Monthly Archives: February 2025

Georgia Bass Slam 2024 Grand Prize Winner

The Georgia Bass Slam 2024 Grand Prize Winner and how to enter this year

  • By The Fishing Wire

Winner, winner, fish for dinner! Congratulations to Michael Mooney of Grovetown, GA (Columbia County) on winning the Grand Prize for the 2024 Georgia Bass Slam. 

Mr. Mooney was one of 67 anglers that got a Georgia Bass Slam in 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

“What a surprise! This is the first time I have ever won anything,” said Michael Mooney, who has been participating in the program since 2018 and gotten 4 total Bass Slams. “These programs are a lot of fun every year and I appreciate the opportunity to participate.”

The Bass Slam Grand Prize Winner receives a cooler, camp chair, tackle box and a beautifully framed bass print. Are you working on your 2025 Slam?

Georgia Bass Slam: Catch (at least) five of the different black bass species found in Georgia within a calendar year and you have a Georgia Bass Slam! This program recognizes anglers with the knowledge and skill to catch different species of bass in a variety of habitats across the state, while also stimulating interest in the conservation and management of black bass and their habitats. For complete rules and more info, visit BassSlam.com.

Other Fishing Recognition Programs:

  • Angler Award Program: This program recognizes those who catch fish that meet or exceed a specific weight or length for that species. There is an adult, youth, public fishing area and trophy bass angler award program category. For complete rules and more info, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/anglerawards.  
  • State Records: In addition to the angler award program, the division also maintains a freshwater fish state-record program for anglers who land a catch that exceeds the existing record catch weight by one ounce or more.  More information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/recordprogram/rules. 
  • Trout Slam: Catch all 3 species of trout available in Georgia waters and earn a Trout Slam! More info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/trout-slam. 
  • Kids First Fish Certificate: The division wants to recognize children across the state for catching their first fish with an online kid’s “first fish award” certificate available at GeorgiaWildlife.com/my-first.  

Georgia Wildlife Resources thanks anglers that took part in these programs and appreciates all anglers that head out to state waters throughout the year to wet a line. For more information about fishing in Georgia, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/angler-resources.

Fishing Rather Than Watching The Super Bowl On A Rainy Sunday

    Rain rain go away – and it did just to come another day for the Flint River Bass Club tournament this past Sunday. I camped at Don Carter State Park Wednesday through Monday and had no rain until late Saturday afternoon, although Linda said it rained a good bit here in Griffin.  I guess 100 miles can make a big difference!

    Three members of the club were brave, or dumb, enough to show up on a cold, windy, cold, rainy, cold day.  Did I mention it was cold as well as rainy?  Thank goodness for good rain gear and insulated clothes. My three layers on the bottom, including flannel lined jeans, and seven layers on top, kept me dry and warm enough to fish the eight hours.

    In the tournament we landed four 14-inch keeper spotted bass weighing 7.58 pounds. One person zeroed but he had to leave at 11:00 due to a problem at home.

    My three weighing 5.68 pounds was first and my 2.14 pound spot was big fish.  Brent Drake’s one weighing 1.58 pounds was second. 

    Due to the cold and rain and wind I stayed in sight of the ramp most of the day, fishing banks protected from the wind. After all, I knew if I caught one keeper I would place at least in the top three, and when I saw Zane leave I knew I had at least second place points wrapped up! 

I missed one small tap on a jig in a treetop in the first hour but I think it may have been a crappie or bream.  Then at about 8:30 I missed a bite on the jig on a rocky hump but on the next cast caught a 14.5 inch keeper.

    About 30 minutes later I saw a group of fish swimming out in 30 feet of water on my Panoptix Livescope.  They acted like bass so I cast a shaky head worm toward them and watched them follow it to the bottom.   But then bait and bass disappeared.

I figured like happens so often they followed my bait then ignored it. But when I raised my rod top there was weight on it and I set the hook and landed the 2.14 pound spot. I would have never known that bass was there without my electronics.

That was it for the next three hours, no more bites. And the fish I had seen suspended and moving around off the bank disappeared. I have no idea where they went unless they went to the bottom and held right against it. I did see one fish come up off the bottom and move off on my sonar as my boat went over it, so that may have been it.

