Category Archives: Where To Fish

How Can I Catch Five Pound Bass at Lake Seminole?

Laura Ann Foshee with Two Five Pound Lake Seminole Bass

How early are you willing to get up in the morning to do something you love and how far are you willing to drive to do it? Sometimes I think nothing is better than the “job” of fishing and writing about it, but sometimes it wears me out.

Sunday I got up at 3:00 AM for the Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament at West Point and drove the 65 miles to the lake. After fishing eight hours, I got home at 4:00 PM, ate dinner, took a shower and was asleep by 6:00 PM since I had to get up at 1:00 AM Monday for a Georgia Outdoor News article at Lake Seminole.

After a four hour, 210 mile drive I got to Wingates Lunker Lodge and met Laura Ann Foshee, the young fishermen highlighted in the article. We fished until 2:00 PM then I drove the four hours home. I was worn out after those two trips!

Both trips were fun though. Laura Ann lives near Birmingham, Alabama and fishes for her high school bass team. She is one of only 12 high school anglers nationwide to be named to the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society 2015 High School All American Team. And she is the only female angler on it.

Laura Ann gets her love of fishing from her uncle, Scott Montgomery, owner of Big Bite Bait Company in Georgetown, Georgia. Big Bite is one of the biggest plastic bait companies in the US. So she has a lot of contacts with good fishermen, especially members of the Big Bite Pro Staff.

One of those Pro Staff Members took us out for the day on Seminole. Matt Baty lives in Bainbridge and fishes Seminole a lot, and does well in tournaments. We had a good day, landing two bass over five pounds each and several more keepers. And they hit in shallow grass beds. Laura Ann caught one of the five pounders on a topwater popping frog and that was very exciting! The other one hit a paddle tail worm swam over another grass bed. Both hit not far from Wingates in the Flint River and will be marked in the article.

She marked ten of her favorite spots to catch August bass on Seminole and explained how to fish them. That information will be in a Map of the Month article that will run in the August issue of both Georgia and Alabama Outdoor News magazines.

Fishing Is Good At High Falls Lake

If you like to fish you are missing out on a great place to go if you don’t try High Falls. The 660 acre lake is only a few miles from Griffin, Georgia boats are limited to 10 horsepower motors so you don’t have to worry about skidoos and skiers and the lake has great populations of bass, crappie, bream and catfish.

Peyton James knows how good it is and fishes it often. The last Friday in June he and his dad fished in the afternoon for bass and had an excellent catch, including one six pounder and several more big bass. Even better, Payton and his father caught them on topwater baits, the most exciting way to catch bass.

The fish hit near docks and blowdowns, making it even more exciting. On most big lakes this time of year you need to drag plastic baits in deeper water to get bit. Casting to visible targets, especially with topwater baits, is much more exciting!

You can catch all the bream you want fishing around shoreline cover with crickets or a flyrod and popping bug. Crappie will hit minnows or jigs trolled or fished around deeper wood cover. Catfish are a little tougher since they bite better at night and boat fishermen have to be off the lake by sundown. You can catch them from the bank if you have a place to fish after dark.

Nice High Falls Bass

Try High Falls for some exciting fishing right now.

Where and How Can I Catch Middle Georgia Bass In April?

Middle Georgia April Bassin’

If you like catching bass in April and live in the central part of Georgia, you are in luck. Bass are shallow and feeding, and you can catch them from big lakes and smaller public waters.

The following lakes give you a variety of types of fishing and offer chances to catch either largemouth or spotted bass, or both.

Lake Harding

Often called Bartletts Ferry by Georgia fishermen, Harding is a 5850 acre lake on the Chattahoochee River north of Columbus. It has varied cover and structure, from rocky banks and points to channels, grass beds, docks and blowdowns that all hold bass.

The lake has a big population of spotted bass as well as largemouth. Most of the spots are small with an average size of only about half a pound, and anglers should keep spots for a meal. There is no size restriction on them. The largemouths have an average size over 12 inches long and 15 inch plus fish are fairly common.

In the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Creel Census report, it took about four hours to catch a 12 inch keeper, yet almost 20 percent of club tournament fishermen weighed in a five fish limit. The average bass weighed 1.36 pounds and just over 70 percent of the fish weighed in were largemouth.

To catch largemouth in April the water willow grass beds up the river from the Georgia Power ramp are good targets. Bass feed in them as well as bed around them. A spinnerbait run through the grass is a good way to cover water. Use a chartreuse and white bait with one gold and one silver willowleaf blade.

Also fish the grass beds, docks and blowdowns with a weightless worm. A black or white Trick worm works well. Try moving it steadily with short twitches just under the surface, but also let it sink to the bottom and sit still for several seconds before moving it. Bedding bass on the edge of the grass will often pick up a worm sitting on the bottom.

For spots, target rocky points and banks with a small jig and pig or jig head worm. In clear water use a three sixteenths ounce brown jig with a brown twin curly tail trailer. In stained water use a black jig with a blue trailer. Raise the bait off the bottom a few inches and let it fall back, making the tails of the trailer wiggle. Dip the tails of both color trailers in chartreuse JJ’s Magic. Spots love chartreuse.

A green pumpkin Zoom Trick worm or smaller Finesse worm work well on jig heads. Dip the tail to color it and give it scent, and work it with shakes and short hops through the rocks. Also fish both baits around docks, both largemouth and spots will hold on them and hit the worm.

Lake Tobesofkee

Lake Tobesofkee is a 1750 acre lake just outside Macon owned and operated by Bibb County. Although a small lake, it has plenty of structure and cover to fish for largemouth, with grass beds, rocky points and banks, docks, channels and wood cover.

The largemouth population is excellent at Tobesofkee, with 20 pound plus tournament stringers of five bass not unusual. According to the Department of Natural Resources, up to one-third of the catch should be fish in the 15 to 25 inch range with good numbers in the bragging size from 20 to 25 inches.

A spinnerbait or buzzbait worked in the grass and around docks will catch bigger fish. Also try a chartreuse or crawfish crankbait that runs six to eight feet deep on the rocks and docks. Riprap on the bridges hold bass this month to fish it with those baits, too.

For slower fishing try a half ounce jig and pig or three sixteenths ounce jig head worm. A black and blue jig or a green pumpkin worm on a jig head works well. Fish both around dock pilings, brush piles and rocky banks. For riprap go to a one-eight ounce jig head and fish the rocks, concentrating on the corners at the bridges.

The area above the Lower Thomaston Road Bridge has a lot of shallow water but is ringed by good grassbeds to fish. Where the creek enters the lake is a good area to target. The docks and points as well as the riprap on the lower lake offers more varied cover to try.

