Category Archives: Where To Fish

How and Where To Catch April Lay Lake Bass  with GPS Coordinates

April Lay Lake Bass  with Chandler Holt

Catch big largemouth and Coosa spots in grass or go a little deeper for them on ledges, points and bluffs.  Both patterns will produce good limits of fish this month on Lay Lake on just about any bait you like to throw, so you have a lot of options right now.

Lay Lake is an Alabama Power lake on the Coosa River south of I-20, just downstream of Logan
Martin.  The upper end is riverine but downstream there are big grass flats, shallow creeks and pockets and river ledges and bluffs to fish. It is a fertile lake and produces fat largemouth and spots with 20-pound tournament limits common.

Chandler Holt is a senior at Briarwood Christian
High School and has been on the fishing team for all four years there.  His parents didn’t fish but have fully supported him after he got into tournament fishing. He started fishing farm ponds around his home but got hooked on bass fishing and tournaments, and his parents got him a boat when he was 16.  His fishing team coach is Curtis Gossett and the team has done well.

Over the past ten years as a high school bass team coach, Curtis’s teams have won four state championships, one southeast championship and one national championship.  His fishermen have placed third once and fourth three times in the national championship tournament.  

During his time coaching, Curtis has had two BASS High School All Americans, including his son Zeke, a Jacksonville State senior fishing team member.  This year Zeke won the college championship on Lay on Sunday and got to weigh in on the Classic stage. 

On Saturday, Chandler fished the high school championship on Lay and got to weigh in on the Classic stage, placing second just nine ounces out of first place. Chandler has done well fishing at the high school level and just signed a scholarship with University of Montevallo to fish on that college team next year.

Although he is just starting his fishing career, he has had great support from his parents and coaching from Curtis, as well as studying everything he can find on-line about bass fishing, to make him and excellent young fisherman. He considers Lay Lake his home lake.

“Some big bass spawn in March, but most Lay largemouth spawn in April. Most spots spawn from mid-
March through April,” Chandler said. So right now you have some of both species post spawn and spawning, and many still on a pre spawn pattern.  That gives you lots of options.

A wide variety of baits will work on all three patterns, but Chandler has his favorites.  He loves to throw a swim jig, bladed jig and spinnerbait in grass, and flip a punch bait into it.  For fishing bluffs and and open water areas, he will have a spinnerbait, a big worm Texas rigged, a big crankbait and a drop shot worm ready.

Chandler and Curtis took me fishing on Lay the first week of March, and it rained like it did every day then.  The river current was fast and the lake was full and stained to muddy except back in some creeks.  He was trying to find a good pattern for the highs school championship the following Saturday. 

The following places were already good, producing two four-pound largemouth and a 3.5-pound spot as well as several more solid keeper bass in the five hours we fished. And while we fished Curtis’s son Zeke practiced for his College tournament on Sunday.  He mostly fished the following bluff bank pattern and caught five spots weighing 20.17 pounds on his scales!

1.  N 33 10.657 – W 86 31.141 – Put in at Beeswax Park and there is not need to crank your big motor.  There is a good grass bed running along the bank downstream of the ramp and many released fish go to it and hold and feed there.  We started here and Chandler quickly caught a 3.5-pound spot on a Z-Man Jackhammer, his favorite chatterbait. He was using a white bait with a silver blade in the muddy water. He will also throw black and blue in stained water but goes to a green pumpkin bait in clear water.

Fish from the ramp downstream, working all the grass. It looked dead, and Chandler said it might have been sprayed this year, but hopefully it will come back. Both largemouth and spots will hold and feed in this grass both pre and post spawn, and will spawn in the grass, too.

Hit any variation or transition in the grass like points, holes and cuts here and in all other grassbeds you fish.  Try a swim jig and spinnerbait in the more open grass, and punch the thick places with a punch bait, especially on sunny days.

2.  N 33 10.779 – W 86 30.771 – Across Beeswax

Creek a small island sits off the upstream point of a big cove.  There is a huge house on the point with a rock seawall then a steep wall further back. Go back into the creek to about half-way between the house and garage behind it.  Grass runs out from the seawall here that holds good fish.

    Fish the grass on this side then work further back into the creek, hitting all the cuts, points and holes with swim jig, bladed jig and spinnerbait.  We caught a long skinny largemouth here on a Z-Man Chatterbait that weighed about four pounds.

    Chandler says he reels the Jackhammer along steadily then gives it little pauses and speeds it up, making it dart with an action the fish love.  He also fishes a Dirty Jigs swim jig with a matching Baby Paca Craw on a Temple Fork Outfitters seven-foot three inch heavy action Pacemaker rod.  You need the heavy rod to get the fish out of the grass.  In stained to muddy water like we fished in most areas he likes a dark jig, but the water was much clearer back here and he used a white or bluegill color bait for it.

    3.  Go out to the long point running out from the left bank near the mouth of the creek and stop out from the Greek style gazebo on the bank.  It looks like a big mushroom on pillars.  The seawall running along this bank out to and around the point is an excellent feeding and staging area for bass moving in and out of the creek.

Keep your boat out a long cast from the bank and cast your baits right against it.  Where the grass is thin, a spinnerbait or bladed jig is good.  Chandler likes a white War Eagle bait with white blades in the muddy water but goes with something chartreuse and blue with silver blades in clear water.

Work around the point to the pocket on the downstream side. Hit the thick grass near it with your punch bait and swim jig.  Fish the dock in the pocket, the downstream point of it and the grass on that side, too.  

4.  N 33 10.712 – W 86 30.242 – Go out to the river and look downstream. Green channel marker 39 sits way off the downstream point of Beeswax Creek and a good ledge with brush on it is upstream of it. Idle over the river ledge from even with the mouth of
Beeswax going downstream toward the marker to find the brush in 5 to 15 feet deep.  Both pre and post spawn largemouth and spots hold in it this month.

Early in the day Chandler fishes the shallower brush but goes deeper as the sun gets bright.  He stays off the brush and cast a 6XD crankbait in shad colors if he sees fish holding over the brush.  If the fish are showing up down in the brush he uses a watermelon candy Ol’ Monster worm behind a three sixteenths to one half ounce sinker, a three sixteenths ounce shaky head or a drop shot worm to fish the brush.

Current moving through the brush helps the bite, as it does on all river places.  Some breeze ruffling the surface of the water will help fishing everywhere.  Try to cast up current and work your bait with the current in a natural movement way.

5.  N 33 10.179 – W 86 29.705 – going down the river, Sally Branch enters on your right where the river channel swings to the left.  Just downstream of the branch the bank is a steep rock bluff running downstream a couple hundred yards. At the end of the bluff it flattens out a little and has some grass on the edge just upstream of a small pocket.

Stop at the pocket and fish the wood cover and grass back in it, some fish will spawn in these small pockets.  Then fish the rocky point on the upstream side, working a shaky head on it as well as a crankbait and spinnerbait.  When the current is strong like it was the day we fished, largemouth will often pull inside the point out of the current while spots will stay on it in the current and feed.

If the current allows, come out of the pocket and work upstream, fishing the grass with swim jig, bladed jig and spinnebait. When you get to the bluff wall watch for little rock points, outcroppings that break the current.  Cast a half ounce spinnerbait or jig and pig into these eddies. 

This is a good pattern for big spots.  Zeke caught most of his big limit doing this and had a five-pound spot.  The current was so strong when we were here we went up almost up to the branch and let the current carry the boat downstream backwards, with Chandler pitching a black and blue jig into the eddy then Curtis, on the trolling motor, would hit it with his spinnerbait.

6.  N 33 12.005 – W 86 29.303 – Going up the river past Bulley Branch on the left, red channel marker 48 sits off the right bank. Behind it is a flat running to the bank where a riprap point with grass on it is on the upstream point of a small cove. 

Stop out from the marker and idle close enough to the point to fish it with your grass baits. Then work into the cove and fish there.  Bass feed on the point pre and post spawn and move into to the cove to spawn.  Largemouth will also pull back into the coved to get out of strong current, but spots will stay out in it and feed.

Chandler says the Jackhammer is worth its high cost because it has an action better than other similar baits.  He says when he gives it a little jerk while working it through the grass it darts in an action that is irresistible to bass.

7.  N 33 11.408 – W 86 29.892 – Across the river and downstream, the mouth of Bulley Creek has a ledge across it where bass hole both pre and post spawn.  Green channel marker 43 is on the upstream end of this ledge but it runs across the mouth of the creek downstream.

Stop out in 20 feet of water and cast a big crankbait up into the mouth of the creek, bumping bottom with it from 12 feet deep out to the drop.  Also fish it with your Ol’ Monster worm and shaky head.  Chandler puts a black Trick worm on his three sixteenths ounce shaky head.

8.  N 33 11.054 – W 86 29.891 – Going down the river past the mouth of Pope Branch, watch for a yellow and brown house on the upstream point of a small cove.  Stop out from the point and you will see a private ramp in the cove behind the boat house.  That ramp is actually the old road and you can see the bridge piling on the right bank.  The roadbed is on a ridge that runs across the mouth of the cove and holds bass.

Stay a long cast out from the ramp and work across the cove, casting a shaky head, spinnerbait and jig and pig across the roadbed and point. Work it up the inside drop, across the top then down the outside drop.

9.  33 09.219 – W 86 29.175 – Run down the river to the mouth of Flat Branch on the right. Paradise Point Marina is back in it.  The upstream point of the branch is a steep rocky point and there are two signs on it, one for the marina and one for land for sale. Both spots and largemouth hold on the point pre and post spawn.  

Chandler says this is a “twofer” point. First you can fish the grass along the edge with your grass baits. Then you can work around the point with shaky head and jig and pig, targeting fish holding in seven or eight feet of water.  There are big chunk rock on the bottom at that depth the spots love.

10. N 33 09.927 – W 86 29.060 – Going back up the river the right bank is steep and there is no development on it.  Where it opens back to the right you will see some low brown buildings marking part of the Alabama 4-H Youth Development Center.  Downstream of it a bluff bank runs out to a couple of small points on the river.

Depending on current, stop on the downstream point and fish it with crankbait, shaky head, jig and worm. Then work up the bluff, casting spinnerbait and jig and pig into eddies behind any protrusion on the bank. Rocks and blowdowns will break the current and offer a feeding spot for bass to hold. 

If the current is strong, go up to the end of the bluff and fish it drifting backwards with the current, using your trolling motor to control speed and boat position.

Fish were hitting on these spots a few weeks ago, our best five from them weighed about 14 pounds. Zeke, fishing similar places, had 20 pounds. You can catch Lay Lake spots and largemouth like that for the next six weeks.