At 12:00 I had fished back to the tree in the water where I missed the bite earlier. Dragging my jig through it I felt it get heavy and set the hook, half way expecting to hook a limb. Instead another two pound spot pulled back and I landed it.

That was it for the day.  Even though it was cold, wet and rainy, it was fun catching those spots.  It was a lot better than sitting around watching a football game to me, anyway!

BOOYAH Introduces A New Jerk Bait That Goes Deeper With Flash Point

BOOYAH Goes Deeper With Flash Point

  • By The Fishing Wire
BOOYAH Flash Point Deep

BOOYAH Bait Co, which forever changed jerkbait fishing with the Flash Point jerkbait, is taking this innovation deeper with the new Flash Point Deep. Like the original, the Flash Point Deep features a blade atop its head, which serves two critical functions. First, it creates a dramatically better return on forward facing sonar. In addition, it sends out subtle flash to enhance visibility and create a defined aiming point for fish.

The BOOYAH Flash Point quickly became the go-to jerkbait for countless anglers after last year’s introduction, and it took top new product honors in the Hard Baits category at the Pittman Creek Dealer Show. With success came requests for a deeper-diving version to reach fish that suspend a bit deeper. 

The new Flash Point Deep dives to 10 feet, 4 feet deeper than the original, but everything else remains unchanged. Same profile, finish, colors, swimming action, suspending posture, hooks…

The Flash Point and Flash Point Deep feature a narrow profile that facilitates a highly responsive action and suggests an easy target. A broader rounded back and belly accurately mimic shad or herring. Etched scales and fins, along with intricate painting, create an exceptionally lifelike appearance.

The action, triggered by every snap of the rod tip, is quick and highly erratic. The Flash Point Deep is engineered to suspend at a 45-degree nose-down angle when paused to imitate a dying baitfish. A weight-transfer system, which utilizes tungsten beads, allows for long casts, which can be critical for fishing jerkbaits, especially in clear water.

The Flash Point Deep jerkbait is 4.25 inches long and weighs 1/2 ounce. It comes armed with three No 6 ultra-sharp carbon steel SS finish treble hooks. It is available in the 12 colors that were developed for the original Flash Point, which include highly natural baitfish imitations and attractor patterns.

MSRP: $14.99

When You Go Fishing Do You Just Want Something That Pulls Back?

Something That Pulls Back

  • By The Fishing Wire

By Mike Frisch

My fishing career started with me trying to catch panfish like crappies and bluegills and chasing bullheads from the local river near the small North Dakota town where I grew up.  That’s right, bullheads!  As I got older, I graduated to the more sophisticated walleye as my species of choice and later became intrigued by largemouth and smallmouth bass. 

As a former fishing guide, I dealt with lots of people who might only fish a time or two a year and that made me realize more and more that it really doesn’t matter what species of fish it is on the end of the line for most anglers.  In fact, many just want “something that pulls back.”

Because like my former guide clients I just want to “get bit,” I have developed more of an open mind when it comes to fishing.  Rather than always targeting my “favorite” fish species, I find myself looking at time of year and what species is at peak bite for that particular time frame.  Not only has this change increased the number of fish I catch, but it’s made me a better overall angler.

For example, early spring is peak panfish time and often my fishing involves simple slip-bobber fishing trips to shallow water areas where panfish congregate to feed.  Not only is this easy fishing, but it also offers the first open-water fishing of the year as it often peaks before the actual game fish season opens.

Once gamefish like walleyes and northern pike become legal, walleyes are often a focus as they are usually easily accessible in the shallows to mid-depths at this time and often are on a post-spawn feeding frenzy.  Fishing a small jig tipped with a shiner or fathead minnow is a simple, but lethal way to feel a walleye pull back during this time.

Panfish and walleyes offer good fishing during spring and early summer.  Once the water warms and weed growth begins in earnest, these fish are often a bit tougher to find and catch.  At this time, however, largemouth bass are often schooled along weedy cover and are fairly easy to catch. 

A simple jig-worm combination featuring a small jig and small soft worm trailer catches bass during this time. Back when I guided we called this a “jig/worm,” now it’s often referred to as a Ned Rig.  I often write about the Ned Rig for two reasons.  First, it’s an easy combination to fish and, second, it catches lots of fish!  Not just bass, but big panfish, northern pike, and the occasional walleye will often readily bite a small worm fished on a light jighead. 