High Falls

High Falls is a 650 acre lake east of I-75 north of Forsyth that is a Georgia State Park. It is an old lake that has been silted in so most cover is shallow. There are grass beds, stumps and docks to fish all over the lake and you can easily spot the best places to fish.

You are limited to a ten horse power motor but you can use a boat with a bigger motor if you do not crank it. The lake is small enough to cover with a trolling motor from the ramp in Buck Creek and the one at the dam. Fishing is limited to sunrise to sunset.

The Georgia DNR says High Falls is an untapped resource for largemouth. It has one of the highest populations of bass larger than 15 inches long of any of our lakes, with average size about 14 inches long and weighing about 1.5 pounds.

Ricky Hightower lives near the lake and fishes jon boat tournaments like the Lil’ Waters Bass trail and others. He also puts on pot tournaments on High Falls and fishes it often.

Since most of the cover in High Falls is on the bank, Ricky fishes a lot of water fast in April with a spinnerbait. The fish are scattered and will move in and out of the shoreline cover, so he will fish the same places more than one time during each trip.

A Constant Threat spinnerbait made by Terry Lee in Griffin, director of the Lil’ Waters Bass Trail, is his favorite. He likes a white skirt and one silver and one gold blade on a half ounce bait. He fishes it fairly fast around and through the grass and blowdowns as well as around docks.

A KVD 1.5 or 2.5 crankbait also works well around the docks. Try a natural shad or orange belly bait and try to bump the dock posts and other wood cover.

If the bass seem to be reluctant to bite Ricky fishes a jig and pig or jig head worm. He likes a black and blue three sixteenths ounce jig with a blue twin tail trailer. His jig head is one eight ounce Spot Remover head with a candy bug Trick worm on it. Both should be cast around and under docks and to blowdowns and brush piles.

Favorite areas include Brushy Creek, Watkins Bottom and the area near the dam. All have docks, grass and wood to fish. Keep moving and cover water to catch the scattered bass this month.

Lake Jackson

Jackson Lake is a 4750 acre Georgia Power Lake at the very upper end of the Ocmulgee River east of Jackson, Georgia. It is an old lake but still has a lot of good structure and cover to fish for spotted and largemouth bass.

Although the DNR says largemouth make up about 42 percent of the bass population, only half the bass weighed in at club tournaments are largemouth. And the numbers are sometimes skewed in tournaments since spots are usually culled for heavier largemouth.

In club tournaments it takes about four hours to catch a 12 inch keeper that weighs an average of 1.77 pounds. There are some quality bass in the lake, with it taking 254 angling hours to catch one over five pounds, one of the lowest times per five pound bass of any of our lakes.

The lake record largemouth, caught in March, 1986, weighed 14 pounds, 7 ounces. Twenty years later a 5.08 pound spot set the record for that species. There are some grown spots in the lake and you still have a chance of landing a wall hanger largemouth.

Kip Carter is a well known tournament fisherman that grew up on Jackson and still fishes it often. He guides on Jackson and other area lakes when not fishing a tournament, and makes Bass Hound lures. He sells his lures in tackle stores and through his web site at http://ginebrewedtackle.com. “Everything on Jackson centers around the spawn in April,” Kip said. Some bass have already spawned by early April but bass continue to move to the spawning areas in waves all month long. You can catch pre spawn, spawning and post spawn bass all during the month.

The shad spawn also takes place in April and is a key to catching both largemouth and spots while it is happening. During the shad spawn a spinnerbait fished on main lake seawalls and rocky banks is a sure way to catch fish early in the morning.

You can catch bass off the beds during the day but Kip does not concentrate on them. If he sees a good one on the bed he will try to get it to bite, but he is usually fishing a variety of baits to fish for bass he does not see.

During the shad spawn a white buzzbait and white spinnerbait are always ready to cast around the spawning shad. A Pointer jerk bait will also catch bass around the shad spawn.
A brown jig tipped with a Zoom brown or pumpkinseed trailer is a good bait to fish around shallow cover, and it will catch bedding bass, too. He likes a three-eights to one-quarter ounce jig and trims them down.

A weightless worm s one of the best baits to fish around shallow cover on Jackson this month. Natural colors are best and the bait should be fished around all shoreline cover, from docks to blowdowns and seawalls.

A Carolina Rig and a jig head worm work for fishing a little deeper, too. A Baby Brush Hog is fished on the Carolina rig and a Trick or Finesse worm works well on the jig head. Green pumpkin and natural shad are good colors.

Start at the mouth of spawning coves all over the lake and fish from the point to the back, covering all the cover. If you are not catching fish back in the pockets concentrate on the points with your jig head worm or Carolina rig.

Lake Russell

Lake Russell is a 26,650 acre Corps of Engineers lake on the Savannah River north of Augusta. No shoreline development is allowed so its natural shorelines are pretty to fish and the lake holds good numbers of both largemouth and spotted bass.

You can catch a lot of bass on Russell as the Creel Census Report shows. Average time to catch a 12 inch keeper in club tournaments was less than three hours, the best in the state. Sizes are good with the average tournament bass weighing 1.38 pounds and about 31 percent of the fish were largemouth.

Kent Guest is a tournament fisherman from Elberton and fishes Russell often. He says bass are on many patterns that work this month, with pre spawn, spawn and post spawn bass all month long. Baitfish are the key to catching both pre and post spawn bass and Kent fishes where he finds bait, knowing bass will be feeding around them.

A variety of baits are good, including crankbaits, a jerk bait, a jig and pig, a weightless worm and a Carolina rig. A jig head worm also catches fish but he prefers the Carolina rig to the jig head. And he also has a drop shot worm ready to catch fish he spots holding deeper.

Wind really helps the bite this month so Kent fishes wind blown banks and points as long as he can control the boat in the wind. Rocky points and banks are best but bass feed on clay bottoms, too. Use a crankbait or jerk bait in the wind to fish fairly fast. Cast near the bank and work both baits back all the way to the boat.

If the wind is not blowing try the points at the mouths of spawning coves with your Carolina rig and jig and pig. The water is usually clear so stick with browns and green pumpkin colors. Fish water from three to 15 feet deep and rock or brush cover holds the bass on the points.

Also work the back one-third of coves with a weightless work, fishing it around all cover in shallow water. A bright colored worm like white or chartreuse will help you see the bite and know when to set the hook.

Spots are all over the lake now but the best largemouth fishing is in the creeks like Beaverdam, Coldwater and Pickens. And the largemouth are more likely to be around wood cover with rocks holding spotted bass. The DNR says it is easier to catch spots than largemouth on Russell.

Head to one of these lakes near you or travel to one a little further away for some great April bass fishing. You won’t go wrong with any of them.

Where In Georgia Can I Catch Giant Catfish?

