Fishing Report
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CAPTAIN JUDY'S FISHING REPORT
 Captain Judy Helmey Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!” POB 30771 Savannah, Georgia 31410 912-897-4921 or 912-897-3460 fax http://www.missjudycharters.com July 11, 2011 Saltwater Inshore, Offshore, Blue Water fishing reports, Freshies Suggestions, and “Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not story! Thanks for Reading! Table of contents Casting for bait and shrimp cocktail! Shrimp July 5 2011 Red fish It can be a slow bite or not! Captain Matt Williams “GOES OLD SCHOOL!” Old time local inshore fisherman Meredith Davis comes by my office for a little show and tell. And boy with this an interesting meeting!! Spotted sea trout and flounder Sounds and beach front report Shrimp boats are shrimping!! Mega Shark Catching Man! Captain Alan Collins Catching big sharks! Artificial Reef Report Have a date with a bait!! Let’s talk catching bait at the artificial reefs King mackerel or not!! Savannah snapper banks Captain DeDar with a big scamp grouper! Gulf Stream Daniel Carter-Sweatte with nice sail fish!! Freshies Report It’s best to always have a date with a spinner Bait! By Bill Vanderford Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not! JD or JD? Casting for bait and shrimp cocktail! July 5 2011 Shrimp in the creeks and rivers are starting to show up in large numbers. However, at this time I would like to report some are too small for bait or a shrimp cocktail. There is light at the end of the tunnel. In about two weeks shrimp will be good for bait and cocktails!! Sharpen your hooks and start making your cocktail sauce. Red Fish It can be a slow bite or not! Some nice trophy red fish were caught this past week on the mud flats and up into the grass. The secret is always standard. When sight casting for red fish it’s best to approach the fishing area quietly before presenting your bait. However here’s another suggestion: It’s best to arrive ahead of the fish. Once getting set up I suggest having your live finger mullet already placed in “the would be strike zone!” Captain Ray Crawley says, “The red fish bite disappears one day and appears the next!” According to Captain Ray to catch a red fish consistently you got to think like one! Captain Matt Williams “GOES OLD SCHOOL!” By Captain Matt Williams By Captain Matt Williams Trout anyone?? Captain Matt Williams has been catching some real nice spotted sea trout! According to his fishing report the water needs to be clear and you need to go back to old school fishing! This means adjustable corks, live shrimp, and working all depths around the fished area. The bottom line to this report is we got trout! Old time local inshore fisherman Meredith Davis comes by my office for a little show and tell. And boy with this an interesting meeting!! Spotted sea trout and flounder Apparently the spotted sea trout and flounder have very similar feeding desires. While pitching small semi floating and diving lures being retrieved over oysters bites happened. Meredith Davis, which is an old time local fisherman of Wilmington Island, stopped by with a fine catching report. Not only that, but Meredith brought the lures by and showed them to me. Number one lure: 3 inch YOZURI D-3 with scoop. Meredith’s set up went something like this: While using 8 pound test fire main line he tied on a 12 inch piece of 12 pound test fluorocarbon leader. To the leader he tied the lure on. Here’s how he worked this set up: Meredith picked a spot that looked fishy, which is key to getting your best chance at catching a fish. Meredith waited for the tide to flood a nice live oyster bed before he started casting right on top of it. Now I already know you are thinking, “How the heck did he keep from getting hung on the oyster bed?” As you know the answer is coming….Meredith is known for setting his lures up so that he can maximize their full potential. In this case while using small lures with lots of treble hooks attached he suggest to crimp all barbs meaning making all hook barb-less. This does several things lessen you chances for not getting hung on the oyster bed so much and it also makes it easier to get the hooks out of you. It’s a known fact that when you have this many hooks in such a same space “barbs are not really necessary!” The reason being is normally when a fish hits these lures hooks ups and basically wraps ups are going to happen. The law of averages in the hooking up department is definitely working against the fish. Lures with scoop dive when retrieved meaning the faster you reel the deeper they go. When fishing lures such as this over oysters it’s suggested as soon as you feel it hit bottom “stop reeling.” Once the reeling is stopped the lure basically goes into reverse causing it to pop back right out of the water. Believe it or not, but more than likely this is the move that can trigger a serious fish bite. Number two lure: YOZURI “glass minnow,” which is a slow sinking with no scoop This is another lure that is one of Meredith’s favorites. This is the style and size lure that he uses when he is fishing rips or working a bank. He works this lure by letting it sink a bit and then retrieving it a few feet. This drill causes the particular lure to make live bait moves. Here’s where a little extra steps just might make the difference between “catching or not!” Meredith always has some sort of fish spray in his tackle box. On this particular day he had “Shad Oil,” which he sprayed on the lures. He also washed his hands in it too! Now I know this might sound crazy, but any unnatural scents on your