Savannah River Summer Pattern: Reds, Trout, and Stripers in the Heat

This is Artificial Lure with your Savannah River fishing report. We’ve got a muggy, early-summer pattern setting in on the Savannah. Around Savannah and Port Wentworth, air temps are running in the upper 70s at first light, climbing into the high 80s to low 90s by afternoon, with light southwest winds and a good chance of pop-up thunderstorms after lunch. Humidity is thick, so plan on slick-calm mornings and a little breeze by midday. Along the lower river and intracoastal stretches, we’re riding typical coastal tides: a solid morning incoming, peaking late morning, then draining hard through the afternoon. That mid-incoming to early high tide around the grass lines and shell points is your money window. Sunrise is right around the early six o’clock hour, sunset close to eight-thirty in the evening, giving you long low-light periods to work topwater and subsurface baits. Inshore, redfish and speckled trout have been the headliners. Local anglers report slot reds schooling tight on shell bars and creek mouths off the main Savannah and in cuts near Hutchinson Island and Wilmington River. Live shrimp under popping corks have been producing steady action, with plenty of 18–24 inch reds and a mix of keeper trout. Productive colors have been chartreuse and new penny on 1/8-ounce jig heads when the current eases. Artificial-wise, a bone or chrome walk-the-dog topwater at first light has been hot over shallow flats and flooded grass edges. As the sun gets up, switch to a 3–4 inch paddle tail or jerk shad in natural mullet or po’boy colors. Work them along current seams where bait stacks up behind pilings and along riprap. Farther upriver near Augusta and Clarks Hill tailwater, the striped bass and hybrids are still chewing in the cooler generation flows below the dam. Local reports describe good numbers of 3–8 pound fish with a few double-digit stripers mixed in, especially at first light and again right before dark. Live blueback herring or shad on downlines have been the ticket, but bucktail jigs and soft swimbaits slow-rolled through the current are putting fish in the boat for those throwing artificials. Don’t overlook small crankbaits and shaky heads for mixed bags of spotted and largemouth bass around laydowns and bluff walls. For catfish hunters, the mid-river ledges between Port Wentworth and the Highway 17 area are giving up blues and channels, many in the 5–15 pound range with the occasional bigger blue. Cut mullet, cut shad, and chicken livers on Carolina rigs, set just off the main current on inside bends, have been reliable. Nighttime has been best with the heat, but an overcast day and a moving tide can turn them on any time. A couple of hot spots to circle on your map: First, the bends and creek mouths around Houlihan Bridge and the Port Wentworth stretch — great for redfish, trout, and cats when that tide starts marching in. Second, the riprap and current breaks immediately below Clarks Hill Dam on the Georgia side — prime water for stripers, hybrids, and spotted bass, especially during power generation when the water’s rolling. If you’re headed out today, think early and late, fish the moving water, and match what the river’s giving you: shrimp and mullet near the coast, herring and shad upriver. Keep an eye on storms, wear that PFD, and don’t forget extra bug spray; the skeeters are as hungry as the fish. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn