How To Catch March Bass On Lake Pickwick with Roger Stegall – Including GPS Coordinates

March Bass at Pickwick

with Roger Stegall

Many national tournament trails are drawn to Pickwick Lake because of the amazing smallmouth fishing. The lake is known nation-wide for producing stringers of quality smallmouth. Four and five pound fish are common and in many tournaments five-fish limits between 20 and 25 pounds are weighed in. It has an excellent population of largemouth and some spotted bass as well.

Pickwick is a 43,100 acre lake with 490 miles of shoreline. The dam on the Tennessee River was completed in 1930 so it is a very old lake. Although its dam is in Tennessee and some waters back up into Mississippi, most of the lake is in Alabama. Two locks at the dam provide barge traffic access as does the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway that connects with the upper end of Yellow Creek.

Roger Stegall has been fishing Pickwick for 31 years and guides there about 200 days a year. He has been bass fishing all his life and got his tournament start in college. Roger and some of his friends started a bass club and he liked the competition. He fished clubs for several years and has fished tournaments with prizes ranging from a trophy to $200,000.

Roger is well known on the tournament trails and has done well in the BFL, Stren Series, FLW and Bassmasters trails, especially in the Pickwick area. He has won six BFL tournaments and at least that many second place finishes where he was within ounces of the winner. He has many top ten finishes in all the trails he has fished.

In 1998 Roger won the BFL point championship for the Mississippi Division. In the Division Championship that year on Pickwick he set a record catch of smallmouth that still stands in the BFL. He brought in an incredible five-fish limit of smallmouth weighing 27.5 pounds. His biggest smallmouth that day weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and he culled a 4.5 pounder.

Roger shared his knowledge of Pickwick with me on a very cold day in late January and showed me the spots where he will be fishing from late February through March. His record catch came on March 18 so this is an excellent time to be on the lake.

As soon as the water starts warming in late February both smallmouth and largemouth start moving toward spawning areas, according to Roger. They will hold and feed in predictable area and will hit a variety of baits. Roger firmly believes lake bass spawn on the lake and creek bass stay in the creeks to bed, but there are plenty of quality fish in both kinds of areas.

Bass will be on rocky points in creeks and on the main lake and you can catch them there during this time. They will also move up on grass flats to feed and spawn so that is another kind of spot to find them. When the water temperature is between 49 and 59 he expects them to be feeding well in both kinds of areas. Smallmouth will spawn when the water gets to 59 and the largemouth will follow when it hits 64 to 65 degrees.

Most of the bass on Pickwick will be pre-spawn from now to the end of March. Roger will fish rocky points with a Strike King Wild Shiner jerk bait, a Strike King spinnerbait a Series 5 crankbait and a football head jig. On the flats he will be throwing either a Red Eye Shad or Diamond Shad lipless bait and the spinnerbait.

The following ten spots will all hold both largemouth and smallmouth this month and they will give you a variety of kinds of spots to hit on the lower lake and in Yellow Creek. Fish them like Roger suggests and you will catch fish.

1. N 34 59.515 – W 88 14.324 – If you put in at the ramp at Sportsman Boat Storage and One Stop on Sandy Creek you don’t have to go far. Look down the creek to your left and you will see a small island sitting just off the bank. Roger says he has caught the lunker in a bunch of tournaments off this island. You will be sitting in 12 feet of water not far off the bank and there are rocks all around the island.

Roger fishes this spot like a rocky point. He stays out from the bank and makes casts in close to the bank. He will work his jerk bait back in short pulls at a right angle to the bank rather than getting in close and making parallel casts. He says he wants to cover the water at a variety of depths.

If the jerk bait doesn’t draw a strike he will follow up with a spinnerbait, slow rolling it down the slope of the bottom, again working it straight out from the bank to deeper water. Fish all the way around this island, covering all of it on both sides.

Before leaving Roger will work a football head jig in the same area to find fish that are very inactive. Sometimes fish will not move up to chase either the jerk bait or spinnerbait so he wants to tempt them with something on the bottom.

2. N 34 59.584 – W 88 14.249 – The point behind this island is also rocky and an excellent place to catch bass this time of year. There is a sign on a tree that says “Cheerio” and Roger calls it Cheerio Point. There is a dock on the point with two white poles holding it in place and it has blue floats under it.

You will see there are two pockets, one on either side of this point. Both are good spawning pockets so bass hold on this point before moving in to them to spawn. Fish all the way around the point with jerk bait, spinnerbait and jig.

Roger likes the Denny Brauer Pro Model football jig with the Rage Craw or Rage Chunk on it. Natural colors like green pumpkin are best. The football head does not hang up as bad as other shapes and it gives the bait a wobble the fish like. Roger fishes the heavy football jig rather than a Carolina rig to cover water and keep in contact with the bottom.

3. N 34 58.996 – W 88 14.170 – Start up Yellow Creek and you will see Yellow Creek Port on your right. There are usually some barges tied up along the left bank. Upstream of them are some rocky points and Roger starts at the one with a small pine leaning over the water and two small old logs running from the bank out into the water. There are stumps and chunk rock on this point and it holds bass.

Fish all the way around this point with all three of your baits. Roger fishes Pflueger reels and All Star rods with all his baits and says the Pflueger best reel for the money on the market. They are two of his sponsors and he likes and uses their products.

