"Savannah River Fishing Report: Dynamite Fall Bite as Tide Turns"

Good morning Savannah River anglers, this is Artificial Lure coming at you with your local fishing report for Monday, November 17, 2025. Let’s get right into it—today’s got all the signs of a dynamite fall bite. First up, the weather: Folks waking up in the Savannah area saw mild, crisp conditions in the low 50s this morning, with highs expected in the mid-60s by the afternoon. Light winds out of the northeast around 10 knots will make for manageable drifts and cool but comfortable casting. According to the National Weather Service, we’re staying dry all day, and the barometer’s steady, which really helps stabilize fish activity. Today’s sunrise was at 6:54 am and sunset will hit at 5:22 pm, so you’ve got a solid window of daylight to work the river. Now, the tides—crucial for river and saltwater stretch fishing. Based on the Tybee Light and Savannah gauges, we’re seeing a high tide early at 5:42 am with 7.4 feet, hitting low at 12:04 pm around 0.8 feet, and swinging back to a 6.7-foot high at 5:50 pm. That rolling tide right around lunch and into the afternoon should push bait around and get stripers, reds, and trout fired up. Let’s talk fish. Lately on the main river and the brackish creek mouths: solid numbers of redfish in the slot, speckled trout, and a few legal flounder coming in, especially on moving tides. Folks are still running into some of the last of the fall largemouth in the upriver freshwater stretches too. According to Captain Experiences, the most commonly targeted species here right now are still redfish, trout, kingfish, and flounder—consistent with what we’re seeing hit the docks and social feeds this week. Best baits have been a repeat of last November’s mixed-bag magic. Live shrimp is still the go-to under a popping cork for trout and reds, especially along shell banks and marsh grass edges. Mud minnows fished on the bottom have brought up some good flounder near creek mouths and deeper holes. Don’t overlook locally made Epic Bait Molds soft plastics either—they’re a favorite among regulars, especially in natural colors. When artificial is the move, anglers should try a Shad Rap or pearl white swimbaits if the water stays clear. Major League Fishing pro Casey Ashley especially recommends an underspin with a pearl Zoom Super Fluke Jr. on 10-lb fluorocarbon for slow rolling over deeper ledges—great for when the water temp’s dipping in the 50s, as it is now. For stained water, a 3- to 5-inch paddle-tail soft plastic on a quarter-ounce jighead in chartreuse or opening night is hard to beat. Now, for a couple of hot spots. If you’re fishing the mainstem, Oglethorpe Bridge flats and the Cut near Houlihan are delivering with the tide. Downriver, the confluence at Back River, and pretty much any deep bend near Fields Cut have both been seeing an uptick in slot reds and keeper trout. For the brackish zone, try the mouths of Salt Creek or Coffee Bluff—the current brings bait right past those drop-offs. Quick tip for today: Foc This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.