Fishing has been good! Seatrout and flounder have provided the best action! Female seatrout are still loaded with roe. Most of the bite is close to sounds and beach fronts. The best time to fish for seatrout during is usually early in the morning or during the evening. Seatrout love current. The most dynamic action is often where there is clean water, current and bait. Given these conditions the seatrout bite can be dynamic. Porpoises and sharks can adversely impact on seatrout fishing. When predator fish are present try fishing closer to the structure. It’s likely you can still catch some quality fish by making some anchoring adjustments. We’re catching most of our fish on live shrimp. There are lots small fish out there so take plenty of bait with you. For past couple of weeks I’ve had a “double shot” of bait. Double what you would normally expect to fish. My preference is to fish bait not too large or too small. Bait that is just right. Granted a nice flounder or seatrout will take a small bait. On the other hand it’s all about energy. How much of payoff will the fish receive if it goes for your bait. For a quality fish, fish a quality bait. The standard way to hook a shrimp is to run the hook just under the horn, in front of the larger black spot and behind the small black spot not touching either. For bait that is particularly frisky try putting a small spilt shot on leader to make it easier for a fish to target your bait. Usually when you see your shrimp dancing on top of the water it will be followed by a nice bite. There are lots of small fish around so a dancing shrimp might simply be your shrimp trying to evade a small one.
Rayburn Goodman, of the Yellow Bluff Marina community, says shrimp in his area have been scarce. Fishermen are catching fish but finding shrimp is another matter. Locally, in Savannah, we are fairing much better. Don Adams, of Adams Bait House, is finding shrimp. Don’s brother Jimmy says after recent rains the shrimp are growing quickly.
The recent pattern has been seatrout towards the top and bottom of the tide. When current has slowed the flounder bite has picked up. Larger reds the last of incoming and the first of outgoing. Tides will be building this week to 7.7 feet on Sunday August 5th.. Larger tides will mean stronger currents setting up fewer opportunity for flounders. When fishing stronger currents target seatrout until currents subside. Large whiting (12 inch and larger) can be found on the sandbars as well as lots of bonnethead sharks. Bonnetheads are very abundant up and down our coast. This shark main diet consist mainly of shrimp and crabs. It’s not unusual to see a crab swimming by get nailed by a bonnethead. Bonnethead will work sandbars and oyster encrusted points that bait is passing over. A large pregnant female bonnethead is likely over three and half feet and thick. They can provide a nice tussle on light tackle. Don’t anticipate a great seatrout if bonnethead are numerous. Black tips and other predator species can be found along the rips.
Most of the menhaden has been further off the beach front. Likewise most of tarpon and jacks that have been seen or caught have been on outer sand bars to near shore wrecks. Tides for the coming are building. Nonetheless, high tides will be less than 8 feet with slightly negative tides on Saturday and Sunday. Overall tides look fishy! Afternoon pop up storms are always a possibility for best chances of success during the summer fish the early morning hours.
Hope this of help! Good Fishing! Capt. Jack McGowan