hands such as bug spray and etc are transferred right on to the bait used. On some occasions when Meredith is using real baits he will take a shrimp and rub it around in his hands. The reasoning behind all this is to insure that anything that you handle in the bait department “stays bait only!” On this particular fish day Meredith has what is called by most fishermen “A bonus catching day!” He didn’t use any sort of live bait, meaning no casting the old shrimp net or making way to the bait shop. He basically used lures that he had and made them work. And of course it helped that the fish liked them too!! He caught some nice doormat flounder and spotted sea trout. According to this fishing report “supper went well!” Now this is great sight to see. Shrimp boats shrimp-ing! This shrimp boat is making way pulling its nets, dumping over by-catch while feeding the birds, and making a shrimp haul. Shrimp boats can lay out an incredible chum line making for a great place to fish. However, best be quick as soon as the boat passes and the nets clear “fish there!” You can’t see the fish, but they are there!! Sounds and beach front report Shrimp boats are shrimping!! The shrimp boats are back and so are the fish that follow them. This is that time of year where we fishermen get the chance of a life time! I am talking about getting an opportunity to catch what is following down under behind the old shrimp boat. As you know when a shrimp boat empties its nets on the deck they drop shrimp and lots of other so called “by catch!” This by catch, which consist of fish and more fish of all sizes is pushed out of the scuppers right back into the water. All size fish from large to small with and without teeth know this. So therefore it time to “Go shrimp boat chasing!” Please do not get in front of the shrimp boats especially when they are putting their net, because during this time they have limited ability to change course quickly. Mega Shark Catching Man! Captain Alan Collins From left to right: AJ also known as Alan Collins Jr and his father Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters is holding a 185 pound lemon shark that was caught by Philip Haag on June 26 2011. Philip chartered Captain Alan boat for a Mega Shark Fishing Adventure!!! And yes he got it all!! Catching Big Sharks By Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters When fishing for big sharks you need to have everything on hand to land or release these fish. As you probably know these fish can hurt you and not with just there teeth. I've been slapped several times in the head and on the face more times than I want to remember. So please have everything in order before heading out to try and catch one of these big sharks. Top rig crimped cable made with a circle hook and the bottom rig is made with a standard “J” style hook. The difference is when using a circle hook that you “don’t set it when you get a hit!” When you go with the “J” style you set it and set it hard. I always suggest sharpening your hooks every time that you use them. The shark’s skin is especially tough and once the hook’s point whether it’s “circle of J style hook” you want it to get embedded as quick and as easy as possible. Without going technical let me talk a little about “Circle versus J style hooks.” A lot of fishermen don’t have confidence in the circle hook. The reason being is that they feel like they don’t have any hook up value in regards to hooking their fish up! So therefore if this is the case with you I suggest going with “J” style rigs. These shark rigs shown here are made from 200 to 300 pound test wire cable. Any kind of rigging wire will work as long as it’s not the single strand type. The reason being is that the single strand has more of a breaking tendency than the multiple strand cables do. At least when using 7 strand plus cable you don’t loose your fish when a couple of wires break! Information from Coastal Fishing with Captain Judy” Spinner Shark Show Booklet” published in 2009. Captain Alan Collins took me on a shark catching adventure that I will not soon forget!! Miss Judy wanted me to write about these fish to give the readers information for those that want to give this type of fishing a try. I can almost guarantee that this information will help you hook up more fish. I'm going to start out with tackle I make my own leaders 350 pound then I add a couple of egg sinkers towards the top. The amount of weight depends on how fast the current is moving. I buy 1/2 and 3/4 oz eggs sinkers. I put a small crimp about 2 ft from the swivel, this will keep the bait off the bottom so your bait stays away from those big stingrays. Then I put on a 200 to 250 pound swivels, you want this size so that it will spin when the shark spins so it will not allow the leader to wrap around the shark and then cutting the main line. My rod and reels I like to use are spinning reels with five and a half to six foot rods, Penn sent Judy a couple of combos to field test and we have really put them to the test. One reel is a 750 spooled with 50 LB power- pro and I suggest putting as much on as the reel can hold. The other was is 950 Penn spinning reel that made it 3 years with out any problems until a couple of weeks ago when a nine foot bull shark striped most of the teeth away on the gears. However, with loose gear rattling in the reel we still got the fish to the boat. The reel actually made it one more trip and landed a 6 foot spinner before I went to River Services and bought an 850 and spooled it with 80 LB power-pro. As far as the field test I give them an A PLUS the 750 is still going strong. Please meet the