Miss Judy Charters
Captain Judy Helmey
"Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!"
124 Palmetto Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 or 912 897 3460 fax
www.missjudycharters.com
July 8, 2007
Captain Judy's Saltwater Fishing Report
Which includes:
Inshore report, Offshore Report, Freshies Suggestions, and "Little Miss Judy's Believe It or Not!" (Story)
Inshore Fishing
Secrets of Catching Summer Time Spotted Sea trout!
Captain Rick Reynolds of Miss Judy Charters shares with us some secrets of catching spotted sea trout in the summer time. During these hot times trout, especially the larger ones, makes their way to the beach front to spawn. With that being said, Captain Rick feels that the best way to target the larger fish is to fish for them where they are! When targeting the larger trout during this time select areas located in the sounds and beachfronts that are holding clear water and good salinity.
During the incoming tide Captain Rick looks for oyster rakes that can hold or trap bait fish. Spotted sea trout are true predators. They are set up for speed and have a great pair of front piercing K-9 like teeth. Their eyes are located on the top half of their head giving them spot light vision on anything above their current position. When they strike at their intending meal they normally hit the head first, which normally kills or stuns their prey. This fish are basically "power houses when it comes to killing and then eating!"
According to Captain Rick spotted sea trout feeds quickly on what trigger their eating desires. The top bait used by Captain Rick is live shrimp. However, the list of baits used can be long especially if the old trout is just plain hungry. Here's a list of some of Captain Rick's favorites: white or brown shrimp, small bait fish such as yellow tail croaker, mud minnows, finger mullet, and small menhaden. With shrimp populations being on the lean side mud minnows AKA "ploywog also called mummichogs" are his bait of choice and the trout's too!
Captain Rick suggests the following when going with a serious spotted sea trout catching attitude: When fishing with live bait he suggest either a traditional float rig with about an 18 to 24 inch leader. He prefers to "use only" fluorocarbon for leader material. Another good choice of rigging is going to be the ever-popular "popping cork rig!" Captain Rick uses the egg shaped original Cajun thunder. There are more poppers available, but this particular brand when popped produces the signature popping noise that brings the trout to your hook! The brass balls when popped together imitate the "noise of a fleeing shrimp." If you don't believe this, close your eyes and pop the old Cajun Thunder, I think you will have to agree.
When you buy a popping cork there are a few suggested additions for setting it up properly. Captain Rick adds a few split shot to the shaft and the leader of this set up. He puts a number 2-split shot in the middle of the leader of the popping cork rig. He also adds two number 2-split shots where he ties the leader to the cork. These few additions put on the extra weight needed for better-controlled casting and doesn't interfere with the "brass beads" clicking noise.
Captain Rick's favorite depth water to fish is 6 feet or less. With this being said and knowing most trout feed up from the lower water column a 24 to 30 inch leader is what he uses. Any longer leader will quite often get tangled when cast. This length keeps your bait in the "bite zone" especially when fishing in six feet of water. You know the old saying "to catch a fish you have to put your bait where they feed not where they sleep!"
Lets talk a little bit about Captain Rick's preferred pound test leader size. He prefers to use 15 to 25 pound test fluorocarbon leader material. He uses the lighter stuff when he is dealing with real clear water conditions. When there is a possibility of "sharks" being involved he uses the heavy pound test leader. Captain Rick's hook design changes with the size of bait used. For instance: Right now shrimp used are small so therefore he downsizes to 1/0 Kale hook size so that it won't over power his bait. When he uses large baits he up sizes to a 2/0 Kale hook.
Captain Rick has ascertained a few scenarios that work for him in his trout catching world. He has found that trout consistently bite better on cloudy day conditions. Captain Rick also prefers to fish early so as to get the morning bite. Most of his better catches occurred on an incoming tide till about two hour into the tide stage. The prefect fishing day set up would be 6:30 AM sun up with a low tide stage occurring 4:30 AM (two hour earlier). With this scenario he would be on his preferred drop and anchored up by 6:30 AM. Preferred drop would be an area located near or over a defined oyster rake. It's time to get out your tide logbook and pick out those days where your catching opportunity is considered the highest!
Captain Rick's definition of a "great oyster rake" goes like this: One that covers the bank of an island that faces the ocean meaning it has an easterly exposure. Another asset when it comes to a prefect rake is to have it run perpendicular out from the bank. This situation provides points and dips, which boil down to "places for bait fish to hid and feel safe!" The good news about this scenario is that as the tide floods this area rips are formed, which offers up yet another fish catching opportunity.
Rips are some of Captain Rick favorites structures to fish. As the tide floods the area rips are formed or should I say, "moving feeding zones are created!" These rips hold the attentions of baitfish, which gets the bite going from larger fish. At this point in the fish game you could find yourself hooking up with red fish, Spanish mackerel, or basically any kind of fish. You just never know what you are going to find feeding in a rip!
Captain Rick suggests that as the tide approaches slack high water that you don't leave the area. Many times if the wind is good, the water will smooth out over the oyster rake that is now not visible. This area continues to hold fish up close. The flooded area, which is the "down under oyster reef" now becomes the spot where you should let your bait offering drift over. The area once flooded continued to holds fish. Save you gas and stick around! This is where your floating corks can really make a "hook up difference!' Float your bait from one end to the other at different distances from the bank. Once you find the bite zone, "fish that area." Please remember that spotted sea trout are known for schooling up so tight that the area to fish might not be any bigger than the mouth of a five gallon bucket. This boil down to where you have fish you have fish!
Captain Rick like tides between a full and new moon. He likes good current flow and clear water conditions. This can and usually is the norm for this tide stage. According to what is written in regards to shrimp it takes at least .3 knots plus of current to push them up from the bottom. Anything less and they are capable of holding on to the bottom. With that being said, "When shrimp are pulled up into the upper water column by the tide "hunting season is deemed opened" for the sight feeding tendencies of the spotted sea trout!
Captain Rick Reynolds has shared with us some real good fish catching information. I can almost guarantee that giving any combination of these suggestions a try will put you more than a few steps closer to a "solid hook up!" This "how to manual" needs to be copied, put in your tackle box, and referred to quite often! The reason being is quite often us fishermen leave a fishy area behind, because we don't follow suggested steps. It's not, because we don't want to. It's because we don't remember! Thanks Captain Rick for taking the time to break all of this down for us! For those that want to give him a try so as to see some of this in "real live action," give us a call at Miss Judy's and ask for Captain Rick Reynolds "inshore specialist!" (912 897 4921)