How and Where To Catch March Neely Henry Bass

March Neely Henry Bass with Peyton Nance

Pre-spawn bass in the grass and feeding on points leading to bedding areas, eating just about any bait you cast.  Neely Henry can’t be beat for March fishing, where those hard fighting Coosa spots are fighting with quality largemouth for your lure.

Neely Henry is an 11,235-acre lake on the Coosa River at Gadsden running 77 miles from its dam to the Weiss dam upstream.   The upper lake is mostly river, with some oxbows and sloughs. The lower lake has big flats and creeks to fish. The whole lake has extensive shallow grassbeds, docks, rocks and sandy bottoms that are important in the spring.

Peyton Nance grew up right on the lake in Attalla. His father and grandfather took him fishing as far back as he can remember.  His father entered them into a tournament on Neely Henry when Peyton was ten years old, and he fell in love with bass tournament fishing.

Peyton’s uncle, Brian Colegrove, was a well-known tournament fisherman in the area for years. He also taught Peyton a lot about bass fishing.

 He fished some high school tournaments but concentrated on playing football and made the Auburn football team. He has been on the football team and the fishing team at Auburn the past three years.

Peyton also fishes local pot and buddy tournaments on Neely Henry as often as his college schedule allows and does well in them.  As we fished, he constantly pointed to places and said things like “we got a limit there weighing 18 pounds,” or “thats where we won the tournament in the last hour, catching five weighing 19.5 pounds.”

Two days after Peyton and I fished Neely Henry, he and his dad won the big ninth annual Rat-L-Trap tournament at Guntersville with five bass weighing 22.79 with a 7.03 kicker!

“By the end of February, water is warming enough, and days have gotten long enough that both spots and largemouth are concentrating on spawning,” Peyton said.  They are positioning themselves near spawning flats and feeding heavily to get ready.  They may move some with changing conditions day to day, but they will be near the spawning flats all this month.

“I usually keep it simple in March with just five baits out, and three of them are crankbaits,” Peyton said.  He always has a DT 4 and DT 6 as well as a Little John squarebill in shad colors rigged.  Those baits cover the water depth he fishes this month.

To back them up, he has a white swim jig and a white and chartruese bladed jig ready to fish in the grass. Although those five baits will cover almost all situations, he will also be ready to pull out a rattlebait, bladed jig, shaky head and jig and pig if the situation calls for them.

Peyton and I fished the first Friday in February, the day after the flooding rain. The river current was ripping as the Alabama Power Company released water trying to get ready for all the new water coming in, and it was muddy everywhere.  The lake dropped four feet from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, making it tough for us.

The following places are good all month long. You may have to adjust some based on daily conditions, but you can have great catches of both spots and largemouth right now.

1.  N 33 56.624 – W 86 01.221 – Going up the river just upstream of the Highway 77 bridges, a slough enters the river on your right.  AS you enter it splits to the left and right. To your left two small pockets are full of grass where March feed heavily. The point coming off the left bank at a blue pumphouse runs way out across the slough and holds staging bass.

Peyton eases into the slough and stops in the middle of the left side, out from the point between the two arms. But that is not the point he fishes; the point to fish comes off the left side across the mouth of the left pocket. It has big stumps on it the bass use for cover, ambushing shad moving into the coves.

Sit in about eight feet of water at full pool and make long casts across the point.  Depending on water level, you want to bump the bottom two to five feet deep, and Peyton chooses the DT right for that depth, a four for hitting up to four feet deep and the six for up to six feet deep.

After fishing the point, go into the grass and fish around both pockets with swim jig and bladed jig. Watch for birds in the grass, indicating baitfish is present. When we fished white cranes were feasting on shad that had gotten trapped in the grass by the rapidly dropping water.

This short pocket right on the river gives early bass fast access to the shallows.  There were a few bass chasing shad here, and a couple bumped Peyton’s bladed jig out in front of the grass, but the muddy water made it tough to hook up.

2.  N 33 57.048 – W 86 00.885 – Going up the river from the bridges, a roadbed runs right along the edge of the water on the left. Go to where the bank swings back to the right and leaves the roadbed.  There is a brown fishing dock with blue chairs on it, in front of two camping trailers. Start at that dock.

The river channel swings in right on this corner and largemouth, with a few spots mixed in, feed on the riprap alone the bank.  Cast your squarebill right on the rocks and bump them as you reel out.  Peyton likes a shad colored bait most days, but if the water is stained up bad, he will go with a red color.

Fish up to the first small point past the dock and fish it hard. It is rocky and worth a few casts with a shaky head or jig and pig after using your crankbait.  Sometimes fish on the point just want a slow-moving bait.

3.  N 33 56.846 – W 86 00.379 – Going upstream past the big pocket with the marina but before you get to the small island, a white wood fence is on a point on your left.  The point out from it is pea gravel and holds pre-spawn bass going into the cut behind it to spawn, but spots will spawn out on the point.

Peyton will fan cast it with his crankbaits, bumping the bottom with them. He will also try a rattle bait and likes a chrome with blue back Rat-L-Trap, buzzing it across the point. Some days the bass just seem to want that noisy vibrating action more than a wiggling crankbait.

4.  N 33 57.096 – W 86 00.453 – Go back into the big pocket with the marina in it.  The water in the mouth of it is very shallow but a channel is marked with poles to get into it. Big grass beds all around the back hold feeding fish all month, and some will spawn in here in March since the shallow water warms fast.

Peyton says he starts at the marina on the right side of it and fishes all the way around the back. He says if you hit every blade of grass in here with a swim jig like a three-eights white 6th Sense jig with a white Rage Craw trailer on it, you will catch a limit most days.  He normally uses a half ounce swim jig, but this shallow water calls for the lighter one.

You will be fishing shallow water, most less than two feet deep, and you will have to trim up your motor to keep it from dragging.  But the fish are hear even in the very thin water.  Toward the end of the month in warmer water, a frog like a Ribbet, reeled over and through the grass, will also catch fish here.

5.  N 33 56.101 – W 86 02.090 – Going back down the river under the bridges, a development with rainbow colored houses is on your left. At the end of them is the opening to the slough that runs back up parallel to the river.  The upstream point of the opening is a major staging area for bass moving into the slough to spawn.

Peyton says there are big logs and stumps on this point that the fish use.  Stop out on the end of it on the river side and fan cast it with crankbait, bumping bottom at different depths, then buzz a rattle bait on it.  Work upstream covering the end five or six feet deep all the way up to a foot deep at the bank.

Since this slough runs upstream, muddy water does not push into it fast and it will be clearer than the river when it first muddies up.  There was a definite mud line across its mouth the day we fished.  When this happens, shad and bass will often move back into the clearer water. 

Under those conditions, go back into the slough and fish the grass with swim jig and bladed jig.  We tried that, but the fast dropping water must have pulled the fish out with it. Under stable conditions, this pattern will work on tough days.

6.  N 33 54.707 – W 86 04.031 – Going down the river channel marker 12 sits on the downstream point of one of the islands in the string of them out from the bank.  Behind it is an old sand quarry and big spawning flats, and Peyton says the point is a place many bass hold on moving in during the month. Late in March there may even be some post spawn fish moving back out during a warm month.

Stop out on the river side. With the water down we could see the point of the island behind the marker drops down into a saddle that comes back up onto a hump with a big log on it. Peyton says that saddle is the key spot for holding fish.

Get your boat in close to the marker and cast toward the bank, across the tip end of the island in close to it in a foot of water.  Use both crankbaits, bladed jig and rattle baits. Work them all the way across the saddle, bumping bottom until you get to the log. Unless the water is real high you should be able to see them. Work a jig or shaky head through them.

Peyton chooses his jig based on water color, using black and blue in stained water and green in clear.  But with both he uses a green pumpkin chunk trailer.  Work the log carefully with it.

7.  N 33 51.527 – W 86 05.733 – Canoe Creek is a big creek on the right downstream where the river makes a sharp turn to the left. It is wide and shallow, so be careful back in it. Go in to where is swings to the right. Straight ahead is Permeter Creek and a bridge crosses near the mouth of it.

Peyton says bass hold on the riprap and move to the bank on the downstream right end of it to spawn back in the flat there.  Start at the bridge and cast your crankbaits along the rocks, bumping them from right on the bank down to six feet deep. Sun on the rocks will warm them and make the bite better, especially early in the month. And Peyton likes a little breeze in all the places he fishes, enough to ruffle the water and break up his baits silhouette.  That improves the bite.

Fish to the end of the rocks and the area at the end of them.  Bass bed back in here so later in the month, drag your shaky head and jig on the bottom in likely bedding spots.

8.  N 33 51.686 – W 86 05.678 – Just upstream  of the mouth of Permeter Creek a long shallow  point runs out.  If you have a good GPS map on your electronics, or a paper map, you can see how the Canoe Creek channel hits the bank upstream of it then turns and runs a long way along it. Fish hold all along the channel drop and move up it to spawning areas.

Leaving the riprap you have to swing way out, it is only a couple feet deep going across the point.  Get way out on the end of the point with your boat in the channel in 10 – 15 feet of water.  You will be a short cast from the top of the point that is three to five feet deep.  Cast your DT 6 up on top then bump it along the bottom until it clears the drop. Your bites will usually be right on the lip of the channel.

Also work your shaky head the same way. Peyton rigs a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits finesse worm on a three sixteenths ounce Spot Sticker head and crawls it along the bottom. When it gets to the drop, feed it line so it falls down the slope on the bottom.

This drop is long enough you can spend a lot of time fishing it, and going back over places you catch fish is worth it.

9.  N 33 51.768 – W 86 06.077 – Going up Canoe Creek a big ramp, Canoe Creek Park, is on your left.  There are a few houses downstream of it with a riprap bank in front of them. Stop downstream of the last house from the ramp and fish upstream to the pocket above the ramp.

This bank is an outside bend of the creek. The riprap and docks along it hold bass as does the wood cover along the bank. Just downstream of them there are a lot of blowdowns that are good to fish and there are stumps all along the bank, too.

Fish your squarebill crankbait, bumping rocks and wood, then follow up with your jig and pig, fishing it close to all the cover.  Released fish refresh this bank every weekend.

10.  N 33 52.343 – W 86 06.223 – Muscadine Creek enters Canoe Creek on the left a little further upstream. A big house with some big tall trees in front of it sits on the point between the two creeks. It is a big, flat, shallow point where spots and largemouth stack up pre-spawn moving into both creeks.

Peyton says you can have your best day ever for spots right here in March.  To prove his point, he hooked a spot that looked like it weighed about five pounds but came off right at the boat.

You should sit on the Muscadine Creek side in about seven feet of water just off the end of the point.  Fan cast it with your crankbaits, that is what the big spot hit.  Also try crawling your bladed jig on the bottom. We got a good three pound largemouth here on one.