lady fish also known as miniature tarpon and the best shark bait in town Now let’s get into BAIT!!!! Well there are all kinds of bait out there. But I’m going to go over some of my favorites. I like to have some bait in the cooler so we can get started when we first get there. Then I let my customer’s bottom fish for whiting, lady fish, croakers and spots. I will tell you this, the bigger the bait the better. My favorite bait would have to be a large live lady fish. They always seem to do the trick. Bulls, Lemons, and Spinners all seem to like them equally. If you can’t keep them alive they still work. Just put the hook through there lips and put three cuts in them, two down each lateral line, and one in the belly. This puts out a good scent in the water. Sharks hunt for favorable scents and vibrations signals sent by distressed fish. These two things get a shark’s attention. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but sharks have a keen sense of smell and can lock in on the positions of the smallest vibration. Now for the fun part, Hooking and fighting a big shark As I mentioned in the first part of this article you want to spool your reel with as much line as you can. There are two reasons for this Reason #1 is these are big fish and when you have them on they can pull off a lot of line. Reason #2 and what I think is the hardest part of this kind of fishing is to let them run with the bait giving them time to eat the bait. Most sharks pick up the bait and swim for deeper water. It’s best to let them do this, because this is where they are going to eat the bait. I like to wait until they slow down before tightening up the drag. If you do not hook up the first time reel in some line and try to get the bait back in the same area. The fish should find it and try to finish the job offering you up another hooking up shot. Alright you have the fish on It’s best to try to keep all slack out of the line. The reason I mention this is the spinner sharks jump and pull hard. While doing all of this the spinner can do a 180 degree turn heading straight for the boat. This is one of the main reasons that I use spinning reels so I can retrieve a lot of line quickly if need be. The lemon and the bull sharks hit hard and pull strong. They also shake their big heads causing quite a bite side to side action. Once you get the shark close to the boat they start doing things causing you to loose this fish that you have just fought for 45 minutes. One move that they are famous for is that they will run under the boat. So when they get close to the boat I like to lift the motor out of the water or they will head toward the anchor rope. This is one way to measure a shark in the water. All you have to do is measure needed inches and mark with a water proof marker. With this is accomplished you can bring the shark up to the side of your boat without taking out of the water and eyeball its length. Please know that if you are planning on releasing the fish just cut the leader as close to the hook as possible. It’s best to have a pair of cutters that will cut through the leader as quickly as possible. You don’t want your hand near their mouth any longer than necessary. Sharks have lots of teeth and when one falls out another quickly takes it place. Like my buddy Captain Matt Williams says, “You can buy a lot of hooks and leader for the cost of one emergency room visit!” So PLEASE be careful these fish are fun to catch, but at the end of the fighting game it can get dangerous. So please, if you plan on doing this type of fishing invest in a good pair of gloves and cutters. If you plan on harvesting a fish know your regulations there are more non-keep fish than there are ones you can keep. Large composite sharks must be 54 inches fork length. We suggest putting a mark on your boat so you don't have to reach down try to measure this fish. Again a fish is not worth a hand. Again if you plan on harvesting a fish you will need a gaff and tail rope. The gaff is to control the head while some one slides the tail rope on. Once you have the tail rope on you can cut the line and get your leader back when you clean the fish. Dragging a shark backwards will drowned it, but it will take a while so don't get in a hurry. Please remember you can only keep one fish per boat not per angler. http://missjudycharters.com/Merchandise.shtml for pricing for booklet and DVD’s If would like to learn more about this type of fishing Miss Judy charters has a DVD and booklet you can get that covers it from start to finish. Please if you don't plan on eating the fish please release it. One example is the spinner shark that has not been in our area in numbers very long. I was reading an article and it says they are vulnerable in the southeast United States, because they only have 3 to 15 pups every 2 years. Out of that low number I would think that only a few make it to adult hood. So if possible enjoy the fight and release the fish. Since I came across this information I have not taken one nor do I plan to. The lemon and bull shark numbers are in better shape. So if you want shark steaks hold out for one of those. Thanks for reading! Captain Alan Collins of Miss Judy Charters The end oops…I meant the head!! Artificial Reef Report Have a date with a bait!! The Spanish mackerel bite has been hit and miss for the last few months. I am glad to report that they just might have gotten on somewhat of a feeding schedule. On Saturday (July 2, 2011) before noon at the artificial reef KC Captain Ken Kennickell and crew caught over 30 while trolling small to medium Clark spoons at various depths. However, the afternoon