THE
Fish
Whisperer
Oct. Fishing Forecast
20 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | OCT 2020
Captain
Nick Shreves
all power. Dead in the water. No electronics, no engines, nothing. The team puts
everything we know together, and in moments the boat roars to life and is skipping
toward the finish line.
We are in front of St. Simons Island and we see the largest storm of the day.
No going around, we must head straight into the depths of the blackness, the only
light is the bolts of electricity that are almost nonstop. Visibility drops to feet as we
hit the rain. Barely able to see past the boat, I watch the electronics as the team
looks out for channel markers, we pass into the St. Simon shipping channel. The
storm has passed and we are back up and running top speed, past the overturned
ship, past the pier, past Morning Star Marina. The Yamahas are purring at 5000rpm,
almost 50kts, and we cross the line and check-in with the tournament boat 10 mins
before weigh-in ends. Just in time. We didn’t win any money, but we overcame
everything that was thrown our way and made the weigh-in with a top ten finish
in SKA open class for the Largest King Mackerel Tournament in Georgia. That’s a
win in my book.
INSHORE
Trout, Redfish, and Flounder can all be caught in better numbers than the past
few months. The Shrimp are in the creeks and with the cooler water, the fish are
starting to feed. As the month goes on, the bite will only get better. For those fishing
inshore, fishing a cork rig with a live Shrimp, you should do pretty well. When
you find the fish, try throwing an artificial and save the live bait for the next spot.
The Sheepshead bite should pick up inshore as well. Fiddler Crabs are the bait of
choice. Fishing oyster racks pilings and any type of structure is a good bet for these
great eating fish.
What a crazy summer we all have had between all forced to have time off to
extremely busy with the tourists flocking to Georgia to try and enjoy the somewhat
normal lifestyle the rest of the world was no longer providing. Along with all this,
Big Fish Charters did everything we could do to get as many families and friends
out to enjoy a day on the water. It was fantastic to see the smiles and excitement
in so many folk’s eyes. With the new boat came challenges and opportunities, one
of which was the getting back into tournament fishing in the Southern Kingfish
Association, also known as the SKA. We didn’t fish them all as planned, but we
fished the last two legs and learned a lot as a team. These lessons will be used to
help the team improve next year, in hopes of Team Pelagic Prophet bringing home
a win or two. Many never get to see the tournament side of fishing, so I would like
to share a short version of the last leg of Tournament Series, well, my version of it
at least.
A muggy August morning, the team loads the boat of ice, tackle, food, bait and
everything else you think you might need for a day of King Mackerel fishing. The
only light is the soft glow of the blue spreader lights on the top of the boat. We are
unable to cross into the ocean till 6am and can’t put fishing lines in till 7am. We
make our way slowly in the bay toward the ocean, watching the clock. 6am hits and
its throttle’s down. Time to catch bait. We break the sound as we quickly accelerate
past 45kts to an area I know holds bait. Over the next 30 mins we catch bait and
prepare for the next run to a bait and fishing hole not too far away, say 9 miles or
so. The boat is back up and throttle is near pinned as 500 horsepower pushed the
boat across the tops of the waves, skipping toward the fishing grounds.
Arriving just after 7am, we make short work of getting lines in. This spot is hit
or miss, and once we know the fish are not there we have to make the run to spot
number two. The team heads on into the seas. We all wish we could say it was
calm, but those words very seldom are said during a tournament. Choppy is a better
fitting term, to say the least. 8 miles later we arrive and the team gets to action.
Everyone does their part and within minutes, fish on. Dumping line, we knew it was
a King. Seconds later another rod screams and we have a double hookup. This is
when it gets fun. Two fish, both running different directions. I like chaos so I put out
another bait as two fish are being fought. And what do you know, it gets smashed.
Now, this is a big bait about 20 inches long. This fish is running fast and within
seconds I have lost 200 yards of line. Then tragedy strikes and the fish is lost. My
heart drops, knowing I just lost the monster. But no time, we still have two fish on.
Cameron and Kaylee are doing wonderful and it’s about time to do some gaffing.
Cameron’s fish is about ready and makes a last second run right for the Yamahas
and seconds before another tragedy, I stick the fish and sling the fish onto the deck.
Kaylee has visual on her fish and I ungaff the fish and meet her on the bow as she
works the fish. The team gets one fish into the fish box as I must stretch and reach
deep to gaff fish number two. the gaff sinks deep, but the fish is not done. As it
bolts, it tries to pull me into the drink, and with a hard pull, fish tail moving 100mph,
water slinging everywhere, the fish lands on deck and everyone is excited and lets
out a scream of joy. Two solid fish on board and a couple hours left before we must
make the run to weigh in.
Hours pass and a few short bites, but nothing really to talk about. We make the
call to run the 70 miles to Saint Simons to weigh in our fish. Rob is at the ready
to help navigate and keep an eye out for any and every thing. To our west the
thunderstorms are building, and we know we are in for a long, wet ride. Storm after
Storm we dodge, weaving east and west by miles to stay out of the worst weather,
with the boat skipping and ponding as we race on. 35 miles to go and the port
motor trims up without notice. Trimming down the motor, I release the switch and
it automatically trims back up. We check wires and switches before we disconnect
the trim motor and manually lower the engine and continue south. 15 miles to
go and we are flying across the 3-4 foot waves at 36kts. All of a sudden, we lose
NEARSHORE
Fall is here and so are the Redfish, and they are out in full force, eating everything
they can find. You will be able to find them on every reef, all the way up to the
surf. There are a few ways to fish for these fun fighting fish. Black Sea Bass are
around and getting better every day. There are plenty of other fish to catch while
bottom fishing, including Snapper, Triggerfish, Porgies, Grouper and many other
great eating species. The trolling bite is still here for a little while longer so those
who want to catch those Spanish and King Mackerel, they are still around, don’t
give up yet. OFFSHORE
Offshore bottom fishing is great out deep - Black Sea Bass, Triggerfish, Amberjack,
Snapper, Grouper, Grunts, and there are so many more. Make sure you have Squid
and cut fish for bait and you should have a great day. The top water bite has been
slow and we are all hoping it will pick up soon.
If you are interested in joining me on a fishing adventure, give me a call at Big
Fish Charters (912) 230-4625.