Savannah River Fishing Report: Mild Winter Patterns, Hot Trout & Reds on the Move

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Savannah River fishing report. We’ve got a classic mild winter pattern on the river. According to the National Weather Service marine forecast, winds are running southwest around 10 to 15 knots with seas 2 to 3 feet offshore, and a little patchy morning fog hanging in the low spots on the river. Skies are mostly cloudy and temps are cool but comfortable, warming into the upper 50s to low 60s by afternoon. NOAA’s Bull Street Savannah River station shows a solid tide swing today, with a high coefficient pushing strong current both flood and ebb. Think mid‑morning high and late‑afternoon low, with plenty of moving water in between. Tides4Fishing notes roughly 10 hours of daylight this time of year, with sunrise right around 7:30 a.m. and sunset near 5:40 p.m., so your best bite windows are first light through mid‑morning and that last two‑hour evening push. According to Coastal River Charters’ latest Savannah report, yesterday produced “a bunch of sea trout and some reds on a mild foggy winter day,” and that lines up perfectly with what we’re seeing river‑wide right now. Fish are stacked on current breaks: creek mouths, shell points, and deeper bends just off the main flow. Recent catches in the lower river and nearby inshore creeks have been heavy on **speckled trout**, with mixed **slot reds**, a few **puppy drum**, and scattered **sheepshead** off rock and dock structure. Anglers fishing the bluffs and shell edges have been reporting double‑digit trout days when they stay with the moving water and work methodically. Best baits today: - **Live shrimp** under a popping cork is still king for both trout and reds. - When shrimp are scarce, **mud minnows** and small **finger mullet** on a jighead or Carolina rig are producing. - For artificials, think winter: **3–4 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits** and **shrimp imitations** in natural hues (opening night, new penny, and pearl) on 1/8 to 1/4 oz jigheads are hot. - On clearer water, a **slow‑suspending twitch bait** over shell or along the grass at higher stages has been a solid ticket for bigger trout. Sheepshead guys are doing well around hard structure with **fiddler crabs** tight to the pilings. Use light leads, small strong hooks, and be ready—they’re hitting soft. Couple of local hot spots to keep on your list: - The stretch around **New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam** up near Augusta has been giving up some nice mixed bags of catfish, stripes, and largemouth in the deeper holes along the edges, especially on cut bait and small shad imitations. - Downriver, the shell points and creek mouths off **Wilmington Island** and the main Savannah River bends leading toward the sound are holding good trout and reds on the last of the incoming and the first of the fall. Overall activity is good for winter: not on fire all day, but when that tide moves and lines up with low light, the bite turns on quick. Focus on: - Moving water - Depth changes from 4 to 10 feet This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.