This week there has been a lot of fog and rain. Air temperature has been between 45 and 65 degrees. The tides all week have been in the 6 foot range. The difference on most days between high and low tide has only been about four and half feet, for coastal Georgia is not very dramatic. Fishing has been good in the north Savannah river system as well as in Wassaw and Ossabaw sound. After the rain and fog the days can only be described as soft. Even wakes from passing boats have had little energy. Gentle currents and vivid fall colors make these last days of fall sweet. The pass few days are like savoring the last of a tasty morsel. The bite for mostly part has not been frenetic but steady. Nonetheless, when fishermen have found good drifts the bite could be hot! Water clarity is excellent. Clean water leans itself to “good fishing”! Seatrout are predators that rely heavily on sight. Clean water is a definite plus. Calm clean water can make approaching redfish pretty tricky. Stripers have pushed into local waters but the bite has not been hot. As temperatures drop striper action will likely heat up. The last week the story has been the seatrout bite. When seatrout are on move during the late fall they are burning calories. They are on the move looking for those last few big feeding opportunities before winter arrives. Hungry seatrout will readily take plastics, shrimp or mud minnows. The key likely isn’t one particularly color. It’s finding the fish. Generally seatrout like highly visible colors such as chartreuse and plastics with flash and glitter. If you’re fishing in gin clear water a low visibility plastic such as red and yellow might work well. Despite large numbers (of seatrout) keep only those you wish to eat and release the rest! Seatrout are relatively fragile if you’re catching and releasing smash the barb on your hook for a less stressful release. When you in a feeding frenzy you could easily catch a seatrout on every cast. My suggestion play with them for a bit then move on. Catch your trout, then look for large reds or stripers. Another fun idea is pick up a fly rod and catch a few on a fly. The seatrout bite will likely remain hot as long conditions remain mild. There are redfish on flats just not as many as in previous years. Redfish are a fun to catch! Likely due to nature but possibly to due to fishing pressure. Redfish numbers appear to be down. Regulations will be slow in catching up to whats’ happening. Now is the time to limit your catch on reds or even practice catch and release all together on redfish. I personally do not take any redfish for myself, always go light on your take on this fish.
Tides for the coming week are building but nothing over 7.7 feet on Thursday and Friday. Should be good tides for fishing! Higher tides will have stronger currents likely producing a good bite.
A nice item for last minuet Christmas gift would be a cajun anchor. This is simply a stainless steel rod that you spike into a mud flat in leu of anchoring. A four or five foot rod is suitable for a bay or flat boat. Usually the best inventions are pretty simple. This is pretty simple. To find one simply google cajun anchor. I believe Buddy Barton of Barton and Burwell in Charlestown, S.C. is originator. A Temple Fork fly rod would be another great Christmas gift.
Hope this of help! Good Fishing!
Capt. Jack McGowan