INSIDE THIS WEEK! Home Page       5/17/07 New Meldrim Playground Bald is Still Beautiful! Allison's Corner City Council Reports Classifieds Letters to the Editor Obituaries Pet of the Week Police Reports Religion Sports Steve's Shorts Past Issues Contact Us Place an Ad The History of the Spirit Items for sale 360 red BRICKS for sale. 25 cent each. Call 772-7294. ANTIQUES... 1920s-30s golden oak round kitchen table, $425; (2) late night 19th century cast-iron columns, 8 ft. tall, $350 each; solid brass ship’s port hole, $250; cast-iron garden wash basin, mid 19th century, $250; cast-iron ornamental light support, $750; commercial range oven and cook top (for restaurant), gas, $300 each or both for $500. Call 912-858-5454. Sofa, $50; Chair, $45; Large Entertainment Center, $45. Call 920-4588. Used Go-Kart, two seater, 6 HP, torque converter, good condition, $350. Call 826-5116 Monday thru Friday, 9 til 6. THE SPIRIT WORKS!	Sports • The Garden City Recreation Department is now taking sign-ups for Gymnastics. Call 966-7776 for more information. • “Diamond in a Rough” Boys Basketball Camp brought to you by Hoop Heaven... June 25 – 29, 8 AM – 12 noon at Garden City Recreation Center (behind Groves HS). Cost is $75 per camper. Director: Dondre Williams. Dondre is a former college player at West Virginia State University, has experience in the European Spandau Professional League and has experience in the Canadian Professional League (OPBA). Camp Highlights include: free camp T-shirt, team competitions, emphasis on fundamentals, individual coaching sessions, motivational speaking, and a camp certificate. Questions? E-mail: dondre@hoopheaven.net or call: 912-655-6415. Visit our website to download the registration form: www.hoopheaven.net. “Changing the World Through Basketball” • Energy Oasis Holistic Health Club and Spa is proud to present the 2007 Energy 5K Walk/Run to Benefit Dawn Sherwood on Saturday, May 19th. Dawn is a seven-year cancer survivor, who was re-diagnosed with breast cancer late last year. The 5K Walk/Run begins at Energy Oasis at the corner of Timber Trail and Harris Trail in Richmond Hill.  Race starts at 9:00am.  The entry fee is only $35 which includes the race, T-shirt, after party, awards, prizes and entertainment. For additional information, or to register, please call Energy Oasis at 756-5865, or  visit www.energy-oasis.com. • STACY WEBB MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT The Stacy Webb Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at the Black Creek Golf Course on Saturday, June 16th. The 4 person scramble format will have a shotgun start at 9am. Registration will begin at 8am. Lunch will be provided at the end of the round, and goodie bags will also be provided for all players. A drawing for prizes will be held during lunch. Cost is $80 per person or $320 per team. Mulligans will be available, two for $10, with a maximum of two per player. This will be a Gross/Net tournament. Please turn in Handicaps on entry form. If a team wins Gross, they will not be eligible for Net. For more information, please call Kevin at 858-4653.  • CAMP EAGLE – May 29th thru August 17th Summer Day Camp for Ages 6-12, Garden City Parks and Recreation Department. Age Groups: 6-8 LIONS, 9-10 TIGERS, 11-12 BEARS. Camp Eagle offers Swimming (swim lessons available), Archery, Team Sports, Field Trips, Arts & Crafts, Songs & Skits, Games and More! $25 Registration Fee, $75 Week/One Child, $65 Week/Two children (per child), $55 Week/Three Children or more (per child), $25 Daily Rate (per child). Camp Eagle – Monday thru Friday, Drop Off 7am-9am, Camp Activities 9am-4pm, Pick Up 4 pm-6 pm. Camp held at Garden City Gym, 160 B. Wheathill Road. Call 966-7788 for more information.                                   High School Sports By C. Edward Wilson Don’t forget the forgotten On Wednesday afternoon, May 16th, at Savannah State University’s red rubberized newly refurbished track, hundreds of participants from the five surrounding counties competed in track and field events. All of the competitors had either mental or physical impairments that through no fault of their own, they are dealing with, but all had the heart and energy to give it their best. This event is put on every year to benefit the special education programs from the middle and high schools. Track and field Lorenzo Wilson, head track and field coach at Groves High had a couple of young athletes to shine this year for his squad.  First-year runners Arieyall Scott and Richard Wilson, Jr. got accolades for their performances in 100-meter dash and long jump, respectively. With those two anchoring the track team for the next three years, maybe the Groves track team will win a state championship for the Westside school. Baseball South Effingham hosted West Laurens Tuesday in the second round of the Class AAA