There are some big stumps and gravel on the point. 
A shaky head will catch fish here, too.  Fan cast all over the point, hitting water three to five feet deep.

These places are producing spots and largemouth right now.  Check them out and catch some!

How and Where To Catch April Bartletts Ferry – Harding Bass

April Bartletts Ferry – Harding Bass

with Tyler Morgan

        Bass fishing is fantastic on all our lakes in April, but you should consider a trip to Bartletts Ferry/Harding.  The bass are up shallow in pockets and creeks, with some spawning and others ready to go on the bed or feeding after spawning.  You can catch a lot of spots and largemouth on a variety of baits.

    Bartletts Ferry/Harding is a small Georgia Power lake on the Chattahoochee River downstream of West Point.  It is an old lake, with a lot of wood and rock cover and docks lining the banks.  Both Georgia and Alabama fishing licenses are valid on all waters of this border lake.

    Many bass moved up to spawn in late February after the couple of warm weeks we had, but cold fronts drove the bigger fish back out when the water temperature dropped. All those fish are shallow and ready to be caught right now.  You can catch them on your favorite lures for shallow water fishing around wood, rocks and docks.

    Tyler Morgan has lived in Columbus all his life and started fishing pot tournaments with his dad, Stan, when he was six years old.  He fishes up to five tournaments a week on Bartletts Ferry/Harding and Eufaula now, competing in local pot tournaments and charity tournaments on both lakes.

    A few years ago Tyler started fishing BFL tournament as a co-angler and won the Bulldog Division Co-Angler of the Year twice.  Last year he changed to fishing the boater side and won the BFL at Lanier.  He has fished 33 tournaments on that trail, winning four and finishing in the top ten 16 times.

    Tyler impressed me with his ability to skip a swim jig into the thickest cover, places most fishermen never hit.  He is like many younger fishermen, with skills and knowledge of fishing at 21 years old that far exceed my own, even though I am more than three times his age and have been fishing club tournaments more than twice as long as he has been alive. He is well equipped to further his fishing career.

    “Bartletts Ferry/Harding is full of spots, some of them good size, but it has more quality largemouth than most fishermen realize,” Tyler said.  He focuses on catching those big largemouth since they are what he needs to win tournaments, and his tackle selection and places he fishes reflects that goal.

    For April, Tyler will have a square bill crankbait, a Z-Man Jackhammer Chatterbait, a Spro Popping Frog, a swim jig and a jig and pig rigged for fishing shallow pockets. He will throw a spinnerbait but finds he catches more fish on a swim jig than on a flashy bait.  He likes to fish shallow year-round since he can catch big largemouth that way. He does catch some spots in the places he fishes and baits he uses, but they are not his goal.

    We fished in early March, right after a cold front came through after two warm weeks the end of February, and dropped the water temperature several degrees, pushing the bigger fish back out. We caught a lot of bass but not the big ones hoped for.

    1. N 32 41.588 – W 85 09.767 – Going up Halawaka Creek upstream of the Highway 379 “Long Bridge” past the small island on your right, there is a creek entering on the right at some condos.  Go to the left bank across from the condos and start fishing the riprap in front of a brown house.

    This creek is a good example of the kind of place Tyler fishes in April. He will fish fast, covering water looking for active bass.  Start on the riprap with a square bill and parallel it. Sun on them warms the rocks and draws in bass to feed on baitfish and crawfish.

    Tyler fishes a red crankbait since it imitates crawfish in April. He fishes it fast to see how active the fish are, but pauses it during the retrieve to stimulate a bite.  He wants it bumping the rocks. If fishing it fast does not get a bite, especially early in the month, he will “count rocks” with his crankbait, slowing it down and bumping every rock with it.

    Fish all the way around this small double creek. There are docks with brush piles, especially on the left bank going in, and Tyler with throw a jig and pig around the docks and brush. In more shallow area he will try a swim jig and chatterbait.

    2.  N 32 41.235 – W 85 09.993 – Going upstream and across the lake, where the creek narrows, a small cove is on your left.  The upstream point is a grassy hill with a concrete seawall with posts in it and riprap at the base of it, going around the point.

    Start on the outside of the point and fish around it with your crankbait.  Also try a chatterbait, fishing it parallel to the rocks, too. Tyler likes a red and black chatterbait with a black Baby Brush
Hog trailer for the same reason he chooses a red crankbait.

    When you get to docks, skitter a jig and pig under them.  Also run a swim jig along the posts. 
In the shallows, especially where there are grass patches, fish a swim jig through it. Also run it through any wood cover, from brush to blowdowns, in shallow water.

    Fish all the way around this cove. Fish bed in the back and side ditches in it and the other places marked. Slow down some and look for beds in shallow water if it is clear enough to see them.  If stained a swim jig over them will often make a big female show herself.

    3. N 34 41.151 – W 85 10.388 – Go under the old railroad trestle and stop on the round point just upstream of the first pocket on your left. The point goes around to a bigger creek. Stop at the big concrete ramp and boat house pad and fish your crankbait and chatterbait parallel to the riprap around the point.

    There is brush here on the rocks and that sometimes concentrates the fish.  Fish it all, working both baits into the upstream creek. Use your jig and pig and swim   jig around thicker brush and docks.  Bass stage on the point both pre and post spawn and feed, then move back to spawn. Fish in the creek for the ones already in there, too.

    4.  N 32 41.256 – W 85 11.146 – Going up the creek the Prince Road bridge is to your left as the creek turns. On the right another smaller creek enters the bigger creek and is a good spawning area. It has a good bit of grass and a lot of wood cover in it so fish it all.

    Stop on the point on your left going into the smaller creek, the one with a dock, boat ramp and light pole near the water. This flat point has a good bit of grass on it, so it is a good place for the swim jig as is the other grass and wood cover in this creek.  You can spend a lot of time fishing here since the creek is fairly big and has several ditches and small arms in it.

    Tyler uses a Dirty Jigs swim jig since it has a big, heavy hook needed when fighting a big bass on braid line in cover.  He likes a white jig and puts a Zoom Fat Albert white twin tail trailer on it in stained water. If the water is clear, he will go to a more translucent jig and trailer.

    Skitter the jig across the top of the water as far back into cover as you can. Be ready for a hit as soon as it stops. Start reeling immediately.   Tyler twitches his rod tip constantly making the jig jerk and twitch on the retrieve. He says he loves the way bass slam a swim jig and inhale it.

    5.  N 32 40.772 – W 85 11.204 – Under Prince Bridge the creek goes to the right and a smaller creek enters on the left. Go into the creek on the left to the first point past the main creek point and start fishing.  The point has a bleached out wood dock in front of a wood seawall. Fish from the dock around the flat pocket past it.

    This shallow flat warms fast and has a lot of wood cover and some grass on it. Tyler says it holds a surprising number of fish, even though it does not look like much.  A swim jig is good all around it since it comes through the grass without hanging and goes over wood cover even if it is on the surface.

    If the bass don’t seem to want the faster moving swim jig, pitch a jig and pig to all the wood cover here. Let if fall by the dock posts and logs in the cove.  Tyler uses a black and red or solid black three–eighths ounce jig with a matching Strike King Rage Craw on it.

    6.  N 32 40.605 – W 85 11.260 – Ahead of you a long flat point comes out and points to a steeper bank with a green shed, single and double boat docks on the opposite side. This is an old pond dam across the creek and it has rocks and some brush on it.  It is a great staging area for pre and post spawn fish.

    Fish across the dam, keeping your boat off it and running your crankbait over the top and bumping rocks with a jig and pig.  You can also fish a Carolina rig or shaky head on it, but Tyler does not usually slow down enough to work those kinds of baits. 

    After fishing the dam work the steeper rocky bank on the other side, then fish around the back of the creek with swim jig and crankbait for fish back in there spawning. In April Tyler will always have a Texas rigged white Zoom Speed Craw ready to throw into beds when he sees them.

    7.  N 32 41.353 – W 85 10.260 –  Going back down the lake under the railroad trestle the first fairly big cove on your left has a small dock in front of a brown brick house. The point has riprap around it and is a good feeding area for staging fish that spawn back in the cove.

    Start on the riprap with crank bait and chatterbait. Go around the point into the cove, fishing wood cover and any grass with a swim jig.  It is worth trying a frog on grass here and any other of these places if the water is 62 degrees or warmer. Tyler likes a black and yellow Spro Popping Frog but warns it is a big fish bait.  You won’t get many bites, but those that do are likely to be big.  Throw it for a kicker fish around grass, wood and docks.

    8.  N 32 40.991 – W 85 09.472 – Down the lake on your right a narrow point comes out and points downstream.  It is on the upstream side of a narrow cove.  On the left side going in, across from the point, is a rounded cement seawall that leads to a block boathouse on the bank with boat rails coming out of it.

    Stop at the boathouse and fish the rails and seawall, then skip a swimming jig or frog under overhanging brushes along the bank. Not far down this bank is a small ditch where Tyler says he caught a five pounder off the bed last year.

    Fish the back of the cove in the shallows with swimm jig while watching for beds.   Pitch your Speed Craw to any you see and try to get the big female on them to hit.  A frog over the beds and shallow wood will also get bites.  

    9.  N 32 41.386 – W 85 09.182 – Down the lake behind the island on your left just above the bridge a small cove runs back a short distance. The left bank going in is steeper rock and concrete rubble and there is wood all along it.  Start at the upstream point and fish around this cove.

    The rocks and rubble offer a good feeding area for bass to eat crayfish so your crankbait and chatterbait are good. Tyler says a lot of bass bed back in the cove, more than you would think for such a small cove. Fish it carefully, working the dock and wood cover back here, and casting to places where beds should be even if you can’t see them.

    10. N 32 40.940 – W 85 09.342 – Straight across the lake a small cove goes back from the lake and makes a short dogleg to the right in the back. It is just upstream of the big creek that enters closer to the bridge.  There is green roof dock on the right bank and an underground house and shed in the back.  Start at the green roof dock and fish around the cove.

    Work the right and left sides with crankbait and chatterbait. The left bank has two concrete and rock piers and Tyler says bass often hold right on them.  Work both sides carefully, and fish the very back in the shallows for bedding fish.

    We caught small buck bass on almost every one of these places in early March. By now the females have joined them. Give them a try.

You can follow Tyler on Facebook and see some of his catches at https://www.facebook.com/tyler.morgan.980967

    Do you find these Map of the Month articles helpful?  If so visit http://fishing-about.com/keys-to-catching-georgia-bass-ebook-series/ – you can get an eBook or CD with an article for each month of the year on Clarks Hill and Lanier.

How and Where To Catch August Bartletts Ferry Bass

August Bartletts Ferry Bass

 with Brandon Carraway

    There is no way around it; bass fishing is tough in August no matter where you go.  Hot days make you drip with sweat and hot water makes bass feed less, especially during the day. But you can catch fish, and Bartletts Ferry is a good choice for a trip right now.