Peach State Giant Catfish Waters

There is something special about catching a big fish, but big is relative. Crappie fishermen want a three pounder and bass fishermen dream of ten pounders. But catfishing is a whole different world, with fish over sixty pounds a reasonable goal.

We are blessed here in Georgia with many waters, from rivers and big reservoirs to small public lakes, where you can catch huge catfish. And there are three different species that have state records weighing over 44 pounds, and two of them break eighty pounds.

Channel cats are in all our rivers and lakes and big ones can be found many of them. Huge blue cats roam lakes and rivers and flatheads, introduced into the state years ago, grow to monster size where they were illegally introduced.

Try these waters and tactics to catch a catfish that will test your equipment and skills fighting them.

Lake Andrews

Lake Andrews is a small 1540 acre Corps of Engineers lake just downstream of Walter F. George. It backs up to the George dam and the tailrace there produces some big catfish. The state record blue cat, an amazing 80 pound, 4 ounce fish, was caught in Andrews in 2010. And a 67 pound, eight ounce blue was landed there in 2006.

There is a good population of cats of all species and sizes in Andrews and your chance of catching a big fish is excellent. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, blue cat populations are expanding and there are good numbers in the 40 pound range. And flatheads are growing fast, with many fish over ten pounds, so huge fish are not many years away.

For the big blues use cut gizzard shad and whole threadfin shad. Bigger flatheads like live bream, suckers, crayfish or shad. Blues will take live bait, too, but try both cut and live bait by putting several rods out. When the current is strong from power generation at the George dam both species bite better.

Fishing at night this summer is a good bet but when current is strong big ones will bite during the day, too. A boat will greatly improve your chances. Drift your cut bait just below the George dam from the buoy line downstream. You can use a motor to slowly ease down the river with the current or anchor and drift your bait.

Use a depthfinder to find holes in the river bottom and anchor just above them and use a sinker heavy enough to get your bait to the bottom and hold it. Let it sit in one place so the current carries the scent down to fish in the hole.

Further down the river find eddies and holes and fish them the same way. Undercut banks are favorites of big flatheads so anchor above deep water right against the bank, especially on outside bends, and let your bait drift into the hole.

Use heavy tackle for the big fish you want to catch. Light saltwater spinning or baitcasting tackle will give you a better chance of landing a monster fish. Eighty pound braid and a big, strong hook are needed to pull the fish out of holes and fight them against the current.

Altamaha River

For river fishing the Altamaha has a well earned reputation of producing huge fish. The Wayne County Board of Tourism hosts a catfish tournament in Jesup each summer and some huge fish are caught each year.

The state record for flatheads is shared by two 83 pounders caught from the Altamaha, the first in 2006 and the second in 2010. Bigger fish have been reported taken on set hooks and trotlines that don’t qualify for the record, so you have a change of setting a new record there this summer.

The state record channel cat is a 44 pound, 12 ounce fish landed in the Altamaha River in 1972. Although the flatheads in the river have eclipsed the channel cat fishing, you still have a good chance of catching a huge channel cat there.

Live and cut bait work well for channel cats and flatheads prefer live bait. Use big bream or shad and remember bigger baits usually catch bigger fish. And eight-inch shad or bream is not too big for bragging size catfish.

Find deep holes on the outside bends of the river and anchor above them. Drift your bait down into the holes and use a sinker big enough to hold it in place in the current. You will need heavy tackle for these big fish.

Also try setting up camp on a sandbar on the river and putting rods out. The sandbars are usually on the inside bends of the river so use tackle that will allow you to cast to the edge of the hole on the outside of the sandbar. Set out several rods and relax while waiting on a bite.

Big flatheads are caught all along the Altamaha but the best area for big blues is from Jesup downstream.

Lake Thurmond

Usually called Clarks Hill, Thurmond is our biggest lake located on the Georgia/South Carolina border. It produces big flatheads and blues, and there are big channel cats in the lake, too. Flatheads have been in the lake for about 30 years but they have grown extremely fast.

In 2010 a 64 pound flathead was landed at Clarks Hill and a 62 pound blue was caught there in 1979. There is not a lot of fishing pressure on cats so the big ones have gotten bigger and bigger. The Little River running from the dam upstream to where it gets shallow near Highway 78 is a good part of the lake to fish.

Use cut bait for blues and live bait for flatheads and heavy tackle. You can get away with 30 pound test line in lakes since there is no current to fight, but heavier line improves your odds. And be sure to use a strong hook so it will not be straightened in the fight.

Above the Highway 43 bridge fish deep outside bends of the river. There is some standing timber along the old river channel in this area and fishing right on the channel lip near it is a good tactic. Also fish the ends of points that drop into the old channel.

Downstream of the Highway 43 bridge find humps beside the river channel. Humps that top out 20 to 30 feet deep and drop into 50 to 60 feet of water are good. Drop your baits down right on the drop but put some on top of the hump, too. Catfish will move on top of the humps to feed, especially at night.

Lake Oconee

Lake Oconee is a Georgia Power lake just south of I-20 in central Georgia. It has been a sleeper lake for big catfish but more and more people are fishing for them and new records for new records for flatheads and blues seem to be set often. It has produced a blue cat weighing over 47 pounds and a flathead over 44 pounds, but bigger fish are in the lake.

Live shad and bluegill are the best baits on Oconee. Since Oconee has turbines at the dam to produce power and also pump back water at night, current moves both ways in the lake and there is usually some current, making fishing much better.

Some big fish are caught right at the buoy line at the dam on points that drop into the old river channel. Humps in this area are good, too, as are points and humps up the Oconee River and in the lower section of Lick Creek.

Anchor so you can let your bait sit on the edge of the drop into the channel on points and humps. Where you anchor will depend on the direction of the current flow. The down current side of the point or hump, where the current flows over the more shallow water into the deeper water creating an eddy is the best place to have your baits.

Put out several rods with different baits on each, and have the bait on the bottom from where the drop first starts to fall on down it to deeper water. There is a lot of standing timber in the lake off these areas so you will need stout tackle to keep a big catfish out of the trees when you hook it.

High Falls Lake

High Falls is a small 660 acre Georgia Power Lake just off I-75 between Jackson and Forsyth. It produces some amazingly big flatheads for its size and held the state record for them for a time, with a 60 pounder the current lake record. It is an old lake with silted in structure and no power generation so current is not much of a factor.

High Falls is a state park and you can be on the water only during the day, from daylight to sunset. Boat motors are limited to 10 horsepower so you won’t be bothered by skiers or jet skis, and two ramps give you easy access to all of the lake.

Fish the lower end of the lake, from Buck Creek to the dam, targeting deeper holes along the old river channel. The outside bend of the old channel is best and it can be somewhat hard to find since most of the channel is silted in, but there will be a drop you can find with a depthfinder.

