Monthly Archives: October 2013

Mid Georgia Winter Bass

How and where to catch middle Georgia Winter Bass

A Chinese proverb says it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. It is also better to put on warm clothes and go fishing than curse the cold weather. If you sit around and complain about the weather you will miss some good fishing.

You don’t have to be cold while fishing, no matter what the weather. A good snowmobile suit, insulated underwear, snow boots, a stocking cap and a hood will help keep you warm. Add some chemical handwarmers in strategic places and even a propane heater and you can be comfortable.

The best thing to keep you warm this time of year is catching bass. Hook a hog and you will forget the weather. Limit out on three pounders and it might as well be a spring day. And even if you don’t catch much, who would rather sit around in the house than be out fishing?

Cold weather does affect bass but they still have to eat, so you can catch them. Since bass are cold blooded they slow down and don’t eat as much, but they do eat. If you adjust your methods and use the right lures, you can get them to bite.

There are just as many ways to catch bass in January as there are in June, but one thing you must do is slow down. Bass are less likely to chase a fast moving lure this time of year. And they often prefer a small bait over something big in cold water. But you can catch them from the shallows out to the deepest structure if you fish it right.

In the middle of our state three lakes offer excellent bass fishing right now. Jackson, Oconee and Sinclair all have some things in common for catching bass this time of year but each has its own special qualities, too.

Bobby Ferris grew up in Monticello and went to college in Milledgeville, fishing with the Baldwin Backlashers Bass Club during those years. That club fished Jackson, Oconee and Sinclair regularly. After college Bobby has worked in the middle Georgia area for two EMCs and continues to fish this part of the state a lot.

Now Bobby fishes with two Griffin bass clubs, the Flint River Bass Club, where he won seven of 12 tournaments year before last, and the Spalding County Sportsman Club. He also fishes some pot tournaments on middle Georgia lakes and knows them well.

Bobby sold boats at Piedmont Outdoors part time and his affiliation with them and The Sports Center in Perry, as well as his ability to catch bass, got him on Team Triton. He was willing to share some of his tactics for winter bass on the three lakes highlighted here.

I joined the Spalding County Sportsman Club in 1974 and the second tournament I fished was at Sinclair. The third tournament I fished was at Jackson. Four years later I joined the Flint River bass club. Oconee was not even around back then but I watched it being built and both clubs I fish go to those three lakes often. We almost always fish them in the winter.

Last year I won the point standings in both clubs. I have learned some good patterns on these lakes for winter fishing, too, and usually fish in different places than Bobby fishes.

Jackson Lake

Jackson is one of our oldest lakes and has changed over the years. The illegal stocking of spotted bass in the lake means you are likely to catch more but smaller bass there now. Its days of being known for numbers of big largemouth seem to be over. But you can still catch some quality largemouth there and the aggressive spots mean you can catch more fish.

By January the bass have pulled out of coves and set up on main lake points. Rocky points are Bobby’s favorite places to find them now since the rocks hold heat and give the bass a place to hide. Rocks can range from chunk to boulder size, can be found all over the lake and all hold bass. Jackson is small enough that most of the lake is the same in January.

Bobby’s best points are those in the outside bends of the old creek and river channels. He looks for bass holding on them in about six feet of water and feeding at that depth. The colder the weather the better the fishing is on these points for Bobby. A sunny day warming the rocks, with some current moving, is the best.

Tie on a crankbait and a jig and pig and you have what you need to catch winter bass at Jackson. Bobby likes crankbaits like the Rapala DT6, the small Fat Free Shad and a #5 Shadrap for point fishing at Jackson. He will fish one of those crankbaits on the points for more active fish, making several casts across them from different angles.

For clear water choose a shad colored bait and in stained to muddy water go with a bright color. Tennessee shad, natural shad and silver and black are good clear water colors. Chartreuse plugs with orange bellies and blue or black backs, the firetiger color, or crawfish colors are all good when the water is not clear.

If the bass don’t hit a crankbait Bobby will throw an Ol Nelle jig with a Zoom Super Chunk on it. It can be worked slowly in the rocks for the inactive bass. In clear water he picks a green pumpkin jig and trailer and in stained water he goes with a black jig and trailer. He also dips all his jigs in JJ’s Magic clear dip to give them a garlic scent.

At Jackson Bobby fishes crankbaits on 12 to 15 pound Big Game line and his jigs are tied to 25 pound Big Game line. There is always a possibility of a big largemouth or spot at Jackson, and the water is usually stained enough to get away with heavier line.

I like to fish deeper water in the winter and will often jig a spoon or Little George on long points at Jackson. Ride the points from the bridge in Tussahaw Creek to the dam and up the Alcovy River to the Highway 212 Bridge and watch for schools of shad.

The shad are often out over 16 to 20 feet of water, suspended about half way down. If you see fish on the bottom under them, stop and fish. Even if you don’t see the bass they are likely there if the shad are present. Drop a spoon like a Hopkins Shorty or a Little George down, hop it a foot off the bottom repeatedly, and you will find out if the bass are there.
If you see the bass and they won’t hit try deadsticking the spoon or George on the bottom. Let it lay there and barely slide it on the bottom. Don’t raise it off the bottom. That pattern has paid off several times over the years.

I like a short 5.5 foot rod with a fairly light tip but lots of backbone. A fast taper rod allows you to jig the spoon and George easily and feel it but you need the backbone to set the hook and control the fish. I spool up an Ambassadeur 5500c with 15 pound PLine for most of my jigging.

Lake Sinclair

Sinclair has two characteristics that together set it off from all other Georgia lakes. The power plant on the lake dumps warm water into Beaverdam Creek, warming the lake water in that area. And the pumpback at Lake Oconee makes current flow both ways in the lake most days. Both those factors affect bass fishing.

The warm water is so important that Bobby says he always fishes within about a mile of the mouth of Beaverdam Creek in the winter at Sinclair. If he is not in Beaverdam itself he will be on the river near it or just inside the mouth of Rooty Creek, and he fishes Little River up to the bridge. All this area is warmed by the discharge.

On Sinclair Bobby will fish crankbaits on seawalls and docks in shallow water. He stays on the main creek and river runs and does not go way back into coves, sticking with main and secondary points. He is looking for the active bait and bass feeding on it.

Favorite crankbaits are small and Bobby likes a #5 Shadrap, 100 Series Bandit or a DT6. In clear water he goes with Gable Green or natural shad and likes the firetiger color if the water is more stained. He will stick with 12 pound Big Game spooled on a Shimano Calcutta reel on a six foot rod unless throwing the #5 Shadrap under docks, when he will switch to a spinning outfit and lighter line.

If there is some current moving in either direction fishing is better and the moving water will position the bass on the docks and seawalls. Bobby looks for eddies where the bass can hold out of the current and ambush baitfish moving with the current. He says if you run your crankbait by a holding spot, moving it slowly with the current, you should get bit.

If there are several warm days in a row like we sometimes get in January but are more likely in February, Bobby will fish the old dead grass beds. The dead grass holds heat and draws shad to it, and the bass will follow. A spinnerbait run through the grass will draw strikes from those bass.

Jigging spoons work well at Sinclair, too. They tend to be better in clearer water so I will often head to Island or Rocky Creeks at the dam and ride points in them. Long tapering points are best. Watch for the shad down in 15 to 18 feet of water and jig under them for bass.

If there is any brush near the shad, try it, too. You will hang up some but you can usually get a spoon loose by shaking it up and down, working it free. A Little George will not come free so easily. Bass holding in the brush will eat the spoon when it is right in their face even if they won’t move far to chase a moving bait.

On clean bottoms it is hard to beat the Little George. I like a 1/2 ounce George in silver with a silver blade. I drop it to the bottom, tighten my line with my rod tip about a foot over the surface then jig it up and down a foot to two feet.

Move it steadily, not in a jerking motion, and you can feel the blade spin and it rises and falls. Set the hook if the blade stops turning. Most bites will come as the bait falls, so set the hook if the bait does not go back down as far as it should. Keeping your rod tip down near the water allows you to set the hook better when a fish hits.

Lake Oconee m

Oconee is one of our newer lakes and it was dammed in the 1980s. It has become one of our most popular bass fishing lakes, too, with lots of quality bass. The 14 inch size limit with the slot allowing anglers to keep six to 11 inch fish has helped and would be even better for bigger fish if anglers would keep more of the smaller fish.

Since the upper end of Oconee can muddy up fast and the lower lake gets colder water when the pumpback system is running, Bobby concentrates his winter fishing near Brantley’s Marina in the mouth of Lick Creek and the river around it. That area is the most stable on the lake and the bass are easier to pattern and catch consistently.

Most of this area of the lake is lined with nice houses and they all have seawalls. If you look you will see rocks at the water line of many of the sea walls and there are rocks on most others that you can not see. Those rocks are Bobby’s targets at Oconee this time of year. They hold heat and are good cover, too.
Seawalls with deeper water around them, like on main and secondary points, are Bobby’s favorites. He will throw a #7 Shadrap and really likes the jointed version since it is plastic and runs a little deeper, and has a rattle in it. He fishes the crawfish pattern since crawfish call the riprap home and are just about the favorite food of bass.

