captain judy helmey miss judy charters kicking fish tail...
TRANSCRIPT
Captain Judy Helmey
Miss Judy Charters
Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!
124 Palmetto Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921or 912 897 2478
912 897 3460 fax
January 31, 2017 PART ONE
Saltwater Inshore, Offshore, Blue Water fishing reports, Freshies Suggestions, and “Little Miss
Judy’s Believe It or Not story! Thanks for Reading!
Fishing statement: To try to insure that fishing stays in the hearts of those that love it and to help
the ones that are going too!
Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman’s Club 30th
Annual Sailfish Classic January 26, 27, and 28, 2017
West Palm Beach, Florida
While fishing onboard “Sore Subject” with Captain Ryan Howard, please meet the winning blue
water fishing team!
Please meet the blue water team! Left to right Scott Rowe, Milton Georgia, John Roach
Marietta, Georgia Wendy Coats, Savannah Georgia, Captain Ryan Howard, Savannah Georgia,
Ben Lazar Acworth, Georgia
A little about the crew: Captain Ryan Howard of Miss Judy Charters, Savannah, Georgia
owner/operator of “Crapshoot Charters!”
Wendy Suzanne Savannah Georgia works with Captain Ryan and is the Co-Captain of Crapshoot
Charters and assistant property manager at Sore Subject! For more pictures and details about
this tournament please see January 31, 2017 Part Two
My first hand synopsis! Inshore catching and baiting up options!
Spotted sea trout bite!
We did manage to get one trip inshore in this past week! The spotted sea trout bite still amazes
me for sure...our captains as well as recreational fishermen are having a serious winter bite for
sure! With weather temps in the mid fifties it seems that the old trout doesn’t care and they are
basically on the move looking for something to eat! And if they find a hook rigged with a live
shrimp or a mud minnow or two, it certainly is going to be feeding time for sure! As always if
you can get the bite a going you just might be able to switch to the artificial shrimp or mud
minnows patterns.
Cold Water Reds!
The red fish bite has also been awesome! If you know where to go you can catch them for sure!
Best live bait is going to be shrimp and mud minnows. And of course, we old school fishermen
know for sure that anything wrapped in a shell such as a fiddler or rock crab will also work....For
those of you that have saved last year’s shrimp, menhaden, or mullet this is also a great bait for
the old red fish. I know it is hard for some fishermen to keep any leftover bait. I mean after
putting this into the family freezer just might not be a good idea...at least unless you do this: Left
over shrimp parts and bodies with fit in a water bottle for sure. After all once place inside the
smell stays too! Wherever you do please don’t forget to wash the bottle before placing it in the
freezer. Another idea would be to go with a larger lid type plastic bottle so that you could freeze
large baits/pieces. Big gulp bottom can hold small mullet, menhaden, and also quite a few
mullet steaks. The secret is to not add water, just make sure to tighten cap and let the content air
freeze. Believe me once reintroduced back into the water these smell will get the fish’s
attention!
We are still having an inshore bite!
Captain Matt Williams Terry Morris Brunswick, Georgia, Jean Harrison, Albany, Georgia, and
Pam Kirk, Lawrenceville, Georgia
Jean Harrison Albany Georgia is holding up a nice trophy red fish that she caught while fishing
with Captain Matt Williams of Miss Judy Charters
It is deep hole dropping shrimp time of the year!
Not a lot of fishermen talk about this, but since this is a fishing report I thought I would share
this information with you. How do you know where to start? A good way to find deep holes in
creeks and rivers is to pick up a current chart or in some cases your chart plotter will already
been loaded with detailed bottom contours.
For those that like casting in the deeps holes for shrimp now is the time of this sport. It’s best
to use a 12 foot net, which is modified with addition of duct tape or other materials to enhance
performance. Please always check to make sure what you can use and have correct licenses or
proper legal net rigging from Georgia DNR. Go to http://www.gofishgeorgia.com/ or/and pick
up a copy of the current 2017 Georgia regulations for sport fishing. Most marina’s and tackle
stores have them available!
Captain Kevin Rose of Miss Judy Charters
Captain Kevin Rose hones in on the best cold water bait!
It’s all about the old mud minnow!