    Bartletts Ferry is a small Georgia Power lake on the Chattahoochee River not far downstream of West Point Lake.  It is an old lake lined with docks and has many grassbeds, wood cover and rocky banks.  The lake has a high population of spotted bass but largemouth seem to be increasing in numbers and size according to the DNR and local fishermen.

    Brandon Carraway grew up in Upatoi in Muscovy County and part of greater Columbus now.  He started fishing Bartletts Ferry as a kid and his grandparents took him camping at Blanton Creek Park as soon as it opened. He has fished it all his life.

    Now Brandon fishes with the Fishers of Men trail and doesn’t miss many pot and charity tournaments on Bartletts Ferry. His dad fished tournaments for a while and Brandon got the bug, and does well in tournaments near Columbus. 

    “Bartletts Ferry is tough in August, with the hot water and all the weekend boat traffic,” Brandon said.  He usually fishes early in the morning until the traffic gets bad, or fishes at night.

    “There are several patterns that work this time of year,” Brandon said.  He will have a frog, a buzzbait, a jig and pig, a Texas rigged beaver bait, a weighless Senko, a Trick worm and a crankbait ready to fish. A shaky head will also catch fish right now.

    First thing at daylight or at night Brandon will fish the grassbeds for active bass.  As the sun gets above the trees he goes to seawalls, especially those on the shady side of coves, and gravel points.

    “The grassbeds can produce a lot of quality fish at times during August,” Brandon said. Mayfly hatches can be good or bad. The bass are feeding on bream and Mayflies will make them active in the shallows, but it seems sometimes the bass gorge so much on bream that the fishing gets tough later during a hatch.

    Brandon fishes fast, trying to find a feeding fish by covering water. There may be a few feeding in a cove one morning then nothing the next day, so he searches for them, fishing as many places as he can during a tournament to catch a limit.

    “The largemouth do seem to be coming back,” Brandon said.  Tournament weigh-ins often show this with more largemouth than in the past few years.  And Brandon got his best ever largemouth from Bartletts Ferry this year, landing a seven pound, one ounce fish. He has also had a five fish limit weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces from the lake.

    Brandon took me to Bartletts Ferry in early July to catch some bass and mark the following spots that will be good this month.  The Mayflies were so thick that morning it was dangerous to take a deep breath, and bream were feeding on them everywhere we fished.

    But the bass fishing was tough. We think they had gorged on the bream all night and stopped feeding before we got there. Brandon had fished the Tuesday night pot tournament two days before we fished and the winners had 18 pounds, but they ran way up the river above the shoals where it is dangerous to go in a bass boat. Second place was only nine pounds.

    The following places are all spots where Brandon fishes during a tournament and you will find fish feeding in them in August.

    1.  N 32 41.415 – W 85 09.155 – Go up Halawakee Creek under the first bridge. Ahead of you a small island sits just off the right bank. The small cove just downstream of it is full of brush and has good deep water and holds bass. Brandon says he watched another fisherman catch five weighing 18 pounds here.

    Go into the cove and stop before you get to the first dock on the right. A brushpile starts here and runs all the way down to the small private boat ramp on that side.  Keep your boat out in 14 feet of water and cast to about ten feet from the bank and work your bait back.  You can see one limb sticking out of the water but there is a lot more brush you can’t see.

    Brandon likes to throw a Texas rigged Reaction Innnovations beaver bait behind a one quarter to three eights ounce sinker.  If the water is stained he uses a black and blue bait but goes to watermelon red in clear water. Brandon dips the tails of all his plastics in JJ’s Magic, using different colors depending on water color.

    He works the bait fairly fast until he hits a limb, then raises it up to the limb and lets it fall back. You can also fish the brush with a jig and pig.  The brush runs down a ledge parallel to the bank where it drops off deeper, making it even better.

    2. N 32 41.061 – W 85 09.666 – Across the creek and upstream there is a cove running off the channel almost parallel with it, with a long narrow point on the upstream side. Just upstream from it the next cove is a small deep creek that has good overhanging bushes, docks and brush piles to fish. There are no houses on the upstream point of this cove.

    Start on the left going in before you get to the first dock on that side.  You will be in 18 feet of water off the dock. It has a covered boathouse with a deck on top. Fish your beaver bait and jig and pig all around the brown dock. Skip a weightless Senko back under the boathouse as far as you can get it to go. That often works when sun runs the fish to the shade.

    Then fish the shady bank past it to the back of the cove with topwater, Trick worm and jig. Across the back of the small creek is a good blowdown to fish. As you turn and come back out a small dock will be on your left. Fish all around it, there is a good brush pile on it.

    3.  N 32 41.515 – W 85 08.005 – Run back down under the bridge and stop just before you get to the power lines crossing the main creek. They come off a long point on your right.  Just upstream of the main point a smaller point comes off the bank just before you get to the first pocket. It drops off fast on both sides and has a good gravel bottom.

    Brandon keeps his boat in 25 to 30 feet of water off the end of the point straight out from the pine tree near the bank with two gray stripes on it.  The point runs out in front of the tree. Cast a jig head with a Junebug Trick worm on it near the bank and work it back out to 15 feet deep. Brandon says he seldom catches fish deeper than about 15 feet.

    Also work a jig and pig or beaver bait along the bottom, bumping the gravel. Brandon likes to hop his jig off the bottom and let it fall back when fishing rocks.  Current moving across this point helps make the fish bite 100 percent better, according to Brandon.

    4.  N 32 40.989 – W 85 07.609 – Go downstream around the point with the power lines and past the first creek on your right. The second creek on your right has power lines crossing it as does the first one.  Go into the second one and stop on the left bank just past the power lines.

     Brandon says this is a everything bank that produces some quality fish.  It is a muddy flat with some gravel and there are blowdowns and brush on it as well as overhanging bushes. And it stays shady late in the morning so the bass stay shallow longer here.

    Keep your boat a long cast from the bank and start fishing down this bank into the creek. Throw a crankbait that runs six to eight feet deep to bump the bottom and brush. Fish a Trick worm under the overhanging bushes and around the wood cover.      A buzzbait will also catch fish on this bank. Brandon likes a white bait with silver blade in stained water and goes to chartreuse in clear water.  Fish around the small pocket on this bank and work the grass bed on the point where the bank goes back into a small ditch.

    There is one small dock on this bank. Fish around it but watch past it for an old foundation in a couple of feet of water. Bass often hold against the edge of this old foundation like they do on a seawall so fish it good. There is also a big rock out in the middle of the ditch just past the old foundation that often holds fish.

    5.  N 32 40.868 – W 85 06.638 – Head down the creek past where the Chattahoochee River joins Halawakee Creek. As you go around the first point on your right, with a danger marker on it, you will see a small island not far off the bank and a much bigger island past it.

    Go into the creek just upstream of the small island past the first few docks and the boathouse on the bank. Past the boathouse there is a big tan house with a brown roof up on the hill. The small dock in front of it has good deep brush pile to fish.

    Start just downstream of the dock and work around it with beaver, jig and pig and jig head worm.  Brandon uses a Stan Sloan seven sixteenths ounce brown jig with a Zoom black chunk with red flake. He slides it along until he hits brush then pulls it up and lets it fall back down.

     Fish just past the dock to the rails coming from the boathouse up on the bank, fishing around the rails with jig head worm, jig and pig and beaver bait. The brush around the dock is in 15 feet of water and holds big fish, and the rails run out to deep water, too.

    6. N 32 41.090 – W 85 05.094 – Run across the lake past the big kudzu covered island into the big creek on the Georgia side. Go up the creek until you see it split with a long narrow point between two arms.  There is a boat club on this point, with a ramp and picnic tables on it.

    On your right across from the tip of the point is a small cove with a no wake buoy in its mouth.  The cove is deep and has docks in it and some overhanging brush. Fish all the way around this cove, starting on the right on the rocky bank.

    Skip a Senko under the docks, work the rocks with jig and pig, beaver bait and jig head worm, and run a buzzbait or frog in the shade. This is where Brandon caught the seven pounder earlier this year.

    7.  N 32 41.115 – W 85 06.139 – Go out of the creek and start up the river. Behind the kudzu covered island you will see a sail boat club in a small pocket between two bigger coves. Brandon says an unusual pattern works here all summer to catch keeper size spots. 

    Idle in from the no wake buoys and have a white Super Fluke ready.  Fish it around all the sail boats. Spots hold under these boats and feed on shad that come in to feed around them.  Brandon says you probably won’t catch any big fish, but you can catch a lot of spots around a pound and a half.

    8.  N 32 41.850 – W 85 06.532 – Head up the river and you will pass a big island on your right not far off the bank.  The next cove upstream of it has a very small island with a ridge running toward the upstream point of the small creek there.  There are danger markers on the ridge and one sits not far off the main point.

    This point is round and has riprap all the way around it. The water drops off to 20 feet deep around this point and it is a good place to fish a crankbait. Brandon likes the DT10 since it gets down deep enough to cover the water where he expects the bass to hold.

    Fish all the way around this point, keeping your boat in at least 15 feet of water and making angle casts right to the bank. Your crankbait should stay near the bottom back to near the boat. Brandon likes a shad colored crankbait in clear water or one with some chartreuse in it in stained water.

    9. N 32 42.222 – W 85 06.463 – Going up the river the right bank swings way out and a small creek enters on the right just before you get to it.  There are two no wake buoys in the mouth of it. As you go in you will see a seawall on the right running along the bank in front of a gray house where the creek starts to really narrow down.

    Brandon has put out cane brush piles along this bank, and lined them up so he can fish a crankbait around them without getting hung up.  They are in shallow water and he uses a shallow running crankbait like the DT 4 or DT 6. Keep your boat a long cast off the seawall, throw right to it and fish your bait back straight out to run along the cane without hanging up in it.

    10. N 32 42.654 – W 85 07.074 – Going up the river not far upstream you will see two grassbeds and some logs hung up in the shallow water right in the middle of the river. If you come in from the Alabama side the channel swings in close, with 40 feet of water not far off the grass. This shallow flat will cover with grass by late August and bass feed around it, especially when current is running down the river.

    Brandon will fish the edge of the drop with a crankbait then fish the grass and logs with a frog or spinnerbait.  You can also fish your beaver bait around the grass if the fish are not real aggressive.  Bream bed out on this flat and bass move in to feed on them, and to ambush shad that current moves to them.

    Give Brandon’s spots and baits a try then you can find many similar places all over the lake to catch fish. Just keep moving until you find them. 