Throw the Shadrap on 12 pound Big Game line, a six foot rod and Shimano Calcutta reel. Try to bump the rocks as you work the bait across the rocks. If you consistently catch bass very shallow on the rocks, concentrate on making casts right to the bank. If the fish seem to be hitting out on the base of the rocks, make parallel casts to keep your plug in that area longer.

A warming trend at Oconee will pull bass shallow faster than at Sinclair. If you have a few warm days, especially toward the end of the month, shad will move to the very backs of short main lake pockets. Check the pockets if it has been warm and if you see shad activity fish it. Afternoons are usually best, after the sun has had all day to warm the water.

Throw a spinnerbait on the sandy flats in the backs of coves. You will catch bass, hybrids, crappie and even catfish that are back in there eating the shad. You can catch some big bass on this pattern. Bobby likes an Ol Nelle white and chartreuse spinnerbait with one silver and one gold blade for most water conditions. If the water temperature is 55 degrees or warmer in these pockets the shad will be there.

At Oconee I usually head for the dam area this time of year and look for shad on main lake points. Many of them have brush piles on them and the current will move shad across the points. Bass wait in the brush and on clean bottoms to ambush them.

Get right on top of the brush or fish and jig straight up and down. Sometimes bass want a spoon that moves in one place repeatedly. Don’t give up until you have jigged it up and down dozens of times. Try to hit the same place on the bottom, holding your boat in one place and watching your depthfinder. With a transducer on the trolling motor you can often see the fish straight under you and stay on them.

Give these three lakes a try. Fish the patterns in the areas mentioned here and you will catch bass. It it much more fun feeling the fight of a bass on your line than it is sitting at home watching somebody else catch them on TV!

Black Sea Bass Restoraiton

Black Sea Bass

Black Sea Bass

Back in Black: Black Sea Bass Stock is Rebuilt
from The Fishing Wire

Today’s feature from NOAA not only gives insight into the restoration of black sea bass, but into how the Magnuson-Stevens Act is designed to work–and sometimes does work.

The southern stock of black sea bass has been successfully rebuilt and annual catch limits will now more than double.

The wait wasn’t easy but it’s over. In May of this year, NOAA scientists declared the southern stock of black sea bass successfully rebuilt. The short seasons and low catch limits that fishermen have endured in recent years are about to pay off-the catch limit for this popular fish will more than double this fall.

The southern stock of black sea bass, which ranges from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to the Florida Keys, was declared overfished in 2005. The following year, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council implemented the rebuilding plan, which ended successfully this past spring.

The rebuilding plan was required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the law that governs the nation’s marine fisheries. The Act requires that overfishing end immediately, that overfished stocks be rebuilt, and that stocks be subject to annual catch limits.

“This shows that catch limits work,” said Jack McGovern, the South Atlantic Branch Chief for NOAA Fisheries. “People are seeing more black sea bass than they have since the 1970s.” The fish are also larger on average and are showing up in places where they haven’t been seen in decades.

The southern stock of black sea bass is only the latest to cross the rebuilding finish line. A total of 34 stocks have now been rebuilt since 2000.

Increased Opportunity for Fishermen

For Robert Johnson, a charter boat captain out of St. Augustine, Florida, this will mean a longer fishing season and more customers. “We’re a tourist-driven economy here in Florida,” Johnson said, noting that hotels and restaurants in his area are also looking forward to a longer fishing season.

Black sea bass is a popular species among recreational anglers throughout its range. That’s because in addition to being a particularly tasty fish, black sea bass are relatively accessible. “The nice thing about black sea bass is you don’t need a million-dollar boat to catch them,” Johnson said.

Tom Burgess is a commercial fisherman out of Sneed’s Ferry, North Carolina. Like most commercial black sea bass fishermen, he catches the fish in baited pots. “What we’re experiencing now was worth the wait,” said Burgess, who expects his income to rise with the catch limit.

Catch Limits and Accountability Measures Make Rebuilding Possible

In 2005, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council considered two alternative rebuilding strategies. One cut catch limits steeply up front but allowed them to rise steadily as the stock rebuilt. The other involved less pain initially but held catch limits constant for the duration of the plan. The Council chose the constant catch plan.

As the black sea bass stock was rebuilding, there was pressure to let up on the catch limits. People were seeing more fish, and they wanted to catch them.

“There were a lot of frustrated fishermen out there,” Robert Johnson said.

But the 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that catch limits be set at a level that prevents overfishing and that the limits include accountability measures. These measures ensure that, if the annual catch limit is met early or exceeded, then any overages are balanced out with in-season closures, a reduced catch the following year, or other corrective measures.

It is this combination of annual catch limits and accountability measures that give the rebuilding requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act their force. Without them, the black sea bass stock might have followed what was once a more common trajectory, with any increase in numbers being quickly fished down.

Instead, the stock was rebuilt, which means that the population is now large enough to produce its maximum sustainable yield-the largest annual catch that won’t cause the population to diminish over time. Managing stocks at or near this level allows fishermen to extract the greatest value from fish populations today while also maintaining a healthy stock for future generations.

For the fishermen who had to live with low catch limits so that black sea bass could rebuild, the new catch limits will be an extra-large dose of good news. Because they were held constant during the rebuilding years, catch limits are now set to more than double. Last year both the recreational and commercial seasons were over by early fall. This year fishermen should still be having at it into late fall or early winter.

Top Fishing Trips In Georgia for Each Month of the Year

Georgia fishing trips for each month of the year

JAN,- Rating: GOOD Species: Crappie Place: Lake Sinclair

Tips: The warm water in Beaverdam Creek makes crappie feed in January. Troll jigs and live minnows from the mouth of the creek to the upper end for a mess of good eating fish.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Largemouths Place: Lake Seminole

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Yellow Perch Place: Savannah River

FEB,- Rating: Good Species: Walleye Place: Carters Lake

Tips: Fish live earthworms, shad and leaches on bait rigs off rocky points on the main lake in deep water. The best fishing will be at night.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Red Drum Place: Coast

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Hybrids Place: Lake Thurmond

MAR,- Rating: Excellent Species: Spotted Bass Place: Lake Lanier

Tips: Big spots move shallow in March and can be caught on a variety of baits. Try spinnerbaits and jerkbaits on rocky points on the main lake. Wind blowing on them helps.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Channel Cats Place: Walter George

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Crappie Place: Lake Thurmond

APR,- Rating: Excellent Species: Largemouths Place: Lake West Point

Tips: Largemouth spawn in April and you can sight fish for some of the biggest bass on the lake. Try the clearer water on the lower lake. Also throw a buzzbait around cover.

No. 2 Rating: Excellent Species: Bluegill Place: Lake Seminole

No. 3 Rating: Good Species: Smallmouth Place: Lake Blue Ridge

MAY,- Rating: Excellent Species: Shellcracker Place: Lake Thurmond

Tips: Fish red wigglers on the bottom around shellbeds from Little River Marina to Raysville Bridge. Anchor in six feet of water and cast out several rods all around the boat.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Dolphin Place: Offshore

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Largemouths Place: Lake Harding

JUNE,- Rating: Excellent Species: Largemouths Place: Lake Weiss

Tips: Head up the Coosa River and pitch a jig to the abundant wood cover along the old river channel. Use heavy tackle, you will hook some quality fish in rough places.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Redbreast Place: Ogeechee River

No. 3 Rating: Fair Species: Rainbows Place: Waters Creek

JUL,- Rating: Excellent Species: Flatheads Place: Altamaha River

Tips: Huge flatheads are caught in deep water in the bends of the river. Anchor your boat upstream of a hole in an outside bend and fish live bream on the bottom.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Spotted Bass Place: Carters Lake

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Shoal Bass Place: Flint River

AUG,- Rating: Good Species: Tarpon Place: Coast

Tips: Tarpon move into coastal rivers and sounds to spawn in the summer. You can spot them surfacing and cast big plugs or live menhaden to them to catch 100 pound plus fish.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Largemouths Place: High Falls

No. 3 Rating: Good Species: Bluegill Place: McDuffie PFA

SEP,- Rating: Fair Species: Redeye Bass Place: Hartwell

Tips: Redeye school up on the big water on the lower lake and this is your best bet for catching one. Look for action over deep open water and work your bait fast.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Spotted Bass Place: Allatoona

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Gar Place: Lake Thurmond

OCT,- Rating: Excellent Species: Red Drum Place: Coast

Tips: Mullet migrate to the Georgia surf in October and big reds follow. This one of the best times for surf fishing with live finger mullet from the beach for bull drum.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Spotted Bass Place: Lake Burton

No. 3 Rating: Good Species: Largemouths Place: Goat Rock

NOV,- Rating: Excellent Species: Crappie Place: Lake Oconee

Tips: Fish the standing timber plots and troll channel breaks with jigs and live shiner minnows for fall crappie. They are plentiful and big at Oconee this month.

No. 2 Rating: Good Species: Largemouths Place: Lake Blackshear

No. 3 Rating: Excellent Species: Brown Trout Place: Chattahoochee River

DEC,- Rating: Excellent Species: Stripped Bass Place: Lake Thurmond

Tips: Big stripers move shallow in the cooler water. Trolling live blueback herring in very shallow water will produce some trophy size stripers.

