SALTWATER JAN. 2006

I am always talking about how the bass “bunch up” especially at this time of the year. Some fishermen call it “suspended hibernation.” It really doesn’t matter what you call it, because basically it’s a school of bass that are seemly holding around the old campfire. (The campfire being some sort of structure.) Fish have to feed, but not as much at this time of the year. So therefore they pick a staging place, which provides them with so-called shelter and food. During the cold water times especially when trying to catch a bass it’s important that your bait is dropped into the school. My favorite lure for this job, which is great bait when used in fresh or saltwater is the “Hopkins Lure.” It’s simple, because your bait doesn’t have to be complicated especially during cold-water times. Heck, there’s not that much competition out there anyway!

Inshore Waters

Well, it has been a great week with the sun a shinning. I have had several reports of inshore catches of striped bass, red fish, and trout. All reports stated the same exact thing, which was “had to work hard for the fish!” It’s that time of the year where working for your fish is got to be part of your plan. During the warmer months we all pretty much go fish and catch. During this time the fish are here, but only in body not in the “feeding zone!” Take for instance trout, as we all know this is a fish that goes into a hibernation mode especially at this time. If it happens to warm up and the tide is low during this particular time then you got a chance if you pick the right spot. I can’t say if I recall what the right spot would be at this moment. However, you would need to pick a spot where you have a deep hole, which is close to the mud flat, oyster bed, or sand bar area. The best out of the three that I listed is going to be a live oyster reef area. When it’s warm trout move to feed on what’s close. Now let take into consideration that you want to take a stab at trout while they are hibernating. All you have to do is find the spot, cast in your artificial bait offering, and bump it around a bit on the bottom. If you happen to hit the trout on the head you will probably get an opportunity to “hook up!”

Tackle Box Inspection Time

It’s time to take stock of what you have in the tackle department. I don’t know about everyone else, but my tackle box is a mess. This all boils down to the fact that I don’t really know what I have in it. So therefore it’s time to give it a good look over. There is nothing worst than knowing what lure or hook you need, but not being able to find it. The good news is that when I clean my tackle box out all “nicked or hit lures,” prompts me to thinking about the fish that hit them!

Artificial Reefs

It’s The Time For Big Bait Smells!

Artificial Reefs are the big talk especially at this time of the year. There is a large build up of black sea bass and the Sheepshead winter migration has taken place. The good news about the black sea bass is that they will hit just about anything, but it seems that lately they have preferred other baits besides the “universal bait of squid.” We have been catching them on fresh cut pieces of fillet black sea bass along with imitation shrimp and crawfish artificial Berkley Gulps. On our last trip we raided the bait freezer and found some old way past dead frozen Spanish sardines. I didn't think that they would work, because they probably wouldn't stay on the hook long enough. Well, I was right about one thing and wrong about the other. They didn't have to stay on the hook long, because if the bait happened to make it on the drop to just near the bottom we hooked up a nice black sea bass. While using double hook rigs I loaded one hook with squid and the other with old fish. You probably can guess what happened, “the old smelly bait worked the best!”

Stafford’s Tight-Line Fishing Team

I had one fishing report that came in from the Stafford’s Fishing Team. The just of the matter was the fact that they had a great day of bottom fishing at the artificial reef “Cat.” According to the report black drum, black sea bass and Sheepshead are plentiful in this spot. The bait that did the trick was the one that bites you back, the old “fiddler crab!” It was reported that the fish didn't seem to care whether or not the fiddler’s were “dead or alive!” Some of the Sheepshead weighted in between 8 and 12 pounds. Two weeks prior to this fishing trip Stafford’s son landed a nice 12-pound drum while fishing in the same area with the same bait. Sound like the Stafford’s fishing team will be having lots of fish for supper! Thanks for the report! Please keep them coming!

