Miss Judy Charters
Captain Judy Helmey
"Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!"
124 Palmetto Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 or 912 897 3460 fax
www.missjudycharters.com
October 1, 2007
Captain Judy's Saltwater Fishing Report
Which includes:
Inshore report, Offshore Report, Freshies Suggestions, and "Little Miss Judy's Believe It or Not!" (Story)
Captain Ray's Windy Day Conditions
When the wind is blowing all fishermen including those that do it for a living have a tough time finding fish. It's not that the fish aren't there it's just that the readable signs get covered up by rough conditions. Those fishermen that plan their day by the wind direction already know what I am going to say. Lets take a strong northeast wind direction in to account on this particular fishing report. The first thing you need to do is to figure out how many of your fishing drops or areas have a northeast exposure to this wind. The second thing you need to do is to take these fishing spots out of your visiting plan, because these areas are going to be too rough to safely fish in the first place.
Captain Ray Crawley of Miss Judy Charters knows his way around windy conditions. He called these times "search, search, and search more days!" He fishes any areas that look fishy that have any sort of structure. Last week, we had plenty of northeast winds to contend with, which meant lots of "moving practice" for sure!
Captain Ray turned a four into a six-hour fishing trip for sure. It wasn't that he was catching so many fish that his trip was stepped up, it was because he had to find them first! Captain Ray is one of those very seasoned fisherman, meaning "one that has plenty of experience!" He was determined to find fish. It took him a while, but it happened. He fished and looked at a lot of places, but the hitting much less the catching was bare. This is when he put what always works for him and the fish into action! He started fishing "The Oldies, but Goodies!" When the wind is blowing it normally can keep you in the creek. With that being said, "Ray suggests that you "fish in the creek!"
Captain Ray started fishing old docks with broken pilings. It's best to look for those spots that are supporting lots of growth. (Oysters and barnacles.) In Captain Ray's case he is fishing areas that are "old and maybe partially broken down!" This is just about where I throw my "bird dropping theory" into account. Birds that sit and watch normally "do drop!" To drop they have to feed. To sit they have to see some sort of "potential feeding opportunity!" Where there is food there is fish! In this case "you have gone straight to the birds for help!"
Captain Ray has lots of theory especially when it comes the "whims of the red fish!" I can say "he had good reasoning for this, because he certainly does catch his share of these fish!" According to Captain Ray, "red fish will, but don't have to feed everyday." The fact of the matter is they might just feed every other day. This could be due to the fact that they have a slow digestive system. All this made sense to me because red fish love anything that's wrapped in a shell. This is one wrapping that would be hard for any system to digest. After all it's not like fish skin.
Red fish that have been constantly feeding basically pack their food in. I watched as Captain Ray cleaned a bass the other day and its stomach was pack full of crab parts. It seems after looking at this mess we all came to the conclusion that the claws being the thickest must be the hardest to digest. The fish's stomach was full of half digested body shell parts and lots of whole complete claws. Other preferred food such as those that have skin and scales are processed much quicker.
Captain Ray has come to the conclusion that when the red fish feed primarily in the flooded marshes their feeding habits change. They "feed one day and rest the next." It would seem from looking at the stomach contents that once full of crab parts the fish has to wait for the digestion mode to take place.
Red fish are the happiest when they are in the feeding mode especially when it is occurring in the grass. There reason being is that crabs are their favorite meal of all times. Most fish find a slough, which offers the path of least resistance when entering the flooded grass areas. However, the red fish isn't like most they wait in the deeper water and when the marsh floods the move right in making their own way. If you watch long enough you can exactly see the fish making their way through the partially covered marsh. When water or winds moves object whether they are attached or not everything mostly moves in a pattern. When a red fish swims through the grass, "the moves don't match the current pattern!" So therefore some "fish watching" is going to be in your future!