During cold water fishing times there are at least three ways to rig up mud minnows. And
actually, believe it or not, but this is a bait that works all of the time. I call it my cold water, easy
to catch, and hardy as heck kind of bait. However, the mud minnow will also work during the
warmer water temps and there is an abundance of shrimp in the creeks, rivers, and sounds. It’s a
fish’s as well as a fisherman’s nature to want something different. In this case, during plenty of
live shrimp’s times, sometimes throwing in a mud every now and then can trigger a larger fish
bite!
Photo by Captain Kevin Rose
A mud when rigged on a jig head can work as good as a live shrimp or artificial
bait. It’s no secret when going this baiting up route that casting into place, reeling
a few turns while relocating the bait, retrieving, and repeating is a good plan. The
old mud will definitely do you proud, because once dropped to the bottom this bait
is going to get to wiggling. When live bait goes into this mode sand storms are
created. And what is so good about a sand storm when it comes to bait? Well, it is
kind of like a smoke signal, when the fish see it they are curious and they have a
tendency to come to take a closer look see. It is also a known fact that when any
bait moves close to the bottom “happy trails” are produced! Who are attracts these
happy trails? Those fish that you are targeting! Don’t forget, especially during
cold times, to give all fish time to eat!
Photo by Captain Kevin Rose
Captain Kevin is showing us how he hooks up his mud minnow. This bait can be
used under a popping or traditional adjustable float. It also can be used with a
small weight or none at all. When you go weightless we call going this route
“fishing naked!” Please note: I am talking about the bait not the fisherman. You
might find it way to cold to fish naked (without clothes) in the winter time.
However, I would have to agree sometimes in the summer it does get hot enough
to go clothes-less! (Just don’t get caught!)
Photo by Captain Kevin Rose
When using muds as bait and you find that the bite is slow I suggest giving two muds a try!
After all they will make more of a sand storm bring on some better biting activity!
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy charters and his fishing friend Kevin Miller when on a fish
hunt!
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters has been doing a little camping/ fishing this past
week! Captain Garrett is holding a nice spotted sea trout! What was he using for bait? Mud
minnows under popping corks! Did this work? YES
Making Fish Catching Magic!
You might call this application fish catching magic!
Now here comes the rub....These attractors do exactly what they proclaim, they really do attract
fish. And the best news it that they can be added to any kind of jig or bait! So really it doesn’t
matter whether you are bottom fishing or trolling (inshore or offshore) adding this attractor
attracts a better fish bite! I have added electron fish attractors to all of my bottom rigs.
http://www.lifesparkfishingtackle.com/ I know it is hard to believe that these small attractant do
work. However, I remember when a lots of different kinds of lures that we thought would not
work, but they did.
Captain Garrett Ross of Miss Judy Charters is holding up a nice red fish! What did this eat?
Mud minnows presented under a popping cork!
Offshore fishing suggestions!
If I have said this once I have said this dozens of times over the years! If people only knew that
wanted to fish knew all of their catching options for this time of the year I do believe they would
take a harder look at cold water fishing! Firstly I don’t think I shouldn’t emphasize too much on
the cold water! Yes, the water is cooler, but there is a pretty solid bite to be had! During this
time the offshore bite can be pretty darn good. For instance: The sheepshead fishing is
awesome and so misunderstood at the same time. For some reason fishermen think that this isn’t
a fun fish to catch. Well, let me tell you this...if you are looking to take a short offshore ride to a
pretty solid fish bite you have come to the right place. Most of the places that we fish are less
than 10 miles offshore, which mean even on a 6 hour trip there is a whole lot of fishing/catching
going on! And believe me when I say, “Sheepshead are the poor man’s crab meat, it is so very
true!” And I have recipes to share too! Anyhow you ought to give this type of fishing or should
I say catching a try!
Another fish that is also a grand cold water fish and that’s the black sea bass, which is as much
fun to catch as it is to eat! For the 2017 cold water fishing season this bite can be found, but the
ride is a tad bit longer. I believe that Hurricane Mathew churned things up a bit especially
during migration time for this fish. So that didn’t come as close inshore this coldwater time as
they did in 2016. This is ok, because we still know where they are hanging at least most of the
time and this ride isn’t too bad! Actually, this is considered another short boat ride to the fish!
Blue water report West Palm Beach, Florida!
Thad Stone, Savannah Georgia is holding up a nice yellow fin that he caught while blue water
fishing at West Palm!
Little Miss Judy’s Believe It or Not!
