offshore april 2003

"KICKING FISH TAIL SINCE 1956"
Miss Judy Charters
POB 30771
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 31410
www.missjudycharters.com
912 897 4921
912 897 3460 FAX

April 7, 2003
SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

WHALE SIGHTINGS

Around noon on March 28, 2003

Two really friendly right whales approached me this past Saturday while I was bottom fishing at the Savannah Snapper Banks. The whales must have been curious, because they stayed with us for a few minutes before they decided to move on. My customers not only got the sight of a lifetime, but also quite a few pictures along with some great memories to take home with them. My boat, "Miss Judy Too" is 31 feet long with a 12-foot beam. One of the whales that I saw definitely was a great deal longer than my boat and quite a bit wider. Here are a few suggestions for you if this happens to you while you are out in your boat.

If a whale does the same thing to you while in your boat, please don't put your boat in gear. Just remain calm and as quick as they arrived they should leave. However, the good news is that there are no rules that specify that you can't take pictures. Please take all you can, because what is happening to you doesn't happen to but a few. The very next thing that you need to do is to contact the coast guard or have someone relay coordinates of your whale encounter. The reason is very simple, BUT VERY IMPORTANT "IT COULD SAVE THEIR LIFE." The coast guard will then contact proper sources so that coordinates can be sent to ships that are navigating in the area of the sighting. Right whales especially when swimming with their calves will quite often lay on the surface for long periods at a time. This normal act unfortunately can put them right in the path of large vessels or should I say, " IN HARMS WAY!"

For right whale that you happen up on please keep your distance. You are required by law to stay the distance of at least 500 yards. The reason being there aren't that many of these precious mammals left. A collision with one might cause serious injury or death to the whale. At last count there were less than 350 left in the world. Once again when you spot a right whale please contact the Coast Guard on Channel 16 of your marine radio.

A right whale has two blowholes. So therefore when they blow the water comes out in a "V" shape. This view is only possible from a front or rear angle of the whale. I have had the opportunity to see quite a few "V" shaped spouts in my lifetime. These spouts can be seen from a great distance. If timed right even an average camera can take a decent shot.

This area is a critical habitat for the right whale. This is their calving ground. They skirt Georgia's Coast and the offshore waters from the middle of November to the end of April. During November they are usually headed to the south to have their young. During the spring they are making their way back to the northern areas bringing with them their new young calves.

Take a look at these measurements. The adult right whale grows to approximately 55 to 60 feet long. The adult female whale is usually a few feet longer than the male. Their weight runs about 200,000 pounds. A calf (baby whale) is normally 13-15 feet long and weights in at about 2,000 pounds. All right whale rather young or old have a flat back with no dorsal fin.

The bottom line when it comes to spotting a whale is to do the following:

Contact the coast guard on channel 16 of your VHF radio and report coordinates and time of encounter.

For Cell Phone usage call:

Savannah Coast Guard 1 912 786 5440 (Tybee Island coast guard)
Brunswick Coast Guard 1 912 267 7999
Charleston Coast Guard 1 843 724 7616

INSHORE
Here is a great report for those of you who just want to fish, catch, have a little fun, and not look for the allusive trout or bass. To accomplish this "just fishing attitude" at this time of the year I suggest you target whiting. The whiting season is just now getting started. Here are a few tips that will help you with your catch. Whiting feed better two hours before the low to one hour after low tide. They are mostly found feeding on sandy bottoms that are by areas that have oyster rakes. They are not found where there is a mud bottom. You will only catch catfish and stingray in these areas. Whiting don't mix or feed together with fish that feed on mud bottom areas. The best bait is "fresh dead shrimp," but "old dead shrimp" will work, but not as well as the fresh stuff. Before putting the shrimp on the hook it's best to peel them first. Put all of your shrimp shells, heads, and tails in a container. This stuff is going to become your "Whiting Chum!"
The best way to chum is to sparely throw the parts out. These fish aren't fast to feed. It can take as much as an hour to get them started. So therefore, chumming a little at a time will work the best. Just keep throwing out the parts of shrimp out and the whiting should eventually come. Once you start catching them, the bite should increase as the tide reaches the low point. Always check the internals of the whiting to see what the fish has been eating. Don't be shock when you find your discarded shrimp tails, heads, and peels! Remember when you have a plan especially when it comes to fishing, it can quickly change to "CATCHING!"

