The Real Deal for fall winter gulf stream fishing

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

October 15, 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)

Gulf Stream

Wahoo and Tuna Time!

This area can certainly be exciting especially during this time, because as you know 'it's the migration time of the year!' With that being said, 'anything from the standard to the majestic bill fish can be expected to make a showing!' If you go I suggest trolling areas that have structure (ledges), because these spots can certainly create 'crowd pleasing situations!'

The South Ledge area is one of those spots that really holds the interest of all types of fish at this time. When current flows by structure 'up wellings' are formed bringing with it feeding opportunities for all. The good news is that all size fish know this and now you do too! It's best to take advantage of what you have been told! Troll here! Or better yet if that doesn't work give bottom fishing a try!

Captain Jo Jo 'Lazy Bones!'

October 13, 2007

My dear friend Captain Jo Jo brings in the boat 'Lazy Bones' a couple of times a year! This is one charter captain that is known 'world wide' not only by fishermen, but also the fish! The fact of the matter is 'Captain Jo Jo follows the fish and basically the fishermen follow him!'

Captain Jo Jo is here and will be fishing our area until Thanksgiving. He fished the blue waters of the stream this past week. When he is here he graciously supplies us with good solid fishing reports from this area.

When he and his fishing crew arrived at the South Ledge daylight was just making it way through the darkness. It is said and written that the early morning as well as the late afternoon bite is the best for the 'hard pulling tuna!' Upon arriving lines were set out and the dragging began! Captain Jo Jo looks the situation over using his numerous high tech fish finders. He was looking for any sort of fish activity in the water column. He found a tightly formed school of black fin tuna and immediately was hookup up. They landed a few ranging from 5 to 20 pounds. The first place he marked the tuna was near the ledge. When he made another pass they had moved. He then hooked up a nice Wahoo and it was landed. Things were coming together and he was forming an opinion on what he was dealing with. As explained to me the day of fishing I made lots of notes!

When Captain Jo Jo hooked up Wahoo after Wahoo it was quickly ascertained that there might be the reason that the tuna wasn't comfortably forming any sort of schooling pattern. I have always found that when tuna are feeding they form a certain pattern, but when something is chasing/feeding on them that theory is 'thrown out of the window!' So here's what he had and how he dealt with it!

Captain Jo Jo would pull over the South Ledge working to the east. Once he reached 220 feet he turned back working a trolling pattern from 'east to west' encompassing the south ledge into his scheme. In the fisherman's world especially when you don't have surface baits or an edge to work it's best to stick to some sort of structure. In this case the 'South Ledge' became his 'center of the fish catching universe!

His trolling spread was direct and to the point. Since most of his hits came from large Wahoo dark colored skirts worked the best! Captain Jo Jo's signature Wahoo color skirts are 'black/blue, black/purple and black/black.' These skirts were rigged with medium ballyhoo while using single hooks. It became quickly apparent that the large Wahoo were feeding on the 'black fin tuna!' The reason being is that the school never developed any sort of holding pattern, were tightly school together, and never surface to make their location known. When tuna are feeding they are known for pushing baits to the surface where thrashing and crashing is part of their feeding frenzy. These tuna while being sought after by the large Wahoo were in the 'stealth not the feeding mode!'

The bottom line to the great blue water fishing report is a simple one! 'It's time to go, because we now know for sure!' Instead of 'we won't know unless we go!'