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
June 11, 2007
Great Fishing Tips on where, why, and when to catch fish!
Captain "Wild" Bill has sent us another up to date fishing report from his un-touch much area! And it goes something like this:
There's a lot of life taking place at this picturesque Yellow Bluff estuary under the June sun. The marsh grass is thriving and greening up. We're at that time of year of the longest daylight. What can you catch this month? The summer patterns have started. On the inshore, we're catching trout, redfish, flounder, black drum, sheepshead, and whiting. You can add sharks, ladyfish, bluefish and jack crevalle to your fish catching list. Along the reefs and wrecks offshore, there are king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cobia and spadefish.
Some of the blue water species make their way closer to shore beginning in June. The Gulf Stream begins to spin off warm-core eddies or little swirls of beautiful blue water that often come west of the R2 Tower. We have seen brilliant blue water around that area with flying fish and with dolphin and sailfish close behind.
For me, the summer patterns have always started with the southern flounder bite near the beachfronts; live mud minnows and finger mullet are my bait of choice. Speaking of the beachfronts, this is the time of year I'll find large trout patrolling the beach in 4 to 5-feet of water. Also roaming the barrier island beaches is ladyfish and jack crevalle. You'll find little packs of these aggressive predators hunting down schools of baitfish. This is good place to use the rattling and popping corks to draw their attention to your bait. Because of their aggressiveness, you can have success with live bait or while using artificial lures.
Casting into the suds of the surf and you might hang a redfish; cast away from the beach into 8 to 12-foot of water and you'll pickup whiting. If you come across any fallen trees lying in the water on the beach, there's a good chance for a black drum.
Trout fishing can be "feast or famine," especially at this time of the year. Not only that, but it's hard to get their bite pattern down to a fishing catching science! One day a fisherman is lucky to catch any trout, and the following trip he nails them, maybe even limits out. And, this is also the time of the year to catch big roe trout. My friend Capt. Jack McGowan of Savannah recommends using a popping cork along the grass lines for trout during high flood and high ebb tides.
When looking for a big tug, if all else fails, the surest thing to catch might be an inshore shark. Scout the mud flats and sandbars for the bonnet heads (the smallest member of the species of hammerhead sharks) typically 5 to 15-lbs. I've caught them up to 35-lbs while fishing for trout. Marine biologist claim they can reach 100-lbs. To target sharks like the black tip, bottom fish in the channels near river mouths. It can get hot out there, so be sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen. If you are looking for a way to beat the heat, try fishing some of the dock lights at night. Big trout are hitting at night.
From the beginning of this month, it's a great time of year to catch a large mess of beautiful mullet with a cast net. Towards the end of the month is a great time to target a tarpon or a tripletail.
Shrimp... as the month of May concludes, we find small numbers of small brown bait shrimp in the creeks, but hardly enough to cast for bait. The month of June will begin with most of the local marinas carrying brown shrimp trucked in from Florida, but during the month should switch to catching brown shrimp from our local waters.
Why use shrimp when you can get mud minnows? More and more fishermen are learning about the secret of the wonderful bait of the live mud minnow. They make great bait for sea trout, redfish and flounder, and they are much easier to keep alive than shrimp. The best place to buy mud minnows on the Georgia Coast is right here at Yellow Bluff.