How and Where To Catch September Bartletts Ferry Bass

September Bartletts Ferry Bass

 with Bo Talley

    Frustrated with late summer fishing?  Tired of hours of casting in hot waters and not finding fish?  Head to Lake Harding, known in Georgia as Bartlett’s Ferry, if you want some fast action all day long.

    Bartlett’s Ferry is a small Georgia Power Lake on the Chattahoochee River just downstream of West Point Lake.  There is good current flow when water is being released at the dam or when power is generated at West Point.  The lake level changes a foot or so rapidly due to its size but is usually near full pool until the winter draw down in October.

    It is an old lake, full of docks, grass beds and best of all, spotted and largemouth bass.  You can catch large numbers of keeper size bass there right now, with a chance for much bigger fish.

    Bo Talley grew up in Bibb City, within the city of Columbus, and has fished Bartlett’s Ferry for many years. He works on motors in Phenix City for Randall Marine, which he says has the best selection of bass fishing tackle in the area.  They specialize in working on bass boats and cater to the fisherman.

    His job puts him in contact with a lot of area fishermen and Bo fishes many tournaments, including the Bulldog BFL trail and most pot tournaments on Bartlett’s Ferry and other area lakes. He plans on fishing the Everstart Series next year and has acquired some sponsors, including Quantum Rods and Reels and JJ’s Magic.  His boat is being wrapped by John Allen at Pestey John’s Pest Control.

    Bartletts Ferry is one of Bo’s favorite lakes and he does well there.  In one tournament he caught two six pound spots and his biggest largemouth from the lake is a 6.9 pounder.  His best five-fish limit weighed 26 pounds.

    “In September bass are in a transition, holding a little more shallow and feeding in the shallows longer,” Bo said.  He targets shallow grass beds for both spots and largemouth this time of year, and also catches bass on bluff walls.

    A wide variety of baits work right now, including a Strike Zone Grinder Buzzbait in white or white and chartreuse.  Bo likes a smaller bait this time of year and a quarter ounce is standard.  Bass will also hit a Spook and a Spro Frog on top, Bo’s favorite way to catch fish.

    A KVD Sexy Shad crankbait is also one of his favorites now. It works well for bass holding off the shallow grass beds, waiting to move in and feed.  He says you can fish faster now than you have the past few months and catch fish.

    For slower fishing a Zoom green pumpkin Swamp Crawler with its tail dipped in JJ’s chartreuse on a three sixteenths ounce Buckeye Spot Remover is his go-to bait. He will also cast and flip a Tommy Gunn half ounce Jawbreaker jig in the blue/green color trailed with a green pumpkin chunk.  

    We fished Bartletts in early August and caught a lot of keeper size bass. The bigger bass just did not hit that day but they will be hitting better now on these spots. Fish them and you will catch a lot of bass and have a good chance of catching some quality bass as the water starts to cool a little.

    1.  N 32 44.660 – W 85 08.069 – If you put in at the free Georgia Power ramp at Idlehour or at Blanton Creek Park, you can stay in the river and catch fish all day without running around a lot, an important factor with the price of gas.  Run up the river from either ramp to where the river makes a bend back to the right upstream of Blanton Creek. Just before the bend there are houses and docks on your left and they end right at the bend.

    On your left you will see two openings into a shallow lake area behind an island running parallel to the river.  The second opening is where Bo usually starts first thing in the morning.  Stop out in front of it and fish a buzzbait and Spook around both sides and in the middle of the ditch. Work from the bank and opening out to a long cast from the bank.

    Bass will hold along this ditch and opening before moving into the shallow grass to feed. Fish the grass at the ditch with a frog or buzzbait then work into the lake area, fishing the grass on both sides.  It is very shallow in there so you can’t always fish very far into the lake area on either side, but work the edges and the bank at the back straight in where you can reach it.

    Fish back out to the opening and fish the mouth of the ditch on both sides with a crankbait.  Fan cast the whole area before leaving. Bo says this is often a good way to pick up a quality fish holding here this time of year.

    2.  N 32 44.570 – W 85 07.939 – Fish downstream, casting to the bank with topwater and crankbaits, to the next opening.  The mouth of it is full of grass under the water that looks like hydrilla and along the edges above the water.  There were a lot of baitfish here when we fished and that is the norm that draws in the bass.

    Fish into the lake area working your bait over the submerged grass and through the grass sticking out of the water.  Fish your buzzbait, Spook or frog all the way to the boat. We got several hits near the boat from bass holding in the grass that goes all the way across the mouth.

    Fish into the pocket as far as you can go.  Watch for any activity and cast to it with a topwater bait.  It is so shallow in here bass will often give themselves away when they move.  Fish back to the seawall with lot numbers on it on your left, then fish back out to the river.

    3.  N 32 44.517 – W 85 07.737 – You can fish the shoreline all the way downstream from this pocket, hitting shallow wood and grass, to the point of the next small creek downstream, or idle down to the dock with a deck on top.  When you get near the dock the water gets a little deeper.

    Fish topwater around the grass then try a jig head worm from the grass edge out to the boat.  Bo says this is a good area for spots and he caught a good keeper on his jighead here.  Cast to the edge of the grass and work your bait back to the boat since you may get a hit anywhere out from the grass from bass holding well off it. You can also fish a shallow running crankbait through the area, too.

    Fish to the mouth of the small creek and work both sides of it and back into it about 100 feet.  The docks on the upstream side are worth skipping your jig head under, especially if the sun is on the water.

    4.  N 32 46.005 – W 85 08.242 – Run on up the river to where the channel swings back to the right.  You will see an island in the main channel and several cuts on your right. One of them is the “false river” that runs around and joins back with the main channel well upstream.

    Look to your left before you get to the island and you will see the mouth of a double pocket, with a big shallow lake to the right and a more narrow opening straight ahead.  It opens up in the back and there is big new house behind it.

    Stop out from the upstream point of this opening. A good ledge runs across it parallel to the river.  Keep your boat out in deep water and fish across the top of the ledge with topwater, fishing from the bank down past the mouth of the opening.

    After fishing it on top go back over it with a crankbait.  Start by casting from the river side across the top, then work to the end of it and into the cut, fishing from the river side into the ditch mouth. Also cast a jig head worm on this ledge.  Fish school up on this ledge so it is worth a lot of casts.

    After fishing the ledge fish the grass in the mouth of the right hand pocket and the shallow wood around the mouth of the left side with a buzzbait before leaving this spot.

    5.  N 32 46.027 – W 85 07.947 – Run across the river and upstream. You will see three openings on your right going upstream. Bo goes to the third one, a cut that runs back a short distance into Johnson Island.  Starting on the upstream point, fish the grass and wood on both sides with topwater.

    Fish on down the bank downstream of the cut. Bo says there is a good ledge here so keep your boat well off the bank. Cast a topwater bait, crankbait and jig head worm under the overhanging brush and work back out across the ledge. Bo got a keeper spot here on a Spook when we fished.

    The second opening you will come to is an opening into the false river and current comes out of it, making good eddies when it hits the river. The same thing happens at the next opening, the main mouth of the false river.

    The ledges off the upstream points of both openings are good so cover them carefully. Then work into the openings, flipping a jig and pig to the bank and fishing the wood cover along it. The downstream bank and point of the last opening going downstream, the main opening, is deep and a very good place to flip a jig and pig.

    6. N 32 44.541 – W 85 07.153 – Head back down the river to where the houses are on your right going downstream.  On your left is a long island running parallel to the river. Where it ends a very shallow ledge runs downstream so be careful, but idle in to the upstream point of the second pocket downstream of the end of the island.

    Fish the grass on both sides of this opening down to the next small cut. The water is very shallow here but it holds a lot of bass. The wind was blowing into this grass when we fished and Bo says that usually makes for a better bite. We got several bass along this grass on top and on a jig along the edge of it.

    7.  N 32 44.514 – W 85 07.036 – The upstream point of Blanton Creek is not far downstream. Start on it and fish the grass here back into the creek all the way to even with the no wake buoys.  A buzzbait and frog are both good here but also work a jig head worm or jig and pig along the edge of the grass, too.

    8.  N 32 44.174 – 85 06.662 – Go across the mouth of Blanton Creek to the grass bed between it and the next small creek on your left going downstream. Start fishing the grass about 100 yards upstream of the small creek and fish to it.  The water is a little deeper here since it is the beginning of an outside river bend and Bo says he catches a good many good fish here.

    Keep your boat out in about nine feet of water and cast back into the grass with a buzzbait or frog.  Current will hit this grass and make it better, too.  Work anything unusual in the grass like cuts, points and holes in it.

    Bo will fish a buzzbait all day long. Sometimes sunny days seem better and others cloudy days are better, but fish all day either way. It was cloudy the day we fished and we caught several bass on top right in the middle of the day.

      9.  N 32 44.037 – W 85 06.656 – For a change of pace stop on the downstream point of the small creek just downstream of Blanton Creek. It is a bluff wall dropping almost straight off into the river.   Keep your boat out in about 23 feet of water and flip or pitch a jig and pig to the bank. Work it slowly down the drop.

    Bo likes a half-ounce jig and pig for this fishing. He moves it very slowly so it hits every small outcropping on the bluff on the way down. When your bait falls a foot or so and stops, shake your rod tip without pulling the bait off the small ledge or rock.

    Try to show your bait to a fish holding in any crack or hole in the rocks.  Fish slowly, making a pitch every few feet.  Bo says he catches some pretty decent fish doing this here and on other bluff walls. This is how he got the two six pound spots.

    10.  N 32 43.254 – W 85 07.289 – Run down to where the river opens up and the channel splits. Right where it opens up there is a small creek on your right going downstream. A narrow grass covered point runs across them mouth of this creek from the downstream bank and Bo says it is called the “Hog Pen” since there was a hog pen here. You can still see some of the posts on the point and there are cypress trees on it.

    Bo likes to start on the outside end where it comes off the bank and fish upstream.  He fishes a buzzbait in the grass along it and flips a jig and pig or pitches a jig head worm to the edge of the grass. Fish all the way around the end of the point and into the creek, working that side to you get to the bank opposite of where you started.

    These ten spots all held bass in August and will be even better now. There are many bluff walls on the lake and a lot of grass beds in other areas to fish, too. Head to Bartlett’s Ferry this month and you will have a lot of fun catching bass.

How and Where To Catch September Bass at Lake Blue Ridge 

September Bass at Lake Blue Ridge 

with Bob Borgwat

     September bass fishing in Georgia is tough.  The bass are still on summer patterns but the water is as hot as it gets and the oxygen levels are at their lowest point.  And it is still uncomfortable fishing most days.  So it makes sense to head to the cool north Georgia mountains and Blue Ridge Lake to find some cooler air, beautiful scenery – and smallmouth bass.

