With the heat on its way, spring is slowly turning into summer. A lot of different baits that associate with warmer water temps have begun showing up. Pogies and menhadens can now be seen flipping out in the sounds and in the river channels and can be easily caught with a cast net. Ready to get some Savannah fishing in this weekend read the latest Savannah Fishing Report.

Bait: What To Know?

A few bait houses still are getting large white shrimp for sale, which will soon be replaced by the new crop of white shrimp, which have just begun showing up in the creeks and, once large enough to stay in the net, can easily be caught using a cast or drag net.

Mummichog (minnows/polliwogs) are still the easiest bait to come by and still plentiful in creeks, ditches, and covert pipes were pooled up water traps them at low tide, and can best be caught by trap or cast net.

Larger mullet can be seen jumping around near river and creek banks, along with smaller schools of mullet beginning to show up, but just like the shrimp, they are still tough to get as they are too small and slip thru the cast nets.

What’s Biting In Savannah?

So what’s biting? Springtime is a transition time in Savannah when fish are moving from their wintertime routine to their summertime routine.

Inshore Savannah Fishing Report

Most inshore fish can be caught using artificial bait; however, Savannah is more of a live bait fishery. Big roe trout can still be caught in about 2 to 8 feet of water, with shrimp being preferred bait under an adjustable or popping cork.

Big bull redfish have made their way back inshore and have spread out in the sounds and rivers. Slot sized redfish are best being caught using corks and Carolina rigs, with shrimp, mullet, and polliwogs, near and in sparse marsh grass areas, creek bends with trees or debris in the water, and around jetties and rock piles.

Flounders are beginning to show up sooner this year than in previous years. Flounders can be caught with shrimp but prefer a small fish such as a small mullet, small croaker, or polliwog under a cork or Carolina rig, fishing the bait right off the bottom near oyster bars and mud banks.

Offshore Savannah Fishing Report

Nearshore reefs and wrecks out 10 miles still hold some Sheepsheads, but as water temp continues to climb, they’ll move more inshore and can be caught using a Carolina rig with a fiddler crab. Reefs 8 to 20 miles out have begun having Cobia and kingfish show up.

Cobia can best be caught with bucktail jigs and live pogies and eels on a Carolina rig or on the bucktail jig. Kingfish best caught on a flat line with a steel leader and a few hooks best using a pogie or some similar-sized live baitfish.

Further out on live bottoms and near the snapper banks, grouper, snappers, sea bass, and other bottom fish can be caught now using chicken rigs and Carolina rigs with live baitfish and cut squid.

The past few weeks and for the next few weeks, the Mahi (Dolphin) bite is happening; stay tuned to find out more about how this pans out.

Check out the Savannah fishing report from Southern Saltwater Charters on Anchors Up Carolina each week.