No. 2 Rating: Excellent Species: Spotted Bass Place: Jackson Lake

No. 3 Rating: Good Species: Hybrids Place: West Point

Few states offer the variety of salt and freshwater fish that Georgia waters hold. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources lists state records for 40 species of freshwater fish, some as old as 1932 and some as recent as 2005. Add to that the 53 record saltwater fish and you get a good idea of the variety of fish in Georgia waters.

And Georgia has lots of water for you to fish. From tiny streams in north Georgia holding native brook trout to reservoirs and rivers with trophy catfish, all Georgians are within a short drive of good freshwater fishing. If it is saltwater you like you can choose small creeks in the marshes or go offshore to troll for huge billfish.

JANUARY

Crappie:

Lake Sinclair

What to Expect: Crappie school up and move into Beaverdam Creek following the shad and warmer water. You can catch good numbers of fish as well as some slabs. Sinclair is in the middle of the state and is easily accessible for many fishermen.

How To: Troll small jigs and live minnows at different depths until you find where the fish are holding, then concentrate all your baits at that depth. Put out several rods to cover as much area as possible. Watch for baitfish and bigger fish suspended under them if you have a depthfinder and work the area they are in carefully.

Contacts: Little River Marina – 478-452-1605

Options: Seminole is far enough south that some largemouth bed in January in warmer winters. Most of the fish will be pre spawn so throw Rattletraps around hydrilla on lower lake flats. Fish fast and cover a lot of area until you find the fish.

Yellow perch run up the Savannah River in the winter and concentrate below the Thurmond Dam. Fish small jigs and live minnows from a boat or the fishing piers to fill your freezer with these tasty fish, there is no limit.

FEBRUARY

Walleye:

Carters Lake

What to Expect: Walleye are a favorite food fish in northern states and they like cold, deep water here. Carters has it in February and is one of the few Georgia lakes where you can catch good numbers of them.

How To: Walleye school up on deep rocky points and will hit live earthworms, leaches and jigs. The best fishing for them is at night. Drop your bait down to the bottom in 20 to 35 feet of water on main lake points and fish it slowly. Walleye bite very gently so be ready to set the hook at any resistance.

Contacts: Bart’s Bait and Tackle – 706-253-2248

Options: Red drum are in coastal waters year round and can be caught during the winter. Fish the black mud flats near shell beds in coastal rivers and marshes for big bull drum with live shrimp and jigs.

Hybrids feed good all winter long and Thurmond is and excellent lake for them. Use live blueback herring or spoons on main lake points.

MARCH

Spotted Bass:

Lake Lanier

What to Expect: Magnum spots move shallow getting ready to spawn at Lanier this month. They are active and chasing bait, and it is early enough that the boat traffic is not quite as bad as it gets later. Some say the next record spotted bass is swimming in Lanier right now and March is a good time to catch it.

How To: Throw white spinnerbaits and chrome jerk baits on main lake rocky points and humps at the mouths of spawning creeks. Fish a lot of different places to find the bigger fish. Wind blowing in on the points and humps makes them much better.

Contacts: Guide Ryan Coleman – 770-356-4136

Options: Warmer waters in Lake Walter George means channel cats are feeding and getting ready to spawn. Fish at night along river and channel edges with live or cut bait.

The button bushes at Thurmond are full of big crappie in late March. Dabble live minnows or jigs in them to catch a limit.

APRIL

Largemouths:

West Point Lake

What to Expect: Warming water in April moves largemouth to the banks to spawn at West Point. The flats on the lower lake will hold large numbers of bass all month long. They will hit many different baits, making this one of the easiest months of the year to catch them.
How To: Run flats and secondary points back in coves with Rattle Traps and Carolina rigs to find fish, then slow down and fish the same baits to catch numbers. Don’t hesitate to throw a topwater lure. West Point Largemouth love a buzzbait in April.
Contacts: Robbie Nichols – Southern Harbor Marina –

334-644-3881

Options: Bream are bedding on Seminole and big bluegill fill the shallows. Look for beds on sandy flats and fish crickets and Mepps #2 spinners around them.

Your best bet to catch a Georgia smallmouth is on Lake Blue Ridge. Try small crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastic worms around shoreline cover on rocky banks.

MAY

Shellcracker:

Lake Thurmond

What to Expect: Thurmond, known as Clarks Hill to most Georgians, is full of big shellcracker. They feed year round on the mussel beds but are easiest to catch in May during the spawning cycle. Most of your catch will be in the 1/2 to 3/4 pound range but bigger fish are caught regularly.

How To: Anchor your boat in about six feet of water on a shellbed anywhere in the Georgia Little River arm of the lake. Cast several lines with a #6 hook tied 6 inches below a split shot and baited with a gob of red wigglers. Let your bait sit on the bottom with a tight line to watch for bites. When you catch a good fish, cast other lines to that area.

Contacts: Raysville Marina – 706-595-5582

Options: Catch your own mahi-mahi, also called dolphin, off the Georgia coast. Charter a boat or take your own if it is seaworthy.

Lake Harding, also known as Bartlett’s Ferry, offers good largemouth fishing around shoreline cover with weightless worms this month.

JUNE

Largemouths:

Lake Weiss

What to Expect: Weiss offers some of the best shallow water fishing in the area this month. The Coosa River has miles of shallow flats just off the channel and the edge of the channel is covered with wood. Largemouth move into this cover and feed all month long.

How To: Run up the river to channel marker 84 and start pitching jigs to all the logs in the water. Keep you boat in the river channel and cast to the logs on the edge. Also run a spinnerbait beside all the logs. Use heavy tackle, when a five pound largemouth hits a jig and runs under a log you will need a stiff rod and strong line to pull it out.

Contacts: Guide Tony Hill – 706-517-5082

Options: Put in at any of the public ramps on the Ogeechee River and fish with crickets and earthworms for one of our prettiest sunfish. Redbreast are still abundant along shoreline wood cover on this river.

If you want to fish for a trophy Georgia rainbow trout, go to Waters Creek. You will see some huge trout, but seeing is not catching these smart, wary fish. Trophy water restrictions apply.

JULY

Flatheads:

Altamaha River

What to Expect: Every few years a new state record catfish is pulled from the Altamaha River. Since they were introduced they have grown very fast. The current rod and reel record 83 pounder was caught last year but bigger ones have been taken on limb lines. You can catch a lot of these flavorful fish and might get a new record.

How To: Fish live bream on heavy tackle in the deep holes in river bends. Anchor your boat upstream of a hole and drift a live bream down into it. Use enough lead to hold it on the bottom. For bigger cats use big bait, a three finger bream will catch eating size but you need a big bream for a record cat.

Contacts: Wayne County Tourism Board – 888-224-5983

Options: Fish at night for big spots at Carters. Join the night pot tournaments or go alone. Fish spinnerbaits and crankbaits on main lake rocky points.

Put a boat in at the Marine Ditch ramp south of Albany and fish the shoals with a topwater lure late in the day for a five pound shoal bass.

AUGUST

Tarpon:

Coast

What to Expect: Tarpon move into sounds and rivers to spawn in the summer and you can see them rolling on the surface. You have a good chance to hook one of these 100 pound plus fish this month in any of the sounds and river mouths from Savannah to Kings Bay.

How To: Catch some live menhaden, locally called pogies, with a cast net then drift them either under a big cork or free lined where you see tarpon. You need a needle sharp hook to stick in the bony mouth. For even more excitement cast a big topwater plug to visible fish. Use a heavy rod and a reel that will spool at least 200 yards of 20 pound line to have any chance of landing one.

Contacts: Miss Judy Charters – 912-897-4921

Options: Motors at High Falls are restricted to 10 horse power and boats are not allowed on the water from sunset to sunrise, but you can catch some quality bass shallow on topwater baits and worms in this 650 acre state park lake.

Bluegill bed on the full moon again this month so take some crickets and earthworms to the McDuffie PFA. Find the beds on any of the open ponds for fast action.

SEPTEMBER

Redeye Bass:

Lake Hartwell

What to Expect: This subspecies of bass is somewhat rare and you best for catching one is on Lake Hartwell. They are plentiful there and school up on top a lot this month. They are small but put up a good fight and you can add them to your list of bass species you have landed.

How To: Watch for topwater action all day long in the mouth of Lightwood Log Creek and near Portman Shoals Marina in Twenty and Six Mile Creek. Throw a Sammy, Spook or Fluke to them and work the bait fast. When one hits on a plug with two sets of hooks, fight it slowly to the boat and you can often hook a second fish. You will usually see fish following the one you hook.

Contacts: Guide Tony Moran – 706-779-2234

Options: Although some call it the Dead Sea, Georgia bass clubs report Altoona as the lake with the best catch rate in the state. Fish topwater early around rock walls then try a Spotsticker Jig and four inch worm in the same places.

For a change of pace, fray a 8 inch piece of white nylon string and tie it on a silver spoon. Cast to gar on the surface in Germany Creek for an interesting fight.

OCTOBER

Red Drum:

Georgia Coast

What to Expect: Bull red drum, also known as redfish, move into the surf in the fall as the water cools, following the mullet. You can catch them from the shore this time of year and some of the biggest fish of the year are within reach of fishermen without boats.