Spanish mackerel bite was in the off mode. So therefore it looks like a morning bite at least for the next couple of days. It a known fact that once you find when the bite is best if you keep up with it your chances are going to be better for a more solid hook up. For instance: Taking the report in consideration about the Spanish mackerel bite this past week, which was in the morning. Normally feeding patterns are developed if the bait that the fish are keying on stays the same. However, if this changes everything in the biting and catching department can too! Always have a back up plan!! Sabiki type gold hook bait rigs work great when target cigar minnows and Spanish sardines. This is what we call “a bait stringer!” This means all hooks are full with a bait Let’s talk catching bait at the artificial reefs It’s July and as all fishermen know this is the hot month that can frustrate us the most. The reason being is what worked to catch a fish last month just might not work at this time. Live bait such as cigar minnows, Spanish sardines, and those like these normally are the best when it comes to triggering a fish bite. However, you got to catch them first before you can use them as bait. The bait bite has been a little off with those surfacing baits basically running from us when we approach. Normally, before July, all you had to do is to find a school of bait and drop your bait rig into it. Catching deal done! However, baits are more sensitive to boat movement, engine noise, and who knows what else! The bait at this time might just go to the bottom and hang causing us fishermen to stop, drop, wait for the little nibbles, reel up, and hope the toothy monsters don’t get them before we reach the top. During this time where you have any size fish you have all size fish from small to very large!! Talk about a blast from summers past! Check this picture out!! Big king mackerel! King mackerel or not!! There have been a few more catching reports. The rule of thumb when it comes to these fish …When the snakes arrive, which is those fish 7 pounds or less. Well, the snakes have arrived and they are being caught mixed in with the schools of Spanish mackerel. Please always check current regulations before going fishing. Currently a king mackerel has to be 24 fork length to keep with a bag limit of 3 per person. Savannah Snapper Banks Captain DeDar with a big scamp grouper! Captain Deidar Jeffcoat is holding up a nice scamp grouper, which hit a live Spanish sardines while bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper Banks! It’s time to go!! If you have been reading you already know that plain old bottom fishing and drifting certainly can be interesting at this time of the year, because you really never know You never know what you might catch The bite on the bottom has been to say the least very interesting. The reason being is you really never know what you might catch. Plain old bottom fishing with a small pieces of squid or live bait can produce a bite of grand portions. This past weekend we caught some nice scamp grouper while using small pieces of cut squid. Proving once again if a big fish want what you are using for bait the deal is sealed!! Gulf Stream Report and suggestions It’s still time to go and catch…dolphin Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Tuna, sail fish, and blue marlin….. However, the water temperatures from the beach front to the western edge of the stream of just about the same. This means any fish any where at any time! Daniel Carter-Sweatte with nice sail fish!! Daniel Carter-Sweatte holding a nice Atlantic Sail fish, which he caught while trolling a Wahoo Wacker! While on this blue water run he also caught a nice bull dolphin on a sea witch rigged with ballyhoo! Great Blue Water Fishing Report from Daniel Carter-Sweatte July 7, 2011 Thursday While pulling baits behind the big blue boat also known as R/V Savannah Daniel hooked up big time! As the big blue boat maneuvered around the R4 navy tower area, Daniel set out his baits pulling them way back. While pulling the old Wahoo Wacker an Atlantic sail fish found this to its liking. Daniel reported he stepped back to stern, pick up his rod to check his drag, saw something jump, he then adjusted the length of line out, and BAM “bill fish hooked up!” And the rest is picture taking history!! Here a few old times thoughts from Captain Judy an old time fisherman! Did you know that we have what is call rolling and interlocking sand types? It’s my opinion based on what I know that these two sands can definitely make a difference in regards to things or ledges on the bottom. Sand that doesn’t have edges just rolls around the bottom with the current. The speed or strength of the current is the driving factor. It was seem based on the “all of the time changes in the sand bars in the sounds that the sands are mixed meaning regular and interlocking!” This sand thing can offer a fisherman a lot, but you have to think about it so that you can use it to your advantage. Walls of Sand! It’s my opinion that our bottom moves around more than most. Or maybe I ought to say, “Things on the bottom, because our area is so flat travel until they run into something and get lodged!” When the artificial reef program first got started or should I say, “When I started knowing about it!” Structure put on the bottom tended to disappear. It wasn’t a disappearing act, but rather a moving act that was taking place. Tires filled with concrete and rebar were dropped on the bottom at some of the reefs and they basically rolled around and right out of the area. The best news that I can tell you about