Outlook is more appealing than stargazer fish

Winter weather conditions continue to hamper coastal area fishing action, but when calm days occur, there are fish to be caught.

Reports received this week show marked improvement in the catch column, with red drum continuing at the top of the list, sheepshead running a close second and lots of black sea bass to be taken when seas are calm.

Also on the list from the fresh-water scene are catfish and crappie, with catch reports coming from the river systems, lakes, ponds and impoundments.

Occasionally we get queries and photographs from readers of fish they are not familiar with and seek some identification.

Earlier this week, Tybee resident Burt Moore forwarded a photo that - thanks to identification help from Doug Haymans of the Coastal Resources Division of the DNR in Brunswick - turned out to be a somewhat common species to this area, although I'll be the first to admit it was the first one I have ever seen.

Stargazer

According to Haymans, "What you have there is a good ole stargazer, probably southern (Astrocopus y-graecum)...", he answered in an e-mail.

He went on to say that its range is North Carolina to the gulf and will measure up to 17.5 inches in length, adding that it also looks a lot like the northern stargazer (Astroscopus guttatus), which can measure up to 22 inches in length and weigh as much as 20 pounds.

The range of the northern stargazer is from New York to North Carolina.

Whatever its home port, a stargazer gets its name from the eyes being on the top of its head.

Don't believe this fish would win any beauty contests, but it does have an unusual design on its head.

The Web site Wikipedia says there are about 50 known species and that they are venomous with two large poisonous spines located between the opercle and pectoral fin. They also can cause electric shocks, so if you catch one, handle with care.

According to Moore, the fish was caught by Glenn Bacon in the Brunswick area, and was released.

Black sea bass

The reports received this week show some excellent offshore activity when conditions have been favorable.

Black sea bass are now being taken in several areas.

C.T. Cowling, who operates Tybee Island Bait and Tackle, e-mailed a photo of Wisconsin family vacationing for the first time at Tybee Island. While here, the Heralds - Tony, Kris, Dalton and Maggie - went fishing with Capt. Zack Bowen of Guess Who Charters. The day of ocean fishing produced a limit of large black sea bass.

Robert Bacot at Kilkenny Marina in Bryan County also told of groups fishing the offshore area and returning with excellent numbers of these popular bottom dwellers.

Sheepshead, reds

Numerous sheepshead catches also were noted by the marinas and fishing camps.

Capt. Ray Golden, who operates Coffee Bluff Marina, forwarded a photo of four fishermen who returned to the docks with a cooler full of the chunky battlers.

Golden also forwarded a photo of a large red taken by kayak fisherman and veterinarian Dr. Jerry Case, who was fishing the Ossabaw area last weekend.

He apparently saw a huge eruption of reds feeding that day, Golden reported.

Charter Captain Eric Traub e-mailed a report from last weekend and this week.

On Sunday, he took a couple of Illinois fishermen for reds. They caught 22, all oversized except for three they kept.

Traub said that most were caught sight casting Saltwater Assassins Sea Shad with red jig heads on 6-pound mono. The largest measured 31.5 inches.

On Tuesday, he took local businessman Don Smith, who landed 10 reds - three in the slot and the rest oversized. His largest measured 30 inches.

"This time of year, the fishing can be as good as it ever gets, but if the weather is not ideal, odds are that fishing will get tough," he wrote.

On the fresh

On the fresh-water scene, it has been crappie starting to climb into the spotlight.

Some of these reports have come from the river systems, even as flooding continues. Most have come from ponds and lakes as these fish start to congregate and begin the spawning season.

Although some action has been reported on jig-type baits, most of the activity has involved the use of live minnows for bait.

Catfish are being taken from the river systems, mostly by bush-liners fishing the adjacent flooded lowlands. One report received came from the Ogeechee River basin area.

The bait of choice? Hot dogs!

No reports have been received of any significant striper activity on the rivers, nor have there been any reports of recreational shad catches on the Ogeechee River.

The outlook

With another cold front now descending on the area, it is difficult to predict how fishing conditions will be for the next several days.

As of this writing, the extended freeze conditions experienced for the past several weeks apparently have not severely impacted the white shrimp population or spotted sea trout.

Kilkenny Marina, which is one of several fishing camps that drag for bait shrimp, reported that wintering-over concentrations are still being located, although more drags are now required to produce catch results.

While no significant spotted sea trout catches were reported this week, a few isolated reports indicate they continue to be taken in deep holes, mostly on small artificial baits.

Whether four or five days of sub-freezing temperatures at night will cause additional problems remains to be seen.

John Burke can be reached at (912) 655-8505, or by e-mail at john.burke@savannahnow.com.