Captain Judy's Fishing Report

May 14, 2007

SALTY REPORT

INSHORE

The large trout bite is on!
Last week's catching report went like this: Some inshore fishermen reported the bite was better on the incoming while others proclaimed it was best during the out going. All this information boils down to is the fact that when the tide is moving, the fish are biting. This is usually the best time to target the spotted sea trout clan. Some fishermen fished creeks, rivers, sounds, and beachfronts so as to find some sort of bite along with any migrating pattern. The rule of the thumb when "bites are had everywhere" is simple. Looking is probably in your future. Once you find a spot that looks fishy I suggest giving it a good 15 minutes before moving on.

Savannah River Mullet Run
Captain Jack McGowan reported that it had been a long time since he has seen this many mullet in the Savannah River area. According to the report all sizes from finger to the larger ones have been seen in this area. As we talked he explained to me about the jumps that a mullets takes. There is the "happy mullet jump and then there is the unhappy jump. The happy jump is the easiest to explain. As I look at a mullet jump I see a fish that is taking a sincere leap out of the water, but it seems once it makes it to the peak height, it looks like it's frozen in mid air. Firstly I must add, mullet are not streamline like most fish. They have a big head with a body to follow, which abruptly ends sharply. This means in my book that when they do take to the air they reach a point and for a second get suspended into mid air.

When a mullet is jumping to get away from a predator it's certainly is evidence by the way it gets out of the way. Its tail is waving, as it gets airborne. I can only assume that it wants to be ready to escape as soon as it touches back down into the water.

My father loved what I called "Mullet Jumping." We would catch them, clean them, and smoke them. Over the next few weeks I will include in the fishing reports fish tales about my father and mullet. The Little Miss Judy's Believe it or Not!" is located at the end of the fishing report.

Mullet makes great bait. We use it as cut and striped bait. It works on the bottom and when trolling whole fish. We call this trolled bait "split tail mullet," which makes for great offshore rigged baits. When it stripped into small bite size pieces, it offers a smell that brings on a fish bite. Finger mullets make great bait when use as live and whole dead bait. All fish from the inshore to the offshore water love a "mullet snack." With all of the mullet jumping action-taking place in the Savannah River I would think that cast netting could be in you future. After all where you cast might only be a few feet from where you fish. Please don't forget if you are planning on eating part of your bait, when cleaning the fish that you look for and save the mullet's gizzard. Don't panic, believe it or not, but once fried the taste resembles one that was removed from a chicken. I will stop at this point, due to the fact that I am probably lost you with that last statement!

Captain Jack McGowan rule of thumb when it comes to fishing while in the area where "mullets are-a-schooling." According to his experience fish that are feeding on mullet won't readily take smaller bait. So therefore to take advantage of this situation you either have to use the same size mullet or go with some sort of artificial or live bait that is larger. When looking to fish around surface schooling mullet it's best to pick the most prominent school to use as the center of you fishing universe.

There is several ways to target and catch mullet. The first and best is to use a cast net and the second is explained in the story located at the end of report in the "Little Miss Judy's Believe It or Not" section. There is another way and we used to do this when I was a small child. We would take light 4 pound test main line and attach a small almost non-existing "J" style hook. For bait I would take a small piece of bread, ball it up, and stick it on the hook. I remember also using canned biscuit dough. It certainly did stay of the hook better once dropped into the water!

