TYBEE ISLAND BAIT AND TACKLE FISHING RUNDOWN
Update 06/29/10
Ocean Pier: Catches reported of the following; red fish, ,
whiting, sea trout, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, lady fish, sharks and
skates
Back River Pier: whiting, bluefish, flounder, red fish, trout, sharks, skates
Surf: red fish, whiting, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, lady fish, sharks,
skate
Fort Pulaski: whiting, bluefish, trout, some red fish, sharks, skates
Inshore Boats: red fish, whiting, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, weakfish, sea
trout,
Offshore Boats: sea bass, trigger fish, vermilion snapper, sheepshead, sea
bream, king fish, barracuda, amberjack
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Update 06/14/10
Ocean Pier: redfish(small and large), sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, ladyfish, sharks and skates.
Back River Pier: whiting, bluefish, flounder, redfish, pompano and sharks.
Surf: redfish(small and large), whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, ladyfish, sharks, skates.
Fort Pulaski: whiting, bluefish, redfish.
Inshore Boats: redfish(small and large), sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, weakfish, sea bass and some speckled trout starting to show.
Offshore Boats: sea bass, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, sheepshead, sea bream, grouper, kingfish and amberjack.
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Update 05/10/10
Ocean Pier: redfish(small and large), sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, ladyfish, sharks and skates
Back River Pier: whiting, bluefish, flounder, redfish, pompano and sharks
Surf: redfish(small and large), whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, ladyfish, sharks, skates
Fort Pulaski: whiting, bluefish, redfish
Inshore Boats: redfish(small and large), sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, weakfish, sea bass and some speckled trout starting to show
Offshore Boats: sea bass, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, sheepshead, sea bream, grouper, kingfish and amberjack
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Update 05/10/10
The seasons are rapidly changing around Savannah. Less than
the top third of the marsh is still brown. A vibrant green color is covering
most of the salt marsh. Likewise the bite is rapidly changing as well. A week
ago fishermen were catching lots of sheepshead on the near shore wrecks. This
week those fishing the near shore wrecks were getting their hooks cleaned by
small sea bass and spot tails. Looks like the offshore sheepshead has changed.
On the other as king mackerel and cobia are showing on the offshore wreck! One
fishermen was cleaning a nice 20 pounder and said there were plenty of kings
around! There are keeper sized bluefish and spanish macherel on the beachfront
as well! Large bull whiting can be found close to the sounds.
This week there were a couple reports of juvenile redfish. A sign for some good
early fall fishing! One fisherman said he released over 24 small redfish another
said he released over 50! On most years juvenile reds start appearing in June.
To see redfish this early looks promising! A few catches of seatrout being
reported. This is another great sign after a long cold winter with little
encouraging news about seatrout numbers. Some seatrout being caught is awesome!
A few large roe trout popping up! A few anglers are keeping these fish but most
releasing these fish with the hope that releasing the larger ones will boost
overall seatrout numbers. The CCA Coastal Conservation Association and the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources are spear heading this effort. Releasing
one large seatrout could potentially means thousands of fish!
A few flounder being caught! Again seems a little early but great to see them!
Adams Bait House has been able to keep a supply of shrimp on hand. The shrimp
are large white shrimp. We caught some dandy redfish this on some these shrimp
as well one five pound seatrout (which was released). Small pogies, menhaden,
are showing in the rivers. This is a great bait! There is also tons of glass
minnows showing up! Glass minnows are not a practical for use as a bait but as a
they their presence can pull in redfish and seatrout!
Tides look good all week! Could be lots of good fishing opportunities!
Hope this of interest and help!
Fish On!
Capt. Jack McGowan
Coastal River Charters
www.coastalrivercharters.com
Thanks for the great report Captain!
Update 05/5/10
Ocean Pier: Catches reported of the following; redfish(small and large), sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Back River Pier: whiting, bluefish, flounder, redfish.
Surf: redfish(small and large), whiting, spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Fort Pulaski: whiting and bluefish.
Inshore Boats: redfish(small and large), sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel, bluefish, weakfish and sea bass.
Offshore Boats: sea bass, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, sheepshead and sea bream.
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Update 04/14/10
The good news is that the water temperature is remaining
steady in the mid-sixties. This has brought large schools of whiting to the
island and inshore waters. The Back River Pier and adjacent area was packed with
anglers over the weekend with some reporting catches of fifty or more fish. The
ocean pier, North Beach and Fort Pulaski areas were also reporting good catches
of whiting. The redfish catches are down right now as the large schools of fish
are starting to spread over the area with the warmer water temperatures.