Slowly drift big live bluegill or shad along the drop, keeping your bait right on the bottom. There are some old stumps on the bottom but not a lot of cover, so lighter tackle will work. Use a sinker just heavy enough to keep your bait on the bottom and move along the drop with your trolling motor very slowly, giving the catfish a chance to bite.

Lake Nottely

Located right at the Georgia/North Carolina line near Blairsville, Nottely is a 4180 acre Tennessee Valley Authority lake that is very fertile and it has produced a 51 pound flathead. It is one of our best north Georgia lakes to land a bragging size flathead.

The best cat fishing in early summer is on the upper end of Nottely where it narrows down into the river. For flatheads fish points that drop into the river channel with big live bream and shad. Slowly drift the ends of the points with your bait right on the bottom.

As the water warms during the summer flatheads can be caught on the lower lake on deep points and humps. Anchor and fish your bait on the bottom where the hump or point drops into the old channel. Fishing at night will be best.

Coosa River

The Coosa River from Rome to the state line where Lake Weiss starts holds some big blue and flathead cats. It has produced a blue over 60 pounds and a flathead over 40 pounds and bigger fish are there.

Fish the mouths of smaller creeks and ditches that empty into the river with live bluegill and shad or cut bait. The eddy formed by the points on both sides of the mouth of the creek are good places for big cats to hold and feed. In most of the creeks you can anchor in the mouth of them and put baits out on both sides, from the top of the point down into the old creek channel.

Also try outside bends where the current has cut deeper holes and undercut the bank. Let your bait drift into the holes and under the bank. Use heavy tackle to pull the big fish from the cover in the undercut banks and wood that has washed into the deeper holes.

Oostanaula River

The Oostanaula River runs from Calhoun to Rome where it joins the Etowah River to form the Coosa. It is a fairly small river and you will need a smaller boat to fish it and will have to take care watching for shallows and wood in the water.

Some big cats are caught here and the river has produced blues and flatheads in the 40 pound range. There is a lot of cover in the river so you will need heavy tackle to land bigger cats. Live bluegill or shad are the best baits for the big fish.

As on other rivers, find undercut banks and holes on the outside bends of the river to fish. Use the current to take your baits to where the fish hold or let it sit on the bottom upstream of the holes to pull the fish to it.

All these waters have produced big catfish and will continue to be good this summer. Flatheads grow fast and you can expect new records to be landed as the earlier spawns of the introduced fish grow bigger and bigger. Blues have been around longer and there are some old, big fish in all these waters.

Let big cats go so you have a chance of catching them again when they are even bigger. Flatheads, unlike big blues and channel cats, are good to eat no matter what size but give them a chance to reach record weight.

Choose a place to fish near you or take a summer trip to one further away. Use the right baits in the right places and you may get your name in the record books for a new lake or river record, or for a new Georgia state record.

What Are Georgia’s Best Spotted Bass Waters?

Georgia’s Best Spotted Bass Waters

Seeing spots before your eyes is usually a bad thing, but when it comes to fishing it is a mixed blessing here in Georgia. Spotted bass fight hard and are fun to catch and eat, but in most Georgia lakes they create problems for the largemouth population.

Spotted bass are a subspecies of black bass, first cousin to the largemouth. If you compare the two, the spotted bass has a smaller mouth, with the back of the mouth not extending past the eye when closed. Largemouth mouths will extend past the eye.

Spots have a “tooth” patch on the tongue that largemouth usually do not have. This rough patch is visible as a dark spot on the tongue and you can feel it with your finger. This rough patch is normally used to determine if a bass is a spot in tournaments.

You can see definite rows of black spots on the lower sides of the spot that are not present in largemouth. The dorsal fins are clearly connected in spots while largemouths have a definite separation of the two fins.

Spots are not native to Georgia waters except for a few streams in extreme North West Georgia that eventually lead to the Mississippi River drainage. But they are now in almost all our lakes thanks to well intentioned but misguided fishermen doing “midnight stocking” by releasing them illegally.

Since they are more aggressive than largemouth spotted bass are easier to catch under adverse conditions like cold fronts and during the winter. But that also creates problems since they out-compete largemouth for food and can take over a lake, becoming the major black bass species in a lake. They don’t grow as fast or as big as largemouth so they can severely limit the numbers of quality fish over five pounds available to fishermen in a body of water.

To show the how they spread and become prolific, and harm a lake, the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Creel Census provides good data. My clubs fish Jackson Lake several times each year and I have been fishing with the clubs since 1974.

In the 1970s and 80s it was an unusual tournament when we didn’t have a six pound largemouth weighed in during winter tournaments. I caught my first two eight pound largemouth at Jackson in the 1970s and my biggest ever, a nine pound, seven ounce fish, was caught in Jackson at a 1991 February club tournament.

In one tournament in the early 80s I had a eight pound four ounce largemouth that was third biggest bass. In another club tournament about that time I had a seven pound eight ounce largemouth that was fourth biggest fish.

But in the early 1990s we saw our first spot weighed in at a club tournament. Before that every fish we caught was a largemouth. In the 2012 Creel Census Report half the fish caught in club tournaments were spots. And that is probably skewed toward more largemouths since spots are often culled for a largemouth.

In our club tournaments there have been only two bass over seven pounds weighed in during the past 20 years. And both clubs still fish Jackson at least twice a year. Now big fish is usually a spot weighing less than three pounds.

But spots are here to stay, no matter how they got in our lakes. Fishermen might as well enjoy catching them and not feel guilty about keeping them for the frying pan. That is why there are no size limits on spots in almost all of our lakes. Keeping them to eat is a good thing for the lake.

Spots usually like smaller baits than you would use for largemouth. So use a four inch Finesse worm on jig heads and Carolina rigs rather than a six inch worm. Try three sixteenths to one quarter ounce jig and pigs rather than half ounce ones. And try smaller topwater plugs and crankbaits. A Pop R will usually catch more spots than a Zara Spook unless fishing for bigger spots.

The following lakes have big populations of spots and you can catch them now on them.

Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier is known nationally as an excellent spotted bass fishery for a good reason. It is perfect habitat for them with clear water, rocky shorelines and deep cover. In club tournaments, 89 percent of bass are spots. Spots have been in Lanier almost since it was dammed but they were small until blueback herring were introduced into the lake.

The bluebacks have made the spots in Lanier grow big but Lanier but they create problems, too. Lanier is not the typical Georgia lake and just a few others in north Georgia are similar. So the same results when spots and bluebacks are introduced together won’t happen in most cases.

Spots are so important in Lanier that it is our only lake with a minimum size limit on them. All black bass at Lanier have to be at least 14 inches long to keep. There is no size limit on spots on any other lake. Due to the unusual conditions at Lanier, five pound spots are common and seven pounders are caught every year.