A few years back, my Ned Rigging success got even better with the introduction of a bait called a Ned Ocho.  This 2.5” coffee-scented bait flat out catches bass, largemouth and smallmouth.  Plus, pike, walleyes, and big panfish all eat it frequently too!

Once summer wanes and fall patterns begin taking hold, walleyes often take the spotlight again.  Now I go back to the simple jig and minnow presentation a great deal.  A small sucker minnow on a jig fished along weedlines catches walleyes, but it is sure to draw the attention of any nearby northern pike or bass as well!

The excitement of a fish biting and pulling back is a big reason many people fish.  While some are died-in-the-wool “walleye guys” and others are “bassheads,” there are those who just want to feel something “pull back,” regardless the species.  Keying in on some of the patterns presented here can hopefully help anglers do just that.  As always, good luck on the water and remember to include a youngster in your next outdoors adventure!

Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series on Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and FanDuel Sports.  Visit fishingthemidwest.com to see TV schedules and all things Fishing the Midwest!

PHOTO – The Ned Ocho shown here is a dynamite multi-species bait!

Is It Legal and Safe To Eat Road Kill?

You may have noticed a lot of dead deer beside the roads lately.  There are two times of year that hitting a deer with your car is more likely.  In November during the rut bucks lose their minds and will chase does out into the road. And the does run without being as carful as usual.

    This time of year making a living in the woods is tough for herbivores.  There is very little green stuff to eat. But if you look, grass often greens up along road right of ways in the winter long before it does in the woods since the road shoulders get a lot of direct sun. That is a meal hungry deer often can’t refuse.

    Be extra careful driving during low light conditions early in the morning and at dusk. And watch out all night long. Don’t disturb a deer’s meal and   don’t disturb your day with a call to your insurance agent.

    But there is an upside to road kills. You can take them home for dinner.

    In 2010 Georgia passed a law allowing us to pick up and keep road kill deer and bears. You must report bears to the state but not deer, as I understand the law.  Some people eat road kill and it is safe and good if you know what you are doing.

    I would be wary of any deer I did not hit or see being hit.  And the way it is hit makes a big difference.  The collision will bruise and damage meat, much like the area around the bullet wound but larger. But even if you have to throw away some of the venison from a road kill, what you get is free and easy!

    How long the deer had been by the road would make a big difference, too, as would time of year. When I shoot a deer I try to field dress it and get it in a cooler as fast as possible.  But if the weather is cold enough, the deer will be ok longer.

Many years ago I shot a doe right at dark. Although I spent two hours looking for it, and got some other club members to help me, we never found it. The blood trail disappeared near a ditch but the deer was not in it. Based on the amount of blood and the sounds I heard after the shot, we did not think the deer had crossed the deep ditch.

The temperature was right at freezing at dark and the low that night was 22 degrees.  I got to the hunting club the next morning just as the sun came up, climbed up into the stand to get a good line on where the deer was when I shot it the night before, and could see it. It was laying on the other side of the ditch, a few feet from where we had searched.

When I field dress the deer it had an “off” smell, not real bad but not quite right. I did not bother keeping the heart and liver like I usually do.  When I carried the deer to the butcher he said it should be ok.

It was, the meat tasted fine when cooked, it had none of the odd taste that I smelled when cleaning it.

Eating road kill is not for everyone but it is legal and safe, if done right.   

Invasive Apple Snails In Georgia Are A Danger

INVASIVE SNAILS CAN HARM ENVIRONMENT AND YOUR HEALTH, but are they edible?

apple snaIL

SOCIAL CIRCLE, GA. (February 4, 2025) – Now, more than ever, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) continues to encourage anglers, boaters, and lake visitors across the State to help prevent the spread of invasive snail species, due to the recent discovery that these species can harbor a type of worm that can potentially cause illness in humans (if consumed).

In a recent cooperative study, WRD and Dr. Tyler Achatz’s parasitology lab at Middle Georgia College (MGC), examined two species of invasive aquatic snails, the apple and mystery snail, for various parasites.

In this study, apple and mystery snails were collected from multiple locations around the state and tested for the presence of various parasites. Test results confirmed a low-level presence of rat lungworm (a parasitic nematode) in both snail species. This parasite can be transmitted to people when snails or slugs are eaten raw or undercooked.

