Savannah River Fishing Update: Redfish, Trout, and Catfish Biting Strong in Early May 2025

Artificial Lure here with your Savannah River fishing report for May 2, 2025. The river’s been heating up lately, and plenty of anglers are finding solid action on both sides of the Georgia South Carolina line. First off, weather is shaping up to be classic early May with mild mornings and warming afternoons. Expect highs in the mid 70s to low 80s and gentle southerly winds. Skies are mainly clear, which means fish will feed heavier early and late. Sunrise is around 6:35 AM, while sunset’s coming at about 8:10 PM. Plan to hit the water around first light or just before dusk for the best bite. Tidal influence is moderate on the lower Savannah, with an early morning high incoming tide and a late afternoon low. Baitfish and shrimp are thick right now, and that’s got predator fish in feeding mode, especially on the coastal stretches. Around Savannah proper, the water is teeming with mullet and glass minnows right up in the grass on higher tides. The past week’s catch reports have been promising. Redfish, or spot tails as the locals call ‘em, have been chewing hard all month, especially around grassy points, old pilings, and creek mouths. Folks are also pulling solid numbers of speckled trout in similar areas where current sweeps across shell or grass edges. Upstream into the freshwater, catfish action is picking up, with nice blues and channels coming on cut bait near drop-offs and deeper holes. Crappie have finished most of their spawn, but if you bounce around brush piles and dock posts with jigs or minnows, you can still fill a cooler. Bluegill and shellcracker are just ramping up as the water pushes towards the upper 60s—try red wigglers or wax worms tight to shoreline cover[4][1]. Best lures right now are soft plastic paddle tails in natural baitfish colors on light jigheads for both trout and redfish. Gold spoons and spinnerbaits are also working well, especially when the sun is higher. For bait fishermen, live shrimp and finger mullet have been producing best, but don’t overlook a chunk of cut mullet or chicken liver for catfish upstream. Hot spots to try include the mouth of Abercorn Creek for a mixed bag of trout, reds, and flounder, and the stretch around Fort Pulaski for bigger redfish. Up the river, the area near the Houlihan Bridge is loaded with panfish and catfish right now. That’s the word from the water this morning. Tight lines and good luck out there. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.