     One of our TVA lakes, Blue Ridge is the highest lake in Georgia and has 3290 acres of clear mountain water.  Its 100 miles of shoreline stretches almost 12 miles up the Toccoa River and several major creeks feed it. The shoreline is steep wooded mountain sides with some development but many miles of natural rock and trees.

     Big winter drawdowns are the norm at Blue Ridge so the shoreline changes a lot in the fall.  Lake levels 40 feet below summer pool are common and every few years the TVA pulls the lake down about 70 feet to work on the power plant at the dam.  The lake is likely to be low most of September.

     Blue Ridge has one quality that sets it apart from all other Georgia lakes. It is where you have your best bet to catch a Georgia smallmouth bass.  Smallmouth are native to some of the north Georgia lakes but the illegal introduction of spotted bass in most of them have just about wiped out the smallmouth.  Unfortunately, Blue Ridge now has spots in it and there is no way to know how long the smallmouth population will hold up.

     Blueback herring have also been introduced illegally into Blue Ridge and right now, as is usually the case soon after they are introduced, spots are growing fast and fat on them.  Smallmouth also seem to be taking advantage of this new food source.  They are open water feeders like spots and the average size of smallmouth seems to be increasing.  Only time will tell what will happen but spots and bluebacks are now a fact of life at Blue Ridge.

     Bob Borgwat has a house on the river above Blue Ridge and runs Reel Angling Adventures, a guide service in the north Georgia area.  He guides for bass on Blue Ridge and has been fishing the lake since 1991.  He fishes the lake year round and says September is not the best month for bass on it, but there are patterns that should pay off now.  And once you learn the kinds of places that hold bass now they will be good year round.

     All three species of bass in Blue Ridge, smallmouth, spots and largemouth, live deep most of the year.  They are on their deep holes now and will stay there all winter, leaving just long enough to spawn in the spring then returning deep.  And the bass tend to be mixed on these holes, with all three kinds present.   

     During the first of the month bass at Blue Ridge will be near the thermocline, holding as deep as oxygen in the water will allow.  They will feed at that depth but come to the shallows some at night and early in the morning to feed. When the lake turns over they will scatter on the deep structure and be harder to pinpoint. 

     Bob likes fishing the turn over and after it happens.  You can tell when the lake turns over by the change in water color.  It may happen as early as late September and the water will get a cloudy green color on the main lake.  After roaming some the bass will stabilize in schools and be easier to locate the rest of the winter.

     You don’t need a lot of rods rigged and ready for bass at Blue Ridge this month, according to Bob. He likes to throw a top water bait early in the mornings then switch to a Carolina or Texas rigged finesse type four inch worm.  He will also throw a bucktail jig and a jig and pig this time of year.

     “All my lure color choices are organized around blueback colors,” Bob said.  Topwater poppers and walking baits in colors like Tennessee Shad that match blueback herring are good.  Bob likes the BPS or Spro bucktails that have some blue or gray hairs on top and white on the bottom. He will often trim them if they are bulky since he likes a sparse jig to imitate the longer, thinner baitfish. 

     The worm Bob uses is a very soft four inch finesse worm made out west.  He likes green pumpkin with the very tip of the tail chartreuse.  He usually rigs them on fairly light three sixteenths to one quarter ounce leads on both Texas and Carolina rigs.

     A one quarter to three eights brown jig and an Uncle Josh #11 pork rind trailer are his picks for a jig and pig. Although he likes the real pig trailers he admits plastic is much easier to use and will go to it if the bass are not too picky.

     Jigs and worms are thrown on eight pound test line and Bob likes spinning gear for fishing these light baits and light line.  Bob fishes both the worm and jig and pig on the bottom and says it is very important to stay in contact with the bottom.  These baits are fished with a crawling, short hopping motion while the hair jig is fished with a swimming motion but still kept in contact with the bottom.

     Bob and I fished the following spots on a foggy morning a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly cool to me after sweating on middle Georgia lakes.  The fog and cool air made us stick with topwater all morning, probably way too long for the water temperature.  It had not started cooling any and the fishing was tough. These spots will get better and better as the water cools and the fish get more active. Bob says he fishes them year round.

     1. N 34 52.699 – W 84 16.575 – Heading toward the dam the open water narrows down and there are three rocky points in a row on your right.  All three drop into very deep water and have rock and some wood on them.  All are good places to find smallmouth, spots and largemouth right now.

     Start on the first point downstream of the Lakewood Landing ramp cove and work toward the dam. Fish topwater plugs as you work down these points first thing in the morning. Stay way out in the clear water and make long casts near the bank, fishing your bait back to the boat.  Bass will hold deep here but come up for a topwater early in the morning.

     After fishing the three points with topwater early, or when hitting them or later in the day, work them with worms and jigs. Watch your depthfinder for baitfish and make sure you fish out at least as deep as the bait is holding. Concentrate on areas where the balls of herring or shad are holding, the bass will be nearby.

     Swim your hair jig just off the bottom, staying in contact with it.  That is hard to do since the bottom drops so fast.  Light line helps and you must fish slowly to stay in the effective zone.  Do the same with a worm or jig and pig, making slow pulls and short hops to keep the bait right on the bottom.

     2. N 34 52.145 – W 84 16.429 – Going up the lake on your right, across the mouth of the cove with the marina in it, you will see an island with a big square marker with the number one on it. This marks miles from the dam and this point is a good place to start first thing in the morning with topwater then follow up with your other baits. 

     Start on the rocky point on the downstream side of the island and work to your right, going into the cove formed by the island and mainland.  They will be connected when the water is low this time of year.  This point runs out to 30 feet deep at full pool then drops fast into 60 feet of water.  There is good chunk rock on this point to hold bass.

     As you work into the cove a shallow point and flat comes out on the tip of the island toward the cove, then drops off.   This is and excellent place to catch schooling bass so always be ready for them.  They push baitfish back into the pocket formed by the island and mainland.

     There is a dock that usually has a sail boat tied to it on the mainland side of the cove and it is worth a few casts before leaving this spot. Work past it a short distance, hitting any wood that is still in the water, too.

     3. N 34 50.884 – W 84 16.174 – Run up the river past marker number four and the mouth of Charlie Creek where the river makes a sharp bend to your left around an island.  The river side of this island is a good bluff bank to fish.  Start at the downstream tip of the island and work upstream, casting topwater to the bank. Keep an eye on your depthfinder for brush piles, there are several out in deeper water.  There are also a couple of blowdowns to hit.  I got a keeper largemouth on a popper here when Bob and I fished.

     Work to the upstream point of the island and fish it.  Then work back, fishing the bottom with your jig and worm.  Hit any brush piles you saw as you worked up. There are a couple that were out in 20 feet of water near the upstream point the day we fished so they are about 25 feet below full pool level.   

     4. N 34 50.926 – W 84 16.100 – When you are on the upstream point of the island you will see a standing dead pine on the bank across the cove behind the island. There are a couple of small rocky and sandy points on that side and you will see one small tree just off the bank. If you idle straight across from the point of the island toward that small tree you will see a ledge that is usually 40 feet deep at full pool.   There are big scattered stumps on this ledge.

     Bob says there are many spots like this on the lake where big stumps are down deep. Those stumps hold bass.  As the water drops they get easier to fish because they are not as deep, probably around 25 feet deep right now.  Work them with a jig or worm, fishing slowly and trying to make contact with the stumps.

     If you idle over this area you will cross stumps and often see fish suspended on top of them or holding around them. We saw several like that the day we fished.  Mark them and back off to fish them.  The stumps are so scattered the only way to hit them if you don’t mark them is to drag your bait along the bottom.

     5. N 34 50.791 – W 84 15.946 – Going upstream there is another island on your left that is really a long point with the water down.  It is on the outside bend of the river and drops off very fast.  You will see limbs over the water if it is at full pool and some dead brush and tree tops on the downstream point of this island. Bob says this is a good spot point.

     Fish around it early with topwater then work it with your other baits.  Fish way out and watch for brush and baitfish.  Sometimes you will find layers of different kinds of bass on places like this, with some largemouth in more shallow water, spots a little deeper and smallmouth out even deeper.  But you may catch any of the three species at any level here, especially if they are under baitfish.

     6. N 34 50.541 – W 84 16.283 – Across the lake going upstream is a point with the marker number five on it on your right.  There is a straight bank upstream of the marker that drops off right into the river, running from that point up to a small pocket.  This bluff bank, from just above the point with the marker up to the pocket, is a good area for smallmouth.

     Start at the point and work up, casting your worms or jigs to the blowdowns along the bank as well as working the bottom with both baits. There is a lot of rock here to hold fish.  Bob hooked a keeper smallmouth on his Carolina rig here the day we fished, the only one we saw.

     7. N 34 50.329 – W 84 16.329 – The river makes a turn to the left going up just before you get to marker number six and there are a series of points along the left bank going up that Bob calls “Ten Points.”  All the points are good places to work topwater early then drag the bottom. I got a small spot here on top the day we fished.

     The first pocket above the point has several blowdowns in it, three big ones and several smaller ones, all mixed up. If they are still in the water bass will hold in them to feed.  You will also see a patch of dead standing trees on the bank on the second point going up. They look like beetle killed pine trees. Start at the point and work upstream, fishing any wood cover and the rocks on the bottom.

     8. N 34 49.089 – W 84 15.980 – On up the river between markers seven and eight is Long Creek on your right. The main lake point on the upstream side of this creek is a perfect example of the kinds of points that hold bass on Blue Ridge.  It drops off fast into deep water and has rocks and brush on it to hold bass. Bob says there also a huge stump on the point that is great when the water is over it.    

     The point has a block rock seawall around it and there is a wooden deck on the upper upriver side of it.  Out on the point are some chairs where the owner sits and enjoys the lake.  Start fishing the bluff wall near the deck and work down to the point, around it and into the cove to the first dock. 

     All along this area the water drops fast and there are rocks and brush, and that stump, to hold bass. Fish all your baits here.  If you catch a bass at a certain depth try making parallel casts to the bank, keeping your bait in that depth water. Others should be holding at that depth.

     9. N 34 48.939 – W 84 16.010 – Idle into Long Creek to the back and you will see a waterfall entering to the left of a house back there. Bob says bass sometimes stack up back here and he always fishes it, no matter what time of year.  There are several docks to fish as well as rocks and wood on the bottom.

     Two of the docks are what Bob calls “hard” docks – docks with posts in the water.   Both are on the left going in. Start fishing at the fourth house from the back on the left, the one with the screen room on posts over the water. Hit all post, many have collars of concrete at the bottom where a bass will hold.  Work the bank, hitting the seawalls, wood in the water and the docks.

     10. N 34 49.137 – W 84 15.814 – Across the lake and upstream you will see a buoy on the upstream point of a cove on your left.  Bob suggested this spot to the rangers as a good place for a brush pile and the buoy marks it.  There is scattered brush at a variety of depths around the marker.