How To: Use surf casting rods to launch small live mullet or cut bait as far into the surf as possible. Try to find rips and current breaks and put on a sinker heavy enough to hold your bait on the bottom. Keep your line tight and be ready for a screaming run. Check your bait often and replace it as the crabs pick at it.

Contacts: Golden Isles Charter Fishing – 912-638-7673

Options: The state record spotted bass was caught in Lake Burton and the big spots are moving to the shallows to feed as the lake cools. Try a jig and pig in any wood cover and around rocks on the main lake.

Goat Rock is a small lake north of Columbus and has some quality largemouth in it. Fish the blowdowns on the river channel with a 10 inch worm or a jig and pig.

NOVEMBER

Crappie:

Lake Oconee

What to Expect: Cooling water means crappie move more shallow and bite better than they have in months. Oconee as an excellent population of slab size crappie and you can catch them all over the lake.

How To: Fish the standing timber plots with live shiner minnows and jigs. Night fishing is best early in the month but crappie hit during the day better later in the month. Tie up to a stump sticking out of the water, drop a jig or live shiner down and try different depths until you start catching fish. Start down 10 feet and go down to 20 before moving and hitting another spot. If the timber is topped out below the surface drift or troll your bait at those depths.

Contacts: Guide Al Bassett – 706-485-1280

Options: Lake Blackshear looks like largemouth heaven with all the cypress trees. Drop a Texas rigged worm or jig and pig around the bases of the trees all over the lake this month.

Big brown trout can be caught in the Chattahoochee River downstream of the Lanier Dam. Use big wet flies or small spinners in the deeper holes.

DECEMBER

Stripped Bass:

Lake Thurmond

What to Expect: Big stripers move shallow in the cold water to feed on blueback herring. Fish weighing forty pounds and more are caught each year at Thurmond. The population of big stripers is good and winter is the best time to catch them.

How To: Use planer boards to take live blueback herring in close to the rocks on main lake points. At the same time freeline live herring behind the boat in deeper water to cover a range of depths.

Contacts: Captain Dave Willard – 803-637-6379

Options: Jackson spots like the cold water in December and feed on the rocky points on the main lake. Fish small crankbaits and a jig and pig on steep rocky points from the dam to the Highway 212 bridge.

Look for gulls to point the way to hybrids schooling up on West Point. Cast bucktail jigs to them while they are on top then troll live shad or jigs in the area after they go down.

These are just a few of the trips you can take to enjoy Georgia fishing at its best this year.

What Are Four Good Bass Baits for September In Georgia?

Four Bass Baits For September Georgia Bass

September can be the cruelest month for Southern bass fishermen. Some mornings have a slight coolness to the air, something missing since last April. That gives promise to active bass feeding shallow and good fall fishing, but it is only a promise.

The reality is the water in our lakes is hot, and has been hot for months. The oxygen content is about as low as it gets all year. Bass are hard to catch since most are still holding in deep water and they have been looking at so many lures all summer long that they know the catalog numbers of them. At least they have gotten used to the constant buzzing of pleasure boats and skidoos.

Even if it is tough fishing, bass can be caught right now. A variety of baits will help you catch September bass from the top to the deepest holes where they hang out. Tie on these four baits, follow the tactics using them and you might start to like September fishing a little better.

Zara Spook

No kind of strike in bass fishing is more exciting than seeing a slashing topwater hit. Many of us put away topwater baits when the water got hot, bringing them out for a few minutes early in the morning but mostly leaving them in the tackle box. That can be a mistake.

Years ago on a miserably hot Labor Day weekend trip I had fished all day on Saturday without a keeper bass. Early Sunday morning I headed to a bridge to fish the riprap before the sun came up. Repeating the day before, I could not draw a strike on any bait I tried for several hours.

Remembering a bait I had bought but not tried, I dug out a big Zara Spook and tied it on. Since everything I heard said this bait took some learning to work right, this seemed like a good time to play around with it and try to learn to “walk the dog” with it.

After a long cast parallel to the riprap I started twitching the rod tip and found out it was not hard to make it walk. The lure had gone about 25 feet when a four pound largemouth smashed it. I could not believe it, first cast with a Spook and a good keeper bass, the first of the trip.

It would be nice to say I loaded the boat all day on that trip, but it didn’t work out that way. I did catch another three pound bass and missed two more that looked like good fish, but that was far better than any other bait I used that trip.

A Spook is a great bait for drawing up individual fish and making them hit. It moves slowly but makes a lot of commotion in the water. That makes big bass think it is an easy meal, or makes them come to the action to take an easy meal away from a smaller brethren. It is a great bait for schooling fish, too.

Throw a spook on a fairly heavy rod with a light tip. You need the backbone to control big bass but the light tip helps work the bait. I prefer a short 5.5 foot rod but many fishermen use longer rods. Heavy line on a baitcasting reel also helps so spool up with 15 pound test or higher.

Make long casts and let the bait settle. With some slack in the line, jerk the rod tip and then move it back toward the bait, giving it some slack. The bait with jump to one side then turn back. After a little practice you can make the bait jump from side to side without moving forward much, called “walking the dog.”

Any vertical structure is a good place to throw a Spook this month. Bridge riprap and pilings, docks, standing timber and bluff walls all offer bass a place to hold and move up to the surface to feed. Work the Spook parallel to the cover and try different speeds, from a very slow enticing walk to a fast action that will draw a reaction strike.

Spooks will also draw bass up from surprisingly deep cover, especially in clear water. If blueback herring or other baitfish that stay near the surface on bright days are present, it is even better. Cast across humps, deep timber and underwater ridges to pull bass from the depths to hit your bait. Bass will come from 30 feet deep at times to smash a Spook on top.

Thermoclines often form on our southern lakes this time of year and the bass suspend just above it, holding in the coolest water with enough oxygen to support them. These bass are often inactive but a Spook worked over them can interest them. If you see a lot of fish on your depthfinder suspended out over deep water, walk the dog right on top of them.

Always keep a Spook ready for schooling fish, too. When you see fish feeding on top cast to them, even if it is an individual fish. You can cast a Spook a long way so you don’t have to get too close to the feeding fish, and the action looks just like a fish hitting bait on the surface.

Spooks will catch bass all day long, even on the brightest, hottest September days. It is even better early and late in the day when bass are more active, and they will smash it at night, too.

Big Crankbaits

Bass eat crankbaits and for several years baits that will reach the fish holding in deep water have been available. With the right tackle you can dredge the deep holding spots all day without wearing yourself out too much, too.

Roger McKee loves big crankbaits in September. He has been successful in many tournaments on Southern lakes and says he if he had to choose one bait to use in September it would be a crankbait. Several baits will hit the deep cover and structure he fishing this month and make the bass try to eat them.

One of Rogers favorite crankbaits is no longer made but he finds them for sale on E-Bay at times. The Rapala Down Deep crankbait in both size five and seven work well for him. He also uses the Poe’s LR 4500, Norman DD22-N, Fat Free Shad and other baits that will dig deep. Natural shad colored baits are his favorites and some have a slash of red or orange on them to add to the attraction. He hand paints some of his baits to customize them.

A Falcon composite glass and graphite rod is Roger’s choice and he now prefers it over the older glass rods he used for cranking. Team it up with a Lews or Ambassadeur 3.8 ratio reel that allows you to dredge the depths without wearing out your hands and you have the right equipment. Spool the reel with PLine CX 10 or 12 pound test line and you can get the bait down deep.

Start at 14 feet and then go deeper for September bass, Roger advises. He looks for brush, stumps, rocks and other cover on deep structure like humps, roadbeds and drops. And if the crankbait is not bouncing off something, Roger feels like he is wasting a cast. Bump the cover to make the bass bite.

Baitfish on the cover and structure is a key clue to the bass being nearby, too. Roger says he does not fish a place if there is no baitfish around it. He sometimes sees bass on his depthfinder, holding under bait, but the bass may be so tight to cover they don’t show up. If the baitfish are there the bass are probably there, too.
Current definitely helps. Roger says current moving across cover and structure improves it by 75 percent. He can draw reaction strikes from bass when no current is moving but they are more likely to be active and feeding if the current is moving.

Locate cover at least 14 feet deep on structure with baitfish present and mark it with a buoy. Back off and make long casts past the cover, reeling your crankbait down until it hits something. Bounce it off the bottom or brush and be ready for a bite.

Roger advises you to carry a good plug knocker when fishing like this or it gets too expensive. He likes the Hound Dog retriever, a lead cylinder with a wire arm that goes over your fishing line. When lowered down your fishing line with its heavier line attached, it will bump your plug loose or hang it and you can pull it loose. If you aren’t getting hung up you aren’t fishing crankbaits right.

Big Worm

If the bass are holding too deep to reach with a crankbait or if they are not active, a big plastic worm will often get them to bite. Rig them either Texas style with the sinker against the head of the worm or Carolina style with the worm trailing the weight on a leader and you can hit the deepest cover and work it slowly.

If there is no current the bass may be very inactive and sometimes they bury down in the brush and won’t come out for a moving bait. Drag a worm into their home and let it sit and you may get them to eat it. And the bigger baits seem to make them more likely to hit, as well as drawing strikes from bigger bass.

