Georgia
Fishing Reports and Articles are brought to you by
the above listed Sponsors
By:
Penn Reels Pro Fishing Guide - Capt. Richie Lott
Red
Snapper Fishing
Many
trips to Georgia’s 40 Mile live bottom over the last
few years proves this Spring to be far better than years
past for big (Mule) Red Snapper.
As
we approached the R-5 Tower, we stopped in close for a
bait check around the legs of the tower. Thousands of
peanut cigar minnows surrounded the north tower legs,
so we picked up 50 or so and headed east as I beat myself
up for not having caught any Pinfish the day before.
Now,
lets get started! Anybody who reads my articles knows
I am a bottom fisherman of many targets. After all the
great bottom I have fished, I have never in my life seen
a bottom marking on my Furuno Color Scope quite as intense
as the one on this trip. The bottom literally "Blew
Up" when we eased up to the numbers and zeroed out.
We all stared in amazement at the color scope like we
were possessed. A hidden photo shot would have been priceless
as we stood there staring at the Furuno with our mouths
hanging open in dead silence. Finally, I broke the trance.
"Man, this is gonna’ be ugly!"
This
mark was on a 10-ft. ledge at the Brunswick Snapper Banks.
For whatever reason, this ledge always tends to hold more
fish than any other in the area and it’s no secret
fishing spot. It’s on any chart you pick up from
the Georgia DNR. This intense marking rose 25 ft. off
the bottom.... A charter fishing guide dream. It was simply
incredible to see the textbook "fire engine red"
marking stacked up high off the live bottom like this
at a sharp angle into the current. This type marking is
typical of hundreds of fish stacked up over the back side
of a structure or ledge.
After
a scurrying rampage to get the proper weights snapped
on, we re-approached and positioned perfectly on top of
the marking in 117 ft., the first drop to the bottom didn’t
quite make it. At about 100 ft., the Ugly Stik 30-60 Rod
dumped over the gunwale and pinned our client to the stern
of the "Disco-Stik", a 31’ Contender Open
Fisherman owned by Capt. Richie Lott. "Fish On";
was about all he could manage to grunt as we all screamed
for him to reel, reel, reel! Hold your rod up high! The
seemingly long, but brutal battle produced a 30-inch Red
Snapper right out the gate. What a beauty for a starting
fish!
As
we photographed the fish and angler, another scream and
feet shuffling told us another Snapper had again pinned
someone to the side of the boat. This round was won by
an angler who boated a Gag Grouper about 17 pounds after
a furious fight on a lighter Rod that we had originally
rigged for smaller Vermilion Snapper. I don’t know
how the 3/0 lighter wire hook didn’t bend or break
under the pressure of the deep water Grouper. We use custom
made hooks by Redfishone because they do not break and
it's worth the few extra bucks per hundred hooks.
I
fish with my reels locked down as tight as the drag will
go. When you hook up with a big bottom fish, you don’t
want any line to leave your reel. Lock those drags down
tight, keep your rod up high and hold on! It’s you
and him head to head, no drag.
After
that Grouper, we decided we had better change out all
the rods rigged for Vermilion Snapper as the leader was
60 pound and the hooks were 3/0 medium. I didn’t
want to take the chance of losing a large Mule or a giant
Gag, so we rigged up with 150 mono leader and larger hooks.
A
limit of Georgia Red Snapper
In
short order, our crew had a legal limit of beautiful Red
Snapper and it quickly got to the point where the boy’s
had enough. We were releasing 30 inch fish. Sad isn’t
it? They begged for those big Mule Snapper to quit biting!
After a total of 18, the tide changed and the Vermilion
bite turned on. The boy’s were relieved as their
rods bent only half of what they had bent with the Mule
Red Snapper.
A
limit of Vermilion Snapper was obviously NOT going to
be problem, but as each three pound "bee liner"
hit the deck, it got quieter, until finally they had enough
of catching fish. There is a sense of satisfaction when
everyone agrees their arms and back simply can’t
function properly enough to catch another fish. I don’t
see this as a problem. I see it as mission accomplished!
You
don’t need any special numbers or holes to catch
fish on Georgia's 40 - Mile Bottom Snapper Banks. Go by
the DNR office in Brunswick and pick up the public chart.
There are plenty of good numbers marking ledges and outcrops
that are holding these fish. It’s simply a great
year for bottom fishing and this rings true for Savannah
and many other places on the East Coast according to the
reports I have been reading.
If
you don’t bottom fish much, there are a few things
you need to know about. First of all, those fish need
to be of legal size. Depending on what State you are in,
it’s usually 20 inches. Be sure and check your bag
limit, too. In Georgia, it’s (2) Red Snapper per
Angler. For Gag Grouper in Georgia, it’s 24 inches
and (2) fish per Angler.
The
process of releasing deep water bottom fish is critical.
When releasing an undersized fish or over the limit fish,
you must de-flate the air bladder of the fish to allow
a safe return back to the bottom. Otherwise, the fish
will float on the surface and eventually die. .
The
Arsenal
When
your’re pitching to big deep water fish, you need
a big bat to hit with. There is no better bottom fishing
rod than an Ugly Stik in my book. Here is my rig for Red
Snappper.
- Ugly
Stik 30-60 or 40-80 Rod
- Penn
Torque 100 International High Speed Reel loaded with
80 pound braided line
- 9/0
Redfishone Circle Hook (http://www.redfishone.com)
- 6
ft. of 100 Mono leader
- 10-16
oz. Bank Weight
- 90
Pound Snap Swivel
You
can use the same rod and reel for Vermilion Snapper but
change your terminal tackle a bit. Use 60 pound mono leader
and (2) 5/0 circle hooks. Some anglers use one hook rigs,
me included, but if the fish are biting well and you’re
not on the virge of being worn out, use a 2 hook rig to
produce numbers of fish.
If
the fish are finicky, I will rig with a single 3/0 straight
hook so I can actually set the hook instead of depending
on the circle hook to do the job for me. When they won’t
inhale it and mouth at it instead, you need to be able
to set the hook with a stiff rod. Don’t think
that was just some trash fish stealing your bait. Many
times, it’s not. It's a Vermilion ripping you off.
Your
best bet for bait is live Sardines, but some do not have
the time to catch 50 of them before a trip. Frozen Sardines,
Boston Mackerel and whole squid can all be purchased the
day before your trip. Don’t ever depend on live bait
holding where it was last trip. You know how that can
change if you are an offshore fisherman.
For up to date info:
www.charterfish.com
More Georgia
Saltwater Fishing Report
