Fishing has been good! Seatrout are showing up in good numbers. Several fishermen have reported catching some seatrout over 21 inches. When a seatrout pulls like a red that’s nice seatrout! The seatrout bite is not wide open nonetheless there has been some good catches!
Large fish are showing up late! Spinners, black tips, sandbar and tarpon have pushed into coastal waters! Earlier in the summer lots the bait stayed well offshore resulting in few big fish. As the summer winds down bait fish are pushing in as well as large predator fish. Frequent afternoon storms have dumped lots of rain into the sounds. Sometimes abrupt salinity changes can send bait fish out and deep. So far this does not appear to be the case. Mullet can be seen swimming in thick schools as well pods of 5 to 6 inch pogies. Although the bait does not appear endless. The bait is significant and is pulling in big fish! Tarpon hook ups and catches are becoming more frequent!
The whiting bite is still pretty good! Whiting is a small fish that can double as an excellent bait fish or tasty pan fair. This fish can times bite very light. On these occasions fish smaller hooks and wait longer before trying to set a hook.
On occasion large string rays can be seen becoming airborne chasing a bait! These fish can be in the hundreds of pounds! These are brutes of sounds! If you play with one note the extreme length of its tail. My feeling if you a ray can touch you with its tail, next it will stick you. My suggestion is to cut your leader and not get close to this fish.
The redfish bite has been fair. As bait (menhaden, mullet, shrimp) pushes in the sounds the redfish bite will be heating up! Lots of small redfish (this year’s crop of fish) are about 13 inches. These fish are rapidly growing and in about a month to month and half most of fish will be legal fish or larger (14 inch redfish is legal in Georgia). Right now the reds and taking a beating by the abundance of sharks. Harvesting a few sharks (always obey the current fishing regulations) could make life easier for the reds!
When fishing always have cast net on board!
Hope this of interest and help!
Capt. Jack McGowan