The Zoom Old Monster is a 10.5 inch worm made in many different colors and works this time of year. Strike King makes the 11 inch Sneaky Snake and the 10 inch Baby Huey Worm. You can get 10 inch long Berkley Power Worms. Most companies make big worms for this kind of fishing.

Worm colors are probably more important to the fisherman than the bass, especially when fishing deep water. Dark colors like Junebug, green pumpkin, redbug and black are always good. Try different colors until you find one you like and the bass will most likely like it, too.

Rig up with 15 pound test line or heavier and use a stout rod to pull big bass away from cover. To get deep use up to a half ounce sinker on the Texas rig and a one ounce lead on the Carolina rig. If the bass are real spooky you can use a lighter leader on the Carolina rig, but don’t go so light that you break off on a big fish.

You need a big hook for these big worms. A 4/0 to 6/0 wide gap hook gives you the space in the bend for the worm to bunch up on the strike but still get some steel in the mouth of the bass. Make sure the hooks are extremely sharp, too.

Find deep cover and get down current of it if there is current. If there is no current sit on the shallow side and bring your bait up from the deeper side of the cover. Drag it along until you hit the cover the fish are in then shake your worm and make it stay in one place with some movement.

Look for cover on deep structure like roadbeds, creek channels, humps and ridges. Many fishermen build brush piles in deep water and many lakes have natural cover, so spend some time riding likely structure with your depthfinder. And keep a marker buoy handy to help you hit cover you find when you back off to cast to it.

Tubes

Small finesse baits like tubes can be a lot of fun this time of year and can get you bites when everything else fails. You will get more bites on them and catch more bass but they are likely to be smaller so you can use light equipment and have more fun fighting them.

For this kind of fishing you need a light action spinning rod and reel loaded with six to eight pound test line. A clear or fluorocarbon line works best. Rig a three or four inch tube on a one-sixteenths ounce jig head so it will sink slowly and use a light wire hook.

Bass often hold shallow this time of year if they can find some shade. This is especially true if the lake you fish had a shallow thermocline with poor oxygen content in the deeper water. Look for shade under docks, bridges and when trees and brush overhang steep banks.

A tube is easy to skip with the light jig head and light line on a spinning reel. Skip it far back under docks and overhanging limbs and let is sink slowly. You have to be careful if there is brush on the bottom because the exposed hook will hang up easily, so watch your line and try to retrieve your tube before it gets to the brush.

If you are having problems hanging up a lot, try Texas rigging the tube. You can use a small #1 or 1/0 hook and keep it inside the tube. Peg a one-sixteenths bullet weight to the head of the tube to make it skip better.

After the tube falls twitch it back. It will jump and dart like a confused, hurt baitfish. You can move it slowly and keep it in the shade for a long time when using a light jig head, so take advantage of all the shade you can.

Bridge pilings are especially good places to find bass right now. They will hang around the piling in the shade watching for shad and other baitfish feeding on the algae growing on the pilings. If you watch you will see shad nose up to the piling and bump it as they feed.

You can make your tube do the same thing. A tube on a light jig head will spiral down as it falls. Cast it right beside the piling and it will bump the piling then fall away, then bump it again as it spirals down, looking just like a feeding shad.

Since you are fishing fairly shallow lighter colors are usually best for tubes. Try watermelon, smoke and even clear to attract the bass. For some reason chartreuse also works good, even in very clear water.

If spotted bass are in the lake you are fishing this tactic is even better. They hang around vertical cover like pilings and are often more aggressive than largemouth. And they tend to like bright colors. A two pound spot will give you a fantastic fight on a light action outfit.

Don’t let the hot days of September get you down. Tie on these four baits, head to your favorite lake and find the bass. You can catch them from top to bottom with the right baits and these four give you the option to fish wherever you locate the bass.

Economic Value of Recreational vs. Commercial Fishing

Bad Comparisons: Economic Value of Recreational vs. Commercial Fishing

Today’s feature, by one of the great spokesmen for American sportfishing Rip Cunningham, originally was published by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, www.trcp.org.

By Rip Cunningham
from The Fishing Wire

What are the economic benefits of fishing?

What are the economic benefits of fishing?

Have you heard this one lately? “Recs just play with their food.” This has been a common misconception put out there by some who simply wanted more from any allocation of the resource between the recreational and commercial user groups. The idea was to make sure that those making the allocation decisions looked at the recreational user as simply someone who was having fun, but creating nothing. On the other hand, the image of the commercial user was someone who was feeding a hungry nation and by doing so, created jobs and economic activity. Unfortunately, as wrong as the image is, it has had some real traction since day one. How is that possible? Let’s look at several factors.

Most importantly, the overall economic statistics show a completely different picture. These may vary from region to region and fishery to fishery, but lets look at the numbers in aggregate. Recreational anglers comprise about 97% of the resource users and take about 3% of the resource. However, from that 3% they generate substantially more economic activity than the 3% of commercial users do from the 97% of the resource. Given those numbers it is amazing that every single allocation decision does not go to the recreational user. But they don’t because “recs just play with their food”. But that message has not seen a lot of promotion.

Saltwater sport fishing makes up a substantial portion of the overall numbers. In 2011, about 9 million salt water anglers fished for almost 100 million days. This activity generated about $13.5 billion in retail sales, over $32 billion in economic activity, about $10 billion in wages, and almost 250,000 jobs. While we are not a big fan of taxes, when they are used to enhance the activity that pays them, they are beneficial. Marine anglers generated $2.3 billion in federal tax revenue and almost another $2 billion to the states. Wow! If the sport fishing industry were a single business, it would be ranked 51st on the Fortune 500 ™ list. If that is the benefit of “a bunch of guys playing with their food,” bring it on.

The economic activity generated by sport fishing does not just benefit the manufacturers of tackle, marine electronics, boats, and motors. It supports many rural communities along our coasts. Fishing is part of their heritage. More than most, they understand the need to maintain healthy ecosystems and sustainable resources. Those two things have formed their history and will maintain their future.

Sport fishing participants love to catch fish both for fun and for a healthy source of protein. They also understand the need to protect and enhance the environments that support fish. They realize that no fish means no fishing.

Anglers contribute to the funding of our nation’s fisheries conservation and environmental improvement in a number of ways. This past year, 2012, marked the 75th anniversary of a conservation funding system that is envied throughout the world. The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund in 2010 generated $390 million from excise tax on fishing tackle and from the transfer of boat fuel tax back to the trust fund. This money is apportioned back to states by a formula based on metrics of fishing activity. License sales in 2010 also generated $657 million used by states to operate their fish and wildlife agencies. Beyond all of that, anglers annually donate over $400 million to a variety of conservation and fishing organizations. That is an impressive tally and one of the reasons that the US has maintained generally robust fish populations and quality habitat.

Okay so the participation and economics should be a slam dunk. There is still the issue of how recreational users are compared to the commercial user. It is an unfair comparison that the recreational user will lose every time. The angler is the end user on the recreational side. They are compared to the commercial user who is one rung up the ladder. The commercial user employs people and sells a product, albeit a product that is given to them. Never is the recreational user compared to the person who walks into the supermarket to buy seafood, but that would be the correct comparison. Conversely, never is the commercial user compared to the tackle shop owner or marina owner, but that is the correct comparison. Those folks employ people and produce a product or service. They are the engine that helps generate the socio-economic benefits from the recreational use of fisheries resources.

This image has to be changed if the recreational industry wants to get its fair share in the allocation battles. So when you hear someone saying, “recs just play with their food.” You can say that recreational users are the ones who pay to play and thereby support the economy and the resource.

Make sure that your Congressional delegation and fisheries managers understand this value!

For more information:

NOAA Report-Fisheries Economics of the United States 2009

Understanding the Potential Economic Impact of Marine Recreational Fishing: California

What Is the Best October Fishing In Georgia?

Peach State Autumn Bonanza

“North, East, South, West, fall fishing is the best.” If Georgia fishermen had cheerleaders, their routine might go something like that. No matter which corner of Georgia you live in there is excellent fishing near you this fall.

As the water cools, fish become more active, moving shallow and feeding. Combine that with the lowered fishing pressure and smaller numbers of pleasure boaters and fall is a fantastic time to be on the water.

The variety of fishing available to Georgia fishermen is amazing. You can target fish that pull hard, fish that are great on dinner table or a combination of the two. Freshwater, saltwater, brackish water, lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, ponds and creeks are all available to try your luck. And you can catch fish on any tackle you want to use, from cane poles to the most expensive rod and reel combos.

Some of the best fishing available to Georgia fishermen in their corner of the state might be well known to them, but you might not be aware of what you can catch if you drive to a different area. The following are some of the best fish to target and the areas to catch them in each section of the state for Georgia fishermen.

Southeast – Georgia Coast – Trout and Reds

For some of the best tasting fish anywhere, sea trout and redfish are hard to beat. And a bull red will give you all the fight your tackle can handle. The Georgia coast offers some of the best fishing there is for these species and they are often found feeding in the same areas.

Comer Gheesling ran Little River Marina and Chobys Landing Restaurant on Lake Sinclair for years. He went to the coast to catch trout for his restaurant when the limit was higher and he could bring back enough to sell. He liked that fishing so much that he retired and moved to the coast so he could enjoy fishing for trout and reds all the time.