I know that I am probably going to get this subject all messed up, but here goes. Mullet once reaching freshwater have a tendency to desire the taste of salt. I know it sounds crazy, but true. The fact of the matter is that they desire the taste so much that they will seek it out. Here's what you do once you find mullet in a freshwater situation. Firstly, head out to the old "feed and seed" store and purchase yourself a "salt block." Don't panic especially if you aren't near a convenient "Feed and Seed." Most grocery stores carry "mini salt blocks!"

Once acquiring the old salt block I suggest putting it in the water's edge where you have seen the mullet previously. I don't suggest completely submerging the block, but situating it so that the water covers almost ¾ quarters of it. I have covered the whole block, but it works better when it partly exposed to air. Here comes the part you have been waiting for. Mullet will pick up on the salt drift and seek it. Once finding the block the entire school will try to suck it up. So that you will get a visual of what I am trying to say here's what I call a hook to get you there. Picture in your mind one cow licking a salt block. Once getting to this point picture dozens of mullet sucking up to the block while others are trying to push their way in to get a taste. You could call them "miniature cows with removable scales!"

360-Degree Line
During this time of the year there are large fish in the creek, rivers, and sounds. With that last statement, please be aware that these fish might be moving in any waters from shallow to deep. With that being said, "360 degree line method needs to be put back into play in regards to your fishing game. This is a simple line to put out. All you have to do is to cast it out, sit it in a rod holder, slide the clicker in the on position, and wait for the screaming of the reel. It sounds simple, because it is! The reason I call it my "360 degree line" is due to the fact that you fish it anywhere around the perimeter of your boat. I suggest placing it in the deepest part of the water that you are fishing. This way it won't get in your way while you are fishing the shallower areas.

There are two ways to make this rig up when it comes to the "hooking game!" I like using either "circle and J style hooks!" The "circle " is those hooks that don't require any "setting." All you have to do is once hooked up, pick up rod, and start reeling. I also like using the old standby, which is the "J style hook." This is the hook that you normally have to set to get you fish! This is the most preferred by fishermen because they think it gives them better control when the fish bites the hook. I used both types of hooks!

For bait at this time you have what I called "bait availability," meaning used what you have at the time. Don't forget to make sure that you have a cast net on your boat before leaving the dock. The best bait to use of course is the one your have. I like using small live yellow tail and croakers. These fish are easy for most fish to inhale giving you more of an opportunity to catch you fish! Please give this type of rig a try even if you don't have live bait. This is due to the fact there is still a chance to hook up a big one! Please don't forget your gaff and dip net!

Customized Baits
When using the 360-degree line or any line in which you want to use live bait on I can suggest alternative bait. Live bait can be hard to get and keep alive. There are some fishermen out there they don't care to deal with the live stuff. Well, here's a suggestion that will work for those particular fishermen. Firstly, you will need some sort of fish so that you can cut a pattern from. The best bait fish to use that I can think of falls into this list" pinfish, pigfish, menhaden, and yellow tail. All of these fish offer up, "Bait flexibility." Another term, I know, but once you hear what I have to say, "you will understand." Take any fish listed, lay them down flat, and crave out of the fish's body apiece that looks real once hooked up. I like to create my bait around the stomach wall and lower fin area. Once cut with this area in mind you get more than a piece of cut dead fish. You get a piece of fish that once it hits current "acts alive!" And this my fishing friends is what tricks a fish into biting!" This bait situation boils down to movement and smell! Two things that most fish wouldn't dare pass by!

