Savannah ICW

May 28, 20197 yr

My wife and I had our anniversary trip in Hilton Head and Savannah for a few days. My wife's gift to me this year was a fishing trip on the SC/GA intercoastal waterway. My hope was to get a bull red and some specs to take to a local restaurant to clean and cook for lunch. I booked the trip with Jack McGowan (Coastal River Charters). Jack was a great guide, when we first chatted, I told him my goals and also wanted to try some topwater lures for trout. We got out at 6AM, just at sunrise a couple hours before a tide change, and before the Memorial Day boaters would arrive. It was a great plan, 15 minutes into our first spot, I hooked into a red on a 1/8oz bass assassin jig. She pulled hard on a light action spinning outfit, I liked using Jack's lighter setups to feel more in contact with the lure. Got her up and she was 25", not the bull red on my bucket list....yet.

We saw more baitfish being pushed along the bank, and toss my jig a few times but nothing. Then I tossed it toward a small rock outcrop and fish on. Another 25" fish, my fore-arm was getting tight from fighting two good ones in about 15 minutes!

As the sun came up, the wind picked up a little the jig bite died and we decided to change tactics. We moved toward a stretch that had some pilings and laydowns. We baitfish moving on the bank, and a lot of wakes, so I tried a topwater spook...it looked so perfect, but all the spook did was well....spook the fish. Jack then hands me a rod with a 1/8oz jig tipped with a large mud minnow. I throw it off the timber so I wouldn't get snagged, and a couple hops later I was on. I was worried she would she would run into the timber and would get stuck but she ran toward the boat, I didn't think she was big until she saw us and started to dive. Got her in the boat and she measured 28.5", got the bull red off my bucket list! Picked up another one, but she inhaled the minnow so we cut the jig and got her back into the water.

After getting my fill of reds (and a tight fore-arm), we switched up to targetting specs. We went toward a sunken rock wall and started pitching some Vudu shrimp. Well that didn't work out and I got another red...

We got a couple small flounder, and croaker, and decided to make one last move. We headed toward a small inlet protected by sand bar with a drop off. The tide was coming in, and was starting to wash over the sand bar, it was a great looking spot for some specs. This time we put the mud minnows on some popping corks and let them drift down the sand bar drop off. It was so fun to watch the bobber drift slowly down then suddenly go under. I got on and I see the bobber go for the sand bar...and then I got broke off. It must have hit some oyster shells because the line was a clean cut and not at the knot. Then we watched the bobber float away into the inlet. Capt. Jack puts on another on the rig and a few minutes later...same deal, except this time I'm hauling it in away from the sand bar. A smaller one at 23", and the last of the day, as it was getting hot (high of 97!) and the boaters were now starting to get on the water. We saw zero boats from 6AM-8AM, then it seemed like they all got on the water at 10AM after their breakfast.

On the way back in, I lighted the stogie and enjoyed the scenery. I saw some smarty pants dolphins corralling fish into a small nook off the river, and a shrimp boat doing it's thing in the middle of the channel.