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
May 28, 2007
Captain Judy's Saltwater Fishing Report
Inshore Suggestions
Cobia Territory!
Barry Weaver took Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters on a fine fishing trip this past week. Barry is a long time customer of Captain Matt's. He decided to ask him to go fishing has his guest! According to Barry their destination point was going to be South Carolina's Broad River. As long as I can remember this area has what a cobia wants, which keeps bringing them back time after time like donkeys to a trail!
Here's how it played out: Captain Matt and Barry decided to do a little sight fishing during the first half of the morning. To successfully accomplished this type of fishing you really do need to bring a good pair of polarized sunglasses. They will aid you in seeing the fish before it sees you. This is very important when sight fishing for cobia. This is a fish that is known for surface or right under the surface cruising. No matter what size the fish visual signs are present, which always help see them first. For those that have never been sight fishing here are a few tips: Firstly, when something moves in the water no matter whether it's near the surface or just below some sort of "wake is formed." Fish don't always find it necessary to go with the flow of the surface action. With this being said, "patterns in the water's surface are changed giving you that heads up that a fish just might be there." When a fish moves through the water a hole is formed meaning as they progress water has to fill in the vacant space. This creates another surface sensation. I call this the "roll back!" So therefore when large sturdy fish such as the cobia moves "wakes and roll backs" are created!
Upon sighting a cruising cobia Captain Matt and Barry assessed the current fish's compass heading while trying to ascertain where it was heading. This is a game of presenting your bait to the forward of the fish. Too far or too close might break up the fish's moving concentration. Any change not relevant to the cobia current movement will distract the fish, which in this case my cause the fish to dive deep. So therefore approach carefully, but have a plan. The best plan is to already have a live eel hooked up and ready to cast. The rig for this style of fishing is simple. It's best to use 20 to 30 pound test main line and then attach about a 4 to 5 foot 40 pound test monofilament leader. The best hook to use is going to be a 5/0 to 7/0 live bait hook. I have to admit most "J" hooks will work. The eel should be hooked with the hook penetrating the backside of the lip area and pushed thorough the top of the head.
Let's talk about eels for a moment. They are strong, hard to hold, slimy, and for the most part in my case they look like snakes. Throwing the eel into a little ice will slow them down a bit, which gives you enough time to get the hook set. Another good method is to pick them up with a plain old small paper bag, which gives you a bit of a griping edge. Dropping then in sand also offers a little temporary extra griping power.
Back in the old days before the invention of the prefect working live wells alternative ideas were used. I guess you could say, "The old way worked!" There are three baits that are easy to keep alive. The first is the eel, which I have already talked about and then there is the mud minnow. I know you are scratching your head on this one. However, cobias are cruising fish, which seek out fish holding in rips, over wrecks, and around buoys. With that being said, "they aren't very picky eaters!" It's mostly about presentation and the bait used. This is one fish that mostly looks before it eats. They don't have those big eyes for looks, but whether looking. The last bait in this segment is the hardheaded catfish, which doesn't die easily for sure!
I best add this bit of information. If you happen to get finned by the catfish it's important to rub the fish's stomach mucus on to the wound area. This is only quick fix for a possible hospital visit. All fishermen's make up is different meaning reactions can vary. Here's one for you! A few years ago a well-known magazine printed as a joke that the slim from a catfish's belly could cause "bouts of hallucinations!" It was suggested that you lick the catfish's belly so as to get you on your way to "hallucinations-ville! When this was printed although it was a joke some fishermen did declare that it was the truth. I believe this was just about when we started noticing a shortage of "hard headed catfish" in this area!
At any rate, I know I need to get back to the Captain Matt and Barry fish catching story. Once locating the sub-surface schooling fish they basically follow from way back until they got a handle on the fish's compass. As soon as they could get ahead of the fish they would cast their eel bait offering a little in front of the traveling fish. The good news is that most of the time the fish gladly took them up on their bait offering. Once the surface cruising stopped their plan of catching attack changed up.
It was time to do a little bottom fishing. Their rig consisted of a slipped on an appropriate size egg sinker, tied on a 5 to 6 foot leader, and tied on a circle hook. For bait they used once again live eels. They lowered there now so-called cobia rigs out till they rested on the bottom. It didn't take but minutes for this style of fishing to work. The bottom line to this catching report is that they caught eight fish total ranging from 30 to 60 pounds. They kept three fish and released the rest!
When all was said and done meaning all the bait was gone it was time to go home. However, at that moment of making their way home a lone eel, which had escaped out of the bucket, stuck its head up from under the seat. As soon as the eel revealed itself it quickly became the last bait of the day, which resulted in a hook up that last over 30 minutes! Got to love those holdouts baits! Thanks Captain Matt and Barry for the fishing report!