The channel swings in close to the bank here and you will be sitting in 35 feet of water a cast off the bank. Roger says some wind blowing in on the rocks helps as does some current. When water is being pulled at the dam there is often a noticeable current here. Sometimes there is a slight upstream current when the lock is operated on the Tennessee-Tombigbee canal upstream but it is inconsistent and you can not depend on it.

4. N 34 57.764 – W 88 13.692 – Run upstream and watch for red channel marker 447.2 on a point on your left. This point has stumps all over it and is rocky. There is a small gravel pocket upstream of the point. Fish all your baits all the way around this point, from the pocket below it to the rocky beach upstream of it. The other points around this one also hold bass.

The colder the water the slower you should fish. Roger works his Wild Shiner jerk bait in short pulls rather than jerks. He says that more imitates the action of an injured baitfish. They don’t dart around, they move slowly then suspend or slowly move up. He wants his jerk bait to look like they do.

5. N 34 57.123 – W 88 13.299 – Upstream Goat Island runs way out from the right bank. This was really a long point where the creek made a sharp bend before the channel was cut through near the bank. There were some goats on the island the day we fished and that is how it got its name.

On the upstream side there is an underwater point running out near the outside edge of the island. The channel swings in right beside it and it looks like a bluff bank but the point is the key. Watch you depthfinder as you fish along this bank and you will see it. Keep your boat out in at least 20 feet of water and cast all three of your baits all around and across the point.

6. N 34 59.261 – W 88 13.448 – Head down Yellow Creek past the first spots following the channel and you will go through the narrow cut on the right. Downstream of it watch for red channel marker 449 on a rocky point on your right. The point with the channel marker and the one upstream of it are both good March spots since they run out to the old channel and have rocks and brush on them and there are spawning pockets behind them.

Fish all around both points probing for rocks and brush. When you hit heavy cover make several casts over it with a jerk bait and run your spinnerbait just above it. Then work your jig through it. Roger says you will get bit on a jig here is you can fish it without hanging up, but you will lose a lot of baits in the rocks.

7. N 34 59.800 – W 88 12.355 – When you get to the mouth of the creek you will see a Spanish style house on the main lake point on your left. There was a US flag on a pole in front of it the day we fished. Roger calls this “YMCA Point” since there used to be a YMCA camp on it. On the creek side of the point you will see a steep rocky bank change to chunk rock and gravel then to flat rocks.

Roger fishes the creek side of this point from the steep bank to the flat rocks. He will use the same three baits as in the creek but will add in the Series 5 crankbait here. He likes the sexy shad color if the water is clear but will throw the bright chartreuse with green or black back if it is stained. He stays way off the bank with the crankbait and makes long casts to the bank, fishing it back from shallow to deep.

8. N 35 01.267 – W 88 11.289 – Run across the river and go behind the big island. Head downstream but be careful until you find the deep water here. You will see a duck blind on your right near where there is a gap in the island on your left. Just downstream of the duck blind it gets very shallow and there are some big stumps and rocks so be very careful.

This is a good example of the kind of grass flat Roger likes this time of year. The water is fairly shallow way off the bank and grass grows on it. Right now the grass is just starting to grow so you won’t see a lot of it, but both largemouth and smallmouth will hold in the grass and feed.

This is where the lipless crankbaits work best. The Diamond Shad has a good wobble and will flutter down when paused, but the new Red Eye Shad will swim down like a hurt baitfish when it is paused. Try both for different actions. Roger likes shad and bream colors in both baits.

Roger will also throw a spinnerbait here. He likes the Strike King with either a single or double willowleaf and goes with the double willowleaf if there are shad present. White is his choice if the water is clear and he uses a white and chartreuse combination if the water is stained.

Bass move in to feed up on these flats before the spawn and they will also spawn on them, so this spot is good the whole month of March and into April. They will also feed here after the spawn. Stay about two casts off the bank and make long casts, covering lots of water as you work this flat.

9. N 35 02.749 – W 88 10.756 – Go downstream, being very careful until you learn where to run since there are shallow flats on this side. Go to the rocky point on the upstream side of Dry Creek and fish it with jerk bait, spinnerbait, crankbait and jig. The point is rocky and there are cedar trees on it.

Start on the upstream side and work to the creek side. Roger does not fish up the creek side. It gets very deep on the creek side but runs out shallow on the river side so stay way out and make long casts. Two boat lengths from the bank the water will be only six feet deep and you want to cast to that depth, not sit over it.

Roger likes Sufix Elite line since it does not have much stretch and he can feel his baits better with it. He fishes the green line so he can see it and watches his line on every cast. Sometimes you will see a bite you don’t feel. Also the low stretch means he feels the lipless baits and crankbait vibrating better and knows to set the hook if the vibrations stop.

On the lipless baits Roger uses 14 to 17 pound Sufix to feel it better and get the fish out of grass. He throws his jerk bait on 10 pound clear Sufix Seige and fishes both jig and spinnerbait on 12 pound Sufix line.

10. N 35 03.079 – W 88 10.927 – On the downstream side of Pompeys Branch, just below Dry Creek, you will see a big shallow point running out to a flat on a good map. This flat comes up to a hump on the end about 300 yards off the bank. The hump is a ridge about 200 yards long and grass grows on it. Bass feed and spawn here and hold here before moving back into the branch and creek to spawn, too.

Stay on the outside of the ridge and make long casts across it with lipless baits. Keep your boat in deeper water and cast to the top of the ridge, covering the slope back to you. Fish it from one end to the other then go back along it with your spinnerbait.

