CAPT JUDY JULY 2008

July 14, 2008

Happy Fish Day!

Saltwater inshore, offshore, blue water fishing report, Freshies Suggestions, and “Little Miss Judy’s story! Thanks for reading! Captain Judy

Inshore Report

Dog Days of Summer

It’s a known fact especially when it comes to fishing that when it gets real hot “the bite sometimes is not!” Captain Ray Crawley of Miss Judy Charters has offered up a few inshore fishing tips to battle the Dog Days of Summer Bite Pattern! Heck, if you think about it fish aren’t the only ones affected by the heat, fishermen are too! So therefore it only makes sense that when it’s real hot the bite is going to be a little different.

Lets start off with bait used. As you know shrimp is always great bait, but it can be very delicate especially during these hot times. My father always added a few pieces of ice to the old bait tank. Another great way to keep your bait alive as well as lively is to make sure that your tank is working properly. It doesn’t matter what kind of system that you are using as long as the new water is continuously being added to the mix and it’s circulating properly. If this is not the case your bait won’t last long and it will become stressed out sooner. These two things alone can turn a regular fish catching day into a non-catching nightmare!

You can purchase bait from your local tackle shop or during this time you can catch your own. In the case of catching your own, I suggest purchasing a cast net that fits your needs. Call River services about cast net sizes…912 354 7777 Ask for Alan…they have an array of different styles!

Captain Ray tries to catch his bait used especially at this time, because what’s out there is definitely what the fish are going to hit. During this time of the year he catches lot of shrimp that are too small to use as bait. However, during this process of casting and keeping any shrimp large enough to use he also catches finger mullet. This is a fish that’s especially good to use at this time of the year as bait. The reason being is that fish, when the opportunity arises are going to get as much as they can out of what they are going to eat. In the case of a finger mullet, it carries more calorie weight than a small shrimp. These baits are good, because one gulp and it’s a good solid mouth full down the hatch!

As we talked Captain Ray’s opinion about inshore fish in general came to light. According to his hot season theory spotted sea trout are the most inshore affected by the Dog Days of Summer. You can still catch them, but they are definitely on the slow to bite pattern!

It’s best to fish areas where you have some sort of moving water. Captain Ray suggest giving “rip fishing” a try. The definition of a rip, at least from the Captain Judy meaning is: Rips in the fisherman’s world are formed with two different currents meet. When this happens a calming wall is formed, which fish of all sizes seek. Some go for protection why others go to eat! Another type of rip is formed when current moves around or over any sort of structure. When this takes place rips are formed, because different direction of currents meet.

One example would be current moving out of a slough into a creek or river. Where one current meets another a rip is formed. The good news about a rip is that you can see it on the surface. Most of the time it’s lined with some sort of debris such as marsh grass or sea foam. During this time it’s best to not be just a rip watcher, but also a fisher!

When fish are feeding there normally will be some sort of bird activity such as watching and feeding. However, birds aren’t always present. It’s just a bonus when they give you a head ups! One more suggestion before I get off the rip subject. Once you get familiar with rips, how they are formed, and look on the surface you are going to come to this conclusion: On some occasion rips have two definite sides, which in most cases sport different color water. This boils down to the fact that you might have very clear water on one side and muddy on the other. The rule of thumb when trying to decide which side is best to fish is never standard. However, the good news is that the current especially when using a float rig design, takes your bait for a ride, which is your best bet for locating the whereabouts of fish!

No matter what Captain Ray always uses the lightest type of tackle. In other words, “light tackle means the least amount of surface noise made!” So therefore if you are planning on doing some float style of fishing especially during these hot time go with mini floats and leave those large traditional rigs at home. While using the smaller floats you can fish shallower water and the noise factor is less.

When using shrimp as bait it’s best place your hook under the horn. This hook placement allows the shrimp to still swim in a most natural way. When using finger mullet as bait there is several ways to hook them up. The standard “through-the-lips” is good way to go. However, when the hook is place under the lips and out the top of the head the bait doesn’t seem to last too long. In some cases it really doesn’t matter especially where a red fish is concerned, but if a trout happens by it might just keep swimming on! According to Captain Ray the best way to hook your finger mullet is behind the dorsal fin. He places the hook midway between the dorsal fin and the tail. If the hook is placed below the center of the mullet’s body and it hits the backbone it will kill your bait. Always place above mid center and you shouldn’t have any problem with your bait. This bait hook up allows your fish to move naturally and it can last a long time cast after cast!

