CAPTAIN JUDY HELMEY
“Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956”
124 Palmetto Drive
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 31410
912 897 4921 912 897 3460 FAX
Captain Judy’s email fishjudy2@aol.com
All are Sporting Cold Water Red Fish Catching Smiles!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters it was a father son father son kind of a catching day! (from left to right: Matt Minnick his son Wyatt age 10 Ethan Long 13 and his father Nathan Long all from Savannah, Georgia) And here’s how the fish story was explained to me: Under the grand guidance of Captain Garrett this father/son foursome caught, fought, and released so many assorted size red fish that they just stopped taking pictures. (check out he prefect cold watercolors on this red fish!)
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charter Wyatt Minnick age 10 and Ethan Long age 13 has a supreme bonus kind of a red fish catching day! It was Wyatt’s first red fish ever caught and it was a beauty too! The way I look at this, is, if you got to catch number your one red fish you might as well make it a nice one! Congratulations Wyatt!
2024 Captain Judy’s Inshore/Offshore Fishing Clinics
February 16, 2024 Friday, February 17, 2024 Saturday and February 18, 2024 Sunday
Inshore/offshore boats in the water
$200.00 per person for inshore
$200.00 per person for offshore
Morning departures
Time: 8:00AM till12:00 NOON
Place: Miss Judy Charters dock
202 Wilmington Island Road, Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 for more details!
We offer classes on the water in the boats! Sign up soon!
(Miss Judy Charters 912 897 4921or email me fishjudy2@aol.com)
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Ethan Long age 13 is holding up one of his many nice cold-water reds caught on this fish day!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Ethan Long age 13 is holding up a nice cold water red fish that he caught while using live shrimp as bait.
The Garrett Red Fish Drag!
While inshore fishing with Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters Ethan Long age 13 is holding up a nice cold water red fish that he caught while using a special technique! Captain Garrett explains, “His reasoning behind this technique!” and it goes something like this:
While using a traditional adjustable style cork, adjust depth to allow the live shrimp to sit directly on the bottom. This means that your cork will be laying completely over on its side. Now, when the cold-water red fish decides to take the bait in its mouth you will not know until the cork stands up right and starts to make way. It is suggested to reel lightly tight and allow the circle hook to do its job of lipping hooking your red fish!
Captain Garrett’s technique works more than not! Why? It gives the fish time to eat long before the fisherman holding the rod figures it out!
While inshore fishing with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters This fishing team did the deed of freezing first and catching next! As you can see, there is no need for fish tales to be told at this time. Why? Well, the proofs or the red fish are all on the fish cleaning table!
What’s for dinner? Spotted sea trout and slot red fish! Trout are very skinny!
Captain Matt William of Miss Judy Charters for many years has got the cold-water fish bite on speed-dial in for sure!
The old saying, “give them time to Eat!” very much comes into play during cold water times. And right now, this is seriously cold-water times! As you all know, the Savannah coastal area doesn’t have wintertime conditions very much. However, when we do the fishers, and the fish are greatly affected!
So therefore, these suggestions are right on course for the temperature situation handed. Captain Matt suggests live shrimp when available. However, sometimes this bait can’t be caught or brought! He also suggests dead, which can be fresh-dead or not!
Live shrimp hooked up under horn!
The best way to rig them right is too first use a slip cork better known by me as a traditional adjustable float. And adjust the depth to fish your bait used close or on the bottom. If you are using live shrimp, I suggest hooking them up under their horn located on the top of their head. If you are using dead with head intact remove the tail and place the hook in the meat of the mid-ship bend of the shrimp.
You don’t want to hook them in the head when you are fishing them dead…..
While using live and fresh dead shrimp with tail pulled off. Under slip court letting it bounce on the bottom You need to fish your bait much slower…got to let them eat the bait for a second or two longer than normal…don’t reel down to set the hook when the fish is eating give them time to eat or you won’t get a hooked up!
INSHORE
Inshore Water Temps are COLD!
I know you have heard the saying, “Down Under,” well, this is what the fish have done. They are deep and hard to find. However, when you do finally locate them, it’s fishing as normal with a slight twist. The artificial baits have been the hit for the last few weeks. The secret to this non-smelling bait is to keep it moving so that the fish will have to take chase to catch it. The continued movement also helps to camouflage the fact that this is not the real McCoy. I know every fisherman has their own way of pitching to the fish. I have found that the stop for a second, snap the line, reel a few turns and repeat works great for me. The only problem I have found with my technique is that when I do get a hit, sometimes I forget the routine order!
Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters is sporting grand red fish catching smile! Yahoo!
Artificial Reefs
The closer shore reefs are holding sheepshead, blue fish, black drum, and a few black fish. The sheepshead, as everyone probably knows by now, only wants the hard-to-get fiddler crab. So, you already know it’s going to be harder to obtain this bait than the fish. All other fish will be glad to get just about anything you throw at them. I have been using squid and dead shrimp. Artificial lures will also work in these areas. These baits are fun to use especially if you use light tackle
The old standby Hopkins Lure!
A great addition to your tackle box!
This is an old school suggestion and as you know I seem to always have a few to Share. In this report I am going to suggest you purchase an old-style Hopkins Lure. The rule of thumb when using this lure is no bait is needed. However, I have tipped the treble hook a few times with cut squid. I suggest tying this lure directly on to your main line, cast as far as you can, let it fall to the bottom, reel, stop, and repeat. All size fish find this lure very luring! I have always had lots of success with the Hopkins Lure (nickname The Hoppy!) whether I am tipping it bait or not!