     Fish topwater over it then work around and through the brush with your other baits.  As you fish around the marker watch your depthfinder. There is brush a good ways out from it in all directions so don’t get in too close and get on top of it.

     The water may get muddy this far up the river after a heavy rain, Bob warns. It muddies up quickly when the water is down like it will be this fall and he does not like fishing muddy water. If it is muddy up the river head back down to clearer water on the main lake.

     Bob says the TVA plans to draw down Blue Ridge about 100 feet sometimes between now and 2010 to make repairs at the dam.  That will be an excellent time to find hidden stump beds, rock piles and other features to fish when the lake comes back up. You will need a small boat to put in but it will be worth your time to scout. And the fishing should be great, with the fish restricted basically to the old river channel.

     To get Bob to show you first hand how to catch Blue Ridge smallmouth book a trip with him by visiting his web page at www.ReelAnglingAdventures.com or call him at 866-899-5259.

How and Where To Catch Fall Lunker Largemouth

Fall For Lunker Largemouth

from The Fishing Wire

By Bob Jensen

The fall season is a time for trophy fish.  In fact, fall is a good time for fish in general.  Fish of all sizes go on the bite as the water starts to cool and the days get shorter. They instinctively know that, in many areas, their metabolism is going to slow down and they won’t be chasing food like they have been for the past several months.  They need to put some fat on now to get them through the winter.  Largemouth bass in many regions eat often in the fall.  Here are some ways you can improve your odds of catching a truly big largemouth bass in the next couple of months.

In most bodies of water, the bass are going to be close to deeper water.  They might be in the deep water, or they might be in shallow water that’s close to deep water.  They like to be close to a deep water sanctuary in the fall.  In a river they might be up on grass flats, but the grass flats close to the channel or deeper water will often be the best areas.

In a lake, they might be in the rushes, but the rushes that provide quick access to deep water will be where most of the bass are.

If the bass are in the shallow areas, they will likely be willing to eat your bait.  This time of year, when the fish are shallow, they’re going to be on the bite.  Shallow water fish can be spooky, so make long casts.  It’s tough to beat a Premier Pro-Model spinnerbait.  It has two Colorado spinners that put out flash and vibration.  The vibration put out by the blades will enable bass in stained water to find the bait easier, and, in clear water will attract bass from farther away.

A swim jig like a Tour Grade Swim Jig, tipped with a Rage Grub tail has become the go-to in many areas.  This set-up will often outperform the spinnerbait, especially in clear water.  The swimming jig is much the same as the spinnerbait except it has no blade.  Thunder Crickets will be good also.  When the bass are active, they’ll hit almost whatever you put out there.  It’s when they’re not so active that we need to experiment with different baits to figure out what they want.

When the bass move out of the shallows, pay attention to the areas that drop off from the shallows the quickest.  This is jig or crankbait territory.  Sometimes the bass will be right on the bottom along a weedline, other times they’ll be suspended up a bit.  And there are also times when they’ll move away from the drop-off and relate to suspended baitfish like shad or bluegills.

The best bite is often at mid-day.  I recall days when an overcast sky was good, but I also remember days when the bass were really liking the warmth that a bright sun was providing. The best plan is to go fishing regardless of whether the sky is cloudy or clear.  If you don’t go fishing, you’re not going to catch anything. Put a bait in the water and your chances for fishing success go up significantly.  Fall is a great time to be fishing and catching.  Discover that for yourself sometime soon.

How and Where To Catch March Bass at Bartletts Ferry/ Lake Harding with GPS Coordinates

March Bass at Bartletts Ferry/ Lake Harding

with Nick Roberson

     March is a great month to go fishing just about anywhere in Alabama.  Warming waters turn fish on and they move shallow and feed.  It is hard to pick one place to go but Bartletts Ferry/Lake Harding on the Chattahoochee River just south of Lanette offers a variety of kinds of fishing for both spots and largemouth that is hard to beat right now.

     Lake Harding is a 5,850 acre Georgia Power Lake not far downstream from West Point Lake.  It was filled in 1926 and the waters near the dam are deep and rocky.  Up the river above the Hawalakee Creek junction it is mostly river channel with some big creeks and a good many old oxbow lakes off the channel. Both Alabama and Georgia fishing licenses are good on all the waters.

     Bartlett’s Ferry has been known as a good producer of both spots and largemouth for many years.  Last year there were large numbers of keeper size 12 to 14 inch bass and this year those fish will be in the two pound range. In the 2007 Creel Census Report Bartlett’s Ferry ranked sixth in Bass Weighed-In Per Hour and seventh in Percent of Anglers With Five Or More Bass, and there are more keeper bass now than there were two years ago.

     Nick Roberson lives near Opelika and fishes Harding often.  He started going fishing with his father when he was old enough to walk.  About 14 years ago he got into bass tournament fishing when a group at his work place started having tournaments.  For the past few years he has fished with the West Georgia Bass Club, a team tournament trail that fishes a variety of west Georgia and east Alabama lakes and is Triton Gold certified, and other tournament on area lakes.

      Last year Nick and his partner won the West Georgia Bass Club tournament on Harding with 14 pounds and ended up 5th overall in the point standings for the year out of 170 teams.  Nick has also won both the Diehard and Lazy Days tournaments on Harding and had done well in other tournaments there.  His best Harding bass was an 8 pound, 8 ounce hawg caught in a tournament and his best five fish in a tournament weighted just over 22 pounds.

     “Last year I found fish on the beds in February here,” Nick told me. After a warm winter bass were spawning up the river in oxbow lakes in February and Nick expects to find them there every year from late February to early March.  He says bass in the river spawn a lot earlier than most folks realize.       Nick says bass on the main lake spawn a little later but he normally finds bedding fish there by mid to late March. 

     Nick plans his fishing on Harding around the spawning bass.  He will start in the mornings on the main lake, hitting points and banks near spawning pockets for the prespawners and will always watch for spawners, too.  Then after lunch when the sun has been warming the water all morning he will head up the lake to fish there. In the river he goes into spawning areas and fishes for the bass on the beds and any cruising the spawning areas, too.

     A variety of baits work well on the lake and Nick will have a Jawbreaker jig and pig, a jig head worm, a spinnerbait and a crankbait tied on. He will also throw a topwater bait much earlier than most folks and a jerk bait rounds out his lake arsenal.

     Up the river Nick relies on Senkos and spinnerbaits.  Most of the oxbow lakes are very shallow and full of grass so the Senko works best most of the time. He will pitch and cast his bait to visible beds but will also work the grass, dropping it into holes where a bass might be bedding.  That works best when the water is murky and you can’t see the beds as well. 

     Nick fishes all his baits on baitcasting outfits and his reels are spooled with Suffix line.  He fishes with Tommy Gunn, maker of Jawbreaker jigs, a lot and he likes Tommy’s jigs and jig heads.  For the jig and pig he will use black and blue combinations with a black or green trailer.  His favorite worm for the jig head is a Zoom scuppernong Trick worm.

     Colors for crankbaits and jerk baits depend on water color, with natural colors best in clear water and bright colors used when the water is stained.  Nick uses a pink spinnerbait a lot and says it is his best color.  He likes two gold willowleaf blades on it.

     A Boy Howdy, an old topwater lure with spinners on both ends, is Nick’s favorite. He surprised me by throwing it in early February in water temperatures at 50 degrees, and caught a bass on it the day we fished.  He says bass will hit on top even in the winter if you fish the right bait the right way.

     The following ten holes will produce bass from now through the end of March on Harding.  We fished the lower lake spots the second week of February on a cold, rainy day and fish were already on them and will be on them even better now. We landed about 20 bass that day and our best five would have weighed between 11 and 12 pounds. That shows Harding has a lot of bass in the two pound range for us to catch that many on such a bad day.  The bass had not moved into the spawning areas up the river in early February but they will be there now.

     1. N 32 41.321 – W 85 08.142 – This main lake point and bank is a good place to start. Nick won a weekly tournament here and it holds fish year round. Heading down Halawakee Creek from the bridge the creek bends back to the left. Straight ahead the bank runs out from your right and you will see a point with a seawall around it. Trees on the bank have faces on them and there are post with ropes around them and black metal light poles around it.

     Start on this point and work to your left.  There are three good docks to fish and bass hold on them and on the block seawall.  The first dock has three metal park benches on it.  Fish the seawall then the dock and the pocket behind it.  Be sure to hit the rails coming from the boathouse. Bass often hold on rails like these.

     This pocket runs out to a natural rock point that holds fish, too. Fish it and the next two docks.  Try your jig and pig and jig head worm around the docks, probing for brush, and on the rocks and rails.  Run a crankbait or spinnerbait beside the docks and along the point. And don’t hesitate to work your favorite topwater plug slowly in this area, too.

     2.  N 32 41.486 – W 85 08.347 – Back across the creek and slightly upstream, the last point where the creek opens up has riprap around it and a small dock on the upstream side. There is a yellow cabin on the point and there are palm trees planted near the water.  The point comes up shallow then drops off.  There are some stumps and rocks around this point that hold March bass.

     Start out in front of the small upstream dock and work a jig and pig or jig head worm slowly down the bottom. Cast up near the seawall and make short hops. When you hit a stump pause it there for a few seconds then hop it away from the stump. Sometimes a bass holding by the stump will react as the bait jumps away from it.

     Work all the way around the point then try your crankbait and jerk bait over it, too. Jerk baits work better when the water is clear and this creek is usually clearer than the river or the main lake.

     3. N 32 40.893 – W 85 06.636 – Run down past the mouth of the river and watch for a rocky point on your right.  It is between two long deep coves and a brown top gazebo sits under a big pine on the downstream side. The upstream side of the point has a big pine and a big hardwood leaning a little over the water.   Start at the small wooden seawall on the upstream side at the leaning pine and work around the point and into the downstream pocket a short distance.

     There are a lot of big rocks under the water on this point and bass stack up on it all during the winter. They will start to move into the coves to spawn but some will be out here all during March.  As you fish past the gazebo there will be riprap on the bank and a house with a screen room on it.

     Fish around the rocks down the steep bank. Keep fishing down this bank, working the riprap and docks.  Some of the docks have brush around them and there is a lot of brush around the dock in front of the big house a short way down the bank. Nick says he has caught some big bass from this brush over the years. Fish all your baits here but your jig and pig is the best bet for bigger bass.

     4. N 32 40.299 – W 85 04.650 – Run into the big creek to your left right at the dam. Toward the back there is an island in the middle with a house on it and it is before you get to the condos in the bank of the creek. Just before you get even with the downstream end of the island you will see a small pocket on your right.  Start fishing at it and work toward the condos.

