Fishing has been good! The fall is a great time of the year to go fishing! Red drum better known as redfish or simply reds are still taking center stage. There are lots of slot fish in the creeks and rivers. Bigger reds are around but when you’re around a school of 16 inch fish there’s lots competition for a bait. The smaller fish are greedily packing on calories for the winter. If you are not catching fish just keep looking. Redfish are schooling. When you find a school its a little like winning the lottery. You are in fish. No more searching and casting. Its just fish. The bite can last for a few fish or it can go on and on. If you on a large school the trick is not to spook the fish, try to give plenty of room between you and fish. You want to keep the fish active by keeping a bait out there. Noise is a factor too much of the wrong noise and your bite will be short lived. Redfish can be fat ,dumb and happy when they are in a feeding mode. It up to the fisherman to locate fish and to get them stirred up. When releasing your fish its always nice to be as gentle as possible. The bigger the fish the care you need to give in releasing your fish. There is a big difference in a thrashing fighting fish and a fleeing frightened. If you have plenty of water under your boat, then dropping a small redfish into the water should not be problem. When you are on a school of fish it can look simple but nature is always changing. Enjoy the bite while its lasts. Take only what you plan on eating and release the rest.
The seatrout bite has been more up and down. This week most fishermen are catching lots of small seatrout. This is a great sign for some good seatrout fishing next year! Last week the were lots of 16 inch and larger seatrout landed. This week lots of small fish everywhere. The question is where did the bigger go? This is question I would not attempt to answer. I will stay we will probably see some good trout fishing in the coming days and weeks. Last week there were lots of larger seatrout caught around Tybee. Seatrout are sight feeders. They love current. If want catch seatrout get in areas with good difts and clean water. As shrimp move into the creeks seatrout will be following the bait. Good bites can be found in the sounds and in the backwaters. When fishermen fish the conditions rather than known drops the results can be outstanding! Plenty of small boats can be seen trolling soft plastics and screw tails for seatrout. While the action might not be fast and furious. Fishermen are catching good fish.
Good action on inshore and offshore sheepshead! Tybee Island Bait and Tackle has a complete assortment of baits: shrimp, mud minnows and fiddler crabs!
A few flounders being caught. Typically this of the year if you catch a couple you have been pretty lucky. That said it is possible to catch several but in general summer is the time of the year for inshore flounder fishing. We had two yesterday (Nov. 18th). One in the five pound range.
There are some good reports of stripers. The best chances for the these fish is usually on the higher tide stage and either early morning or late afternoon on a modest tide. Indications are there are interesting number in our waters. Most of the fish caught so far are less than 27 inches but there has been some nice action!
As Thanksgiving approaches tides are building. That said, tides will peak at 8.1 feet for the high on November 23rd and 24th. These seems high but in our waters these are definitely fishable tides. As tides build anticipate currents to pick up. The seatrout bite will likely pick as well.
Hope this report is of interest and help!
Fish On! Capt. Jack McGowan