The standard hook size for this set up is 2/0 Kale. While on the subject of hooks let talk a little about what’s best to purchase. This first thing is those hooks that are made from bronze aren’t very good. They are sharp and will work right out of the box. They just rust too quickly for me! With them rusting like they do when introduced to salt air they don’t work too well in the hook up department. When I ordered hooks this month for my offshore boat they made a mistake and sent bronze. I have never seen hooks rust so fast so bad! I suggest going with nickel plate as your first pick and gold as your second. However, if bronze is the only thing that you have they will work for about one day!

This Happen Twice in the Same Location

Captain Ray while showing the customer how to cast set got a real surprise. As they watched as he explained apparently those down under were listening too! The reason being as soon as his artificial jerk bait hit bottom something big grabbed it. Captain Ray handed the rod over to the closest customer and a serious fight began. After about 20 minute into the fight, the fish got away. They never got to ID the fish! There is more….

The next day same area, same rod, same bait, but different customers, it happened again. While showing the next day’s group basically the same thing happened. He cast, explained, big fish hit it, he handed it to the closest customer, and a great fish fight was started. After about 40 minutes of real sweating, reeling, and looking a large barn door type ray was brought to the surface. After many pictures and high fives the stingray was release unharmed back to the wild! Captain Ray trained fish at your service! Now you know the rest of the story!

Captain Matt’s Spotted Sea Trout Catching Design

Although this time of the year is known as the “Dog Days of Summer!” a good solid spotted sea trout bite can happen. All you need is a plan to work with. Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters is what you would call a “Seasoned fishermen!” This means he has fished a long time and has taken what he has experience in the past to use to catch fish in the present. Since I fit into the “real old seasoned fisher category” I know how important it’s to come up with some sort of “Fish Plan.” However, if you don’t get to fish as much as you would like it can be hard to put a plan into motion. Your best bet is to ask other fishermen and also keep records of all your fishing experiences. And of course read my weekly fishing report!

When Captain Matt leaves the dock his plan for catching fish has already been set. This past week he fished the sounds and rivers. According to his report he fishes differently now than he would later on the in the year. Firstly, he is fishing areas where he has caught fish before. In the case of the spotted sea trout during these hot times they can be found from 2 to 15 feet of water. This means any particular spot that you intend on fishing you need to spread out a bit. To do so you are going to need to use two different styles of floats.

For Shallow water..

Lets say, “you are in position and it’s time to fish.” You are anchored in a spot where you have caught fish before meaning there is a good possibility that will catch them again. From the 2 to 5 feet of water Captain Matt suggests using his popping cork set up, which don’t offer up adjustable depth like the traditional ones. The best way to adjust your depth fished with a popping cork is by length of lead used. For instance: If you are fishing in two foot of water you leader needs to be about 18 inches long. This length will keep your bait in the lower half of the current water column, which is fish feed. As you increase depth fished you are going to have lengthen your leader. When using a popping cork about the deepest you can get your bait with leader used is about 6 to 7 feet. These corks will work out using with 4 to 5 foot leaders, but anything longer “calls up” all kinds of tangling orders.

Captain Matt’s popping corks are set up with “dog eared sinker” on shaft. (1/4 to 3/8 ounce sinkers) Once the sinker is added to your popping cork you can cast it better and it has more stability. His pound test leader varies. In the fall and winter he uses 15 to 20 pound test regular monofilament line as leader. In the “Dog Days of Summer” he prefers to use a 30-pound test leader, because of the occasional red fish and shark encounters. However, it never hurts especially when fishing more than two rods that you mix it up a bit meaning lighter leader on some of the floats. Unfortunately, you might miss the bite at any particular place due to something as small as a mere leader pound test change.

When you start fishing more than 6 Feet of Water

After you get over into 6 feet of water depth off the bank it’s time to go back in time! This just means pull out the standard traditional adjustable float rigs. The old stand bys have always worked like a charm in deeper water. Now you know that during the hot times you need lots of extra equipment as well as ideas to get your best chance at catching fish.

Bait and all that it imples!

