Savannah River Fishing Report: Reds, Trout, and Cats Biting on Moving Tides

This is Artificial Lure bringing you the latest on what’s biting up and down the Savannah River, straddling the Georgia–South Carolina line, for today, Sunday, September 28th, 2025. Let’s start with the conditions. Sunrise came at 7:15am and sunset will close us out at 7:11pm, so we’ve got a solid twelve hours of daylight to work with. These shorter days are already pushing the fish into fall patterns – expect more aggressive feeding during key windows. The weather this morning is typical for late September: cool and crisp at daylight, mid-60s, warming into the upper 70s by midday, with partly cloudy skies and a gentle southeast breeze. Humidity will stay moderate, and the barometer has been steady, which always helps keep the bite consistent through the day. Turning tide data, Tide-Forecast.com reports a low tide around 6:31am at 1.4 feet and high tide peaking at 1:08pm right near 6.85 feet. The back half of the outgoing tide and first part of the flood are primetime, especially for inshore species. The falling tide this morning will bunch up bait in creek mouths and along dropoffs, sparking feeding frenzies from both red drum and trout. For those staying late, the next low comes just after 7:25pm. The bite this week has picked up, especially for boaters and bank anglers working structure and moving water. Reports from local bait shops and regulars at Houlihan Bridge say mixed bags – **nice limits of redfish and slot-sized speckled trout** are frequent, with a smattering of black drum and a few hefty flounder caught on live mud minnows. Further up river, catfishing remains steady; cut bait and nightcrawlers have brought in channel cats up to 7 pounds, especially around deeper bends. Bass anglers, especially those working the upper tidal stretches around Augusta, have coaxed out chunky largemouths on chatterbaits and swim jigs, particularly on shaded banks and under docks. Remember, the mercury advisories for large bass and catfish still apply, based on last fall’s University of Georgia study – Ogeechee Riverkeeper recommends you eat only one largemouth bass meal a month, and smaller catfish or redbreast one meal a week, just to keep your health top of mind. **Best baits and lures:** For the salt-savvy, nothing beats live shrimp under a popping cork for specks and rat reds. Artificial shrimp and paddle-tail plastics in natural hues (think “new penny” or “opening night”) have been working well on the outgoing tide, especially paired with a 1/8 oz. jig head. Gulp! swimming mullet in white or chartreuse is pulling double-duty: reds, trout, and flounder will hammer ‘em. For flounder, tip your jigs with a sliver of cut bait or mud minnow and work the dropoffs near the Point or Back River. Upstream, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are pulling in bass early, while slow-rolled plastics tossed around laydowns and rocky banks are good midday. Early morning or late evening topwater action remains fair, particularly with the cooler mornings. If you’re aft This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.