April 2020 fishing report and spring recap
April fishing report
April 2020 has brought us more than our share of surprises as well as struggles along with the rest of the world. On a positive note, we are still up and running in the safest possible manner and enjoying the fresh air with our clients as well as all of the surprises we have the pleasure to see in the outdoors. It is a unique time here in the golden isles as our migratory fish begin to come in and our resident species begin to settle into more predictable patterns. Life is abundant on our sector of coastline as dolphins play, sea turtles prepare to nest, and bait fish bring in sharks, whales, and a plethora of hungry predators. We had a warm winter with a ton of rainfall and we are finally starting to see all of the freshwater pushing out. I expect to see a very consistent inshore bite next week after these super moon tides subside, and that should continue throughout the spring.
Inshore
Last week the water began to clear up and we found steady trout fishing with excellent quality fish compared to past years of April fishing. Redfish, flounder, drum, and sheepshead are also holding in your favorite inshore fishing locations. If you keep moving and looking you will find the bite. I fished in nearly impossible conditions this week and managed to find windows of decent action on all species. Typical spring inshore fishing in the golden isles is an abundance of smaller fish with a few stout ones mixed in. This year I am seeing more quality fish overall for sure.
In the shallow water, redfish are doing their thing and tailing hard in the Spartina grass on the flood tides and are eager to take a well presented fly or artificial lure. Low water fishing has been a bit more challenging this winter and spring with questionable water clarity, but if you can search out some decent water the fish are there. Some days they are happy, cruising and feeding, while other days are a bit more challenging. The fish are there but seem to be locked up and barely moving. They are still catchable with a stealthy approach and longer, well placed casts.
Tripletail
This cat has been out of the bag for a couple of weeks now. April fishing for Tripletail has produced some fantastic opportunities to sight cast for these floating dinosaurs. Some days you have to put in your time, but if you are a bit lucky you will have plenty of shots at plus sized tripletail right now. Over the next month we will see more and more fish with a lot of smaller ones moving in. NOW is the time to set up your tripletail trip!
Nearshore
We have spent many hours over the winter and early spring jigging around the nearshore structure, and offshore for that matter. It has been a very productive fishery for us all season and will continue throughout the spring months. Bull Reds, Weakfish, Sea Bass, Sheepshead, flounder, bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and plus sized sand tiger sharks are all making their presence known on the nearshore structure as I speak. In the next few weeks, I expect to start seeing cobia, kingfish, spadefish, and more filtering in to the nearshore reefs and wrecks. Further offshore has been excellent the past few months as well. If you can get away from the red snapper, there are an abundance of tasty specimens available as well as some absolute bruiser tackle busters to tangle with.
Kids Fishing
Kids fishing can include all of the above. Of course we offer shorter, simple excursions for families focusing exclusively on the kids. They have been scarce lately with the virus situation, but the action is really starting to heat up. Whiting fishing has remained strong in the sounds and just off of the beach. The warmer waters are bringing in bait and numerous small shark species as well. This should only improve throughout the next few months.
Thank you for reading, and thank you to all of our loyal customers over the years. We really appreciate all of you and look forward to making more memories on the water.
-Captain Rob