Flounder are still scattered and there have been some reports of sea trout as
well. The inshore and near shore areas are still covered with sheepshead. This
will continue until waters warm a few more degrees and the fish move to deeper
water.
Give me a call at 912.786.7472 for the latest reports and conditions.
Update 03/17/10
The water and air temperatures have started moving in the right direction, now if the wind will subside everything should be fine. This morning Lazaretto Creek water is at 54 degrees and rising some each day. The sheepshead bite continues to be good with the supply of fiddlers being the only problem. Speaking with several anglers and captains this weekend, they all report that the redfish catch is going well and getting better daily. There have been sightings of schools in the 200 to 300 fish numbers moving in the area creeks and rivers. These fish are moving up into shallow water where it is warmer and feeding. Baits and lures include live mud minnows, cut bait(mullet), D.O.A. and Gulp lures. I also had a customer in Saturday who had cast netted some mullet that morning. If the mullet are moving in then the fish are not far behind. A kayak angler in on Saturday reported a 19 inch flounder late last week and a few more reports of flounder are starting to come in also. As of today I have not had any reports of trout, but they are here and still in the deeper water waiting for the spring warmup. Check the offshore reports for the latest catches.
Update 02/24/10
The break we had in the cold weather this week has resulted
in some good catches offshore of Tybee Island. The Herold family, Tony, Kris,
Dalton and Maggie, from Wisconson are proof of this. On a trip with Captain Zack
Bowen of GUESS HOO Charters they had their limit of nice sea bass and were
treated to a beautiful day offshore. Tony said he didn't think they had ever
seen so many fish at one time in their life. Captain Zack said the entire family
did a good job catching the fish, but Maggie seemed to have the magic touch with
the sea bass. After buying a larger cooler to to take their catch home in the
family left today for their trip to Wisconson. We hope they had a memorable trip
and will come back to Tybee Island for another vacation.
On another trip today with a group from Minnesota and Georgia, Captain Zack put
the group on some sheepshead and more nice sea bass. Hopefully the weather will
stay fairly mild and usher in even better fishing.
Update 01/25/10
The water temperature has finally started to rise from our
cold snap a few weeks ago. As of this morning it was 52 degrees in Lazaretto
Creek. With the rise comes a return to the normal January fishing pattern.
Reports from this past week and weekend were promising with some trout being
caught in deeper holes at the end of outgoing tides, redfish are being caught
with some regularity on the flats of Ossabaw and in and along the grass on local
creeks and rivers. The sheepshead bite is improving daily also with the rising
water temperature.
I currently have live minnows, fiddler crabs and frozen local shrimp available.
Give me a call for the latest fishing reports.
Update 12/22/09
The fishing reports have been few and far between with the
weather we have been having lately. The people I have spoken with are reporting
that there are still good numbers of redfish and seatrout being caught. Live
shrimp and mud minnows are the key to good catches. The number of sheepshead
being caught are still on the rise. Nick Shreves braved the cold weather last
week in his kayak and had a catch of sheepshead with several fish over five
pounds.
I want to thank all my customers and friends for your business and support this
year. I look forward to your continued patronage and friendship in the coming
year.
I spoke with Captain Zack from the GUESS HOO and he reports a
good catch of sea bass on a half day trip last week. There should still be some
good fishing offshore if the weather will cooperate.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays to all!
Update 11/21/09
Now that the new moon tide has passed and the water is
starting to clear fishing should get even better. As of 12:30 p.m. today the
water temperature is still at 65 degrees and holding steady. In speaking with
anglers this week the reports from all around Tybee are good and getting better.
Chimney Creek and Back River have had good catches of red fish and trout mainly
on live shrimp. Any underwater obstruction should hold sheepshead, as they are
getting more numerous every day. There have been several fish over seven pounds
caught recently. The South Channel around Fort Pulaski yielded good numbers of
trout last weekend and this week, again live shrimp are key. The report from the
area piers has been spotty, but there are fish still available on them. The run
of big red drum continues for anglers fishing most any type of cut bait on the
bottom. Good to great numbers of slightly smaller reds are being caught in the
Wassaw Sound area, as well as most inshore creeks and rivers. Fishing just south
of the tackle shop Wednesday afternoon we had a good catch of sea trout with the
bites coming on live shrimp and mud minnows about 50/50.