Captain Jack McGowan of Miss Judy Charters "Words of fish Catching Wisdom!"
Plenty of action for the inshore fisherman last week! Sea trout biting in the creeks and rivers as well near the beachfronts! Several sea trout landed in excess of three pounds. Shrimp are in short supply. Some local bait shops are getting Florida shrimp. If you're depending on shrimp, you better call ahead. Mud minnows are a great substitute for shrimp and usually can easily be obtained either from local bait shops or by setting a trap. There were reports of birds feeding on glass minnows. Blue fish were pushing the minnows to the surface. Birds find the minnows and fisherman find the birds. One fisherman said the blue fish action was non-stop and "he can't wait to target them with a fly!" In short lots of action - a dynamic food chain!

Blue Fish
I just had to mention this report since Captain Jack brought it up. We have been seeing lots of blue fish holding on the offshore official reefs. Catching schooling blue fish is a lot of fun on light tackle while using artificial bait. A big "don't worry" goes out to those fishermen that just want to use regular bottom tackle when bottom fishing, because this is a fish that eats all of the time. The fact of the matter is all they do is eat till they are full, "purge themselves," and then start the feeding pattern all over again. The good news is that when they purge themselves, (throw up most stomach contents) they cause their own personal slick. When you make this find any sort of artificial lure that provides action when retrieved will normally work in getting this fish's attention.

Just a note: I (Captain Judy) fished avidly for choppers blues during the nineties. During this time it was a hopeful given that these fish migrated to the artificial reefs located in around 55 feet of water. We called it their "refueling depot!" This deluge of "chopper blues" were here one day and gone the next. The good news is that even thought the migration for this area only lasted a couple of months patterns were definitely formed and remembered by us fishermen. Here are a few things that I discovered in regards to the "good old chopper blues!" When surface schooling these fish always steered towards the left. With that being said, "always present your bait to the left of the school." For this act chopper blues acquired the nickname of "lefty!" If you take a close look you will find that the left eye is normally large than the right. When blue fish are in a feeding frenzy feeding scents of "cucumbers and melons" can be smelled downwind. Thus meaning "follow that smell to the fish!"

We would quite often anchor up current of the Henry Bacon, which is located at the "L Buoy." Chopper blue found what they wanted in the way of food at this spot, because they stay here most of the time. My father came up with a plan in which to get the blue fish's attention. He brought a 50 bag of sinkable freshwater catfish food. The blue fish went crazy trying to eat all that we dumped into the water. The reason we knew is was working was because every time we landed one it was full of "sinkable cat fish food!"

Captain Jack's report continued:
This is looking like a good year for cobia! One Savannah guide: Capt. Greg Davis and Larry Hartenhoff landed five in one outing! Great job! Most of the catches so far have come the Broad River in South Carolina. I say, (Captain Judy) that it's a known fact that once the cobia spread out from Broad River that this is our time for catching and seeing cobia in our area. It has already been reported by many offshore fishermen that some of the big cobia seen in a while have been spotted in the Savannah River Channel. There have been some landings made while bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper banks.

The redfish bite has been slow. A few good catches, but for the most part redfish has been slow. When the brown shrimp start making their arrival the redfish bite will likely heat up. At present the action on most flats has been slow. There have some good catches in local creeks. Likewise some flounder being caught, but anticipate the flounder to pick as spring progresses. Whiting action has been good. Sharks are becoming plentiful, as temperature raise and salinity remains high.

This past week we received some much-needed rain. It was a slow drenching rain. Rain is critical for a healthy fishery. Rainwater helps to balance the salinity and wash needed nutrients into the system. More rain is needed but thank goodness for the rain we've received. Wind in coastal fishing is a constant factor. The past week it seems as if we've received our share. Despite windy conditions many fishermen found good fish! Sea trout are taking center stage with several large catches and large fish being landed! Keep a few to eat and release the rest! Martha Stewart would say it's not a good thing to load a boat with large roe trout. Keep a few if desired and release rest. These large roe represent next year crop of fish. Keep a few and release the rest - it's a good thing! Thanks Captain Jack!