     The first little pocket will hold bedding bass as will the next one and other bass will hold on the steep bank around rocks, docks and brush.  Nick and I both caught bass in this area in February.  Work all your baits here, running a crankbait beside the docks and off the rocks on the bank.  Hop a jig and pig or jig head worm down the bank.  Fish rails coming out of boathouse and brush around the docks. 

     As you work into pockets here fish slowly and watch for signs of bedding bass.  You may see a light spot marking a bed or just see the black tip of a bass’s tail.  If you spot a bass on the bed throw a jig into it and let it sit.  Fish slowly with a jig for bedding bass here you don’t spot, too. Nick says bass will bed in this pocket even in early March.

     Work all the way to the little peninsular with the picnic stuff on it at the condos.  Nick says you should have a limit of keepers just along this bank in late February and March.

     5. N 32 40.568 – W 85 04.668 – Run across the creek on the upstream side of the island and you will see a big cove on the other bank. On the right going into this cove is a seawall then riprap on the outside of a small cove. Start fishing at the end of the seawall and work around that little point into the cove.

     Fish around the cove, watching for bedding bass and fishing slowly for the ones you don’t see.  If you spot bass on the bed work all the way to the back of the pocket.  Fish on around past the dock with a winch and crane to pull in a fish barrel.  There is some brush around that dock to fish.

     6. N 32 44.477 – W 85 06.688 – Head up the river to Blanton Creek and go to the boat ramp on your right. Bass move in here first as they start moving back to spawn up the river and hold here until everything gets right.  Start fishing where the riprap starts just outside the ramp and work around the pocket past the three docks out to the point in the campground.

     There is some brush here and rocks for the bass to hold on as they move up the creek.  Nick likes to work a jig and pig slowly through the rocks and brush for bigger bass. This is the spot where he caught his 8 pound, 8 ounce fish.  He says there will be “quadruple” the number of bass here than down on the main lake. 

     Nick says he will work this bank and other places several times. If he catches a fish on the first pass he will go back over it with the same bait. If he does not catch one on the first pass he will often go back over it with a different bait like a spinnerbait to offer them a different look.

     7. N 32 44.672 – W 85 08.053 – Come out of Blanton Creek and head up the river.  When the river makes a bend to  your right, straight ahead on the outside bend you will see a house on your left then no houses.  A good oxbow starts here and runs up parallel to the river.

     You can enter near the last house but you are better off going upstream a little and finding the opening not much wider then a couple of boats that goes in.  Be careful in this area, there is a hump off the bank that is under water when the lake is high.  You can idle in if you are careful or put your trolling motor down and work your way in.

     When you get back in the lake or old oxbow there will be lots of shallow water and grassbeds.  This spot and others here are better if the lake is full. The day Nick and I looked at it the lake was almost two feet low and it was hard to get in here. 

     Nick likes to pitch a Senko to visible bedding bass or work holes in the grass with it if he is not seeing beds.  Fish both sides of this oxbow all the way to the upper end.  Nick says he gets most of his hits from the middle opening up to the upper end. Water can run in up there, too, but you can’t get your boat in there.

     8. N 32 45.109 – W 85 08.219 – Across the river and upstream you will see two openings within a few feet of each other.  The downstream one has a tree on the downstream side across the mouth of it so be careful going in. Nick says some folks start fishing here, working the outside edges with crankbaits and jigs,  but he usually goes on back into the backwaters.

     As you work in you will do downstream parallel to the river.  This ditch is not real wide but not far from the opening is a small ditch on your left. Go through it and the oxbow opens up much bigger.  Both sides join together and this oxbow opens up downstream so there is a lot of water to fish in here.  Work both sides and watch for grassbeds and stumps to fish. There are a lot of stumps to your left when you go through the small ditch.

     9. N 32 45.108 – W 85 08.255 – Just upstream of the opening in hole 8 is another opening that is very shallow right at the river opening.  It goes in and this oxbow runs up the river channel.  Get across the shallow flat at the entrance and you will find deeper water to fish on back in it.

     In this one and in others fish until the bass tell you where they are holding.  In this one and the others the river side of the oxbow will be more shallow. It usually has willows and grass on it. The bank side will be deeper and often has wood cover to fish. Work both sides until you find where the bass are holding and bedding and they usually are in similar places in all the oxbows.

     10. N 32 46.000 – W 85 08.275 – Up the river and on the left just as the channel goes slightly to the right is another small opening. As soon as you go in you can go into a lake to your right. The channel also runs straight ahead and the point between the two is covered with stumps.  Go into the right one and work around it hitting the grass and stumps in it.

     If you go straight back you will go a good ways in a ditch then it opens up into a lake to fish.  The Senko is Nick’s best bait up here this time of year but try a spinnerbait, too.  The bass will sometimes be active enough to hit it and sometimes will give their location away by swirling at it without taking it. You can then work a Senko around that spot for them. Also watch for movement in the grass or baitfish jumping to show you where bass are holding.

     These spots give you five to fish on the lake and five up the river.  Nick will be fishing them this month and they are all good places. Check them out and you can then find some more similar spots, especially on the lake, to fish.

     The West Georgia Bass Club is a Triton Gold Certified Team Tournament trail that fishes west Georgia and East Alabama lakes. There is an annual $25 membership fee per team and the entry fee is $50 per team in each tournament. They pay back one in seven boats and have a classic at the end of the year.  For the schedule and rules go to http://www.westgeorgiabassclub.com/

How Good Will the Salmon Run Be This Year On the Salmon River

Full Swing On The Salmon River

from  The Fishing Wire

Every year the anticipation for salmon season is high and as we inch closer to the “big run” we always wonder how good of a year its going to be? In early June I took a charter out of Oswego, NY with our good friend Captain Kevin Keller of Fish Chopper Charters. We had nonstop action from the moment we put the first rod in the water until we called off the trip by late morning with sore arms. Typically, when you have great numbers of salmon that early and throughout July and August it tends to lead to an above average return year in the river. Since then the lake reports from charter captains around the eastern basin of Lake Ontario have been incredible, with large numbers of fish and larger than average fish size. Although there are many tributaries to find salmon throughout September and October we consider our home water to be the world famous Salmon River in Pulaski, NY.

Salmon River

Each year the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation stocks both King and Coho salmon, which will return to spawn 3-4 years later. The wild card on how many fish will return to the river can also depend on the natural spawning that occurs each fall. In my opinion this is one of those years where we had a high rate of successful natural reproduction from 3-4 years ago. There are many factors that lead to great natural spawning years and high returns, many of which are hard to pin point. Typically, higher than average water flows during the spawning timeframe leads to less angling pressure. When you combine less angling pressure and higher than average water flows when the smolt swim back to the lake you have a recipe for success. Predation from other fish and birds play a large factor in this equation, but when everything works out in favor of salmon spawning and smolt survival you have big numbers of returning fish!

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Many people associate salmon fishing with crowded, shoulder to shoulder rivers using barbaric tactics to fight these fish. However, over the last couple decades I’ve seen a great transformation in the way anglers respect the space of each other in addition to their angling methods. There are always a few bad apples in the bunch that ruin the experience for some but you can say that about most anything in life. Having fished the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY for over 30 years I can honestly still say I look forward to the return of these fish in the river and everything that goes along with fishing for them. My advice to you if you are inexperienced or have never done this is to take a walk away from the crowds and carve out your own little piece of salmon fishing paradise. Personally, I would rather fight or land a few fish or nothing at all than be crowded amongst hundreds of other anglers. If you are experienced or a veteran of this fishery take a couple minutes out of each trip to educate and help others be successful.

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Carp Are A Blast To Catch On A Rod

Carp: A ‘Golden’ Opportunity?

from The Fishing Wire

Reputations Aside, Carp Are Still A Blast To Catch On A Rod. In Fact, Carp Are Considered A Premier Sportfish In Europe And Asia, And They Support Valuable Fisheries There.

Any angler who recreates in and around the Snake River has likely come face to face with a common carp at some point. Built like a tank and equipped with large scales, serrated fins, and whiskers, these golden-colored fish don’t look like they belong around here. Given their large size and tendency for feeding in shallow backwaters, they are also hard to miss. While they are generally criticized or outright disregarded by anglers, they do present a “golden” fishing opportunity for those looking for a new challenge.

Common carp can grow to a very large size

Common Carp are a fish native to Eurasia that can reach impressive sizes, some over 50 pounds! Carp were originally introduced to the United States by the U.S. Fish Commission in the late 1800s to provide a readily available source of protein to a growing nation. Since their introduction they have become widely distributed throughout the country and are commonly found in almost every state.

Carp are a highly resilient fish and their ability to adapt and thrive in almost any habitat has led to their widespread success. This success has also led to conflicts and competition with other more desirable game fish species like bass and panfish. Due to these conflicts and their association with dirty backwaters, many anglers have labelled this species as invasive. Carp can cause a lot of damage to ecosystems, and in some cases Idaho Fish and Game has used methods to reduce their numbers or eradicate them from certain waterbodies.

Reputations aside, carp are still a blast to catch on a rod. In fact, carp are considered a premier sportfish in Europe and Asia, and they support valuable fisheries there. In addition to reaching large sizes, Idaho angling record for Carp is 34 pounds, carp are very wary, and those that have hooked one know they fight hard. These qualities have earned them the nickname “poor-man’s bonefish”, “suburban salmon”, or “mud marlin”.

Common carp are an exciting fish to catch on a fly rod.

Regardless of what you call them, carp are an abundant and challenging target for the adventurous angler in the Magic Valley. 

Carp can be caught all year long using a variety of tackle. The best places to target carp are usually in the shallow backwaters of lakes and rivers where they prefer to feed. Bait anglers can find success using a simple weighted swivel and hook tipped with nightcrawlers or corn. Find where carp are feeding and cast in the direction they are heading and wait for them to find your bait.

Fly-fishing for carp is also an option that has gained popularity in recent years. Sight-casting to feeding carp with small leech patterns as one would to Bonefish on tropical flats can be very productive in the right conditions.

Fly angler with a large common carp.

For those of you that prefer hunting to fishing, common carp make a fantastic target for archery equipment. Given a target-rich environment and no limitations on carp harvest, bow-fishermen can bank tons of practice with their bows while having a great time doing it.

Regardless of your preferred method, target carp in the morning and evenings when they are actively feeding and be prepared to spook a lot of fish. Don’t be afraid to eat what you catch as well. Carp caught from clean, cold water can be delicious. A quick Google-search will show a multitude of recipes meant for carp to suit anyone’s taste, but batter fried carp nuggets are always a safe bet. These fish aren’t going anywhere soon, so why not try your hand at catching one? You may find a new favorite pastime while you’re at it.

For more information about fisheries in the Magic Valley Region call (208) 324-4359.