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 2, 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)
HAPPY FISHING FOURTH OF JULY!
Inshore Fishing
Its flounder Time
During the hot times of the year there are a lot of these flat fish in our area. This is a fish that picks an area to be "in waiting," and buries itself in the sand. They do this job so good that you really can't see them unless you know what you are looking at. Their camouflaging is great! Flounder are basically sight feeders. So therefore your bait offering needs to be close so as to get any feeding attention from this fish. This is a fish that is known for taking its intended meal slow, but precisely. My favorite time to fish for flounder is from the low till about four hours into the incoming tide stage. However, as we all know a fish might and can eat at any time!
The rule of thumb when it comes to a founder's disposition is a simple one! Here are a few flounder fish catching tips:
During this time of the year flats and sand bars should be your targeted areas to fish. Flounder burrow themselves while facing the current looking and waiting for a food delivery. Their meal most always drifts or swims in with the current. The current brings with it much needed oxygen, which a dug in flounder needs especially while it's in waiting. There is a potential for a flounder bite while drifting or anchoring. Sometimes experimenting is the best way get a plan together.
The best rig to use is one that will keep your bait near the bottom. When you have clear water conditions it's very likely that your fish will see, then proceed with eating it. However, if un-clear water condition persists your bait will almost have to hit the flounder on the head to get its attention. (Don't worry they have to eat muddy conditions or not!) Carolina style rigs work great. These rig are made with a slip sinker/egg sinker, which allows your bait some great attractive swimming freedom. This rig is best used when you are in the anchor mode. Another good rig is a double hook style rig, which is great for while drift fishing. When making your double hook rig I suggest that you make it so that your first hook has a shorter leader than the second. By using a short top hook leader and a long bottom leader your baits are paraded at two different depth zones. This is a great rig when drifting. Once you get your sinker on the bottom all you have to do is let the drifting drag it along.
Pull Bait!
2x2x2
There are those fishermen out that that like to anchor and not go into the drifting mode. The best way to accomplish more bottom coverage is to fish 360 degree around the boat. When using a double hook rig I suggest using a sinker that will slide easily on the bottom. There is a couple that come to mind: there is the regular old trout sinker, the egg, and the slip sinker. It's imperative that your sinker especially when retrieve can be drug across the bottom as smooth or not disrupting as possible. Bank and triangle shaped sinkers will work, but the other listed earlier work your rig a little better.
Once getting your boat situated, I suggest starting to the left or right of your anchor line. Now cast your bait out as far as you can, letting the sinker settle on the bottom for at least two minutes, retrieve about two feet, and repeat the process until you can see your bait. The next cast should be two feet down the gunnels towards the stern. Work all areas until you have worked you way back to the other side of your anchor line. This type of fishing is trolling in reverse. The boat sitting still while you move your bait offering.
Best Baits To Use For Flounder
As far as the best bait I believe that a flounder likes its alive and kicking or should I say, "in the fleeing mode!" Any of these rigs that I mentioned would deliver a great presentation especially when using live bait. Here are a few suggestions for the live ones: mud minnows, finger mullet, peanut menhaden (small) live shrimp, small fish types, and ghost shrimp.
Ghost Shrimp
My father loved to fish with what he called "ghost shrimp." It's shaped like a crawfish, but it wasn't. Please don't confuse this name with the tropical ghost shrimp that are found in aquariums. My father called them ghost shrimp although they didn't look like a shrimp, but rather a crawfish. According to him this was the best bait of all times for any sort of fish that liked to kill first what it wanted to eat. The legs alone hung on this rascal would get the attention on any sort of fish in the area. This was bait that wasn't like most. I called it the "hovering bait!" The reason being is that when it moves it didn't do so like a shrimp or a minnow. It moved like a boat with bow, mid ship, or stern thrusters. After searching the website and picking the old brain I came up with what this bait could have been. It might have been a mantis shrimp, but I can't say for sure. There are what is known as "ghost shrimp" that are found in this area. Knowing my father he probably raised both the ghost/mantis shrimp so as to have plenty of good live fish bait.
The bottom line to this story is that sometimes it's as hard to get this bait, as it is to get the fish! Find yourself a mantis or some ghost shrimp and I can guarantee you some fine fish biting action.
I wish I knew how to tell you to stalk and catch a mantis or ghost shrimp. The truth of the matter is that my father just always had them. He never really talked about where he got them. I did a little research on the mantis and it acts sort of like the fiddlers crabs. They are known for burrowing themselves down in the mud below the low water mark. Each underground home normally has several openings a few feet apart. After I looked at this information I knew that my father wasn't the type to dig bait. And since I didn't get it for him. There must have been someone else involved. It's amazing what you find out, as you get older!!
The Whims of the flounder!
Where you catch one flounder there are usually more. The rule of thumb is to make a mental note where you catch your fish. In my case mental notes don't work I have to actually write the fish catching information down. When offshore flounder actually stack on top of each other inside of wrecks. The way it was described I envisioned "erratic plate stacking!" While in the offshore waters they basically stick their head and body in an area, but they always leave their tails out. The divers say, "their tails just wave with current!"
It has been conclude that while inshore flounder do about the same thing. Most fish do what we call "school up." Flounder's that get together are sometimes referred to as "pods!" It seems that many flounder will hold in one spot offering us up an opportunity to hook up more than one fish. When you catch a flounder fish the same area. If you get another bite, check your tide stage, and come back at a different time.
When Daddy and I use to have our own crab traps we would catch flounder in them. The fact of the matter is that we usually caught these fish in the same area. With that being said, "you might want to "pick out a crab trap float and fish around it a bit. Flounder with their incredible seeing ability must watch as the small minnows peck away at the bait in the trap. According to my father this act of feeding drives the flounder so crazy that it has to fold itself up so that it can fit into crab pot. I couldn't say for sure that you would catch something, but it well worth a try.
Another good bait for Flounder is going to be some sort fish belly. Now I'm not talking about the insides but the lining of the stomach wall that has the outer skin attached to it. The part that covers the fish's insides is the best part to use, because it's tough and will last a long time on the hook. It's best to cut the stomach wall into strips. Your hook should be placed at either end of the cut strip not in the middle. You want your bait to move as natural as possible. The flapping in the current is what gets the flounder's attention. These types of baits are called "strip baits." The best bait that I have found is "shark belly strips!" The long lasting distinct scents bring the flounder in. Please don't just kill the shark for the belly strips. Shark meat is especially good when it caught and cooked fresh. This suggestion of using shark bellies can look sort of stupid leaning to the question: why would a fish come to the smell of a shark in the first place? After all sharks eat them correct? These are all good questions. After thinking about it I can only assume that live and dead shark smell differently! This reasoning makes good sense to me!