Inshore Inshore fishermen can go into “watch and catch mode” for spotted seatrout, redfish, flounder, sheepshead, black drum, shark, Spanish mackerel and cobia. Now is also the time to bring out the cast net and catch your own bait. Peanut menhaden, finger mullet, mud minnows and shrimp are plentiful. All of these baits will work under traditional adjustable floats or popping corks, Carolina style rigs or “just plain naked!” Those fishermen who want to use artificial lures could consider an assortment of different colors of Strike King soft jerk baits. One favorite is the Too Baby Bass, model 3XZT00-55. These baits work rigged weedless on 3/0 worm hooks or threaded on to 1/8 ounce red, black, or white jig heads. Usually these lures never make it to the bottom before “strikes happen” so cast them out, let them fall. Offshore bottom and top water fishing at the Savannah Snapper Banks June is the month that nearly all offshore fishermen have been waiting for. Just about all species of fish you can catch in the ocean will have arrived. So far, the 2014 catching season has not let us down with fishermen catching lots of cobia around buoys, artificial reefs and Savannah Snapper Banks. The best baits for cobia are eels under beefed up adjustable floats or Carolina style rigs. Live prawn shrimp is another favorite. To add to this already good catching time, grouper, vermilion, and black bass catching seasons are open. For grouper I suggest live fish on the bottom such as cigar minnow, Spanish sardines or sand perch. When targeting the larger species of vermilion snapper try the liveliest cigar minnows, Boston mackerel or Spanish sardines you can catch. Bring along more than one set of Sabiki gold hook rigs to catch all the bait you will need. This works great when dropping over wrecks located at the artificial reefs. It’s also Spanish mackerel time. All you need is a small 0 or 00 Clark Spoon to get this catching job done. The king mackerel bite will get hot and heavy. Best artificial baits are the ever popular Drone Spoon pulled at around 7 knots or live bait rigs with stinger hook in tow.