We will be co-hosting the Andy Jackson benefit fishing tournament this weekend
with the Captain's meeting Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. The tourney will run
from 8:00 a.m. Saturday until 3:00 p.m. Sunday with half the proceeds going to
prize money and the other half going to help Andy. Stop by or call for more
information.
Update 11/02/09
The fishing continues to be good around this area. The new moon tomorrow has tides a little higher than normal and is causing the water to be cloudy, but that won' t slow down the fishing very much. I am getting reports from anglers of good catches still from big red drum. Most are using cut bait such as mullet, bluefish and even whiting and fishing it on the bottom for these bruisers. The North Beach area and the ocean pier are the top producing areas, but there have been a few reds caught at Back River Pier also. Any type of structure such as pilings, jetties and debris continues to hold sheepshead and will only get better as the water temperature drops. Fiddler crabs are the bait of choice for these fish. Larger whiting were caught this past week from the surf and pier areas using small pieces of shrimp. The inshore creeks are getting more and more larger trout and red fish in them, and as usual, live shrimp are the number one choice for bait followed by mud minnows and artificial baits. Customer Jason Rosenfeld managed to land a tarpon from the surf and jump another one off mid-week. These fish will not be in the area much longer, so now is the time to try for a Silver King. Live or cut bait fished on the bottom along channel edges should be a good area to look for them.
I spoke with Captain Zack on Friday and he said the offshore
fishing was still good. He is on a trip today and I will try to get a complete
report from him this afternoon and post another report tonight or tomorrow.
Please post your fishing reports and pictures for others to view like Lamar
does, or email your pictures to me and I will post them on the site.
Good luck and thanks for your support of Tybee Island Bait and Tackle and
www.LowcountryFishing.net !
Update 10/18/09
Just a quick update for the weekend. The inshore trout and
redfish catches are still holding strong. Most anglers are using live shrimp
with some having luck with mud minnows also. Don't forget to try plastics like
Gulp, D.O.A. or Fishbites for these fish in addition to the live baits. The
early sheepshead bite is still good with fiddler crabs being the bait of choice.
Flounder are biting live minnows and plastic baits fished slowly across the
bottom. I had an unconfirmed report this morning of a 9 pound plus flounder
being caught in the last couple of days. The BIG story has been the catches of
big red drum all along Tybee's beaches and ocean pier. Pete MacFarlane stopped
in Wednesday morning to say that he caught seven reds from the ocean pier
Tuesday afternoon. The fish were between 18 and 30 pounds. Nice fishing Pete!
With the drop in temperature forecast for this weekend there should be more and
more fish moving into our area soon. The fishing reports from as far north as
Virginia Beach still have good numbers of fish leaving that area heading south.
Update 10/14/09
It seems that the fishing is getting better with each passing day. I have had numerous customers reporting good catches of big reds from the surf at several locations on Tybee. Cut bait or blue crab have been productive baits recently. The smaller reds and trout continue to make good showings, with most people catching limits of both. Live shrimp and live monnows fished under floats have been steady producers for both fish. Flounder are still available with an increase in the numbers being caught. The early sheepshead bite continues with a lot of medium sized fish being caught and some nice larger fish taking the hook as well. The upcoming drop in temperature later this week should push more fish into the area from the north. Clinton Dekker from Virginia Beach called the other day and said the big red drum are starting to leave the Chesapeake Bay and head south. He had just released a 44 inch red from the Sandbridge Pier in southern Virginia Beach. I'm glad he still remembers how to catch fish.
The offshore bite continues to be strong. I spoke with Captain Zack Bowen of the GUESS HOO and he said the red snapper fishing was some of the best he could remember. He said there were plenty of fish and they were all good size. Other captains reported good catches of amberjack, sea bass and vermilion snappers. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for the upcoming weekend and allow boats to venture offshore.
Update 10/02/09
Well, what can I say. The northeast winds finally stopped
blowing last weekend and the fishing has gotten better daily since then. Reports
from anglers have had limits of trout and redfish with good catches of flounder.
Several people have stopped by in the last couple of days with cell phone
picture of large red drum in the 38 to 44 inch range. Another customer reported
that he and his friends had a red yesterday that went a whopping 59 inches.
These catches have been on the ocean pier and from the surf on Tybee.
Most of the redfish have been caught on live shrimp and the trout have been
split between live shrimp and artificials like Gulp baits. Last weekend also had
some of the best sheepshead catches in a long time. I saw fish in the 8 to 9
pound range with several boats having full coolers. Fiddler crabs around
pilings, jettys and wrecks were the hot spots.
If the fishing continues as it has over the past week this should be a great
weekend for catching. The current weather forecast looks good with a chance of
showers on Saturday.