During this time in my life I was attending Draughns Business School and charm school. When
you read this story, pay particular attention to all of the detail. Heck, all of this stuff that they
were teaching me was sort of paying off! They taught us to listen and observe before making a
statement! And they also taught us how to make coffee! I did pass and as you can see I got a
lifetime Nancy Taylor International placement certificate! There is far more that I need to tell
you about the certificate, but for now I will save it for another Little Miss Judy story!
Bank Robbery Savannah Style
This isn’t a story about fishing, but I still thought that you would enjoy it. Back in the early
seventies, on my way home with a friend while stopped at a red light I noticed something real
superstitious. I happen to be the rider and not the driver on this particular occasion. I look
down and saw purple painted hubcaps. Now these hubcaps weren’t factory painted much less
body shop painted. Believe me my father had a body shop at the time and if anyone had put
paint on like this they would have been fired on the spot. As I looked closer I then notice that it
looked like a child had used finger paint, but that faded after a moment. You must remember all
this looking and thinking was going on during the time it takes a typical traffic light to change.
As I looked up there was a man, he looked real short or bend way over trying to hide his face.
With another quick glance I noticed that this person had a nylon hose pull over his face. This
terrified me. He looked so strange. When the light changed the car pulled off kind of slow. I
watched as it pulled away and then I noticed that the license plate was covered with a torn apart
brown paper bag. It was tied not taped over his license plate. It wasn’t such a good covering job.
I could still see some of the numbers. With this I looked up and saw the car beginning to turn
into the bank’s parking lot. All of a sudden it hit me and this is when I started talking to the
driver of my car. I screamed stop over there at that gas station. The driver of course thought I
was crazy. However, I was screaming at the top of my lungs. As you all know this was way
before everyone and his brother had a cell phone. If I had a mobile phone I simply would have
dialed O for the operator. I don’t even think 911 had been invented at this time. Back in the old
days car phones weren’t called cells they were identified as mobile phone, because they were
permanently affixed to the car. After the robbery mobile phones became real popular, but not so
before this particular fiasco.
When the car hit the pavement of the gas station I jumped out. As I did I looked back and I saw
said bank robber now with gun in hand. He was making his way to the entrance doors of the
bank. He hadn’t put his hand on the door handle as of yet. I franticly ran into the station
screaming I need a phone and everyone nonchalantly point in that direction. You must know
that I was the only one besides the intended bank robber that knew what was going on. When I
got the operator on the phone, I screamed to connect me to the police department. This took only
seconds, which seemed like minutes. As I was explaining the situation to the one listening at the
police department an alarm went off. It was the bank’s alarm. I screamed out, “bank at five
points,” because I was watching the whole thing from the gas station. They ask for my name,
got some information, and I watched as numerous black and white police cars piled into the
parking lot of the bank.
After getting home I described everything to my father who immediately got the big eyes. My
friend the driver actually saw nothing except my strange behavior. Doesn’t all this sound like a
makings of a bad movie? You know where it’s your word against the only other person
involved.
When the FBI arrived at my house I was taken aside so that they could get information from me.
My driver/friend was also taken aside. I really don’t know why, because I was the only one that
exactly saw anything. He only saw me acting very strange. Well, if you have been really reading
what I have written it might seem that I had something to do with the bank robber. Well, this is
where it was going. They had me as the possible dumped girlfriend that was getting back at her
bank robber boyfriend. Back in the old days before computers and all that fancy stuff. The cops
just had pens, pads, and thoughts. Before arriving to my house they had already had me involved
with the crime.
The banks robber of which was driving a white 4 door Plymouth with the newly painted purple
hubcap and a “make shifted covered license plate” had after robbing the bank “escaped.” I was
their only link to the robbery. If memory serves me, I was only 19 year old at the time this
happened. As the questions were asked even at my age it seemed clear where this probing and
information gathering might be going. My father of who had a lot of connections with the police
couldn’t get the FBI to understand that I was just innocence by stander, but the one fact still
remained. I called the robbery in before it actually took place! After thinking about it I might
have looked guilty at this point.
Well as you know my name was finally cleared. However, it wasn’t until the bank robber was
actually apprehended. They didn’t give me to hard of a time, but they didn’t want me to leave
town. I didn’t really care about traveling I just wanted to get back out on the water and go
fishing. This whole thing was so unbelievable. The moral of the story is a simple one, “I should
have been fishing, because then I wouldn’t have been there and done that!”
Thanks for reading! Captain Judy