Roger likes the middle of the day on this spot and others. He says that seems to be the best time to catch fish on the flats. On the points you can catch fish any time of day but the first three weeks of March are going to be best because a lot of the fish will move back into pockets to spawn after that.

Check out these spots and see the kinds of patterns and places Roger fishes. There are many others all over the lake that are similar. You can catch fish on these spots then find others after learning the pattern.

To get Roger to show you how he catches bass on Pickwick call him at 662-423-3869 or E-mail him at rogstegall@fishpickwick.com for a guided trip. You can see more information and pictures at his web site at http://www.fishpickwick.com/

HOW TO: CATCH MORE FISH IN THE SPRING

by Bob Jensen of fishingthemidwest.com

from The Fishing Wire

The days, too slowly, are getting warmer and longer. These warmer, longer days are getting more anglers in the mood to visit a lake, river, or pond to see if anyone in that lake, river, or pond wants to get caught. Fish are cold-blooded. Being cold-blooded, they respond to different stimulus in diverse ways. Sometimes they like to eat larger, faster moving prey, other times they prefer prey that is smaller and slower moving. Here are some ideas for fishing in the spring.

Spring is the time of year when most fish like their food to be smaller and slower moving. Since they like their natural food that way, it’s a good idea to offer the fish that we’re after baits that resemble their natural prey. In this case, smaller and slower moving. Small is relative though. A small bait to a largemouth bass is going to be too big for a bluegill, a perch, or a crappie. We as anglers need to tailor our bait presentation to the species of fish that we want to catch.

In many areas, walleyes are a popular target at this time of year. In many areas, walleyes are a popular target at any time of year. But if we fish for walleyes with the same bait in the same way in the same location every time we go fishing, we’re going to be limiting our success. For instance, a jig tipped with a minnow can be particularly good early in the year. In some places a fathead minnow will be good. In the lake just down the road, a shiner will be preferred. That’s early in the year. A few weeks later when the water has warmed and the walleyes are in more of a chasing mood, a jig tipped with a Rage Swimmer plastic will be better. The jig/Rage Swimmer combo is more effective fished faster, so we can show our bait to more fish, which usually increases the chance to get bit.

Another thing regarding minnows and jigs in the spring. Some folks like to hook the minnow through the lips, others like to put the hook in the minnow’s mouth and poke it out through the back of the minnow’s head. By doing the in-the-mouth and out-the-back of the head deal, the minnow will usually stay on the hook longer, and it will also appear to be a smaller presentation. Cold water, smaller presentation, usually more fish.

Now about lure speed. Slower moving lures will usually be better in the spring, but it’s also good to cover water quickly and efficiently. There are a couple of ways that you can do this.

First, and if you’re fishing in a state that only allows one line, try starting with an eighth ounce jig. Work it kind of quickly, but when you catch one or two in quick succession, slow down. Tie on a sixteenth ounce jig and really work the area thoroughly. You’ll catch a couple more. If you go five or ten minutes with no more catching, tie the larger jig back on and start moving again. When you find the fish, slow down and work’em over good.

Here’s something that works well in states that allow multiple lines. Cast the jig but put a slip-bobber rig out there also. I’ve even had success hanging a rod with a jig/minnow directly over the side of the boat. This is often referred to as a “dead rod.” Make sure the jig is near the bottom. You might be surprised how many walleyes you can catch on the slip-bobber rod, and at times that dead rod can get pretty lively. Usually, it’s worth the effort to get those extra lines in the water.

The same concept is true if you’re fishing for crappies or bass. Move the bait slowly but work the area quickly until you find the fish. Then slow down and make them bite.

Depending on where you’re fishing the next few weeks, if you keep the small and slow idea in mind, you’ll increase your odds for catching more fish.

Eliminate the Confusion Associated with Fishing Fluoro Leaders

Seaguar Pro Staff Help Eliminate the Confusion Associated with Fishing Fluoro Leaders

Louisville, KY – One subject many anglers wrestle with has to do with optimal use of fluorocarbon leaders. There’s when to use leaders, length choices, the best knots to use to attach them to main line, as well as which presentations benefit most from their use. In an attempt to reduce the frequent head scratching we’ve talked with some of Seaguar’s staff of bass pros who share the nuances of their fluorocarbon leader use. Their shared knowledge will no doubt help you in your use of fluorocarbon leaders this season, alleviating much of the confusion that can accompany the topic.

Seaguar pro Brandon Palaniuk

When asked what’s the typical fluorocarbon length he uses, bass pro Brandon Palaniuk responded, “My fluorocarbon leader is typically between 10 and 12 feet long. I don’t have an exact measurement for it, but rather make sure that my knot is in my reel and then I make two more revelations with the reel and cut the leader next to the reel after it travels through the guides and back down the rod.”

With regard to technique, Palaniuk keeps the fluorocarbon length the same for each technique. He says the length of the rod may vary slightly or he will potentially go longer for extremely clear water like lakes or reservoirs with greater than 20 feet of visibility. In terms of the type and test of his preferred fluorocarbon, Palaniuk prefers 6-10 lb. Seaguar Tatsu for his leader material. He says the deciding factor for which pound test will be the type or amount of cover he’s fishing around.