Bull Reds in the River
Combat Fishing!
Jeff Dickie offered up a great fishing report! While just bottom fishing off a dock on the Wilmington River Jeff landed a 30-inch plus Bull Red fish. I can't disclose the exact location, but I can tell you that this area that he was fishing is known for holding the red fish's attentions especially at this time of the year. Bull reds also known as plain large red fish, stag bass, and channel bass, which hang around docks during this time. The secret to know is how to pick out which dock looks "fishy enough!" Big reds love any type of structure in which that can feed, hang deep when they are resting, feel a little safe from the attack of the porpoises, and be able to move right back to the feeding grounds when tide permits. I like to look for docks that have broken off pilings that are situated where there is some sort of deep drop off. This is one good narrowing down point! Another suggestion is to look for these fish. Quite often you can spot them moving in and out of areas feeding at will! Birds help by just being present watching for any leftovers. Docks located near the sound, located near inlets provide stopping off and feeding points for this fish. Best-case scenario is a dock or some sort of structure located where a creek, river, or sounds comes together. In other words, "fishing at the "Y" is a good thing.

Your best bait when trying to the get the attentions of this fish is going to be finger mullet or large pawn shrimp. I suggest anchoring up current and casting to the structure (dock). Once your bait gets close I suggest holding it there. You can float your bait in with traditional floats, Cajun poppers, or Carolina style rigs. I like to use the Carolina style rig. It's a form of bottom fishing that works great for me along with the live bait that I am using. The best bait is going to be live finger mullet. It seems to hang on well with the current running around it. Big reds sometimes hit it hard while other times they take their intended meal for a short drag before eating it. Whatever the case made be, it's time to go "dock fishing!"

For tackle it's best to use fluorocarbon leader and braided main line, because once hook up this fish knows it's safe getaway points. The first thing that they are going to do is to run for any sort of cover meaning trying to wrap your line around the old piling. This is where disorienting the fish and some serious pressure along with direct retrieving is going to need to be put in place. This is why I call this "Combat fishing at it finest!"

Captain "Wild" Bill Jarrell Keeps Us In Touch with Yellow Bluff
For those that didn't know, Captain "Wild" Bill of Miss Judy Charters departs from beautiful Yellow Bluff Marina. This is an inshore fishing trip for those that want to catch and to see some beautiful coastal scenery while doing so!

Captain "Wild" Bill Jarrell of Miss Judy Charters is our connection to Yellow Bluff. He has fished this area for a great many years. So therefore when he offers up some suggestions on how to get the fish's attention especially in this area, we all listen! Firstly I want to add that this area is probably the most un-fished section of inland waters that is left near to Savannah. With that being said, "here's some fishing suggestions and a current report of what's happening in the "Yellow Bluff Area!"

Spotted sea trout are especially the "RAGE" at this time of the year. Large roe trout are making their way to the beachfronts so that the spawning process can begin. This normally lasts from May through August. Captain Bill has set his sights for targeting this fish and has found some interesting ways in which to get their "bite attention." His first suggestion is to go with some sort of live bait plan. Spotted sea trout especially the larger ones are smart and when it comes to feeding their plan is usually to hit the "bigger baits hard." The reason being is that the larger bait offer up more in the way of food. The bigger the mouth full the least amount time the large fish has to look for food. A large fish once told me that they don't like to waste a lot of time killing what they are going to eat. So therefore they look at it good before spending energy to attack. With that being said, "the right live bait" is the ticket to this ride!

One of Captain Bill's trick baiting techniques is to go with what is call "half and half" style. He take a ¼ ounce jig head, ties it directly on to his main line, and then lip hooks a mud minnow on as his live bait. Normally most fishermen use screw or paddle tail with jig heads. These artificial lures will work, but lets face it when you are targeting larger fish live bait is always going to be your best option. To back up what you are already thinking, it's still possible to catch larger fish on the artificial baits. Captain Bill's favorite color jig head at least for this week was "chartreuse." This type of fishing is "bottom fishing at it's finest!"