The likelihood of becoming infected with rat lungworm is very low. However, in extreme rare cases, infection may lead to eosinophilic meningitis, with complications including the possibility of death. While this newest discovery is alarming, the Centers for Disease Control website notes that the parasite does not replicate in humans and human-to-human transmission does not occur. 

Prior to this study, rat lungworm had only been discovered one previous time in Georgia, in rats near the Atlanta Zoo (2019). While this parasite has been noted in invasive snails in other states, this is the first time it’s been documented in snails in Georgia. 

These positive tests mean it continues to be important to remain vigilant against invasive species, to protect your health and the health of Georgia waters.

Introduction of Invasive Species is Preventable

Apple snails are originally native to South America and mystery snails are native to southeast Asia, Japan, and Russia. But both species have been introduced into several states, including Georgia.

Apple and mystery snails are illegal to possess in Georgia (since 2023). However, WRD remains concerned that people may continue to move or introduce these snail species to public waters or to handle and eat these invasive snails. 

Invasive aquatic species can cause significant ecological and economic impacts across the state, from damaging vessels and other boating equipment, impeding access to waterbodies, to disrupting the natural ecosystem by displacing and out-competing native species. They can additionally cause human health concerns, as seen with this recent discovery regarding apple and mystery snails.

Prevention is the first and most important step to reducing the risk of invasive species establishing populations in Georgia waters. Taking time to thoroughly wash down your boat, trailer, and fishing gear after each outing on the water; choosing to not dump aquariums; or simply not intentionally releasing non-native species into waterbodies where they did not previously occur are just a few ways you can help.

For more information on invasive species, including apple and mystery snails, and how to report sightings, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/ans. For more information on rat lungworm and its potential health implications, contact the CDC at Rat Lungworm Disease (Angiostrongylus) | CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/angiostrongylus/about/index.html). 

Cooking Catfish Stew and Other Fish Recipes

Mama was a great cook as were all my extended family, both blood relatives and in-laws.  I often said Aunt Nancy could cook and old boot and make it taste good. Her husband, Uncle Adron, hunted and fished constantly and she cooked great meals of game and fish.

    One of my favorites was her catfish stew. It really was more like hash, everything was ground up.  Mama would get with her anytime I caught a big catfish and cook up a big pot. I enjoyed many winter meals of it and saltine crackers sitting on my porch at my small trailer at Clarks Hill.

    I tried making it last week with a  big cat I caught in the Sportsman Club tournament at Sinclair.  A few years before she died I asked mama to write some of her recipes down and I have dozens of index cards with her hand written ingredients and instructions.   

Unfortunately, mama’s Alzheimer’s was starting to affect her memory and many of her recipes I have to guess at some steps.  For example, her catfish stew recipe calls for ten strips of fatback but it is never mentioned again in the instructions.

The ten quarts I made are pretty good but not quite right.  I will keep trying.

I love any kind of fish stew or chowder. When I eat out the first thing I check on the menu is the soups and stews.  Fishtales in both Griffin and Zebulon make a good gumbo and a good shrimp chowder.

I make two kinds of fish chowder, one with a red tomato sauce Manhattan style and one with a milk and cream base New England style.  The Manhattan style has a very strong fishy taste and smell, to the point no one would come in my office when I was principal at RESA Academy and took it for lunch.

Both start with bass filets but the Manhattan style I boil what I call backs and wings – the backbones and rib cages left after fileting – and use the strong broth from that process. I pull all the meat off the backbones and “wings” and add the filets to the broth then add other ingredients.

The New England style I just boil diced potatoes, pour off the water and add milk and other ingredients, adding the filets last thing.

I have cooked pretty much everything I have shot my whole life.  BBQed raccoon was  one of the oddest, but Southern Mississippi Beaver was definitely the most unusual, and also the most difficult.  I spent a long time skinning out the hindquarters of the beaver, it was by far the most difficult animal I have ever skinned and gave up on the front legs and shoulders. They were very small anyway.

I have many detailed recipes for game and fish that I make in the Fish Recipes category.