Greg Vinson

Greg Vinson prefers six to 20 feet leaders depending on “water clarity, depth and technique.” He continues: “For weightless rigs like twitching Netbait T-Macs, flukes or wacky rigs I like to use a 6 to 10 foot Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon leader. That helps to get the most sensitivity but more importantly helps to get a solid hookset, which can be a challenge with weightless rigs, especially when the hook is Texposed, like a fluke. But I will also use a shorter leader with heavier fluorocarbon like 10 to 15 pound test. And in deeper, clear water I prefer a longer 20 foot leader for drop shotting, vertical rigs (Damiki), and especially when casting a finesse swimbait to suspended fish. Sometimes I feel that the leader-main line connection passing through a group of suspended fish can be a turn off if it’s too close to the bait, especially in clear water and heavily pressured waters. That’s when a 20 foot leader really excels. Although the leader is long, the braid on the spool lessens the amount of overall stretch and absorbs the line twist after hours of dropping or casting.”

John Garret

John Garret says his preferred go-to leader length when fishing the stained waters in the southern states is usually about six feet of Seaguar Tatsu 8 lb. fluorocarbon. What he likes about that length is the leader knot is not in your guides when you cast and in most water conditions it’s enough that fish do not see your braid. “This length also allows for the maximum hook driving power which is a big key when throwing a spinning rod and fishing shakey heads, weightless worms, small lures with treble hooks, and casting drop shot rigs.”

However, if he’s fishing clear northern waters or dropping directly down on fish Garret will up his fluorocarbon leader length to 15 feet depending on how deep and clear he’s fishing. “That still gives you plenty of fluorocarbon leader that the fish don’t see your braided line. And the majority of the time you’re fishing deep clear water you’re using a smaller size wire hook, so you do don’t need as much hook driving power. You have a little more give from the leader length.”

Matt Lee

Bass pro Matt Lee’s typical fluorocarbon leader length is about 10 feet or 8 lb. Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon. He says that length typically keeps the Albright Knot out of the spool to prevent the knot from catching a rod guide when casting. However, he sometimes ups the length of the Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon he uses in southern stained waters on lakes with greater visibility, going as long as 20 feet with 8 lb. and switching to an FG knot to connect to his main line braid. “There are some situations when I might go up to 10 lb. Tatsu, but I don’t ever need to go heavier than that.”

About Seaguar Fishing Lines

As the inventor of fluorocarbon fishing lines in 1971, Seaguar has played a prominent role in the advancement of technologies to improve the performance of lines and leader material for both fresh and salt water anglers. Seaguar is the only manufacturer of fluorocarbon fishing lines that produces its own resins and controls the manufacturing process from start to finished product. Today, Seaguar is the #1 brand of fluorocarbon lines and offers a full spectrum of premium products including fluorocarbon mainlines and leader material, fly tippet and leaders, 8-strand and 16-strand braid and monofilament fishing lines.

Potato Creek Bassmasters May Tournament at Lake Hartwell

Last Friday and Saturday 13 members of the Potato Creek Bassmasters fished our May tournament at Lake Hartwell. From 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM Friday and 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM Saturday, it took us 18 hours to land 98 keeper bass weighing about 173 pounds. There were 13 five bass limits and no one zeroed.

Raymond English won with ten bass weighing 20.71 pound, beating Niles Murray who came in second with ten weighing 20.68 pounds. Unfortunately for him but good for Raymond, Niles had a .06 pound penalty for a dead fish that made the difference!

Lee Hancock had ten weighing 18.27 pounds for third and Glenn Anderson had ten for 18.9 pounds for fourth and his 5.0 pound largemouth was big fish. My nine at 14.42 pounds was way back for fifth.

Hartwell seems to get me every year. Potato Creek has fished Hartwell this same weekend in May since I joined the club seven years ago, and it seems I always come up short. Even though I went up Tuesday and camped at Hartwell State Park and looked for something that would catch fish for two days before the tournament, I did not find it!

We put in for the tournament at the mouth of Little Beaverdam Creek, many miles by water from where I camped but only 15 minutes driving on the road. Wednesday I drove to Hatton Ford Ramp, the tournament site, and looked around that area then put in at the state park to practice in that area on Thursday.

I tried a variety of places and lures both days. I thought I had found a pattern casting a weightless Trick worm to shallow cover on shady banks, catching a few keeper bass doing that on Wednesday. And Thursday I caught some on a buzzbait on a shady bank. That gave me something of a plan.

I started the tournament pretty good, catching a limit of keepers before 6:45. I ran back in a small creek I have been fishing since catching fish there in s Top Six Tournament in the 1980s and caught two on a spinnerbait around bushes. Then at one dock I caught two on a topwater plug, missed two more on it, and caught my fifth fish on a whacky rigged worm.

At about 8:00 I started running different things, hitting a couple humps and points. Then at 10:00 I went back into a small creek and started catching better fish on a Carolina rigged Baby Brush Hog. I quickly culled all five I had caught early then spent the next two hours culling up, landing about 15 keepers in two hours.

For some reason I stopped getting bites around noon. I tried a lot of different things that afternoon but had five weighing 8.71 pounds to weigh in, putting me in sixth place.

Saturday morning I ran back to the same small creek where I started the day before and got one bite, from an 11 inch bass! It started as “one of those days,” no keepers and on one cast the side plate of one of my favorite reels fell off, hit the deck and bounced into the lake!

After setting up another rod, I then ran to the creek where I had caught so many the day before, and got one bite, this time a 13-inch spot. I have no idea what changed other than it was cloudy Friday and sunny Saturday, and there were a lot more boats running around Saturday.