In the early spring you can sight fish for big spots at Lanier, and they are easier to catch off the bed than a largemouth. Look for bedding spots in protected pockets with rock and gravel bottoms. Spots bed deeper than largemouth so focus on water three to six feet deep.

After the bass spawn is a fantastic time to fish Lanier. Spots move out to blowthroughs – gaps between islands and between islands and the shoreline – and feed on everything that comes near. When the blueback herring spawn in those places, usually in May, the fishing can be incredible.

Fish topwater baits like Zara Spooks and poppers, and also spinnerbaits and crankbaits early in the morning. Watch for swirls on top and cast to them immediately. After the sun gets bright back off a little in the same places and fish a jig head worm or Carolina rig with a small worm, raking the bottom to find waiting spots.

Even after the sun gets high try topwater and soft jerk baits over brush piles. As the water warms later in spring back off and fish brush piles with topwater plugs and dropshot worms in deeper and deeper water.

Lake Allatoona

Allatoona shows the other side of the spot story. The lake is crowded with small spots and you can catch a lot, but you will seldom catch one over three pounds. And it is hard to catch many largemouth in the lake. In club tournaments last year no bass over five pounds were reported.

The best way to catch numbers of spots on Allatoona is to fish rocky bluff banks with jig head worms, small jig and pigs, jerkbaits, small crankbaits and topwater baits. Fish the outside bends of the river channels where rocks drop almost straight down to 20 feet deep.

Fish from a couple of feet deep down to 25 feet deep, but concentrate on the six to 15 foot range. Browns and greens are usually the best color for worms and jigs. A crankbait with some chartreuse in it is good.

To catch quality spots try a big hard or soft swimbait. Fish it over brush piles in 6 to 20 feet of water. You will have to make a lot of casts to get a bite but if you hook a spot on a ten inch swim bait it will probably be a good one.

Lake Burton

Another north Georgia lake that has the right conditions combining blueback herring and spots is Burton. It produced the state record eight pound two ounce monster in 2005 and it has a lot of quality fish in it. Five pound spots are fairly common.

Like Lanier, the clear water in Burton makes sight fishing for bedding spots good. They will bed as deep as nine feet so it can be difficult to spot them but worth the effort. Drop a small jig and pig or jig head worm in the bed and let it sit until the spot can’t stand it and eats it.

After the spawn follow the blueback herring schools to spawning areas on gravel points and humps. Fish topwater baits, soft jerk baits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits where the bottom rises to a few feet deep.

When the herring spawn is over target brush piles in 15 to 25 feet of water and blowdowns on steep banks. Fish dropshot worms, a jig and pig and jig head worms in and around the brush. But don’t hesitate to throw a big topwater plug over the brush for explosive bites.

Carters Lake

Carters Lake rivals Lanier for numbers of big spots. It regularly produces five pounders and some say the next world record is swimming in its waters. It has herring but one of the key baitfish in Carters is alewives, one of the few lakes in Georgia with this baitfish.

Louie Bartenfield guides on Carters and is well known for catching big spots there. He often fishes deeper than most bass fishermen realize and catches spots as deep as 50 feet deep. Alewives tend to school deep so he targets them and drops a spoon or drop shot worm to the bass holding around them.

Topwater lures, swim baits and jerkbaits are good before and after the spawn, too. Fish humps and deep banks and points. During the spawn look for bedding fish. There are also herring in Carters so watch for blowthrows when those baitfish spawn.

After the spawns are over look for fish in deep water on humps, in standing timber and on points that run out to very deep water. Any drop on a point or hump will attract the spots so fish them, casting to more shallow water and working a jig and pig or jig head worm across and down the drop.

West Point

Further south West Point is quickly becoming overcrowded with spots. Once known as a quality largemouth fishery, now you are more likely to catch a dozen one-pound spots than a three pound largemouth. In club tournaments, 63 percent of bass are spots and the average size is 1.58 pounds.

In the spring topwater plugs will catch a lot of fish on shallow gravel points. During the shad spawn topwater and spinnerbaits fished on riprap draw many strikes. Gravel humps and points are good year round.

Spots love rocks and a jig head worm or small jig and pig fished on any rocks on the lake will catch spots. The best fishing is on the main lake, from the junction of the Chattahoochee River and Yellowjacket Creek to the dam.

Fish points near the mouths of creeks and smaller pockets back to the secondary points half way back in them. Also try main lake points and humps that have gravel or rocks on them. Until it gets hot in the summer target water from six to 15 feet deep.

Jackson Lake

As mentioned, Jackson has become overcrowded with spotted bass. Its rocky shorelines offer them perfect habitat and they have thrived as the water has become clearer and less fertile over the past 20 years.

Bedding spots are harder to find at Jackson but you can catch them. Look for beds in gravel coves and protected areas from three to six feet deep. The lower lake near the dam and Tussahaw Creek usually have the clearest water making it easier to find them there.

After the spawn fish rocky points and banks with smaller baits. Poppers like the Rebel Pop-R work well for them. Also try jig head worms and a small jig and pig in the same areas. If the water is clear stick with browns and greens like green pumpkin and watermelon. In stained water try Junebug and black and blue.

Lake Russell

Russell is our newest lake and is full of spots, thanks to stocking by fishermen. There are some quality spots but most will weigh about a pound, so try your smaller baits for them.

Beaverdam Creek and the lower main lake are excellent for spots. And places to fish are easy to find. Channels are marked by big poles and most are on the ends of shallow points and humps. Fishermen have put brush on most of them and many are rocky. Spots love them.

Fish topwater baits around the poles then probe the bottom for the rocks and brush with a jig head worm or small jig and pig. The water is usually clear so stick with browns and greens. Fish shallow, in water from three to ten feet deep, early in the spring then work deeper and deeper as the water warms.

Many coves and small creeks on Russell have standing timber in them that hold spots and they bed on the banks in those places. Go into the smaller creeks and fish near the backs of the deeper ditches and pockets in them that have gravel or rock bottom.

Tie on your smaller baits and head to Allatoona, West Point, Russell or Jackson to catch a lot of spots. For quality fish use bigger baits on Lanier, Carters and Burton. Keep spots, even those shorter than 12 inches, everywhere but Lanier for the frying pan. They taste great and you will help the lake.

What Are Florida Fish Attractors and Why Should I Care?

Florida Fish Attractors Provide Fast Action

By Bob Wattendorf, with Brandon Thompson
from The Fishing Wire

State brush piles attract fish in Florida

So this holiday season, how would it be if the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) put some more fish under the tree? Well, that is exactly what we have done for you all around the state.

