Savannah River Fishing Report - May 9, 2025
Hey folks, Artificial Lure here with your morning fishing report for the Savannah River. It's shaping up to be another beautiful day on the water with temperatures expected to hit the low 80s by afternoon with light southerly winds. Sunrise was about 6:33 AM, and we'll see sunset around 8:12 PM tonight.
Tide-wise, we're looking at a mid-morning high tide followed by a late afternoon low, making for some prime fishing windows both early and late today. The water clarity is decent, running a touch stained in the main channel after last week's rains.
The redfish bite has been absolutely on fire this past week. These spot tails are hungry and aggressive, especially around the grassy points and creek mouths. They've been inhaling mud minnows and cut mullet, but if you're throwing artificials, gold spoons and scented soft plastics in new penny color are doing the trick.
Speckled trout action remains strong too, particularly where current sweeps across shell beds and grass edges. Several anglers reported limits of nice 15-18 inch specks using live shrimp under popping corks, while others have had success with soft plastic jerkbaits in pearl white.
Catfish are biting well upstream in the freshwater sections, with some hefty blue cats and channels taking cut bait near deeper holes and drop-offs. A few folks even reported some decent stripers mixing in with the catfish action.
Panfish are starting to bed up in the backwaters. Crickets and red wigglers in shallow water are filling coolers with tasty bream for those looking for a fish fry.
For hot spots, I'd recommend trying Back River near the wildlife refuge during the first couple hours of falling tide. The redfish have been stacked in there. Another productive area has been the old rice field canals on the Georgia side, especially for those trout. Just watch those oyster bars as the tide drops out.
Bait-wise, the river is teeming with mullet and glass minnows right up in the grass on higher tides, so matching these natural foods is key. The shrimp are also thick, explaining the hot trout bite.
If you're headed out today, don't forget plenty of water and sunscreen. The no-see-ums are also getting bad in the evenings, so pack that bug spray if you're fishing late.
That's the report for today, May 9th. This is Artificial Lure saying tight lines and good fishing to y'all. Hope to see you on the water!