this is the fact that these spots are now great isolated fishing cities. Then it was thought by reef builders that maybe different types of structure should be used. This is when concrete parts and pieces started being used. You would think that this stuff once placed in a spot wouldn’t move. However, there were several artificial reefs that the structure just plain disappeared. It could be that it rolled away or basically gotten completely covered up! During this time of making artificial reefs lots of other discoveries happened. During hurricanes sunken ships placed on artificial reefs were moved as well as ripped apart. As far as what I actually know about all of this is I would find some very good bottom only to return later to find absolutely not a thing. I just used to think I just didn’t know how to read my Loran (at the time) properly. As it turns out that wasn’t the case at all. I remember this one time right after a major hurricane; I believe it was “HUGO” that some bottom at the snapper banks basically disappeared. However, what I think happened was that it got covered up. When this happened new areas that I didn’t remember started showing up. If you think about it people are just like fish when it comes to disaster “they move on until they can return!” My father called this the “rolling and poling effect!” According to my father even things that sink down into the water could possibility go great distances before touching the bottom. Even after bottoming out there is a chance of it bouncing while getting caught right back up into the current. Freshies Report It’s best to always have a date with a spinner bait! Photo by Bill Vanderford Spinner baits By Bill Vanderford For many freshwater fish, the hairpin-type spinner bait with a single blade is one of the most versatile lures in your tackle box. It can easily be fished from the surface to the bottom depending on the weight of the lead and the speed of the retrieve. These lures come in many different sizes, shapes, and weights. They use numerous kinds, sizes, and colors of blades, and may also have a multitude of different skirts, soft plastic, or hair type trailers around the hook. The biggest beauty of the single spin spinner bait is that it can be worked in and around all types of structure because its single hook is always on top, which makes it practically weed less. You can work it very fast, and it will gurgle just below the surface to make really hungry bass go crazy. It can be made to bump over a limb on a fallen tree, then allowed to fall on the other side as the blade "windmills" downward to attract a less hungry bass, or you can reel it slow and steady to cover lots of territory when the bass are shallow. If you get into a situation where you need to jig something vertically in deeper water, but don't have any deepwater jigging lures, the spinner bait can also assume this duty easily. In other words, never leave home to go freshwater fishing without a spinner bait!! Those fishermen that want to “GO FISH LAKE LANIER” Bill Vanderford is “Lake Lanier’s Legend!” For more about my long time friend Bill Vanderford as well as his accomplishments, his freshwater charter trips or wildlife tours, books written and his special line up of tackle offered, please visit his site www.fishinglanier.com http://twitter.com/#!/BillVanderford http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=867260415 Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not! JD or JD? Captain Sherman Israel Helmey and his dog named “Judy!” My father named all boats and dogs “Judy!” At times it was a little confusing due to the fact when he started hollowing “JUDY!” I nor did others know whether he was calling Judy dog or Judy daughter! “Disconnect or not!” I got a letter just the other day from the electric company stating that they were in fact going to shut my electricity off. This was of course if I didn’t pay the past due bill before a certain date. I had checked my mail late and couldn’t call when I received the letter. I had less than 48 hours before the power would have been cut. I wasn’t too upset because I had paid the bill and the cancelled check had already cleared, but still there is the hassles of straighting out the mistake. I had to laugh, but I wouldn’t have been too happy if I hadn’t gotten the notice soon enough. It all worked out, but it got me to thinking about the “Good Old Days!” MANY FISHNG TRIPS AGO After returning home one day from a long day of fishing I noticed a lot of police cars with blue lights in my yard. I quickly tied the boat and ran up to the house to see what the heck was going on. The policeman was smiling and laughing at the same time. It seems as though my father had threaten the electric man. Apparently my father had forgotten to pay his bill. The electric company during these times paid a visit instead of mailing a disconnection notice or just plain pulling the plug. The story goes something like this. The electric company man knocked on Daddy’s door. My father opened the door and the electric man proceeded to tell him that he was going to have to turn his electric off if he didn’t pay his bill. As daddy walked off the electric company man assumed that he was going to get some money to pay bill. However, during the short conversation and with Daddy’s back half turned, the electric man found out that daddy was in fact going for his shot gun. To make a long story short the electric man was in such a hurry he didn’t bother to turn off the electric. Boy, things have sure changed when it comes to being disconnected and this might be one good reason. Thanks for reading! Judy |