I kept fishing and caught two more keepers but broke my line setting the hook twice and missed two more bites. Everything just went wrong. With 30 minutes left to fish I went back to a point near weigh-in and caught my fourth fish on a roadbed with ten minutes left to fish.

That was the best ending I could hope for on a bad day!

Jig Fishing Tips from Z-Man Pro David Walker

LADSON, SC – “I don’t think anyone knew how picky I was going to be when we got into designing these high-level bass jigs,” says veteran bass pro David Walker, with a friendly laugh. For the self-admitted jig-fishing junkie, the opportunity to brainstorm, build and customize an A-to-Z line of jigs felt like assembling a dream team of bass-catching baits.

“A jig is the definitive fishing tool,” says Walker, who credits a skirted jig for the majority of his $1.9-million tournament winnings. “A jig isn’t a regional nor a seasonal bait, like so many others in your box. There’s not a body of water in which a skirted jig won’t catch bass. So, to finally have access to a year-around line-up of jigs—built to my own persnickety standards—that’s pretty cool.

”Recently, the easygoing Tennessee based angler unveiled the contents of his tournament jig box.Ace jig man David Walker flips where others fear.

FLIPPING JIGS

Walker’s pick: “My all-time go-to is a black/blue CrossEyeZ™Flipping Jig with a Z-Man BatwingZ™ trailer. I’ve made most of my money on a heavier 5/8-ounce jig, but I flip a ½-ouncer more often, as it’s a little more versatile.

”Where & when it shines: “Any time I’ve got any heavy cover at all—brush, grass, trees, docks—I’ll flip a jig in there. A jig is the best tool ever for reaching and appealing to big bass in dense cover. It’s an obvious choice in spring, but I fish this jig summer and fall, too—anytime bass are hunkered down in heavy cover.”

Jig tech: “One key to the CrossEyeZ Flipping Jig is its head design, which slides it cleanly through cover, every time, without getting stuck. Most flipping jigs have weight-forward heads that hang-up on limbs and obstructions. The head on the CrossEyeZ is slightly flattened and tapered back so it slips right on through. Another sweet detail is the jig’s hand-tied skirt, pinned permanently in place with copper wire. The skirt lasts as long as the jig itself; you’ll never pull it out of your box with a broken rubber band and a pile of silicone strands.

Trailer talk: “Buoyant ElaZtech is an awesome trailer material and the BatwingZ is so tough you can hook it once right through the body, just like we did with old-school pork-rind. Love the flattened, oversized claws that flap and wave actively. At rest, the claws float up, mimicking the defensive posture of a live crawfish.”

The scoop: An ace shallow water angler, Walker flipped his way to a hefty 32-pound bag of bass at the 2019 Major League Fishing (MLF) Tour stage at Lake Jordan, NC, finishing atop the leaderboard during the Shotgun Round. Flipping jigs proved a dominant pattern a few weeks later, too, when Walker fished the willow bushes at Chickamauga Lake, TN.

FOOTBALL JIGS

Walker’s pick: “For heavyweight, ball-and-chain style fishing—casting and dragging— give me a ¾-ounce CrossEyeZ™ Football Jig with a 4-inch Turbo CrawZ all day long. Two hot colors are “Smoked It” and “Plumkin,” green pumpkin with a splash of bright purple.

Where and when it shines: “I start fishing the football early in prespawn when bass are still in slightly deeper, winter type areas. During prespawn, I’ll go back to this killer combo, rolling the jig up and over ledges, points and gravel, often on offshore structure.”

Jig tech: “The CrossEyeZ Football Jig is designed to pivot and roll as it slides across the substrate. I like the heavier ¾-ounce size for longer casts and solid bottom contact. The money presentation is a sideways pull of the rod; you don’t want to lift the jig. Just drag it along and let the pivoting jighead and long shank 5/0 hook activate the skirt and trailer.

Trailer talk: “The Turbo CrawZ™ is a high-action crawfish bait that couples really nice with a football jig. The smallest rocking motion of the jig really get the claws waving and vibrating. The toughness of the ElaZtech material means you can often fish one bait all day long.”Walker designed the CrossEyeZ Swim Jig with a special keeper that locks ElaZtech trailers tight.

SWIM JIGS

Walker’s pick: “I’ll take a 3/8-ounce CrossEyeZ™ Snakehead Swim Jig in the color they call “Shad Spawn.” Pair it with a Turbo CrawZ or DieZel MinnowZ™.”

Where and when it shines: “My favorite place to throw the Snakehead Swim Jig is around docks in marinas. You can skip this jig way up under docks, and it won’t hang up on cables, pilings or obstructions like other baits. The late spring shad spawn is a key time to fish this pattern, whether it’s around docks or shallow grass. I love fishing this jig because it’s often a shallow, visual thing, where you’re seeing bass before casting to them.”

Jig tech: “We shaped this jig to mimic a snake’s head—the most adept animal at slithering silently through forests of cover. The jighead is animal-like, not geometric. Also has a flattened underside that helps the jig plane up on the retrieve, so you can use heavier weights for longer casts. On 30-or 40-pound braid, I can throw or skip a 3/8-ouncer a long way.”

Trailer talk: “You want a trailer with a high-action tail that does all the work. The DieZel MinnowZ is an awesome shad imitator. The Turbo CrawZ gives me just a bit more movement in dirtier water. As they say, I like any color so long as its white.”

