It's been an open secret that during the last few years, the striped bass fishery in the Savannah River below New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam has offered tackle-busting action.
Judging by the number of boats on the river during the early morning and late afternoon hours, it's a secret no longer. Striped bass weighing 30 pounds and more have been landed and released, not only by fishermen casting bucktails from the fishing platform or the bank, but from pontoon and other boats.
Release is the key word, since the Georgia Department of Natural Resources placed a moratorium against catching and keeping striped bass and hybrids back in the 1980s. It's not due to be lifted for a while.
Anglers fishing live herring are urged to use circle hooks because nine times out of 10, fish will be hooked in their lips. Avoid using stainless steel or other hook materials that won't rust. If a fish is hooked too deep to remove the hook without killing the fish, the line should be cut as close to the hook eye as possible and the fish released. The hook eventually will rust out .
Technique for using herring is simple: Run the boat upstream from the public Bob Baurle Boat Ramp and drift down river. Fish the herring eight or nine feet below adjustable floats, or freeline the bait fish, or fish sinker-weighted downlines. Freelining means fishing the bait with no sinkers, allowing it to swim freely. Keep an eye on the depthfinder when downlining the bait fish about a foot or two off the bottom, or you'll lose the rig on submerged logs and other obstructions.
That worked for Jim Murphy of Augusta on Wednesday afternoon, when a 30-pound class fish was caught. He also had another fish of undetermined size strip all 300 yards of line off his reel. Other fishermen later retrieved about half the line (slightly tangled) and the float.
Use tender, loving care when releasing fish. Just don't throw 'em back. Hold the fish by placing one hand beneath the tail and use the other to grip the fish by the lower jaw. Place it into the water and move it back and forth to get water flowing through its gills. When it begins to struggle, turn it loose.
STROM THURMOND LAKE
Capt. David Willard, U.S. Coast Guard-licensed full-time professional fishing guide specializing in hybrids and stripers and trophy largemouth bass. 803-637-6379 (crockett rocketstriperfishing.com) - It's been another great week for fishing. I've been able to meet and fish with some really nice people and I've had a lot of kids out and that's always enjoyable. River fishing is heating up. I was able to do some scouting for an upcoming fishing show - Bob Redfern's Outdoor Magazine. Those fish are in the 20-to-30-pound class and all must be released. Circle hooks will help you. In many cases, the fish are lip-hooked and easily released unharmed. The lake fishing also has been super. Bob and Wesley Dickerson from Atlanta caught limits of hybrids and stripers by 9 a.m. George Hamilton and his two sons, Cal, 9, and Brady, 5, from Martinez fished with Kenny Mosley and his two sons, Brandon, 10, and Justin, 15, from Mobile, Ala. They had a blast, catching a cooler full of fish despite a lot of LDRs. Those kids will always remember that trip. Tom Clary from Aiken called in his team of fish killers: Steve McLemore and Neal Brook. They're all good fishermen and ended up with five species of fish: white perch, yellow perch, largemouths, hybrids and stripers. Most of our fish were caught on live herring in 24 to 30 feet of water and we used spoons to jig up the perch.
Ralph Barbee, professional guide 706-860-7373 - I've been having a blast on the Savannah River below the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. My August TV show will feature catching striped bass and hybrids on live herring and artificial lures.
My 30-minute fishing show will appear every Thursday evening this month at 10:30 p.m., just before the news. It also will appear on Comcast Channel 66 on Mondays at 9:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Our first show features Columbia County Sheriff Clay Whittle, sportsman Enon Hopkins and guide Jim Murphy of Augusta.
Billy Murphy with sons Jim and Brad (guides for hybrids, striped bass, crappies) 706-733-8097 - Henry Finny and his grandson, Joey Whittaker, fished with me July 9. We fished live herring for stripers and hybrids in 19 to 40 feet of water. We caught nine fish weighing between 2 and 4 pounds, but missed a lot more. The fish were finicky, hitting the bait and then letting go. They kept score on who caught the most and at first, Granddad surged ahead. But after it was over, Joey had a 5-4 edge.
SAVANNAH RIVER
New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam
Lock and Dam Bait and Tackle (Bob Baurle), 706-793-8053 - Steve Owens caught 21 nice catfish and one nice flounder on cut shrimp. Mack Peeler has been catching lots of mullet, while bream, shellcracker and redbreasts are being caught in deep holes along high banks down river. Largemouth bass also are hitting buzz baits, spinnerbaits and top-water plugs.
Fishermen are reminded striped bass and hybrid bass cannot be lawfully caught and kept from the river's mouth at Savannah to the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. The moratorium is in effect until July 1, 2006.
MERRY BROS.
BRICKYARD PONDS
Harrison Sears (706) 722-8263 (www.brickyardponds.com) - Seventeen people fished last week's bass tournament, and Marty Pearson and Dean Maruca had the heavy stringer of 8.15 pounds. Rod Goins and Tracy Kitchens had big fish of 2.5 pounds. Johnny Amerson keeps having his line broken and we're going to have to call him the "Mudfish King." We think that's what he's hooking, but HE claims they're bass. Our big fish of the month is a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass caught by Travis Sharpe in the Ditch on a crank bait.
Our bass tournament will take place again today. There is a $20 per person entry fee and 75 percent payback. Hours are 6 p.m., until. Call the ponds for more information. We now have a site on the Internet at www.brickyardponds.com.
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BEAUFORT, S.C. & VICINITY
Joe Mix, Island Outfitters, Ladys Island, (843) 522-9900 - With the disappearance of weedlines, offshore trolling turned sour this week. One boat ventured 56 miles out to fish the 180-foot Edisto Bank ledge. They trolled an additional 20 miles farther east and had no success. Returning to the ledge, they marked a concentration of baitfish on their fish-finder. They tried bottom fishing and caught nearly 150 pounds of Nassau and speckled grouper, vermilion snapper, trigger fish and large black sea bass measuring to 19 inches. They released two amberjacks, one of which might have gone 50 pounds, and several barracuda.
Inshore fishing for spottail bass, tarpon and whiting remain very good. To help quickly release fish whose lengths may be under and over the legal size, many sportsmen are marking their fishing rods in one-inch increments with fingernail polish. It's a simple matter to hold the fish next to the markings to determine if it's a keeper.
SAVANNAH AREA
Miss Judy Charters, Capt. Judy Helmey, 912-897-4921 (www. missjudycharters.com.) P.O. Box 30771, Savannah, Ga. 31410-0771) - Charter Capt. Ken Kennickell of our charter service has done it again. Last August, Deidra Helmey Jeffcoat caught the Georgia record spadefish while fishing with Capt. Ken. On July 8, Shahram Zare of Marietta, Ga., unofficially broke the men's record with Capt. Ken.
Spotted sea trout are in their feeding mode and can be caught from creek banks, boat docks, beaches or boats. Live shrimp fished beneath an adjustable float will catch 'em every time.
Spottail bass also are active biters, while folks fishing with mud minnows and catching lots of flounder. In rigging for flounder, place the sinker before the hook, allowing the bait to swim as naturally as possible.
Tarpon are active in Warsaw Sound, the Wilmington River and the Savannah River shipping channel. If you want to try hooking one of the monsters, fish menhaden or mullet on the bottom. Have a quick anchor retrieval plan in mind because this is a fish that has to be chased.
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