From Savannah to Cumberland Island our coast is laced with sounds, rivers and creeks. As the water cools trout and reds move from the deeper saltwater into more shallow areas to feed. Comer loves to take advantage of this fishing and has learned places and methods to catch them. He says fall is one of the best times to be on the water.

You can use any 18 to 24 foot boat with a reliable motor for this kind of fishing but a flats boat or similar type boat is best. A shallow draft boat that can get you to the shell bars and other structure where the fish feed, and get you out of the area when you need to leave, is needed. You can use a bass boat but Comer says the mud will be in your carpet from now on.

Comer likes a baitcasting reel loaded with Power Pro braid in 20 to 40 pound test for reds and trout fishing. The reel can handle any of the fish you will catch and the braid works best around the oyster and barnacle shells that can cut mono. Team this up with a seven food medium-heavy rod and you are ready.

For bait use live shrimp and jigs like the Sassy Shad or other shrimp imitations. A cork keeps the bait off the bottom and in the feeding range of the fish. Most of your fishing will be drifting the bait past feeding fish so you don’t have to make long casts.

“Moving water is the key,” Comer said. There is a six foot tide twice a day on the Georgia coast and they control the fishing. A falling tide is best for reds and a rising tide best for trout, but both can be caught on a either tide. Find structure that has water moving on it and you will find the fish.

Structure on the coast means shell beds more than anything else. Oyster bars are excellent and all kinds of fish feed around them. Pilings also hold fish. The key is to find either type place with a rip current moving past it and the fish will feed when the water is moving.

Comer likes to anchor up current from the structure and let his bait drift naturally down stream past the feeding area. The current will carry your bait right to the waiting trout and reds since they position themselves to watch for food being washed along. Hooking a trout takes practice and skill and reds sometimes will jerk the rod out of your hand but other times they can be finicky in their bite, too.

The best time to find shell bars and pilings to fish is when the tide is low and you can see the structure. You can sometimes see the redfish feeding then, too. If you see reds feeding, cast to them for some fast action. Find structure and be ready when the tide starts coming in to fish it. A few hours later you can go back and position your boat on the opposite end to fish the same structure as the tide falls.

It takes some time to learn this type of fishing and your learning curve will be much steeper if you go with someone who knows how to catch them. But if you have patience and take time to learn the tides and how the water moves over structure, and find places to fish, you can catch them.

Be careful. You are not the top of the food chain in salt water and many fishermen have spent long hours stranded in shallow water waiting on the rising tide to float their boat again. If stranded at night you will be amazed at the numbers of blood sucking insects that live there. Watch the water and pay attention to what is going on when fishing on the coast.

Southwest – Flint River – Shoal Bass

Floating the lower Flint River for shoal bass is Georgia’s version of fishing for smallmouth in rivers and fall is an excellent time to catch them. Bigger fish start feeding more as the water cools and all of the fish are hungry and active now. When you hook a shoal bass you can’t help but grin at the fight it will put up.

Ed Lane lives in Albany and works at Albany Lincoln Mercury. He started fishing the Flint in 1976 and has explored most of its secrets from the Lake Blackshear dam to the upper reaches of Lake Seminole. He loves to catch big shoal bass and fall is one of his favorite times to find them.

Floating the river is good way to fish it and you can use small boats and motors to fish and move around as the current carries you down stream. Ed likes a bigger boat and motor so he can also go upstream and not limit himself to where the current carries him, but he knows the river and can run it.

You can choose the length of a float trip by where you put in and take out. It takes all day to float from the Blackshear dam to the next ramp downstream. You can fish for about six hours by putting in at the DNR Marine Ditch ramp and floating to “Punks” landing, a private ramp. Downstream of there the launches are far apart and you need to learn how to come back upstream after floating down unless you plan on camping.

Shoal bass hold on the rocks in the middle of the river and feed on passing crawfish and baitfish. As the water cools they feed more actively and you can catch them on a variety of baits. Ed loves to throw a Pop-R for them and see the hit on top, and October is a good month for topwater action.

Another good bait is a jerkbait like the Rapala X-Rap. Work it with the current and make it flash and shoal bass have a hard time ignoring it. Ed will also Texas rig a Zoom Speed Worm in Junebug red on a 3/16 ounce lead and fish it around the rocks for shoalies.

“Rocks are the key to catching shoal bass, I don’t think I ever caught a shoal bass unless I was within sight of rocks,” Ed said. Fish the rocky shoal areas then motor to the next one for the best action.

In the fall the river is usually low and clear, making it easier to fish. You can see the rocks and fish them better. Use the current to make your bait move naturally. casting upstream or across the current when possible. This time of year the current should be slow enough to give you time to make a couple of casts before moving past a target.

Ed says he catches a five pound shoal bass on almost every trip this time of year, and it is not unusual to catch more then 20 bass in a six hour trip. The action is fast and the bass fight hard. The river is very pretty and not crowded in the fall. It is a excellent way to spent time fishing right now.

The rocks in the Flint not only hold shoal bass, they eat motor lower units, so be careful when fishing it. The current can be dangerous, too. A small boat can be swept under overhanging limbs and capsized or crushed against rocks. Watch what you are doing on the Flint until you learn it.

Northwest – Lake Weiss – Crappie

Georgia fishermen will need an Alabama fishing license on most of Lake Weiss, but it is worth it to take advantage of the fall bonanza of slab crappie feeding now. They have moved shallow from their deeper summer holes and are fattening up for the winter. You can fill up the freezer with some of our best eating fish right now at Weiss.

Roger Buttram works for the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department and lives within 15 minutes of Weiss, where he guides. He says fall is the best time of year to catch big crappie on the lake and they are shallow, making them easier to catch and a wall hanger crappie is a good possibility. “If you have caught crappie at Weiss in the spring, look for them in the same places in the fall,” Roger said. The reverse is also true. If you find a good spot for crappie at Weiss now it will be good again next spring. You can pattern the fish and catch them consistently.

Roger targets docks, brush piles, riprap, shallow humps and stumps in the fall. Some of the best areas of the lake are Cowan Creek, Little River, Yellow Creek and the Coosa River. He uses small tube jigs one to 1 1/2 inches long and will experiment with the colors to see what the fish want. Some of his best colors are black/white, blue/white, chartreuse/silver glitter and red/chartreuse.

The Mister Twister jig is a good one and Roger likes the 1/32 ounce size. If fishing brush he gets the jig heads with the fiber weed guard. It works much better than the metal weed guard on some jigs.

“Stay near deep water,” Roger advises. Find cover in shallow water but with deep water nearby and you are more likely to find the crappie. He gave the example of fishing docks in six to eight feet of water but with 10 to 12 feet of water in front of them.

You can catch fall crappie at Weiss by exploring on your own, but Roger will guide you to them much quicker. You can call him at 256-504-6794 for a guided trip.

Northeast – Lake Hartwell – Hybrids and Stripers

Hybrids and stripers are some of our hardest fighting freshwater fish and they are schooling and active now. The cooler weather has made them search for food and they will be one the move. You can spot them on top tearing up schools of shad and herring much more often now than during the summer, and they are feeding most of the day.

Hartwell is a big lake at 56,000 acres but Georgia and South Carolina stock almost a million hybrids and stripers in it each year. The blueback herring in Hartwell are a favorite food and the hybrids and stripers grow fat on them. The record striper caught at Hartwell weighed 59 pounds 8 ounces and 40 pounders are common. Five pound hybrids are common and eight pounders are caught often.

Fall is a great time to catch stripers and hybrids on top at Hartwell. Ride the big water near the dam and watch for gulls diving on feeding fish. When you see the splashes get close enough to cast but don’t run through them. Throw a big topwater plug like a Zara Spook or pencil popper to them and work it fast.

After the school goes down you can often find them holding suspended off points and humps. Troll a deep diving plug or a curly tail jig at the depth they are holding to pick up more fish. You can also get right on top of them and jig a spoon in the school.

It is hard to beat live herring for bait for stripers and hybrids at Hartwell, especially suspended fish. Many stores around the lake carry them or you can net your own. You need a round aerated tank to keep them alive. Hook a seven inch herring through the eyes or behind the dorsal fin. Use a 2/0 hook Carolina rigged with a one ounce sinker above a swivel with a two foot leader. Drop it down to the schools of fish and the herring won’t last long.

Look for points and humps in the mouth of Powderbag Creek, Lightwood Log Creek, Sadlers Creek, Reed Creek and the Seneca River for hybrids and stripers. A good depthfinder will help you find the fish and stay on them. If you see the fish holding suspended off the structure they are harder to catch but if they are in contact with the bottom they are actively feeding and are easier to catch.

Use tackle that will handle a big striper since you are apt to hook into a 40 pounder at any time. A baitcasting reel spooled with 15 to 20 pound line matched with a seven foot rod will help you fight a big hybrid or striper. Be prepared to follow a big striper with your boat or it will take all your line and then break it.

No matter which way you go in Georgia the fishing is good in the fall. Choose something close to home or drive to a new area for different kinds of fishing. Sample the excellent fall fishing in all the corners of the state for a variety of fish and ways to catch them.

How Should I Fish New Waters?