The typical fish attractor in Florida is a cluster of hardwood trees, anchored by cinder blocks. State-constructed structures are marked with a bright yellow or white bouy so boaters and anglers know where they are. These attractors are strategically placed to congregate fish, making them more accessible to anglers.

Fishery managers have experimented with alternate materials such as evergreen trees, wooden pallets, stake beds, rock piles, gravel, concrete blocks, car tires and plastic fish-attracting devices. Studies comparing material types revealed variable results. Early data showed evergreen trees did not last as long as hardwood, and environmental and navigational concerns eliminated the use of car tires and concrete in most freshwater systems.

These attractors work by providing areas that algae can grow, which attracts insects that in turn bring small fish around to feed on the bugs. The small fish attract larger fish. The fact attractors also provide shelter for concealment makes the areas havens for a variety of fishes.

More recently, fisheries managers in Florida focused on comparing the productivity, longevity and cost of brush and plastic fish attractors. New models of plastic fish attractors look and act somewhat like natural trees. Preliminary results, from the first year of a three-year study, indicate plastic attractors are typically yielding more bass than brush attractors. So despite additional material cost, they may be the wave of the future, especially if they prove as durable as hoped, because brush attractors need to be frequently refurbished.

Results show anglers caught more fish around plastic attractors than either brush treatment in 68 percent of weeks sampled. In four of six sample areas, anglers caught more bass near plastic, and the four attractors with the highest catch rates were all plastic. Of 197 total bass caught, 78 percent were caught on crankbaits and 99 lures were lost but only 10 percent of those were on plastic attractors. Moreover, in the last 10 weeks, no lures were lost on plastic attractors, as anglers learned to recover them.

Fishery biologists also conducted electrofishing surveys, where an electric current temporarily stuns fish and allows them to be collected, counted and live released. The number of bass was similar near brush and plastic attractors. Therefore, plastic and natural trees may concentrate similar numbers of bass, but bass near plastic attractors may be more vulnerable to angling. Plastic and brush also concentrated similar numbers of black crappie.

The FWC operates under a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection when placing attractors in public waters. A permit is also needed by individuals or organizations to place natural or artificial attractors in public waters or lakes owned by two or more parties. Apply for permits from DEP and/or the local water management district. Litter laws also apply to depositing materials in public waters.

The FWC still constructs gravel or shell attractors that create excellent spawning substrate for sunfish, including bass, bream and crappie. These effectively concentrate fish during spring in areas that otherwise have mostly muddy bottoms.

For coordinates to more than 150 attractors in public waters around the state, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and under “Freshwater Fishing” select “Fishing Sites/Forecasts” then “Fish Attractors.” Click the map for an interactive tool. A video of hardwood fish-attractor construction is also available, along with more information about freshwater attractors.

State fish attractors are built in several ways

Fish attractors aren’t the only way the FWC is putting more fish under the “tree” for you! Stocking programs, habitat enhancement and special regulations contribute to fishing success. These efforts are funded in part by fishing license sales. Other funds come from a fee on the sale of fishing tackle and motor boat fuels, which is collected at the national level and returned to the states for Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration projects.

Consider purchasing a “Go Fishing” largemouth bass tag for fishing enthusiasts’ vehicle or boat trailer (see BuyAPlate.com). The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issues specialty license plate gift certificates that allow anyone to purchase a specialty license plate as a gift for a motor vehicle registrant. The bass tag directly supports FWC efforts to improve fishing in Florida.

Another useful gift idea is to help bass anglers register at TrophyCatchFlorida.com and buy them a fishing scale. Just registering enters them in a drawing for a $40,000 Phoenix bass boat. Everytime they take a photo of an eight-pound or heavier bass on the scale, submit it according to the rules and release it, they’ll earn at least $100 in gift cards, club shirts, decals and certificates – all year long.

A Florida fishing license also makes a great gift. Visit License.MyFWC.com, where you will find licenses for residents and visitors, and a youth fishing license that is good until they turn 17, locking in the price and bragging rights as a card-carrying sportsman.

A Lifetime Sportsman License for Florida children and young adults covers hunting, and freshwater and saltwater fishing! The license is available through Dec. 31 for about half its usual price. So for a limited time you can buy it for $500 plus processing fees. It can be purchased for Florida residents ages 5 to 21 online, by calling 888-347-4356 or at local tax collectors’ offices. For details, go to License.MyFWC.com.

All of us at the FWC wish you a happy holiday season and hope you enjoy the great outdoor experiences the new year has to offer here in the “Fishing Capital of the World.”

Instant licenses are available at License.MyFWC.com or by calling 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Report violators by calling 888-404-3922, *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone, or texting to [email protected]. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “more news,” or bit.ly/FishBusters for more Fish Busters’ Bulletins. To subscribe to FWC columns or to receive news releases, visit MyFWC.com/Contact.

Can I Catch Spotted Bass In Kentucky?

Spotted Bass Time in Kentucky Waters
from The Fishing Wire

Kentucky spot

This is the third installment of a series of articles titled “Fall Fishing Festival” profiling the productive fishing on Kentucky’s lakes, rivers and streams in fall.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – They were not even recognized as a distinctive fish species until 1927. People for many years believed these fish only existed in Kentucky.

In 1956, the Kentucky legislature designated this species the “Kentucky bass” and made them the official state fish. Many anglers, especially in the south-central portion of the United States, still call the spotted bass a Kentucky bass.

They pale in reputation to their black bass cousins, the largemouth and smallmouth bass, but the spunk shown once hooked and their abundance should raise the profile of the overlooked spotted bass. They are also aggressive and readily strike lures.

It isn’t hard to tell when a spotted bass strikes. They shake their heads violently and dive bomb toward the bottom. The larger ones 15 inches and up usually grow a pronounced belly as they mature. Spotted bass use that girth along with a powerful tail against an angler while playing the fish, producing as good a fight as any comparable largemouth bass.

Medium-light spinning rods with reels spooled with 6-pound fluorocarbon line is all you need for catching spotted bass.

Once the fall winds blow, spotted bass begin to school up. They locate along rock bluffs or they suspend over points, submerged humps or channel drops.

“At this time of year, if you catch one spotted bass, keep fishing that same spot,” said Chad Miles, administrative director of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation and dedicated spotted bass angler. “There might be 40 or 50 of them there. Spotted bass really school up in fall.”

Catch spots on topwater

In early to mid fall, these schools of spots often trap a cloud of shad against the surface and rip into them. Large, chrome topwater lures tossed into this melee draw vicious strikes. These same lures fished over points, humps and channel drops can draw spotted bass from a good distance below the lure, especially on our clear water lakes such as Lake Cumberland or Laurel River Lake.

John Williams, southeastern fisheries district program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, reports Lake Cumberland holds a bountiful population of spotted bass with many fish in the 14- to 16-inch range. Spotted bass make up roughly half of the black bass found in the lake.