As far as how to working your bait, Captain Bill has his own signature twitching action. He is using this method on jerk baits and shrimp like patterns. These baits have been working well in the "large trout attract department!" Another way to get that large roe trout is too simply "fish naked!" This is a term when used that definitely gets your attention! At any rate, fishing naked is not fishing without clothing but whether without any thing, but a hook tied to you main line. We use this method a lot offshore, but because we are dealing with a lot of depth, we always add some sort of weight. The weight used is called "egg sinker." When talking about inshore shallow water areas, I suggest going "weight less." At any rate this is where you tie your hook on to your main line, which is leader-free, basically hook up your live bait offering, and make your location cast. The bait should seek what it thinks is it's safe level and the large fish knows that spot for sure!

According to Captain "Wild" Bill this is a decent time of year for the inshore angler that enjoys tugs from varied species. Spring patterns of redfish are still here. Quiet observation is the tool that helps produce reds. Observe their habitat and look for signs of them feeding so as to locate them. When feeding they're either pushing water or tailing. With practice, quiet observation will locate reds. The springtime black drum bite is still going on. Whiting are abundant. Sharks, bonnet heads and black tips, are stalking the shallow creeks and flats, so make sure you are either holding your fishing rod or have it secured in a rod holder, or you might be saying "bye bye" to a rod and reel. It's a little early but I've even heard a couple tarpon sightings.

Quotes Directly from Captain "Wild" Bill Jarrell in Regards to Yellow Bluff
The water temperature has reached 70-degrees. Schools of bait fish are moving into the sounds followed by the bonnet head and black tip sharks. The terns (frequently confused with gulls) are feasting on schools of glass minnows at the inlets. Large roe shrimp are in the creeks and lower sounds, and the trout fishing is producing beautiful catches of large fat roe trout. I recommend using the mud minnows as bait for the sea trout at this time of year. And, the best place to buy live mud minnows on the Georgia Coast is right here at Yellow Bluff!

I'm catching nice trout, a few reds, black drum, sheepshead, and flounder. The flounder will only get better through the month, and they'll be smoking hot at the beginning of June. Talking about hot bites, the month of April produced large numbers of whiting. And for those inshore fishermen looking for lively action with lots of tugs, target the whiting and sharks, because the kids will love it.

How to get your best chance at catching a big King?
Part one
Now that's a question that can be answered in many ways. The best answer that I can give is "being in the right biting place at the right time!" However, for serious fishermen that's not the information that they are looking for! So I will start this article out with some facts that can be used in order to get your best shot at that "trophy King Mackerel!"

Firstly, I would like to add that a lot of the large kings that I landed over the years, which weighted it at over 40 pounds, were caught on the strangest baits. As you know I am a charter boat captain and I get a lot of chances to fish baits that some fishermen wouldn't even care to use. With that being said, "sometimes it helps to throw something different at them!" I cut my teeth on "cigar fish" as the best bait used in the fifties, sixties, and seventies. When our fishing trips never exceeded over 10 miles from shore we caught some of the biggest king fish I have ever seen. All fish were caught while fishing a live bottom area called the Black Fish Banks. This was the base area that we fished. When it was too rough to run at 10 knots to this 10 miles offshore location we fished close, which means the Savannah River Channel. This area really held a big king fish's interest. The weather had to be hot, Spanish mackerel had to be present, and also those flipping schools of menhaden.

The "cigar fish" bait that I am talking about is actually what is called "reef runner" at this time. Another name and the one that is used by the Marine Fisheries of Georgia is "inshore lizardfish." Please don't confuse this with "cigar minnows, which is also a great bait when targeting king fish. However, there are two different types of live bait. Cigar fish are basically bottom dwellers, which I know I have you scratching your head with that one. Now I am going to give you my theory on why "cigar fish" made/make great king mackerel baits. Even though this bait normally stays on the bottom it's has a very aggressive attitude. The fact of the matter is that a cigar fish will leap and hit a 6 to 8 knots trolled Drone spoon. Normally the spoon is half the length of the fish attacking it. Bringing me back to the reason I think a king fish is interested in the first place. When this bait leaps to attack it's intended meal, the king fish, which isn't a bottom feeder, takes advantage of it's aerial type performance.