In talking with some Captains and mates this week it sounds
as though the offshore fishing is holding steady. The catches are still
consisting of snapper, triggerfish, a few sea bass and some kings. The offshore
weather forecast for the coming weekend looks good with seas at or under three
feet. Several boats are booked Saturday and Sunday, with a few sailing Friday
also.
Let me know how the fishing goes so I can post a new report.
Update 9/21/09
Not to sound like a broken record but, the now three weeks of northeast winds are getting old. Reports from customers this weekend were not all that bad. The Lazaretto Creek pier had a good run of nice size redfish Saturday morning, a few larger trout are showing along the north beaches and ocean pier and the number of flounder are increasing. Toward weeks end Spanish mackerel were being caught in the surf. The key was to cast Got-Cha's or small spoons into the waves where they were just starting to break and use a fast retrieve. The general late summer catch is available to anglers fishing on Tybee Island and adjacent waters.
The persistent Northeast wind have slowed the number of boats venturing offshore the past week. The Captain's that I talked with that did go reported good catches of vermilion snapper, triggerfish, a few sea bass and scattered kings.
Update 9/14/09
Despite the now two weeks of northeast winds the fishing did improve considerably over the weekend. I had several customers reporting good to great catches of flounder along with a few larger trout and redfish. Most of the flounder were caught using live minnows, while shrimp seemed to be the choice on the smaller creeks inshore. Due to the rough sea conditions most of the flounder were caught between Lazaretto Creek and the mouth of the Savannah River as well as around Fort Pulaski. The area piers continue to have the late summer variety of fish being caught. There has not been any news on the larger red drum moving in or any reports of jacks or tarpon in the Savannah River recently.
Those making the run to the offshore grounds are reporting good catches of grouper and snapper.
Update 9/8/09
With over a week of northeast winds to stir the waters the fishing rebounded nicely over the weekend. Saturday reports had good catches of redfish around Fort Pulaski with several anglers catching fish on every cast. The fish were hitting shrimp or minnows under floats and Gulp baits cast along the shoreline. Sunday had the same action and a local angler that visited the shop reported he had caught sixteen sheepshead at the north jetty and had seen numerous tarpon jumping just off the beach just after lunch. The fishing from Back River also improved during the weekend with live shrimp being the bait of choice.
Update 9/3/09
The northeast winds of earlier this week have subsided some
and are allowing anglers to venture out into the Savannah River area. The few
anglers fishing on the inside areas this week have reported good catches of
trout, whiting and an inceasing number of redfish and sheepshead are present
around rock jettys and pilings. A few boats fishing outside Lazaretto Creek have
had decent catches of trout and flounder as well as croaker and whiting.
We have mud minnows, live shrimp and fiddler crabs for the holiday weekend. Be
sure to stop in for the latest fishing report, or to hear yet another fish
story.
Update 8/30/09
Sunday night still finds the late summer catches being reported. In talking with anglers today there were reports of larger croaker and whiting being caught around Fort Pulaski. Others reported good catches of larger redfish in the 24" range in the flats and tidal creeks. Spanish mackerel were spotted and caught at several areas around Tybee. The ocean pier and jetty area have unconfirmed reports of larger trout and there have been confirmed reports of a few tarpon caught at the south end of the island. A few anglers are finding tripletails around bouys in the sound and ocean. Shrimp are still plentiful in most rivers and creeks and can be caught with cast nets.
Update 8/25/09
A late afternoon report from George Atkinson visiting from Virginia had spanish mackerel along the North Beach area. George said he had fun and ran out of bait.
Captains Cecil and Elizabeth Johnson on the Elizabeth II had good catches of snapper, triggerfish, kingfish and a few sea bass on an offshore trip Tuesday.
Update 8/21/09
The typical late summer offerings of fish are still available in the area. Thursday's new moon tides have stirred the water considerably, but there are reports of good catches coming in.
Mid-week at the Back River pier area had good catches of whiting, trout and flounder reported. The ocean pier has had the mixed bag consisting of trout, whiting, bluefish, pompano, spanish mackerel and lots of small to medium sharks. The North beach area catch has been trout, whiting, croaker, bluefish and some red drum.
Little Tybee and south had redfish in the shallow waters while the marshes and creeks inshore over the entire area have also had mixed catches.
Early week offshore reports were good with limits of sea bass and snapper being caught. The passing of Hurricane Bill well offshore will produce large swells along the oceanfront this weekend and may stir up the fishing in that area.