Since we have talked enough about tackle needed lets cover bait especially during the hot times! Captain Matt knows to catch a fish you need to go with what you have. For instance if all you can get is small shrimp then you need to down size your hook used. Captain Matt’s preferred hook used during this time is #4 Kale.

The rule of thumb with using small bait is to go with the least invasive hook that you can. The reason being is that smaller hooks allow your bait to swim and act more natural. Another thing to remember is you need to keep your bait suspended right above the bottom. Especially during hot times everything is in a “low stage mode!”

All of this boils down to finding a spot, anchoring up, and then fishing 360 degrees around your boat. The fish might be staging at any depth. So therefore don’t rule working all areas, because the spots that you don’t work could be the ones holding the fish.

Offshore Artificial Reefs

This is that time of the year where a fisherman that wants to spend a day on the artificial reefs have options and lots of them. The fact of the matter is I suggest leaving the real bait home. All you really need to get this fish catching show on the road is a few gold hook sibiki rigs and you will be in business. Here how it can work for you:

If trolling is your plan “drag some metal spoons!” If you look in my tackle box you will find two types: Clark and Drone spoons. I have an assortment of these lures on hand. Both styles of spoons will work when pulled behind trolling sinkers or planers. For those of you that want a description of a trolling sinker here’s goes: A trolling sinker is basically a trout sinker sized up! My favorite size-trolling sinker when using 2 inch to 21/2 inch Clark spoon is 2 ounce. I also have some 2-inch Drone spoon, which I can use with this same set up.

I found out this past week that my #3 planer set up wasn’t working too well so I made a quick change. I changed up and went with a #2 planers, which still weren’t doing the job. I was marking Spanish mackerel deep, but no takers! So therefore I pulled the planers in and went to spoon pulled behind sinkers. This worked!

Captain Judy’s personal planer design: When using #1, #2, or #3 planers I always attached a 90 to 100 pound test snap swivel to the back end. This is where I tie on my leader. This helps eliminate some of the twisting in leader that takes place. If your leader continuously “twists up” I suggest changing your swivel and also changing your leader out. I also suggest throwing that swivel away, because you certainly don’t want to use it again. To the swivel I tie 15 feet of 20-pound test monofilament line. I prefer to use standard monofilament not wire. Yes, it’s true when you use wire you don’t lose as many spoons. However, you don’t get as many hits or catches either. I tie the spoon directly on to the leader. I use two type sizes of Clark spoons: 2 inch and 21/2 Clark spoons. Some captains preferred to have on board silver and gold spoons. However, I am one of these silver color users. Captain Deidra Jeffcoat changed from silver to gold while trolling last week and it made a hit with the fish. So therefore, I suggest purchasing a few gold ones too!

Captain Judy’s personal sinker design: I always keep plenty of different weight trolling sinkers in my tackle box. As I said earlier, trolling sinkers are basically trout sinkers “sized up!” My preferred used trolling sinker is 2 ounce. The reason being is that my boat floats high out of the water so this size is necessary. You might be able to get away with smaller ones. Heck, you might even be able to use those trout sinkers! My main line when trolling with sinkers is 20-pound test. I suggest if you want to go with lighter pound test that you give that a try with your trout sinkers. The leader between the sinker and the spoon is, you guessed 20-pound test regular monofilament line. I use about a 4 to 6 feet of leader between the sinker and the spoon. Trolling/trout sinkers come with an in house swivel. I always tie a swivel on the end of my main line and attached to the end of the sinker that doesn’t have the swivel. I attach my leader to the swivel end of the sinker.

Let talk a little about 20 pound test leaders. Spanish mackerel have real sharp teeth and sometimes several try to hit your trolled spoon at the same time. This act results in “nicks in your leader!” I suggest after landing your fish that you pull the leader through closed finger and feel for any weak points in your line. Sometimes you can see them, but not all of the time. If you have sort of “nicks or abrasions” on your leader I suggest changing it out before “going fishing again!”

During this time some of the Spanish can be on the large side. And not only that, but we have caught quite a few snake kings with this set up. Snake kings run about 7 pounds each, which are a lot of fun on this light tackle design! So therefore you need to make sure you drag set isn’t to tight! In other words, you should be able to pull your main line off the reel without too much problem. After you get your fish on, depending on the size, you can then adjust your drag properly! Please don’t forget your dip net and your gaff!