The good and the bad news about the surely forgotten cigar fish AKA lizard fish. They don't do too well in captivity. There could be several reasons for this fish to be so delicate. I think it has same thing to do with containment. The way I look at it and due to the fact that king mackerel like them here's a suggestion: when you catch one stop and use it for bait. There is another thing that I need to share with you. They don't rigged up well meaning when you lip hook them they die too quickly. However, locating the main hook one inch behind the dorsal and letting the small stinger lay free near the tail section is a good idea. I can also suggest using your lightest tackle. The least pressure this fish feels the more action you are going to got out of them.

Back in the old days we didn't have miniature type treble or live bait hooks. At least I never saw any in Daddy's "king Edwards cigar tackle box!" My point being is that we caught lots of king mackerel while using this fish as bait. However, it was hooked up as live bait and it survived beautifully with the hook placed behind the dorsal fin. Once again back in the old days, when you caught a cigar fish it was almost a guarantee that you would hook up a king as soon as you put your bait in the water!

OFFSHORE 

Our bait inventory is low. We have some pods of menhaden in the Savannah River area, (offshore) a few schools of cigar minnows and Spanish sardines scattered over the artificial reefs. We normally are able to "bait-up" at any of these location in less than an hour before making the run to the snapper banks. I made a run all to way out to the MR26 naval tower just to get bait. The good news is they are there. The bad news is that it's a long run and sometimes the schools of bait are a bit scattered. Staying too long gets the fish populations around the tower in a "feeding up roar!" There are lots of catching opportunities around the tower, but none of them last too long.

Trolling for King Mackerel at Savannah Snapper Banks
I can only assume that the king mackerel that we have been catching at the banks in about 100 feet of water have moved. A few were caught while trolling the Naval towers. To be honest, it has been so rough that I haven't been able to local their new staging area. However, as soon as I do I will post it!

Bottom Fishing at Snapper Banks
After all of the rough sea conditions the water clarity wasn't too good on Friday, but on Saturday it improved greatly. The catch Friday was a little on the slow side. This was due to the fact that we all hadn't been out there for at least seven days. I can guarantee you that it's hard trying to locate fish after such a "turned up ocean" kind of a week. As the weekend progressed we got "in step with the fish!"

I found that we still had a black sea bass in 95 to 100 feet water. This area was mixed with a little of everything from black sea bass to legal vermilion snapper. We caught a few amberjack, but were too small to keep. I found that the red snapper bite in about 110 feet water, but most of them were less than 20 inches. We played "catch and release" a lot in this fish category.

Sharks
Atlantic sharp nose sharks were holding on most live bottom from 105 to 115 feet of water. We caught and released over 30 of there small composite sharks in one fishing day. They are lots of fun to catch and very good to eat. That's the good side of the coin. The bad side is that sometimes you can't get to the bottom before you are "shark hooked up!" Your next best thing to do when a shark feeding frenzy takes place is to move to the next drop, because you will never make it to the bottom before you are hooked up! Please be careful handling these sharks. They are strong and will definitely bite you!

Big Bottom Bite
The report is long enough without me going into detail about this subject. However, the bottom line to this part of the report is that you need nervous baits to catch a big red snapper or grouper! Nervous baits are those that don't have air bladders. The baits that fall into this category are Spanish sardines, Boston mackerel, small jacks, and cigar minnows. The others baits, which are those that have air bladders are still good, but don't trigger the bite of the larger fish as much as time. The baits that fall into this category are ruby red lips, sand perch, rock bass, and vermilion snapper. These baits listed have an air bladder, which needs to be puncture once brought up from the bottom. I have an unbelievable big gag grouper story to tell you in next weeks report!