The main lake points from Harmon Creek down to Wolf Creek Dam hold spotted bass from fall through late spring. A 4-inch black finesse worm rigged on a 3/16-ounce Shakey head and slowly fished down those points is a deadly choice.

A hammered silver jigging spoon fished along the old Cumberland River bluffs in this section of the lake also produces spotted bass. Again, if you catch one spotted bass in fall, keep fishing the same area with the same technique. You might catch a dozen or more.

Large crappie minnows fished on size 1 circle hooks with two split shot lightly clamped on the line about 18 inches above the hook make a powerful choice for the large spotted bass in Laurel River Lake. The water of Laurel River Lake is as clear as the air and live bait works best.

The upper end of the Craigs Creek arm is a spotted bass hotspot on Laurel, as are the main lake points near the dam and in the lower section of Spruce Creek.

The mid-depth reservoirs in southern Kentucky hold excellent populations of larger spotted bass. Barren River Lake and Green River Lake hold some of the largest spotted bass in Kentucky.

The channel drops along the submerged Barren River adjacent to Barren River Lake State Park and the Narrows Access Area make excellent fall spots to try for spotted bass.

In Green River Lake, rock slides and points in the lower sections of the Robinson Creek arm and Green River arm are the best fall places. Green River Lake holds an impressive number of spotted bass longer than 15 inches.

Anglers fishing for largemouth bass in Kentucky Lake often stumble across a football-sized spotted bass. The secondary points in the major bays and creek arms in the middle section of the lake hold some impressive spotted bass in fall.

Smaller profile ¼-ounce football jigs in hues of green, brown and chartreuse attract these fish on Kentucky Lake.

Spotted bass make excellent table fare, by far the best tasting of the black bass species, similar to crappie in taste and texture. There is no minimum size limit on spotted bass statewide, but they still count toward the six fish aggregate black bass daily creel limit.

Hit the water and land some hard fighting and abundant spotted bass this fall. Keeping a few medium-sized spots for the table makes a delicious and nutritious meal.

Author Lee McClellan is a nationally award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

Can I Catch Trout In Alabama?

Cold Water Trout Thrive in a Warm Water State-Alabama
from The Fishing Wire

There is one spot in Alabama that can support rainbow trout – the Lewis Smith Dam tailrace, where water from the bottom of the clear-water lake remains in the 60s during the summer heat.

By David Rainer
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Alabama Trout

About 1,800 rainbow trout, including this 1.5-pounder, were recently stocked in the tailrace below Lewis Smith Dam near Jasper. (Photo by David Rainer, ADCNR)

The rainbow trout are biting in north Alabama. What’d you say? There are no rainbow trout in Alabama because there’s no water cold enough for rainbow trout, right?

Wrong. There is one spot in Alabama that can support rainbow trout – the Lewis Smith Dam tailrace, where water from the bottom of the clear-water lake remains in the 60s during the summer heat.

Although rainbow trout can live in that stretch of water below the dam known as the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, it isn’t sufficient to support a spawning population of trout. Therefore, the tailrace must be stocked on a regular basis.

Such a stocking took place last week when 1,800 rainbow trout were released in the tailrace at Alabama Power Company’s Lewis Smith Dam, which was a perfect site for an update on the enhancements that have been made to benefit those who pursue the tailrace trout.

Stocking Trout

The trout were sent down a plastic pipe and into the tailrace. (Photo by David Rainer, ADCNR

Jason Carlee, Environmental Affairs Supervisor with Alabama Power, said the Smith Dam, which is about 300 feet tall and 2,200 feet long, was completed in 1961.

“It didn’t take long to realize there was the potential for a cold-water fishery right here in the tailrace,” Carlee said. “Fish (rainbow trout) were stocked in the lake in the late 1960s, but the fishing success was not there. So they began looking at the tailrace. They began stocking trout in the tailrace around 1974. It’s been stocked since that time.”

In 2005, Alabama Power applied for a renewal of its hydroelectric license. During that licensing process, public input was accepted, and one of the top subjects was how to improve public access and the trout fishery in the tailrace, Carlee said. After input from the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alabama Power and other stakeholder groups, a plan to make those improvements was finalized.

“The plan was developed to improve access to the tailrace, provide habitat enhancements to improve the fishery and the fishing in the tailrace, and it also developed a minimum flow system in the tailrace that would provide a 50-cubic-feet-per-second flow at all times,” Carlee said.

Metal staircases and walkways were erected to create much better access to the tailrace. The staircases are distributed from just below the dam to just north of the Highway 69 Bridge. One of those access points is a barrier-free location to accommodate those with physical disabilities.

Tailrace Walkway

Alabama Power Company has enhanced the stretch of tailrace just below the dam in terms of fish habitat and angler access. Metal staircases and walkways were erected in strategic spots below the dam. (Photo by David Rainer, ADCNR)

“Before the access points were installed in 2010, really the only way to get to the tailrace was through narrow, muddy footpaths,” Carlee said. “It was really difficult to get into and out of the tailrace. Now there are seven sets of steel staircases that have been anchored into the bedrock.”

Chris Metcalf of Coastal Hydrology out of Florida was hired to design and implement habitat improvements to the tailrace.

“They redesigned over 2,000 feet of river channel,” Carlee said. “They installed log banks and boulders to provide refuge for the trout. They also installed other woody debris and rock crevices. There are a few areas that Chris refers to as ‘lunker holes’ where he undercut banks as much as 6 to 8 feet. This provides excellent habitat for fish during generation. They can get in those areas and get out of the full flow.”

Carlee said the third aspect of the improvements involved a minimum flow from the dam during times when hydroelectric generation was not needed.

“This allows the fish to stay in their preferred habitat even when the units aren’t generating,” he said. “There are valves installed in each of those units to bring air into the flow to ensure ample water quality for those fish to grow.”

That minimum flow has improved the experience for the tailrace anglers, according to Brandon Jackson of the Riverside Fly Shop, located just a few miles from the dam.

“Before the minimum flow, there would be times when all we would have were pools of water,” Jackson said. “Now, there is a flow all the time. This brings the food to the fish instead of the fish having to roam around in search of food. It’s improved the fishing significantly. Instead of just a pool here and there, we have whole runs where you can expect to find fish now.”

Jay Haffner, fisheries biologist with the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF), said the only other area east of the Mississippi River at Smith Dam’s latitude that offers trout fishing is the tailrace at Lake Lanier in Georgia.

“We’ve got a lot to showcase,” Haffner said. “Today we’re showcasing an extraordinarily unique resource in the Deep South where you can take family and friends and catch trout on the warmest day of the year.”