FINESSE JIGS

Walker’s pick: “In certain situations, a 3/8-ounce CrossEyeZ Power Finesse Jig and TRD CrawZ combo is a great substitute for a bigger flipping jig. Z-Man’s “Pond Scum” pattern is one that’s gotten me a lot of bites.”

Where and when it shines: “Anytime I’m flipping in really clear water, the Power Finesse Jig can be the way to go. In clear water, fish get a great look at what you’re throwing and really respond to those artsy-style colors—combinations of dark and bright silicone, together. I also throw the finesse jig in winter, particularly along steep bluff banks. Cast right against the bank, and work down into 6, 8 and even 15 feet. Let the finesse jig freefall off rock ledges, but otherwise keep it on the bottom.”

Jig tech: “The Power Finesse Jig has a golf-ball shaped head and a compact profile that appeals to less aggressive or pressured bass, or fish that might be overwhelmed by a big flipping jig in clear water. The jig has a short-shank 2/0 flippin’ hook. It’s not a light wire hook, so you can still pitch it into cover knowing it won’t open up on you. Like the other CrossEyeZ jigs, this one’s got hand-tied skirts and a lock-tight trailer keeper.”

Trailer talk: “The little 2-1/2-inch TRD CrawZ™ is known as a Ned Rig bait, but it’s a perfect match for the Power Finesse Jig. Colors like Mudbug pair up well with that Pond Scum-pattern jig. The CrawZ has super buoyant pinchers that flap back and forth as you retrieve the jig, and then wave up of the bottom when you pause. Bass eat this thing like crazy.”

Spalding County Sportsman Club May Tournament at West Point Lake

Last Sunday 11 members of the Spalding County Sportsman Club fished our May tournament at West Point Lake. We fished nine hours, from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM, to land 43 bass weighing about 74 pounds. There were six five bass limits and one person did not weigh in a keeper.

Raymond English blew us all away with a great catch of five bass weighing 17.01 pounds and had a 5.33 pound largemouth for big fish. Glenn Anderson came in second with five at 12.58 pounds and had a 5.12 pound largemouth for second biggest bass. Doug Acree had a five bass limit weighing 7.87 pounds for third, Lee Hancock had five weighing 7.60 pounds for fourth and my five at 6.88 pounds was fifth.

I had a very frustrating start. On a rocky bank that usually has some feeding fish at daylight, I hooked four bass that looked like keepers, and lost all four. Two jumped and threw my buzzbait although had a trailer hook on it. And two jumped and threw my popping plug.

At 7:30 I finally hooked and landed a keeper spot on a shaky head worm, then at 9:00 I landed another keeper spot on a Carolina rigged worm. I had tried a variety of places and baits without much luck and that continued until 11:30.

I decided to try something different so I went to one of the few docks in the area and skipped a whacky rigged Senko under it. I saw a fish swim over and go down after it and hit it, and I landed a very skinny 16 inch largemouth.

The next three docks I fished produced two more keepers, one spot and another skinny largemouth, giving me my limit by noon. Then it got tough again. I kept looking for docks to fish and caught another largemouth that culled one of my small spots at 2:00.

While Zane backed my trailer in for me I skipped the Senko to the dock at the ramp, saying this is my last cast today. I landed my seventh keeper, a small spot that did not cull, before I had to load my boat.

Wild Trout Flourish in Southwestern Virginia

Wild trout flourish in Southwestern Virginia, a unique fact considering it is one of the lowest elevations and eastern-most points on the continent where this occurs. That fact, and the pristine Blue Ridge Mountains that define the area geologically, combine to create a fisherman’s paradise.

The clean, cold Dan River welcomes fly fishing. Part of the Roanoke River system, it flows over 200 miles and crosses the Virginia and North Carolina border in eight places. The headwaters of the Dan are in Meadows of Dan, a mountain valley about 45 miles north of Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Dan begins north of U.S. Highway 58 and slightly northeast of the Meadows of Dan in mountainous Patrick County, at an elevation of over 3,000 feet. In this section of the river anglers will find fishing for native brook trout in waters classified as wild trout waters by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Brookies require clean, cold water to survive, far more so than rainbows and browns, and their presence here is indicative of the quality of the flow.

Just above and below U. S. Highway 58 the river is a put-and-take trout stream – Category B, in Virginia’s classification system. Traveling farther east, the river flows through a deep gorge within the Pinnacles Hydroelectric Project owned by the City of Danville.

This area has been dubbed the Grand Canyon of Virginia, rugged and spectacular country that appeals to the hardy. Trout fishing becomes first class for rainbow and brown trout in the six-mile section between Talbott Dam and Townes Reservoir. The stream from Townes Dam to the Pinnacles Powerhouse has been designated as catch-and-release trout water, and it holds some big fish. From the powerhouse several miles downstream (Kibler Valley) is a popular Category A put-and-take trout stream.

A 6-mile stretch of the Dan runs through Primland, a boutique resort covering some 12,000 acres of wooded mountains. The property is rugged, remote, and beautiful. Two impoundments are adjacent and provide hydroelectric power for the city of Danville. Below the dam is designated as a Special Regulations Trout Water, meaning there is a reproducing population of wild born fish throughout that section. Brown, brook and rainbow trout are found here. A small section of the Smith River below Philpott Dam also has a thriving population of wild fish.