Try Different Colors and Different Weights To Catch More Walleye

Different Colors, Different Weights, More Fish

  • By The Fishing Wire

By Bob Jensen

Another year of fishing has gone by.  As I look back on the past fishing season, I can’t help but remember other past fishing seasons.  Many, many past fishing seasons.  As I remember those days, I’m reminded of how much I’ve learned about fishing and fishing techniques.  And then I’m reminded of how, when I thought I had mastered a particular fishing technique, I discovered that I hadn’t. There are almost always exceptions to a technique.  Same with fish species.  Just when I thought I had the walleyes or bass or whatever figured out, the walleyes or bass or whatever taught me that I didn’t have them figured out. Lure color and lure weight are factors that can contribute to better fish catches.

There are times when fish, any species of fish, will respond better to a particular lure color.  A very successful angler once told me that when it comes to walleyes and color, “walleyes like any color as long as it’s chartreuse”.  Another very successful walleye catcher said the same thing but substituted orange as the color walleyes like best.  Come to find out, Walleye Catcher #1 only used chartreuse lures, and #2 only used orange lures.  That’s why they had the most success with those colors.  Much of the time they caught walleyes, but every now and then they didn’t.  Eventually #1 and #2 started experimenting with other colors when the walleyes weren’t biting.  They started catching even more walleyes.  There are times when fish want a particular color.

Another color quirk:  If you’ve been catchin’em good on a particular color but the action slows, try a different color.  Fish can become conditioned to color.

It’s surprising how jig weight can impact how many fish we catch.  It became very obvious to me in my early days of chasing largemouth bass how important jig weight could be.  In the lakes that my friends and I fished in central and north central Minnesota, walleyes were the preferred fish.  Largemouth bass were mostly ignored, and some anglers even considered bass to be undesirable.  My friends and I preferred to chase the largemouth because they were usually very willing biters. When we went fishing, we spent almost all of our time in the summer on the deep weedline casting an eighth ounce jig with a four inch plastic worm on six pound test line.  When the bass were really biting, we used a larger worm.  The larger worm was more appealing to larger bass.

However, every now and then the bass got finicky.  We would work our eighth ounce jig/four inch worm along the weedline and couldn’t get bit as often as usual.  On one of those slow-bite days, I picked up a rod that had a sixteenth ounce jighead tied on.  I threaded my four inch worm on the lighter head and started casting.  It didn’t happen immediately, but eventually the bass revealed that on that day they liked this combination better.  The lighter jig made the bait fall slower.  On slow-bite days, the bass preferred the slower fall.  We learned that we could slow the fall of the bait even more by going to a little heavier line or a bulkier bait.  Heavier line and bulkier baits have more water resistance so they fall slower.

When we go fishing, we need to remember that, if we’re not having success doing what we’re doing, do something else.  In fact, that’s a pretty good rule for life in general. 

Photo Caption—When the fish aren’t eating what you’re using, use something else.

Getting Old and Adapting To New Fishing Realities

If something didn’t hurt when I woke up, I would think I was dead. That is supposed to be joke but it is an all-too-true statement of getting old. 

Our bodies were not designed to last this long. I think my warranty ran out years ago and there are no replacement parts available.  I always said I would rather wear out than rust out, and still believe it, but it gets harder and harder to keep the parts moving and rust free every year.

That is one good thing about fishing, it can be done at any age.  I have had to adjust the way I fish; I can no longer stand with one foot on my trolling motor foot pedal and fish for eight hours in a tournament. Now I slowly get up from the driver’s seat pulling up on a handle on the console, hold on to the windshield and carefully move up sit down on the front seat. But I can still fish!

Backing my boat down the ramp, hopping out and crawling across the truck bed to get to the boat and back it off the trailer is no longer easy.  Without friends in the bass clubs doing it for me I would not be able to fish three tournaments each month.

When I fish by myself I tie a rope to the front of the boat and the other end to the trailer, slowly back the boat off and ease the truck forward, pulling the boat back to the bank with the rope.  That would cause major problems and slow everything down at a tournament.

Another thing I used to love doing makes it  frustrating to not be able to cut, split and stack wood like I did for years. I never really had to do it to heat my house but always enjoyed all parts of it from cutting to burning the wood.

Both my parents died in their mid-70s. When I retired, I hoped, if I was like them, I had about 25 good fishing years left. That was 22 years ago!

Make the most of every day right now before you run out of them!