Please remember that I am a fan of monofilament line. When using braid, I suggest tying in a knot-to-knot short piece of low vis fluorocarbon leader (around 12 inches) end tie directly to the lure. I don’t suggest using any snap swivel or metal sleeves. Why? If a fish takes its eye off the prize (your lure) for one second you hook up hit just might not happen!
And there is one more thing about the Hopkins Lure, it is made to be able to tie your leader at either end. What does this mean? You can tie at the hook or not end!
For those fishers that want to remember the good old days! Here’s a picture of the old not there anymore CCA-JL yellow reef buoy with radar reflector! So, let’s talk about what is at this exact location? Well, for some reason, bait fish still do school in this one spot, but deep down in the water column. You can mark them on your fish finder, but you might not see them on the surface. I can only assume that maybe the base of the old reef buoy and the marine growth it holds offers some interest for small bait fish. Anyhow..give it a try! Normally this area is good for a few passes while using a Sabiki bait rig!
I see four cigar minnows, which once put on your bottom rig, dropped to the bottom, should trigger a serious hit!
Most artificial reefs that are found 35 to 60 feet could be holding lots of Black Sea bass! You could find an abundance amount of these fish in one spot and not the other. And holding with these fish we occasionally catch a few Atlantic flounder, grouper, and trigger fish. But here is the thing that you need to be aware of: Not all fish caught are of the legal size and some fish you can’t keep! During this time of the year, you could find yourself catching some very nice large fish such as genuine red snapper, grouper, and trophy red fish. All these fish must be released, but they are known for stretching your line and double bending your rod, which equals lots of fun catching for sure!
I have been using the universal bait of squid for bait. It works the best and the fish can’t seem to leave it alone. However, there is a downside to bait, it smells. For those of you that don’t want to mess with squid, try jigging for these fish. Believe me it works and its lots of fun.
Could be call a double Carolina Rig Type!
Here’s bottom fishing tip that you can use…
I have been using a standard two-hook rig with the sinker at the bottom of the rig. This is a standard bottom rig that I have been using for years. It works great and you don’t get hung up on the bottom structure as much. However, for those of you who don’t mind the hang-up problem, turn your rigs around. Put your sinker first and then your hooks. This rig works especially well when you are targeting fish such as flounder that are true bottom huggers. You can also experiment by using live bait instead of dead. Flounder, also referred to as “doormats” love to attack their intended meal.
Captain Ken Kennickell of Miss Judy Charters is holding a nice black fin tuna!
GULF STREAM
It’s a great time of the year to make that run to the Blue water. The bottom fishing is great, and they are easy to please. Just give them some squid and they will be happy to hit your hook. Trolling can be quite interesting at this time, since you never know what you might hook up with. Pull your normal baits, but don’t forget to give those lures a try that doesn’t normally do the trick. The fish have a funny bite at this time of the year, so throw it all at them.
For those fishermen that love to do a little jigging, once you find the tuna, drop your lure to this depth and work it. The best deepwater jigs are those butterfly type designs from 3 to 6 ounce. For the best jigging results, I suggest using braid as main line and a fluorocarbon leader above the jig. It’s time to go, because now you know!
Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!
Just when I thought I had heard it all in comes Captain Steve “Triple Trouble” Howell with yet another old time favorite artificial bait. It is called the Rag Mop Toilet Chain Lure. Sometimes I must wonder where us fishers come up with all these crazy, but working ideas!
According to Captain Steve Triple Trouble….Yep, the Good ole Rag Mop. The original version was about 10″ long , Packaged in Inferior Plastic –Whether it was A Tony Accetta lure I Can’t remember –Tony Accetta , Was a local lure maker & his brand was later was sold to Luhr Jensen Co., –This lure the Ragmop Was the rage , Not on Big Blues , But when the Bay bluefish were in The Growing Stage , At one time ALL we had were Snapper Blues ,Then Choppers These grew Larger every year , Eventually Giving us the “Gorilla” Blues of the 80’s —Rag mops as Lures Looked like Gars, Needlefish, Sand Eels, & at the time Bay waters Teemed with these Type Bait fish , Especially in shallow Areas like Sharps Island & Gum thickets, Poplar Island. –Homemade versions showed up with Double hooks , etc later -, “Made with Toilet Chain & Nylon Strands”
Steve found this picture on the web. It is a homemade Ragmop lure and an old Time Drone Spoon! As a fisherman, I think this lure is one heck of an idea! And we already know that it is proven!
Good old Steve never lets us down! The Ragmop lure was also very popular with large striped bass, because it imitated gars, needlefish, and sand eels. Apparently, the areas where the big striped bass roam had an array of these so-called bait fish. Now I am not suggesting trying to purchase one of these lures or to take your toilet apart, because I couldn’t say that this bait works or not! However, what I would say is this…Next time you change out an old timey toilet I suggest saving the chain and come up with your on idea of the color of line to tie in, the color head, and hook to use! Why? I do believe if it doesn’t scare the fish to death, it will get their attention. Who knows you might come up with an idea that you don’t want to share! I am already thinking that I might had better give this lure a serious try!
Thanks for reading! Captain Judy Out!