GULF STREAM

High winds bring in heavy sea conditions have kept us from venturing out to this area. However, some boats did make it to the Stream this weekend. Saturday was one of those days that looked good, but the further you went the rougher it got! The "South and Triple Ledge" held the attention of quite a few blue water fish. The bite was early, but died in the middle of the day, and started back around 5:30 PM. Rigged surface pulled ballyhoo and artificial baits that made lots of surface noise were the ticket to this blue water ride!

FRESHIES SUGGESTION

Here are a few shorts to help you on your "freshwater catching way!"
With large mouth bass spawning mostly over there are few things that you need to know in which to get your fish! Firstly this fish is known for doing what I call the "split at this time!' After spawning some fish stay to watch after the "fry" while others go elsewhere to do some much needed recuperation. Here's how to break down this particular scenario:
The fish that are the protector meaning those guarding the fry are going to be the most aggression. In other words, anything or lure that get close is probably going to be hit aggressively. For those fish that are so called recuperating this could be another story. You will need to find bait that is going to lure their attentions and make them so jealous that they will hit it before the staging others do! "Two lures in line" comes to my fishing mind first!

Direct Lines To a Few Fresh Water Fish!
Crappies love to eat live creek minnows, striped bass and hybrid go for blue back herring, and bream like crickets the most at this time!

Family Shorts
From the words of a good friend of mine Wil Denmark, which has always liked to take what is a bad situation and turn it into a good one says, "there are no obstacles only opportunities to excel!"

Captain Ali has figured how to get rid of those pesky phone calls. When the phone rings and it's one of those undesirable caller she hollows, "WHAT'S UP!" When the person on the other end of the phone tries to speak she repeats "WHAT UP!" They normally then say, "I haven't said anything!" Once again Captain Ali replies "WHAT UP!" They hang up every time!

"Little Miss Judy's Believe It or Not!"

Mullet Jumping the Classic fish acquiring story!
I have told this story on may occasions. Every time I tell it, it gets better. It's about mullet jumping, which was what daddy and I use to do back in the good old days. At any rate to be able to successfully take full advantage of mullet jumping several things had to line up. You had to have a full moon stage. One of the daily low tide stages had to take place during dark thirty. It had to be during our warmest months. When all listed came together, Daddy was up for this adventure.

We would load up the old wooden rowboat with a sheet, flashlights, and cooler. Don't worry we always had plenty of safety equipment on the boat. After loading ourselves on the boat Daddy would crank up our 31/2 horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Believe me it was a real powerhouse. Off we would go with destination "Mud Puppy" in mind. I best explain what a "Mud Puppy" was. It was a small creek off of Turner creek. Once you turned to go into "Mud Puppy" you had several options. You could turn left or go straight. We always went straight to the back where the creek bed ended at low tide. When we got close Daddy would turn off the engine and quietly paddle into what he called " his holding point." At this time daddy would hold up one end or the sheet while I held up the other. Since he was taller them me our sheet wasn't level, but it didn't matter. As soon as daddy shined the flashlight on the white sheet mullet started jumping into the boat. When he had a sufficient amount of mullet to smoke we would turn the lights off.

The first time I experience this I was about 6 year old. Daddy never explained that a fish might jump down my blouse, which happened with the first fish that cleared the gunnels. Had I known about the possible exciting side effects I might have un-tucked my blouse. Once a fish gets in this area it's hard to get everything situated when you are jumping around screaming crazy. After that one incident I was truly broke in right. I now knew what to expect. The next time I wore a pot on my head and a big towel around my neck. I was definitely prepared for all of those blind-sided mullet!

I told this story once again at our inshore fishing class. It's a classic for catching plenty of bait the old way. At any rate my cousin Artie Helmey was attending the class. As soon as I got to the part about the jumping Artie remarked, "When I went with Uncle Sherman (my daddy) a dolphin jumped over the boat and knocked me into the water. I thought I was dead!" I told you this story gets better every time that I tell it. Is there anyone else out there that went mullet jumping with dear old dad?

Here's My Line Now Bite My Hook!

Captain Judy
"Fishing Physic!"

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