Fisherman can expect year-round action with the best fishing occurring in spring and fall. Hatches of mayfly, caddis and stonefly happen every month and anglers can expect dry fly or surface action any time of year. It never hurts to carry some bead head nymphs and all-around fish catchers like the San Juan worm in sizes 12 to 16. A 5-weight rod 8 to 9 feet long works fine. A pair of waders will be welcomed. Even though you’re in the South here, the water is cold year around.

Primland is a massive mountain resort property larger than many wildlife management areas (and probably has more deer and turkey than many–guided hunts are offered in season.) It’s located about 40 miles north-northwest of Winston Salem, N.C. The resort, recently re-opened after the COVID-19 shutdown, also offers guided fly fishing on a catch-and-release basis, golf, paddle-sports, mountain biking–all the good stuff.

For fly casters seeking less challenging Blue Ridge Mountain fishing, the broader and more forgiving Kibler Valley section of the Dan River is located nearby. Guided fishing with local Orvis pro’s is available April through November depending on weather and stream conditions–as everywhere in trout country, too much rain or runoff makes for tough going.

The Orvis-trained guides not only provide guided fishing trips they also offer fly casting and fly-fishing lessons. There’s an Orvis Dealer Pro Shop on the property, stocked with a large selection of flies and all the other goodies fly fishers love. They also rent Orvis rods and sell fishing licenses at the shop.

For other fishing options, there are three ponds at Primland stocked with trout, bass and channel catfish and open year-round. Fish cleaning is available for the put and take fish in these ponds, so anglers can cook their catch at their Mountain Homes, one of several lodging options at the resort. For details, visit www.primland.com.

National Fishing and Boating Week

National Fishing and Boating Week is June 4 through June 9 this year. This week, set aside to recognize the millions of people that love fishing and boating, was started in 1979 a National Fishing Week and Boating was added later to include others.

Georgia celebrates this event by offering ”Free Fishing Days” from June 4 – 11^th. During this week you can fish on public waters without first buying a fishing license. You also can fish on WMAs without a Land Pass and do not need a trout stamp to fish for them.

Based in those relaxed rules, this would be a good week to check out Big Lazer PFA south of Thomaston. It offers great shore or boat fishing and has good facilities for fishermen and their families. Although gas is ridiculously expensive to get there, there are no other costs once you arrive with your tackle and bait.

Also consider trips to High Falls, the Flint River (a public access boat ramp is at the Highway 18 bridge,) Still Branch Reservoir and Jackson Lake. All are less than an hour from Griffin and give you the chance to enjoy the water and catch some good eating fish for dinner.

I’m glad this all takes place after Memorial Day weekend. There are already many jokes on social media about the kinds of clueless boat owners that visit the lake on holiday weekends.

Some are just funny, like the pictures of boat ramps with truck underwater with boat trailer still in parking lot, or boat floating in the water with trailer still firmly attached under it.

But what is scary to me are the folks out there that don’t have a clue on driving a boat safely. They are apt to cut across in front of you illegally as well as not obeying other laws. They hqave no clue about boating “rules of the road.”

I will be home this weekend.

Fish Small Waters For Success Using These Three Tips

THREE TIPS FOR SMALL WATER SUCCESS

Opportunity abounds as anglers pull boats storage, spool reels with fresh line, and hatch plans for their first bass trips of the new season. Many anglers will flock to supersized southern reservoirs to chase trophy largemouth, while others will head to the Great Lakes to land eye-popping smallmouth. However, smaller bodies of water – places where the big boats simply can’t go – are often the ideal places to build incredible fishing memories. This trifecta of tips will help you meet with early-season bass success on your favorite pond or small lake.

Simplify your tackle

When heading to your favorite small water, the last thing you need is a comprehensive library of rods and reels, complemented by overflowing bags of tackle and accessories. Kayaks, canoes, and smaller boats have limited storage space, and you don’t want to break one – or more – of your favorite rods or drop a case full of baits in the drink. Keep things simple across the board, from rods and reels to tackle and tools.

With bass on the agenda, consider two general approaches – power and finesse – and the basic equipment needed to succeed with each. Power fishing may equate to different lures as spring flows into summer and fall. However, during the early part of the fishing season, square-billed crankbaits are exceptionally productive. Shimano’s family of Macbeth crankbaits are excellent choices, providing finely-tuned wobbling actions that bass find irresistible. Present these lures using a well-balanced casting combo built around a 7’2”, Medium power, Moderate action Shimano Curado casting rod equipped with a low-profile Shimano Curado DC reel and spooled with 12 pound-test fluorocarbon or 30 pound-test PowerPro Super8Slick V2. That same combo will support bass power fishing with hard baits throughout the season, especially deep-diving cranks or jerkbaits as the water warms into early summer.

Finesse bass fishing is particularly productive in cold water or when stormy spring weather forces fish into neutral or negative moods. Few subtle bass techniques are more effective than presenting a Ned Rig. A 4” Z-Man Hula StickZ ElaZtech bait rigged on a 1/10 oz Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ jig is responsible for heart-stopping bass catches throughout the entire season – especially while the water remains cool. Spinning tackle is best suited for presenting Ned Rigs. Select a long, lightweight, sensitive rod, like the 6’8”, Medium-light power, Extra-fast action Shimano Curado spinning rod, paired with a 2500-series Shimano Vanford reel spooled with 10 pound-test PowerPro Super8Slick V2. A high-visibility line color, like PowerPro’s Hi-Vis Yellow option, will help you to visually detect light bites from finicky bass.

