By John Burke
The whiting bite is usually is one of the best indicators that winter doldrums have passed, and that the spring action is about to begin on the salt water scene.Reports this week show exactly that, with action reported from several areas along the coast.
The bite is still in the early stages of the run — one day, good actionspotty action the next.
It is, however showing up over a much wider area than a week ago, and that undoubtedly will be a calling card for many anglers.
The catch reports this week show that whiting are being taken along the beach front at Tybee Island, and also in the channels leading into Wassaw and Ossabaw Sounds.
The Coffee Bluff Inshore Fishing Club will be holding its monthly tournament this coming weekend, and the target fish this month will be whiting.
There also have been reports of whiting action in similar channels and draws along the front of St Catherines Island, and from the channel areas leading into Sapelo Sound as well as the creek separating Blackbeard and Sapelo Island.
Tripletail sighting
Another excellent indicator of spring activity is a report this week of tripletails showing up in the waters between St. Simons and Jekyll Island.
Anglers shouldn’t get real excited just yet about a steady bite with these chunky battlers. It is still too early in the year. However, there has been a sighting this week, and the report is that the run in Florida is again strong this year, and hopefully the same for Georgia waters.
The survey this week continues to show that both red drum and sheepshead continue to dominate most of the action.
There have been several reports of large sheepshead still being taken around the artificial reefs, and there also has been some inshore action also reported.
Red drum activity also has been widespread when wind conditions have allowed, and there has been considerable searching for big reds in the flooded marshes during the recent run of spring tides over the past weekend.
Reports were received this week from Coffee Bluff Marina in Chatham County, Kilkenny Marina in Bryan County, Yellow Bluff in Liberty County and Shellman Fish Camp in McIntosh County. Nearly all pointed to a mix of whiting, reds and a few sheepshead inshore, and strong action with sheepshead at the offshore artificial reefs.
Also coming from the reef areas was a report of a lot of black sea bass catches — all of which had to be released due to the closed season.
Revived striper action
Another report this week showed revived striper activity on the Savannah River. One came from Larry’s Bait and Tackle in Port Wentworth. The other came from the weekly fishing report by Capt. Judy Helmey of Miss Judy Charters.
Check out her weekly report on her website at www.missjudycharters.com. Relative to the Savannah River, she shows some excellent photos of two sizeable stripers — one which looks to be a big hybrid.
She also has a very timely report on boating safety by Capt. Alan Collins that is worth reading, as well as an update on some whiting action, a red drum feeding activity report by Capt. Ray Crawley, and another story of offshore reef sheepshead action.
With tides dropping back to more favorable fishing levels and water temperatures steadily warming, the overall action should continue to improve.
Of trout and shrimp
However, the jury is still out on spotted seatrout and shrimp. The winter freeze apparently has done some damage to both fisheries.
I talked to Doug Heymans at the CRD in Brunswick this week about the early season surveys regarding white shrimp, and he said that the count is seriously below the average.
Recent talks with several bait outlets, and also those who drag for bait shrimp at this point in the season, are not encouraging. One bait fishermen said he caught only one shrimp during a test drag. Another said he caught only four shrimp in two days of dragging.
All of this could change, and hopefully will, as water temperatures continue to rise.
The spotted seatrout fishery also is down, with only a very few showing up in any of the fishing reports and these reflecting only one or two fish.
Operation Roe
The call is out again to release all trout 18 inches or larger. It is called Operation Roe (Release over Eighteen).
DNR studies show that more than 90 percent of spotted seatrout larger than 18 inches in length are females.
As noted in last week’s report, an 18-inch, 3-year-old trout will produce over a half million eggs in a single spawn, and since they spawn several times during the spawning season, will produce as many as 17.6 million eggs during a year.
Trout age 1 and 2 comprise the majority of Georgia spotted seatrout population and produce most of the spawning eggs during the spawning season.
However, fishery biologists believe that the smaller, younger trout suffer a much higher mortality rate than larger fish during cold winters.
Following a cold winter such as experienced this year, the older and larger trout may contribute a greater portion of annual egg production than in years following a mild winter.
Operation Roe was introduced last year when a prolonged freeze was suspected of have inflicted heavy damage to the spotted sea trout fishery.
The fishery made a strong recovery in 2010, and hopefully will do the same this year.
On the fresh
On the fresh water scene, it continues to be crappie at the top of the list, but bream and redbreast are beginning play catch-up. Several reports have been received of all three species showing up on the catch lists, particularly from some of the larger river systems and impoundments.
The Savannah River Division of the Southern Anglers Challenge — a professional fresh water bass group — held its March tournament this past Saturday out of Stokes Bluff Landing.
Capturing top honors was the team of Barry Durden and Mark Markovic, both of Rocky Ford.
The two weighed in five bass totaling 19.95 pounds, including a lunkar bass which also took top honors at 8.32 pounds.
Durden also is tournament director and noted in an e-mail fishing was good — that the river was low at 4.2 feet at Clyo with a steady fall.
Second place honors went to David Poe of Savannah and Troy Strickland of Bloomingdale. The two weighed in five bass weighing 12.34 pounds.
Third place went to the team of Curtis Sanders and Greg Prichard, both of Newington with five weighing 12.18 pounds.
A two of 22 teams participated in the event, with 18 weighing in the five-bass limit.
The event is a catch-and-release contest.
Two events left
Only two tournament are left on the 2010-11 schedule for the Savannah River Division, with the team of David Cole of Twin City and Tracy Burnsed of Eden leading in points with a total of 1,474.
In close second is Durden and Markovic with 1,471.
The next tournament will be held April 16 out of Burton’s Ferry Landing.
The final event, which will be a double-point contest, will be held the third Saturday in May.
For more information on the two final events of the season and the Southern Anglers Challenge, contact Durden at 912-863-7361.
John Burke can be reached at 912-655-8505, or by e-mail at john.burke@savannahnow.com
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