Gulf Stream Report

Black Fin, Bonito, and Wahoo

Our good fishing friend “Marlin,” better known as the “Cracker” made the blue water run. He loaded the coordinates for the South Ledge and headed out alone for a day of blue water fishing. Once arriving to this area the action was fast! He started pulling the normal stuff of rigged ballyhoo and an array on other secret lures. He started having hits and found himself in the middle of hundreds of schooling bonito, which were very fun to catch. The average bonito weighted about 12 to 15 pounds. After fighting a few of them he decided to change his trolling routine. Occasionally he would see a few fish skirting the surface that looked like tuna. He pulled in all of his lures with the exception of the way back I'm going to get a big fish line! He decided to change his game plan. He pulled out his daisy chains and his spreader bars, which was the very right thing to do especially at the time. Black fin tuna in the 6 to 10 pound range pounded his artificial bait offerings. About the time that he had two tuna on the “way-back I’m going to get a big fish line” started screaming. The Cracker had his hands full at the moment since he was fishing alone. So therefore “the big fish that was” is still heading southeast as you are reading this report. The way-back lure that he was pulling was the basic skirt, which was rigged with a fake ballyhoo. According to the report the skirt, which was long is now cut into a “mini” and there isn't much left of the fake ballyhoo. I haven't seen the lure yet, but I am going to make my guess that it was definitely the doings of a “big Wahoo!”

Once “Cracker” accessed his position in the fish-feeding world changing to the daisy chains and spreader bars was definitely the right decision. It’s a known fact that where you have schooling tuna you have schooling bait of some sort. The best way to get the school’s attention is to give them lots of what they are looking for. Bars and chains do a great job of imitating schools of scared surface bait. The rule of thumb when fishing for tuna is a simple one. Once you have hooked up while using this specific trolling spread, don't change your trolling speed. It’s important to keep moving at your same speed allowing the other trailing tuna a chance at the others baits. Tuna pretty much feed as a school, but if you slow down you break their feeding concentration up. Your first hooked fish after a second will basically swim in the direction of the pressure allowing you to get more than one hook up. In “Cracker’s Case” being that he was fishing alone he didn't need to use this old fishing trick. The bottom line to this report is that you shouldn't fish alone especially when the fish are biting! Thanks for the report!

“Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!”

In Memory of my Very good friend Kitty Strozier

I have to tell this story about my good friend Kitty Strozier. About 20 years plus ago Kitty and I visited Cape Cod on a fact-finding mission. Kitty being an artist and I being a fisherman we both decided that this was a prefect spot to visit. After what I thought was a long nervous plane ride we landed and started making our plans. During this particular time the movies “Jaws” had just arrived to the theaters. It was the talk of the town. We thought more so, because most of it was filmed on location in the area. So therefore we decided to take time out to go see what all the fuss was about. After viewing this movie I started looking in certain places that held water long before I sat down and definitely where I intended on swimming. This vacation turned out to be a memorable one!

Shortly after returning home some friends of Kitty’s chartered my boat. Kitty was to be my first mate so off we went. About four hours into the fishing trip we hooked something that was so big that it made the poor old reel sizzle! Due to the fact that the big fish took most of the line off the reel I had to quickly put the boat in reverse to keep the line from being broke. As I said, “it was a big fish!” The angler was reeling, the fish was swimming, and the reel was trying. All hands and heads were hanging over the gunnels in hopes of seeing this big monster fish. For two hours the fish fought us. I can say this “excitements were high!” After 30 minutes the big fish slowed a bit and I backed off to make more of an impact on the fish. Soon after that the big fish was brought along side, we gaffed, and brought it onboard. It turned out to be a fish that I hadn’t seen much of in my young “at the time” fishing career. It was an amberjack that weighted well over 100 pounds. Had I known at the time that it would have been a record I would have probably sent the information in. However, none of us even thought about it. We were all big eyed about the whole thing. Kitty was so excited. I can still remember the expression on her face to this very day. She said, “All I could think about was where the fish was dragging us and what it was going to do when it was done taking us where it was going!” I never told Kitty that I had the boat in reverse! Now you know how much the movie “Jaws impacted my very good friend Kitty!” February 6, 1949-January 9, 2006

Here’s My Line Now Bite My Hook!

Captain Judy

Fish Physic!

Thank You,
Captain Judy
Miss Judy Charters
912-897-4921
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