Blue Water Report

This is the time of the year where you are just as likely to catch a blue water fish in green water! The best news is that when they get to green water they will hit just about anything!

Freshies Report

Celo Spoons by Hildebrandt

I had an interesting conversation with one of my offshore customers in regards to freshwater “Get Them” techniques. Howard Johnson, love that name, of Augusta, Georgia offered up a few great fresh water tips. I’m sure I could have gotten more, but offshore fishing got in the way of talking!

Howard loves to troll, cast, and jig the Celo spoons. According to his suggestion large mouth bass love them. These spoons spoon come in three different sizes and sports different size trailing treble hooks. When he trolls or cast this lure he adds about 16” inch of leader to which he attaches to a swivel and then his main line. Howard’s rule of thumb when using this lure is to troll and cast it during the warmer months. When the water temperatures drop so does this spoon. He then works it mostly near the bottom around structure.

As Howard was passing me at the helm chair he mentioned that he also customizes a few of his surface worked plugs. These are store brought for sure, but when he finishes with them they are called “Howard Johnson Specials!” Plugs that he plan on working on the surface or should I say, “floating hollow plugs” get special attention. He drills a hole just large enough so as to stick a few “B B’s” into the lure’s hollow body. With this addition, he shakes the lure and if he likes the tune it plays, he closes the hole. Once the hole is repaired it looks just like it did right out of the box. In other words gum is not used. Howard actually closes “the BB entry hole” with proper type filler, sands, and repaints. With the added “BB’s” inside the lure rattle’s tune played is called, “Big Bass Attend!” Being a fisherman myself I know and so should you that Howard’s not just doing this because he likes the noise made or doesn’t have anything better to do! It’s because it get the attentions of big fish!

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

Used Car Salesman
Part one! Many parts to come!

Just when I thought I had wrote it all someone gets on my boat that reminds me of yet another interesting chapter in my father’s unbelievable life. Although he passed in 1993 at the age of 93 he still lives on in my stories. My father was a used car salesman of a different kind. According to my father to be a successful car salesman you didn’t have to know a lot about cars just people! With that last statement please let me entertain you with some of the most unbelievable details into the life of my father “the car salesman!”

My father was a real character for sure. He loved life and he lived it to it fullest. If you have been reading my stories you probably already know that he was a serious rascal for sure! I’m sure that you have heard the old saying, “You know what you know as well as do what you do, because you lived it as a child!” For instance, my father was a charter boat captain and I followed in his footsteps. I was raised around fishing and I got hooked. Well, my father did a lot of things besides fish and since I was there first hand I learned a lot. With that last statement lets talk a little about used cars of yesteryear and their odometer readings. These reading or should I say “numbers” tell you how many miles a car has supposedly traveled. When you are looking to purchase a used automobile most of the time the amount of miles is one of the things you look at first as well as ask about. The next thing is “has it been wrecked?” Then there are standard other questions such as does it burn oil, what kind of mileage, and how’s it rides might be other questions to follow.

Back in the used car days there were dealers that always answered the same way and then there were those that skirted the truth. They weren’t straight out liars they were subject changers and basically story tellers. Now if my father answered all questions asked properly I wouldn’t be writing this story, would I? Lets put it this way, questions that he could answered without having to “add lib” were the ones he really hung on too and elaborated on!

Back in the real olds day “a new paint job” didn’t necessary mean a car has been wrecked. Now it might have been run through the bushes or skirted a few trees, but not necessarily wrecked. Daddy’s meaning of wrecked meant cutting the good ends off two of the same model cars and welding them back together. By the way this was just one of his specialties! He was known for buying two very wrecked cars, which happened to be damaged at different ends and basically weld them together. Heck, I even heard him tell a potential buyer that one time. Daddy was telling the truth. However, the buyer didn’t believe that line for one moment, because it was too crazy in the first place. Half the time the customers didn’t care, because they were getting a real nice looking car at a fine discount price. The title used depended on which car’s end came first. Things were so simple back on the used car lots in the old days!

In next week’s Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not” I promise to get more detailed on odometer readings! You are going to love this information! Heck, I love writing if for sure!.

Thanks for reading!

Captain Judy