Savannah River Heating Up: Reds, Trout, and Cats on the Move

This is Artificial Lure with your Savannah River fishing report, coming to you like a buddy at the ramp. We’ll start with conditions around Savannah and Port Wentworth on the Savannah River. National Weather Service Savannah is calling for a warm, muggy late-spring pattern: morning temps in the upper 60s climbing into the mid 80s, light southwest breeze 5–10 knots inland, a bit more out near the sound. Skies are partly cloudy with a chance of a quick afternoon shower, but nothing that should blow you off the water fast. Barometer’s steady to slightly falling, which usually nudges the bite up around moving water. According to NOAA tide predictions for Savannah River entrance, we’re looking at a mid‑morning high and an afternoon falling tide. Around town docks you’ll see that water creeping up at first light, topping out mid‑morning, then easing out through early afternoon. That incoming around sunrise and the first push of the outgoing are your best windows. Sunrise is right around 6:20 a.m., with sunset about 8:20 p.m., so you’ve got a nice long day to work those edges. The cooler first two hours after sunup and last two before dark are still your prime time, especially up in the brackish stretches where the river gets a little “bass-y.” Local chatter from Savannah-area tackle shops says the inshore mix has been solid: redfish, trout, and a few flounder in the lower river and creek mouths, plus stripers and cats farther upriver. Anglers have been picking up slot reds along grass edges and shell bars on the last of the incoming and first of the fall, with speckled trout holding just off the current seams. Upriver near Augusta and below the dams, folks are still talking about good blue cat and flathead action, with some 20–30 pound fish caught overnight on cut bait. For the lower Savannah River around Garden City and Elba Island, a live shrimp under a popping cork has been the top producer for trout and slot reds. If you’re throwing artificials, a 3‑inch paddletail in opening night or new penny on a 1/8‑ounce jighead is hard to beat. Work it along current breaks and eddies off the main channel. Topwater walkers at first light over shallow shell have been getting explosive redfish strikes when the water’s high enough to push them up on the flats. Striper action in the brackish sections has been hit‑or‑miss but worth a shot at dawn or dusk. Try a white bucktail or small swimbait around bridge pilings and riprap where you’ve got good current. If they’re finicky, a live mullet or menhaden free‑lined just off the structure can turn lookers into eaters. Farther upriver toward Augusta, the catfish bite stays strong on the deep bends. Night crawlers will catch numbers of smaller fish, but if you’re hunting a big blue or flathead, locally folks are using cut shad, cut bream, or live sunfish on a Carolina rig. Focus on 20–40 feet of water with some wood or rock. Fish that late evening into the night; that’s when the bigger ones roam. A few hot spots to circle on your map: – The bends and creek mouths around Elba Island and Hog Island for reds, trout, and the occasional flounder on the tide changes. – The rock and bridge structure near the Talmadge Bridge and up toward the I‑95 crossing for stripers and mixed inshore action when the current’s pushing. If you’re fishing from shore, those public access points near the port and the small piers along the river can still produce, especially with live shrimp or cut mullet on a simple fish‑finder rig. Just mind the ship traffic and stay clear of the channel. All in all, with stable weather, good tide movement, and warming water, fish activity should be above average today. Keep your presentations natural, stay near moving water, and let the tide do the work. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn