High evening tides muddied water and made conditions during the week difficult to fish. Many people think shark fishing is a summer time given. This isn’t necessarily the case. Strong currents and muddy water can make shark fishing very challenging. Typically and incoming tide can offer an abundance of sharks and all sorts of fish. This week the outgoing produced most of big bites. We hooked one (100 pound) tarpon on finely aged mullet that was cut into. The only point is most fishermen go great extremes to fish live bait for tarpon. Lots of tarpon are caught on dead bait. When conditions are muddy if a quality fish take your then loses it chances are the fish wont be able to track the bait down. Fishing the week was tricky. Seatrout bit pretty good when fishing areas with clean water and moderate current. Fishing for shark and tarpon was slow. Big tides pulled most of the bait out. Consistent reports of large menhaden on the south of Wassaw. Typical areas for whiting produced only small newly birthed blacktip sharks.
As quickly as conditions became difficult to fish, due last week to a lunar perigee on the July 21st the moon was at its closest point to the earth. During the coming week tides will be subsiding and conditions should be improving. Plenty of bait in the creeks and rivers but anticipate big tides to have pull the bulk of the bait shrimp into the sounds. Nice catches of flounder being reported from the slough at Little Tybee. During big tides as a generalization the best time to fish can be at the top or bottom of the tide or look areas with clean water and moderate currents.
The unusual catch this week was a cobia at the mouth of Turner Creek and the Wilmington River. The fish was released. It was likely around 30 inch. Earl from Adams bait shop says fish towards the sounds that where most of the fish are being caught not much on the inside. On the other hand some creeks and rivers on the inside are teeming with life lots of bait, small seatrout, a wide of small fish as well as large bonnet head sharks and small black tip shark in the two foot range. It’s summer time so fishermen fishing for bite can go through lots of bait in short order. In muddy conditions its not uncommon for ladyfish to dominate a seatrout drop. The eyes on a ladyfish are very large. Its likely ladyfish can see your bait much easier in muddy conditions. On days when the water quality is poor. The water is containing lots of silt, try popping your float more often or even better use a popping float. Fishermen can find some redfish back in the grass but its summer. Flats that can holds lots of redfish in cooler conditions might hold only a few.
Overall looks like good year! Fishing this week should be improving as tides subside. Try to avoid to fishing areas with muddy water.
Hope this of help! Fish On! Capt. Jack McGowan