"Whiting Trivia"
That small fish that everyone calls a whiting is sometimes called a "southern kingfish!"

Artificial Reefs Period

At this time of the year there always seems to be a solid bottom bite. The good news is that your bottom fish could be anything from a black sea bass to an Atlantic flounder. There are also quite a few so-called "pan fish" that hang in there at this time. My definition of a pan fish is simple. It's basically a fish that once cleaned, salted/peppered, and floured will fit in a skillet. However there are those fish that you catch that are small, but you can't keep because of size limits. However, the fish that I am talking about are the ones that will never be any bigger than your basic iron skillet. Here's a list of those fish that you might get lucky enough to catch. There are those fish from the perch family. Among this family are the ocean perch, pinfish, and sand perch. The next family that might move in will be the grunts. Some of the fish that fall into this group makes a little grunting noise. This group consists of the ruby red lips, (also known as "fire mouths") pigfish, croaker, and spot. Now for those of you out there who think that these fish fall under the "trash fish sign" you are very wrong! All you have to do is to take a little time, clean a few, and fry them up so that you can give them a try. By the way, I already have.

SAVANNAH SNAPPER BANKS

All I can say, "LETS GO AND SOON!"

GULF STREAM

Clark Lane and his group once again fished the blue waters of the stream this past week. They had a great catch! They caught 10 black fins, which weighted in at around 24-28 pounds each. Along with the tuna they picked up a nice Wahoo that weight in at 37 pounds. As if this catch wasn't enough, they also caught a couple of peanut dolphin. Another busy weekend for this crew! Most of these fish were caught to the south of Savannah in an area known as the "South Ledge." All fish were taken from 150 to 190 feet. Thanks again for the reports! Please keep them coming!

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

"Recycled Trash in the Fifties"
My father was a whiz with boat engines. It seemed a though he could fix almost any mechanical problems without involving factory parts. Back in the old days, you just couldn't stop what you were doing just to run out to the parts store. There are very good reasons why you couldn't and shouldn't. The first and most important was that the parts place probably didn't have what you needed in stock any way. They could probably get it, but only by Snell mail, which as you all know was slower in those days. Another reason and also a good one was the fact that the boat was out of commission, which would mean no income. You best stay with the boat and figure out some sort of a fix.

So therefore daddy would have to come up with some fast, but serviceable way of repairing the engine so that he could keep running. I have seen him remove wore out spark plugs, soak them in gasoline, re-gauge them, and back in the head they would go. I know what you must be thinking of how the engine could have possibly run correctly. Back in the old days I don't think a lot of people knew or much less cared whether the engine was truly running at it's best.

Another method of repair was the "Old Rope Trick." After breaking a belt a basic rope tied correctly would run just fine between the two pulleys. This wasn't a sure fix, but it would get you home and possibly out on another short trip. However there would be a very good chance that you might have to stop and change the rope a few times.

The last that I can remember at this time is the "Tin Can Trick." This was "Daddy's Instance Patch Kit," which consisted of a tin can and a roll of wire. Let's say that you have a blow out in your exhaust. This is when you get lots of excess steam or water depending on the location of the hole. He would cut the ends out of the cans and put them to the side. These cans could be anything from a fruit to beer can. Then he would cut the can so that he could lay it out flat. Now he had what he called a "moldable patch." He might use one can or as many as it took to go all the way around the exhaust. He would place the ends of the cans over the hole, wrap the patch (flat can material) around the pipe several times, and then wrap the wire as tightly as possible. It might have still leaked, but certainly not as much as before the patch job. All I can say about this is please don't try this on your blow out. This is due to the fact they just don't make cans like they use too!

Here's My Line Now Bite My Hook!

Captain Judy

Please check out our web site at Miss Judy Charters for more information or call us at 912-897-4921 or 912-897-2478
Thank You,
Captain Judy Helmey