A small collection of essential fishing tools will help make every fishing trip on small waters successful. A small pair of line scissors will save your teeth when tying knots. Don’t forget a sturdy set of corrosion-resistant pliers to help remove lures from deeply hooked fish. Smith’s Consumer Products pairs both of those implements with a handy tool holder in their Lawaia Pliers and Scissors Combo. A Smith’s Hook and Knife Sharpener will keep your hooks honed to perfection and ensure that your fillet knife is ready for action should a fish fry be in your future. Add those three tools and your collection of essential lures to a small tackle bag, and your adventure is ready to begin.

Fish in all the right places

Locating bass on typical small waters is far easier than the challenges facing anglers on larger lakes or reservoirs. Let water temperature be your guide. When the shallows warm into the upper 50s to 60s, bass will be actively engaged in the spawning process. Largemouth bass prefer relatively firm substrate, like gravel, sand, or hard-packed mud for building nests, generally along the shoreline. Smallmouth bass will typically bed in shallow areas of rock or gravel, with nests often built adjacent to a larger rock or a fallen tree. Smallmouth will also bed on offshore rock reefs, as long as suitable substrate or cover is available. With reasonable water clarity, it is often possible for anglers to see the beds – and the bass guarding them – from above the surface, and to target individual fish they spot from afar. A quality pair of 100% polarized sunglasses, like those from Ocean Waves, are important for anglers sight fishing for bedding bass.

Choose a frame with a wrap-around design that prevents light from sneaking in the sides, like the Ocean Waves Jax Beach frame, and a set of backwater green mirror/glass amber lenses for optimized visibility and outstanding color contrast. As the spawn completes, bass will either move to deep weedlines or into the slop. A shallow bay with a thick surface canopy of lily pads, duckweed, and matted vegetation is a great place to throw a hollow-bodied topwater for summer largemouth. Deep weedlines will hold bass most of the summer months, as they graze on a buffet of small panfish and other baitfish. Here, a deep-diving crankbait or jerkbait, like the Shimano World Diver 99SP jerkbait, reigns supreme.

Control your boat the way you want to

Many of the best small waters to fish for bass prohibit the use of gasoline-powered motors. Here, electric trolling motors rule the roost. In this setting, however, anglers ask their electric motors to do two very different things: transport them to the hot spots as quickly as possible with propulsion from the transom, and then provide subtle boat positioning from the bow as soon as the casting begins.

The new Revolution trolling motors from Pro Controll are uniquely positioned to perform both tasks, easily transitioning from pushing the boat at the stern, to pulling the boat from the bow – and back again as often as needed. The control head of Revolution trolling motors easily rotates by 180 degrees. This allows the tiller handle to be opposite the propeller to power the boat from the transom, or to be aligned over the propeller to facilitate precise positioning and small, boat movements while fishing from the bow. Revolution trolling motors feature a unique mounting bracket that securely attaches to the boat’s gunwale at nearly any position – the transom, bow, or even along the sides – making it easy to move the motor to where it’s needed. A custom Pro Controll Trolling Motor Battery Harness allows anglers to move the Revolution from one mounting location to another without moving a heavy 12-volt battery. With help from the Pro Controll Revolution trolling motor, anglers finally have the freedom to control their boat the way they want to.

Now you’re all set to land your biggest bass of the year from your favorite small water. Load up the cooler, don’t forget the sunscreen, and enjoy early season success on a pond or small lake near you!

Post Spawn Bass On Herring Lakes

For years at Clarks Hill after the spawn bass hung around back in coves and pockets feeding where they had bedded. I remember daddy and two other men going around the back of a creek with Hula Popper and hooking big bass one morning.

They would not let us kids back there with them, we were too noisy! Four of us were in a bigger ski boat that we had pulled their jon boat to the creek from the boat ramp. We were near the mouth of the cove, trying to paddle it and fish.

I tried to make a long cast to a button bush in the water with my Devil’s Horse topwater plug but it went way off target. As I reeled it in as fast as I could turn the handle on my Mitchell 300 spinning reel, a huge bass attacked the plug.

Somehow we managed to land that seven pound largemouth. It was by far the biggest bass I had ever caught when I was 15 years old. For days we talked about that bass being crazy chasing down that lure skipping across the top of the water. Everybody knew you fished slowly for bass!

Now we know you can not reel a lure faster than a bass can chase it down, and often very fast moving lures will attract bites when nothing else will. Buzzbaits were invented for that kind of fishing. I just wish I had been smart enough to figure that out back then and invent them!

I caught many bass at Clarks Hill in the 1970s and early 1980s fishing back in coves and creeks in April. Then the blueback herring population exploded in the lake and changed everything.

Bass love the herring. They are big with an average size of about seven inches so they are a big meal to fill a bass fast. And they are very rich in oils and protein, perfect for bass recovering from the spawn.

Herring are an open water fish, living on the main lake where it is deep. When the herring spawn they go to shallow gravel and rock areas on the main lake and are easy for bass to catch and eat.

It seems all the bass have learned that and almost[RG1] all of them will head to open water as soon as they spawn in April to eat herring. It has changed the way I fish on herring lakes like Clarks Hill.

That is the pattern I was on last weekend, I often saw six to seven inch herring or gizzard shad following my lure back to the boat.

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