Haffner said that anybody who ventures into the tailrace waters will soon discover just how cold it can be for people who do not wear insulated waders. However, that cold water is exactly what rainbow trout need to survive and thrive.

“With (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries’) many partners – Alabama Power, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery – we stock this stretch of river every month of the year,” Haffner said. “We stock about 35,000 trout annually.”

Haffner said since 2011 Alabama Power has provided $26,000 annually for the restocking efforts as part of the licensing agreement. Trout are purchased from Westover Farms in Missouri for five stockings, while Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery provides the bulk of the fish for stocking, about 25,000 “catchable size” trout. Funding also comes from the Sport Fish Restoration Act, which collects excise taxes on fishing equipment.

Guide Brandon Jackson

Guides like Brandon Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop can help anglers experience the only trout fishery in Alabama. (Photo by David Rainer, ADCNR)

Haffner and summer intern Kimberly Hurt started a data collection program this summer to interview anglers in the Smith Dam tailrace. Although the data has not been finalized, Haffner said some preliminary information is available.

“One out of every four trout that is stocked winds up in an angler’s creel, gets harvested by an angler,” Haffner said. “Anglers are an interesting lot of people. I’ve been studying fish and fishermen for more than 30 years. To some people, a successful fishing trip is catching your limit of fish, whether that’s five trout in the tailrace or 10 bass on the lake. Now there are a lot of people in the world who have far more stressful jobs than studying fish. For those people, they just want to get out of the office for 3.75 hours a day to fish for trout and not have to drive over 200 miles to do it.

“Many of these fish are being caught and released, primarily by anglers who are using flies.”

Haffner said Hurt’s preliminary data from 160 angler interviews indicates about 60 percent of the tailrace anglers are using fly tackle, while the remainder are using some type of bait. About 25 percent of the tailrace anglers are from the local areas of Walker and Cullman counties. So, three of every four anglers are driving to fish the tailrace. And they’re driving more than 70 miles. Haffner also said anglers who hire guides typically catch twice as many trout as those who fly-fish unguided. Hurt’s data also showed an average of 16 anglers on the 2.5-mile stretch of river below the dam per day during the week and 21 anglers per day on the weekend.

“This is a unique opportunity to provide diversity in the fishery,” Haffner said. “Can we provide every species of trout that all anglers in Alabama want to catch? No. We’re trying to make this the best rainbow trout fishery that we can right now.”

Using Keys To Catching Lake Lanier Bass Book To Catch Bass

Keys To Catching Lake Lanier Bass works to help me catch bass.

The Outdoor Blast is next weekend, Friday through Sunday, at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth. I will be helping out at the Georgia Outdoor News booth where you can enter a drawing for a gun given away each hour of the show and pick up a free copy of the current magazine, so that booth should be very busy.

I will also have my two Map of the Month books for sale at the booth. I have put together books for Lake Lanier and Clarks Hill that have a Map of the Month article for each month of the year. Each article has a map showing ten good spots to fish for bass that month, tips on how to fish them, what baits to use and other information from a good fisherman on the lake.

Last week I went to Lanier to try to catch some fish and make a promo video for the book. The video will be running on a laptop on the counter at the Blast. The books are available as downloadable eBooks and I also sell them on CD in either Microsoft Word or PFD format. From the CD you can print out your own copy of the whole book, or print one chapter at a time to take to the lake with you.

I was happy to be able to put in a GPS waypoint from one of the articles for Lanier, go to it and find the brush pile there. I rigged a drop shot worm like suggested, with the color worm and weight sinker the article says works best. And I caught some fish off that hole and others in the book.

Lanier is a tough lake to fish if you don’t go regularly and keep up with what the fish are doing. The information in my book really helped me.

Fishing Lake Weiss In June

Lake Weiss is usually a great lake to fish in June with lots of quality bass in shallow water, even in the heat, so the Spalding County Sportsman Club scheduled our June tournament there last weekend. We should have known fishing would be tougher than normal. Sam Smith said during practice on Friday he talked with several local bass fishermen and all told him fishing was the worst it had been all year.

In the tournament 12 members and guests fished for nine hours on Saturday and nine more on Sunday in extreme heat. There was little breeze either day, making the heat even worse. We landed 63 keepers weighing about 94 pounds. There were six five-fish limits and no one zeroed for the two days.
I got lucky and caught a limit both days. My ten keepers weighed 16.93 pounds for first. Russell Prevatt had the best one day catch with a limit on Sunday weighing 12.5 pounds and his eight weighing 16.51 pounds for the two days was a close second. Sam Smith had nine bass weighing 13.04 for third and fourth was Mickey McHenry with seven bass at 10.83 pounds. Zane Fleck had a pretty 6.08 pound largemouth for big fish and it broke the cumulative pot for the third time this year.
I went over on Friday and spent a couple of hours riding around to get orientated on the lake and check some spots where I had caught fish there in years past. I also looked at some places I had put on maps in Alabama Outdoor News articles. Those old articles, with GPS coordinates, really help.

Although I made only a few casts Friday one of them provided a key for the tournament. In my last club tournament there about five years ago I had caught some good fish by casting worms and spinner baits under overhanging trees along the bank. The only fish I hooded Friday hit a spinner bait on that pattern in the late afternoon.

Saturday morning I ran to a bridge and started fishing it with a topwater plug at 6:00 AM. I quickly caught a keeper spotted bass then lost another keeper that jumped and threw my plug. At that time I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to hook a keeper so I was not too upset at losing one.

After working some gravel banks and points I went to docks at about 10:00 AM and fished a small jig and pig around them. Although I caught two keepers in the next two hours, I had fished a lot of docks without a bite.
After noon I decided to try the overhanging brush pattern and ran to the back of Spring Creek where trees overhang the water. Although the water along the edge is usually only a couple of feet deep, and you can’t hit five feet of water with a 30/06, it sometimes works. Even though the water was almost 90 degrees.
I caught two keepers in the next hour then a bad thunder storm made me head for the van, parked at the Spring Creek ramp. I sat in it for over an hour. I hated to miss fishing but will not go out when lightening is flashing. I did not get a bite after the storm.

At weigh-in I was first in line. After my fish were weighed I headed to the van and campground since another storm was coming and just got parked on my campsite before it hit. I had no idea I was in second place with my little limit.

Sunday morning I decided to try Cowan Creek since I had not found any concentration of fish in Spring Creek. As soon as I stopped I got a nice three pound largemouth on a spinner bait from a grass bed but after an hour did not get any more bites around grass. At 7:30 I cast under an overhanging tree and caught a small keeper on a spinner bait. That made me fish that pattern and I got four more keepers on spinner baits and worms under overhanging trees in Cowan Creek before the 3:00 weigh-in.

I didn’t think I had a very good catch and was surprised to win. It helped I was the only one with a limit both days.

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