How to Fish New Waters
from The Fishing Wire

Searching for fish

Searching for fish

Yamaha Pro Steve Pennaz makes his living finding fish on new waters. Here’s how he does it.

Yamaha Pro Steve Pennaz says finding fish on new lakes is fishing’s greatest challenge, despite today’s great sonar and GPS systems.

The challenge for most anglers today is not catching fish, it’s finding them.

“As the old adage goes you can’t catch a fish that isn’t there,” said Steve Pennaz. “Fishing’s greatest challenge has always been locating fish. That’s true even with today’s superb sonar units and mapping software.”

Pennaz is in a unique position when it comes to locating fish. For the past two decades this Yamaha pro has traveled extensively in search of multi-species fishing action, both as a television host and magazine editor. He has developed an uncanny ability to find fish, a skill he shares each week on Lake Commandos television series.

“It all starts with the fish,” said Pennaz. “The more you know about your target species the better you become at predicting their behavior. Guys like Berkley’s® Dr. Keith Jones have written extensively on fish and fish behavior, and I thank them.

“All fish exhibit behaviors common to their species, yet there are members in a given population that behave uniquely. With bass, you have fish that tend to orientate to shallow cover, but there are also fish that roam open water.

You gotta find them to land them.

You gotta find them to land them.

Pennaz says larger fish of a given species often live in different areas and prefer different water temperatures than the juveniles.

“In some cases, larger adult fish act much differently than juvenile fish of the same species. Northern pike are the perfect example. Those weighing 10 pounds or more seek out much colder water (55-60 degrees) than smaller pike (65-70 degrees), which is the reason anglers fishing shallow weeds in mid-summer may catch a lot of pike but may fish a lifetime without ever landing a trophy.

“The second piece of the puzzle is understanding the seasonal movement of fish,” said Pennaz. “The spawn dominates fish behavior either spring (bass, walleye, crappie, etc.) or fall (certain trout, char and salmon). Knowing a fish’s preferred spawning temp and habitat are important clues; they provide clues on where the fish will be prior to, during and after the spawn.

“Water clarity is also a factor in determining fish location. In extremely turbid waters, low light penetration limits weed growth to shallow water. This typically means you find weed-relating fish like bass and bluegills will be shallow as well. In very clear waters, finding fish deep is often the norm.

Predicting fish behavior is a matter of understanding how they migrate with the seasons, and how they relate to cover and water clarity, Pennaz says.
“I’ve come to rely on water clarity on almost a weekly basis when trying to break a lake down quickly on Lake Commandos. The lower the water clarity the shallower I start my search, and rarely has this approach let me down. The deep weed line, when available, is usually the key to determining just how deep you’ll find most active fish.

“Forage is another piece to the puzzle,” said Pennaz. “Every gamefish is a predator, at times they will key on specific forage; other times they feed opportunistically or eating whatever they catch. Knowing what the fish are eating will help you not only narrow your search, but also help you select presentations.

“Trout anglers know better than most the importance of matching the hatch. To a lesser extent, the same can be true with other species, but typically not to that extent. However, if bass are keying on shad, give them shad imitators.”

Pennaz offers one last tip. “Whenever you are fishing with another angler or a group of anglers,” said Pennaz, “I suggest each of you fish a different presentation until you hone in on what the fish want that day. It’s stunning how even little things can impact success.

A smooth, quiet Yamaha is part of the package of many successful anglers whether they’re chasing southern largemouths or northern pike and walleyes.
“Last winter I fished bass on a Texas reservoir. My fishing partner and I were both throwing black/blue Berkley® Chigger Craws on a Carolina rig, yet he quickly went up on me five fish to zero! I was dumbfounded. Our casts were landing just inches apart. He would get bit and I’d get nothing.

“We compared rigs after he released his fifth bass. His featured a fluorocarbon main line, a ¾-ounce sinker, bead, and 15-pound fluorocarbon leader running nearly two feet. My rig featured a braid for a main line, ½-ounce sinker, no bead and 16-inch leader of 15-pound fluorocarbon. I don’t know what made the difference, the weight difference, leader or mainline, all I can say is when I switch up to what he was using the bites started to come immediately.

“Whenever I am fishing with someone else I ask what bait they are throwing and then select something else – a different color, size, whatever. I also play with speed, line type and weight – anything to see if the fish display a preference. I found this approach helps with not only locating fish as quickly as possible, but also helps create a base pattern that can be tweaked as needed.”

Where Can I Catch Catfish In Middle Georgia?

All About Middle Georgia Lake Cats

There is something special about sitting by a small lakeside fire on a hot summer night watching lines set out for catfish. It is very relaxing to cast out a few baited hooks, prop the rods in a holder or forked stick and watch for line movement indicating a bite. And the results of the catch, fried catfish with hushpuppies and slaw, is special, too.

Catfish are in all our lakes and are willing feeders on many kinds of bait. They are easy to catch and excellent cooked in a variety of ways. A bulldog type fighter, they will stretch your string and grow bigger than any other kind of freshwater fish in our waters.

Georgia lakes have populations of blue, channel, white and flathead catfish as well as three kinds of bullheads, often called yellow or mud cats. The most popular are the blue, channel and flatheads and they also get bigger than the other species.

Catfish are known as bottom feeders but they will eat just about anything. Tales of them hitting chunks of Ivory soap are common, but other baits probably work better. Night is the most active feeding time for most catfish but many are caught during daylight. Overall it is hard to go wrong no matter when you go or what you use if a mess of catfish is your goal.

Although it would be hard to find a pond bigger than a puddle or a creek barely too big to jump across without catfish in it, there are better choices for catfishing for most of us. Our big public lakes are excellent places to catch catfish. Everyone can fish them, access is good and catfish often grow huge in them.

You don’t need special equipment to fish for cats although a boat can help. Any kind of rod and reel or cane pole will do, and you don’t even need them to land a bunch of cats. This variety can get confusing but it is fun to try them all and decide which you like best.

Everyone has favorite ways to catch catfish and all of them work. Trotlines are used by many commercial fishermen and recreational fishermen take tons of cats on them each year. Jugs work well and are easy to check. Limb lines are a favorite where shoreline trees and bushes make them possible, and set poles can replace the limbs on clean banks.

All the above methods are fun and provide large numbers of cats, but nothing beats the fun of reeling in a big cat on a rod and reel or fighting an eating size cat on a cane pole. There is no reason not to combine several of these methods, putting out a trotline then sitting on the bank nearby with a rod and reel out for cats, or putting out limb lines then going back to the dock and fishing for cats there while waiting on the set hooks to do their work.

Trotlines are simply a main line with short dropper lines attached every few feet. A hook is tied on the end of the dropper line and baited. The main line can be run across a cove or between two trees out in deeper water, and some, especially commercial lines, are simply anchored at each end with a concrete block. Run them parallel to the bank to fish a set depth or stretch them across the cove to cover different depths.

You can buy commercially made trotlines or make your own. Get a spool of strong cord and another of slightly lighter line. Tie a two or three foot section of the lighter line every four to six feet apart on the main line. Tie them far enough apart so they don’t tangle. If you use a two foot dropper, tie them four feet apart.

A 100 foot line with 25 dropper hooks is a good size to use. You can cover the back end of a cove or the side of one with a line that long. It is also easier to handle than longer lines, and recreational fishermen are limited to 50 hooks or less so you can put out two trotlines that long. The law also says you must sink the trotline at least three feet deep and mark it with visible buoys with your name and address on it.

Commercial fishermen bait their hooks while the trotline is on a rack then put them out. Wrapping the main line around a block of Styrofoam then wrapping each dropper and sticking the hook into the Styrofoam works for recreational fishermen. You can put the line out then go back and bait it.

Run your line across a cove or down the side of a cove, tying it off so you can find it. Make sure it stays down by putting a weighed like a half a brick in the middle. Bait up with pieces of shrimp, pieces of cut fish, live bream, earthworms, liver, commercial stink bait or anything else you like. Tougher baits hold up better to the movement of the line.

Bait up just before dark so bream don’t steal as much of your bait. Check your line in the middle of the night and again at daylight, but don’t bother it too much. Pulling it up too often makes it less effective.

Limb lines are a fun way to fish. Tie a line to any overhanging limb that is strong enough to hold a catfish and make it long enough to go into the water. Tie a hook on the end and bait it with any favorite catfish bait. One trick is to tie the hook so it is just at the water’s surface then hook a live bream in the back so it creates a disturbance on the surface when it tries to swim.

Live bream are legal baits if you catch them legally on the lake you are fishing for catfish. You can not go over the limits on the lake you are fishing. Keep them in a live well or basket in the water until you need them. You can have a lot of fun catching the bait on a light pole or rod and reel. Bream two to three inches long make excellent bait.

It is easy to check limb lines by shining a spotlight on them. You can quickly learn how they move differently when a catfish is pulling rather than the live bait you are using. You have to get closer to the line if you are using other baits to check them and put more bait on if it is missing.

Set poles work the same way, but are easier to set out and check without a boat. Cut some cane poles six to 15 feet long and tie a line to the end with a hook on it. Chose a bank on the lake that drops off fast. The outside bends of the old creek channels are good. Stick the butt end of pole in the ground at a angle so the pole sticks out over the water and the hook is in the water.

