another guy catches a limit of nice trout. What did the lucky guy do differently? He found a warmer hole where the fish were stacked up. I have had many a winter day where I'll fish a spot and limit out on trout, only to go without a single bite the next.

Artificial baits are the name of the game in winter. A shad-tail jig like the Sea Assassin or a curly-tail grub are good bets. The salt-and-pepper w/chartreuse tail color is my favorite go-to bait. Many folks will tell you to try the Electric Chicken color, but try something different. I have caught many more trout on other colors than "The Chicken" than I ever have with it. Use them on a 1/4 ounce jighead, which is enough weight to get the bait down to the bottom where the fish are usually holding.

Fake pre-rigged shrimp are also a nice choice this time of year, if you know how to use them. The DOA shrimp or Offshore Angler Shiner Shrimp are the best two on the market. On a high tide, these are great thrown up into the grass when trout and redfish move onto the flood flats. At low tide, find the deepest hole possible, or use them around dock and bridge pilings. No matter where you are fishing them, fish them is slooooooooooow. I can't tell you how many people say these shrimp don't work who are simply using them wrong. Throw it out, and let it sink to the bottom. If you aren't on the bottom, then you won't catch fish. Once there, make very slight twitches with your rod tip, then let it sink back down and sit for 10 seconds or so. Repeat all the way back to your boat. Fish get lazy when the water is cold, so they want a simple meal. A slow-moving shrimp sitting on the bottom is something that no trout can resist. If you haven't gotten a bite after about 10 casts or so, you're in the wrong spot. I've found that the best colors depend on water clarity. In clear water, a clear w/red glitter seems to work great. In stained water, or at night under a dock light, the glow color is best. In very muddy water, the rootbeer w/gold flake seems to be the only one that works.

For guys who absolutely insist on using live bait, mud minnows or small finger mullet under a popping cork can work wonders on a slow winter day.

This time of the year is a great opportunity to enjoy the area's fishery without much pressure from other anglers and boaters. On cold days in February you'll be lucky to see another boat. Those guys who wait until warmer weather, though, are missing out on some great seatrout fishing.

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.

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.

Roe Seatrout Are Here!

I've heard several reports from all up and down the area today that the big roe seatrout are moving in and feeding voraciously! One report from the Sapelo Island, GA area was of a limit of trout all over 17 inches! Bait of choice for big trout is either large live shrimp or a small live pin or pigfish under a cork. If you've ever checked the belly of a big trout you'll notice that most stop eating shrimp once they reach a certain size and begin to feed on pinfish, pigfish, polywogs (mud minnows), mullet, and even small pogies.
I will stress, however, that the fat females you catch in spring are better released because of the thousands of eggs they carry. Keep the smaller ones for the table- I've found trout under 19 inches tend to taste better than the big mamas.

Inshore Forecast
As I said above, the big spring trout will be the main event for the next few weeks. However, early-spring species like sheepshead and big bull reds will still hang around for awhile until the dog days arrive.
The wind has finally died down and the water should start clearing up, the water is warming quickly, and the forecast shows clear 80s and even 90s for at least the next week. All this adds up to hot action in the sounds and beachfronts. When the water temps make it to around 70 degrees (they're hovering between 65-67 degrees right now) it usually means cobia, Jack Crevalle, and pompano will begin to show up. Get out there!

Offshore Forecast
As of last report, vermillion snapper and black sea bass were biting very well on the wrecks all the way out to the Navy towers. The weather's been rough lately, though, and there's been few reports. However, with water temps warming, the big red snapper spawn could begin soon, and we could see some of those 20-30 pound snappers being hauled in soon.
On the trolling side of things, kingfish sould also begin to show up in our nearshore waters out to the ledge. In bluewater, I heard a report of a couple of sails and a couple of swords being caught in the Gulf Stream by a boat out of Hilton Head last week. The Gulf Stream has been unusually warm all through fall, winter, and spring and that should add up to good pelagic action this year.

Freshwater Forecast
Where are all the redbreast? This is usually the time of year when we hear reports of epic football-sized redbreast being pulled from the Ogeechee, Canoochee, Savannah, and Cooper rivers. Yet this year, there have been very few reports at all. The rivers have been very up and down this year, especially the Savannah. The Canoochee and Ogeechee, though, has been at low water for some time now due to lack of rain, and the redbreast have had little chance to make their beds up in the flooded cypress flats.
Crappie are still biting well over the whole area. I may have spoken too soon on the bedding bass, though. A friend visited a pond on Blythe Island and reported that the fish were still bedding in crytal-clear water. They were able to hook several females, including one 6 1/2 pounder. Check your local pond to see if the fish are still bedding down.

Daily Recipe

Beer-Battered Crappie

One cup of flour
One teaspoon salt
One teaspoon paprika
One egg
One/fourth cup cooking oil (vegetable or olive)
One cup beer
Place ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. The mixture will be a little thin, you want it to be thin, you want it to stick to the fillets. Dry the fillets before cooking. Spread them on paper towels and pat dry. Then use new paper towels and move the fillets to the new towels drying each one. Lightly salt and place in the batter.Use a quarter of an inch of vegetable or olive oil and cook the fish fillets until golden brown.

4-12 Report

Tybee Pier
Fished the big pier on Tybee yesterday evening until sunset. The winds from the past few days have died down, but the water was still dirty and the seas were up. The waves were in nice, big sets, and I think there were more surfers than fish out there! I worked the pilings for awhile for some sheepshead, but only had the ubiquitous yellowtails pecking at my bait. I saw a few whiting hauled in that were right at keeper size, but otherwise it was slow with lots of yellowtails and rays.
An older gentleman who's always at either the front or back piers told me that the moon cycles might have something to do with the slow action. The moon has been in a blood phase the last few days, and it has been rising right at sunset and setting at sunrise. This pattern apparently turns the fish off for a while.

Lake Mayer
I fished this elusive urban fishing hole in Savannah yesterday morning while it was cooler. Lake Mayer is a pond which is hard to fish during the midday hours because there is very little cover and the sun gets quite intense this time of year. Caught a few 2-3 pounders cruising the bank on Super Fluke baits. The whole bass population of the lake seems to be in post-spawn pattern now, and there are tiny bass fry all over the shoreside brush.

Stay tuned for fishing forecast tonight.

Saltwater Article Links

Cumberland Island Inshore
Flounder on Artificials
Trout in the Grass
Build Your Own Plugs

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.