It is easier to bait the hook before putting the pole out, and you can use rocks to hold it in place if the ground is real hard. Make sure the angle is steep enough so the fish is pulling against the pole and does not pull it out of the ground. A 45 degree angle is usually about right.

Jugs are an exciting way to fish but you need a boat. Use a quart Clorox jug or similar size plastic bottle for this fishing. Don’t use too big a jug or the wind will move it around too fast and far. Tie a dropper line of three or four feet to the jug and attach your hook. A sinker on the line helps and you can cut cost by using an old spark plug tied to the line a foot above the hook.

Find a cove on the lake protected from the wind, or choose one with the wind blowing into it. If you put the jugs out in open water even a very slight breeze will move them all over the lake by morning. Bait the jugs up with your favorite bait and toss them into the water a few feet apart.

It is fun to watch the jugs and try to find them at night with a spotlight, but you will have to wait till daylight to find most. Spray paint the jug with florescent orange spray paint to make finding them easier. Some fishermen even stick a strip of reflective tape to their jugs.

A big cat will pull the jug under but will pop back up in a few feet. You may have to chase them for a while but that is part of the fun, watching to see where the jug will appear and trying to grab it before it is pulled under again.

Some folks use PVC pipe to make their jugs. One method is to cut 18 inch long sections of four to six inch pipe then cap it on both ends. Attach your line and hook and you are ready to go. Another interesting way is to make them out of one to two inch PVC three feet long with caps on both ends. Attach your line to one end and when a fish is on the hook the pole will stand up, making it easier to spot.

Livewells or ice chests can both be used to hold your catch until time to clean them. Catfish are easy to clean but not like scaled fish. Special catfish skinning pliers help a lot. These pliers have a wide pinching jaw that grabs the skin better than regular pliers.

With small cats, cut through the skin around the head then put your thumb in the fish’s mouth. Hold it by placing a finger under each side fin. Grab the skin a the cut and pull apart, stripping the skin off. Be very careful of the fins since they are sharp and will stick into you easily. It is a good idea to clip off the top fin before starting the cleaning process.

With big cats that you can’t hold in one hand, nail their heads to a tree or a wooden bench you use for cleaning fish. That will hold them in place as you strip off the skin. With real big cats you will need both hands to pull the skin off.

After skinning, cut the head off. It is amazing how much fish you lose. It seems catfish are at least one-third head. After cutting off the head cut out the vent with a notch cut then split the belly open. You can pull the guts out easily then.

With smaller fish you can pan fry the whole fish. You can also filet a catfish but you need a very sharp knife or and electric knife to cut through the tough skin. With really big catfish you can make vertical cuts through the backbone, cutting the fish into steaks an inch thick.

Fried catfish are always good but the mild flesh makes them good for most recipes. Catfish stew is a traditional southern favorite. They are also good baked, broiled and sautéed. It is hard to cook a catfish wrong.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, all of our central Georgia lakes are good for catfish. Each has specific species that are more common and they also offer some tips on catching them on their website in the “Lake Predictions” section.

Lake Andrews is a 1540 acre lake on the Chattahoochee River between Lake Walter F. George and Lake Seminole. There are large numbers of four to six pound channel cats caught there at night during the summer. The area just below the George dam is good for numbers of cats as well as some big ones, including blue cats over 30 pounds. Remember that you are not allowed to put out trotlines within one half mile below any lock or dam.

Lake Walter F. George has a good population of channel cats but the DNR is seeing and increasing population of blue cats, too. There are a lot of both species in the one to two pound range and the DNR suggest fishing in 15 to 20 feet of water for them. Blue cats up to 30 pounds have been taken there in the past few years.

West Point Lake probably has the best population of channel cats of any lake in middle Georgia, according to the DNR. Dam and bridge riprap is a good place to catch them as are the big flats on the lake. Live or dead threadfin shad are excellent bait for them and you can catch them for your bait with a cast net.

Jackson Lake has good populations of channel and white catfish as well as bullheads, and they are the second most harvested fish there, according to the DNR. The average size of channel cats is two to three pounds but Jackson probably has the highest population of channel cats over 30 inches long in middle Georgia.

Lake Oconee has an excellent population of white and channel cats but recently blues and flatheads have been increasing. That means there are fewer small cats but more bigger ones. Live bait is best for blues and flatheads at Oconee and summer nights are the best time to fish, according to the DNR.

Lake Sinclair has some of the highest catfish populations in middle Georgia, with white and channel catfish and bullheads most common. Recently blue cats were illegally introduced and they will grow fast, reaching 50 pounds or more. Channel cats may reach 30 pounds at Sinclair.

Lake Juliette has a small population of flathead catfish but they grow big. They are hard to land because of the abundant standing timber in the lake. Fishing for smaller cats is not very good, with bullheads making up most of the catch.

Lake Tobesofkee has a good population of channel cats and bass fishermen hook them often. Most are in the half to one and a half pound range but bigger ones are present. Trotlines are not allowed in Tobesofkee.

Lake Thurmond, better known as Clarks Hill, is the lake I grew up on and ran trotlines and limb lines on for years. We caught many eating size blue and channel cats and live bream were my favorite bait. When I fished it back in the 1970s and 80s we never saw a flathead cat, but several over 40 pounds have been taken there during the past 10 years.

Pick any middle Georgia lake. Take your favorite bait, or take several different kinds. Set out some hooks and then cast out your rod and reel. No matter where you go and what you use, you will catch a mess of good eating cats.

Can I Catch Muskie On A Fly Rod?

Mighty Muskie on a Fly Rod
from The Fishing Wire

Dan Small, well-known host of “Outdoors Radio” sent along this tale of his adventures on the way to the recent Outdoor Writers Association of American conference at Lake Placid, N.Y., proving he not only talks a good game, he knows how to play.

Tiger Muskie caught on a fly rod

Tiger Muskie caught on a fly rod

Dan Small shows the beautiful striped pattern of the 39-inch tiger muskie he landed on a fly rod from New York’s St. Regis River.

On my way to Lake Placid for the Outdoor Writers Association of America conference last week, I met my brother Mike and son Jon at Jellybean’s Riverside Campground on the St. Regis River in St. Lawrence County, in northern New York State. Our plan was to spend several days fly fishing for muskies, then head to the conference.

Last year on that same river, Mike caught and released a 51-inch muskie (photo attached) that was later certified as a 30-lb. tippet class world record by the Freshwater Fishing HOF in Hayward, WI. He also caught a 49.5-incher on that same river. His fly of choice: a Hawg Frawg, which he designed.

When I arrived a week ago Wednesday afternoon, Mike and Jon had fished hard with no luck for two hours from a canoe, fighting the gusting winds that preceded a strong cold front on its way across the state. The temperature had been 95 degrees in Syracuse and was still in the mid-80s in St. Lawrence County when I arrived at our campsite. Eager to get in some fishing before the storm, I didn’t bother to suit up, but just grabbed one of Mike’s 10-weight St. Croix rods rigged with a Hawg Frawg in what he calls a “Sting Bee” yellow/black pattern.

Dan’s brother, Mike, caught this monster 51 inch pure muskie a year earlier from the same location, also on a fly rod. It’s been designated the 30-pound tippet record for the species by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
Wearing shorts and Crocs, I walked the shoreline of the campground where they had been fishing and made a few casts in a big backwater. Mike had tied a two-foot section of sink-tip line into the leader to make the floating fly dive a foot or so. I was casting, then stripping the fly back toward me. I had only been fishing about 10 minutes when a fish hit my fly. The fight lasted just a few minutes, but the fish that had taken hold turned out to be huge.

Mike netted the fish, then ran to get his measuring stick. When we had unhooked and measured it, we realized it was a hybrid or “tiger” muskie, a cross between a northern pike and a muskellunge. It measured 39 inches nose to tail. I did not get a circumference or weight estimate. After photos, we released the fish and it swam off strongly.

Later at the OWAA conference, I asked NY Department of Environmental Conservation fisheries biologists Doug Stang and Ed Woltmann what they knew about tigers in the St. Regis. They told me the DEC does not stock tigers or any muskies in the St. Regis, as that river is in the St. Lawrence River watershed. All muskies there are naturally spawned.

Fly for catching muskie

Fly for catching muskie

Here’s the hand-tied jumbo fly, the Hawg Frog, that Mike Small designed to fool the giant predators.

They said my fish was most likely a natural hybrid produced when a male northern and female muskie happened to spawn in the same area. Woltmann also told me that the St. Lawrence was losing some shallow pike spawning habitat, which was causing some northerns to spawn later in spring and in deeper water, which may have facilitated some natural hybridization.

Wednesday night, heavy rains caused the river to rise about two feet. We fished from shore on Thursday with no luck. Jon had one strike but missed the fish.

Early Friday morning, Mike had two fish boil on flies before I hooked about a 40-incher on a big streamer pattern. I captured the strike, fight and landing of that fish on a GoPro mounted on my head, but we never got to measure it because it spit the barbless hook, bit right through the brand-new (brand name withheld to protect the manufacturer) landing net and swam off. Mike’s X-rated reaction (also captured on the GoPro) was hilarious. That was the end of our muskie fishing, but I had had enough action to keep me fired up for the entire conference.